Professional Studies - Top 10 tips for Cinematographers: Anthony Dod Mantle

Anthony Dod Mantle is an award-winning British cinematographer. In 2009 he won an Oscar for best achievement in cinematography for Slumdog Millionaire. He won a Bafta for the same film and his other credits include Rush, 28 Days Later, 127 Hours and The Last King of Scotland. He has most recently been filming Our Kind of Traitor, staring Ewan McGregor and Damian Lewis, due out next year. Here are his top 10 tips for being a cinematographer:

1. Be patient and loyal

A cinematographer is a person who stands behind a camera and is patient and loyal and understanding of actors, directors and producers. You're kind of a key person on the set. You deal with everything to do with the visual language of the film or television series or moving picture.

Everything that travels through your eye and into the camera, it's up to you to bring together all the hard work of many, many people, to create a hopefully unanimous agreement of what makes a lovely vision. And that happens one in every 10 times. It's very unhealthy mentally to go into this vocation without being aware of the potential frustration of not being credited or noticed or applauded”

2. Take your time

I grew up in England and was fortunate to have very understanding, tolerant parents. Mum was a painter and my dad worked in agriculture. I did my A-levels and then started to travel and they never hurried or hassled me. I was always very inquisitive growing up, but I couldn't just find my vocation and unlike some parents who push their kids, which I won't ever do with mine, they gave me the space to continue the search. I spent a year in India at the age of 24 to find out what my vocation would be. I took thousands of photographs and I learned for the first time that one image can mean a thousand and one different things to people. I found that fascinating and it was the start of something.

Whether you are working in photography or film, it's about contrast, luminance, density, exposure all of these things are things you should know about it.

3. Move both yourself and the camera

I've become known for movement. Why and how you move the camera is an essential part of our job. It took me the first two years of my four years at film school to understand how to give up that control of the static image and maintain some other kind of variation of the word control of a moving image. Where you move both yourself and things move in the frame and the light changes, that's the big, difficult jump. Controlling the light, for the fraction of a second that the picture demands it is so important.

4. Have an understanding family

You are away for long hours doing this job. I spend my life away and I wouldn't be able to do this and I wouldn't recommend this to anybody, unless they are really passionate about it. It's too hard a job, physically and mentally if you're not that involved. I am away from my loved ones, sometimes for nine months a year, I have a very understanding family. You have to make sure that it works for you while you are away from home. You also have to make sure that the crew around you behave and you have to trust people and hope they trust you too.

5. Give up your ego

It's very unhealthy mentally to go into this vocation without being aware of the potential frustration of not being credited or noticed or applauded. You have to sign an invisible agreement accepting you'll be comparatively invisible, compared with say actors and directors. The final personality of a film has a great deal to do with the cinematographer, but it has more to do with the alliance, trust and understanding between you, the director and the producers. My top piece of advice would be to get a much better haircut than I have and you are what you eat, so take care of yourself. Once the machine starts to get going, the identity and ego that you give up as a cinematographer disappears in the equation of film-making. You have to give up your ego. The drive and the passion you invest in a film doesn't always pay back. There was a film recently that secretly, deep down, I really thought deserved some kind of public recognition and it didn't happen and that's how it goes. A good director will remember to applaud their colleagues and remember that they could do very little without them, but they're not all like that.

6. Never stop learning

It's a never ending learning process and the learning curve and everyone on set knows that nothing is going to work without a well-functioning cinematography department, and that's led by you, so you're immersed. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll soon be out. So if you work against something, or you don't understand or you just don't liaise well with people then the machine won't work properly - the film will suffer, the actors will suffer, the whole process will suffer, the whole art form will suffer too.

7. Avoid conflict if you can

I once had a collision with a director who I had known for 25 years. It was a film called Antichrist and we ended with different opinions on things and instead of tearing each other apart, we just stepped away. We made the film and finished the film professionally, but it was quite a hard break and that hurt, because I think both of us had quite a lot of respect for each other. You have to avoid that sort of thing and that's part of the training really. It's about social engineering, it's not just about making everything look good and having enormous technical knowledge, it's integrating all of that with your personality and integrating what you have to offer.

8. Decide what motivates you

I don't think I'm any good at what I do if the material doesn't touch me on some level, challenge and engage me.Before I even think about what I might do with a story, I have to revisit the script and let myself react to it simply and emotionally for what it is and decide if it motivates me. It can be on an atheistic level, a political level or a cultural level, there could be other dynamics, but that said if it doesn't touch me in some kind of way, I'll try and stay away from it. I'm grateful for everyday that I'm allowed and able to get up and go to work and I try to teach that to students of my own. It's that kind of approach that I think works, if you are as honest as you can be about who you are and what you want then that makes sense to me.

