FIELD NOTES
Field notes are the ramblings of ideas, thoughts, notes, camera workflows and lighting plans from a Yorkshrie based DOP and camera operator.
This blog is a working journal; a place to collect thoughts, tests and observations from the day-to-day realities of cinematography, analouge photography and creative business.
I cover a wide range of topics, some technical, some creative. Most are centred around my experiences on different projects as they come and go. That centres around Sony camera systems, although RED, Blackmagic and ARRI cameras make the occasional appearance too.
It’s mainly written for myself as a way of documenting the behind-the-scenes of my work, alongside ideas, thoughts and reflections on specific industry topics. It may also be relevant to other professionals, particularly camera assistants, operators, Sony users and aspiring cinematographers.
But I’ll be honest, I don’t expect most people to find it interesting.
It’s a mix of technical notes, experiments and the kind of daydreamy thoughts I suspect only 1% of us ever think about.
But if you’re in that 1%, you’re very welcome.
North Light Observations
In our busy work lives, it’s rare and quite special to have time to creatively hang out with like-minded folk, in the right space with the right tools. Not to chase anything in particular, but simply to play.
That was the spirit behind our recent lens and camera test at North Light Film Studios, tucked inside the beautifully atmospheric Brookes Mill in Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield.
Foot Candle Calculator
For years I’ve carried around a photo of the old American Cinematographer Manual foot-candle table on my phone — the one that lists how many foot-candles you need for a given ISO/ASA/EI at a given f-stop.
ACO Workshop - Geared Head & Crane at Sunbelt
Last weekend I had the privilege of joining a workshop run by the Association of Camera Operators (ACO) at Sunbelt Rentals here in Manchester. The focus was the geared head - that mythical set of wheels you’ve probably seen behind the scenes on classic films.
Don’t trust your dad’s TV
I’m pretty sure we’ve all seen it — either in a Curry’s store in the mid 00s or in our parents’ front room: Dad stood in front of a brand-new TV, remote in hand, turning the sharpness all the way up because “you can see more detail,” then cranking the saturation until everyone on screen looks like they’ve just come back from a fortnight in Marbella.
The Quail - A review of Anton Bauer’s Titon Base (fuelled by Donuts)
This August I had the chance to film at The Quail Rally and Motor Sport Gathering in Carmel, California — one of those dream shoots, especially for a petrolhead, that reminds me exactly why picking up a camera has allowed a shy kid from Barnsley the chance to travel and see the world.
Headless Holidays
Good composition is deeply subjective. Despite all the formulas, rules and framing guides we’re taught, I have always felt composition is more instinct than instruction. Some people have it, and — controversial as it may sound — some don’t. My dad for example, he couldn’t frame a picture to save his life - considerable amounts headless holiday memories.