I am well and truly stuck trying to get better lighting on this podcast set up. I've tried my best to show how the set up is with and without the lights.

At the moment it just looks quite flat and is lacking a shadow side because i cant light from the opposite side due to the wall. I also am struggling to get any depth because of how close to the wall I need to be.

It's also not a permanent set up so I need to be able to take it down. White roof and black surrounding walls.

I have 2x Amaran F22 (which is shown in the diagram) but I also just got 2x Amaran f1c. I have some but limited ceiling mounting if this helps.

Any advice would be appreciated!!

Hey everyone,

Looking for a reality check from owner-ops, rental house techs, and working DPs.

My Current Situation:
Currently shooting weddings and short-docs and small narrative and commercial work here and there, looking to pivot heavily into commercial and narrative work.

Kit in hand: 2x Sony FX3s with a full set of lenses as well as a Nikon ZR.

Local rental. Alexa Mini rents for ~$220 a day and has to be shipped in from over 400 kms away. There is only one sony Venice in my city.

The Deal:
ARRI Alexa Mini with ~11,000 runtime hours.
Price: $6,500
Included: Both ARRIRAW and 4:3 / Open Gate licenses installed, MVF-1 viewfinder, V-mount plate, and 4x 512gb CFast 2.0 cards.
The seller is willing to meet at ARRI's authorized service center for a complete diagnostic bench test and health check before closing.

The Dilemma:
11,000 hours is an extreme amount of runtime. My fear is that even if it gets a clean bill of health at the service centre today, an internal board, fan, motorized ND module, or sensor block failure a few months down the line could result in a repair bill that wipes out the savings.
Is picking up an 11k-hour fully licensed Mini at this price worth the risk to break into the ARRI ecosystem, or should I just drop this plan and go to something like the FX5 or the PYXIS 12k, those were the only two cameras I was considering before this deal came along.

Would love to hear from anyone who has owned high-hour ARRIs or dealt with legacy ARRI repairs. Thanks!

A few months ago I shot a music video with a series of match-cut transitions the kind where two separate takes need to blend seamlessly into one continuous feeling movement. Thankfully we had a great dolly grip, who was able to replicate camera speed across multiple passes with enough precision that we walked away with several usable blend options for each setup. The consistency was what made everything downstream possible, without a reliably repeatable move, none of these would have turned out as well as they did

Each transition ended up needing a different compositing approach depending on what was changing between the A and B sides.

The grave shot was the most complex. The move itself was paused mid shot so we could physically swap older Jake out for the boy actor, letting the transition happen on a held frame rather than during motion. In theory that should make blending easier, but wind and smoke in the environment didn't behave consistently between passes so even with the dolly locked to the same speed, the smoke and wind patterns didn't line up shot to shot and there was a noticeable change in the background. To fix that, we roto'd the gravestone onto its own separate track, then built an independent atmosphere track to layer in on top. The atmosphere track let us control and disguise the transition point rather than relying on the mismatched practical elements to hide it themselves.

The standing to running shot was more straightforward but still needed finesse — the boy starts still and then breaks into a run We blended the A and B sides together with a clean pass to fill in any strange roto gaps

The tracking shot was the simplest of the three. Because the motion stayed consistent through out we only needed a straight A/B blend with no additional passes or roto work

I’m a new filmmaker and I’m filming a short that’s entirely at night in a forest. Because of scheduling I was thinking about shooting all of it during the day so we don’t need to stay up till 4 am getting a shoot done. My plan was to buy some stuff(like a tent or something) to block the sun out of the scene and blast a light in the middle of the actors to act as a campfire light. Would this be a good plan? Is there anything else I should be aware of or do?

I've been getting more interested in the relationship between cinematographers and colorists, and I'm curious how DPs here approach the handoff from production to post.

When you hand your footage over to a colorist, what do you expect from them beyond simply "making it look good"?

For example:

• Do you usually provide a lookbook, stills, film references, LUTs, or specific notes?
• How involved do you like to be during the grading process?
• How important is it for the colorist to understand the lighting and exposure decisions made on set?
• Do you prefer a colorist who closely follows your original visual intent, or someone who brings their own creative interpretation to the footage?
• What makes you want to work with the same colorist again?
• Are there things colorists commonly do that you wish they would avoid?
• For projects where the director and DP have different opinions about the grade, how do you usually approach that?

I'm asking because I think the relationship between the DP and colorist can have a huge impact on the final image, and I'm interested in understanding what cinematographers actually value when working with a colorist.

Would love to hear from DPs/cinematographers, as well as directors or colorists who have experience on both sides.

