Ken Minehan

hello, if you want more information on shooting minitures, you can watch behind the scenes of Lord of the rings and King Kong. In the King Kong behind the scenes DVD there is a whole section where they explain about shooting minitures. For me it was very very interesting and eye opening. Ken Minehan

haha, ok, good call Jonathan. So it's just like standing on a pancake or something for extra height. Ken Minehan haha, ok, good call Jonathan. So it's just like standing on a pancake or something for extra height. Ken Minehan

Hi George. I totally understand your frustration. But maybe i can offer you a different point of view when it comes to shooting video. You speak of the "video mentality". I feel that it comes down to the dicipline of shooting. If you shoot with video, you can still light it like film. Get the ASA rating of your vid camera and use your light meter to check exposure readings. Also, shooting video is a great place to practice your camera movement. You can practice the basic track shot or even practicing the use of hot heads with your video camera etc. That way you have the comfort in knowing you're not wasting film stock because you need to do take after take because of camera movenment errors. Dont get me wrong, i would love to shoot more film too, 35mm preferably, but until then shooting with video allows me to polish up certain aspects of DPing that i need more training in. Ken Minehan

The Panasonic HVX 200 is rated at 320 ASA. So for night construction scenes you will have to pump in quite a bit of light. But fortunately for you, i think there will ba alot of places to hide lights in a construction set right? Aslo make sure you dont shoot the camera wide open. f2-f2.8 would be desirable. I have shot wide open on this camera in low light situations, and the blacks come out milky, and grainy. Not the effect i was after in that situation. Another side note, when shooting dark scenes, it's a good idea for you to shoot looking through the eye piece rather than the flip screen. The viewing angle of the flip screen is very narrow, and you will be looking at the image with the wrong exposure if the screen angle is not exact. A way around this is to look through the eye piece. a while ago when i was shooting with this camera, i was shooting the NTSC version (in singapore that shoots PAL). I noticed the kino pulsing. This is easily fixed in camera. Good luck on your shoot, and if you have any problem with the camera, you can contact me on this forum. I have learnt alot on the Panasonic HVX200 and the P2 format mainly through trial and error. Mostly error. Ken Minehan

hey guys, i just bought the Sekonic L758 cine meter yesterday. I've been playing around with it all yesterday and today. From what i can see it's a very smart meter, and it takes a while to get used to all the functions. All in all, i feel that it's a great meter. Ken Minehan

Hello Tyler, I can understand how you are feeling right now. There are alot of uncertainty in this industry. But i feel that living a life, as David put it "the only constant is change", can be very very exciting. When i was first starting out i remember i was very scared. I used to think to myself, have i made the right move? the right decision? if i was doing some thing else would i be more successful? and these questions and concerns that you have now will come back to you at certain points in your career. I for sure still ask my self these questions. But ultimately, the answer that erases these concerns from my mind is that fact that I love to shoot. And all i want to do is shoot. I work as a DOP in singapore, and here it can be even more uncertain. There is no industry supporting the workers. So often DOPs, Gaffers, Grips CA's work with in the budget given to them. If you want more stability in the industry there are many avenues you can take while shooting a camera. As for me, I work full time for a Production Company where i get a Salary (not very much, but at least this is a consistent income). At the same time, my boss is allowing me to freelance. So i split my freelance income 50-50. You may think this is a raw deal, but i feel that in the long run it's better for me. I have a constant salary, with freelance pay, and i get to make alot more contacts in the industry here. When time comes for me to just go freelance, at least i have more confidence and more experience and more contacts. So i guess what i'm trying to say is that "there is more than one way to skin a cat". You can be a DOP for TV programes, camera man for news, DOP for documentaries etc etc. I think ultimately most DOPs want to become cinematographers shooting movies for a living, but until that day comes your priority should be to gain experience, and to better your craft. Just remember that many excellent cinematographers today began as news camera men, back in the day when they used to shoot 16mm. My next point is the time you spend away from your other half. Here in Singapore, we get alot of work from the Asia region. So alot of my time is spent in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan. I may spend about 7 days out of every month over seas. This kind of schedule was great... until my girl friend came along. Now, i think my girlfriend is great. I guess i'm lucky that she is so understanding (although she sometimes gets grumpy if i have to go for a long duration). It doesn't mean that if you spend alot of time away from your spouse that all will end in tragedy. For example, if i'm in jakarta for 2 weeks, i just buy her a weekend trip to jakarta so we can spend the weekend together. I guess in Singapore it is possible because everything is so close together (and cheap), But i'm sure in the USA something similar can be worked out. I apologise, i think i ranted for long enough. But in Summary, anxiety ad fears that you're feeling now is only natural. I think most people on this forum would have experienced for themselves at some point in their career. If you work hard and train hard at your craft, been a Director of Photography can be a very satisfying job. I myself am no where near making it as a top DOP yet, but i want to keep trying. That's for sure. Ken Minehan

