Ashley Dean Myles

Surely someone must have a comment or two :)

Thought I'd share these with you. We just wrapped up post-production on two commercials for a client in Florida. Both were shot on s16mm. View Commercials "Martyr" was shot on Kodak 7285 Reversal (cross processed) and 7205. The "Traffic" like scenes were shot with Antique Suede and 85B filters. There was no color correction in post. "Faust" was shot on Kodak 7222 Black and White with various b/w filtration. We rode the variable speed controller to achieve the strobe-like motion and random overexposure. Now it's dark... Ashley Dean Producer Cage XXI Enterprises, Inc.

Hahahah! Thank you! Although we are both quite in love with Suzy's excellent work, he assures me that I was his intended betrothed. And now we have archival negatives of the whole thing....probably last longer than our lifetimes! Now its dark... Ashley Dean www.cagexxi.com

I'd just like to share a wonderful moment I had last night with the forum. My business partner and cinematographer Tony "Chainsaw" Myles (who also posts on this board), proposed to me on film last night. We were sitting in the telecine suite with our colorist, Suzy, color correcting two commercials we shot in South Florida. On the last roll (some excellent black and white footage shot on Kodak 7222 with a yello/green filter), he used the remaining footage to propose to me. Apparently, after we had wrapped up the shoot he holed up in his office and filmed himself. Poor Suzy figured out what was going on before I did, as she had to enlarge the image to read the words he had written on the slate (it was MOS). She asked, "Uh, Chainsaw, should I be in the room for this?" Continental Film & Video in Miami will forever be a special place for us now. By the way, they're currently installing a Spirit telecine and planning on offering a direct-to-drive option in the very near future. Oh happy days! By the way, we're planning on filming the wedding on 35mm. No cheesy video for us :) p.s. John P., could we possibly get a custom run of 35mm Kodachrome for the occasion? :lol: www.cagexxi.com Ashley Dean (and Chainsaw)

Yep, I found the some at B&H (#21 Deep Orange and #25 Red). Unfortunately, that's all they have in stock and the rest are special order, two weeks minimum. Of course, the client needs the finished product by August 1st and so our shoot is scheduled for this Friday and Saturday. I've gone ahead and purchased the two available from B&H, but still need to locate a Green, Blue and a Yellow. Please keep the tips coming! David, do you know of any Harrison & Harrison dealers? We definitely do not want resin filters. I did contact Panavision and they have a few in stock for rental, but not all and would have to order them in from another location. Again, time is our issue. Thanks! Ash www.cagexxi.com

I'm having trouble tracking down 4 x 4 b/w filters for an upcoming shoot. We'd like to buy, not rent. I've tried my usual sources (filmtools, Panavision, etc.), but these just don't seem to be in demand at all. Any suggestions? Does Schneider even make them anymore?

We're looking for experienced Grip/Electrics in the South Florida region for a one-day film shoot on July 15th, 2005 with the possibility of several more film shoots during July and August. Travel and lodging will be provided. Applicants must have at least 5 years experience. Please email your resume to info@cagexxi.com or fax it to 239-337-4909. Location is in Bonita Springs, Florida. Pay is $250 per day (12 hour day). Please do not apply if you are not experienced. We run a tight ship with a very demanding DP.

Quality. I'd still prefer a Beta SP transfer to miniDV anyday.

Thanks, Patrick. I've been able to negotiate quite a bit on the price. I spoke with them on the phone and was impressed with their cordiality and knowledge, so I'm going to go through with the purchase. Ashley

I'm looking into buying a piece of equipment from Pro Video & Film in Dallas, Texas. I was wondering if anyone here had purchased from them before or had any info about them. They seem to be very reputable to me, but when purchasing something via phone/internet I like to have good recommendations. Thank you! Ashley Dean

Does anyone have any experience with an NCE Geared Head? I've been unable to find any specs on this manufacturer, but several pictures of regular and mini models. Any input will be greatly appreciated Ashley

I think I've discovered why the smaller geared heads are becoming so difficult to find: they're being modified/motorized and used in stop motion animation and motion control systems (in conjunction with a computer controller). Has anyone else noticed this development? I've spoken with several used film equipment dealers and they've all mentioned how popular the mini-worrall and technovison heads have become.

