Bill DiPietra

Respectfully, this is what you put in your original post. Now that people have given less-than-favorable opinions, shouldn't that be helpful to you in some way? Or were you simply hoping to expand your fan-base, here? If you make money doing this kind of thing, more power to you. But it's just not my kind of entertainment.

To be blunt, if I were advertising for a sound designer and you sent me this, I would quickly move on to the next person simply due to a lack of originality. I don't even know which voice is yours. One? All? Sound is an integral part of media and you should just concentrate on recording, right now. Location, studio, whatever. But make it yours.

Legal issues aside (and Richard is absolutely right with the scenarios he brings up,) what exactly are you trying to sell yourself as with this?...

Anyone have any recent results of Orwo 16mm that they can share?...

I'd been looking forward to this simply for the premise and I'd completely forgot that you'd shot the pilot! Looked great, David!

Hello all. I'm getting a regular 16mm projector converted to S16mm and I've been told that Eiki's are the most accommodating for this kind of procedure. I have know experience with Eiki's, so does anyone know of a specific model that might be best? Thanks a lot.

Yes, meant to mention that. TV series definitely seem to be the place to find solid stories & well-developed characters, these days. Of course, they have 10 to 12 hours to develop them over one season, but it's also a matter of quality. I recently watched Game of Thrones to see what the big deal was. I watched the entire series in just over a month.

Society's pace has picked up significantly over the past 15 years, so every aspect of it has to run to keep up. It's one of those chicken and egg scenarios. Either way, I don't think you can point at media alone. We've been lived in a world of the "instantaneous" for a while, now. When I was going to college in the 90s there were no iPhones, no iPods and the internet was just coming into play. On days when the dial-up connection worked, you'd be able to connect to AOL and check your e-mail. PCs were used mostly for that and word processing because that's about all you used them for. The hard-drive space & RAM were so limited that they make what I'm typing this on now look like the WOPR from WarGames. But yes - society itself moved at a much slower pace, then. It was just accepted that you had to wait for most things - so everyone did. By the way, DVDs were just appearing as I graduated college. Everything was still VHS. The 80s were even better (and slower.) Most people still went to the movie theaters and saw projected 35mm or 70mm prints. I still remember watching Tron (1982) on a huge screen. Now the world must be constantly at people's fingertips and this applies especially to Millennials. This is not a knock at Millennials, but having grown up in a digital age, many of them can't seem to function without their primary devices (i.e., computer, iPhone & iPod.) This post is kind of Louis Althusser's Ideology & the State, as he tries to criticize & take himself out of the very society that he is a member of. I fully admit that I have all of those same devices but I think my generation is able to shut them off with greater ease. If more people did that, society would be able to slow down and absorb rather than consume and delete every moment of the day. So to get back to your original question, it's an unequivocal yes. I grew up in the 80s and it was a great time for films. Poltergeist (1983) is actually an excellent example of an "80s film" for form, structure & story arc. WarGames (1983) is another to look at for the same kinds of elements. Watch any Spielberg film - especially E.T. (1982) - and watch the pace of the film. Pay particular attention to the story arcs & character development, as well as all of the 80s references he throws in there: the Reese's Pieces, the Speak & Spell, etc. It takes me back to my childhood every time I watch it, and part of me wonders if that wasn't intentional on Spielberg's part - to give the kids in 1983 a film they could love then and 20 years later, smiling the same smile. Then watch a post-2010 film and you will see the difference. Yes, the editing is a big factor so you need to ask yourself what effect that has on the film as a whole. Sorry for the sociological diatribe. By the way: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary (1920) is only 67 minutes long...

Those are great images, Mark! The rich blacks and mild grain really make it look like a 1950s classic.

Exactly. So keep the politics off of this forum, please.

Okay...I've been watching all of the threads with nasty posts in them for over six months. Many of them took a turn for the worst when students or so-called know-it-alls (sometimes that's a two-for-one special) felt their opinions were gospel and were told otherwise by more experienced forum members. I come on this forum to learn and to contribute what little I can - not to read personal attacks. THIS BEHAVIOR NEEDS TO STOP!!! Alexandros - your post is just the most recent example of this. Your attack upon David - probably the most helpful and patient member in this forum - is inexcusable. I have seen David, Stuart, Satsuki, Phil and others answer many of your questions, as well as those posed by other "new members." Or, maybe he actually enjoys teaching & helping others! What a concept! Having been one of his students at the ASC class, I can tell you that David is an excellent teacher. So maybe you should take a look in the mirror, Alexandros, and scrutinize your own insecurities instead of attacking other members' wealths of knowledge. I have no words for this last part...

I took the ASC Masterclass and I do not consider myself a "master craftsman" by any means - but I learned a hell of a lot in five days. When I was applying, it said that it was for people with "intermediate to advanced" levels of experience (no beginner film-makers.) I consider myself to be around the lower echelons of intermediate and someone else obviously agreed. There were times in the class when I felt a little overwhelmed, but only in the sense that I was learning so much. Don't let the title "masterclass" intimidate you. You're right - it's usually a marketing tool. But you should see it as a challenge. If we don't expand our limits every now and then, what's the point?...

Adding on to Jason's point, I've never put much faith in online classes of any type. I need classroom interaction between the teacher and my fellow students, and I think that makes for a better dynamic. We'll have to agree to disagree on that last point. Regarding the storyboards, it's whatever process that works best for you. What are you taking the class for? Is it be a better director, cinematographer, writer, etc.? Is it geared towards a specific project?...

Same here. I've kept new stock in the fridge for close to a year and its turned out fine.

No apology necessary, Brian. I'm just now getting into scanning 16mm, so the more information the better!

Last I heard, Stan Sztaba is still cutting out of his house (in Connecticut, I think)...

Yes, another toy - one whose effect has quite an unnatural, even jarring feel about it. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it being used aesthetically, but I'll pass for now.

Peter, you should read Storaro: Light, Color & the Elements (expensive, yes, but well worth it) as well as The Visual Story. They may give you a better view into the complexities of the "visual narrative."

Exactly. I was talking about this in another thread and I had the reaction as Kenny with regard to the show's overly-stylized look taking me out of the story, but the production design is spot on. I've worked as an EMT in NYC for over 11 years in Jackson Heights, Queens (the neighborhood where Naz lives.) I have been to numerous police precincts and I can't count how many times I've been to Riker's Island, but the location manager & scouts really did their homework.

If you've never shot film before and come from the digital generation, I think a basic class that introduces you to the workflow may be helpful. You can go it alone from there.

Interesting. Thanks for info, guys.

Thanks, Rob. Didn't know that. As to the resolution, considering the small size of the Super8 frame, wouldn't a 1080p scan suffice? Would there really be a visible difference between that and a 2K scan?...

I did some 16mm test scans at 2K and at 4K on the ScanStation Director last year and I could hardly see any difference. So for Super8, I think even 2K would be overkill. Also, I know the Director handles cement splices very well, but I'm not sure how it would react to rough tape splices.

That's exactly what I see in a lot of student films, these days. Filmmakers feel that they need to light the entire space, often creating an uninteresting frame. I know cameras have high-dynamic range today, but it's always refeshing to see someone who knows how to play with extreme over or underexposure, creating nice color-contrast. So as David said, don't be afraid to experiment with different lighting styles.

I've never seen the tiers (where Naz sleeps) so I can't speak to how that room looks. But the scouting team definitely did their homework. It's just a lot cleaner on the show ;)