John Carreon

Hello Everyone, I'm shooting some test footage tomorrow and unfortunately, I wasn't able to aquire any filters. I'm going to be shooting 16mm, on an ARRI 16s, using the new FUJI 160T. How are the Wratten Gel Filters when used in front of the lens? Do they stand up? I need an 85B...any suggestions or recommendations? And tweaking it in post is not an option. Thanks, John

Hey Everybody, I have been given a few options for camera usage for a feature I'm going to be working on and I'm not quite sure which is the best. Well I know which are better...but what is the learning curve on these? HVX200 straight to Hard-Drive (lowest quality) XDCAM to disk...which has several different recording formats. (second best) F900 which is the superior of all 3 cameras... I'm mostly interested in hearing about people's experience with the XDCAM? Because I have never worked with it before. How do you people feel about it? Please and thank you... John

Thanks guys... I appreciate the responses...it helped me sleep a little easier last night... John

Hello, Somebody's DP dropped out of their movie 3 weeks before shooting and I was called in, at the last minute, to replace them. They plan on shooting on the HVX200 recording to the P2 Cards...I have never done this before and I wanted to get some info about the workflow. HVX200 records to P2 Cards... Now to get that info off the cards onto a Hard Drive I have several options. I can conect it with firewire to a computer and download that way (which I've heard is slow) I can use an older Mac PowerBook with an available PCMIA slot that accepts the P2 Cards (which, allegedly, is faster) I can record to a Firestore Device with a firewire cable. (which costs more money) Here's some questions: The firestore seems like the best idea since it has more storage capacity and costs roughly about the price of two 8GB P2 Cards...but is it that dependable? How often should I download the footage to make sure that there aren't any glitches? Or is this even necessary? Should I view my footage constantly to make sure I'm not getting any computer glitches? Do I need a special program to view the files once they have been downladed onto my computer? Will FCP play these? And also, do I need a special program to download these files onto my computer? I've heard people say it takes about as much time to dump footage off a P2 card as is does to do a mag change...but others have said, it takes 5-10 minutes...I'd get fired if a mag change ever took that long... I've been reading a lot of threads, here and elsewhere, but I still had some questions... What's the cheapest and most efficient workflow solution out of the bunch? I feel like I'm leaning towards the PowerBook with P2 capabilities... Thanks for reading this barrage of questions and chatter...I appreciate any and all info... John P.S. The Production doesn't have very much money, i.e. $0. So elaborate, expensive schemes won't work.

I'm glad people take enough time to use "italics" in their answers... I've learned a lot from those subtle nuances...

Hello, I will be possibly shooting some Day-for-Night on the new Panasonic HVX and I was wondering if anybody has any tips for doing this... I did search the topic and read up about it...but was hoping for a little more info. Do you people recommend doing almost everything in post? How much in-camera tweaking should I do? I plan on shooting some tests in the upcoming weeks and would like some ideas to toss around. Thanks, much appreciated, John

Hey, Quick Question...if someone says they are shooting Super 35mm on an Arri 3...what type of camera is this? Is that a common name for the BL3 or is there another camera by this name...I just wanted to ask around before I asked them. Thanks, John Carreon

If money isn't an issue then definitely get the SRIII and some nice 35mm lenses to pop on there... However, I think both other cameras will work for you if you need it. Worst case scenario is that you use the non-super SRII and then just frame in camera for whatever aspect ratio that you are going for. You said you might get a print made? Is this just for personal viewing? Because I think (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) that's it's relatively difficult to find 16mm projectors...besides at Film Schools...I don't think they're that common... Also, to save a little cash figure out what lenses you are gonna need...I've had shoots where the primes have sat in the box because we ended up using the zoom the whole time...a waste of money if you can figure it out beforehand... And now, I am going to Hijack this thread for a moment: Mr. Mullen, I too have read about the Kodak 7212 100T being the sharpest film stock. If you had a choice to shoot exteriors with either 7201 or 7212 what would your choice be and why? I know there are a lot of mitigating factors that come into play...but is there a significant difference in the look between the two? Thanks, John

