Ryan E. Walters, Cinematographer

Cinematic Excellence at 24 Frames a Second

The Great ND Test Of 2013 (Or is it really Neutral?)

The Control Frame for the ND Test
Neutral density (ND) filters are supposed to be devoid of color shift. Ideally they only affect the amount of light entering the lens, not the color balance. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to produce an ND filter that is truly neutral. This is why I set out to test four sets of filters. I wanted to see how neutral they really are. For this test I used ND filters from Schneider, Formatt, TruND, and the internal ND filters of the Canon C100. The results may surprise you, just like they did for me. Continue reading to see how these filters stack up, as well as to get access to the downloadable frames.
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How Personal Work Can Further Your Career


My bread and butter comes from the commercial world. And I love what I do! I get the opportunity to travel, meet new people, and learn about a myriad of industries. However, as lucky as I am to be doing what I love for my profession, there have been times in my career where I have felt uninspired, or under-challenged by the work that I am doing. To get through these dry spells, I turn to personal work. And each time I do personal work, I find it pushes me and opens up new opportunities for my career. Here is how you can use personal work to further what you do.
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1080p is better than 4k. (Or Why I Chose The Canon C100)


After many years of owning a wide range of camera systems, including a Red One and an Epic, I decided to sell it all and rent. So for the past three years I have been exclusively renting cameras on a per project basis, that is until recently when I made the plunge and bought the Canon C100. Little did I know how many eyebrows and questions it would raise when I posted a picture on Facebook. Here is why I chose a 1080p, 4:2:0 camera over a 4k RAW camera.
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Three Myths About The Blackmagic Cameras


In case you happened to be living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, Blackmagic Design has announced two more cameras to their lineup. Not only were they able to do what Red wasn't by offering a 4k camera for $4k, but they also introduced a Super16 pocket camera. Once again, the show floor at NAB was abuzz about Blackmagic. At NAB 2013, and in the weeks following, I have heard three myths repeated in casual conversation, and on podcasts, that are simply not true. Here is what you need to know...
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The Letus or OConnor: Which Matte Box Is Better?


If you are in the market for an affordably priced, lightweight matte box, chances are that you have taken a look at the Letus Matte Box and the OConnor Matte box. Both matte boxes are similarly priced and built, which can make the choice difficult. Fortunately for you, I've shot a feature film with the O-Box, and many commercials with the LTMB. Here are my recommendations based off of my real world, long-term use of each of these products.
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