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| A Cinvate rig |
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| My 550D mini setup |
Showing posts with label feature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feature. Show all posts
30 July, 2010
Versatility (a quickie)
Part of what I love about DSLR for video is the versatility of the cameras. They can be built up to the size of a full-size cinema camera or used in a very simple, compact configuration.
Case in point, my normal bag (below, left) comes with me with all my lenses, the Hoodloupe, battery grip, charger, cards, cables and more. Today, however, I'm heading out to shoot some Second Unit stuff for a feature (getting NYC establishing shots and more) and I want to stay very light, so I packed a tiny camera case with just the camera body, 24mm, 58mm, and 100mm lenses, cards and 3 charged batteries. This package is less than half the size of the usual kit and will work perfectly for my needs today. Love it :)
27 April, 2010
Adapting
Just to get it out of the way, the title is somewhat of a pun. This post covers improvisation in filmmaking and lenses (and adapters).
One of the most taught lessons in film school is about preparation. Preproduction sets the pace for everything else. For our various projects, we had to submit tons of prep material for approval - scripts, script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards and so on. Typically by the time we got around to shooting, the film was already made on paper. For college kids who were new to the process, this was totally valuable work but teaching it like it was the unbreakable law was a bit much.
I've learned in my years working predominantly in documentary, that forethought is great but unexpected things always happen. In doc, you don't have the time to worry about the last minute changes or complain. You have to adapt or you don't make your day. So you go into these shoots with ideas of sequences, shots you want to get and other hopefuls but you always remain open to change, even looking out for it. Surprisingly, in my own recent fiction endeavors, this way of thinking has come in handy and produced some good results.
This recently came up in a discussion with a good friend and colleague of mine, Bret the Sound Guy. He had recently worked on a short with another D.P. and we were talking about the project. The director and D.P. had come up with the idea that as the film progressed, they would shoot with wider and wider lenses (to support the themes of the film). I made a joke about over-thinking the process and Bret and I got into a bit of a debate. The thing I kept coming back to was the idea of organic filmmaking. I've discovered a real joy in improvising on set and going with the flow. Using mistakes to your advantage, finding little gems in what, at first, appears to be a problem.
Beyond the storytelling aspect, I've found that I like to carry these ideas over into the technical aspects of production like lighting and composition. In a lot of documentary work - particularly in verité work - the camera is a part of the story. The perspective and movement of the camera become character traits and there is no pretending that the camera isn't there. Contrary to the modern belief that in doc the cameraman just gets whatever it can, there's a method to good doc shooting and this depends on the part the camera plays in the story. I often like to carry that over into narrative work (when applicable). This often shows itself in subtle punctuated reframing (à la "Boston Legal" - though not quite as frequent). Today I saw rough cuts of scenes we shot Sunday for "Director's Cut." Whether by accident or necessity, two shots where I had employed this sort of camera technique made it into the rough cut and they worked quite well. Another sequence where three characters start arguing was completely shot this way and it really helped the tension. Having seen the cuts so far, I can anticipate a lot of upcoming scenes where this style of shooting will really work. And though it's not exactly how Elana first pictured the style, she's very open to the idea and willing to adapt her vision.
Now that was a good segue. So I recently bought a Canon 550D to test the waters on the DSLR filmmaking revolution. I knew early on I wanted to go with an APS-C sized sensor instead of full-frame because the former is almost identical to motion picture 35mm film. Full-frame 35mm is wider and therefore has a much shallower DoF. That sort of razor-thin focal plane can be problematic with my style of shooting and the fact that I don't often have the luxury of a focus-puller or setting marks or measuring at all. In the recent Gevalia shoots that really turned me on to DSLRs for video, I had a great time but man, I wish I had more wiggle room than the full-frame 5D allowed. I was constantly pulling focus because the slightest moves (like sitting up straight or an even smaller forward/backward motion) would have made the subject go completely soft. So knowing APS-C was my choice, I had a decision to make between the 7D and the 550D. As far as video goes, the two are basically identical. The differences that allow for the almost double price tag of the 7D are all about the stills capabilities. So, knowing that I would rarely be doing stills work, I went with the 550D. So I tracked one down (one of the last in stock in the greater NY area) and picked it up. Nobody, and I mean nobody had the body-only kits so for $100 more I got a kit with a very crappy zoom lens. Piece of junk. I decided to pick up a Nikon to Canon lens adapter and see how my old 70s Nikkors would fare mounted on this modern digicam. And the verdict was... wow... I haven't used the kit lens since. I went and picked up more adapters (one for each lens) and began a search for other vintage lenses with character. Got a couple of leads on some Russian primes that, from stills and footage I've seen online, seem to be very interesting. Cool bokeh, nice contrast and consistency throughout all the stops. Sharp enough, but subtly soft when it should be. I'll be posting stills very soon with the Nikkors and whatever else I'm able to pick up.
