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Improvement Besides Being On Set


Sawyer Thurston

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Usually late at night when I can't sleep I feel unproductive. I know I definitely learn the most when I'm on set, but I'm looking to add more to my routine to self-improve as a DP. What tactics do you use to make better images in the future? I'd like to incorporate some of these in my spare time or when I can't sleep. Personally I've screenshot tons of images that moved me in someway or another and tagged them, but I know there are other ways to continually grow. Even if that is what you do, share the way you go about it, chances are we may be differing in some way.

 

I've heard about Patrick O'Sullivan lighting mannequins by himself for hours on end or looking at his favorite shots through false color. Again, it makes me wonder, what you guys do? I'm hoping to hear if you take notes, how you organize it, how in-depth you go, overall process, etc.

 

Thanks!

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You could analyze your favourite scenes on movies. For example, I don't know, the baptism on the godfather. What I do is check what type of shot is, for example, Medium Shot, next analyze if the shot has some camera movement (the camera is on a tripod, dolly, making a tilt or a pan), and for last, I analyze the type of light (hard, soft) and the angle (edge light).

 

Is a good exercise that make you think how and why they shot some scene in that way.

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Shooting stills is a great way. I don't know what photos you can be shooting when you're struggling to fall asleep though. But carrying a stills camera everywhere helps. If it records video as well then thats also great.

 

Giacomo's idea is great. Watch films!

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From a technical point of view I would suggest doing some experimental color grading in your spare time. Find some of your original camera footage, hopefully shot LOG format or perhaps RAW. Use the free version of resolve to play with color correcting the images to see what you can do with them. Since you're not sending these out into the "real world", you don't need a fancy calibrated display. Keep an eye on the scopes as you make your adjustments and you'll begin to learn the color response of your camera and it's limitations.

 

If you don't have a powerful enough computer for Resolve, just export some still frames and play with the color and curves in Photoshop.

 

I promise you can spend many many hours doing this!

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Lately i have been Playing around with Ultrarealistic 3D Engines because i believe this WILL affect our way to do Movies very, very soon.

 

Just watch this, and you will be shocked. This is NOT Real! This entire Environment is done with A 3d Engine called "Unity" : https://youtu.be/rT2Wf8K1Neo

 

I do have a Rendering Engine called Unreal 4, which is as good as Unity. I'm playing around but nothing serious. Just being Curious.

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