Tyler Purcell

And? Is it worth watching?

Hey Jay, sounds like your take up speed has slowed. This is quite a common issue with the CP-16, I've had it happen before on me. I always checked the magazine take up from the outside by turning the take up cam before shooting. I just found as the stress on the pickup side gets greater, the system starts to slip. I don't recall if it's direct drive (the belt being the only "slip" mechanism) or if there is another slip device in the magazine itself like MOST mags have. It could also be some of the fabric in the magazine putting a tiny bit of pressure on the spindle and the drive system can't push through it.

Second Episode started the season plot, which is nice to see. After reading the AC article, the show gets more credit production wise. A lot of what I think is a visual effect, is actually clever lighting techniques that look strange, but are done in camera. There is still a lot of compositing work in the show, but it's only when necessary. Can't wait for next weeks show! :)

It's really not possible for $1k. As Dom said, you've gotta take into account how well the camera has been maintained and of course lenses. Most sync sound cameras are only quiet when they're well taken care of. I like the rental idea because you can get something good and make sure whatever you shoot comes out. For all you know the "ebay special" camera doesn't work. You've really gotta spend between $3k - $5k to get a decent working quiet 16mm package; working/quiet body, decent lenses, decent support, etc.

The blackmagic cameras all share a time lapse mode which enables users to capture X amount of frames per minute. My cameras are currently on loan, or I'd check the menu to see what the parameters are. If memory serves me, you should be able to do 2fps with that mode no problem and the record format will be whatever frame rate the camera is set to normally. The URSA Mini does need an anti-moire (optical low pass filter). Currently there isn't a bolt on solution available, but I would assume in the future there will be. You can help soften the issues by running a IRND. Shooting with the full imager's resolution, also helps greatly. Pro Res and RAW look practically identical, so there is no "codec" issue, just resolution. If you buy an URSA mini 4.6k to shoot 2k or below, you bought the wrong camera. It's an open gate Super 35mm cinema camera, designed to shoot at that frame size all the time.

I don't think the H6 can do framerates, I think it's "beats" and real-time only. So yea, just hit the record button and you're good to go. This isn't the old days with non-crystal analog equipment that can easily shift out of sync.

I love the locations, most of which are here in L.A. It's also nice to see Jonathan following his brother and shooting the show on 35mm. So far, I'm not too impressed with the story. I thought the first episode seemed a little bit weak. They spent too much time trying to tell you everything and not enough time letting the audience explore with the characters. It would have been a lot better had the first episode not explained everything and wrapped it up in a tight bow. Other then that, it was shot well and plenty entertaining.

Nice thing about concerts is that you don't need a "quiet" camera. There are lots of cool syncing methods, from built-in timecode on film to small LED timecode displays near each camera. When magazines are changed, the operator can simply point the camera down at the reader for a few seconds and in post, you can automatically sync the entire reel, assuming the camera doesn't stop. Most S16 cameras are coaxial magazine based, so it takes seconds to swap mags. You'd also stagger magazine swaps, to make it easier. Back in the day, Kodak made 800ft loads for the Aaton cameras, which helped with shoots like this. You could have two or three cameras on sticks with long lenses to cut back to during the closer/smaller camera magazine changes. Most stages where songs are sung to an audience, have plenty of light for 500 ISO shooting. Obviously there will be dark sections, but it's no different then what the audience sees. I do think there are still quite a few concerts shot on film. It's just, you've gotta be a fan of the music, or you won't know. In fact, I saw a recent picture from a Coldplay concert with a 416 on stage. I've also seen some recent pictures of other concerts with panavision 35mm cameras on stage. So I know people are doing it, if you know the bands and watch whatever product they produce. The big problem with shooting film vs video and why everyone switched, is due to directing. It's hard and expensive to wire up a bunch of film cameras to a truck so there can be a director giving shot suggestions. Modern multi-camera video shoots, are so easy today with microwave transmitters and solid communications. It's easy to have a back room or small truck setup with a director inside, capable of seeing all the cameras and directing the shots. That's really the key to making a live show like this work and on film, it's A LOT harder to do that stuff.

Again, according to Sony, the 1.5G standard HDSDI port can only do 30p. They don't mention the upgrade on their documentation.

I think it's $25 dollars? Something like that. Knowing the fog level, will allow you to understand HOW many stops to over expose. I would also experiment with over and under exposing so you know the limits vs noise level. I have some Fuji stock from the late 90's that's been in the freezer since original purchase and it came out very nicely one stop over, even though the fog test said it was pretty bad.

I'd drop off the oldest roll to FotoKem and have them do a fog test. That will tell you how out of range it is.

Well, the camera is a 1080p camera, so the capturing format is the same "resolution" as the camera head. I believe you're referring to color space and bit depth. Yes, the F3 does have HDSDI output for 444 capture, but the camera itself is 10 bit 422. It's one of the big "whoops" moments when designing that camera. So all you need is a single HDSDI or even HDMI output to give you the 1.5G HDSDI 10 bit 4:2:2 signal for capturing. The F3 also doesn't do slow-mo on the HDSDI output. Slow-mo is done internally through the MPEG capture only. So the HDSDI output is limited to 30fps in 1080p mode and 60fps in 720p mode. Atomos Ninja 2 is $295 and captures HDMI output. However, I believe the HDMI output of the F3 is 8 bit 4:2:0, but not 100% on that. If it's 10 bit 4:2:2, that's a great option. To capture the HDSDI output, the Samurai Blade $495, should work fine, as long as the single port 1.5G HDSDI does it's job properly.

