Search Results for 'no'

[Indiana_Wilson]

Hello Mr. Deakins, (and anyone who has input 🙂

I am shooting in Costa Rica in a few weeks, and the weather forecast is not looking great. The show is supposed to be bright, sunny and tropical. Unfortunately, it looks like I will have rain. I have a small GLX crew on this one, and my biggest guns are an Aputure 600d and C, and my biggest frame is an 8×8.

To try and get some more life in my images, my plan so far is to overhead raincover with the 8×8 and use the 600d as a “Sunlight” back/kicker and the 6o0c into a bounce to fill.

We are going to shoot tight and shallow on long lenses to try and sell the effect a bit more.

Of course, I would love to fly in the 18K’s, but it’s just not possible on this one. I would appreciate any insight anyone has.

[LucaM]

I noticed that a subject that is quite often asked to Roger (besides the real obscure and deep meaning of that tree in Prisoners) in interviews, articles, here on the forum is asking for his favourite movies, movies to watch to learn, etc etc.  No need to say, it’s way more interesting to read why he likes them than just having a simple list , but i hope a simple list of these movies could be somehow helpful at least as a quick reference. I can’t add links to the sources because of the problem with the forum bug but you can easily find them by searching on the web. Of course, feel free to add other movies to the list! (Note: i am aware some title appears more than once, but i suppose it shows how important Roger considers that movie, so i kept it as it was in the original source).

From “Six Favorite Films” (American Cinematographer)

• L’Avventura
• Once Upon a Time in the West
• Army of Shadows
• Solaris
• Come and See
• Elena

From “5 movies that made me the cinematographer I am” (on Oscar website) 

• The War Game
• Army of Shadows
• Stalker
• The Wild Bunch
• L’Avventura

 

From “Roger and James Deakins’ s Closet Picks”  (on Criterion Channel on Youtube. Note: if you don’t know that series, watch it. Even if is basically a commercial for their DVDs, Criterion ask famous artists from cinema or music or other fields to pick their favourite DVD movies from the shelves and each of them explain why. Roger and James episode is lovely, for the sweeet chemistry among  them and for Roger’s description of the movies. You’ll discover James’ Halloween movie and the dangers of filming among punks on stage. And there’s Roger dancing too. Well, kind of)  

• Come and see
• Tokyo Olympiad
• Fires on the Plain
• The Burmese Harp
• Sid and Nancy
• Le Cercle Rouge
• Le Silence de la Mer
• The Seventh Seal
• L’Avventura
• Mirror
• Solaris
• In Cold Blood
  

 

[LucaM]

Partly for a technical problem: i created a little set in my garage but it has no window. And i have a room with a big window. I would like to show the characters against the window but the only other option i have Is using a green screen and faking It in 3D, as i did for other set extension, but it gets more complicated than matching 2 locations shot. And above all, i was looking at the (so called) set with the garage door wide opened and  just the natural light. It was beautiful, calm and (of course) natural. No point in trying to fake what nature gave me yet. So i tried to figure what Roger would do in such a situation, and my answer was that i needed to find a window somewhere to use that natural light. Perhaps i’m completely wrong but it’s not easy to try to think like Roger, ah ah! (But it’s the best way to try to learn from him, to me, not just copying what he did but trying to guess what he would do) .

[caiyichenweg]

Oh, I think I had an issue with my English expression. I actually meant to ask about shots with a larger scene size, not wide-angle lenses. To help you understand better, let me give an example: suppose a character is in a living room. When shooting a close-up, I use a bounce light source to give the character soft lighting. When switching to a full-shot (panoramic view), how should I handle the bounce light source to maintain the light texture and contrast (both wrapping the subject and preserving overall contrast)? For full-shots, would you switch to using a Lighting through diffusion for the character’s lighting, or move the bounce light source farther away and control it with more black cloth, or change the reflective material to a harder, directional silver reflector (which might require adjusting the color temperature)?Overall, what are your insights and suggestions for lighting wide shots to maintain consistent contrast and light quality across all shot sizes (wides, mids, and close-ups)?

[Roger Deakins]

That is a very good question! Why do it? I love images. It’s as simple as that. Movies have been my life and my career path but taking a still photograph gives me great pleasure. Perhaps more so. Why? I’ve no idea. Life is a mystery.

An AI expert suggested creating an algorithm that would light and shoot as I do. It would save me the stress of being on set. Perhaps that might be so, in a world of virtual sets and computer generated characters, but my still photos will always be me.

• This reply was modified 5 months ago by Roger Deakins.

[caiyichenweg]

Hello, Roger, David Müller, and everyone on the forum! Please excuse my poor English. In recent days, I’ve listened to a great many interviews with Roger and David Müller, and I’ve noticed that they both put forward an idea. Generally speaking, they have a strong desire to use fewer lights. I remember that in Roger’s podcast a few months ago, David Müller seemed to mention that when he is shooting, he often prefers the first version of the lighting setup, because at that time there were no various messy additional lights added. I truly empathize with this point! Sometimes when I’m shooting, I think it’s really wonderful to use just one light to simulate the effect of a table lamp shining on a person’s face, and there’s no need to add any other light sources. With the combination of the actual light source, I’m already quite satisfied with the entire picture. I’ve found that as I gradually add more lights, I’m actually ruining the contrast of the picture bit by bit, resulting in a very flat image in the full view. I’d like to ask Roger and Müller if you could share some insights on illuminating with a wide-angle lens (especially using reflective lighting) while still maintaining the overall contrast of the picture? (I’ve asked this question in one of the previous questions.)

