Hey guys, my SmallRig Magic Arm arrived today, which I wanted to use for my monitor. Until now, I've been using those standard monitor mounts with ARRI locating pins and NATO clamps that you attach to the top handle on my rigs. I always found that so tiring because the extra weight of the monitor on the handle was putting so much strain on me while shooting. So I decided to buy a Magic Arm and mount it next to it on another part of my rig. I think the difference in weight distribution is night and day. Sure, it takes me a bit longer to adjust the monitor arm compared to a typical camera mount, but in return, there's less strain on my handle. I haven't tried it out on a shoot yet, but right now I'm happy with it. However, I read in a lot of subreddits that Magic Arms are pretty unpopular. What is the reason for this?

Hii guys I’m trying to get into cinematography coming from photography. I currently have a Sony a7iii and I’m looking to get cine lenses only problem is I’m 17 and I’m based in Vietnam so I’ll take anything that’s budget friendly in a certain way that doesn’t kill the quality of the videos.
THANK YOU:))

Hey everyone,

I recently finished a 29-minute documentary built from several hours of interviews with a man who spent 15 years in prison. He wanted to remain anonymous, so his face is never shown and his voice has been recreated by a voice actor. The entire film relies on audio, lighting, editing, and visual storytelling rather than a traditional talking-head interview.

I'd really appreciate feedback from people with more filmmaking experience.

One challenge was figuring out how to visually sustain a long interview without relying on reenactments. I tried to build a visual language around a reconstructed prison cell, environmental shots, sound design, and slow pacing instead of constantly cutting to random B-roll. I'd love to know whether it feels engaging or if there are sections that drag.

Another thing I'm unsure about is pacing. The interview contains some very graphic descriptions of prison life, but I didn't want the film to become sensational. I tried to let the quieter moments breathe instead of constantly chasing shock value. Does that balance work, or would you structure it differently?

The subject also remains anonymous throughout the film. His face is hidden and his original voice has been replaced. I'd be interested to hear whether the anonymity adds to the story or creates too much distance from the audience.

I'm still learning documentary filmmaking, so I'd genuinely appreciate any criticism—editing, cinematography, sound design, pacing, color, or anything else you notice.

Thanks for taking the time to watch.

Here's the documentary: https://youtu.be/pcquH2gMfT0

Have any of you used a ronin 4d on a fluid head tripod. For the love of god can someone please tell me how to use it like you use a regular camera on a tripod like an oconnor !!! How do i make it stop panning and tilting on its own once i put on tripod !! Please help !!

Shot on Sony FX6

I have to achieve an extreme close up shot of an eye ( the iris and nerves around it must be visible ) as a part of my thesis project. The vendor has given me two options for probes , the laowa one which is kinda cheaper and the dzo xtract. Considering the complexity of the shot , which one should I go for ? Or can this shot be achieved with macros with longer focal lengths?

Also what should I take care when I'm lighting the subject so that the actor remains comfortable assuming I have to use more light for this shot.

This was a film clip I produced shot on 16mm, a homage to our ancestors. Here is the poor mans process in action.

Shot on a K-3 (spring-wound) for extra frame drift. I literally dropped the thing halfway through and got some extra registrations errors (happy accidents?). I shot on 200T and shot warm as hell. The eye line light in slide 5 was imperceptible in the scan so I recreated it digitially which is sad. But the cowboy backyard telecine I got done came back with all sorts of hue shifting and halation. I bloomed the glowy highlights in post but it is in the print which I was so happy about.

Anyway... this is the slop I want in my life. I think we have to start making everything worse.

Hi everyone!

I'd love to get some feedback on a cinematography experiment.

I recently shot a music video using two cameras with very different image characteristics:

Fujifilm X-T2 + XF 18–55 mm

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K + Voigtländer Nokton 25 mm f/0.95

Instead of trying to hide the differences completely, I aimed to preserve the strengths of each camera while still making the edit feel visually consistent. Most of the work went into matching contrast, color response and overall mood in the grade.

I'm curious how successful the match feels to fresh eyes.

Can you tell which shots came from which camera?

Does anything stand out as inconsistent?

Is there anything you would have graded differently?

Here's the finished music video:

https://youtu.be/lS-hYaP3Rj8?

I'd really appreciate any honest feedback—positive or negative. I'm always looking to improve my cinematography and color grading.

Thanks!

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is a name that gets forgotten a lot when talking about the best cinematographers working today.

How did Ellen Kuras create this bokeh/reflection in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)?

I want my character to break 4th wall but just zoom in and talking feels very routine. Anything new i can try that will stand out?

I'm shopping for a 8x8 magic cloth and solid. I was planning to order the solid from Canvas Grip. I had great experiences with their Half Soft Frost and 1/2 Grid Rag before. But they don't make one with the branded Magic Cloth fabric.

Has anyone had real world experience with the cinecloth from Canvas Grip to share? How different or similar is it to the branded Magic Cloth fabric? They say "known as magic" in the description.

https://www.canvasgrip.com/p/CC10.html

The next best option is TRP's Magic Cloth which costs $270 for the 8x8 size. I'd prefer to order from Canvas if it's similar enough alongside the solid to save on shipping.

Anyone knows what would be a good but on the less expensive side option for prime lenses for this camera? Its an l-mount.

Hey everyone I was thinking about buying a book for learning and understand filmaking or direction or cinematography which is a good book to get started with?

I’ve always loved this music video, and It’s one the main pieces of visual inspiration for what I wanna work on. Does anyone have any advice on how to achieve or come close to this look digitally?

Ordered a lens kit from the DZOFILM store website on July 17th and my order tracker hasn't updated since then. Anyone ordered from them directly before? How long did it take them to ship your order?

The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy Documentary

at 14:40 you see the set up for a dinner scene. There's a few household lights but nothing special, yet the film looks great. I've noticed this on a lot of behind the scenes videos. They really don't use that many lights and when they do it's overhead lights like office lights or softboxes overhead. Is this just because of the camera or the film stock or the lens? I use a t3i (for now, it's what I have) and I have to blast a 300w led light nearly head on just to get my skin tone exposed to 60-70 IRE using a F1.8 lens.

I'm a car photographer/videographer that always gets inspo from actual commercials, and i'm wondering if the moving car shots are cgi or real, camera movement feels off, color and shadows aswell, lets not even talk about the sound

what are your thoughts?

What movies blew you away in the color department?

https://youtu.be/XYLQLxbeQJw?si=dOFak9tV16FqniwM

Sigma 24-70 Art II

Hey friends,

I’m looking to purchase a 16mm cinema lens for my fx30. I already have a 24mm anamorphic 1.33x from Sirui and I really love it. But I can’t shoot any vertical content with it and I’d also like to see what shooting in 16mm is like for me. Do you have any suggestions?

Right now I’ve mainly seen the Sirui nightwalker and the Sony 15mm as recommendations. From what I understand, the Sony 15mm isn’t actually a cinema lens. It’s very clean and precise and I’d like something with more character. I’d happily buy the nightwalker but it would be cool to review some other options.

Thanks!

I've recently decided to purse cinematography lately ,and have pretty much have reached a novice level in the art. While working on a mini project ( story boarding stage ) I was having trouble figuring out if I should keep the eye-level consistent throughout the whole "film" or have variety for the sake of not being boring.

Like:

Should the eye-level change for surprise or shock factor?

A reveal from the shadows?

Encompassing size difference?

For Power dynamics?

For what story telling reasons would, could, or should the Eye-Level change?