Bill Totolo

A few images that I revisit: Edmond Francois Aman-Jean "Hesiod Listening to the Inspiration of the Muse" Joan Miro Claude Monet Stencil art

I use an incident meter.

Very hard decision. Keep in mind all the hidden costs such as insurance and support gear. Insurance can be a bite in the ass but if that camera gets damaged or stolen in the field you'll be happy you had it, and don't get some cut rate insurance that doesn't pay out. Get real production insurance with a proven track record. You'll also want batteries, tripod, fluid head, some kind of case, then you'll start to think about things like a wide angle adapter, on board monitor, matte box, etc... These items won't break your bank account but totalled up can meet or exceed the original purchase price of the camera. Just something to consider. Once you dive in it never ends : ) Start small and see where your career leads you.

I think the problem is that the themes: alienation, racism, xenophobia, are very prescient and pertain strongly to today's society. It's just the execution was so vague. No one, the actors or director, made very strong choices in their behaviour. It set new records for the passive protagonist. However, the camerawork, editing and the way Roeg makes an environment work for him were very expressive and were always his strongest traits as a director.

I'd also recomend a "larger" source, going with a four by frame or a large chimera at least. Go bigger if you can. That skin tone can be a lot more reflective and the larger source looks more natural as fill light. Kind of like a show car, not to sound disrespectful.

Thanks Satsuki. That helps clear things up. It's pretty evident that zooms were all over Roeg's film. Those rectangular flares are an amazing artifact.

Anyone mention Minelli's "The Band Wagon"? Stunning Technicolor.

We basically rolled into this building unannounced and shot on the roof all day and night on a Sunday and were never bothered. It's immediately south of the 10 across from a McDonalds. This was several years ago so I don't recall the street, sorry. Take Wilshire until it ends, make a right, go under the 10 on ramp, make a left, look for a warehouse across from McDonald's.

Here's the shot that caught my eye. I'm referring to the rectangular prisms. Is that lens flare or is that caused by the filter pack?

Wait a second, Michael. Aren't you a big fan of the "Michael Bay Unmotivated Sunset Shot"? :D

That's true Douglas. Specifically, I use the tobacco grad. during Nautical Twilight.

Because of the dark skin tone, personally, I would expose for the b/g BUT I would fill to the SAME F-stop. IOW, if you set exposure at, say F4.0, I would fill until the subject was also at F4.0 but it depends on the reflectivity of the person and how dark their skin tone is. I recently shot a Nigerian musician who literally soaked up all the light from my HMI's outside. Of course I was letting the sun back light him but I had to hit him with multiple fill lights. Sometimes you have to work it out on set and listen to what your eyes tell you.

Can anyone direct me to articles on the cinematography of this movie? I'd really like to know what lenses were used. The lens flares are very interesting. Thanks,

When you're shooting a sunset 9 times out of 10 you're going for dramatic impact. It's a visual statement, so make a statement. Personally, I'm a fan of the tobacco grad.

What format are you shooting?

I use something similar, but it's camel hair. Very fine.

It held my interest, even without audio. What did you learn from it?

If you go with a 1k you may not use be able to use as many lights on the same circuit, if you're shooting in a house or similar. An Arri 650 fresnel puts out a really smooth, attractive beam with a lot of punch. You should look at Mole Richardson as well. But if you want a "beam" you may need something like an ellipsoidal, a "source four" perhaps. Among my lighting I have an arri 650 fresnel, arri 1000 open face and a Lowel DP (1K) and I'm just very fond of the look of the 650 fresnel.

For better or worse I've shot in quite a few nightclubs. There are several factors which I find they all have in common. Here are some thoughts. 1) Pre arrange VIP Parking for easy entrance, exit, access, and safety. Make sure all parking fees are paid. 2) Arrive early, introduce yourself to security, making sure you will have all-access and easy enter/exit. 3) Lighting can be as low as less than 1 footcandle. Your eye can register this once it adjusts but your camera can't. You'll need gain, accept it. People in clubs DO NOT appreciate Sun Guns. Best on camera light: LitePanels dimmable LCD. 4) Use your on camera light pointed at the floor to clear a path for yourself. People are kind enough to get out of your way when you respect their privacy. 5) Wear ear plugs for protection. 6) Carry a flashlight. 7) Post a sign saying "You're granting us the right to use your image, blah, blah, blah" and video tape people looking at this sign to cover yourself for clearance issues. 8) Keep a close eye on your audio meters. I'm sure I could go on but you get the idea. Shooting in clubs seems pretty common so I'm sure there will be more good ideas to follow.

I just saw a screening at the Nuart (Los Angeles) of "The Last Starfighter". I'd never seen it and it was a new print so I figured what the hey? Besides I wanted to see "The Last Starfighter" in a topic title. Turns out, not such a great movie but a landmark in digital effects work at the time. So, eveyone's got one. What's your favorite 80's flic? I'm torn between "VisionQuest" and "The Princess Bride" with "Risky Business", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "Syd n Nancy", and "Frantic" following close behind. And don't throw in Kurosawa's "Ran" or Scorcese's "Raging Bull". We ALL love those movies. I'm talking movies that could ONLY come out of the 80's like "Breakfast Club" or "One Crazy Summer".

I've done this, using my eye it appears to be 15fps.

Position filled. Thank you.

Looking for an editor to string together a rough edit in the field for client as we're in production. Editor must have experience w/ Panasonic P2 cards. If you can provide a laptop w/ FCP HD you'll get a kit fee. Gig is weekend of Oct 13 and 14. Please PM me with your day rate. Thank you

Yeah, in film mode it emulates a film shutter so be very careful with your pans, that's been a much discussed topic among HVX owners. For the setting I use to reduce gain I recomended Video Cam because it "turns on" options that are not available when you are in "film" mode. You can toggle between the two to see what is available with each option.

I understand you can put Lowel Tota lamps of lower wattage in the Mole 2K zip lights. Can anyone confirm?