Also to come are screen grabs from "Director's Cut." Day 5 is Thursday and we're basically shooting every day (weekends off) through May 21st. Reports and stills from the set to come...
One of the most taught lessons in film school is about preparation. Preproduction sets the pace for everything else. For our various projects, we had to submit tons of prep material for approval - scripts, script breakdowns, shot lists, storyboards and so on. Typically by the time we got around to shooting, the film was already made on paper. For college kids who were new to the process, this was totally valuable work but teaching it like it was the unbreakable law was a bit much.
I've learned in my years working predominantly in documentary, that forethought is great but unexpected things always happen. In doc, you don't have the time to worry about the last minute changes or complain. You have to adapt or you don't make your day. So you go into these shoots with ideas of sequences, shots you want to get and other hopefuls but you always remain open to change, even looking out for it. Surprisingly, in my own recent fiction endeavors, this way of thinking has come in handy and produced some good results.
This recently came up in a discussion with a good friend and colleague of mine, Bret the Sound Guy. He had recently worked on a short with another D.P. and we were talking about the project. The director and D.P. had come up with the idea that as the film progressed, they would shoot with wider and wider lenses (to support the themes of the film). I made a joke about over-thinking the process and Bret and I got into a bit of a debate. The thing I kept coming back to was the idea of organic filmmaking. I've discovered a real joy in improvising on set and going with the flow. Using mistakes to your advantage, finding little gems in what, at first, appears to be a problem.
Beyond the storytelling aspect, I've found that I like to carry these ideas over into the technical aspects of production like lighting and composition. In a lot of documentary work - particularly in verité work - the camera is a part of the story. The perspective and movement of the camera become character traits and there is no pretending that the camera isn't there. Contrary to the modern belief that in doc the cameraman just gets whatever it can, there's a method to good doc shooting and this depends on the part the camera plays in the story. I often like to carry that over into narrative work (when applicable). This often shows itself in subtle punctuated reframing (à la "Boston Legal" - though not quite as frequent). Today I saw rough cuts of scenes we shot Sunday for "Director's Cut." Whether by accident or necessity, two shots where I had employed this sort of camera technique made it into the rough cut and they worked quite well. Another sequence where three characters start arguing was completely shot this way and it really helped the tension. Having seen the cuts so far, I can anticipate a lot of upcoming scenes where this style of shooting will really work. And though it's not exactly how Elana first pictured the style, she's very open to the idea and willing to adapt her vision.
