David Venhaus

I have done sound recording with an old Stancil-Hoffman film recorder, but not with a Magna-Tech, so I can't really give you any specifics. Their both just basically large tape recorders, and need the same general maintenance as small ones, like cleaning the tape/recording heads and demagnetizing them, keep the other parts/belts/chains/gears and especially anything in the tape path, clean. As for operating it, it is important to have an understanding of general audio recording, so to know the appropriate sound db/vu levels for recording. Have you tried to contact Magna-Tech? http://www.magna-tech.com/mte600.htm There is contact info at the bottom of that page. With the Stancil-Hoffman recorder I used, there was a Operation and Maintenance Manual with it and it had all the specifics, including all the wiring diagrams, what to oil and not oil, etc, so I assume there is one for the Magna-Tech recorders that should have all the info you need.

Sometimes when the spring winds down, the trigger button will stay stuck in. It will pop back out when it is wound up again. I've had this happen several times while using a k3. I don't know if this is the same problem that you are experiencing. If you have wound it up and the trigger still hasn't popped back out, try depressing the trigger quickly then releasing quickly (sometimes that works), or also make sure the film inside is not jammed or threaded improperly (that can make a difference too). Hope some of this helps.

It looks like a 2,000 foot can. There are even bigger ones, like 3,000 ft and 6,000 ft. cans. They do look huge, especially if you're only used to camera neg. sized cans.

Production stills do exist for this. On USC's website there is a behind the scenes photo, but I can't tell what camera it is. Here is the link to the photo - http://cinema-tv.usc.edu/Archives/lucas/images/thx.jpg

There has been a recent update from Kodak on this. The Black and white HIE film will still be produced and currently Kodak has no plans for discontinuing it. They are, however, will be discontinuing the false color EIR film.

Corporate espionage is very real but they play from the same playbook as the CIA or the former KGB. If Sony was really concerned with red, they would, along time ago, have/had mole(s) in place, phone lines at red would have been tapped or bugged, their computers, email, files would have been secretly hacked, etc, you get my drift. I doubt that the people with Sony badges were out to spy on them, but that's just my opinion.

There are lots of rumors around the net about Kodak's possible discontinuation of their IR films(HIE and EIR) but so far there hasn't been any official announcement that I could find anywhere or by calling Kodak. As of right now, they are both still available (HIE and EIR) in 35mm. There are also a couple of other manufactures of B+W IR film in 35mm, like Maco/Rollei, Efke and Konica(if still made).I don't know how easy or hard it would be to get them in long enough lengths for cine use or with short-pitch perfs. but with a large enough special order, they will probably do it.

The Library of Congress is the authority on the matter in the U.S., either contacting them and/or do a search through their Copyright Office, should be able to tell you its copyright status. I think there is also a published book (sorry don't know the name of), that you maybe able to find in a reference library, that has listings of motion picture films and their copyright status.

Well, according to the U.S. Patent Office, patents refer only to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof; Design patents may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. So, I'm pretty sure that it would not be legally possible to patent a result of a process, only the process itself.

There maybe more then one way to do it but I have used a filter called a "Vari Cross" that can cause flares like that. It is basically a star-cross filter except that the flare angles are adjustable. Setting both angles horizontal will produce an effect like that.

Besides, as you say, some of Eisenstein's works, can you give some other examples of this, because I have yet to experience that from any movie (or any other type of artistic work) and I watch a fair amount of obscure and remote type films. I think that it may be a matter of personal interpretation and taste, as I have heard similar comments from mainstream jazz critics about jazz pianist Cecil Taylor and I think that he is so much more creative and unconventionally talented, then the mainstream stuff, that they just don't understand him, rather then being egotistical or remote.

I did some tests a few years ago with some kodachrome II process k-12, expiration date of march 1964. Developed it in Dektol. Initial tests were very fogged. Reduced development time to lower then the fog level. Ended up only being able to shoot the sun with star cross filter, as it was the only thing capable of exposure above base fog, then slight bleaching, just for effects. The kodachrome was d-8, but not split then printed on 7302.

