Tim Tyler

I like the camera work and lighting (for the most part) too. Each film's extended version comes with about 3 hours of behind the scenes documentary stuff glued together with lots of green screen interviews. Lesnie pops up from time to time on the documentaries for the first two films, but he's nowhere to be found in the third. I got the impression from the documentaries that Fellowship and the first half of Two Towers where shot much like conventional films, while a lot of ROTK was handed off to the computer folks at WETA. I bet the production people got so comfortable with the post magic on the first two films that "We'll fix/adjust it in post" was not uncommon on ROTK.

2:1 Has always been the most comfortable aspect ratio for me. I recall pulling and marking the groundglass on my CP16 back in '91 with Letraset rub-on lines for a short film I was to shoot. I did it by eye with no particular aspect ratio in mind, and years later when I looked at the video of that project, it's exactly 2:1. I wonder if 2:1 (or any other aspect ratio) has some sort of physiological relationship with human eyes and the way we see things? I was kind of hoping that Storaro's Univisium might win out in the widescreen wars a while back, but David's right. I had built a site for Univisium with Vittorio's son Fabrizio in the late 90's, but we both gave up on it a few years later. I wish I'd held onto the domain name though :(

Anybody else notice contrast and color correction problems with the "Return of the King" extened edition DVD's? The first two movies looked great, but the third has shots and short scenes where the the blacks turn to grays, and the overall contrast seems poor. The most glaring issue was a shot in Shelob the spider's tunnel where we see Frodo in the distance stumbling around. He is surrounded by darkness, except for an exact circle of "brightness" that tracks him through the frame. It's not a practicle light emmision, but rather a post production attempt to correct exposure in the vicinity of his character. It looked really bad. There were plenty of other shots throughout the movie too that just didn't look right, especially dark shots that had no true blacks in them. All three movies have plent of addiditonal shots and extended scenes and I never noticed anything until 'ROTK'. I wonder if the DVD team was different or rushed on ROTK.

Jacques Tati's Playtime (1967; 126 minutes) Brand-new 70mm print courtesy of Janus Films Dec 29, 2004 - Jan 5, 2005 After the success of Mon Oncle in 1958, Jacques Tati had become fed up with Monsieur Hulot. Slowly, he inched his way toward a new kind of cinema - a supremely democratic film starring "everybody," in which the wonders of modern life would relinquish their functionality and become a ravinshingly beautiful backdrop to pure human delirium. Tati's journey was a long one, ten years in all. The massive set known as Tativille was built in Saint-Meurice, at the southeast corner of Paris: 100 construction workers made two buildings out of 11,700 square feet of glass, 38,700 square feet of plastic, 31,500 square feet of timber, and 486,000 square feet of concrete. Tativille had its own power plant and approach road, and building number one had its own working escalator. At the end of the road, there was ignominy and bankruptcy. But Jacques Tati was secure in the knowledge that with PLAYTIME, as his film about everybody came to be called, he had made a masterpiece. We hope you'll come join us at the Walter Reade for this very special run of a brand-new print of Tati's greatest film, in its full 70mm glory. Wed Dec 29: 6:15 & 8:45 Thurs Dec 30: 1, 3:30, 6:15 & 8:45 Fri Dec 31: 1, 3:30, 6:15 & 8:45 Sat Jan 1: 1:30, 4, 6:30 & 9 Sun Jan 2: 1, 3:30, 6:15 & 8:45 Mon Jan 3: 1, 3:30, 6:15 & 8:45 Tue Jan 4: 1, 3:30, 6:15 & 8:45 Wed Jan 5: 1, 3:30, 6:15 & 8:45 http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/programs/12-2004/playtime.htm

For the sake of this argument, how do you know that?

While I was watching it, knowing the projection was in-focus, but squinting my eyes trying to figure out why nothing really looked 'sharp', I kept thinking of a Michael Nash post here (from a week or so ago) that said he always found himself leaving the theater with a headache after a DI'd picture.

4-pin XLR is the standard for power. 3-pin is the microphone config.

