With digital cinema showing no signs of slowing down – and data rates accelerating – having the skill in your repertoire to properly manage data is crucial. Even if you never do data loading yourself, knowing how the process works helps you manage your department.
Filmmaking Tips and Advice
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The Deadly Dangers of the Double Dip
Like water bursting from a dam, the calls flood in all at once. You fill up your next couple of weeks, hurriedly penciling in gigs without thought, blinded by the excitement of work. And then you end up with “the double dip” – a stretch of work where you’re doing two different jobs on the same days.
Make These Quick Adjustments Everytime You Move the Camera
When you make these quick adjustments, you’ll not only save time on set, but also make the DP or camera operator happy. And if they’re happy, you’re happy. The time it takes to do all of these steps should be less than the time it took for you to read them.
7 Difficulties Friends and Family Have With Your Film Job
The freelance lifestyle is a tough sell to your friends and family who are used to traditional types of jobs. You know, the kind of jobs where you wear a suit and tie, shave every morning, smile at the boss, and, well, earn a steady paycheck. To them, freelancing is the complete antithesis of that.
Why My Two Toolbags Are Better Than Your One
Where would I be today without my second toolbag? Disorganized, lost, in a maelstrom of chaos. I’d be in shambles, subject to fitting all my tools into one bag and overloading it to the point where it’s not even practical to carry. That’s not the kind of world I want to live in — do you?
How to Pull Focus like You’re a Master Musician
Camera assistants and master musicians are not so different – both contribute to a large creative endeavor with highly specialized technical prowess. So it would only make sense that there are ways you can become a better focus puller by taking a cue from the musical maestros themselves.
Comment Corner: Week of August 8th
Each week, through experience and intellect, you’ll find plenty of camera assistants telling you the right way to screw in a light bulb — or at least how they would do it.
It’s Always Your Fault, So Stop Making Excuses
Hey, you! Yeah, you. I need to have a word. We have to talk about some things. You’re in denial. You’re trying to skirt away from the truth and you’re not taking responsibility for what happened.
Do You Make Marks on the Lens or Follow Focus?
When pulling focus, clear and quick visual access to your marks is vital. If the marks are off, even by a little bit, you’ll find yourself with a take full of soft footage. That’s the last thing you want.
What to Do When You Fly with Film and Video Gear
If you’re flying to a location for a production, chances are you’ll bring some equipment with you. With all the tools, liquids, and chemical batteries filmmakers use on set, it’s like you’re just asking for a world of trouble from the TSA.