Gareth Blackstock

I do have an audio clip, I will upload it tonight, or in around 12 hours time. have to go to work soon. cheers.

I built two blimps for two of my cameras for use this summer. I used quite a few materials, and the finished product looks like a camera from the 1920's, but the noise is down almost 98%! I even filmed a test roll in a typical lounge, 5 feet from the actor, the the sound recording picked up nothing! I added the link to the pictures below, as i cannot work out how to paste images into the forum, so have a look. http://mishpics.yolasite.com/super8-blimp-designs.php Also, the mike i used was a cardioid. A typical uni-directional mike would pick up the camera noise easily. The picture samples are a link off my main website. http://www.mishkin.yolasite.com/ cheers This is also posted on www.filmshooting.com

hello. from my experience the 518 is pretty good for shooting. reddish tinge might be old film? or kept in a hot place. I have heard that can happen. If shooting to add dialogue later, def shoot 24fps, but only for 20 seconds at a time, this will make synching up later easier. Concerning exposure, if the conditions are average, ie not too dark or too bright, just manually set the camera exposure to 5.6. this should cover your average bright and dark areas. you can also pick up an old hand held reflective light meter cheaply, just keep in mind they are mostly for still cameras. search the forums for the calculation to convert to motion film readins. good luck

good advise on the mikes, may have to re-think the way i approach that area. Although i have had great results so far without a pre-amp. concerning the other items you suggest, they may be excellent for sound quality, but as i am spending my own money, with no chance of making money, I have to purchase items, that if not used frequently, will not annoy me. kind of like buying a ducati motorcycle from new, and only having 10,000 kms on the clock after 10 years. pointless. I have seen a great feal of fantastic audio devices for sale, but i have to justify the cost versus use, the balance is what i am after. concerning the minidisc, true, there is compression, but i have done comparisons myself on other peoples equipment, and i have to say that as i am not an audio expert, merely an "audience member" i cannot tell the difference on unmixed, moderate volume recordings. i do not mean to sound unappreciative, i just have to weigh my needs against my wants. cheers.

After posting my query, i did a little research on inveerters, and from what i can tell you are quite right, if i want to use a pre-amp i will have to spend a lot of dollars! I think i will stick with what i have been doing, using a cheaper dynamic mic straight into a minidisc. So far the sound is very good, just have to get a sock. i may buy a pre-amp for mains connection to use with my shure "in studio". there seems a great deal i need to learn about field recording on a small budget. cheers

I recently purchased an Audiowerk 8 recorder card to start finalising my little “sound studio” As I have a bit of time before I have to use the system, it gives me time to learn how to actually use Audiowerk 8. Basically I shoot short films, on Super8 cameras and am experimenting with recording live sound at a better quality level than what I have been doing up to date. From this forum I was hoping to gain some advice on my recording system, hidden pitfalls or benefits to look for. So far I have: Effective camera blimp by two Shure PG48 microphone + assorted dynamic mikes of lesser quality Portable Audio mixer for mixing multiple mikes into one line Sony MiniDisc recorder, non HD. Audiowerk 8 audio card + VMR What I need to buy: Mike Pre-amp (yet to buy, need low amperage one—see below) Power converter (yet to buy, something that runs off a car battery to power pre-amp for location sessions.) I realise the problems of shooting non-sync camera with separate sound, this I have fixed during editing. The MiniDisc may be not the best choice in many peoples view, but I find the sound great, and the recorder cheap, portable, and rugged. The Audiowerk 8 seems a good choice, but I need to learn more about using this and what it can do for me. Like I said, if people are able to advise on my system, or what to look out for, that would be great. Cheers.

