[Bob Cole]

[Erik Anschicks] “Bob, hopefully that was “interesting choices” in a good way :)”

Yes. I was thinking particularly of the effectiveness-to-weight/bulk ratio of stuff like diffusion, small fixtures, and those light stands. (I’d include a Tota-lite with a ex-small Chimera – that’s a pretty high bang-for-the-ounce.) And I like the Home Depot shopping list. Time will be short, by the time you realize you’re not getting the checked gear!

To avoid the delayed bags problem, the best strategy, though, is to try not to fly out on the last plane of the day.

[Bob Cole]

Excellent point. I couldn’t agree more about the importance of good manners and empathy on the part of the crew and producers. When I read your comment, it immediately called some scenes to mind, of strutting, self-important production people (including myself, when I was getting started. Cringe!)

The relevance of Dogme 95 (thanks Rick) is that it is possible to achieve good results with less gear.

While I agree with you, John, that the attitude of the personnel make by far the biggest difference, I still believe that there are situations where a more intimate approach (fewer people and less equipment) can be helpful. As with features shot under Dogme 95 as opposed to Spielberg 2013, the results will definitely be different, though!

[Bob Cole]

Interesting choices. I think this is a good exercise, not just for the sake of having enough gear in case the checked bags don’t make it – but also for its own sake.

For some subjects, an excess of stands and flags and lights can be intimidating. The less gear you put up, the more relaxed they’ll be. If the whole point is to get a great interview, minimalism can get the job done better than a truck full of gear.

(I believe that a few years ago there was some European manifesto about producing features with a minimum of equipment. If anyone recalls, I’d like to know more about it.)

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Good thread.

Here’s a twist. Edit the package a little more for worst-case eventuality:

You can’t rely on your checked cases arriving in time for the shoot, so you must take enough in carry-on for the shoot. The entire crew is two people, so you will be allowed to take two 22x14x9 bags and two laptop-sized bags. You’ll need to take a camera (small, EX1R size), audio, light(s), and all necessary accessories that you won’t be able to replicate on location. You’re headed to a city which does not have a rental source, but there’ll be just enough time to stop off at a Home Depot/WalMart type store on your way to the shoot.

Assignment is interview and b-roll of interviewee in his/her work setting.

Ideas?

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

What a good thread. All that has been said is absolutely correct. It’s all about the particular shots, eye lines, image sizes and positioning; as Rick said, having 1080 to work with can be a life-saver.

You did the right thing to cave in, of course; the client is always right. Unfortunately, sometimes the client imposes arbitrary rules for reasons that have nothing to do with the edit, but everything to do with past history in the organization; e.g., someone in the organization likes to assert his/her authority by noticing and pointing out “errors”. (I asked in the edit room once, why we would do THAT, and the voice in the back said “Because I write the checks.” Lesson learned.)

Brilliant editors (and directors), of course, make “errors” all the time. One of my favorite examples is a violation of the 180 rule in “Sliding Doors,” when the cheated-on woman goes ballistic. It works perfectly, and of course it is a huge “mistake” which your client would probably have forbidden.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Update: Two months into the experiment, a combination of standing and sitting works best for me.

[Seth Burke] “To me, it seems getting a fixed tall table and simply buying an adjustable stool makes more sense.”

True, “but”. I thought about that for awhile, until I realized that I wasn’t going to commit to it. The nice thing about the Ikea solution is the low cost – if you don’t like it, you’ve lost $28. Besides, if I’m going to sit, it isn’t going to be on a stool – it’s going to be in a good Aeron-type chair.

Right now, I’m using two computers, one at a standing desk, one at a seated desk. I’m planning to simplify and use just one computer, but to do that I’ll need to find a KVM switch-in-reverse, so that I can move from standing to seated at will.

[Bob Cole]

I just clicked on my own original post, and found that the COW or someone it allowed into the pasture has already monetized it, by linking the words “download” and “Windows” to pop-up ads.

Creepy? Annoying? Where do we register a complaint about this? It seems to me there are enough ads all over the edges of the forum. And/or, is there a way to set up Google Chrome to prevent pop-ups? I used to be able to do that – I don’t know how that option disappeared.

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

Ryan, I like your thinking about heat and power consumption. I haven’t done any calculation, and I don’t know these fixtures, but I’d be surprised if using two four-banks would give you the coverage you want. If you are planning to light the entire wall, you might want to look into using (at a guess) four space lights. To save energy, you could use just the two central lights when you don’t need the whole 40 foot width.

But I am not a lighting director, and there are several who frequent this forum. Where are you guys?

Bob C

[Bob Cole]

I once had to edit a piece on a laptop, on location, for a corporate show. It featured a music clip that had been supplied to me. It sounded great on the laptop, but when we played it back on the ginormous speakers, it was horrible. And there was nothing I could do about it.

But I did learn to look at the waveforms of supplied music clips after that. This one was almost a solid black line – totally compressed and limited rather than having a nice range of peaks and valleys.

And – it sounded just fine on the laptop!

[Bob Cole]

[Eric Toline] “Remember there’s a 20db difference between the mixers meters and the cameras meters so “0” on the mixer is really -20 on the camera”

Eric, is that true of all cameras?