Breakdown Episode!

Today we are looking at job that has all the hallmarks of a challenging operation.  

Tiny location, no room to light, tough style to emulate, and not a lot of time to do it.

Then again, these jobs are always the most fun.

Enjoy!

Course: Mastering Exposure

In the course I detail how I learned exposure and I share how I would get up to speed the fastest way possible if I was starting over today.

Cinematography can seem incredibly complex but underneath it all there are some fundamental decisions that must be made if you are going to get images you are happy with.  Exposure and understanding how to best manipulate exposure and why one way is better or more efficient than another is absolutely essential if you are going to work with a crew and on schedule.

This course is my attempt at sharing my exact process so you don't have to struggle to find answers like I did.

If you are interested you can check out the course here:

Mastering Exposure - The Language of Image Creation

Patreon Podcast - Wrapping the Light

This week over on Patreon I am releasing a podcast on the subtleties of wrapping the key light when using the framework apporach.

As your skills get sharper and sharper you are going to end up demanding more and more nuance from all of your fixtures on set.  In this podcast I talk about my own progression and give some advanced pointers that can help you leap frog what took me years to figure out.

If you want to hear the podcast or check out any of the past content you can find it all by clicking the link below:

The Wandering DP Podcast Patreon

The Spot - The Joy of 360 Degrees

Shot #1 - The Wide

The Shot

This is the master angle for the entire commercial.  The two people in the frame are interacting with a 2D animation as it dances around the room.

The Lighting

In this spot we saw the entire bathroom you are looking at in this still.  It was a real location which meant low-ish ceiling and no grid to light from.

We put the grid in with a bunch of Fiilex LEDs to give it the retro feel.

Outside we had to tent the window and add another LED panel to create the moonlight effect on the bushes that art department had put there.

Inside we added a china ball overhead in the foreground for general ambient and then added practicals as well to spice the frame up a little.

The Result

Shot #2 - Down the Line

The Shot

The camera moves in as our main talent interacts with the animation and sings along to the theme song.

The Lighting

Same as the previous shot but we have added some titan tubes being pushed through a 4x4 frame to bring the light from high to low a bit more.

You can also see the effects of another LED out the back right window along the curtains in the BG.

The Result

Shot #3 - Closer

The Shot

We went in for a slightly tighter version of the previous set up.

The Lighting

Same as above.

The Result

Shot #4 - Top Down

The Shot

This shot was the peak of the song moment before the real owners of the house walk in and bust the fake folks.

The Lighting

The same fixture are being used as before but they have all been slightly modified position wise to accommodate for the camera position which is touching the ceiling as it looks down.

The Result

Shot #5 - The Flop

The Shot

Now looking the other way inside our bathroom the singer interacts with the animation.

The Lighting

The set up for 90% of it is mostly the same as before.  Titan tubes through a 4x4 frame do the heavy lifting on the talent.

The only real additions are the Apeture bulb in the shower behind the door and the Fiilex Q8 out the window in the doorway.

The Result

Shot #6 - Reality Kicks In

The Shot

In the middle of the song the real owners of the house walk in to jump in the bath.

The Lighting

Same as above but the China ball above is doing most of the work on the talent in their current position.

Plus you get a better view of the bulb in the show that we placed for a bit of interest.

The Result

Shot #7 - The Exit

The Shot

The fake characters sneak around the real talent as the commercial comes to an end.

The Lighting

Same as above.

The Result

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #434 – The Joy of 360 Degrees appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

This week on the podcast we get a repeat visit from cinematographer Mark Schwartzbard who is on to talk about his latest work on the series Based on a True Story.

Mark made his Wandering DP debut back in episode #400 where we discussed his background and his overall approach a bit more so for this episode we dove a little deeper in to his workflow on this specific show.

It is always great having folks come back on the show and share updates and Mark's appearance is no exception to that.

Enjoy!

Featured Guest - Cinematographer Mark Schwartzbard

Website: Mark Schwartzbard

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #433 – Mark Schwartzbard appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

A few episodes back we took a quick pass at the results from this year's cinematography survey but, as predicted, I got side tracked and spent the majority of the episode rambling.

This week on the podcast I am taking another stab at getting through the survey responses and although I didn't get to many of the great responses I think we got through more than last time.

If you want to add your own experiences to the results you can still take the survey over on The Wandering DP Patreon page.

Enjoy!

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #432 – 2024 Cinematography Survey (Part #2) appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

This week on the show we are chatting with cinematographer Sam McCurdy ASC BSC about his latest work on the series Shogun.

Sam breaks down how he approaches a project as massive as this one, details what he does to be prepared for the shoot, and so much more.

