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Patrick, you and I are about the same age. So here is my take.
I am 47, living in the US (not in what is considered a production “hub”…if that even exists here any more), and currently non-union. With almost 30 years of “moving up the ladder” in just about every area of production you can think of (I began shooting weddings); I finally landed a Cinematographer job at the end of last year shooting my first feature film in Belize. I shot plenty of short films before that (most were non-paying but I was able to put a portfolio of images together; and you may need to do the same) and I also worked on a handful of features as a gaffer; but I always thought the only way to the desired Cinematography position was to “move up the ladder.” If I had to do it all over again I would have just jumped right in to the film industry in some capacity and probably had landed here sooner. So your desire to move from one area in production to another is not an impossible one, but I hate to say that I think it is getting very difficult out here.
The road ahead is a very long one. Not only do you need to have the expertise and knowledge to fill the position; but you need the contacts to find the directors and producers to consider you for the opportunities that are out there. I am finding this to be the hardest part at my age. Making new contacts.
I’ve had side hustles my entire career. The year before covid hit was my best year yet in the film industry; and sadly every year since has been a slide downward. Many of us (both union and non-union) are out of work in the US; and haven’t seen much work this year at all. There are so many factors contributing to this that there are just too many to list here. Personally I’m holding onto the dream; but know that if you do reach your destination, the hustle is not over. In fact it feels sometimes like starting all over again.
Wow, holy smokes! Densitometer? Never even knew they existed. So many presumptions from me but I would think if the back light is heavier than the side light it is because we are seeing more directly into the depth of the haze in the scene than a sidelight would portray. Makes total sense.
To further clarify spot metering for this…..
I would presume that no matter what angle the shot is coming from within the same lit scene, you would always go back to the exact same placement of gray card and the exact same marked spot for taking a reading; but where is the best placement for the grey card? I don’t think I would put the gray card in a direct shaft of light (highlight areas) or somewhere where we are too dark in the shadows either. Maybe it is better for a reading to be taken somewhere in the middle? Also when we go in for the close ups and overs and tweak the lighting, the grey card is going to likely be more or less exposed so theoretically the grey card will be giving a different reading.
I realize this is not an exact science as nothing is in lighting. Are we just trying to get it close enough?
As it is needed, I do see this taking up a bit of time on set.
Excellent break down of the different types of haze. Thank you for that. We want to try and get as much in camera as possible first, then using the haze-emulation afterwards to help with continuity sounds terrific.