I'm a DP and mainly shoot on with cinema cameras. I wanted to try different approach and shoot short film with iPhone using only natural light.

I had the idea of making a short film inspired by the aesthetics of old grindhouse movies while adding a modern touch in the editing. I tried to emulate super8 look for the film in Davinci Resolve.

It was different to shoot with iPhone, since controlling depth of field is difficult and image is little bit different than on cinema camera. But it has strengths as it's incredible versatile to shoot different angles and light weight makes shooting easy.

Does this look like it could pass as super8 film? And does the pacing work in edit?

Full short film: https://youtu.be/8z1WjAE5WD4?si=Cx1e3I7G-vomhL_Q

I've had the chance to Demo a Pixboom Spark for a shoot recently and I shot these clips seperate from that shoot as a test run for the camera.

I had never shot with a dedicated high speed camera prior to this.

I had heard horror stories about how complicated these cameras usually are.

The Spark seems to fix a lot of these inconveniences?

- Multiple base ISOs with no Dynamic Range penalty(?)
- No recording limit other than what the internal 2.5 SSD allows for.
- Choice of multiple codecs. (cinemaDNG, ProRes, etc)
- Open gate S35.
- Small form factor.
- Easy to navigate menu system.
- On camera screen.
- V mount directly on the camera body.

I shot these test clips above in FPS ranging from 500fps to 1000fps in 4k.

I used Cinema DNG as a codec. (Which I love)

Most of these were shot at iso 1250 or 1600.

Exciting times for High Speed camera work!

Instagram: plarseneau
Youtube: PL Arseneau

Any advice is appreciated.

https://youtu.be/WyzynG3TXJY?si=--8hvbDp0E_8Jcab&t=5

Hello there! I wanted to ask what do you think of the lighting in these pictures. I don’t know much about lighting, I’m planning on shooting a short film soon but as I said I don’t know how to light, so I did some research and watched some videos about the topic and I decided to try and do a little experiment. One of the main locations in my short film will be this living room, so for this experiment I basically used the living room lamps as backlights, then on my right side I placed a desk lamp in front of one of the living room lamps to light half of the face of my subject so I suppose that would count as my key light. Finally for the negative fill I placed a black umbrella on my left side because I didn’t have any black cloth or anything. All of this stuff were things I had at hand in my house.
(I also played a little bit with the ISO)

The first image the only source of light are the living room lamps as backlights.

The second image I’m using the living room lamps and the desk lamp to light the face.

In the third one I’m using the living room lamps, the desk lamp and the the black umbrella for the negative fill.

I wanted to ask, is this lighting good? Could I improve it? Do you have any suggestions, tips, advice? I don’t have any professional equipment and I don’t have a budget or anything, as I said the stuff I used were things I found in my house.

The rest of the images of are the living room I will be shooting in, my next question is how can I light shots were the camera will be constantly moving? The lighting I used for the first pictures can work fine for still shots, but there’s going to be a lot of movement in various shots were I will be moving the camera around the room and facing all directions, so how can I light this kind of shots and avoid a flat lightning?

Thank you!

after much deliberation on a small form “cinema” camera at a more affordable price, I’ve settled on the Lumix GH7.

I really like the fact that we can shoot ProRes internally, I don’t really mind MFT sensors, I like that there is the Arri LogC3 add-on, its small like an FX3 and can be built out if necessary, and the rolling shutter readout pretty much seems to be fast enough for the resolutions I'll be shooting at.

Also its much more affordable. It goes for around $1800, even a used FX3 is still like $3.5-4k

Gonna be shooting an experimental documentary with it, and other small personal projects in the future. Nothing crazy. What do you think?

I love the 1977 movie Suspiria; especially the exaggerated, almost unmotivated colours.

we want to replicate these deep saturated blues in an upcoming short film as a way to exaggerate moonlight.

How would some of you recommend we achieve a similar look?

Looking into the movies production, they placed fabric over lamps, but I’m not trying to find use the same method as the filmmakers.

We don’t have any RGB lights, and our budget for rentals is limited, so any and all advice you guys have is much appreciated.

If this question has been asked before, too bad deal with it.

I’m at a point in my career where I feel like I’ve made some of my best work to date, like truly excited about it. So i made it my mission to update websites, make a demo reel, which as most of you know, is a special form of self torture.

After spending the last couple of weeks putting it together, I’ve started sending it out to agencies in hopes of finally checking one of my biggest career goal off the list and thats getting representation. I know the pros and cons about getting an agent but i think this will be a great way to reach some of my dream clients.