Now that was a good segue. So I recently bought a Canon 550D to test the waters on the DSLR filmmaking revolution. I knew early on I wanted to go with an APS-C sized sensor instead of full-frame because the former is almost identical to motion picture 35mm film. Full-frame 35mm is wider and therefore has a much shallower DoF. That sort of razor-thin focal plane can be problematic with my style of shooting and the fact that I don't often have the luxury of a focus-puller or setting marks or measuring at all. In the recent Gevalia shoots that really turned me on to DSLRs for video, I had a great time but man, I wish I had more wiggle room than the full-frame 5D allowed. I was constantly pulling focus because the slightest moves (like sitting up straight or an even smaller forward/backward motion) would have made the subject go completely soft. So knowing APS-C was my choice, I had a decision to make between the 7D and the 550D. As far as video goes, the two are basically identical. The differences that allow for the almost double price tag of the 7D are all about the stills capabilities. So, knowing that I would rarely be doing stills work, I went with the 550D. So I tracked one down (one of the last in stock in the greater NY area) and picked it up. Nobody, and I mean nobody had the body-only kits so for $100 more I got a kit with a very crappy zoom lens. Piece of junk. I decided to pick up a Nikon to Canon lens adapter and see how my old 70s Nikkors would fare mounted on this modern digicam. And the verdict was... wow... I haven't used the kit lens since. I went and picked up more adapters (one for each lens) and began a search for other vintage lenses with character. Got a couple of leads on some Russian primes that, from stills and footage I've seen online, seem to be very interesting. Cool bokeh, nice contrast and consistency throughout all the stops. Sharp enough, but subtly soft when it should be. I'll be posting stills very soon with the Nikkors and whatever else I'm able to pick up.
Also to come are screen grabs from "Director's Cut." Day 5 is Thursday and we're basically shooting every day (weekends off) through May 21st. Reports and stills from the set to come...
09 April, 2010
Authorship
Many art forms are the result of an individual's painstaking commitment to his or her craft; countless hours toiling over the piece, funneling their own emotions and experiences into this very personal expression. In these such cases, like poetry and other forms of writing, music, and visual mediums like sculpture, painting, sketching, etc., it is always clear who is responsible for this work.
Film, however, is in a gray area. Occasionally you have a movie where one person conceived and produced a work in its entirety - including shooting, editing and other parts of the process. More frequently, however, the final movie is the result of many individuals' hard work and expression. And yet, so often there is a certain credit that reads "A Film by [director's name]" at the beginning and end of the movie. This brings up the question of true authorship.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately after a friend asked me who's responsible for the shots of a movie, the director or the cinematographer. Is the D.P. just a technician that does what the director tells him to? I've been lucky enough so far that all of the directors I've worked under have really allowed the process to be collaborative - thorough discussions of look and feel before shooting and then come time to roll camera, I am entrusted with the image. A lot of this may be due to the fact that in documentary, there really isn't an opportunity for the director to nitpick my shots. On "Director's Cut," the narrative feature I'm currently working on, my relationship with the director is similar to my doc work. She has put so much trust in me that the process of shooting is stress-free and fast. Prior to shooting, Elana and I figured out our style for the film and from then on, we just do it. Elana does her director thing with the cast as my crew and I set up the shot. Then she comes around to her monitor, smiles, and calls action. So for "Director's Cut" the direction of the film is Elana but the compositions and a lot of other visual elements are very much mine. As I understand it, the process is very different with other filmmakers. James Cameron, I hear, is meticulous with his planning and shooting. I think he even operates the camera. While he doesn't set up the lights himself, I'm sure he has a heavy hand in that stuff as well. AND he edits. So perhaps "A Film by James Cameron" is appropriate.
I guess there is no single answer for my friend. Different films have different hierarchies and different degrees of trust between crew members. Sometimes, the singular authorship of a movie is valid. More often than not, though, these "A Film by" credits ignore the crucial creative contributions of many key crewmembers. I've found that also more often than not, I tend to think the more collaborative movies are better anyway.
A post by Dave Dodds.
Film, however, is in a gray area. Occasionally you have a movie where one person conceived and produced a work in its entirety - including shooting, editing and other parts of the process. More frequently, however, the final movie is the result of many individuals' hard work and expression. And yet, so often there is a certain credit that reads "A Film by [director's name]" at the beginning and end of the movie. This brings up the question of true authorship.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately after a friend asked me who's responsible for the shots of a movie, the director or the cinematographer. Is the D.P. just a technician that does what the director tells him to? I've been lucky enough so far that all of the directors I've worked under have really allowed the process to be collaborative - thorough discussions of look and feel before shooting and then come time to roll camera, I am entrusted with the image. A lot of this may be due to the fact that in documentary, there really isn't an opportunity for the director to nitpick my shots. On "Director's Cut," the narrative feature I'm currently working on, my relationship with the director is similar to my doc work. She has put so much trust in me that the process of shooting is stress-free and fast. Prior to shooting, Elana and I figured out our style for the film and from then on, we just do it. Elana does her director thing with the cast as my crew and I set up the shot. Then she comes around to her monitor, smiles, and calls action. So for "Director's Cut" the direction of the film is Elana but the compositions and a lot of other visual elements are very much mine. As I understand it, the process is very different with other filmmakers. James Cameron, I hear, is meticulous with his planning and shooting. I think he even operates the camera. While he doesn't set up the lights himself, I'm sure he has a heavy hand in that stuff as well. AND he edits. So perhaps "A Film by James Cameron" is appropriate.
