Dimitrios Koukas
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Posts posted by Dimitrios Koukas
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hello
I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight. I just recently graduated with my B.A in film and moved to L.A. Im having a hard time getting any crew positions or even PA work. does any one have any suggestions of where I should be looking for jobs? Does anyone know how I could get into any of the studios or production companies? Im willing to do any job to get my foot in the door.
Just don't quit m8,
Have faith and believe on what you are doing.
Some patience is required and also collect info about production companies , renting houses and go door to door and ask them.
Dimitrios Koukas
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yes something unreal, the camera being a flying/ floating observer.
we did once some great shot of a piano falling and how this would look from the piano's view.You see that piano was falling on someone's car, so we wanted to see the car from above.
We used this very simple but very sofisticated method:
we have attached an arri 435 on a heavy chain and thru a big sprocket .
We measured the chain's weight and the camera's weight.As the camera was falling from above the chains weight went bigger till it stoped the camera!
We have hanged the camera from the hand grip (top).
U can stop the camera's rotation with a rope somewhere attached in the camera's mounting plate.
Be sure to leave enough chain on the other end.
So u will need a crane (maybe like the ones the builders use to carry things from level to level), a sprocket and some heavy chain.
If you want I can make a drawing for u.
We first ofcource tested all this with adding some sand bags with same weight as the camera's weight.
Dimitrios Koukas
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Hello
Is it ok to carry CANAIR (compressed air) and things like that on flights ?
thanks in advance
All aircrafts have pressurised cabins,
If your can will blow, then u will blow too.
Only in case of sudden cabin pressure lost you will have this happen, but then who cares?
It would be to late for all.
But if the regulation don't approve it, then buy one can at the next location.
No problem if you fly bellow 10,000 ft.
Dimitrios Koukas
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Can anyone point me to a reference where day for night in snow actually worked
I wont hold my breath
Latest movie with big scenes of Day for night is ''the phoenix fly'',or ''fly of the phoenix'' or something....
It's in the desert, but it's a good reference.
Dimitrios Koukas
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Shooting the sun full frame in 16mm to open/ begin a transition shot.
Any recommendations for special filtration?
thank you.
All has to do with how much quantity of light u let pass thru your lens,
In Greece I ve done this many times, but I prefer sunrise or sunset when the sun is bigger and not so bright ,so you will need a smaller focal distance lens.
If you are going for screen then u need a big telephoto lens (2000mm), but if you are going for TV then u can zoom in in the post approximately 20%.
Just take an ambient light reading and underexpose 2 f stops.
Use your photometer to look at the suns direction and not your lens.
Also use a UV filter on,most common used are Skylight 1A,2A and UV 15,16, because telephoto lenses suffer image detoriation due to haze,heat waves etc.
,
The shooting thru a darken glass or black mirror will do also, but u need to be accurate on how u re positionning the lens opposing the reflected image.
I believe that 45% will do.
Don't worry about burnning anything and always point the sun with your iris close to your actuall f/stop.
Don't worry so much about nd filters just use a low ISO stock like 50 ASA or so.
If you use a telephoto u will probably start with an f/stop of 5.6 or bigger.
For 50 ASA I believe that 22 f/stop will do the job in the sunrise.
Do u want to have the surface of the Sun filmed?
Then we are talking for astronomers job, so better buy some footage.
ALWAYS USE BIG F/STOPS WHEN U POINT AT THE SUN.(or with the magazine removed.)
Dimitrios Koukas
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Hi guys,
i try to find a way to creat a "flying cam" effect where the camera hovers a meter or so over the ground and moves in different directions, it shouldnt look like a steady dolly shot and i cant use a steadycam, anny suggestions how i can pull that off ?maybe handheld and with some posproduction effects ?
What excactly do you want to simulate with this? A bird's view? or something ''unreal'', or an object falling?
