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[The Byre]

Because I am actually an audio guy and I have neither the experience nor the formal training of a DoP, I use two monitors.  One is REC709 for my idiot’s guide to what it might end up looking like and helps with composition, the other is log so that I can see that all the shadows and highlights are within dynamic range.

So far, that has been working for me!

[Jakob Webb]

Thanks for replying Roger! I managed to find some white tarpaulin that is the right size, but I’m not sure how much light will be cut out when using this as diffusion.

Do you know what the industrial plastic you mentioned is called?

 

[LucaM]

Roger Deakins wrote:

You could make hoops of 1″ plastic pipe to hold up a ‘tunnel’ of diffusion. There is a white industrial plastic that is equivalent to a 216 diffusion and comes in a wide roll. I used this on a film when I needed a lot of diffusion, instead of paying far more for something from a film supply company. You could rent seamless grid cloths or silks, which might be the cheapest option.

It’s comforting to know that even you resort to a bit of DIY for some scene. 🙂

[dcoll33]

Nope, the mini Lf is a bad camera now that the 35 is out. Outdated and unusable….of course I’m joking. Some smaller productions are still shooting with the Alexa Classic and that’s tremendously older in retrospect. It’s a great camera that gets a different image that might be better suited for a project. Sure it has less dynamic range and its a new sensor, but he mini LF still has a bigger sensor if that’s what you’re going for

[elliottdeem]

Hi James & Roger,

I’ve always wondered how you achieved this image. Theres no specular highlight or reflections to speak of in a marco eyeball shot?

I could speculate on how I think it’s done but it would be best to hear it from the horses mouth. Thanks in advance.

P.s. First post, Love the site and the podcast.

[Roger Deakins]

I did look a the 65 when it first came out but I have never used on on a film. Maybe, but I am now a fan of the LF and prefer the depth of field of that format.

[The Byre]

Does it HAVE to be cloth?  How about sheets of plastic/PVC?  Admittedly, they will not pass & health and safety rules for a regulated union shoot, but if the is an ‘informal’ gig, I would go down the PVC route.

You can also get 8′ x 4′ PVC sheets that will pass H&S rules (fire retardant, etc.) that are used in hospitals and commercial kitchens.  8′ is the standard ceiling height.

White and clear PVC on a roll costs (UK) about £30 for a 4m x 8m length on eBay.

There are all sorts of funky materials for you to play with and get creative about!

[Jakob Webb]

I was going to use 2 backdrop stands (placed at opposite ends) and maybe a boom arm in a grip head to support the middle and then just clamp the cloth to it.

Not sure if the cloth will be too heavy though, do you have any suggestions for how to support it?

[quijotesco24]

There are indeed really big fabrics sellers if that’s what you need. The highest I’ve bought was 6 wide meter roll and the roll was like hundreds of meters long. But I know there was even wider than that. But it gets really expensive. So for massive pieces you will end up stitching.

Your best bet will be companies that deal with fabrics exclusively for stage purposes. You know, for big theaters, opera houses, music halls.

Also most of the fabrics these companies deal are already fire retardant treated, there are some heavy regulations about what fabric ends on a Stage, something you really need depending which lights you will be using.

 

[Jakob Webb]

I want to build a tunnel for a short film I am creating.

It would be made out of a white fabric, such as cotton. The tunnel would need to be 4M X 8M big, but I’m not quite sure where you can buy fabric this big, since fabric is usually only 2 metres wide.

I’m going to be shining light through it, so it will also act as diffusion. As a backup idea I was thinking maybe I could have 2 long walls of fabric, like a sort of hallway, but I would quite like to show the top of the tunnel.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make this fabric tunnel / where I can buy a wide piece of white fabric?

[JasonK]

Of course, not Roger but I’ve been following these forums for a while now and feel like he generally answers these questions with a no… that he prefers bouncing (without sandwiching) and finding the right angle/time of day. I think on some shots a smaller low-level diffusion to keep the directionality with perhaps lightly softening the quality of light… But I’m following to see what others say as well.

[TelevisionSky]

Thanks so much for the quick reply with the exciting news!

If you happen to see this in time and it fits the flow of conversation, I’d love to hear some of what she has to share about working as a Costumer with a Director who’s also such an on-screen presence in his films — some standout moments for me are his  curtain call at the end of the opening dance number in Malcolm X and Mookie’s final confrontation with Sal in Do The Right Thing.

I’ll own that some of that curiosity is just gossipy “What’s it like to pick out clothes with Spike Lee?”, but I also don’t think that curiosity would be there if his movies didn’t communicate so much intensity around what a person puts on to wear, who has the agency to choose wardrobe, and the ways people inhabiting clothes make them their own. There’s really nothing in my experience that lets me go beyond observing “the shirt saying Mookie’s delivering pizza works like a superpower for navigating the neighborhood”, but the details like that throughout are the ones, I think, where connections to the story form in ways that really matter and encourage finding out more.

That’s a lot of big stuff to try and squeeze into one or two rambling sentences 😅, so thank you for bearing with me! I really just wanted to say thanks again, and that I’ll be looking forward to this one too.

[bjp4234]

Planning on seeing The Big Labowski on the big screen for its 25th anniversary and I would love to hear a deep dive podcast episode about it!

One question that this movie brings up for me is: does your approach to comedy differ to your approach to drama? I think what works for Labowski is that it’s a screwball comedy that looks like classic noir.

What do you think happened to comedy as a genre? Some of my best theater memories are seeing funny movies with an audience and now they’re so far and few between.

 

Thanks

Brandon

[Roger Deakins]

There was just the one bulb and no other light. There was a serious flare but I placed a small square of white tape in the middle of the bulb facing camera and that dealt with the flare. The source was so hot that the tape pretty much disappeared and I took out the rest in the DI.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Roger Deakins.

[M Ryan]

Hi Fred, not Roger 🙂 just want to say it’s great to see you here – have you gone or thought about going to a film school? Do you make your own short films? Keep going – I worked with 2 people in a similar situation to yours in film schools and there was alot of support and encouragement from the industry here (Australia). It’s never too late!

Michael