Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

Unread post by smulnik »

david antony wrote:Smulnik knowing and have met quite a few choreogrphers I find your work really fasinating. I looking forward to seeing this production in the future. More of your work, as you do them proud. Thank you so much for sharing. D A
Thanks, D A. I’m glad to hear that.
Sig
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Hi All,
I just found out that we've got one more scene to shoot for Ashlock, but that won't happen for several more weeks. In the meantime, I thought I'd post a few shots from earlier scenes.

This group of shots is from a scene of an awkward moment between Ashlock and his family during dinner. It was shot inside the Director's Grandmother's kitchen. The kids did really well with a little bit of coaching.
Sig

Cleaning and getting non-period (modern) items out of view.
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Adjusting the lighting.
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Coaching the kids.
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Last edited by smulnik on Tue Feb 06, 2018 5:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.2, 1/200, ISO 3200
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A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.5, 1/200, ISO 3200
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david antony
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

Unread post by david antony »

More interesting photos Sig.
Some neat props, really like the old cast iron wood stove.
The guy defusing work lights, looks he might also be directing?
Again thanks for Sharing. Some really nice work.

(Dusty. Very sorry to hear you lost your son.)
jbtaylor
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Clearly you are doing what you love in life.
Much respect.
JT
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Thanks guys!
Yes, the guy working on the lights is the Director. This is his project, so he's making sure everything's perfect.
That kitchen was very interesting. Stepping into it was like being thrown back in time.

The following shots are from a scene where the main character, Ashlock, initially enters the lead mine. This location shoot is at a different, smaller mine. Its floor is relatively flat which allowed for a smooth tracking shot using a dolly. This mine's floor is flat because it was resurfaced in order to repurpose the space as a residence. The occupying family allowed us to use the large unused space behind their living area, but they didn't like the idea of us using their electricity to power the lights. So I brought my generator to provide the electricity.
Sig

A secret undisclosed location.
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The unused section of the mine.
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Testing the dolly and track.
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jbtaylor
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Just great but #2 is magical (even for a documentary shot).
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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The owners allowed us to drill a series of small holes along the wall in order to hang a string of trouble lights.
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Lights are set.
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The floor of the mine is covered with damp rock dust. As the dolly rolled down the track, the rock dust would make crunching noises when the metal track pressed into it. So we put wood shims under all of the track's contact-points with the floor in order to eliminate the crunching noise.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.2, 1/60, ISO 6400
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aster
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

Unread post by aster »

.

Hi Sig; :)

Truly enjoying the documentation and your clean approach to shooting the photos, with clear views of how each step was rethought and configured to create smoothly-running working environment. The mine itself is very interesting for its internal shape and walls/ground.

Thanks for sharing,
Yildiz
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Dusty
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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smulnik wrote:.....
A secret undisclosed location.
Not too secret. I remember a Post-Dispatch article about that house many years ago!

It's interesting to see behind the scenes.

Dusty
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Dusty wrote: Not too secret. I remember a Post-Dispatch article about that house many years ago!
I know, right? I didn't have a chance to talk to the family (I was too busy). Now I'm wondering how long they've been living there.

Sig
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Here are some shots from the last scene that we recently finished for Ashlock. This is a scene of Ashlock's wife being lost in thought. The moment is represented by showing her alone within a black, empty space. So a "black box" was used for the shoot.

Setting up the dolly track in the black box.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F2.8, 1/125, ISO 2500.
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Since only the dancer was supposed to be illumitated by the lights, the Director wondered if it might help to use a couple of butterflies with diffusion screens. None of us had ever tried using these in a space like this, so this was an experiment.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.2, 1/125, ISO 3200.
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The diffusion screens did a good job on the subject, but they also scattered the light all over the room. We needed to have the back wall (with the curtains) in total darkness, so we ended up abandoning the diffusion screens. They might have worked better if we were in a bigger room. Lesson learned. (The blue light on the floor is from 6 overhead spots which where focused straight down.)
A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.2, 1/40, ISO 3200.
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Plan B: Gels, barn doors, cinefoil, wooden clothes pins, and a lot of singed fingers. :)
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We spent a couple of hours arranging and focusing the lights, as well as repositioning the dolly track to get the right angle.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.5, 1/80, ISO 2500.
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Finally achieved the "endless black void" effect.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F2.8, 1/500, ISO 2000.
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smulnik
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

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Ran the scene multiple times, getting shots using the track and dolly.
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Ran the scene a few more times, getting shots using a jib from a different angle.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.2, 1/160, ISO 4000.
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Made it through all of those runs in top form.
A99, 24-70 CZ, F3.2, 1/400, ISO 2500.
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ValeryD
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Re: Helping Friends with Short Art Films

Unread post by ValeryD »

Continuing the remarkable work! :)
Everything in the life unusual!
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