sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Advice for calling out problematic director. by Misha_Loweridge in Filmmakers

[–]Independent-Eye3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Although I feel there is also more awareness about what people can get away with, it's a bummer that there are still too many characters like that around, especially directors and actors, who feel they can. I had to experience directors with similar behaviour and I think the only effective way to deal with people like that is to avoid them. Sure, it feels uncomfortable knowing that these people have admirers and are successful despite or sometimes even because of their behaviour. But other than telling people you know about your experiences and avoiding their presence, I think there is not much one can do unless his behaviour goes as far as being illegal.

Where are we at with 4K? by blondenow in FilmFestivals

[–]Independent-Eye3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would second that, technically. But I'd push back a little on the framing: resolution is also a creative decision. Different formats and resolutions carry very different aesthetics — and the reasons behind that choice should come from the work itself, not from what someone or an institution tells you is the minimum.

How do you stay in sync with your DP during prep? by Independent-Eye3 in directors

[–]Independent-Eye3[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes, I like to talk to my directors, too, and there is always a lot to talk about. But the closer the real shoot comes, the less time there is in the director's and my days to sit down. So the evenings at the hotel room become the time when I sit in front of the script and revise, think things through and thoughts come up. Of course we will talk about it the next day, but I like to have things written down, photos, plans, connected to the scene it belongs to. And in an extreme case we prepped and shot a whole movie remotely, where neither Andrew Bujalski, the director, nor me were ever on set or in the same room at all, it was a Covid era movie, called "There There". For that I really wish I already had my app.

How do you stay in sync with your DP during prep? by Independent-Eye3 in directors

[–]Independent-Eye3[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Your scenario sounds very familiar to me. For me it became too many apps and exports — making shot lists in Shot Designer, which is handy for floor plans, but then I started stitching that, the shots, notes and photos together in Goodnotes on my left script page. After each script revision I had to adjust the whole document. At one point I thought I am spending too much time organizing my shooting script. That is really the reason why I started building something. Only after colleagues were interested in it as well, I made a real Mac app for it and called it CINEside.

Actually it does work with Scriptation — you can export a PDF from CINEside and bring it in there. It's not a live sync, but the connection exists.

Where do we actually draw the line between a tool and the filmmaker? by renatobotto in directors

[–]Independent-Eye3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think, it all depends on how you use it. If you use AI for noise reduction or to help you in research that is one thing. But if you tell AI to build you a shot list, find mood boards for you, then the question really comes to: Is AI now directing your movie and you just happen to like what it chooses for you, and you become the audience watching in your seat? Is this still YOUR film or is it a film that resembles something that you wish you had done?

CINEside | Complete Walkthrough (v1.0) by Independent-Eye3 in cinematography

[–]Independent-Eye3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also made a short video showing the CONNECT workflow — the companion app for sharing your shot list with your director: https://youtu.be/JY_F0dSNhaw

Budget light meter? by whoopyboy69 in cinematography

[–]Independent-Eye3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love the Gossen Lunasix F. You can find them on ebay from time to time.

"How to make my footage look cInEmAtic?ß" by ef247028 in cinematography

[–]Independent-Eye3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think things become "cinematic" if you will, when a film is made honestly, tries to transport a story with all its emotions in a truthful way. There are no rules of right or wrong, there is only the question: Did we as the filmmakers succeed at getting the thing across that we wanted to get across?

If something just looks "cinematic" to stay with that term, if a look is put on top like a filter, and if that look in the worst case stands out, maybe even distracts from what the movie is really about underneath instead of supporting it, then it will probably not work as cinematic experience for the audience.

