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Astronaut Farmer


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I cut a montage, about 2 minutes long. There's a smallish QT version here:

http://www.davidmullenasc.com/The%20Astronaut%20Farmer4.mov

Hi David,

 

What is the purpose of the montage?

 

If it is to show off your cinematography, it is very nice. I really liked the music and the cinematography.

 

There are a lot of ways you can edit a 2 min. montage of this movie and I am sure most of them would be very nice because the cinematography and music are so nice.

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I cut a montage, about 2 minutes long. There's a smallish QT version here:

http://www.davidmullenasc.com/The%20Astronaut%20Farmer4.mov

 

I like the light! You capture the New Mexico light very beautifully. Of course, the sets are gorgeously lit as well. I love the swaths of light coming into the rooms.

 

How much did you colaborate with (local) gaffer Steve Litecky? Did you come into the movie with a very clear idea of what this place looks like in terms of quality of light? The SW has that magical quality of light that has captivated many, many visual artists; and its quality certainly made it into the sets you guys lit. Some of the sets like the old state pen's foyer and the old county courthouse may not look like that in real life, but it certainly looks consistent with what the New Mexico light would make them look like in the right circumstances/ time of day . . .

 

Of course, not many people outside of NM know this, but you realistically captured that very elusive NM/ SW light. Not many people have gotten away with it so consitently throughout a project. Stylized (nothing wrong with it), yes, but gorgeous.

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I thought the horrible script didn't do justice to the cinematography. That being said, there are some nice shots in your montage. I find it often difficult to seemlessly cut rich outdoor scenes with indoor hi-con scenes.

 

One critic overall of your work as a whole is for my taste I often find you are a big user of too much atmospheric smoke in scenes. I remember one scene in the living room? of their home in this film (backlit windows), it looked like the place was on fire and totally took me out of the scene.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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We mounted an Arri-2C on a hi-hat to the next rocket, looking back at them, locked-off the camera and triggered it, and sent the ride going -- I don't think we had the operator on it (for a POV shot looking at Bruce Willis passing by, we did.)

 

I edited that, to some music from "American President".

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Hey great job David. I was fortunate to catch this on a plane to europe. I was looking at your montage and you showcased a lot of shots with nice beams of light coming through doors and windows.. I was wondering what type of unit you chose to get those beams... Xeons, fresnel or pars? I suppose you can do it either way but do you prefer a certain kind to another? Again great work and I look forward to see much more of your work in the future.

 

Chris

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The nice straight beams are from a 4K Xenon, otherwise it's usually from an HMI PAR.

 

Though the nice straight beam coming through the door when Billy Bob Thornton and Tim Blake Nelson walk into the gym was the real early morning sun -- luck pretty much. We were setting up the first shot and someone opened the door and WHAM! -- this big shaft of rising morning sunlight beamed in right into the gym like a searchlight in "Blade Runner" (or like the sun, if you want to think of it that way). It was higher by the time we were ready to roll, but still looked good.

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The nice straight beams are from a 4K Xenon, otherwise it's usually from an HMI PAR.

 

Though the nice straight beam coming through the door when Billy Bob Thornton and Tim Blake Nelson walk into the gym was the real early morning sun -- luck pretty much. We were setting up the first shot and someone opened the door and WHAM! -- this big shaft of rising morning sunlight beamed in right into the gym like a searchlight in "Blade Runner" (or like the sun, if you want to think of it that way). It was higher by the time we were ready to roll, but still looked good.

 

I guess that would be what conrad hall would call a happy accident. Thank you for sharing and good luck on the next one because I definitely would like to see more.

 

Chris

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Good looking work David. I notice that most of the windows in the montage were blown out, I was just wondering if there was a a particular reason you decided to do overexpose them. Did you use any diffusion other than smoke for the film? Once agian nice work.

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Good looking work David. I notice that most of the windows in the montage were blown out, I was just wondering if there was a a particular reason you decided to do overexpose them. Did you use any diffusion other than smoke for the film? Once agian nice work.

 

I used a light GlimmerGlass diffusion on medium and close shots.

 

I wanted the movie to have a sunny quality, and a feeling for desert light, hence the hot light coming through windows. I was also visually referencing the look of some westerns, dusty, smoky, warm, and hot & contrasty.

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just saw the movie last night let me said that the one thing that hold me through it was your cinematography

 

great work!!!

 

PS

 

it was great to see you at "cinematographer style" all this years i know you from pics it was great to see you live:)

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  • 1 month later...

thats amazeing, good work!! just like some famous saying, your painting with light. You have inspired me. I am 13 and i have been into cinematography and directing for a couple of years now, I want to be as good as that some day. I am always a bit confused with lighting because I have read about different places to put the lights but I cant find anything to help me to know when to put them in that spot. Got any tips? I cant put any videos on "critiqe my work" cause my friend wont let me, but i will pursuede him soon, and if i cant i will just do it anyway cause i need to know were I should work on. :lol: :D :rolleyes:

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I am always a bit confused with lighting because I have read about different places to put the lights but I cant find anything to help me to know when to put them in that spot. Got any tips?

 

There are some great books about lighting in the "books" link at the top of the page.

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There's no right or wrong place to put a light -- you should decide where you want to put them and then put them there. By which I mean that you have to first learn to visualize the lighting effect you want, based on studying the light in art, movies, real life, etc. Study how a face is lit, where the shadows fall on the face, what color the light is, how soft or hard it is, etc. and then work on recreating that in your own work.

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Really nice work David!

I particularly like the shot of BB on the funfair ride. As the ride goes around the shadow moves around his face. My least favorite is the spaceship in orbit......

 

Congrats!

 

S

Edited by Serge Teulon
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Primo anamorphic lenses...

 

I seem to remember that stylization was en vogue during the 80s, one of the films I shouldnt like as much as I do used them to great effect - the keep; ( at least i remember those flares being used in that film ) and of course opening the ark in indy -

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