Ultimate Follow Focus Review

Crank It, Grind It, Whip It Real Good: Ultimate Follow Focus Review

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While some new camera operators may think a follow focus is an unnecessary gadget, they truly are a crucial part of nearly every camera set-ups. Not only do follow focuses make focusing the lens a million times easier and more ergonomic, but it allows you to accurately mark different focus distances.

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Ryan operating Red Camera

Breaking Into The Film Industry

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Breaking into the film industry can take many routes. Some stumble into it accidentally, others establish their careers through some serious hard work. However most routes can be boiled down to two simple principles: networking and proving your worth.

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ARRI Alexa, RED Epic, Blackmagic

The Problem With The Digital Camera Look & My Solutions To Correcting It

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During the past decade digital cinema cameras seem to be more abundant than film cameras. However, now that we have easy access to digital cameras with these amazing specs, a new problem has (ironically) emerged: the images are actually too good. They are too clean. “Why is this a problem?” you may ask. Well, let me explain.

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How To Use A Light Meter

How To Use A Light Meter: Overview

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Last week I covered how a light meter is still necessary in our digital age. This week it’s time to learn how to use the light meter. In this video I cover the incident meter and the spot meter, and when to use them. Then it’s demonstration time, using the meter in different ways to properly expose a scene. Finally, I give you some tips and tricks on how to quickly determine the lighting ratios and range of your scene, along with a few more.

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Light Meters In The Digital Video Age

Why Use A Light Meter In The Digital Video Age?

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As digital cinema cameras become the norm on set, people often ask, “Do cinematographers really need a light meter? Isn’t digital imagery simply ‘What You See Is What You Get?’” In this post I discuss how incredibly valuable a light meter is in speeding up your shoot, helping you communicate effectively with your gaffer, and increasing your abilities as a filmmaker.

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"Easy Day" Action Short

Three Lighting Tips For Your Next Action Film

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Filming an action film is a daunting task even under the best of circumstances. More overwhelming is when you only have three in your lighting crew and you’re cramming two days worth of set-ups into one day. That was what we had to pull off for the short film, “Easy Day” (2013). In this post, I’m going to share how we did it, and then give you three lighting tips that will make your next action film look amazing.

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Can You Trust Your Color Meter? (AR017)

Can You Trust Your Color Meter? [VIDEO]

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Did you know that your old color meter no longer works with today’s LED lights? In this video, Ryan shows you why and what to do about it.

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Are LEDs Ruining Your Projects? The LED Problem & What To Do About It (AR015)

Are LEDs Ruining Your Projects? [VIDEO]

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Did you know that LEDs lights may actually be ruining the look of your productions? And no, this problem can’t be fixed in the grade. We put seven different brands of LEDs lights to the test, capturing with a Red Epic Dragon camera. Then we discuss the results and how they’re going to affect the creative choices that you make on set.

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Bright Tangerine Misfit Matte Box: Review (AR008)

Bright Tangerine Misfit Matte Box Review [VIDEO]

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Is it possible to have a lightweight, high quality, reasonably priced matte box that works on a number of camera rigs? In this review we take a close look at the Bright Tangerine Misfit Matte Box to see if it delivers.

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