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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

I prefer features -- I like narrative cinema where the cinematography plays a supportive roll to the story and acting. That can happen in commercials too, just less often. Plus you get a visible credit during a movie so people know who shot it...

Or to put it another way, my love of movies got me into filmmaking, not my love of commercials. So I want to make movies primarily.
 
Hey David here are a couple of caps from that movie Millennium Mambo shot by my new hero "Mark" Lee Ping-bin.

MM_1_Sm.jpg

MM_3_Sm.jpg

millennium-mambo.jpg


You might enjoy seeing what he was able to do with what looks like a very limited budget.... and a lot of talent.

It's available on Netflix's Watch Now, but the aspect ratio there is 4:3... which is a little infuriating. I don't know why Netflix chooses to offer so many great movies at a TV-style aspect ratio on Watch Now. :( I can't remember 100% for sure, but I think Northfork had a seriously reduced aspect ratio on Watch Now, as well.

The other movie I watched recently by Lee Ping-bin was Flowers of Shanghai, but frankly, though the photography was beyond awesome, the picture itself was incredibly slow.
 
Try The Puppetmaster (dir. Hou, 1993, DP Lee Ping Bing).
 
Just FYI, though, while the cinematography for The Puppetmaster is breathtaking, the DVD is one of the worst transfers I've ever seen. Pan and Scan, greenish, poorly digitally manipulated, and way too contrasty.

Li Pin-Bing is amazing, though. Everyone interested in cinematography should look at some of the work he's done.
 
Thanks Tom for the heads up on Li Pin-Bing... and thanks Adrian for the website... great, great thread---thanks to David as well for all his time and the incredible manner in which he shares his knowledge...

Cheers Ya'll

Andrew
 
JasonMurphy said:
Just FYI, though, while the cinematography for The Puppetmaster is breathtaking, the DVD is one of the worst transfers I've ever seen. Pan and Scan, greenish, poorly digitally manipulated, and way too contrasty.

Li Pin-Bing is amazing, though. Everyone interested in cinematography should look at some of the work he's done.
Click to expand...

Pan and scan? Is this what netflix is going to send?

BTW, I'm trying really hard to find a copy of Reflections (Ai li si de jin zi) but I'm having no luck at all. Anyone know where I might be able to find it? I wish I had some friends in Taiwan!

Jason, was it you who PM'd me about Lee a while back? If so, much thanks!!
 
I believe The Puppetmaster was shot 1.33. That's what I remember seeing in the theater, anyway.

But the DVD transfer is indeed substandard, which is a pity.

Edit: Just looked at the DVD again. Unless you're prepared to color correct it in your head, don't bother. It's a mess, as Jason noted.
 
is that the version netflix is going to send me. :(

no better copies?
 
Tom -

yesasia.com for reflections

http://us.yesasia.com/kr/PrdDept.aspx/section-videos/code-c/pid-1004581448/

just click on the "English" button - expected release date is July 30th, 2007

no english subs though...unless you just want to watch the pretty pictures....I am sure HKFlix.com will feature copies from neighboring countries shortly thereafter that have english subs....they always do...
 
Adrian Correia said:
Tom -

yesasia.com for reflections

http://us.yesasia.com/kr/PrdDept.aspx/section-videos/code-c/pid-1004581448/

just click on the "English" button - expected release date is July 30th, 2007

no english subs though...unless you just want to watch the pretty pictures....I am sure HKFlix.com will feature copies from neighboring countries shortly thereafter that have english subs....they always do...
Click to expand...

Hmmmm.... I wonder if I could even play that DVD disc in my PC?

Are you sure there are no English subs?

And thanks for that link!
 
David Mullen ASC said:
I know this is not a popular opinion, but I get a little bored by excessive realism sometimes, two-hours of slice-of-life shooting, usually handheld, but probably I'm only bored when the narrative is boring so I start thinking about the technique. When the narrative is interesting to me, then a very realistic style can be very apt and motivated.
Click to expand...



whats your opinion of gus van sants newest three, and also bela tarrs work
 
Tom said:
Hmmmm.... I wonder if I could even play that DVD disc in my PC?