I like the tests a lot. What are you shooting on? I don't know if you were just testing a look but the continuity of the light sources shifts a lot. First shot shows the door in the background to be lit...then the next shot when we come around the corner it's almost completely dark. Then the light jumps from the 2nd to last shot...to the last shot...I think, I just forgot even though I watched it 35 seconds ago...also in the last shot the light is a little bright on the actor's face...more so then any other shot. Besides that, it looks pretty cool...I like the style. Keep up the good work... John

Betacam is better quality... But unfortunately, the betacam tape is worthless unless you have a betacam deck...so if you plan on editing on your home computer you either have to rent a betacam deck (relatively expensive for a "no-budget" shoot) or get a mini-dv dupe made from the Betacam and then go to a post house afterwards and have them cut the Beta for you (relatively expensive)... My guess is that you can only afford Mini DV... I would recommend looking into getting it transferred straight to hard-drive and then you can export it out at a higher quality later...uncompressed, or HD... Just my unknowledgable two-cents... John

Hey Everyone, Post-Production is not my specialty...so please excuse the lack of knowledge. I have a basic home editing unit. Mac G5 with a few extra exterior hard drives... If I shoot in HDV. Bring in the footage to FCP as HDV and edit as HDV...what are my options for a final out? I don't have a Blue Ray/HD Disc Burner and even if I did...I don't know anyone that could watch it. So do I just have to down convert or is there any other way of keeping it in HDV without having to down convert to crappy DV Quality? Part two: If I do down convert what is the best codec? IS there anything that's better than DV NTSC that I can burn onto a DVD or export into some other easily accessible format? Can I convert into 10 bit uncompressed? Will that be able to be exported onto a regular DVD? I appreciate all and any info...I should just stick to shooting... John

Hey, There should be a switch on the bottom, back end, on the left hand side...that goes from "Auto Lock-Hold" "Hold" will lock all your settings into place... However, if your iris is wide open...and you zoom in...it will stop itself down to like a 2.8 or something...I don't think there is a way to combat this... I had a question about this myself...my own hack answer is that most Zoom lenses are a little slower then prime lenses...and also lenses with a long focal length are also sometimes slower... So when you zoom in on a digital camera you are increasing the focal length...and it's physically impossible for the camera to open up any wider at a certain point... Don't take this as fact...or even as hearsay since I don't really know what I'm talking about... If there is anybody else out there that knows this...please elaborate... Thanks, John

Thanks Guys...I appreciate it... John

Hello Everyone, I have a question about billing a client. I usually work on low budget stuff where I get a handfull of crushed and crumpled bills shoved into my hands at the end of the day...or work for a Production that goes through a payroll company and in turn, get a shiny new check in a few weeks... However, my latest employer asked me to create an invoice for the work I'm doing. Does anyone know of any basic templates or printable sheets that I can get off the internet, so I don't have to hand him a ripped out piece of notebook paper, chads hanging loosely, with the words "pay me $250 dollars" scrawled in crayon across it. I'm sure I could type something up on my comp relatively quickly...but if anyone has any tips or help it would be greatly appreciated... It was a flat day rate... Thanks in advance, John Carreon

I think that's also called business...or science...or witchcraft... That's the worst definition of art I've ever heard...I've never considered myself an artist...but I do now... The bag-lady down my street is a great artist...because she materialized something in my alley the other day...sure it smelled really bad and lots of flies were hanging out...but sometimes WE artists have to suffer a little bit... I apologize already...

It's not really sharing if nobody can see it...

