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Gaffer Tape 101
I use 1/2" fluorescent orange gaffer tape to label all my telecom hand tools. 1) Easy to find tools when cleaning up. 2) Easy to find tools when someoen else finds my tool and leaves it on their desk. 3) Easy to notice "If Found..."Custom rubber stamp with "If Found..." on the gaffer tape and cover with layer of heavy clear plastic packaging tape. I had three sizes of stamps made. Brother P-Touch fluorescent tape is $20 per 16', but the clear with black letters tape is only $10 per 24' over orange gaffer tape cheaper.
Thanks to Jeff Warren of Telecomddata in Texas
For some more great tips on the use ( and a source of) Gaffer Tape, visit THE TAPEWORKS .
Thanks, Jeff Harrison!
Don's note: I use 3M Scotchlite Reflective tape on all my gear. A little pricey, but it sure makes finding missing tools, etc., easier in dark studios or outside at night...
Great Student Tips
For a student film with little or no budget... an easy lighting tool would be a white poster board. Or, even better may be a silver front poster board. (Available at any art supply store). As a matter of fact, anything that will reflect light will do! Just have someone hold it in place to reduce shadows on your shot. Also, remember to add a "kicker" or back light, so all your light isnt coming from the front, but the back also. This will give your project a much better "look."
Thanks to Krissy Ladner
Don's note: You can find poster board (we often call it "Show Card") in any decent art supply shop, and in a great variety of colors. I often like to use a cream colored card for bounce light on faces, since it gives a warmer, more pleasing effect than stark white in "portrait" type shots. If you have the time and inclination - experiment with different colors.
Basic Rules
1. Never do a tie-in with your cell phone (or pager - remember those?) set to vibrate.
2. If you ever find yourself working with an intern who thinks he knows it all, send him to the truck for an Ellemafer, a Jedclampit and a Galileo Stem and see what he comes back with.
3. Learn how to open a beer with a C-47. The Grips will respect you more.
Many thanks to Gaffer Richard Lacy in Texas, USA
HMI Tips.
HMI's can seem problematic because they are complex electronic devices rather than simple electrical circuits like tungsten lights. A few problems can be solved if you remember...
A buzzing magnetic ballast may indicate low voltage.
Got some Flicker? Check
that a double-ended globe is horizontal.
Also, flicker can be a sign that the voltage is too high. This may mean either
a line voltage or ballast problem.
Electronic ballasts give a bit (6-8%) more light, but are louder at the head. You might try to use Wolfram's round globes for quieter operation.
In silent mode, HMI's are no longer flicker-free above 32fps!
Here are convenient Tables
for flicker-free shooting at various filming speeds.
(These tables are intended for Film cameras, and are not needed for most video
and digital video applications).
NOTE: Electronic ballasts use more amperage (in AC mode) than magnetics!
The approximate amperages are: 575 = 10A, 1200s=20A, 2500s=39A, 4ks = 56A, 6ks = 75A, and 12ks = 145A )
Because of power correction factors, the neutral leg on electronic ballast systems must be able to carry the SUM OF THE HOT LEGS. This may mean 4/0 instead of 2/0 for your neutral leg!
Calibrating your LCD Monitor
Tip for calibrating the brightness on the LCD viewfinder in your PD 150. Connect you camera into a trusworthy NTSC color monitor and match the image of your LCD to the monitor by keeping the camera in auto and simply adjusting the brightness on the LCD in the top left part of the monitor. It is a gross adjustment but you will be closer to the truth than getting fooled by a bright LCD with a bad picture.
Thanks to Paul Liggitt. Visit his website at http://www.plphoto.com
Electronic Shutters vs Fluorescent Lights .
Video cameras are not immune to flicker from enclosed AC ars lights (HMI, metal halide, fluorescent, etc.) especially when the electronic shutter is used. This can cause drastic shifts in color balance and exposure, rendering your shot unuseable. You may even see this phenomenon if using clear scan at the higher ranges.