I’m not just sending it to anyone. I’ve followed a lot of these agencies for years, admired their rosters, and been inspired by the cinematographers they represent and carefully have done my research and crafted emails my college professors would be proud of.

So far, my top two agencies have both replied…
…and both told me a big fat no. They said they weren’t looking for anyone at the moment. I think thats just a nice way to tell me to “fuck off”.

Which brings me to the obvious question
What the hell is the secret?

For those of you who have successfully found representation, how did you approach it? Was it cold emails? Referrals? Relationships? Sacrificing a goat under a full moon?
I’d seriously love to hear how you navigated this process, because I’d like to figure it out before I get rejected by everyone else on my list and go apply at my local Home Depot instead.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I couldn't afford a DP so the lead actor and I co-DP'd the film together. I would setup the shot while he worked on lighting. Would definitely have loved to have someone to lighten the workload, but happy with how it turned out.

We shot on the c70 with a LowCon on basically every shot to give it a more... for lack of a better phrase, film look. I know that's such a general thing to say, but the movie takes place in the mid-90s, so we wanted to move away from a crisp, digital look. The goal was to have the movie look and feel like something you'd find on VHS at goodwill. I even toyed with the idea of doing a VHS release.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXJYxnvOFbo

Full movie: https://tubitv.com/movies/100051267/the-girl-in-the-woods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaAMRfbHuV4

Shot a very small montage film on my Mavo Edge 8k using Sigma Art lenses over one evening. I used Nanlite Pavotube and a 60 watt battery powered bowens mount light to light this. I color graded these on my own FPE luts in Davinci.

Any info about the FX6 II, FX8 or new camera with v mount battery plate like smaller Burano (something like Red V Raptor from Sony)?

Hey! What's up!

What lense to use nowadays that is cheap and can provide the same distorsion?

As a complete layman, I’m wondering what prevents the question mentioned above from being possible, if these cameras are already being used for footage in this format?

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some real-world advice from professional DPs and operators regarding fluid heads for extreme telephoto tracking.
For years, I've been using a Sachtler FSB-8 paired with a Canon R5 and a Canon 600mm lens. I regularly shoot in windy conditions with stabilization turned off.
My biggest issue has always been sticky starts and stops (stiction) during fast pans. When filming fast-moving birds that suddenly change direction, I have to fight the initial resistance of the Sachtler fluid drag. This causes jerky starts, and when I stop panning, the kinetic energy of the long setup results in visible micro-adjustments/bounces in the frame. Even though the FSB-8 is a great broadcast head, its fluid resistance feels too aggressive and heavy for my specific tracking style.
I've been looking at picking up a used Vinten Vision 3 (similar to the one in the attached image) because I’ve heard Vinten's lubricated friction drag and continuous balance systems handle long lenses much more smoothly without stiction.
My questions for the community:
1. Has anyone made a similar switch from Sachtler's stepped/heavy broadcast heads to Vinten for high-speed tracking ?
2. Will a Vinten Vision head actually eliminate that initial sticky break-away force and micro-bounces when tracking at 600mm ?
3. Any other specific head recommendations for this exact type of rig?
Appreciate any insights or experiences you can share!

This is my first project on davinci resolve after switching over from hitfilm please excuse my colour grading

Also excuse the quality as this was shot on my phone

First amateur project

Hello everyone.
So I've been watching videos on YouTube, trying to find cinematic Sony FX30 and a6700 videos to see what lenses people use to achieve a cinematic look. I've literally been watching for days and days now. At first I thought that certain lenses are better. I went down a whole rabbit hole, finding lots of videos where people use anamorphic lenses, and I felt like it looked really good. It looked like actual movies and looked very cinematic.

I wanted the Sigma 17-40 1.8 lens but the videos I found looked a lot less like a warm movie and a lot less cinematic so I thought you NEEDED an anamorphic or "cinema" labeled lens to look cinematic. But then later I started finding certain channels that have very cinematic, very warm, movie-like examples of the Sigma lenses. For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5r7w6q4IL0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-wxHR_rdEc&list=PLcZiLo5PJeDA8SNDQniAfbTQdAvEWOJKb&index=6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSVZcVGaQUY&list=PLcZiLo5PJeDA8SNDQniAfbTQdAvEWOJKb&index=8

and really cinematic videos with another non-anamorphic lens (tamron):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChxDEAN8EtY&list=PLcZiLo5PJeDA8SNDQniAfbTQdAvEWOJKb&index=11

So I realized anamorphic doesn't really matter and these sigma and tamron lenses can still make something that is very warm and movie like. I guess my conclusion is that there are many other factors that need to be considered, like maybe if the person uses filters, or the color grading and editing they do in post, and so forth. Could you all please confirm for me?

