Jump to content

Micromanagement


Jay Young

Recommended Posts

  • Premium Member

A young DP is holding a 40 pound camera on an easy rig.  The gaffer is dancing around some random LED panel as the DP directs and looks at an onboard monitor, frantically scrolling through available ISO options. 6400 seems good.  The third electrics stand by other lamps waiting for a radio call from the gaffer.  Finally, all is set and the gaffer walks away.   The DP might ask a random crew member to move or adjust a lamp, and would certainly never tell the gaffer the goal, or larger picture. 

And so it goes, for weeks.  Every setup, the DP runs around and makes up the lighting plan on the spot, the gaffer trying desperately to keep up, run power, move staging, delegate work to the crew, collaborate with the grip department, and navigate the diplomatic minefield of production.

It seems that, due to the increasing youtube popular culture and education stream, that many young persons (30 and under) have a quite difficult time utilizing crew, or collaborating with department heads. The reasons stem from a notion that one must do all the work personally, and reliance on anyone for any other skill is never a guarantee.  Yet, when faced with that very problem, most of these "DP's", who are in the position by chance, fall back into micromanaging every placement of lamp, stinger, staging, and crew, while making up framing on the spot.  Of course, no one prefers to work this way, it happens as circumstance.  One could choose not to take a job such as this.  However, it is a valuable resource for new crew members wishing to learn to be a grip, or spark, or AD.

What are some options for the new crew members in key positions to deal with a DP who perhaps is in over their head, or feels most comfortable dictating the placement of every single item on set.

What are some ways one might guide a young DP in their first feature to better utilize department keys?

Does anyone prefer the crew to simply execute a lighting plan?

Does anyone prefer crew to collaborate with?

Does anyone prefer an unplanned day, simply making it up as they go?

At what point (production size, budget level) does the ability to micromanage become unfeasible?  Tier 1? More than 30 crew members?  

 

Thanks for all your discussion on this.  Trying to help my good friends through some rough waters.

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I suffer from this, after years of doing non-union films with a wide variety of crews. It's a hard habit to break though I don't micromanage how power is run into a set (well, sometimes...) Part of it is that I find it necessary to plot out all of the lighting in my head for the sequence otherwise I feel like I'm going to be caught by some issue when I go into coverage or when we turn around.  And to me, whether I choose to use a Parcan versus a spotted fresnel, etc. all affects the look, so it matters. I'd also rather take responsibility for being wrong when I choose one unit over another.  And there is the time issue of having really only one shot at laying out all the master lighting, if I leave the set with vague instructions, I don't want to come back and find that something was rigged in the wrong spot or is the wrong unit.

But I work with excellent crews these days and could easily be more generalized in describing what I want, but it's hard to give up on how I'm used to working, plus I enjoy lighting too much, it's the most enjoyable part of the job.

Obviously there is a level where micromanaging is unfeasible, usually for any equipment beyond the walls of the set or acting shooting space, like when lighting a big stage or a night exterior.

And just like I have to plot out the lighting in my head in order to be in control over the results, the Gaffer and Key Grip have to plot out large rigs to their satisfaction and be responsible for them, so when I see a big diffusion frame going up on a breezy day, the last thing I'm going to do is micromanage the rigging, it's safer to leave it to the experts. Plus the rigging and safety lines are not creative things that is going to affect the look.

  • Like 3
  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trusting other crew members is extremely hard when you know they aren't taking it as seriously as you are. At the lower levels you 100% need to micromanage or your production will be a disaster, not just in cinematography, but any form of direction. I could only imagine the great crew David Mullen here gets to work with on the regular.

It also gets to a point where you might be working with other people who are farther than you in the field, and they try something you dislike, however you're too afraid to correct them as a result of their seniority. Micromanaging falls to the wayside in the interest of ingratiating yourself with more experienced talents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I can tell you from my own experience as a director that I've been guilty of this in the past but as I and my team move to bigger projects the more I've learned that if I prepare well in preproduction the less I have to worry about and manage things during production.

It helps that my significant other us my DP and that her sister is also my AD. 

But after a few a little more challenging projects behind us I've noticed that they trust more and more in my abilities as a director to come up and peace together the grand picture but let other people pitch in how to get there. 

As you said I've noticed the same things happening on other sets where people do not delegate enough to people in their crews. 