Hello david. Thanks very much for your reply. It helps alot. Regards Ken Minehan

Hello guys, i am shooing a TV commercial in Cambodia next week, and my producer in Thailand has told me that she got Eterna 250D for the shoot. I initially asked for Kodak 250D vision 2. I have never shot on the Fuji stocks before and i was wandering what you guys think of the stock. I have read up on it, but i wanted to hear from people who have had practical experience on the eterna 250D. How is the latitude, skin tones, grain noise in blacks etc? Any information/advice will be appreciated Thank you Ken Minehan

haha, i see. Thank you david. Many films have achieved beautiful shafts of light in the forrest/jungle like in Thin Red Line. I have always wondered how it was done. Thnkas again Ken Minehan

ok, thank you guys for your comments. I have another question. When shooting on location (not in a controlled environment like a studio) such as the above picture, how do you control the smoke. Wouldn't the smoke/fog, become very thin and disappear very fast? How can you make the shafts of light with the smoke so perfect and keep it that way to get the shot. I guess they choose a location that is best shielded by the wind. Is that right? Thank you guys? Ken Minehan

hello guys, i was just wandering, to achieve the shaft of light like in the picture, (assuming that we are shooting on location) would you put a really big light back there or use natural sun light at the right time of day. If they are using artificial lighting, then what light is it? Must it be far and up very high? or can you cheat and put a branch in front of the light smaller light (18k?) positioned behind the 20 x20 black cloth? Thanks for your answers in Advance Ken Minehan

Hi Graeme. Yep you are right. after thinking about it i realise i made a mistake. Grid would be too thick. A thinner diffusion like a silk will be good. I am also from Australia, and i realise the intensity of the sun we have to deal with. You have a difficult job ahead, but i think will be very rewarding if you achieve the look you're going for. It would be a good idea to also speak with a colourist before your shoot. I often speak to the colourist to ask what kind of footage they need to achieve the look i want. They can tell you to underexpose/overexpose, or darken off clouds, etc etc. With this kind of info, i think you will feel more confident when shooting your project. I sure do. Good luck mate, would love to see a still frame once your done. Ken Minehan

HI matt. Sorry, my mistake, the questions were for Chris. Haha Ken Minehan

Hi Matt, The shot you're trying to achieve sounds pretty cool, but in order to visualise what you're trying to do i need a little more information. Are you using prime lenses with your XL2? How wide is your shot? Do you want the white background to be over exposed? Are you tracking/moving camera? Back when i was a student, i shot a shortfilm where a scene took place in Limbo (a place between heaven and hell). So we had a white studio that we overexposed by 2 stops. we wanted to blow out the back ground to create the infinity look (and also to hide the cracks in the wall). At that time, the biggest lights we had available was 2k blondies. We had 4 blondies hanging from a grid on full flood. Blondies have a pretty good spread. The kino that you mentined as a good spread, but the light falls off quite fast. If it's a wide shot, you will have to get quite a few kinos. The 650 is a very versatile light, but the spread is not very wide. If you intend to use prime lenses, it will suck a lot of light too. Maybe you can get bigger lights with a soft box attached to it, to give you even lighting on the back wall and also enough light to over expose a bit. But i recommend you to not make the talent of the same exposure. I hope this helps. Please reply with a bit more info so other guys can help you too. good luck Ken Minehan

Hello. Do you mean the lighting conditions typical of french/English films, where the exteriors are very diffused and have a greyish tone. From what i can see of European Films, much of their lighting is very beautiful and soft. Even the exteriors. HVX 200 is a good camera, but it has it's limitations with reducing the contrast. You will have to do more in post. On location, i recommend you to place a 20 x 20 grid (or something thinner depending on how much you prefer to diffuse) to diffuse the sun light. This will definitely soften out the harsh kick from the sun and lessen the contrast. You can bounce a soft fill from the other side to even out the lighting even more. But to acheive the European feel, keep it soft. After you achieve the right exposure, you may have to grade a bit to achieve that european light feel. Or you can wait for a really big cloud to come over. The best diffuser in the world. haha. I think a good reference to the feel you are talking about would be "Schindlers List". right? Anyway good luck Hope this helps

hello, If the green screen is behind the rays of light/fog i recommend you put the rays in in post. The rays will be keyed out. Lighting effects are getting better and better now days with animation. Speak to your animator, and he will also tell you the best ways to achieve this. Should of course still keep your tracking points, and i recommend you to light the green evenly and keep it as clean as possible. Hope that helps. Ken Minehan

hey guys, This may wound like a ridiculous question. But what is a DIT, and what do they do? Ken Minehan

