Patrick ODonnell

Many thanks for all the responses. Dan, it looks like On8mil just does scanning. Dirk, is it safe to ship undeveloped film by the post in Europe, or by FedEx or DHL?

Are you sure? Because, from what I've read, if a lab isn't set up or used to processing Ultra 16mm, the machinery may scratch or otherwise mishandle the area between the sprockets.

I'm planning on shooting a short film on Ultra 16mm in the Czech Republic in late February, probably about 1200 - 1600 ft. of film altogether. 1) Are there any labs in Europe that process Ultra 16mm? 2) If not, what are the dangers of transporting the exposed but unprocessed film back to the US? Would putting it in a lead-lined bag and asking for it to be hand-checked make a difference? In my past experience, some security people will hand-check film, and others have no idea what it is, nor do they care, and they will insist it go through the x-ray machine. Any insight would be appreciated.

Great, thanks, I'll send you a PM when I find out what my address will be in Berlin. (Sorry for the delay in responding, I thought the site would alert me when someone responded to a posting but I guess it doesn't).

Hi Volker, Are the mags still available, and, if so, how much would shipping be to New York City? And how much would shipping be to Berlin (I'll be there in February for the EFM)? Do the mags need servicing? Thanks, Patrick

BTW, the film arrived from ORWO today, six weeks after I ordered it.

I'm trying to use as few lights as possible, but more light plus some super speed lenses might be the best solution. I did a test recently with a red filter on a sunny day, and while it created more contrast, it did not look like night, but maybe I should try it with less daylight.

Thanks for the explanation about ORWO. I suggested to the ORWO rep that, if they did not have film in stock, the rep should inform customers as to the length of the delay, but he took umbrage at the notion. I will see if I can get my money back. Thanks also for the suggestion about shooting in color. I know they did this for Control and some other recent B&W movies but I was hoping to be able to shoot directly on B&W. However, since it's all going to be edited digitally anyway and a 16mm negative would never be cut, maybe 500T is the way to go.

Has anyone successfully ordered film from ORWO NA recently? I placed an order for 3 100' rolls of N74 back in August and still have not received anything. I am looking for a faster B&W stock than Kodak 7222 for shooting night scenes, but there doesn't seem to be anything else out there. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Patrick

In the commentary on the Criterion DVD, Marker, I believe, states that he shot with still film because he couldn't afford to shoot motion picture film. For the one "motion" shot, he borrowed a friend's movie camera for a few hours. Whether or not this is true, I have no way of knowing.

I went on a three week trip to Indochina last year. I carried a Canon XH-A1 (which weighs 5 lbs.), and it was too much. After 12 or more hours of walking around each day, up and down hills and temples, I just wanted to leave it somewhere. If you are just documenting your trip (and not making a "professional" project, i.e., for money), go with something light and small - an 8mm camera or maybe a GH2, and a Gorillapod. I think even a standard DSLR is going to be too heavy. You also have to factor in the other baggage you will be carrying from place to place. And that's just the logistics. The larger problem with carrying a lot of gear is that you will focus on whether you have everything with you (and protecting it from being stolen), making sure the shot is right, etc., when you should be paying attention to what is in front of you. You can find a balance, but the more gear you have, the more likely it is you will lose the moment.

Some artists: Daylight through a window - Vermeer Night with a window - Hopper

The XH-A1s is still for sale ($2995 at B&H now) and is listed as available on the Canon site. XL-H1 appears to be gone for good.

For future reference, here are some other rental houses in Prague (I ended up using Panther, which, in addition to having some budget video cameras in stock, also has a lot of high end film, grip and lighting equipment; they were also willing to work with me on price): Panther Rental Prague Na Radosti 420 Praha 5 Zlicin 155 21 ph: +420 234 707 500 email: panther@panther-prag.cz Polas Pod Juliskou 2a Praha 6 ph: +420 233 330 641 email: studio@polas.cz Grant Video U Druzstva Zivot 30 140 00 Praha 4 ph: +420 602 314 190 email: grant@grantvideo.cz

Thanks!