Tarts Fools & The G-Men
- Thread starter lyonfilms
- Start date
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 03
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 03
Story Boards.
Story boarding is not technically an area that a cinematographer is directly involved with- at least it is not expected or common for the cinematographer to be drawing the boards. However, with "TARTS, FOOLS, & THE G-MEN" (TFG) I am taking on that roll. The budget for the film is miniscule (Translation: No budget for a storyboard artist.) and after our second production meeting we had discussed some great ideas for the opening sequence and before those ideas slipped away I found myself drawing them out ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 03
Story Boards.
Story boarding is not technically an area that a cinematographer is directly involved with- at least it is not expected or common for the cinematographer to be drawing the boards. However, with "TARTS, FOOLS, & THE G-MEN" (TFG) I am taking on that roll. The budget for the film is miniscule (Translation: No budget for a storyboard artist.) and after our second production meeting we had discussed some great ideas for the opening sequence and before those ideas slipped away I found myself drawing them out ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
lyonfilms
Well-known member
OMG! You got Rick Dancer! Awesome. I remember him from his days on the news in Eugene. This is gonna be fun. Looking forward to it.
Glad you're looking forward to it! Really excited about the fantastic cast and crew that are on board.
Final role (the other "Fool") has been cast!
CHRISTOPHER TOYNE
We start shooting in a week and a half!
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 04
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 04
Creating A Look.
The very first thing that I do for a narrative piece is to read the script a couple of times just to get a feel for the story and the characters. I do my best not to jump a head and start figuring out how I would shoot & light it- but that is easier said then done. After I have a solid understanding of the story and the characters I begin to think through the technical and creative approaches that might lend themselves to this particular production. I then discuss these ideas with the director to get a feel for the direction that he/she feels is best for the film. And it is through this exchange of ideas that a final look and feel is developed ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 04
Creating A Look.
The very first thing that I do for a narrative piece is to read the script a couple of times just to get a feel for the story and the characters. I do my best not to jump a head and start figuring out how I would shoot & light it- but that is easier said then done. After I have a solid understanding of the story and the characters I begin to think through the technical and creative approaches that might lend themselves to this particular production. I then discuss these ideas with the director to get a feel for the direction that he/she feels is best for the film. And it is through this exchange of ideas that a final look and feel is developed ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
1st (unofficial) Shoot day!
1st (unofficial) Shoot day!
Well since I was out shooting today for the film, I guess that makes it the first shoot day- although it is not officially the first day, since I was just out shooting footage for some rear projection that we'll be doing. I had a fun time coming up with a rig for my car. You can see what I came up with below. (I rolled down the windows for shooting of course.)
1st (unofficial) Shoot day!
Well since I was out shooting today for the film, I guess that makes it the first shoot day- although it is not officially the first day, since I was just out shooting footage for some rear projection that we'll be doing. I had a fun time coming up with a rig for my car. You can see what I came up with below. (I rolled down the windows for shooting of course.)
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 05
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 05
Camera Test- CTB Filter.
As you may or may not already know the Red One camera is a daylight balanced camera. That means that you will get noticeably better results shooting under daylight balanced light, then when shooting under tungsten balanced light. There are three methods for approaching this fact: 1. Shoot with only daylight balanced lights; 2. Gel all of your tungsten balanced lights; & 3. Filter the lens. While my personal preference is to go with the first option, that is not always possible. For example, I will be shooting a scene that will be lit with candles which fall in the tungsten range of the color spectrum. This means that I cannot use daylight colored light, nor can I gel the lights. (Although gelling candles would make for an interesting day on set ). So this leaves me with one option- filtering the lens ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 05
Camera Test- CTB Filter.
As you may or may not already know the Red One camera is a daylight balanced camera. That means that you will get noticeably better results shooting under daylight balanced light, then when shooting under tungsten balanced light. There are three methods for approaching this fact: 1. Shoot with only daylight balanced lights; 2. Gel all of your tungsten balanced lights; & 3. Filter the lens. While my personal preference is to go with the first option, that is not always possible. For example, I will be shooting a scene that will be lit with candles which fall in the tungsten range of the color spectrum. This means that I cannot use daylight colored light, nor can I gel the lights. (Although gelling candles would make for an interesting day on set ). So this leaves me with one option- filtering the lens ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
lyonfilms
Well-known member
After much prep, including thorough write-ups by our talented DP, Ryan Walters, we are ready to start principal photography. We shoot two scenes this Tuesday and we are all very excited.
