Newsletter No. 004: One frame at a time.
Starting with this issue, newsletters will feature one frame from someone in the community, along with a few sentences from the person who shot it. Leon Forristal is first, with a frame from the short film “Not It”. If you want one featured, send us yours at cinematographysalon.com/frames.
Very often a question in our private Facebook group gets answers worth sharing: someone asked why breaking down a shot list with a director takes so long, and a lot of working DPs weighed in. We highlight some useful advice below.
David
The other way this stays free is reader support. It covers the community, the tools, everything you can learn here, for less than the price of a coffee a month. If that's something you want to be part of, you can chip in here.
From the Salon
New episode: Pat Scola, ASC on The Death of Robin Hood.
The fight in the mud was built as a single unbroken take, so there is no cut to hide behind. The firelight came from a sheet of plywood carrying twenty-odd 500 watt bulbs that his gaffer called the Dalek. The last scene was shot on a Kodak stock so new it had no official rating. And two days into production, he called his wife to say he should never have shot the film on film.
The work stays free. Someone still pays for it.
Every episode, every article, and both of the Resources tools are free to use. No paywall, no membership fee, no login. That is not a growth tactic, it is the whole point: learning to light a scene should not depend on what you can afford.
Sponsors cover part of it. The rest is people chipping in.
Monthly or yearly, from $5 a month, less than the price of a coffee. It costs real money to keep the podcast, the writing, and the tools running, and supporting is what covers it.