Dimitrios Koukas

I am playing at home with an AVID xpressDV and I use premiere too. Yes I have done some editing while I was learning about cinema on a moviola (I am still learning about cinema),and now I am editing some funny movies with my dog, but when someone wants to edit something and asks me, I am forwarding him to an editor. Beeing humble for a start is a good approach too, for a young one. Dimitrios Koukas funny posting here are we competing who will post first? Very interesting scene.Reality sometimes beat the most talented scriptwriter. Three DP's posting with smile on their faces, till the forum pages go to 100 maybe? Check the time our posts are separating from eachother!

It was S16 so it was one 125mm I was about 30ft from her. You got it correct about the nose.Telephotos where really flaterring for her. Dimitrios Koukas

David I have to agree again with you, but from my side of view I just believed that Stephen was trying to protect Brandon from not getting too confused about everything. Noone said that he DOESN'T have to learn editing. And by the way, he is taking still photography class at the moment. Later means in three months for a young one. That's all. Dimitrios Koukas I hope it will make some sense now?

As u see like me, David is rating his stock 1/3 slower.200 ASA for 160. I am doing a bit more(maybe I ve got this habbit from commercial work) 1/2 stop example 250D at 160, but this will help you as I always like to say''light the blacks''. I am not affraid to go half stop up in film, (and for most of the new videocameras), but for film it really helps the shadows to have detail in them, so when u bring it to normal in the final print (or lower) your blacks won't suffer. Do some tests, even 2stops up and down then bring the colour timming to normal to see what happens.The underexposed negative will have grainy blacks. Try a test that will include a face side lighted, a colour patch and grey scale. Dimitrios Koukas

David, You are right too it's just that Brandon asked how to start and what. So I am considering that everything has a start, Photography is a good start, If he finds it too confusing or very technical ,or out of his field than he should try editing or directing. Or after he masters photography. That's why in many ways I prefer the ''Cinematographer'' title. For me a cinematographer has to know all the parts and how's of a production. And I am not saying that a Director doesn't have to know about photography either! It is just I believed many people here started spamming him with everything, I believe one little step at a time would be more creative and less confusing. I was a boom-op in my early yrs and also many other things, like producer, director writer and so on, but only for my experience and development. Never ever, have entittled myself with the Director or producer title,even that I knew how.As most of us. I am a D.o.P. And I like it! Dimitrios Koukas

Jack, sorry I am chassing you thru the forums but I have asked you if you have any connection with the airplanes world, but u haven't replyied. So here I am asking again, out of topic ofcourse and sry. Dimitrios Koukas

U definitely got a point here m8. :D :D Stephen is right, let the young man there learn photography first, and then he will see what he will do with his life! Write, shoot, edit, party, drinks and chicks later. Dimitrios Koukas

Dominic, Thank you, It was what I wanted to write!! :D I know the site too, I don't know how it came down typed like that. Dimitrios

What do you mean how it is? It's a small market for everything, even for toothbrushes. All the business suffer a lot here, and it upsets me to know that this is getting universal. In terms of filming, u can find anything u like,We have all the ''toys'' to play with as a cinematographer or lighting designer. Things like musco lights is that u have to rent from abroad, or a Mitchell 35 mm on a wescam airborne. Only one wescam for video. But even though, it isn't wotkin full season. As for locations and conditions things are really great for producting anything.I work in the tv adverts most of the time when I am not in feature films. Dimitrios Koukas

First of all u can use some wire brushes, and of different types.One nylon, one stainless and one brass. Try carefully, without any chemicals on for a start. If u see that u re starting to scratch the camera somehow, then u can use some chemicals like methylated alcohol, or petroleum, but do it with great caution. Try not to put alcohol on any flange, and remove all the external flanges of the camera. Petroleum is far more soft to the flanges. U will need many pieces of clean cloth to use in case petroleum starting to drip. I would use petroleum for the gate too. After u finish cleanning u should pass the whole camera with some silicon spray. (Outside). Try the same with mags, WD40 is good for rust too, but not good for plastics So do it with great caution.Also try the surfaces before u put anything on them. For the inside I believe many parts were used to get lubrication from oils made for sewing machines. Dimitrios Koukas

