Ask David Mullen ANYTHING

[David Mullen ASC]

Hi David
I was wondering if the placement of filters have any effect on image, particularly the distance away from the lens front element. I have a UV filter screwed on the lens, and then a 5x5 Blue filter which comes maybe 5-inches later. And then a 5x5 ND filter which comes 0.2-inches after that. Is it better to have less of a gap between filters? Does it matter?

Your main problem would just be double reflections when there is a bright edge in the shot. Otherwise you should be fine except on telephoto lenses.

[Yousuf Abbasi]

Thanks David, can you explain what you mean by the exception of Telephoto lenses?

[David Mullen ASC]

Thanks David, can you explain what you mean by the exception of Telephoto lenses?

Putting too many glass filter in front of telephoto lenses can reduce sharpness -- but I'm talking lenses over 300mm...

[Yousuf Abbasi]

Got it David! That's good to know.

I keep reading about how adding filters increases flare.. intuitively I would think that a filter would reduce flare because you are covering up the front element.

I actually prefer flares some times for aesthetic purposes. Is there a rule of thumb you use when you want to increase flares, and when you want to reduce flares ?

Thanks!

[David Mullen ASC]

More glass elements create more opportunities for flare, but the flare from a light hitting a filter is more like a veiling flare not a cool ring flare. Zooms have more glass elements so there are more circles in a flare. Older lenses with uncoated elements will have more flare, perhaps that red ring around lights. So use a zoom or an older prime when you want more flares and if you want them coming from off-camera lights, don't use a sunshade.

[Rob Ruffo]

Hi David! I've now read this entire thread twice and have leaned so much! Thank you again on behalf of all of us!

I have today a boring question, and perhaps a more interesting one.

Boring: What do you use to help with IR contamination on Epic? How hot does it have to be on set before that IR filter fails?

More interesting: Today I was having coffee with a fellow D.P., and his opinion was that more experienced you get, the fewer light sources you tend to use "It's the new DPs who feel they need twenty lights for a close-up". Would you agree with this? Do you use fewer sources now than when you started?

[Brad Webb]

Ideally you could create something on the ceiling to rig off of, maybe a pipe supported by vertical beams dressed into the location. I've also put rows of small lights, like Dedos or Peppers on top of the shelves that run above the bar bottle wall, pointed back at the stools. Sometimes I've laid a row of bare Kino tubes along the sinks under the bar counter or in the trough itself along the bar counter for an uplight. I've also put Kinos or Lunestra tubes behind the bottles. You can dress the set with more light sources, neon signs, table lamps, etc.

Thank you for the advice.

I put bare kino tubes in welling like you suggested, then skirted the spill with duveteen. Mounted dedos on beaver boards and ran those across the top of the bottle wall. Then I lined the bottom of the shelves of the bottle wall with roscoe light pads. It looked pretty rad up lighting all the bottles like that. Then I hid a 650 on a stand in a dark corner by we wrapping in in duveteen and stacking chairs in front of it. Hid in another 650 in the bathroom then gelled it a dark blue and slashed it across one of gothic looking bathroom doors.
It really looked fantastic. Even got a "wow" from a producer.

[william lan]

David,
A videographer should learn basic photography and cinematography. What say you?

[David Mullen ASC]

Not sure there is a difference anymore between videography and cinematography except that a cinematographer occasionally gets to shoot on film.

Obviously a videographer should understand the basics of photography (lenses, f-stops, shutter speeds, etc.)

People learn as much as they need to learn, or are limited to the degree to which they have learned something. A videographer may not need to know all I know, on the other hand, there are many ENG/EFP techniques that I don't know because they aren't part of my work.

[william lan]

Not sure there is a difference anymore between videography and cinematography except that a cinematographer occasionally gets to shoot on film.

Obviously a videographer should understand the basics of photography (lenses, f-stops, shutter speeds, etc.)

People learn as much as they need to learn, or are limited to the degree to which they have learned something. A videographer may not need to know all I know, on the other hand, there are many ENG/EFP techniques that I don't know because they aren't part of my work.

Thank you David. I am asked to introduce videography to to-be videographers who are completely fresh in this field. Being a cinematographer/videographer, I am inclined to talk about what I learnt when I started as a cinematographer especially the topics you mentioned as basic photography. I still need a film still/movie camera to illustrate those topics. But with the modern auto techniques already taken care of by the new digital cameras. The freshies would think those basics are redundant. Now at least I can quote David Mullen, a renounced ASC's opinion which strengthens my talk to them. :)