JD Hartman

Depending on the globe in the work-light, FCL, FDN, color temp could be as 3000 or 3200. As Dave pointed out, not a problem for the film. Bigger issue in employing work-lights will be controlling and diffusing the light. Get a couple sheets or almost any type of diffusion, Opal, Frost, Tough White, etc., to clip over the fixtures. Have some flags or black card/foramcore to shape the light and control spill.

Get a few paper lanterns (12") and some 100 to 200w ordinary lightbulbs to use as your fill and backlight.

The builder/developer went belly-up, the bank own the properties, you stated this in your post. How is that "abandoned"? You're tresspassing and when caught, the bank will more than likely press charges and charge you with all cleanup and repair costs, real or imagined. Distribution rights to your film, is the least of your worries.

My use is on location, not rental, so they don't get abused, but they do suffer the rigors or load, unload, etc. Paint or powder coat is just not as durable as a plated finish.

A have a few and the finish does scratch off. They aren't as rugged as the chrome steel stands. The whole "black grip equipment" thing is B.S. What's next? Gun-metal grey grip equipment? The black is a shiny finish, if have to repaint or paint something I've fabricated, out comes the flat black.

Do the overhead fixtures have a frame and some type of diffuser? Cracked Ice, honeycomb, grid?? Why not remove all the existing frames and attach your diff to them, using paper tape? Certainly cheaper than having a plexi cut to fit.

greetings,

 

i am looking for two high hats and two low hats. none of them need to be in mint condition, but i would prefer them to be in decent shape.

 

any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

cheers,

troy

It might help if you specified what size ball or Mitchell?

No, not the Mayor's office, the Tax Accessor or Property Tax office. Given the address, they can tell you the current owner, lein holder if any and contact information. In most states in the US, nothing is just "abandoned". Sometimes a commercial property owner will just walk away from a property to avoid paying taxes, in which case it reverts to the city.

Some producers of smaller jobs, particularly corporate, are often like that. In their minds, a softbank can solve everything and

no matter how many other ways you might have of getting soft light, they want to make sure that there's a chimera in your kit

if they're renting lights from you. After you've worked with them maybe they'll be different but first time they're asking that you

have a softbank.

Maybe that's why I don't get as much talking head work as some other people. My reply to buying a Chimera, just to satisfy some Producer or DP with less experience or technical knowledge than mine, is F' that. I don't own a Barger Bag light either. I might build a clone of one someday, but the original suffers from the same frailties as a softbox. A Mole softlight is a better tool. Their loss if they were never introduced to it in film school. How I light the shot is immaterial, the look I achieve is the ultimate goal.

I've found them to produce a serviceable light. It's the shadows that I couldn't get to like. They produce a blend of sharp and soft shadow. I always thought of it as a "junky" kind of shadow. Now, that doesn't matter when you're using a bunch of them for flat, TV style lighting. But, when you try to use them as individual lights, especially on close-ups, you get that junky shadow. I've wondered if hanging a bit of metal directly in front of the lamp as a sort-of dodging tool might get rid of that hard shadow from the lamp leaving the nicer soft shadow from that big scoop. That and some diffusion might make them delightful for gentle mediums and close-ups.

In that instance, I'd rather whip out a Mole softlight. Sadly, more junior DP's, "just don't get it" and would rather see a chimera instead.

Fine thread and lack of anything positive to grip. No hole for a pin spanner or a slot for a hook spanner, so a strap wrench is the way to go. I'd put a layer of cloth tape aroung the collar to reduce slipping or maybe even stretch a latex glove over it. If it doesn't surrender easily to the torque from the strap wrench, you might have to break the collar free with a firm tap on the wrench handle. Probably a two person job. If the flanged collar is going to be discarded, you also could file two flats onto it, so you could use a basin wrench or something similar.

I could have used them or regular cyc. lights, when creating a police line-up wall for a music video I worked on. Lit it with what I had at the time, but it would have been easier and looked better if I had some different fixtures. Yes, I've got the room, recently sent a bunch of low-voltage, 1K Tungsten beam projectors to the "retirement home".

Tim, yes these are like new, as they lived their entire life in a studio. I was thinking that they might be useful for lighting a temporary cyc. I've also been looking for some cyc. lights as well, but can't find the quantity I want, in good condition, at the price I want to pay. As far as hauling them around, no worse than a 2K skypan.

When did studios/filmmakers start recording the behind the scenes footage? I've seen many movies, made in the VHS days and now available on DVD, where the bonus material is little more than some additional information about the cast and crew. Some current release only contain additional ego stroking footage about the case. Nothing even close to documenting the journey made in bringing the story to life. Recently rented "Silent Running" Bruce Dern 1971, the DVD bonus material contains a documentary about an hour long, detailing the pre-production and production process, including the fact that it was shot on the de-commissioned aircraft carrier Valley Forge.

