Marcel Zyskind

I heard the other day that Odeon Leicester Square hasn't screened a film print for 3 months. But then again I haven't been there for 3 months myself so I don't know for sure.

I heard the other day that Odeon Leicester Square hasn't screened a film print for 3 months. But then again I haven't been there for 3 months myself so I don't know for sure.

Hi Technicolor has just finished a version of A Mighty Heart for a D-Cinema release in the US as well. Out of the ca. 1500 copies, 500 will be projected in D-Cinemas. I most say I was happily surprised when I saw it projected at Technicolor in London. The film was originated on HDCAM and I always thought that a filmout helped the HD look less videoish. But now I'm not so sure. I thought it looked great. No scratches, no bad projector switchovers. No odd colors in the print. It opens June 22 in the States and it will be released in 1:2.35. All the best. Marcel

Hi Max Michael's film was shot on HDCAM on the Sony HDW750. Flashback sequences on DV and anamorphic 35mm. It's a good film, I'm very pleased with it. It was shown out of competition. Projection in Berlin is really good as well. Don't have good memories from Venice since a sound reel snapped when we showed Code 46 there and it took 30 minutes to get going again. Never again picture and sound separate. Combined print only! Remember. Also in Cannes, in the small theatre in the main building, can't remember the name, there was a shadow at the bottom of the screen, from the frame of the projection window! Another chok. I think there was three tracking shots in Roy's film. One really big one which came as huge surprise and woke me up a bit and then two very subtle ones. Marcel

Hi I was there this year since I had two films in the festival. What a madhouse though. As Max said, only go if you have a film there or if you're press. I saw Roy Anderssons new film there Du Levande. Nice cinematography. Roy Andersson style. Bit of a tough watch towards the end as the film dragged on a bit. I must say, for the worlds biggest film festival, the projectors are crap. In the main theatre the projectors were very cold. In Debussy Theatre one of the projectors were out of focus and the image wasn't really stable. The projectionists must be overworked or they don't care, but their reel changes were really bad! 10 seconds black between reel 1 and 2 at the premiere of one our films. I was in chok. This guys saw a lot of films: http://blogs.indiewire.com/lincoln/archives/13649.html All the best Marcel

Hi No, I have not used the HVX200 camera in P2 mode. Marcel

Hi Sam Thank you for your compliments, everything is going very well. I have just returned home from Cannes. I had two films showing there, A Mighty Heart and Mister Lonely, so it was great to be there. Otherwise it's pretty over the top there and I'm glad to be home. With regards to settings for 9 Songs, I shot that in 50i rather than 25p. That was due to the fact that we were still using our PD150's to intercut scenes with. Camera settings other than that I don't really recall. Standard settings. Anamorphic lenses. For Road to Guantanamo, I used the settings from swisseffects.ch. I really liked that look, it gives a slightly low contrasty look which is good for the grade. Other than that is was shot in 25p with an anamorphic lens on. Michael's next film we will be shooting on the new Sony V1. I did a test recently, shot on the V1, HVX200 in dv mode and S16mm. The V1 stood out surprisingly well. 16mm still has a more organic look, but was grainer. The dv just didn't look very good compared to the two other cameras. HVX in P2 mode is not an option when shooting with Michael. Too cumbersome... Hope that helps a bit. All the best Marcel

Hi Oron Check out: http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=141 & http://www.swisseffects.ch/english/e_tape/pages/e_tape.htm All the best Marcel

Hi Andy Yeah, that is a shame, but also it would make it pretty difficult to frame such squezed image. All though with a little practice... What I'm looking for at the moment is a 1.3x anamorphic lens to go onto the new Sony V1. Unfortunatly the older ones that used to fit the PD150 does not fit the new Sony. If anyone know a lensmaker around Europe somewhere who can make me a 1.3x anamorphic lens to fit the the Sony V1 please let me know. All the best Marcel

Hi Andy Yes, I would actually like to have the trailers in better quality on there. To be honest I've nicked most of them of the web. I don't really know how to rip the trailers of my dvd's. If anyone have any suggestions I'll be happy to hear your advice. Hi Morgan If I'm thinking of what I think you're thinking then if you look at the wide performance shots we had a yellow gel on the left backlight. When the images were desaturated the yellow changed to a more neutral feel and the keylight which was ungelled became more desaturated. So basically the answer is a gel on the left backlight. All the best Marcel Richard you're too kind.

Hi Andy Yes, it was achieved with this combination. Marcel

Hi James I have followed Adam's advice and used the H264 codec for the commercials and music videos on the site. I think it has helped. Thanks for your nice words. Marcel

Hi Adam Thanks, I do need to tweak some of the clips. Many thanks. Marcel André many thanks as well.

