Bo Price

The automatic meter was off for starters. When I was getting a "16" reading, it was giving me a "5.6". I tried different cartridges, and it was always consistently off. I know the Canon compensates some for light-loss, but it still seemed like a lot. I shot some tests -- some with the automatic meter, and some without -- and overall the image was a little soft, especially compared to a Canon 1014 xls I've used in the past. It wasn't *bad*, but it was just a little soft. I was using the Velvia, which is usually really sharp. Anyway, high hopes for the Leicina!

That looks GREAT! What film stock did they use? I'm shooting some black and white soon with my Scoopic (not Ultra, unfortunately) and this has me excited. Great job...

After a somewhat underwhelming camera test with a "new" Canon 1014 xls, I've decided to swap it in and get the much ballyhooed Leicina Special, along with the much ballyhooed Macro Cinegon 10mm prime lens. I think I read the Cinegon is a 38 mm thread. But does anybody know what the 6-66 Schneider zoom is? I have a bunch of 72mm filters that I'd love to be able to step-up/down for the Leicina. Thanks! Bo

Does anyone know how much light is lost in the 1014 xls viewfinder? I've used these before with the automatic meter and never had a problem. But I just bought a new one and against my light meter, the 1014 xls seems to open up 2-3 stops more than the read I'm getting. With 50D film, in a "Sunny 16" situation, I was getting 5.6-8. Now -- the shutter speed seemed to account for 1/3 of a stop. And I think they read the 50D as 40, so that seems to be another 1/3. But that's at least 1 1/3 stop difference, sometimes a little more. I shot a roll today, so I'll know soon enough. But I'm wondering if I've always been over-exposing, and they've been compensating in the transfer. Incidentally, does anybody know how much latitude there is on reversal for telecine? I know for projection you have to pretty much nail it, but is there much lee-way for transfer?

Spectra Film and Video in Los Angeles can process and telecine. They are very good. I've heard Yale Film and Video in L.A. also does good telecine, but I haven't worked with them. (I think they only develop reversal film, though.) The only downside with Spectra is they are usually very busy, so the wait can sometimes be long. And transferring Super-8 is very expensive, but that's going to be the case everywhere. Check out their website: www.spectrafilmandvideo.com Good luck! Bo

Hey everybody, I'm running some camera tests with a new Scoopic this weekend, and I was wondering if anybody has used the gel-filter slot on a Scoopic, and what were the results compared to regular on-the-lens filters. Also, where do you get these filters? Do you just cut them down from other gels? Any recommendations? Thanks in advance, Bo

Wavy was perhaps the wrong word. Pixely-and low-res is maybe more accurate. I can't post a quicktime, though, because the quicktime looks fine. It's only when I play it on an HD TV that it looks bad. I've had this problem with other "amateur" films -- I watched somebody's Super-8 film on a flat-screen and it looked low-res as well. But on my old TV it looked great...

I made a short film (on Super-16), and I exported it to DVD. On a "regular" TV it plays great -- everything looks crisp. But on a flat-screen it looks bad. Very grainy, and sometimes a little "wavy", in a strange way. I know HD TVs don't do well when things aren't in HD (ie, the regular channels) -- but has anybody figured out how to burn DVDs that play better on flat-screens? There must be *something* that can be done -- since professional DVDs look pretty good, even if they're not in HD -- even if they were shot on 16 and not 35. Maybe I need better DVD software... (I'm just using iDVD right now.) Thanks so much for any help. Before I get a bunch of copies made, I'd like to get the best version, since almost nobody has the "regular" TVs anymore. Bo

I'm doing some primitive stop-motion animation for the credits for a short film I made. Basically just shooting a piece of paper and drawing the credits up one frame at a time. I was using the Canon 1014 xls. I've used this camera a lot, and I've never had problems with it -- and I even did stop motion tests, and it worked great. Only this time the footage came back ruined. It was very blurry, only coming into focus every once in awhile. It looks like the film wasn't registering properly, or wasn't at the right distance to the lens, etc. Now...I was using one of those metal pressure plates -- and I was wondering if anybody has used these and had this problem? Is it possible they can move the film slightly closer or further than the optimum exposure distance and cause this? I focused every credit carefully, using the split-viewer zoomed in, and then zooming out wider (which I always do). Occasionally though I took a few shots zoomed in all the way, and these looked OK. So...is it also possible that the lens isn't keeping focus when zooming out? I.e. -- the focus for one focal length isn't holding correctly for another? I don't think this is the case -- since the focus changes during the shots, and I'm using a remote release cable to click each frame -- and I'm not touching the camera at all between frames. Anyway, any help appreciated -- I have to decide to shoot again with this camera, rent another Canon, or use a Canon Scoopic and shoot on 16. Thanks, Bo

I checked out United Pacific today. I figured out the name before seeing these replies by googling "porn studio" and "swingers club" (I need to erase my google history!). What a trip. They have all these "QUIET! FILMING IN PROGRESS!" signs everywhere. But...nothing was being shot -- porno or otherwise. But the sets are classic -- locker rooms, strip clubs, jail cells. (If those walls could talk...) Anyway, the roof: Yes, you do have to climb two tough ladders to get up there. But they have *another* roof that I liked better, and you just walk out a regular door to. And the lady who showed me around was very nice. They want $1000/day, which is pretty steep for our budget, but it's nice to have a definite option if everything else falls through. (And I suspect they'd go lower...) And the area around there is great, too -- a lot of really rundown, deserted buildings. And it looks like we could shoot around those without any lip from anybody... I was planning on shooting a lot in actual downtown, but some of these spots might be easier, and less traffic noise as well. Anyway, thanks so much for all the replies, everybody -- it's been a big help and a big load off my mind! Bo

Thanks, Rob. I wanted one prime since we're doing a lot of "guerilla" shooting, and I wanted the camera to be as small and light as possible. And it's all handheld, so most of the film will be very wide, anyway. I'll go ahead with the 9.5, I think.

