Annie Wengenroth

The sponge side works wonders in torrential thunderstorms, though I only use it on filters. The chamois side is ok for lenses if you moisten it with lens cleaner. So as someone who hates the wasteful nature of lens paper/tissue, I consider it a worthy investment. I have yet to try it on my snowboarding goggles.

Well, I'm an AC and now a budding camera technician as well, so I thought I'd chime in. A few years ago when I was still in school, I worked in the equipment room and was grabbing a 1000' Moviecam mag case from a high shelf with my left hand. And crunch, there went my shoulder. I basically strained whatever muscle is under your shoulder blade, which occasionally gave me tingling in the fingertips of my right hand, which as you can imagine, scared the crap out of me. Worker's comp covered a visit to an orthopedist who did x-rays and said I was fine, plus some awesome pain meds. Well, 3 years later, it's still not the same...my range of motion on that side is not the same as my right (although being that I'm right-handed, should I expect it to be?). And yeah. It kinda sucks to rotate my shoulders and hear things crunching that haven't always been that way. :( Nearly a year of pushing around extremely heavy gear at CSC, combined with the fact that a Panaflex GII is probably about 70% of my body weight, I get some good cracking sounds out of my lower back too. Tack on the AC tool belt and it's the same deal. As for the camera tech gig, I sometimes get eye strain and a sore wrist, my shoulders cramp up from being hunched over small parts at a workbench, and the worst of it is the basement in which I am working, which has resulted in asthma that doesn't seem to want to go away even though I've now moved out. And as for the job I am on now, so far I have experienced a c-stand on my toe, a battery block on my other toe, chigger and mosquito bites on my legs, a bee sting above my left eye, a sore right wrist from carrying the camera, and a bruised right shoulder from the [unpadded] tripod digging into me. Oh, and a bruised knee from tripping over a root while carrying the camera body case and falling, banging my knee into the case, and then banging it on the ground. I'm not saying any of this to illicit pity, lectures, or to scare anyone who hasn't even started in the industry yet, I'm just throwing it out there as information...and god knows when I can get health insurance again, I'll do everything I can to patch myself up. For the time being, I like a combination of hard liquor after a long day, stretching and yoga at the gym with some light weights thrown in, the old albuterol inhaler routine, and a massage when I can get it. It sucks to be 26 and wake up some days feeling like I'm 75, but I'm sure it would suck more to be sitting at a desk squinting at a computer or something. Wearing nice clothes and all that. Gah.... :P

Wow that's really interesting stuff...thanks for looking it up, David. I had a hunch it was a cost issue (what isn't? haha) but it was good to read about what gelatin actually does for the film.

Make sure you go to all the review sessions, they are really helpful. Study the different cameras and their characteristics too- what makes one different from the other. And take photos at the review sessions, I think that helps a lot of people. Good luck!

Okay, so I'm a vegan and have been since last summer. As time goes by, I'm starting to solidify my beliefs more and more. I'm not gonna try to convert anybody or anything, so don't worry. But I am curious- I don't really know that much about how film is made. So, why does film have gelatin in it? Why not some other material? What is the purpose of the gelatin and what do you think would be some possible alternatives? I'm sure I could just look it up, but I'd be curious to hear speculations or even straight answers here. I mean heck, they managed to make vegan jello. Is it really out of the question to think that Kodak would figure out a way to work around this? Ah, the things I think about at 1 in the morning...

The lab/expendables shop nearby closed and now I have 120 Sony Pro Dat Plus DAT tapes which I have no use for. Would this be of interest to anybody? PM me if you think you could use them!

No, I did not rob an expendables shop. But I do have a vast array of gaffer's tape taking up valuable break-dancing space in my living room. They are all new. $5 a roll plus shipping, $45 for 10 rolls, $85 for 20. Beyond that, I'll do some math and cut you a righteous deal. PM me if you're interested. Like I mentioned, the black and white comes in 1" and 2", and the gray is 2".

The school I work at is decommissioning a bunch of lenses, which is a fancy word for "throwing away". So far, most of the ones I'm looking at won't even focus anymore and breathe all over the place. How salvageable would they be for parts? Who do you think would be able to use them?