This short film ended up with quite a bit of pre-production work, more so than I think we thought when we first started down the road. Fortunately, we have a great team, both in front and behind the camera, and I am convinced the short will turn out well (God willing).
So Tuesday we are shooting:
1. The "Hotel/Bedroom" scene - a very stylized opium-den type set...I am excited for you to all see it.
2. The "Tractor Graveyard" - we found an amazing location (see earlier post on this same thread which included a location picture) that I am excited to finally use on camera. I found the location on a drive with my family (on the way to Central Oregon for a fly fishing trip).
So - here we go!!!
This short film ended up with quite a bit of pre-production work, more so than I think we thought when we first started down the road. Fortunately, we have a great team, both in front and behind the camera, and I am convinced the short will turn out well (God willing).
So Tuesday we are shooting:
1. The "Hotel/Bedroom" scene - a very stylized opium-den type set...I am excited for you to all see it.
2. The "Tractor Graveyard" - we found an amazing location (see earlier post on this same thread which included a location picture) that I am excited to finally use on camera. I found the location on a drive with my family (on the way to Central Oregon for a fly fishing trip).
So - here we go!!!
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lyonfilms
Well-known member
For any of you interested in the process, Ryan E. Walters personal blog posts (which are all linked throughout this thread) provide an incredible step-by-step look at his approach. And for those of you who spend time really reading his posts, there are some cool videos featuring one of our actresses as Ryan tests different filters, etc.
Seriously, this is good reading for those learning the craft or hoping to improve their approach. I highly recommend you read his insights.
Seriously, this is good reading for those learning the craft or hoping to improve their approach. I highly recommend you read his insights.
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Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Thanks for the kind words Devon, much appreciated.
I do have more posts that are slated to come out. Unfortunately with prepping for this project, and the regular (paying) projects I have not been able to post everything as quickly as I have wanted. So more posts are coming, but they will be a bit behind the actual place that the production is in. So expect to see more pre-production posts, and then production posts in the coming days and weeks even though production officially starts this week.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 06
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 06
Camera Test- Black Pro Mist and Classic Soft Filters.
As I had mentioned in a previous post, camera tests are an important step in the preproduction process. They allow you test results and make educated choices before you are under the pressure of the daily schedule of the production. With the advent of many robust effect filters in the post world many question whether or not you should apply filters in post. After all, in post you have limitless options right, so why should you lock yourself into a choice on set? Well, this may work for a production or a director that does not have a clear vision, has unlimited time, and a cinematographer who is not sure of his craft, I would say that it is sloppy camera work on the part of the cinematographer. If you know the look you are going for, and you have a clear vision, then why not get everything possible to achieve that look “in the can”? It is going to be quicker, easier, and ultimately cheaper to get it on set then to try and figure it out in post. And it is these camera tests that help to guide the choices while on set. But I digress, this post is not about the importance of camera tests rather it is about one specific test: The Black Pro Mist filter ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 06
Camera Test- Black Pro Mist and Classic Soft Filters.
As I had mentioned in a previous post, camera tests are an important step in the preproduction process. They allow you test results and make educated choices before you are under the pressure of the daily schedule of the production. With the advent of many robust effect filters in the post world many question whether or not you should apply filters in post. After all, in post you have limitless options right, so why should you lock yourself into a choice on set? Well, this may work for a production or a director that does not have a clear vision, has unlimited time, and a cinematographer who is not sure of his craft, I would say that it is sloppy camera work on the part of the cinematographer. If you know the look you are going for, and you have a clear vision, then why not get everything possible to achieve that look “in the can”? It is going to be quicker, easier, and ultimately cheaper to get it on set then to try and figure it out in post. And it is these camera tests that help to guide the choices while on set. But I digress, this post is not about the importance of camera tests rather it is about one specific test: The Black Pro Mist filter ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Shawn Philip Nelson
Veteran
Hey Ryan, awesome blogs man! I really dig your lightweight setup, get a shoulder pad and some handles on that and it'd be the ultimate shoulder mount rig.
Btw, what tripod head is that?
And why did you gaff the "RED"?
Btw, what tripod head is that?
And why did you gaff the "RED"?
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Hey Ryan, awesome blogs man! I really dig your lightweight setup, get a shoulder pad and some handles on that and it'd be the ultimate shoulder mount rig.
Btw, what tripod head is that?
And why did you gaff the "RED"?
