Cinematography : Can't Figure it Out by Cameron Currin

The first series of shots from the actor's right side are too high and lack a horizon for effective framing. Same thing from behind the actor. Drop the camera to a position where the camera is on the same plane as their eyes. The shot from behind should be looser. His back is too accentuated and gives him a distorted, hunchback look.

The actor gets lost/blends in too much in the LS creekside. He should be 10-15' closer to the camera.

If you're not aware of what you're shooting who will be? Slow down a bit. Take the camera off the tripod and handhold at different angles/heights then put it on the pod once you find the sweet spot. Let the subject speak to you.

Good luck.

Try shooting 24P at 1/50 shutter speed. Also, you seem to be under exposing. Bump up your ISO. Use your f-stop to achieve a little bokeh by throwing the background out of focus so your subject pops and the background goes soft. But definitely try getting a little more brightness in there.

Stop using the colored filters. The only filters you should be using in that cold blue Alaska light are NDs and polarizers and those just to control the sky, contrast and f-stop/ISO balance.

Also hit your subject with some light. I know you probably can't afford to carry a package, so invest in LED battery operated lights you can throw in where you need them. Hit your actor with a hard key from the side and slightly behind. Supplement a little fill with a bounce or another LED from the front. And if the Key isn't making your character pop from the background try a rim light from behind.

Compositionally, as Tony said, try to get down lower for emphasis shots up at your character's face.

When you go to post, play with some LUT's, especially if you're shooting an HDR image. In camera is great if you've got the skills and experience, but in this instance, I'd say shoot some tests where you overexpose slightly in your log setting and then bring it back using the LUTs.

Good look!

It would be nice to see the actor's face - get down on his eye line. A reflector could do a lot to brighten the character. He is a little lost against the background.

Just keep shooting and experimenting

Thank you all for the feedback. It makes sense, especially after I read a few lines from a book about Cinematography today that talked about camera height and matching the eye line. I do have two Neweer battery powered LEDs that I will take out next time. So three point lighting then? I have a variable ND filter too, but no Polarizing filter, I may have to invest in that since it will be snowing soon. What about the shot where I am in the river? Good angle but I need to make the backdrop a little more out of focus?

There's a parrot here.

Composition is more art than math. I'd say go look at the paintings of Dutch Masters. Rules like the rule of thirds are just thumbnail suggestions of what we humans tend to find pleasing in images.

The polarizing filter is mostly just to help with hard sunlight. The ND filters are just to allow you to keep your aperture open wide to control your depth of field when you want in bright conditions.

Mostly what I suspect you need outdoors is a bounce to reflect light back at your subject. When you get in close, try hitting a hard light from one side and slightly behind the subject as a Key Light and a softer light or white bounce card or reflector for a soft fill light from the front.

At 00:36 you gut the head off of the prospector - Just my opinion, but it made me wince a little.

Rushing water is very difficult unless you specifically shoot it to get it silky smooth; otherwise it looks choppy - which typically is best at 60FPS, and a lot of processing. Interestingly, rushing water is something that film did quite well and kind of got left behind with digital cameras.

I personally like the darkness of your exposure settings - it gives an almost solarized quality to the subject matter.

But, my points are moot because I'm not clear what effect it is you were after.

Your comment that you “loose awareness of all that once you are behind the camera” seems to be central to your issue. Yes, a lot is going on when you are shooting and it can panic you if you let it. However, it doesn’t have to. What you have described is an example of why planning is so important.

Planning well ahead of time allows you to have a plan that you can follow for each shot you are doing. When you walk onto the set, you KNOW what you will do, in what order, and why. Your planning needs to be written down, saying you will remember everything means you are screwed as soon as you start getting anxious on set. Paper is your friend. Go through the shot list and think about framing, movement, lighting, etc. Make notes, drawings, diagrams, all of which are for the sole purpose of refreshing your memory about what you thought of earlier. These notes are not for sharing, although they can be. A combination of all three or whatever works best. I typically do a diagram of the set, showing camera, actors, props and movement. Then add notes to that, and perhaps storyboarding. For storyboarding, I do stick figures as this is not a test of my drawing skills. Stick figures allow me to put on paper what I see in my head.

Planning is flexible, there are many methods but the right way is what works for you not anyone else. It will take time to decide upon what you need and how much detail you will include. There is a learning curve, don’t sweat it, but you have to do it. There is no app for this. I do most of my own planning with diagrams. A layout of the set, performers, props, etc. Add in camera set-ups in order, lens angles of view, movement. Then lighting, what fixtures, where, distances for desired footcandles, gels and modifiers, etc. I do all of this in a drawing program on a computer using different layers as needed for camera, lights etc, so that I can print and distribute copies to everyone that needs them. My paper script is in a binder, so that the script is on the right side and the blank back of the previous page on the left side is where I keep most notes, and my stick figure storyboards. Some notes will be on the script page if something is called for at a specific point. The reason for doing this is that I will walk onto the set for a quick meting at the start of the day and within the first couple of minutes of the day, my crew knows what I see, what I expect and how we will get it. They know that I’ve thought it out and shot it in my head many times. They know I will not stare at a monitor while I have them pushing lights around hoping that something accidently looks good. They also know that I will listen and consider anything they come up with that might make what WE are doing better. Throughout the day, they are working on what we are doing in this shot and referring to the diagrams they have to know what they need to be prepping for the upcoming setups.

Planning is not meant to be restrictive. It is the starting point, and safety on the set. It is not unchanging but is flexible and evolving until everything is in the can, If something comes up as a suggestion; you think about the impact of the shot in the story, the scene, how it affects all the details and then decide if it is better or worse. If it doesn’t make it better you go back to the plan. Seriously makes creativity easier and more accessible. And gives me a chance to find a cappuccino 5 minutes after start time since everyone knows what is going on and what to expect.

Considering your filter tests, good for you for trying, but the astounding ability in post to exactly dial in the look of the B&W in colour correction might be a much better approach. You need to decide for yourself.

With B&W separation of elements is mostly by contrast. More contrast between adjacent object, the more separation. For example, if the actors face had some of the bright reflective water behind it, the silhouette might serve the purpose of the shot without any additional light. Contrast is why backlighting B&W images to create separation is needed.

Don’t overthink rules other than the 180˚ rule at this point. You will learn as you go. What are the 45 degree angles you are speaking of?