Bernie

Hi I've attended four years of film school, but never got a thorough technical training. I have shot with an Arri SR2, Bolex, Eclair and Aaton Minima, I know the basics about film stock and light, but do not feel that I completely dominate the whole affair. I have worked alot with DV, a little with Beta SP, but still find there are things I don't know, when working alongside a real video buff. Plus, I have never really done the lighting myself. I am looking for some books to give me a sound theoretic background on film photography and video, as well as lighting. I don't need a basic introduction, or books on visual language like "shot by shot". What I am looking for is the technical background. As there are so many books around, can anyone recommend something? Are the Maine workshops recommendable? Is there anything comparable in Europe? Cheers Bernie :)

Hallo Alex ich schreibe dir auf deutsch, da du ja wahrscheinlich Deutscher bist. Ich wollte dir nur mitteilen, dass ich deinen CV nicht runterladen kann, d.h., es kommt schon was, bloss ist ausser den Jahreszahlen nichts lesbar. Ich arbeite auf Mac OSX und surfe auf Safari. Und das Factsheet begreife ich auch nicht: es geht ewig lang zum runterladen, (okay, 20 sekunden), man weiss nicht, was man erwarten soll, also hätte ich beinahe den download unterbrochen, und dann kommt bloss ein schwarzes blatt mit ein paar fotos von den drehs. was soll das? vielleicht ist es wieder mein browser, der nicht alle infos anzeigt? sollte da noch text sein? da viele in der branche wohl auf mac und safari arbeiten, wäre es sicher nicht schlecht, deine einstellungen zu überprüfen. Punkto Bilder bin ich mit allen vorangegangenen Kommentatoren einig. gruss Bernie

"Sorry to be so long winded. I hope this info helps." Thank you for the detailed answer! Bernie

Hi I have attended a four years course at a Swiss film school, learning the basics of all filmmaking jobs. I would like to deepen my knowledge in photography, film as well as video. I have shot on Arri, Aaton, Eclair, Bolex, Super8, DV, Beta SP, but only about one film per camera, and I don't feel really confident when dop-ing (lack of experience, I guess). Is there a good school offering one year courses? Or any shorter workshops recommended? You might say: just learn by doing, but it seems to me that a film school provides new contacts and therefore more opportunities to actually "be doing", no? Or shall I find an experienced DP who'll take me as an intern/assistant? Another question: How does one become a steadicam operator? Where can you get training? I am geographically flexible. And then one least: are there any standard books you would recommend (film cameras, video cameras, lighting)? Thanks for any hints Bernie