Alastair Crimshaw

Thanks for the tip! I had a similar embrassing moment earlier this week. I was at work shooting some interviews for a 'behind the scenes' feature for an animation. My sound recordist was away so I was by myself. I set my gear up and went through to call in the first guy. As I came out all my kit was gone! Eventually everyone was running round checking people on their way out to see if they had stolen it etc etc. Basically the place turned upside down. I felt sick at the thought that everything I had was gone. Someone pointed outside (about 10m from where it was) and said "isn't that it?". Someone had moved it out the way of the enterance door without informing me. You live and learn I guess. I'll never hear the end of it though! PS: Phil, yeah I watch TV too!

Ok I lied in my last post. Phil I have checked out your site and you are the last person to talk about footage being 'unusable'. Phil Rodes Interview: My interview: Mods should probably delete this thread or clean it up. Again sorry but that comment really rubbed me the wrong way.

Thanks for the advice. Like I said earlier, I am planning on going abroad anyway so turning into something film based is really just an added bonus. Like I also said in my first post I am also interested in getting involved in other peoples projects and offering my skills to charity or community projects. I have made sub 30min documentaries for charity projects in the UK for sometimes very little pay (or free) and I find them to be extremely interesting to shoot and edit. Sorry if I went off on one in my last post but to have some random call your work 'unusable' is a strong catalyst for anger. I somehow get the impression that a few people think I want to just walk around NYC with the camera in auto-mode. I would post examples of my work but I'm confident enough in my past projects and commissions not to have to prove myself to a random guy on the internet.

Is this some sort of wind up? Who are you to say anything about myself or my work? Here are some facts about myself. - Graduated with a first class honors. - Recieved 94% for my 2nd year drama film and 84% for my documentary dissertation film. - My dissertation documentary has been screened in a cinema for a period of time and also shown at a film festival. - I am currently self employed as a film-maker. I am working on 3 paid projects and have completed another 3 prior to this. I don't know why you are so bitter but I am making a living (albeit a quite low paid one) and I have had work screened in cinemas, festivals and other venues multiple times. I'm lost for words that you think my footage would be 'unusable'. What the hell is wrong with you? It's a wonder any young person manages to try and push themselves into this industry with people like you giving 'advice'. Just checked out your website and I really wouldn't be judging other peoples talents if you catch my drift. Look forward to seeing you from the top!

I think I'm going to go for it! I reckon I can book some return flights cheaply and I'll save up for some decent accomodation near the heart of NYC. Staying in cheap accom with $2000 worth of kit sounds like a recipe for disaster! Going to buy a backpack for my XL2 as well for easy trekking round the city. Can't wait :)

The Mayor's Office website dictates that: Permit Not Required: $300 permit fee does NOT apply. - Hand-held cameras or tripods are used and the person filming does not assert exclusive use of City property. http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/news/important_info_permits.shtml

Fun, experiance, spontaneity and a holiday? I mean like I said, I'm looking to go abroad somewhere anyway (friends are too lazy/poor to go with me) and going with the intent to shoot some stuff just makes it all the better. I also read you do not need a permit for a camera and tripod combo in NY unless you have lighting, cables, a truck etc.

Hi all. I am a 21 year old filmmaker based in the UK and have recently graduated with a 1st class honors in Film Studies. Right now I am self employed part-time making some (pretty boring) films for various charity and community projects. I have a somewhat decent amount of cash and I am thinking about flying out to NYC for two weeks with my gear and seeing what happens. Right now is the time before I get a 'real' job and this is the last of my free time. Where I live in the North of the UK there is very little film making going on, little funding and high competition for even free work. I have 2 ideas. The first to go and work on some projects or even offer my services to a charity to make them a film. I see on Mandy.com and other places tons of film making opportunities, pages and pages of them. My second idea is to go with an idea for a short documentary and just take to the streets and film. My kit list is: Canon XL2 Rode NTG1 (with Rode boom) LetusXL 35mm adapter (50mm and 28mm lens) Some no brand fluid tripod I have been to New York about 3 times previously I think and I really like it. However I have never been by myself and stayed in nice places with my family. I would be very nervous about taking all my kit and staying in some lower budget accomodation. This seems to be the last point in my life where finance is not really an issue, so making money isn't a priority. I feel the experiance would be amazing and I'm looking to go on holiday by myself anyway :). Any tips, advice or comments? I can't tell if this would be amazingly fun and exciting or lonely, unproductive and costly.

