Jaxon Bridge

Hi Robert, What country are you talking about? Where is Minneapolis? Jaxon

is this what you mean? http://www.vondutch.com/Terry_Cloth_Wristband/pd/p/9042.html not sure how you'd use it, exactly. i wear glasses too and this has been a frustration. -j

I was going to suggest this as well. Very informative.

What do you mean, exactly? What do you have written down on your notebook?

I've often wondered this same thing myself; would like to hear from anyone that knows.

Highly recommend watching El Mariachi a few times, then listen to Rodriguez's DVD commentary for that movie, then read his book about making the movie, Rebel Without a Crew. There is also a book recently published that my friend wrote, called The Portable Film School, available everywhere. Robert Rodriguez's other DVD commentaries are excellent learning sources too, like Desperado and the Spy Kids movies. Even if you don't like the movies, he really breaks down his process in the special features and commentaries, and it's better than film school. Some filmmaking books are overkill, though. They do not all necessarily stress the right things, in my opinion. Start with these and you'll be in better shape on the directing end.

Wow, that's quite an analysis. I'm don't know half the terms you used, so I'll try to make an learning experience out of this. What is a 3/4 key? What does "mb" medium diffusion mean? 4X4 frame means 4' by 4' square to hold the diffusion material? J

What would you recommend for a film-noir, high-contrast B/W stock other than Plus-X... B/W negative instead? My understanding was that negative was less contrasty than reversal, and there were more shades of grey rather than black and white. J

So, a couple years ago, the Plus-X 50 ASA black/white 16mm reversal stock became 100 ASA to the cheers and ovations of people everywhere. I have not shot on the new Plus-X but have some questions. I heard once, a few years ago, that the Plus-X 50 ASA stock was considered one of the sharpest film stocks ever, with smaller grain than even most color and negative stocks. First of all, is this true? Has the 100 ASA Plus-X changed with regards to contrast and grain? Does it look exactly the same? I noticed that while shooting and transferring Plus-X is about 35% cheaper than doing the same with color negative, it is not too different than shooting B/W negative. Since you get more latitude with negative, I am guessing what you sacrifice is that strong contrast and low-grain quality of reversal. Is this true? Jaxon

I just realized there is a forum for stock questions... I shall repost there. (sorry!)

Unfortunately, I missed the sale, but their site looks pretty cost-effective compared to another company that offers similar kits: http://longvalleyequip.com/dolly.php Thanks for the link. Jaxon

I have a Scoopic 16 M. It is incredibly easy to use, small, rugged, perfect for a beginner, but also yields professional results with skill. The Macro lens functionality is truly amazing, as is the convenient stop-motion abilities to shoot single frames at a time. The built-in light meter on mine is not reliable, and I would recommend doing lots of tests before giving up your separate light metering process. You can of course turn this functionality off. I am in the process of having a sound-dampening barney made for it by http://customupholsteryproducts.com/. You can learn about the history of these cameras from Canon's website: http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/16cine/ I really like it a lot, and they are quite cheap to acquire for under $1000 easily. I used an Arri 16 in film school years ago, with the 3-lens turret, and it sure is a nice camera also, but for low-budget work I really can't say I'd prefer one over the other necessarily, and the Arri would no doubt be twice as expensive at least. Hope this help! -J

So, a couple years ago, the Plus-X 50 ASA black/white 16mm reversal stock became 100 ASA to the cheers and ovations of people everywhere. I have not shot on the new Plus-X but have some questions. I heard once, a few years ago, that the Plus-X 50 ASA stock was considered one of the sharpest film stocks ever, with smaller grain than even most color and negative stocks. First of all, is this true? Second question: How has the 100 ASA Plus-X changed with regards to contrast and grain? Does it look exactly the same? Final question: May I assume that Plus-X does not cut together well with Tri-X? Tri-X is certainly a very grainy stock. Actually, there is one more question: I have looked around and come to the conclusion that considering stock price, processing, and video transfer, shooting on 16mm reversal is much less expensive than shooting on negative. This is taking into account the one reversal lab here in NYC (A1) and their pricing, compared to the prices for DuArt, Magno, or ColorLab. For what I can see, there is quite a savings going with black/white reversal for a low-budge project if your content does not require one stock over the other. Jaxon

wow, that sounds pretty challenging. thank goodness i'll be having someone help me. the picture i included above is from the dolly kit available for $400 at longvalleyequip.com. i figured if I just find the wheels and plyboard, with my friend's help, I can make a dolly for far less than $400. but it might be worth the money to avoid the challenge of what you describe.

I am wondering if anyone has any idea where I can buy wheels angled like the wheels used on a dolly for track. See attached picture. I am going to build a dolly from scratch, and the wheels are hard to track down.

were those gunshots done in the computer? (The muzzle flashes from the guns) the bullets hitting the people, spray of blood, did you use squibs? j

Wow, I wish I knew what some of these terms mean. If anyone could either point me to a place that explains "frontal", "pup", "1/4 cto", "ringlight", "dedo", or provide definitions here, it sure would help me learn. Jaxon

These just have one bulb each. Can you address the issue of dimmers' affect on color temperature? I was surprised to hear this but I haven't tested it myself. Thanks for the advice.

I recently purchased two X-Large DynaPhos softbox kits from Amvona.com. They are quite big, taking up to 2000W bulbs, with the softboxes being about 46" X 36". If I use these in a smaller setting, I will of course need less firepower, and I'm wondering what my best options are. The way I see it, I could use a lower wattage bulb. But would the large size of the softbox make this unreasonable? Kinda like putting 5 year-old behind the wheel of a ferrari? Or, I could get some dimmers. But I have heard the using dimmers affects the color temperature.. anyone care to comment on how severely? Also, dimming a 1000W or 2000W bulb down to the equivalent 250W seems pretty major... would it take a particular kind of dimmer to safely and effectively accomplish this, or would any do? Appreciate the advice, Jaxon