Charts are shot for each new roll of film and when the color temperature of the light changes (going from indoor tungsten lighting to outdoor daylight). This tells the lab when they transfer the film to video what 18% neutral gray is so the colors come out accurately.
Film School
Blue Screen – Set Anatomy
A tentacle is being shot on a blue screen so it can later be superimposed over some other footage. The trick with blue and green screen is to light the screen evenly and not have any color spill onto what you want to remove. Normally you'd want a larger screen and to...
It’s Now Coffee, Celluloid, and the Tube
I'm now the General Manager of my school's Student Broadcast Center (SBC). It's a Bureau funded by the Student Government that controls two channels available to on-campus residents (not me). I should clarify that, though. We have the ability to control two channels,...
A World Within a City
As I get ready to DP this Sunday by box building (for lights) and color temperature fretting, I decided to stop by one of the other sets that was filming today. I knew they were shooting in a park near downtown. What I didn't know was this little park had a lost...
Inside Director’s Prep [Producing]
Unbeknownst to the crew (though I'm sure someone had to notice me balancing a camera on my knee), I grabbed a few shots of the storyboard presentation during director's prep.
Farewell Greenlit Films
Thesis films are over. And as far as film school films go, we've shot our last frame. Hopefully these won't be the last films we make. The realization that this was the end hit me when I was walking to the final location on my set. Perhaps that's why things dragged on...
Drawing The Line
So as noted here before, and it's a pretty big distinction for how films are crewed and scheduled at The Film School and in the real world, jobs are classified as Above-the-Line (ATL) and Below-The-Line (BTL). It's not too hard to remember the difference. Writers,...
On the Road Again
Some back story: So the other two members in the Doc group are focusing on the Patriot Guard and Celebrity Impersonators, while I'm doing Cubicles. The Patriot Guard is a group of motorcyclists that go to the funerals of Iraq soldiers per the family's request to...
Jumping Above the Line
With Thesis films right around the corner, I'm about to begin my first job in an ATL position - Art Director (a job that I didn't realize was ATL). Basically I assist the Production Designer with whatever they need. The film I'm working on is pretty contemporary - no...