You might consider some of these: http://cinematography.com/shop/books.asp

Doggicam Systems, located in Burbank California has taken delivery of the first Arri 235 to be delivered in the US. Doggicam Systems is the very first rental company outside the Arriflex owned rental network to take delivery of a new Arri 235 camera anywhere in the world. This new camera was developed and refined through a series of discussions with top cinematographers and their crew, including Gary Thieltges, the veteran cinematographer, designer and developer of the camera systems at Doggicam Systems. The camera offers pin registration, refined integrated video system and variable shutter, providing state-of-the-art camera capabilities in a compact package, a natural fit with the philosophy developed at Doggicam. Now coupled with Doggicam?s unique camera support systems, the new Arri 235 is ready to go to work. Mounted in the Sparrow Head, the camera provides a remote head package weighing under 35 pounds. At just 12 inches wide and 18 inches tall, this combo can do just about anything remote head packages weighing 3 times as much and twice this size can. The camera can be easily set up for Panavision lens mounts as required for the project. The Sparrow Head, The Bodymount, Doggicam and Doggicam Rigging Systems are all ready for use with the Arri 235.

I've thought about merging the "On the Big Screen" and "On DVD & TV" forums. Stuff on the big screen eventually ends up on the small screen anyway. I've also thought about changing "Cinematographers" to "Cinematographers & Directors" Any thoughts?

Laszlo Kovacs, ASC will judge the 2004 Kodak Filmschool Competition for students and recent graduates in the Asia Pacific and Latin American countries. The annual competition is designed to recognize and provide tangible support for talented young people who are pursuing careers as cinematographers. "When I was a film student in Hungary, my mentor George Illes inspired and encouraged me to pursue my dreams," Kovacs says. "Many years later, he told me that I could repay him by helping the next generation of filmmakers. I am looking forward to seeing the films created by these talented cinematographers from so many different countries. It will be difficult to judge, but inspirational for me to see their work." The top prize for winners in each region is a trip to the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival, where clips of their films will be screened at the annual Kodak Emerging Filmmaker Showcase. The winners will also participate in seminars and other activities organized by Kodak. Judges in the individual countries choose finalists in the annual competition. In addition to choosing winners and runner-ups in the Latin American and Asian Pacific regions, Kovacs will offer comments and suggestions to all participants. "It means a great deal to the young filmmakers who are vying for this award to have their work judged by Laszlo Kovacs," says Kodak's Wendy Elms. "He is truly a great artist whose persistence in successfully pursuing his dream are an inspiration for young filmmakers everywhere. His comments will be treasured by the participants." Kovacs was born and raised in a small village in Hungary. He studied at the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest and migrated to the United States as a political refugee in 1956 following a failed uprising against the communist regime. Kovacs overcame all obstacles and relentlessly pursued his dream until he found a niche shooting ultra-low budget films, including A Man Called Dagger and the Savage Seven during the mid-to-late 1960s. He broke into the mainstream with Easy Rider in 1969, and has subsequently compiled some 70 credits, including such classic films as Five Easy Pieces, The King of Marvin Gardens, Shampoo, Paper Moon, New York, New York, Ghostbusters and Mask. His more recent credits include Radio Flyer, Multiplicity, My Best Friend's Wedding, Return to Me, and Miss Congeniality. Kovacs has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Society of Cinematographers and the Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography. He is the chairman of the ASC Education Committee, which offers an annual scholarship as well as outreach programs to film students and their schools. Regional winners will be announced in February 2005. Contact your local Kodak representative for details, or visit www.kodak.com/go/filmschoolcompetition. The annual competition was inaugurated in 2000 as an element of the worldwide Kodak Student Filmmaker Program, which has provided tangible support for schools and their students since 1991. Initiatives include educational and communications materials, product grants and discounts. Kodak also sponsors awards, seminars and student showcases at Cannes and other film festivals. For more information about the Kodak Student Filmmaker Program, visit the Kodak website at http://www.kodak.com/go/student.

One of the cool things about this forum software is that it allows for nested forums (or sub-forums). The HD forum has half a dozen sub-forums for example. For the user (especially a new user) who wants to read all topics about a specific HD camera, you can dive right into that dedicated sub-forum and not be disappointed. As a daily user, I find that I most often use the 'View New Posts' link in the top menu. That'll let me efficiently scan the day's posts without having to click all over the place looking to see what's new.

