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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

David,

I am considering doing this in a couple of sequences for the upcoming feature I am shooting using the Hollyw ood Black Magics I just ordered off B&H.

Any thoughts and suggestions on this would be greatly appreciated.

Ivan
 
You'd be better off with a very fine mist diffusion like an UltraCon or Smoque filter that tends to create an even wash over the image when flared. I remember doing a movie once with a Panaflasher (which is not the same as a Varicon) and had a few shots that couldn't be flashed because they were on an Arri-2C or something, so I used UltraCons to maintain a similar look, and as I panned across a lake with the sun glaring off of the water, for a moment the whole frame was washed out due to the UltraCon.

Not sure how even your effect is going by doing it that way, hitting the glass from the sides. With a heavier UltraCon, the ambience of the shot will be enough generally to lift the blacks, just don't flag to matte box too much.
 
David,

Thanks for the reply! I have ultracons available too, so I will give your suggestion a test at the gear house next week. I am curious to see what the most ideal filtering solution ends up being. I want a slight HBM look, along with the pedestal raised a touch too.

Cheers!

Ivan
 
Speaking of Ultra cons and such... David how often do you use such filters? Is it a normal part of your setup when shooting in high dynamic situations? Or s it more of a specialty filter for you. I haven't really played with one and it's on my list of things to try. Ultra con / digicon / what do you like?
 
I don't use them much anymore... I used them back when I was shooting film and doing a silver retention process to the prints, to counteract the contrast increase while softening the colors, but now contrast, black level and saturation can be controlled digitally. In terms of an actual increase in dynamic range, these filters maybe only give 1/6 to 1/3 of a stop more shadow information, most of the impression of increased dynamic range is just due to the lifted blacks.

But I still use the Smoque filters and mist diffusion to create halation effects.
 
Not sure I understand the question. Halation is caused by particulate matter in the filter causing bright areas to bleed into dark areas, so contrast lowering, halation, and flaring, etc. are all part of that. Black specks, added in addition to the mist particles, like in Black ProMists can help keep some of the contrast to a limited extent. However, with digital color-correction, contrast loss from diffusion can be counteracted.
 
Yes that makes sense, I guess you can't have one without the other. :blush5:

I like small halos around actual light sources like bulbs, candle flames but I don't like the appearance of white milky grey spread across the frame. I guess in the latter example, it varies with the size of the bright areas of the frame. For example if there is a large window behind a subject that is bright, it will just pour milk-grey all over the frame.

But thanks for the tips, I will definitely source out some black particular based filters which should help to control it more.
 
Hi David!

I know there are other conversations around about this, but I wanted to ask you because I thought you may be able to articulate it more clearly for me.

I'm having a friendly debate regarding pushing in on a 5k image. Happy to admit if I'm wrong - just wanting to settle it! :)

My friend asserts that when finishing in 1080, if desired, you can push in up to 40% (2048x1080) and not have any loss, so to speak. It's still more than or equal to 1920x1080, so it's all good. You're just masking out the additional pixels around your selection, but there is no real drop in quality/clarity.

I'm asserting that pushing in that much negatively effects the image, and that there is an overall quality loss (perhaps reducing sharpness, enlarging noise profile, etc?). I feel that if you want that tighter shot you should shoot on a tighter lens or a physically zoom/move the camera to achieve the smaller frame. Reframing for stabilization or a more deliberate frame edge I get, but 40% makes me anxious.

Would you explain what, if any, negative effects there are when pushing in (no more than what would equate to a 1080 image) on a larger resolution source if you are finishing at 1080?

I'm planning on doing a test later and will post the results of that.

Thanks and warm regards,

Pierce
 
Hi David, I have an upcoming commercial and I need to shoot a hand and liquid metal which reacts to a hand. There should be reflections on the hand from metal. I'm trying to come up for the way to shoot the reflections so that they would be realistic. The metal obviously will be a post thing. I was thinking to reflect a thin metallic board and twist it around while shooting, but I'm afraid the reflections won't match the movements of the metal. How would you approach shooting this scene? Thanks


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Since the CG artist is going to have to map the hand and recreate the reflection anyway in the moving metal liquid, there's not much point in trying to do part of the moving metal on set. If you find a metal sheet with the right degree of reflectivity, that could be shot as a reference, or perhaps the CG artist would prefer an actual mirror so that they can see parts of the hand in the mirror that aren't visible in the non-reflection angle.
 
