Bill DiPietra

I am, currently looking for a good tripod/head for my Arri S/B. Right now, I don't have the kind of money that this purchase will require, but if any of you can point me a the right direction (on-line or off-line) so that I can at least take a look at some different options, I'd appreciate it. I am always checking the "Equipment for Sale" section but thanks in advance for any additional help.

Scratch that...as someone stated above, it's the reflexive Bolexes that have the light loss issues. Damn, it's been a while! :blink: Sorry for the initial misinformation.

The thing about the Bolex that I never cared for is that there is no registration pin. Back in the days when I had some loading issues :o I had a few rolls of B&W neg that simply got "pushed" through the gate at a slower rate than normal. Everything sounded fine when I was shooting. It was only when I brought it to the lab that it was discovered that the entire roll had a smearing effect. Luckily the lab was smart enough not to print anything. Also, the Non-Reflex Bolex has a beam-splitter as opposed to a mirror-shutter (Arriflex.) Correct me if my explanation is off, but the beam-splitter does exactly that...splits the light between what is hitting the film plane and what is being directed to the viewfinder. Since you have a loss of light here, you need to open up the iris to compensate. The Bolex is a cool camera...no question. The big appeal for me is that it is spring-wound. No need for a power source, which makes it extremely versatile. The Arri S is quite idiot-proof: registration pin, mirror-shutter, but ALWAYS requires juice. For people who are just starting out and looking for something to learn on, the Bolex is cheaper (even the Rex 5) and one of the most commonly used 16mm cameras. That should tell you something. And, yes, the Arri S and certain Bolex models take the 400' mag. I just got comfortable with the Arri S since i was always renting it. So I bought one. :D

Chris, I can relate. I majored in Media Studies in college (my school didn't have a film major) and took every production course that was offered. I absolutely LOVED it while I was in school. When I got out into the real world, I simply could not stand all of the a**holes that seemed to dominate the industry. I've never been good at a**-kissing (just not in my nature,) I didn't really have a body of work at that time, I didn't have a hook that could get me in anywhere, etc. The more I though about it, the more I realized this was not for me...at least not as a career. I decided to go in a different direction and keep filmmaking as a hobby. After jumping around from odd-job to odd-job, I found the job for me. I became an FDNY EMT in 2005 and I love my job. But I just recently found myself longing to get back involved with film. About a month ago, I finally purchased my long-wanted Arriflex 16 S/B and I will probably be going back to school for my M.A. sometime next year. The moral of the story? Never give up what you love. If you have the drive to make it into the industry, you will find a way. Don't feel that your age is a handicap...I'm 31. I honestly do not have any designs on breaking into the industry. I still write and shoot, but I'd like to eventually teach film theory. Anyway, I applaud your efforts. Listen to everyone's advice. I wish you the best, man.

I wouldn't count on a scholarship simply from your body of work. That will probably help you get in, though. You might want to look at something other than a 4-year or 2-year program. Anybody know if the Maine Workshops still offer 35mm classes? I went to the website and I didn't see any cinematography courses. Still expensive as I recall. I'm sure others can give better advice, but no place is going to be cheap. Take a look for yourself...maybe I missed it: http://www.theworkshops.com/photoworkshops/index.asp Best of luck.

David, Thanks for posting the images. The 35mm frames are far nicer (great highlights.) But very nice work all around.

Thanks again.

Thought so...thanks for the info.

Hey all. Do any of you know of a webiste(s) that lists music that is in the public domain? I know a lot of classical music is in the public domain, right? Thanks for any help.

Thank you, David. I haven't been involved in indie productions for a few years, but has the basic, unspoken teamwork that is supposed to be there simply gone out the window? I've seen a lot of similar threads since I came back to this board, so it seems like it's happening quite often. Needless to say, that doesn't the help the production. If the teamwork is not there and everyone is focused in a different direction, the film will not have any kind of rhythm. I do not disagree with you that the script supervisor overstepped her bounds. The sound recordist and I clashed on one production. She wanted me to change the frame so that she would be able to the mike the shot the way she wanted. I said "I'm not changing my frame." We both went to the director and, sure enough, he had me change the frame. I disagreed with him, but I wasn't funding the production. HE was. If he wanted to sacrifice image for sound, so be it. That was his decision. He did not know much about filmmaking and he stayed at the video monitor almost all day. But many times, I'd ask him if he wanted look through the viewfinder to see EXACTLY what he was going to be getting. He is the director. He SHOULD be looking through the viewfinder if he truly cares about the image that is going to be recorded. I personally feel that there needs to be a LOT of communication between the DP and the director. And having them look through the viewfinder is a given in my book. If the director conveys an idea to me, it is my job to execute it. If he does not like my execution, you don't go and have a "Well, I'm the DP and that's too bad" attitude. You have to work WITH people. Talk it over and come up with something that works. That's how I look at it. I honestly don't know what kind of relationship you have with your director, Joe. Hopefully it has been a good one up to this point. I'm just laying out how I think people should be willing to work together. In the end, it's the best thing for everyone. Good luck with everything.

LOL...thank you for the info. Sounds like an interesting new option.

Thanks for the link. That camera looks like something from the movie "Runaway" with Tom Selleck.

I'm sure this is a stupid question, but what is RED? It has it's own forum here (which I don't really visit,) so I imagine it is of some significance. Production company? Anyone...?

Not bad, but it has the vibrant NBC signature look, which I get very tired of. I thought the photography in "Jericho" (CBS, I think) was very nice.

I agree with the thinking, but this is a little easier said than done when it's a class. As far as story, yes the story does sound like superficial crap, but as someone else said, there is no reason that you shouldn't look on that as a challenge to make your visuals stand out. I've walked out of the theater and said "Wow that movie really sucked. The photography was good, though." Don't aim to make a poor film, but focus on your job (which is DP , right?) Bear in mind that it's a class project. I did my share and never cared for the groups I was in or the final products. But instructors believe that they are getting their students to "work as a team" early on by doing this. Take it for what it is. I'm sure you will wind up shooting far better projects once you are out of school. Good luck and try to have some fun with it.

I agree using your 35mm still camera is a good way to get a feel for what kind of look you make get with certain lighting/stocks. When I took a cinematography class at NYU, the professor had us shoot slide film to experiment with contrast ratios and exposures. I still have them and they can be great visual references when you need them.

On a different note, do any of these directors even bother to look through the viewfinder before rolling anymore?

Anyone know what kind of diffusion was used for Martin Scorsese's "Who's That Knocking At My Door?" Looks pretty basic, like a Soft F/X filter but I love the look. Thanks for any info.

Such a powerful film.

They are available all over the place. If you can't find the 400' on ebay, try visualproducts.com

John, A friend of mine went through something similar not long along and she came out fine in the end. Wishing you all the best...keep us updated when you can.

That's not going to happen with $160 USD...

I'm watching WKW's "2046" on cable as I write this. It's beautifully shot and I guess that's what bothers me. Very lush photography, which, for some reason I am not fond of. Clean, soft images that look like they belong in a magazine annoy the hell out of me. It has a big-budget look to it. That's the only way I can describe it. And I agree with Adam. I'd like a wide-shot to get a sense of the atmosphere, at least. Give me "Chungking Express" anyday.

Maybe not paranoid, but I think you are over-analyzing the issue...

Manhattan 8 1/2 Nosferatu The Seventh Seal Casablanca Raging Bull ...and many others