What was first thought to be a design flaw in the shutter system on our DSR 500 turned out to simply be the result of the shutter not being "in phase" with the 60hz current we find in most domestic US and Canadian electrical systems. European 50hz electrical systems aren't immune, either. As a matter of fact, the BBC advises it's camera operators to avoid using the electronic shutter at all.
If you want to see the results of color and exposure shifts in our fluorescent lighting tests, take a look at our TEST page.
Inexpensive Back-net Holder for Video Cameras.
Do you love the softer look a back-net gives to harsh video images? And are you tired of trying to mount the net with tape, tiny rubber-bands or ATG adhesive? Try this simple device...
Get a Kodak 35mm film cannister (you know, like you used to store your stash in). Take the gray top and carefully cut out the center, leaving the inner and outer lips intact. Next, shave those lips down about 50% to make the cap "shallower". To use your "field-expedient" net holder, simply place a small piece of your favorite stocking over the rear element of your video lens - don't stretch it too much, just make sure the wrinkles are out and that it isn't bunching up. Just snap the cap into place and trim the excess stocking. VOILA! The cap should provide a nice even amount of stretch to the stocking, and hold it in place while you carefully reseat the lens. If the lens doesn't want to seat, you may not have shaved off enough of the lips. So far, this has fit on every standard 2/3" lens I've come across.
Video Color Balance.
When shooting under fluorescent (or mixed flo) lighting conditions, try setting the White Balance thru a combination of 1/4 Plus Green and 1/4 or 1/2 CTB (Blue) gel. A large swatch book like Rosco's Jungle Book is great - if you can find one. The resulting over-correction will greatly help to put back the warm tones normally lost in such conditions. Many people have done this with just the 1/4 Blue, but I think the 1/4 Green helps get rid of the greenish cast in the shadow areas seen in most Sony and some other Japanese cameras. For an even warmer effect, use 1/4 Plus Green and 1/2 CTB (Blue)
You may even try the same package under pure tungsten lights to add a little warmer skin tone to a scene. It's a lot cheaper than buying a "Coral," "812" filter or a set of WarmCards. Speaking of WarmCards , which work very well, but are expensive for what they do, go back to the art supply store and look at the pastel greenish blue poster board... a little experimenting and you can get a huge selection of various color-balancing cards for next to nothing!
Setting Critical Focus
When outside or in other extremely bright conditions, I like to balance on a Kodak 18% grey card (or a standard grey-scale "chip chart"). This lets you balance at about the same aperture setting you'll use for an average scene. If you can, find the plastic, washable cards, and glue a Siemens Focus Star on the white side. That little item can really help you set a critical focus in low-light situations.
Also, I like to set my focus point in most situations on a person's eyes. Just zoom into the eye, set focus, and pull back. If your lens is properly calibrated (back focus) your image will be as sharp as a tack. (Note: some people use the lips, saying that we often look at a person's mouth when they are speaking, but this is a matter of personal preference.)
Coiling Cables.
Always coil stingers (extension cords) the same way. This avoids kinks and tangles-and will increase the service life. We prefer to coil clockwise because of the way the conductors spiral inside the cord set. Others like to coil them "over & under" like video and audio cable. That's fine, too, just be consistent.
Remember to NEVER leave any cable coiled when under load! The induction current can cause it to dangerously overheat.
To keep it neat, "Figure 8" the excess cable in any run.
Inspecting Stingers.
You probably know that OSHA and NFPA electrical codes require ground fault (GFCI) interrupters on all electrical cord sets used outside. But did you know that a properly executed quarterly inspection program can be substituted for these expensive devices?
An Assurred Grounding Conductor Program, as described in OSHA publication 3073 "An Illustrated Guide to Electrical Safety"; can save your rental shop money, while granting peace of mind to those using your equipment.
LA Style Knot System.
