Why I left Canon, had a fling with Sony and settled with the Panasonic EVA 1
As a camera owner operator, it is common to upgrade your ‘A’ camera every 3 - 5 years in order to stay up to date with technology and remain competitive. Tech is undeniably moving at a rate previously unseen and it can feel like the manufacturers are constantly tempting us to purchase their latest gadgets. In my opinion, there is a lot of noise that can easily distract content creators from doing what we do best - making great content! All these temptations can make it easy for us to forget that..
Completing the difficult first feature: Interview with ‘Twenty Twenty-Four’ Director Richard Mundy
In the music business it is widely known as the difficult second album, but in independent film the first venture could definitely be viewed as the greatest hurdle to overcome. It's certainly not unrealistic to describe the process of making a self funded feature film as a bit of a nightmare.
Talking of nightmares, 'Twenty Twenty-Four' (AKA 'It Lives' in the UK) tells the story of a man who may just be going through one himself..
Ten terrifying films with haunting cinematography
Ooh, it's Friday 13th! Unlucky for some, they say..and Halloween is just around the corner!
I decided this month to take a break from the usual subjects and compile a list and share some links to some of my favourite scary films just for a bit of fun. Now, there are many horror film lists out there but this one has a slightly different angle. I won't just be focusing on what has scared the living daylights out of me (which of course is crucial to a good horror film) but I'll also be commenting on how tension and suspense has been created through the cinematography in these particular films.
Hard light VS soft light (and why we need both)
In an earlier article I looked at why good lighting can be more important than the camera itself but when it comes to taking the next step and actually introducing some lighting into your productions it can often be difficult to know where to begin. Well, one good place to start is to get to grips with a basic concept; understanding the difference between hard and soft light.
5 Simple lighting solutions (when time is money)
Following on from my previous post 10 Reasons why good lighting can be more important than the camera itself I would like to focus on the point that in video and film production, as in any business, time is money. 9 out of 10 productions you'll work on will probably have some sort of budgetary restriction meaning that you will only have a set time to do the work in and/or limited resources to work with. This is a harsh reality that anyone entering this industry must come to terms with but depending on the type of project you're working on, the amount of time you will be given to light can vary greatly. I would always push for as much time to light as I can get (unless I'm filming at an event for example) because as we know, good lighting can vastly improve the production values of a shoot. However, you have to be prepared to get less time than you'd like, in which case it would be useful to know as many simple lighting solutions as possible.
10 reasons why good lighting can be more important than the camera itself
Anyone who has worked with me recently will know that I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to lighting. In fact, I rarely shut up about it. You might think it unusual that rather than playing with new cameras, steadicams and other gadgets I would rather be playing with bulbs, bounce and black wrap. The reason behind it is I believe that when composing an image, whether for a commercial or a film, lighting is everything. Well, almost. You can't have a shoot without the other elements, but at least if you want your images to be memorable and perhaps even cinematic then you can't avoid the subject of lighting.
Nazi Vengeance - Interview with Director Tom Sands
Nazi Vengeance was the first feature film I worked on as an AC and as of earlier this week the film has been released in the US as well as numerous other territories around the world.
With the majority of production based in Brighton and the surrounding area I decided to catch up with the film's Director Tom Sands. I was keen to find out how a man in his mid twenties was able to turn his first feature into a reality, and just on his doorstep too..
Nazi Vengeance - Interview with DOP Haydn West
Two years ago word got out that a low budget feature film was being made in the Brighton area and that they were looking for crew. With a few shorts under my belt and looking to step up I somehow ended up one morning in a Hove coffee shop sat across from a man who didn't look very pleased to see me. This man was Haydn West and he was the Producer and Director of Photography of what was to become Nazi Vengeance.