Jason Mann

Thanks Chris. That's a big help. I'll get in touch with both places.

Yes, Lindsay's my brother. Del was our grandfather (my dad's father.) He was a great guy. I can pretty much guarantee that it isn't footage from Marty, because it's in color. I suspect that at least one of them is a scene from "Love Leads The Way", a film he made about the first seeing eye dog. And another looks like it's from his Disney film Night Crossing, starring John Hurt. (I should stipulate that I'm not going to sell any of this or rip off the films' distributors. I just want my family to be able to see the stuff he saved, and we don't have a lot of 35mm projectors lying around.) Also, anyone want to recommend a favorite telecine house for something like this? Thanks for the replies so far.

My grandfather, who just passed away, was a director in Hollywood. When we were sorting through his apartment, we found a big stack of film cans in his closet. Some of these were clearly labeled (b&w home movies, assembled on big 16mm reels, maybe 1000ft each...) We also found several smaller rolls of 35mm film, most of them probably no more than 100-300ft (i'm guessing, many weren't even on cores, just wrapped in paper and a rubber band). They appear to be work prints, and are accompanied by clear 35mm film with parallel tracks in the center. I'm assuming that's some kind of mag stock? My guess is that these are scenes, or even individual shots, that were left on the cutting room floor. He didn't save that many, so they obviously meant something to him. I'd love to have them transferred, so I could share them with our whole family. So here's the question: Will a telecine house be able/willing to transfer positives (print stock)? I have always thought of telecine as a process reserved for the negative. Perhaps I'm wrong... Will a telecine house be willing to splice a number of shorter pieces together to transfer? (Will their machines even accept spliced film?) Lastly, please weigh in if you have an opinion on the format I should transfer this stuff too. I'd like, ideally, to be able to give it to my family in HD, since we'll probably all have HD sets by the end of this decade, and I want to do the film justice. But I don't want to waste money, either...

Yeah, I just got a D70 and took a trip to Africa with two of my brothers old manual lenses from his F. They looked great. The 50mm looked a tiny bit soft (almost pro-misty) and the 200mm magically became a 300mm, which is sweet when lions are around. Anyway, it's definitely possible and fun. That said, I want to get a Nikon film body so I can start taking some black and white stuff again.

I think the shutter is fine, it runs anyway. I don't know the year, but the serial number is 185740. Would that work for your friend? Lemme know, I'll try to take a pic or two for you.

Okay, both of you make a lot of sense, thanks. So how would you rate chip size as an important factor to consider relative to resolution and color/compression? Are my DVX's chips 1/3 inch? And David, good point about the possibility that Reel Stream will do this for the new camera too. They even hint on their website that one of the smaller HD cameras will be their next victim. Thanks, as always for the help.

I currently own a DVX-100A and am very happy with it, but I can't help being excited by the new Panasonic HVX-200 (or P2 or whatever it's called.) A $6,000 HD camera is hard to pass up. That said, I've seen the website for the Reel Stream Andromeda (http://www.reel-stream.com) which promises uncompressed 4:4:4 output from a DVX. I know this is a subjective decision, but can anyone influence me one way or the other? Isn't 4:4:4: uncompressed video actually better in some ways than DVCPro HD (which I believe is 4:2:2)? What would you do if you could choose between the two? And I aplogize if this is posted in the wrong forum, but it straddles the line a bit...

I have a Bolex H-16 reflex that's in rough shape. (It's a sad, sad Ebay story...) Some rust and lots of dings, but the motor still runs. Could be really useful for anyone looking for parts, especially since the interior seems much better than the outside of the camera. I would love for someone to get some use out of this thing, and I won't. Fifty bucks? Make me an offer...

I'm selling a Spectra Professional IV A light meter (it's green). It's in mint condition, used sparingly and carefully. Comes with spherical and flat attachments and measures both incident and reflected light. Includes a soft case as well. Asking $300. PM me with questions or offers.

I'm selling a .66x wide angle converter for my old camera (A Canon GL-1 I've since sold.) It will fit any DV camera with 58mm threads. The lens itself is made in Japan by a company called Raynox, and it is in pristine condition. I only used it a few times. For the most part it just sat in its plastic case. The case has a small crack that isn't serious, just cosmetic. I'm asking $150. Please PM me with any questions.

A low level of fog should give you some definition on the beam of light, but keep it really low. I've only used fog a few times, and each time it's gotten too heavy and then contrast has gone to hell. And that meant airing out an already frickin freezing stage in the middle of January. Not good times.

Hey Christian. I already posted here once, but I forgot to add me email address. It's jasonlmann@hotmail.com. Thanks!

I'm in too, if I'm not too late. Will you be posting the amount here?

