Tyler Purcell

It's pretty loud! I recently did a shoot with a RED Epic and S16mm right next to each other and the S16 camera you couldn't hear, but the EPIC fan was prominent in the very quiet room. The RED One's are much louder, but both cameras get quieter when you start recording, it's just when they're on standby things get louder. So what is loud? Well, maybe 35db from 1 foot away? So not really "LOUD". Quieter then a MOS 35mm camera, but not nearly as quiet as a digital camera SHOULD be.

Yea, the rewards structure has always been my beef with crowd funding. You can do good rewards on features, but shorts, it's a whole other ballgame and even if you have good soft money, it's still not enough in most cases.

The Sony F5 is a lot of camera. It's also very rare to find a complete F5 package (Sony Viewfinder, batteries, cards) for much under $15k. The FS7 is actually a better deal in the long run if Sony is considered an option (which it's not in my book). You can find used FS7's for in that 5 - 7k bracket if you look hard enough. Unfortunately, the URSA 4.6k fully decked out brand new is STILL less money then a USED COMPLETE FS7 package. Plus, the URSA already has PL mount, RAW, Pro Res and all the bells and whistles necessary for a great looking image. On a side note, been shooting a lot recently with the C300MKII and it still amazes me how Canon can cripple their cameras so much. It's covered in "features" which is nice, but some of the most basic things I want like a histogram and RAW/Pro Res recording, aren't available. Plus, the camera makes noise like a RED does, which is just silly if you ask me. If you can't cool your camera with a heat sync, you've gotta come up with a different solution.

Thanks for the info Giacomo. I have one short film right now that is very current event that I really want to shoot, however it would cost around $25 - $30k to do it right. The big problem I've had is finding capitol for this and other smaller projects. I don't have a fan base to help spark interest, nor a top actor associated. If I could find a revenue source that works, I could probably fund it through friends, but it has to be fool-proof. So my question to you is; how do you deal with online fundraising for something that isn't going to be a big movie with huge payouts at the end? On kickstarter for instance, most people won't sign up unless there is some great gift at the end of it all.

Ahh got ya! So this begs the question, how did you recoup on the sales? What was your strategy going in.

Agreed! It was so close to being fantastic! I would have lost the dance scene/air plane crash and a few other things, but a 95 minute cut of that movie would have absolutely played better.

Great job, really enjoyed! A lot of money went into that short, my I ask where you were able to find such money for a short?

I too really enjoy '1941' it's such a campy bunch of whoop-ass, it's just great! I'm also a fan of star trek, so I enjoy those movies, pre-reboot. Honestly, I have a lot of "eclectic" taste in entertainment, so my list is too long for posting.

Blackmagic is a small company, like RED was when they first started. They're also NOT an American company, so it's challenging to get support. I haven't needed support, but I know the support people well and they say things are better here in the states today, then they have been in the last few years. I don't believe Sony and Panasonic has much support for consumer products anymore. They use to, but today it's all pushed to the reseller, which most people don't have any connection to. Canon has actual support, which is very nice. I've dealt with them many times and they've been very helpful, but I think that's more related to top people using their cameras for still's, rather then the video market. I don't think everything Blackmagic makes is ready for prime time yet, but they're WAY closer then RED was when they first launched. The RED ONE was a train wreck when it first came out, the first shows had upwards of 9 camera bodies they'd cycle through scene by scene, just to keep them working. Blackmagic doesn't have those issues what so ever. You can buy a camera and it will work if it's not defective. I own two pockets and have borrowed/rented other one's for bigger shoots, never once had an issue with any of them. Same goes for the cinema camera that everyone bitches/complains about, my experiences have been nothing but positive. The URSA Mini, same deal, just a flat-out nice camera, that works great. Not a fan of the BIG URSA, it's a worthless camera thanks to the Mini, but I have yet to experience all the issues people talk about. So either people are doing something odd with their use of the camera, or they're just defective from the factory. Talk about JVC and Canon, I've had more issues with those two brands then any others. Dead pixels, over-heating cameras, bad recording heads, bad logic on the menu systems, horrible shifting on the glass when trying to focus, audio distortion no matter what you do, phantom power blowing up mic's, loose cabling inside cameras, etc... AND worst off, those were borrowed/rental cameras! I can't imagine owning either brands products for video production. For stills, not such a big deal because you can easily fix dead pixels in photoshop, much harder to do on a video camera. So for me constantly abusing the black magic cameras the way I do, including shooting in a pool last weekend with water splashing the camera and of course, salt water on the ocean shoots, heat of the desert, cold of the snow capped mountains. I mean, my pockets have been through A LOT and been fine. But I understand if you power them with an external source, they will overheat, so I don't do that. I mean, how difficult is that?

