Jump to content

Aapo Lettinen

Premium Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2,874

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Aapo Lettinen

  1. Aapo Lettinen
    if you choose the SR you can do with 15mm LW rods (buy the Arri adapter for that) and use a cheaper dovetail for balancing, for example Lanparte or Camtreehunt stuff. if you'll use the dovetail heavily and with other cameras as well it could be better to use more sturdy stuff like Arri. I have one of those Camtreehunt RedOne dovetail/baseplate sets for my Cameflex and similar weight cameras and it is quite ok for the price
  2. Aapo Lettinen
    if you can afford PL lenses, then the SR2. otherwise I would choose the NPR and buy couple of c-mount lenses for it as well to use for low light scenes and for shots where the angenieux's image quality is not enough. CP16R is a good camera as far as I know but the lens mount is too rare for practical use. if it's not a full package with all the lenses you need I would advise against it. if it's a silent film and not shooting in places where you could have flicker problems, then you can do with cheaper camera, for example Bolex. you mainly need the more expensive cameras for sync sound stuff and when you absolutely need 180° shutter and stable speed
  3. Aapo Lettinen
    battery powered led lights are quite usable if you can find ones which have good enough spectrum for your needs. I think a 300/650/1000 tungsten set is a good basic package and I would add a 2k tungsten fresnel if possible (I use them all the time in small shoots when HMI is too expensive to rent) . basic stands for the lights. the production can usually rent extra stands, flags etc. if needed because they are cheap to rent so you might manage with the bare minimum of cheaper stands as long as they are sturdy enough to be safe. couple of sandbags. If you can afford them, a dedo or two (100w range) may be handy in many shoots. You have to calculate how much you will use your gear on productions to justify whether to rent or to buy a piece of equipment. You won't need for example mini kino flo -s all the time so no need to buy one, you can probably substitute one with cheaper led gear in some situations. If you don't have ANY kind of camera you should buy one but if you already have a camera then it may be better to buy some lights before upgrading the camera body. Your camera don't necessarily need to be the best available because you don't usually get fully paid for the gear anyway and you'll be probably hired for other reasons than the gear you own
  4. Aapo Lettinen
    actually yes, if it helps making the whole movie better then I would definitely shoot that one scene on digital and the rest on film. I could change formats even within a scene if it helps to make the scene better (one example was a short film which I shot a while ago with 5D2 but for example a sunset scene we used sunset closeup shots which I made previously with Bolex 16RX which was easier to use for very bright objects and very long focal lengths and helped to make those shots look better) I think consistency is hugely overrated and is mostly important within a scene. You don't have to make the whole film with only one style just because of being scared of that it would otherwise distract the audience. you can also of course try to hide the different shooting mediums and blend them together hoping that the audience does not notice and only benefit from the different camera bodies which may be easier and more practical for some situations. Usually the audience doesn't notice anything if the shots are matched correctly. That's the common way to do it, I myself am trying to use the differences for my advantage rather than trying to hide them because differences can always be seen, more or less. shooting on dslr over film may be practical because of for example form factor, used light levels, ease of handling the material, small power requirements, possibility to shoot longer takes, possibility to shoot without disturbing the subjects too much (child actors, animals, amateur actors, public places, etc) , flicker or other sync issues (cheaper and/or older film cameras with oddball shutter angle or inconsistent speed) ....
