David Owen James

Anyone here project super 8 with sound? What gear do you use?

Oh sweet, that's great. I was hoping to host some events showing Super 8 shorts but only if I was able to sync sound.

Ah, okay. That makes sense. I wonder if Kodak will try selling some variations now that Fuji is out of the market.

Is it possible to project super 8 footage from the reel, and play in sync a digital or analog audio track?

I'd like to know the differences between the Vision 3 stocks available from Kodak. I understand the division between tungsten and daylight, as well as the ASA light sensitivity, but beyond that I can't see the difference visually with these stocks. Can anyone help explain what makes them different from one another?

Footage looks great, David. Amazing film stock

Has anyone shot some of this stock on 16mm?

I don't live in the UK, but I'm happy to hear the news.

What do you think of the lens on your Braun Nizo 6080?

Bill, Is that the Canon 1014 XL-S in your profile photo? What do you think of the lens?

I am reading a book called 'Cinematography: 3rd Edition' by Kris Malkiewicz & M. David Mullen. It's perfect for a novice like me and has a very good section on lights, filters and colour temperatures. There are many types of SFX filters and various colours, but I think as a novice it may be best to begin with understanding blue and orange filters, ND filters and polarizing filters. These, I think, are the basic filters that will get you very far.

I was thinking of buying a higher quality zoom lens to use with the camera. I also have a nice vintage 25mm Canon I use on my SLR. I may be wrong to suspect that the standard lenses with most Super 8 cameras are low in quality. I will be using a tripod mostly, but I may try using some kind of handheld mount. Though it may be Super 8, I will still try for the look of classic cinematography.

I just picked up the book 'Cinematography: 3rd edition', which I was happy to see has your name on it! I assume I'm speaking with the same David Mullen. The lighting section looks extremely useful. I'm going to devour the book over the next week. Thanks for the help.

I'm looking to purchase a Super 8 camera, and I'm wondering which models support interchangeable lenses. So far, I have only seen this on some of the Beaulieu cameras.

I really disliked it when I saw the first two in the theatre and like you found them boring as well. I have never read the books and the magical laws that were controlling this world did not make sense to me. I watched the trilogy again (the finale for the first time) a few years ago and enjoyed them much more than I previously did. I kind of accepted all of its flaws and just tried to watch it for what it was, letting all the nonsense go undetected. You may want to try to do the same if your friends are making you watch the film. I assume that your friends are big fans of the books. If they aren't then get new friends. I agree Simon, most films these days are rubbish, including independent films.

Best to ask in the Super 8 section, a lot of knowledgable people there.

The only film I know of is Buffalo 66 by Vincent Gallo.

What film stock did you use for the "Astronaut Farmer"?

I may be able to rent some HMI's, but will likely have to use tungsten lights for this project. The film will be shot in India and will use a lot of religious imagery which I feel will be best captured on colour reversal film. In general, I prefer the look of colour reversal over colour negative, and prefer the look of older stocks to the newer ones.

A lot of the film will take place outdoors in direct sunlight (in India). I'm mostly concerned with the interior shots as I will probably have to use tungsten lighting for cost reasons. If I am shooting in a room with several tungsten light sources as well as a window with daylight coming in, then I imagine the best solution would be to correct the tungsten light to match daylight with blue gels, and leave the lens unfiltered. If I am shooting a subject in the shade during peak sunlight hours, my subject might require a warming filter?

I think I will have to learn it by eye too as a meter is not in the budget. How precise must the DOP in regards to colour temperature? How much can be corrected after without losing quality?

I've sent about a dozen emails to labs and rental houses in India without a single reply.

No luck finding a lab processing colour reversal motion picture film in Singapore. Have any luck on your end, Saumya?

Is the MIRED system useful for practical application - do you use it on set? It seems difficult, but I want to really understand how to control colour and get the best image possible. I was wondering if you use a colour temperature meter? I was thinking about buying one until I saw the price they are going for. Is it possible to understand how to use gels and filters correctly without such devices? I've ordered a few books on cinematography and lighting; I hope they will give me a basic understanding about colour temperatures. By the way, saw your Northfolk reel. Impressive, great work!

Did he then later prefer to shoot on 16mm? I always thought he could no longer get the higher budgets that he needed for shooting 35mm.