Thanks for all the suggestions and compliments, everybody. Here's some stuff you can expect before the new year arrives: A new skin. You'll still have the current skin as an option is you want to be 'old fashioned'. A new 'Music Videos & Commercials' forum, and new HD sub-forums for 'Varicam' and 'CineAlta' too. I'd like to create a 'Post' category too, but I wonder if it'll just fill up with NLE, FCP, 'best disk drive', etc. stuff that really has little to do with 'cinematography'. Ideas? A new hard-to-miss 'Forum Guidelines' link at the top of every page. Let's encourage new members to read it through, and feel free to PM me with suggested additions to the Guidelines. Blogs. Everyone can read them, but you need to be a Sustaining Member to create one. The blogs are nearly exempt from regular forum content rules and regulations. I think they'd be a great place to journal your next shoot. Real-time Chat Rooms. See the link at the top right? I don't think we should delay new users from posting since many members sign up just so they can contribute to a thread that interests them. > I second the ban on anonymous unregistered posters. Only registered members can post (except in the Support Forum) and there's no good way to ban a member for not using their real name. I mean, if they did use a full name in the UserName or Signature it might not even be their real name. It should be encouraged though. I'm still looking into a Gallery add-on. > the ability to have posts emailed out. Checkout the 'Track this topic' link at the top of every thread. And of course there's also the option to subscribe to Topics and/or Forums in the 'My Controls' Profile menu.

I emailed Phil Parmet and he replied with: In the Soup was shot in 35 mm. with Arri cameras and Zeiss lens using color negative stock. Although "In the Soup" was released in some markets in color, there never was any intention by the writer/director Alex Rockwell to release the film anywhere in color. The distributors did what they thought would sell the film. In retrospect just letting them know there was a color negative was mistake. To get to black and white from the color neg. a IP was made on 5369 b/w intermediate stock, a stock originally intended for making titles. A few festival prints were struck on this exquisite stock, but because of expenses, release prints were printed from a color inter-negatives derived from the b/w IP. DuArt in New York did the processing. If you really want to see what the film was intended to look like, check the carefully mastered new DVD release in widescreen black and white by "Fantoma Films." Subsequently a number of films have been made this way, but I believe this was the first time this process with the 5369 IP was used. It took us about four months of experimenting to get to a release print we really liked. Cheers, Phil Fantoma's In The Soup DVD @ Amazon

The DVD features such directors and cinematographers as John Sayles, Spike Lee, Lance Acord, ASC, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, Louis Schwartzberg, Matthew Libatique, ASC, John Inwood, Levie Isaacks, ASC, Bill Bennett, ASC, Ferne Pearlstein, John Walker and John Bowring, ACS talking about the art and craft of filmmaking, and their preferences for telling stories. http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...?showtopic=4055

Prominent filmmakers and industry creatives from around the world share their thoughts on the creative and financial aspects of film production on a new DVD titled The Difference. The DVD features such directors and cinematographers as John Sayles, Spike Lee, Lance Acord, ASC, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, Louis Schwartzberg, Matthew Libatique, ASC, John Inwood, Levie Isaacks, ASC, Bill Bennett, ASC, Ferne Pearlstein, John Walker and John Bowring, ACS talking about the art and craft of filmmaking, and their preferences for telling stories. ?I can?t give an explanation as to exactly why, but sitting in a dark theater watching a film and watching a video are two different experiences,? says Lee, a two-time Oscar® nominee (4 Little Girls, Do the Right Thing). ?It?s about the story,? says Oscar-nominated Sayles (Passion Fish, Lone Star). ?I just think that some things, viscerally, are going to work better than others if they?re shot on film.? In addition to discussing the aesthetic difference between film and video capture, the true cost of film production is explored with influential industry decision makers offering anecdotes based on real world experiences. ?We?ve intentionally crafted a show (Scrubs) that appeals to smart people,? says Bill Lawrence, the NBC comedy?s creator and executive producer. ?And to people that love the nuances and little details. ? If it wasn?t on film, these are all little things that could take people out of the moment.? ?By doing some research, we found that there really is no financial gain by shooting digital,? says producer Jimmy Simons (Malcolm in the Middle), ?and that, in fact, in some ways it could probably cost you more in time and equipment and whatnot.? Preserving their stories for the future, and the importance of archivability is also a topic addressed on The Difference. ?Whether it?s pictures you take of your kids, or 35 mm motion picture film, it (film) is incredibly archival,? says Acord (Lost in Translation, Adaptation). ?It?s something you know you will always be able to come back to. I wonder about all the ? digital TV programs and movies. Where do they all end up?? Recent technological advances in color negative films are another reason filmmakers are choosing celluloid, and why Super 16 mm in particular has seen a resurrection. Attributes of Kodak?s newest Vision2 films include superior image structure that makes it possible for cinematographers to record more nuances in images, enhanced tonal scale designed for better efficiency and accuracy during both digital and optical postproduction, and less apparent grain. Hundreds of feature films, television shows and commercials have been originated on Kodak Vision2 stocks since November 2002. ?The film stocks have become so fine-grained and so high speed that you don?t need the light to get exposure anymore ? you light for effect,? says Bennett, who has photographed thousands of commercials for high-profile companies. ?I lean upon that latitude to work faster because budgets are tight. People are trying to save money? so I work tremendously fast because I know I can lean upon the flexibility of film.? To hear more of what these influential filmmakers have to say, and order a free copy of The Difference from Kodak, visit http://www.kodak.com/go/filmthedifference/