Hi Tim The side scrolling is on purpose. A bit like a timeline or a widescreen image... Thanks for pointing it out though. Marcel

Hello there Finally I have website. If you have time please drop by and have a look. http://www.marcelzyskind.com All the best Marcel

Hi Try: http://www.swisseffects.ch/english/e_tape/pages/e_tape.htm On the left press camera setup and choose your camera. I have used their settings with good results before. All the best Marcel

Hi Gumonstro I did use upto 6db gain on the PD150. I don't think the gain upto 6db is as noticable on DV as it is on the higher end Sony HD cameras. On the HDW 750 the gain stands out as a sore thumb. Even at 3db. I also think that the PD150 was very good at shooting in low light levels. My favorite these days is still the Panasonic DVX100 in 25P mode. I haven't used the HVX200 and it's P2 options. But when I hold it in my hands it does not feel as comfortable as the DVX. Can't have it all. I wish Sony would make a small 25P camera. Stas: I can't say to much about "A Mighty Heart" yet. Will do when it's closer to it's release. All the best Marcel

Hi Andy We have thought of Super 16 but have found it too grainy for some of the projects we were doing. All though for In This World & Road to Guantanamo even Super 16 would have been difficult. I'm all up for mixing formats. The last film with Michael, A Mighty Heart, we shot mostly HD, but also used DV and anamorphic 35mm for flashbacks. And for a Harmony Korine film I did last year we shot both Super 35 and Super 16mm. It was not used in the same way as City of God or Constant Gardener where it was intercut in the same scenes, but more as time change or change of mood. All the best Marcel

The advantage of HD in some of the cases for me has been that we've actually been able to make the films in the first place. Tristram Shandy for instance I would very much liked to have shot in 35mm, but in the end the budget only allowed us HD in the case of a HDW 750. S16mm we found to be too grainy. Stepping down in overall picture quality, in terms of DV and HD versus film, has also been conscious decision for us (meaning Michael Winterbottom and I) in some of our films. In This World and The Road to Guantanamo would not have been possibly for us to make with 35mm gear and crew. Those films required us to be only myself and the sound recordist on location in terms of the technical crew. The mobility of a DV camera can not be matched. Also the way that Michael has evolved his style over the last few years means shooting without rehearsals, long takes and a lot of improvisation. DV and HD have helped him to that. During the years I have learnt that having the best format do not automatically mean making the best film. I am fortunate that I have a choice of many different formats today. It means the films that I worked have been made and that I have a career. As a cinematographer I can only share my love for the wonderfully built film cameras, the beauty of the film texture and the fantastic lenses made. That being said, a story still needs to be told and we don't always have the funds to use the best format. Sometimes we do and I am grateful for that! I just wish that damn HD format had better latitude. It's like shooting positive film. Also the cameras get hotter than hell. It's like carrying a hot laptop on your face. Marcel

Hi Stephen I just did a film in India. All though we shot HD, we had a few flashback scenes we shot on 35mm. We got the Fuji stock in Mumbai and also had it developed there. The name of the lab has for some reason escaped me. I think it was Cinelabs. We had no trouble purchasing film stock there. Good luck with your project. Marcel

Hi David It's looking great. But why do I get the feeling I've seen the whole film now. Todays trailers don't leave anything for the imagination. The same with Zodiac. I almost wished I have not seen the trailer. Insecure studio execs. Bah All the best with the film Marcel

Hi Why would it be so unlikely to shoot a film on DV? A lot of directors shoot with the format. The DVX100 is a great little camera. All the best Marcel

Hi there Thank you once again for your kind words. I have found myself shooting in Pakistan a few times now since In This World. It's mad as always. At the moment we're shooting a new Winterbottom film in India. The story is about Daniel Pearl and it is set in Karachi, Pakistan. We're shooting HD on the Sony 750's and it is a challenge when most of the story is set in a house. The format just can't keep up with the highlights and windows blowing out. But it becomes a style and we just have to embrace it. For those people who asked before about the handles I've used on DV, I can just say the the guys who made them for me have now gone pro and their gear is excellent. Their website is up now and it is www.ugrip.dk. All the best Marcel

Hi Thanks guys. We decided to stay with 750's. The new 900's are not easy to find yet in the UK and there is not enough time to test them before the shoot. All the best Marcel

Hi Eric Have you used the HDW750 before? Do you know how the 900/r and 750 compare in terms of fan noise? I believe the body now is the same weight, I just need to know the noise level. I'm prepping a film where a lot of the film will be shot indoors in a quiet house. We had penciled two 750, but the rental house now say that they can provide two brand spankling new 900/r's. Thanks Marcel