9. Make the idea and the film grow

My top piece of advice would be to get a much better haircut than I have and you are what you eat, so take care of yourself. I think education, honesty, trust and determination are all essential. It is so hard and it's getting harder all the time. Once you get involved in a film artistically, make that film grow, help the idea and story to grow, you've got to believe that there is a significance to it being you that got the job and that you have something to give that film. You have to think about how you see it and how you publicise your thoughts, your imagination and your ideas on each scene and share that with the director and stand your ground. Never be combative, rely on a trade of dialogue and enthusiasm. You can only do that if you are in the right place and you have a genuine engagement with this vocation, you won't survive if you don't.

10. Don't give up, find the door, then find a way to make it open

I had a drive and a determination inside me and I could not find the outlet for it. The ability, talent and drive can be there, but first you have to find the door, then find a way to make it open, then take the right steps to go through it. It doesn't matter if at the age of 20 the door isn't open. What's important is believing that it will open and believing that even if it takes five years longer to find the door, keep believing, keep yourself active, and stay inquisitive about the world and the people that surround you. If you wait those five years, they will make your steps so much longer, so that when you do get there you'll be able to take bigger steps than you would have done if you arrived earlier. My career went in leaps and bounds and I do sometimes think that is because it took me a while to get there, so don't give up!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30128725?SThisFB

Loc Doc Drama - Shooting: Day 2 -29/11/2014-

Day 2 of Shooting - 29/11/2014

Today we shot all the Georgie scenes for our reproduction of IT.

After picking up the equipment we set off towards our location (Lynn Street, Hartlepool)

We met our actor and his mother on mid-journey and they followed us to location while the director and production manager discussed his role and went over his lines.

Upon arriving at location w proceeded to set everything up, Conner put his costume on to play Georgie; i set up the lights and sound systems while this happened, making sure the audio channels were sufficient, the mic picked the actor up correctly and that the f-stop was at an appropriate level to help set the atmosphere of the scene using natural light. (It was cloudy throughout with little sunlight).

Several takes had to be done as cars going past occasionally got picked up in the audio causing us to re-shoot some lines.

After wee got the takes we needed we packed up, and took the equipment back to Jacob's for storage until Monday in which we will take the equipment back to University.

Professional Studies - Survey

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Loc Doc Drama - Shooting: Day 1 -27/11/2014-

Day 1 of Shooting - 27/11/2014

Today we shot all the Pennywise scenes for our reproduction of IT.

Equipment was rented from University on my behalf for the group. The equipment rented was as follows -

• Panasonic AG-DVX100B
• Canon XL1
• 2x Rifle Mic
• Boom pole
• Pistol grip
• 2x XLR cables
• 2x Tripods
• Reflector
• Cooling Light & stand
• Spare batteries
• Dead cat

After picking up the equipment from University we set off towards our location (Ruim Terrace, Hartlepool)

We met our actor their after we had set up, and began the make up process. The make up took just over an hour to do.

I double checked the lights and sound systems while this happened, making sure the audio channels were sufficient, the mic picked the actor up correctly and that the f-stop was at an appropriate level to help set the atmosphere of the scene while using the cool light. (around 40-50%)

Several takes had to be done as props were forgotten on occasion.

After we got the takes we needed we packed up, and left the equipment at Jacob's for storage until Saturday in which we will take the equipment for our second shoot at Lynn Street.

Loc Doc Drama - Light and Sound Test: Pennywise

This was a short test, for the lights and sound feedback; aslong with the makeup testing.

Professional Studies - John Mathieson & Jordan Cronenweth

John Mathieson is a British cinematographer. Beginning his career in the British film industry as camera assistant to Gabriel Beristáin, Mathieson worked his way through the ranks. In 1988 he garnered recognition for the ground breaking video "Peek-a-Boo" for Siouxsie and the Banshees, directed by Peter Scammel. He collaborated with John Maybury, director of the Sinéad O'Connor video "Nothing Compares 2 U", going on to photograph Maybury's award winning film Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon. Mathieson honed his craft through the 90's shooting numerous television commercials and music videos for artists including Madonna,Prince and Massive Attack.

