Placing the camera on a dolly means you’re going to have a good time pulling focus. Besides the fun, dolly shots can also be very challenging. Successfully pulling focus on shots like these will depend on the consistency of a good dolly grip, but also how well you placed focus marks.
Filmmaking Tips and Advice
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Useful Cinematography iPhone Apps to Have on Set (Part 5)
With the launch of the iPad 2, Apple doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, but it’s their phone that has exploded within the filmmaking industry. From grips to gaffers, the iPhone has shown that it’s versatility makes it a tool worth keeping in your kit.
Why Your 2nd Job is More Important than Your First
Getting your first job is huge. It’s shoving your foot through the door and blazing onto the freelance scene. When you do that, you catch the attention of the room and you better have the goods to deliver. And while the first job is indeed important, it’s really your 2nd job that you should be more worried about.
Comment Corner: Week of March 7th
I’ve really started to look forward to Sundays now when I post the new edition of “Comment Corner.” You have seemed to take to the idea voraciously and the comments on this blog are sometimes more useful than my posts. Keep it up, it is great to see! This week brings five informative posts by you, the reader, listed below.
How to Calculate RED Camera Data Rates
You don’t want to be caught shooting RED with no inclination of how much footage can fit on a drive. So, I’m going to share with you the formula I use to determine how much data is pumping through the camera.
7 Things Camera Assistants Can Learn from Twitter
Camera assisting and Twitter couldn’t be further apart. One requires a strong technical knowledge of physical equipment, while the other centers around sharing brief messages with friends. But despite that, after spending a few years tweeting, I’ve seen that Twitter has a few things to teach camera assistants — even if they are fundamentally different.
On Set: Standing In, Standing Out
In no way would I consider a career as a stand-in. Not even for a decent paycheck would I dayplay on set doing the job. I’ve done it enough before to realize how terribly awkward it can be, like being on a blind date while other people watch.
How to Align the Camera and Match Shots
There will often be times where a cinematographer wants a camera assistant to match two shots, such as a close-up of one character to be identical to the other. There will also be times where you may be asked to come back to a shot and match it exactly. Doing this isn’t hard, it just takes a little bit of time and a trusty old tape measure.
The Two Types of Camera Tape You Need
The world of film production adhesives is a confusing one, but tape in its various forms is integral to the flow of a film set and an essential part of a camera assistant’s toolbag. If you’re building up your kit, make sure you have these two types of camera tape sitting pretty waiting to be tabbed.
Comment Corner: Week of Feb. 28th
It’s Sunday which means we’re back with another edition of “Comment Corner”, the feature where you, the reader, provide the content.