Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

[Karl Kim]

Hello David,
Thanks again for all your contributions on this and other forums. Always illuminating and instructive. With "Manure" in the can, what are your thoughts on 4K Red as compared to 2 perf 35mm for low budget work? (assuming of course the budget can adequately support either format). I should preface this by mentioning that I do own a full 2 perf package, and that I am also in line to purchase a Red. Our experience with Red feature shoots have not been close to "Manure's", technically speaking. Granted your, and your crews level of experience and preparation make a huge difference. Guerilla style location shooting doesn't help either. This question is geared for the next 12-24 months.
BTW, beautiful work on "Manure."

[David Mullen ASC]

Either 2-perf 35mm or the RED would get you a very nice looking movie. Just depends on the exact look you want. If a certain 35mm filmstock gets you precisely the look you want and you can afford to shoot and post it, then why not use it?

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

Hi David, this thread has been really helpful. Specially for me, a newcomer to all of this.

I have a question for you, and it's about lighting already thinking about the color grading that will be done in post.

I'm preparing to shoot a pilot and since who will grade the shots will be myself as well and I'm really close to the director, I can sort things out and plan the whole chain.

I've been checking some Roscolux gels and specially noticed the 30-60-90 ones, that have Pink (Magenta), Red, Green, Blue etc. And noticed that they reduce the transmission of colors in a precise way.

So, if I wanted to push the color of scene to a more greenish tone but still wanting to preserve a natural skin tone (without having to roto), I could light the talent's face with a 30 Magenta, so that way his/her face would have 1 stop less green. Am I following this the right way?

Is this a common practice? Will that work?



Thanks in advance!

[David Mullen ASC]

Yes, it will work... but how well depends a lot on how much you can separate the magenta key from the rest of the ambient light. Often you get spill from the non-magenta lights on the hair, in the shadows, which will go greenish when you time out the magenta in the face.

[Chris Bell]

David, I would be curious to hear your techniques for lighting continuity. Do you relight your close-ups much? Do you keep notes on each set-up or just work from your memory?

I find this a difficult aspect of cinematography.

Chris Bell

[David Mullen ASC]

I work from memory and fill by eye, but then, I'm not shooting complicated efx-driven material...

I try to light the master in such a way that the relighting for a close-up in the same direction will be minimal, the most common thing is that the key light may get softer and come slightly closer to eye level, and then the fill light may be handled better, or I may add an eyelight. A harder edge may become a softer edge, etc. I try to keep color and contrast the same and the angle of the light similar, just cheated to be more flattering or more natural-looking (if the positions in the wide master were not at the best angles because of where I had to hide the lights.)

I'll tell the Gaffer & Key Grip while we are shooting the master as to how I plan on making changes for the close-up so they'll be ready.

[AntonyCASAFilms]

David,

How do you approach lighting bedroom scenes which are set at night?

On the one hand, to be totally realistic, it should be very dark, but in a film you obviously need the audience to be able to see things, so we have to cheat.

What always looks bad in "Hollywood" films is where it is so light that you can't believe they could possibly get to sleep!

The 2 options seem to be:
1. Using "moonlight". But this requires curtains or blinds to be open, which is not normal.
2. Having the hallway light on, and leaving the bedroom door ajar, so a streak of light comes in. (This is the approach I normally take).

What do you think looks best?

[JanneJansson]

Hello, I guess this have been asked many times before, but what 35mm film stock closest match redone?

[David Mullen ASC]

Speed-wise and color-balance-wise, it's close to 250D stock (since there is no 320D stock...)

Grainwise, it's more like a 50D stock.

Otherwise, the RED ONE images look more like good DSLR photography than 35mm color negative, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

[David Mullen ASC]

How you light a scene that takes place in a bedroom where the lights are off partly depends on the dramatic style of the particular project -- you can't be generic about how you approach lighting. If the project calls for a certain Gothic or German Expressionist quality, something more stylized, then shadowy moonlight may be the best approach.

Otherwise, it comes down to this: if you can see what's going on, there must be light... so where could the light be coming from? You can make up almost any source -- a streetlamp outside the window, passing car headlights, a nightlight, light creeping in from under the door, etc.

Unless it is pitch-black where you live, generally there is some light in a room at night, often coming through the windows.