GEAR / EQUIPMENT
The trend nowadays is to hire a DP along with his (her) gear. I have TONS of gear. But whatever I don’t have can easily be resourced. I can also bring in crew-people of all different levels to accommodate any shoot.
CAMERAS
I own MANY cameras (see below!) – Two of the very interesting ones are the RED DRAGON for cinematic shooting, and the SONY FS7, considered one of the top Broadcast/TV cameras. I also work regularly with BlackMagic and Canon cameras, along with Arri, Panasonic and more.
RED DRAGON
Known as one the the top cameras in the world, RED has been used on Hollywood films and TV shows for years including David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and “Gone Girl”, “Guardians of the Galaxy 2”, “Elysium”, “Steve Jobs”. “Captain America: Civil War “, “X-Men: Apocalypse”, “Star Trek Beyond”, “Jason Bourne”, “Sleepy Hollow”, Fast and Furious 7 & 8″, “The Martian”… (The list is endless) – and TV Shows like “Better Call Saul”, “Stranger Things”, “MindHunter”, “DareDevil”… blah blah blah…. you get the point – it looks GREAT!
I have the newer “Dragon” sensor which has 16.5 stops of dynamic range and less noise than the original series. It’s also outfit with many extras including:
- Full cinema lens package with Rokinon, Zeiss, Canon and Tokina Primes and zooms.
- Matte box with lenses filters/holders, plus rod/rail system for assorted configurations
- Manual side Follow Focus system
- Computerized Remote wireless follow focus!
- Wireless video monitoring for Directors monitor / Follow-Focus Monitor
- Sidebar Atomos Shogun Monitor/Recorder for Beautiful on-location viewing
- XLR Balanced audio inputs
- Wide assortment of add ons inlcuding brick batteries, SSD memory cards, filters and more.
- 2 OLPF front ends for Skin tone and Low Light
SONY FS7 4k
I love this camera! It’s incredibly flexible and can be used in a wide range of situations. It’s the only one that can be shot RAW/Cinematic with a 14-stop dynamic range, but also shot more ENG style to get immediately usable results out of the cameras without post-processing. It’s the best of all worlds. I have it decked out with all Rods, Rails, Follow Focus (plus wireless focus and feeds, see below), Mattebox and a wide arsenal of lenses. I regularly keep a speed ring on it that gives an extra f-stop of light (beyond the cameras already fantastic ISO of 2000).
I combine it with the Shogun 4k monitor/recorder which regularly sits on top of my rig. This allows multiple terabytes of recording (wow!), so no fear of running out of room on a long day’s shoot. Plus it’s an amazing field monitor and all the scopes and focus checking I could ask for. It takes any camera up to yet another level in usage, allows for LUT playback, and clients love it to so they can watch (plus I have more than one of them)!
MORE CAMERAS!…
I also have an arsenal of other cameras including:
- 4k – GH5s. This little camera is AMAZING in Low-Light. I’m using it for tons of corporate and other shoots since it’s a great, smaller replacement for what the bigger cameras can do.
- 4k – Sony A7/6300. This little camera is AMAZING in Low-Light, plus I can get it to match the look of either the RED or FS7 as a B-Camera as it can also shoot in Raw/LUT mode!
- Two – SONY EX series cameras (Truly amazing cameras, which I prefer to use in live situations. See any of the Broadway footage on this site to see how amazing these look)
- Canon series of DSLR’s (Multiple rigs owned) which I have fully setup with Rods/Rails, Follow Focus, Mattebox, etc.
- My toy, the 4k OSMO camera which is really neat for quick steadicam moves without needed the full rig (see below!).
- GOPRO-7 – Yes, the newest one. Another really cool toy for specialty shots.
STEADICAM / RONIN:
Yes, I shoot Steadicam. But now there’s this new computer controlled Ronin rig. So I got that too. But I thought, wouldn’t be great to combine them? Pull the best strengths from both! I use the best possibility from any of them depending on the shot. Ultimate flexibility. And with a small camera I aslo own a smaller, handheld gimbal. So I have any situation covered from tiny to large!
4K & 2k DRONES
Beyond the Steadicam/Ronin, I can do follow and tracking shots with a drone. It’s an exciting leap forward and opens up incredible possibilities of shots – from near-field to wide vistas.
More info and a Drone Reel: CLICK HERE!
LIVESTREAMING
From small meetings up to huge, multicity events. I’ve ran shows for the Jonas Brothers, International Women’s Day, and the Andrew Yang presidential election. Whether you need 1 camera or many, I have a wireless video tranmissiion system that allows cameras to be placed anywhere without cables and set up fast. Talk to me about your needs and I’ll work up what gear is best for your situation.
MOTION CONTROL & SLIDER
Computer controlled slider along with a 3 axis motion system has many uses, some top ones are:
• Great for interviews, a second camera that dollies and pans automatically around subject at any desired speed. Great shots!
• Multipass effects (such as same person copied, or swaping out an object during a moving shot).
• Many cool and inventive effects to be created.
LIGHTS
I maintain a very wide arsenal of lights. I have tungsten (Traditional film lights) from 150w to 5k, flourescent systems, etc… but mostly what I grab first nowadays are my assorted LED lights. I have an arsenal of small battery powered ones and larger powered units.
GRIP GEAR 1
• DOLLY & TRACKS: I’m using this less now that I have the other gear, but there are still times when a traditional dolly is useful!
• CRANE/JIB: For short rises, this mini-jib is great for controlled lift and swing shots. I’ve shot many, many cool shots with this.
GRIP GEAR 2
• LIGHTSTANDS: A wide assortment from low to high risers and different weights.
• GRIP STANDS: C-Stands, Boom Arms and more.
• ASSORTED: I have tons of clips, clamps, adapters and all kinds of gear needed for any situation.
AUDIO
Not technically part of the “Director of Photography” department. But I also am a full-fledged audio engineer (I owned recording studios), and make sure sound is always good on my sets.
• Sennheiser wireless lavelier kits with upgraded extra-small mic units and alligator pins. (2)
• Sennheiser MKH shotgun microphone.
• Rode shotgun microphones (2).
• Boom poles, mic cords, audio adaptors, digital recorders (2 track to 16 track systems),
TELEPROMPTER
I’ve used my teleprompter with celebrities, CEO’s and country presidents.
ELECTRIC
• Assorted cords, breakout boxes, adapters, etc. – Literally BOXES and BOXES of gear.