Mark Dunn=win

I don't know man...if it meant the difference between having electricity and, well, NOT, I took some pretty sh*tty jobs in NYC. And will continue to take sh*tty jobs there upon moving back in the spring. It's still work. I don't think anyone should aspire to work for 20 bucks a day, but on the other hand, if you're not making any other money, I think you look like more of a jackass if you turn down work because of what you SHOULD be getting. Bottom line is, you AREN'T. So if you have to make $2000 a month to survive bare minimum, it's the middle of the month, and you only have $400 in the bank, maybe it's time to either 1) start working no matter what it is, 2) quit bitching and go work at Starbuck's, or 3) go find a nice-sized cardboard box overlooking a cozy alleyway in Alphabet City and start praying. I'm just saying. In a perfect world, we all get paid what we're worth, but the film industry is far from perfect. That's not to say we shouldn't stand up for what we feel we deserve, but at the same time, if you work 10 sh*tty Craigslist jobs in a month, life is a hell of a lot better than not making any money at all. I think if you have a family supporting you or if you live in a suburb or small town, it's easy to turn your nose up, but if you're in a big city, good luck with that.

I was at the local outdoor supply store looking for a new messenger bag (BTW if you guys want a great bag made of recycled materials, for a set bag or otherwise, check out Osprey!) and I came across these little chamois sponges called Snow Erasers, made by Smith (the snowboard/ski goggle company). One side has a chamois and the other is a sponge. It seems like they might be good for lenses and filters in not-so-good weather conditions. I am going to test one on a crappy lens at work to make sure, but if it seems like they work, I'll let everyone know. It reminds me of the Lens Pen a little bit, just in sponge form. They are $3 each.

I cleared out the closet under the stairs in the film building, found the film winder, tightened up the screws in the floor, and am going to Home Depot sometime next week to buy a rubber strip to put on the bottom of the door so that the room is light-tight. So now we'll have a darkroom again! In regards to film winders, IF my school gets rid of any, I will let you guys know. I saw a few of them down in storage but we might be keeping them for classroom use.

Maybe you should give Panavision Florida a call? Or Panavision Orlando, whatever they're called. ...The Panavision in Orlando, Florida! Most rental houses are happy to show off their gear, I would just avoid calling on a busy day (Monday or Friday).

I made my own, I'll see if I can find it. If you want copies of my old notes, let me know...I have some old test copies and other stuff that I used when I studied. Just PM me and I can either snail-mail it or make some PDF's.

All the Steenbecks have now been spoken for...I'll keep you guys posted on the details!

The school is really weird about Phasing Out Equipment (that's what they call it :sigh:). I decided the best and most karma-friendly way to help them out, would be to intercept their original plan (of mercilessly dumping them somewhere) by giving them to people who could use them better. There's all sorts of red tape to deal with when it comes to selling gear at this place. We're getting rid of the Steenbecks because we are short on space and the curriculum for Intro to Film no longer uses them. Instead they transfer with an Elmo and then edit on Avid. I have a lot of feelings about this which have nothing to do with money and everything to do with my morals and my complete, head-over-heels love for film, but I'll spare ya the soliloquy. Hal- an in-house film lab huh? Until 2 weeks ago, there was a processing/telecine lab next door. And now they are closed. Probably, again, money issues. Of course in the back of my mind, part of me can't help but think- given what *I* do for the school- "Job security? Uh.... :huh: " Who knows, things change a lot at the school and like I said, we're short on space these days so I think that is their primary concern. In fact I think they hired me because I fit in a Ronford Baker standard legs case. I wouldn't be surprised if I walked in one day and all the chairs were gone or something. "Oh yeah...we're really short on space, so...yeah. Pull up a piece of floor, have a seat." Literally, where I work, I have just enough room for my workbench and a set of bins a few feet behind me. I sometimes have contests with myself to see how much poop I can fit on my desk. IT'S A CONSPIRACY! THEY WANT ME TO FIX EVERYTHING SO THEY CAN HOCK IT ON EBAY AND BUY THE ENTIRE TOWN OF SAVANNAH! :lol: By the way, three Steenbecks have already been spoken for.

The person who just casually suggested that I wind it by hand, has been inhabiting this planet for decades longer than I have. I would venture to guess that he has done this a few more times than me. Next time he suggests that I do this by hand, I'll just hand it over and be like, "Sorry, I'm too new school to do this." :lol: Although the best part of this is that I told my boss what I had to do, "...since we don't have a film winder" and he said, "Yes we do. It's in the closet." Things It Would Have Been Nice To Know, Part 1.

I didn't specify, these are 16mm Steenbecks, just so everyone knows!

I'm glad I took the test, it's the easiest way to prove to people that you know what you're doing. Hey James, I've got some old notes if your group is interested. Let me know via PM and I'll send them your way. I remember looking at all that stuff on the subway over and over and over! Muttering filter factors to myself...staying up late looking at the Quick Guides...those were the days! Best of luck, everyone!

The school where I work is planning to get rid of their Steenbeck flatbed editing machines. I believe we have six of them, and all were completely overhauled about a year ago. The school was planning to basically pay someone to haul them off and I offered to try and find a better home. If anyone is interested, please PM me and I can give you more details. As far as I know, you would only have to pay for whatever the shipping/transport cost is. I would hate to see these machines go completely to waste in some landfill in Georgia or something...I would rather see them used by another school. I don't think you would have to take all of them, either. So if anybody is interested, please let me know.