Film stocks start to deteriorate after 5 years in proper storage. So a stock made in the 80's, even if stored properly, won't look like it did back then. EXR is easier to find, is a lot newer and does have a more vintage/classic Kodak look. There was a whole bunch of it on ebay recently, but it wasn't stored properly, so it was too risky.

If this were 1990, I'd say yea... just cut it on film, but "digital editing" has been around for 30 years. If you have no experience with it, you've got a pretty steep learning curve ahead of you. If I were you, I'd be shooting stuff with a cheap digital camera and learning how to edit NOW because there is a lot to it. For instance, you can't take the scanned compressed files form the lab and cut them without a decent computer, fast online storage and the right editing software. You can't just download iMovie or Windows Movie maker and expect them to work.

Umm, one of the most basic features of all editing software is the ability to resize or "scale" the image. Most people scan Super 16 at greater then 2k resolution, with a 2k finish format, so they can resize if necessary.

Must it be 4K?

You've kinda run into the problem with C mount Bolex cameras. I don't believe there were any S16 format C mount lenses made. The only way to get S16 coverage that I know of, is through an adaptor to another format. Most common is Arri B to C or PL to C. The Bolex EBM has a much better mounting system and adaptors are much less money. You will get some vignetting full wide with a zoom, but as you zoom in, it should be OK. Adaptors are available through Visual Products and I see them all the time on ebay.

The cinematographer works directly with the director to put their vision on screen. This "CAN" include; composition, lighting, stock selection, camera selection and support. The cinematographer also works with the gaffer to create the films look, they are the ONLY direct connection to the lighting department. The director only talks with the cinematographer when it comes to what's on screen, not the gaffer/lighting, or even operator/assistant operator. The camera operator basically works the camera during the shot. They take direction from the cinematographer and work the camera as directed. A lot of cinematographers enjoy running the camera as well, so the position of "operator" may only be available on bigger shows or shows where the DP doesn't want to operate. When I young, I got experience by starting on the ground level and learning things through hands on experiences. Yes I stepped on a few people's feet, yes I was awfully excited to be shooting on 35mm and would jump at the opportunity, but that's to be expected when your just starting out. Most of that learning needs to be done on set however, its hard to really learn those things without getting hands on experiences.

One side note, anything you've seen in the theaters in the last 3 years that was shot on film in the US, was processed and finished at FotoKem. FotoKem is the LAST big lab in the country that can do everything. So their work is spot on. I've recently developed a business relationship with them and outside of the high pricing, the results are top notch.

What AKS would you want to hang off the camera that 1) could be light enough so the velcro works and 2) can't go on your belt or around your neck? I've never seen anyone put AKS on a camera before. I have absolutely velcro'd cables and camera specific accessories like a speed controller. Velcro glue can be removed with a heat gun very easily without damaging the camera body.

Well, I don't like digital very much. Knowing that the future of filmmaking on motion picture film is hazy, I decided to start a charitable foundation based around educating our youth about using film. I also teach senior filmmaking at a local arts high school on 16mm and 35mm. We're building a phenomenal program that I'm hoping in a few years, can be taught by other instructors at different schools. So I'm with you on the whole film thing and there is a lot of validity to what Adrian says about having a film background. He's also a talented, hard working guy with a great reel... so does it really matter that some of the reel is film, or that he's just a good fit based on who he is, talent and experiences? Becoming a cinematographer is difficult because in many cases, you can't pick your jobs, you've gotta go with whatever is available and being able to convince some random low-budget filmmaker to shoot on film vs digital is very difficult. It's even harder to find a job that's already slated to be on film because in most of those cases, the filmmaker already has someone lined up, hence the reason they're ok with going film. You may get lucky and find a few shoots per year that need a film cinematographer and in that case, having that "specialty" does help for sure. I also always suggest cinematographers first learn how to shoot on film, especially 35mm because that knowledge will translate perfectly into the world of digital cinema from field of view to shutter angle. Yet, it's even more important today to have MORE experience with the modern cinema cameras AND have your own digital package ready to go. I've lost many jobs in the past because I don't own a 4k digital cinema camera. When you graduate into bigger films, its less important to own a package, but those low-budget guys, thrive off the DP bringing their own package.

I want my film camera to have a histogram. LOL :P

I've never seen one and I look every day. They go for around double the OP's budget.

Man it would be nice to have a few film cameras and constantly be shooting film, but those days are long over. People don't want to see film on demo reels anymore, they want to see RED and Alexa material, that's what "sells" today. Also, for the cost of making a decent demo reel on 35mm, owning your own equipment, you COULD buy a pretty good 4k cinema camera. So it's kind of a catch 22... if you want to work in the industry today, you've gotta know the current tech and market yourself as knowing it.

The Arri 235 is one of the newer 35mm cameras, so they still go for quite a bit of money. 3000GBP will get you into a 4 perf 435, 535, BL4 or Moviecam Compact. Finding a used 3 perf 235 for anything near your budget, isn't going to happen. People with those 3 perf and 2 perf movements, are holding on to those cameras. Heck, there was a 2 perf Arri III being sold in NYC recently for $5k USD. That's a lot of money for a 30 year old camera, but people are desperate for 2 perf cameras. Anyway, if you need/want a 2 or 3 perf camera, you can't be picky on what body it's in. You'll also have to rise your budget quite a bit.