Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

[TimPipher]

Hello David. The only series I find myself tuning into this summer is Big Love. And every week I strain my eyes frantically scanning the opening and closing credits to see your name.

So far I haven't seen it. Are my eyes not fast enough or are you not getting the credit you deserve?

 

[David Mullen ASC]

I'm in the main credits for the episodes I shot (I think they flash in the top right corner) -- Episodes 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12 (the final one for the season). The one that aired starting tonight was #9, shot by William Wages, ASC. I shot the one before that, with the surprise ending that I won't spoil (for those that missed it.)

 

[Ken Corben]

David,

What are the technical choices and limitations given the RED ISO 500 rating of late in terms of changing the shutter speed VS ND filtering to obtain a f8-16 stop wide angle for us underwater shooters?

Typical surface f stop with ISO 64 film is 16, mid-water is F8-16 and deep water is F5.6 - 8.

Figure we do not do any massive/rapid panning and the desired output is theatrical screening.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Since shutter speed affects motion rendition, it is generally avoided as a method of just controlling exposure when an ND can be used. ND's are more or less the most common filter used in filmmaking.

 

[Ken Corben]

David,

I know you addressed this on another forum a year ago - does RED 4K 60fps affect any of your previous thoughts?
http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/lofiversion/index.php?t15157.html

Ken and company,
what are your thoughts on shooting 24p vs. 60p. I've been bouncing between both the past three months and my personal preferance is 60p. I also had a discussion with some folks on a recent bbc shoot with giant humboldt squid for the new series called "Life" and when they arrived to the boat that was our first discussion. They chose 30p for the sequences we shot, but after talking with the DP he said most of his library is 60p and it seems most versatile.

Anyway, each has it's own benefits, but for a stock library it seems 60p allows you more motion control (slow down images) and a larger percentage of u/w footage that ends up being kept--at least in my case. I think i blow 50% or more of what I shoot underwater when shooting 24p and can never get the fish to take 2.

Thoughts?.....

Actually, I would like to get some input on the 24P/60P thing too. My gut feeling is the more information we capture the better we are - that is the highest resolution and the highest frame rate.

I think we can only get 24P right now in 4K REDCODE RAW (the spec says 30fps but Jim said in a recent post that it may be a later update to get 4K at 30fps eventually)

My feeling is I will shoot 4K whenever possible and I think we should shoot the highest frame rate we can as well, and do pulldowns in post. However, I haven't been doing a lot of editing in the past few years so what seems like it should be easy in Final cut, may be more difficult than I think.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

In most of my narrative feature work, slow-motion is used sparingly, though you need it sometime.

The trouble with shooting at higher frame rates and pulling frames to get to 24 fps is that it looks like you shot it at 24 fps but with a narrower shutter angle, because your per-frame exposure was shorter than it would be if you shot at 24 fps

 

[Omada]

David, I have a couple of non-technical questions if you'll indulge me. Have you ever been starstruck while working on a project? If the answer is "yes" then... have you ever done/said something really stupid because of this? Let's get some humour on this topic, quick.

One serious question (in case I get a simple "no" to the above)... what's your observation of how "known" talent goes about their craft and relating to the director, opposed to unknown talent? I know you've worked with both and have probably observed certain tendancies (other than stars requesting bigger trailers). Are most celebs high matainance on set?

I've found that known actors like to test new directors, often challenging them and sometimes asking obscure questions with no immediate relevance. Don't ask me how I know. :whistling:

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Actors are all different, some demanding, etc. and it doesn't seem to be related to how famous they are. In fact, most of the famous stars I have worked with have been very professional. If they are demanding, it's mainly in the ways that make sense, like having a quiet set, time to rehearse, not be distracted by last minute adjustments. So they demand that you be on your game, be ready, when they show up so that they can just concentrate on acting, which I respect.

Sure, some of them like to throw their weight around, though mostly that's off-set.

I don't really get starstruck -- the only two times have been when I chickened out from introducing myself to Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist when I had the chance. I've since chatted briefly with Storaro, but I missed my chance with Nykvist, which I regret. I have felt a little intimidated by some big-name actors, not because I was starstruck, but more that I didn't want to screw something up.

 

[explosive]

Okay, here goes...How do you feel about lighting with china balls? It seems like I saw a thread somewhere where someone mentioned a DP who lights primarily with china balls.

I know this is not my thread, but for what its worth china balls are great, but dont get stuck to just them, you know. They are just one tool.

I have a friend who wasnt happy with the way the china balls lit his set, so he lit it instead with a several hundred candles. The result was SPECTACULAR.

 

[I Bloom]

Preproduction

Preproduction

Hey David,

I really appreciate all the effort that you put into this community and many others.

My question for you is how do you break down preproduction:

-What kind of planning do you do on paper, and how do you organize that work?

-How involved are you in choosing shots and coverage depending upon the director.

-On a feature how much time do you spend in preproduction (best case scenario).

-What kind of preproduction work is done in collaboration with the director/producers?

-and with the art department?

-and on your own?

-How involved are you in the selection of your crew (and what advice do you have in this area.)

-Do you build or plan rigs and special equipment?

I guess I'm asking these questions because I've gotten to the point where ok I can make a living shooting but I use some of the same tricks over and over and most of those tricks are just ways to get just a pleasing result in a fast paced environment. I really want to improve my work on an artistic level and I feel like that has to happen in preproduction. Maybe you can suggest some better questions toward this end.

