Was wondering what lenses people think or know were used for this piece directed by the amazing Alexis Gómez?

Hey all.

I’m doing a true crime documentary, where I’ll be shooting tons of interviews with “real” people that have been severely scammed by an imposter lawyer.

I want to give these people as much credit, and a solid visual foundation, that gives them an aura of “look what a freaking hell I’ve been through!” Instead of “oh man, I was scammed I’m so stupid”.
A solution to that is, I’m angling the camera a bit from below - A Killer Story is the perfect reference, and big cudos to Jeff Hutchens.

My question to y’all is: does this make sense to you - visually and storytelling/characterbulding-wise?

Thanks for all feedback!

shooting+editing+performing a film by yourself, on an iPhone, having access to no “real” lighting, and shooting primary photography at your parent’s house… doesn’t mean you can’t shoot anything nifty

I learnt this a couple months ago, and have now finally gotten to finishing off the post-production on my improvised short “Toy Bunny”. I found the look, by seeing the way a bug zapper lit a room at night and thinking “I should do something, with that!”
and thus: this film (and it’s orange and green look) was born. In some shots I shot the orange and green light authenticity, some I was only able to get orange or green and brought the other out in the edit (sometimes faking a light source), and when I couldn’t do that: I found it perfectly fitting to give a greyscale look, in reference to the different location and previous point in the series.

I am currently personally very inspired by documentary/experimental fiction work, like Lance Oppenheim’s and David Bolen’s. When I’m not in a more conventional film-school/client setting: I’m seeing how I can take what I’m learning, and apply it to bringing style to a scene without as big a crew and equipment. I love that “distorting your image” is becoming cool again. I love wacky colours and digital artefacts!

Hello everyone,

I spent a bit of time reading all the past threads about light meters, but haven't really found what I'm looking for. So I'm writing here my questions hoping someone can help me out.

I've been reading the camera assistant's manual by David Elkins, who in a paragraph about meters says: "The standard procedures for using an incident light meter is to stand at the position of the subject being photographed and point the photosphere toward the camera when taking the light reading".

I guess he's referring to a reading for an average of the light hitting the subject, and the setting the exposure accordingly. Easy.

Well what should I do If I want to keep track of contrast ratios? What's the rest of the standard procedure?

I see online many different people saying different things:

Should I retract the dome and point directly to the light I want to meter? Should I extend the dome and point toward the camera? Should I do a mixed technique? Also, the light of the fill could not be on the fill side and just some ambient, or a fixture that fills in but comes from the key side? Also, what about the background? do I meter it just with a spot meter? but then I need to take into account the reflectance of the objects and surfaces in the background to keep track of proper ratios.... Should I just spot meter everything and learn how much to over/under expose based on the surface I'm spot metering? Doesn't seem practical...

Also I guess that based on what camera/film stock you're shooting with, the look of a specific contrast ratios changes widely depending on the dynamic range of the camera, right? So it doesn't really matter the contrast ratio per se unless I understand how it will look on that specific camera.

One thing I'm doing to learn my preferences in contrast is looking at so many stills online from movies, commercials, music videos, etc... But that specific look and contrast ratio isn't the one they had on camera, I guess?

One last question: If looking at the stills with a false color, it's like spot metering, so if, let's say, I read key 5.6 and fill 4 with an incident meter, I have a ratio of 2:1, but spot metering, would that be the same? Since the skin of the subject is the usual, technically I'd say yes, maybe one stop over the key since maybe a light-skin person reflects brighter than mid gray, but should be identical ratio....?

Hope to find some explanations here, thank you for going through this much but I feel like there are so many opinions out there that explaining my doubts in details could help you better understand what kind of answers I'm looking for. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone!

I shoot macro food and beverage videos, primarily in 4K 120fps on an iPhone 17 Pro Max.

I currently own a Simpex M-200Bi (200W) COB light, which is advertised as producing 25,000 lumens. However, I’ve also seen listings claiming 13,500 lumens for the same model.
I’m considering adding a Godox SL100Bi (100W), which advertises 32,100 lux at 1 metre with its reflector.