I guess there is no single answer for my friend. Different films have different hierarchies and different degrees of trust between crew members. Sometimes, the singular authorship of a movie is valid. More often than not, though, these "A Film by" credits ignore the crucial creative contributions of many key crewmembers. I've found that also more often than not, I tend to think the more collaborative movies are better anyway.
A post by Dave Dodds.
02 March, 2010
Karma?
So in my last post I mentioned something on the horizon that would be very exciting. That something was a trip to Sweden for the Gevalia work. Well, unfortunately, that trip fell through about a month ago. It's still happening but for a variety of reasons, the director has to now do it on his own. So I was a little bummed for a bit. Then, less than a month after Sweden went away, I got an opportunity to go to Budapest, Hungary for a shoot with a different client. I was reminded of the "even steven" episode of Seinfeld - it all tends to work itself out.
So Budapest was last week and it was cool. It was a very brief stay, arriving Wednesday afternoon and leaving for home very early Saturday morning. Thursday and Friday were shoot days and we did a lot of shooting. It was an industrial for an ad agency, Wunderman, involving one of their big clients, Nokia. Same sort of idea as my Texas trip last November. Anyway, all in all, it went well but it was definitely an eye opener. Early Thursday, about 40 minutes before we were due to roll, some of the producer's gear began acting up - a wireless mic that was do be on a key player in this shoot. Needless to say, this was a serious problem. Luckily, we had a great P.A. on board (a local) and within minutes, she was on the phone to a rental house arranging to rent a replacement wireless system. By the end of her conversation, we figured out the problem with the producer's gear and the P.A. arranged to have a replacement part also sent over. Within 20 minutes, the gear was there and we were rolling. The next day, we were presented with another issue - as it turned out, there would be two key players in that day's shoot (which was not the original plan). Luckily our system was working again and we had the rental on hand so yet again, things worked themselves out. Had we not had the unexpected and somewhat stressful mic failure occurred the day before, we wouldn't have had the second wireless system.
All in all, it was nice. With the work schedule, I didn't get to do much touristy stuff but I had some fantastic local food every day, saw a great gypsy band and stayed in a very nice, historic hotel (the Hotel Gellart).
Anyway, the weekend before Budapest, shooting commenced on a feature film I'm working on, "Director's Cut." It's a low-budget film with a rather small crew and the weekend was a great icebreaker. My frequent cohort, Bret Scheinfeld, is aboard as sound mixer and I've got a pretty nice support crew. Marcus, my gaffer, is cool, and I've got a couple of G&E-dedicated P.A.s that are really into it and very quick learners. I think the Spring shoot will go pretty smoothly.
So the most important rule we've got to follow for this shoot is the K.I.S.S. principal ("keep it simple, stupid"). There's just so much to get done on such a short schedule, so the setups need to be versatile and quick to change. So we're lighting things in broader strokes and keeping things relatively high key. It's a comedy, anyway, and the director definitely wants a brighter feeling for most of the film. Below is a still from one of our scenes.
A 4bank fluorescent for the key and a large diffused window for fill and ambiance. Behind the actor, a small HMI for edge.
We're shooting on the director's camera, a Panasonic HMC150. It's a prosumer model that shoots 1080/24p video to SDHC cards. If time and money allowed, I'd shoot 35mm for this - or at the very least Super16 or RED. But the budget is what it is and the schedule is tight so the best format available to us is what we've got so that's that. Besides, I'm a pretty format-agnostic cameraman. I really believe that with the right lighting, composition and settings (including digital tweaks and optical filtration), you can make great images no matter the format.
