Recently I stumbled across a showreel for a camera assistant that I found, frankly, unimpressive and pointless. For a job that’s more technical than it is creative, do camera assistants do anything worth showing off in a reel? And, if so, is it valuable to have one?
Filmmaking Tips and Advice
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How to Work with a Camera You’ve Never Touched Before (Part 2)
Stepping on set for day one always comes with a tinge of anxiety and nervousness. You’re meeting crew for the first time, maybe taking a step up the ladder, and sometimes working with a brand new camera you’ve got little experience with. So, what do you do?
How to Work with a Camera You’ve Never Touched Before
When it comes to cameras, there’s more options now than ever before. That’s great for cinematographers, but it leaves camera assistants struggling to wrap their heads around a staggering number of camera systems. Inevitably, you’re going to come across one you haven’t even touched before. So, how do you handle it?
Introducing Raw Stock: Your Questions Answered Fresh from My Inbox
Raw Stock is all about answering your questions: Where can I get a list of all filter tags? How do you explain a camera system to a DP? What is the deal with 23.98 fps? Sent from actual readers, these emails get answered in the inaugural edition of Raw Stock.
What Do You Want to Do On Set?
Filmmaking isn’t only about directing or operating the camera. Crew, and all their various talents, fit into an incredibly complex filmmaking machine designed to grind hours into footage. So the question is: where do you fit within that machine? And what do you want to do on set?
Keep Your Eyes on the Talent with This Quick Focus Pulling Tip
Have you ever been pulling focus and found yourself off the mark during that split-second in which you glanced between the actor in a scene and your marks on the follow focus? It only takes a split second for the focus to go soft. By that time, the camera operator mutters, “Buzzy” and you know you’re going to need another take.
Welcome to The Black and Blue 4.0!
This is the most significant change for The Black and Blue in its history. With this new look, I want to help you discover more tips and tricks while sharing my passion for filmmaking. But I also want to reaffirm what has always made The Black and Blue great.
Everything You’ll Ever Need to Know About Film Crews and Bottled Water
As the summer sun shines bright and brings productions heavy on exteriors and in desperate need of a longer magic hour, film crews come from all corners of the world to swelter in the heat — some shirtless — and hustle below the line. All will suffer. Many will sweat. Most will thirst. It is within this context that we take a look at a crucial aspect of filmmaking: bottled water.
5 Useful Cinematography Apps for iOS You Should Download Today (Part 8)
The devices we have in our pockets, the ones that can run these apps, these are the new leathermans. They have everything we need. They eliminate the need to carry paper manuals and enable us to do complex timelapse calculations in a fraction of the time as a paper and pen.
5 Brand New Pocket Guides Plus Major Update Released
With the addition of those 5 new cameras, a total of 30 pocket guides are now available — making this an even better resource for camera assistants, cinematographers, and filmmakers.