Ollie Bartlett

damn 9-5 job!

cant seem to find a way out of the kit room and onto the set :( ... i just have to know that if i try and learn everything i can, at some point the right person will ask me to assist them

Same as... gave up drinking and smoking exactly 82 days ago and had nothing since (you can tell i probably needed to by the fact its still counted in days). Anyway, hopefully moving to Hoboken sometime early next year so if and we can both have cokes.

Wow... sweet. Cheers Andrew. In one foul swoop you've cleared up my format issues and also in a roundabout way answered my questions as to what pulldown actually is. 2 for the price of 1... bargain!!! Should we ever meet i owe you a beer.

Ok so let me see if ive got this... 25p is 25 progressively scanned frames but yet the signal is still recorded to tape as 50 interlaced fields anyway? And even though the 750's can alter between 50i and 25p, the recording will always be interlaced? As in a 1080-50i recording that was scanned at 25p? Just in case this is right, would anybody be able to explain what happens when the system is set to 720-50p but the camera is set to 25p? That seems, and again going on the long shot that i understand any of this, that it would scan progressively, but for each time it scans it would record two full frames to tape, 25 times a second. wow im confused. Ollie

Hi there, Im having real problems getting my head around some format issues and would love it if i could get some clear answers. ive got an HDX-900 in front of me, and within the menu system it says, for example, that i can record 1080-50i, but as either an 50 field interlaced or 25 frame progressive signal. I've understand the difference between interlaced and progressive scanning, and the different look it will give you, but how can the two co-exist within the same signal? ie 1080-50i 25p. Ive always known a signal to either be interlaced or progressive, never both. Certainly, or as far as i know, this is not the case with say a sony 750p (or at least, i hope not otherwise ive missed something everyday at work for the last 3 months) Or am i being stupid and not realising that within the setting '1080-50i', you can record either a 50i or 25p signal, and that 1080-50i is simply the name for the system mode, and then camera mode sets up the actual recorded signal? Moreover, can anybody understand what ive just written, or is it all nonsense... :blink: ? Cheers people, Ollie

Look like a lot of fun... cant wait to see some of the in camera voodoo and wizardry that people pull off with this stuff. Although with it being an expendable i doubt i can rent it and i certainly cant afford it, therefore none of said voodoo or wizardry will be on my part :(

Ill dig my XL2 out when i get home and have a look to see if i can find the same issues you're having and any solutions. ... although to be honest, if the cameras definately in full manual mode, im pretty stumped. Good luck.

Tom, Im not sure that simply using an HD camera would solve Maliks problems he's having with the XL2's locked features ;) I've had a look at your previous topics, and 2 of your last 3 have been on the subject of time lapse photography or cinematography. Perhaps what might be more useful to Malik would be some suggestions as to why you personally believe he should attempt to work in HD as opposed to SD, aswell as any tips or tricks you might have up your sleeve that could aid him when he finally figures out the issues he's having with the XL2... im sure thats why we all use this forum. To ask when we need help, to give advice when we can help others. Over to the SD forum to continue.

Hi there, Are you definitely working with the camera in full manual? The camera wont let you do all sorts of things if you're in the wrong mode. Ollie

Depending on how many tapes youre talking about I'd be weary of recording black onto them. 1) It will be time consuming and dull... ... and 2) It will add valuable hours to your tape heads. Dont want that SP dying just yet! A few should be fine but i wouldnt want the job of blacking 100 or so. Is there client sensitive material on the tapes, and if not do they really need to be erased or could they just be passed on? As David said a college or community programme would benefit greatly from them... or the classifieds section of this site as long as someones willing to pay postage.

its true... taking acid would result in the creation of the most genius lighting plans and shot lists ever devised by man, so clever in fact that they might have to be kept secret from those not tripping, from those around you that aren't on the same level as you, from those whose eyes havnt been opened. ... in the morning though, none of these brilliant plans, not even those written in what seems to be peanut butter (you hope) on your lounge wall will make the slightest bit of sense. what about using things like source 4's to light background walls. with some colour and a decent a gobo slipped in, you could very easily shift the focus of the projected background pattern using the lens on the light, subtly changing the environment around the character. could be a bit theatrical, but it depends what youre going for. additionally, someone showed me this a while ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdZfiwdZWxo good, caustic, brain fizzing sound design could be key for you.

Whoops, my bad... forgot about them. SP seems to be fading out a bit over here due to the lack of 16:9 cameras about, although from what i know its still pretty standard on the continent. XD still doesnt seem to have taken proper root in the UK yet. It'll be a while before it can topple digi-beta from the standard (in terms of news coverage anyway) but i guess its only a matter of time.