Alexey, I've done this type of reflection before, not with a metallic look to it but a set-up similar to what you're describing. Using a metal sheet as a VFX guide should work, but if it's only a guide then why not make it as clean as possible so there's more to work with in VFX? It can always be grunged up later. As for creating a clean reflection element, try shooting the hand from below so that it's reaching toward the lens as it reaches for the metal liquid. This element can be flopped in post and placed on the 3D surface of your liquid plane. Love to see how this turns out for you!

H
 
Hi David,

I am thinking of getting for the first time a Schneider Black Magic Hollywood filter for my Scarlet Dragon. I read before in one of your previous responses, you said that for a light effect you can go with 1/8 or 1/4, for a heavier effect 1, 2. For budget reasons I am thinking of starting with just one. Which one would you recommend? I am looking for the "goldilocks" effect. :)

Thanks!
 
I've never used a 1 or 2 Hollywood Black Magic, generally a 1/2 is pretty strong, similar to a net in strength. The question is whether to get the 1/8 or the 1/4 if you can only have one, and that depends on if you are going to use it on everything for a look or shoot some shots without diffusion and some with. My guess would be that the 1/8 is the safest choice but the 1/4 is not a big leap in heaviness.
 
Thanks for the quick response, Mr. Mullen, this thread is worth reading for beginning to end, and I appreciate your patience for sometimes answering the same questions over and over again.

About the filters, I´ll take your advice and buy a 1/8 BM Hollywood and get the 1/4 and 1/2 later. The alternative of having a more natural look for some works and also a more dream like quality for others is what I am looking for.

I saw you mentioned before Geoffrey Unsworth´s work as an inspiration and someone who used heavy filtration in most of his works. I would like to point out that his cinematography in Superman: The Movie, specially the dream-like look in the Fortress of Solitude scenes, made a deep visual impression on me as a child, and now as an learning cinematographer I always wondered how to achieve that same look with a Red. Any advice?

Thanks
 
David Mullen ASC said:
I've never used a 1 or 2 Hollywood Black Magic, generally a 1/2 is pretty strong, similar to a net in strength. The question is whether to get the 1/8 or the 1/4 if you can only have one, and that depends on if you are going to use it on everything for a look or shoot some shots without diffusion and some with. My guess would be that the 1/8 is the safest choice but the 1/4 is not a big leap in heaviness.
Click to expand...

For whatever it's worth, I have to leap in here and agree about how great 1/8 HBM is!

We use HBM 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 quite a lot, and we love 1/8 because it's so subtle. You can just sneak it on a shot and make it look "better." We were on a shoot recently for a client that prefers a "clean" look but snuck 1/8 HBM onto our lone interview with a young lady, and clients never noticed (and these particular clients generally can spot these things!). However, her interview looked amazing (probably best of the lot), and the HBM 1/8 was certainly playing a role in "the magic".
 
I use a 1/2 a lot, even a 1 sometimes, I love the look
 
David,
I'm working on my lighting setup for exteriors. Ill be shooting in the countryside with stedicam and jib shots. Ive got my reflectors, diffusors, butterflies, etc. I'd appreciate your impression regarding either the use of the new arri L7 LED light vs an HMI light. I recently purchased on eBay from the old Culver Studios a Mole Richardson 2000K solar spot model MC258G which I believe is HMI. Its large. I'm up here in Tuolumne County were Hollywood has shot alot of westerns in the 50's and 60's. I came across an interesting photo of a set being used to shoot Little House on the Prarie. They were using an old Willies jeep with what looks like a large solar spot attached to the front bumper. What a cool idea. I thought maybe that's something I could do with my MR. How to power it is another issue.
 
A 2K Mole Solar Spot would be tungsten. Mole HMI's would come in wattages like 575w, 1200w, 2500w.

I haven't used the ARRI L7 LED but I guess it would be similar in output to a Joker 400, probably even less than that. Would work as an eyelight outdoors.
 
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