A light meter is still a powerful tool for getting a correctly exposed image. Here’s what you need to know to get started using one. A light meter was once the default method of exposing in photography — in both stills and motion. After the advent of digital cameras, however, the light

Creating a compelling documentary means elevating emotions and drawing the viewer into your subject. Here’s a three-step strategy for how to do just that. Elevating emotions in a documentary can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. When I used to go on shoots, I wondered if what I was cap

The Fisher Model 10 dolly is an industry standard for good reason, but you can’t buy one — you can only rent it. So what can it do, and how do you work it? At first glance, the Fisher dolly can be intimidating, coming in at 420 pounds, almost six feet long, and over three feet tall dur

Learn how to utilize specular reflections, why it is important you’re getting that particular effect, and how to enhance or reduce it. Have you ever wondered why a silver umbrella works for some skin types, yet looks bad on others? The answer is an often-overlooked aspect of light — a

In ten years, a lot has happened in the world of filmmaking and cinematography. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest moments. The 2010s was possibly one of the most chaotic decades in filmmaking history. Between YouTube, 4K cameras falling into our pockets, and all the different pl

Browser-based creative review is already a staple for collaboration in the industry, so what does ftrack’s acquisition of Cospective mean for filmmakers? We understand that great cinematic accomplishments are almost never a solo endeavor but, rather, the work of a team — or in many ins

Stagecraft vs. green screen — how Jon Favreau crafted the effects for the epic series The Mandalorian on a not-so-epic TV budget. When Jon Favreau took on the task of creating the first Star Wars TV show, one that would be a key launch in Disney’s foray into streaming, he and his fellow prod

Robert Richardson’s eye for the unusual showcases extreme framings and non-realistic lighting. Let’s take a look at his signature style. With his long collaboration with some of Hollywood’s biggest directors, Robert Richardson has won three Oscars and lit several of the classic f

We take a look here at the relative pros and cons of forming your own production company — and when it makes sense to do so. Many self-employed filmmakers aim to form a production company at some point but never get around to it. It’s cheaper and easier to continue doing business as an

Frustrated with Premiere? Tired of the subscription model? Today, we’re taking a peek at some of the alternative NLEs available to editors. Many editors have a love-hate relationship with Premiere Pro. Whether it’s a bug that deletes all of the footage on your hard drive, being l

Let’s dive into the history of the skate video and how skateboarding has influenced the videography and filmmaking landscape. I remember the first skate video I ever watched. I was ten — a short, slightly chubby little kid who wore chunky Etnies skate shoes, a puka shell necklace, an i

In this tutorial, we’ll go over how to build an inexpensive — and relatively simple — quasar-style light control using foam core. Tube lights are probably the fastest growing type of fixture on film sets, both big and small. They’re cheap, versatile, and you can rig them almost anywher

Gregory Middleton shares some behind-the-scenes stories about the cinematography behind Watchmen — as well as some insights for aspiring filmmakers. We sat down with the brilliant director of photography Gregory Middleton, who was the eye behind this season’s most powerful episodes of

In this budget car rigging video, we’ll break down the mission control setup inside the car — and our experience with these techniques. In two previous tutorials, we’ve gone from building our own car mounts to learning how to use them. There are five basic equipment functions to

In this article, we’ll look at resources for finding locations, and how to put the most “money on the screen” — not in the pockets — of real estate owners. Once you have your actors cast, your script locked, and your camera in hand, you soon realize that locations are a very big

Rotating roles — an intimate lesson in how multiple directors can use multiple filmmaking styles to create one vision. In the roughly two decades since Danny McBride, Jody Hill, and David Gordon Green all attended The University of North Carolina School of the Arts together, the three filmma

The Swiss frame book light is a valuable tool for any DP or gaffer because it is a versatile diffusion setup that will make the talent look amazing. Book lights have long been the gold standard for turning hard, focused lights into soft, flattering lights. Bouncing a bright light source off

Some of the most successful DPs are using tungsten on some of the biggest productions, and for reasons that might surprise you. Almost every day, we see announcements for new lighting technologies. Multicolor LEDs that are light, cool, battery-powered, and remotely programmable are the lead

Unit stills photographers shoot the majority of promotional material and behind-the-scenes stills, but many people don’t know much about their role. It’d be a fair assessment to say that the unit stills photographer is perhaps one of the most overlooked roles in film production.

While there are no set rules for what goes in a mood board, I’m going to show you a few things you can include to help convey your film’s vision. The pre-production phase of a project is extremely important. In my last tutorial, I went over how to create a pitch deck, which is essentially a