Hendrikus De Vaan

I'm down sizing my personal gear currently as I start to work on more things where I'm going full rental house. However - I always like to own a small package for doing passion projects, indie films etc. Mainly narrative. My personal camera is an FX6 (full frame), and the lenses I have decided to keep for personal use are the DZO Vespid primes (of which I currently own the 40mm - which I bought for a project that was shooting single focal length, knowing I would buy more focal lengths at a later date). (I considered the Angenuiex EZ zooms too, but I don't have a plan to ROI on my personal gear, so I'd rather just rent more expensive lenses when paid for by the production). I want to build a 4 lens kit, and am deciding on which focal lengths to flesh out the kit with. The options are: 16mm, 21mm, 25mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 125mm, 90mm (Macro) I'm leaning towards: - 25, 40, 75, 125 - 25, 40, 50, 90 macro - 25, 40, 50, 75 As much as I like the 21mm, with no 29mm lens available in this set - it becomes an awkward choice, and one I wouldn't use very often. Any advice, input, anecdotes, or suggestions welcome! Thanks, Harrie

I run a small 1 ton G&E kit (lx and grip are mostly combo here in NZ), and I’m looking for a good solution for booming in lights on location. Our ceilings range from 8-10 foot most often, and our houses are much smaller typically than NA houses. The types of things I’d like to rig are: * ls600c with lantern (dinner table type setups etc, although a 4x4 flex panel with pancake lantern could work if weight is too unmanageable) * soft backlights (4x2 softbox would be the max size. Again, could custom rig flex mattes). * Overheads at night (street light emulation) And others. I’ve been looking at the following options: * speedrail menace arm (takes up the least space in the van, but slow to set up and large footprint) * junior boom arm (again, large footprint, slow to make safe) * Matthews Mini Max (seems like the best option, but heavy, expensive here in NZ, and fairly large in the van. Wish it had a junior receiver) * goal posting scaff pipe (cheap, safe, but twice as many stands to hide, and hard to position in a small space). Polecats are often not an option on the smaller jobs (they often don’t have locations managers etc). Overall the Mini Max seems like a pretty flexible piece of kit that’d be worth the investment both financially and spatially in the van. Has anyone hung a 600w aputure fixture from one? Did it feel safe? Any other suggestions or insights greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your reply, Bruce. I will talk to my optician about options once NZ gets out of lockdown. Might be worth owning my own EVF that I semi permanently mod. Cheers, Harrie

I have mild astigmatism, and a relatively light prescription for glasses. However, it's bad enough that I'm unable to use a monitor or EVF without my glasses on. Pushing an EVF into my glasses is very uncomfortable, and I often can't see 100% of the frame, as well as light leaking into my periphial vision. Is there any EVF on the market that takes prescription inserts? Particularly interested in more affordable options, but just curious if this is even a thing at all. Thanks, Harrie

Thanks for the reply, Ed. Good to know they survive rental. I'm pretty gentle with my gear, so should last me a long time in that case.

In need of some ultra portable, but durable modifiers. Mainly a 4x8 floppy, but some diffusion etc would of course be useful too. What’s people’s preference between the scrim Jim and Matthew’s road flag kits? I’m in the “but it for life” mindset, and just want something that will last.

Thanks everyone! I actually found a used Spectra Cine IVa on eBay. Should arrive next week, so hopefully it's in good condition. I like the look of the analogue meters, they have that steampunk vibe. But I think in practicality it would frustrate me. Especially on lower budget stuff where I'm constantly riding the ISO.

I've been doing mostly videography work and no budget indie stuff for the last 14 years, but I'm wanting a light meter to take a step towards more controlled shooting. I'm gearing up to do more DP work currently. At film school we used the old sekonic combination cine meters, but these don't seem to be sold anymore. I did research a number of years ago, but a lot seems to have changed since then. I really hate the idea of the touch screens on the new Sekonic meters, although I've never used one personally. Should I just bite the bullet and get a new Spectra Cine IV on backorder from Bhphoto? I'm concerned about buying anything used, as I live in New Zealand and I'm not sure if I can get it tested and calibrated here. I want something that should last me at least the next 5 years or so. Any suggestions much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Harrie

Thanks guys! Will email the lawyer for the free consultation, just need to collect all of the info I have. Will also look into options for shooting in the EU on a soundstage (or location with some minor modifications). Thanks again for everyones input! Harrie.

