Comments on: Director/Cameraman Package for Scouting Locations + Scouting Apps

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:49:39 +0000

Edgar. Thanks so much for the comment and support. Those are some great additions to a scouting kit.

By: Edgar

Edgar — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 00:56:39 +0000

Thanks for the blog, Shane, seriously. So much time spent on this, unbelievable…

Apart from the kit mentioned in your post and comments, I always have a notepad and a laser distance meter. The latter one I find very useful for the interior locations. Combined with some location photos I can plan the shots/lenses fairly precisely, if production wants me to. I use Leica D2.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:24:14 +0000

Pavel, thank you so much. I will check that out

By: Pavel

Pavel — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:20:25 +0000

About apps, by all means check out Map-A-Pic Location Scout. Not only it helps you remember and organize the locations, but it also shows you the times of sunrise, sunset, and the Golden hour for your locations.

App Store link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/map-a-pic-location-scout/id519612179?mt=8

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 02:54:17 +0000

Bud Dickman. Thanks for the comment, and yes we did use the footage I shot from the scout.

By: Bud Dickman

Bud Dickman — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:31:04 +0000

“These spontaneous moments are jewels and capitalizing on them is paramount. On the day when we were scheduled to shoot this, the water level had dropped and it was overcast.”

So in this case, if the weather conditions on the shoot day were less than ideal, were you able to use the shot from the scout in the final film instead?

My scouting kit is fairly simple, but I think I may start carrying a monopod with me. I just finished a shoot where I think there were a few shots I could have capitalized on during the scout that we didn’t have time for on the shoot days.

My typical scouting kit:
5D MkII
Canon L lenses (16-35, 24-70, 70-200)
Minolta Light Meter
iPhone apps: Sun Seeker, Panascout

By: jlevy

jlevy — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:26:49 +0000

ok, good, i thought i was going crazy. so the 21-35 leica zoom? i have to check that one out. i was definitely interested in that 35-70 too though to fill up that focal range. do you happen to know if one is better then the other btwn the leitz f3.5 or the leica f4? they look pretty identical. i think the guy below me has the same question. anyway thanks, I’ve been using the 5 and 7ds for awhile and following your work on them but never jumped in, this is my first camera since my old bolex pl mount pkg from back in the day, haha. I’m excited for your cinema series from letus too, very nice!
i was with stacy until the end, 13 years, she moved on to a cooperate job at a new media company, I’m now with montana artists.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:09:47 +0000

jlevy, using any zoom on the 5D is a bad idea. You need a sharp piece of glass to help with all the compression that softens your image. The Leica’s I found are sharp and lower contrast. All of the Canon Zooms do that. I recommend the 21-35 Leica and the 80-200 Leica zooms. Everything else is a prime. Small world, I haven’t talked with Stacy in a while.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:54:33 +0000

I use the gel swatches when discussing different colors, or when trying to match a specific color coming from a window. I also use it when I need to color correct a fluorescent. I hold up the swatch over my color meter.

By: Shane

Shane — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:53:43 +0000

Great question. It’s both. You have a shotlist, storyboard and design in mind. But once you get to the location you then have to think quick on your feet as to how the location changes your plan, and how to use the characteristics of the location to your advantage.

By: jlevy

jlevy — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:45:11 +0000

yeah, I’m confused by the choices now too, i see the 35-70 2.8 is ridiculously expensive. but the f3.5 and f4 are cheap, especially compared to the new canon 24-70 mkII.
but the f3.5 says leitz and the f4 says leica.
is there a difference or better yet a preference?
don’t want to bu the wrong one.
thanks!

By: jlevy

jlevy — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:35:33 +0000

thank you shane for the quick response. i think i am going to cancel my order for the new 24-70mm then, I’m not sure if you had this reaction or if its normal, but the last job i had to do with that lens is that id zoom in and get focus and zoom out to frame and it would be soft. or id magnify in and get a focus, then the director would want a tighter shot, so id change the focal length only and id re-magnify in and it would be slightly out of focus and need adjusting. i don’t know how focus pullers can deal with that. maybe it was just that lens because I’ve never noticed this before, but i also hardly ever pull my own focus either. i guess the question is, if this is a universal problem with these lenses, do you have such an issue with the leica lens you suggest?
btw, we were both repped at the cheriff agency at the same time for a brief moment :)

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 23:08:01 +0000

Shane and co. -

Thank you so much for a great Blog and resource !!

I am finishing my wonderful Leica R prime set with the zooms and I am stating out with the 35-70mm – But i can’t quite figure out witch one of them to get ?? i see there is different speed, shapes and prices … and see some of them have that push and pull zoom if you know what i mean :) – I of cause want a zoom that turns and not pull !! – what do you think ??

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:50:13 +0000

jlevy, I would go with the Leica glass. It gives the sensor a whole new life. Not sure about the MkIII

By: jlevy

jlevy — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 15:31:45 +0000

if you were buying your first 5D package, would you get a lieca 35-70 over the new canon 24-70?
and if so is it only because the front element comes out?
the reason i ask is it seems like every 5d job the pkg asked for is the 24-70 and the 70-200.
also, does anyone have any idea if in the new 5dmk3 if the live view cuts out when an external monitor is plugged in, seems like very easy thing to test but i can’t find any info on it.
thanks!

By: Dan Stepnik

Dan Stepnik — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 09:41:22 +0000

Thanks for the insight.
I guess after hauling those Peli’s around all day, you don’t need to go to the gym.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:39:34 +0000

What do you use the gel swatches for on a scout?

By: Brice LeCarre

Brice LeCarre — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:03:08 +0000

Hi Shane,
First, thank you for giving your hard learned knowledge freely.
As to scouting, are you trying to validate specific shots you had in mind prior to see the location or are letting the location dictate the shots, or both?
I understand there is a lot of variables but do you have a checklist of shots in your mind from which you refer to build your shotlist or do you let the location dictate it?

thank you

By: Jack Seckman

Jack Seckman — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Hello There. This is a really well written article. I’ll be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:05:36 +0000

Baron, thank you so much for your insight and you kind words.