James Baker

Camera kit is sold. Well, sort of. I've decided to donate it to a film school. It will be put to good use, and that makes me feel good. :) And I get a little tax break, too. ;) And thank you to those who had expressed some interest in it.

Sound equipment is sold. Thanks to all of you who inquired for your interest.

Over this last year I purchased several pieces of equipment as I was ready to make some 16mm shorts. I've since been diagnosed with a medical condition which unfortunately will be taking up all my time and energy from here on in. I'm saying this not for any 'sympathy', please, but only because some of the equipment (all except the camera) is brand new with the boxes, paperwork, receipts, etc., and it might sound odd as to why it's all for sale. I'd rather deal locally (greater LA metro, OC and Ventura counties) and I don't want to go with eBay, esp. packing, shipping, etc.. And this way a buyer can see the stuff first hand, too. I have no idea what the going rate is, although I do know what I paid. I'm prepared to take BO on anything. Everything was purchased from authorized dealers. Please leave me a pm if you are interested. This isn't at all about the money, so be assured you'll get a fair transaction. NOTE: I posted some sound equipment (all brand new) in another (similar worded) classified. See: "Sound equipment for sale." 1) Eclair ACLII purchased from George Zorzoli at Optical-Electro House in Culver City. Completely serviced and overhauled and converted to Super 16. Camera is in very good condition and works flawlessly. Ran only two loads of 100' film since purchase in Feb 2008. 2-100' mags, 2 batteries. PL mount and also an attachable C mount. Angenieux 15-150 zoom. Nikkor 105mm AIS lens in excellent condition. Also a brand new Harrison changing bag, all fits in two brand new custom made cargo cases built by Charlie at Mastercases in Pacoima (the same person who makes and repairs all the Panavision cases.) Extras such as new chamois eyecups, gray cards, small slate, orange sticks etc.. All new. 2) Spectra Cine IV meter. Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork. 3) Gitzo G1340V tripod. Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork. Also brand new Kata heavy-duty tripod bag. (legs and head all fit in the bag; it's a semi-rigid bag.) 4) Vinten Vision 3 fluid head. 2 extra weight balance springs included. Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork.

Over this last year I purchased several pieces of sound equipment as I was ready to make some 16mm shorts. I've since been diagnosed with a medical condition which unfortunately will be taking up all my time and energy from here on in. I'm saying this not for any 'sympathy', please, but only because all the equipment is brand new with the boxes, paperwork, receipts, etc., and it might sound odd as to why it's all for sale. I'd rather deal locally (greater LA metro, OC and Ventura counties) and I don't want to go with eBay, esp. packing, shipping, etc.. And this way a buyer can see the stuff first hand, too. I have no idea what the going rate is, although I do know what I paid. Everything came from reputable and local authorized dealers. I'm prepared to take BO on anything. Please leave me a pm if you are interested. This isn't at all about the money, so be assured you'll get a fair transaction. (I also have an Eclair ACLII that I got from George Zorzoli in Culver City. He converted it to Super 16. It's a complete kit (mags, lens, batteries) in new Panavision custom built hardcases with a new Spectra Cine IV meter, new Vinten Vision 3 fluid head, and new Gitzo 1340V legs. I'll post that in another classified here.) 1) Sound Designs 702 digital sound recorder. Including one extra higher capacity Sony battery and 2GB compact flash card. Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork. 2) Sennheiser MKH 416 shotgun microphone. Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork. 3) Rycote full Modular Windshield kit (to fit MKH 416 and similar size mics.) Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork. 4) Sony MDR-7506 headphones (one pair) Brand new, never used, in box, receipts, paperwork. 5) PortaBrace sound bag for the recorder (brand new) and everything (mic, Rycote, cables, etc.) all fits into a large PortaBrace cargo bag (brand new, etc..)

That's correct.

Yes, I don't get this either. It's lightproof. But maybe I'm missing the question, too? Load, close. Open the take up, do the "two finger" spacing outside the mag and push the length back up into the mag. Lock, close mag. Perfect every time. The ACL is very easy to load which is part of its attraction.

