Steven Polanski

Have a plan B in place just in case on the day. this style of filming is not new to the industry and the manufacturers should have sorted this type of issue out before releasing this or any camera. The only issue you will have IF AT ALL is the gyroscopic affect on internal spinning components when certain G forces are in effect. Shock dampening your camera mounts is also another issue. Mount the camera at or below head height too ( refering to the sitting position in the ride etc). If it's a POV shot then obviously go hand held if possible. If you want to scare the SH..! out of the audience then solid mount the camera and try to eliminate as much camera shake as possible. If in doubt contact the manufacturer or supplier and ask the specific questions. I worked on the set of Charlottes Web and was amused by the ten or so crew members who were all trying to mount the small camera to the ferris wheel. None of them looked to me to have any great mechanical apptitude to realise that there needed to be a very heavy weight under the camera at a distance to prevent the resistance swing that they were getting. Evennnnnnnnnnntually it was sorted out! Steve

I need a little help on this one since my FX experience hasn't taken me to this effect so far. How was the self lighting candle scene done in the movie 'The Craft'. I think I can do this electroniclly but that scene looks chemical to me. If you look closely there are what look to be two flames on each candle from the moment of ignition then they come togehter as one. This needs to be real stuff, not in post because I want to shoot this in close up. Steven polanski

You can also try Jim Leng. He worked on Harry Potter and Ghost Rider. Due to his signature style he was called back to do all the HP films. He can be found on 'imdb'. He said a while back thath he might retire from the movie stuff but if he's still listed you'll be in luck. Nice guy too. Steve

One thing to also remember, when you are doing submersion tricks is to run through the process in your mind in absolute detail so you can visualise the total detailed out come. In this situation make sure that the talent has ear plugs in and nose plugs too. Dyes and inks may be friendly on the skin but ear drums are not skin and may be suseptible to damage. Any watery fluid will inevitably leave a slight stain on bare skin so try a light rub of infant or baby oil all over the body to make slightly water resistant and the coloured medium should come off easier during the bath exit. Your Pharmacist or drug store will guide you on this with their knowlege. They can also suggest which type of colouring medium to safely use. If you can shoot the talent submerging into the water and run this footage backwards in post then the effect can come out spectacular if done correctly. They will look like they are coming out completely dry and from a black ink too! Hope this helps too. Steven polanski

Hey Curtis the laws in Australia are pretty tight on firearms too but here is a suggestion on how to simulate a real revolver if that will suffice. You can buy a toy revolver that shoots those Taiwan made 8 shot super caps which are red and circular in design(just another name for caps for the cap gun). Drill out barrel to accomodate mussle flash, load toy gun with cap ring and add thin house hold oil or sewing machine oil to barrel and you should get a nise flash and a little smoke if needed. If this works for you then start up scaling the gun by cutting the barrel midway and adding a copper pipe to get extra barrel length and some black resinous putty that hardens to increase the size of the grip. To keep it simple for all of you others if you really want to use real fire arms then approach a sport shooter or gun owner and pay him to buy a hand gun (specificly for movies)which can be modified with a softer recoil spring and if he reloads his own ammo then he or she will probably be glad to develpo a certain type of blank with a low load to use in this gun. To get a little smoke go to your local University chemistry supplier and experiment with various dry chemicals in the gun powder mix to acieve what you want. The gun owner will probably be glad to offer his services on any local low budget film productions. AND make it easy on them by doing all the ground work so in effect you will be the effects person and he will only have to be the licenced carrier. If need be then get them to do a course on movie firearms handling to get some sort of certification. There are always lots of people out there that would be glad to help out with film and movies since they can be credited with their name at the end. I was in an 1860s film and was carrying a revolver all day. Being a film set my purpose for carrying was vastly different than for someone that is hanging out in front of a bank with a gun under their jacket. As long as it is all in context. Steve : ;)

Found it! It is in the instruction book, only shoots in 50i. Thanks Lance.

Thanks Nate, I will have to have a good look through the on camera menu. Would this be the only setting with the A1P? If so then I should find nothing in the menu. Steve

G'day all you film buffs, in my camera menu and also the instruction book I don't seem to have the functions of 50i and 60i as some of you my have with some of those slightly more advanced cameras. Am I correct? If so I take it that I just have to make do with the 1080i function (or Hi Def), manual exposure and shutter speed to get the best possible picture to suit the type of film I am shooting. I've had this camera for around two years now and am relatively conversant with most of the functions. I am both a short film maker and segment Producer, camera operator and Presenter on a Community TV Channel in Australia. Steven Polanski