This Week’s Comments
Here are the top comments in no particular order:
1. Phillip Jackson on Marking the Camera on Dolly to Keep Shots in Focus
I’ve used and have seen people use the rope trick when the dolly is moving away from the subject. Tie a rope with knots or tape at specific distances and as long as the actor is cool with it, allow that to drag in front of them. Obviously this wouldn’t work for a full body shot but for the most part it works pretty well.
2. Dbailie36 on Marking the Camera on Dolly to Keep Shots in Focus
On a tracking shot of a non moving subject but a moving dolly I would run a piece of white tape the length of the track. Start at the end of the track and pull your tape say it’s 25 feet, write 25 feet on the tape, have the dolly grip push you to 15 feet from the subject to the camera write 15 feet so on until the last position. That way if you stop anywhere on the track you know the distance. Mark it every 5 feet or so depending on what lens your on. If you do this and all the set up is done for a 35mm and you run the take several times and you think it’s over and the director says as long as we are here lets throw the 150mm up, your actually already for far more critical focus without skipping a beat.
3. FB on Why Your 2nd Job is More Important than Your First
Yes, small mistakes are acceptable, and frankly I personally don’t know any good camera assistant who has made the same “big” mistake twice. Actually, I know a few camera assistants who have flashed a magazine once in their lives and went on with their careers just fine. One thing to remember, though, they all immediately told the cinematographer about it. Making a mistake is human, trying to hide it is just plain stupid (and the one thing that most likely will get you fired).
4. Philipp on On Set: A Lens and a T-Shirt
Glad the lens was safe! As a tie in you should write a post about how to properly clean lenses and how to handle a lens change. Then send that link to George. ;)
5. John Paul Mayer on The Black and Blue Facebook Fan Page
Q: What do you think is a “must have” quality for crew members in the film industry?
A: Knowing how to keep your mouth shut and ears open.
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