Cinematography

The place to discuss, share content and offer advice and tips on all things lighting, framing, cameras, lenses and technique

Ask Me Anything - FREE Virtual Webcast Now Available On Demand

Ask Me Anything - FREE Virtual Webcast Now Available On Demand

Available for Immediate Download

What’s up, Creative Army!

As I prepare to head off to the Cannes Film Festival for our 10th Annual Education Partnership with the Marche du Film, I'm thrilled to announce that my "Ask Me Anything" session is now live to download and watch for FREE. In this 2 hour jam-packed Ask Me Anything session and I'll provide a couple of hours of no-holds-barred shop talk to get you ready to conquer your entertainment career. Again, all creatives and pros are welcome to watch no matter your profession(s), skill level, or geographical location.

Here's just SOME of what we go over in this jam-packed 2 hour AMA!

  • What is the current state of streamers?
  • Will there be more consolidation of streamers?
  • ANORA’s Sean Baker said “Keep making movies for the big screen” Do you agree?
  • Is the $10-$15 million feature film market opening back up?
  • How is AI going to affect the film industry?
  • Is YouTube taking over the entertainment industry?
  • Is there crossover between influencer culture and film culture?
  • Will LA land its new tax incentive proposals?
  • Why did you produce films in Costa Rica & Columbia?
  • Do you think California Tax Credits will pass?
  • How can international creatives use Stage 32 to break into the U.S. market or collaborate on cross-border projects?
  • Thoughts on Robert Rodriguez and Eli Roth bringing on fans as investors and own profit participation in their films?
  • Was Quibi too early to market?
  • Is Disney looking for Material?
  • What are the Top 3 features on Stage 32 to help connect with industry professionals?
  • I was attacked on X (formerly Twitter), what are your thoughts?
  • Thoughts on SINNERS and its effect on the studio system
  • Do short films still matter?
  • Advice for attending markets like Cannes or AFM
  • Advice for networking as a creative
  • How to make authentic connections that matter
  • What beats should be in your pitch?
  • What is RB’s personal process of pitching?
  • What is the Stage 32 Writers’ Room?
  • How do you vet execs you work with on Stage 32?
  • I’ve won screenwriting contests, now what?
  • Advice for crippling fear of failure
  • How to choose what social media is right for you
  • The spec market is heating up – what should you write?
  • If I sell my script, can I keep the rights to my characters?
  • If my script becomes a sequel and I don’t write it, can I get paid on it?
  • Does Age Matter When Selling a Script?
  • Protecting Your project on a film slate
  • Who should I trust to read my script and give me notes?
  • How do I go about getting Script coverage?
  • How do I network as a composer?
  • How do I network as a creative based in the UK?
  • Stage 32 Success Story!

Now go get it....

RB


Liked by Eon C. Rambally and 5 others

Stephen Folker
Do you need a Netflix-approved camera...

This comes up a lot—people hiring cinematographers asking if they have a “Netflix-approved” camera, even when there’s no Netflix production in the works.

Short answer: No, you don’t.

Netflix-approved cameras are only a requirement for Netflix original productions—projects that are commissioned or prod...

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Ashley Renee Smith

This is such an important reminder, Stephen Folker, thank you for posting it.The right camera is the one that helps you execute your vision well.

Stephen Folker

Ashley Renee Smith ding, ding! :)

Liked by Maurice Vaughan

Ashley Renee Smith
Canon’s Quiet Revolution: Full Automation for Camera and Lens Manufacturing

If you’re interested in the future of camera tech and how it’s made, this one’s worth a read:

Canon’s Quiet Revolution: Full Automation for Camera and Lens Manufacturing

(https://ymcinema.com/2025/04/17/canons-quiet-revolution-full-automation-...)

Canon has implemented full automation in the production...

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Canon's Quiet Revolution: Full Automation for Camera and Lens Manufacturing - Y.M.Cinema Magazine
Canon's Quiet Revolution: Full Automation for Camera and Lens Manufacturing - Y.M.Cinema Magazine
In its 2024 Annual Report, Canon dropped a bombshell: the rollout of automated production lines for both cameras and interchangeable lenses.
Amanda Toney
Suzanne Bronson
Phoenix metro area cinematographers!

In person networking meetup next week in the East Valley. RSVP here:

https://www.stage32.com/meetups/2030

Michael Fitzer
Limited time? Limited Budget? Work with what you've got!

For our comedy "NUB CITY" we had an hour to create a sequence of shots for one of the scenes. Our establishing shot was an MWS of a man on his lunch break listening to someone give him the details of a horrible idea with drastic consequences. We let the overhead mercury vapor lights play out as our...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Michael Fitzer, This is such a great reminder that resourcefulness often leads to the most creative results. That setup sounds cinematic as hell—using the existing mercury vapor as your baseline and t...