You've already received some great advice, and I don't have much to add other than some basic stuff: Don't be cheap buying tape. Spend the extra buck and use the good stuff. (I've had zero problems with the Pana DVM63-MQ, even in pretty sketchy conditions.) Trust the viewfinder, not the LCD. If I move my eye a quarter of an inch one way or another while looking at the LCD, I can make a poor exposure look okay. While this makes me feel better, it doesn't help my movie one bit. I've never used a mattebox with this camera, but I can't count the number of times on the doc I just did that I complained about not having one. (Using a lot of polarizer. Wishing for ND, etc...) Oh yeah, and listen to folks on this forum (other than me). I asked a bunch of beginner questions here about nine months ago, before going to shoot a doc in Mexico, and every bit of advice I got was good.

I'm shaking my head and thinking of a very disappointing interaction I had with _______ from London, UK about a year ago. Bolex or paperweight? :angry:

Thanks.

Would there be a difference in quality between those two options, Noah?

I'm working on a doc that I've shot in 24P Advanced on a DVX-100A. I had planned on removing the pulldown on capture and working in a 23.98fps sequence in Final Cut. My two questions: I have a couple of hours of archival footage that was shot on a very basic Hi8 handycam, and I'd like to incorporate it. I can dub it to mini-DV, but then it will be 60i, right? How can I cut it into 24p material? Secondly, I think I'll be outputting to a high resolution format at the end of the project (maybe DigiBeta?) Will these formats be a problem if my source material is 24p? Thanks

As far as TV vs. film distribution, I think we'd be happy with either, but I really have no idea which one (if either) is more likely. And I don't know how TV works. Do networks (or PBS) buy films at festivals? And as you said, that's another reason a film print seems like a bad idea at this point. But even if we assume it will stay on video, I don't have a sense of what the pros and cons of each format are, and what they will cost to up-rez. As always, any help would be great...

Post those links!!! (please.)

I am working on editing a doc I shot with a friend this summer. We have about 50 hours of footage (Panasonic DVX-100A; 24PA) from Mexico and Cali. I'm planning on cutting to somewhere between 50-90 minutes, but as I'm still in the transcription phase, I don't really know what the running time will be. I think it's gonna be really good. (not patting myself on the back, the subject matter is pretty incredible.) Anyway, here's the question: What should my friend and I be budgeting for post costs for this thing? I plan to capture the video and edit in Final Cut Pro as true 24p. And we know we want to go to festivals with this thing, and ideally we'd be submitting to some of the big ones. Should I plan on uprezzing to DigiBeta? Or is a film print required? Are distributors looking for stuff that's on one or the other? And lastly, I know there must be a huge variance, but what would be a good ballpark estimate of dollars/minute on transferring video to DigiBeta or film? I know that's a million questions, and sorry if this is the wrong forum for them. Thanks in advance for the answers...

so do you think US Customs can give me something that Mexican customs will respect? I haven't yet gotten a US Customs person on the phone, but I wonder what I can take that will make sense in two languages...

I realize a lot of this will have been asked already. Sorry about that, but I'm still a little unclear. I am about to go to Mexico to shoot a doc with my brand new DVX100A. I am getting pretty comfortable with most of the features of the camera, and I am sure that I will shoot in 24P Advanced mode, having done a handful of tests with an old DVX. However, though I understand what the pedestal is, and (kinda) what the detail and gamma are, I am really not totally sure of myself with those settings. Can anyone either recommend a good place to read up on those specific menu items (Gamma for Dummies? :unsure: ) or recommend a setting for those controls that will leave me with the most latitude in post. As far as post goes, I will be removing the pulldown upon capture into FCP 4.5, and given our lack of any kind of distribution deal/filmout $$, I am planning to end up on video. (Probably DVD to start with.) Oh, BTW, I have read the entire manual several times, to no avail. There really isn't a very good, thorough explanation of that section of image controls in the thing. Thanks very much in advance for any help you can offer, dirty

I'm headed to Mexico with two friends in a little over three weeks to shoot a documentary. I'll be taking a Panasonic DVX100A, two mics, a boompole, and my cheap Bogen tripod, along with cables, tapes, windscreen, a filter or two, and whatever else I can think of. Does anyone know the best way to insure the gear? I bought all the stuff I've mentioned, so it's really insurance for my own financial well-being. I don't think we'll be taking any rental gear at all. Also, what kind of documentation will I need for crossing the border? (and, more importantly, coming back.) I am planning on taking a passport and a copy of all receipts for the equipment, but am I going to pay a tax of some kind? Because we're broke, none of us is getting paid to do this project. Can I claim that this is simply a pleasure trip, not business? (And would this even be better or worse?) And, with a significant amount of gear (I may take my Bolex too) would anyone in a Customs uniform believe me? I know that's a lot of questions, but any help would be HUGELY appreciated. You guys rock, dirty

Okay, I'm buying a new camera (panasonic) and I know I shouldn't mix the dry lube Pana tape with wet lube Sony tape in the camera or demons will invade and wreak havoc. However, what about a deck? Right now I don't have a real one and will just be using my old camera, but I've always used Sony tape in that. And since I work with other folks occasionally, and they mostly use Sony or other brands, does that mean I'm headed for disaster on the capture end? Do more robust decks (like, maybe, the DSR-11, not that I will own one anytime soon) also have this problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated so I can go back to worrying about seventeen other things. Sweet.