If you aren't familiar with Sam's work be sure to check out the trailer below and also give his website a look.  He is very good.

Enjoy!

Cinematography Course - Mastering Exposure

Course Link:  Mastering Exposure: The Language of Image Creation

Understanding exposure was key to my development as a cinematographer and the first major unlock of knowledge that made a measurable impact on my ability to create images I was happy with.  

The system I used to strengthen my understanding of exposure and how to improve my ability to recognize various patterns of exposure gave me an ability to bypass years of on set experience.  The tools that I used and still use to this day were simply unavailable to cinematographers up until a very short time ago.

In Mastering Exposure I breakdown my techniques for learning exposure, we go over just how important exposure actually is, and then lay out my workflow from start to finish as to how to use the knowledge you gain from your studies.

I can confidently say that nothing has made a larger impact on my cinematography abilities than my thorough approach to understanding exposure and how to manipulate it in the most efficient way possible.  

My hope is the course will be as impactful for you and your career.

If you want to learn more about the course check it out here:

Mastering Exposure: The Language of Image Creation

Featured Guest - Cinematographer Sam McCurdy ASC BSC

Website: Sam McCurdy ASC BSC

Instagram: @boardboy535

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #431 – Sam McCurdy ASC BSC appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

We are back at it this week looking at a recent commercial and doing a little breakdown.  

Normally a job like this I wouldn't highlight the approach but after talking with Elliot Nieves on a recent episode about this series I thought it might be beneficial to look at what works and what doesn't work when you are constrained for one reason or another.

Hopefully if you are ever in a similar situation this will give you a good idea of what to expect and how you can deal with the challenges on the day.

Enjoy!

Cinematography Course: Mastering Exposure

Mastering Exposure is out now.  It is the latest course in the line up and so far the reviews have been awesome.

In the course I detail how I learned exposure and I share how I would get up to speed the fastest way possible if I was starting over today.

Cinematography can seem incredibly complex but underneath it all there are some fundamental decisions that must be made if you are going to get images you are happy with.  Exposure and understanding how to best manipulate exposure and why one way is better or more efficient than another is absolutely essential if you are going to work with a crew and on schedule.

This course is my attempt at sharing my exact process so you don't have to struggle to find answers like I did.

If you are interested you can check out the course here:

Mastering Exposure - The Language of Image Creation

The Spot - Nowhere to Hide

Shot #1 - The Wide

The Shot

Wide shot of husband and wife in a bedroom.  The husband is running all over the room quickly packing his bags to leave.

The Lighting

We used Titan Tubes everywhere for this spot.  They were outside for ambient moon light.  They were inside using the bed as an overhead rig.

They were floating around on the floor to help wrap the top light.  It was Titan Tubes everywhere.

The Result

Shot #2 - The Insert

The Shot

Husband grabbing keys off the dresser.

The Lighting

We used the practical in the background for mood and used a tube just over the camera pushed through a 4x4 frame to light the keys and hand.

The Result

Shot #3 - The Classic Closet Shot

The Shot

The man flips through hangers grabbing clothes off the rack.

The Lighting

Tubes, tubes and more tubes.  Plus a 4x4 frame for softness from frame right.

The Result

Shot #4 - Hero Moment

The Shot

This was the hero shot.  The camera dollies in as the woman breaks down.

The Lighting

We took the lighting from the wide and lessened the level.  Then from the ground we pushed a softer amount of light to help ease the bags under the eyes created by the overhead.

The colored tube behind the bed helped seperate her hair from the grey background.

The Result

Shot #5 - The 270

The Shot

The camera tracks the husband all over the room as he collects his things.

The Lighting

This was the death set up.  Actor moving all over the room and no grid to light from above.  No time to re-organize the room to create pockets of light and dark so we had to do our best with the limited resources avilable,

The Result

Shot #6 - The Exit

The Shot

The husband opens the bedroom door and exits.

The Lighting

I chose the moment before the door opens and creates some depth to show you how flat things got in the space.

No option to backlight because of the height of the ceiling and the lack of a grid.  No ability to create pools of interest because of the width of the shot.

Not many solutions to flatness in a space like this.  This is one where you'd lova to have production design do a lot of the heavy lifting but then you remember you are in a modern white walled house where everything is neutral.

The Result

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #430 – Nowhere to Hide appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

This week on the show we sit down with cinematographer David Feeney-Mosier to discuss his latest work on the Oscar winning short documentary The Last Repair Shop.

We chat about his approach to documentaries, how they differ from more traditional narrative projects, plus David shares his own journey of making the switch from camera assistant to director of photography. 

Enjoy!

