Tom Savige

I'm a small time camera assistant in Melbourne who's looking into upgrading some of my gear but am not too happy with the price or selection of the avenues I'm aware of.

 

I was stoked to find the prices on filmtools.com to be as cheap as they were but even with minimal purchase, the shipping rate to Australia was ASTRONOMICAL (more than double the amount of the actual purchases) and John Barry does not have great selection.

 

I'm wondering if any of you know other places I should be looking to purchase the following at a reasonable price:

 

- AC kit bag (relatively big)

- slate (a simple one)

- change tent

- grey card/ color chart/ focus chart

 

as well as various odds n ends. If anyone has a heads up, that's be great. Cheers!

 

Kind Regards,

 

Marcus Allemann

Marcus, Try Setwear.com.au

Hey Guys,

Im after either a Canon 5d MK2 or a 7d. What would you guys reccommend i buy?

The 7d shoots 24p full HD and 60p 720 but the 5d MK2 has the full 35mm sized sensor and I was planning on using a f1.2 lens with the camera.

Thanks, Tom

I too would like to know this. Has anyone tried bouncing light into Lee 272 (soft gold reflector)?

Matt,

About a year ago I was faced with the same problem, the tough decision of whether to get a fogger or hazer. After about a week of research I decided to go with the fogger. I chose this because it is possible to get the hazer effect with a fogger but it isn't possible to get a fogger look with a hazer.

If you fan out the smoke, it should disperse pretty well, it is a little wispy but it gets the job done.

Tom

Hey Guys,

I just bought a LanternLock from the internet. I was just wondering if it will work in Australia. It cost $200aud so it'd be a big waste if it didn't work.

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Tom

+1 on dedos. These days cameras tend to be ay more sensitive, i find redheads to much of a blunt instrument.

 

Dedo's would be my desert isle lamp because they are very very flexible. (and expensive)

 

Dedo's were the first equipment I bought after my meters. And a very big +1 on the octodome. I had to force the local distributor to order one in from the catalogue but now everyone here has them !!!

 

jb

Thanks John, I went to a Cinematography lecture of yours earlier on in the year and I can recall you saying that they were one of your favorite lights. I don't think I'll be able to afford them though, I'll probably just end up borrowing them from School

What are they mainly used for? I hired them one day for a Short I was making and found that they make a good hair light. Is there any other uses for them? Could guys please post photos.

Thanks, Tom

Hey Guys,

Me again, with another of my imbecilic posts. This time I would like to know what lights you would reccommend buying. I am making a large amount of short films with some friends, we eill be mainly shooting on location.

I have worked out that It will end up cheaper to actually BUY lights rather than rent them a million and a half times...

I am thinking of getting a Redhead Kit (3 Redheads), A Blondie and a pole cat allong with a gel collection and maybe an Arri 150w Fresnel.

Please keep in mind that my budget is very limited, so 18k HMI's and whatnot are out of the question.

should I add or subtract any items? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers Tom.

according to the urban dictionary:

 

trolling

 

Hanging one's penis out of the back of a moving vehicle, in the pursuit of poonany, much like fishing.

 

"Hey Fritz, what the hell are you doing back there"? "Leave me the f*** alone. I'm trolling!"

You learn something new every day. Thanks Matt.

I'm shooting a scene in a black box theater with the camera facing members of the audience (I'm using a Canon A1). The theater is for stage productions, not a cinema. Does anyone have lighting suggestions on making it appear as if a movie is playing (particular lighting that appears on the audience)?

 

Thanks,

Mark

Mark,

I shot in a cinema last month. You'd better check if they let you bring in external lights because they wouldn't let us bring in any AC powered lights. We had to use the cleaners lights and bounce the light around with a reflector. The motivation was completly ruined in the scene but the lighting really went with the mood of the scene.

Have fun on the shoot, Tom. :D

P.S. Here are some stills (Sorry about the image quality it was shot on a HV30)

Cool thanks guys for your help.

Wow, that seems pretty cool. How expensive is it exactly?

Will a Kino Flo be alright if it is dropped onto hard concrete ground from about 1.5 metres high?

It was a simple accident that could've happened to anyone, but will the light still

be ok, and how can you check to see if it it running to it's lighty best?

Olivia,

Kino Flo's arent generally designed to be dropped however it may be alright. When you return the light to your rental house tell the staff there and they should be able to fix it. :)

Clamp like a maffer or Cardellini. Equipment like "wall spreaders" and their kin is profusely explained and their uses described in Uva's Grip book. You really should get yourself a copy. It covers many of the things, that film schools don't teach.

Thanks for your advice JD, I'll check it out. :)

Hi There.

I am shooting in a hallway and would like to rig a redhead to an Autopole. I have seen it done before but I am still a little unsure as to how secure it is and what weight it can support. any information would be useful.

Hey Guys,

I'm shooting this weekend and I need a soft light source which would you recommend, A Kino Flo Diva Light 400 or a Lowel Rifa Light 88 (1k Softbox) . They both have their advantages and disadvantages. what are your suggestions?

Cheers

Thanks for your help guys, I am thinking of buying a big chimera so whats the cheapest light that has a strong yolk? I was also wondering how much light the diffusion pannel on the front of it loose. would I just be better off buying a Kino Flo?

Thanks, Tom

Either works as long as it has a nice even flood position. The only problem I've had with some brands of lightweight open-faces is that the yokes are too flimsy to handle the weight of the Chimera. Also, some of them are not easy to drop scrims into. I'm thinking of Ianero Blondes and Redheads really.

Thanks David, I was actually going to get the Ianero ones, so thanks for warning me. Nothing worse than finding out they have flimsy yokes on set. I'll make sure to buy Arri :D

You'd be best off buying a Hazer it still produces smoke but it's very fine.

As Jeff said, Light needs to hit something in order to be visible.

Good Luck, Tom

Hello,

I am buying a Chimera soon and I'm just wondering what kind of light is best for it. Some people say that you should use a fresnel in them but I dont see the what the problem is with using an open faced light in one.

Thanks, Tom

Great, thanks for your help.

I guess I better buy bigger gels next time. :)

Hi There,

I recently had a shoot with a 1k rifa light 88. I was just wondering how you gel these lights. We placed them inside the housing and they melted very quicky. Where do you place the gels?