(Part 2) Best products from r/cinematography

favorites on my shelf:

 

"Masters of Light" by Schaefer and Salvato

A serious wealth of knowledge. Its focused in chapters on individual Dps. really really a great resource.

 

"Film Lighting: Talks with DPs and Gaffers" by Malkiewicz

Pretty good. a bit basic BUT good concepts inside. Good info from good working cinematographers.

 

and i will second /u/peterpeterpeter on "New Cinematographers" by Alex Ballinger. Great new (well, 15 years old now) people working with interesting ideas. Great pictures.


 

I personally really want to read Almendros' book next, as /u/cikmatt suggested.

I haven't really needed to read any of these recently, so there might be better ones out now, but here are some ideas:

Cinematography: Theory and Practice: https://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Theory-Practice-Cinematographers-Directors/dp/0240812093

ASC Manual: https://store.ascmag.com/product-p/10110.htm (this is more of a reference but I think you can learn a lot if you comb through it with your unlimited time :) )

Motion Picture and Video Lighting: https://store.ascmag.com/product-p/10110.htm

The Camera Assistant's Manual: https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Assistants-Manual-David-Elkins/dp/0240810570/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522612793&sr=8-3&keywords=the+camera+assistant%27s+manual&dpID=51o7uMqwzZL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
(the stuff in here is important to know when working your way up, but also how to conduct your self on set and the tools of the trade for professionals)

and really anything on Focal Press is great, as far as I've seen. You might also read books about VFX producing (for background when working with FX) and perhaps books on color grading and storyboarding.

And if you are interested in writing, Stephen King's On Writing is great.

Check everything is there when you take it out. If you come back without a piece of equipment because you never left with it, the rental house will be inclined to think you lost it, and the stuff you took out is faster to take an inventory of than it is for them to check their entire stock.

Also do a basic gear check.

Edit: Obviously the gear check depends on the time you have, but it is worth doing. But really really really make sure you check that everything is there (and note the condition) because if you're on the hook for some expensive equipment that never left the rental house, or left the rental house in poor condition, it is a real headache.

Edit 2: If you want more info on checking lenses check out Tania Hoser's book on cinematography. Chapter 4b (pages 101-111) has a good run down on the nitty gritty of prep and testing. I'm sure if you look around you can find a good explanation of what to look for during prep/testing.

Edit 3: I'm pretty green myself, so if anyone with more experience has any suggestions I would love to hear them too. I've not yet had an issue that I have picked up on at a rental house (apart from a producer who just wanted to grab the kit and go), so I'm not sure I can give much in terms of "things to look out for". I can tell you that I was 1st AC on a shot where I was told to just rock up on set and the focus pull was so fucked beyond belief that a 5 hour shoot ended up being a 10 hour shoot. On that occasion the equipment was not ready on time (I will not name the rental company here) and they actually just put the focus pull in an uber and told this bewildered driver that he had some expensive equipment he had to get to our set (this is not how you prep -or for that matter, run a rental house).

Hope that helps. Sorry it was so long.

No one mentioned it yet, but I really think Masters of Light is one of the best books out there for beginners. It's a series of super in depth interviews with all of the big DPs from the 60s and 70s: Lazlo Kovacs, Haskell Wexler, Gordon Willis, etc. Some of the material in there gets a bit specific for the time period they were interviewed in, but overall, it's a really fantastic book that goes into how to light, how to conduct yourself with a director, how to be flexible, etc. It changed how I think about shooting, and taught me a whole lot about what the first steps are in lighting a scene. I cannot recommend it enough.

This book is a good start:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Visual-Story-Creating-Structure/dp/0240807790/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395689894&sr=8-1&keywords=the+visual+story

Also these are great and easy to return to when storyboarding:

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Vol-2nd-Techniques/dp/1615930876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395690041&sr=8-1&keywords=master+shots

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Volume-Shooting-Dialogue/dp/1615930558/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395690059&sr=8-3&keywords=master+shots

http://www.amazon.com/Cinematic-Storytelling-Powerful-Conventions-Filmmaker/dp/193290705X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395690130&sr=8-1&keywords=cinematic+storytelling

Swear I'm not an Amazon affiliate, just love me these books. They're worth reading twice.

