Nick Norton

I am about to transfer six 50ft rolls of super 8 through Frame Discreet. However, i'm not sure if i should transfer them to miniDV, or have them exported as 8 bit blackmagic AVI files to a hard drive. Is there a noticeable increase in quality in the 8 bit blackmagic file over a miniDV image? And also, will it be more complicated to edit with an 8 bit blackmagic file? (I'm using adobe 6.5) Thanks-

So i just got some 200T and 500T stock processed, and although my projector is not with me... i can tell the film is a negative. I'm looking to get it transfered to miniDV via Frame Discreet, however do i send them the negative? Or do i have to have a positive printed first? Thanks-

Damn Justin, that sucks and i'm sorry to hear of your misfortune. However, i'll be sending you a handfull of super 8 reels to be transfered through Frame Discreet by the end of the week... so at least you can start making that $1700 back.

Well you can find out information on all of the available super 8 films kodak has to offer here: http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/s8mm/pro....22.4&lc=en However, if your camera is automatic only (no manual overide) then you're going to have some problems with exposure due to the ASA speed of the films. If your camera does have some sort of manual function, i'd suggest a light meter to get a correct exposure. Still, if your camera is automatic only or you don't feel like purchasing a light meter... i would suggest getting a Canon 518 Auto Zoom. It's a good beginner camera, can read the new films, and has a manual overide function. Plus, you can find one pretty easily on ebay for $20-$40. Hope this helped-

I'd go with the Canon 518 Auto Zoom. Has auto exposure, manual overide, zoom lens and is very easy to find on ebay for about $20-$40.

oh how i wish my computer speakers worked...

Does anyone know the difference between Canon's 1014xls camera and their 814xls? thanks-

I was wondering if anyone knew of a general, 'all about' 16mm film website. Something along the likes of what www.onsuper8.org does for the super 8 medium. thanks-

Know what your incident readings are telling you? Doesn't it measure the light falling on the subject, which unlike a reflected reading, the darkness or brightness of the subject won't effect the reading... therefore giving you a reading for correct exposure? What else do you need to know?

What about shutter angle? I am looking to purchase a Canon 1014XLS 8mm camera which has variable shutter angles. Is there something on the light meter to compensate for this? Do you need to compensate for this? Thanks-

So the standard 50mm lens on a 35mm camera is equivalent to the standard 25mm lens on a 16mm... so that means the standard for a super 8 camera would be around 12mm? When i say standard, i mean it is not telephoto or wide... so the image when looking through the camera is roughly the same as the image you see with your own two eyes. meaning there is no 'distortion' Am i on the right track?

As i am becoming more and more fascinated with film, one thing i would really like to do is attend a film festival. Is there a website perhaps that lists all of the upcoming festivals? Any help would be appreciated, thanks-

I have an audio-technica AT835b mic and am looking for a solid boom pole to support it. I have no idea what is good and what isn't, but i'm looking for a boom pole and shock mount for under $300. Any suggestions? Help would be appreciated- Nicholas

I don't know about that Dan. I look more like a drug addict than anything, and when i was traveling through the airport i had on an army jacket with hair past my shoulders and women's pants around my waist. I had them hand check my film, and the lady that did it was more than nice to me and checked it as fast as she could (she could tell i was a little worried about being late for my flight) So as far as what you look like, i'm not sure that's going to matter... however being nice and polite is obviously something you'll want to do, but then again... why wouldn't you be nice and polite?

I'm looking to purchase a light meter for uses in 8mm and 16mm film projects, 35mm photography, and medium to large format photography. However, i know nothing about light meters. Should i be looking for only one light meter to accomplish everything i need, or should i get one for film and another for photography? I am looking for the light meter i'll take to my grave... not one i'll need to update/replace in a year or two. Any help would be awesome- Nicholas

I'm looking to get a high quality light meter for my super 8 projects. Unfortunatly, i know nothing about light meters. Could anyone suggest a good light meter that can handle anything i'd run into? -Nicholas

I was wondering if anyone knew of some sort of an 'intro to sound' book that would help me learn the basics and on completion, have more of an idea of what audio recorder/mic i'm looking for. Thanks- Nicholas

I'm looking to purchase a portable audio recorder to capture sound for my films. But unfortunantly, i have no clue where to start. I'm pretty sure i don't want a digital recorder, and am looking for a casette recorder for no other reason than to save some money. What features should i look for? Is a multi track recorder necessary? Any help would be greatly appreciated. -Nicholas

The only way to get your film safely from one destination to the other is to carry it with you on the plane. But more importantly, when you go through security make sure you ask them to hand check your film and DO NOT let them put it through the x-ray. i just traveled from Florida to Michigan, and had no problem having them hand check the film. it doesn't take very long at all, and it assures the safety of your film. Just do the same for your return trip, and you should be all set.

I'm a beginner in every aspect of film, but in sound i am a lost cause. All i want is a device to record audio, running no cables to the camera to do so. I plan on using a audio-technica AT835b line+gradient mic (any comments/opinions?) My price range is low, and my ambition for perfect sound quality does not exist. I also have no desire to get a digital recorder. (i figure older, analog devices will be cheaper.) So what should i be looking for? I'm thinking of a tape-recorder but i would like it to have XLR inputs. is there any tape-recorder i could use that could record decent audio. and also, how important is the recorder compared to the mic you are using? I would really like to find something comparable to what i saw used on the documentary American Movie. all i know is that the boom operator had the device strapped around her shoulder and it used casette tapes and had what looked like to me xlr inputs. Any ideas? Thanks.

I'm currently working on a super 8 project. I still have a few more rolls to shoot, and so far i have only developed and transfered one roll. I was really pleased when i got back the processed film when i watched it on my projector. I then took the next step to have it transfered to digital so i could edit the footage. I payed for a timed/scene by scene transfer to mini-dv that cost me $25 from Frame Discreet. When i got back my mini-dv tape and watched the footage, i couldn't help but be dissapointed. It looked like the footage became considerably darker and lost some quality. Am i going through the wrong transfer house? However, Frame Discreet is super easy to work with, and i couldn't find a comparable cost anywhere. Should i have it transfered to a different format? (Instead of mini-dv something like DVCAM or another format?) Thank you for any help- Nick

This forum is great for any of my cinematography concerns, but i also shoot 35mm photography. Anyone know a website that has a good photography forum, comparable to this one? My main question i was looking to have answered was if having my photos processed and printed at Wallgreens would be any different than having them done at Albertsons. (local grocery store) i know albertsons doesn't do the processing themselves, they mail the film out. I don't expect anyone to be able to answer my question, but perhaps you know of a place that could? Thank You- Nick Norton

I'm in the process of updating my xl1s and was deciding between the dvx100B and xl2. I hear from a lot of people the panasonic is a better camera, but they never tell me why. I was wondering if any of you agree and why? Thanks- Nick

I'm a college film student working with a canon xl1s and a canon 518 super 8 camera. I am finally realizing the significance of lighting in cinematography. However, i cannot afford actual lighting equipment. Therefore, i was wondering if any of you knew of some cheap alternatives. I was thinking of running down to Home Depot and seeing what i could find, but i know color temperature is an issue so i'm not sure what type of lights to buy. I only need a fairly simple lighting set-up, however spending much money is simply not an issue. Thanks- Nick

I'm also curious about refrigerating film. Should i always keep super 8 film in a refrigerator? (Before shooting it, time between shooting it and developing it?) Is there a particular temperature i should store it at? What are the results of not keeping the film in a refrigerator? Thanks- Nick