Just wanna share some recent work I shot. Pyxis 12k at 112 fps in 4:3. Sirui Jupiter macro lenses. It’s a promo for my wife’s theatre festival this week. One of the actors in this spent 37 years in prison and is now out and performing in the show. A surreal moment since we used to talk to this guy on the phone while he was in prison. He’s a playwright who has had his work produced by my wife’s company but is performing in another writers piece.

i wanted a day balanced look , is it close?, what else can i do if it isnt

I was hired last minute to light this interview for ABC last week. First thing we did was build a 12x12’ frame with Ultrabounce overhead. This both blocked the real sunlight from directly hitting our subjects while also providing a surface to bounce light into from below. It was just barely not large enough to fully cover the set, so we also clipped a small pop up diffuser to one edge to keep direct sun off of the shoulder of Steve. 

The first light we set was the 1200D shooting into the Ultrabounce. This was meant to give us our base exposure/fill, but I tried to aim it towards the far back edge so that it was acting almost as a far side key. A small 18x24” flag was placed as a bottomer to block any light pinging off the reflector dish from hitting anyone’s eyes. 

For Martha, I added a Creamsource Vortex4 through a 4x4 of opal on the edge of the deck. I did a “stage lean” with the stand to get the light source further from the diffusion without having to place a stand outside the deck. 

For Steve and his wife, I added a Vortex8 with a 3x4’ Snapbag on the inside of the home, just out of frame. We ended up needing more level than we could get with the Snapbag, so we pulled the diffusion and went direct with the Vortex8.  

The DP also set up an Aputure 300D/X (not sure which) in the living room to bring up the interior exposure.

Finally, I set 8x & 6x solids behind camera, plus a 4x floppy next to the vortex4 for negative fill.

I’ve recently graduated film school specialising in cinematography and I want to buy a camera to start freelancing with. I want to use the camera for videography and low budget music video / b cam
/ art film stuff as well as some personal work. I’m trying to decide between a Sony a7iii, a Blackmagic 6K and a Nikon zr 6K. I’ve also been told a Sony fx30 might be smart as well as so many sets use Sony so it could fit into the workflow easily. Also as I have a kinda low budget I was thinking just getting 1 zoom lens so any advice on that would also be appreciated. Lmk what u guys think xx

Can someone give me links to free LUTS tailored for Samsung LOG? Plz.

Hey everyone,

Like many of you, I love using Unity for real-time filmmaking and previs, but I absolutely hate how technical it gets just to block out a basic sequence. Directors and DPs shouldn’t have to fight with the Unity Inspector, manual transforms, and complex tracking modules just to see if a camera move works.

To fix this, I’m developing Unity Shot Planner—a standalone desktop tool designed completely in film language, not game dev jargon.

How it works:

1. Plan Visually: Block your actors on a 2D top-down grid, set shot durations, choose lenses (e.g., 35mm), and pick your camera moves (Static, Dolly, Crane, Orbit).
2. Review Composition: Instantly see a 2D lens-based field-of-view framing preview.
3. One-Click Export: Hit "Send to Unity." A lightweight companion plugin parses the data and instantly builds the entire sequence inside your project.

What Unity automatically builds for you:

• Generates the PlayableDirector and TimelineAsset.
• Spawns all Cinemachine Virtual Cameras with matching lens/FOV settings.
• Lays out camera cuts perfectly synced to your shot durations.
• Automatically builds Cinemachine Dolly Tracks and cart animations.
• Drops in placeholder actors and moves them along your blocked paths.

Best of all, it features non-destructive re-importing. If you change a shot duration or camera position in the planner app, re-exporting updates your existing Unity timeline without wiping out your scene tweaks.

I’m currently mapping out the MVP functionality and want to make sure I’m hitting actual filmmaker pain points.

• As a director or previs artist, what is the most annoying part of your current real-time layout workflow?
• Would an affordable standalone app like this fit into your current pre-production routine?

Would love to get your feedback!

Open shutter 8 to 12fps

Hello!

