James Mehr

Thanks for the tips. After reading the posts and doing some outside research, it looks like you have to re-center camera somehow for super16, which makes sense. Is there a problem with vignetting if you use standard 16mm lenses after the conversion?

Thanks for the quick reply. I was worried that I couldn't shoot regular 16mm after the modification.

Hey All, I purchased an Eclair NPR from Du-All Camera about a year ago. Because of a busy schedule, I haven't been able to use it as much as I'd like, but I quite the like the camera. I'm shooting a short film in March, and I'm planning to convert it to Super16 at Du-All. Has anyone had experience with a Super16 upgrade on the NPR? Will I lose the option to shoot in regular 16mm? Also, what kind of lens mounts are available for the NPR? On my turret I have the standard CA mount and an ARRI bayo mount instead of a C-mount. Is it possible to just replace the turret with ones that have different mounts? Any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I read an the forum post about the lens nets Kaminski uses for diffusion. I was wondering, though, what lenses and stock he used to shoot "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." It looked incredibly sharp. (Actually too sharp for my tastes). Did he use Cooke lenses? Thanks.

How much would a Spirit transfer of Super8 cost? :blink:

Thanks for the suggestion. Are there any other places you send you super8 footage?

Hey Guys, Where is the best place to do a Super8 telecine/transfer in NYC? I really only know Du-All, A1, PAC lab. What are your opinions? Thanks!

Thanks all for the suggestions. I found that Firefox won't show the book list for some reason! On Safari, I can see it. Thank you again for the suggestions!

Hi, From my experience shooting with the Z1, no, your computer is not up to the task. You can edit in FCP, but you won't be able to do full with those specs. I'd either get a dual/quad core G5 or one of the Macs to edit on. BTW, what do you mean shooting in HDV on a DVX100A? That camera only shoots in DVC25 as far as I know. HDV is an HD codec compressed to 25Mbps using MPEG2 compression.

Jacob, You must remember, not everyone views freedom the same way as they do in the States. It would be quite complicated to talk about it in one posting. In America, freedom means you have the freedom to stupid and horrible things as well as the freedom to do wonderful things. In europe, they are more adverse to giving the option to do something horrible, even if it means giving up some freedom, because to them that kind of freedom shouldn't really exist anyway. There's more to it, a lot more, but trust me when I say that it's difficult to get an even point of view between europeans and americans. For example, I was talking to a friend of mine in Prague about the differences between the Democrat and Republican parties. I told him that Republicans generally favor state's rights over federal laws (for the sake of argument, let's hold this generality). He said that in Europe, that would be considered leftist. See where this could go? As far as videogames, I think retailers and distributors shouldn't be afraid to sell AO games. Even if it were under the counter like in Germany, I think there should be an option. With unrated/NC17 movies, one can often buy them on DVD, even via Amazon. Though it's not the same as watching it in a theater, at least it can be watched somehow. I was a little disappointed to find out that "Ken Park" never got an NTSC DVD release. However, you can still buy a PAL version, which should look better anyway. For me, it's more a question of whether the public would be open to more sophisticated films. Despite what I've seen, I still think so. Personally I think we're at a nadir in American filmmaking. Sundance is second Hollywood, and the "Independent Scene" is either is a springboard to Hollywood, or an obscure haven for niche artists (like Matthew Barney). That, to me, is a far more pressing question that about the MPAA or censorship.

Hey All, There used to be a great "library" section for the site, but it seems to be down. There was a suggested book on color theory that I would like to get. Does anyone remember which one it was? Also, would anyone recommend other good books on color theory? Thanks.

Stumbled upon this old post, after trying to find some info on the Dreamers. This is classical case of stupidity from both the old world and the new world, and a naivete about what happens in either country/countries: 1. The MPAA was formed as a way to self-regulate Hollywood films and keep Government oversight to a minimum. It's much like the Video Game Industry's ESRB. 2. The Catholic is indeed a radical organization (speaking as a Catholic myself). They had a lot of influence in the creation of the Code. One must remember that the Code fell by the wayside after the MPAA introduced the X rating (later as NC-17). 3. The NC-17 rating is considered to be death for distribution. And as we all know, distribution is an extremely important element of filmmaking. It doesn't mean that your film will be banned, but it will be extremely hard to exhibit it. 4. Yes, we all know that Americans are more sensitive to sex than to violence, and yes, religion has an influence on that. Personally, I also think it has to do with our constant drive to success and money, which overrides everything, including sex. 5. Americans like to be "straightforward" and "blunt" in their assertions, as with the case with Matt, which europeans find extremely stupids. Europeans are calm and confident about their assertions, which americans find sneaky. I studied film production in the Czech Republic. It is an atheist state, so there any religious prudence is not there. Actually, under communism, it was much more strict, hence the sexual revolution in the 90's. Anyway, I made a short film with a sexually explicit scene. It's not meant to titillate so much as to initiate the story. The film wasn't very popular in the States. Partly, it was because of the sex, but also how it dealt with the subject matter. I consider it my best work to date, so it has a closeness to me. As an American, though, I understand the reaction. I find it prudish and unnecessary. Older americans have more of a problem with younger ones because young people are generally more open. This topic reminds me of what happened to the videogame "Manhunt 2." It was given an AO rating (like an NC17), and now Nintendo and Sony dropped the title from their platforms. To be honest, in this case, I think it's good. While Rockstar does make sophisticated works, I personally think they're pushing for attention. And if they get bad attention, the kind that hurts them (like Hot Coffee), it might make them a bit more inventive with their works, instead of simply highlighting the shock value. For the Americans :this is just my opinion. Orson Welles once said that he disliked nudity in films. I think films can be sexier without nudity, personally. I think if filmmakers tried to be sexy without sex, that would make them better filmmakers. That was one of the unintentional benefits to the Code - films were filled with sexual innuendo, and more clever for it. American society changes at an absurd pace. I haven't watch TV for ten years and I'm like an alien to everyone around me. For example, I find reality shows disgusting because ten years I think people would have found them disgusting. All this "intellectual thought" from the swedes is mental masturbation - it is a pretense to assert their beliefs. I know this well - I went to a small liberal arts college. The americans predictably acted in a reactionary form. A never ending cycle. Of course, Europe know as much about America as America knows about Europe. As one once said "Can't we all just get along?"

I would say another obvious one is NYC. It's an expensive city, mind you, and the overwhelming majority of work is in video. If you don't mind working for free on projects for a while to build up connections, or you all ready have connections in the city, then it's an option.

Hey Guys, I'm new to the site, but seeing this awesome forum, I'll be sure to peruse it often. Anyway, I just recently watched the latest video by Incubus called "Anna Molly," directed by Jamie Thraves, and I was wondering what the video was shot on. I watched the video via Xbox Live at 720p on my HDTV. I'm no video engineer, but I know what kind of digital chicanery can be done these days. At first glance it looks like it was shot on 16/Super16, but the look of it has this old film stock look, a severe lack of color degradation, which I know can be done digitally. What trips me up is this thing I call "ghosting" where if you see the lead singer's arms flapping (constantly) in the video, you see a bit of a trail, which leads me to believe it was shot on video, perhaps a PAL camera? (it kinda looks PALish, and Thraves is a Brit). Any thoughts? Excuse my neophyte observations.