So I think I just experienced Murphy's Law in full effect. The lab in town closed two weeks ago and suddenly I was left with two rolls of major old skool stock on daylight spools, generously donated to me by one of the cinematography professors, to use for a registration test. What to do? With no access to a film winder (I know, the horror), and way too much spare time on a rainy Sunday evening, I opted to bust out the changing tent and begin my journey. This was all fine and good except suddenly, things began to happen. I had my computer on, running Itunes and AOL Instant Messenger. My phone was on, too. Nobody else in the entire world had any idea that I would soon be in a position where I would be unable to answer the phone or type messages. Or change the Itunes. "It'll be fun," I thought to myself. "Sort of relaxing, like yoga or something. ...Just get it over with." At the exact moment that my hands entered the sleeves of my tent, my phone rang. I began questioning my reasons for choosing the Beastie Boys' "Brass Monkey" as my ring tone. And as if that wasn't enough, I became flooded with instant messages. I kept winding and began to feel that things were getting somewhat sloppy and tedious. It became a test of wills. My phone rang again. And then Belle and Sebastian came on Itunes and refused to stop playing; for some ungodly reason when I put it on loop, Itunes decided to repeat the same few songs over and over. I normally have nothing against Belle and Sebastian but I don't usually listen to "Like Dylan in the Movies" three times in a row. Suddenly, my nose began to itch. And my cat became unusually interested in what the big black thing was on the coffee table. "Mommy can't pet you right now, she's busy," I said as she began kneading her paws on my leg and thus digging her claws into my skin. Eventually, as the rest of the world went on without me, my phone and computer piled up with unanswered messages, and my cat lost interest in my shenanigans, I finished off the roll and stuck the damn thing in a can. Fun times! Moral of the story, just make the lab do it!

Let's go! LET'S JUST SETTLE THIS RIGHT NOW...YOU TAKE AN HVX AND I'LL TAKE AN ARRIFLEX 16S AND WE'LL WAIT 5 YEARS AND SEE WHICH CAMERA IS STILL THE MOST AWESOME!11!

Okay, I couldn't resist... The Film Vs. Digital Drinking Game: Take a drink... 1. Every time somebody mentions resolution and how a "x"k scan "holds up just as well as film". Because, you know, you might as well "prove" that the sky is blue. 2. Any mention of the Red, Genesis, or HVX w/ 35mm adapter. If in conjunction with David Lynch or other "experimental" directors/projects, take two drinks. 3. Bonus shot if the phrase "apples and oranges" is used more than once. 4. If debating this with a first-year film student (no offense, guys, you know I love ya!) who just took Intro to Video, it's time to line up 3 Jager Bombs and knock em back while loudly proclaiming, "16MM WILL NEVER DIE! GOD BLESS THE BOLEX!" Then set a camcorder on fire! 5. If debating this with someone who works in a film processing/transfer lab, offer to buy the whole round because hey, in another 5 years, they might not have a job, right? I mean, if this is the way things are going? :P 6. And if you're talking to me, take a drink every time I either say the f-word or make some sort of grandiose statement about how when I have kids, I Want Them To Know What Film IS, Dammit! 7. For every citation of 1) the latest American Cinematographer article, 2) a brochure you saw at NAB, 3) that guy you talked to in the sales department of Panasonic. 8. Bonus rounds if the following artists are mentioned: Monet, Cezanne, Seurat, Jasper Johns. ....That's really all I have to say about this... ;)

I don't know if I'm allowed to give away Arri secrets... it would basically be a low-rez JPEG scan of a copy... but I'll see if I can find it again! As far as exploded drawings go, it's not very, well, explosive...there aren't many parts to it and it's really pretty simple. I do want to see if a standard FF-4 fixed focal length gear would fit on it and grab the lens better. When I am done reassembling the 10 SR2 mags sitting on my desk, completing an Excel spreadsheet for a 416 camera package, and placing 3 different parts orders to 3 different people, I'd be glad to look into this some more! (No, seriously- I'm just busy right now!)

Personally, I think you should go for it. I have a friend who is working at Pany Woodland Hills this summer as an intern and she's pretty psyched. I used to work at CSC and I've only recently come to appreciate how much I learned there, especially with my job now. The connections I made there have remained solid ever since I first got to New York and if it hadn't been for that job, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing now. Okay so the pay isn't great, but at least it's steady money, and at least you'll have constant exposure to the gear and many chances to meet people and learn new things. Good luck!