Dimitrios Koukas
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hi guys! i d like to buy my first 16 mm camera ..
which one of this?
arriflex 16 s with schneider/zeiss
beaulieu r16 with angenieux 12 120
or bolex h16 rex4/5 with kern switar..
tell me please the differences in terms of optical quality between kern and schneider..
thanks
Go for the Arri SR
Why buy an old camera like S?
Have some patience and collect more money, unless you want the camera as a vintage collector.
It will be a pain to get things workin and u can get a lot of trouble with turret and lenses.
Sorry for beeing so bossy, it's just that for this days you can get good prices for SR cameras.
U can still shoot S16 but use the 16mm frame.
Dimitrios Koukas
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Two questions about soft light-
1) I just heard first hand info about a big time DP lighting Nicole Kidman. He ran a big light, bounced it off a card, then through 3 different frames before it reached her.
My question - Did those frames make a difference in the quality? Aren't they simply cutting the light? If the main factors are the size of the source and its proximity to the subject, why all the extra frames of diffucsion? I don't know if the frames got progressively larger or not - I'll find out. By the way, Kidman looked fantastic after all those frames.
2)Drop off- We constantly hear about light drop off...but doesn't all light comply with the inverse square law? Why does soft light seem to have a faster drop off?
thanks,
Chuck DeRosa
Los Angeles
Chuck,
I believe both replies covered your questions, the only think that I have to add, is that it's the subject that orders your lighting, the specific DP at the specific shot believed that he needed more diffusion for her face so he added some more.
A shadowless light source was probabaly his approach.
Do u have a frame of it? I am curius to see the results.
Sometimes we come up with weird things in the set that pisses gaffers off, but it's the result u want that counts first.
Dimitrios Koukas
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feel free to experiment, but be careful with what monitor you're doing it on. what it seems like you've been trying to do is already the look it has on a tv. your version would be way too hot i think. but i appreciate all suggestions. these stills came from the dv offline and have only been best light corrected in the scanner.
/matt
Hot?
I didn't change the colour, just added more highlights.
( brighten the whites)
Dimitrios
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That looks pretty good. Sort of accomplishes my suggestion and makes the figures a little brighter and more a focus of the scene without getting stagey. Probably something somehow halfway between this and what mattias has might be enough, in my opinion.
Santo,
Even that I don't like your avatar m8, at least we ve found something in common.
Dimitrios
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Hi,
The reason I don't worry about eye color is that usually there is nothing like enough saturation in the eye's to cause a key issue. In the rare situation when they do its very easy to matt out!
Stephen
Stephen,
The reason I am trying to alert for the details is that you and me maybe know how to do it, but what if someone doesn't?
And yes u were right, I believe I ve gonne too far ;-).
And another thing. Rosco paint comes in different colours , if you have tables or chairs on the set that you want them to be matt out in the post, then Rosco suggests u use a darker blue on the top surfaces and the lighter one for the surfaces that facing the lense.
I ve done many Green screens Blue or white ones even black screens sometimes, depends on the subject.Since 1988 that I ve started working the compositing technology have changed a lot, so there are some fewer things to worry about, wich is good.
Dimitrios
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We've been considering pointing the meter towards the camera, until nnow, but one could just as well point it toward the source one wants to meter, instead of blocking the other lights only...
Works great for metering the fill. As fora source tha would be further away than 90°.
The direction you point the meter at is a question that you should think of in every cas. The metering instructions you've read are especially accurate for still photo, as light meters are basically designed for it.
Imagine a shot where the camera is tracking and travelling around a subject, though you want an iris set the same all the way thru... This is when this 90° problem shows its limits, pointing "towards the camera".
Also, when you cut and match shots, the keylight that was less than 90° away from the camera might be much more further in another shot.
This problem is even obvious when you have the KL that happens to be backlight for one or several shots in the sequence...
The only way to meter correctly the light that comes to a point in such situations, is to point the meter to the source's direction better that towards the camera (where the hell is it bt the way ?), even though you eventually block some other sources actually...
