Stunning Good Looks
Cinematographer Art Adams has worked in the film industry for 25 years. He shoots spots as well as corporate marketing, visual effects, web and interactive/mobile projects. He also consults for a variety of motion picture equipment vendors in the areas of usability and interface design, equipment training, and scientific comparative testing of products.
Art likes to write articles that explore the hidden side of the tools and techniques many take for granted. He's been published in HD Video Pro, American Cinematographer, Australian Cinematogra...
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It's so much easier to shoot than HD, and it's so much more artistically freeing... but if it's still around in five years I'll be surprised.
By Art Adams | September 30, 2012
For the first time in probably four years, I actually worked with--and handled--film today. It hit me that this project may be my last chance ever to work with this medium, and that makes me a bit sad.
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Craftsmanship never goes out of style, and the "democratization" of filmmaking is no reason to get sloppy. Here's a quick look at one of my favorite movies, in which NOTHING happens by accident.
By Art Adams | September 21, 2012
"The Haunting" (the original 1963 version, not the appalling 1999 version) is one of my favorite movies of all time. Every time I see it I notice something new. I watched it most recently on the plane returning from IBC and decided it's time to draw a little attention to it--particularly to a couple of scenes that, in a nutshell, show the kind of planning that went into this film.
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The best way to reproduce color accurately is to have a color reference in the shot with known colors on it. This chart does just that.
By Art Adams | September 18, 2012
In the old days we shot an 18% gray card to tell a film dailies timer where we wanted our exposure placed and what color we wanted dailies to be. Now that film is being replaced by HD a simple gray card is no longer enough, because while film colors are fixed by emulsion video colors are not. A gray card in video doesn't communicate anything about accurate color. That's why I designed the DSC Labs OneShot dailies reference chart.
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The days where we could set printer lights using a simple gray card are gone. This is a chart for the new digital "raw" and "log" age.
By Art Adams | September 04, 2012
In the old days of video, what we saw was what we got. Now, with log and raw, the possibilities are infinite. Only one of those possibilities, though, is what YOU want. Here's how to make sure your vision is the one everyone else sees.
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It seems that every time I write something on this subject my thoughts become clearer and clearer. I think that this post, left in a forum on DVXuser, makes my opinion very clear--as well as making it clear that this is only my opinion.
By Art Adams | August 19, 2012
I learned recently that there was a thread discussing the Zacuto tests on DVXuser and my articles were mentioned. I like what I wrote as I think it sums up my thoughts nicely, so I'm posting it here as well.
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Tests themselves are less important than how the results are presented. In this case, one innocent quote from a non-DP has spread like wildfire.
By Art Adams | August 18, 2012
What's more important than technical accuracy? Making sure your test speaks for itself. When others speak for you--especially if they are non-experts--the messaging can quickly spin out of control.
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Need to figure out how much light you need for a specific stop, frame rate or ISO? This basic formula will help you figure out the answer... in your head!
By Art Adams | August 17, 2012
This industry is full of little tricks that, when properly employed, can make us all look like inhumanly fast calculating machines. This formula is one of those tricks.
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If there's one thing I hate on my sets it's the wrong quality of light in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here are the three most common causes, and what I do about them...
By Art Adams | July 31, 2012
I prefer contrasty soft light for most of my work, and while I'm not averse to hard light accents there's one thing I absolutely detest: unintended hard light flooding randomly across the set. Here are the three most common causes I've experienced, and how I fix them...
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Bad news: The C300 is sensitive to far red. Good news: All of your existing IRND filters work!
By Art Adams | July 31, 2012
Single-sensor cameras fall into two camps: those that are sensitive to far red, and those that are sensitive to infrared. The Canon C300 is sensitive to far red, which means that IRND filters will work--and hot mirrors won't. Come see the difference...
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Everyone starts out working for free. That's the only way those in the industry can find out whether you're any good. At some point, though, it's important to stop--or at least be more selective.
By Art Adams | July 30, 2012
Everyone starts out working for free. That's the only way those in the industry can find out whether you're any good. At some point, though, it's important to stop--or at least be more selective.