I find it very calming when I've thought everything trough and planed everything with all the key people on my crew so when we get on set all that is left is to make final adjustments and maybe figure out a couple of things that maybe we didn't plan for. Much easier that figuring out everything. I've done the same workflow from my first small project until now and haven't found it to not work. 

I do understand why people work on the fly. Because it seems easier. You don't have to do any work before but you have to work three times as hard on set. I guess that knowledge comes with time and experience. 

So maybe you can't change people or help them in this way because they have to figure it out for themselves to become a professional at something they do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

It can be a tricky balance for sure. I've seen things going the wrong direction, but didn't speak up soon enough out of being polite to a crew I didn't know, because I assumed they were getting to the same place by some different means... then regretting not stopping them, because it all had to be redone.  Then other times I spoke up too soon and had to be explained the process to get what I wanted like a dummy.  It's a balance.  As long as it isn't some crazy OCD condition or an inflated ego, I think a little micromanaging to save time and extra work and ultimately money is fine if we get to the right place in the end.

EDIT: ...and of course always being considerate and polite...

Edited by Justin Hayward
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The struggle is real...

As you know I'm a 2nd camera assistant and I'm really struggling because my seniors don't believe in testing and do so little in preparation. I imagine that once I have the chance to become the one who manages the camera department I would absolutely create a system that limits improvisation. everything gonna be labeled and every thing is identified. I know for sure in the beginning I would have a bad reputation in the industry and I know for sure that I would have hard time to build up my team. but after a while people would respect me and actually be eager to work with me because I have created a system that works. 

 

I guess the problem with new DPs is that they don't do the efforts to find a good mentor to learn from. and also they don't give themselves time to really absorb the information that they get.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

My 1st AC would welcome your organization, but would insist that you use his system. Failing that, he would love that you had a system at all! I have seen him try to teach the job to so many.

We can teach the job, we cannot teach attitude.

Thanks all for the insight. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Jay Young said:

My 1st AC would welcome your organization, but would insist that you use his system. Failing that, he would love that you had a system at all! I have seen him try to teach the job to so many.

We can teach the job, we cannot teach attitude.

Thanks all for the insight. 

 

Apparently this is something I have to really put my mind on.....

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
12 hours ago, Abdul Rahman Jamous said:

The struggle is real...

As you know I'm a 2nd camera assistant and I'm really struggling because my seniors don't believe in testing and do so little in preparation. I imagine that once I have the chance to become the one who manages the camera department I would absolutely create a system that limits improvisation. everything gonna be labeled and every thing is identified. I know for sure in the beginning I would have a bad reputation in the industry and I know for sure that I would have hard time to build up my team. but after a while people would respect me and actually be eager to work with me because I have created a system that works. 

 

I guess the problem with new DPs is that they don't do the efforts to find a good mentor to learn from. and also they don't give themselves time to really absorb the information that they get.


Being organized as a 2nd AC is great. Anything that helps you be more efficient and better at your job should be welcomed. I hope you’re able to get other local 2nd ACs to standardize on some systems eventually.

I think starting your career at the top (producer, director, DP) has it’s downsides, rather than starting from the bottom. It’s harder to build rapport with your peers and you don’t get to learn from their mistakes. Of course as you’ve pointed out, sometimes good mentors can be hard to find when starting from the bottom as well!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Satsuki Murashige said:


Being organized as a 2nd AC is great. Anything that helps you be more efficient and better at your job should be welcomed. I hope you’re able to get other local 2nd ACs to standardize on some systems eventually.

I think starting your career at the top (producer, director, DP) has it’s downsides, rather than starting from the bottom. It’s harder to build rapport with your peers and you don’t get to learn from their mistakes. Of course as you’ve pointed out, sometimes good mentors can be hard to find when starting from the bottom as well!

I'm at the start of my career and as you know it's a very sensitive phase. The last few months were very hard and I felt that every decision I made was crucial. Luckily for me the quarantine has given a lot of time to reflect and to find out how to deal with others and more importantly how to deal with myself. Nowadays things are getting better and hopefully a great opportunity will come to me and I would have my chance to shine. 

 

Right now my priorities are to learn focus pulling  and camera operating, then I'm eager to have some sort of intership with a mastercraft Giffer and Keygrip.  Hopefully by 2022 or 2023 I would have my debut as a DP. 