Coming up later this week is another shoot for Gevalia with director, Bradley Farrell (again with Bret on board for sound). It's a tasting party for a new blend and apparently there will be some "celebrities" there. 3 camera shoot at Gevalia's corporate kitchen with a Canon 5D and two HVX200. With the amount of coverage and the fact that at any one time a camera could be shooting in any direction, the lighting approach has to be pretty simple (and of course, good). The available light is pretty nice there - high ceilings with warm fluorescents for an overall base level. Accent lights under the cabinets and these small frosted pendant lights positioned over the granite islands. I'm thinking I'm going to fly a couple of 250w fresnels (flooded) crossing as back/edge lights (they'll be attached to the drop ceiling). I'm hoping that'll be enough but I'm prepared to bounce something into the ceiling from the front of the space if necessary.
So that's all for now. Pictures from Gevalia to come.
Bye!
So Budapest was last week and it was cool. It was a very brief stay, arriving Wednesday afternoon and leaving for home very early Saturday morning. Thursday and Friday were shoot days and we did a lot of shooting. It was an industrial for an ad agency, Wunderman, involving one of their big clients, Nokia. Same sort of idea as my Texas trip last November. Anyway, all in all, it went well but it was definitely an eye opener. Early Thursday, about 40 minutes before we were due to roll, some of the producer's gear began acting up - a wireless mic that was do be on a key player in this shoot. Needless to say, this was a serious problem. Luckily, we had a great P.A. on board (a local) and within minutes, she was on the phone to a rental house arranging to rent a replacement wireless system. By the end of her conversation, we figured out the problem with the producer's gear and the P.A. arranged to have a replacement part also sent over. Within 20 minutes, the gear was there and we were rolling. The next day, we were presented with another issue - as it turned out, there would be two key players in that day's shoot (which was not the original plan). Luckily our system was working again and we had the rental on hand so yet again, things worked themselves out. Had we not had the unexpected and somewhat stressful mic failure occurred the day before, we wouldn't have had the second wireless system.
All in all, it was nice. With the work schedule, I didn't get to do much touristy stuff but I had some fantastic local food every day, saw a great gypsy band and stayed in a very nice, historic hotel (the Hotel Gellart).
Anyway, the weekend before Budapest, shooting commenced on a feature film I'm working on, "Director's Cut." It's a low-budget film with a rather small crew and the weekend was a great icebreaker. My frequent cohort, Bret Scheinfeld, is aboard as sound mixer and I've got a pretty nice support crew. Marcus, my gaffer, is cool, and I've got a couple of G&E-dedicated P.A.s that are really into it and very quick learners. I think the Spring shoot will go pretty smoothly.
So the most important rule we've got to follow for this shoot is the K.I.S.S. principal ("keep it simple, stupid"). There's just so much to get done on such a short schedule, so the setups need to be versatile and quick to change. So we're lighting things in broader strokes and keeping things relatively high key. It's a comedy, anyway, and the director definitely wants a brighter feeling for most of the film. Below is a still from one of our scenes.
A 4bank fluorescent for the key and a large diffused window for fill and ambiance. Behind the actor, a small HMI for edge.
We're shooting on the director's camera, a Panasonic HMC150. It's a prosumer model that shoots 1080/24p video to SDHC cards. If time and money allowed, I'd shoot 35mm for this - or at the very least Super16 or RED. But the budget is what it is and the schedule is tight so the best format available to us is what we've got so that's that. Besides, I'm a pretty format-agnostic cameraman. I really believe that with the right lighting, composition and settings (including digital tweaks and optical filtration), you can make great images no matter the format.
