Andy Rydzewski, Cinematographer: That isn’t something that I ever learned because I was interested in the technical but I was interested in why am I not getting the smoothness of a color transition?
Film Courage: How long did it take you to fully grasp all the camera settings?
Andy: There are a lot of cameras that I couldn’t run…but actually most cameras I couldn’t run by myself at this point. I’m very reliant on my camera team for sure. I am always familiar with how different camera centers react to light and color, skin tones, noise floors. I pay attention to the sensor and the reactivity but often I am not familiar with building out a full camera with its wireless follow focus. I couldn’t put together a wireless follow focus and my camera team, I’m so reliant…I’m reliant on them for a number of things but for sure my first AC Bryant, I’ve been working with him for years. I’m reliant on him for putting together our camera even when we’re ordering equipment. I do broad strokes, I’m like I want these lenses these filters, I prefer this monitor but in terms of the cables and the follow focus, wireless, I have some leanings but really I leave that to him and your camera team ends up becoming a huge part of your whole process and I’m for sure that way and letting go of some of the technical elements was tricky for me because I felt like Well, wait a minute, I’m the cinematographer. I’m supposed to know everything and I was like Oh no, I need to know how the image will end up. How we get there and the gear that’s on the camera if some of it matters to me because I have to know if it’s handheld, I’m going to have different needs as opposed to if I know I’m going to be on dolly…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
CONNECT WITH ANDY RYDZEWSKI
BIO:
Andy Rydzewski has shot features, TV series, commercials, shorts, docs, skits, etc. He has two graduate degrees (MFA in screenwriting and an MA in film production) from Humboldt State University. His latest completed project is the Hulu series PEN15 starring Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Melora Walters and more.
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