It also is a matter of experience...
Laurel,
Very well puted here, that u can turn the meter away of the camera to do any measurement, I am using this teqhnique a lot, it's just it's (as u say it) a matter of experience.
U see what lits the dome so u can tell what u read...I do the same with backlights too, But if you want to be more accurate I am suggesting to use a flat disk, instead of the dome, for separate readings.
As for the lights that overlap when less than 90 degrees,it's something that happens but, if u have a face looking towards your lens, it's nose will block the fill off for example, or if the fill is placed at 90 degrees then they mostly don't overlap.
You see we are talking about general principles here, so all the comments we make have a subjective nature.
Everything is about what you are shooting, and where, how many lights an actor crosses, and how many ''key'' lights or fills will cross in a scene.
I can guess u walk the scene with your photometer and u get a tracking readiing like most of us do.
Then u correct any hot spots if u don't want them, or u add some more.
Dimitrios
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Well,look at another colour timing option, I did this for fun, sry I am messing up with your job, just playing here.
Dimitrios
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Will a Sekonic 608 Combo Meter measure a flash?
Eduardo,
I couldn't find this meter in the sekonic's site, is it an old one?
If it does flash readings, then u can measure a strobe light when u have it flash in big intervals, or you can use a simple photometer (not a flash meter) if you have your strobe running at 50 or 60 flashes per second.
Is it going to be your main light source or a secondary somewhere in the background?
If you just need the effect somewhere away of your subject, there is no problem beeing so accurate,
u can go ''by eye''.
I hope this will help you,
Dimitrios
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@Paul
I don't see too many conversion rings for cine lenses out there however. Saw one for a PL mount, but I cannot afford PL lenses at this point.
For now I bought some Pentax K-mounts (just the mount, no bodies attached) that I'll experiment with till I can afford a true cine mount, like a PL or OCT-19.
Then again, those mounts are designed for reflex cameras, and my deaign is rackover. Wonder if someone has the specs on the Mitchell's mount. 8)
Downix,
Good luck with your project m8, optex and century optics are doing the most conversions for lences mounts e.t.c.
Try visit their sites, maybe you would find information about calculation and mount depths and distances there.
Dimitrios
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Basically, in a up-coming production I'm making called "Check Mate", I want to experiment a bit on certain scenes.
I want to create this look:
The problem is, I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to get hold of a filter to make it purple, so I'm planning on actually painting the light purple.
I?m going to diffuse it slightly, digitally. Diffusing the light on the camera won?t be practical.
Throughout the duration of this scene, I'm going to try and keep to the house lights as opposed to studio lights. Purely because I want the lights to look overblown, I want it to look a bit un-natural.
I would color it in post but I don't want any digital noise.
Have you guys ever actually painted a light? I'm looking around to see if you can get pre-coloured lights. Probably can and it would be better than painting one myself.
And another thing, I can't afford any studio lights right so I'm resorting to 150watt flood lights. At £5 for two, you can't argue. You have to connect a wire and plug to it thought. What is the best method for gelling lights? I still can't see how people gel these lights without melting the gel.
Well, any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan.
Ashley,
If you haven't finish your production yet,
Go and get for free some calcolor samples, they come in a small booklet, from a gel store, and try to put one green infront of your lens while white balancing.
See what happens.
The only problem is that if you want the actors to look normal lit, then u definately want to use gels.On the house lights.
Regards
Dimitrios Koukas
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Personally I am becoming more of a fan of the Enhancer but I still love the Polarizer. What do you guys think? Could you use it indoors? Could you use it outdoors with the polarizer? If so what would it look like? Let me know what you guys think?
Mario C. Jackson
Mario,
Always it depends of what subject you are shooting.
As you have allready noticed, enchancing filters are magentaish, wich means that they will take out some of the green of your scene that maybe is good for some emulsions, enchances the red's and blue tones of every source.
