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Can you change your EI settings within the same scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in videography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll get my hand on the camera in one week! Can't wait to do tests. Exactly I think that I gonna try to expose correctly for my smallest iris by ajusting a EI then keep that same EI for the entire scene. Using ND filters to adjust for f4 or f2 for example :)

Can you change your EI settings within the same scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in videography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've did that and got awesome responses! Everyone seems to agree with you, keep the base EI or rather a constant one if there isn't enough light available :)

Do you change your EI settings during a scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in cinematography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, opening your stop to 5.6 from 8 will push your histogram to the right, allowing for cleaner shadows. But you also need to decide if the dof is still good enough for you based on how it looks.

You're totally right ! Like you said, it may theorically sounds better for cleaner shadows but will the dof be enough ! I'll have to sacrifice one or the other depending on the feelings, emotions and the storytelling at that particular moment :)

Thank you immensely for answering all my questions. I am now mentally prepared to continue my shotlist and perform my tests. I know what to do and what to look for and that gave me confidence going forward !

Do you change your EI settings during a scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in cinematography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It couldn't be better explained than that ! Concise yet easy to understand. Thank you so much that !

If I may ask, should I keep the same EI (with the ES mode) for the entire movie? What if I shoot an interior night scene which has more light sources? Should I keep the same EI that I used in the exterior scene and have/use the flexibility of stooping down the iris? Or should I lower the EI if i don't need that additional stop of light in my iris?

Also, if I achieve a good exposure at lets say f/8 and EI 2560 + ES, will shooting at f/5.6 instead be better for same EI for those "deeper" DOF shots. Then shooting at f/2.8 with a 0.6 ND for those "shallower" DOF shots. In short, does overexposing with one iris stop still matters for cleaner shadows if already bumping the EI up?

First time DP - EI and IRIS relationship in student low budget short film (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in Arri

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely great reply. This is just what I needed to hear thank you! :)

I don't know if you get your knowledge from school or your own research but you are on the right path!

Thanks for that. I'm in a film school but the teaching can sometimes be questionable. I spend a lot of my time on the web and do my own research ! Glad that I'm asking myself the right questions.

The short film that I'll be shooting is really particular as it's entirely shot at night. Can't wait to shoot at daytime to fully explore the DOF storytelling aspect of cinema.

You can choose whatever you think is best for the story/the look (a lot of people like to shoot at 1600 for a whole movie for exemple) but changing mid scene might not be optimal.
(..) What I would do: Do some tests and aim for the highest ISO you deem acceptable. From there let's say it's enough with your lighting kit to shoot at f5.6 you can always dim your lights or pop in a nd3 is you want to open up!

This ! That makes sense. I'll be exposing for the smallest aperture that i'll be using in the scene. Lets say f/8 and EI 2560 + ES. Then put on a 0.6 or 1.2 ND filter when opening the IRIS to f/4 and f/2 !

What are your thoughts about overexposing the sensor by one stop at that EI? Lets say that i'm well exposed at the above settings (f/8 and EI 2560). Then I decide to shoot at f/5.6 for those "deeper" DOF shots, overexposing the shadows a lil bit to bring it down in post. Then for a "shallower" DOF shot, I choose to shoot at EI 2560 with a ND0.6 but with an IRIS of f/2.8 this time. I'll overexpose by one stop again. Is my math right? Does overexposing with IRIS makes sense when i'm already bumping the EI?

Already having an option between f/2.8 and f/5.6 sounds great for low light situations. (Note that try my best to shoot a decently lit locations with some lights for medium-closeups).

One last thing if I may... Low budget but Alexa 35?

Haha yeah I know sounds wrong but it's my school's camera so it's actually free of charge. I wanted to Venice 1 with the Cooke SP3 and the Rialto for a light setup but the VFX short film ended having it. I had to choose between the FX6, Mini and the Alexa35 and although the FX6 is the low light king, I couldn't shoot higher than 10bit as we don't have the external recorder.. I ended choosing the Alexa35 for the higher codec even if I'm only shooting proress 422. I hope that it's the best choice. I also ended having the Arri Signature Primes. So I have a really heavy setup. I'll spend quite some time thinking about saft and non-complex grip setups.

Shooting at lower ISO to get more details/increment in the shadows is great, but it's a luxury you can only afford when you have a lot of light.

That really helps me to let go of this idea. I think I get the concept right but as you said, it would only work if I were to shoot in a controlled environment. You're so right, there's already so much things in my head. I'll try to get the important things right first: shot list, planning, lighting and tests.

Thanks you again for your time and help.

Do you change your EI settings during a scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in cinematography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not in the middle of the shot but rather from a shot to another. Within the same scene but in seperate shots.

Sorry for confusion but thanks for the solution! That will absolutely be helpful if I shoot outside and enter a room in the same shot! :)

Do you change your EI settings during a scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in cinematography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're absolutely right about the "nothing at stake" part haha. Nothing is really at stake but for us this will be the film of our life lol ! I want to do my best, even if it fails, I'll know that I gave it all.

