benjamin aguilar

I've used these for the interior of a car on a shoot once. I still have a few and use them when needed, also used them on a music video for the interior of a limousine. They are fine as long as you have some minus green over them. I just cut some pieces up, removed the cover of the light and kept them in there. They work pretty good if you've got a few. -Benjamin

Good point. -Benjamin

That would be fantastic. I hadn't heard about it myself, but how much might these be going for? -Benjamin

I bought the Golden Door yesterday and have watched it, which was shot with SII's and III's as Hal pointed out. In my opinion, this film was well shot and lit. The lenses too performed very well and helped to add to the overall look of the film. They seemed to have been made for the color palette of this film, very complimenting. I would assume, since they must have rehoused the lenses, that they have also been re-coated as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but the look is different from some of the few other things I've seen shot with these lenses, one being consistency in color-reproduction between the lenses. Seems they might have been re-coated... -Benjamin

Will do Chris. Anyone else wanting to add some info regarding these lenses are more than welcomed. It would be helpful for myself and others who might be looking for info on these lenses and much appreciated as the info so far has been. -Benjamin

Unfortunately, I don't even have the extra money to spend right now, but due to the low cost and they're being such a good investment, I MUST. I figured, 1. I can use them with my 35mm camera 2. I can use them with my 16mm camera and 3. I can use them with my Red Rock micro-35mm lens adapter for my XL-2. That's one set that I can use for three different cameras. Also, I've been doing some side work lately and from my day job, I can pay them off within three to four months. Anyway, I've done more research on them and I think they would really fit my personal style. I like low-contrast, but would rather use high contrast glass and low-contrast stocks, but heh... oh well. I knocked them down to $1500, a little bit back in my pocket at least. -Benjamin

Yeah, the more I think about it the more I want to purchase them. I saw some stills for The Golden Door and really loved the way they seemed like paintings. I'm really into soft, painting-like cinematography. Anyways, I just have to get some focus gears, the special Std. to PL mount adapter and make sure my camera comes out of the shop properly PL-mounted and I'll be buying them. A steal compared to VP's prices, as Chris pointed out. -Benjamin

Thank you Chris for that bit of info. Contrast comparable to super speeds huh? Interesting. Will take that into account. Hal, I guess I would have to use an 80A filter with my daylight stocks then, whenever on the 75mm. Oh well... Now would it be possible to removed the focus wings and add a focus gear to each lens? I've removed focus wings before but am not sure on installing a focus gear. If it's possible, I can save many dollars on getting them rehoused. Thanks guys. -Benjamin

Chris, Thanks for the info. I hear rehousing is pretty expensive, but last time that same person told me something was expensive it turned out to only be about $250-$300 for what I'd asked for. I will probably call VP and / or ask around. So would you consider the S2s/3s to be low-contrast glass? Thanks Chris. -Benjamin

Hey everyone, I've been keeping my eye on a set of Cooke Speed Panchros SerII/III. 18mm(this one seems to be a "Ser.I") T2 25mm T2.2 SerIII 32mm T2.3 SerII 40mm T2.3 SerII 50mm T2.3 SerII 75mm T2.3 SerII I've searched all over(maybe it's just me) but couldn't find too much information regarding these lenses. I've learned that they are a bit warmer in color than Zeiss glass and also a bit softer, but more organic. Also, from the limited footage that I've seen, they seem to be more fitted for commercial work. Geoff Boyle seems to like them for some of his commercial work. But I have a few questions that maybe someone could help me out with. As of now, my camera is in the shop(getting PL mounted) and have been looking to get some glass and I've come across this set for $1,600. One of my concerns is that I'd have to rehouse them in PL mount and fit with focus gears as they still have the original wings on them. Or I could talk to Les Bosher about a special Std. to PL mount adapter for these types of lenses due to their unique focusing issue. Would I still be able to fit them with focus gears after attaining the adpater? Would getting them rehoused or buying the adapters be worth it when I could rent T1.3 Optars for $150 a day/weekend? This brings me to my other question(please forgive me for asking these questions, I could not find info on this here,CML or google), how do the T1.3 Optars perform in comparison to Cookes? Ultimately, I would like to be able to use this set(cookes) of lenses for both commercial and narrative work, but have concerns about them. Another plus would be that I could use the unaltered Cookes(with removable PL adapters) on my 16-S too. Anyways, any info regarding these questions and overall lens performances would be highly appreciated. Thanks guys. -Benjamin

Yep, it's all about film stocks and lenses. All I need now is a blimp for sync work. -Benjamin

Hey everyone, Just thought I'd post a quick note for anyone that cares. I've taken my CM-3 in to get PL mounted, which became an issue due to the turret. At first, George at Optical Electro House said I would have problems with lenses that had larger diameteres(Cooke S4's for example) then suggested another route which is to cut most of the turret off. So, he and Bobby will be working on that. In case anyone is interested in getting work done on their's or can pick one up for cheap, it is possible to use any PL-mounted lenses through this route. Also, this eliminates the need for a front hard PL-mount leaving the other two mounts for a Nikon or the original CA-1's. Though the converting to PL-mount is a bit expensive, it's definitely a good investment for work such as second unit photography or any other MOS shooting. One other thing. George is working on a new crystal motor. I believe they can have anywhere from 2 to 4 different crystal speeds, maybe more. It also has the ability to work with the mili-frame control. This new motor is less expensive than purchasing the current rental motor, almost two times less expensive... of course the first new one he's making already has my name written all over it :) -Benjamin

