Adrian Sierkowski

I'm sorry Jonathan, I didn't mean to insinuate you mean all of them. I was just sticking up for myself! A prime example of this phenomenon is my friend Phil, Ba in film and all, very proud of himself as an editor, yet has no idea about editing anything but MiniDV. I shot him a question about the P2 on the HVX and he gave me that same blank look.

As a film student I can say we're not all bad. I know the names of most of the more commonly used equipment. . .it help, though, that my dad was a "lighting director" as his business cards always said, for a good 30 yrs.

That opening shot really thrilled me as well!

In terms of the second one, at least, there has been talk that it has Iraq war-overtones. But then again, you can say that about most films made today as it happens to be in the front of a lot of people's minds. I agree the plot was weak, and I dislike gore overall. I thought it was well shot and I love the whole empty-city. The problem with an empty city and mindless "zombies" is that it happens not to be too scary. My favorite character was the sniper, but I can't even recall his name. Also, in terms of deeper messages, I found myself thinking alot of the HIV/AIDS virus, as it spreads the same way (minus the saliva i think?). But in the end I feel it was a well shot film, with a good look to it, but not really worth the price of my admission (which was also absurd)

Glad I could be of some help :D

Beautiful, thank all of you for your opinions and options. I'll be giving shooters a call come Monday.

Sadly I'm sitting on the other coast in Philadelphia. What about DRCPRO HD? Any good of a mid-ground between the higher end HDs and the DVCAM option?

I've shot all of these cameras except the XH, and I would say either the DVX or XL2 would be ideal choices. I'd lean more towards the XL2, personally for the aforementioned interchangeable lenses (which you can rent on a need basis). I disliked the HVX for a few reasons, but it's still a very robust camera as it's built off of the DVX. Both the HVX and DVX can be more "filmic" but you need to invest in a SLR mount for lens interchangeability, such as the Red Rock M2. Good SLR glass can get pricey too, as can the adapter and accessories. I have only recently begun using a Red Rock and while I enjoy the DoF control, I think that the loss of light is not a good trade-off. but I'm going off topic. If you want to get all of a mountain in a shot, you can always move further back, so don't worry too much so about how "wide" the lens is (also, the wider the angle of the lens the more lens distortion you'll get on vertical lines.) Don't forget to factor in all the other costs: editing system, good tripod, monitor (is preferable) cases, audio etc. But I think overall you'll be a-ok with any of those cameras. Stay away from the HD/V unless you need it. The DVX and XL2, for SD cameras can produce amazing images. my two cents.

Ok, so I have been looking around on the forums for a few days now, trying to figure out what's the best format to telecine-to to preserve high quality based on the decks we have around [it's a school project]. The original would be 7218 stock coming off my Arri SR2. We will be finishing, originally, to go to DVD, but the Director/producer wants an option for fests as well, so we'll need something or at least moderately acceptable quality for larger screens. In any case, cost is an issue so I just want options and opinions based upon the decks as I said and also if it's possible (and economical) to go directly to Hard Disc. I was thinking DVCPRO HD, but I'm not sure if this is possible if going directly to Hard Disc or not. So here go the decks Sony HVRM15U Sony HVRM10U Sony DSR11 Sony DSR20 Sony DSR25. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It's about the same here in Philadelphia. And the other big thing is that seeing a film camera is so alien 'round here that everyone wants to help out somewhere. I have never been on a no-budget production out here in want for a location. We can even swing free food here and again. Viva cheesesteaks

Definitely wish you the best of luck on all this!

If you're up in Norway, I'd not buy from an American company, but look for a European alternative to BH. I know Arri (based in Germany) makes lights as either 120/240V including that head you're looking at, but I'm not sure whether BH carries it. Give them a call, or an e mail and specify you need a 230V model.

Learn to love Rammen. Live for the moment on the set and the smile you get seeing something you envisioned come to life. Don't worry about how much you'll make; so long as you can get by, somehow, what does it really matter?

I'd say if you're doing mostly video work then that's a good place to start. You can get a strong key out of those units and they can still run on household circuits. You might also want to look into getting a 2K eventually, the highest you can run off of 120V 20A household power, as well as few smaller heads, 650s, 300s and, hell, even a 150 just for when you're doing specials [like punching up a natural light in a room etc]. Also, head over to filmtools.com they have some good starter gel kits. I think they have a color correction, a diffusion, and a cosmetic kit all for 'round $50 each. Not a bad deal.