  5. Aapo Lettinen
    If you are strictly prohibiting your project to use certain tools and mediums you may also compromise the end product. especially in documentary projects: you probably won't get the shot if you choose your tools only based on predetermined principles and methodology which you must follow. it will only make the project better if you allow it to 'breathe' :lol: The problem is specifically that quite some people seem to ONLY compare the mediums and tools based on aesthetics OR based on practical reasons :ph34r: you should always consider them together because they are dependent on each other and may also be interchangeable. for example choosing a dslr over arri 2c for a romantic scene may help the actors to deliver better performances (no mag changes, no disturbing noise...) and therefore make the scene much better even if it is not aesthetically as beautiful as with film. But the next scene may benefit greatly from 35mm and therefore should be shot with that :rolleyes: Just my 2 cents:
  6. Aapo Lettinen
    I think Deakins's style has always been quite close to that what's Alexa is good for when considering lighting, colour, contrast, gamma, graininess choices so it is quite natural for him to use a system which fits very well to his style most of the time. I have always thought that one of his goals is to minimise the grain and maximise the "natural sharpness" of the medium, so it is thus quite natural to shoot on Alexa then. His work is also very coherent over the years which further supports this choice. I don't know what he meant about the film stock problems, bad rolls from Kodak? sounds like quite unlikely, I've understood they have very strict quality control and would not definitely want to deliver mediocre quality product for someone like him :blink: I'm not strictly a Pro Film Guy, I'm a "pro--best-tools-for-a-shot" type a person so it's very natural for me to change the format even within a scene (intercutting and mixing crappy 5D2 image with N16mm and 35mm for example to get an emotional effect from mixing different image aesthetics) . I think most of the people who have shot lots of different formats at least partially support this view; one should always choose the medium and tools according to the project and conditions, there is no single perfect tool for all the different productions and shooting scenarios out there <_<
  7. Aapo Lettinen
    heavily used quality lights have to also be checked before use so you still have to know what you're doing. some 20-30 year old fresnels surely have at least some glitches and may have safety concerns because of the degrading parts (not out of the factory though like the Chinese counterparts) . Old HMI lights may also contain asbestos. So I'd suggest buying a new one or renting the stuff if you don't want to repair anything regularly
  8. Aapo Lettinen
    I have some first hand experiences with the Chinese tungsten fresnels and I would say it's too dangerous and frustrating to use them if you don't know how to repair them by yourself BEFORE USE. You have to check every connection, insulations, strain reliefs etc. The lights may be scratched or otherwise damaged in factory and may have for example bad quality, chipping ceramic parts, bent barn doors or low quality power cables (I have used my 300+300+650+1000 kit very lightly for a year now and have already had to replace the power cables because of the degrading rubber. I also had to do all the repairs before even trying to use them (repairing switches, connections, bent barn door, strain reliefs, etc.. One bulb base was so badly installed in factory that I couldn't repair it. did not even get all the money back) It's not that the Chinese are not be ABLE to do good products, it's their quality control which is the problem <_<
  9. Aapo Lettinen
    great, thanks a lot :lol: I found some info that it's supposed to be 28vdc +/- 4v. Maybe 20 or 21 NiMh cells would work. I will also ask him if acetate base 2R film would work with the camera, 2R polyester base is very difficult to find
  10. Aapo Lettinen
    I just got a Photo Sonics 1VN (action master 200) in unknown condition and no batteries. What kind of battery (voltage/amps) the original uses inside the "shoulder mount" adapter which is supposedly meant for sports high speed filming? the battery case itself is there but the cells are removed. I am planning to fit NiMh cells there once I know the voltage and power needed. and, is there some of the original lubricants available anymore or some alternatives for the movement? I won't use it regularly even if I get it working but may have to use it in cold temperatures (about -20°C or so) . maybe a 200ft roll once a month or so...
  11. Aapo Lettinen
    that is probably Metal Halide lamp and not true HMI, at least all the models I have seen for sale (Thomann etc places) were simple metal halide. the ballast design would be very difficult for cine use, you would need to make a extension cord for it to be useful because it would be very heavy and awkward if used as is. and it probably can't stand moisture/water at all because it is made for theatre/stage indoor use
  12. Aapo Lettinen
    one reason is that pro customers usually never pay the list price anyway (personalised quotes and discounts) so you have to pay the list price only if you are developing relatively small amount at the time. most labs also have specialised discounts for student productions and may have minimum order for certain discounts etc. Combining services (developing+scanning for example) complicates this even more because especially the scanning/telecine step is very work intense and the amount of work varies hugely depending on material and transfer options (1-light, slightly adjusted "almost 1-light", technical grade, best light, etc. + file formats and scanner type and capturing device, reel sizes, etc etc) . can take anything from 1:2 to 1:6 time wise for example so quite impossible to say the final price without seeing the material and instructions
  13. Aapo Lettinen
    for example 21 Grams was shot with the SL. I don't know how much of it was adr:d though. Aaton 35 was also used for sync sound in some films so it should certainly be possible
  14. Aapo Lettinen
    I recommend glueing velcro all over it so that you can attach it very easily to the camera, to your belt, etc. It may be a good idea to add a extra layer or two of heat shrink plastic on it before applying velcro so that the surface is more sturdy. You can even buy a cheap basic clip on utility belt from local hardware store and use it as a "battery belt", just attach the battery with velcro and you're ready to go :lol:
  15. Aapo Lettinen
    Mostly I have asked about price estimates for processing certain amount of film but have not yet ordered anything because I've been still in the process of shooting the rest of the batch. Thus getting silence most of the time. It is quite frustrating at times when you can't ask beforehand how much something costs and if they are even willing/able to process your films, you can't really compare their prices effectively because of this and it may delay the processing a bit if you're on a budget <_<
  16. Aapo Lettinen
    you can also use one of those easily opened reusable cartridges used with bulk loaders. If you have a photographer friend who uses film he can surely lend you one. they are also cheap to buy if your local photo store has them. Then you have to tape the film head to the spool in dark, close the cartridge and attach it to the camera in the dark, close the camera, and then you can rewind the film normally. You have to also copy the barcode to the cartridge afterwards before sending it to the lab. Or if you're not comfortable with this much manual work you can also take it to a lab which can process manually as Mark suggested. Sometimes it may also be possible to insert the film back to the original factory made cartridge without scratching it too much but it is much easier to use the bulk loader ones which are specifically meant to be easily opened multiple times ^_^
  17. Aapo Lettinen
    one thing I've never understood btw is why the heck it is so difficult to reach Lab people with email, almost all labs seem to skip most email questions about their services. this is not a single lab but almost ALL the labs I have ever tried to contact with even with different email accounts so it should not even be a spam filter issue and if you call them they have always read your emails even though not answered to them :blink:
  18. Aapo Lettinen
    I think it means very short or moderate processing times, good communication, excellent quality, possibility to negotiate price and delivery options and custom processing, etc. for example Andecfilm has usually quite long processing times by my experience, at least when sent from Finland. may be 1-2 weeks for developing plus shipping time and sometimes may be up to 2 MONTHS for developing+scanning which is incredibly long time. They seem to use leftover time from other companies for scanning services which adds considerably to the processing times. The quality is good overall but from time standpoint it is more suitable for amateur and semi pro customers. ------ As a reference, last time I processed 16 and 35mm film in STOPP they developed them in ONE DAY and with shipping the films from Finland to Sweden and back to me it took 4 days total :lol:
  19. Aapo Lettinen
    There is the former Stockholm Post Production (STOPP) lab in Sweden, now working under MediaMonks brand
  20. Aapo Lettinen
    Honestly saying, if you don't already know the pros and cons of every of the forementioned options you're not ready to buy one. I would be especially critical about buying more expensive digital cinema cameras because their normal working life in the industry is quite short (they outdate very quikcly). A good lens set plus other accessories is a great advice and good quality lower cost cameras (not a single camera body but for example an Ursa Mini 4.6k pl combined with used Moviecam Compact for example) work very well for low and mid budget work. The Red cameras are quite good image quality wise nowadays but they still have reliability problems sometimes and the raw workflow is a bit clumsy, although not as awkward as the Blackmagic dng workflow. If you want to go with Red, I would suggest Scarlet Dragon or the Raven when it comes out
  21. Aapo Lettinen
    I guess it works fine as long as you use spot meter and not incident meter for the coloured parts of the frame. I've understood that it was common practice to paint over stuff at b/w era with specific unconventional colors to get a certain effect on film (they painted even actors in some films :lol: )
  22. Aapo Lettinen
    Yeah build quality may be a serious issue and may also cause safety concerns. I bought some as arri tungsten fresnels last year for testing them out and for personal projects and had to repair them all at first to be able to use them. The materials may not necessarily be an issue but the quality control and quality of workmanship is. There was faulty bulb bases, loose strain reliefs, scratches on completely new lights, bad quality bulbs (may be very dangerouas with hmi lights!) , bad quality power cords (the rubber is starting to degrade after one year of very light use and I have to replace them soon). They saved some serious money compared to arri yes but they would have been very dangerous to use out of the box and actually only one of the three lighta even worked out of the box, had to repair them all
  23. Aapo Lettinen
    I got the first tests back from lab and will shoot some more material this week. I got the old Cameflex working quite easily, just had to open the body and mag to replace the lubricants and clean it thoroughly. It has steadier image than my Konvas cameras so it's more ideal for landscape and other tripod shots :lol: small sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDOj4_D_QX4 If someone is still shooting with these old cameras I'd love to see samples and finished projects, Vimeo has one short shot with Cameflex but that's about it :lol:
  24. Aapo Lettinen
    so it would be easier to have SOMETHING on the wall which is resembling the poster well enough most of the time so that IF it looks fake in one single shot you can rotoscope+replace only that poster and 95% of the rest can be the physical printed ones which will pass easily in most of the shots anyway
  25. Aapo Lettinen
    there is lots of work involved in rotoscoping the person's hair etc with good enough quality so that you would have good enough edge against the posters. remember that in tighter shots you will see the edge quality very clearly and it will immediately scream fake if there is anything wrong with it. in tighter shots it is also difficult to get enough tracking markers in frame to be able to get track on all the axis needed
×
×
  • Create New...