What do you do if you're a film industry cinematographer struggling to capture the best shots on set?

Planning, planning, planning. The key to getting great shots is planning your shots ahead of time. Storyboards, shot lists and lighting plans are key. If you don't have the opportunity to get to the set in advance, at least have your shot list together. Be sure that your shot choices are backed by reasons that speak to the scripts. Challenge yourself as to why you are making a shot selection. Get that right, do some planning and the other questions on set will be easier to answer.

Sou diretor de set e produtor, mas já operei muito câmera e como diretor de fotografia, é fundamental avaliar cuidadosamente a cena para identificar os possíveis problemas. Observar a iluminação, o posicionamento dos atores e a configuração da câmera pode revelar soluções que não são imediatamente óbvias. Comunicar-se abertamente com o diretor e a equipe é essencial, pois seus insights podem ser fundamentais para superar os desafios que estamos enfrentando. A equipe precisa trabalhar juntos para encontrar as melhores soluções e capturar as cenas da forma mais eficaz possível.

It is about knowing the language of lighting and cinematography. Too many pros are obsesses with the technical parts of the craft. It is about going back to the script and understanding what the scene says how the scene should be lit. As far as the technical part is concerned, exposing a little darker is always safer. Clipping highlights are always unrecoverable. Diffusion is important, but not always practical in a run and gun situation. Do your best to smooth it out, but serving the story is always key. George Lucas said, "No one ever ruined a scene by getting the wide shot, two mediums and a close up."

Everyone wants to be artisitic. Unless you have hunderds of hours of camera time under your belt, don't. Don't do it. I have seen so many scenes ruined by a camera guy who tried to be creative for the sake of being creative. You want to be professioal first. Deliver a professional angle that serves the story. THEN!!! once you have that down, maybe you can get a bit creative with the angles by adding more tension or release to a scene. But you need to understand the language of cinematography to that. Practice, practice, practice.

Na minha experiência, quando uma cena não estáva funcionando conforme o esperado, considerava diferentes ângulos da câmera e era transformador. Experimentar com diversas opções de lentes e mover a câmera para uma nova posição pode resultar em uma nova perspectiva visualmente interessante. Em certos casos, um ângulo mais alto ou mais baixo, ou até mesmo adotar um movimento de câmera, pode capturar a ação de forma mais eficaz e envolvente. Considere a importância de explorar ângulos não convencionais, pois muitas vezes os registros mais impactantes surgem de perspectivas únicas e inesperadas. Então sem medo siga e experimenta e se aventure em novos ângulos para enriquecer a narrativa visual da cena.

Your actors are everything. You can not have bad performances and have a great film. The most important element that I have discoved in working with actors is, making them feel safe. A safe environment is probably the one thing that will get an actor to let it all hang out there. Staging, blocking, and giving notes all come second to making an actor feel safe. The safety builds trust, and the trust is what makes them listen.

Uma coisa que considerei útil em minha experiência é a colaboração com os atores para garantir que eles compreendam plenamente os objetivos visuais da cena. Ao discutir o cenário com os atores e envolvê-los ativamente no processo criativo, podemos encontrar maneiras de melhorar o desempenho, ajustando bloqueios de cena ou explorando novas nuances de atuação. Reconheço que os atores desempenham um papel vital na narrativa visual de uma produção e sua contribuição pode ser inestimável para alcançarmos o resultado desejado. Trabalhar em conjunto com os atores para garantir que estejamos todos na mesma sintonia é essencial para criar uma cena memorável e impactante. Exclua qualquer vaidade e deixem os atores te ajudar na cena.

Being on top of your gear is essential. If you are not managing your batteries, testing everything before the shoot, having some redundancy as far cables and lights go. If possible a second identical camera. Then you simply don't belong on set.

Always ask your piers and take advice from trusted colleagues, never be too shy to accept advise and learn from other’s don’t be too proud

Communication is key. If the cinematographer is experienced, they'll know what is missing, or is required to make the scenes look the way you want. If they don't seem to know what you want, then it becomes vital to assess your communication line. what feeling do you want to create in the shot? what's the purpose of the scene? - Does the cinematographer lack equipment to make it work? - Does the cinematographer lack time/assistants? - Is the location well-chosen? Sometimes, showing the shots to peers can give answers as to WHY the shots don't work. whether that's framing, lighting, consistency, set dressing, Shot purpose (what to show in which way and why) etc. the list is long.