Mark Sasahara

A couple of weeks ago I was shooting B Camera on a music video with my new XL2, less than 50 hours on it. During a break, she wouldn't power up and no amount of sweet talking, knob fiddling, battery changing or house power could rescusitate her. I freaked. I couldn't stay freaked for long, I had to go back to Gaffing. I had the FU-1000 B&W viewfinder mounted, with the lens light on, using a Power 2000 BP-945 and babying the whole thing since I got it. So I sent it to Canon in NJ for repair. Canon was very kind and overnighted the tape that was stuck inside, back to me at no cost. It was a warranty repair, therefore free. It was the Master Fuse. Any time the Master Fuse blows, it's back to Canon. Canon suggests that when you plug, or unplug the FU-1000, be sure to power down first. I may have had the power on while when I initially put the viewfinder on and that may have weakened the fuse and then it just popped after a while. I have heard of other people's cameras popping for no apparent reason and I think also if you plug in the firewire, you should power down first, not sure. I also removed the lens while the power was still on, this apparently is a no-no too. This makes me a bit paranoid, I am a bit worried that it may pop again. Chris B. at ZGC, where I bought my rig, was also very helpful in my time of crisis. Canon was very kind in fielding all my calls and telling me what was wrong. When sending something to them, tell them how to pack your gear with photos if possible. When I got everything back they had done a minimal job of packing. Everything was loose and may have rolled around. Luckily nothing was broken.

Wow, David, pretty scary! Murphy's on the loose, y'all watch yer asses. Thank goodness you caught it before it got out of hand. Thanks for being so generous and sharing with us.

I dunno, I'm into the whole MILF thing >;~) I agree with Brent and the others, it would be a nightmare for dust and reflections, not to mention time in setting it up and screwing around with it. Total rip-off. Move towards the tele end of the zoom, or use tele primes and shoot wide open.

There is also the good old Sekonic L-398 Studio Someone else is talking about meters too http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...?showtopic=4691 . I must say I like it, but a lot of my students had no clue and were initially very confused, but this was for a beginning photoclass, not really gung ho photo/cine phreaks.

I have been using my trusty Minolta Flash Meter IV for many years. I had a Pentax spot Meter V, but now I've got the Pentax Digital Spotmeter. I don't really use it that much. Good meters, in no particular order. Some are Cine only, most are primarily Stills, but can do cine/video. Prices in $USD @ B&H Photo: Konica Minolta Auto Meter VF $219.95 Stills and cine, flash Spectra Pro IV-A $372 .95 Cine only, no flash Gossen Digipro F $243.95 Stills and cine/video. Flash Luna Pro Digital $210.00 Stills and cine/video. Flash Konica Minolta Flash Meter 6 $429.95 Stills and cine, flash I have left some out, the more expensive Sekonic and Gossen Meters. Do your research and find out more about these and other meters so you will know the differences and which ones will suit you needs. Handle the meters and try them out, how do thy feel and which feels best? What are the features you want? There is no substitute for doing the research. You can also get used, but take it to a good meter repair place that can accurately calibrate and check it.

I don't think that these can be dimmed, they are compact fluorescent. Was your test shot with the camera that you will be using for that actual shoot? It's best to do your tests with the gear you'll be using. Play it back on a good, color correct production monitor. Digitize a small bit and run it through whatever post effects, if any, that you plan to apply and see how it looks on playback/DVD/tape. Also if you are planning for something like a film out, I'm not sure how this will transfer. It's best to have a color chart, gray card, white card and black to see what the colors are doing. The gray card will help you see if there is a color cast or green spike. Try doing an online search and see if there is a color correct lamp that will fit whatever the base is on those fixtures. That way you can swap out the old ones with new ones with correct colors. Practical if it's one room and not too many lamps need replacing. Lamps with a CRI of 90 or higher should be used. And test those too. Adequate results can also be achieved by white balancing under the lights in the shooting area and then cleaned up further in post producton.

No, silly it's not cereal. GO PATS! Man, I luuuuv hockey!

Lightware makes a really great belt system, called the Grip Strip. I have a couple belts and a whole slew of pouches that I use on and off the belt. Lowe also has a good system too. They are interchangeable somewhat with Lightware. I have a few of the Lowe pouches that I use on my Lightware belt. Lightware http://www.lightwareinc.com/site/index.cfm..._Name=GripStrip

I think they're talking cine formats. But if it's stills of fasion or beauty, shot on film, usually it's with a Mamiya RZ-67. I think most stuff is shot digitally. I love my Hassey too, but I may end up selling it though.

Brilliant!

Superbowl? Patriots +6. GO PATS! I agree with David, shadows are okay. Do you mean camera shadows? One thing that is helpful is to put CTO on the windows. That way your light will be tungsten flavored and any additional lights will retain full power since they are not gelled CTB. I'm slowly buying Kino Flo's for my kit. Nice light, less amps. There are some real nightmare electrical situations in NYC. Kino tubes can be paper taped to the ceiling and the cables camoflaged. Duve or cinefoil teasers can be hung to help control the light. Selective lighting, you don't necessarily need to flood the place with light. Also a nice trick when you need a little extra is to switch the shutter speed to 1/24. I haven't transferred anything shooting that way but regular movements look okay in broadcast. I think the worst thing about shooting in small apartments is the heat build up and stifling lack of air. This past summer was pretty hot and I was constantly opening windows, or turning on the A/C between takes, on several shoots. Lack of amps is a drag and traceability. When I lived in VT, most apartments have electric stoves, so you could rent a distro box that plugged into the outlet for the stove and suddenly you had 50 amps of central distro. I forget if that was 220V brought down to 120V. If they've got a A/C, or washer dryer hook up that can be used, but I think you'll need to convert 220V to 120V.

