Major Pre-Production: Cinematography Research - Getting the Film Look

   This video titles 'How to achieve a Film Look' by Jake Coppinger is an informative video showing how to achieve the film look when filming with a DSLR camera.

   Some of the information I learned from this was stuff I already knew such as how to use the aperture and shutter speed appropriately for what you're shooting and how to use the warp stabiliser function in After Effects. But I was introduced to a few new ideas that I had not thought of before. One being how to create the film look with SpeedGrade CC properly, I am still getting to grips with using SpeedGrade but this video showed me how to get a basic look that I can build upon. Another thing I learned was filming in a neutral picture style so there is more flexibility with post colour grading afterwards. This is something I definitely did not consider as I wanted the clear crisp image I wanted for the final product initially while filming. I can still do this when filming, but I will have to consider more about what I can do with the footage during post.

   This video may seem basic, but it has made me more comfortable with what I am doing with my work as the Cinematographer, as well as introducing me to new ideas. It has made me more comfortable as it has ensured me that I am on the right track with my research and what I am planning for 'Inoculum' as well as giving me insight to how to create the look I want to create. And the new idea of neutral picture style has made me plan the way my shots are set up with post editing in consideration.

Major Pre-Production: Directors Research - David Fincher

   After my initial research on Cinematographer Jeff Cronenworth, I was led to the directing work of David Fincher. I decided to look at his work due to the fact the way his films are and how they're presented is how I want 'Inoculum' to look. Films such as 'Fight Club' and 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' share not only the visual style I admire and believe to be most suitable for 'Inoculum' but also the direction of the actors and the way they are positioned in certain scenes, and how this relates to the mood of the scene. 

“What you learn from that first – and I don’t call it ‘trial by fire’; I call it ‘baptism by fire’ – is that you are going to have to take all of the responsibility, because basically when it gets right down to it, you are going to get all of the blame, so you might as well have made all of the decisions that led to people either liking it or disliking it. There’s nothing worse than hearing somebody say, ‘Oh, you made that movie? I thought that movie sucked,’ and you have to agree with them, you know?”

   Fincher said this in an interview about his experience making Alien 3 and the beginning belief that the people around him would know the best people to work with. That full interview is worth perusing because it feels like the evolution of a strong-willed director realizing he should never pocket his opinions in the service of the studio.

   The lesson I can take from this is that after growing in his craft with a solid team he knew, Fincher accepted that the studio would be even better at securing talented DPs, gaffers and technicians. That wasn’t necessarily the case as Fincher didn’t gel with them as he could have with a trusted group, and the result was lacking. What I can learn from this is to be precise and choose wisely who I want to be in my crew. They have to be able to work well with me and have to work in a professional manner to aid myself in achieving the best possible outcome. I will have to find people who know what they are doing without any hassle or struggle with what tasks they are faced with.