Genius Exposed

Yuji has been able to swing by on the last few Sundays to help me on the project, and it's been incredible.

After complaining to him that the wide-angle lens was making everything too dark, he explained how to use my camera: exposures, iso, shutter speed, and the like. He showed me where I made mistakes in my settings and resolved it all.

We used Panasonic's app to connect a tablet for a more extensive live view size for better focusing. We also connected the camera to a Mac mini M2 and a large monitor, which allowed some additional tricks in shooting with Dragonframe 5. Above, you see Dick using the app to make an in-camera rack focus between bugs, in case I ever want to do it that way.

He also solved my huge sky issues. I've spent hundreds of hours over the years trying to build skies for this set without any straight room lines showing. I was going for a seamless cyc of blue fabric with methods that were too hard to get. Kylynne and I finally just stapled the sheer blue yardage I bought online to the walls and ceiling of the room, but it left the dreaded cube structure visible. I was trying to figure out what to do when Dick held up a piece of branch between the camera lens and the crease at the ceiling like they would have done in movie-making magic days with forced perspective masks et al. 

It was wonderful! PROBLEM SOLVED at last!

As needed, I can add strategically placed branches to the foreground forest and fluffy stuffing clouds. I'm thrilled!

He's also been handily building forest branches right on top of the set scaffolding Kyelynn and I had built. It may be that all you'll see in the final shots is a handmade world! That's certainly the goal.