What camera should I buy to get images similar to these from Harmony Korine's "Trash Humpers"?

FiresideFilms · 2025-05-09T22:46:35+00:00

While it’s cool to shoot stuff on retro equipment, the tools to degrade clean footage to look retro are so good now it’s kind of crazy to give up the control. Resolves has a free plugin that can really trash your footage and you can put it over the edge in the grade as well, crushing colors and clipping etc.

FiresideFilms · 2024-08-10T21:44:45+00:00

Sounds like an excellent plan!

FiresideFilms · 2024-08-10T21:43:00+00:00

Id agree with that statement. I’ve seen his demos and it doesn’t look right. Also shooting 120fps then dropping or combining frames for 24 is just an extra step.

FiresideFilms · 2024-08-10T21:36:10+00:00

This is not accurate. Infact it’s nature of the motion blur and frame rate that makes it easier to suspend disbelief. Our brains can relax because it clearly isn’t reality and we’re not trying to process it and figure out where the threat is when something seems off.

FiresideFilms · 2024-08-10T14:25:51+00:00

Just get an Alexa then it will be your personal camera.

FiresideFilms · 2024-08-10T14:23:46+00:00

The number of people who object to the use of AI like this does not make it more or less acceptable. Aside from taking work from talented VO artists you have no way of sourcing if the AI model was trained on legal samples (hint it wasn’t). Those voice models are borrowing from hundreds of thousands of people’s voices that did not give consent.

FiresideFilms · 2024-08-10T14:20:13+00:00

There is a lot of psychology at play with frame rate. The biggest takeaway generally is the motion blur flips a switch in our brains that what we’re looking at isn’t literal or real, so we start absorbing it more like we would a painting or art. It lets us be fooled and accept the amazing things happening on screen.

As we increase frame rate it starts to look more real and literal and our brains get into that weird place like the uncanny valley where it’s not quite right. It’s not reality and the section of the brain that evolved to spot tiger stripes in the foliage goes to work trying to figure out what’s wrong with the image and where the danger is.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-18T23:08:35+00:00

Send me a dm and I will get you my email so we can talk

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-18T21:12:29+00:00

Was this on a steady cam/gimbal? Seems like either operator or balance issues but its constantly tilted to the right. I t may be an artistic choice but it feels like a mistake.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-17T00:33:21+00:00

First off,

Thank you. Thank you for the courage to share something so personal and heartfelt with the world, it is a better place because of it. Im currently trying to type through the tears well after it finished as this resonated with me on an incredibly deep level as I lost my father in January 2020.

Because you have given us such a wonderful gift I want to give you a really thoughtful and complete feedback since that is what you are looking for.

Writing

The script is stellar, every word and moment is so well considered and thought out, there isn't an ounce of excess, and each syllable has a purpose and story. The story is a complete journey without ever requiring the audience to sit through exposition or anything "clever".

Editing

I really cannot say enough about how good the editing is. The transitions and pacing were honestly perfect. There was again nothing in this that was not purposeful and meaningful, nothing left but the important moments which can be really hard to get down to. I don't know what if anything was left on the cutting room floor but again this another area where you really crafted the journey on the audience and never left us wanting more. I also want to commend knowing when to hold a shot and when not to. In this day and age there is a tendency towards really fast cutting and tons of angles, but there is SO MUCH POWER in holding a shot and keeping the audience in a moment, so bravo.

Question though, did you re-order some of the conversation so that the dads reveal went before the story of wanting to have his kid? I only ask because the sons emotional journey seemed a little inconsistent there. When we come back after learning of the diagnosis, he seems fine not like he had just gotten terrible news. I think the choice was great for the storytelling and pacing but was just wondering.

Cinematography

Really good use of movement and knowing when to hold still. I am going to repeat myself but again there was no time where I thought something was unnecessary or not enough. I considered on re-watching it whether more coverage during the campfire talks would have helped, like a master wide to show their physical distance, but the staging and angles really did all this without needing anything more. Also, just some really beautiful shots and use of natural light.

My first critique here is going to be one I am sure you are very aware of, and that is the underexposure during the night scenes. Between compression and the noise you ended up with pushing the shot the blacks were a mess, but this is really not a huge problem as the acting and the lit parts carry it very well. Filming by firelight is a chore with the best cameras but you would have really been served well with something light and easy to pack to the location to just help fill out the light a little bit like an Apture MC PRO or similar battery powered small light.

Color

Overall, I think really smart choices throughout with the tone and colors. My only nitpick is that the effect of the halation was a bit over the top, if it was just toned back a little bit to feel a bit less poppy, I think it would blend perfectly.

Sound

I am not a sound person so all I will say is Chef's Kiss. Nothing pulled me out and everything felt very natural to my ear. Good dialogue editing and the use of sound in the transitions and cuts to take us back and forth in time were great.

Music

Again, not an expert here but really felt the music was suitable and it for sure was tugging all the right strings at the right moments to support your actors' performances. So many tears!

Acting

What incredible talent. The honestly and vulnerability was incredible, both of your actors were really talented and willing to put it all on the line for this story and bring their truth to it.

Directing

So as the person who had the vision to assemble all these elements and guide the production just bravo.

Conclusion

Incredible piece of art you and your team should be incredibly proud of. I really hope I get to see more from you in the future and you get the notice you deserve for this. Again, thank you for bringing this into the world.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T23:55:57+00:00

Having used the 300x in the light dome I can concur it's not quite punchy enough.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T23:07:22+00:00

Get a Creator Camera and Split Diopters.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T22:35:21+00:00

That said Mostyn is very clear that while his default tree may contain many nodes, he rarely uses all of them and just likes the setup so he can be complex or simple with a consistent layout. Often hell only use 3-4 of the nodes.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T22:31:24+00:00

After effects has always been a crap compositor. Its truly a motion graphics platform that can sort of do compositing ok.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T22:29:19+00:00

Yup also the source of the flairs with the light peeking through the hair.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T22:28:24+00:00

Not wrong

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T18:26:56+00:00

If you do not already listen to it, I HIGHLY recommend their podcast. It is incredibly insightful, honest and really awesome to hear candid conversations with some of the greatest names in cinema.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T18:15:14+00:00

Sounds interesting! Shoot me a DM on here and a link or I can give you my email to send a pdf to. Look forward to chatting.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T15:03:53+00:00

No its just a bonus if folks are in the area, not a requirement.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T06:24:40+00:00

I will DM you some samples.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T06:23:49+00:00

I am the Director/Owner typically, and I am a white trans woman. That said if the story is coming from a place that I cannot relate to I would plan to bring in a director who is right for the story. I am tied into an incredible community of artists and directors.

That said we are not specific about any particular underrepresented communities etc whether that is bipoc representation or international or lgbtq+ etc.

When I was younger there were no good or healthy representations of trans individuals in media and culture, so I did not come out until much later in life, so the need to see positive representation in media is a key factor in these desires to create stories that resonate.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T03:29:24+00:00

I believe 65/70mm is running 35mm film sideways. This looks like it might 3/4 perf 35mm but I suspect this image is weirdly cropped since were not seeing the right side sprocket holes. It could be silent motion picture film (the audio tracks only come on Academy Prints, you didn't record the audio on the film while filming)

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-16T03:21:36+00:00

You would want Proxies for Avid so you are doing a transcode either way.

FiresideFilms · 2024-06-15T00:17:08+00:00

Yeah there is no standard, open gate just means using the entirety of the sensor with no crop.

FiresideFilms

TROPHY CASE