David Auner aac
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Posts posted by David Auner aac
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Are those cave paintings in France done 10,000 years ago any less dramatic than they were then? Is the Sistine Chapel's ceiling depiction of the story of creation any less dramatic because you're not imagining it? Is Fritz Lang's Metropolis or Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times any less visually stunning because they were made nearly a century ago? The viusual imagery of Star Wars is a great part of what makes it art. The problem you have is you don't realize motion pictures are a seperate art form that combine many different art forms, story being only ONE of them.
No, I don't have that problem. That's part of what I meant, if not stated very clearly. All of these examples are lovely and great pieces of art. They are as fresh as they were back then for their visual qualities that lift them over other pieces of their respective time. But wouldn't you think that some of the stories these images told and still tell aged a little over time? Don't we all judge these pieces and their content by the time of their creation as well? If you did a painting that looks exactly like a Rembrandt isn't it worth "less" nowadays than what it was worth artistically back then? IMO art,m especially visual art, exists in its time and its context.
I find the story of Star Wars to be great art but when told in the iconic imagery that Lucas created, it becomes something beyond even art, it becomes part of human conciousness. The perception of that imagery by the viewer will NO DOUBT change over the eons of time but it will still strike a cord in the human soul for whoever sees it as long as it exists, just as Oedipus Rex or Medea strikes a cord in our soul today. Humanity has expirenced these emotions sence time began and will expirence it until Man no longer exists, that is why Star Wars has lasted 30 years and will last long long into the future. It is us as we fear and as we hope to be. B)I agree with you in all but that the story of Star Wars isn't all that great to me. That's my personal opinion. The (old) Star Wars movies are a great example of movies all right, but the story alone does NOT strike that cord in my soul. Neither does the imagery in the same way a Leonardo does.
I don't want to take anything away from anyone, I just think that, for me, there is a difference between the story in Star Wars and e.g. the Beowulf saga or the Iliad.
My 2 cents, Dave
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Keeping the "dolly" weighted down is very important for making sure there aren't any wobbles in all the makeshift dollies I have made. Would you still have that problem if you had a cam op in the cart or on the wheel chair?
Depends of the weight of the guy and the cam. Not much if it was me. I weigh around 70 kilogram including camera! :D
But it helps of course. Put a couple of sandbags in the shopping cart, much better to sit on these and heavier as well. Problems is that those carts are not very maneuverable when heavy. For a wheel chair you should be okay with operator only.
Cheers, Dave
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For the Storaro gel test I gelled the lights, not the lens (otherwise the entire image would have been red, blue or green).
Gotcha, my question up there was a little brain fart. Didn't think it through. It's all clear now.
Cheers, Dave
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Nice stuff, Jonathan. So you just put the gel in front of your lens for these? And out of curiosity what camera did you shoot it with?
Cheers, Dave
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I think it's a bit premature to compare the timelessness of Star Wars to that of Homerical Epics. After all I seriously doubt that in over 2500 years people will still watch Star Wars...
I think there is a big line to be drawn here between a story (that can live in a book or be told by the elder generation to the younger) and a the visual representation of that story (i.e. a movie or a cartoon, whatever). I doubt that we would value any of those great old myths (Iliad, Gilgamesh etc.) if we knew them as "movies" made 2500 years ago.
The fact that your mind can fill in the visual details when you read or hear a story is what keeps it fresh over a long time. I doubt that someone, who reads the Iliad now has the same imagery in mind than one who read the story in Roman times.
And, seen as a pure story, Star Wars isn't anything breathtaking, at least to me.
Cheers, Dave
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what are alternative options to make relatively smooth camera movements (other than the dolly obviously)? the skateboard wont work..it's too low to the ground. i'd rent a model 11 but it's not worth it in this case. thanks!
Hi Natalie!
Use a wheelchair. Put a a piece of board over the arm rests and have the operator sit on that and put the camera to the shoulder. We used that trick quite a bit in several TV shoots.
Second makeshift dolly we used a lot was a normal supermarket shopping cart. Put a piece of board on that one as well. Or, if possible have the operator sit the cart, if he's slim enough to fit, that is. :D
On industrial shoots we used forklifts and all kinds of carts we had available in the shops we shot in. Just be sure to safety the camera operator and camera in some way.
Cheers, Dave
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Part two of this question is, am I affecting the quality and color concentration of my light in different ways depending on where the gel is applied.
Hi,
I don't think that the place where you apply the gel matters for color gels. It does matter for diffusion. And of course, for colour/diffusion gels such as Blue Frost etc.