I used a Leica lens -- this one ... I really like it. Works great at night, and in low light. Daytime is excellent as long as there is some cloud coverage. When I shot this, I wasn't too lucky, so I had an ND filter on for most of the shots.

Maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but I've always wanted one of these little coffee mugs. Might be a nice little filler in your gift: https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Camera-Thermos-Stainless-Insulated/dp/B07116RSGG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1525200303&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=lens+cup&psc=1

I've used softbox kits outdoors for fill on actors' faces, but a simple reflector/bounce will be far superior outdoors. If you increase your budget to $45, you can buy one of each. $32.99 softbox kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L3FVXGN $11.99 reflector https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JJ4JZXP

In the past I have modeled and printed brackets to hold plastic sheets (similar to these https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Frosted-Better-Kitchen-Products/dp/B07NQPYVV2/ ) in front of small cheap led lights. If you don't have access to a 3d printer you could probably use 2 sided tape, velcro, or even some gaff tape to hold them on. The frosted sheets diffuse the light well and the thickness makes them rigid enough to not be flopping everywhere. The best part is if you buy them like I did, marked as kitchen equipment, you don't have to pay the cinematographer's markup.

Studio grade LED lights aren't improving so much that you need to buy a 2017 model, in fact the best "bang for the buck" lights are these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T3W0KDS/

They even sync up, so you can take multiple ones, sync them, change one and they all follow. The other interesting light on the market, something tiny that is smaller than a pack of cards and has 1.5hrs of internal battery, I own this and mount it to the top of my camera for video sometimes:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ITRLJIW/

Well, BOOKS!

Books are a great resource.

Set Lighting TEchnicians HAndbook

Film Lighting

Lighting for Cinematography

Everyone always forgets books...

The Filmmaker's Eye is a brilliant basic starting point. Very easy to read quickly.

The best "cheap" is absolutely this Neewer Hand-Free Shoulder Mount Stabilizer Support Pad for Video Camera DV / DC Camcorder HD DSLR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095DBBPQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xh5Hzb076F4JX

I second this. The ASC is a wonderful resource, also subscribe to their newsletter they usually have links to relevant articles that didn't make the magazine along with info about upcoming events/expos.

I also found these helpful:

"Lighting for Cinematography: A Practical Guide to the Art and Craft of Lighting for the Moving Image" https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628926929/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_J5uen5Oey5Orz

"Master Shots Volumes 1,2,&3" https://www.amazon.com/dp/1615931546/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Ez-4ybHE81VH1

And "Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240810759/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tA-4yb18WDJFC

I like these little guys - https://www.amazon.com/Aputure-AL-M9-Amaran-Light-Camera/dp/B01ITRLJIW

For $50 they pack a punch, have a built in battery and you can put them pretty much anywhere since they're so small.

It might be tricky to light a whole scene with them, but if you needed to by hyper mobile for like a documentary, one or two of these would be enough to get you through.

Shot in 4K except for slow motion.

Sigma Art 18-35mm F/1.8

Used this cheap but pretty handy cage, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QI6Y3X0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Graded and stabilized in Premiere CC

Found this.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GMV4CU/?coliid=I2JFJQZFWU5H9M&colid=3B0IL79ED50IT&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


Would love to know if there is a DIY way.

Yeah, those are decorative lamps.