In the mid 90's Mathieson photographed two feature films for director Karim Dridi, for which he was later bestowed the honour of Chevalier by the French government. He came to the attention of Tony Scott whilst shooting television commercials for the London based company RSA films. After working as visual effects cinematograher on Enemy of the Statefor Tony Scott, Mathieson photographed the film Plunkett & Macleane for Jake Scott. Having seen Mathiesons work on Plunkett, Ridley Scott invited him to work on his next project. Mathieson has photographed four films for Ridley Scott, nominated for an Academy Award for Gladiator in 2000 and won the BAFTA award for best Cinematography in the same year. His second Oscar nomination came for The Phantom of the Opera (2004) directed by Joel Schumacher. Despite a career now cemented in big budget film production, Mathieson maintains links with independent British film, working on more modest budget projects including Trauma directed by Marc Evans and Stoned directed by Stephen Woolley. Mathieson is currently working on After.Life with director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo.

http://www.cinematographers.nl/PaginasDoPh/mathieson.htm



Jordan Cronenwth started in 1957 as location gig for the tv-series 'Boots and Saddles'. Worked in the still photo lab at Columbia Studios. In 1961, he became Conrad Hall's c.asst. and later c.op.

Was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1978. He was in constant pain, but did some of his most artful and original work during subsequent years, including 'Altered States' and 'Cutter's Way'. There were times when his crew literally had to carry him out to the set while he was shooting'Blade Runner' in 1981. A 2003 poll of his peers conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild placed Cronenweth among the ten most influential cinematographers of all time.

http://www.cinematographers.nl/GreatDoPh/cronenwethjordan.htm
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Top+10+Most+Influential+Cinematographers+Voted+on+by+Camera+Guild.-a0108995062

Production Skills - Advert

We had to create a short advert for a bottle of water, lasting no longer than 30 seconds. This was our result. It acted as an introduction to the new editing software 'Avid Media Composer'. This allowed us to capture, trim, render and export footage we had recorded on the Panasonic.

Production Skills - Examples of Lights Available: Purchasable from Cinelight

Tungsten Lights

Open face lights - Redhead 300 watts is a tungsten-halogen quartz fixture made from high quality lightweight aluminum with high efficiency aluminized reflector that provides high intensity in a small package. These type of fixtures are well known for their durability in time, portability and luminous efficiency. For use in Television news coverage, and Television film commercials as well in motion picture and industrial film. Excellent for use in small TV studios or stages in schools and universities. You can use this light on location to bounce into ceilings, into walls, or into bounce cards  to obtain a soft ambient in the room and also this is an ideal instrument to attach a small or an extra small chimera light bank for a soft fill or a beautiful key light.

Fresnel lights -  Fresnel 300 watts is the ideal, compact and lightweight fixture to work with, being designed to create a relatively even field of light. Short focal length lenses with wider angles give more light output and better light distribution over the full beam area. The adjustable focus makes it quick and easy to obtain the desired intensity or beam width so you can use it in flood position to get clean, hard shadows or in spot position when even light is desired. Wide range of accessories available: barndoors, filter frame, scrims, snoot, safety cable, speed-ring adapters and softboxes. Fresnel lights are the most commonly used lighting fixtures on the TV and film production sets.

Spacelight -  3K consists of three 1K nook lights configured like spokes of a wagon wheel, pointing down into the white diffusion silk cylinder. At the bottom of silk cylinder is a round diffusion ring to which a diffusion material or gel can be clipped. The lamps can be individually controlled either on a dimmer or by individual on/off switches at the distribution point. The Space Light provides overall scattered light for interior scenes. Excellent for 'exterior' settings where they simulate skylight, or large-area lighting; its use for most interiors is questionable. Spacelights are commonly hung throughout a very large set to fill the space with a general soft overhead illumination. The white silk skirt can be used for a multi-directional chinese lantern look. The black silk skirt can be used to direct that soft light downward creating a pool of soft light.

HMI & CDM

Fresnel Lights - Compact 200 HMI light is a compact, rugged, high output Fresnel designed for use in the TV/Film industries where an intense even field of light with sharp cutting capabilities is desired. Utilizing the compact single ended line of Metal-Halide lamps (HMI*), the luminaire delivers excellent daylight quality from a small, compact package and is useful in any situation where daylight color balance is required. The Cinelight Compact 200 is focusable from spot to flood and can be used as a daylight booster, keylight, or fill-light. The Cinelight Compact construction of corrosion resistant extruded and die cast aluminum maximizes body strength while maintaining the light weight of an ideal location fixture. Despite the small size, short focal length lenses with wider angles give more light output and better light distribution over the full beam area. The Cinelight HMI electronic ballasts provide the latest standards in ballast technology. Flicker free, low noise, high output, this ballast is ideal for most demanding. A rugged and compact design offers easy handling in the field. Safety circuits such as over-voltage, over-temperature and short-circuit protection gives safe and reliable operation dimming to 50% of full power. Active Line Filter (A.L.F.) and P.F.C assures consistent color output, despite dimming, or main voltage fluctuations. Universal voltage at a switch of a button and flicker free mode. Compatible with all 200W Fresnel and PAR units.     For transportation it is included a hard case that can accommodate the HMI Fresnel lamp head, electronic ballast, power cable and barndoors. HMI fixtures provide a daylight-balanced light, which is essential in many cases (for example, when an artificial light needs to mix with natural daylight or when tungsten-balanced scenes require blue “moonlight”). Another common application is making sunlight effects through window, both on location and inside a studio. They may be put through diffusion or bounced to create a large, bright soft source.