Sry, I thought u had allready the material filmed.But anyway, my advise for a slow stock still counts, but u will just need more lights for it. Except grain is something u want for the look. Consider that you can do the opposite though. Shoot on S16 and print on standard 16mm frame. Dimitrios Koukas

Greece. Dimitrios

Tom, First of all do not expect me to tell u what is the best way to do a night to night shot, when u have asked to give you some advises of how u can do it with no budget. For sunlight or daylight exterios u can choose a nice time of the day to do your scene, so in a way you will have the light (sun) where u want it to be, consider the weather forecast before u do though. For the exterior close ups, u can use reflectors for fill in. a white foamcore board will help and doesn't cost so much. Or the lastolite reflectors or simmilar will do the job too. One other really cheap matterial u can use as a reflector is the things we put on cars windshields (u know the aluminium style ones). As for night exteriors, wich I do not know what the style is, At least try to do your scene in a road that has many street lights and store lights. For the close ups choose a background that is lighted with lights coming from a big billboard or something like this, it will add some interesting effect to your frame as it will be soft round circles of colour. Use either two big Maglights and make a soft box with 250 diffusion in front of them.They have to be really close to the actors for the close ups though. In case you have somewhere to power up lights, the simpliest way is to use a 2K ''blonde'' with double CTB for a backlight somewhere , and some 500w fresnels as frontlights. All this is really hypothetical,As I do not know the scene at all, and it looks like I am talking all alone, without knowing anything. More info on your shots u re plannning to do would be great. Dimitrios Koukas

Hello there, try this one. http://homepage.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/fi...s/glossary.html It's good for basics i believe? Dimitrios Koukas

Since that David covered your question totally I believe, then the only thing that I would like to add is that cinema is a collaboration Art and includes all the other arts known till now. Without collaboration, some departments may feel ''out of the game'', wich will affect the project itself. A director is a Director, but he/she isn't the project. Dimitrios Koukas

Oh is it the D20 then that has a bigger one? Dimitrios Koukas

Oh yep they spin! But usually no problem if you put black cloth or cine-foil when they re idling in place. Dimitrios Koukas

Oh I am sorry m8, believe me I D.o.P. much better than I write. Dimitrios

If you have your project allready in 16mm, and you want to blow up to 35mm as David said it is doable, you have to consider really well the screen aspect though, cause u may end up with general shots of actors with their legs croped off the frame. I did one feature film and was all with 7245 (50ASA) Kodak, wich it terms of picture quality (actually got a quality price in a festival) was really great, Honestly it was better than some 16S blow ups shooted with 100ASA. I had to overexpose for 1/2 stop or more the whole thing, but finally we got the award. So what stock u have used is an issue too. Dimitrios Koukas

Just consentrate to the atmosphere you want this to look like, and explain to everyone (before the shoot and without the actors) in a meetting how critical things are those times. I like to light erotic scenes with the classic approach of a single light center of the frame high and back of the actor's. Usually a frame with diffusion like 250, for the close-ups I just use an extra piece of foam core for a bounched fill, Dimitrios Koukas

Landon, For my point of view, and I haven't seen the Viper at all, I ve just heard that it has a bigger CCD, like 35mm? So the other HD cameras have a 2/3 ccd except the Viper who has a 35mm? For me there is no need to wonder why a bigger ccd has better quality, it's simple physics. Dimitrios Koukas

Yes 75 mm is great for close-ups,I ve said this too in my previous post, but I can recall one feature film that I did on S16 that one 125 was the best choice for an actress! Wich means 250 for 35mm! U see many times it is this ''something'' that u were wishing to have from your lenses set to do the shoot as u imagined it. That's why I have suggested you to buy all the set. Dimitrios Koukas

You can try it, it won't cost u much either. But the mini Dv medium is really bellow S8mm resolution.I think some of them are for editing purposes? Dimitrios Koukas

I have the feelling that u have taken it too personal here. If you don't need our opinion there is no problem. Dimitrios Koukas

m8. I am out of topic here, but can u tell me how can I make my attachments visible and not as thumbnails? Dimitrios