Featured Guest - Cinematographer David Feeney-Mosier

Website: David Feeney-Mosier

Instagram: @dfeeneymo

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #429 – David Feeney-Mosier appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

This week we welcome back cinematographer Geoff George to chat about the future of virtual production for cinematographers.

Geoff was previously on the podcast in Episode #282 where you can hear all about his more traditional work and history in cinematography.

All productions want better, faster, and cheaper and going virtual certainly offers two of these options as low hanging fruit.  It is up to the guardians of the image to make sure all three are possible.

Virtual production isn't going away so if you want to get ahead you'd better start paying attention. 

Enjoy!

Featured Guest - Cinematographer Geoff George

Website: Geoff George

Instagram: @gsgeorge

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #428 – Cinematographer Geoff George on Virtual Production appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

We brought back the Cinematography Survey for 2024. 

The results are in.

It isn't looking good but, by the sounds of it, many of you already know that.  The vast majority of respondents highlighted how 2023 was a massive struggle with changes in the market structure plus a drop in demand has left quite a few holes in the filmmaking universe.

I wanted to get to more questions but I got carried away this week.  I will have to do a follow up episode to get to more of the responses. 

Enjoy!

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #427 – Cinematography Survey (2024) appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

So we were supposed to have an expert on the show to talk about Virtual Production, where it is going, and what it means for us normies in the cinematography space.

Alas, those plans didn't work out so you get me ranting to myself for 40 minutes about the topic.  Definitely not an expert take but it is my take.

We wil be back to the regularly scheduled good stuff next week I promise.

Enjoy!

Advanced Cinematography: Location Lighting - Last Chance

The doors to Advanced Cinematography - Location Lighting are closing for 2024.

This is your last chance as enrolment closes in less than 24 hours.

If you missed your chance last year to jump on this course you have 7 days before enrolment shuts off again until 2025.

This course is a comprehensive look at everything a commercial cinematographer has to do throughout a typical production cycle.

We start at the pre-production meetings where I walk through what I look for, signs that things are going well or not, I lay out what I like to have done at what time in the process to make sure I am on top of everything from storyboards to finding crew, and then finally we make our way on to the virtual set to light and shoot the entire ad.

I am super proud of the content in this course and there is not another resource like this available.  It is more valuable then sitting next to me on an actual job and observing all the steps and tasks because I can actually take my time and explain every little decision.

Once you understand why the decisions are being made then you can start to shape your own approach.

If you are making the jump to larger sets or larger projects and you want to know what is expected and at the same time learn the prescription for being able to effectively wield the tool of the Framework then this course is not to be missed.

If you want to learn more about the course check it out here:

Advanced Cinematography - Location Lighting

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #426 – A Virtual Production Rant appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

Cinematographer Veronica Bouza is back on the show for her second visit this week and she talks us through her latest narrative project, The Gutter, which premiered at SXSW this week.

She talks through how the job came about, what steps she took in prep to make sure she had a firm grasp of the material, and how all of that translated to the final images she and the tea, were able to capture on the day.

Enjoy!

Advanced Cinematography: Location Lighting - NOW OPEN

I have opened the doors to Advanced Cinematography - Location Lighting for 2024.

If you missed your chance last year to jump on this course you have 7 days before enrolment shuts off again until 2025.

This course is a comprehensive look at everything a commercial cinematographer has to do throughout a typical production cycle.

We start at the pre-production meetings where I walk through what I look for, signs that things are going well or not, I lay out what I like to have done at what time in the process to make sure I am on top of everything from storyboards to finding crew, and then finally we make our way on to the virtual set to light and shoot the entire ad.

I am super proud of the content in this course and there is not another resource like this available.  It is more valuable then sitting next to me on an actual job and observing all the steps and tasks because I can actually take my time and explain every little decision.

Once you understand why the decisions are being made then you can start to shape your own approach.

If you are making the jump to larger sets or larger projects and you want to know what is expected and at the same time learn the prescription for being able to effectively wield the tool of the Framework then this course is not to be missed.

If you want to learn more about the course check it out here:

Advanced Cinematography - Location Lighting

Featured Guest - Cinematographer Veronica Bouza

Website: Veronica Bouza

Instagram: @veronica.bouza

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #425 – Veronica Bouza appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.

New week, new podcast. Breakdown episode. Let's go. Enjoy!Cinematography Course: Mastering ExposureMastering Exposure is out now.  It is the latest course in the line up and so far the reviews have been awesome. In the course I detail how I learned exposure and I share how I would get up to speed the fastest way possible if I […]

The post The Wandering DP Podcast: Episode #424 – Same Location, New Look appeared first on Cinematography Podcast & Tutorials.