If you already have equipment insurance and are using your own equipment, then you don't need anything else. If you're letting people borrow your equipment, they will need to put your name on the documents. I've been dealing with an insurance claim for two months now from equipment damage someone did on a recent rental. I'm glad I got insurance!

But it also has to do with the look you're trying to achieve. You may want a hard/bright backlight, but not much key or fill. The key for ME at least, is to measure things on set based on LOOK, rather then just tables. Every type of light has it's purpose, building your truck based your needs for a specific show, is based on experience that's hard to quantify in a table. I wish there was a 3d program that allowed you to place lights, camera, set lenses, stock/imager and everything for a given shot and balance it all out before going to set. You can do the math for sure, but it would be nice to have a program.

Digibeta was heavily used until the change to HD.

I haven't had a lick of "failure" related issues with the pocket OR my friends URSA Mini 4.6k that I've been messing with. The tripod mount on the pocket can unscrew internally, but it's easy to fix. Also, the battery situation kinda sucks, but it's fixable by understanding the issue and working around it. Since NAB, the URSA Mini issues have been resolved and the cameras are fine. Unfortunately, until you put something into actual production, it's hard to see it's weaknesses. Your complains from the little bit of use you've had on the pocket, are the same one's every reviewer has. Yet none of them have actually produced a single, watchable product with the camera. Just test footage, mostly garbage still-life nonsense. My pocket cameras (I own two) and Rokinon lenses are CONSTANTLY in production, non stop in fact. I'm two weeks in on a feature, shooting BTS. Prior, the cameras were in Colorado on a feature and I was using them to shoot other stuff before that, all in the last two months. Blackmagic has done a great job updating software to keep the ol' pocket "relevant" and are constantly making changes to the URSA 4.6k. There are still functions missing, like the global shutter. However, those functions should be on later software revisions. I don't think there is another camera on the market as capable as the 4.6k URSA mini for the same price point. Every other camera has a small problem, which pushes it aside. You can get a complete URSA Mini 4.6k package BRAND NEW with batteries/charger/viewfinder/shoulder mount for $8500 bux. None of the competitors in that price range offer RAW recording or Pro Res XQ. Plus, they all need to be accessorized in order to work, so the net result is even a higher price for not a better camera. It's true the Sony and RED counterparts offer some intriguing possibilities including ultra low light capability and high frame rates. Blackmagic did make some bugaboo's on the URSA Mini, but they're small and easy to fix in a future revision or with software patches.

Sony doesn't actually make tape anymore, they have a third party making them.

But whose talking 35mm? Also, it's difficult to make a movie with a 5:1 ratio. I always work with a 10:1 ratio at the minimal when budgeting. Buy enough film for an 8:1 ratio and if you run out, you can always buy more. Super 16 has 2.5k of resolvable resolution, which is perfectly good for digital projection. You would buy a camera and lenses on ebay using a credit card and sell them after the movie was done, so your cost for equipment would be maybe an interest charge, since you can usually sell for what you bought it for. I've posted the S16 numbers MANY times, from actual quotes I've received, not guesses. S16, 10:1 ratio, 100 minute movie. Stock = .32/ft * 400 = $128 * 92 rolls = $11,776 Processing = .12/ft * 37,000ft = $4400 Transfer (4k) = .50/ft * 37,000ft = $18,500 Complete work = $35,000 That's "retail" pricing. If you walked up to Kodak or a lab and gave them this job, you'd get a MUCH better deal. You'd also need a credit card to deal with the payment of the camera, but $10k credit card that you'll wind up getting back in the end, isn't too difficult. The other ancillary items you may need, you can do the ol' ebay trick with as well. In the end, the only number that will absolutely come out of your pocket is the $35k. With the digital workflow, you COULD buy a camera, but you aren't getting an Alexa or RED. So to RENT a digital camera, decent glass, support, monitors, drives/storage and have all the ability on set to download/manage, you're talking quite a bit of money. Typical ultra-low RED package deal is $3000/day with glass, monitors, support, etc.. booked at 3 day week. So for a 4 week shoot = $36,000 A typical ALEXA package deal, with ultra primes and zooms, will be about double that. Then you've gotta deal with storage and it's very expensive. Right now, the storage budget on this little indy I'm shooting is $3k and we're not shooting RAW or Pro Res. The typical drive budget for a small feature is around $5k. Then you've gotta transcode all the footage to a workable format from the camera RAW, either arriraw or RED code, which gobbles up even more drives and time. Plus, you really need to pay a DIT, it's a critical job because the cards only last a few minutes and someone has to deal with the data. Where an AC could do that job, they're usually too busy on set. Loading magazines in the morning and at lunch is easy, but a DIT job is full time. The DIT's I know, get $5k a week with their package included. In post, digital requires far more work as well and since work equates to time and time equates to money, it's more expensive to "treat" digital material then film. Generally film looks good out of the camera and only needs small tweaks during the coloring sessions. I've worked with many top colorists who all say the same thing, a typical film job will take HALF the time of a typical digital job. So if you look at the cost breakdowns in that light, you can see how much MORE digital is then S16mm. There is also no argument that a S16mm film shot well with low ASA stocks, has enough data to warrant a 4k scan. So if the argument is that a 4k digital movie will have more resolution, so it's somehow better... I wouldn't exactly say that. It costs thousands to store digital original camera files for years. Drives fail on their own from not being used. So re-compiling original camera data, can be very challenging with a digital show. With film, processed camera negative can last on a shelf in normal room temperatures for 100 years without much deterioration. This is why I like at least striking an IP from a cut negative, at least you've GOT your movie on film. The only way something could happen if it was lost and that's even a bigger problem with a digital show, where drives are so small these days. It's far easier to loose/misplace digital media then film. Your "cost" includes everything from the day you start production through the day you sell. Having that camera negative sitting on shelf is a HUGE asset. A bunch of hard drives, isn't so much.

