1. What camera did you use? Why? • We used a Sony A7S because of its light weight and versatility in low-light situations. We were lucky enough to procure a handheld Movi rig, and while it worked amazingly well and gave us a smooth moving image, it couldn’t handle a lot of weight. We would also be shooting into the evening. All in all, I wanted to make sure we had a camera that would give us cinematic quality without struggling to capture low-lights or being too heavy for the rig. I really love the image the A7S gave us. 2. What lights did you use? Why? • We didn’t use any lights – everything was outside at golden hour, which gave us all the gorgeous light we needed. 3. What did you learn technically? • I learned that light goes fast and my ability to focus went with it. There were a lot of factors at play here – we were shooting at golden hour, so the sun was going down. The handheld Movi rig we were using was sensitive, so I couldn’t pull focus while shooting and had to keep everything wide and the aperture closed down. We only got three takes of this scene because the light was going so fast, and I had to open up the aperture to an F4, meaning not much was in focus on the third and final take. 4. What did you do well and what things can you improve on? • I think I did really well with keeping the camera steady and following Jeff’s vision. He wanted to see certain things at certain moments, and I made sure the camera was where it needed to be, like when we hold on Harry’s girlfriend while he’s gathering his things. We got to see a lot of emotion on her face. Even though the camera was steady, I need to work on movement. I wish I had framed things a little better, like when the car pulls away and Harry is waving out the window. I can feel my own hesitation as I’m trying to decide how to frame it. 5. What was it like to watch this with an audience? Was your work in focus? Did the director use your favorite takes? Why or why not? • Thankfully, Jeff used one of the takes that was in focus with a closed-down aperture! Even though the third one was arguably the best take, I’m glad he used the second one because it looked the best out of the three. I’m glad the audience appreciated the steady camera, because I was really proud of that. I do wish we had noticed there’s a giant reflection in the car during some parts – I didn’t realize until I saw it on a big screen! 6. Any other thoughts? • Working with directors who know exactly what they want is a breeze for a DP. It was super nice working with Jeff, who had already rehearsed with the actors by the time I got there, so we could just shoot it.
1. What camera did you use? Why?
ReplyDelete• We used a Sony A7S because of its light weight and versatility in low-light situations. We were lucky enough to procure a handheld Movi rig, and while it worked amazingly well and gave us a smooth moving image, it couldn’t handle a lot of weight. We would also be shooting into the evening. All in all, I wanted to make sure we had a camera that would give us cinematic quality without struggling to capture low-lights or being too heavy for the rig. I really love the image the A7S gave us.
2. What lights did you use? Why?
• We didn’t use any lights – everything was outside at golden hour, which gave us all the gorgeous light we needed.
3. What did you learn technically?
• I learned that light goes fast and my ability to focus went with it. There were a lot of factors at play here – we were shooting at golden hour, so the sun was going down. The handheld Movi rig we were using was sensitive, so I couldn’t pull focus while shooting and had to keep everything wide and the aperture closed down. We only got three takes of this scene because the light was going so fast, and I had to open up the aperture to an F4, meaning not much was in focus on the third and final take.
4. What did you do well and what things can you improve on?
• I think I did really well with keeping the camera steady and following Jeff’s vision. He wanted to see certain things at certain moments, and I made sure the camera was where it needed to be, like when we hold on Harry’s girlfriend while he’s gathering his things. We got to see a lot of emotion on her face. Even though the camera was steady, I need to work on movement. I wish I had framed things a little better, like when the car pulls away and Harry is waving out the window. I can feel my own hesitation as I’m trying to decide how to frame it.
5. What was it like to watch this with an audience? Was your work in focus? Did the director use your favorite takes? Why or why not?
• Thankfully, Jeff used one of the takes that was in focus with a closed-down aperture! Even though the third one was arguably the best take, I’m glad he used the second one because it looked the best out of the three. I’m glad the audience appreciated the steady camera, because I was really proud of that. I do wish we had noticed there’s a giant reflection in the car during some parts – I didn’t realize until I saw it on a big screen!
6. Any other thoughts?
• Working with directors who know exactly what they want is a breeze for a DP. It was super nice working with Jeff, who had already rehearsed with the actors by the time I got there, so we could just shoot it.