Kevin Zanit

But the Varicam?s secrete weapon is that it will confuse his opponent, is it HD or not? ahhh

Wow: Should Varicam be called HD? Low Cost HD and Near HD Quality SDX900 vs. F900 for Film Production Newly Announced Canon XL2 vs. Varicam And now Varicam vs. PAL Digital Beta Whats next, Varicam vs. Mothra?

I still think a lot of the look was due to motion blur. The more I think about it, the more the look reminded me of what telecined TV looks like. I think it did hold up pretty well on the big screen, but I could still feel the lack of resolution in the format. The cameras did handle color very nicely though. Kevin Zanit

I have not heard of a fix from Sony either. I believe it is more of a lens issue (some being more prone to back focus issues than others). What lenses were you using? Kevin "Elhanan did not call me back tonight, but I will forgive him ;)" Zanit

I just saw a screening of the film (at the Arc Light). Frankly, the movie looked to me like your average HD originated film (the digital parts). I saw a TON of blue noise in the shadows on the interior scenes at night (these were clearly shot digitally). A very natural looking film, which comes as no shock. The look was, well . . . a look. A little flat, soft, and boring. The look did work for the film. The close ups held nicely, but not a lot of texture in the skin. The motion blur issues were very apparent, some very odd looking motion blur. I enjoyed the fact that I could see the ambiance in the sky, very neat. The movie itself was pretty good. Nice concept, very good execution. Good performances. I guess the best way to sum it up is what my friend said: Reminded him of an episode of 24. Kevin Zanit

I don?t know the answer to your question, but I also thought it was a very beautiful video. To me the contrast looks like they shot color NEG and pulled the color out in telecine. Kevin Zanit

If your a loader, just can the 50 - 100' short ends you will encounter. If you are nervous, just ask production if it?s okay. Be sure to tell them this film would end up in the trash if you did not keep it, they wont mind. Or just ask a Kodak rep nicely, I have done it in the past (it was for a project I was shooting though). Kevin Zanit

I was told somewhere around $4,000 a day, with a two day week. This is a high book rate, but I am sure it will go down, and well, no one pays book prices. Kevin Zanit

You can call the ASC and ask to leave a message for the member in question. Kevin Zanit

It?s true. Saw the camera several days ago. Looked like you took a camera and dipped it in chocolate milk. Kevin Zanit

Most of them live at Panavision Hollywood. I know Woodland Hills has at least 4. Just call and tell them you want to rent one. If it is available, they will have it shipped over. This is done all the time. Kevin Zanit

I deem any question worthy of my time, as long as the person asking the question shows some appreciation. If you didn't notice, I have answered your other posts fairly throughly. Kevin Zanit

Why don't you look at the title of your post: "How to work a lightmeter?". I would say the people answering you with "Dont ask such broad questions, etc" are addressing part of your question. B&H is fine, ebay is ok. Lets look at your past topics: How to work a lightmeter? How to build a darkroom How to load 35mm camera? How to bounce natural light? Any ideas on getting sharp B/W 16mm, Stocks, lighting and other info needed A 16mm shoot to digital edit Advice, Please These are all extremely basic topics. They are also incredibly broad. You assault people suggesting you read a book with a retort of "Is that not the point? Education? The idea is to get experienced answerers from people who know, as opposed to flipping endlessly through a largish book. Is that, on any level, reprehensible? " This is from the same guy that asks on a Internet forum how to load a 35mm camera. Only a dolt would assume one could be taught how to load film without actually touching it. Seems to be a contradicting attitude. This is an industry/ community that thrives off of respect. If you are some punk kid (I don't know your age, but this is how you present yourself) that comes to ask people with a lot better things to do then answer your basic questions, the very least you can do is show some respect. Just shut up and learn, or just get lost. Kevin Zanit

A short end is when there is film left in the mag with a length of 100 feet or more (in 35mm) and 40 feet or more (in 16mm). It is just one more step in unloading the mag. I was on a commercial a few years ago where they told me to just waste anything under 200 feet! I have never thrown away that much film in my life. On day 2 I just started keeping anything that I would normally trash. Production did not mind, and I put it to better use. P.S. When I was 14 (I actually started working with this stuff at 7, weird kid), I was working with Panavision stuff fairly regularly. It doesn't mean that was good. One could also learn to appreciate good gear by working with crap. It also makes working with the better stuff a lot easier by comparison.

