my trailer posted on Apple.com

I just saw this film last night at the theatre. Excellent Job! Not only was it a great documentary but I echo what everyone has been saying, It was BEAUTIFULLY shot and the quality looked amazing blown up on the big screen. Even as a DVX owner, I would have thought it was film if I hadn't known ahead of time. I loved the warm tones throughout the film. Can't wait for the DVD.
 
I'd also like to know what you used for recording audio for you interviews. The audio sounded great throughout the film.
 
Okay, John wrote an open letter to people regarding Jerry Seinfeld's documentary dis at the oscars. You can find it here: http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=9126

John, I can understand where you're coming from, but I think you just have to take a step back and laugh. I don't think it was meant to be malicious, just an echo of how the majority of documentaries feel. A lot of them are depressing. It's true! I have to admit, it was the loudest I laughed during the Oscars. And I think by taking it so seriously, you sort of play into the very stereotype you're trying to defeat.

Documentary's popularity is at an all time high. And I think that once you get to the top, you have to be ready to take some heat. The irony here is that his comment is probably, in the end, going to bring documentaries more exposure than had he not said anything. And what's so bad about that?

I saw it as a joke and nothing more. It will not change Joe Moviegoer's decision to never see a documentary. And it will have no effect on my choice to watch documentaries.

I am sorry to hear about the new way they choose the nominees, though I'm still not sure I understand what happened. You said the cities were "increased". Though I know I'm missing something, "increased" implies that chances for everyone would go up. Care to explain that in more depth?
 
Hi C.G. --

John Sinno has a producer credit on IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS because he helped finance post-production.

I'm not John -- I'm James Longley, and I'm the director/cinematographer/co-editor/sound guy/composer/producer on the film. While I may agree with some of the things he has to say, John Sinno's letter reflects his own views and way of expressing them, not mine, and he sent it out to all the media and the Academy without telling me, which -- as you can imagine -- was kind of a bummer considering that many people -- such as yourself -- think that he is actually me when they read it.
 
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[SIZE=+0]First of wow what an excellent work and congrats Mr.James Longley.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]I am working on a project and I need to ask you a question.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]If you can answer it would be sweet,if not I would understand.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]How much (roughly)cost you to bump it HD,CC and film transfer?[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]I would really appreciate if you could give me some numbers.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+0]Thanks in advance and good day.[/SIZE]
 
What I would like to know is since you won sundance, etc. have you gotten a lot of interest from studios about working on other project? Has it opened up doors for you since you got a lot of recognition with this documentary? Are people seeking you out to talk about possible upcoming project?

Thanks
 
Longley, what was the reason for you to shoot in Letterbox mode instead of Squeeze, or using a 16:9 anamorphic adapter? Won't those yield better results?

When you say letterbox, do you mean the letterbox mode in camera, or did you simply shoot in 4:3 and cropped to 16:9 in post?

Last question: was this film shot using a DOF adapter? Because there are a lot of great filmic shallow shots in the movie.

Looking forward to this on DVD! (It's Spring already, by the way)
 
Gordon JL said:
Longley, what was the reason for you to shoot in Letterbox mode instead of Squeeze, or using a 16:9 anamorphic adapter? Won't those yield better results?

When you say letterbox, do you mean the letterbox mode in camera, or did you simply shoot in 4:3 and cropped to 16:9 in post?

Last question: was this film shot using a DOF adapter? Because there are a lot of great filmic shallow shots in the movie.

Looking forward to this on DVD! (It's Spring already, by the way)
Click to expand...

http://www.siffblog.com/other/iraq_...nterview_pt_5_technical_questions_003059.html

I imagine shooting with an anamorphic or DOF adapter would be kind of difficult in Iraq.
 
nostromo -- no -- no DOF adapters were used -- I shot the movie in normal letterbox mode just as an easy way to know where the 16:9 frameline was. Most people recommend shooting 4:3 and then cropping down to 16:9 -- which is great because then you can make adjustments to the framing in post -- but I like to see the exact framing while I'm shooting, and I didn't feel like taping up the camera or drawing framelines on the flip-out LCD. I didn't shoot in Squeeze mode because I started the film using the DVX100 and then later switched to the DVX100A -- and the earlier camera doesn't have Squeeze mode. I wanted all the material to be totally consistent, so I just stuck with normal letterbox mode the whole two years of shooting.

Incidentally, one thing I might have done differently in post if I were doing this again -- I would have cropped down to 1:1.85 aspect ratio using the widescreen matte function in Final Cut Pro -- because there is a slight difference in framing between 16:9 and 1.85 and when we transferred to film it just wound up cutting off equal amounts of the top and bottom of the frame. If I had done it in FCP, I could have had precise control over the 1.85 framing, which would have been good in some shots.
 
Raw and Vital said:
What I would like to know is since you won sundance, etc. have you gotten a lot of interest from studios about working on other project? Has it opened up doors for you since you got a lot of recognition with this documentary? Are people seeking you out to talk about possible upcoming project?
Click to expand...

I actually only won Directing, Cinematography and Editing prizes at Sundance, not the Grand Jury award, which went to "God Grew Tired of Us," by my friend, Chris Quinn. Sundance was a lot of fun, but I think the thing that attracted the most attention was the Oscar nomination. Basically, yes -- it's a lot earier to get peoples' attention with a project pitch, and I have had several projects put at my feet -- both fiction and documentary -- most of which I've had to turn down. All in all, I can't complain. :beer:
 
I need to ask you something which may be your shooting secret. If its not then do share your F6-FileSettings with us :D and their particular reason why you selected it. There are like 8-10 settings in a File and you must have done some tweaking to pre-tackle Film-Transfer. Also there are two more settings one is Camera-Setup 0%/7.5% Pedestal and the other one is White-Balance.

Thanks for rejuvenating DVX community !!!
 
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HaroonGhauree said:
I need to ask you something which may be your shooting secret. If its not then do share your F6-FileSettings with us :D and their particular reason why you selected it. There are like 8-10 settings in a File and you must have done some tweaking to pre-tackle Film-Transfer. Also there are two more settings one is Camera-Setup 0%/7.5% Pedestal and the other one is White-Balance.

Thanks for rejuvenating DVX community !!!
Click to expand...

I don't know about the White Balance settings, but there'd be no reason to use the 7.5 IRE setup. In 99% of cases, you should leave setup at 0. The only reason you'd change it to 7.5 has to do with older analog workflows, which I have to admit I'm a little vague on.
 
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