J. Anthony Gonzales

Hi: I am working on a project that will be shot on Super 8. This project is mostly geared towards internet consumption, with possible DVD availability. I have been talking with the guys at Spectra and this is the idea we came up with. We are shooting at 18fps. What we are going to do is transfer at 30p and get a frame-by-frame scan, so we'll get all the frames. Then the plan is to slow the footage down in post using the NLE or After Effects or something in order to get it to play at the proper speed for the internet. Has anybody done something like this? If so, how were the results? John G.

James: There's a book called "The Film Editing Room Handbook" by Norman Hollyn. Go to Amazon and look for the old 2nd edition copy dated January 1990. There's a whole chapter on working with Kem, building Kem roles, etc. You can get a nice used copy for only a couple of bucks! Also, check out any behind the scene stuff involving Henry Jaglom. He still uses a Kem to cut his films on. Won't touch video. The Kem actually has a "starring" role in his film, Venice/Venice. John G.

So, I contacted NT audio today. Came out to about .24/ft. including full-coat stock. And they don't have the means to transfer 1/4", so that's a DAT price. I have a few other leads I'm going to look into. Now, mind you, I do have an old MagnaTech dubber that would do the trick. It has an input for sync to a Nagra. I intend to use this machine for scratch tracks and effects. As I am by no means a sound engineer, I would be afraid to transfer all of my production/dialog reels on this machine. Can this be a simple job in so much as just setting the output levels from the Nagra and the input levels on the MagnaTech right? Is that in itself easy to do? 35mm mag stock runs about .04/ft for stripe. That would obviuosly be the cheapest option. John G.

About three or four years ago, there was a screening room site that did transfers. Cost was 11 cents per 35mm foot and that included mag stock. They are no longer around, from what I can tell. Hopefully I can find somewhere. I checked out the NT Audio website. I'll give them a call on Monday. John G.

Really? I haven't logged on in a while. Anyway, ok. Display name updated. James: I've got 5! My 8-plate is my baby. It has a nice pair of 3-way picture heads on it. Believe it or not, I've got a 8-perf VistaVision picture head laying around somewhere. Yes, old school DOES rule! Are you local in Los Angeles? John G.

Yes, I could go digital, but it'd be a little hard threading DAT on my KEM. =) And yes, still looking for any leads on my original question. Anybody out there have anything? Thanks, John G.

Hi. Does anybody know of any good shops in Los Angeles that still transfer 1/4" tape to 35mm mag? Any leads would be much appreciated. Thanks, John G.

Must be something to Mr. Gallo in order to draw out this thread? :) I don't know him personally, but here is what I do know. I really like Buffalo 66. I like the story it tells. I like Gallo as an actor. I think he has a certain way about him that tranlates well into the characters that he plays, even if it's the same one mostly: vulnerable a**hole. Talent is relative and personal. I think he's got a lot more talent then half the stuff I've seen. But, that's justmy opinion. Didn't know he was a staunch Republican :blink: ... Nah, I won't go there. <_< John G.

I don't know your friend, nor am I passing any judgement, but heck, if he got a bunch of meetings with producers, sounds like he did okay to me. =) Rick: It sounds like you had shooting 35mm in mind when trying to figure this out. What I'd say is take your four grand and make a kick ass 5-10 minute short film on 16. Just limit your crew to the essentials/friends/etc. to keep within budget. That way you can demonstrate you can hold a story together in the medium rather than pieces of a story in a trailer. Then, when you get all those "you-da-man!" calls from all those producers, you can whip out your feature script to wow them with. ;) John

Just curious: Is sales tax charged on motion picture film stock from Kodak in California? And do they charge sales tax at the labs for processing? Thanks.

I think that actually shooting the photos gives a bit more to the film. Burns is a good example. Also look at Dogtown and Z-Boys for some really cool stuff. John

With the later model 1M's, you can use the motors that have the controller boxes. From the description, "The camera has the cylindrical controller attached to the side, which is connected to the round housing on the side of the camera...", it sounds like the early 1M's or KSR-1's with the rheostat motor, as it is more "cylindrical" than the later motors and attaches to the crank housing, in lieu of the hand crank. Yep, the rheostat motor is a basic variable speed motor that doesn't really keep sync. BUT, it's definitely fine for MOS shooting.

