Ernie Zahn

thanks to the input by Ralph Keyser, I was pointed in the right direction for a good "audio assist" device. meaning something i'd use as an audio aid for post looping. anyway, i was also curious about a good and cheap device for recording live sound. thus far we've used a mac lap top with proprietary software and this is fine for controlled sets like soundstages and domestic indoor shoots. but there will be many shoots for various projects that will mean 12+ in forests, beaches, open water and elsewhere. For this we'll need something portable and preferably something discrete in case we ever need to implement guerrilla tactics! for indy filmmakers i've read tons and tons of form pages discuss DAT and minidisc. i have a minidisc recorder but it is not himd and thus, not lossless. i need a lossless portable sound recording device preferably a digital that simplifies capture. thus far i've seen that himd recorders start at $200 or so and go waay up from there. is this my best bet for lossless, digital recording in a portable device? any insight would be much appreciated.

Hi, I'm working on a film right now in Super8 and I'm wondering about a good device for sound recording. We're doing all the final soundtrack in post. We just need a simple recording device for "audio assist" basically a recording of the live soundtrack for reference. Because we won't be keeping the live audio, this can be a device that's cheap and produces a lossy sound. I don't really care about quality, just as long as we can determine what we're listening to. We have a tape recorder, which is fine then we have to capture the audio on to the computer so that's just an added task. I've seen a lot of mp3 recorders but only with built in mics. Anyone know of any that have a 1/8" mic-in? Something easy and cheap around $30.

Hello all, I'm working on a feature length Super-8 film. The majority of filming is has been in the U.S. but I was looking for help when I was shooting in France, England and Italy. Those shoots went really well, so now I'm asking for help in Israel. I know this message board represents talented filmmakers from all over the world, but where in the world exactly is not 100% clear to me. So let me please ask, is there anyone who is or will be in Jerusalem between Dec. 22nd '08 and Jan. 22nd '09? Please PM me or send an email to ernest.zahn@gmail.com. I'll provide further details through secure channels! NOTE: This was originally posted in the Super-8 forum, but as we'd like to a cam operator on set. What we really need is the staffing. We are looking for one other person besides ourselves to help with this shoot. You experience can range from novice to seasoned and the manner of your job on set will depend on what you can offer. We are looking for someone who is interested in helping out student filmmakers like ourselves or simply want to build their resume. We would offer contingent income depending on your level of involvement in the project. Please let me know via the e-mail provided.

Or, can someone point in the direction of a message board or online place where I might find someone to help?

Hello all, I'm working on a feature length Super-8 film. The majority of filming is has been in the U.S. but I was looking for help when I was shooting in France, England and Italy. Those shoots went really well, so now I'm asking for help in Israel. I know this message board represents talented filmmakers from all over the world, but where in the world exactly is not 100% clear to me. So let me please ask, is there anyone who is or will be in Jerusalem between Dec. 22nd '08 and Jan. 22nd '09? Please PM me or send an email to ernest.zahn@gmail.com. I'll provide further details through secure channels!

Thanks for the info and friendly warning. It doesn't look like it's in my budget.

Hey, I was wondering does anyone know where I can find a Beaulieu brand top loading magazine? I have a 6008S, so I know it can take it, but if anyone knows where I can get one of these it'd be much appreciated.

Confirmed, the manufacturer just sent me an e-mail as I had inquired a few weeks ago as well: Hi, Just wanted to let you know that new version of HFD Calculator will support 8mm and super8mm format. It is in review with Apple right now. Thanks A good thing to keep an eye out for.

It would be great if it could. Because I'm looking for a portable one.

I've seen a few iPhone and iPod Touch apps that are DoF calculators. One of them is geared for cinematography but specifically for 16mm and 35mm. Does anyone know if it could still apply to Super8mm? It would be a great tool. Its about 2 or 3 bucks too. But I wouldn't be interested if it were not something I could use for S8. Here's the product: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore...845071&mt=8

I've been wondering the same thing. The U.S. gov's official determination is 10 years though. But besides that, I've listened to .25 Reel to Reels that sound like they were recorded yesterday. The recording I listened to was from 1977. I have another here from 1964. The only imperfections are those that .25 had when the recording was first made. By that I mean the background noise and I couldn't even register the noise, I simply know it's there. When Led Zeppelin made their concert DVD, they used footage that was stored on something similar to C-Format Video Tape Reels. Again, the only flaws were that the video was not as sharp as what can be found now, but there was no loss of quality and these shows were from '75 and '79. I think it's all in how the tapes are stored.

Now I guess my very last question would be, where could I get my stuff transferred to HDCAM SR? I think I may pick up an LTO Datatape Drive, but I aim to have it archived on both.

Cool, thanks for the help everyone!

