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  • 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 :)

Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

This is incredible!
Thanks so much David, I am a SFX TD and I hope to make the most out of the advice you have given over your posts here.

I plan to come back with some questions of my own as I intend to shoot my first movie when I get my RED One.
 
David,

Thanks for taking some time out to do this! I re-read through the whole thread to make sure I wasn't asking any repeats...

I have a few (a lot) of questions for when you can spare the time.

First, if you were to build a camera package from the ground up, what would you include, down to the assistants box. Camera/lens package, matte box, follow focus, tripod head, sticks, short sticks, air, measuring tape, light meter, etc..? Admittedly I ask in part because I'm trying to build up a new package of my own, and would find your thoughts on the subject invaluable. In part too I ask because a few films I worked on, notably James Wan's Death Sentence which is not yet out (DP was John Leonetti, great guy) had so few shots on sticks (I remember a single one, but I didn't work every day) I was surprised.

Second, relating to my reasons for the first, what is a good filter assortment, in your opinion?

Third, what are your feelings about light metering with digital? Is it more or less necessary?

And last, what do you think of Freddie Young's work, in particular Lawrence of Arabia?

Thanks again!

Warm regards,

Pierce
 
You pretty much mentioned everything, except batteries (important!) You'd probably get a more accurate list from a 1st AC.

The essentials tend to be, besides, the body, power & power cables, lenses, sunshade or mattebox, tripod head and sticks, plus whatever you are recording to (film mags and film, data recorder, whatever.) And of course, if this is a digital camera, some way of seeing the image while operating. Plus accessories to go into handheld mode and for focus-pulling (I'm starting to drift from the pure essentials.)

Basic filters: ND's, Pola, 85 (if using tungsten stock in daylight)
Next basic: UV, optical flat (clear), diopters, ND grads
Less important: diffusion (many types), warming filters, low contrast filters, colored grads, fluoro filters
Even less common: split diopters, b&w filters

ND's are probably the most necessary to carry around.

I carry a meter, but I've done whole features in HD where I've never taken it out. Digital cameras are essentially light meters.

"Lawrence of Arabia" in one my favorite movies of all time, not just for the cinematography.
 
Quick question David. When going from still photography to video/film what the biggest change. I guese I mean what tends to trip people up. I know I had read about Robert Capa and when they talked him into shooting film for an asignment he just shot it like his still camera. Pointed it strait at the subject and shot of a short burst of frames.
 
You have to think in terms of whole sequences, not individual shots, and how that sequence will cut. So there has to be a visual design and consistency to the series of shots that make up the scene. And hopefully, this extends further, that there is a design or structure to the sequences that make up the whole movie.

Sometimes you look at a great sequence in a Hitchcock movie, for example, and the individual shots are nothing particularly special -- it's how they work as a sequence, how they move the viewer, provoke a feeling, etc. that matters.

Also, from a practical matter, you can't make every shot in a movie look stunning -- for one thing, it would get a bit wearing, like watching a two-hour commercial, but beyond that, it's hard to devote that much care and time into every set-up, so you have to prioritize. And to do that, you have to understand how the sequence will be edited and what the important beats of the scene are, pick your battles. Also, it's important that you understand what exactly it is that you want the audience to pay attention to in the scene -- you don't want some beautiful light effect, no matter how award-winning, if it distracts the viewers from the key element of the scene or shot --- an actor's performance, for example.
 
Oh now you're just teasing us...!

Just what does an agent do for you? How many films did you have to do before you can hope to get one?
 
If you're at a point where you have regular work coming in, of a decent quality level, it's probably the point when an agent would take an interest in you. Basically, agents tend to find you rather than the other way around -- or at least, it works better that way since then you know the agent is a fan of your work.

I had a movie that I shot play at Sundance, which is when my agent contacted me and expressed an interest. This was around the time of my 12th feature or so, when I had been shooting for about seven years. It can happen faster for others, especially if you have a good start. I've seen recent film school graduates who are DP's with agents already, even though they only have some short films to their credit (but really good-looking short films that won awards and went to festivals.) I tried early on to find on, but none were interested in me, so I waited until it was sort of inevitable. There comes a time when basically agents start approaching you.
 
Thanks David. After 12 features, does an agent still provide such a significant boost to what you might have been able to do yourself?
 
David Mullen ASC said:
There comes a time when basically agents start approaching you.
Click to expand...

Already happened to me. These two guys wearing suits with dark sunglasses and earpieces asking me about a Red revolution, and whether I had given any money in support of subversive activity. I sent them Chuck Colburn's country address and something about a millitant cult.

Seriously, though, David. Have you ever seen a dual-directorship work? Could you ever see it work in a serious feature? Say one who is strong on performance, and another that works closely with the DP with blocking and on-set leadership? Or perhaps one where the line between DP and director gets a bit blurred on set?

I feel silly even asking this question, but there it is.
 
A cult has to have more than one party. Oh crap I forgot about Jake.
Anyhow you didn't need to give them the address as anybody and I do mean ANYBODY can be found. lol
 
does a agent tell you about every "interest in you for a project " that comes to them or do they screen out the ?? perhaps not enough $ , or they know you don't like certain ? , or do they screen out scripts etc ...

does your agent also look for commercial ( spots) type work or just long form ?
 
I hear about everything that gets sent through my agent, with the caveat "this one is probably too small to interest you..." etc.

I have a separate agent for commercials, but frankly, with only one national spot to my credit, that's a harder field for me to crack. I had one lined up two weeks from now, but now a feature job has meant I had to drop out of that commercial.
 
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