Rory Hanrahan

Try this: • Create an AV file in your NLE including the song and generated TC. Be sure to add 10 seconds or so of pre-roll (with countdown) so that the song/tc doesn't start the instant you hit play. • Load this file into iTunes or some playback app on your iThing • Use a wireless mic system -- transmitter on the iThing, receiver on your playback system -- to broadcast the audio. • Simply start/stop the playback from the iThing, making sure to film a few frames of the TC displayed on-screen. There you go -- very easy, very cheap.

I've been using UltraLights for years and love them! I think they work better than most small Noga arms, and having the ability to "tinker-toy" an accessory into whatever configuration suits you is awesome. The individual parts are pretty expensive, but if you take care of them it's well worth it. In regards to long-term condition, they hold up pretty well, except for the O-ring issue you talked about. I've never looked into getting them replaced, but if that were an option I'd be impressed.

IIRC, the 42 has a visual scope built into the side that allows you to pinpoint your target when spotting the little red dot can be a hassle (in bright sunlight or when gauging long distances, for example). I might have the model names mixed up (I don't know if they've revamped the line-up lately), but I think the scope is worth the $.

Question for the New Yorkers here: Does anybody have details regarding the 5207 demo screening supposedly happening in NY this week? I ignored a notice I was sent regarding this, but my schedule has opened up and I'd love to attend. Google, apparently, is not my friend today. Thanks!

"Spendy" is true, though i do feel my Hilti saves me $500 worth of running around every feature (whatever that means…). I've suggested before and will do so again: spend the extra ~$150 and go with the Hilti PD-42 over the 40! I ignored a friend's advice and have been kicking myself since. BTW, anybody wanna buy my PD-40? (/jk)

That depends… Where do we draw the line between changing bag and darkroom. Specifically,what size person needs to fit inside before it becomes the latter? Discuss. I know this is thread-rot, but its better than arguing. I'll allow it.

Boy, the AC forum has been getting pretty uncivil lately… I guess work is slow. Me three in the whole "never written 'no core'" jawn; though I do insert a core in every 5th roll just to f* with the lab. (It's the little things that keeps me going…). Its not an issue, and while I'm sure mistakes have been made, the lab techs are smart enough to, y'know, feel the roll and check to see if there's a core or not. Ya see what you've done now, Dan? Asking a relevant question in a professional forum, therefore starting a snark-war to determine who's got the biggest… changing tent. This is why we can't have nice things!

I completely second the "do not roll-out" stance. There is no worse offense than losing a take, good or bad, because of your lack of diligence. That is the kind of thing that keeps an AC from getting rehired. As far as the concern over dirt & scratches on the last 10' or so… You should always roll a few feet of waste through the camera at the end of a roll. Standard practice for eliminating that issue. David, I think there is an old-school/new-school dichotomy on this and many other topics. Some experienced shooters tend to dismiss these "hard & fast" rules as time- (or film-) wasting obstacles… Personally I prefer the more disciplined approach. Regardless, I'll keep your preferences in mind should we ever meet on-set…

Practice. That's all there is to it.

Yeah, we used that for diffusion once. Production cheaped out on filtration so I had the loader unspool and apply Vaseline to the stock before loading. Worked great, but the rental house won't return my calls anymore. Weird…

Y'know how you shoot off a few shots of DustOff before hitting the lens? If I'm forced to use Instant Self-Generating Halation (ie. breath) I'll shoot a quick look over each shoulder as a similar safety precaution. This ensures no PA's or grips run over and yell, "Hey! That's bad for the lens!"

Keystone is good people. They also happen to be a great (albeit small) rental house. I can't speak highly enough of their rental tech (and AC) John Dearnley.

I've used the Lensbaby on both my Canon DSLR, as well as a PL-mount version that I just finished a feature with. Love the lens system, but I think it works way better with a mo-pic cam, as all of the great kinetic effects you'd usually see while setting up the still frame, er, get captured. Lots of fun, and a great tool that will probably get overused too soon… The only note I have for shooting this way is to make sure you get DSC charts on both the lensbaby and your standard lens set for each setup. The LB will not match most lenses, and while I've found the optics to be adequate for what a simple system it is, you really need to give yourself the room to correct the lens in post. BTW Adrian (and any other East Coast fellows) -- I'd be happy to supply the PL-mount Lensbaby to any interested productions…

I've been using a Hilti rangefinder (forget the model, $350-400 range) for a while now and love it. Can't speak as to the quality of the Bosch. You'll find yourself using this everyday, and upgrading to one with a visual sight as soon as you can…

It's great seeing that Crazy Eddie's ad again, and Walter -- great to hear about the behind the scenes. Everybody in the tri-state knows the ads, everybody knows something went down, but all-in-all its an interesting story. But that Cheerios spot -- that's been driving me nuts for months! I noticed the box composite immediately, but there also seems to be some weird framerate/speed issues in those cuts too (maybe just an artifact from the composite?). The tech issues of the Cheerios spot isn't as bad as the writing though. Is this meant to be a snapshot of a smarmy, tense, loveless relationship, or do I just not get the "humor"? I don't mean to slam anybody's work, of course, so if anybody here did that spot I come in peace. I've done my fair share of crappy daytime TV commercials -- "Need Cash Now?" kinda stuff (can't find any on YouTube, unfortunately, but who doesn't know and love JG Wentworth?).

Wow, great tip! Thanks Nathan.

