Summer is Here!
Just wrapped up the spring semester here at FSU and am excited to get back into creating content for the site this summer. Got lots to share - stay tuned.
Check out my new short! "Woodley Gets a Special Delivery"
This is my first foray into AI imaging. Fascinating what a simple prompt can generate. I got hooked so I made this short film which is now posted in the...
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New Video! Mechanics of Exposure
I made this to support my lecture on exposure. It's a series of clips that visually depict some of the basic functions of exposure. It's handy for all videographers, particularly...
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Image Stabilisation is Amazing
Just wanted to show everyone a photo taken with a Leica 100-400mm micro 4/3 zoom on a Lumix GH6. This bird was on our dock the other day so I...
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Never thought this would happen.
Each year the ASC magazine features still photography from it's members. I've submitted a number of times but never made the issue, much less the cover. This is a photo...
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Now available on Vimeo!
Spent a good part of last year making this film about our local area here in the Florida panhandle. No client, no studio, no network - just a good old...
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Summer is Here!
Just wrapped up the spring semester here at FSU and am excited to get back into creating content for the site this summer. Got lots to share - stay tuned. ...
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BIG SENSOR, BIG HEADACHES
I was the 2nd Unit Director/DP on “Hocus Pocus 2”. The project was photographed with a “Monstro” sensor housed within a “Panavised” RED camera body. (The Monstro sensor approximates a...
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FILL RATIO
Here is a handy guide to determine fill levels for a portrait. It also will clarify the definition of "Ratios" for you. I tend to set these levels by eye...
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ACCURATELY READING AND BALANCING LED LIGHTS REQUIRES THE LATEST COLOR METER.
I have finally fully committed to LED lights, particularly the RGB variety. When I first started in the business color negative film was balanced for 3200K and that was it...
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FILMIC PRO ROCKS!
Just concluded our summer semester - 2 classes - taught entirely on zoom. Lots of prep time for each session, in fact way more than I anticipated - approx 4:...
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"EYELINES" IS HERE!
Just posted the latest tutorial regarding maintaining proper eyelines around a table. Hope that it is clear and helpful!...
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BUILD YOUR OWN SOFT BOX!
I just finished and posted a tutorial on how to build a soft box like the ones we used on the TV show "Salem". These provided a little boost to...
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANOOK!
Some thoughts on Documentary filmmaking, past, present and future... Documentary (def): using pictures or interviews with people involved in real events to provide a factual record or report. In 1922...
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SUNRISE ON AMELIA ISLAND
I spent three consecutive mornings filming sunrises here in Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday. The weather was terrific and I feel like I got 3 good shots via LUMIX GH...
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FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
I’ve been teaching Cinematography at Florida State University for five semesters and I might make big changes to my curriculum and weekly lesson plans. Why? Unlike most positions on a...
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BACK TO WORK!
Florida State University returned for Fall Semester and the College of Motion Picture Arts resumed production in a big way. Here, our BFA 3's are doing test shoots in preparation...
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How about this for my first camera!
My Dad received it as an award for community service and he gave it to me when I took an interest in photography in 1966. I wanted the camera bad...
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REMEMBERING APOLLO 11
This card is one of my most treasured possessions. I met Buzz Aldrin at the gala opening of the “Back to the Future” attraction at the Universal Theme Park in...
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THE LEICA NOCTICRON 42.5MM F1.2 ASPH MICRO 4/3 LENS
I just bought this lens and these are the first images I took with it on a GH 4. Amazing resolution, tone and depth. Very excited to test it at...
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GET THIS APP
Here is an indispensible tool that has helped me plan literally hundreds of shots over the last 20 years....
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FUN AND GAMES IN ALABAMA!
Just finished a 5 day stunt sequence on a movie in Alabama. The above shot was accomplished via a "Russian Arm" camera car out of Florida. This was one of...
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PRACTICE INTERVIEWS
The Documentary Cine class practices mock interviews in preparation for their projects that will take them far and wide arounf the US. The real shoots begin in early March and...
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CANDLE POWER!
We just completed this exposure exercise using candles and a backlight only. Our exposure was f2.5 at 800ISO on the RED....
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GREEN SCREEN SHOOT!
This was a fun class exercise where we learned that it's not just balancing the green screen to the cars optimum exposure - but that it's all about the additional...
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LONG BEFORE VIDEO
On the set of Ben-Hur, 1959 - Academy Award winning director William Wyler looks through his finder attached to a giant Ultra Panavision 65mm camera. Though there was a bit...
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ASPECT RATIOS
Finally getting close to completing the tutorial on aspect ratio's. Here's a sneak peak at a couple of frames from the anamorphic sequence. This whole thing started out as a...
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FILM FORMATS!
I'm working on a new tutorial about film formats and aspect ratios. I've discovered some new facts about the development of our amazing industry and my goal is to deliver...
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FUTURE FILMMAKERS OF AMERICA!
Here are the two sections of my awesome Cinematography class at Florida State!...
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LOCATION INTERIORS
This week, our cine specialists lit a location dining room interior for a sunset and a night interior look. The exercise took place during the morning....
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CAR MOUNT
We rigged this hood mount with the Matthews suction cup car kit. It took about 45 minutes to install and the shot looked great! The "visor" above the windshield cut...
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TESTING DIFFUSION FILTERS
A laborious but useful project to photograph the look of all our diffusion here at FSU. Diffusion has a different look outside, so if you're considering using some, make sure...
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WORKING TOGETHER
Cinema and acting classes join forces here at FSU for an on set exercise. The actors performed scenes from "Sex, Lies and Videotape" filmed on a RED camera by three...
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FLASHBACK: "TIN CUP"
I’ve worked with some big time directors. But of all of them, the man I enjoyed collaborating with most has got to be, Ron Shelton. He is a 'man’s man'...
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NEW VIDEO NOW ONLINE!
The last month has been crazy and I apologize for not updating my site more frequently. I've been in LA getting my hours as an operator on NCIS and SILICON...
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AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK I'M WRITING!
Allen Easton operates the first shot of the day. The following is an excerpt from a book I'm writing, "A Filmmakers Guide to Success". This passage is from the Production...
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NCIS LA
Have just finished an episode on NCIS LA as their B Camera Operator. What a pleasure working on an extremely well run television show. They are in their 9th season...
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Meteor Strike
Check out my latest video on how to create an awesome meteor strike illusion at the Premiumbeat tutorial channel on Youtube.M...
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"MARY": EPILOGUE
The movie finished on schedule despite a one day delay due to Hurricane Nate. Though I was excited to hear the comforting whir of a film camera again, in retrospect...
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NEW GIG AS A CAMERA OPERATOR…
…and shooting on film once again! October 7, 2017 We should be at work today but we’re off, due to Hurricane Nate who arrives here in about 3 hours. It’s...
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN
I’m in LA for a series of meetings about a pre-production shoot for a much larger project that starts in a couple of months. Because the meetings are interspersed across...