Cheers, Dave
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When running off 12 v batteries, don't use the standard 12v bulbs because the battery voltage is higher than 12 v (14v?). If you do you won't get the 3000 claimed hours! Dedo supply the other bulbs that will last.
Hi Steven!
Thanks for the info. I guess you're the local dedo expert :D. Trouble is when people know they are being a pest by constantly asking more questions!
Cheers, Dave
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I wonder if anyone ever stacks both a double wire scrim and a single scrim in front of a fresnel lens?? I wonder if it will create Moire pattern (optical interference between the two scrims meshes) ?
Hi Sing,
I do that all the time in my Arri fresnels. Why should you get a Moire pattern? You don't see the shadow of the wire guard either since the whole affair is so close to the lens! The only situation where it could be possible to get such patterns was when the scrims are a couple of meters away from the lens and the lit subject just a couple of centimeters behind the scrims. Not sure it would happen there either, because the beam of light emitted from the light is rather large, so the shadows wouldn't be sharp enough.
Cheers, Dave
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Hi Rupe,
thanks for the info. I think their prices are roughly the same as here in Vienna. I think I have my mind set on the Explorer kit. I will a small soft box and, when I have the money, the DP1 projection attachment. Should I see the need to get a compact soft light I'll have to decide whether I'll get a Rifa, or the DLH1x150s. The main advantage of the latter is that fact that you can run it off 12v as well. We'll see.
Hi Sing,
I have also burnt my fingers on an older dedo once. But nowadays I always carry Setwear gloves. This greatly reduced burns when using lights. :D
The reason why I'll not get the DLH4-300 is the fact that you can't run these of a battery. I'd like to have a number of lights for the ultra-rural/outback doco stuff. Might shoot such a project next year, so I really want to keep that in mind.
Thanks for all your help!
Regards, Dave
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These dedo lights operator through their individual transformer/dimmer which is rated at ac230v - 50hz. As you guys all operate at 60hz i was wondering if there lights are going to flicker........
Your lights are not going to work without the right accessories. The dimmable transformers are pre-rigged for their specific part of the globe. You'll need to get some transformers/adapters that you can plug in between the transformers and the wall. These shouldn't be a problem, because the lights don't draw a lot of current. Check some department store, they should carry what you need. You might be able to get these more easily in the US than in the UK. The alternative is to get a 3 light transformer for your dedos. Then you'd only have to change the mains cable and set your transformer for the right input voltage and frequency.
Cheers, Dave
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Call Johnny Kurtz the owner, say I sent you, hopefully he can sort you out.
Hi Stephen,
thanks again for the info. Bad luck tough, as Johnny ran out of demo/used DLH4 heads for the time being.
Regards, Dave
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David,
I see your based in Austria. Try http://www.dedotec.ch/
Call Johnny Kurtz the owner, say I sent you, hopefully he can sort you out.
Stephen
EDIT He actually is listing some ex demo & second hand units. http://www.dedotec.ch/produkte/pdf/secondhand/2ndhand.pdf
Thanks Steve!
Cheers, Dave
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BTW, the ex-demo advice is good for Arri kit as well. All of mine was bought that way.
Well, I try to get some stuff that way. It's very hard here though as the market for this kind of stuff is very small and so is the number of resellers and shows. But I always ask. Still I had to get all my ARRI lights and grip stuff new. But, at least, I got a decent deal and a very nice place. They sell globes and lamps as well. Very good deals for these, e.g. ? 4,50 for a R7s 800W Osram.
Cheers, Dave
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I don't have a Kit, just seperate pieces. All 150w 1 x single & 3 with a transformer. I would buy all single if I started again but they were not available when I bought mine. I rent projectors & extra lights when needed.
Hi Stephen!
why do you prefer the small transformers? For their dimming ability? So far I have used the old large trafos more often. They seem very rugged to me and the ability to use whatever AC you have appeals to me as well. But on the other hand I'd rather have the ability to dim when needed. Thus, I figured I'd buy the basic 3 light 24v kit with large trafo and get two dimmer/trafos later on.
Cheers, Dave
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If it's physically small lamps you want for a travelling kit, then why not try the Arri 150w units, and some Rifa-lites?
Hi Stuart,
an Arri 150 is about 320 eu w/ dimmer. One globe costs about 22 and from what I know burns for about 15-25 hours!
one Dedo DLH4 150W w/ dimmable transformer is about 430. One lamps costs about 6 eu and burns for over 1000 hours. Do the math and see where it becomes cheaper to get the more expensive Dedo. But on the other hand the Dedo puts out much more light than the Arri 150.