Yea, those cameras are rented in multiple boxes, so it's very confusing. Generally, it's smart to know how to work the equipment you are renting. If you're in a media arts program and nobody taught you how to use a light meter, that's a big problem. It's more expensive to shoot/experiment with 35mm, that's for sure. I wouldn't ever recommend shooting on 35 for beginners, but mainly due to the expense and the fact Super 16 looks so good, why bother?

F900? Umm, Sony discontinued tape-based cameras years ago. B&H has them on their website as "bait" to draw people to their site who use google searches. They also have other long-discontinued cameras on their site, stating "special order".

The matte would be done during the optical reduction.

Just for your education, there really isn't much of a difference between shooting with modern professional 16mm and 35mm cameras. It's true the 35mm cameras are heavier, but if you were to pickup an Aaton Penelope, it feels very much like the 16mm Xtera. They're both magazine driven cameras and are very easy to use. Honestly, loading 16 magazines is sometimes more complex then 35, as most of the modern ones have internal sprockets. I never found using 35mm cameras difficult, though having a camera cart helps. I've been the DP and operator on several shoots using 16 and 35, without any problem. Really the only reason you'd need help shooting 35 would be on a 4 perf show, where each 400ft mag is 5 minutes. That's a lot of loading, so having someone do that job is helpful. Also, what "accessories" do you need? It's all the same stuff you'd run with a digital camera. Dovetail, rails, matte box, follow focus, monitor, batteries, tripod/head, none of this is any different. People make shooting on film so complicated, but its really not. The only thing you need to shoot film is a good light meter, hopefully with a spot option and an understanding of what those numbers mean. You should have those things on a digital shoot ANYWAY. I taught my high school students how to load and operate the 35mm camera in 2 hours. They're pretty straight forward.

Well, there is a huge difference between the toy's being sold at best buy and an XDCAM camera. The role for a shoulder-mount, broadcast style(ENG) camera, isn't going away. Today, we see more and more companies converting their ENG cameras to CMOS and putting in the electronics to make them look more cinematic. The toys sold at best buy? They absolutely have a market. iPhones are great and all, but you aren't shooting hours of material with one at a single time. The value of those camcorders is their low-cost and long recording time. Plus, believe it or not, a lot of people don't have smart phones OR one's that shoot decent video. So I don't think they're going away anytime soon.

Dang! yea, of course. That's kind of a problem now isn't it! :( Magnetic lines up with picture frames and optical doesn't.

So you can do scene by scene color correction through your optical printer?

Here in the states, you can score an auricon optical 16mm sound recording camera for peanuts. I've personally always wanted to use one, I can't imagine how cool it would be to cut picture and sound at the same time! :)

Nagra IV-STC is the best unit, if you can find one. It's nice to have two channels and timecode.

The images pictured are knock-off chinese Sennheiser EW100's. Them pesky chinese guys, trying to copy good products so people might mistake them as being good. :(