 

wish me luck. I seriously need it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
34 minutes ago, Abdul Rahman Jamous said:

I'm at the start of my career and as you know it's a very sensitive phase. The last few months were very hard and I felt that every decision I made was crucial. Luckily for me the quarantine has given a lot of time to reflect and to find out how to deal with others and more importantly how to deal with myself. Nowadays things are getting better and hopefully a great opportunity will come to me and I would have my chance to shine. 

 

Right now my priorities are to learn focus pulling  and camera operating, then I'm eager to have some sort of intership with a mastercraft Giffer and Keygrip.  Hopefully by 2022 or 2023 I would have my debut as a DP. 

 

wish me luck. I seriously need it!

Absolutely, best of luck to you! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
On 10/19/2020 at 1:02 PM, Jay Young said:

1. What are some ways one might guide a young DP in their first feature to better utilize department keys?

2. Does anyone prefer the crew to simply execute a lighting plan?

3. Does anyone prefer crew to collaborate with?

4. Does anyone prefer an unplanned day, simply making it up as they go?


1. I think it might be too late to guide this person if they’re already in the midst of pre-production. It takes time and practice to self-evaluate, recognize and change patterns of behavior, and eventually learn to how to let go and trust your collaborators. The best time to discuss these things are post-mortem, after a job that could have gone better.

2, 3. I prefer my keys to get on the job as early as possible, have as much info as possible, and get on scouts, preps, and creative discussions with the director and producer early enough to have their input. This is because once I’m on set and busy with the director, I may need the keys to run on their own for a time with little to no input from me. If you empower your crew to make creative choices within the boundaries you’ve set in prep, it makes things run so much smoother and faster.

I’m pretty quick to pre-visualize a lighting approach, so after getting buy-off from the director, I discuss with the gaffer and key grip. I usually have an idea of how it could be done in broad strokes, but often my gaffer will suggest an alternate way that’s easier for him, depending on the units, manpower, budget, and time available.

I’m less confident about camera rigging, so I tend to defer more to the key grip on those matters. Though sometimes, if I know exactly what I want for a rig then I’ll talk it thru with them and see if there’s a better way of doing it. If I have a specific thing that I want, like a shiny board for a car grill reflection instead of a lighting unit, or a rag clipped to the overhead for a double break instead of adding a diff frame, then I ask for it - but by then because everyone knows what we’re trying to achieve, it tends to be easier.

4. Unplanned days make me nervous. I like to have a solid plan going in, and then I’m happy to improvise inside of that if things change. I could tweak a shot all day if left to my own devices, so  I’d be worried about missing coverage. But similar to how we build trust with our crew, the director who makes that call needs to build trust with the DP. If they want to work that way, then it can be done (and obviously has been done well in the past). As long as I feel safe beforehand, I’d be ok with it.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I stopped hiring gaffers a while back because I was doing smaller shorts and features where there was mostly house power and no need for electrical distribution. 

I was asking production to only hire "Swing" as our G&E crew.  There were no gaffers, grips, no electrics. No best. Nada.  Just swing. This meant no hierarchy on set.  Zero middle management, zero discussion.  Just hands.  Which is exactly what I wanted.    Just hands moving units where I wanted and needed them.

Obviously this would never fly on an IATSE shoot but for non-union simple 1 ton jobs, it was a real breeze.  I'd never attempt this on a regular set or something where there are lots of trucks and huge areas to light.

Edited by Michael LaVoie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I think it's a process of learning. Everyone has their first shoot, their first big setup. But more kids are learning on youtube, as Jay said, and not on a standard set. You don't learn work practices, crew delegation, and communication from the internet. You usually pick up theory and definitions.

In order to help the DP. I think the Gaffer and Key grip as a team need to essentially educate the new shooter, throughout the production. This has to come from a place of goodwill and guidance, not out of frustration or belittlement. When new situations occur, it's an education time. Correct teamworking habits need to be formed, and this falls on the Gaffer and Key Grip. The two must actively seek the DP's plan from the start. This likely might be "I don't know yet," which is a great opportunity to offer suggestions and alternatives, ask about coverage and learn the restrictions, then again advise from there. Ask and advise, ask and advise.

@Satsuki Murashige hit the nail on the head! Agreed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
On 10/22/2020 at 12:35 AM, Michael LaVoie said:

I was asking production to only hire "Swing" as our G&E crew.  There were no gaffers, grips, no electrics. No best. Nada.  Just swing. This meant no hierarchy on set.  Zero middle management, zero discussion.  Just hands.  Which is exactly what I wanted.    Just hands moving units where I wanted and needed them.

