Mike Thorn

Besides camera department, I have a keen curiosity for visual effects. Working props, mechanical devices, etc (not so much pyro, miniatures, or CG). For example, on my last film (where I was working as 1st AC), I did the producer a favor on my day off one week and built a small electronic working prop that only cost about $12, sold the trick a lot more smoothly than their previous solution, and was a lot more elegant to use. Also added functionality they didn't have before. If I'd had more than a day I really could have made a go at it and built a device that would have exceeded, not just met, the requirements. I would love to explore this craft a little more. How do you get started in it? What sort of training or education is useful? Is there even much use for it anymore or has it all gone to the visual effects department? (Watched Iron Man the other day. I would have loved to be the guy that got to design and build the miniature arc reactor props. I'm tempted to try building one myself, just for fun.)

I think it was the Magnum, with the add-on Wing Pallet.

What build did you shoot on? Apparently with the new Build 20 colour science (and RedCine) you can go back and re-process footage, even from earlier builds, and get amazing results. Apparently the noise floor drops significantly. I haven't seen any comparisons myself.

I was showing off the assembly shop at ComTime today to a friend when I noticed that one of the engineers had left his toolkit on the workbench. He had a Chicago Case Co unit, well-filled and well-abused. It looked like a sturdy construction and a clever deign; plenty of pockets for those pesky pencils, markers, screw and bolt drivers, maintenance tools and flashlights, but also room for a slate, camera reports, follow focus, and eyebrows or filters not being used. Quite a handy deal for a 1st, perhaps. Has anyone ever used one of these? Any anecdotes or reccommendations? They're not cheap. http://www.chicagocase.com

I usually change it manually just to be absolutely sure that it increments, but I'm guessing it probably has something to do with properly ejecting the media.

You're right of course - and just to clarify, I didn't mean wrapping the camera itself in a towel. In my experience, the freezer packs don't condensate all that much, and I would probably wedge them under the top rails where they would have the most surface contact with the body without getting near exposed body ports. Ideally, a heatsink mounted to the top of the camera would probably wick away the most heat. I suppose there's already a large one inside near the fans.

Wrapped in a thin towel, maybe?

Wrapped in a thin towel, maybe?

Great idea. I'll have to do that.

I wrote a reply this afternoon, but apparently my computer ate it. ++1 operator error. It's a monitor issue. It's not going to disk. I've even seen it on bright interiors. I'll guarantee you'll see a remarkable difference in optical clarity for sunny exteriors if you use a hot mirror. I'll never do an exterior shoot without one. Rosco and Formatt are the best. I think you have to treat these cameras like crew people in their own right. They each have different personalities. Oli's camera didn't like extremes. Most of the cameras I've worked with didn't mind the heat or the cold. On my last feature we spent an hour inside a walk-in freezer below 32 degrees. Camera loved it. A couple features before that, we spent three weeks doing exteriors in the August heat of Texas (high 80's to 90's, humidity the same) and we never had a problem with the camera. I kept a small fan on it when I could, which wasn't often, but the camera didn't complain. Flexible ice packs wouldn't be a bad idea, but I've not tried it myself yet.

Some would say that anyone that "needs" coffee is a wuss. ;)

Here are a few things that helped me a lot on my first feature (which, incidentally, was shot on a stock HVX-200, so not a lot of difference between our experiences): Find an EX1 manual and learn it all. Memorize the menus and each function, if you can. Adrian should know how to do all that, but it allows him to say to you, "Please change the shutter speed to 60fps" and you can do it without thinking. Some DPs like to twiddle all the buttons themselves, some don't like to do it at all. Find out as early as you can. Stock a healthy supply of Kimwipes, Panchro fluid and Dust-Off, even just the Walmart brand if you don't spring for a chrome-nozzle deal. My first DP was fanatical about keeping the lens clean. It's a great habit to get into. Buy a bunch of self-adhesive industrial-strength velcro (the good stuff will stick to your fingers so hard it almost takes your fingerprints off). Use it for everything from keeping cables attached to the camera, keeping a clipboard for reports on the back of the slate, storing the lens cap, to sticking down his coffee cup to teach him not to leave open liquids near the camera... ...Stake your territory. Make sure everyone understands that under no circumstances are foods or open liquids allowed near ANY of the camera gear - camera and monitor especially. I don't care if it's the producer himself - a drowned camera is a useless one. They should know better anyway. The sooner you can afford to buy a complete kit (if you haven't already), the better off you'll be, but you will probably survive just fine with just the bare necessities. A good list for 35mm is in the second post on this page; more exhaustive lists can be found all over this forum. My own digital kit breakdown is here. If you're five minutes early, you're already ten minutes late. It's a good idea to have the camera unit ready to go within fifteen minutes of call time. With a barebones EX1 that should be no trouble at all if you're on time. If you're doing the data offloading, develop a workflow before you start production. Don't leave it till lunchtime on the first day. If someone else is doing it, be nice to them. They can make your life miserable if they want to. Same goes for Adrian. :) Also, never eat meals before your DP does. Wait for him. Overall, if you do your best and enjoy your work, you'll do fine. My personal rule of conduct is to make myself invaluable wherever possible, just for the joy of earning my wage; however, I don't tolerate laziness by other people. Remember that mental work counts too (that's mostly what the DP does, but don't let him get away with being lazy just because he outranks you)! Speaking of which: don't pull rank just because you can. Remember that as a 1st AC on super-low budget indies, you don't outrank too many people. In fact, if there are no PA's, you ARE the bottom of the chain of command. Only pull rank it when you have to, when it becomes necessary and valuable to production for you to do so. Learn the box. Then think outside of it. Become ingenious.

See the original post from Brent at RED regarding this issue: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.ph...ghlight=lithium

It wasn't hell, it was heaven - because it was a story and a purpose I believe in. That's really the difference between people who love what they do, and people who love what they get paid. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat - in fact, I'm strongly considering taking a job in August that will probably pay even less, be even more difficult, shooting on a camera over twice as old as I am, and to cap it off, I've never even seen a piece of real Super 16mm film before, let alone played 1st AC to one. Why would I even think about it? Because there's a good story to be told, and that's what this business is all about. Making money, being famous, living well - it's so materialistic. What about the lives you can touch, the stories you can tell, the differences you can make in peoples' lives through the movies you help become a reality? What is sleep, or comfort, or "proper" technique or tools in the face of a story that might not get told without the sacrifice that you or I make? Story is king. Let us never forget that. Everything else...is just gravy.

Dominic, I'm actually living near Akron, Ohio right now. I was referred to Chad by a friend of the producer's and Chad liked my references. I love to travel, though, so I wouldn't think twice about driving my ol' Chevy to Michigan, even for day jobs (my personal best is 14 hours roundtrip for one night's work!). If you'd still like my info, I'd be more than happy to send it to you.