Dear John, I'm a new member, but I too have always taken joy in reading you answers to everyone's questions. Having just lost my father to liver cirrhosis, I know what it is like to be in and out of hospitals, and I know times can be bleak. But I also know that we have a will, and ability as well, to endure. There is nothing I can do, I know, but say Thank You for being here on this forum to help people such as myself, muddle through filmmaking, always learning and befuddled. I will keep you in my best thoughts and wishes, though I never had the privilege to know you well. Sincerely, ~Adrian Sierkowski

I couldn't possibly agree more. When it comes to filmmaking in general, there isn't, and as far as I can tell, never will be a "one size fits all" solution. While I'm not one to hop on the RED wagon yet, I can say that if the camera truely does deliver on it's promises it will act as another complementary tool within a set which includes SD, HD, and Film instruments. Each one of these tools has it's own drawbacks, limitations, and areas of greatness. In the end, a the choice of media should be aesthetic, overall (this isn't entierly the case), but even the aesthetic reasonings often are forced to the backseat by budgets.

Personally, I'd take a CRT over a LCD monitor anyday. Also, I'd suggest getting it from a real company, like BHphoto up in New York as opposed to ebay. Like the camera itself, the monitor is an investment, and you'll want to get as high a quality as you can. Look for a CRT with at least 525 horizontal scan lines. I recommend either a Sony or a JVC. The smaller sonys, like the 9" can also be battery powered, and you also have to make sure that the monitor you go with has the proper input for the output on the video tap. For professional video this is normally a BNC cable.

Both the XL2 and the DVX are amazing questions. IIRC the XL2 has interchangeable lenses whereas the DVX does now. however, you can get a DVX Andromeda for $6500 which will give you all kinds of "HD" capabilities. Personally, I don't like the Canon overall, as I don't like Canons; a personal preference. But, I am also not fond of the DVX's body shape (can't shoulder mount it). As a student you will definitely want to find a camera which is both economical and, moreover, versatile. Talk with some of your professors as well, as I'm sure they'll be able to tell you what type of camera is best suited for your particular course of study (i.e. buying a video camera in a film intensive school probably wouldn't be the best of ideas) Best of luck and good shooting

I'd love to hear how this is done as well. Last time I had to do a flicker I was sitting on a 1K dimmer running to an Arri 650.

I didn't particularly find it to be a problem when I made up my last reel, nor did anyone I showed it to so I would say go for it. But it could be useful to keep clips with similar aspect rations together, ya know.

It's a warm night scene lit by candles only between a man and a woman in a bedroom. It's one of the few touching soft moments in the film before the man goes on a mild rampage because he thinks she's cheating on him.

Thanks for your prompt feedback. I'll surely shoot some tests with the two stocks you recommended.

Hey everyone, I recently shot some stills here on Kodak Elite Chrome 400ASA. It's a D film which I exposed under tungsten, giving it an amber/gold hue. A director i'm working with wants to recreate this look on S16mm color negative film as much in camera as possible. I was just wondering which, if any, color neg stock would best approximate this look. The scenes were lit with a DP light (1K bounced off of the ceiling) as well as practicle incandescents @ about 100-200W each.

Check for the Sekoinic L-358 (I think that's the model number). It's 'round 259 on bh's website. It has cine speeds. YOu set the ISO of the film (in this case 500), set it to the cine speed oyu're shooting at (normally 24fps), point the lumisphere (white thing) towards the camera lens from where the object you are filming is standing, and press the trigger button. iT will display a number of an Eu. The number is the Fstop to set your lens for. If it says EU it means you're under exposed/not enough light. add more light.

Personally, I am unimpressed with the HVX. It tends to fall apart in low light situations in a way that the DVX doesn't. Also, you have to ask whether or not you need all of the HD capabilities of an HVX. If you do not, then I would go with the DVX, which being an older camera has been put through more paces than the recently introduced HVX. You also have have to make sure the post workflow you are considering supports the camera you purchase.