Your photography does little to help me answer your question. If they "appear" identical, same #'s stamped on the body of both, is the collar on the one lens is in the same approximate position as the location of the thread on the second? Does the collar or ring have any holes in its periphery which might allow the use of a pin spanner to remove the ring? Have you tried using a strap wrench? The other lens should tell you of the threads are right or left hand. RH most likely.

Have an opportunity to pick up some scoops for next to nothing. Only place I've ever seen them in use was lighting the curved corners on a three wall cyc. I've never had a shoot where the DP called for them and slightly concerned that I'd own fixtures that would be rarely used. Ownership also means I need to stock 1k globes with a mogul screw base. What is the "textbook" application for a 1 or 2k scoop?

Here's a sort of poor man's three phase rig, or maybe two and a half phase:

 

http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/ph-conv/ph-conv.html

 

What do you think of it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

Just fine, a workable design. Most RPC are based on the Fitch-Williams self starting design. PFC caps being optional and with multiple machines, the amount of caps in the circuit needs to be altered depending on what machines are running.

Congratulations JD! What did you win? :lol:

 

I'm impressed. Sincerely. (You too Hal)

 

You guys lost me at the title of this Thread. :blink:

"An award, a very important award", like the ladies leg lamp from "A Christmas Story". Works for me at least.

I think the O.P. was talking about during and after a shoot. I don't work in theater anymore and rarely buy cut sheets, so precuts would be a waste. The solution to the question: what do I do with this large piece of diff I've used on the Kino after we wrap. Since I've paid for it, it get reused or re-cut, but it won't be cut until necessary, hence the mailing tubes in the crate. The Jelly roll? That kind of overpriced stuff makes me barf and reminds me of "guerrilla" filmaking, having a one ton grip truck in a duffel bag, but guerrilla filmmakers don't spend any money so they would buy it either.

PPS: I've got a client that runs a 25kW rotary converter full-time to power a three-phase transmitter off a single phase service. They actually had three-phase open delta at the site when they first put the station on the air but the insane surges one always gets on open delta kept frying rectifier stacks, A/C compressor motors, etc. and they were wisely advised by the power company to can the open delta and use a rotary converter. The rotary converter needs work from time to time but it's a lot more reliable than their gear was on the open delta.

The ability to understand rotary phase converters, both single phase to two and three phase has been my best application of PFC and phase angles from Physics. Still amazes me when I run into people (craftsmen, machinists, woodworkers) who don't realize how easy it is to have three phase power for your shop equipment, without a three phase service, a variable frequency drive or a three phase genny running outside.

I always close my invoice with "Prompt payment is always appreciated." Two weeks, fine, 30 days okay...maybe, 72 days...totally un-acceptable. If they claim it's an office/computer/etc. snafu, bull. It's their job to keep you happy so you can continue to do your job, making their project look good.

75% credit. What's the reason for the voltage and current phase angle not being the same?

 

Hint: ELI the ICE man

 

(PS: Loathing and hating Physics loses points. Once upon a time I taught Physics at The University of the South and the University's Prep School, The Sewanee Academy).

Didn't hate my physics class any more than my Differential Equations classes. Instructors lose their students interest or attention, when they can not demonstrate how this knowledge will apply in the real world.

Why? An inductor or capacitor in an AC circuit will alter the phase angle between voltage and current. The inductor will resist the change in current and cause it to lag the rise in voltage (E Leads I). A capacitor will take time to charge and cause the voltage to lag the rise in current (I C E).

If it weren't for the capacitors affect on phase angle in AC circuits, we wouldn't have rotary phase converters either.

Mike has the answer, used on many sets. Otherwise, cut pieces are often damaged and or thrown away at the end of a day or shoot. Be certain that you and anyone else, cutting gels, labels them in two different corners. A square crate and cardboard tubes will give you enough room to keep all your strengths of CTB, CTO, Straw, minus and plus Green, Diffusion and party gels separate and ready for use. Good place to re-cycle blackwrap as well.

I remember (and hated) this from physics. Power factor other than 1.0 is caused by the voltage and current in a circuit being out of phase. The relationship can be either lagging or leading.

I see. So for "accurate" on-set color monitoring (which would only be an approximate), wouldn't it be better to have the unit "calibrated" and locked before it went into the field? Why would further adjustment be needed?

Conversely, if the image of the chip chart displayed on an accurately calibrated monitor, wasn't 100% dead on. You'd know that there was an issue with your camera (as you stated) and could prepare the post-production people accordingly. Or given that same information, you could reject the un-reliable "new" technology and go back to shooting film.

But back to film--

 

Another advantage of a DC set: put a squeezer on a tungsten light and you (I assume) shouldn't hear the filament buzz like you do when dimming an AC supplied light.

Try using a variac next time, instead of a dimmer from HomeCheapo (or worse,.. Ikea). Better control and the ability to overdrive the lamp and boost color temp. as well.