Hello Lav, I am a DOP from Brisbane currently working in Singapore. I am also a graduate from QUT. Anyway, i recently shot a live concert here where i had no control of lighting too. But the event was also a launch of Panasonics new HDX 900. We were shooting the Gig with these cameras and it exposed fine. Just to give you a rough idea check out the attachment. The filter wheels on 1B will give you an asa of 640. That should be fast enough for your gig. I would recommend to shoot any concert on HD or digibeta. Try your best to get as much information out of the lighting director, and as him what lights he's using from where. If he answer these questions for you, you can get a rough idea on lighting conditions for your gig. I hope that helps regards Ken Minehan

The example you show from the "glass house" looks beautiful. By the looks of it all the lights were exterior of the car right?love the rain shadows on his face. Ken Minehan

Thank you guys for the replies. I think i'll go and try some camera tests and see how it turns out. Thanks again. Ken Minehan

Hello Guys, Recently there was an American film crew in Singapore shooting a feature film "Singapore Dreaming". The DOP was Martina Radwan. I was not on the shoot, but my friends were as grips and lighting crew. They were telling me about lighting night scenes and using a gel called "chocolate". This is something i've never heard of and i assume rarely used in Singapore. What exactly is this and how is it used? Thanks Ken Minehan

Hello, I have a question with regards your framing. Are the 2 models framed in a long shot, from head to toe? If so, i dont think your Dedo backlight will not be enough since you're working with f5.6-f8. I think, the more light you have doesn't necessarily mean it will be more beautiful. Recently i was shooting a washing detergent TV commercial in Singapore. The scene was a mother sitting on a couch and relaxing while the dirty clothes kept pilling up. Anyway, i wanted a very soft feel with a subtle hairlight. I kept my lighting very simple, and i was pleased with the effect. This is what I did: Shooting with Kodak 250D Vision 2. 4kw HMI from one side diffused with a grid cloth. We built a basic minimalist living room set in a white studio, so the bounce off the walls almost took care of the rest. Then i had a 1.2kw HMI on the Back ground to seperate the actor from the back wall. Had 1kw with full CTB and 252 for her hair light. and a few other smaller lights to highlight certian props in the set. I was working on f5.6. But i ND down to get 2.8. I think for beauty and soft feel, a shallower depth is recommended. I hope this helps. Ken Minehan

OK, thank you for clarifying that. No i haven't seen it yet. I am finding it difficult to find the DVD here in Singapore. But i dying to watch it. So the DOP used the strong back light of the Sun, and emualted that for moon light. They also mentioned that they keyed the blue sky out and replaced it with a starry night sky, then desaturated the image. thats brilliant. Thanks again for clarifying that Jonathan.

Hello guys, i would like to hear from other DOPs on how they achieve day for night. Day for night is something that i have never done before. I was reading an article in the American Cinematographer about the film "The Proposition", a western movie shot in the Australian Outback. There was a quote on how the DOP achieved day for night in his film. (see below). ?It?s a real day-for-night scene, like in a John Ford movie,? says the cameraman. ?Nowadays people do day for night more like a dusk effect, blue and soft. I wanted to use the sun as a moon. After all, the moon is like a weak sun, with very contrasty light. So I shot in bright sunlight and tried to angle the camera so the sky would be very dark and blue ? I wanted to use the sky as a bluescreen in post, when stars would be added. I polarized the sky as much as I could to separate Charlie, the horse and the tree from the background, and I exposed the scene like a normal day scene. It was like shooting in a studio in a way, using the sky as a huge bluescreen. In post, we desaturated all the color, and it looks like a real moon. I?m pleased. I'm a little comfused after reading this. Did they have the sun in shot? He says "he angled the camera to make the sky dark and blue". How did he polarise just the Sky? It would be great if some one can shed some light on this. Would love to hear your stories on how you did day for night too. Cheers Ken Minehan

Hello, you sound like you have an very fun job coming up. Shooting everything against green can be tricky sometimes, but talking to your animator will help alot. If your animator can come on set to advise you from time to time may get you out of trouble later too. I recently shot a TV commercial where the scene was 8 people sitting at a boardroom table having a meeting. We shot this behind a green screen. The table they were sitting was also green screen. In this situation the actors were intereacting with the green table in front of them so it was quite difficult to avoid all spills. Is your platform goin got animate and morph into something else? Is there a need for it to be green screened? I would advise you to build the platform in to your set if you can. By doing this, you can avoid the problem of green spills, and also save your animator alot time in post. I also had shadows on the table, but thats a minor problem as they can key out twice if need be. This is of course not the ideal situation but it can easily be solved. Make sure to have tracking points in the back ground and fore ground for your animator if you are intending to have your camera moving. Another thing my animator asked me to do, is to avoid shallow depth. For example, if an actor in the foreground is in focus and another actor in the back ground is blurred, it creates a problem for the guy doing the keying out. He told me to shoot as sharp and big depth as possible, and that he will blur the back ground after in post. Just make sure to use this week before your shoot to have several meetings with your animator. it's also a good time to be clear on what your comped back ground is going to look like too. I hope i have been helpful. Would love to see your MTV once it's done. regards and good luck. Ken Minehan