It's OK to post questions and comments in any language in this forum, although most members use English. Dremz, I suggest you spell-check your message(s) before posting, and I also recommend adding your name in the signature. Christopher, if you don't understand a question, just don't reply. Someone else might understand and have an answer.

LTR 16mm Camera Instruction Manual April 1984 aaton_ltr.pdf

Roger, Welcome to the forum! It's often best when asking a question in the forum that doesn't have a definitive 'yes' or 'no' answer, to explain your point of view in some detail. Otherwise the replies may seem argumentative. This is especially true when your question is basically "I like something. Why don't you like it?' Please explain to us why you thought the cinematography of DAD was great. Also, unless the old post you found is closed, you can reply directly to that message, even quote it directly, and you may get a reply directly from the person who posted the message you are referring to.

I'd like to hear some suggestions regarding this. We've got a Telecine category. Do we need a 'Digital Intermediate' category? What else?

Looking forward to this.

I'm excited. 1.1.2005 will be the first time this forum will contain more than a single year's worth of posts. Prior to 2004, the cinematography.com forum used other software that just got too cumbersome after a while, so every year the old one was archived and a fresh one was created. No need for that anymore. As you can see from the stats on the bottom of the main forum page, there are nearly 2800 members in the forum. Many of them have probably only visited a few times in the last year. Prior to 2004 I think the yearly max was about 700 though. We probably have Google to thank for that. The old forums couldn't be parsed by Google. Anyway, I'll be sending out a reminder email on 1.1.2005 to the whole bunch of them, so expect some fresh traffic early on in the new year. So, Regular Forum Member, now's the time to make suggestions for changes that you think might improve this community. What do you think?

Kodak received a Golden Frog Award for Technical Achievement at the 12th annual Camerimage International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography. The new award recognizes companies and individuals for developing innovative technologies that advance the art of filmmaking. The presentation was made during the closing ceremonies of the festival on December 4. "This award was established to broaden the scope of Camerimage to include all aspects of cinematography, including art and technology," says festival director and founder Marek Zydowicz. "Cinematographers are creating art everyday, and we felt it was appropriate to highlight some of the tools that they use while crafting their work." An international jury consisting of world-renowned cinematographers considered innovations in techniques, equipment, software and materials that have advanced the art of visual storytelling. Kodak took the honors in the category recognizing new developments in postproduction for the Look Manager System. "Kodak's Look Manager System is designed to provide an efficient way for cinematographers to control every nuance in film looks from preproduction through postproduction," says Robert Mayson, general manager of Image Capture, Entertainment Imaging, vice president, Kodak. "It enables them to take advantage of the convergence of advances in film and digital postproduction technologies to craft more artful stories. It is another giant step forward on a long journey with unlimited possibilities." The software-based system enables cinematographers to determine the best options for creating looks for film-originated projects. Cinematographers can simulate multiple combinations of Kodak films, in-camera effects, lighting techniques, and lab processes in various ways to emulate the desired image. After a cinematographer locks into a designed look, an exportable file can be shared with other Kodak Look Manager System users around the world to communicate their creative intentions, and emulate consistently accurate images on multiple display devices. Once a look is established, the system incorporates Kodak Display Manager technology, which automatically adjusts images to emulate the print film look on multiple display devices, including CRT, standard- and high-definition monitors, and digital projectors. The system also incorporates Kodak color science technology based on more than 100 years of Kodak imaging expertise. The product has been available since September 2004. The Camerimage festival was founded in 1993. Zydowicz says that the founders chose to focus on cinematography because it is a universal art form, which doesn't get the attention it deserves at many other festivals. In addition to inspiring and recognizing excellence in the art of cinematography, the founders envisioned a global forum where filmmakers from around the world could meet to discuss issues and exchange ideas. The festival moved from Torun to Lodz in 2000, where the Polish national film school is located. The annual festival holds competition screenings in feature film and student categories. Dick Pope, BSC won the Golden Frog for Vera Drake. A Silver Frog was presented to Rodrigo Prieto, ASC for Alexander, and a Bronze Frog went to Manuel Alberto Claro for Reconstruction. In the student film competition, the Golden Tadpole goes to Piotr Sobocinski, Jr. for Winter, and the Bronze Tadpole to Jacek Podgorski for his film Body of Mine. Both are students at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. The Silver Tadpole went to Isaac Vila, a student at the Escola Superior de Cinema/Audiovisuals de Catalunya in Spain, for his film The Next. David Watkin, BSC (honorary) received the 2004 Camerimage Lifetime Achievement Award. His retrospective of screenings included some of his most memorable credits such as Tea with Mussolini, Hamlet, Memphis Belle, Moonstruck, White Nights, Yentl, Chariots of Fire, The Devils, The Charge of the Light Brigade and Out of Africa, which earned an Academy Award® for cinematography in 1986. Zydowicz says that cinematographers and film students from around the world attended the festival. In addition to the competition, there was an array of seminars where many aspects of the future of the art of filmmaking were discussed. Additional special awards were also presented. For more information about the festival, visit the Camerimage website at www.Camerimage.pl.