You want stuff like this: https://www.amazon.com/GE-Crystal-Clear-Watt-12-pack/dp/B002YF5GC6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1JWW9QZ4HYQXJ&keywords=incandescent+light+bulbs+60+watt&qid=1562752964&s=gateway&sprefix=incand%2Caps%2C214&sr=8-4

Definitely a great start

These aren't tubes but are one the most used pieces of lighting equipment in our production bag:

The Yongnuo Light Saber:

https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN360-Adjustable-Temperature-3200K-5500K/dp/B01D2X4A8Y/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=yongnuo+light&qid=1564150579&s=gateway&sr=8-5

This sexy handheld mofo can dial in daylight, tungsten, RGB and everything in between. Its cheap and adds such a vibe. Once again not tubes but could be used in a similar fashion. Highly recommend.

I did'nt really like it, It is a really complete guide on cinematography but it was really old fashioned and felt out of date when I read it.

I really like the Master Shots series
http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Vol-2nd-Techniques/dp/1615930876

And also 'Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know' http://www.amazon.com/Cinematic-Storytelling-Powerful-Conventions-Filmmaker/dp/193290705X/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51yVCZcPwTL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1SRNZK0W2EE9C97GFVC6

Also just try YouTube and Google. Try the cinematography database to learn about lighting http://www.cinematographydb.com/

Filmmakers IQ for in debth stuff https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSFAYalJ2Q7Tm_WmLgetmeg

On Set Filmmaking Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/user/aspiringfilm/videos

DSLR video Shooter:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMmA0XxraDP7ZVbv4eY3Omg

Now You See It, the Nerdwriter and Every Frame A Painting for some film analysis:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWTFGPpNQ0Ms6afXhaWDiRw
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjFqcJQXGZ6T6sxyFB-5i6A
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkMlOu7faDgqh4PfzbpLdg

And finally just go out and shoot shot shoot!

I'm filming a short and the Producers, director, and writer want there to be christmas lights in the room of the main character. I tested the lights before the shoot and they flicker hard. Not even the flicker free shutter angle options on my bmpcc 4k could get rid of it. I found these on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Novelty-Lights-Christmas-Outdoor-Lighting/dp/B00OZ8SG1S/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=christmas+lights&qid=1557880457&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_four_browse-bin%3A7802636011&rnid=7802629011&rps=1&s=home-garden&sr=1-4

would they still flicker on my camera? They claim to have some sort of coating which prevents flickering.

this is the book we are using in my cinematography class. I really like it.

Schaefer & Salvado's Masters of Light: Conversations with Contemporary Cinematographers is a classic. Dated in regards to its subject being focused on celluloid, but incomparable as incite into method and personality.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0520053362/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522896122&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=masters+of+light+conversations+with+contemporary+cinematographers&dpPl=1&dpID=51lha9fwtkL&ref=plSrch

In the book, New Cinematographers, Lance Acord gives good detail about how the shoot went and some of the challenges were.

Sign into Amazon and click Look Inside. You have to search inside for "Lost in Translation" for it to show up. It's on page 30.
http://amzn.com/1856693341

https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN360-Adjustable-Temperature-3200K-5500K/dp/B01D2X4A8Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484091115&sr=8-1&keywords=yongnuo+ice+light

and

https://www.amazon.com/Aputure-AL-M9-Amaran-Light-Camera/dp/B01ITRLJIW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484091130&sr=8-1&keywords=aputure+m9


you will never out grow these lights.

you can do this on a budget with a 2 of these guys. I have 2 and use them all the time.

Check out the Master's Shots (Vol. 1-3) Series.

https://www.amazon.com/Filmmakers-Eye-Learning-Cinematic-Composition/dp/0240812174/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502971148&sr=8-1&keywords=filmmaker%27s+eye

https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Story-Creating-Structure-Digital/dp/0240807790/ref=pd_sim_14_10?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0240807790&pd_rd_r=C197QEE8EMEY1KGN3N2E&pd_rd_w=PKzWC&pd_rd_wg=vF29K&psc=1&refRID=C197QEE8EMEY1KGN3N2E

https://www.amazon.com/Cinematography-Directors-Guide-Creative-Collaboration/dp/1932907556/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502971260&sr=1-10&keywords=cinematography