Cinematography Mailing List - CML
    advanced

Digital Test Unit DOP

Dear All,

This is a question to our collage Mr. Jay Holben and anyone else who can answer what a Digital Test Unit Director of Photography is. What’s exactly your job when you’re at that position? I observed Mr. Holben was DOP of that unit on Minority Report and I was wondering about it since I never heard of that position in a film crew before. Just curious! Many thanks.

Santi Trullenque
Director
Barcelona


Santi,

Well - I tried to answer this in more detail, but Lyris kept kicking back my responses because they were too long - even after three attempted revisions...

The short of it was I was the cinematographer on a small unit that shot before principal photography testing concepts for what the PreCog visions would look like. We shot with DV cameras because that was what Steven wanted to see. They called it the digital test unit and I was the DP. I don't think that's a very common thing at all.

If anyone would like more information, feel free to contact me off list and I'll be happy to share the details.

All the best,

Jay Holben
Director/Director of Photography
Los Angeles, CA
www.adakin.com/jayholben
www.imaging-the-future.com


Very cool, Jay. I thought the film was well done, and those images were really pivotal to the film working. Kudos to you.

Kind Regards,

Mark Woods Director of Photography
http://www.markwoods.com/
Stills That Move
Pasadena, CA


Awesome Jay!

What a gift to work that way. I guess having that much time to prepare a movie, make resource as you did, came up with something that fits the director's vision, etc, must be a pleasure for a professional. To get involved in a project like that, even shooting apparently insignificance DV tests, must be really really cool.

BTW, the Precog visions looks great and I agree with Mr. Mark Woods about the importance of those images and the final result.

So congrats and thanks for explaining.

Regards,

Santi Trullenque
Director
Barcelona



Copyright © CML. All rights reserved.