the top ten

10. golf

9. dubstep

8. the wire (hbo)

7. the (500) days of summer soundtrack

6. it's always sunny in philadelphia

5. louie c.k.

4. snowboarding

3. fire

2. time lapse photography

1. travel



and these videos:







LOL

By clayton with No comments

Seriously, this is the last one. DP's.

As he is one of the best known cinematographers, I have to tip my proverbial hat to Shane Hurlbut, ASC, for his role in the advancement of the DSLR for use in film. The first time "The Last Three Minutes" was right after the 5d gained the ability to shoot 24p, and from then until last week, it was my goal to get my hands on a DSLR. Just seeing how he was able to achieve so much more with this camera than anyone had before was so captivating to me. That being said, it is not surprising that he was the youngest cinematographer ever to be nominated for an award for a debut film in the history of the American Society for Cinematographers. Having worked on "Terminator Salvation," "We Are Marshall," and many other huge blockbusters, I have immense respect for Shane in his ability to ignore the stipulation of using a cheap camera, but finding a creative way to use it.

Here is the aforementioned short, "The Last Three Minutes."

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/10570139" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/10570139">"The Last 3 Minutes" Directed by Po Chan</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/hurlbutvisuals">Shane Hurlbut, ASC</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

"Step Into Liquid," my favorite work from Shane Hurlbut.

http://www.banditobrothers.com/portfolio/reel/9

Again, sorry for the embedding and links, it hasn't been working for me!

By clayton with 1 comment

Oops, one more.

I have been learning a great deal of techniques in this semester that I will take with me, and in the next few moments, we will discuss some of the facets of production which I have improved and look upon those which I need to work more. While I could ramble on for days about the theories I have been learning about since my first class in film, it is the practice that makes a filmmaker more than just a home movie camera operator. The most important aspect of filmmaking that we have all tried to employ more this semester is visual storytelling. I believe that the most important part of film is storytelling, and it is what makes this industry so successful. That being said, many students get caught up in the expensive equipment, awesome money shots that cost thousands of dollars to capture, and hype surrounding "Hollywood," myself included. I have made a concerted effort this semester, however, to put all of that aside in service of storytelling. One of the things that I find so interesting about filmmaking is that the best cinematographers have been working at their craft for decades and decades before they reach the top of the metaphorical mountain, platform, plateau- whatever. That being said, they are undoubtably some of the best storytellers out there. It has become my goal as a result of this semester to continue working to become a better storyteller. I will admit that I have a long way to go as a videographer, in terms of stylistic development as well as general techniques. I have had a fair amount of experience on the production side of things, and while I enjoy producing like I enjoy air, I would like to become a better cinematographer. Before this class, my affinity for film was only limited to acting, producing, and operating on occasion, but now I aim to become more proficient in all disciplines of cinematography. Without this class, it could have been years before I realized an affinity towards cinematography, and that would have been a shame, considering its going to take decades and decades if I want to see what it looks like from the peak.

By clayton with No comments

TCF 312 Signing off

Boys and girls, it has been a blast. As this semester and class comes to an end, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on more than just the technical skills that I will take with me as a result of this experience. One of the first things that comes to mind when I think about all that I have learned in this class is how to problem solve in a group. When everyone works within his or her roles on set, everyone is able to concentrate on a far smaller set of problems. When the director isn't worried about touching the camera or playing with the glidetrack, he is able to focus more on how the composition and the lighting and the acting mesh in service of the look and aesthetic he or she has chosen for the project. I got to see this phenomenon time and again this semester and truly enjoyed seeing our class improve as communicators on set, myself included. Something else that immediately comes to mind is the development of director/d.p. relationships. Having the opportunity to work with Carly in the past allowed me to understand how she works on set, but this semester, our projects allowed us to better understand each other as filmmakers. While I was able to increase bonds with other filmmakers in our class, I wanted to touch on this specifically as it occurred to me this semester why many directors employ the same cinematographers in all of their projects, like to work together often, etc. It is through time, conflict, and collaboration that a rapport is built between filmmakers, and that is something that I found specifically in our scene assignments this semester. It is interesting to learn about all of the technical aspects of production, and it is fun to watch films showing the incredible abilities of the best recognized d.p.'s in the business, but it is something far more special when you realize that the concepts you have been learning all along are being implemented subconsciously as you progress.

By clayton with No comments

$$$ SHOTS!!!

To me, a "money shot" does not have to be a timelapse of the Grand Canyon or a long exposure of the aurora borealis, but it has to show style and convey a mood. Granted I enjoy shooting timelapses for the experience surrounding their capture, however, I believe that there are many more shots out there that would take the cake over your typical sunrise. In this reel for camera operator and colorist Dan Skinner, the helicopter shot over downtown Orlando and the drifting sequences are some of the most interesting money shots I have seen in a while. (There are also a handful of sweet timelapses in here! Sorry I couldn't embed it!)

Dan Skinner Reel

I have used this video before, however, it bears repeating that many of this steadicam shots count as money shots as well for their composition and the tone that they create.

John Vieira Steadicam Montage


Something that I have not tried but aim to check out in the near future is HDR timelapses. This beautiful example is a money shot of its own!

HDR Timelapse

By clayton with No comments

The Composition of a Solid Reel

While I could not say before this week with absolute certainty what makes a real solid, I feel that after class this week, it is far clearer to me. To have a solid reel, you don't have to have loud music with your video cut to every bass drum or snare tap- it is more about showing that you can tell a story visually while demonstrating your technical skill in other areas. For example, Henry was able to show his proficiency for storytelling and tonal consistency with his color correction of the "Barney and the Martians" scene by desaturating some of the bright colors and giving the shot a more antiquated feel. David Sikes was able to accomplish the same aesthetic feel in his low-angle piano shot. A good reel does more than just show what a filmmaker can do- it is a visual representation of the filmmaker himself. For example, Levon was able to take come pretty standard subjects and make them far more captivating by his choice of framing and composition. These are just a couple of examples of what makes a reel solid, and I can say with absolute certainty that without this class, my future reels would be lacking in direction, though now, I can confidently cut together something to be proud of.

By clayton with No comments

Camera movement

I find camera movement to be an interesting way to bring dynamic emotion to otherwise static scenes. After this semester, I have found several forms of camera movement to be effective in achieving this feat. While some camera movement is more difficult to pull off without expensive equipment, there are usually cheap alternatives to gliding a JL Fisher down a 40 yard track once you've got your scene shot on the Steadicam.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t9w4OrPj19c?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t9w4OrPj19c?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

This video shows several effective uses of glide tracks, which I have implemented several times this semester.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y48R6-iIYHs?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y48R6-iIYHs?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

Also known as the "student zoom," vertigo shots can be visually captivating ways of showing confusion, epiphany, or just exploring a space in an interesting way.

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13558482&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=1&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13558482&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=1&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;loop=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/13558482">Jason Vieira Steadicam Montage</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4284588">Jason Vieira</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

The Steadicam can also be a very effective tool for camera movement as it allows the operator to smoothly follow a character or explore a space with a more natural movement than any other camera apparatus. While we do not have a Steadicam, I was able to learn how to use one very briefly this summer, and I cannot wait until I get the chance to play with one again!

By clayton with No comments