On the odd occasion I still shoot anything, I tend toward this sort of approach, though I'm probably not even at the one-ton level. On reflection I probably own enough gear to fill up a medium-sized van, which is what Americans seem to mean when they say "a one-ton," but still, I mainly want people to move the light while I say "up a bit." As other people have said, for the rates I'm usually paying I can't rely on people to know how to do things so you have very little choice but to give step by step instruction and it becomes a habit.

Perhaps I've been unlucky but I've particularly had bad experiences with grips. I would rarely do anything which really needed one, but I'd always avoid using them. If I needed, say, a small crane I'd get a Jimmy Jib operator from the broadcast world who's likely to be easier to work with, more flexible and less set in the ways of huge feature films. Get a good one and they're capable of doing 75% of what a Technocrane can do for about 10% the price and they tend to be more productive, more willing to work the day through rather than expecting lots of downtime.

Very rarely, I've ended up accidentally hiring someone very experienced, often when I've been in a hurry and failed to be clear about the nature of the job to someone who's just looking for a few days between bigger jobs. Honestly it's just been embarrassing. The sort of thing I end up doing is often very, very low end and the required approaches will come off as unorthodox and eccentric to people who've just walked off a big TV show. I am fully aware of the realities when I'm doing this but I'm sure people have walked away thinking "I'm never having anything to do with that idiot ever again." Personally I take the position that when I'm paying someone it's incumbent on them to get with the program but obviously people have their pride and that's understandable.

I have no pride of any kind.

P

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
1 hour ago, Phil Rhodes said:

On the odd occasion I still shoot anything, I tend toward this sort of approach, though I'm probably not even at the one-ton level. On reflection I probably own enough gear to fill up a medium-sized van, which is what Americans seem to mean when they say "a one-ton," but still, I mainly want people to move the light while I say "up a bit." As other people have said, for the rates I'm usually paying I can't rely on people to know how to do things so you have very little choice but to give step by step instruction and it becomes a habit.

Perhaps I've been unlucky but I've particularly had bad experiences with grips. I would rarely do anything which really needed one, but I'd always avoid using them. If I needed, say, a small crane I'd get a Jimmy Jib operator from the broadcast world who's likely to be easier to work with, more flexible and less set in the ways of huge feature films. Get a good one and they're capable of doing 75% of what a Technocrane can do for about 10% the price and they tend to be more productive, more willing to work the day through rather than expecting lots of downtime.

Very rarely, I've ended up accidentally hiring someone very experienced, often when I've been in a hurry and failed to be clear about the nature of the job to someone who's just looking for a few days between bigger jobs. Honestly it's just been embarrassing. The sort of thing I end up doing is often very, very low end and the required approaches will come off as unorthodox and eccentric to people who've just walked off a big TV show. I am fully aware of the realities when I'm doing this but I'm sure people have walked away thinking "I'm never having anything to do with that idiot ever again." Personally I take the position that when I'm paying someone it's incumbent on them to get with the program but obviously people have their pride and that's understandable.

I have no pride of any kind.

P

I think you’re right about pride and ego being the main cause of friction on set when it comes to different working methods. I’m in a small market with crew who mainly work in larger budget corporate and commercials, with most having worked in film and tv earlier in their career. We mostly either all know each other, of each other, or are once removed from knowing each other, and expect to work together frequently. That encourages a certain amount of looseness about sharing duties between departments and helping each other out. If the grips are busy I might set a floppy for myself, or help push a hamper at wrap. There’s a familial quality about it. 

When I work with someone who has primarily done film and tv (usually a younger person coming from LA), then this kinda stuff always comes up. Such a person would never run a stinger for themselves, even if they can see that the electricians are busy. There’s good reason for that in some situations, but in a lot of cases it just makes things way slower than they need to be, and I find a gaffer with not enough hands (and who knows that I won’t screw it up) will appreciate the help, if I just ask for permission beforehand.

Also, I think there’s also a certain amount of fear that exists on larger sets about stepping on toes, so crew that don’t know each other well yet stay in their lane to a fault. The ‘LA Style’ of working, if I can call it that, works really well if everyone is on the same page and clicking. But it can be crazily inefficient if someone is dropping the ball and everyone else is sitting on their hands because it’s not their problem. I guess the reality is in that situation, that person gets replaced in LA. Whereas in a smaller market, you might not be able to do that. so you make do and just try to get thru the day.