I am currently looking to purchase a Mini-Worrall or similar size geared head. Most of the companies advertising them online have already sold. Any leads will be greatly appreciated... Ashley

Rocky Mountain Film Lab in Colorado processes many types of older movie film, including: Kodak Ektachrome 160 Ektachrome 160 Type A Ektachrome 160 Type G Ektachrom 40 Ektachrome SO185 Ektachrome SM and SMA www.rockymountainfilm.com 560 Geneva St. Aurora, CO 80010

I have never attended or visited Full Sail. However, my business partner used to teach Cinematography and Lighting there several years ago. Naturally, I hear stories about his classes, students, and dealings with the school quite frequently. Keep in mind that the school is privately owned by someone who doesn't work in the music or film industry. That insanely high tuition? It certainly doesn't go to ensuring the quality of the teaching staff or upkeep on their lighting equipment. It's a profitable enterprise for the owners. Why on earth would any school spend 100k+ on a ornate paint job for their travelling Tour Bus just to promote the school? My neighboor recently had 2 children graduate from their audio engineering program. They have been unable to locate work in their field. Consequently, they're working as waitstaff and bartenders. And they have monumental student loans to pay back. Not a position I'd want to be in. From my partners perspective as a teacher, the students capacity for grasping the material and enthusiasm for the subject are more important than the schools ability to provide a sound education. I asked him once what his classes were like and how his students faired in his lighting and cinematography classes. His reply was that there were usually one or two attentive, good strong students and the rest were essentially hopeless. He had to reteach many basic skills to the students due to poor instruction in earlier curriculums. Simple things, like how to wrap cords. To me, it seems that Roberto Hernandez could be one of those attentive pupils. Hence his positive views of the school. He's learning. On a side note, I'd be interested to find out what texts you use in your film classes, Roberto. My partner wrote one for the school a few years back, and he'd like to know if they still use it. I'd love to tell you more stories I've heard from my partner, but I'm afraid that he tells them much better than I. Some of them honestly make my head spin. Maybe I can provoke him into posting about it sometime.

A good portion of the footage wasn't shot at 24fps. How would different frame rates effect computer viewing? I haven't actually seen this footage on a computer screen, so I can't say how it behaved in that format. It would be nice to know what to look for in the future. The production company handled the editing for this particular commercial and I believe it was also their first time working with 35mm. In fact, the comments from the "director" upon seeing the footage for the first time were that it was 'noisy' and looked like it was transfered wrong. He was, of course, viewing it on a computer screen. Actually, he made them do a second transfer because he couldn't be persuaded that it was fine. No reasoning with some people, I guess. It stands to reason that most people would prefer viewing DV on their computer as opposed to film. It's digital media being viewed in a digital format. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of digital. I've worked with it for several years now and still prefer the images captured by film.

Not that its of great importance, but I'm a she. Not a he. Ashley is one of those sexually ambiguous names. More to the point, Frank's advice was practical and appropriate. We had thought of that option before I originally posted. It's not as satisfactory as a Beta copy, but it works. This poor commercial has been transfered from 35mm to Beta to DV and into Vegas prior to broadcasting. To then tape it to DV from the television would further degrade the quality. As for the Judge Wapner comment...taking someone to court is a serious step. It was never under consideration. We just wanted some clarification of the issues surrounding our problem. Entertainment law can be very ambigous, especially when there is a multitude of people/companies involved. As for the "director" (who is himself an employee of the actual client and does not have sole ownership of the footage), he has essentially hindered his company's ability to hire a local crew or production company. Everyone involved on the shoot has refused to work with him in any capacity ever again. Including the production company, the entire crew, the company that did the transfer, and the DP. Of course, this wasn't an orchestrated boycott. Everyone came to their own conclusions. I think the score is about even, don't you?

Thank you. Some of you have had some great suggestions. We are going to record a DV copy from the television. It won't be of the highest quality, but it will at least be an edited version. Luckily, Chainsaw did snag a VHS copy of the unedited footage from the company that did the transfer. I would rather have a Beta copy for the continuity of the reel quality, but VHS and DV will have to suffice. We've got two viable options. Wonderful. Additionally, I liked Adam's suggestion of contacting the local TV station. It's nice to have friends working in broadcasting... However, it's even better to have something in writing regarding rights to a copy of the footage for one's demo reel. I think we'll start including some sort of written agreement for the client to sign before production begins.

Greetings. I've run into a mountain of a problem. My DP recently shot a 35mm film commercial for a real estate company in Florida. The "Communications Director" of the company decided to play Director and now refuses to give any copy of the footage shot (over 2.5 hours of it) to my DP for his reel. I thought this was common curtesy in the industry. He has no reason for not giving us any of the material except that he is a difficult man. The commercial turned out well and is currently airing on national tv. I'm sure that many of you have run into this from time to time. What do we do? Is there any legal recourse? The DP signed nothing waiving his right to the footage. I've tried diplomacy (polite, business-like phone call to "Director"). He gave me a flat out "No. I will not give you any footage from the commercial for your demo reel" and hung up. This guy has never done a commerical before, never worked with film, knows nothing about the industry, and is impossible to deal with. Any suggestions? Should I just give up? Does he have the right to deny my DP his footage? Thank you in advanced, Ashley :(