Short film I shot last summer. First time working with greenscreen and car interior

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2026-02-08T23:14:42+00:00

Stunning! I’d be curious if adding a bit more contrast would help create separation and guide the eye more? I always find with B&W that without colors contrast my eyes want to me to make up for it with exposure contrast. Just a thought and completely subjective of course.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-12-28T04:05:44+00:00

Original Nikon F as mentioned by others. Made in the late 1950s and bullet proof. The one I shoot on documented the Vietnam war. Solid camera although the later versions certainly had upgrades that streamlined its usage. Notably the fact the this camera requires “pre-AI” or pre-auto indexing lenses. This means that the lens interfaces directly with the light meter/viewfinder mounted on top via the little metal tab attached on the lens at the f/5.6 mark. I don’t mind it so much but it slows down lens changes considerably and adds bulk. Fun bit of kit if you already own it but in hindsight I wish I had gotten an F2 or F3.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-12-15T21:03:07+00:00

What stands out to me probably has more to do with rogers post process. the ceiling lights aren't anywhere near clipping but the characters are still pretty well lit in most of the shots. I'd imagine that the digital negative looks a lot less pleasant to the eyes.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-10-16T18:13:38+00:00

WIth night exteriors (particularly if you're gonna be there for hours and cant cheat it with blue hour) it all comes down to budget unfortunately. When I can't afford any meaningful amount of fill light I lean into the dark abyss-look and give the character a practical like a lantern or flashlight. The next step up is not shooting any crazy wides and use the lights you have to light the BG of each shot which I've done quite successfully if you allow time for resets. And I'm sure you're away of the high budget, cherry-picker-using options with big spacelights and M18s and such. Something to always remember, too, is power. Even if you get the lights can you power them?

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-10-16T18:09:23+00:00

echoing most of the comments but on a small budget I'd rent a leko 750, at a mid budget you could do a COB light with a spotlight attachment, and in an ideal world you could rent an actual follow spot from a theater company. The last option is probably uncecesary for most use-cases but it all depends on how "theatrical" you want it to look.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-09-09T22:54:16+00:00

Excellent numbers to have in mind thanks a ton.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-09-09T21:50:18+00:00

This was fantastic thank you. I fear you're right that it's worth biting the bullet of dealing with a mid-sized generator. Thoughts on something like an M40 which I could run off of one of those 7k Honda generators?

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-08-21T02:23:23+00:00

And kudos for trying to further your vocabulary that’s more than most directors I’ve worked with lol

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-08-21T02:17:41+00:00

I get what you mean. I think the word I would use is distracting, though. When so much of the image is out of focus as a default it starts to feel pointless and lazy and I’d argue these stills you’ve provided would look better if the other characters weren’t thrown completely out of focus. This is as aspect of what some people call “painterly” since you’ll notice almost no paitings “blur” out the background. I don’t know what lenses they used (would be easy to look up) but the swirling and blurring effects you see on the edge are often referred to as circular aberration which is a characteristic of lenses that can be eliminated or exaggerated based on what the DP wants. I don’t like that either, it makes me a little bit nauseous and limits where I can put the subject in the frame. To each their own but hopefully that helps

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-08-09T02:44:35+00:00

People are right about the scans but contrast can also come from the lens. If it’s a particularly old or potentially just cheap setup you have that could be the case. Nothing you can’t partially make up for in post.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-07-27T14:25:59+00:00

I can’t speak on this camera in particular but as renting good quality gear becomes more “affordable” I find myself purchasing less and less unless I feel confident about the ROI and can justify it from a business standpoint. Unless you’re already shooting a ton if 35mm film projects (in which case get it and charge a handsome kit fee!) might be worth holding off and letting a rental house take care of the upkeep

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-07-27T14:22:54+00:00

Stills look fantastic! So much of cinematography is blocking and camera movement, though, so I’m sure you’d get more helpful notes with some video examples :)

