Scott Cohen

This marks the end of film. Walter Murch was right when he said within ten years film will go away. I am very upset to hear of this Phantom 65. Soon the "black box" will come. I'm not sticking around. Good Bye. S.C.

I think it is something else far more sinster... Far too many people are using the M. for it to be just their first name abbreviated. I don't see any other first names abbreviated this way. I think M. must stand for something. Some title, religeous, political or similar endorsement. What is it? SC

And a few other people with big names use the M. What does this stand for? Is it a Royal title similar to Commander or Knight? What am I missing SC

www.filecrunch.com 250MB upload, per file, free! SC

Hey Tim, Forgive me for calling you an elitist last week and being a toal a**. Was a really tough week, taking it out on people I don't know... I suck, I know... Regarding the BL, it might be the same camera, the seller trying two different routes? If it goes any lower I might go for it even though I might never use it. I actually think the BL looks pretty cool. It looks like a movie camera. I have always like top mount mag cameras, Beaulieu, Arri BL, even the Scoopic with the 400 footer. Peace, SC

Might actually go lower. The seller only wants a local pickup. That will hurt the end price. Maybe Rebecca will get a deal if she is reading this... SC

People are TOTALLY missing the point. Robert Rodriguez shot El Mariachi on a Arriflex S (Or M depending on the publicity shots you look at) with a stock 12mm-120mm Angenieux zoom. It came out great. I would have been even better if he had a BL, then he wouldn't have had to stick it to Columbia for several hundred thousand dollars for sound "fixing". Telling her to buy an Arri SR, Aaton or other expensive camera is crazy. At the seller's current price of $1675 she can't touch another pin-reg quiet camera. She could buy it and then shoot her film and re-sell it. Or if she feels like she wants to shoot Super 16 later on she could have Bruce do the conversion and still be under $5K. And that Arri SR for $5K WAS NOT a Super 16mm camera. How much for an S16 Arri SR? Huh? Rebecca, smile your biggest smile, SLOWLY count 15 hundred dollar bills into his hand and I bet he might go for it. Let us know how it all turns out. SC

People have short memories when it involves taking money from their greedy little hands. A camera like the BL will probably be bad mouthed ad-nauseum from people that make their living buying, renting and selling Arri SR and other cameras. Heaven forbid people actually pull for a filmmaker to make her/his film instead of fleece them along the way, all the while doing it through gritted teeth, becuase they are doing what the camera rental house/seller wish they coudl do...... MAKE FILMS. Becky, at $1850 I'd buy the BL. If you feel you are outgrowing it, send it to Bruce and he will convert it to Super 16mm. You will then have a pin-registered Arriflex noiseless Super 16mm camera for UNDER $5K. Let's see if Tim "Mr. Arriflex" Lookatmynicepictures could do that for you? SC

Not a problem. You can not damage the camera by doing that. The only thing I might not do with a K3 is run it without film for a long period of time at 48fps. Other than that, the camera is pretty bulletproof. SC

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=330024306399 Arriflex BL on eBay for $5K SC

Nice pictures. I can see why you want Rebecca to get "the most for her money", as long as it goes in your pocket right? She was asking about a quiet BL not a camera that sounds like a blender. Show her a BL for under $2K then, Mr. Arriflex. There is a BL on eBay right now with a buy it now of $5,000.00 Buyer's market? Really? SC

The BL is not my camera... Typical Arri SR prices are $7500.00 - If you sold one for $5K that was one hell of a deal. But I stand by what I said. Encouraging a student filmmaker to lay down big bucks for an Arri SR is an elitist position. SC Both the LTR and XTR are not pin-registered cameras. And they are crazy expensive for anybody but a legit DP to own... The BL's have blimped zoom lenses. That is more than enough for any student filmmaker wanting to own a silent camera. With Arri S and M models selling for $2K all the time, it would be silly not to consider spending the same amount on a camera that will let you shoot dialogue. I keep hearing about these Arris SR's for $5K, but it is a pretty much a myth. Show me one for $5K and I'll buy it today! SC

That is a very elitist position! In the time it could take her to save for a Arri SR she could have bought the BL, shot her film, paid for processing and transfer, and have a video edit to show around hoping for funds for a 35mm blow up. The camera looks to be in good condition. A regular 16mm Arri SR in similar condition would cost $7500.00 or upwards. She could buy the BL and have over $5K to do her film. For a student to wait to save up for an Arri SR makes no fricking sense whatsoever. With a price like this, it makes sense to buy rather than rent. She could use it for her film and then sell it for just as much. Essentially getting a free camera rental. Plus owning lets you shoot whenever you can, wherever you want to... That is the ideal situation for students and guerrilla filmmakers. If she shoots on Vision2 stock she will be fine, even cropping to 1.85. Filmmaking is about ideas not technology. Buy the BL before somebody else snags it. SC

