Ray Shab's Lounge Discussions

Thanks for commenting everyone. Doug, I will try to PM you . If anyone else has the time/interest to take a look, let me know. BTW is it possible to PM someone who's not in your network?

Ray Shab Pretty sure you have to connect to PM, but could be wrong. I would also be up for taking a look, FWIW.

More than a week now & nary a word outta him. I guess he's not all that interested after all.

Dear Doug, I sent it to your Gmail on the 10th! Please send me a note using that account to make sure I have the correct email, and I'll reply to that.

Just sent you a DM.

Wow, Adam. Congratulations! I'm bummed Amazon said I can't watch it cuz I'm in Canada! Let us know if there's another way to see it. Sometimes I think of getting that sharkfish app. Consider connecting with Jason Mirch, director of script services to gain access to high level producers to pitch and/or get feedback on your scripts. He's at j.mirch@stage32.com

Hi Sarah I also have it on YouTube here’s the link https://youtu.be/_1elseDEutU

Watched it. Very nice production for a short indie! Congrats to you for all the time and effort it must have involved!

Thank you JJ. It's my first film too.

I watched it too. Very impressive. Good luck on the next project.

Great point of view!

Ray Shab That is what it says, and that is my understanding, and makes more sense. The AC at the shoot was adamant it was an aps-c sensor, so I didn't argue though I was sure it wasn't the case. Turns out he was conflating the lens as made for an aps-c camera with the sensor. However... oddly, an aps-c lens should have had the outside of the barrel visible in the viewfinder and sensor - at least it does on a DSLR full frame. And it didn't. Very strange...

Rohit I saw Honeyland a few months ago and really liked it. Doug I agree that the camera squabble is just that. Especially with all of them being SO good nowadays. I will let the DP make that decision based on the budget (which is low).

Ray, Yes you pick the camera that makes shooting your picture the best. Choosing what is best and working with that gear to achieve the best is specialized knowledge. Gained over years of experience. Without that almost any of the cameras currently available will do a very good job. Expectations for a director in the early planning stages of a project should be of the finished images in their picture not the process of getting there. As it has been a while since you made a film and you put this discussion in this lounge, I assume you will be directing among other things, but I don’t know if you intend to shoot your short as well. If you are hiring a DP, share your thoughts and ideas of the look and budget and allow them to have the major input on the gear they will utilize to put your vision on the screen. Hiring a DP for their gear means that the response to the best camera will always be the same, the camera they own is best. Obviously not true nor what you might wish to hear but what you will be told.

Perhaps in all the responses you’ve received, Doug answered your question most appropriately “Learn to shoot with what you got”. (insert applause track here).

I wholeheartedly agree that stills cameras shoot great stills. They are not made for motion in so many ways, both in the image and in the ergonomics. But if that’s what you have, prepare to light, and design shots and art direct your way around the problems.

The BlackMagic Ursa Mini 12K has a sensor that is neither Super 35 nor APS-C but nicely between them and they are not hugely different. Essentially there are no standards. Which is problematic. With information and knowledge it is just something we adapt to. Not all lenses made in specific mounts or that can be used on specific sensor sizes, are equal in their optical properties. So yes, sometimes a lens will not vignette on a given camera when you thought it might. That is one of those things we find in either testing or our knowledge and skill set. Whether a lens is appropriate for a given sensor size is determined first and foremost by the diagonal measurement of the sensor and the diameter of the image circle that comes out of the lens to the sensor. The image circle of the lens has to be greater than the diagonal of the sensor or there will be vignetting in the corners of the images. Some lenses have greater image circles that the mounts they come with and the sensor sizes they are “made for” indicate. Others don’t. Gotta test. Remember that in the case of the BlackMagic, not all of the formats available use the full sensor available area. The 12K 17:9 has an image circle of 30.56mm while the 12K 16:9 needs an image circle of 29.07mm. That millimeter and a half difference is a lot and some lenses will not work in the larger format. Anything you can do to get away from using the very edges of the image circle is a good thing. This assumes the sensor is centered behind the lens, which has not always the case.

Andrew, Wow, thanks for taking the time. Lots of valuable info. I have used an Arri sr2 16mm back in the day, and shot few shorts with a 3ccd min dv. I was the DP (mainly student type stuff). Also a fair amount of time spent on medium and large format photography and printing. So your comments are understood and appreciated.

Ray, having shot with an SR2 says you will approach this with enough thought. I hope then that you will also shoot your piece, it might be therapeutic, or wildly frustrating :-)

Hmmm... shooting on an SR2. Ahhh... 7247? how about 7252 or 7241 or 7242? If any of the latter 3 then the accuracy of lighting and exposure needed to achieve decent results will put you in very good stead to jump into this new project