Steven Gladstone is a New York-based filmmaker who has worked in the industry for more than 20 years as an animation/motion control cameraman, gaffer, camera assistant, D.P., and director. He spent a year and a half videotaping Holocaust survivors for the Survivors of the Shoah project and has a Master of Communication Arts degree. When he isn't working at B&H, he pursues personal filmmaking projects and spends time with his children. His personal website is www.gladstonefilms.com.
Steven Gladstone
Latest Articles
7 years ago
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VR video shooting requires a support system that is both sturdy and easy to carry and, let’s face it—carrying 50 pounds of tripod to remote locations is just no fun. BUSHMAN panoramic takes on this challenge with its Amarula VR Carbon Fiber Tripod, along with other accessories.…
7 years ago
Metabones practically created the market for speed booster adapters, and the company continue to grow and support them with four new Cine Speed Boost, and a non-speed-boosting lens adapter. Bring more flexibility and possibility to your shooting with the Blackmagic Design Pocket 4K, and FUJIFILM G-Mount GFX camera. Use the…
7 years ago
The flowtech tripod legs are a popular item, and why not? The legs are lightweight, durable, easy to use, easy to carry, and flexible to deploy. They are available from Sachtler and Vinten in a variety of configurations with and without: fluid head, spreader, rubber feet, etc. The flowtech 100 legs feature a 100mm quick-leveling bowl, support 66 pounds, and can reach a height of 60" while…
7 years ago
In this segment of Show Us Your Shot, filmmaker Sophia You, Executive Producer Samantha Tan, and Creator Jenna Lam guide us through the filming of an episode of Ambitious, a web series about an Asian-American girl who cannot seem to find a place where she feels she belongs. In the final scene of the series’ finale, she placed the two main characters inside a frame within a frame to suggest that…
7 years ago
In the segment of Show Us Your Shot, Director Roderick E. Stevens and Cinematographer Daniel Gonzalez explored a few options for safely capturing the driving scenes in this road movie, including using a 70" LED TV as a background, before settling on green screen for compositing. This also freed Stevens up to manipulate the art direction and color grading further to create a contrast between the…
7 years ago
In this segment of Show Us Your Shot, filmmaker Jillian Bullock explains how her DP created a desert shot at night, while shooting in Pennsylvania.
We had filmed some scenes at the Bill Pickett Riding Academy, in Philadelphia, a horse-riding stable. My DP, Lamont Fountain, and I were there trying to figure out where we could…
7 years ago
Green screen compositing today is ridiculously easy compared to days gone by. Years ago, when shooting and finishing on motion picture film, one had to shoot the subject against a green screen, then create film mattes, and combine it all using an optical printer. Generation loss, contrast shifts, and registration problems were the bane of the filmmaker. This doesn’t even begin to encompass all…
7 years ago
In this segment of Show Us Your Shot, Gregory Blair pays homage to indie horror filmmakers, creating a disorienting feeling without the use of high-tech effects, CGI, or jibs and cranes.
“Deadly Revisions is a psychological thriller that pays homage to several horror films and filmmakers. In this scene, we wanted to give a loving nod to Sam Raimi and the Evil Dead films. The scene involves…
7 years ago
In this segment, Chris Seivard shares with us how he pulled off a professional shoot for a client, using mostly natural daylight streaming through the location’s windows, supplemented with two LED fixtures to light the interior. Watch the video, as Seivard explains his setup, and be sure to study the lighting diagram.
This project was for an insurance company. The goal was to give…
7 years ago
In Learning to Drive, Director Roderick E. Stevens wanted the camera to drop straight down over the actor, the way it might on a telescopic crane. Without the budget to rent one, that seemed impossible. It’s a simple shot that only lasts a few seconds, but it occurs at a crucial turning point in the film, and the director is far too stubborn to give up. About $150 in electrical conduit and…
7 years ago
In this segment of Show Us Your Shot, filmmaker Steven Gladstone shares with us the differences between a dolly and a zoom. He begins by recreating a two-dolly combination move using a skateboard dolly and a slider, and then moves on to examine the choice between zoom in and dolly in. “With the small size and lightweight nature of today’s equipment, once-difficult shots become easier to pull off.…
7 years ago
As filmmakers, we’ve all heard that it is important to get BTS video and on-set shots. On my last shoot, I handed a digital camera to a PA and said, “Take behind-the-scenes-stills.” This did not work out well, because I ended up with about 900 stills, of which 97% were useless. It wasn’t the PA’s fault—after all, this is a highly developed craft, and he had no idea what to photograph. I also had…
7 years ago
From the filmmakers: "3:13 is a one-minute horror short created for Make Long Story Shorts, on Instagram. Inspired by the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, this film follows Maria (Robbie Jean) who experiences a terrifying visit by a shadowy Demon (Diamond Simone) at 3:13 AM, but can't move—only to wake up and realize it was a nightmare. Working within the limited time length, I wrote a 'loop'…
7 years ago
Recently, I had the opportunity to test the Sachtler FSB 10 FT MS with Flowtech 100 Tripod System. I already own a set of Sachtler Flowtech 75 legs and an…
7 years ago
The test involved an actor, dressed in a cowboy outfit, lighting up and smoking a cigar. The test was done late in the day, with no additional lights, and we were racing against the sun. The green screen we had was a little bit on the pale/unsaturated side, but we went ahead with it anyway. We imported the footage into Final Cut Pro and applied the Keyer effect.
Most of it was working well,…