Blog
Articles on filmmaking technique, production planning, and industry knowledge.
Showing 10 of 10 posts
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.
How to Write a Shot List That Your Crew Will Actually Use
The difference between a shot list that looks good in pre-production and one that functions on set. Covers notation conventions, sequencing by setup efficiency, and how to adapt the list in real time.
Skeleton Crew Filmmaking: The Minimum Viable Crew for Each Type of Production
Every additional crew member costs money and adds coordination overhead. A practical breakdown of minimum viable crew sizes for short films, micro-budget features, documentaries, and web series - with the trade-offs for each reduction from the full crew model.
Field of View Calculator: How to Pre-Visualize Any Lens Before Renting It
Renting a lens without calculating its field of view on your specific sensor is the most expensive guessing game in cinematography. Two minutes with a field of view calculator tells you exactly what a 35mm looks like on your body versus a reference film, which lens matches the director's visual reference, and whether the rental is worth the cost.
Lens Spherical vs. Anamorphic vs. Vintage: How to Choose a Glass Signature for Your Film
Compares modern spherical, vintage adapted glass, and anamorphic optics across look, practical considerations, flares, focus breathing, chromatic aberration, availability, and cost per day.
Slow Motion in Practice: Frame Rates, Playback Speed, and What Your Camera Can Actually Do
Moves beyond the basics - covers resolution trade-offs at high frame rates, audio capture limitations, lighting requirements for overcranking, and which cameras offer genuine slow motion versus interpolated results.
The Future of Cinema Exhibition: Theaters, Immersive Formats, and the Next 10 Years
An analysis of the theatrical exhibition sector - declining attendance data, IMAX and PLF growth, immersive formats like Sphere, and what filmmakers can do to make work that benefits from theatrical exhibition.
Field of View vs. Focal Length: How to Choose the Right Lens for Every Shot
The same focal length renders completely differently across sensor sizes. This guide uses FoV math to show exactly what you get on five common camera formats, with a full table of standard focal lengths.
Crop Factor Explained for Filmmakers (It's Not What Photographers Think)
Film crop factor is calculated differently than photo crop factor. This post explains why, covers Super 8 through Full Frame with real numbers, and shows how to plan equivalent focal lengths across systems.