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Hi there, I got my hands on an Alexa LF a few weeks back and did some gel tests at home with what I had available. This wasn't the most technically accurate way of testing but I had the camera and some bits lying around and thought I may swell try some stuff at home. I key'd my partner with a 650W tungsten head, with Deep Red & some yellow gel (not sure official name as these were off cuts I got from one of the first shoots I worked on and have no label) and put a couple layers of steel blue as a back light to test it out. I set the camera WB to 3200K and tested at exposing for middle grey, a stop over and a stop under to compare. I think the slightly over exposed version and then graded down came out the best, but I still find the skin tone to be a little flat or overly smooth? Is this to do with the wavelength of red light being reflected by the skin ? Any practical and technical advice would be appreciated! Also have to mention my partner was having an awful time WFH for her job and to make matters worse I was playing around lighting her with different gels with two tungsten heads on... So that's why she looks less than impressed in the photo haha Thanks!

Hi Guys, I am currently on a hunt for great and affordable LED tube light like the quasar science, to enhance music videos and other projects. When I search online for them, they are like £60 for a 4ft one. Does anyone know any websites, stores, rental houses that provide great & affordable LED tube lights, that work well for filming? I'm writing from the London, so I would preferbally would like things that I could buy over here, thank you! Christopher

Hi everyone, I'm writing a piece on the history of colour correction/grading through the ages and was wondering if any of you have been in the business long enough to have first hand experience of grading with film before it went digital? If any of you have any information about who to talk to or know of anywhere that still processes film (preferably in London), please let me know!

Hello, I was wondering, how close the Vision 3 films are to each other? Of course the sensitivity and grain differ, but are there much if any differences in terms of colour, contrast and perhaps sharpness too? After all they are being advertised as being intercuttable. If the obvious things like grain are not taken into consideration, would it be impossible to distinguish the different Vision 3 stocks from each other? To a slighty other thing, if the Vision 3 films are very similar, does it make a lot of sense to have 4 stocks that practically look the same? It shouldn't be a big thing to add an extra stop of ND or an 85 filter. Kind regards, Valter

Minolta Colour Meter 2 for sale - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301985597261?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Hey guys. Currently writing my dissertation for my university degree. I'm writing on the topic of colour in film and to what extent it evokes emotions in the audience. I have discussed a lot to do with both cinematography and production design, mainly the importance of the collaboration between the two roles. A large majority of my essay is currently discussing modern black and white cinema too. I have a few questions relating to my main question. Would be highly appreciate if I could get some answers/opinions on the topic from some of the DOPs in the group. Would love to hear examples of your actual work as well. Thanks in advance. Main question: To what extent does the use of colour in film evoke specific emotions in the audience? Sub Questions: What would be your main reason for choosing to shoot a film in black and white? In what ways would you work differently in creating specific emotions, how do these differ to shooting for colour? How did you direct the audience to a certain part of the frame without the use of colour? In regards to the colour films you have shot, did you work with any kind of colour harmonies in mind when shooting the films? How closely do you work with the production designer in creating a specific feeling/mood throughout a production? If there is anything else you would like to add please do include it in your answer. Thanks!

Hi, I was wondering if anyone knew of a website where you can download or see custom picture profiles for the Canon C100? Regards Gabe

Hey guys, soon making a corporate and require VFX. This is the first time I have needed a VFX team. What is the process? Collect footage > VFX > Colour grade? Or collect footage > Colour grade > VFX? Thanks in advance!

I've got to light a location where a couple of the walls are pastel green - yuck. Effectively you get a green fill light on everything where the direct light is tungsten. Of course if you adjust the white balance to take out the green fill you end up with a horrible magenta look on the direct light and on the cream coloured walls. Any suggestions? Thanks

Hi guys, Trying to find what works best - to dial the colour temp manually on camera or use a grey card for each lighting condition (custome balance)? I have used both approaches before, my concern is that sometimes the lighting conditions are more complex, like when using combination of tungsten and kino flos, then what temperature do you need to dial? Is it better to balance it on the grey card at the spot where you'll be shooting? Thanks for your help!

I've notice that in most movies the set designer and DOP seem to choose white shades for practical lamps - presumably to increase exposure and not mess with white balance. So for example, all white lamp shades and then dim down the practical lamp bulbs to create a nice warm tone. Is there any advantage to using a white shade with dimmed bulb to get an orange effect, as opposed to keeping the bulb at full power and using an orange shade (which I guess will give more a colour contrast between diffussed and direct light)? Both would presumably give a warm effect. What about coloured bulbs/globes in practicals. Effectively to create warm effect we have got 4 options: 1. Dimmed down tungsten 2. Use orange painted bulb 3. Gel inside of lampshade 4. Use colour lampshade Have you experimented with them and do you think any have certain advantages or disadvantages to creating the warm romantic look. Has anyone given much thought to the colour of lamp shades and have you had any eureka sublime moments, where you've thought I need to keep that up my sleeve for a romantic shot? Have you had any bad moments where you've thought, i really should not have used a lamp with a red lampshade etc. The only advice I can give here is make sure the lamp height is big enough to hold higher wattage bulbs - I tried to stick a dimmed 100w in a lamp and the bulb poked out the top so I reverted to a 40w at full blast. One film that baffles me is Amelie. A blue lamp in a very warm environment - I would have thought the colour spill from the lamp would create a really muddy colour in the immediate environment - or is it one of those post-production tricks where they've rotoscoped the light and changed the colour? Has anybody tried shooting a scene with a blue practical and overall warm feel - it sounds like asking for trouble? (I shall try and repost the images just in case they dissappear from thirdparty sites, if the images no longer exist on reading this post contact me!) Atypical White Lampshades: Red Practical (Nice!!!) Amelie Blue Light

Hey All, I'm shooting a B&W film soon, 35mm. Does anyone know how different colours look in B&W? Is there a website that compares different colours? Thanks!