Question out there for any 16mm or 35mm cam ops

M

MakeshiftKnight

Active member
Hey guys, I started up my cinematography classes recently and I've been having trouble keeping that image in the viewfinder; you move your eye barely a mm and you've lost the image. Is it always this way starting out, and will it just get more natural over time? Also, my left eye is a little weak but I keep being told you're look into the viewfinder with the left eye and follow the talent / action with your right eye. Are there any successful camera ops who use their left eye with the viewfinder.

Thanks for the advice guys,

Nick
 
Yes

You will get better in time.

Most scenes are blocked and this helps tremendously in knowing what is going down
 
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ok, cool. I'm used to using the lcd on the DVX or HVX so going from LCD to viewfinder has been a difficult move. Not so much worried about the CineAlta we're using, just the film cameras, worried my eye will lose its place and it'll expose the film. Guess I'll just keep at it.
 
Don't sweat it man, the old 35-III's we are using employ the BL viewfinder, which is a lot like the 16BL used in advanced lighting, which is basically completely manual. The good thing is that all the other film cameras that are used in the program have much more advanced viewfinders. Just keep your eye firm against the eyepiece, and you can kind of shift till it feels right.
 
Alright cool, thanks drew. So how are the new arri's different from these ones in terms of the viewfinder? Is the viewfinder just a lot less sensitive in terms of where you place your eye?
 
Well, newer cameras, particularly the ARRI 35's have an electronic viewfinder, which most new 35mm's do. The reason the 35-III is a little more difficult with the viewfinder is because it is fully manual, with a mirrored ground glass. Most new viewfinders have electronic elements which help with light leak, and viewing adjustments. Still though, you will encounter the pressure sensitive eye piece with pretty much all film cameras, as that is what activates the "shutters" in the finder to open, revealing the GG.
 
i've almost never seen anybody op a film camera from an onboard. only time I've seen it done is when someones eye physically cant reach the eyepiece (pointing straight down over a ledge, wedged into a windshield, something like that.). maybe its because i was taught old school but whatever.

i find that i'm getting really used to my setup by the end of a shoot and i have to send all the gear back.
my rule is to keep the bone of your eye pressed against the eyepiece, it helps, but sometimes riding a dolly you can get smacked around pretty good. i have worked with some leftys though. they either have their right eye hugging the magazine, or some cameras actually do have an eyepiece that flips to the right side of the camera.

mb
 
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