Par Lights -  The Cinelight PAR HMI lights are fantastic instruments on location. These fixtures can be used to light background elements, diffused or bounced into a white sheet for soft fill to light talents (PAR lamps are usually too hard sources for lighting faces).  PAR lights are more efficient than Fresnels, and they deliver a strong punch of light with a longer throw.

These lighting instruments are commonly used to light large spaces at night, giving a little more depth to  the night scenes, and also in situations requiring a far reaching, intense beam. Whenever punch or bounce light is required on a set, the Cinelight PAR is the ultimate answer.

PAR  lights have clear, UV protective glass in front and require separate spreader lenses to be placed in front for wide flood, medium flood, spot and narrow spot variations, in order to obtain the desired beam configuration. The spreader lenses affect both the shape and angle of the beam. The lens are available to purchase separately. As with any HMI fixture, The Cinelight HMI PAR light requires a ballast in order to function. The Cinelight HMI ballasts provide the latest standards in ballast technology: flicker free at any frame rates, low noise, high output, dimmable by 50% of the output light,  active line filter (A.L.F) and power factor correction (P.F.C), all  this make this ballast ideal for most demanding. A rugged and compact design offers easy handling in the field. A hard plywood case it is included for transportation. The case accommodates the HMI PAR lamp head, electronic ballast, power cable and barndoors.

Fluorescent Lights

Studio Lights - Studio Cool fluorescent lighting systems are the newest way to have continuous lighting in your studio without the incredible heat generated by the old tungsten lights. Studio Cool 4 x 55W is a soft light source, having constant color temperature and low energy consume without heat radiation. The unit is equipped with smooth, long life, high luminous efficiency tubes available in choice of 3200K (warm tubes) or 5600K (daylight tubes). The fixture is equipped with an integrated professional ballast that ensures long life, very low noise, stable Kelvin color temperature, power factor n>0.95%, THD<15% and has an output driving frequency of 40khz to guarantee flicker-free performance.  The power plug  connects to the fixture  through IEC socket and to the wall socket through a CEE 7/4 (Schuko) plug. The power cord has a in-line ON/OFF illuminated switch. Adjustable output via 2 on/off rocket switches located on the back panel of the fixture that control each group of 2 lamps. In this way the light output can be adjusted from 100% to 50% without changing the kelvin color temperature or making fluorescent lamps to flicker. The Cinelight Studio Cool fixtures are the professional choice for all types of visual media production from photography to film and video work. This type of fluorescent lights are the most common TV lights on local and national TV stations. Can be used mounted on stands or suspended from the ceiling. The Studio Cool series are recommended for permanent TV studio applications, interviews, TV shows, news, product presentations, chroma key and other events. Comparative with FloLight the Studio Cool has a slightly higher output and further throw thanks to specular mirrors on barndoors and interior reflector and deeper body..

