Evan Andrew John Prosofsky

higher speed films have more range than slower ones? really? this goes against everything i've been told about 35mm photo film. anyone want to clear this up? it seems any time i ask these detailed questions, the most common response is 'due some testing'. this is undoubtedly the best way to answer my questions but unfortunately i live in edmonton, alberta. without doing much explaining it is essentially impossible to do such testing economically. thus i resort to bugging you guys with detailed questions. so again, anything, any footage tests you guys have done or experience you have or specific information in regards to super16mm's dynamic range would greatly help. i find myself constantly frustrated with the information on the kodak site. i want to see comparison pictures not numbers and pointless technical info!

Once again coming to you guys for help. I apologize for so many questions in such a short time. I'm looking for a film that can handle high contrast ratios, with low amount of grain and medium to exceptional sharpness. I always want skin tones to stay fairly accurate. From your guys' professional experience, which stock would fit the bill? I'll be shooting mainly outdoors in the mountains on an ARRI SR3, with a zeiss 11-110 T2.2 Here is an example of the kind of scene we'll be doing, and why I'm worried. Guy walking outside under the forest canopy. (major transitions between light and dark, can the film handle both?) Guy comes to his cabin, walks inside. There is a large window which appears to be the only source of light entering and filling the room. (high contrast ratio, will the highlights hold? will the blacks have any detail?) What I would love to hear and what would be very helpful is if somebody could give me an approximate exposure index for these films. I've never worked with s16mm and want to find out what kind of contrast ratios i need to be working with. Can a white persons skin be 3 stops over on one side and 2-3 stops under on the other side? That would be very helpful to know. Evan

Thanks a lot for all the insight. Very informative and interesting. I think I'll just have to do some tests for myself and see what I like. I was thinking of sending everything to cinelicious for telecine. Good idea? Bad idea?

Maybe 70% of the film will take place outdoors, in the early morning and afternoon. The rest will be shot during magic hour and at night. I understand you're implying 50D would be more appropriate for outdoor shooting, and I agree. But the director is all caught up in choosing a film stock with the greatest dynamic range, specifically in regards to highlight handling. Excuse my ignorance, but vision 3 has more dynamic range than vision 2, right? And vision 3 is 500 speed. Whereas there are lots of vision 2 stocks to choose from in varying speeds? Basically we want a stock with great highlight handling, but don't want to sacrifice image sharpness and grain. We come from a digital background and are excited to shoot our first short on film. Reading the article on the kodak website about Peter Greenaways film was very encouraging because he essentially said that shooting with films greater dynamic range allowed him to focus more on the film and less on the lighting. When I light for digital I have to be very particular with my highlights, and i greatly dislike how easily they burn out. We want to be able to place an actor infront of a blaring sun and still get something beautiful and relatively useable. Can anyone informed about all the different super 16mm film stocks please help me choose a stock with great highlight handling but also okay sharpness and (hopefully) fine grain. Thankyou.

Would there be any way to check whether it is the original lens, or a converted version? Thankyou for your insight. Additional questions: 1. After doing some reading about the different super 16mm film stocks I am now a tad worried about shooting the new vision 3 stock. What in your professional opinions is the best choice for a film stock? We want a fairly clean look. We will be doing a 1080p telecine to digital at MOST, maybe even just to SD. I'm concerned about the possible lack of sharpness and immense graininess I'm told the s16mm 7219 exhibits. What we really don't want is that 'grainy amateur b+w art film' look. Like that movie Pi, gross. Is there a massive(or worthwhile) difference in dynamic range between 7219 and another super16 stock? What can you guys recommend? If i rate it at 320 should I be okay? Thankyou so much

Hello! People on this forum have always been very polite and helpful, i hope you guys don't mind answering these quick questions of mine. I'm shooting a short film on Super 16mm. There is only one rental house in Edmonton Alberta and the only camera i can use is the ARRI SR3. I have available to me a zeiss 11-110mm t2.2 zoom lens, a video tap, and two 400ft mags. Questions: 1. Does anyone have experience with this zoom? How much does it breath? Is it sharp? Or I guess what I'm trying to say is, is it useable? Can it be trusted? The director is shooting S16mm in hopes of getting an older, softer look. A little like terrance malicks badlands. 3. I have been unable to find prices for kodaks S16mm vision3 500T stock, how much per foot does it run on average? The director mandates we use it for the increased dynamic range. Thankyou! Also if there are any tricks of the trade or important notes in regards to the SR3 or the video tap please let me know!

Hi! I am somewhat shocked no one has mentioned Wally Pfister's beautiful photography in 'The Dark Knight'. There must four or five times the camera does full 360 stuff around the talent. Maybe a little bit too cheesy and unnecessary, but they do add a certain dramatic element and really give those scenes a punch. Check them out!

Thankyou very much for the helpful information, everybody. It's superb that an amateur like myself can talk to a site filled with professionals willing to help.

Thanks! So anything under 1200W can be plugged in to a household circuit? What was it that determines that, the amperage? 12 or 13 is maxing out your circuits right? How come 4k, 12k, 18k aren't available as PARS? Anybody know where I can buy some used HMI's, or just cheap HMI's in general, he he

Hello, I have a few questions about HMI's that have always made me curious. 1. What are the differences, pros/cons of magnetic vs. electric ballasts? 2. Being that brand new HMI's are so expensive, is there anywhere other than ebay that specializes in selling used HMI equipment? 3. Excuse my ignorance, does PAR mean you can plug the light in to an ordinary household circuit? Thankyou!

thanks for the suggestion, it sounds very good. has anyone checked out the dvds listed at the bottom of the arri lighting manual? please keep the suggestions coming

Hi all, I have been attempting to learn as much about working with light as possible. Within the past few months I have read various book recommendations such as John Alton's 'Painting With Light', 'Hitchcock Truffaut', and 'The Five C's Of Cinematography'. I am now looking for a more visual way to learn. Can anybody please suggest a dvd that they found helped them? I realize a lot of you are going to say "the best way to learn is to watch your favorite movies and find out how they lit them". I totally agree. I still would like to see a real light training dvd though. There are so many out there, please suggest a good one! Thanks very much. Evan

cool, thanks!

Hi everybody. I've just started out doing some freelance video work for various companies, normally I don't have a problem giving them the final edit. I scale my red footage to SD and put it on a mini dv tape and my clients are always happy with the result. I started to realize though, what if a client wants the footage in HD? Or even 4k?? What do you pros do to deliver footage. I have a job coming up where I will need to send about 40 minutes of 720p footage to an editing company. How is this done in the industry? Please give me some insight and help! Thankyou everyone in advance!