J.M. O'Malley

Excellent, I love to hear about other peoples' creative process. Hal Hartley makes some of his own music, are you a fan of him? I think 'Henry Fool' is great. I'm not sure if he really qualifies himself as a musician though, probably more of a doodler. I think you are right about people you meet. I've met a lot of interesting people- some wonderful, some regrettable. I've gotten something from all of them. I think you may be wrong about Lynch though. I don't think he's laughing about it; I think he's probably pretty nuts, from the interviews I've seen. Maybe more like Wesley Willis than Zappa. For me, being a socially unskilled person has a lot to do with it. If you are antisocial then you end up reading a lot, sitting in your room listening to albums, and getting weird ideas. Where are you guys from, and do you think that has anything to do with it? I am from Birmingham, Alabama (a transplant to NYC) and I think that affected my thinking, because all the buildings there are falling apart, and I think that ultimately resulted in my liking decrepitude (like in City of Lost Children).

Haha. Whoo. That's rich, unemployment in New York. I had to leave my daytime gig a couple months ago, and I figured, well, it will take me probably a week to find something else, possibly more. I do a lot of freelance work, so the loss of the job wasn't life-threatening. At any rate, I figured, I pay unemployment insurance just in case this sort of thing happens, and things were a little tight. So I applied for the unemployment just to hold me over in case I didn't find work right away. That was two months ago, and last week I got a notice that they're still trying to decide what to do about it. Obviously I've moved on and found something else, but if I'd really had to depend on that unemployment money, I'd have been screwed. Likewise, a couple years ago I was run down by a car, got busted up pretty badly and couldn't work, and that's when I found out that social security disability is really just for old people and morbidly fat people who don't feel like working anymore. I don't think there is any sort of government program for hard working people who have had an emergency. In other words, don't bother. Unemployment is a fallacy. If you get really bad off and you have to, apply for something like food stamps or housing vouchers. I don't know what the application process for that is like, but all the lazy unemployable jerks in my neighborhood get it, so it can't be too hard.

Aah. This is good to know about posthouse, because I had been considering using them. They offered me the lowest quote and still sounded reasonably knowledgeable. Now I will use someplace local, so that if there is trouble at least I can go back and talk to the person. I certainly wouldn't want to be charged more than what I was quoted. I got a quote from posthouse for $185 per hour, and haven't really been able to get any specifics on what the charge is for prep or anything like that. Anybody know about Magno Sound in NYC?

What about a "hot splicer" then? Is this recommended? Where might I buy commercially prepared cement? I plan to do a lot of practicing on a test roll first.

Excellent. I don't get ICG. I get American Cinematographer because it's a cheap subscription.

I have it on my Netflix list. I can't wait to see it. I read that he did a sequel to 'Scenes From A Marriage' a few years ago, with Liv Ullman and that guy in it. Has anyone seen it?

I am looking at a Griswold splicer for $59. Anybody know anything about these? I've also found a couple of recipes for splicing cement and I don't know if they are usable. One calls for film chips to be dissolved in acetone. Another uses acetic acid, acetone, and only the acetate support of a small length of film.

My next project features a 7 or 8 year old child who sees disturbing things (sick people in hospital beds) and ultimately kills herself. If I had any children, I'd just make them be in it, but I have none. What's the chance of someone letting their kid work on something like this? For little or no pay?

I'd like to find out how the developer at the lab compares with what I usually use, which is Ilford ID-11. Do most labs usually use Kodak D-96? That's not commercially available, is it? I've used D-76 before, is it similar?

Frank, you don't happen to be divorced, do you? Ha, ha. Usually when men are so nasty toward women it's because they've been burned. What's your axe against Affirmative Action? How many times have you been screwed out of a job by it? My guess would be none. Maybe you are not aware of this, but in the U.S. most of the jobs affected by Affirmative Action are poop jobs which nobody aspires to work at. Office jobs, middle management jobs at unimportant colleges, public school teaching jobs, etc. A similar argument is made by some people against immigrants "coming over and taking our jobs". That's pretty accurate if "our jobs" are working as a line cook in a restaurant or picking vegetables for less than minimum wage. I think you're out of touch. You're getting mad at the theory of something and ignoring the real effects of it.

It's not on the big screen, exactly, but has anyone seen the series 'Carnivale'? I don't usually watch television, but I really like this show. I like Michael J. Anderson also. Does anybody know any particulars about the photography for it? The color palette is all sort of muted and dusty. It seems like perhaps diffusion filtration was used also.

Anyway, are you guys going to answer the question?

I admit that I am a fan and that's why I paid the ten bucks, although I felt it was annoying also. Guess I should have mentioned about that. You do get to see a lot of his work on it, though. I mean, the stuff on there is no Mulholland Drive, but it's interesting if you are a big fan.

So if I don't specify anything to the telecine house, the keycode will be there but I won't see it, and I'll be able to use the DV footage for other things besides editing? I've asked for something called "flex files" to be included, since I am not sure if they are needed. Isn't that what matches up the negative and the time code on the tape? Also, several quotes I got from telecine houses were suspiciously low. When I inquired, they said they weren't able to do keycode. What is this about? Is there some other way of editing they use? I haven't asked the editor for help with this because he has never worked with film, only video, so he does not know.