Portable Lights -  The CineFlo line of fluorescent fixtures from Cinelight Equipment is one of the most common fluorescent light type used on big productions studios, in still photography and movie pictures. The whole CineFlo line is designed to make your life easier, to make you work faster and more accurate, and take some of the guest work out of it. The CineFlo fluorescent fixture provides soft, cool, flicker-free light like a bounce-source, and has also the features to control the intensity and spread of the light emitted, by using the built-in barndoors and included louver or other accessories available from third parties. The fixture is designed so that, if the whole fixture is too bulky for a particular application, the tubes, wiring harness, and reflector can be quickly stripped out of the fixture and employed in any number of configurations as needed. The fixtures are lightweight enough to tape to a wall.  The housing is made from polycarbonate and has reinforced ends, making it resistant to the every day abuse on the set. The lamps, being the most important component of this fixture, give several color temperatures, primarily the daylight and tungsten. It is very portable, and the lamps take almost no power so it is a very low power consumption. When you’re on a location the beauty of using these lights is that you can walk into a situation when you got a lot of daylight in the room and you can lamp them daylight or you can get into a situation when you’re working in a studio for the day so you can lamp them tungsten. The barndoors close for transport or for shipping and they protect the instrument; they open up and act as barndoors. The louver will help you to control the spill. Because the light is so soft and diffused, the light spreads out to vary wide beam.  The louver is attached using Velcro and can be pulled off completely. The detachable lamp harness has 4 different individual cables, one to each lamp and they’re shorten to the length and color labeled so that each one only goes to one lamp. This way you won’t have any confusion of what goes where. The mounting system for the 2ft 4bank is an omni-mount (MTP-K41) and it’s called the universal mount because it is for the single, double and 4 bank systems and that would be up to a 4ft size. The omni-mount has four capture points and a secure lock pin. This mount is designed to work on a grip head allowing you to position the fixture in virtually any position. With the optional baby-receiver mount (MTP-B41) you can get the grip head off and mount it directly on the top of the stand. The ballast is manufactured from high quality components with performance and durability same as  higher cost competitors. The ballast is designed to operate the lamps at 24'000 Hz, 400 times faster than traditional ballasts. The reason for that is that it is a very high frequency and it keeps out of range of a normal 60 Hz pattern which creates flicker, very critical when you’re shooting films. Flicker free at any shutter speed. The ballast has 4 separate switches to control each lamp individually so you can adjust the light output without color shifting the lamps color temperature (K). CineFlo Bank Select ballasts (four-bank and double-bank) feature an additional high-output/standard-output toggle switch. Use the high-output setting for 4-ft (75W) lamps and the standard setting for 2-ft (40W) lamps so you can use the same ballast on 4FT fixtures and 2FT fixtures.  Includes an easy to change power fuse that protects the ballast against electrical shocks. These instruments are truly the workhorses of the industry, for all blue/green screen work all over the world, regardless if it is a motion picture, commercial or any other field.

LED Lights

Camera LED -  The CamLED 144 Bi-Color is a compact, yet powerful, on-camera LED light that combines the cool to the touch LED technology with the ability to adjust the beam in both color and intensity. On CamLED 144 Bi-Color the color temperature can be varied from 3200K (warm color) to 5600K (daylight color) using the built-in variable switch that mixes the 72 pcs 3200K LEDs with the 72 pcs of 5600K LEDs. The process is controlled by a microprocessor that ensures constant brightness of unit and smooth transition between colors or dimming. The Cinelight CamLED 144 Bi-Color kit comes with everything you’ll need in a handy Cordura bag: lamp head, Li-Ion battery 2200mAh, charger AC 100V-250V and DC 12V, diffusion acrylic filter, pan-head. The system offers an efficient snap-on battery - Sony DV mount. This broad lighting source is ideal to be mounted on a camera or any place that calls for a highly portable softlight. Measuring just 13.5 x 8.5 x 3.5 cm, the head weighs only 200g. The Cinelight CamLED 144 housing comes outfitted with an integrated camera shoe mount. An additional metal pan-head is included in the kit to allow panning and tilting the CamLED when mounted on camera. The same pan-head allows the unit to be mounted on a light stand using the 1/4" thread.  For multi-panel configuration the CamLED is designed to be stacked as bricks or, using the optional T-Bar, a large LED panel can be created on a light stand. This simple to use LED light is the perfect fixture to use for both photo and video applications, suitable for indoor and outdoor photography.The great qualities of this new lighting fixture can make the Cinelight CamLED 144 to become an integral part of television, broadcast news & motion picture productions worldwide.

Studio LED -  The CineLED Box 4FT 4Bank combines all the benefits of LED technology with the most common fluorescent light design used on big productions studios. The CineLED Box 4FT 4Bank  fixture provides soft, flicker-free light like a bounce-source. The built-in barndoors and the included louver help shaping the light spread and also protect the LED tubes during transport. The CineLED Box consists of the 4FT lamp housing with wiring harness and reflector, the Bi-Color LED tubes and the externaldimming & DMX ballast. The main advantage of using this type of light is given by the 4 FT Bi-Color LED tubes relative to the traditional fluorescent lamps. The LED tubes are significantly less fragile than the fluorescent lamps due to their unique construction: aluminum shell with "milk" (very soft) diffusion cover. This type of housing has the advantage of maintaining the same light characteristics as the fluorescent tubes.  The expected life time of the 4FT LED tubes is 25 times higher than on the Kino Flo True Match lamps (50'000 hours of continuous use instead of 2000 hours) that translates to significant savings when using the CineLED Box. Just multiply 25 lamp changes with the cost of a single fluorescent lamp and the price difference will be noticeable. Above all, the 4FT LED tube has both 3200K and 5600K LEDs in one housing that can be switched and combined by a single push of a button, eliminating the elaborated process of re-lamping the fixture to change the color temperature. The high CRI (90+ RA) SMD LED tubes provide a flicker-free experience at high speed rates (studio tested at 3000 fps).  Also, the 4FT LED  lamps draw less power than a fluorescent lamp (40W instead of 75W) while providing a higher light output. The external ballast with integrated DMX digital controller is manufactured from high quality components with great performance and durability.  The built-in digital display shows the brightness values and the DMX address and allows the user to save different lighting presets. The built-in dimmer control helps dimming the light output from 100% to 0% while maintaining a constant color temperature. The CineLED Box 4FT can be powered from external batteries using the BVCU adapter when shooting in locations with limited or unavailable AC power source. The CineLED Box 4Ft housing is made from polycarbonate and has reinforced ends, making it resistant to the everyday use on the set. The fixture itself is lightweight enough to be taped on the wall so handling this type of light shouldn't be a problem to no one. Sharing the same construction design as CineFlo / Kino Flo 4FT 4Bank, the CineLED Box 4Ft 4Bank fixture housing, harness, cables and accessories are cross-compatible.