Yeah, I'm pretty convinced that tape is the way to go. I'm doing .25 reel to reel for our audio archival back up. But what tape format is best for HD archival? Is it in fact HDcam? I know that HDV is unstable, just like MiniDV. That's why the better alternative to MiniDV in SD is DVCam or BetaCam SP. So is HD Cam the HD equivalent? Does it encode 1080p?

Hello there, So it's never an issue with my movie film prints. I just clean them and store them properly. Then I let last them the way they do. I've been having trouble thinking of the best way to store digital video. I have stuff uncompressed and backed up on hard drives, but I'm hoping for a back up to my back up as hard disks (when corrupted) can ruin your day. Should anything happen to one hard drive it could mean the loss of years of work. I've tried various brands of hard drive and any all best ways to care for them. I'm convinced that it's simply a possibility that hard drives crash every now and then. Nothing's perfect, but it only needs to crash once to ruin my digital legacy. My movie film holds up because it doesn't degrade like most magnetic tape and there hasn't been a fire at my place yet. Film is delicate, but you just have be careful with it. So what about video? Is there another medium that can store video as well as hard drives and serve as a back up to them? HDCam perhaps? Suggestions would be much appreciated.

Yeah, that's a good deal, but I'd rather use the money in my PayPal then my debit or credit. Thank you though!

Hey all, I'm looking for a cheap tape splicer. Nothing fancy, anything sold retail online in the $20-$30 range that accepts PayPal?

Again, I'm not asking about the morality of the issue. I simply want to know if they still offer that at WalMart. I've always used Dwayne's. Been using them for four years now. But I'm making a feature length Super-8 film right now and it averages about 20 rolls a month to shoot. I simply can't afford this and then do telecining on top of it. I'm using WalMart because I'm running out of options and they just raised the price of processing by a dollar at Dawyne's. I still have to pay for college in the fall. We're trying to get investments but for now we're paying out of pocket and we need to cut corners somewhere. I don't want to use WalMart because I'm really opposed to those kinds of places, but I need to know if that's an option (if I can't get financing) because making this film means a lot to me.

This topic has been run into the ground, but I was wondering if for sure in past few months people have sent S8 film to WalMart to get processed. I don't want to attempt it until I know someone has done it recently. I don't want this film to be lost by clerical error at WalMart because they don't know what to do with it. Please let's not start a debate about the morality of processing at WalMart. A straight answer will be much appreciated.

Frame forge looks really awesome, maybe when I have the cash I'll look into that. Thanks for the links.

Does anyone know any good software that allows you to create shot lists on a Mac? I use Celtx for screenwriting and storyboarding, but it really is not easy to do shot lists with it. There is no proper format for it on there and it makes it difficult to read. I understand it because I wrote it but any other cam operators are having trouble despairing it. So does anyone know of any software that's good for this free or for sale?

So, I'm curious what do you all use for editing RED footage? What kind of computer and software can handle this kind of horse power resolution? Is there RED editing software? Do you use Avid? What kind of processing power must your computer need?

thanks for the help everyone:)

Are there any good guides for modding cameras? For example I want to be able to create an external power source for my Canon 514 XL so it can have more torque and running time. I was told that this is possible and it does create those results. Also are there any good systems that anyone has devised for diagnostic/maintenance for cameras? I'm trying to get a lot more involved in the engineering of the camera so I can rely less on third parties. I.e. repair shops etc. I'm going to start doing a lot of trial and error as well as reading up, but if there's anything anyone can contribute to my endeavor it would be a time saver for at least a few things.

This is a bit short notice, but my film group is shooting a scene for a film and we need a photographer. We'll have shots arranged for the shoot, so we wouldn't as much of a demanding role as say DP, but we'd need to you to operate the camera, adjust exposure and focus etc. -We intend to shoot between the days of May 13 and May 19. But the shoot will only take one day, it's simply a matter of -I'm flying into London, but w have decided on any of three locations: Paris, London or Florence. We would not ask you to travel the continent, we merely offer three locations depending on where you, the photographer may be. -We shoot this movie mostly in New England, USA so the major reason for this shoot is two of our producers/directors (including myself) happen to be in Europe at the same time and a scene shot abroad would greatly increase production value. So any of those three locations will work. -Since YOU would be the one doing us the huge favor we want to make time and place at your convenience as much as possible. That's why both day and location are not yet finalized. -I'll provide filmstock and any other items, if you could provide 1) camera 2) tripod 3) and anything else you know you'd need as photographer i.e. lighting meter etc. -This not a high budget film, we can only provide money for your expenses and cover your meal. Unfortunately we cannot provide money for your time, that would be the favor I'm talking about. You would of course be fully credited, get a copy of the film and we'd keep you apprised of the film's releases in festival etc. Let me know if there are any other questions. I'd rather leave details about the film on a need to know basis, if you message me saying that there is a chance you can do it, then I'll give further details about the film. I will say that it is being shot entirely on Super8mm and it is a sketch comedy. Here's the site: Niente Peaches.com