Brett Juskalian

George, I had a similar problem with my 2C. The problem turned out to be the mounting screw on the shutter disc itself. Lenses with larger rear elements were actually touching the shutter. There are replacement screws available ($40 + labor) that have recessed heads. What lens mount do you have? Another problem I ran into was a far frame-right vertical flare that appeared while shooting single frame exposures into a light unit with diffuson. The flare was identical to one that appeared on a Panavised Arri-3 that I shot with previously (hmmm). I wish I had my 2C in front of me to check out the shutter. Anyway I hope this helps. Brett

Josh, For the price of a typical light you could rent a pretty thick light kit and get the grip gear tossed in for practically nothing. However, if you're only interested in buying, check out 1200 HMI par lights. There is one at:http://www.visualproducts.com/lighting.html for $1100. Even after you tungsten balance the light with CTB you'll still get more out of the HMI than a tungsten light of the same wattage. The unit I found is also flicker free for shooting off-speed. HMI's are more expensive but if you compare the rental vs. purchase cost of a single 1k fresnel to a 1200 HMI (with flicker free ballast) the HMI is a far better deal. For around $25 you can build a paper lantern rig with all of the hardware including a dimmer. Have you contacted rental houses about buying their old inventory? Email me if you have questions. Brett

Fotokem in Burbank has a "C roll" mask that can give you a regular 16mm print with a 1:1.85 picture area aspect ratio. I did the same thing a few years ago. www.fotokem.com

What are the cameras you are looking at? On the low budget side of things I've found it easier to get 35mm film. Between friendly AC's who are down for the cause, or even shortends, I've had little problem with getting the stocks (and lengths) I wanted for 35mm. I bought a 2C for the obvious access to a 35mm camera but also had later rentals in mind. I've nearly paid the thing off and now I have a camera package I can integrate with other Arri gear on projects or use by itself. In fact, having the package has clinched several early projects for a director I work with frequently and me. Hopefully the camera is now merely a bonus and not THE deciding factor in getting hired.

The Cine Blimp is, I believe fiberglass. I own a 2C and was interested in buying a blimp housing until I saw one and learned it couldn't accomodate my motor base or modern lenses. It seems like a far too limiting piece of gear for the money.

Clairmont Camera has helped me out a lot when I was at UCLA and to this day. Where do you go to school? Brett

A few years ago I shot a UCSB film with a rented 16BL and then did pickups with a borrowed K-3. To our surprise the K-3 lens was far sharper and had more contrast than the Angenieux lens on the BL. Figure out what you need the camera to do (i.e. high/low speeds, sync, rev. etc.) and then find the appropriate package. Spend money on lenses! Also consider your filmstock, lighting, and telecine needs. Its a balancing act, but don't sell your project short with bad glass. What about using your K-3 and another camera when needed? Brett

I've used the Nikon 105mm macro lens which I loved. It was a far better color/contrast match to the Cooke 10.4-52mm zoom I was using than the Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 zoom. The standard Nikon lenses seemed low contrast and fllare prone in comparison with the Cooke, and the 105mm. In addition the lens markings weren't very helpful for pulling focus. I don't know if this helps or not? Brett

mryendor, Have you thought about 3-perf 35mm? If Super 16 is an option I assume you've got a blowup budget or you're not going to print with the film. I'm shooting a project in two months and 3-perf seemed to be the way to go. Aside from a nominal prep. fee (at Clairmont a BL-4 set for 3-perf operation requires a $100 fee) there aren't added expenses, and you'll shoot 25% less film. This is of course assuming you're shooting other than a 4:3 aspect ratio. Brett