Coming up later this week is another shoot for Gevalia with director, Bradley Farrell (again with Bret on board for sound). It's a tasting party for a new blend and apparently there will be some "celebrities" there. 3 camera shoot at Gevalia's corporate kitchen with a Canon 5D and two HVX200. With the amount of coverage and the fact that at any one time a camera could be shooting in any direction, the lighting approach has to be pretty simple (and of course, good). The available light is pretty nice there - high ceilings with warm fluorescents for an overall base level. Accent lights under the cabinets and these small frosted pendant lights positioned over the granite islands. I'm thinking I'm going to fly a couple of 250w fresnels (flooded) crossing as back/edge lights (they'll be attached to the drop ceiling). I'm hoping that'll be enough but I'm prepared to bounce something into the ceiling from the front of the space if necessary.
So that's all for now. Pictures from Gevalia to come.
Bye!
01 February, 2010
2010, huh?
This year has some potential...
Spent more time with director, Bradley Farrell of Kinetic Fin on a follow-up to December's Gevalia shoot. There will definitely be more stuff to come with Gevalia (including one very exciting bit that I don't want to jinx so I won't say any more). You can check out the previous spots here. I was D.P. for the product shots (with Bradley operating) and some pretty great guys shot the rest of the piece (the party, interviews and such). I can see some pretty cool stuff in the future with Kinetic Fin - will keep you posted.
I've done some more cool stuff with Philip Dolin of Particle Productions recently. He's the chap I went to Dallas with and have done some other pretty cool things with. One recent piece with him was a video on author, Barry Lynn, discussing his new book Cornered. Most recently, we shot author and professor, Bill Duggan of the Columbia [University] Business School. It was a follow-up to a class he had given (that we also covered), titled Strategic Intuition. Over the years, Philip has produced a number of videos for the Business School and I've had the pleasure of working on all of them. It's been very informative as we've essentially audited all of these great programs for free - the client has even joked occasionally about giving us honorary degrees. Anyway, just further reinforces my appreciate for the wide variety of things I get to learn working in documentary.
And totally opposite that, it is now confirmed that in the Spring I'll be shooting an independent feature film, "Director's Cut." There are some pretty great talents signed on and the crew is shaping up to be very nice (including my frequent collaborator, sound recordist, Bret Scheinfeld). There are two days in late February and then the bulk of principal photography resumes in May.
That's about all there is worth reporting for now. Future stuff may include my own feature, festival follow-up stuff for "Johnny B" and hopefully a lot more.
Until then...
Spent more time with director, Bradley Farrell of Kinetic Fin on a follow-up to December's Gevalia shoot. There will definitely be more stuff to come with Gevalia (including one very exciting bit that I don't want to jinx so I won't say any more). You can check out the previous spots here. I was D.P. for the product shots (with Bradley operating) and some pretty great guys shot the rest of the piece (the party, interviews and such). I can see some pretty cool stuff in the future with Kinetic Fin - will keep you posted.
I've done some more cool stuff with Philip Dolin of Particle Productions recently. He's the chap I went to Dallas with and have done some other pretty cool things with. One recent piece with him was a video on author, Barry Lynn, discussing his new book Cornered. Most recently, we shot author and professor, Bill Duggan of the Columbia [University] Business School. It was a follow-up to a class he had given (that we also covered), titled Strategic Intuition. Over the years, Philip has produced a number of videos for the Business School and I've had the pleasure of working on all of them. It's been very informative as we've essentially audited all of these great programs for free - the client has even joked occasionally about giving us honorary degrees. Anyway, just further reinforces my appreciate for the wide variety of things I get to learn working in documentary.
And totally opposite that, it is now confirmed that in the Spring I'll be shooting an independent feature film, "Director's Cut." There are some pretty great talents signed on and the crew is shaping up to be very nice (including my frequent collaborator, sound recordist, Bret Scheinfeld). There are two days in late February and then the bulk of principal photography resumes in May.
That's about all there is worth reporting for now. Future stuff may include my own feature, festival follow-up stuff for "Johnny B" and hopefully a lot more.
Until then...