Do you happen to know any lawyers that would give a free evaluation?

No offense taken, I've been realistic about that from the start. I mean, maybe if I were directing animation, but I'm not. I don't have money for a lawyer right now, but will keep it in mind, as I do want an O1 eventually. I just don't want to spend the money unless I'm 99% certain it will go through. It's too big of a financial loss for me to bear right now if it fails. The film is set entirely in a luxury apartment, with less than 5 mins of screentime outside of the apartment in fairly generic locations. However, the dialogue and humor is very American, setting it in the UK would pretty much be a ground up rewrite, with a new writer, in which case - it's a different movie. A production company in the US said they were maybe interested in taking it off our hands and hiring a local director, but I'd rather find a way to direct the film myself. The problem is, American apartments look quite different to London apartments. I've been to both places, and although some things might be subtle, I do believe the difference to be enough that I'd at the very least have to fly in appliances (or rent US stuff locally maybe?). Or shoot on a stage. On a stage I could cut my 3 week shoot down to 2, due to controlled conditions. But this is all possible, I just don't know if it's affordable. Shooting on a stage in Budapest, Hungary is also possible, and they offer a 30% rebate on anything spent in Hungary (I live here right now). But then comes flying in actors and accommodating them, as well as again potential VISA issues etc. I'll also try to track down a couple of UK producers/ production houses and see what they think. Worth testing the waters. Thanks again guys! H.

Hi Phil, thanks for the reply. Didn't seem to come to my inbox, so only just saw it now. That's a shame. I guess once I've done my first feature, this will get much easier, as I'll put in an o-1 application through an agent so I can have it longer term. I don't have the cash right now to put into a speculative application unfortunately, it's not a small amount by any stretch! In the meantime, perhaps I'll have to do this film on an EU soundstage a la Polanski with "Carnage". There are a lot of good UK actors that can play American, I'm sure. Just wondering if it's even possible to shoot on a sound stage with an apartment set for under 250k usd. Thanks again! Harrie

Hi guys, I have a very specific question and thought maybe someone who has done something similar may be able to chime in... I'm producing my first live action feature film right now, which I will be directing. I didn't write it, but my name is on the script as I was heavily involved in developing it. My writer is an American citizen. I'm looking to bring the production to the US with some European money, but the majority of the financing coming from within the USA. I had thought about the 01 visa, but it's a bit of a catch 22. I can't afford to get the Visa without financing in place, but I can't get finances in place until I know with 100% certainty that I am legally allowed to direct a film in the US. I've done a bunch of short films, but my main success has been a stopmotion animated short film, which won me 2nd place in my category at Young Directors Award (part of the Cannes Lions festival). In addition, I have a bunch of press about me and my film, as well as having won another Young Directors Award, issued by Danny Boyle. I have a feeling that this will not be enough for an O1 visa, nor will it get through the guild portion of the selection process (DGA I imagine?). What I'm wondering is, if I'm bringing a script to the country, and working as one of the producers as well as directing, does that constitute as employment? Or does that mean I'm setting up a temporary business in the US? Is there any simple solution to my problem? I can't seem to find any information relating to this, at all.... Thanks!!! Harrie

Thanks Dom!

Thanks Bill. I wanted to create a look very similar to live action with my framing and camera moves.

Thanks Richard! I'm glad you liked it. It has played at a number of festivals so far, and won me the "Young Filmmaker Award" at Shuffle Festival in London, chosen by Danny Boyle. Also played at Mill Valley, where I got to meet Darren Aronofsky, and go to Pixar etc. Crazy experience going from a garage in the middle of no-where to meeting some of my heroes.

So then GH4 or the FS100 are really the only sensible options, and I'll just have to deal with rigging it, and powering an evf etc. I can live with that if I need too, just wanted to see if I had options first. Thanks so much for your help Phil!

