Bryan Tosh's Lounge Discussions

Thanks, Heike!

Great article Carole. Thank you for sharing. Do you think your geographic location was a big factor in networking? Many of us do not live in L.A. or have the means TO move to L.A. Do you think there is a chance for writers or other filmmakers to keep working as you did and do without living in L.A.?

There is always a chance. There are films made everywhere these days. Networking is easier in L.A. or NYC but use the on line tools and local market to your advantage. Also attend film festivals and other events, it helps.

I bumped this post up from the summer because it's the best writing I've read all year. Congrats again, Ms. P!

Thanks so much, Bill. Am looking forward to more successes in the coming year. I hope yours is happy, healthy and prosperous. - Carole

comedy

Dramedy. Onward and upward.

A feel-good drama, which is not my usual.

Scifi-Horror . . . for kids!

TV hour-long dramady.

Hi Hayward, sorry if this is late, but here are some things that I look for when I'm on location scout: 1. Where to run power: Super important to know where you can run power (if you can run on house), or if you need to rent a generator and where to place it. Also getting to know where individual circuits are on a line and how much load they can handle. 2. Natural light: I take my light meter to every location scout and keep notes on what it meters at certain times of day, that way I know how much I'll need to bring it up when I'm shooting. Also knowing the direction of light is great to know. 3. Where to set up lights, and general blocking: Knowing where you can place your lights is really important obviously, so if you can scout where to place them so that they are hidden and still effective, it would save a lot of time. Those are the top 3 things I look for. There are a million other factors, but I make sure to at least have those notes before I shoot.

I have learned that scouting a location at the time one intends to shoot is very important. Scouting a location in the morning when one intends to shoot in the afternoon is risking not seeing things that occur at the time of the shoot. A location scout should include a discussion of the intended blocking which will reveal issues connected to the physical setting.

Both Brian and John offer some great advice Hayward. I would also suggest bringing along your Gaffer, if available, so there will be clear communication on the day. As mentioned before, try to go around the time of day you plan to shoot, but also take into account what the weather may be like on the shoot day. You may have clear sunny skies during the scout, but on the shoot you could have something dark and gloomy. Someone from Art Dept. should also be there, this way if you see something that may make your shots less visually appealing, you can get with Art Dept. and come up with a plan for the day.

Good thread. I'm learning cinematography soon.

Good advice given above. The main thing I'm looking for in an interior are windows. If there are windows, know what direction they are facing. It's not always practical to scout at the time one will be shooting (although that is ideal). Often the scout happens before the schedule is set. Use a compass and experience or a sun tracking app to determine if sunlight will come through any windows and at what time of day. Is the location on the first floor? Can sunlight be blocked from the outside if necessary? What will the equipment load in be like? Are there stairs, an elevator? Where will equipment be staged out of the shot? The next thing I look for is practical lighting. Is it tungsten, mercury vapor, fluorescent? If you have flos and don't have a color temp meter, look at the name on the tube and then look up the nominal color temp. You can expect a certain amount of green in most flos. What is the existing light level based on desired camera ISO? Use a light meter or take a DSLR camera along. Also, take along a tape measure for measuring things like windows (for gelling) and doorway widths for dolly shots. How high is the ceiling? Is there anything like beams, etc. that lights can be hung on? Is the floor smooth enough to dolly on? Of course the first important considerations are aesthetic - like architecture, size of space, furniture, wall colors, and general appropriateness to the scene.

Thanks David! I always have fun with Jen!!!

I have met thousands of actors. Many were amazing at their craft but couldn't sustain a living. Some gave it up to pursue other dreams. I knew one actor who was in class for 20 years before he landed a series regular. He had an amazing wife who helped him achieve this dream. Everyone is different with unique circumstances. Only you can know your limits.

So true Kristi! Have a great webinar today!

First off your dream and reality are not the same thing - what you dream of doing or being you might actually not like at all when you're actually doing it - all you can do is move towards those dreams and you will learn a lot on the way about yourself. So you should never quit pursuing your dreams but I think you must always adapt and refine those dreams as you get feedback. your dream might be to be a big comedy star - however, maybe you just aren't funny but people love your dramatic work. Out of this you might decide to either be a dramatic actor and enjoy the success or you might go back to college to explore what makes people laugh and what doesn't. Or you could host a comedy podcast or something else. OR you could keep insisting you're going to be a comedy star despite no feedback from the universe and zero indicators or results - to me this is the least enlightened path.

Words of Wisdom Dave...

Welcome to Stage 32 RJ. Gotta respect the AD work. ;)

Hi RJ! Welcome to Stage 32! I'm new too. I'm so impressed by how quickly you can make so many connections in such a short space of time. You'll build a great network, I'm sure!

Great to have you here, RJ!

Thank u guys

Brandi, THANK YOU for the warm welcome. I feel like this is what I was meant to do with filmmaking. We REALLY appreciate all the support. Definitely more to come. ;)

I agree that artists have a change to move the audience and to move them to make change. We have more opportunities to do that now than every before.

Thanks Melissa. That's one reason I wanted to make it a web series so each episode could be shared throughout the world and hopefully the message will reach as many people as possible.

Hi Bryan, welcome to the site! I love that your goal is not only to move audiences but to motivate change. Really looking forward to your web series and I have no doubt it's going to be awesome!

WOW Alice, thank you very much. You're far too kind. We can't wait to get started on principal photography, but we want to be as true to the material as possible and are taking our time with pre-production.

I look forward to it! : )

I like the format, the photos were a great addition to your notes about lighting, and will definitely check out Shot Designer. Thanks Bryan. Do you mind sharing which of Shane's profiles you used?

Thank you very much Jeremy for taking the time. If you are a part of Shane Hurlbut's Inner Circle group, then you can find them there. I would have to double check if they're available to everyone on his site or not.

Sorry Bryan, I meant indicating which profile you used, not actually sharing the file(s). I'm not a member yet, but they can be purchased on his site as well for a few bucks. I'm just curious about which you used to get your look. Thanks.

Oh haha, my mistake. I usually use his flatter profile rather than the "baked-in" look, which is the other C100 profile. I also find the built in Cinema profile is a good choice if you want to use the built in camera profiles along with C-Log Gamma.