Howdy and Happy New Year!,
My name is Michael
Morlan. I am an independent film writer, director, and D.P. This is
my first newsletter to producers, directo
o writing
Subscriptions
If Vol 1 - January, 2004 In this volume:
Read more about white balancing with lighting gels here.
I've had a lot of discussions about achieving a "film look" for video projects. All too often, news threads I've encountered don't differentiate between aesthetic and technical points of image manipulation. In this first of a multi-part series on the "film look", I'll offer specific technical parameters with which to understand and perceive the moving image. In subsequent issues, I'll build on this technical foundation to first, challenge the notion of the "film look", then offer an aesthetic framework within which to craft your own project's look.
"Then a tremendous flash of light cut across the sky. Mr. Tanimoto has a distinct recollection it traveled from East to West, from the city towards the hills. It seemed a sheet of sun." - John Hersey
The typical micro-budget producer has to beg, borrow, and (hopefully not) steal each and every resource to make a film. One, often overlooked challenge of shooting is finding sufficient electrical power to light the subject being filmed. Fortunately, with the latest high-speed film stocks and proliferation of prosumer video cameras, the lighting needs of the set are much lower than in past decades. Today, one may light most micro-budget scenes with the power supplied by the typical residential house. But some guidelines and precautions are in order to assure a smooth shoot, no downtime, and no loss to property or life. Read more about power management on the micro-budget set here.
Football Crazy - Part 1 - Editing with Jump Cuts Over the past decade, narrative film has been increasingly influenced and informed by a bastard child of the industry - the thirty-second commercial spot. Having created an art form in its own right, commercial directors and editors are constantly finding new ways of compressing a three-act play into a half-minute. While your film may not be so ambitious, your edit could benefit from one commonly used commercial editing technique - the jump cut.
Subsequent articles in the series will examine effective storytelling, matching footage on a pickup shoot, color correction and grading, and sound design.
Rycote Suspension System with Windscreen and Windjammer Every sound recordist needs a great shotgun mic and every boom operator needs a great suspension system. The Rycote modular suspension system may be either held in the hand or mounted on the end of a fishpole. It provides a microphone mount that minimizes external vibrations and bumps. Add the windscreen and WindJammer (often called a dead cat) and you have complete control in exterior settings.
Read more about the Rycote suspension system in Gear Rentals here.
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