Thanks, glad you like the blog and the rig.
I've been trying to get the weight down to the bare minimum. I think I can shed another pound by going to the Long Valley rails. Having a lightweight setup has been fairly important to me as I do a lot of traveling, and I'm still gearing up for some doc work- so every pound counts! (Don't get me wrong, i love using the big rigs too- like on the soccer shoot I did with the 25 - 250mm lens!The head is nothing special- again another choice in regards to weight. It is just an E-Image head.
As for the gaff tape- it is just meant to help keep eyes away from me. I realize that with the rig I have I will draw eyes anyway, but anything I can do to help deter additional glances - like cover up bright, reflective surfaces helps in that effort. For example, I was in the park this past friday doing some lenses tests, and the majority of people thought I was taking still pictures. Of course I do not think that it was solely because I covered the Red Logo- but keeping a low profile did help.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 07
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 07
Camera Tests: Speed Ramping.
Slow motion and action movie are almost synonymous terms, and that is especially true for “Tarts, Fools, & The G-Men” (TFG). There are various key moments where the film will be playing with the element of time. In TFG there will be two specific uses of slow motion that I wanted to test out before production began. The first application is where the action goes from real time to slow motion and then back to real time. And the second application is where the speed goes from real time to ultra fast motion ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 07
Camera Tests: Speed Ramping.
Slow motion and action movie are almost synonymous terms, and that is especially true for “Tarts, Fools, & The G-Men” (TFG). There are various key moments where the film will be playing with the element of time. In TFG there will be two specific uses of slow motion that I wanted to test out before production began. The first application is where the action goes from real time to slow motion and then back to real time. And the second application is where the speed goes from real time to ultra fast motion ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Shawn Philip Nelson
Veteran
I recently re-watched portions of "Smoking Aces" which seems to be a big inspiration here, though are you guys going for a more campy feel?
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
I've never seen Smoking Aces, so I know that I can say that it has not directly influenced the choices that I have made. However, with all of the other heist movies I've seen, I'm sure that they do influence me.
As for the campy feel, I know none of us have our goals set on a campy feel, as we are all pushing for a more stylistic edge- something that is different the the usual corporate & industrial work that we do.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Production Day 01 (Quick Overview)
Production Day 01 (Quick Overview)
Yesterday was the first official day of production. I'll be posting a more in depth entry about the days events in my "Journey" series on my blog along with some BTS pictures. But here is a quick overview:
What went wrong-
1. Last friday at the end of my shoot day my camera (Red) DIED. (It would not power on at all.) So I was out a camera ...
2. The Make up artist had a family emergency in the middle of the night, (the morning of the shoot) and was not able to show up.
3. We were shooting an exterior scene, and the only day that had rain in the forecast was that day. (And it did rain.)
4. After we did the company move to the new location we realized that the crane we were going to use did not make it to the new location.
What went right-
1. Red has AMAZING customer service, and got me a loaner body for while my camera is in the shop for repairs. The body showed up at about 10 am. The first shot was scheduled to be up at 12 pm.
2. The more important makeup needs are not until Sunday and the female leads were great about doing their own makeup.
3. The rain was only around while we were shooting inside. It did start to drizzle while we were setting up outside, but then it went away.
4. Jerry Turner (1st AC / Editor) and Kale Heily (Gaffer) put their minds to work and came up with a GREAT solution for building a crane with the grip parts we had on hand to get the last shot of the day!
Overall it was a great day! We got all the shots we wanted, and did not have to compromise on anything. I was very impressed with all of the actors- they were professional, looked great, and delivered the performances that Devon was looking for. I'm really looking forward to seeing the final cut.
Production Day 01 (Quick Overview)
Yesterday was the first official day of production. I'll be posting a more in depth entry about the days events in my "Journey" series on my blog along with some BTS pictures. But here is a quick overview:
What went wrong-
1. Last friday at the end of my shoot day my camera (Red) DIED. (It would not power on at all.) So I was out a camera ...
2. The Make up artist had a family emergency in the middle of the night, (the morning of the shoot) and was not able to show up.
3. We were shooting an exterior scene, and the only day that had rain in the forecast was that day. (And it did rain.)
4. After we did the company move to the new location we realized that the crane we were going to use did not make it to the new location.
What went right-
1. Red has AMAZING customer service, and got me a loaner body for while my camera is in the shop for repairs. The body showed up at about 10 am. The first shot was scheduled to be up at 12 pm.