If you're from anywhere
else, and you've showed up for your first job in Hollywood, you may be confused
by the lack of phasing tape or colored sleeves on feeder cable,
ie... BLACK (often YELLOW
in New York), RED
and BLUE
for the Hots, WHITE
for Neutral, and GREEN
for Ground...
No surprise here, but "LAliens" often do it differently...
The following applies to stranded cable (like 2/0 and 4/0). Use "Figure 8" knots in the tie-ropes...
Knots using both tie ropes: 2 knot using both ropes=GROUND, 1 knot, both ropes=NEUTRAL.
Knot using only 1 tie rope: None=HOT 1, 1=HOT 2, 2=HOT 3.
Also, you should interlace a piece of sash between the individual cables in a run to separate it from other runs. This works whether you're using phasing tape or the knot system. If you're still confused, just as one of the LA locals. Do try to refrain from asking them the old "Are you local, or are you professional?" question, though. They're a bit sensitve since all the work went to Vancouver.
By the way, keep in mind when repairing lights made in Europe that YELLOW+GREEN=GROUND (EARTH), while BROWN=HOT and BLUE=NEUTRAL (Note: older lights may use RED for HOT).
Flags and Nets.
When returning nets to the flag box, make sure the open sides all face the same way. This way you're less likely to tear the delicate bobbin-net material.
If the flag box is wooden, make sure you have flags (solids) on both sides af the nets, making a "grip-sandwich". This will protect the nets from splinters.
Thanks to Dan
Philipp of Danny Boy Services in Atlanta, GA.
Visit the Danny
Boy Services website.
Good General Advice.
1. Never play cards with a man named "Doc."
2. Never eat at a restaurant named "Mom's."
3. Never draw to an inside straight.
4. Never sleep with anyone crazier than you are.
5. Don't get caught.
Thanks to John Godwin, of Atlanta, GA for these useful tips!
Ten VITAL Tips for Gaffers and Set Electricians...
1. Do not work barefoot in a rainstorm.
2. Before accepting any job, thoroughly research the craft service accomodations.
3. Ruthlessly insult any and all talent - believe it or not, they love it!
4. Try not to mix any polaroids taken at a shoot with those you've taken ofyour wife in compromising positions. Such confusion can lead to embarrassing consequences should the wrong pictures end up on your client's desk.
5. When working in confined spaces and farting copiously, be sure to shift the blame by throwing meaningful glances toward the director.
6. Wearing a t- shirt (or displaying a bumper sticker) that reads, "Gaffers do it with the lights on" may not be as cool as you think.
7. Beware of gaffer "groupies". Found in multitudes on any set, and easily identified by the spare three-prong plugs they keep in their pockets, these legendary love-lorn beauties can be a real distraction from work, especially when "flashing" their breasts.
8. Make it clear to any and all employers that, despite cinematic tradition, you absolutely refuse to "hurry up and wait." Instead, tell him or her that, if appropriately compensated, you might be willing to "wait and hurry up," or, for that matter, "wait up and hurry." Confusing statements such as this are very effective when negotiating with know-it-alls.
9. Although the word "gaffer" also refers to a master glassblower responsible for shaping glassware, you are under no obligation to use a glass when consuming your favorite beverage.
10. If you are part of a union crew, ignore the taunts of those working on confederate crews. Even after all this time, 'dem rebels still bear a grudge.
For the above ten vital tips, many thanks to Ben Clark of Trone Advertising.
Some thoughts from Vasco Nunes:
1. Do not work with people in your crew who ask you if Apocalypse Now was shot on film or video.
2. Think that the guy looking through the viewfinder is the DP (while you just spend one hour talking to the director and 3 hours around the set with a lightmeter)
3. Ask you to hurry up with those lights 2 minutes after the camera is taken out of it's case.
4. Tell you to "Be careful, fluroescents give you strange color temperatures", - while you are setting up that four bank of kinoflos.
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