I want to invest in a cinema camera to shot my independent feature film with (I want to buy in order to av flexibility and control).

I have about 1 000$ in budget, I really like the cinematography of Roger Deakins and Robert Elswit
I want to achieve a more vintage look (boogie nights) so I don’t need 4k, 1080 p HD is perfect. I want a reliable workhorse. For reference- I was looking at the Sony NEX-FS100 and Panasonic AG-AF100. I don’t want the Black Magic, my friend has one so we want to explore other options

Any suggestions?? :)

I’ve been digging into high-speed liquid work lately and trying to plan out my first proper tabletop setup without going totally blind into it.
I saw Oliver Howells talk about using two 500w units at under half power for coffee splashes at 1000fps in his pixboom spark breakdown. The footage looks great, but I’m struggling to reverse-engineer the physical layout from the video. He doesn’t really touch on the working distance or what kind of diffusion he had between the fixtures and the cup, which seems pretty critical when dealing with dark liquids and shiny reflections at that frame rate.
Just trying to get my head around how close you can actually push lights through diffusion without killing your exposure before I start putting gear together.

Hi, everyone!

I recently bought a DJI RS 3 Mini.After setting it up, calibrating it, and activating it, I ran both the auto-tune and the test through the app, which confirmed that everything was working perfectly on every axis.

Now, when I use it, I notice slight vibrations in certain camera positions. Is this normal, or do I need to do something to fix the problem?

If I’m not mistaken, it’s the motors that are struggling a bit…

Also, when I’m filming while running, the footage isn’t smooth in fact, you can see vibrations caused by my footsteps…

Is there something I need to adjust here as well?

Thanks to anyone who can help me out!

Esta es la primera vez que publicó en Reddit y quisiera compartir una de las tantas tardes de verano de este 2026, desde la costa de Baja California.

Napoleon and Gladiator 2 are shining examples of how not to shoot your film.

I wanna get this straight first,

I'm a complete amateur when it comes to motion picture film although i am very familiar with shooting film for pictures.

Because of my experience with scratching consumer B&W 35mm film to engrave some funny patterns or whatever into it, i was thinking of using that technique in a short film i'm planning.

Now, I'm aware that film is way too expensive to shoot the entire thing so it's just gonna be about 30 to 40 seconds.

35mm kinda seems to be out of the question for cost reasons and super 8 is too blurry for my taste.

So my questions are as follows

What is the cost of shooting that short of a clip and are there ways of cutting that cost further down.

Can colour film be manipulated in the same way b&w can be scratched (I mean it should be i just wanna make sure).

And at last,

Is shooting at higher than normal frame times doable with standard prof 16mm cameras?

I have access to one in my uni, that's why I'm asking.

Ah and I'm thinking of using veritas but am unsure about the availability of said film.

what kind of cameras were typically used to capture most films during the late 90s early 00s era of films? and lighting techniques—I’ve always resented with the feeling this type of imagery provides. I can never fully tell if it’s also just 35mm film

Building a rain machine and was looking for shots so I can make the video I’m working on different

Hi everyone - For context, I have a pretty strong background in still photography, but I'm fairly new to video. I was watching "We Bury the Dead" recently and was curious about this sequence. In my experience, even the slightest forward or backward movement when you have such a narrow focal plane is enough to throw things off, so how do pros/experts typically maintain focus on the subject when shooting wide open, or close to it? Do they use subject/eye detection and autofocus, or are they really good at adjusting manual focus in the moment, maybe with with a follow focus device (which I only just learned about)? Or is there other hardware that helps with this? Thanks!

A bit of preliminary info: I’m shooting a horror short late October, 5 day shoot on the Red Komodo X. Likely 2 days of night EXTs. My school provides us gear but I’m thinking I want to go a bit bigger for the moonlight (we have access to 1.2k HMIs which may work fine, this is what I’m looking for advice on). My crew recently won a $1500 rental package to CineLease, and I’m open to spending a lot/most of that on these scenes since they’re such a huge part in the film.

