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Gear & Our Art: 2011?

kipling

New member
Robert Rodriguez shot his first feature film, El Mariachi, on an old borrowed 16mm camera with two borrowed lenses. He lit it with practicals (light bulbs), he recorded the sound on a Marantz tape deck, he cut it and mastered it on Video tape.

It cost him a total of $7.000. Everythiung included.

From a technical (theoretical) standpoint it would have been considered total crap, yet it was a major success. He went from a nobody to one of the hottest, highest paid directors in Hollywood because of that $7.000 technically crappy movie.

Photography is childsplay compared to making a major feature film.
That industry is cut throat, cold hearted, do or die, put up or shut up business driven, cover your *** or lose it territory...and nobody cared what camera he used, how he made the film or where he learned to do it. The film was brilliant, period; and a hoard of no risk, cut throat, hollywood studios were begging him to take millions of their hands for anything he wanted to shoot.

Just food for thought.

Happy new year
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Robert Rodriguez shot his first feature film, El Mariachi, on an old borrowed 16mm camera with two borrowed lenses. He lit it with practicals (light bulbs), he recorded the sound on a Marantz tape deck, he cut it and mastered it on Video tape.

It cost him a total of $7.000. Everythiung included.

From a technical (theoretical) standpoint it would have been considered total crap, yet it was a major success. He went from a nobody to one of the hottest, highest paid directors in Hollywood because of that $7.000 technically crappy movie.

Photography is childsplay compared to making a major feature film.
That industry is cut throat, cold hearted, do or die, put up or shut up business driven, cover your *** or lose it territory...and nobody cared what camera he used, how he made the film or where he learned to do it. The film was brilliant, period; and a hoard of no risk, cut throat, hollywood studios were begging him to take millions of their hands for anything he wanted to shoot.

Just food for thought.

Happy new year
Did they shoot the sequel with that stuff?

Brilliant? Maybe ... but a no-brainer, ultra-violent movie will sell in our gum chew, slash and smash society every time ... high quality imagery or not.

The really brilliant part wasn't making it, it was getting it shown.

It's America's version of the Colosseum blood baths to entertain the masses ... along with the train-wreak lives of all those vacuous "house wives" that have invaded TV.

Sort of "Lost in Snooky Land" meets "Halloween XII".

More like junk-food for thought IMO.:ROTFL:

-Marc
 

johnnygoesdigital

New member
Actually, shooting stills can sometimes be much more complex, as we try to spot meter and calibrate for filters and gels and various lighting conditions and weather. More often than not, shooting motion picture film with these variables, are incorporated into the scene without much delay. I used to shoot music videos and commercials and once dropped a camera during a huge dance scene with approximately 30 dancers. The camera slid across the floor still rolling, I was slightly mortified, but picked it up and continued shooting. In dailies with the producers I waited for the inevitable scene and when it was displayed, I sheepishly started to explain, but the producers looked at each other and said "brilliant". The point is, that so many pretentious photographers shoot without so much as looking through the viewfinder and call it art. Most are showing in major galleries across the country. The still shooters who compose and expose have my respect and not the overrated, recycled crap in hollywood!
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
I guess there's a difference between "western landscape" and "modern outdoor" photography. It's having a mule to carry your gear a la Ansel vs a pre-dawn trail run up to Machu Picchu with a headlamp to shoot the sunrise a la Galen Rowell. If you know what GR used, and how technically poor his negs are - relatively speaking, but they don't print well at even 16x20 - an M9+WATE is in a completely different league. Or some of the mountaineering and climbing expeditions he shot. Good work really starts with being there with a camera, but of course once that prime requirement can be met we strive to maximize performance.

If weddings started with a 10mi hike Hasselblad would be making completely different tools. :)
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I guess there's a difference between "western landscape" and "modern outdoor" photography. It's having a mule to carry your gear a la Ansel vs a pre-dawn trail run up to Machu Picchu with a headlamp to shoot the sunrise a la Galen Rowell. If you know what GR used, and how technically poor his negs are - relatively speaking, but they don't print well at even 16x20 - an M9+WATE is in a completely different league. Or some of the mountaineering and climbing expeditions he shot. Good work really starts with being there with a camera, but of course once that prime requirement can be met we strive to maximize performance.

If weddings started with a 10mi hike Hasselblad would be making completely different tools. :)
How about a 10 hour hike while shooting just about every step of the way, and no control over the pace you have to move at? :ROTFL:

Weddings aren't as physically easy as one might think.

I've had to help 20 something assistants out of the car after a grueling 10+ hour day in 95º+ temps and suffocating humidity.

Last season I was returning from one of those where it was 110º in the tent right after it rained, and seriously considered quitting ... felt like a semi had run over me ... 50 times!

Getting to old for that kind of abuse.

-Marc

(P.S., thank God for the Leica M9)
 
S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
Weddings aren't as physically easy as one might think.

I've had to help 20 something assistants out of the car after a grueling 10+ hour day in 95º+ temps and suffocating humidity.
(P.S., thank God for the Leica M9)
Yeah... I always laugh at how my 20-something assistants can't keep up for the whole day. :ROTFL:

There's a science to pacing during wedding days!!!
 
S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
Between Marc and myself we probably claim more painkillers as business expenses than any other photographer on this board.. :D
I only shot 20 or so weddings this year before heading back to school this past September... but being in the Southeast US, I would refute the claims above. :ROTFL:

(or just join in with the pain! :D)
 

itsskin

New member
I am relatively young to be judged as an "expert", or "pro" but still.
I started with digital and skipped wet dark room. Then it was higher, faster etc. And the reason for "that" bad picture was that I didn't have "THAT" lens with me. So, after I got THAT super lens - nothing changed in my pics :(. It was some years ago and helped me with general understanding how hardware works and what I can reasonably expect from the gear.
The revelation was to try BW film with self development and self digitizing. It teaches to think before you press the button. 10 times. Or 100 times. Or more. And the final results are so much better of 10 shoots of 120 6x7, then 500 of thinkless button pushing with digital. And when I came back to digital process - I was so much better. Regardless that old cameras can not come lose to what we have now in digital. So, it's really strange to see, when people with "wet past" are starting to talk about 0.5 stop of advantage with pushing some system over another.
If you don't have a picture to show - why even bother to develop it? And if you got a PICTURE OF THE YEAR with your iPhone - you should be proud!
Still, I agree - we don't have to fight with our equipment. Just need to understand, where the fight begins for you :)
 
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