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Michael Fitzer

Great question. Compressed timelines can heighten creativity just as limited budget, crew or any other perceived deficiency might. However, that heightened creativity only works if it serves the story. In this case, it did. Whew!

Michael Fitzer
To Use Film or Not to Use Film

Kodak recently graced the back cover of AC with an ad for 16mm, listing all the well-known indies shot on their stock, including City of God, Moonrise Kingdom, The Wrestler, Pi, and The Hurt Locker, to name just a few. While many of these films aren’t exactly recent, what the ad tells me is that lon...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Such a great question, Michael Fitzer. When I was in film school, we had to spend our entire first semester shooting exclusively on Bolex film cameras before we were even allowed to touch a digital ca...

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Michael Fitzer

When I started as a camera PA back in the early 90’s, I trained on the Arri SR series of cameras as well as the rough and ready BL1 (I loved that camera so much). I remember after cleaning the shop ba...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Pat Alexander, this sequence blew my MIND! It was gorgeous and one of the main reasons that I want to go see it again in theaters.

Pat Alexander

Same, it was so outstanding and surprising as it occurred. Just an incredible moment

Ashley Renee Smith
New Camera Alert: Pixboom Spark Could Change the Game for High-Speed Cinematography

One of the surprise reveals at NAB 2025 was the Pixboom Spark, a new high-speed 4K cinema camera from a fresh player in the professional space. With a BSI global shutter sensor and the ability to shoot 1000 fps at full 4K resolution, the Spark is designed with accessibility in mind, making advanced...

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Stephen Folker
Natural light and wide lenses

While not my favorite movie of all time, The Revenant is certainly an impressive film, shot primarily with natural light using wide-angle lenses ranging from 12mm to 21mm.

Adding to the realism, Leonardo DiCaprio actually caught the flu during filming due to the harsh weather conditions. It’s amazing...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Totally agree, Stephen Folker! The way the environment becomes a character in itself, thanks to those lens choices and the available light, is just stunning. It’s a bold reminder that you don’t always...

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Pat Alexander
Autumn Durald Arkapaw Is the First Woman DP to Shoot in IMAX — with ‘Sinners,’ It’s 65mm on Steroids

The cinematographer tells IndieWire about her first time shooting in IMAX 65mm and the extremely wide Ultra Panavision 70 for Ryan Coogler's bluesy vampire spectacle.

(https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/sinners-cinematography-imax-65m...)...

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Autumn Durald Arkapaw Is the First Woman DP to Shoot in IMAX - with 'Sinners,' It's 65mm on Steroids
Autumn Durald Arkapaw Is the First Woman DP to Shoot in IMAX - with 'Sinners,' It's 65mm on Steroids
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw discusses the 'immersive' and 'engaging' experience of shooting IMAX and Ultra Panavision 70 for the first time.
Maurice Vaughan

I haven't seen Sinners yet, Pat Alexander, but the cinematography looks stunning from the promo! It's one of the things I'm excited for in the film!

Ashley Renee Smith

I'm SO excited to see Sinners, Pat Alexander, we're getting tickets to go see it this weekend!

Pat Alexander

I might go see it too!

Sandra Isabel Correia

I need to see Sinners. I need to wait to be released in Portugal :)) Thanks for sharing Pat Alexander

Michael Fitzer
Lights I Love

I don't know how often I'll do this, but let's pretend this is the first in a series of posts called (drumroll please):

"Lights I Love."

The Creamsource SpaceX 1200W - RBGAW Color LED is such a handy piece of gear for any number of situations. It delivers in a compact circular form factor with an ar...

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Ashley Renee Smith

Michael Fitzer, For me and my husband, Quasar Science’s lights have been lifesavers time and time again. They’re so versatile, easy to transport, and really well made. We’ve used them for everything f...

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Michael Fitzer

Love the Quasars! I have a box full of 4', 2' and 1' tubes. Maybe that will be my next post! LOL!

Ashley Renee Smith

They're SO useful, Michael Fitzer!

Stephen Folker
What Made You Become a Cinematographer / Filmmaker...

I remember, as a kid, finding a Super 8 camera listed in the newspaper and convincing my parents to let me buy it. On the way to pick it up, it was pouring rain. I’ll never forget the sight of a little girl standing alone in the downpour on a crumbling sidewalk, with a leaning stop sign behind her....

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Michael Fitzer

Three things set me on my path. The first was seeing "Sid & Nancy" in the theaters in 1986. I was 16 years old and I remember thinking it was one of the most beautiful films I'd ever seen. I started g...

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