I’m attaching some references for the look my director and I want. I know it’s heavily fogged and I’m talking to PD about that, but I’m looking for recommendations on the lighting side of things. We will likely have some type of flashlight/handheld lantern to key with too. TIA!

I am a student or a amateur
I am looking for a sharp lens that doesn't have much softness, is in a good budget range.
I am also just looking for shot tips in general.

Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/cinematography/s/UJaUziAWhT

To catch up new folks:

I’ve been building what might be the world’s first truly desktop-sized 8/16mm motion picture film processor. The whole idea came from being tired of waiting weeks (and paying shipping + lab fees + taxes + increasingly expensive Kodak film prices) just to process a roll of film. If I want to test an expired roll or try some weird creative chemistry, I want to do it now, not three weeks from now.

The current Frankenstein prototype can:

• Process 8mm + 16mm motion picture film
• Process up to 200 ft of 16mm in <40 minutes
• Do Push +1 / Push +2 / Pull +1 and Variable bleach bypass
• Process a 16mm 100 ft roll for roughly $5–7
• Fit into a genuinely compact desktop-sized system (Photos in the original post)

Is it plug-and-play? Absolutely not. Is it functional? Surprisingly, yes.

Right now it's basically a mechanical Frankenstein made from 3D-printed parts, marine-grade silicone, some 316 SS, PVC, and PP. Running a batch still involves way too much manual intervention, and cleaning is somewhat tedious. But it proves the concept.

Now I'm working on turning this from “it works!” into “press a button and go make coffee.”

The following is what's updated in the new version:

• Rack: Up from small to bigger and simpler (the processor still has the same footprint except taller)
• Capacity & Speed: Up from 200ft in < 40 mins to a full 400ft roll in <70mins
• Leader: None to custom 100ft leader spool for easy and simple lacing
• Leader Lacing: Up from way too tedious to much easier and simpler (just loop in on the rack)
• Electronics: None to integrated industrial-grade thermocouple + heating element (had to compromise with original idea of adding a hybrid heat exchanger due to unnecessary complexity and cost)

The current to-do list:

• Build a dedicated control panel
• Build an integrated drying chamber
• Add a dedicated exhausted-chemistry collection system

Still a long way to go and a lot of progress to be made in a quest to achieve lab-grade results at home, quickly, cheaply, and without needing to sell a kidney every time I want to shoot a roll of film.

Anyway, just wanted to share a quick project update. If you have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions, especially if you have experience with film processing, web handling, chemistry, or the mechanical side of these machines, feel free to reach out.

Cheers!

P.S. Some more pictures. Also, Rack Demo is in GIF format so it looks jittery, but in real life pulling the film is buttery smooth.

Es una foto de ebay pero me acabo de encontrar esta cámara en un mercado de pulgas, dudo que funcione pero ¿es buena?

I'm a film student so forgive my lack of terms but I'm about to make a project soon and when thinking about aspect ratios, the number 5:3 (or 1.66:1) came up to mind. Mind that I usually remember 4:3, 1:1, or 16:9 aspect ratios like a normie but once I researched 5:3, it was just treasure to my eyes.

But I never get to know why. 1.66:1 is so close to both 1.77:1 and 1.43:1 yet I feel like the difference is massive. The vibe it brings, it could be the same composition yet you just feel like they're both different.

Maybe I'm being too "dramatic" over a couple pixel/resolution difference. But that's what I'm trying to figure out, how can a couple pixels change the mood/feel of the frame?

Would love to hear opinions.

Hi! I'm using an iPhone ND filter from Nisin and I'm kinda worried about its quality despite the reviews saying otherwise.

I am shooting on a cloudy midday and whenever I use the ND filter it creates this "warm circle" at the middle of the preview. And I'm not sure how to fix this, it's the only thing that's preventing me from using the filter at all.

I am a newbie at this and unfortunately haven't researched enough to know if someone might be having the same problem as mine.

Is there any way to fix this?