Chris Burke

I recommend that you have all your footage transfered to Hard drive as uncompressed HD. That is 1920 x 1080 10 bit, 4:2:2 or 4:4:4. Ask the lab, most nower days are doing this, although it may be new to them. Most low budget shows can't afford to cut in this format, so you make offline clips in either SD or DVCPro HD, which might fit your needs very well. While in DVCPro HD, you do your editorial, color grade and titles. When and if the money comes in for a proper online, take your hard drive with the umcompressed media and an EDL to a post house and voila! This is the most bang for your buck you are going to get. I think that DVCPro HD is a great intermediate format, most macs running the last few versions of Final Cut Pro can handle it with minimal fuss. Also, you will need about 460 gigs for an hour of uncompressed HD. So purchasing one of those huge mobile drives is needed. The cost saved in not having to rent a deck, can be put toward the hard drive/s and eventually your online. I am in the middle of a short where we are doing this very same production path. I will share all my experiences as they happen. Good Luck.

I second the above opinion. I wanted to like it too. I rented it at a Blockbuster, one which has a particularly lousy selection. So my point is that he suceeded as far as making a movie and finishing it and selling for a profit. Which is more than most people can say. So for that, watch it and say Hoorah! Everyone involved wore two or more hats and yes the acting was, "Meh". I think there biggest fault was that the story was more about the machine than the people, they needed to take time to develope the characters and make us like them more. The ending was rather confusing, after two viewings, I am still unsure. I watched it twice because I am starting the Super 16 phase of my movie making life and am watching as much super 16 cinema as I can find. I didn't mind the look at all, at least on DVD. They used 7274 and it looked quite nice, it fit the story rather well. I have seen far worse. Check it out.

How common is an anamorphic lens for super 8? Wouln't it be an attachment to the front of the existing lens? I agree that it might be better, but are those lenses any good? chris

There is enough info to make it worth while. Pro8mm does the Max 8 camera, Rick Palador does the Super Duper 8, I had my nizo 6080 filed out to widescreen and it works. Bonolabs does 1920 x 1080 HD telecine of super 8 and the result are great. The image is grainy, but that is the selling point. It is not going to equal 16mm or 35, it is super 8. Such modifications are done to keep up with the ever expanding HD post world we live in. :rolleyes:

Also, you may want to test with a grainier stock; Fuji F-500 or Kodak Vision 500T, the first one, not 7218. It may save you money by not having to push. But you really should test first. Good luck.

I don't mean to pick on you, but why did you spend a bundle on a camera that came out five years ago? I know that a bundle is different for everyone. Canon has come out with two other cameras since. I would think that a xl1s is pretty cheap these day. Can you return it, get your money back? If not, get credit toward the purchase of the xl-2?

Have you done a search on this website or on the web? There are loads and loads of things going on with Super 8. It is enjoying a bit of a renaisance. Try looking on www.filmshooting.org as well as this very informative website.

J'ai aussi un raccordement rapide d'Internet et cela a pris un moment très bon de charger. Vous pouvez vouloir coder la vidéo encore ainsi qu'elle charge plus vite. Ce que j'ai vu était merveilleux. J'ai vu une utilisation fantastique du mouvement d'appareil-photo. J'attends avec intérêt de voir des choses plus grandes à l'avenir. bonne chance

An overhauled XTR Prod with zoom lens will run you about 30K. I wouldn't even consider an overhauled F900, new they will run you about 100k. The Super 16 is perfect for the two reasons you listed. It worth thinking about.

Is it film that was exposed in the '70's? I don't remember the name, but I know that there are some labs out there that specialize in old film, that is probably your only shot. Good luck chris

Try Fuji F-400 or Eterna 400. On the Kodak side of things try the Vision 2 500T Expression. All of these stocks are lower in constrast and saturation. Coupled with the afore mentioned lighting and filtering techniques, you should get a softer look.