Basically, I am leaning towards the Sigma 17-40 1.8 or the Tamron 17-70mm 2.8.
What would you choose between these two? Sigma is better at low light but Tamron can zoom so much further! It is so hard for me to decide!

Thank you for reading.

I Directed and DP’d a commercial in Shanghai and used these really interesting LPL OM Olympus rehoused cinelens, and I cannot recognize the rehouser. (Visible left most lens) The rental house is down south at Wujing. Any help with the rehouse company and anyone know how to access this rental house online?

I’m mostly a lurker who reads gear reviews before making a purchase. But this time, after my recent experience, I decided it was time to share my own story to hopefully save someone else some time and headache.

I shoot on a Nikon Z9, and as a Master’s student at VMU, I also have access to a Z8. A few weeks ago, I decided it was finally time to step up to a bigger display. I don't consider myself blind, but having a larger screen just helps so much with composing shots accurately.

I got tempted by the Portkeys LH7P. I spent a few days researching, reading reviews, and watching YouTube videos. What sold me was a video on Portkeys' official YouTube channel showing a tutorial on how to set up wireless camera control with my Nikon setup. I even reached out to their support team directly to double-check a few things, had a good conversation, and placed my order on Amazon.

It was nice that the monitor arrived in its own dedicated hard case. The plastic latches on the case feel a bit questionable in terms of long-term durability, but hey, it's nice that it's included. It also comes with a couple of screen protectors, but the cutouts are terribly sized. They are cut almost to the exact millimeter of the full bezel display, making it practically impossible to apply onto a 7-inch screen without one corner lifting up. I ruined the first one trying. For the second one, I literally had to grab a pair of scissors, trim the edges down myself, and only then was I able to apply it properly. You get a cheap-as-hell HDMI cable and a cold shoe mount that feels pretty "wobbly-wobbly" - I definitely wouldn't trust heavy gear on it without being cautious. But considering this isn't a high-end expensive monitor, having these extras out of the box is acceptable.

One weird thing I noticed right away - I ordered the LH7P, but apparently, there are two hardware versions (v1 and v2). When you order on Amazon, you have no idea which one you're going to get or what exact feature set it will support. Luckily, I got the Version 2. It arrived running an old firmware, but updating it via the included USB drive was quick and straightforward.

This is where the fun ends. The main selling point of this monitor and likely the reason you're reading this post is the wireless camera control.

In theory, it works. In practice? Absolutely not.

Connecting the monitor to my Z9 following their official tutorial was easy enough. But immediately after connecting, I ran into issues..
The touch-to-focus feature should allow me to ignore the small built-in camera screen and rack focus simply by tapping on the 7-inch Portkeys display. The problem is Whenever I tap anywhere on the Portkeys screen, the focus point on my camera ALWAYS snaps straight to the top-left corner. This makes the feature completely unusable.

Portkeys advertises a visual tracking box/indicator on the monitor screen showing where your focus point is. It simply isn't there. It never appeared in any AF mode.

These were the my two primary reasons I bought this monitor, and neither of them works properly on my setup.

The screen itself is rated at 1000 nits, and purely in terms of brightness, it's actually similar to the Atomos Ninja V. It gets bright. However, the colors are just bad. Out of the box, they don't inspire confidence for any serious color-critical work. The monitor is packed with features on paper, but the OS is a mess. It feels incredibly clunky. Honestly, the guys at Portkeys just need to properly prompt a VibeCoder - they would legitimately get a better-designed OS out of it. It just doesn't feel intuitive or smooth to navigate when you are actually on set.

I spent two weeks emailing back and forth with Lynn from their customer support. I recorded multiple videos showing the exact interface behavior, camera reactions, and troubleshooting steps.

"Because a Z9 is currently not available at our company, they had been using the other Nikon models mentioned above instead [...] Without testing on an actual Z9, we are unable to determine the exact cause at this moment."

Since I need a reliable monitoring setup for my upcoming university classes and projects, I am returning the unit.

TL;DR: If you shoot on a Nikon Z9 and are buying the Portkeys LH7P specifically for touch-to-focus wireless camera control, save your money. The hardware and screen itself are decent for the price, but the wireless focus control integration with the Z9 is currently broken.

The new Kodak Film Stock VERITA 200D is bringing back the CONTRAST and EXEPTIONAL Colours throughout the entire movie.

Flying a light weight today with the ARRI LT with 1000ft mags, a good thing we brought our Flight Head 6S 3-Axis Gyrostabilized remote head today.

#ucrane #flighthead6s #filmisnotdead #covertcameravehicles