Modular and Reusable Diffusions
When I spec out a lighting and grip package, I generally request a number of 4×4 and 2×3 gel frames be pre-strung with various densities…
Source Four Leko Tips & Tricks
One of the light fixtures that I often use is the ETC Source Four Ellipsoidal, or leko. If you aren’t familiar with them, this particular type of ellipsoidal…
How to Rewire a Bates Power Cord
I recently purchased a few used Source Four ellipsoidal theater fixtures for use in my work. I’ve written about lighting with lekos before, and rent them often, but…
NAB 2016 Discussion – The Role of a DP and Tips and Tricks for the job
While visiting NAB 2016, I stopped in at the Teradek Live show to chat with fellow DPs and PVC contributors Art Adams and Brian Hallett. We began by discussing some…
Location Lighting Tips: Faking the Sun
As a director of photography I often find myself in circumstances that are not always in my control, and yet with issues that I am required to solve. You have…
Location Interview Lighting Tips: HMI Lights & Looking into the Lens
I recently shot a series of location interviews that will be used as the narrative backbone for a client’s short documentary project. They scheduled a few days of…
Defining Visual Language for a Travel Documentary
Last August I had the opportunity to DP a 3-week documentary feature film called The Flying Dutchmen. In this article I want to talk about our visual language choices…
Top 20 Awards That Accurately Depict Filmmaking
Today marks the 87th Academy Awards, where filmmakers are honored by peers for their finished work. Which got my colleague Kendal Miller thinking…last night he tweeted “What…
Flex Light Review and Photometrics
Recently I had the pleasure of working on a project with Jem Schofield. Jem has a gear obsession that borders on a medical condition, and I was delighted to see…
Hands-on with the Panasonic Varicam S35
A few years ago, Panasonic showed early prototypes of what would become the 4K Varicam, their S35 digital cinema camera. That model is starting to trickle out into the wild…
