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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

Hi there

Does anyone know any good online videos or sites with images that show many different images and then reveal what lighting setup was used? I have been searching online for months and haven't found anything other than very basic, 101 kind of stuff. Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks
 
Not aware of any... Whenever someone asks why some info they need is not on the Internet, you have to ask why someone would go through the bother, the time, or the expense to put it on the Internet. Maybe it exists somewhere but I haven't run into that specifically, advanced lighting set-ups and demos of how it was done.
 
David Mullen ASC said:
Not aware of any... Whenever someone asks why some info they need is not on the Internet, you have to ask why someone would go through the bother, the time, or the expense to put it on the Internet. Maybe it exists somewhere but I haven't run into that specifically, advanced lighting set-ups and demos of how it was done.
Click to expand...

These pages are the best on-line resource for cinematography I have ever found, by a long-shot. Free or paid for.
 
Hey David.
Hope to see another Big Sur update soon. Great to be able follow a production behind the scenes like that.
Just a quick question that probably sounds simple but its something i struggle with. What is your approach to Cut aways normally? Whenever we require a cut away I always struggle on whether the shot should be from the actors perspective/pov or just a shot from anywhere? My films typically have moments that look professional but then I hit certain shots which throw the amateur straight back in. I know there is no simple answer to this but I just noticed from comparing some of your older work to your newer work that somewhere along the line you have found the 'formula' for making extremely professional images. Not to say your older work was bad as it was still great but just not as on par with what you do these days.

Any info you could give me on your thought process for choosing cutaway shots/framing would be great.
P.S Just watched Astronaut Farmer. Beautifully shot.
 
I don't think there is any rule per se... if a cutaway is a true POV shot, then it should mimic the POV of the character, it should feel like it is from their perspective, and the shot size should be appropriate to the level of detail that the POV is supposed to see. But if it's not a true POV, then generally your only restriction is screen direction, otherwise, you are more free to shoot the cutaway from whatever angle is attractive for that object in terms of composition and lighting. I think Ridley Scott movies have great examples of inserts and cutaways.
 
Matt Gerrand said:
...Does anyone know any good online videos or sites with images that show many different images and then reveal what lighting setup was used? I have been searching online for months and haven't found anything other than very basic, 101 kind of stuff. Any help would be fantastic...
Click to expand...

Yes..there really isn't anything out there on lighting..there was a camera/shot analysis type blog but it seems not online anymore. But
Shane Hulbut ASC has lighting articles w/video clips from his movies...he has The Rat Pack..Crazy Beautiful..Drumline..and The Skulls online.
The Rat Pack one is probably the best one as he answered a question on how it was lit for multiple cameras..no CU tweaks..looks amazing.

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/category/cinematography/page/3/

..I wanted to design lighting that would let the actors roam on stage, where ever they wanted to go. All of this photography was shot on 6 cameras that all worked together to catch those lightning in a bottle moments. Lighting like this is very important. As a cinematographer I light an area not a mark. This way the actors feel real and not blocked into submission. There were no tweaks for Close Ups. Everything was set to grab the moments and make the performance feel free form and fresh, the Rat Packs signature....
...The six cameras were capturing wide, tight, side angles, crane, etc. Yes, we rolled them all at the same time and the operators had the freedom as well as the actors to improv and bring this scene to life. A lot of planning went into being able to light a multi-camera set up like this. It is very easy to light for 1 camera, to make 6 look extraordinary is an art.
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Hey David,

Had a quick two questions for you. First of all, have you ever used the Tiffin Smoque filter and if so what does it do exactly? I realize its supposed to add a pseudo haze to the shot but does it affect just the highlights or the overall image? Do you have any examples of this filter if you've used it? Can't seem to find images of it anywhere.

Second question-
I recently AC-d a shoot that was shooting with the Red MX and some older Lomo Anamorphic lenses (the square element ones). We were very unhappy with the edge to edge sharpness and overall lenses in general and wish we would have used something else. In your opinion what anamorphic lens set is normally your go to? I've heard several opinions on this but Hawks seem to be the most talked about.

Thanks in advance!

Jon
 
Jon Chema said:
Hey David,

Had a quick two questions for you. First of all, have you ever used the Tiffin Smoque filter and if so what does it do exactly? I realize its supposed to add a pseudo haze to the shot but does it affect just the highlights or the overall image? Do you have any examples of this filter if you've used it? Can't seem to find images of it anywhere.

Second question-
I recently AC-d a shoot that was shooting with the Red MX and some older Lomo Anamorphic lenses (the square element ones). We were very unhappy with the edge to edge sharpness and overall lenses in general and wish we would have used something else. In your opinion what anamorphic lens set is normally your go to? I've heard several opinions on this but Hawks seem to be the most talked about.

Thanks in advance!

Jon
Click to expand...

Re read earlier posts in this thread for thorough answers about Smoque and even pics.
 
Here are some frames from my movies where I used a Smoque filter:

af10.jpg


assassination11.jpg


assassination12.jpg


It's similar to a Double Fog or a heavy UltraCon -- doesn't cut sharpness too much, creates a haze around light sources, the main problem is if you pan off of the light sources or someone crosses the frame and blocks them, the smoke effect disappears. So it's not a cure-all, but it's a useful filter for when you can't smoke a shot in a scene, or want an insert to look more like the fogged wide shot.
 
I've only shot four features in anamorphic and all of them used Panavision Primo anamorphics, which are HUGE but very sharp. The 50mm Primo anamorphic prime is almost the size and weight of a 24-290 Optimo zoom, so you need to carry a few C-Series anamorphics for steadicam or handheld shots, though I've done those on an E-series as well.
 
Jon Chema said:
I recently AC-d a shoot that was shooting with the Red MX and some older Lomo Anamorphic lenses (the square element ones). We were very unhappy with the edge to edge sharpness and overall lenses in general and wish we would have used something else. In your opinion what anamorphic lens set is normally your go to? I've heard several opinions on this but Hawks seem to be the most talked about.
Click to expand...

What stop were you guys shooting at?
 
planetarium shoot

planetarium shoot

Hi David- I have an upcoming doc interview shoot in a small planetarium. Our main camera will be the 5D - because the director wants the 5D look. We'll also have another camera, but I'm having a hard time determining what camera will work in such a dark space. I shot some tests and had to be at 640ASA at a T2 to get a good exposure for the images on the planetarium dome. This is fine for the 5D, but I'm wondering what other cameras out there will be light sensitive enough for this shoot. We can't go with a Red or Alexa because our budget doesn't allow for those, and we would like a camera with greater depth of field than the 5D or 7D. Any thoughts? Thanks for your help!
 
hello again sire,..
Recently watched The ring,..its a pity I came to this film this late,..(considering my cyan fetish),...Im guessing,.. considering the work (look/compositions/movement everything) done on this film that its sure to have been talked about,..
I found asc article on ring two but nothing on mr bojan bazelli,..so heres a request if any one is aware and would kindly guide me to it,...or the maestro here could shed some light on the look of this film,.. himself.
thanks again.
 
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