Hi all. I am selling my beloved XL2 camcorder. It comes with the following: Canon XL2 with 20x lens LetusXL DoF adapter (mounts directly to the XL mount) (Comes with peli case) Zacuto clone rails Nikkor 50mm F2 Komine 28mm F2.8 The great thing about this setup is that you the DoF adapter mounts directly to the XL mount so you can shoulder mount this etc with no need for rails. However a quality set of rails are included for when you need to mount any lens heavier than a 50mm. Here she is! Note that you only get what I listed above so the tripod, light panel and Rode mic are NOT INCLUDED. Price is £1500 collected from Newcastle area UK. I can and will travel if you wish to do a deal.

Hi all. I have a Canon XL2 at the moment with a LetusXL DoF adapter I sometimes use. I have a commission coming in that is paying a few thousand and I'm looking to upgrade to an HD camera, mainly to improve upon the image quality of the XL2 and also appeal to those sometimes ignorant clients that request HD only! I really like the features and ease of use of the XL2 and have hated other cameras such as the Sony Z1. I am looking to get a XLH1. Will I really be able to see the difference jumping from XL2 to XLH1? Are there any better HD cameras out there at the same price point of the XLH1? Also, am I dumb for not jumping on the DLSR bandwagon? They produce stunning results at a low price point but they don't look as professional to clients and sound is a bit harder to do with them. Are standard size prosumer cams still the way to go for professional video production? I am also very interested to see the results of using my LetusXL with an XLH1. While I could get a nice DoF with the XL2 and Letus the image quality always seemed to be a bit blocky and lacking somehow. Any tips for an HD newbie? Thanks

Hi all. I have an Canon XL2 and a LetusXL DoF adapter. It is one of the ones that mounts directly to the XL mount on the camera. It is in good condition and comes with a Peli case and also a Nikkor 50mm F2 and a Komine 28mm F2.5. I'm looking to sell to find the purchase of an XLH1. What kind of price should I be looking to sell at? I can't remember what I paid for it a few years back. Thanks for the advice.

Hello. I shot a film recently that I got paid for, the client wants an extra 12 copies of the film and said he would pay for them. How much should I charge? I am a student and this was my 2nd paid commission. The copies will be simple dvdrs with a printed title on them in a jewel case. Nothing fancy. I live in the UK btw. I realise a real company could charge a hell of a lot per copy but please keep in mind I'm a student and it was a nice gesture giving me the commission in the first place. Thanks! (PS. Yes I am going to change my name on here once I find that darn email with my password!)

Hello. I am planning to shoot my first drama short. I have shot documentary projects in the past but this will be the first real drama I have produced. My question is regarding auditions for roles. I have never done casting before and will be looking to get actors from my University. How exactly does an audition process go for a no/lo budget short film? Lets say I stick a few posters around and send off a few emails. I get replies from interested parties. Do I just tell them a time to come to a room, hand them a script with a few highlighted lines and watch them? Also I don't want people to audition only for certain parts as some characters have only small roles. Would it be ok to get them to read lines of each character and then judging by performance I can divvy out roles? I'm not quite sure what route to take with this. I think there are 6 male roles in the films and 1 female role. Any tips? Thanks.

The adapter is set up correctly. The relay lens focus is adjusted correctly to give the sharpest image. The flange focal for the Nikon lenses is also ok since the adapter is designed for Nikons. The Korean lens isn't actually that bad but obviously isn't as good as the Nikkor 50mm. The Nikon zoom lens is the worst out the lot. The image below was shot with the Korean 35mm and for £5 it isn't overly bad, especially since this is wide open. I think light is my main problem. Here are two image taken with a Nikkor 50mm. One shot in bright sun and the other in dull light. My original question still stands. In dull light is it worth putting the gain up to +3 and beyond in order to be able to stop down both the lens and adapter? Also what is more important to stop down, the Nikon lens or the relay lens? Thanks.

Im struggling to get consistently good shots with my LetusXL. Here is the culprit: I have the following lenses for it: Nikkor 50mm F2 Nikkor 35-75mm F3.3 AF Korean Macro 35mm F2.8 From what I can tell the zoom lens is garbage but the other two seem ok. My problems are with light. On a sunny day when I can stop down both my lens and adapter I get some nice crisp images like the one below. On not so nice days I get some pretty nasty shots like below. I couldn't even stop down my lens or adapter. Both are at F2.8. (I realise the white balance is off) The image is very soft when both the lens and adapter are wide open. Would it be worth adding gain to the image in order to be able to stop down the lens and get a sharper image? Im in two minds about the LetusXL. On one hand it is difficult to use unless you have a TON of light. When shots work, they look awesome. Any tips?