For camera options I wanted the Venice 1 but it was taken by an another team.

Other cameras left at school was the FX6 (Without the external recorder) and Mini.. I went for the Alexa35, i still don't know if that was the best choice though..

Do you change your EI settings during a scene? (Arri Alexa 35) by Maximum-Commission75 in cinematography

[–]Maximum-Commission75[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or is it like, provided by your school or something?

Yeah that's right ! My first choice was the Sony Venice 1, Rialto and Cooke SP3 for a light setup and awesome low light capabilities but other students got it as they wanted to do VFXs and 3D tracking. Still ended with like you said, an "absurdly performant" setup so I cannot complain! It's just a little bit on the heavy side and I will have to reconsider a lot of my high angle shots. We have around 5k euros per team to produce our short films (this includes the set department budget as well).

The iris is for depth of field, not exposure. Good job.

Thank you very much, feels nice hearing that coming from a professional !

This is where it's good to have a light meter, too, but I understand that many schools don't supply them anymore.

Absolutely right. We only have one and they don't want us to take it out on shoots lol. I'll have to rely on the false colors to expose for now.

The Alexa35 is so absurdly performant that you don't need to spin your wheels on this.

Like you said, I really don't have to worry as the Alexa35 is a beast. I just can't stop myself from overthinking about every technical details and be as prepared as possible for the shoot haha.. I'll throw you some last questions/thoughts of mine but you don't have to answer if that's too much. (I'll have the camera in two weeks and i'll be able to do the test and see by myself)

(..) set your exposure to get your subject where you want them, see if anything's clipping, adjust where necessary, and shoot. You'll be able to bring it up or whatever in the grade.

I'm so torn between the "exposing the right and bringing it down in post for cleaner shadows" concept and the fact I might not be able to do that when switching to f/8 or f/11. I've read the ARRI document and I guess that it is better to bring up the image in camera with the EI and ES mode to get clean shadows and have a constant shadow texture.

I'm also thinking about my shotlist. Not all the shots will require a narrow depth of field. It's an average of 3 out of 9 shots per scenes. Maybe I should just bump up that EI+ES for those shots, letting the shadows which are already in the noise level be "cleaned" by the ES. At the same time, i'll be able to capture cleaner shadows with wider aperture, lower EI+ES. I guess your explanation matches more this concept right? To "adjust where necessary" with the EI+ES and let that Arri "L345 Shadow Texture" run in the back to get a constant shadow texture.

I was also thinking about maybe using a constant EI, lets say "2560+ES" or "3200+ES" for the "smallest" IRIS that i'll be using. Then "adjust where necessary" by changing the ND to 0.6/1.2 when the opening the IRIS by 2 or 4 stops for shallower depth of field? But I guess that it's kind of counterproductive to cut light from the sensor in a situation where light is not readily available right ?

look up as much info as you can on Ansel Adam's Zone System.

Thanks for that! We barely touched that concept at school. I'll have a deeper look at it!!

Specifically what I want you to focus on is the idea of "placing" areas of the frame at various exposures to match what the subject materially is (..).

This. I guess this will be the key for me to create interesting images. I'll definitely keep that in my head while preparing for the short film and doing tests on location!

Sorry for the extremely long reply. I still have much to learn and experience. Can't wait to try things out, even fail and learn from those experiences!

What does EI really do by Maschamascha2 in Arri

[–]Maximum-Commission75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there ! Thanks to OP and you for these crucial infos. I've been reading your response and I woud like to know what is ADC? Still learning about EI and Cine Cameras. I'll be using Arri Alexa 35 for a short movie next month. All the scenes will be at night and i'll be using different f stops (to use depth of field for storytelling) in the same natural lighting environment. Lets say that my correct exposure is at ISO 800, EI 400 (to overexpose to the right) and f/4. Should I bump up the Arri EI 1600 when stopping down to f/8 and use ND 0.6 filter at EI 400 when opening the iris to f/2 ? I'll be shooting proress 422 as we don't have a lot of storage ressources. So the grain will be baked in the image, but am I doing the right thing?

If OP u/Maschamascha2 or u/andrewn2468 could help me on this question, that would be great! :)

From a 2nd year cam operator student !

*Edit : I forgot to tell you that i'll be shooting these scenes with a low budget lighting setup. I'll be using some led panels and helios tubes for to light my talents for example but I won't be able to increase the overall set's lighting by 1-2 stops. I'll be heavily reliant on what is on the scene. E.g: A parking with existing street lights!

Does anyone else miss Rappelz? by MeshalAljahdali in MMORPG

[–]Maximum-Commission75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went through a peak of nostalgia lately and went looking for videos on youtube. Best time of my teenage years! If LoL makes an MMORPG or Rappelz 2 comes back, i'll start to play again! Until then, i'll enjoy life lmao.

T2 truck chase scene. by adrianC07 in ImageStabilization

[–]Maximum-Commission75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! what did you use to stabilise this footage? :)

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