Wow, thank you! That sounds perfect... Especially the scrapyard. It's about some guys that build inventions out of crap they find in dumpsters -- old TVs, ham radios, etc. So that would be a great visual... Thanks so much for looking into that, Bo

I'm shooting a short in a couple of weeks on the A-Minima, and I'm using the Canon 8/64 zoom. I also want to get one wide prime, and I was going to get the Zeiss 9.5mm. But I heard there might be some distortion around the edges. Is that true? I want something very wide since I'm doing it all handheld, but I don't want any sort of fisheye look. I have a regular 16mm Scoopic, and 12.5mm doesn't seem wide enough on that, but maybe in Super-16 there is a slight difference? Any help appreciated. Thanks! Bo

Hey everybody, I'm shooting a short in 2 weeks, and our main location -- a downtown rooftop -- has fallen through. Can anyone help?! We're looking for sort of an industrial/downtown/New York feel. Any downtown rooftop would be great. Otherwise, preferably something sort of run-down looking, with "character", and big "structures" (other buildings, staircases, etc.) a big plus. We have a tiny budget, so we can't pay very much, but we could pay *something*, and we have full production insurance, etc. And it's just dialogue scenes -- nothing dangerous. There would only be about 6 of us, and we would be done in less than a day. If anybody has any leads or ideas that could help me with this, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much! Bo

Hey everybody, I?m shooting a short film in L.A. in October on the Aaton A-Minima. I?m doing it myself (and handheld) ? but I?ve never used an A-Minima before. So...I would like to hire a good AC who is very familiar with the A-Minima, who can load it, etc. and also serve as Mentor to me, as I barrel through this. If he/she can do handheld as well that?s a great plus, as a few shots might have more than one camera going at the same time. (We are mixing in some Super-8 and regular 16 with a Canon Scoopic.) I can pay $200/day for four days of shooting. I know this might be low, but this is the only position that is getting paid anything. The rest of the budget is going entirely to film stock, camera rentals, telecine, etc. But I know how important this position is, so I?d like to offer something to get somebody with experience. The short is called ?Primitive Technology.? It?s about a group of misfits who build inventions out of old crap they find (TVs, cellphones, etc.) We?re shooting a lot of it downtown, on rooftops, parking lots, etc. It should be (famous last words!) fun. If anyone is interested, or knows somebody I could contact, please let me know and I can tell you more about the project, etc. Thanks so much, Bo p.s. To give you an idea of the ?style? of the film ? you can check out a Super-8 short I made years ago: www.boprice.com Imagine the same thing, but in Super-16!

There is also this guy: http://www.super8guy.com He's really cool, and he rents out the Canon 1014 xls and 16mm Canon Scoopics. His prices are a little less than Spectra's, it looks like. The 1014xls is considered "top of the line" (along with a few others -- Nikon R10, Nizo 6080, or the Beaulieus) and VERY user friendly. His site has a great video about it -- showing how to load, shoot, change exposure settings, etc. Also, he has wide angle adaptors for it, which is nice. And I haven't been there, but this place also rents the 1014xls-- (and for very cheap, it looks like): http://www.yalefilmandvideo.com/rentals.htm Good luck! Bo

I'm shooting a short next month and I'm going to use the Aaton A-Minima. But I haven't used it before, and I was wondering if there is anyplace in L.A. that offers training on it. I'd like to be as familiar as possible with it before I start shooting. (I know it uses different camera loads, etc.) Or if anyone knows someone who has one and could show me the ropes, I would gladly pay them for a quick lesson. Thanks so much, Bo

So I have a Canon 1014 xls, which is really nice, but it's a little loud to use for dialogue, unless you put the camera really far away. I hear the Nizo 6080 is the quietest camera, so I'm thinking about that one. But is anyone familiar with the Beaulieu's? Like the 6008 Pro? I've seen a few for sale, but I'm not sure how loud they are. Also, do any of the high-end Beaulieu's have crystal-sync built in, or do they have to be modified? And one last one: which do you think has a better image, the Beaulieu or the Nizo 6080? Thanks so much -- this board has been a great help so far. Bo

I hope it works -- mine just came in the mail today! (And it was really expensive -- almost $200 with shipping.) I'm going to test it soon. It looks like it should help - it fits onto a cartridge perfectly. And it's very easy to pop on and off, which is nice. Does anybody know if this works with the Fuji stocks -- like the Velvia reversal? Are their cartridges different? That's what I want to try the most, but I have to wait until Spectra gets it back in stock. Anyway...I'll let you know whenever my test is done.