jvfante

We are shooting a feature on 35mm film and will be using a small inconspicuous video "grab-cam" for some crowd pov's etc to be cut into the film. Of the three formats, 24p, 25p and HDV, and assuming a "pro-sumer" type camera, which would produce the best images? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I know from first-hand experience that it's fun to own the gear, but why not go to your local rental house and ask for a student or low-budget deal on a rental? Even in smaller markets, there are rental houses (or local DoP's) that have 35BL's, Moviecams and Arri 3's that are sitting on their shelves gathering dust. Most rental houses will let you have a package for a student or spec project for next to nothing, if you talk to them about it. Don't be afraid to ask. I've been surprised more than once that vendors would rather have their gear working than not. In the long run, it makes good business sense to them as well since you will more than likely come back again as you build your career. Best of luck. JVFante

We just completed a film shoot in Europe, Costa Rica and the US last Nov and Dec. 05. After discussions with Kodak reps in the US and UK, we were given, the following suggestions: In Europe, the scanners for hand-carried film are not a problem, but checking film as checked baggage is not recommended, especially in and out of Heathrow. The Kodak tech rep in London assured us that many productions were hand carrying film on a daily basis all over Europe, so we took his word for it and safely carried rawstock and exposed footage with us (when we had to) as carry on while we were working in Europe. In the US, Kodak's advice was "don't handcarry or check anything on a commercial flight, send it Fedex". So we did just that. Our exposed film (ASA's 100 & 200) was indeed sent via Fedex from Europe, New York and Costa Rica back to our lab in Burbank without any problems. If it's any consolation, it's been our experience that most emulsions of Kodak film are available worldwide at roughly the same price as in the states. Even in Costa Rica we were able to buy it from a local reseller. Where you pay more is in countries with high VAT's, and can discuss this with the local Kodak rep on reclaiming that when you leave the particular country. Hope that helps... John Fante

Looking for an experienced and talented Steadicam operator in the Amsterdam & Cologne area to work for 2 weeks in early November, 04 on a small 2nd-unit crew filming beauty shots. I'd very much appreciate any recommendations from DP's and other film makers in the community to find a talented and pleasant-natured Steadicam operator (pref. with gear) in the area. We will also need other local crew (AC, Gaffer & Grip), a good film lab and telecine. If you've shot recently in Germany and/or the Benelux countries and would like to share your experiences or can make suggestions, I'd be most appreciative. And thanks in advance for any and all helpful info. John