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James Melrose DOP | Director of Photography | Camera Operator | Manchester | London

Director of Photography | DOP | Lighting Cameraman | Camera Operator | Self Shooting PD | Drone Operator

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A selection of BTS from first day on Last Call

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James Melrose is a UK Director of Photography, Lighting Cameraman and Self-Shooting Producer Director working across commercials, branded content, documentaries and television.

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A recent corporate film I shot for Metador. Manuf

A recent corporate film I shot for Metador.

Manufacturing films are about more than showing a factory floor. The strongest frames come from finding the people, precision and movement that bring the process to life.

From the scale of the facility to the detail in the finish, the aim was to create a clean, considered visual story that reflected the care behind every stage of Metador’s work.

#DirectorOfPhotography #DOP #Cinematography #CorporateFilm #IndustrialFilming #ManufacturingFilm #BrandFilm #FactoryFilming #LightingCameraman #UKDOP #BehindTheScenes

Throwback to filming on The Secret Life of the Zoo

Throwback to filming on The Secret Life of the Zoo at Chester Zoo.

Observational documentary work is a real test of camera operating. Animals rarely repeat an action or wait for you to refine the shot, so you need to anticipate their behaviour, react quickly and remain ready for the unexpected.

Filming ranged from following stories around the zoo to capturing some of its smallest inhabitants in close detail. This grasshopper was filmed using a macro lens, revealing an almost otherworldly level of detail.

Macro filming brings its own challenges. At such close distances, the extremely shallow depth of field means even the smallest movement from the subject or camera can shift the image out of focus.

A brilliant series to work on and a reminder that factual television cinematography is as much about patience, instinct and timing as it is about the kit.

#TheSecretLifeOfTheZoo #ChesterZoo #CameraOperator #FactualTelevision #DocumentaryFilming #ObservationalDocumentary #MacroFilming #Cinematography #DOP #BehindTheScenes

A frame from an interview I shot with England cric

A frame from an interview I shot with England cricketer Jonny Bairstow for the LV= For the Love of the Game series, exploring his journey into professional cricket.

The location was an important part of the story, so I wanted the cricket ground to remain recognisable rather than become a generic interview background.

The challenge was balancing the daylight outside with controlled lighting on Jonny. I exposed to retain detail across the ground, then used an Aputure 600d as the key light to bring him up to the required level while keeping his skin tones natural and creating shape across the face.

Shot using the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM. The 50mm perspective and controlled depth of field created separation without losing the context of the location.

A seemingly simple interview frame, but one where lighting, exposure, lens choice and location all had to work together.

#DirectorOfPhotography #DOP #Cinematography #InterviewLighting #SportsProduction #Cricket #JonnyBairstow #Aputure600d #SonyGMaster #LightingCameraman #UKDOP

A few seconds on set can save a lot of time in the

A few seconds on set can save a lot of time in the grade.

Whenever possible, I shoot a colour chart on each camera, particularly when working on a multicamera production.

Even cameras from the same manufacturer can render colour and contrast slightly differently. Recording the same reference under the final lighting gives post-production a reliable starting point for fine-matching the cameras and maintaining consistent skin tones across every angle.

It’s a small part of the setup, but it can make a noticeable difference to the finished film.

Do you shoot a colour chart for every multicamera setup, or mainly when mixing different camera systems?

#DirectorOfPhotography #DOP #LightingCameraman #Cinematography #CameraMatching #MulticameraProduction #ColourGrading #InterviewFilming #BehindTheScenes

Sony has announced the new FX5, so I’ve taken a cl

Sony has announced the new FX5, so I’ve taken a closer look at how it compares with my Sony FX3.

5K Open Gate, internal X-OCN RAW and a new stacked sensor all sound impressive, but is it really worth upgrading?

My initial Sony FX5 review is now live on my website.

Full article link in the first comment.

#SonyFX5 #SonyFX3 #SonyCinemaLine #DirectorOfPhotography #DOP #Cinematography #CameraReview

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