Chris Hurn

EDIT: Ouch, wrong forum. Can this be moved please? (lighting) Thanks. Okay. So I've got a script for a very short film in progress. There are a few night scenes, most of which will be shot day for night using filters post production. I'm quite happy with the results I've managed to get so far so this will be fine. However, for a few shots I want to have the actors with torches. I think that I will have the torch run out of battery quickly though, so I can do the rest day for night. So maybe one or two shots with require the torch. What I was thinking of doing was either renting a few lights, like a 500w frenel for key, and some smaller lights for fill and back (all blue gels for moonlight), OR using 500 and 150w halogens, with blue gels for a cheaper alternative. So that will be to simutlate the moonlight. Then I'll need the torch to show up. Can anyone recommended torches that won't break the bank, are quite small, and suitable for this kind of scene? I guess they'd need to be pretty powerful. But I don't want to spend too much on 2-3 shots. Do you think this will work out? Maybe there's a better alternative to this? It's only probably 2 shots I'd need a torch on. Maybe there's something else I could try. Cheers! -Chris

Cool. Last question, I promise. :P Do the Nizo's have runtime limits or anything? I heard that some cameras can only go for 20 seconds or so. -Chris

Okay. Thanks guys. I think for now I'll be starting non-sync. -Chris

Thanks. I've been reading about 'blimps' and other devices on this forum.. Is that like a case to cover the camera? would it help on the Nizo cameras? Or what about throwing a blanket over it? I read that somewhere while searching the forum. Thanks for your help, -Chris

Hey guys. I was just wondering, what sort of price will I be looking at for a used (ebay or similar) 16mm camera that is quiet? I'm a high school student (final year), and I'm really keen to try some actual film. Right now I'm just doing some research on super8, 16mm etc. It would be nice to have something that's quiet. I'm not looking for a new model or anything, but something that is reliable. If this isn't at all possible, then I guess my next question would be what's a good 16mm camera to begin with? I've been reading things like some 16mm cameras people are buying have 20 second limits and all sorts of things. I don't want limits like that, if possible! Also, if I have this right...for black and white film I'd probably be looking at roughly $20-25 for 100ft...which is like 2 minutes, correct? Which would mean if I wanted to shoot a 5 minute film, and had lots of rehersals etc. I could probably squeeze a 3:1 ratio, so maybe like 700ft of film? (roughly) Thank you, and I appologize for my complete lack of knowledge on the subject, I'm just starting out. -Chris

Thanks for the advice. Matt Wells - the cameras you mentioned as being quiet - how quiet are they? I'm just curious. Would a 16mm camera like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/KRASNOGORSK-3-RUSSIAN-...1QQcmdZViewItem (for example) be loud too? I should probably start with a non-sync short for film, but I'm just curious to know for future reference. Thanks a lot! -Chris

Wow, thanks for that. I didn't know they made that much noise. It it just 8mm cameras? How do people making 16mm shorts etc. survive? Thanks Rick. :) -Chris

I should have mentioned I am on PAL. ( I live in New Zealand). How loud is are the cameras? Is this the deal for every camera? or old 8mm? I meant 24frames a second, for recording the film. Sorry. Still trying to get used to it all. -Chris

So recently I've been looking into shooting my next short film super8mm. I've been looking at cameras, and I heard that something like this is pretty good: http://cgi.ebay.com/CANON-Super-8-mm-film-...1QQcmdZViewItem I am confused a bit though. If I want to shoot 24p...and then get it transferred to miniDV for example, will the frame rate be changed? I actually don't have editing software that allows 24p I don't think (Adobe premiere, not 1.5). Does it matter? About sound (this relates to my last question)...I was thinking of recording with a MiniDisc recorder, using an external mic and headphones etc... but I've heard that because the frame rate on the film isn't 'perfect', the sound won't match. I've heard something about crystal sync...not really sure. How 'off' would it go, and would it be easy to fix up in post, in a program like "audacity" (you can change tempo without ajusting pitch etc.) and using Adobe premiere? or is there a better way (without spending too much money please!). --If the frame rate was changed in the transfer to DV, then how would this work? The audio I recorded would be even further off, wouldn't it? Sorry for my stupid questions. -Chris

Hi there. I have been reading up about lighting etc. for a while now, ever since Mr Mullen helped me out with my first set of questions on studentfilmmakers.com. I am not a cinematographer or anything, I'm 16 (I want to do directing) however, since there is nobody around to help me light for my films, I have to do it by myself. I have been thinking about the 'light through window' effect for a while and tried to look around about how to go about doing it, however I'm still not clear about it. Attatched is a still from the "last samurai" (Sorry couldn't find a bigger one, I took this out of the web trailer) and shows what I would like to achieve. As you can see you can see the 'edges' of the light, so it sort of looks like a soft, spot-ish light coming through the window. I'd like to rent a few lights and play around with them, but I don't have a lot of money (as a student) so it would be nice if someone could point me in the right direction. Where do I put the light? Just outside the window? won't that be too harsh and bright, and cause lots of reflections everywhere? Let's say I wanted to capture the same 'feel' the last samurai screen has. I read about using an HMI or something, but I'm not sure. Also if I were doing this at night, what would I need to do? I guess I'd have to gel the light with a CTB gel (am I right?). But on a very low budget would I need anything else? like reflectors or anything, or fill lights? I would be wanting a sort of spooky, moonlight feel (at night). Let's pretend this is a smallish bedroom. Keep in mind I don't have any generators or anything and anything I plug in would be into a standard household socket. ----------------------------- --------window here------- / \ / \ / light here \ ------------------------------ I also read I'd need to use some fog or 'diffusion?'. I found a product called 'diffusion in a can'. Is this okay instead of using a fog machine? Thank you! -Chris Wellington, New Zealand

When I mean 'this' I was refering to the HDR FX1. -Chris

This camera looks interesting. I'm looking to upgrade my 1 year old sony consumer grade 1CCD camera, and get into some more serious filmmaking (I'm a 16 year old student here), but I have some questions. Firstly, I heard that you still use MiniDV tapes. Is this correct? SO I could essentially use my old camcorder as a deck for editing and it would lose no quality? 2) What's the difference between this and the VX2100E? That camera looks good too, but should I make the leap to this HD one? I want my films to look good, but I also want the camera to last me a little while. 3) I read an article somewhere about half a second glitches when editing with HD? does it glitch when editing? Also can I use Adobe Premiere or whatever to edit my film? Thanks, -Chris

Hi there, I am currently doing an article for homework (media class) on the New Zealand film industry, and how it has changed over the years. I'm interested to get comments and views from people in other countries. It would be really cool to get an answer from Mr Mullen, but if anyone else would like to answer please feel free to do so. Please leave your first and last name, and your country on your post. Anyway, basically I was just wondering a few things: 1) Did you ever think about the NZ film industry, or NZ at all before The Lord of the Rings trilogy? 2) What are your thoughts on the industry? (if any). 3) Have you considered shooting a film in New Zealand? That's it for now. Please feel free to add anything else. I will edit this if I have any further questions. Thanks! -Chris

I'm not really old enough to go to film school. (16). I plan to go when I finish school though. ;) -Chris

Cool site. Thanks for the info, I will think about getting a few books on film production. -Chris