Matthew Poliquin

Thanks Brother

I've shot a short on the 8-64 and loved it - it was quite sharp and I didn't notice any breathing. Aside from the obvious difference in length and range, how does the 11-165 compare? Is it as sharp (or close to) the 8-64, and how much does it breathe? thanks a million Matthew

Gentlemen - Thank you for your responses. Tim, I think we're on the same page. Thank you so much for your assistance. Matthew

friends, i've seen these lights on stages at studios and on location - behind sets and around crafty (like a work light). the fixture consists of the stand, and the lamp, which looks light a gigantic lightbulb about the size of a mellon. what's the name of this light. thanks matthew poliquin

One viewing was enough for me. If I wanted to see a stage play . . . I would have gone to one. I did find it interesting that in each scene the characters were just ending one relationship, and on the verge of starting the next, never allowing the audience to see the actual relationship. The performances were rather week as well. Everyone but Portman just seemed to be going through the motions of acting. Matt Poliquin DP/AC/Maker of rent

The only time I can recall a 2nd AC, or a first for that matter "losing" any sort of negative, exposed or unexposed is when he/she feels like their paycheck might be "lost." And miraculously the negative is "found" once the check cleared. Matthew Poliquin AC/DP/Maker of rent LA, CA

I'm working on a TV pilot and have a question. The Final Product: The show will be a mix of 24P video, and 60i video. This will then need to be output to NTSC for domestic use, and PAL for international use. The Question(s): The video shot at 24P is treated, in camera, with a 3:2 or similar pulldown and put down on the tape as an NTSC signal. The 60i just gets recorded as normal. Because this project is going to forever live on video, it is necessary to remove the pulldown on the 24P footage for editing, or is it suitable to keep it as "video." I realize that by editing footage with the 3:2 pulldown, that the added frames will then be placed erraticaly in the video. Will these randomly placed frames stand out? Will they feel jumpy, or should this not be noticeable? Also, this will be outputted as NTSC, then dubbed to PAL. Will there be a problem converting this to PAL, both with the 24p and 60i mixture, and the erratically placed frames generated by the pulldown? And lastly, do all video formats stand up well to being converted to PAL? Thank You Matthew Poliquin DP/AC/Rent Maker

Super - Thanks a bunch!

Does anyone know if any rental houses in the LA area have A-cams. I'm looking for a super small and lightweight film camera. I'd like to attach it to, and film some RC cars. Thank You Matthew Poliquin DP/AC/rent maker

A question regarding lighting and the different keying programs used. I have read a number of articles which state that the keying program used can determine how you light the character and screen. Apparently some programs respond better and worse to using a backlight with some minus green on it, and still some programs allow the character/subject to be lit according to the scene, and not requiring any additional lighting on the screen, and that the shadows created are of no worries. Can someone shed some light into which programs respond better to key lights that cancel out some of the spill, and which programs allow for shadows to be cast on the screen. Thank You, Matthew Poliquin DP/AC Santa Monica, CA

Thank you very much Mr. Mullen

Does anyone know which Panavision Anamorphic lenses were used to film Unbreakable. I know that it is in the Dec. 2000 AC, but I can't get my hands on that issue. Thank You Matthew Poliquin DP/AC Santa Monica

Hey Gang, I've done some stop motion animation, and pixilation with my friend's relfex Bolex - and was quite happy with the results. I must sadly report that he has since moved back across the country, taking his Bolex with him. I remain, down one Bolex, and one friend - but I do have my K3. I've exposed probably 1000 feet of film on it, and been happy with all the results. I am now forced to turn to the K3 for my animation and pixilation. I read that the exposure time with the stop motion is 1/30th of a second, for the animation, and that this can only be done with a plunger in the back end (ok, so that's a little funny). It is still necessary to keep the eyepiece covered - but what about the lens, does that need to be covered in between shots, and while manipulating the subject? Also, when I depress the plunger, does that expose one frame at 1/30th of a second, or will the shutter stay open while the plunger is down? Are there any resources, or advice anyone has out there for working witth the K3 in this capacity. Thank You Matthew Poliquin Los Angeles

Recently for a project that I shot, I needed to make Los Angeles look hot, dirty, dingy, and gross (a real stretch, I know). We had a limited budget, and couldn't do a supervised transfer (we finished to DVcam) so we opted for a one light. I decided to shoot Kodak 7245 - 50D. I overexposed the film 3 stops, then pulled it 2 stops in the soup. The pulling opened up the shadows significantly, overall - it reduced the contrast giving everything a dull look to it, and gave the film a slight yellowish cast (especially in the highlights). The overexposure of 1 stop (3 over in camera, with 2 pull in processing) gave the picture a wonderful "hot" look. I am going to be shooting another similar project - but would like to try something a little different. If I shot a 100 speed tungsten balanced film uncorrected, over exposed it 3 stops in camera, then pulled it 2 stops in processing - what would happen? I know that the 100 speed film won't hold up quite as well to the 3 stops of overexposure, but what sort of image degredation am I going to be looking at. Because it is uncorrected tungsten balanced film, the daylight would expose fairly blue on the film, but with the pulling and yellowing of the film, would this then produce an image closer to green than blue? Thank You, Matthew Poliquin, a young DP Santa Monica

When freestyle dollying (dolly without track), and especially with a wheelchair - it is important to keep your dolly path circular. It is very easy to drift slightly off course, and correcting the dolly path is hard to do smoothly. What I do in situations like this, is determine the proper camera distance, then using my fiberglass tape measure as a compas (math class, not orienteering) draw out with chalk the path of the dolly. The dolly grip just has to keep the wheels on track, and the rest is smooth sailing. Matthew Poliquin DP/AC Los Angeles