Instead of "film look", it should be "to look like film". Film and digital are two different mediums. It's kind of like doing a water color painting and saying, How do I give it that "oils look". Easy, use oils. Whether or not one is better than the other really depends on the project. If I am shooting a run and gun documentary, I'd probably shoot digital. If I am shooting a scope costume drama, then I'm going do it on film. Just my two cents. John

You won't need the controller box for the rheostat motor. I am sure that others have done different and similar things, but here's a cheap and easy solution that will set you up: You will need the following items: 1. Original power cable (contact a Russian dealer). 2. 6V 12A Sealed Battery (Werker or other brand from Batteries Plus, etc.) 3. A fanny pack, small camera bag or other small carrying bag 4. Simple wiring, male and female connectors The batteries run about $20. Put together a simple "battery belt" and you should be up and running for under $40. You'll also want to get a charger. You can get one at the battery shop as well. If you are mechanically inclined, you can re-wire the connectors on the motor to accept an XLR or other plug. The original cable is the easiest way, in my opinion. Oh, and be sure to follow the recommended duty cycles for the motor. It can get a bit warm.

Kodak no longer has list pricing on their site (or at least where I can find it). They updated their catalog quick reference but no pricing on the sheets. Check out Film Emporium at www.filmemporium.com. They have pricing from factory fresh stock to short ends. The factory fresh prices are pretty much in par with Kodak list pricing minus about 10% or so. John G.

Thanks guys for all the info. This project involves a static, locked down camera in kind of a minimalist sitcom environment. The set pretty much stays constant unless one of the actors moves something around. We plan to do this is a slightly high, wide shot. Actors, at most, would take up about 1/2 the height of the frame. We are leaning more and more towards DV because of the ease of post for a project of this type, although we have some basic 35mm equip available though I think it be a bit much for the project. John G.

I am looking at working on an episodic Internet project. Does anybody have any advice as to the best camera for the job? There are two project types I'd be looking at: 1. Internet only. 2. Internet and DVD distribution at a later date. The budget allows for pretty much any format, BUT I don't want to be overkill if the resolution doesn't require it. I'm thinking DV or 16mm, my friend thinks we can go even lower on the resolution. Any advice? Thanks for your time and help. John G.

I notice this technique used A LOT in music videos of late, especially the other way around in which the soundtrack is normal speed and everybody is moving around in slow motion. I think the Beastie Boys pretty much have the patent on that one, although more and more acts are doing it in their videos. One of the coolest techniques of "altered time" I have seen is the Cold Play video for the song "The Scientist". The whole photography/storyline runs backwards, but the soundtrack is normal. John G.

If you want to focus on an object that is in a mirror, I assume the following: Camera to mirror dist. PLUS Object to mirror dist. EQUALS Focus Distance Is this correct? For example: So, to focus on the face, the lens focusing distance would be about 20 feet? Thanks, John G.

Hi Jarin: I am going to be shooting my first feature this summer on 35mm Double-X, so believe me, I've been doing my homework over the last couple of years. THE lab for B/W in L.A. was Franklin out in Upland. But unfortanely, they closed down. Fotokem does B/W at the same price as color, so that's definitely an option. Also, Cheshire in Burbank touts that it is the best place in town for B/W. It is a smaller lab, but sometimes, as was the case in Franklin, their B/W processing was a lot more controlled and on the money. Their prices are a few pennies more than Fotokem. Only thing is, Cheshire doesn't do any printing. So, if you need a workprint, I'd go with Fotokem for everything. If you are going to edit digital, you might want to take a look at Cheshire. Hope this helps, John G.

Can anybody tell me what the "usual" distance is between a matte box filter, like a 4x4, and the front glass of a lens? I guess the closer the better to eliminate relfections/glare. But is there a tolerable distance? 1/2", 1" or ??? Thanks, John G.

I am looking for examples of films that were shot mostly, if not entirely, with long lenses? Any info would be great. Thanks, John G.

I have an older Konvas side-latch turret camera (KCP-1) that has the older fiber composite gears as opposed to the newer metal gears. I have heard that you can only run the 200' mags on this camera; the force necessary to pull 400' mags would shred the fiber gears to bits. I am hoping that somebody can verify this and/or elaborate a bit. If this is a true fact, is this something that wears the gears down over time or is this something that will happen within minutes or seconds? Thanks in advance to any help with this. John G.

Thanks Timo! Excellent info. I appreciate your help and time in writing this up. John G.

This might sound like a lame question, but I am not certain about the effect of 81 series filters. Do they simply reduce ANY color temperature, or do they only reduce fixed temps down to 3200? For instance, if I wanted to warm up a scene a bit more from 3200, will an 81A bring me down to 3000? Thanks, John G.