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This camera shocked the world when it came out 90 years ago. And... it still works like a charm.
By Art Adams | July 30, 2012
The Bell & Howell 2709 is a very old camera. In this case, the one I'm looking through turned 90 last May. It still works perfectly, something that I don't think I'll be able to say of many modern cameras in 10 or 20 years time. I don't have anything against modern cameras--I like most of them, and they've become much more filmic over the years so I have much less to complain about than I used to--but there's something about handling a precision-made mechanical camera that's just magical.It's also terrifying.
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The DSC Labs Xyla chart is the fastest and clearest way to see EXACTLY what your camera's gamma curves are doing...
By Art Adams | June 30, 2012
Sony recently asked Adam Wilt and I to speak about the new FS700 camera at CineGear. My portion of the presentation examined how to profile dynamic range and determine how the various gamma curves changed the camera's response. Read on to see what I discovered...
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I'm not a huge fan of how most cooking shows are lit. This was my chance to try it my way...
By Art Adams | June 20, 2012
I don't watch a lot of cooking shows, but the ones I see are not lit the way I would light them. An idea for a lighting setup has been kicking around in my head for a while and I finally had a chance to try it out on a shoot for Driscoll's Berries. It worked! Here's why…
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There's a very simple reason that color meters lie about any source that has a discontinuous spectrum: It makes assumptions. This is something that you should not do. Here's why...
By Art Adams | June 15, 2012
Color meters view the world through three narrow colored filters: one red, one green, and one blue. Those tiny little windows work fine for sunlight, tungsten light and HMI light... but all bets are off when it comes to LEDs.
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I never thought I'd have to worry about the technicalities of shooting high speed at night, but the FS700 has changed all that. There's one very, very important trick to know before you take your new camera into the streets...
By Art Adams | June 08, 2012
Adam Wilt and I presented a talk about the new Sony FS700 camera to an audience at CineGear 2012. As part of our preparation we ran around and shot a bunch of slow motion night footage… which is certainly something I've never been able to do before.That was a VERY informative experience because we found a very interesting "gotcha" when shooting 240fps on city streets…
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Get a sneak peak before the big screen premiere at CineGear 2012!
By Art Adams | May 29, 2012
Adam Wilt and I will host a presentation on the new Sony FS700 at CineGear 2012. This video, a promo for clothing brand Betabrand, is the centerpiece. Get a sneak peek now, and get all the juicy camera details on Saturday, June 2nd, on the Paramount lot in Hollywood.
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Q: What happens when you stack several pattern-making devices in front of a light? A: Extreme lighting goodness. Learn why here...
By Art Adams | May 24, 2012
I love stacking cucolorii (plural of "cucoloris") and I thought it was time to write an article about how this technique works and why I like it so much. I was a bit stretched for ideas that would illustrate this concept... and then an eclipse happened. Why that made a difference is a very interesting story...
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You want 240fps 1920x1080? I've got your high-speed HD right here... for less than $10K.
By Art Adams | May 15, 2012
When Adam Wilt and I shot "Fire and Ice" together on a prototype FS700 we had no idea that it would be shown at NAB... and that it would be hit. We wanted to do more, so we pitched Sony a commercial concept for a local company that involved high speed "veggie baseball." Guess what: they sent us an FS700 again. Edible baseball never looked so good.
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I'm better with words than equations, but once in a while a math technique is so useful that I can't help but use it. Here's one that I find invaluable.
By Art Adams | May 03, 2012
I remember very little math from my high school days, but what I do remember are the tricks that I was able to apply to my daily life. One formula, determining ratios, has served me better than any other. Here's how I'm using this formula to create custom frame lines for an upcoming web banner shoot.
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What the heck is a matrix, anyway? It's only one of the most important aspects of what makes your camera look the way it does. Take a look inside if you dare...
By Art Adams | April 15, 2012
After years of wondering what exactly the user matrix does I think I've figured it out. I'm not sure I can explain it, but I'm going to try. Put on your propellor hat and rub your brain with soothing salves, 'cause it's gonna hurt...
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