Fresnel LED -   The Junior LED Fresnel's series provides a powerful, high quality and high CRI light that looks great with today's digital cameras. They are the ideal combination of classic Fresnel characteristics and all the advantages of latest LED technology. The fixtures have been designed on the same body chassis as traditional tungsten Junior series with consideration for the accessories users may already own from the incandescent models. Barndoors, scrim kits, filter frames, softboxes or snoots all can be used with the new Junior LED fixtures. The units are manufactured using the latest MASM technology (multi array surface mount) and adopt high quality and precise 3 layers optical elements for a clean and crisp beam spread. The Junior LED Fresnel fixtures are totally silent as no fans are used to cool down the LED; instead, a smart thermal cooling design with sealed gas is used as on high end computers. No fans means no noise coming from the fixture and virtually no maintenance is needed. The LED life span also reaches up to 50'000+ hours of use equivalent to 15 years of day by day use / 10 hours a day.  The full metal body housing is made using a series of light weight aluminum extrusions with aluminum corrosion resistant castings and steel parts ensuring a sturdy and robust construction for years to use in a professional environment. The Cinelight LED Fresnel's are equipped with built in DMX 512 controller with single, master & slave functions, allowing for the brightness and color temperature to be controlled remotely from a console making them perfect for TV studio installations, theaters, stages or conference rooms.  The lights run with low power consumption, so are extremely well suited to run on battery power, ideal for professional videographers, filmmakers and broadcast productions. Cinelight Junior LED Fresnel fixtures come equipped with a low voltage 24V DC socket for battery connection in addition to the main powered plug. Optional battery voltage converter unit (BVCU) is available for installing 14.8V V-Lock batteries to power the lights.  Shooting slow motion? No problem! The Junior LED series are flicker free and tested at 3'000 fps. Travelling all over the world? Again problem! The Junior LED series are universal voltage capable AC 90V-240V and the IEC connector allows for fast change of power cable with local models.

http://www.cinelight.com/

Production Skills - Three Point Lighting

The Standard 3-Point Lighting Technique

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting.

The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilise the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights. As a rule:

• If you only have one light, it becomes the key.
• If you have 2 lights, one is the key and the other is either the fill or the backlight.

Key Light

This is the main light. It is usually the strongest and has the most influence on the look of the scene. It is placed to one side of the camera/subject so that this side is well lit and the other side has some shadow.

Fill Light

This is the secondary light and is placed on the opposite side of the key light. It is used to fill the shadows created by the key. The fill will usually be softer and less bright than the key. To acheive this, you could move the light further away or use some spun. You might also want to set the fill light to more of a flood than the key.

Back Light

The back light is placed behind the subject and lights it from the rear. Rather than providing direct lighting (like the key and fill), its purpose is to provide definition and subtle highlights around the subject's outlines. This helps separate the subject from the background and provide a three-dimensional look.

If you have a fourth light, you could use it to light the background of the entire scene.

http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/

Script Writing - Final Draft Vs. Celtx

Celtx is a media pre-production software, designed for creating and organizing screenplays, films, videos, stageplays, audio plays, documentaries, machinima, comics, games and podcasts.

The client-server application gives filmmakers an integrated and non-linear approach to the pre-production work phase, providing support for industry standard scriptwriting, story development, storyboarding, script breakdowns, production scheduling and reports. It also allows writers to attach images, videos and audio files to a project.

Celtex Screenshot

Final Draft is a screenwriting software for writing and formatting a screenplay to meet submission standards set by theater, television and film. The program is developed by Final Draft, Inc. It can also be used to write stageplays, outlines, treatments, query letters, novels, graphic novels, manuscripts, and basic text documents.

