Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

[Jonathan Brebner]

Mr. Mullen,

When shooting in daylight in a dense forest (think the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest -- lots of Douglas Firs, shrubs and ivy) over several days, what's the best way to maintain consistency across shots? Are there certain times of day that work better when under tree/canopy cover? How do you deal with the sudden jumps in contrast when sunlight manages to pierce through the canopy, and, conversely, how do you make sure the lighting doesn't become too monotonous without the fine control allowed by interior environments?

Sorry if some of these questions are a bit too general, but these are all things I'll have to deal with soon.

[Tim Hole]

Hi David.

Just curious of your view of Berger's Cine Reflect Lighting System. The concept and the practicalities of it in every day use on set/loc. I watched White Ribbon again the other day and the interiors particularly were beautifully toned B&W - which is obviously a testament to Berger's cinematography skills, but the whole idea really intrigues me. It appears the closest idea i've come across to Alton's philosophy of 'Painting with Light'

[Steve Das]

Hi David. Just curious of your view of Berger's Cine Reflect Lighting System...

Here is the idea behind the Cine Reflect system.

http://cine-rls.com/?t=idea

[Tim Hole]

Here is the idea behind the Cine Reflect system.

http://cine-rls.com/?t=idea

Thanks man. Yeah I know all the details about the system and been in contact with Bernhard Hoefert about it, just waiting for it to be available to rent. I was just asking David for his opinion on using such a system in an every day scenario and just his take on the lighting system itself. As it is a fairly unique concept.

Cheers.

Tim

[David Mullen ASC]

David Mullen,

I was curious if you could describe the process of choosing a camera/medium on a level which you work. How often does the DP get to choose the camera/filmstock or digital camera which is used on a production versus how often is that decision pretty much already made by producers. I work on the opposite end of the spectrum and I often get a budget in which I can propose any camera I think is appropriate, we discuss and it is decided upon based on artistic and budgetary restraints. Which is what I like.

But more often nowadays, it seems during the interview process the director or producer will simply tell me "this is going to be shot on the ______ camera". The "_______" camera is usually the camera flavor of the week in the digital world.

The cameras proposed are never 'bad' ones, but I always find myself caught a bit speechless when interviewing for a DP position or meeting in preproduction and they don't even bother to ask me (the possible or already hired DP) what I think the best choice would be, but rather just tell me.

What is your experience?

Yes, it's becoming more common for producers to make a camera choice before the DP has been hired, which is annoying. I try to examine their reasoning more closely to see what wiggle room I have, sometimes they simply have a certain camera in mind to rent but are open to testing alternatives, other times, they already own the camera or already have a deal on a certain camera... if I think their choice is fine, then there's not much point in making a stink about it only to end up agreeing with them, but if I think the choice is poor, then either I talk them into changing their minds or I end up not taking the job (more common is just that I don't get the job because I didn't sound enthusiastic enough about their choice of camera!)

You have to weigh all the pros and cons, artistic and financial -- and logistical -- and advise the director and producer as to what you think serves all their needs. You can't just take the high road and always opt for the highest-end technology when it doesn't work for their budget nor is practical for the shoot. On the other hand, if their choice is lame and will actually make it harder to get the movie done within their schedule and budget, you have to explain why.

There is one other factor, which is simply curiosity... such as in being told you have to shoot on the ARRI Alexa or the Red One camera, or that you have to shoot the movie in 3D, for example, and thinking "well, at least I'll get that experience"... I've taken some jobs simply for the chance to do something new, go somewhere interesting, or work with some new piece of technology. As long as the choice of technology isn't inappropriate: it can't be a completely wrong fit or else things will go wrong and you may get the blame.

But in general, I try to not work for producers who dictate what the cinematographic choices will be right up front during the job interview, unless it is a situation where something has already been established, like coming onto an ongoing TV series. But I don't mind discussing these issues with the producers, in fact, I like it.

[David Mullen ASC]

Mr. Mullen,

When shooting in daylight in a dense forest (think the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest -- lots of Douglas Firs, shrubs and ivy) over several days, what's the best way to maintain consistency across shots? Are there certain times of day that work better when under tree/canopy cover? How do you deal with the sudden jumps in contrast when sunlight manages to pierce through the canopy, and, conversely, how do you make sure the lighting doesn't become too monotonous without the fine control allowed by interior environments?

Sorry if some of these questions are a bit too general, but these are all things I'll have to deal with soon.

There is no perfect solution, to some degree, you have to adapt on a moment by moment notice... there is sometimes the option of silking most of the sun and using spots to create sunlight effects, but that can get artificial-looking unless you are careful. Some people will put an HMI lighting balloon over the actors even in day scenes to at least provide a consistent level of soft overhead skylight illumination. But the real problem is all the tree branches poking holes in your balloons and silks.

Sometimes I'll hang an HMI PAR gelled to match the sunlight in a tree branch so that I have a consistent hot spot of sun hitting the actors even when the real sun moves behind a tree and gets blocked. It works pretty well if you keep the angle of the light matching the angle of the sun.

But in general, I try to capture the natural light in the wider shots and only monkey with the close-ups if necessary to match the wide shots.

[David Mullen ASC]

Hi David.

Just curious of your view of Berger's Cine Reflect Lighting System. The concept and the practicalities of it in every day use on set/loc. I watched White Ribbon again the other day and the interiors particularly were beautifully toned B&W - which is obviously a testament to Berger's cinematography skills, but the whole idea really intrigues me. It appears the closest idea i've come across to Alton's philosophy of 'Painting with Light'

I don't have an opinion on the system. It seems useful in certain large locations where rigging lights is difficult but I also think that it can be dangerous to overly-rely on a single lamp and reflectors for a complex set-up... what if that one lamp dies, or what if there is a lot of wind shaking all those reflectors? What if the mic boom crosses the beam? Also, the softness of a light is dependent on the size of the source relative to the subject, so a 4'x4' reflector, for example, will always be limited in how soft of an effect it can create.

But I can see how such a system would be useful in a period location street or other delicate locations.

[Uberman]

Hi David,

I'm looking to create the "soft", realistic look found in Lost In Translation, Romain Gavras' music videos/films, and this video here. I know creating a look is a combination of efforts from the DP, Art Director, Production Designer and such, but I'm wondering if there is anything I can do specifically as the Cinematographer.

I'm shooting on the RED One. Thanks for your time!

Obi

[David Mullen ASC]

Seems mostly about finding locations with a lot of soft natural daylight. Some of the scenes in the music video look smoked/hazed as well, and the timing and design in general is on the pastel side.

If you do need to light, try to find ways of creating fairly large soft sources.

Now in the case of "Lost in Translation" you were talking about a softer low-con film stock and perhaps older, softer lenses (not sure on that one.) So perhaps using lower-contrast lenses would help, maybe even some mild low-con filters (though none of the examples you listed looked filtered.)

[Uberman]

Now in the case of "Lost in Translation" you were talking about a softer low-con film stock and perhaps older, softer lenses (not sure on that one.) So perhaps using lower-contrast lenses would help, maybe even some mild low-con filters (though none of the examples you listed looked filtered.)

Are their certain lenses/brands known for being softer/lower-contrast? If so, which ones?