[John Sharaf]

Shaddowless lighting requires large soft sources usually 4K Zip Softs, but you can recreate the effect with 4×4′ Frames with white diffussion.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Andy,

I recommend the Ronford Spreader Dolly:

https://www.abelcine.com/store/Ronford-Baker-Universal-Rolling-Spider/

It’s cheaper, better and stronger. In addition has castor wheels for smooth floor use without track.

Only drawback is conventional dolly track, such as from Matthews:

https://www.msegrip.com/product/dollies-track.html

Which is difficult to transport unless you have a truck or roof rack, although the dolly could be made to work with PVC pipe, which is available everywhere.

Whatever track you use, don’t forget wedges and cribbing.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Evan,

The simple answer is not “native 1.33” but that doesn’t stop you from “side cutting” to adjust the 1.78 HD aspect to 1.33 in post. Use the 4×3 framelines in the camera as a guide while shooting.

The only native 4×3 imagers are those in the Alexa Studio, 4×3 Plus and M cameras, which are really intended for full frame anamorphic.

I believe you could cut a full rez 4×3 image from the larger sensor Red cameras as well.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Viking,

Only possible horror story would be from computer illiterate source.

First off, always use Sony SxS cards for highest reliability. Somewhat foolhardy to try and save money with purchase of cheap media.

Whatever workflow you settle on, be sure and test it and become familiar before you’re on the job; learning media management on the job is a big boo-boo.

Either use a computer with an internal Express 34 Slot (becoming harder and harder to find) or a USB3 or Thunderbolt Express 34 Slot Reader for highest speed. These are either from Sonnet or Sony’s new reader.

Install the latest SxS Reader Drivers in your computer or else it will not even see the readers. This and other necessary software is all available for free download from Sony Broadcast website’s XDCAM section.

Always advise your client to bring a proper hard drive on which to download the media AND a spare for backup. It’s helpful to tell them whether you’ll be using a MAC or PC platform, and what is the highest speed connectivity you have (FW800, USB3, Thunderbolt?)

I advise using download software that that preforms a check sum verification. This is cheap insurance. I’ve had good luck with “ShotPutPro” which costs under $100 and is available by download from the internet. It creates a log too which documents the veracity of your download. Install and learn the software before thew shoot.

Fortunately the PMW-F3 writes fairly small file; for example the 64Gb Card will hold 222 minutes of the highest quality HD material, so the download time is short. Even so, it’s probably best to download the morning during lunch and the afternoon as you start to wrap, so the company is not waiting for you to clear the set at the end of the day.

For playback on set, you can either use the Sony XDCAM Browser or the Cineon program, which costs about $100 and allows playback just be clicking on the clip.

Good luck,

JS

[John Sharaf]

Linc,

Assuming you have fast enough drives, you can edit in PR444, otherwise transcode your dailies with the burned in LUT to something more manageable (like SQ) and than conform the Log C original PR444 for final color correction once the picture is locked. You can do both with Resolve.

It’s really a matter of how the effort adds up; is it easier to apply a one light look to the transcode and at the end a shot by shot color correction or to create timed dailies (correct each scene or shot) and possibly avoid any final color correction at all (or maybe just a few touch ups)? The first is going to be the more normal workflow, assuming you have extra time and seek perfection and speed.

If the project is more deadline driven and/or the color correction is done on the outside, requiring more expense and time, the second workflow might be advantageous.

Hope this helps,

JS

[John Sharaf]

Matt,

No, 150mm is 6″

Filters of 4×5.65″ are rectangular and also know as P-Size. The P is for Panavision!

These are the most common size filters for motion picture use as the cover almost all prime lenses and all by the largest zooms (which require 6×6″)

JS

[John Sharaf]

Once you have confirmed the focus marks on your lens by measuring with a tape, you can “tape” any subject for accurate focus. Consult charts such as are in the ASC manual to find depth of field distance with near and far extremes.

Creating a “drop shaddow” with lighting might help define a the “impression” you describe in the snow, or alternately blocking the sun or skylight, in effect a “negative key” might make the impression more three dimensional and easier to see in the two dimensions of a motion picture.

JS

[John Sharaf]

Just reading this thread now (many months later) but here are a few pertinent things to wrap it up:

The DP on the shoot went to some effort in convincing production to spend extra time and money for the Truelight SDI box to preview the look that they all intended to carry into the dailies. Post should honor that effort and expense.

At that time (last April) one would have to have processed the dailies outside of their edit platform to burn in the look established by the ASC CDL, most likely by sending it out to a color correction facility (although it would not necessarily be an expensive nor time consuming thing to do).

It is now possible for almost anyone with computer skills to download a free copy of DaVinci and apply an ASC CDL to each clip referanced by TC to process the dailies with the on-set color decisions. It’s free, only takes a little time.

Unfortunately the Alexa, with it’s importable “Look” tool can only accommodate a 1D not full 3D LUT, so while the gamma, lift and gain will match, the color saturation will not.

ASC CDL is becoming more of an industry standard way of moving the onset looks to post, but it seems that with the Alexa it will always require a little processing. For that matter if they’re editing on Avid a transcode to DnXHD is often required too and the LUT can be applied at the same time.

Eventually the ASC CDL will be able to be embedded in each clips metadata and editing platforms will be able to interpret and make the corrections in real time. This is the “Holy Grail” of on-set color management and is still a work in progress.

John Sharaf
IA600 Cinematographer
Alexa Studio/4×3 Plus/EV Owner/Operator
Pacific Palisades, Ca.

[John Sharaf]

The real answer (which you’ve probably figured out by now) is that you’re looking at the 709 conversion in the viewfinder and the Log C version from the recording. This is all under menu control by Color/Gamma.

If you record on Log C, which allows the most control in post poroduction color correction, you must “process” your dailies and apply a 709 or one light color correction to have a more proper color through the editing process.

Once your picture is locked, you can conform to the original Log C master and then color correct the finished project shot by shot using software like Resolve, Baselight, etc.

John Sharaf
IA600 Cinematographer
Alexa Studio/4×3 Plus/ EV Owner/Operator
Pacific Palisades, Ca.

[John Sharaf]

I am successfully using the Sonnet TB Express 34 Adapter and Retina with 10.8.2 and the latest Sony drivers to download SxS cards from both the Alexa and F3’s

Using Shotput Pro to Checksum the speed with the Alexa at highest PR444 codec is just slightly longer than real time (to FW800 drive). I’m sure it would be considerablt faster with TB drives. As drop and drag it’s slightly shorter than real time.

Your mileage may vary!

JS