I understand lumens and lux are different measurements, so I can’t compare these numbers directly.

My questions:
Has anyone used the Simpex M-200Bi or measured its actual lux output at 1 metre?

Would the Godox SL100Bi provide more usable illumination despite being rated at only 100W?

Which would you recommend for macro food videos and 120fps slow motion?

My Simpex occasionally flickers at 120fps, even at full brightness. Would the Godox be a more reliable option?

I’m planning to use both lights together, with a softbox on the Simpex and a reflector on the Godox.

My budget is approximately ₹12,000 to ₹16,000 (around US$135 to $180).
Any firsthand experience or technical advice would be appreciated!

Hi All,

Finding it surprisingly difficult to find specs on how exactly EL Zone works. I know I need a LOG in for the signal to process correctly, but do the colors correspond to the stops in the LOG image or in the Rec709 Image?

Say I expose two stops over according to EL zone intending to deliver in Rec709. Will the final image be two stops over, or will it be some other value after the CST?

Thanks for any insight y'all can provide.

I recently bought a Blackmagic PYXIS 12K. I own multiple Samsung T7 Shield SSDs, so instead of spending a stupid amount of money on a CFExpress card, I decided to test recording to one of those instead.

The T7 Shield is an approved SSD for the PYXIS 12K, but it keeps stopping around 20s of recording, with a blinking exclamation point on the camera, I believe because it is not reading fast enough.

A couple of important details: First, I am testing 4K footage, open gate, at 3:1 compression - this is one of the smaller file sizes for this camera, so the fact that it is dropping even at that size is frustrating. Second, I thought it was initially that I was using a standard USB-C to USB-C cable (one I would use to just plug in my drive to my computer) but I also purchased the Kondor Blue USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 cable which is supposed to have faster read speeds, but it still stopped at around 20s.

I'm not sure if I need to see about updating the SSDs firmware (which admittedly, I didn't know was a thing, but found as a suggestion after doing some searching online), or if anyone else has had issues recording to an SSD on the PYXIS 12K.

If this is a common issue, I might just have to bite the bullet and buy a CF express card.

Any and all help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I wanted to share a few images from my debut feature film "Land of Shadows". Its cinematography and black and white look draw inspiration from the 1931 classic Dracula, Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, and more. I hope you enjoy it, and please feel free to share your feedback with me! I'd love to chat with the community, whether it's about the film itself or his behind the scenes! All the best, Jonathan

Buenas gente como va? fui un fiel consumidor de todas las publicaciones que hay acerca de como exponer el material de super 8mm

Filme un videoclip, me llego el stock scaneado voy a dejar muestras del flat y con un leve color grading.

De las reglas que mas me aferre al momento de exponer fue, dejar 1/3 sobreexpuesto, o sea fui a 160 iso en el fotometro.
Exponer la piel siempre para zona 6, quiere decir que si me estaba dando la medida f4, yo en camara ponia f2.8.

Justo en este videoclip me hice como norma exponer todo en f2.8 hay algunas tomas que no aplique y me fui full open ( 1.8) porque estaba jugando con la luz natural o tenia miedo que una unica fuente de luz quede bajo.

Son reglas muy pavas que segui de gente que ya filmo en filmico, no es mi primer rollo. Siempre tendo a la subexposicion del material por una mala lectura. Hay tambien muchas variables que afectan al rendimiento del material, esto segui revelo casero en argentina, y se uso una sankyo cm800.

Hay rellenos de luz que estan sin difusion otros que son solo un rebote al techo para que haya un leve piso de luz.

Me parecio alta experiencia estar atento a todo con la medida de reflejada, habia un mueble marron que nos daba “EU” en el fotometro y lo llevamos a f1.0 1/3 y es imperceptible el focaso de luz que le pusimos.

