10 Things I Learned at Masters in Motion

"On December 2nd, 2012, filmmakers from as far away as Canada, Croatia, Tanzania, Switzerland, and Brazil converged in downtown Austin, Texas for Masters in Motion, a three-day immersive filmmaking workshop, held annually at the world-famous Alamo Drafthouse on 6th Street. Despite having a Canon C500, C300, C100 and an array of DSLRs from Lens Pro To Go on hand, in addition to the Phantom Flex and TS3 Cine provided by Rule Boston Camera, the vibe of the event was summarized perfectly in this tweet:

“@niceladypro Refreshing going to a 3 day filmmaking workshop where people don’t talk about the camera they shot their video on.”

In the spirit of that quote, number one on the list of “Ten Things I Learned at Masters in Motion” comes from Shane Hurlbut, ASC, who is an accomplished DP, with titles such as Terminator Salvation, Act Of Valor, Swing Vote and Crazy Beautiful under his belt, to name a few.

1) “Cameras constantly change. Lighting and composition don’t.”

This wasn’t necessarily something new I learned but it was refreshing. In today’s day and age, the speed with which new cameras are released is almost absurd. The emphasis on camera specs and the 4k vs. 1080p discussion has been debated via social media and on forums, ad nauseam. It was great to hear that we weren’t the only ones that feel that camera technology is so good and accessible at this point, that you should focus on mastering composition and lighting. In that same vein, Hurlbut also dropped another gem when he said, “Don’t listen to what the camera reviewers say. You have to test (the camera) out yourself. You are the artist. You have to see if it speaks to you.”

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