Frank Barrera

Glad to hear it looked good. Any trailers available online? Chris Bell No Trailer yet. No website even. They just finished the sound mix about four days before the screening. But there will be all that PR stuff real soon. I'll keep you posted. FB

The safest thing to do is to always get a BetaSP copy as your master. (Some will argue for a DigiBeta but we low budget folks have a better chance of knowing some small time producer who owns a BetaSP deck that we might use if further dubbs are needed.) At the same time have the lab bump a copy on MiniDV or DVCam. Those little tapes should make anyone a little nervous. You can sleep better knowing that if anything ever happens to the "little" tape you always have a beautiful uncompressed master with the BetaSP. Good luck FB

I shot the feature RUNAWAY that is currently screening at Tribeca. Although I am satisfied with everyone's work on the movie the only question left in my mind was how will it look on a very large screen. The only HD I'd seen was COLLATERAL and SIN CITY. And they were 35 prints. And those pictures obviously had many more resources than us and shot with "better" cameras than we used. Well, I am here to say that I was stunned at how well the picture looked. The resolution was near perfect. And aside from the hand full of clipped shots that I had no control over I would say that the lay person would never wonder whether this was shot on film or video. I don't know which projection system they used but I will find out and send the manufacturer some flowers. I can now talk to directors and producers with the full confidence that the Varicam is not just a beautiful piece of machinery but in the right hands (read: mine) it will deliever crisp projection worthy images. Thank you Panasonic. FB

Thanks to everyone for the respones. Here's some more info and a couple of more questions: This is a music video. We will not be going to film. My main concern is that the dancers in front of the green screen will be moving very fast. If the key becomes a problem it will be my fault because I'm selling them on the green screen in the first place. I don't mind shooting everything in 24P and then swithcing to 30P just for the green screen. Afterall it is a music video... Should I shoot the green screen with V.Res on PROGRESSIVE? Will this help the key? The key effect is simply solid color changes. Crow T Robot: you mentioned in your first post that a faster shutter speed will help. But then in your frame grab example you don't seem to take your own advice. You stated that you DECREASED your shutter speed. Please explain. Thanks again to all. And oh yeah- I don't have time to shoot test. FB

shooting music video with SDX900 and DVX100 as B cam with some green screen. The dancers in front of screen will be completely silouetted (sp?) and moving pretty fast for the most part. someone suggested we shoot at 30P for "better resolution" and therefore a better key. 1- Do you get more res at 30P vs 24P? 2-I've never shot 30P. Does it sort of look like 24P? Could anyone tell just by looking? Thanks for any advice Frank B

Okay. Just one more time. So I get this straight- If I'm shooting 24P for DVD out I should set V.Res to Interlace? Not Progressive. Is this correct? Thanks in advance for the hand holding. Frank Barrera

I've used a bunch of 1/4 inch surgical tubing tied to some webbing off the camera body. The tubing is then attacthed to a ubangee from a dolly. The tubing allows you to sort of bounce the camera around. "Poor man's steadicam" maybe. You have to get the right amount of tension off the tubing to give you the right look. It takes a while but again - the right Key Grip will bring this all home real quick. good luck FB

Funny thing. So I do the job and the whole time I'm looking for the Menu button. I shoot the conference or whatever it was and I'm sneaking peeks at the camera so no one will see me BUT I'm looking for that damn Menu button. Turns out- there IS no menu button. ANd the camera was super slow. I needed lots of light just to get the thing to give me zebras on a white piece of paper. LOL thanks for respondeing Sam FB

TSM had me laughing my a** off. I almost think the original poster is putting everybody on. But in the case that he's for real: My biggest pet peave of all time (in this business) is when low ball producers and directors genuinely act like it's some type of a "right" for someone to make a movie. It's a privilage. Pure and simple. Christian boy should certainly understand that. The current man in the White House agrees with me on how the U.S economy works. A so-called free market. And I assume that they both agree on a whole host of other issues. Abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research to name a few. Which brings me to my second and main point which is that I have had a lot of close contact with people who describe themselves as "Christian" and the fact is that they are almost all fundalmentalists. And although these forums rightfully shy from extra-film debate I feel morally compelled to say that I believe that fundamentalist jews, christians and muslums have been at the root of some of the most horrible problems in the past as well as current Western history. I would ask moderate religious folks and secular ones as well to not aid in anyway the efforst of religious zealots from any sect. These people must be stopped. Thank you, Frank "notice I use my real name" Barrera

Silly question to be sure: I am to do a corporate gig on Monday and they only have a 300 available. Now I know the 600 pretty well but have never used a 300. Are there any real differences I should be aware of? Are all the buttons in the same place? Thanks in advance for any suggestions FB

