Martin Amada

I have a jib I often use in very bright conditions which render my monitor practically useless. Since I sometimes have to operate myself, it's not always convenient to bury my head in a hood or use some other such shading method. Has anyone here tried using video glasses with a jib? Martin

I have a custom built M35 cine-adapter which I use with my SONY Z1U and a set of Carl Zeiss lenses. A cheap 60mm dia. achromat which I bought and mounted in an aluminum ring, screws into the camera's threads. I am getting pretty good results but there is a little softness at the edges of the images. I believe that by replacing the achromat with one of three better ones; either the Century Optics (now Schneider); Cinevate (Brevis) or Redrock's 72mm diameter achromatic diopter, I may get better results. Can anyone recommend one of these for use with a Z1U? Thanks, Martin

Morgan, try: www.mandy.com

Mitch, I built my own adaptor from Redrock's DIY plans. I'm satisfied with the build which is very solid, and with the mechanics of the way it functions. The images are also pretty good. But I would like to try different ground glass options. Is it possible to purchase the microcrystaline wafer you mentioned and if so, where?

I attended AFI?s Center for Advanced Film Studies in 1981/82. I haven?t remained in contact with anyone from those days and I only stayed in LA briefly, so I was fascinated to read that the school is now a conservatory which offers a Master of Fine Arts degree. Except for me, (possibly the only drop out in their history) when I attended, you earned a certificate. We shot and edited on Betacam equipment sponsored by SONY and I don?t believe film was an option in those days. Though I was in the screenwriting program, I had the opportunity to produce and direct my own short. I never got near the camera, but I did learn the proper way to roll up a power cable. And I learned to edit. We had 5 days to shoot a 30 minute script, and we got the editing decks for another 3, just enough time for a very rough cut. I guess I got about 35 hours of sleep in the 8 most exhilarating days of my life. The cost for the one-year program was about $3,500, which seemed reasonable even 25 years ago, considering the available options at that time for aspiring filmmakers who wanted to get hands-on experience. I was the youngest in a student body of about 80, and the only one without a background in filmmaking (except for having written two full-length screenplays) or an undergrad degree. Then too, it was a very mixed bag. Some of my fellows had already been working in the industry for years. I didn't get to know them very well unfortunately, as I skipped most of my classes and spent my days writing scripts I hoped the directors would use for their projects. There was an aura of glamour about the place. Regular seminars were given by folks like Barbra Streisand and David Lynch, and one of the director fellows got Sean Penn to play the lead in his short. A friend of mine had Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon play the leads in one of his. I have little doubt the point made about the value of networking in Los Angeles and learning teamwork is equally true today. Unfortunately I didn?t benefit much from that as I was socially debilitated by severe depression in my early twenties, but I sure wish I could do it all again, knowing what I know now, and for 3,500 bucks! Thanks for letting me reminisce.

I built the DIY version of the Redrock adaptor and modified it so that the ground glass can be moved fore and aft from outside the enclosure using an allen wrench on the two bolts that hold my custom machined motor mount. Very precise adjustment is possible. I've never seen what the RR production model looks like on the inside, so I can't say if the mod would work on it, but mine works perfectly. And it holds the motor in place in a rock solid grip. Here's a photo of the design/build.