Tomas Koolhaas

Hi Guys, I just cut a new reel for myself ('DEMO REEL' section on www.fnvfilms.com) its kind of a transitional reel because there are many new projects that I am waiting to get footage from, but wanted input mainly on music, pacing and editing (but of course any other input is also welcome). Also it was suggested to me to make a new reel, to add to this not replace it, with actual parts of scenes including dialogue! what are everyone else's views on that direction (I never really contamplated it before). Cheers.

Hi Guys, I am shooting with a Europian model of the HVX and need a PAL SD monitor (production cant afford an HD monitor). Do you know how hard these are to come by in Los Angeles rental houses. Cheers.

Hi, i was wondering if anyone was familiar with this monitor, I'm not, I have used the 14l5 and others but I've never even heard of this one, and when I looked online I couldnt even find it. I am shooting something VERY low budget as a favour to a freind and we where offered this one for free, I asked the guy who's it is if it can be manually calibrated using colour bars (if it has the blue only option etc..) and he says he doesnt know! I cant make it over there to check it in time for the shoot so I was wondering if anyone else knows this monitor, and could enlighten me. Any comments would be much appreciated. Cheers.

I am using a PAL DVX 100 on a Doc. and when I switch to 25p it wont let me use the auto foucs, is there any way of bypassing that or does the progressive scan disable the ability of the cam. to autofocus? Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers. T.

Hi All, just wondering if anyone knows the name of the filter that creates an anamorphic style horizontal flare on spherical lenses. Cheers.

I might be wrong because I dont have the book to hand right now but I believe, there's some quite extensive stuff in one of Paul Wheeler's books ('digital cinematography' I think) about handling the gamma curve settings on the cameras you metioned. I also seem to remember him saying that people often underestimate the digit-beta cams and he claims to be able to get all kinds of looks (including a film-like one) using the in-cam. menus. I haven't used those cams much so cant say myself, but I tend to believe almost everything Paul wheeler says! Cheers.

China balls, ikea dimmers and bouncing lamps off the walls.

Hi, I am shooting a short Art film in china in November, I am planning on brining my Aaton S16 with me, but was planning on renting a tripod, lenses and a dolly over there. And buying filmstock and doing telecine there too (due to the X-Raying at airports). I would also need to hire some local grips. Does anyone have any knowledge experience of the chinese industry/equipment/crew, I assume they have PL mount lenses like everyone else??? ANY input would be much appreciated. Cheers.

Dave, I would love to but we had a print made so we could screen our test for free at Fotokem, so theres not digital footage for me to post a still from, failing that I guess if I had a negative scanner I could do it but unfortunately I dont!...Sorry mate. Cheers.

Hello Guys, Just screened my test at Fotokem...The results: I Really like the Elites A LOT, they seemed to be quite noticably sharper than the superspeeds, especially in the sense that the didnt become milky in any dramatic way when light hit the lense or when I had very hot highlights in the background! the superspeeds tend to get milky when ANY light hits the lense, and if you have VERY hot highlits in frame they tend to get a bit milky/streaky although some people may like this effect, I think it may be more suitable for music videos or something! The Elites looked a tiny bit warmer too. The Zeiss did have a seemingly sharper contrast between in and out of focus objects giving them a more shallow DOF look even when the DOF was actually similar. All in all the director and I decided to use the entire set of elites and a 35mm format 85mm Zeiss superspeed for extreme close ups and inserts, I think in the HD CC we will be able to get rid of any of the more negative differences (Milkiness in the shadows mainly) leaving us with a subtle dreamy type effect for certain shots when we use the Zeiss 85 (certain scenes/Shots are supposed to have a dreamy quality in the script). thanks for everyones comments!! Especially you Mich! Cheers.

There's a saying in Holland: "If my aunty had balls she would be my uncle".... in this context the relevance is that if mini-dv looked like 16mm it would be 16mm film, but its not its mini-DV therefor it posseses the inherant qualities of Mini-DV: Low resolution, High noise level, lack of sharpness in many situations, low latitude (especially in highlights). 16mm film poseses none of these qualities (defects) and a film-look program never gets rid of these, it can obscure them slightly, but often worsens them. For example "Film grain" effects usually just add more "Noise" to the image. One thing that hasnt been addressed by anyone else is the "Snobbery" aspect of filmmaking, if you send a film to a festival that is shot on Mini-DV, consciously or subconsiously, the people judging the film will most likely catagorise you as one type of film maker (low budget, semi-professional, weekend freinds-for-crew type) if you shot on film (even 16mm) its more likely you will be classed as a professional who had enough means to go the extra step of shooting on one of the best formats possible. Whether this is fair or not is irrelevant, it is the case throughout most of the industry! Also, I own my own Super16mm Camera, and I mean this in the most friendly way, I personally would not EVER shoot a feature for free (or points or deffered pay or any other arrangment that leaves me with no pay upfront) no matter how good your script is, the chances of you making enough money from your film to pay someone with their own S16 cam. what they are worth, is statistically pretty low. Also most people who own their own gear have more debts/bills to pay than someone who doesnt and so NEED to be paid upfront and cannot risk working 3 weeks (at least) for potentially no pay. I dont mean to be negative, I hope you find someone who can do it for points, I just thought I would give a heads up. Cheers.

Cheers mitch, I think I will try and test both the 35 S4 and super speed today with the elites, I think they may give me the one cooke for a decent price so we shall see, I will post again after I see my test! Thanks everyone.

Haha yeah of course that would be the best, but I am limited to one rental house and they dont have 35mm Elites, only S16 and then 35mm S4's or Zeiss superspeeds. Cheers.

