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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 :)

Lens suggestion

All you DV-only-shooters are in for a BIG surprise once you start shooting with the RED. Theres not much practical difference to shooting 35mm film(ecxept for that with film its loading, with RED its unloading).
In professional filmmaking we hire lots of people just to stand around the camera and wait for the order of a café latté.... NOT.
We only hire the people nessesary to do the job. ITS BUSINESS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
U need help to shoot 35mm/RED period!
Even shooting a simple well lit packshot will take you half a day instead of 1hour with an AC and a Gaffer(thats the guy that does something with wires and electricity and some other things(long shiny or black things with strange trilegs that are called stands and some other things that are very hot and bright that are called lamps))
I often tell my two sons(6 and 2yrs) "Dont touch anything that you dont know what is and how its used"
 
Jens Jakob Thorsen said:
We only hire the people nessesary to do the job. ITS BUSINESS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
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I'm not sure which part of Hollywood you've been working, in but its certainly not the same part that I've seen.

And I've seen some VERY incredible footage (shot on film) that had a VERY minimal number of people "assisting". Some footage better than what I see on "the big screen".
 
Big T said:
Xaiden - have you ever shot 35mm stills or a motion picture camera?
all is the same as these.

a 300mm is a 300m.
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I have never shot a motion picture camera. I have shot 35mm stills. And I've shot with a 900mm lens stills, so I guess then that looks the same on a film camera, just "moving"?
 
Yes and no. It's the moving part that's going to offer a challenge for you. You'll have to carefully choose focal lengths, set your exposures properly, etc and really, you'll want an AC unless you've really got command of a cine style lens.

Are you ordering a follow focus, mattebox, handheld rigging, etc?
 
xaidenx said:
I'm not sure which part of Hollywood you've been working, in but its certainly not the same part that I've seen.
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You've seen the part where it's a bigger crew, but nobody's very experienced at their job, therefore it seems like a lot of people are standing around and nothing's moving right. I've seen that a lot in L.A.

There is a "Hollywood" where people have been doing their job for many years, and while it appears to the untrained eye that crew is goofing off, the truth is they are so good and fast that things are simply moving efficiently and there is very little waiting for any one dept to get something done.

Just the fact that you think that large crews are as a matter of course unnecessary or wasteful tells me a lot about your experience level.

xaidenx said:
And I've seen some VERY incredible footage (shot on film) that had a VERY minimal number of people "assisting". Some footage better than what I see on "the big screen".
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It's very possible to get some amazing stuff with a small crew, IF the circumstances are correct. But as you add certain elements, manpower requirements go up.
 
NateWeaver said:
Just the fact that you think that large crews are as a matter of course unnecessary or wasteful tells me a lot about your experience level.

[snip]

But as you add certain elements, manpower requirements go up.
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I said that I won't need a large crew on my set. I understand how a movie like cloverfield, would need a big crew.


And you're right, my experience level is nil. I've never shot a feature. But, I have been on set of many features and sit and say "this person doesn't need to be here, or that person is useless."

I've gained a lot of experience just sitting on set. And yes, I was one of those people on set who "didn't need to be there" But, I was not a "crew member" just and on-looker.
 
Xaidenx, if you know 35mm still lenses you'll get a rough idea of what is possible with the Red lenses. One word on warning is that the 18-50mm really doesn't get you anywhere near the classic long lens stuff you're used to seeing in traditional Hollywood fare. You really need the 50-150mm too to get that. Then again, some great films have been shot on just wide lenses (even for close-ups) like "Delicatessen" and "Amelie". Some dudes have practically shot entire films on just one wide-ish prime lens.

p.s. your Avatar is still freaking me out...:help:
 
xaidenx said:
I don't have a 50mm at my disposal, but do you have any reference shots of something shot on 50mm to see what type of DOF I can achieve?
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It all depends on the focus distance and aperture. A 50mm lens can have deep DOF if stopped down and or is farther away from the subject. Or it can have very shallow depth of field if the aperture is opened up and you are close to the subject. Shallow DOF isn't the only thing that comes with 35mm imagers. It's the choices that it allows if you understand how it works.

Oh, and as for what equipment you are buying, if you are shooting anything outside, you'll need ND(neutral density) filters.
 
xaidenx said:
Just the body, general lens, battery, lcd and ram to start off with. *Practice*
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Okay, that's cool. May I make a suggestion. Rent some lenses for your camera for a while so you can experiment and get a feel for everything. It will help you make a more informed decision about which lens or lenses to purchase. There are a lot of options out there depending on how much you want to spend. Bu if you rent some lenses for a few days, that experience will help you immensely.

Also, when you go to do this for real, don't underestimate accessories. You'll need them, even in basic setups. Rent these too so you can play around and see what you need and what you feel you can get away with.

If you are serious about wanting to make good decisions about buying gear, then you owe it to yourself and your bank account to try things out.

Steve
 
xaidenx said:
I don't have a 50mm at my disposal, but do you have any reference shots of something shot on 50mm to see what type of DOF I can achieve?
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'Fraid I can't help you there, but as Parisrem posts you can achieve a shallow depth shot on a 50mm if you shoot with a wider iris with the subject quite close to you, but this won't look like a longer lens with a narrower angle of view and its naturally shallower depth of field. I'd be so bold as to suggest a "traditional" close up lens for 35mm would be anywhere in the range of a 75mm/85mm to a 135mm and above, but as I said before, depending on your aesthetics, you can film a different kind of close-up with a wider lens and a closer subject like the Barry Sonnenfeld - Darius Khondji/Jean-Pierre Jeunet kind of thing. Best thing if you haven't got stills lenses in the longer ranges is to go down to your local camera shop and have a play with theirs to see what you get for each focal length.
 
Um, 70+ replys to this thread. Time to move on guys...
 
Thanks for all the help guys, most of you have been very informative. Except for a few of the "I'm too cool for school" guys.
 
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