Hi Nicholas, Ross uses an Aaton shooting 16 and later S16, and has been pretty much a one person show --sometimes with help from friends and his son, Adrian. He's a super nice guy and you should ask him directly about his technique. He's still at VES (Dept of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard.) Don't think school has started yet, but his office hours should be posted. Drop him an email. (I'm a friend of Charleen Swansea's :D )

DSLRs are, well, DSLRs. A lot of shortcomings with any manufacturer. Maybe in a few more years? In the meantime I personally still use film without the problems of originating with digital capture. Yes, it means processing and drum scanning (expensive.) But with the (subjective) look of film and the ergonomics of a film camera (think Leica M series) and yet big, workable files. It works for me as I prefer not to chase technology (not yet.) And anyway, the only real way to go with digital at the moment is with high-end, high dynamic range, digital backs (way expensive, still.) Or hire someone to work on site such as Industrial Color (which is akin to renting a Panavision, Thomson, etc.) This opens up some of the same motion film debate of film versus digital. But they are parallel issues, indeed. Is it worth going with low end digital (i.e., equivalents of the current DSLRs) or stick with film for now? Or should one forgo film but only using high digital capture?

I happen to like Fuji film with the added benefit of 200' daylight spool loads being available. So, I guess Fuji is an option for you unless you must use Kodak.

The Minima is not a fun camera to use. Unless you really, really need to use it under a car or something like that. That's just my opinion. All the other Aatons have a small footprint as it is....

I am an established still photographer who decided to also do some projects in motion film. My still imagery workflow consists of originating on film, scanning on a liquid mount drum scanner, editing the digitized file, and with final output as an Oce LightJet print (i.e., back to a chemical print.) So, I had somewhat of a head start in the "using film to digital transfer" process. But thinking/seeing in a time based medium was much different than producing still images. And so, I needed a lot of practice to try and make that sort of transition (and I still do...) I agree with David concerning the expense. It's somewhat the same with still photography. Using film gives one a lot of experience, but it's also a lot more expensive than originating in digital. You can look at your transparencies to see how you're progressing but it costs quite a bit in money and time to process film, scan, edit, and output to a final print (not many people can afford a true drum scanner and an Oce printer unless you're a service bureau.) My route to motion film went like this: a video camera first, to learn the differences of recording in motion versus still. That allowed me to get a feel for motion and learn all those differences and to get my mind's eye to think about it differently. That was an inexpensive way for me to learn. Then I went to 16mm and did what David suggested: project processed film on a projector. It helped to see the differences in digital and film and to learn working with film in an actual film camera (lenses, threading, etc..) And then I eventually felt comfortable enough to get some telecine'd versions of footage and that I could edit on my NLE and learn what all that process entails, too. After that, I felt I could put together a short. 1) a video camera first 2) a 16mm film camera and projected 16mm film 3) telecine'd 16mm film, editing, etc.. 4) finished short film It was a slow process, but I think it worked for me without jumping into totally unknown territory and spending a huge amount of money. I would personally skip the Super 8 step, unless you want to use Super 8 for aesthetic reasons.

As both a Nikon (D3) and a Canon (G9) user, I'm not offended. Anyway, that may well be your personal impression, but it's not reality. Look here: http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9882670-3...mp;tag=2547-1_3 Both Canon and Nikon make excellent products, with one of the differences being user interface/ergonomics. Competition is very important in the industry for progress to occur. We should be happy for it.

FWIW(?): http://www.film-center.com/clean.html

I think you mean isopropyl (?) as in isopropyl alcohol. Lighter fluid is naptha, nasty stuff --but from what I remember some of the old timers in film labs used it as an all purpose cleaner. Naptha cleans just about anything but I personally wouldn't use it on film. Isopropyl alcohol works okay. Trichloroethane is normally what's used but very bad for the ozone. I read a reference from an engineer at Kodak (Alan Masson) who says "100% isopropyl alcohol is a preferable method if cleaning film by hand." But he goes on to say the nothing works better than trichloroethane.

Definitely hang out. Talk to people. Don't be pushy, arrogant. Be nice, diplomatic. Making connections is what it's all about. Sooner or later you will connect. As you get to know more people, you will eventually get a contact who will offer you some work. Be very, very, very, very patient. In the meantime maybe get a day job somewhere else. Be nice. People like to work with nice people. Bad people are remembered. This is a union town. Get work, build your cv, become a member.