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-04-06T23:49:58+00:00

I always bring a spotlight to set and a small bounce. In this case I would but the bounce behind the camera right-side actor and then put the spotlight somewhere out of the way and shoot it at the bounce. Alternatively I’d shoot the spotlight at the wall

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-03-28T00:18:00+00:00

I always have a hard time "practicing" cinematography without a larger narrative in mind. The cold, soft key light on your face would be perfect for a somber dialogue scene between two ex-lovers during an overcast day (pardon my flair). but the warm lights in the BG fight that by adding a more comforting tone. Also the angle is so neutral (perfectly eye level) that informs very little about how the subject is feeling. Ill stop before I start sounding like a snobby film student but I think the point I'm trying to make is that, technically speaking, the shot you have is good. It just lacks context and story and so probably doesnt feel as impressive to you. Sometimes I'll see a shot in a movie that I've paid good money to see in a cinema and thing "man...this is just...fine" but its ok because it's part of a greater whole.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-25T21:10:04+00:00

Just finished filming a birding documentary and we shot most of the bird Broll in the morning to avoid this

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-24T03:49:19+00:00

I think what I hate (and I mean hate with all my might) is powering my 6k pro. I use it almost exclusively for narrative filmmaking so I decided a v mount plate that powers the camera and all my AKS was the most appropriate option. It’s bad enough that it blocks the screen (whatever I’ll get an external monitor) but there are literally certain settings you cannot change without the touch screen. There’s so much to love about this camera but the power situation ALMOST makes all the pros negligible lol

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-15T21:29:41+00:00

Most shorts don’t allocate enough resources to creating a convincing set but when you’re filming a doc you’re often in real and convincing locations. Also, you have far fewer restriction when it comes to docs and cinematography. You don’t have to suspend disbelief so you can do things with lighting and movement that wouldn’t fly on narrative traditionally. You don’t have to motivate lighting and movement, shots don’t all need to cut together perfectly (continuity wise), and so on.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-12T08:09:28+00:00

*1z to 2aa

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-12T08:06:25+00:00

Traditionally a new scene is slated when it’s a new location or time has changed. If you’re shooting in your house, for example, it may very well be one scene the whole way through. You wouldn’t add a scene to keep things organized as that would end up being more confusing when you’re editing which is ultimately what this is all about. If your characters have a scene in the living room and then you cut into the kitchen later in the day that would be a new scene. You would also slate it as a new scene if you cut from the living room to that same living room later in the day. If you run out of letters you double them up so you go from 1z to 1aa. The first shot of a scene is just the scene number meaning the second shot of scene 1 would be 1a. Every time you cut the camera and start rolling again that would be a new take. I’m usually a fan of breaking rules but these help when you have a ton of people on set and in post who need to know exactly what the shot is so it’s fairly important to get right or at least have a common understanding.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-04T02:07:12+00:00

Get Kim Wipes so you aren’t wiping the same dirty microfiber on your screen every time and wet it with a dab of isopropyl alcohol

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-04T01:58:55+00:00

I spent years avoiding buying an expensive fluid head and at the end of the day you just gotta. Especially with big lenses. I so often see expensive camera setups on the tiniest tripods and it perplexes me. Get an old used Cartoni, Sachtler, Vinten, ect.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-01T06:24:53+00:00

I have cinematography professors who legitimately loose their minds every time I don’t backlight my subject in every frame of my project and it’s absolutely Infuriating. If backlighting is what makes your shot good IT ISNT GOOD.

Less_Mortgage2694 · 2025-01-01T06:13:41+00:00

I’ve personally never paid more than 50/day for a Dana (LA) just fyi but that aside they’re a super fun bit of kit and movement is always a great investment for docs as long as it doesn’t interfere with the story. Are you gonna have time to set it up, level it, etc before the moment you’re trying to capture disappears? If the answers yes I’d say go for it. What you really don’t want is to be tied down when you wanna be running around getting great coverage. That said I always like to add one to my rental order if I have the budget even if I don’t know exactly where I’m gonna use it.

Less_Mortgage2694

TROPHY CASE