Marty Hamrick

Picked up an Elmo 1012 S-XL for next to nothing.It's in immaculate shape except for some minor issues.The viewfinder eyepiece is stuck,can't focus to eyesight.The trigger doesn't function,camera comes up to speed when the master switch is turned on.The camera is one of the quietest super 8 cameras I've seen.The last issue is the fstop display in the viewfinder.The display seems to have dropped down below the window,you can barely see the red on either end but no fstop numbers. These things seem like easy fixes,but tech bench time might be more than what this camera is worth.

Hadn't heard that.I just noted that when I was assisting another shooter from out of town,he was using SP tapes in his SX camera.He swears by it.

I've been shooting Beta SX now for a little over three years now and I was told by one of my collegues at another market that SP tape can be used in an SX deck.That a 20 minute SP tape will run about an hour in an SX camera,which he says is great fir things like court cases and other things where the tape consumption is high.Are there any real problems with this?Are there any risks to equipment,tape or material shot this way?What are the downsides?

I read on Cinema Technic's website,they are no longer offering the super 16,PL mount conversion to the Arri S.Something about the company that they farmed it out to going out of business.Anyone else doing it now?

If you want to still do the transfers yourself,alot of folks like the Workprinter.Moviestuff.com I think id their website.

I have a few Century Precision lenses designed originally for Betacams with Canon or Fuji TV zooms.I have used them with a few super 8 cameras,they just take a little finagling to jerry rig them right.Haven't tried it on a Scoopic yet.

I saw some of the demo footage from the folks who make the Supermag,but it didn't show what I wanted.I'm curious to see how the registration holds up,has anyone done a multi exposure registration test with it?I understand it has it's own pressure plate.

One of the Eumigs was the only super 8 sound projector I know of to accomodate both super 8 or regular 8 sound.

The difference will be noticeable, no doubt.How much of a difference is still dependent on what stocks you chose in either format,lighting conditions,processing and transfer.For example,if your 16mm is a fine grained negaive stock and your super 8 is reversal,the difference will be very jarring and noticeable.

An 85 filter is orange.I got stuck once without one and happened to have some blank processed 2 and a quarter color negatives.They were just the right size to tape over the lens hood.It worked for what I was shooting at the time.

I dunno.You can control and create an image with a video camera as well.Not as much maneuverability,but video has come a long way with the ability to control and manipulate the image.

Interesting you mention your grandfather.Creative/technical talent seems to be passed on from generation to generation and encompass all of the arts.I recently found a picture of my mom and aunts taken sometime back in the 1930's.I was told that my grandfather developed the negatives and printed them himself, a feat of some skill indeed considering that was the Depression era and my folks were very poor sharecroppers in rural South Georgia.I don't know what kind of camera he was using but I suspect it to be an old Kodak Brownie,where he opted to develop the pics himself rather than send them out.

My field is the exact opposite.I do news/doc type stuff and it's like playing jazz or alternative music vs. playing classical.Each day,I work with a different journalist,kind of like working with a different director/actor every day(our print counterparts call TV reporters "actors" in kind of good natured way of making fun of them),the script is written after the story is shot,based on the information found,interviews and video shot.Much of my job is "mind melding" with the reporter I work with and adapting my styles to theirs and adding my visual input.When I take a freelance gig on a commercial or anything else that is previsualized and designed beforehand,I have to take a step back and rethink my methodology. You should try docs sometime David,I bet the style would be very disciplined.

If you shot tungsten balanced film without the 85 in daylight or under cold florescents,HMI's,or anything else rated much over 4000K,it would come out blue.K40 I think is rated at 3200K.Pink??An 85 A filter is orange,the 85B is a bit warmer.Interesting.What time of day were you shooting and under what conditions?

Victor Nunez,a director here in my home state (Ulee's Gold,Gal Young Un)shoots in super 16 because he believes the smaller cameras provide a more intimate setting for his actors and they deliver a more natural performance,he also prefers the look of super 16 to straight 35. A Konvas 2M or even an Arri 352C is difficult to blimp.The Eclair is already blimped. Now for my question.If you shoot standard 16mm and want to satisfy all aspect ratios,1:85 for theatrical as well as 1:33 and 1:77 for HD,what's the best way to about framing?I've got a few indies coming up where that maybe a question.Unless they go the way of the others and shoot DV :(

Just out of curiousity,John,how much demand for 16mm optical sound release prints is there anymore?The last time I did a 16mm project for 16mm optical sound release was 1986.

I've never actually attempted this,but the sync contact in many super 8 cameras that's designed for single frame sync with a flash can be used for cable sync to a sound recorder. I want to know if anyone has ever tried this.I would like to attempt it with an old Nagra 3 and I would like some suggestions on how to accomplish this.Eventually I want to upgrade to mini disc or one of those Marantz audio recorders that record on a removeable hard drive.

I'm sure we will.I didn't say film projection was going to die tomorrow.What I was trying to get across was that in the final analysis it's going to come down to what makes the most money and costs the least.Right now it's not practical to convert over every theater in the country,but usually electronic equipment,especially that which must be mass produced gets cheaper,doesn't it? How much do you think it matters to the movie going audience?

I have heard that the surgery isn't permanent.That after about 5 to 7 years your astigmatism comes back and you can't wear contacts after that.I have read that that is not the case.Anyone know the real deal on this?

That's quite true.There are certain things that are looked for in docs that require a good deal of experience.They may want someone who has travelled extensively or have some kind of background in a particular field of study and being multi lingual helps. Phil is quite right,they all seem to want 25 year olds with 15 years experience,and I'll add who wil work for entry level pay.

You can cross process reversal (positive image) film as a negative.Not the other way around though.Think that's what they might've meant?

There are several places where you can get batteries.Chambliss in Atlanta is one place I can think of.I had the same thing happen on my Beaulieu.The handgrip batt went dead so we made some minor modifications to the power jack and built a battery pack out of an old camera case and used 10 D cells.Not too bad to lug around,minor inconvenience,but it lasted alot longer than the handgrip battery.Much cheaper too.

That's the rub there,John.Here in my neck of the woods,they did away with all the union projectionists when automated platter systems came out.The same guy or gal that serves you popcorn and tears your ticket is the same person that laces up and turns on the machine.He can't watch the film as after he turns it on he has to go pop popcorn and tear tickets.

When I saw that I had recently shot some stills for a friend of mine who was putting his motorcycle up for sale.Chrome city.You can't direct light reflective surfaces like chrome or they show up black.

I believe film will be around for awhile,but I'm not so sure this painting analogy is going to hold water much longer.Movies are business.The name of the game is making money and spending less so you can make more money.History has so far proven that if the business world can make money on a product that takes less work and less capital to put out,they will do it.Unfortunately,quality does suffer,but what's worse is the public gets sold on "cheaper,faster,newer=better" and the newer format takes hold and the quality bar drops as the public continues to pay for it. Oil paintings and water colors continue to be with us,but no one has to invest millions on an oil painting and then have to spend more on duplication,advertizing and distribution. I love film.I would like to someday go back to shooting it,but it's not looking too likely as the years go by.