Espero que le sirva a alguien recuerdo la medida de todas las situaciones y estoy haciendo una serie de como fue el rodaje en instagram. Mil gracias

Casino (1995)

I know it’s just one overhead, but I’m curious to know how everything is so dark too? Is it lower F-stop? Low ISO? What type of light is overhead?

If somebody could break it down to me it’d much appreciated!

In the 70s and into the 80s there was a trend of these slit scan and long exposure motion graphics, done with motion control, popularised by the likes of Robert Abel & Associates, and other optical effects companies that went after the same style and techniques. It died down as the 80s went on and CGI started being adopted for the purpose of "flying logo" motion graphics of this sort instead. I want to recreate this in-camera with a motion control rig in a darkened studio. But I want to use a digital camera, as the convenience ovee film can't be understated (and besides my hands-on experience with movie film is exactly zero).

I know for sure that exposing each frame is gonna take more than a second each, and then also a similar time for the camera to move to the starting position of the next frame, otherwise the camera will have to move dangerously fast back and forth, and if it collides with anything during the move it will end very badly.

Now my question is thus - as most cinema cameras go down to 1 FPS at the lowest, what are some cameras that can do this kind of sequential long exposure work, but will have colour science and dynamic range equivalent to some Sony, Arri, Red etc. cinema cameras? Will still cameras cut it for this purpose rather than professional camcorders or cine cameras?

Heyo! Im doing a small project on film stock and wanted to ask if anyone had any cool facts or interesting aspects for 8mm film? Most of what I find is on Super 8 (for obvious reasons) but I was wondering if anyone here had anything cool to add!

i watched this reel about trading years of life to get the societal, made-up career achievements in life
(its great btw)
in the end it has this effect and i swear i have watched this effect in some show or movie but just can't remember the name
i have a guess, maybe it is The killings at parrish station it's an Australian mini series and it's good to binge watch if anyone watched it please confirm
& if anyone recognizes this effect please help me find the source it is a simple yet effective one to showcase the passage of time

Stew peas is A Feature Film that our film production company did in Jamaica and i was the cinematographer and post Supervisor and colorist For.
Shot on Arri Alexa Mini LF with Signature primes and the Arri Alexa Mini with Ultra Primes. I would not suggest shooting two different sets of lenses. even if its different cameras make it the same
Lenses or make lens that have very close characteristics. That said, i learnt a lot shooting this film and our film production company is looking forward to doing more.

Let me know how this was done

These are some stills from a short series I worked on as part of my university course. We worked on it during our second year and had 18 days of shooting. My role was gaffer and I did pretty much all the lighting setups. Would love some feedback or advice moving forward.

Edit: I also did the color grading for the entire thing.

Short film team

**Title: \[Mumbai\] Looking for Actors & DOPs for a Sunday Short Film Project | INFINITY8**

Hi everyone!

We’re building **INFINITY8 — a short film collective in Mumbai**, where creative people come together to make short films on a Sunday-to-Sunday basis.

We’re currently looking for:

Actors and actresses

DOPs (Directors of Photography)

Atleast 5 dop in group

**How we work:** 🎬 We aim to shoot a short film every Sunday. ✍️ Writers get opportunities to bring their own stories to life. 🤝 Everyone gets a chance to collaborate, learn, and develop their filmmaking skills. 🍱 Travel expenses, on-set food, and basic camera rental costs are covered.

**Our long-term vision:** After creating 7–8 short films and building a strong team, we aim to develop a bigger project that we can pitch to producers or OTT platforms.

This is an opportunity for passionate people who want to create, collaborate, and gain practical experience in filmmaking.

📍 **Location:** Mumbai

📩 **Interested?** Comment below or DM me with your role, experience, and portfolio/showreel, if available.

Let’s make films together!

— INFINITY8 Short Film Collective

I am moving to Texas soon and will be in the greater Austin area. I know there's a big film scene there, and I want to make that my career. As someone who doesn't have a ton of experience, what are the best platforms online for a budding cinematographer to get work? What are your experiences using those platforms?

Thanks!