The current version, contains over 50 movie and television templates, and also allows users to assign computer generated voices to their characters, who read aloud. Other features include CollaboWriter, which allows multiple users to collaborate on scripts n real-time via the Internet. Final Draft AV is a similar program which is designed for writing television videos, reality television, news, commercials, corporate and training videos, documentaries, and presentations.

According to Final Draft's website, co-founder and current CEO Marc Madnick developed the software in 1991 to help aspiring screenwriters because he found that studios' rigid formatting regulations made screenwriting difficult.

Final Draft Screenshot

Script Writing - Making Character Biographies.

What to include in a Character Biography -

• Name: Full name. If your character has an alias, you may want to include that as well.

• Gender: This could be anything, really. Most authors stick to male and female but their is more options!

• Sexual Orientation: The importance of sexual orientation varies from story to story. For instance, a character’s sexual orientation is extremely important in a Romance novel, but less so in an Action/Adventure story where no love interest is ever introduced.

• Age: You can fudge here by saying something like, “Paul is in his early thirties”. Age may change how relatable a character is to your readers and drive how they deal with the world.

• Class/Status: A character’s class or status will determine a lot of things about him or her, especially the way he or she feels about money and his or her customs, traditions, privilege, and treatment of other socioeconomic classes.

• Physical Description: Include things like skin, hair, and eye color. Mention scars or tattoos, piercings, clothing choice, height, weight, etc. If they are from a particular region with identifying characteristics, you may want to include them as well.

• Quirks: Does he/she have a personal item that is always with him or her? Does your character have a nervous tick including habits, phobias, hobbies, diseases, and addictions. Quirks make characters more rounded and are outward displays of their personality.

• Morality: A character’s morality often describes their role in a story. Loose morals may signal that the character is an antagonist, while right-mindedness is more of a protagonist trait. 

• Personality Strengths/Weaknesses: This is one of the more important things about a character to get right. Personality will determine whether or not a character is relatable to the reader on a much grander scale than age or gender. For example, a character concerned with Justice may also be stubborn and a bit outspoken. It is important to note the strengths and the weaknesses here, as no character is ever wholly good or evil.

• Skills: Basically, what is your character good at? Does he or she have any learned or inherent skills that separate him or her from the crowd? Even if many characters in your story have similar skills, make sure to describe how this character’s skill set differs from everyone else’s.

• Education: Education does not necessarily mean intelligence, but the kind of education, where the character got it, and why is often important to the story. The language the character uses, whether he or she has a broad vocabulary or even if he or she is able to speak the same language as other characters, all derives from the education he or she received. Class may play a part in education, and a character’s skills will certainly be affected by his or her education.

• Likes/Dislikes: This is everything from how the character takes his or her tea to any prejudices he or she has. Where does he/she like to go? What does your character like to do? What sort of people does he/she prefer? Like and dislikes are heavily driven by everything else on this list. Keep the rest of your character’s bio in mind as you write about their likes and dislikes.

• Childhood/Backstory: Where is your character from? What language does he/she speak? What sort of parents does he/she have? Anything that got your character from birth to the beginning of the story is backstory.

• Profession: What does your character do to earn a living? If he or she does not work, address this. A character’s profession takes up most of their adult life, so it’s important that the reader knows what they do and how seriously they take it.

• Relationships: Relationships are complicated. Talk about your character’s relationship to anyone they come into contact with regularly and who has a large impact on their life at the beginning of the story. Ideally, you should mention someone your character gets along with and someone he/she definitely doesn’t get along with. It’s a good idea to mention any romantic interests he/she has at the beginning of the story, his/her relationship with immediate family, and how he/she does with being alone and in crowds of strangers (this ties in with strengths and weaknesses).

• Location: Where is the character? If he or she was born there, mention this. The location of the character often tells the reader the location of the story. Don’t overlook this. 

• Time Period: When does this person live? Time period and location are technically setting, but they weigh heavily on a character, so be sure to include them.

• Religious Beliefs: Whether or not a character’s religious beliefs play a huge part in the story, it’s often good to know what they feel about God(s) in their world. Categorize superstitions under religious beliefs, even though these are usually defined as quirks. If your character’s beliefs aren’t important to the story, feel free to omit them from the description; if they are, don’t forget to mention them!

• Fantastical Traits: Is this character magical? Can he/she time travel or do anything that normal human beings are incapable of doing? If we know at the onset that your character is fantastical in some way, tell the reader! Like skills and quirks, fantastical traits set your character apart.