As a few people have noted, you are ahead of the game by knowing what you want to do early on. I knew I wanted to be a photojournalist in high school and started getting paid for my photography at 16, working for the local newspaper. Then I went to photography school and six months after graduation I got hired as a staff photographer on a medium sized newspaper. I worked for a decade as a PJ and eventually migrated over to film and video. Perhaps there's a similar opening at your local TV station. Everyone has their own way and own method. You must choose what is right for you. It sounds corny, but you must travel your own path. Perhaps it is good for you to have a film or video camera. Keep shooting on your 35mm stills camera and hone other skills in cinematography by owning a film, or video camera. Shooting on video is cheaper than shooting on film and you can inexpensively improve your camera operating and editing techniques. As Mat pointed out, the relationships you make by working on sets are important and can lead to more work. These people will know you and your abilities. Getting jobs working on film and video shoots is the important part and then work your way up. I also stress getting a college education, this helps round a person out and makes you learn about life and all the muck that seems unimportant now. It will become relevant later. Take accounting, advertising, marketing and small business management classes, in addition to cinematography, or photo, video, literature, writing and English classes. The people that you meet in school will also be important contacts as well. The "old school tie" can be helpful in building relationships and getting jobs. Professional organizations are also good places to make contacts. Knowing people who can get you work is very important and in some ways, that will dictate what equipment, if any, you should own. Sounds like you are on the right road. Working in a camera shop is a good way to support your "habit". You might also look for a job working in a rental house. That way you can get your hands on "the good stuff" and get to know people already in the industry.

I disagree that it is "really cheap".

It would be nice if we could access the archives. Sounds like migration would be difficult. Any volunteers?

Yeah, the Sony PVM9L3 is a great 8" monitor. As was mentioned before, a larger monitor will slow you down. Be sure that the monitor is calibrated and doesn't have any burn ins. You can sometimes find good used monitors. Depending on budget, it may be cheaper to rent it for the day or two that you shoot. If you are going to be doing a lot of stuff, when it's not in the field, it can be a studio monitor.

Arriflex D-20 E.I. 300 http://www.arri.com/entry/products.htm (Click on New prods, or Cameras). Panavision Genesis E.I. 400 http://www.panavision.com/product_detail.p...233b117cf86b202 Dalsa Origin E.I. 400 http://www.dalsa.com/dc/dc.asp Kinetta E.I ? -They're sensor agnostic, so we'll see. Go Jeff! http://www.kinetta.com/download/files/kine...ra-brochure.pdf

Heh, and then there was the time in West Virginia, where Mat became the Director, sorta. :blink: Yep, good times, good times...

I forgot... I'm not sure of the model #, Titanium SL, I think. Ask Karl Horn, he's the owner/mfr. I got it through ZGC. The nice thing about it is I can use it on the left or right sides, on 15mm rods. It comes with a 10" whip and extra grip, so you can have that coming out on the otherside, or plug it into the handle for a longer reach. I'm pretty sure I can use it w/16mm cams as well.

I have a friend who has a Chrosziel matte box set up with the Cine Tech FF rig, it's pretty good. The gear ring has stops so you don't spin forever. Not sure if that gear was the Century, or Cine Tech. I have pretty much the same set up for my XL2. It's like, soooo totally bitchin'. Cine Tech

Heh, when I was a student at RIT, I took a dye transfer class and it was three trays of dye, three trays for your matrices and -I think- a few other trays, on a rocking table. It was about eight feet long. Then computer retouching came out a few years later and, unfortunately, Dye Transfer went away. Mr. Pytlak, I really miss my Dye Transfer process. I loved the colors and the control. I guess we have more control now, but then, I guess I'm process oriented. A while back, I saw some Elliot Porter Dye Transfer prints in a bar in New Mexico, of all places. The prints were marvelous. But I digress.

re: belts 'n' pouches: Belts 'n' pouches are AC bling. For DP's: the bling is the gold light meter. I'm getting my old spectra gold plated. Yo? I think I'll wear it when I go out at night. The gold plated gear head was a bit much and nobody really knew what it was. Plus it made my neck sore.

Yes, Avedon IS God. I wish I had met him. Look at the various fashion mags available at your local well stocked bookshop. Nylon, Bazaar, Elle, Cosmo, Flaunt etc. Just get as many as you can carry and play the "where is the light coming from?" game as well as "what light modifier was used?" game. I tend toward more straight up, straight ahead style, like Albert Watson and Avedon. Make it up and create your own style, that's really what this is about.

Thank you Tim! I really enjoy the forum as it is and have found it to be invaluable. The only improvement I can think of would be a gallery of scantily clad women :~)

Blow up a mall? How cool is THAT?

The DVX has an ASA of about 320. Using a light meter can be helpful, but as David pointed out there are other things that will help you, monitors zebras, etc