In a skin, it will pop out any skin dirts or things that maybe an actor never seen in a photo of his/hers before.
A pola on the other way will do a job neutral in colour.
Regards
Dimitrios Koukas
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Hi Everyone,
I'm looking to create a cold, morning light, comparable to Harris Savidas' mornings in The Game. I don't have money for HMI's, but I get the impression there could be an equally interesting way to employ either fluorescents (although I prefer blue to green) or something else close to a practical light. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Aaron
Use fluorescents at 8 banks, and if you want to do it yourself use digital ballasts, you can even dim the fluo's with this.Use some short of cardboard paper to hook the lights on it.
Dimitrios Koukas
D.o.P.
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You can do a lot of damage with 6 par cans. If you can control those beasts indoors you've earned a lighting PHD. If I was alone on a desert island I would take the par cans over any petite lighting kit.
Paul, Do you know my friend Kent Moorehead? He directed some cool stuff in Oxford, good filmmaker.
JT
I agree here,
Check Behringers small sets with parcans and dimmer packs as for a console, it will get u to 2k.Not so easy to control though so u definately need flags e.t.c.
Dimitrios
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i'd got the impression that one could use the dome for an 'intergrated reading' (as laurent might put it?) if the key light was less than 90degrees from the camera axis in which case light from key and fill are both falling on the same area (i believe this is total key or something?)
then getting a separate fill reading (blocking off key light) and from that determining your key/fill ratio.
now as an extension to the original question I was just wondering if professional DoPs ever truelly worry themselves with a key/fill ratio i.e would you approach a scene saying to yourself "i want a 4:1 ratio?"
I would assume that if it did happen to be a 4:1 ratio (2 stops) and the film stock u are using has a good latitude then you know the contrast won't be so big.
sorry to ramble but I am just starting out and keen to know if I am even on the right lines. thanks for your time
Friend,
If you point to the camera and get a reading, you just get the average reading of the lights, based on a surface that reflects 18% of light.(skin) It is the total light we may say that falls on your subject.This will get you out of your shoot safely.
If you want to know the key/ fill ratio then u turn off the fill or block it from the photo dome, you read the f/stop , u turn the key off and u turn the fill on and u get your reading.This will give you the ratio.
A reading pointing the camera with all the lights on, will give you an average light reading of all the lights.Usually I block the backlight from the dome
, and also the skylight, overcast sky.
It's good to know the lighting ratio of a scene, especially if you are in a weird schedule, that u have to match a scene of same sequence after three months.
e.g, the actor (in real life)is on coke and he has to go in a hospital to get rid of his habits and then come back to continue...
Hehe, just jokin here, but you never now.
As all people do and suggest, I will suggest to you too, to do your tests, and don't rash in a production before knowing your film, your lenses, and the laboratory results.
Make some film latitude tests, grey scale shootings, and see some of this projected.
Like Mr. Nash said, eventually u will know it ''by eye''.
Other things u see in the scene, others thru the eypiece and others the emulsion sees.
For a normal observer, some things that you are shooting look much like the set is lit for a comedy, but the result is the drama u wanted in the first place.
All has to do with what point of the latitude u put your exposure.
I don't know what excactly do you mean by saying ''the contrast won't be so big''.
Do you mean that it will be soft? normal? or hard?
You can change the films contrast by only overexposing it (make it harder). With the same lighting ratio, but different f/stop.How much? It depends from the film.
I hope I have been helpfull.
Dimitrios
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Stephen,
You seem pretty savvy in the green/blue screen process, and i really appreciate all your help so far. more questions though of course, Do you know of any good website forums that are oriented more towards the CG/VFX part of the process? Thanks!
Steve
Try to now what are the colours the actor is wearing, not only the skin colour, do you have close ups and he has blue eyes?
Or green eyes?
Take care all the details.
