Bob Eckhart

George-- Could you explain a bit more about how you're doing your negative conforming? I'm old school (work print with edge numbers) and don't entirely follow the newer processes. Thanks! Bob Eckhart

Webster--here's another 35mm topic where the joys (or lack thereof) of the ARRI IIa/b/c blimps are discussed: Shooting a feature with an Arri IIC, Which flatbase motor for an Arri blimp? I've basically come to the conclusion that the mods, compromises, and workarounds needed to get a crystal motor inside the 120 blimp are more trouble and expense than they're worth. I plan to try shooting with the (supplied) original ARRI AC motor, to see how long it'll hold sync, and under what conditions (since I'm shooting with crystal cameras). It's become more of a curiosity project now than a viable alternative to a BNCR or BL. I hope this helps! Bob

I did a fair amount of research on this after buying an ARRI 120 blimp for the IIa/b/c on eBay (before I bought the camera). :huh: It turns out that (at least for that model) getting a true crystal motor/base combination to work inside was going to require a ton of modifications and compromises re: ftge counters and mirror inching back to the viewing position. The ARRI 120 came with an ac-governed flatbase/motor combo that took a reference tone from the regular (wall) ac--like pre-crystal "pilotone." With luck, the camera may hold sync for short periods, but I'm not optimistic without extensive testing. Another issue is making sure you have the right (modified) camera door for the blimp's viewfinder extension tube. The IIB and IIC have different camera view ports and optics--a IIB door won't work on a IIC--so (at least in my case, where the blimp I bought included a modified IIB door) that could become an issue if you buy camera and blimp separately. Finally, the older (ARRI) blimps had a lead-based interior soundproofing material ("barifoil") that deteriorates badly in gear of that vintage. It sheds lots of nasty foam inside the blimp, which has to be removed and replaced to keep the unit clean and quiet enough for sync sound shooting. Even with all of the old material nicely stripped out, I've been quoted $1500-$1800 to replace the interior soundproofing. I've thought about an additional, exterior barney, but that adds another layer of complexity when you're out on your shoot. I've seen the BNCRs in the price range you're considering--and it looks like to me like size, weight, and portability would be a real problem, severely limiting the number of setups that could be done in a day. These would probably be fine for a studio setup, but I think that out in the field, they'd be murder. I hope this isn't off-putting--it's just some of the challenges I've learned about trying to do what you want to do. After all, a couple of difficult setups a day beats not doing anything at all! :)

Does anyone have a lab they especially like (or could recommend) in the LA/Southern California area for processing (regular) 16mm color neg and printing a color positive work print with edge numbers? I'd like to use my existing Steenbeck for cutting the workprint, but I've been told that lab work printing services for standard 16 are hard to find in the post-Avid world. Any referrals and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Bob

Tellef-- Thanks for the info on the Cine 60 blimp and CP flatbases! I'm told that a CP flatbase w/crystal motor, plus a Whitehouse controller (external to the blimp and wired through the electrical port) would be preferred for the ARRI 120, because that base has an inching knob on the camera / blimp door side to get the shutter back into the viewing position. I've never seen one, so can you confirm? I think that at 1 5/8" high, a CP base will fit inside the ARRI 120 blimp with the camera in the correct position to engage the lens focus arm mechanism--but I haven't seen one. I'm still not clear what arrangement would have to be made for viewing footage counts; but I do know that getting around to the inch knob on the opposite side of the camera would be difficult and unwieldy, so an accessible control is crucial. The original AC pilot/wild motor and flatbase made for this rig has a knurled top and a mechanism in the blimp to push a rubber roller up against it so that the motor can be turned from the outside--but it's not crystal sync. I've seen a (custom?) crystal sync / low profile flatbase that physically fits inside the blimp, but the jury's still out on what mods would be needed to make it all practical--for example, the crystal speed selector interferes with the blimp's removable rod back to the rear focus knob, so only the front focus could be used (unless the custom base can be modified to move the speed control--I guess there's always a solution....) You make a good point about different lenses and the ARRI 120's focus controls--when we positioned the custom base inside, the arm / plunger kept slipping out of the rabbit ears on a Zeiss lens--but that may have been because everything wasn't locked down in final position. Like you, I'll also need to use a barney on the blimp I've got, since the (barifoil?) foam and lead layers have been removed. It's pretty quiet even so--I'd guestimate that at least 80% of the noise is damped--but it definitely needs a barney for studio work. I still haven't entirely given up hope on mounting a crystal motor onto the existing flatbase, if the correct gear ratios and wiring can be worked out. I'm not sure what I'd have to do to my crystal Nagras and transfer gear to use pilot. If I had all this to do over again, I wouldn't get the ARRI blimp unless it had all the crystal motor issues already worked out. I think it would be far easier to build a custom blimp/barney for a complete, existing, working set up. Bob Eckhart

I think you're right--I may be better off simply going with a crystal BNCR or similar CP-35R package, which is starting to look pretty economical compared to buying an ARRI IIC pkge with a crystal motor that will fit in the blimp, plus mechanical and electrical modifications. I'm new to 35mm (I've always shot in 16 before), so I'm still learning about the operating characteristics of the various models I'm looking at. Is a fully loaded, rolling BNCR quiet enough to shoot sync sound on set or location? How would it compare noise-wise to a CP16R or an ARRI 16BL? Any thoughts on a 35mm novice (w/16 experience) going this route for a combination location/sound stage show? Thanks so much for your help--it's HUGELY appreciated!

I was very happy to find this forum re: the Arri sound blimp for the II a-b-c. I recently got hold of one of these, and now know (from this forum :) ) that it's a model 120 with the original wild 120v ac motor/flat base. I'm having concerns about finding a crystal sync motor that will work inside the blimp. Ideally, I'd like to find a motor that could be mounted directly onto the original ARRI flabase/gear drive that came with the blimp, with the crystal/control electronics outside, connected by wire through the electrical port. Does this sound posible, has anyone done it, or could anyone refer me to someone who might be able to do it? If that sounds dicey, can anyone suggest a low-profile, flat base/crystal motor combination that might work inside the blimp? The problems are: 1) making sure the camera/flat base can be mounted at the correct height and position to attach to the external focus ring controls; and 2) inching the mirror shutter back into viewing position. I've seen some solutions that would require opening the blimp to poke something down toward the inching knob on the back of the camera. (Uggh.) I'm told Cinema Products made a flat base/crystal motor combination that will probably fit, and has an inch knob on the front of the base. (Better, but I'm not sure of the height.) The CE IIB-C flatbase looks great, but I suspect it's too thick (high) to work inside the blimp. Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions or referrals? Also, does anyone know the dimensions of either the Cinema Products flatbase/crystal motor, or the CE version? Thanks so much for the help!