:::This is not the case anymore on Arricam mags, as they are based on the Moviecam design:::: True, but most people using Arri cameras are not using the Arricams (yet).

Or an Arri mag: This only slightly harder because you have to thread the film into gears on the rollers (as opposed to Panavision's loose rollers). After it is through the first roller you have to pull it out to that tab marked loop (to set the loop size) then thread it back in. You will know if you did not do it right because the gears will be chewing your film. You will hear it as you thread it and see it once you are done because the film will be dented. Not real hard, honestly. The only hard mag I have ever used was the Aaton 35 mags. Kevin Zanit

I must agree. Loading mags is not exactly rocket science. Thats the loading procedure for a Panavision mag . . . real hard. Kevin Zanit

:::What do I need to stock a darkroom:::: Cores, cans, bags, tape, pens, camera reports, film inventory sheets, caned air, trash can. :::What type of lights can I use?::: Well any work with camera film (not photographic print paper) MUST be done in complete darkness. B&W paper can be used with safe lights (red or yellow). As for work light, anything can work. The standard is a fluro over the work bench and some regular overhead lights. These are all switched. It is also a good idea to have a red light outside of the darkroom. The room is usually painted black, of course is light tight, has a lockable door with a black curtain hanging in front of it. :::: I've got a freezer for film storage, so far. :::: Do not put film in a freezer (unless for long term storage). Film that is to be loaded should be kept at room temperature because of issues with condensation. I am assuming you are talking about a motion picture dark room. As to how to equip a still photo lab, I can go into that, but would rather avoid the typing if you are not talking about it in the first place ;) . Kevin Zanit

35mm films is bought in rolls on cores. It is loaded into a magazine in either a darkroom or changing bag. The loaded mag is then placed on the camera and threaded. You can not buy pre loaded mags, as the mags are part of the camera system. In 16mm you can buy film on daylight spools. This allows you to load the film into the camera in subdued light. Kevin Zanit

Mr. Brown brings up an interesting point. I observed it on a show yesterday. It really does become a point of attention (in this case it in fact did look really good, and the Polaroid reflected that). Another thing that is a nice use of Polaroids is to take spot readings, and then write them on the Polaroid. It could take a little time, but it could also be a real helpful log in tests, etc. Kevin Zanit

Yes. It was a low budget indie film directed by someone who worked as Kaminski's assistant when he was directing Lost Souls. It was gaffed by Keith Dunkerley, who was Kaminski's intern for a while. A friend of mine who was on the set for a day or two said they had a pretty nice package, and that it looked good. Kevin Zanit

I also really liked the look of this film (both films in fact). My only gripe is that some scenes looked a little flat, but that was a very rare occasion. I saw a pristine print, and Mr. Pope's work really shined. Very talented guy. Kevin Zanit

I have used them before to check contrast (its good late in the day when your eyes are tired). The problem is, its reversal film. It has less latitude, and is higher contrast that most negative film. Thus it's usefulness as an exposure aid is limited. I try to use b&w film, with a speed thats close to the movie film I am using. I forget the name of the camera, but it is an old MANUAL Polaroid camera that has been converted to take modern film. On my light meter I have two ISO settings, so I set one to my movie film, and the other to the Polaroid film. Kevin Zanit

I have read the book by David Elkins. It is pretty good if you are fairly new to assisting. It has a lot of basics, but at the same time does dig into less introductory topics. It deals with the paper work of a 2nd pretty well, and also has some real useful appendixes. Kevin Zanit

The white chip should read as 100 and the black one zero (or 7.5 depending on set-up). These figures are roughly what you should, some slight variance is fine. They should look like steps. Another way to do it is use a gray card and let the camera auto-expose for the card, then match your meter to the stop. Don't use a spot meter, as I said use an incident meter, and then adjust your ISO until the meter displays an F-STOP that matches your camera's.