Are you sure there are no English subs?

And thanks for that link!
Click to expand...

There are player programs for PCs that do circumvent region coding and can convert PAL to NTSC and such....just not sure which ones.

The site says no english language track or subtitles...then again yesasia.com is wrong...often...

I am sure there will be other editions available rather quickly....just keep checking yesasia.com and HKFlix.com.
 
Tom said:
is that the version netflix is going to send me. :(

no better copies?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, at this moment, there aren't any better copies, to the best of my knowledge (though I do keep hoping that the Criterion Collection will eventually put out Hou's 'Sadness Trilogy' - City of Sadness, Puppetmaster, and Good Men, Good Women - in a boxset sometime). I've seen The Puppetmaster 5 times on 35mm; it's marvelous. Each time I've seen it on 35, it's been projected at 1.85:1, so I assume that's the proper aspect ratio. Hou or Li may prefer the full frame composition for DVD, though I kind of doubt it.

Have only been able to get through the DVD a few times, and that's only because I was doing a close viewing of a few scenes for an essay I was writing on Hou Hsiao-hsien's work. The transfer's kind of painful. But probably still worth it; The Puppetmaster is a fascinating film, one of the best of the '90s, in my opinion.


EDIT: Speaking of excess realism, David, was wondering if you'd seen anything by the Dardenne Bros. (your description of pet aesthetic peeves sound a lot like their movies; however, their narrative precision is pretty remarkable).
 
Starting Out...

Starting Out...

David,

When you were starting out, what was it like making the leap to full time DP? I ask because I'm now starting to walk that line, I have my first low budget feature coming up in August if all goes well. I've also shot numerous short films as well as some pilot TV shows, one of which is headed to the New York Television Festival, which is basically the Sundance of pilot TV. So I'm starting to get some notice, but I'm still wondering how this jump is going to work....

Did you just go out and find work? I've managed to pull that off and nab some smaller projects. Usually I'll find an ad on a local film list serve and send in the requested information (reel, resume, etc).

Thanks!
 
It makes me feel old to say "back in 1991 when I graduated film school, there was no internet..." (actually there was, I guess.) But I don't recall going online much until the mid 1990's.

I had a part-time job at a sound efx company logging in efx into their database, while shooting on the side. I did one feature during that time, and then the next year, a fellow graduate hooked me up with a second feature. About that time, I decided to quit my part-time job and just concentrate on shooting. I started to get some EPK work through the editor and director of my second feature, so that paid the bills. That... and a wife with a full-time job with a healthcare plan.

The work just snowballed, but in slow-motion, one job leading to the next. Editor of the second feature introduced me the director of my fourth, producer of the fourth hired me to shoot four more features, directors of some of those features hired me, etc. Even an actor on two of those features hired me to shoot a feature he was directing.
 
David Mullen ASC said:
I had a part-time job at a sound efx company logging in efx into their database, while shooting on the side.
Click to expand...

Good to know I'm not the only DP out there pulling a part-time job! I work part-time in a video lab for a university, but they recently put me back on contractor status, so I'm only guaranteed one day a week at best, needless to say freelance shooting has become a very big priority for me.

Did you start out in California? I'm actually in the DC metro area, so the market is a bit weird over here.
 
Yes, I've been in Los Angeles since 1982.

The Tiffen Low-Con filter has sort of a mild fog-filter effect and was used on a lot of movies in the 1970's, notably "Barry Lyndon".

The Tiffen Ultra-Con doesn't have that "blooming" effect (halation) around lights though it will wash-out the image completely if you pan the camera into a big glare or light. It lifts up the blacks and lowers contrast without the softening effect that a Low-Con gives you. So it's more subtle in general.

I haven't used the other filters like the Soft-Con, etc.
 
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