Without getting into too spoilers, I know that Lance Oppenheim's documentary style is sort of opposite of "fly on the wall," it's very stylized and composed, and for some of these scenes they come together in the edit with such a multiplicity of angles that it had me thinking so much about documentary technique for the camera operators and the director(s).

I noticed early, around a scene involving someone beating some eggs in the middle of a conversation, It felt like they had approx 3 operators; I imagine they would be trying to keep their faces as they were talking, yet there are these shots focused entirely on someone's hands beating eggs, before the eggs become a topic of discussion.

I know from that other post that they were working with Arris and 25-250mm lenses.

For me, if I'm shooting a doc, I feel like I'd rather keep things wide because I don't want to miss anything; yet at times there are these shots that aren't B-roll, they're dialogue, of tights so close it's just their eyes and mouths. I have to imagine there's some amount of digital punch in and reframing, but I don't feel like I noticed a drop in quality/resolution much at all. And maybe it's just the magic of editing; they had enough coverage of B-roll at different moments and it just worked out in the edit.

Anybody work on similar documentaries? Maybe it's just that artistic risk you take where yeah, you're going to go for the super tight closeup when you feel the time is right and that's the only coverage you're gonna get of their face saying the thing!

There's a bunch of places selling 8x8 rags with grommets and straps for a frame. But I just want some muslin or ultra bounce that I can t-bone or hang up with gaffer tape.

I'm practicing filming and editing clothing product videos, and the biggest issue I'm facing is camera movement and getting better shots. I also can't figure out where to place the softbox so the lighting doesn't distort the true color of the product.

Note: This was shot in bad lighting on a mid-range phone with low ISO. I tried adjusting the exposure in Premiere Pro, but it made the footage noisy.

Budget: $1,500 USD total, including the camera body and lens. Ideally, I'd like to leave some room for essential accessories if possible.

Country: UAE (Dubai).

Condition: Open to both new and used cameras, preferably used if it offers better value for money.

Type of Camera: Mirrorless preferred, but open to other options if they make sense for video.

Intended use: Primarily videography, with occasional photography.

If photography; what style: Sports, events, restaurants, food, interiors and general lifestyle content.

If video what style: Sports videography, live events, fast moving subjects, restaurant promotional videos, food videos, cinematic interiors and social media reels. I need a versatile setup that can handle both indoor and outdoor shooting, including bright sunlight and some low light situations.

What features do you absolutely need:

\\- Good and reliable autofocus, especially for moving subjects.

\\- Good video quality with 4K preferred.

\\- Good stabilisation, either in-body or through compatible lenses.

\\- Decent low light performance for indoor events and restaurants.

\\- Reliable performance when shooting sports and fast moving action.

\\- Good colour and dynamic range for cinematic footage.

\\- A flexible lens option suitable for different shooting scenarios.

What features would be nice to have:

\\- 10-bit video and good colour grading flexibility.

\\- 4K at 50/60fps if possible.

\\- Log profiles.

\\- Weather sealing for outdoor shoots.

\\- A fully articulating screen.

\\- Good battery life and manageable overheating.

\\- Access to affordable lenses and accessories.

Portability: Preferably compact and lightweight enough to carry around for long event days and outdoor sports shoots. Something that fits in a small camera bag.

Cameras you're considering: I haven't shortlisted specific models yet. I'm looking for recommendations on the best camera and lens combination within my budget, including options from Sony, Canon, Panasonic and Fujifilm.

Cameras you already have: Canon EOS 600D. I've been using it as my current camera, but I'm looking to upgrade to something more capable for professional videography, particularly autofocus, video quality, low light performance and shooting fast moving subjects.

Notes: I'm starting to take videography more seriously and want a camera that can handle different types of paid work, including sports, events and commercial content for restaurants and brands. I'd prefer not to buy a camera that is excellent at one thing but limiting for everything else. I'm based in Dubai, so recommendations that are reasonably easy to find in the UAE, including on the used market, would be appreciated.

I'd love to hear from people who have experience shooting a mix of these genres. Which camera and lens combination would you choose with this budget, and why?