As for the Rifa, yep I have thought about these as well. If I want to go cheap that's probably a nice option. Which one do you use?
Cheers, Dave
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We've still got a few months til we shoot so testing how my fresnel behaves is quite do-able. If that don't work, it's on to the bigger and brighter.
Nathan,
check out a PAR64. You can get these very cheap off ebay (at least around here). I bought 6 PAR64 cans for around 133 ?! Add a couple of VNSP, MFL WFL globes for around 20 ? each and you're in the game.
Cheers, Dave
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Hi guys,
since a couple of you (Stephen Williams and others) have spoken so highly about using/owningDedos I added that to my own experience of using rented ones and decided to get a kit. I got a copy of the catalog at my local dealer here. Any every time I pick that bastard up I decide to by a different kit!
Does anyone own a pre-made kit? And if so which one? Soft-case? Hard-case? How do the softlights do compared to an Arrilite with Chimera?
My plan for using the Dedos is twofold: supplement what larger instruments I have (2x 650 Arri fresnels, 1x Arrilite 800 w/ Chimera, 1x 2k open face, a couple of PAR56s and PAR64s), and to maybe have a small, portable kit that can handle small interviews and such to grab when traveling light.
Currently I'm mostly shooting doco stuff, but I want to get more into the field of narrative stuff soon, so please do consider that as well. Thanks for your input!
Can anyone recommend a particular kit? My budget for this will be around 2500-3000 ? max.
Cheers, Dave
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Or a couple of PAR 64's bunched together with VNSP globes in them. Maybe the PARCAN variety to reduce spill.
Yep, that exactly what I had in mind when I wrote about using a PAR. If you can't get a long PAR you could always make a "snoot" of black wrap to reduce spill. A large diameter PVC pipe might work as well, but be aware of the heat...
Cheers, Dave
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Well, you can use a 1K or 2K Xenon for a straight beam (or a beam projector), or you can use a spotty lens in an HMI PAR for a beam that spreads somewhat.
Hi guys,
I may be wrong here, but wouldn't a PAR64 do the trick as well? Maybe get some haze or fog in the room to have a strong visible beam. And add some light blue gel to the PAR to have a moonlight effect. I guess a Xenon and the like is out of Nathans budget (at least I guess it would be out of mine and I just bought a couple of PAR cans). The problem here might be to get the rest of the room dark enough so that the beam shows up at all..
Cheers, Dave
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Heres some bar shots done recently with a slightly sleazy/sexy look to them. 5217. If you like the look ill explain how i did them.
Cheers G.
Hi Glenn,
these look nice. Please elaborate on the setup. Diagram would be nice as well. I really like the CU (bottom pic).
Cheers, Dave
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Heres some bar shots done recently with a slightly sleazy/sexy look to them. 5217. If you like the look ill explain how i did them.
Cheers G.
Hi Glenn,
these look nice. Please elaborate on the setup. Diagram would be nice as well. I really like the CU (bottom pic).
Cheers, Dave
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Hi Tim,
these LED pars look kinda nice.
Has anyone used these before?
Regards, Dave
PS: I have also seen some RGB-LED pars on the web. Might be fun to try these out as well...
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The reflector is built into the globe (as is the lens) [[snip]]
To attach the lights to stands you need what’s called a "bale block" or TVMP adapter. [[snip]]
Thanks for the quick reply, Kevin. The ones offered here are all aluminum ones. I guess I'll have to adopt your policy on crews' asses. :D
I know that the whole point of a PAR is the sealed unit, but I also see reflectors and lamps sold separately. The company seems to be called Raylight. Check this out: http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-PAR-RA...R/dp/B0002ZPKV2
Do you find any use for smaller cans? So far, the only one I see used for film lighting is the PAR64.
As for the adapters, yep, that's what I figured. Thanks.
Cheers, Dave
Dedo kits! Oh soo many choices!
in Lighting for Film & Video
Posted
I took a look at the new Dedo DLH4 and accessories yesterday. Quite solidly made, especially the transformers/dimmers. I had thought them to be much more flimsy.
I'll probably get the Explorer kit with three DLH4 a small soft box and the DP1 imager. Whether I'm gonna get a Dedo soft light in the future or a Rifa, I don't know. We'll see... Thanks all!
Cheers, Dave