Thanks guys, and especially Mitch for the list, thats pretty much what I was after! I am going to HD so contrast/color correction is no problem hence my focus on "Actual" sharpness/ resolving power rather than apparent sharpness. The question gets a little more comlplex since today I went over some shots with the director and I think we might need one VERY long lense, so I might need to supplement the elites with a 35mm lense (probably an 85mm), what do you guys think would be the best match for the elites form a 35mm package (reasonably priced, ultra primes not included). Cheers.

Hello all, I am shooting a short very soon on S16, some interiors that are to be "Low key" and some "hot" looking exteriors. Probably quite a lot of wide lenses used. I have been offered a set of S16 elites by a rental house, I have never used them and was planning on testing them this weekend, my other choice ws going to be Zeiss superspeeds, I dont think we can afford ultra primes but I may be wrong. What has evryone experienced with Elite S16 primes, and specifically are they sharp (thats very important to me). How much of a difference do you think (in sharpness mainly) would there be between Elites, Superspeeds and Ultra primes.....and where on the scale of sharpness would a set of 35mm S4's used on S16 Cam. be in comparisson?? Thanks you very much.

Martin, I have an LTR 7 Which I upgraded (through Visual Products) with an internal video Tap, PL mount and general overhaul and some internal part upgrades. It wasnt very expensive and it is a great camera, it has been working very well for me. Here is the link to another thread were we go into some specifics on the Different cams: http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...c=17014&hl= Cheers.

Hi, I have seen that screen door effect before on mini-DV footage a couple of different times, I dont think it is a post issue, as it was explained to me (ages ago) it is something to do with the CCD affecting the image. Has no-one else seen it on any other (aside from deja vu) footage before??

Firstly I think it is IMPORTANT for filmaking in general that films like this get made and more importantly Distributed as widely as 'The fountain' has been. It makes it that little bit easier for anyone wanting to make experimental films that still get seen by a wide audience. to the film itself, absolutely beautiful work by Lebatique, but beautiful in a very subtle and naturalistic way. Hugh Jackman was Brilliant, some of the most touching scenes/moments I have seen in a cinema recently. The ONLY thing I would say is that I was a little disapointed with the ending, obviously this kind of story shouldnt be wrapped up neatly but he could have done a bit more to Pay-off some of the plotlines at the end (for example he could have shown whether or not Jackman's character actually finished her story or not). All in all a very good, beautiful and touching film, only slightly disappointed with the abrupt ending.

Hi, I haven't seen the film in question but I have seen the "Screen door" effect on some footage before shot on the XL1 many years ago while I was in film school. When I asked a VFX friend of mine what he thought it might be he said something about the CCDs may have got overheated/overused or something, I cant remember his exact answer. I have seen it a couple times since in other people's DV projects but never any high end HD projects. Does anyone know what exactly causes this effect? (I have hunch Phil Rhodes or Tim.J.Durham may know) Cheers.

I cant believe some of the stuff i'm reading, 'Lost in translation' -that's ridiculous!!! No matter if you liked the story or not it has some artistic merit (its shot, directed and cut well) unlike many other films out there. I also think that certain films are SUPOSED to be bad and so shouldn't even be mentioned like 'Eight legged freaks' is horendously bad but was meant to be that way. For me the worst film I have ever seen that was totally not intended to be bad was 'Battlefield Earth', not because of scientology but it just was TERRIBLE in EVERY way, also what's up with the stupid unmotivated dutch angles throughout the entire piece???? Well annoying. The only good thing about it was that I was slightly amused by Travolta's constant over use of the term "Rat Brain" that was quite funny, but not intentionally. Also any film Made by Master-P is horrendous (and he makes one every month it seems like) and they too are very serious, they make Student films look well thought out.

Thanks for your answers guys, I did 24fps and it worked out perfectly. Cheers.

Hi, I know a few gaffers who want to be DP's, which is fine of course, BUT I found out that they have been cutting their "DP Demo. Reels" (ie reels that they intend to get jobs as a DP with, which only state them as DP and not Gaffer in any way) using footage from shoots that they Gaffed NOT DP'd, mixed with shoots that they did DP without any deliniation between the two. They seem to try and justify this by saying "Well I lit the scene", I find this quite outrageous, and just as bad as me making a Directing reel with everything that I DP'd on it and justifying it by saying "Well I shot those scenes". Luckily the gaffer I use doesnt want to be a DP because If he ever did this to me there would be one less Gaffer in the world once I found out. Also, I have gaffed on a bunch of good looking projects but wouldn NEVER dream of using any of it in my DP demo. Reel. What does everyone else think about this and what can be done about it? Cheers.

Hi, DOF is determined (to put it in a very simplified way) by the aperture on the lens and by the format you are shooting on (image, or ship size for digital) the type of lens (eng/cine style or even prime versus zoom) isn't the determining factor in DOF. The Pro35 purposely uses 35mm format image rcorded onto the Cam's CCD using a ocilating ground glass in order to give you 35mm DOF, there's no lens that will by itself (without a modifying adaptor) give you 35mm or 16mm DOF on HD, there are charts that show what stop you would have to open up to on HD in order to get a coresponding 35mm/16mm DOF.

I have some redheads and they get SUPER HOT! I wouldnt reckomend using them near to anything with any household paint on it becasue it will melt or set on fire! also in terms of saving time, wouldnt painting an entire roll of foil be way more time consuming than buying a roll of blackwrap?? depends how far away the black wrap shop is I guess.

There seems to be very elaborate methods beig suggested here, but I have always used a flicker box/flicker boxes to achieve this and it always looked really good. I found that multiple warm bulbs of slightly differing Color temps on slightly different flicker patterns from the same direction as the candle/fire looks the best (realest) in my opinion. Flicker boxes (depending on their degree of complication) can cost $20 a day to rent so I would reckomend getting one rather than doing some elaborate DIY job or trying to use real fire which can become a nightmare to control. Cheers.