Everyone keeps talking about the Halogen Worklights...which I admit, are decent enough on a low budget... But, I would also like to add that, a few chinese lanterns are great for some soft lighting or a nice fill. I've heard people recommend IKEA for this but I'm a nay-sayer on that, because if you head down to your local Chinatown you can find them in a myriad of sizes and colors for anywhere from 99 cents to 5 bucks. (IKEA is going to run you around $6-$8) Get yourself some Halogen worklights, a few clamp on fixtures,a few China Balls, some black and white foam core from you're local art store and you're ready to shoot some low budget goodness. if you have a decent monitor you can see how the different color temps are matching up and if you need to gel some or not. Start buying little things here and there and in a little while you'll have a respectable little package.

I would recommend getting a job at a rental house, if you have any in the area. You can get your hands on all sorts of camera equipment and meet a lot of learned people. I think being so young you'll meet some nice people, camera assistants and whatnot...and if you kiss a little ass maybe they'll let you tag along on a couple shoots...there is no better way to learn then by being on a few professional shoots to learn the ropes.

Hey David, I shot you an e-mail earlier but just wanted to make sure that you got it...or just to reinforce that I am interested in helping out. Thanks, John Carreon

I think John Hall had a good recommendation (and not just becasue we share the same name) about dressing up the walls themselves...even on a low budget you can scrounge up a few bucks for some pictures or even some cloth material to hang... Hell, go steal a rug from your Grandma's house for the weekend. One thing you can do...which is horribly immoral and wrong (but has worked on many occasions for me is to go to IKEA buy some stuff...treat it very gently like a newborn baby...or a sweet, sweet woman...and then disassemble it when you're done and return it to IKEA, explaining...it didn't fit...or your girlfriend hates your taste... But just remember..."you break, you buy!!!" John Carreon

Hello, Is $4k your entire budget...or solely for equipment only? What about food for the crew, costumes (if needed), money for FX and all the other stuff that goes into a production? If the $4 Grand is solely for equipment I would recommend shooting on film, Super 16mm. You'll probably have a relatively short schedule...maybe over a weekend so rental fees aren't too bad. Kodak is pretty good about hooking up young, and serious filmmakers with a respectable discount. As far as lights go...what's the "single location"? Is it a forest at night? An empty room? That totally effects the amount of lights you're going to need. Going outside at night is gonna kick up the amount of wattage you need to get a respectable shot plus generators and the like... You can be thrifty without losing quality, to a certain degree... John Carreon

Thanks a bunch guys... Anybody use any of Pro8's film? I would like to use Kodak just because it feels safer but they don't seem to make any slow speed daylight film for super 8mm. I know that they just cut and repackage the stuff...but I like to keep the least amount of hands touching my celluloid as possible... Thanks again John

Hello Everyone, So I was considering shooting an upcoming project on Super 8mm and I requested a promo DVD from Pro8mm. When I saw it I was a little surprised at how grainy it was. I know it's grainier then other formats but I would think if you were just finishing onto a dvd or Mini DV that it wouldn't be so noticeable... Does anyone know of any other examples on the web of Super 8mm photography? Does Final Cut have any sort of grain reduction capabilities or are there any plug-ins, or other programs that anyone has used to good effect? I know this isn't exactly cinematography...but before I go out and start shooting or testing, I just want to know my options. Thanks, John Carreon

Thanks for the responses guys, I appreciate it... John Carreon

Sorry people, I have a horrible time whenever I try to use the "Search" option to find info. I will be working on a short film this weekend and have the opportunity to use either a Betacam 507 or a Betacam 100B. I understand that the 100B is newer but does anyone have a preference between these two? I haven't had a chance to look at them yet and was hoping for some help. I will be shooting inside under controlled lighting. Is the depth of field significantly different between these cameras and any of the new prosumer DV or HDV cameras? Or is it still just focus as far as the eye can see... Would anybody recommend using like a softening filter to cut away some of the sharpness of the camera? Also I was trying to find some instruction manuals for these cameras but also came up a little empty handed. Does anybody know of a website that might have these listed. Thanks a bunch, John Carreon