Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Announcing my debut film, "Southwest Light"

Tom Lowe

Tom Lowe

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
8,520
Reaction score
1
Points
0
SW-Light-Poster-400.jpg


Announcement link: "Timescapes to begin production on Southwest Light"

I am excited to announce that after years of working toward this goal and keeping my nose to the grindstone (freezing my ass off and dodging bears in the mountains at 3am :laugh:), I am about to begin principle photography on my first film, Southwest Light, February 15th, 2010! I have received financial and other backing from fellow Reduser member Nigel Stanford and Rubber Monkey in New Zealand. I can honestly say that this film would not be happening right now if it were not for Reduser, so thank you to Jarred, Jim, and everyone.

The film be 45 minutes in length, a mixture of timelapse, slo-mo and real-time cinematography shot on Red One, Epic X and Canon still cameras for RAW timelapse.

Along with various "Guest Directors of Photography" (McGregor? Dino? Kennan? Gibby? Haskell? Mullen? Drew? Francis? Larry? Tim Lüdin?) who will join up with me along the way, I will travel the American Southwest (California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona & New Mexico) for ten straight months, no stopping, in a Toyota 4X4 truck hauling a travel trailer and camera gear. My goal is to create a portrait of "a time and a place" using poetic, haunting, jaw-dropping visuals. The genre of the film will be similar to non-narrative masterpieces Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi. Along the way, I hope to offer unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the making of a film of this type.

I'm also looking for suggestions of amazing locations and events you think we should film over the coming year in the American Southwest? Maybe you know of some interesting local event, like a hot-air-balloon rally, Native American ceremony, a natural granite waterslide where families swim in the summer, or maybe some epic landscape where the setting sun hits a rock formation in a certain way only one time per year? Let me know!

I want to thank everyone here who has encouraged me over the last couple years here. This film would not be getting made right now if it were not for Reduser. That's a fact.
icon14.gif
 
Great news. Would like to preorder an autographed bluray.
All the best.
 
Awesome Tom. I'm really glad you are able to do this. Can't wait to see it!
 
Congratulations and good luck with your film. Your project is an inspiration for me and I bet many other people. Way to market yourself and stand behind your passion.
 
Sanjin, all it takes is a plane ticket, man! :)

we can use your 50mm f 0.95. :)
 
Tom Lowe said:
Sanjin, all it takes is a plane ticket, man! :)
Click to expand...

Tom,

yeaaahh that's right.

Give me some time and then I'll let you know if I'm ready...
 
Good Luck Tom, and don't forget the first aid kit.
 
So cool man. I'm in Utah and know of some amazing "hidden" locations. Some epic abandoned mining towns, a place where the ground is bright purple (really looks like you're on another planet) and of course the salt flats. I'll have to PM you some GPS coordinance and pictures.

Really looking forward to seeing this. Everything you've done so far is so epic.
 
Tom Lowe said:
My goal is to create a portrait of "a time and a place" using poetic, haunting, jaw-dropping visuals.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of your work... no doubt you will achieve the goal you set out for.

Tom Lowe said:
I'm also looking for suggestions of amazing locations and events you think we should film over the coming year in the American Southwest?
Click to expand...

I've been all over New Mexico and would recommend you check out a few spots... The Gila Cliff Dwellings, at the tip of Rt. 15, north of Silver City. The near-road side vistas and the destination itself are potentially great material for you. Well to the East of there, on Rt. 380 just West of Carrizozo is the Valley of Fires, a petrified lava flow area, which would be just crazy under moon light. Shiprock is a very intense sand stone formation in the N. West corner of the state along US 491, but it's protected Indian land. Would be sweet to see stuff close up of that if you can get the access, maybe you can hire a guide, it's worked for me in the past.

I can't wait to see the finished film. Best of luck to you.

bk
 
Tom,

you would need a lot of ice packs in the hot southwest summer.

I'm just reading it again:

The Red has also exhibited
sensitivity to heat, which can affect the
image and camera in peculiar ways.
The camera does have settings that
allow you to control its fan functions,
but even with the camera set to run the
cooling fan continuously — which you
cannot do if you’re also recording onset
sound — the Red has exhibited
several problems in hot environments.
This is due in part to the camera’s
design: the heat-sink ventilation is
located on the bottom of the body. As
we all know, heat rises. The main chassis
of the Red is basically an
aluminum-alloy cylinder, and when
the camera gets hot, the heat rises
inside this tubular body and literally
cooks the electronics inside from the
top down. As the sensor overheats,
several hairline vertical “scratches”
begin to appear in the image; these
defects appear on the viewing output
to the monitor and are also recorded to
the “raw” .r3d files. I have witnessed
this on many occasions with many
different Red bodies. The only way to
solve this problem is to take the camera
into a colder environment and allow it
to cool down. Once it cools, the streaks
in the image will go away. So if you’re
planning to shoot a big Western in
Death Valley in the middle of summer,
you should carefully consider whether
to use the Red — or at least bring lots
of ice packs to place around the body.


Working With the Red by Christopher Probst

American Cinematographer, February 2010, page 59.

LINK>>> click preview and than on top left corner click to save as pdf >>>
 
Well hopefully I will have Epic X by summertime!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top