I have to agree with the previous two posts. Put your $2000 toward marketing yourself as a pro shooter (reallly slick website, business cards, etc... etc...). Rent pro equipment and when you have made some $$, look into buying a super 16 package. Larger market clients are always impressed by fancy equipment on the set. I would still get the K-3, converted to super 16, it makes a great MOS B cam. chris

I think that you are correct there, unless you get a deal with someone else. Bono's book rate is pretty good, especially if you use the direct to hard drive route. chris

I would get the best telecine you can afford. Outside of NYC there are many,many places, but you may find that you can get a great deal in town because it is more competitive. My suggested work path would be: use Bono or someone like them, try www.NationalBoston.com. (They have a Shadow and will output to any format you want, even to hard drive as uncompressed HD. I know nothing about your project or your DP, but my project and DP got me a deal at National. So give them a call and who knows what?) Once you have stuff back on hard drive, make your offfline clips DVCPRO HD and out put those to tape as a back up. Edit, grade and finish in DVCPRO HD. When the money comes along, you can do an online with the uncompressed stuff or even a film out. The uncompressed will look much better than DVCPRO HD or HDCAM, both of these formats are compressed and you will loose color info. Besides, it cost the same at dvfilm whether it comes off a tape or hard drive, so go for the best you can. Yes the flat grade will give you all the info you need to do a full grade. I would use some other program than FCP for the final grade. It is alright for simple adjustments, but not much more. Good luck.

I would think that two would be the way to go. I know it would cost more, but maybe not quite twice as much. I would put the priority on the filmout grade, only because that is where it will cost the most. So put your money up on the big screen. The video grade could be done afterwards if need be or if the funding is available. Have you considered shooting super 16 and doing a blow up from that? If it is a straight show with pretty basic edits and not a lot of FX, then an optical blow up will be cheaper and better looking than a blowup from a HD source. chris

This is the opposite of what I always thought. That being that say a 25mm lens on a super 16 camera is equal to a 50mm standard lens on a 35.

What about the Zenitar 16mm 2.8? Is that lens worth getting for a K-3? What would be the focal length equivilent? something like 30mm?? I see them on ebay and am concidering a purchase along with the Peleng. chris

Doesn't the Double-X have a lot of latitude? I am considering this stock for a short because of look. I don't mind the grain of true black and white negative. Here in America, people seem to be afraid of or just don't like grain. Can I achieve the same look of 7222 if I shoot 7218 and desaturate in post?

check out movielab.com, they are not in new york, but you can't beat their prices.

According to their website, Pac Lab does reversal only. Perhaps they do negative, but it doesn't say so on the website. I had a roll of 7240 developed there and they did a great job. for 7217 or 7218 may I suggest www.cinelab.com. They have a NYC drop. Check the kodak website for more labs. Spectra in LA has a really good rep as does Forde in Seattle, but you asked for NYC. Sorry I can't give more. chris

ebay often has many K-3 for sale. Being in London, you can also purchase them from Russia or the Ukraine. As for a Super 16 conversion, check out http://www.k3camera.com. They sell the super 16 gate that you install. They also supply the instructions. If you are not up to the task, you could take it to a camera shop that could do it for you. I am going to have my k3 upgraded to make a great little super 16 MOS camera. chris

Also keep in mind that if you will be shooting during the day with available light, that means that you will have to put an 85 filter on the lens for correct color balance. So you have to take this into account as well. I don't know, you may like the mixed color temps, this could be an interesting look, but if you want all the color to be the same, then you will have to use either and 85 filter, gel the windows, gel the lights or any combination of the three. If you end up using the 500T, rate it at 400 to help minimize grain, if so desired. chris

He is not all that poor though. Most of us on these boards are of modest means, David Lynch's pockets are far deeper than many of us, so my point is, he could have afforded 35mm if he wanted it. He is used to a lot of experimentation, so DV is a logical choice. He has always clashed with hollywood, so to be more self sufficient, as he thinks he is, he is making a rather safe choice. I have a feeling he will shoot film again, just not for a while. It would be cool if he went with Super 8

I know on the Aaton website they say that they have a 2 and 3 perf camera in the works, code name Penelope. It sounds like a great innovation. Especially for commercial and if you are finishing digitally. chris

You can still get it in 16mm single perf, if that would suit your needs. chris