Do NOT use this forum for political, religious, gay/anti-gay discussions or your user account will be deleted immediately without any further warning.

PJ Raval will receive the Charles B. Lang, Jr. Heritage Award from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). The award is presented annually to one or more promising film school students or recent graduates. Raval will be feted during the 19th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on February 20, 2005, at the Century Plaza Hotel. Raval earned a master's degree in film production from the University of Texas at Austin (UTA). ASC will also present awards of merit to runner-ups Maximilian Gutierrez and Gavin Kelly from the University of Southern California (USC), Johnpaul Perry from Florida State University (FSU), and Logan Schneider from Montana State University. "Our purpose is to inspire talented young filmmakers to pursue their dreams of becoming cinematographers by providing recognition as well as tangible support at a crucial time in their lives," says Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, chairman of the ASC Education Committee. "We hope this recognition encourages the recipients to believe in themselves at a time when they are attempting to enter a competitive career field." Kovacs says that many talented students and recent graduates were nominated for the ASC Heritage award by their instructors. The jury consisted of ASC members who reviewed the written nominations and watched short films submitted by the students. He says the judges were impressed by Raval's originality and ability to execute his vision. Wake, his 17-minute Super 16 mm film directed by UTA grad student Keun-Pyo Park, is the heartbreaking story about a 5-year-old girl who spends four days in a small apartment when her mother doesn't wake up from sleeping, and not understanding the concept of death. Raval was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and grew up in Clovis, a small town in central California. He initially studied molecular biology and visual arts at the University of California-San Diego (UCSD). "When I ran out of photography classes, I signed up for an introduction to film production and film history class," he says. "I was exposed to the works of great filmmakers. It was inspirational. My instructor was French filmmaker-cinematographer Babette Mangolte. She taught, encouraged, and inspired me. It's a special honor to be recognized by ASC, because I admire the artistry of their members. Shooting Wake was a great experience. It's very gratifying to be acknowledged for its cinematography." Kovacs says the ASC judges were also impressed by the runner-ups and their films. He notes they were chosen for this recognition out of a deep pool of contenders. The ASC Heritage Award is dedicated annually to preserving the memory of a different cinematographer who played an important role in the history of the industry. Lang compiled more than 100 narrative film credits and earned 18 Oscar® nominations for cinematography during a career which spanned the transitions from silent movies to sound and from black-and-white to color images. He won an Academy Award® for Best Cinematography in 1934 for A Farewell to Arms. Lang was honored by his peers in 1990, when he received the coveted ASC Lifetime Achievement Award. "Charles Lang was a talented artist who was dedicated to progress," says Kovacs. "He played a unique and important role in both the evolution of the art of cinematography and in the history of ASC. PJ Raval should be proud that it is dedicated to his memory, and find inspiration in his films and values." The ASC was founded in January 1919 by 15 cinematographers who were dedicated to advancing the new art of narrative filmmaking. There are some 275 members from many countries around the world, and another 140 associates in allied fields. The 19th Annual ASC Awards ceremonies will be preceded by an open house at the ASC clubhouse at 1782 N. Orange Dr. and an Internet chat with the nominees and award winners on February 19, 2005.