Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

[Ariel Weiss]

Hi David

I will be glad to hear what you think of my reel if you can watch it.
If you do, the 2 girls in the lake is day for night (1.37 min), what do you think about it?
Thanks alot, Ariel

http://www.vimeo.com/14522421

[Kim Frank]

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.

Thank you very much for your response David, but the look I'm trying to achieve is not an overcast, over all soft look, but a daylight setting like winter here in Germany, when the Sun doesn't get too high and it always feels a bit like dawn, even when the sun is shining. A dimm but yet direct light, that throws patterns on the walls.
I wont have the chance to try different lights, because up to the Budget I will need to rent just what I will use. Would you throw a 10K (1/2CTB) through each window to achieve that look or what would be your setup?

[David Mullen ASC]

The sun is only dimmer if it's going through haze and/or cloud cover... on a clear winter day, it would still be fairly bright. If it is hazy outside, then the pattern would not be as sharp. I think a dim but sharp pattern would look theatrical... unless you are talking about the very beginning of sunrise, but if that's what you want, I would go with a warm effect, not a cold effect. Sure, a 10K would work but obviously the sun should only be shining through the windows that face the same direction.

[Jon Chema]

Zooms are generally a practical necessity, otherwise, it's rare would I would prefer using a larger, heavier, slower, softer, more expensive lens that breathes and flares more compared to a prime. Primes are generally smaller, lighter, flare less, and are a more precise way to shoot. However, I will go to a zoom when it makes sense to. I've had to shoot most of the close-ups on my current movie with a second camera using the 11:1 Primo zoom, it's sharp enough for close-up work. We don't get much rehearsals or takes so I need to be able to quickly reframe the tighter shot when something goes wrong, actors miss their marks, etc. Truth is that I think zooms lead to a lot of bad habits... such as grabbing a close-up while shooting the medium shots, just to save time. But if the production wants a lot of angles quickly for editing purposes, it is faster to use a zoom to get them.

The cleanest, sharpest, fastest 35mm zooms with the least breathing tend to be on the big side. I don't have a particular opinion about which zoom is better, the current industry standard tends to be the Angeneuix Optimos. Truth is that the most expensive zooms tend to be the best. But it really depends on what type of zoom you are looking at... wide-angle handheld zooms, zooms with a huge range, etc.

Technically, it's really the wide shots that I hate to shoot on a zoom. That, and shots with a lot of focus racking. Otherwise, it's not much of a technical compromise, the only problem is the sloppier filmmaking style it allows.

Thanks! That was a great response. Have you used any of the Optimo DP series such as the 30-80mm? My DP used one on my latest shoot and I was super impressed with how sharp and clean it was.

[Tim Duran]

David, thanks for your comments on Fuginon. What is your take on the lens market today? With all the Red cameras out in the field, there probably has never been a higher need for lenses of all types. But with so many companies making so many relatively similar lenses, I would think there needs to be a shake out pretty soon. What's the skuttlebutt amongst the DP's you talk to? I need additional lenses, but I don't absolutely have to buy today. I would hate to buy an expensive Angenieux, only to find out that Fuginon is eating their lunch and Angenieux lowers their prices, etc or a similar senario with ARRI and Leica, etc.

[Tim Duran]

David, I was surprised to hear you say you combined a new Fuginon with an older Cooke zoom (for budget reasons). If you're shooting two cameras, how do you resolve the contrast in look before you shoot? Are you using one camera for establishing shots and the other for close-ups? What static do you get from the editor over cutting in the two looks in a scene? Do you try to hide it with contrasting backgrounds--or is this simply not a big deal? I've always gone out of my way not to mix lens resolution in my films.

[David Mullen ASC]

I needed the option of using a zoom on two cameras but I couldn't afford matching zooms. The short answer is that I didn't use the softer zoom very much, I stuck to primes on that camera. Otherwise, I tried to avoid using the softer zoom in wide shots or wide-open. Most of the movie was shot with a 1/8 White Frost diffusion and a couple of times, I left that off the softer zoom when I had to use it. The only day it was a real problem was when we were filming action on a river, I needed a zoom on both cameras because of the unpredictability of the boat action, plus one camera was on a Technocrane over the river and it was hard to change lenses quickly, the other was on shore trying to grab moments at the long end of the 11:1 zoom, so I had to use the softer 5:1 zoom on the Technocrane after I got my widest shots on a prime.

Some movies you can be a lot more precise with the choice of lenses, other movies, you have to be less picky if you want to make your day and the director likes zooms and you are shooting unrepeatable action, like animals & stunts. Ideally, I would have had two good, sharp zooms on the package, but the production refused to pay for that.

It was the 11:1 Primo that I was mixing (rarely) with the older 5:1 Cooke.

[David Mullen ASC]

David, thanks for your comments on Fuginon. What is your take on the lens market today? With all the Red cameras out in the field, there probably has never been a higher need for lenses of all types. But with so many companies making so many relatively similar lenses, I would think there needs to be a shake out pretty soon. What's the skuttlebutt amongst the DP's you talk to? I need additional lenses, but I don't absolutely have to buy today. I would hate to buy an expensive Angenieux, only to find out that Fuginon is eating their lunch and Angenieux lowers their prices, etc or a similar senario with ARRI and Leica, etc.

I don't own equipment so I don't think much about the issue; my only concern are rental prices and availability, and at the price of the Fujinon PL-mount lenses, I suspect the rental price is going to be high as well, and the availability low. Obviously there is a rising market for PL-mount lenses so it makes sense that there are more of them coming onto the market, at different price points. Many of these cine lenses are made with small orders in mind, so there is little chance that they will be sold cheaply. As for whether they are worth it when there are decent, cheaper options that are nearly as good, that's up to the individual to decide.

[Roberto Lequeux]

David, if I remember correctly you started your career with the intention of becoming a Director but got multiple requests to DP after people saw your work. Do you plan/want to direct a feature in the near future? And what type of movie would you like to direct the most?

[David Mullen ASC]

I don't have anything yet that I'd like to direct, but I'm a big fan of science fiction and Kubrick movies and like to do something in that style, sort of like "Inception" but on a smaller scale. Someday.