P.S. I agree with you about the Jimmy Jib - it’s an incredibly flexible piece of gear and when you have an expert operator, there’s not a lot you can’t do with it. And it’s usually just one person, sometimes without even a focus puller. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

The show I am gaffing currently has been an incredible learning experience for myself, and the rest of the crew. 

Its a first time feature for 90% of everyone, and that has caused its share of difficulties.  However, I have not seen any ego, pride, or resentment from anyone on the team.

The Key Grip and Best Grip had to replace themselves for the last week of the shoot (prior commitment), and I was very lucky to find two local people who are actually union electrics which wanted to fill the job.  This actually helped beyond measure, when I really needed 5 electrics.  I was very happy they wanted to jump in and help me out!

We have really worked together, all as swings, on an incredibly small crew to pull off some huge wides and massive overnights.  I only yelled once (rare for me anyhow) because the new 'never worked electric ever' 3rds didn't tape connections and that caused a delay.  Problem solved, light repatched, restruck, no big deal.

I am honestly happy to work with these other crew members in any capacity again, but I feel my 3rds are not going to cut it.

We can teach the job, but we can't teach attitude.  Of course, 3 weeks of overnights will beat anyone down.

I very much understand the comments about those who usually work commercials, over those who normally work features.  There were a lot of questions about why a thing was done a certain way, or how much time a setup would take because the commercial crew were simply used to doing things in a different manner.  

I feel the generation of YouTube educated filmmakers are going to cause more issues in the early days of working on a traditional set, being re-educated or introduced to lights bigger than an M18.  I feel rather bad for new grips who have never experienced building anything with speedrail, or handling Mombos!  I have been told, on this shoot, that most of the crew has never seen a lamp bigger than an M18 in real life.  I guess that is the reality of very small scale, no-budget, trying to get it made, productions.  And as usual, tripping over dollars to save dimes. 

I find it fascinating that young electrics, or those interested in lighting, do not really care when big lamps are deployed, or (a personal favorite) balloons are flown, for example.  As soon as the DP calls for a Titan Tube, all hands are running to grab it.  Personally, I want to create a 4-foot by 6 inch softbox for a small tungsten fixture and call it a day.  Without getting into a rant, there is a time and place for battery powered lighting, and almost all of them can be solved by running a cable.    

I will say, when shooting at 6400 iso, the Aputure MC, on fire setting, deep in the background, out of focus, looks quite nice.  However, I would rather use a tweeny and a flicker box - it would last a lot longer!

Finally, let me say, I take every opportunity to teach, guide, learn, advise, and ask.  I never demand, and never say no.  I will offer an alternative, but most young DP's I have worked with see alternative suggestions as experimentation, because they lack the vocabulary and breadth of knowledge to entertain other thoughts.  They are locked in to "what worked before".  A safe space .

As Michal Goi, ASC says - Throw away your first idea.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
1 hour ago, Jay Young said:

I feel the generation of YouTube educated filmmakers are going to cause more issues in the early days of working on a traditional set, being re-educated or introduced to lights bigger than an M18.  I feel rather bad for new grips who have never experienced building anything with speedrail, or handling Mombos!  I have been told, on this shoot, that most of the crew has never seen a lamp bigger than an M18 in real life.  I guess that is the reality of very small scale, no-budget, trying to get it made, productions.  And as usual, tripping over dollars to save dimes. 

I find it fascinating that young electrics, or those interested in lighting, do not really care when big lamps are deployed, or (a personal favorite) balloons are flown, for example.  As soon as the DP calls for a Titan Tube, all hands are running to grab it. 


On the one hand, I understand this because it’s what they know and they finally get to show that to you.

On the other hand, it’s strange to me that they wouldn’t be interested in working with bigger units for the first time. I remember when I was in film school and only had access to an ARRI tungsten kit - I desperately wanted to learn how to use bigger lights and rigging like I had been reading about in American Cinematographer. I transferred to a larger school specifically to use their sound stage and learn how to use 5Ks and 10Ks, crank stands, and generator power.

