Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

[Tim Duran]

David, following up on the zooms, A) have you had a chance to use the new Fuginons yet and, if so, how do they compare to Angenieux? and B) what is your experience using Angenieux's adaptors? You lose a stop+, but you go from academy to S35+ coverage. I'm considering the 17-80 to compliment my Rouge set (two Reds!)

You're a price for all the help you give to all us RedUsers.

[nageswara rao s]

Thank you Mr David Mullen sir for your advice of 2/3" sensor cameras benefits over 1/3" cameras in a nutshell, and quoting those related articals. Any way in future i want to buy scarlet base model for myself at all for independent film making.
i will contact you in future when ever need arises. thank you, with best regards.

[David Mullen ASC]

David, following up on the zooms, A) have you had a chance to use the new Fuginons yet and, if so, how do they compare to Angenieux? and B) what is your experience using Angenieux's adaptors? You lose a stop+, but you go from academy to S35+ coverage. I'm considering the 17-80 to compliment my Rouge set (two Reds!)

The new Fujinon PL-mount zooms are amazing -- super sharp, fast -- I hope I get to use them someday on a show. Of course, a prime would still be smaller and lighter, and if a T/1.3 lens, faster. From what I've seen of the Fujinon's they are snappier (higher-contrast), crisper, than Angenieux zooms.

I recently used the 17-80 Ang. Optimo and think it's a great zoom too. Sharper than the 24-290.

These are all fairly expensive lenses however. I just did a Panavision show where I needed two Primo zooms but could only afford to rent one, so the other was the old Cooke 20-100mm, which is definitely a bit softer than the Primos I was using.

Haven't used the adaptors you mentioned.

[Ramesh Jai]

Kindly look at post #3300. Thanks

[Jay Gannon]

Kindly look at post #3300. Thanks

Don't hassle him, he will answer if he feels like it.

[David Mullen ASC]

I have a very challenging shoot coming up. It has a lot of people running (outdoors, daytime) pushing and shoving each other through traffic and trying to get ahead. How does one handle lighting in this situation..? Do we light at all or use polyboards and silks? Any tips? Besides steadicam is there anything else I can use to get movement? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. (Using MX'd RED One)

If you don't absolutely need to light, I wouldn't. There may be a spot in the chase where you need a light if the foreground is too dark, but otherwise, it's better to just run around with a bounce card or something, or silk what you can. Steadicam is a common choice for this, and handheld. Besides that, there are more low-tech and high-tech methods. The hardest thing when shooting people running is to move the camera ahead of them looking backwards at their faces, because it's easier to chase someone on a Steadicam than to run ahead of them at full speed and look back. Often you need to mount the Steadicam arm to a small powered cart or other small vehicle that can take a driver and a camera operator (and hopefully the focus-puller.) Or there are CableCam rigs, but those are much more expensive. But I don't think I'm telling you anything new, you probably have thought of all of this.

[Ramesh Jai]

Don't hassle him, he will answer if he feels like it.

Yes. I realized that. I was going to give up but he answered. Thanks.

[Kim Frank]

Again on the "lighting Soundstages" questions, I would really love to hear your Input on lighting the room we are building for my next Musicvideo.
I want to see the Window patterns on the walls, but it's supposed to be a dim wintermood, that the practicels I will add here and there still give some light to the space around them. The design has four Windows (Fenster) three at the front and one behind the table (Tisch). The Corridor with the Door (Tür) will get some wall fixtures.
As long as I won't be able to go bejond 100W bulbs in the Practicals what do you think how big do the Daylight faking fixtures need to be?
Would you take one 20K for the three windows at the front, or three 5K or even 10K.
Also how do you feel about setting three fixtures through the windows in different angles to get the patterns where I want them to be.
I think for the window behind the table a 5K would be enough as long as its not on the "sunny" side.
Because it's my first time lighting such a set, what else would you add?
Spacelights above the windows? How would you gell those and the Fill?
I really would appreciate your Input
Regards
KIM

[David Mullen ASC]

I think the daylight should be cooler in color than the practicals -- the easiest thing would be to just gel the windows with 1/2 CTB if you want to use tungsten lamps through them. You'd want to have mostly soft light if this is winter and somewhat overcast. If the window is to one side of the shot, you can use a big light through a diffusion frame for each window. If the window is in the background, you probably would want soft light shining from each edge, cross-lighting, and a soft backlight hung above the window -- like a 10K with a 4x4 frame of diffusion mounted in front, or a 9-light with diffusion, etc. Yes, a space light or two above each window would help with the ambient light shining onto the window sill and onto the floor.

[Ramesh Jai]

If you don't absolutely need to light, I wouldn't. There may be a spot in the chase where you need a light if the foreground is too dark, but otherwise, it's better to just run around with a bounce card or something, or silk what you can. Steadicam is a common choice for this, and handheld. Besides that, there are more low-tech and high-tech methods. The hardest thing when shooting people running is to move the camera ahead of them looking backwards at their faces, because it's easier to chase someone on a Steadicam than to run ahead of them at full speed and look back. Often you need to mount the Steadicam arm to a small powered cart or other small vehicle that can take a driver and a camera operator (and hopefully the focus-puller.) Or there are CableCam rigs, but those are much more expensive. But I don't think I'm telling you anything new, you probably have thought of all of this.

Thank you David. Really appreciate your thoughts. Regards.