Gary Robinson

A BL2 lists for $24000 and a BL1 lists for $17000 at Visual Products.com. I've seen a number of BL2's go for around $17000. Even the mags are going for less now. I think there is a big downwards trend.

It's interesting that you brought that up, Richard. Lately, the prices on Ebay for used cameras have dropped signifigantly. A couple weeks ago, and Arri BL1 went for $5000. There's an Arri 2b that's isn't selling at $1400. I think people are having trouble justifying spending much over $6000 for a camera when you can get an HVX 200 or JVC hd 100 for several thousand and have a nice looking image. I would expect to see some of the film camera manufacturers react to this erosion in the next few years. They really do need a 35mm camera that can get independent filmmakers excited.

Like almost every director, Ridley Scott has his share of misses, but Gladiator, Black Rain, and Blade Runner are great films to me. In the producer's world, I think he's regarded as one of the top ten shooters of all time.

I just saw MI 3 which was preceded by a number of trailers, including Superman. I have 2 35mm cameras, and as much as I love film over video, the Superman Trailer had the cleanest image I saw in that theater. Gary R. www.sharpcut.com

I'll be there from Sunday through Thursday to check out Newteks VT 5, Lightwave 9, the JVC HD100, HVX 200, and XDcam HD cameras. I think it's going to be a great NAB for inexpensive HD, although I hope to keep shooting film, and start using HD in post.

Hi guys, Without spending $8000 on the Mini-35 adapter, is it possible to use my Angenioux 25-250 mm lens on the JVC HD100?

Hi Guys, I put a 10 minute sample of my 67 minute video "Swimsuit Singles" on Ifilm. Take a look. I shot all of the swimsuit footage on 35mm using an Arri 2b using short ends. It was edited in VT4. The VT4 made it simple to do the moves on the stills. The opening volumetric fx were created in Mirage. Please vote all stars if you like it. _IFILM - Girls: Swimsuit Singles: Shauna Sand -_ (http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2681876?htv=12) or _http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2681876?htv=12_ (http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2681876?htv=12) Thanks, Gary R. _www.sharpcut.com_ (http://www.sharpcut.com/) _www.swimsuitsingles.com_ (http://www.swimsuitsingles.com/) "All Streaming all the Time"

At NAB this year, I watched a demo of keying software called Ultra by Serious Magic (seriousmagic.com). Using this software, they pulled amazing keys even using a one chip dv camera. The latest version is hdv compatible. You might want to look into it. I picked it up, and it does a great job for only $400-$600 dollar software.

Your dp should do his best to bring your vision to life in the way you want it, but it's really a collaborative effort because he may bring ideas from his past experiences and expertise that can help you work and plan your shots in a better way. I'll give you an example from a commercial I directed. My client from Japan wanted a shoot a spot featuring vo I wrote over actors in a white psyc. I really hadn't done a narrative style shoot in a white psyc and my dp pointed out that because we would be dollying around actors, they would just be floating in space without reference objects. That advice lead to a number of set design choices that would have been impossible to make last minute. It also had a strong effect on how I drew my storyboards. So, your dp may be very valuable to consult with while you are constructing your storyboards. In addition, on the day of the shoot, my dp reviewed my boards and came up with the most economical order to shoot them in based on the transitions from one set to another. This organization allowed me more time to focus on working with actors and composition. You can stream that spot by clicking on the leftmost commercial sample at www.sharpcut.com

In Hollywood, I use Laser Pacific for processing and Crest National for transfer. I'm too lazy to go over the hill.

Thanks for the advice David. Nice work on the Duran Duran video. I also saw your DVX 100 vs. PD150 (I think it was) footage from a Promax DVD years ago and remember thinking how great it looked for a video shoot.

Do you guys ever use short ends for feature film work? I've used it for some low budget commercials and other projects, but now that I'm thinking about my first feature, I'm wondering how I should budget for film stock. How many feet do you average shooting features?

I saw an interview with Spielberg recently where he really payed homage to H.G. Wells and what a genius he was. He's not trying to hide the roots of the material at all. I think Wells would have loved to see the real potential of his work in the way that only a few filmmakers could have interpreted it.

I'm in the middle of some post projects now so I haven't bought a tripod yet. I was hoping for something less than $1600 like a used Vinten or Sachler, or a new Bogen 316 head with 3192 legs.

Thanks. This question was based on this essay: http://www.tobincinemasystems.com/page19.html

Does anyone have experience shooting at 23.976 so they can keep sync with non-timecoded audio recorders? What audio recorders have you worked with? Because this technique works with video because of the match to telecine speed, are there any complications with a negative cut?

Thanks for the info guys. By the way John, I was sent some great DVD's from Kodak after NAB which promoted the use of film over hd video capture. Hopefully, these will be seen by lots of dps.

I'm planning my next short. I will shoot on 35mm and transfer to hd for editing. I know that super35 is more on par with the with of the aspect ratio of the hd formats, but I don't have a super 35 camera. If I shoot 35, will it just be blown up in telecine to fit the hd aspect ratio? Does anyone have any tips or experiences shooting and transfering 35mm to D5 hd?

Check out bhphotovideo.com . Some of the bogen tripods for around $1000 claim to support 35 pounds.

I finally want to start shooting with my Arri BL2 but I don't have a tripod for it. I really don't want to spend more than $2000 on a tripod. What's the best under $2000 tripod I could get to support an Arri BL2 with a 25-250mm lens, and lens blimp (about 40 pounds total)?

The base Tstop is 3.2 I have the same lens on my Arri BL2 which I haven't tried yet.

Thanks. I used my Arri 2B with an Angenioux 25-250 mm lens, and usually 50d Kodak ends although I used some Fuji shortends too. No reflectors but I did try to shoot very late in the day for better light when it wasn't overcast. It was extremely low budget so it was just me and my backbreaking Arri with a bunch of preloaded mags. When my camera was in the shop, I used my DVX 100 24p camera and was pretty unhappy with the results, although it wasn't a fair comparison because it was complete overcast that day. I've really only been happy with the DVX100 in some lowlight indoor shoots. All of the stills in the video were developed at Savon in the Kodak CD jpeg format, and I was able to pan them in realtime on the VT3 with no rendering which was cool, because there were hundreds of them.

Hi guys, I just wanted to share a video I shot with my Arri 2b which I will hopefully be releasing on DVD soon. You can stream some of it, and a montage at www.swimsuitsingles.com I shot all of the modeling footage on 35mm with my Arr 2b at about 30fps (besides the stills). The interviews were shot with my VX 2000 and DVX 100. I edited it, uncompressed on the VT3 and did some animaton with Lightwave. Thanks, Gary R. www.sharpcut.com

I've shot a number of pieces with my Arri 2b that you can stream online if you have highspeed access. At www.sharpcut.com , you can click on top picture, the middle commercial, or the middle music video. You can also see a lingerie spot I shot with my 2b at www.sharpcut.com/lingerie.html I'm not the best dp, but the camera holds up pretty well.

To me, the most interesting thing about the rereleases is how much better they are than Episode 1 and 2. For me, the acting, dialog, and look and feel of these films is way stronger than the last two. Episode 2 feels very much like a cartoon to me. Comparing Episode 2 to any one of the classic films is the best case around for film vs. hidef.