hello, all. well the pg48 arrived, nice feeling mike i must say, but i cannot get a sound out of it!? i was in the midst of comparing it with my other three mikes, which functioned normally, but not the shure. I am not using a pre-amp at this point, but from what i understand, i should still be getting audio.... i made sure it was switched on, right connections etc. Could somebody help me with this one, as i bought it off ebay, and need to test it before i loose the chance to return it. any help would be great. cheers, gareth

thanks for the quick replies. the suggestion of the shotgun mike is a good one, but alot of people have told me that as good as they are at picking up dialogue and little else ambient noise, they also warned that one has to be careful not to "aim" the mike away from the source, say at the wall or other reflective surface, say if the source or actor moves around the set. plus the cost is a great deal more than the shure pg48 i am considering. with the minidisc, once i import the file to the computer, i save it as an avi file, and don't seem to loose any fidelity. at least if i buy the pg48 and discover the difference between my cheap mike is minor, then at least i have not spent hundreds for a minor advance in quality. admitedly, if i had a DAT or tascam recorder, a $2000 pre-amp, and a $500 mixer, i guess the quality would shine through, as i guess my minidisc "dulls" any sound i might get. cheers, Gareth

hello all. I was hoping for some advice on buying a mic. here are the choices i have: shure pg48-seems to be a good mike, specifically for voice, which is fine with me. I can get this for AU$70 NEW or: shure sm58-seems to be a great mike, covers everything, but more expensive. I can get this for around AU$150 second hand The recording device will be a mini disc, and i may get a pre-amp later on, although i think i might just try to get the mike closer. Is there a remarkable difference in the sound quality between the two? could a short film audience tell the difference? I currently have an old mike, from the early 90's, non-brand, but sounds good to me, yet i am keen to improve my recording quality. And if i record onto minidisc, will all the benefits of a fantastic mike like the sm58 be lost on the minidisc, if so, would the pg48 be a good middle ground mike considering my system? Sorry if i seem confused, but i have few references with which to judge. any help would be appreciated, cheers, Gareth

hello. i might have some ideas that might help you with the sound aspect. build a blimp, or soundproof cover for the camera. some cameras are noisy, others not so much, depends on condition. I use a metal case, with padding layers of dense lead rubber, a remote for the "trigger" and external battery pack. It works so well, i can film in a concrete room, 6 feet from the actor, and get no "camera noise" total cost for the blimp, around $30AUD for recording i use a minidisc, these are the best, if you buy one, be sure to get one that takes AA batteries, other chargeable internal batteries can be hard to get. almost any brand will be very suitable. they are almost the cheapest digital recording device you can get. they need Minidiscs, these are harder to find new. Ebay has tons of both these items. As far as i know, there are no super8 camera repair bussinesses in australia, I might be very wrong here, look around. chances are if you buy a camera off Ebay it will be ok, depends on the price, more is not always best. if it runs when you get it, chances are it will keep running. hope these thoughts are a little help, Super8 filmers in Aussie are dwindling fast.... good luck

hello, i have found tri-x to be really good. I included a link to what i did with it. I am yet to try plus-x. the B&W images on the web page below were shot with a Sankyo CM300, shutter of 150 degress, no post production work, and transfered by rank cintel method. http://members.fotki.com/caspin-films/about/ feedback i would like if nice.... Cheers

i think i did this just in time! i only recently discovered the site too!

i picked up the same lens, as it came with a canon 518. i am not sure if i have to use it with a macro, but it seems fine with a normal camera. although, the first lens protrudes a fair bit, so i use a spacer to ensure it does not scratch the camera lens. when projected it has a slight "fish bowl" effect, if shot with indoors, the the edges seem curved inward slightly. i think this is "vignetting"? i like to use it none the less, it fits much more in. good luck, Gareth Ross

i think cheaper cameras are getting a bit of a bad rap here. i own and use yashica, hannimex, sankyo, as well as canon (yes a 814, as well as two 518) cheaper cameras should be tested with batteries before purchase, but i have had no problems with film register, not running, etc. if anything the cheaper camera may be harder to use, ie not XL, thereby increasing your skill a little in judging light, as well as getting very clear images because they have a 150 or 180 shutter.(NOT a bad thing if you have a lot of light. if your cheap camera can only shoot 18fps, do not despair! be mindful to pan very slowly, and limit fast action. in reality cheaper cameras may not have the bells and whistles, but in capable hands they can be just as viable as expensive cameras.