22 October, 2009
Confidence (monitor)
The 3-day Lon Blais ended up being only 1. Early that morning, the s#*t hit the fan for Lon. Within hours, Lon found out that his dear puppy Aggie was sick and then Lon's escort from NY to North Carolina - 1/3 of the trip - had a medical/family emergency and would not be able to do it after all. On the ferry trip over from CT to Orient Point, NY, Lon decided he should ride as much as he can and when he's tired, just get driven home. He figured he'd be in a better space for the ass-hauling he'd need to do to rally emergency support for the next leg. So we set off to ride as far west as possible.
I hate shooting from cars with handheld cameras. Full-size shoulder cams are fine, but small guys, like the DVX100 cams we're using for this piece, are a bitch to keep steady in a moving vehicle. The DVX is probably the best-looking non-HD camera around (in the hands of a capable cameraman), but it's small size meant I was really insecure about shooting from the chase car. I brought along whatever I had that would help me keep it together. One thing was my saddlebag, which is one of my favorite tools. It allowed be to lean up on the windowframe or dashboard and really keep things together. Another thing I had was my trusty monopod. Extended fully, I was able to shoot out of the sunroof with the stick firmly pressed against whatever was nearby. So we rode and shot and rode and shot and got whatever we can. I cussed a number of times when I thought things weren't working quite well and wasn't feeling it most of the time. The stuff at the stops when were were out of the car and shooting more traditionally was good - really good. There just wasn't enough of it. One of the better moments was Lon's day-early arrival home. Lon's wife, Joanna, and of course Aggie, were thrilled to see him again after 2 weeks. Jo was concerned and supportive of the problems Lon now faced. It was dramatic, warm, and I think really nice stuff.
After we wrapped for the day, Bret (my sound guy and amazing pace car driver), went to my place and plugged into my trusty Ikegami CRT monitor just to see how things really looked. My on-camera LCD isn't exactly spot-on and it wasn't easy to tell how smooth things were when I was being tossed around in the car. But on a carefully calibrated and extremely accurate monitor... wow... We done good.
Today was uneventful - no shooting. Tomorrow, a NY1 crew will be filming a story about Lon for a nighttime broadcast. Bret and I are covering that and will shoot a little with Lon after the news crew leaves. Sunday, Lon's taking off at dawn no matter what. With an escort if possible or just by himself with the only bare essentials on his back. Elana will be taping the goodbyes and Lon riding off on what will probably be the most challenging part of his journey - and the part which happens to have no video support either :(
Monday, I'm shooting a modern art installation in the morning for producer Philip Dolin, and then at night, shooting some footage for a spec doc with director, Scott Floyd Lochmus.
Talks are continuing on the possible feature film. More on that and anything else soon...
20 October, 2009
Nature of the business
The freedom of freelance is great and I love what I do but it certainly does have its ups and downs. The ups are that I truly love what I do and if I ever want to go away or do something with my family or whatever, I don't have to ask anyone if it's OK. Also, when business is good, it's really good (if you get my drift). The downs suck, though. While half the time you get booked with a lot of notice, the other half of the jobs come up with really short notice. This is more on the documentary side as reality doesn't always have the luxury of careful planning like commercial and fiction work. So you often find yourself making last-minute changes to your personal life. Sometimes it's not a problem, sometimes it is. It's a balancing act. Ups and downs...
Last week's thing with Clive Davis didn't happen... that was a down.
Last week's thing with Clive Davis didn't happen... that was a down.
The Mira Nair thing two weeks ago was interesting to say the least. I liked the people I was working with but there were definitely some communication issues between the Fox Searchlight people and the Indian TV folks. Despite some equipment hiccups, we made the best of what we had and though it wasn't quite what was expected, we got some nice footage.
Tomorrow I'm off to shoot the 3-day Long Island stretch of Lon Blais's charity bike ride. Last night I met up with Elana, who shot him in Maine and is editing the piece. Stuff looks good but it's hard to say at this point if there's anything substantial. There's definitely enough to edit something together but I'm not sure if there's a story this year. We'll see what happens in L.I.
Also, looks like the Babs concert at the Village Vanguard will be released as a DVD. Not sure when, but that's the word from the director. Will update on that.
Stay tuned for a report from the road and more fun stuff (a possible feature shoot on the horizon).
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