Inspire Design Create with David Lee

EPISODE 95: CREATE NATURAL LIGHT WITHOUT WINDOWS???

Ever been in a situation where the location you have is less then ideal? You were hoping for a row of windows to bring light in from but instead are stuck in a 4x4 room with overhead florescent lights...yeah...not a fun time, or is it??? Today let's explore the realm of overhead lighting and how it can best serve you to create natural but polished looking light for your next project.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 94: MANAGING EXPECTATIONS - CREW TO AGENCY

One of the key responsibilities as a Cinematographer is managing expectations. Yes you are there to ensure the visual aesthetic is fulfilled but without the collaboration and support from your crew the production day can go any and all ways, sometimes not to your liking. How do you manage expectations from your crew to ensure they're delivering their best for you and the project? What does it take to please the agency folks while you're juggling a hundred different things on set? Lucky for you we're covering this topic today in the hopes that is serves you in the future and for the rest of your career.

 

EPISODE 93: YOUR RATE IS YOUR RATE, FIGHT FOR IT!

The most challenging aspect of being a owner/operator is truly fighting for our rates. The technical parts and artistic ventures of our career is an on-going journey but we can't survive unless we can fight for the rates we deserve. Below is a link to current 2022 Union rates which I use to help gauge where the industry is and to structure my day rates accordingly.

https://www.mediaservices.com/showbiz-software/showbiz-labor-guide/#tab-which-union-rates-are-included

At the end of the day you have to make the decision for yourself to say Yes or No to certain projects and knowing what the fair market value day rates are is extremely helpful as it provides you with the data necessary when justifying your rates to a production.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 92: FEELING GUILTY OVER NOTHING

I used to feel guilty for not going the extra mile on every shoot, even if I was getting shafted with a super low rate and bringing in gear I knew the project wouldn't take advantage of. Fast forward a few years later, what i've come to learn is if you don't know your worth you'll continue to feel guilty in some way, shape or form for not "doing more". However, if the project and budget aren't also going the extra mile then that conversation goes both ways. You get what you give and the giving always comes from the budget first - remember that the next time you feel an inclination of guilt coming on.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 91: RATIOS, A WAY TO LIGHT FASTER

I remember watching cinematographers and gaffers use light meters and thought, "man I don't have time for that, it's too slow!". That was true in the beginning when all I was doing was run and gun but using that same mindset as the budgets and projects got bigger meant that my ability to light was still looking the same - relying on natural light which can only get you so far. By understanding your ratios (Key to Background etc) you start to understand what you want your end image to look like that. Having this knowledge allows you to start building a path of progression to build better images at a higher level, using false color and a light meter are great tools to support you on your path.

In this episode I break down a recent shoot where I used both false color and my light meter to help me light faster especially when you're traveling to places you have never been before.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 90: WHY OUTSIDE LIGHTING RULES, ALWAYS

Have you ever been on location with complete white walls everywhere? If you cringe as your initial reaction you are not alone! What are we as cinematographer supposed to do with so much light bouncing everywhere in such locations? One of the best ways to combat the flatness of having to light white wall interiors is by lighting from the outside to set your room tone levels. By lighting from the outside (setting up your lamps outside to shoot into windows/door frames etc) you at least have a measurable way to set the room tone yourself as well as creating the contrast from hard light and soft light. When you can't light from the outside that means you need lights inside and the only way to fight the flatness of it is with a ton of grip, but if you don't have the resources or the budget you'll find that time and time again these types of projects really struggle to look as good as they could be.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 89: THE BUYING CONUNDRUM...

"Hmmm well if I don't get the 600D I can buy three 120Ds, that should better right?". Many times going with many smaller lights creates a bigger mess for a few different reasons:

1.) You need 3 stands rather than 1 if you went with the bigger light

2.) Diffusing 3 lights vs 1 requires more grip, more setup time to get them all in the right position

3.) For interiors you're already fighting a losing battle if you're trying to do all the lighting from inside

That being said there are times when you need smaller fixtures but for very specific uses. In today's episode I offer my case for why you should always (majority of the time) go with the bigger light.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 88: Details Matter, A LOT - Contract Agreements

When it comes to project agreements, the level of detail you put in will make your life easier. How so? Well if you've ever had a client ask for more revisions, additional deliverables, longer lengths etc because your project agreement did not outline a clear and defined scope of work you know how that goes - not pretty. You either agree to do the work at a low fee or for free or cut ties with that client. Both are not optimal solutions so I hope that in this week's podcast episode you can avoid this trap and do the right thing both for you and your client.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 87: WHEN CLIENTS QUESTION YOUR QUOTE...

Not a great feeling right? You take the time for an hour or two hour long discovery call, take another 24-48 hours doing some number crunching and research just to have the lead come back to you with half the amount you quoted for. The thing is, many times you can avoid this all together by doing more work and asking more questions in the discovery engagement call by asking them this one question, "What's your budget"? When you do this you immediately take out any vague questioning or giving the lead an opportunity to beat around the bush - if they do at least you know and that gives you more information on how to respond.

In this week's podcast episode we're covering some tips on how to not dig yourself in a deep hole to have to negotiate your way out of and some best practices for speaking to clients when they question your quote.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee 

EPISODE 86: LANDING BIGGER BUDGET CLIENTS

When clients see your work, they can trust for the most part that you can deliver on the services and deliverables they need. Whether that's through your social media presence, your reel or your network you can find that all of the above will help eventually get you to the point where you can start working with bigger budgets. Spec work is still by far going to separate you from others and show agencies and clients the level of work you can deliver and let's face it, the better the visuals the bigger the budgets...more or less. I hope you guys enjoy this episode and I know i'm like a broken record constantly talking about shooting spec and networking but it's what has helped me exponentially move away from one man band videographer shoots to working with crews and larger budgets.

If you enjoyed this episode please rate it and let me know how i'm doing! Follow the podcast if you're loving the content and share it with your friends!

www.atdavidlee.com | www.legendarymediahouse.com | Instagram @atdavidlee | YouTube www.youtube.com/atdavidlee