2. The more important makeup needs are not until Sunday and the female leads were great about doing their own makeup.
3. The rain was only around while we were shooting inside. It did start to drizzle while we were setting up outside, but then it went away.
4. Jerry Turner (1st AC / Editor) and Kale Heily (Gaffer) put their minds to work and came up with a GREAT solution for building a crane with the grip parts we had on hand to get the last shot of the day!
Overall it was a great day! We got all the shots we wanted, and did not have to compromise on anything. I was very impressed with all of the actors- they were professional, looked great, and delivered the performances that Devon was looking for. I'm really looking forward to seeing the final cut.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 08
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 08
Location Scouting.
Location scouting is one of THE most important steps in the preproduction process for me. I do everything I can to get out to the location we’ll be shooting at prior to production. It is during this scouting time that I am able to see what opportunities the location holds, and what problems I may encounter. Ideally, I like to go to the location with the director. For Tarts, Fools, & The G-Men (TFG) I have been fortunate enough to be able to go to almost all of the locations with the director, Devon Lyon. Unfortunately, however, due to schedule conflicts we both had with paying work (TFG is a completely creative undertaking with no budget.) we were not able to visit the Tractor Graveyard at the same time. Devon visited the location first, and met with the owner. We talked over his experience and thoughts, and then I went out and scouted it in order to prepare for the shoot. While I was at the location I made sure to gather as much information as possible in order to make the production day be as beneficial as possible, and that meant asking a series of questions ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Journey with a Cinematographer: PART 08
Location Scouting.
Location scouting is one of THE most important steps in the preproduction process for me. I do everything I can to get out to the location we’ll be shooting at prior to production. It is during this scouting time that I am able to see what opportunities the location holds, and what problems I may encounter. Ideally, I like to go to the location with the director. For Tarts, Fools, & The G-Men (TFG) I have been fortunate enough to be able to go to almost all of the locations with the director, Devon Lyon. Unfortunately, however, due to schedule conflicts we both had with paying work (TFG is a completely creative undertaking with no budget.) we were not able to visit the Tractor Graveyard at the same time. Devon visited the location first, and met with the owner. We talked over his experience and thoughts, and then I went out and scouted it in order to prepare for the shoot. While I was at the location I made sure to gather as much information as possible in order to make the production day be as beneficial as possible, and that meant asking a series of questions ...
READ THE FULL POSTING HERE.
Ryan E. Walters
Well-known member
I just got home from a long day- it was our second day of shooting, and I am very happy with what we got. I have really enjoyed working with this team of people. Everyone has been a pleasure to work with, and each member has brought their "A Game".
BTS pictures and more info to come- I have got to get to bed, I'm beat ...
BTS pictures and more info to come- I have got to get to bed, I'm beat ...
lyonfilms
Well-known member
The first two days of principal photography were a smashing success! Here are some pics from Tuesday:
Gaffer Kale Heily hangs lights with the assistance of PA Aaron Larsen:
Fedex delivers the Red loaner body to set (see Ryan's post above):
1st AC Jerry Turner unpacks the camera while director Devon Lyon watches:
Tart Jillian Rabe during a line up:
The director works with actors on location:
Ryan Walters and Devon check framing:
Jerry and Kale make due with what they have (see Ryan's post above):
The completed makeshift crane:
Gaffer Kale Heily hangs lights with the assistance of PA Aaron Larsen:
Fedex delivers the Red loaner body to set (see Ryan's post above):
1st AC Jerry Turner unpacks the camera while director Devon Lyon watches:
Tart Jillian Rabe during a line up:
The director works with actors on location:
Ryan Walters and Devon check framing:
Jerry and Kale make due with what they have (see Ryan's post above):
The completed makeshift crane:
lyonfilms
Well-known member
Pics from Wednesday:
Jerry and Ryan checking sharps and rehearsing the move:
The Tarts (Jillian and Shanna) waiting while lights are finalized. Rough cut of material from Tuesday on computer in background:
The completed poor man's process setup. The car is worth more than 5x all the gear in frame:
The Tarts talk about "the competition":
The director, playing serious, with the Tarts:
Jerry and Ryan checking sharps and rehearsing the move:
The Tarts (Jillian and Shanna) waiting while lights are finalized. Rough cut of material from Tuesday on computer in background:
The completed poor man's process setup. The car is worth more than 5x all the gear in frame:
The Tarts talk about "the competition":
The director, playing serious, with the Tarts:
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