• Goals: This item is last, but it should really be first. More important even than a name, a character’s goals drive the plot. You should make at least one of his/her goals clear in your bio. 

http://writeworld.org/post/27877863967/writing-character-bios

Professional Studies - British Society of Cinematographers

The British Society of Cinematographers is a professional Society formed in 1949; its prime objective being to promote and encourage the highest standards in the art and craft of cinematography. Its membership is by invitation only and comprises talented and experienced Cinematographers, many of whom have received Academy Awards and other accolades for their work. It also encompasses experienced Camera Operators among its Associate Membership and distinguished friends and patrons from the film and television industry.

Their website is currently undergoing some extensive updates and is temporarily unavailable. 

Loc Doc Drama - Light and Sound Test: Georgie Scene

I done a light and sound test for the Georgie shoot at location. Which turned out okay, and gave me a good idea of what to expect during shooting.

Loc Doc Drama - Script Analysis

This can also be found on the VLE

Link to clip

Production Skills - Grips + Smoke Machine

We had a tutorial on a smoke machine and how to use it in the correctly, through this lesson we learned that if you must cover the smoke detectors when using this machine indoors. The machine does heat up to high temperatures and care should be taken when using it. When using this machine you should never point it at anybody, it is mostly water vapor, but can injure people by getting in their eyes or throat. The first thing we did with the smoke machine was just spraying it so we could understand the density of the smoke and then we got the camera out and started to experiment with some of the effects we could do with it. We experimented with the camera alongside the smoke machine to create a graveyard effect. 



A camera dolly is a specialised piece of equipment designed to create smooth camera movements. The camera is mounted to the dolly and the camera operator and focus puller/camera assistant usually but not always ride on the dolly to operate. The camera dolly may be used as a shooting platform on any surface but is often raised onto a track, this creates a smooth movement, a dolly shot. Most professional film studio dollies have a hydraulic jib arm that raises or lowers the camera on the vertical axis.  Dolly moves may also be executed without track, giving more freedom and with it, a higher degree of difficulty. These may be done on the existing surface or on an overlay designed for dolly movement.


A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, it is used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object, usually a camera. A tripod provides stability. The positioning of the three legs away from the vertical center allows the tripod better leverage for resisting lateral forces.


Steadicam is a camera stabilizer mount for cameras that isolates it from the movement. It creates a smooth shot,  when moving quickly and over uneven surfaces. The Steadicam was invented by Garrett Brown and was introduced in 1975.  The operator wears a harness which is attached to an iso-elastic arm. This is connected by a multiaxis and ultra-low friction gimbal to the Steadicam armature which has the camera mounted at one end and a counterbalance weight at the other. The Steadicam stays upright, by simply making the bottom slightly heavier than the top, pivoting at the gimbal. This leaves the center of gravity of the whole rig, however heavy it may be, exactly at the operator's fingertip, allowing deft and finite control of the whole system with the lightest of touches on the gimbal. The freely pivoting armature adds additional stabilization to the photographed image, and makes the weight of the counterbalance assembly acceptable by allowing the body harness to support it. When the armature is correctly adjusted, the operator is able to remove their hands from the Steadicam entirely and have the camera stay in place. For low-angle shots, the camera/sled armature can be rotated vertically, putting the camera on the bottom, and the sled on the top. This is referred to as "low mode" operation.

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Loc Doc Drama - Production Meeting 3

PLANNING & ACTION MEETING NOTES
Programme(s) or meeting purpose:
Date: 06/11/14	Time: 11:40		Place: Computer Room
Present: Simon, Steven, Chloe, Jacob, and John Programme Leaders: Di and Mike Student Reps: (if applicable)

NB: see final page for actions arising

		Action
1	Apologies	Mikey
2	Chair’s opening remarks
3	Previous minutes	20/10/14
4	Script and Camera Analysis	John, Jacob
5	Experiment with Camera	Jacob
6	Need to film in 24 fps and 4:3	All Team
7	Outside party looking for location	All Team
8	Run through camera and lighting	John, Jacob
9	Location form	Steven, Simon
10	Figure out what equipment needed and how to start	Chloe, Mikey
11	Sort possible actors and audition them	Steven, Simon
12	Email Gaynor to arrange auditions	Steven, Simon
13
14

ACTIONS ARISING FROM:

Meeting:                                                                                         

Date:

	Action	Name
1.
2.
3.
4.	John has done a script and camera analysis	John
5.	Jacob has taken a camera out and is working on getting used to the Panasonic	Jacob
6.	Will be done on set	All Team
7.	Outside party found location for Georgie scene	John
8.	John finished the Camera Analysis and is working on lighting as he is an experienced photographer	John
9.	Will fill in location form ASAP	Steven, Simon
10.	Equipment has been booked and being used for experimentation	Chloe, Jacob
11.	Actor for Georgie is coming for audition on Wednesday	Steven, Simon
12.	Gaynor has been contacted and we are in talks	Steven, Simon