Dimitrios
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Hi All,
I am going to try out a small green/blue screen test (haven't decided yet on which color) and after doing some research i think i have an idea of how to light it. I don't have to money to rent specialized flourescent tubes, so im going to get commercial daylight tubes, or kinoflos, and filter them. My question is which gels to use to filter them. I have found several possibilities and i was wondering if someone could tell me which would work best. For blue screen work i have found the following, LEE "just blue" #79, LEE "true blue" #196 and Rosco SuperGel "Primary Blue" #80. For green screen i have found: LEE "Primary Green" #139, Rosco SuperGel "Priamary Green" # 91, and Rosco SuperGel "chromagreen" #389. What do you guys think? Any other tips/suggestions, the scene itself will be a man walking towards the camera with backing behind him, and thats it. In post i am going to add in a CG hallway. Thanks for your help guys,
Steve
U are saying VFX, do you want a 3d moving background?
Then u need track balls or just some trackers for the guy in the post. Ask him too.
Dimitrios
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Hi All,
I am going to try out a small green/blue screen test (haven't decided yet on which color) and after doing some research i think i have an idea of how to light it. I don't have to money to rent specialized flourescent tubes, so im going to get commercial daylight tubes, or kinoflos, and filter them. My question is which gels to use to filter them. I have found several possibilities and i was wondering if someone could tell me which would work best. For blue screen work i have found the following, LEE "just blue" #79, LEE "true blue" #196 and Rosco SuperGel "Primary Blue" #80. For green screen i have found: LEE "Primary Green" #139, Rosco SuperGel "Priamary Green" # 91, and Rosco SuperGel "chromagreen" #389. What do you guys think? Any other tips/suggestions, the scene itself will be a man walking towards the camera with backing behind him, and thats it. In post i am going to add in a CG hallway. Thanks for your help guys,
Steve
Use a rosco paint or similar that has excactly the colour a green or blue screen needs,
keep your subject away from the background, it is a good advise.
That means that you have to make your background bigger, so consider this you should talk with the production, If you are going on tungsten film, I suggest that you use tungsten lights for the backround, with some 1/4 or 1/2 C.T.B. , try to lit it even, carefull that your lights do not overlap so much , wich will give u a hot spot.
Any light that u add, in the background, will overlap with another, so this will be a pain if u don't be carefull.
Use flags on your lights to avoid blue colour from the gelled light to fall on your subject,in case you are doing a green screen then either add some plus green gels or some CalColour green gells.
Light your subject with same temperature lights as your film, and only correct the background.
One other thing that u maybe want to be aware of, is becarefull that the light form your subject falls too much on the background.
Gool luck, I hope I have helped.
Dimitrios
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what happens if i only use the flat disc and not the white dome to measure lighting ratio? is it neccessary to use the dome to take final reading?
Hello Ahmed
There is no problem using only the flat photodisk to do measure the light, it's just that u have to make more calculations.
Flat photodisk is been used rarely by me, but sometimes when I need to match scenes or sequences that I want the same light ratio then I use it.It's been used for helping the cinematographer to be sure about his lighting ratios of a scene, by getting separate readings from the subject.
U can do the same though in a dome photodisk, by covering with your palm the light that u want to exclude from the reading. (all lights are visible on the photo dome.)
With the photodisk:Measure your key light and then your fill light, right down or memorise the results,
Usually in a daylight scene I ll go with the fill light reading, and for night shots I will go with the key light.
But that's a general rule, and depends of what u re shooting.
Other wise u can just use an f or T stop, that comes excactly in between.
Let's says f/5.6 when your key is 8.0 and your fill is 4.0.
But this is also a general rule, cause u see i have no idea what is the subject u are filming.Also what are the lighting ratios that u want to use.
Regards
Dimitrios Koukas
Examples of portrait/'sideways' film please..
in General Discussion
Posted
Nick,
Can u bemore specific?
I am confused.what has Brian eno has to do with this?
I went to the link but I can't find a connection...
Dimitrios Koukas