IBloom

 

[David Mullen ASC]

I sort of reached a point in shooting low-budget movies where my lighting/composition was pretty advanced but I was reaching a quality limit imposed by the limits of the budget for production design. You get to a point where you can't get around the fact that what's in front of the camera determines visual quality and impressiveness more than how you shoot it. So you need to start working with better production designers and shooting on better locations, with better sets, better costumes, etc. You can light a scene like a Vermeer, but it makes a big difference if you are shooting in some friend's white-walled apartment versus some beautiful old wood-panelled library, etc.

Ideally, I have a month for prep on a feature minimum. It takes three weeks just to go through a feature script with the director scene by scene and talk through every possible idea for shooting, if we meet for four to six hours a day (which is sort of a mental limit -- you get burned-out after awhile.) And generally the last two weeks of prep are taken up with tech scouting, meetings with departments, crew hiring, the director in casting and rehearsals, etc., so you need that time before that last two weeks of prep to just talk ideas with the director, ideally while wandering around the locations.

 

[I Bloom]

It takes three weeks just to go through a feature script with the director scene by scene and talk through every possible idea for shooting, if we meet for four to six hours a day (which is sort of a mental limit -- you get burned-out after awhile.) And generally the last two weeks of prep are taken up with tech scouting, meetings with departments, crew hiring, the director in casting and rehearsals, etc., so you need that time before that last two weeks of prep to just talk ideas with the director, ideally while wandering around the locations.

Thanks David. What kind of information do you prepare in diagrams or notebooks?

IBloom

 

[David Mullen ASC]

It varies, from a detailed shotlist to storyboards, etc. On my latest movie, we are in one location for a month, so we spent two weeks shooting still photos of every set-up in there using stand-ins to create a photo storyboard.

Most of the time, though, it's too much work to describe (through a shotlist or storyboard) every shot in a movie before prep runs out -- I generally get through two-thirds of the movie and catch up for the rest before we get to those days on the shoot.

On shows that are mostly dialogue scenes where the blocking and rehearsing with the actors will have a major effect on how it's covered, the director and I will be more vague in our planning, just discussing transition shots (how to get in and out of the scene), or general look and feeling to the camera movement (handheld, Steadicam, dolly, etc.). But during prep, it's important to identify any special equipment needs so it can be budgeted and ordered (or denied due to budget) -- like a camera crane.

Obviously any shotlists, etc. are only something to work from as a starting point on the day -- you have to leave yourself open to inspiration, as long as you keep in mind your time limit. You can't walk in with a reasonable plan to shoot 22 set-ups that day, for example, but on the spur of the moment, decide you need 100 set-ups actually when you start the day and have no plan for how to deal with that (like have a B-camera there).

 

[Adam C Lubkin]

David, do you have any preference among the different models of director's viewfinders?

 

[David Mullen ASC]

No, haven't really used those much. I have a lens finder these days on set for lining up shot (you put the actual camera lens on it) mainly for dolly moves, otherwise I'm pretty good at guessing what lens to use for a set-up based on the amount of optical compression I think it needs or simply the space restrictions. You soon learn that an over-the-shoulder shot feels different on a 40mm versus an 85mm, for example.

I just got a Nikon D40x which also serves as a sort of finder on scouts since the focal lengths are similar.

 

[Justin Kirchhoff]

David, I've always been curious as to how a PROPER shot list is composed. Do you have any examples?

 

[David Mullen ASC]

I have no idea -- I just use my own shorthand, like:

Sc.1: Kitchen - Day
#1 WS of Dick and Jane / slow DOLLY into MS
#2 OTS past Dick onto MCU Jane
#3 OTS past Jane onto MCU Dick
#4 CU Jane / DOLLY 180 degrees around to see Dick walking out the door (48 fps)
#5 INSERT: letter in Jane's hands

 

[Omada]

David, have you seen Haskell Wexler's new doc "Who Needs Sleep?" I just saw the trailer at http://whoneedssleep.net

He advocates a 12-on, 12-off schedule, which is something I'm looking into for my next feature. It's more expensive to shoot this way but I'd bet the quality of the flick would greatly improve with a fresh crew and fresh talent each time out. Starting a production day well rested can't hurt. I've sacrificed shots in the past because everyone on my team lacked the energy to continue performing at a high level as the hours wore on. I think I'll eat the additional costs next time and do a 12-on, 12-off. What do you think?

 

[M Most]

He advocates a 12-on, 12-off schedule, which is something I'm looking into for my next feature. It's more expensive to shoot this way ...

More expensive than what? Killing the crew and still not making the day?

More hours doesn't always equal more pages. This has been shown to be the case time and time again. The only sensible argument I can think of for 14+ hour days is limited availability of cast members. And even then, performance is going to suffer.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

Most movies budget around 12-hour days because there is overtime and turnaround issues anyway, so it becomes less cost effective to work longer days, not to mention the costs of a guaranteed meal every six hours, the fact that the crew works more slowly after twelve, it gets dangerous on set or to drive home, etc. Of course, they also budget for a few days of more than twelve hours because that happens.

The 12-on/12-off rule would just make it more official, to limit the day to 12 hours with a 12-hour turnaround, rather than the 10 hours off most crews get.

So personally I think that a 12-hour day max is a smart idea -- we're talking 12-hour days, of physical labor on hot film sets. In most other industries, the notion that we have to fight for a 12-hour work day is insane.

The problem is that most schedules and directors are overly ambitious, want more set-ups per day, so aren't willing to accept what they can get within twelve hours of work.

The trouble is that the number of shooting days is really based on budget, not the reality of the script. You may breakdown a script and determine it needs 35 days minimum, but then the budget only allows 30, let's say. Now a smart writer-director-producer would cut the script or rewrite it to fit better within the 30 days (or find more money for the extra 5 days) but unfortunately most just try and cram 35 days of work into 30.