I've ran into the same problem(not the same lighting requirements). Since I am big into soft lighting, I have found this difficult, though was able to pull it off with some 50D before. I figure larger lamps with larger amounts of diffusion would help. -Benjamin

Hey Jon, Why not just get everything transfered to HDCAM(SR) or D5 and downconvert(to DVCAM or DVCPro50 ect...) from there for your offline. That might be one of the safest things to do if you don't think you'll have enough money to do a supervised best-light transfer of your EDL afterwards. I don't know about getting it Teranex'd afterwards(from the SD cut) as this could be a costly process, depending on how and who. You can often push the "one-light" a little more and get a better light for the same amount of time, this way if you transfer to an HD format you'll have better quality and can work from there as oppose to chancing it when you don't know if you'll get the EDL transfered to a higher quality format than what you started with(low-quality transfer). Just a thought. -Benjamin

Do you suppose it was as bad as Guy Ritchie's film Revolver? I actually went blindly into that movie(with a friend) thinking it would be an okay watch... I literally left the movie theatre apologizing to my friend for wasting his time, I really felt bad.

It's nice to see a colorful set, it's very refreshing and artful, it can be like a painting. That sucks the smoke / fog machine wasn't allowed. You'd have a fun time with smoke detectors though if you had it running :lol: I had that problem once at a friend's house, they just wouldn't turn off no matter how hard we tried, good thing his parents were pretty laid back though. Very interested to see the footage, keep us updated! -Benjamin

Hey Chris, I like the fact that you have plenty of color in the frame, it looks a bit too much, but sure it will turn out fine on film, especially with a lower contrast stock. Also, one thing that I think might be helpful is to add some fog in your shots. A light layer in the background(the crowd in the later shots and in the club) and in general for some nice atmosphere as sometimes certain shots can come out too clean. Not too much in the foreground though as things might start to get too low in contrast/muddy, I know I've been there ;) . Fog also seems perfect for this type of piece, also seems your storyboards have that look as well. Anyways, would like to see stills from the footage. By the way, what are you guys transfering on(spirit, rank ect...)? -Benjamin

Hey guys, Just got called for a job, DJ event to be shot, one day in Feb. and one day in March. both on Saturdays. Orange County area. Please PM me with a link to your reel and what equipment you might have in addition to your XL-2. Also, an email address, phone number and day rate would be very helpful to include. Los Angeles / Orange County locals only. Thanks a bunch. -Benjamin

Hey Simon, Very nice. What an honor. If you speak to him anytime soon, please direct him straight to me :) How was it to work with him? I finally got my heatlamps in(last week), and they seem to be the type, although I would have to put a two or three together to concentrate their light more efficiently as they don't give off nearly enough light that I would have liked. Must order some more. -Benjamin

Peter Deming David A. Makin Chris Doyle Amazing painters. Everything they shoot could be a painting hanging on the wall of an art gallery. -Benjamin

Thanks Jonathan. That must be the kind that was used, hopefully. I'm going to order some for sure, at least to test out now that it seems to be in the right direction for the look I'm going for. Might just load up my still camera with some 500T and shoot a test still or two. Thanks guys.

Heat lamps, like for lizards and such? Benjamin

Thanks for the reply Jonathan. That was what I was wondering about, the overly-orange look in the foreground. So you're thinking they could be some practical heatlamps found locally? I was thinking about doing a big test with different practicals but haven't been able to get the funds to do so. I hope you get a KITH series too. It's great stuff, both comedically and cinematography-wise(film segments). Anyone else have an idea or two?

Hey everyone, I have a quick question regarding the lights used in the still picture above, taken from a Kids in the Hall sketch, cinematographer David A. Makin. Does anyone know of a specific light available(brand, model number ect...) to produce this color of light or what it might read in degrees kelvin, or a certain gel that would produce this? I've tried to look for other examples on the web but could not find anything like this(with description) rendered on film. Don't mean to get off subject but David A. Makin's work on KITH is some of the best cinematography i've seen, very natural lighting, almost painting-like especially in the later season's, and one of the best user's of a fog machine IMHO. Anyways, thanks for any input. Benjamin

One thing I find helpful when pulling is to practice without looking at a monitor or viewfinder. Obviously a lot more practical to practice with a digital camera and a 35mm adapter set-up. If you have a set-up of your own or know someone who does. This is a lot more helpful with static camera shots and CU's I find. Get your subject in critical focus(with the help of a monitor of course), turn away from that monitor, hit record and start pulling(with the subject moving around at varying distances and speeds). Play it back, study the shot, repeat to correct mistakes and do it all over with different focal lengths and such. I find quite often on lower-budget shoots that there is no hoodman or flag available for avoiding glares / flares on the monitor, which kinda makes it harder to see if you're in focus or not(sometimes you only have one moment to check initial focus before a given shot). This way you are more intuitive at focus pulling. It helps too when pulling from the barrel and you have no time to create marks for various reasons, helps in a pinch. -Benjamin