It could be for an optical printer. I don't know, but I have seen bipack mags for several different optical printers, not too many for cameras, though.

Looked it up in an Eyemo manual, the lenses that have the longer section that goes in the lens mount is called a Type "A" and ones that are shorter are Type "C". Type "A" is for model K (which isn't always true, as I mentioned in the above post) and Type "C" is for all other models.

I have run into something similar to this. I have used two different model K (the ones with a single lens mount) Eyemo's, one with a small round base and one with the larger squarish base. I tried four different lenses with them and only three worked on both. The only difference in the lens mounts is the metal prong that is inside the lens mount, that keeps the lens from turning when focusing. The only reason that the one lens won't fit is because the prong is further forward and the part of the lens that goes into the mount is longer, so it stops before being set in the proper place. I haven't tried those lenes on a turret-type Eyemo so I don't know if there is other issues with those beside what the manual says.

There were some made by Bell and Howell and also the Kodak Analyst II, comes to mind. Below are links to some more modern ones. http://www.visinst.com/Projector.html http://www.photosonics.com/Sales_HTLM/projectors.htm

An analytical projector can step a single frame at a time or other frame rates, depending on model.

I've seen it happen before, especially on 2000 ft rolls. Sometimes seen static sparks just pulling the film out of the black bag, introducing some humidity by softly blowing into the bag will usually prevent that. Also seen static from contact of the edge of the film against the side of a split reel. Usually if you wind slow enough, it will completely stop static discharge. I have used some slow speed stocks that that has happened to and there was no appearent flashing or anything visable apparent. It seems that the static isn't producing enough light to cause any exposure on a 6-25asa film. Higher speeds films may be questionable as to its effects.

To give you some idea of what it looked like, most of "Woodstock", the concert film, was filmed on 7255 and blown up to 70mm. According to an interview, on Kodak's website it was 16mm ->65mm i/n. - "A custom-built Technicolor lens would provide single-generation, liquid gate blowups, with opticals done simultaneously. The lens was simply aimed at various parts of the 65mm frame to produce the trademark multiple images now so familiar to anyone who has seen the film." http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newslett...woodstock.shtml

To give you some idea of what it looked like, most of "Woodstock", the concert film, was filmed on 7255 and blown up to 70mm.

It's not a true million asa speed but I pretty sure it is still capturing some information beyond what its stated asa is. While doing test exposures and processing, with the same exposure, and pushing 15 stops, there was a considerable amount details in the negative that were not present at all compared to the 5 or 10 stop push. On Kodak's website there is a page which states that their R+D scientists believe that, as far as future developments in film technology, that they could make films with up to 7 more stops of speed increase then what is available today, so that would be like a roughly true 100,000asa speed film.

I would recommend using distilled water in that last step, as mention above^^. Any water drops left of the film should then evaporate cleanly with out leaving a residue.

The Ilford Delta 3200 tech. sheet says it can be pushed to 25,000asa, the Kodak Tmax 3200 tech sheet says the same. I have pushed the Kodak Tmax 3200 up 15+ stops, which would put the asa in the millions, and have gotten acceptable results. Below is a picture taken on 15+ pushed Kodak Tmax 3200 of part of the Milky Way in the night sky. There is some base fog from pushing that much but the images are still in the printable range, though lots of grain and fairly high contrast. I haven't tried the Ilford 3200 yet but it too could probably be pushed quite a bit more then recommended.

There are compilation DVDs of short films and cable channels like IFC occasionally show short films. The only theatrical distribution of shorts, that I can think of, is for animation, like Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Animation Festival and the Animation Show, which are touring shows. Those would make up only a tiny-tiny fraction of how many shorts get made. Over 30 minutes may have more of a chance, like "Cat Soup", which won several awards and had a running time of 34 minutes but it is also animated so there may be more of a special niche market for it, was released internationally on DVD. As mention above, the chance of making money off a short from distrubtion, is very small.

Each festival has a different time lenght cutoff for what is considered a short and what is considered a feature. A 30 min film would be considered a short in most festivals.