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Articles on filmmaking technique, production planning, and industry knowledge.
Showing 12 of 159 posts (Page 8 of 14)
Overcranking vs. Undercranking: A Cinematographer's Guide to Speed Manipulation Beyond Slow Motion
A complete technical guide to overcranking and undercranking - covering the frame rate math, shutter angle implications, storage consequences, and the specific narrative uses of each technique beyond the obvious slow-motion athletics shot.
Time Lapse on a Budget: Calculating Intervals, Battery Life, and Card Space Before You Leave the House
A complete pre-production calculation guide for time lapse photography - covering interval calculation for any desired playback duration, battery life estimation, card capacity planning, and the gear decisions that prevent arriving at a location without enough resources to complete the shot.
How Many SSDs Do You Need for a Feature Film? A Pre-Production Calculation Guide
A step-by-step pre-production calculation guide for determining exactly how many SSDs or hard drives a feature film production needs, covering acquisition volume, backup redundancy, proxy storage, and the timing of drive purchases versus rentals.
RAW vs. ProRes vs. H.265: The Storage Cost of Each Codec in Real Numbers
A line-item storage cost comparison for RAW, ProRes, and H.265 acquisition across a full feature film production, with real bitrate figures, drive counts, hardware costs, and the workflow implications that make cheaper codecs not always cheaper in total.
Building a Data Management Workflow for a Small Crew: Who Backs Up What and When
A practical data management framework for productions without a dedicated DIT - covering card offload sequences, checksumming, drive labelling, proxy creation, and how to structure responsibilities across a 2-3 person crew so nothing gets missed.
Anamorphic Squeeze Factor Explained: How to Calculate What You Are Actually Shooting
A practical breakdown of anamorphic squeeze factor - the math behind 1.33x, 1.5x, and 2x squeeze, how it changes your actual field of view and captured aspect ratio, how to monitor correctly on set, and exactly what to hand to post before editing begins.
Shooting for Multiple Aspect Ratios: How to Frame for 2.39:1, 1.85:1, and 16:9 Simultaneously
A practical framing guide for productions that need to deliver in multiple aspect ratios: covering safe area calculations, on-set monitoring solutions, in-camera frame guide setup, and the specific compositional decisions that affect all three deliverables.
How to Pre-Visualise a Location Scout Using Your Lens Calculator
A step-by-step workflow for DPs and directors who want to leave a tech scout with confirmed lens choices, camera positions, and frame sizes locked - using field of view calculations tied to real distances measured on location.
Sensor Crop and Focal Length: The Complete Reference Table for Every Major Camera
A definitive reference table of sensor sizes, crop factors, and focal length equivalents for every major cinema and hybrid camera in use in 2026, with practical guidance on how crop factor changes your lens choices and field of view across platforms.
The 180-Degree Shutter Rule Is Not a Rule: When and Why Cinematographers Break It
The 180-degree shutter standard produces motion blur that reads as natural to audiences trained on 24fps film. But it is a starting point, not a law. At 90 degrees, motion becomes sharp and urgent. At 45 degrees, it fragments. At 270 degrees, it smears. Each departure communicates something different - only if it is intentional.
Every ND Filter Combination You Will Ever Need: A Reference Guide by Stop
ND filter nomenclature uses at least three different labelling systems simultaneously. The same filter can be called ND 0.9, ND8, or '3-stop' depending on the manufacturer. This post converts every common density to stops and shows which combinations to stack to hit any target reduction from 1 to 16 stops.
Zone Focusing for Filmmakers: How Street Photographers' Technique Translates to Run-and-Gun Video
Street photographers have used zone focusing for decades to capture decisive moments without a viewfinder. The same technique - pre-setting focus to a calculated zone rather than tracking a subject - is one of the most practical solutions for documentary, ENG, and solo-operator video work where manual focus-pulling is not possible.