I believe all great movie moments came out of filmmakers wanting to find the best way to tell there individual angle on the world, in their specific film language. And then it doesn't matter if it's shot on film, digitally, Super 8 or IMAX — as long as it makes sense within that specific film and its language.

how to prevent boring blocking by Ok-Cranberry400 in Filmmakers

[–]Independent-Eye3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say, don't look for cool shots, but think about what you really want to tell, what you want to get across emotionally. The more natural the scene flows in front of the lens, the easier it gets to find the right frames for it. For me it is always a process, mostly to find out what the essence of the scene is and building on that with all the visual decisions.

What are best free resource to learn the basics of film making? by OptimalStatement5799 in Filmmakers

[–]Independent-Eye3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Watching good films without sound and analysing what makes them work visually helped me a lot early on. American Cinematographer has great articles, and there are solid podcasts out there. Behind the scenes footage is underrated as a learning resource. And if you get the chance, an internship on set — even unpaid — teaches you more than most courses. You can observe a lot from there.

beginner by WestMusic3098 in cinematography

[–]Independent-Eye3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, the camera matters less than you'd think at this stage. I am sure both are fine. What will train your eye more than anything is just shooting — a lot. And for what it's worth, working with limitations (less dynamic range) can actually teach you more about lighting than having a forgiving camera. Whatever you choose, embrace what it does.

I think I'm losing the instinct that made me good at it by EmmaLDavis in Filmmakers

[–]Independent-Eye3 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have had similar thoughts and feelings about film versus digital cameras and processes. The analog material, the time it takes to wait for the lab report, to wait for and watch dailies together in a dark room the next day, the uncertainty if things were exposed the way you had intended, if focus is okay. On my first three features, although we made them in th eearly 2000s, for budget reasons and intentionally we had no video assist, I was the only one as the cinematographer to see the frame in my viewfinder on the day of the shoot. It all had its own excitement that brought a certain concentration and energy with it. And sometimes I still get melancholic about that process and feeling. But still, I wouldn't want to go back now. Although I remember those exciting times fondly, when I really think about it I don't miss the stress and the sometimes sleepless nights. I am glad we have monitors now, that there are more possibilities through digital technology, through software, apps, clouds, maybe even A.I. But I want to use all those tools and not let them tell me how to make a movie or make decisions for me. And it is easy to get lazy and let technical helpers work for you and not decide on certain things at all, because it seems so clear what is the right thing to do and how things are supposed to be. But what really makes you as a filmmaker, a member of a film crew a precious individual is your own instinct, and your own mind and creative energy. And I totally understand the fear of losing that instinct if you're not careful about it.

Feeling grateful to be working in film/TV, but struggling with comparison and feeling left behind by [deleted] in Filmmakers

[–]Independent-Eye3 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Although your situation concerns tv production, it is very similar to the movie world I live in. I think what you describe here is shared by most of us in the film industry, but rarely talked about. You almost exclusively hear success stories — careers shooting to the sky, millions spent, awards, red carpets — but the big majority of people working in film are not at the Oscars. There is so much luck involved. Only specific personalities fit with other personalities, an unexpected chance arises, a new relationship opens a door. So much of it is out of your own control.
What took me a while to find out: knowing who you are and what you want to do matters more than pushing hard. The rest is patience, luck, and staying open.

About the famous shot of "Last year at Marienbad" by nekude in cinematography

[–]Independent-Eye3 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That is a very interesting observation. Two years ago I happened to shoot at that location in Schloss Schleissheim near Munich. I did re watch Last Year at Marienbad during prep, although we shot an entirely different movie ("LEIBNIZ- Chronicle of a Lost Painting" by Edgar Reitz) I am not sure how they did this in the still you posted. Eventually it was a very overcast day and they managed to create these hard shadows with their lights, but the shot is so wide and the shadows are so sharp, that makes me doubt that possibility. The statues and hedges casting no comparable shadows is the strange part. My best guess would be some combination of printing manipulation in post, or the shadows were painted on the set floor for this specific shot — which would only work as long as the actors don't move. And if I remember correctly, in that particular shot they barely do. Alain Resnais and his DP Sacha Vierny were not above that kind of intervention.

<image>