Ah yes, this is one of my favorite gags. The 'ol poor man's moonlight rig. Here's what you do: Take that Mombo combo and stick a regular C-Stand arm in it at a 45 degree angle to the ground with the gobo end up. Then stick a duckbill clamp (or platypus whatever you want to call it). Then stick a 4X4 piece of White beadboard into the clamp. The card should be about 45 gegrees to the ground. Send the stand up full stick. NOTE : safety wise "full stick" isn't actually full stick. Never fully extend any riser on any stand ever. Always set each riser atleast two inches lower than it's actually legnth. This allows for proper stability. Now take that 4K Par or 2.5K Par (MUST BE A PAR) with a narrow lens and bash it into that card. The light can live on the ground on a 2K pidgeon or a turtlebased C-Stand leg. This makes for a beautiful quality of light with little fall off. A couple of things- One: There is a rule of thumb that HMI's should never be completely pointed directly up or directly down. This is one of those rules that don't make 100% sense to me but I follow it anyway because I would hate to blow a light up and say,"Gee, I was once told not to do that." Two: Use atleast a three point tie down from that cool looking collar at the top of the Mombo stand. Hemp, sash- it don't matter- just tie that mother down. And of course use a bunch of sand bags on the stand. About nine will do. If you get the 4K I would open up the bounce and walk the whole rig further away from the action area. 5218 doesn't need much. The rig at a 3/4 back would probably look sexiest. Then use some tungsten bounce on the fill side of the action area. Perhaps adding some 1/4 or 1/2 CTB to the bounce units. Give your self enough time to do this. You must work slowly and safely. ANd moving this rig is not so smooth either. I hope this is clear. I learned this in film school and have used it on jobs where I was gaffing and where I was DP and it never fails to impress. It also helps to have an experienced Key grip to make sure the thing is safe. (As for the background... well if you don't have the lights to light it up then... there's nothing you can do. Wide Beam Par Cans are real cheap and can pick out some highlights here or there on the background. You might want to put come CTB on them...) Good luck and let us know how it goes. Frank Barrera shooter

Thanks for the quick response. FB

First time SDX900 user. Now I know I want to shoot DVCPRO50. But at B and H photo they've got two DVCPRO tapes. One is the AJ-P66L 66 Minutes DVCPRO Video Cassette - Large and the other is the AJ-P66M 66 Minutes DVCPRO Video Cassette - Medium. I did a search for some info and I can't get it straight. If I'm shooting DVCPRO50 and I want a 66 minute tape do I want the large or the medium. I'm certain this is a simple question so hit me. Thanks much Frank Barrera

I've got a job shooting a Bollywood feature here in NYC. They have access to the Thomas Grass Valley LDK 300. I've never heard of it and just checked it out on the net. It looks like it would take some nice pictures. Does anyone have any knowlegde of this camera. Any likes or dislikes. We start next week so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Frank Barrera

So we'll be shooting a 35MM short in Lima, Peru over the next three weeks and we are not sure how to bring back the exposed film to NYC. We are processing in NY. Is the X-Ray machine OK if they (the airport security) tell us it's OK? Can we insist that it not be scanned? It's 5279, does the higher speed increase the chances of over exposure? I feel like we shouldn't trust what the Lima security tells us. I plan on bringing the film back as a piece of carry on luggage. Please forward any and all advice. Thanks in advance. Frank Barrera

Sit down with your talent and watch a bunch of martial arts movies: From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan. This is a rich and historic genre. Learn the what where why's and how's. good luck fb

Next week I will be traveling to Lima Peru to shoot a short 35MM project. I've shot lots of 16 but this is my first 35 job. Low budget of course. I will be the only non-Peruvian on the crew. Great script. Talented young director. It's a gritty story about a prostitute and her son. Low key. Very dark. I was just looking for any advice in shooting in a place like Peru. We'll be shooting 5279 for both ext and int. (this is mostly an int job and i didn't have the stomach to order the precise amount of daylight stock. There is no available stock in Lima.) Package is the BL2 with a Taylor Hobson 25-250 T4 and a set of Zeiss Primes. We've had no money or time for tests. Specific questions: -How loud is the BL2? -For end of lens stuff how is that old Taylor Hobson? -Should I underrate the 79 outside? And if so, by how much? -Even though my background in as a gaffer, I have never worked with 220V/50hz lights. I won't be able to talk (in my poor spanish) with my gaffer until I get down there. It's unlear whether we will have a gennie or have to tie in. I have tied into 110 boxes all over new york city and wonder what the difference is on a 220 box. Any thoughts and/or advice. (btw I have zero intention of personnally tieing into anything down there. I'm just curious what some folks 220 experience is.) -Any and all appropriate war stories would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Frank Barrera

Next week I will be traveling to Lima Peru to shoot a short 35MM project. I've shot lots of 16 but this is my first 35 job. Low budget of course. I will be the only non-Peruvian on the crew. Great script. Talented young director. It's a gritty story about a prostitute and her son. Low key. Very dark. I was just looking for any advice in shooting in a place like Peru. We'll be shooting 5279 for both ext and int. (this is mostly an int job and i didn't have the stomach to order the precise amount of daylight stock. There is no available stock in Lima.) Package is the BL2 with a Taylor Hobson 25-250 T4 and a set of Zeiss Primes. We've had no money or time for tests. Specific questions: -How loud is the BL2? -For end of lens stuff how is that old Taylor Hobson? -Should I underrate the 79 outside? And if so, by how much? -Even though my background in as a gaffer, I have never worked with 220V/50hz lights. I won't be able to talk (in my poor spanish) with my gaffer until I get down there. It's unlear whether we will have a gennie or have to tie in. I have tied into 110 boxes all over new york city and wonder what the difference is on a 220 box. Any thoughts and/or advice. (btw I have zero intention of personnally tieing into anything down there. I'm just curious what some folks 220 experience is.) -Any and all appropriate war stories would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Frank Barrera

I am about to shoot my first feature. It will be with the Varicam. I have worked with the director before on film and he has a fantastic eye and a flair for low key dramatic lighting. BUT with this HD he is convinced that the best way to go is to light everything flat and then do what he wants in post. After he told me this last night I tossed and turned. 4 weeks of my life shooting crap with such a great script in hand will be torture. I need some ammunition to argue that we should get the look we want in camera and perhaps tweak later, not the other way around. Does any one have experience with this debate? I need clear solid technical reasons. And some recent Feature or TV examples that were NOT heavily posted. My intuition is not a good enough reason to light it like film. Help me... Thanks in advance. Frank Barrera