So if I don't want it to appear, I ask for it not to be "burnt in" to the footage? Should I ask it to be put somewhere else instead? Or is it just like a file (time code?) that is there? Also, will this difference affect the person editing this? Thanks.

You guys are probably already familiar with davidlynch.com, but for anybody who isn't, I'd like to recommend it. The site design is very complimentary to his work- I understand he spends a lot of time on it. There is a really interesting Q&A section on it, with video clips of him answering admirers' questions. Most of the questions are inane, but his answers are hilarious. I'd like to ask all of you a question. Lynch says that his films' color palette has been heavily influenced by the work of Edward Hopper. Is there anyone working in a different medium than film whose work has really influenced your own? I'm talking about everything here, music, painting, basket weaving...

If I am having film transferred to DV using keycode, when I look at the DV will the code be in the frame? Say I want to use that DV footage to put a clip on the web. Will there be time code on that clip?

Here's the cheapest idea for a softbox you will find. It will fall apart after several weeks use, but that's okay, because you'll probably be finished with your project by then. I have used this softbox and it works great. Don't let your friends see it because they will laugh at you. 1. find a large box that is intact. go to a department store or someplace and ask them for one. they give them away. 2. put the bottom of the box back together, using a sturdy glue. 3. cut a small round hole in the bottom. 4. line the entire inside of the box with aluminum foil. 5. find a light bulb fixture and screw the bulb out. your best bet is a mechanic's lamp, the kind with the metal dish around the bulb. the dish will help with the heat from the bulb. place the fixture through the hole in the box, and then screw the bulb back in. 6. don't cut off the box tops because you will need them for barn doors. adjust them by using clear tape or string. 7. cover the front opening of the box with diffusion material, bakers parchment paper, or similar. DON'T use wax paper. Don't use more than a couple hundred watts bulb, and make sure the box doesn't catch on fire. You could also upgrade your box by using a plastic storage bin instead of a cardboard box, and using an outdoor grill cover as the diffusion. Make sure to consider what size box in relation to what coverage you want. If you can get a kitchen appliance box, like a microwave or larger, those work well. Total cost should be less than ten dollars. Twenty if you are not a savvy shopper.

I see. I guess I got the idea somewhere that a print is expected. This is certainly refreshing news- if I add the cost of the negative conforming and the printing, it probably will pay for my next project. I don't even know if I will submit anywhere yet. Maybe I will wait until I have a few completed projects. By widescreen (16x9) do you mean 1.85:1? I am not very knowledgeable about the terms.

I'm going to jump in here because I can't resist a good argument. I think young people are not taken seriously because they usually have no craft. It seems to have a lot less to do with their ideas. As mentioned, it's true that throughout time people have made beautiful art using sub-standard means, but the point is not that they didn't care about equipment. The point is they had shitty equipment and learned how to squeeze something great out of it. I'm sure they would rather have had more modern, reliable equipment. Walker Evans (a photographer) had equipment that people made fun of, but he learned what he could do with it instead of blaming it for his shortcomings. I'm from a studio arts background, and one of the first things that you learn there is that the hard part is execution, i.e. making something look stunning visually and not depending on content to get you through. Executing something well takes a long time to learn because at first your hands don't do the right things, you have to train them. I am learning cinematography and it seems the same. I will also mention that in my efforts to learn I've joined a few film forums, and so far the "old guys" on here have been the only people helping with my questions. The younger people on, for example, filmmaking.com, tend to take the attitude of "who cares about film stock, exposure, equipment, etc. I just want to do my ideas." I think younger artists and filmmakers would be taken more seriously if they were more earnest.

If anyone is in the NYC area and interested in seeing some still photography, my show will be up for one more week. It's at CB's 313 Gallery, next door to CBGB's. If any of you feel like dropping by, I'd be highly complimented. You can take the 6 to Bleecker or the F to 2nd.

I am shooting a short film in 16, and if it meets my expectations when finished, there's a possiblility I might submit it to a couple of shorts festivals. Should I plan to get a blowup to 35? Should I just print to 16? What are the advantages of each? What format do most of these people expect? And what will look best? I'm not made of money, so the cost will also figure into this.

Thanks. That's just the information I needed. I'm afraid the splicing url didn't show up, though.

I figured it would at least change the grain structure. I study still photography also, and am learning about characteristic film curve. It seems that it is very difficult to know anything unless you are doing your own tests. I don't have a densitometer, so all my tests consist of "eyeballing it". I should have mentioned before, I'm not using a lab because I'm afraid. I'll be processing the film using equipment I'm building. It's a short film so there wouldn't be any way for me to look at dailies and then correct for the lab's type of development. Do you have advice from personal experience about PLUS-X versus DOUBLE-X? Are they similar in contrast, etc.? Thanks for your help.

I am also about to shoot a 16mm short, and have similar questions. Here's how I'm planning to do it: process and telecine to mini-DV edit in Final Cut Pro have negative conformed to edit decision list print to 16mm or possibly blowup to 35mm A question that I have is about DAT. Do I just give the edited DAT and the cut negative to the lab and they put them together onto a "composite print"? What do some labs mean when they say that they don't provide optical sound and you have to provide your own? Is there another type of sound that isn't optical? Also I had been under the impression that you can have all this done at the same lab. Now that I'm doing research, it looks like you have to find an independent person who cuts negatives. Confusing.