I guess part of it is due to the changing tastes in cinematography over time. I still love the look of a huge blue backlight with a wet-down on a night exterior, while to most young people coming up this is so old fashioned looking and ‘unrealistic’ (which of course is the point). They would never dream of doing such a thing. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

The time pressure on anything, but particular small features with short schedules, is tremendous so it gets hard to balance the need to teach and be patient to the beginners versus the need to get the job done and to send people home at a reasonable hour to boot.

I remember a small movie where I asked an electrician for a 150w Dedolight -- he went to the truck and brought back the head, then had to go to the truck and bring back the ballast, then he had to go back to the truck to get the head feeder cable... keep in mind that all of these items are together in a little case which he could have brought to set in the first place! I should have been more patient but it was the middle of the night at Hour 14...

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
1 hour ago, David Mullen ASC said:


I remember a small movie where I asked an electrician for a 150w Dedolight -- 

Why do you think the difference between half power and 3/4 power on a Dedo is a full stop, but 3/4 to full power is only a half stop?  Just curious.  

I haven't done much gripping in my career, but in the time I have I remember being sent to the truck to get something and not being totally sure I knew what it was.  I had a hunch and out of embarrassment, I didn't say anything and tried to figure it out.  Of course that wasted everybody's time and from then on if I didn't know what they were asking for I would just admit it and go with the person that did know so I could learn.  I totally understand DP's getting very frustrated with this kind of behavior.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/24/2020 at 1:14 PM, Phil Rhodes said:

Very rarely, I've ended up accidentally hiring someone very experienced, often when I've been in a hurry and failed to be clear about the nature of the job to someone who's just looking for a few days between bigger jobs. Honestly it's just been embarrassing. The sort of thing I end up doing is often very, very low end and the required approaches will come off as unorthodox and eccentric to people who've just walked off a big TV show. I am fully aware of the realities when I'm doing this but I'm sure people have walked away thinking "I'm never having anything to do with that idiot ever again." Personally I take the position that when I'm paying someone it's incumbent on them to get with the program but obviously people have their pride and that's understandable.

I have no pride of any kind.

P

Another trick I used was when I've need crew on smaller corporate or documentary gigs where I need an ultra quiet set.  I've hired sound recordists and explained prior to arrival on set that I actually want them to work as grips or as an A.C.  This was primarily because the job was too small to bother working with career A.C.'s or grips who in many cases, would not be a good fit in a corporate office environment.  I needed people that would work and remain quiet most of the time.  A sound recordist working as an A.C. is also not interested in taking your job and handing out their own DP business cards on your set.  Which has happened to me in the past. So, there's also that security.

This always worked well because most sound recordists know how to use a C-stand and many can even pull focus on basic shoots where there isn't complicated wireless camera gear to learn and setup.   It saved me valuable time.   It's like hiring a general P.A. but one who can actually use and setup camera / lighting gear.  

The breaking point for me was hiring a Gaffer who would only delegate. Never actually do anything.   That's great on a large set where there's a pre-light crew and a large team.  You gotta have someone on set to call out to people and keep track of who's on what.  But not when it's 2 and 2.  In that situation, chilling with a coffee while 2 guys work their ass off is just ridiculous.  That's why I started going with all swing.

Edited by Michael LaVoie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
On 10/25/2020 at 1:04 AM, Justin Hayward said:

Why do you think the difference between half power and 3/4 power on a Dedo is a full stop, but 3/4 to full power is only a half stop?  Just curious.  

Isn't that sort of what you'd expect, assuming the behaviour of the control is intended to work in f-stop linearity? 25% to 75% is a 50% increase, 75% to 100% is a 25% increase. 25 is half of 50.

In a more practical sense I would suspect that this tidy mathematical increase is largely down to chance, because the power control electronics, the pot that controls them and the behaviour of the light-emitting device, whether that's an LED or a tungsten bulb, are probably not designed to have any particular mathematical behaviour.

Or it could be because Dedo decided he wanted the controls to be stop linear, and they are. That does actually mean that the light output mapping is exponential, given f-stops represent a successive doubling of light output.

P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
7 hours ago, Phil Rhodes said:

Or it could be because Dedo decided he wanted the controls to be stop linear, and they are. That does actually mean that the light output mapping is exponential, given f-stops represent a successive doubling of light output.

P

That would be very Dedo-like! 

Would the fact that Classic 150w Dedos are either 12v or 24v have anything to do with it? The lower voltage was supposed to make the bulbs more efficient.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...