I'm assuming also that older cameras such as the PDW-F350L are not overly practical for what I'm doing? I'm not too fussed about shallow DOF etc, but I guess these older cameras have pretty terrible low-light yes?

That looks like a very good option to build on. I really thought the GH4 or A7s would be good options, but there's another slight consideration: The area where I am going has a VERY high violent crime rate, and there's a definite chance I'm going to get into some uncomfortable situations from time to time. Someone has advised me that they generally won't mess with journalists or news type people, so it's generally suggested to look like a professional technician. I.E not a rich tourist with a really nice DSLR and a bunch of stuff attached to it. The other thing with something quite solid is, in a situation of having to run, it's pretty easy to pull it off your shoulder, grab it by the top handle and move quickly without having to worry about getting it snagged, or loosing bits of kit etc. Don't get me wrong, there's a good chance this won't happen, but I'd rather not become a 6ft5 target. So if I went the DSLR route, I'd get a GH4 and a small lens, and rely on internal audio for syncing. But that's a hassle.

Because I'll be shooting for a few months, as the rest of my time there will be spent doing research. It will take some time to track down some of the elements I need to shoot, and I need to be able to grab and go at a moments notice. For anything narrative I ALWAYS rent, as I don't shoot nearly enough to justify owning a camera (and I'm primarily a director, not cinematographer). Totally understand the concern though.

The other thought I had was maybe a FS100 with a v-mount adapter to make it more shoulder balanced. Seems like a good compromise between Frankenstein and ENG right?

Thanks Phil, I'm quite happy to shoot with Nikon, Contax Zeiss, or Canon FD primes (Some FD zooms are supposed to be particularly good for video work too, so I've heard). Ideally it would be an ENG lens, but that's probably not really possible in this budget range. The Sony F900 and viewfinder would cost pretty much my entire budget on revised inspection, so even that wouldn't be possible to set up I'm thinking. Originally I was going to go GH4 or A7s or something, but rigs and wires and adapters and separately powered accessories (although I'd prob just go v-mount and run everything off of that). But then it's VERY exposed to the elements too. But I don't need a power zoom, or autofocus. So maybe that solves at least some of the lens concerns. H.

I will be shooting a documentary in the Caribbean this year as a pre-cursor to a narrative feature film I will be doing there. I'm done with DSLR Frankenstein rigs, and really miss using ENG broadcast shoulder-mount cameras for this kind of work. I want something I can chuck on my shoulder, and will stand up to some light abuse (happy to buy a portabrace cover of course). I miss ergonomics. Unfortunately, my total kit budget is sub $5000. But I don't really need a tripod for what I'm doing, and I'm a one man director/camera man on this one. Interview audio will be recorded with a portable device, so the budget can be sunk into just the camera, lens, and acceptable onboard mic. It will need to preform well in bright sunlight, but also have some sort of ability to shoot in lower light situations (bars etc),although I don't mind a bit of noise, as long as it's usable footage. (so fairly clean at 1600 iso ideally). The only thing new in my price-range seems to be something like the Sony NEX-EA50UH, with a few minor add ons. I could set that up for under $4000 I'd say. But it doesn't look particularly durable, and I would almost never use that lens that comes with it. I'm open to suggestions of used equipment, maybe a Sony F900 (I really like the F35, but it's out of my budget range, and not super practical)? Although I'm a little weary of the amount of abuse used broadcast equipment will have endured. It's a hard, hard life for cameras in the doco world! Thanks! Look forward to hearing what you guys think.

Hi. My film has been picking up a bit of speed. I've got a basic BTS video in post production, coming soon. Spent two and a half years in a garage making this between paid work. My next projects are all live-action, but I think I'll do animation again at some point in the future. Film is screening at the BFI Future Film Festival in February, which will likely be its final festival screening. Would love to know what you guys think! H.

Thanks David, good to know. And of course some older options, like the f23 for something closer to 16mm c.o.c aesthetic I guess. I somehow like the motion cadence coming out of the f35 that I've seen too, but this might be purely circumstantial to the footage I saw.