This may be slightly OT, but I think a lot of times directors (especially in the low-budg world) can be intimidated by the DP's, who are often the most technically-adept on set. Its best to get past these feelings and let the DP do his job -- from Pre- to Post-, because after all, the DP is in service to the greater project and will often fade into the background as the picture gains prominence (or failure -- gulp!). Nobody wants to be the guy who shot Don Coscarelli's Survival Quest (ooh, sorry Mr. Okada!)*, so please, please, from an AC's standpoint: let the DP have his due! *Confession: I LOVE Don Coscarelli, especially Survival Quest and Phantasm IV: OblIVion?

The ASC manual is a given. You have no excuse for not buying it, especially since its price has dropped down to ~$55 in its paperback form. There's a wealth of knowledge inside. Read a chapter before bed every night, then go into work and spew out your new knowledge of matte paintings, shooting plates and rear projection. You're AC nerd merit badge should arrive in 4-6 weeks. I suggest both Hart's and Elkin's books. They compliment each other, reinforce each other and even (occasionally) contradict each other. Spend the "low-budget, we know we're paying you nothing but the food will be good" day-rate and order all 3 books ASAf'nP.

I've stuck to recording @ RC28 for the most part (based on advice given by a DIT based on quality/file size), and generally go to 2K for any high speed. Considering that there's almost no possibility of finishing for anything higher than a 2K projection, there should be no noticeable difference in the final output of the project. I forget what the frame-rate cut-off for the RedDrive is, but I've been doing all my high speed recording exclusively to the CF cards. Keep in mind -- and I'm sure you already know this -- down-rezzing to 2-3K will effectively change your field-of-view, so don't be surprised when that 50mm turns into a "100mm". Best to check with the DP and try to get an approximate lens set for the high speed work, and be sure you can get close to that with your wider lenses in the lower-res setting.

The simple answer is to get RAIDs, which create a redundant copy of your data on a separate drive within the same enclosure. I've had very good luck with OWC (Other World Computing, macsales.com), as well as G-Tech. Do NOT buy LaCie drives. They perform very poorly, and in my experience die more often than other drives. Make sure there is ample redundancy -- at least 2 copies of the footage at separate locations, as well as a temp or shuttle drive (at least!). IIRC, the last Red feature I did utilized ~3TB for storage, but every show is different.

The Red outputs a proxy image @ 720p via HDMI and/or HD-SDI outputs, so the monitor you're using (which, from the image, looks like a computer-type monitor?) should be able to handle the signal. There are 2 caveats to this though: the physical HD-SDI connection on the camera is not a standard BNC-type jack, but a sort of mini-jack that requires either a flimsy adapter cable or a breakout box made by Element Technica. If using this output, be sure that the rental house can provide you with the proper connections. It looks to me that you're more likely to use the HDMI-out though based on the specs you provided. As you probably know, this can provide a very nice image, but HDMI cables are not production-quality, and can be extremely flimsy. Be sure to have 2-3 back-up cables on set, as the cables connections are prone to snap at the jack, and the cables themselves are generally not very flexible and will start distorting the image with any amount of wear-n-tear. I did a feature using HDMI monitoring, and I'll never do it again!

I usually keep a small rolling cooler, but the bag seems a bit more portable? That's a great idea. But hopefully I won't find myself on enough EXT/cold weather shoots this year to try it!

Exactly. That group includes AC's, grips, juicers, PA's, crafty? I could go on. I'm all about individual and worker's rights, but this could be disastrous winter for all of us if SAG pulls the trigger.

Personally, I like something a bit more uniform than the home-made versions laid out here (though they do sound like fun craft projects!). I use the Century Optics chart as well, though I know some AC's who swear by the photo-printer version (while spending $$$ on DSC lab charts -- I guess you can't just photocopy those, huh? ;) ).

I think just trying to get the lens case in with as much lead time as possible is key. Doing a step-by-step warm up may be OK if you've got the time, but you'll still have a temperature difference in the end anyway. My process, learned thru too many East Coast and New England winter shoots is to bring the case in with as much lead time as possible; find a SAFE PLACE for it, where the loader is (if they're not in the truck) for instance; open the case, remove the caps from all of the lenses, turn the butt caps upside down in the case cavities, CAREFULLY place the lenses at a 45* angles so that they sit securely WITHOUT any chance of the rear elements touching anything! This will stop the lens caps from retaining cold on the lenses. Part 2: Keep a small hair dryer in your cold-weather kit (I have a kit bundle for every circumstance -- I'm like Batman). Using the dryer on low heat/low blow, carefully warm the lenses to an acceptable level (without blowing very hot air directly on the glass or housing -- you're just trying to bring the immediate temperature up). If you have time, you may want to hit the case with some warm air as well. In addendum, let the juicers know that you're going to be using a hair dryer! Especially if they're on house power! These things suck up way too much power? I'm sure some AC's here will react violently to the potentially unsafe practice I've outlined above, specifically lens placement in the case, so I'll leave this warning: if it seems unsafe, impractical or stupid, don't do it! I've done this 100 times, I've seen much better AC's than myself do it, I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the safe space to do it (think: free of all crew except for you), and neither should you. I've also used the "DeFogger" lens fluid that FilmTools sells (Ultra Clarity brand?), and found it to be complete crap. It leaves a visible residue that I had to immediately Panchro off. I wouldn't waste my time with this junk.