 

There’s one more thing. I’m extremely looking forward to Roger’s book! I dream of getting my hands on it. This will be my biggest anticipation in 2025!

 

[elliottdeem]

Hey Roger / James / David Mullen,

On a recent episode of the podcast Roger had mentioned something rather interesting to me. I shoot a majority of my work on film and you had mentioned over exposing 2 stops then pulling 1 stop.

I’m really keen to know what that project/ scene looked like?

I’ve just started experimenting with push processing but I’m equally interested pulling although from my research. Was a far less popular thing to do? Would love a little perspective on this.

Cheers,

Elliott Deem

[Stip]

I often cannot post links, photos, sometimes I cannot post at all. It’s always the “too many redirects” error (it is not on the user side).

It would be great if someone knowledgeable could fix these errors.

[David Kennedy North]

Morning Madhav,

I am also going through a similar process now. Expanding your network is absolutely key, spend some time focusing mainly on that. Your craft is your artistic practice, so keep up a consistent routine with creation and adopt a lifestyle that at a moments notice, you are ready. Best things that I have started doing is attending some BSC events, screenings, talks and webinars. Aside from that getting some face to face time with people at either film festivals or expo’s will really help you out. You will meet crew and people there and conversations can start quite fluidly if you are following your curiosity rather than approaching it with an agenda in mind. Its a long game and nothing is instant. Hope that provides some insight.

[Madhav6]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hi Roger and James,</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”></p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>As an aspiring cinematographer, I’ve found that breaking into the industry is as much about networking as it is about skill. I’m working hard to develop my craft, but I also know that connecting with the right people and gaining experience on set are key.</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”></p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Any advice on how to approach people in the industry or find opportunities to help on set would be invaluable. I’m ready to contribute however I can, whether it’s carrying gear, assisting, or just observing.</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”></p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Thanks for creating this space to learn and connect!</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”></p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Wishing you both all the best,</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Madhav</p>
<p style=”text-align: left;”>bhatiamadhav06@gmail.com</p>

[LucaM]

Stip wrote:

If you want to do it yourself you can use the Studio Version of Davinci Resolve. It automatically creates subtitles from your audio tracks. If you have the English subtitles created, you can use ChatGPT to translate them to French and replace the original. I can’t include YouTube links, otherwise it won’t let me post this comment, so I’ll try to add them in a second post.

I don’t know how good are translations from ChatGPT but in general i try to avoid automatic translations, sometimes i checked languages i know and translations were a bit odd at best (but they are improving everyday of course). To quickly understand what a website talks about they are fine, but i wouldn’t trust them for subtitles. Just my opinion of course!

[magyandras]

James wrote:

We will be in Toronto in June. We’ll be doing a Q&A after a screening of Shawshank, introducing another film chosen by Roger and doing a book signing of BYWAYS.

That is absolutely amazing news! I look forward to this!

[LucaM]

I’m not an expert but i’m a similar situation (mine it’s in italian but i need english subtitles to join some festivals) .  Wheat kind of problems would you like to solve?

As far as the technical aspect is concerned, it’s not a difficult process actually, you need to create a written file in which the words corrispond to the timestamps. A bit tedious and time consuming but not that complicated.  You attach that file in the software you are using for post production (i’m doing it in Da Vinci Resolve, for example, and it offers a tool to create subtitles automatically –  but i prefer creating them manually). Usually it’s the same file you have to submit  to festivals, when they request subtitles.

To translate the dialogue i’d suggest you to see how movies create subtitles, sometimes i see differences between the subtitle and the dialogue when they are in different languages: the global meaning is respected but not the actual dialogue. I find it a bit annoying, i don’t see the point in changing the script, when the phrase still makes sense in the other language. I hope that helps a little!

[LucaM]

Thanks to everybody for your tips!

To clarify, as Roger guessed i’m perhaps overthinking about that, since while the two walls are in two different rooms, they actually are rotated of 90° and they belong to the same building, so it shouldn’t be a great issue to match the two shots and make them look two sides of the same room (summin up, in one room i have a library i’d like to use as a background but i can’t use its window, while in the other room i have a nice window but no library…) .  I’m a bit sorry i won’t be free to move the camera from a side to the other but as long as i can use natural light i’m happy. And i think a static camera could be useful to create a bit of tension, given it’s an horror story.

Thanks for the tip about the audio, Stip! i was not thinking about that, but you are right, audio will help in creating the matching!

And now let’s go and find that shot in Hail Caesar, ah ah!

[Matthew_]

Another idea I had: what if I expose the window that’s in frame so it looks right for dusk – soft and natural – and then use a different window (off-camera) to push in more light and help build exposure inside the room?

Maybe I could also use some soft fill, bounced off the ceiling, just to gently reduce the contrast without breaking the mood.