Hi Nathan, In the UK we mostly use digi-beta for news reports, although from my understanding DVcam and HD are used failry often... infact pretty much anything. it all depends on what equipment is on the satelite truck. accessories for any of these would include a rain cover, spare batteries, camera light, shoulder strap, back focus chart... whatever you can find so that all eventualities are covered. hope that helps, ollie

ive never even seen a digi-prime in the flesh so forgive me for asking but was this neccessary because they have no macro focus function. on another note, i just tried to recreate the setup, or at least the basic principles of it in the kit room i call my home 40 hours a week, using a hj22 and an inverted j9 on a digi beta. although i could get things in close focus, i only ever achieved a small portholed image in the centre of the monitor, and im wondering why this is. if my understanding is correct, and its a big if, then i should be able to set the hj22 to 100mm (ish) and the j9 to its maximum focal length of 48 to achieve the approximately same effect as the 100mm / 50mm combo that was mentioned... so why so much such a small picture, when in the flickr photos you guys clearly achieved a full screen image. is this something to do with me using zoom lenses, or am i just overlooking something glaringly obvious? ollie

i second anything by blain brown. i have his cinematography book and found it a great read. really easy going, really imformative. gonna have to look into 'motion picture and video lighting' for myself... books are so expensive though here in the UK. infact if any uk based people have any literature they've outgrown then PM me and i might be interested. another one to note would be 'lighting for film and television' by gerald millarson (focal press). its usually my second port of call for technical lighting stuff i dont know (first of course would be the search function here :D )

think its just (or was anyway) a TD, but it lost its turboness whilst lugging a carload of source 4's up the m5, so i guess its just a diesel now. im intrigued though, whats the TDCi? i thought my TD was the pinacle of human engineering... why would they need to make an upgrade. ill try and post some pictures of the beast up later... remember they're not patches of rust, they're automotive beauty marks!!!

got to mention my 97' ford mondeo aspen diesel estate... cost me 300 quid with 200k on the clock, neither of the back doors close, the fuel caps bust, only i can lock the boot, turbo chargers gone so 0-30 in about a minute, wipers are out of service, only one window windy thing... need i go on. ... everyone mocks it, but guess who they crawl to when they need equipment lugged around. aaah.... smug mode!

Hey there, Ive been asked to see if theres any way to change the marker guides in the viewfinder so that an operator can frame for a 2.4:1 aspect ratio. I cant find anything in the manual about it and unfortunately the camera is out of the office at the moment so i cant just have a play around with it. Does anybody know if this is possible with the 750, and if so what menu it might be under. Cheers, Ollie

Hi there, I hear (although have no fact to back this up) that this may be a common problem with the 450's, so if anybody has an answer for me i'd be really appreciative. When listening to any audio coming through the headphones, whether it be during recording or payback, it always has a very distinct echo to it... almost as if its running straight from the mic aswell as spererately through some sort of onboard mixer. Its not there when the tape is played through a seperate vtr so has no consequence on the recording itself, but its just very annoying. I hear that this effect can somehow be turned off, but cannot find it in the extended menus. If anybody has any advise you could make a lot of people happy here. Cheers guys, Ollie

Hi all, Im on the lookout for the operational manual for a Sony BVW-300 AP. I cant seem to get my digitally orientated brain around its simplicity, and would love to just start at the beginning and work my way through it. If anyone has a link to a free online version or a pdf they could email to me id be really appreciative. Cheers guys, Ollie

Hi there, If its the same as the 750 then you need the camera off to begin with. Flip down the menu button and push in the jog wheel on the front of the camera body. Whilst still pressing the jog wheel turn the camera on and you should be in the extended menu system, where i think you can access the reset options through number 43 or 56 or something. You need to turn the camera off afterwards to save the changes (i think). Hope that helps, Ollie

Never seen anything quite like it before, but the box looks vaguely like an old limiter i have. Beyond that im stumped.

I remember hearing somewhere that they created a kind of ethereal starlight effect in Galadriels eyes (LOTR), by placing a wire mesh frame infront of her and littering it with white fairy lights. In close ups each of her eyes looks like a mini galaxy, with pinpricks of light scattered all over them. Something ive always wanted to try... never seem to have the time :(

Hi there, There are a load out there that all utilise various different lens mounts. Theres the Redrock Micro, Letus Extreme, SG Pro to name a few, all of which allow for a Nikon F-Mount and are reasonably inexpensive. Moving up a grade theres the Movietube, and if you're feeling flush the PS Technik Mini35. All of them essentially do the same thing, which is lose a lot of light, make shoots last twice as long and give you quite a soft image, but then again, you do get very shallow depth of field when using longer lenses (although not the 'automatic film look' that some people think they will produce). I myself use an XL2 with a redrock adaptor, and although happy with the results, have to consider for every shoot whether its actually needed. If you're shooting a doc it might be nice for interviews and things you can spend time setting up. I certainly wouldnt want to use it if i was going run and gun for any part of the film. You can see some results if you go to the redrock community site, and have a look at their theatre. This should give you some idea of its capabilities when used in the right hands (which unfortunately on yesterdays shoot did not seem to be my hands! :( ) Hope this helps, Ollie