Nice shots but the "light box" mounting brackets on the sides of the ground glass are only marginally larger than the typical 10.26mm aperture for 16mm. Unless you can find a way to remove them, you will not get full Super 16mm coverage in your viewfinder regardless if someone modifies your viewfinder mask. You will see a fuzzy light edge on the expanded side of the viewfinder mask but you WILL NOT get a Super 16mm image. If Du-All is re-centering, then you will have two fuzzy edges. One of edge side of your viewfinder image and still WILL NOT see the full Super 16mm aperture properly. I have faith in Bernie. He is honest, hardworking and shoots straight. Du-All is another story... I wouldn't and don't trust them fully (My personal and professional opinion, and YUP, damn proud to be entitled to it...) SC

"Roofing Tar"??? Why? Was that a low cost method of sound reduction in Russian cameras? Or does the tar serve another purpose? (God knows what!) SC

A 200mm still lens designed for 35mm photography will behave like a 400mm when on a 16mm cine camera. SC

DVX is comparable to 16mm? You have to be seriously joking... Kodak Vision2 film stock in my $500 Super 16mm K3, handled in my hobbyist hands, will blow away any "properly" handled DVX digital footage. Sure you can shoot for free with a DVX, after spending over $2,000.00 for a DVX but it will not compare to 16mm. I am sorry. The in camera professional sound capability is nice... SC

Which might actually be nice... give it a more filmic aesthetic. SC

Really steady footage. Unlimited backwind ability. Real pressure plate. BUT a lot of the cheaper Single 8 cameras have a 220 degree shutter which is great for low light but will yield soft images unless NOTHING is moving in frame. SC

This is a consumer camera that can produce professional results. For the money you'd spend to re-center the lens, take out the gate rail (beyond just widening it the aperture) and then build a viewfinder system that really covers the full S16 apertue you'd be better off buying an modified Eclair NPR. For people who want to get pro results do these simple steps andd save your money for film. 1. Buy a working K3 2. Have the gate widened to Super 16mm 3. Have the loop formers removed. Leave the rollers alone (they are plastic and won't scratch your film). Leave the viewfinder alone, a quick pan before shooting will let you know what you will have in the extra area. Don't re-center the lens, incredibly waste of money. AND... MOST IMPORTANTLY... Before you load every 100 foot spool. Take your pinky finger and run it back in forth between where your nose meets your face. Liberally apply this "nose grease" to the film gate, concentrating on the side of the gate that has been widened. As long as you don't have a small bur on your gate surface... A single application of "nose grease" will let the film pass over the wider gate rail (wider than the widened apertue) without any scratching issues. You have an emulsion pressure mark, not a scratch. "Nose grease" makes a $500 dollar Super 16mm K3 solid gold!!! SC

Not mine, but it looks pretty clean for anybody in the L.A. area who'd rather touch and feel instead of the coldness of a typical ebay transaction. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ele/265698835.html Thought I'd pass this along, as a lot of K3 action has been in this forum lately. SC

"Skywalking" is an excellent book. You are correct. We can all be great filmmakers in our own minds as long as there is something in our way, something holding us back, something to argue about. Whatever your story, make it the best it can be... and shoot it. Some of the early work of presently working (highly paid) filmmakers is no better than average student film quality... The difference is they didn't quit. 1. They started a project. 2. They finished the project. 3. They went on to do other projects. Filmmakers, writers, actors, producers, artists, etc., never fail.... they just quit. NEVER QUIT SC To follow this up... Some of Cameron's early work (Piranha II - The Spawning) was sub par B grade filmmaking. Twenty years later he is at the Oscars winning for Titanic. And so it goes... he never quit. SC

You are stalling... Fear of execution results in this endless format debate. It is always easy to argue technical issues because you CAN solve technical issues. What you need to be doing is concentrating on story issues. Make the story better. If you do that... 1. Boss Man will say "well, let's give this the best chance it can get... go grab the Arri SR3" or 2. Boss Man will still had you the beat up CP16 but the story will transcend the format. Worry about the story... Debating S16 vs. R16 is a waste of time and energy for a project you have already pigeonholed into not being released in a theatrical setting. SC

Guys/Girls, I have two K3's. The one with more miles is quieter. Well, it also has a messy face plate. Scratches and what not. I bought a 1/2 pint of Black Rust-Oleum paint at Home Depot. Painted ONLY the face plate. Two coats. I swear it is quieter by a 20-30 percent. Sound eminating from the front of the camera, towards talent is really reduced. Still way too loud for sound takes... but a bit quieter. Thought I'd pass the tip along for those who don't want to build a barney but want it just a bit quieter. SC

How can you see the entire Super 16mm area clearly? The K3 has a "light box" that stands in the path of the mirror shutter and viewfinder, this "light box" holds the ground glass and sends info for TTL metering system. The "light box" is only marginally larger than the standard 16mm frame. It isn't an issue about viewfinder masks, etc., The standard "light box" will not cover Super 16mm. Bernie does incredible work with LaserBrighten... But I'm confused about the Super16 thing... Did he modify the light box? Widen it perhaps? SC