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Satsuki Murashige

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Everything posted by Satsuki Murashige

  1. Can’t speak for anyone else, but at least in my case it has been one of the sticking points that forces a local production to go to LA for an Arricam LT package instead of renting from me. Of course, if they can afford to do that then that’s what they should do. No question. But for a local production that wants to shoot on film and is deciding between my kit or an Alexa Mini, I’m hoping that this will help tip the scales in my favor. At least before 2020, things were looking up with inquiries. Not sure where we are now. I certainly wouldn’t spend more than what I have already on upgrading the tap. It was a bit of a stretch for me, as it was. I bit the bullet because I was already 75% there on my own and already owned all of the components. I can’t imagine who the target market is for the €16,000 Indiecam Tap!
  2. I think we are in agreement there. However, fitting a CEI tap on the Moviecam SL requires an additional adapter plate. (I do own one made by Clairmont Camera but it doesn’t pass power thru the plate, so it adds the additional hassle of powering another on-board 12v accessory). You also have the issue of the CEI taps obstructing the 1000’ mag on the SL when using the Compact mag adapter. The clearance is very tight in the back due to the small body, and the CEI taps are much larger than the original B&W SL Video Assist. You’d need it to be offset to the side of the camera to clear the mag, the original is centered on the top of the camera. That would also require a different top handle bracket than the one that I have, which attaches to the dumb side of the camera near the top. So all in all, not as easy as it might seem to adapt. Anyway, kind of a moot point (at least for me), as the work is already done...
  3. Yes, it is mostly to satisfy rental requests from DPs and ACs who heavily rely on their Teradeks and on-board monitors, and also their directors and clients on-set who expect to see something better than a B&W standard def image on a monitor these days. But as you’ve pointed out, if your film camera already has a modern IVS system, then your image quality gains will be minimal. And you will almost certainly lose some important features.
  4. We’ve had this discussion many times before. To be brief: 1. Pick one camera ISO, either native or close to it, and stick to it. 2. Add light, both overall levels and also directional for mood. Light to a lower contrast than your intended final look. 3. Add contrast in color grading, especially in the shadows. It helps if you also preview this look on set thru a LUT, either in-camera or on a monitor.
  5. Giray, Is your Blackmagic Micro camera CCD or CMOS? If it has a global shutter then maybe that would account for it?
  6. I’m surprised that you don’t get any tearing or rolling shutter artifacts from the mirror shutter at non-24.00p settings. I also tried 25p and 50p on my tap and always got a large black diagonal bar that would slowly travel north/south thru the frame. Basically made it unusable, as a third of the frame was always obscured. I also saw small barely-visible horizontal bars, but those could be phased out easily. All of my rolling shutter issues went away at 59.94i. My camera also has an automatic de-flicker shutter mode which seems to work best, but there is some light loss. Not sure how it works exactly. 1/60 sec also seems to work well. My camera does not have 23.98/24.00p or shutter angle mode. I think your 360 shutter may be helping quite a bit with the flicker issue.
  7. Andree Martin at AM Camera in Valencia, CA. https://www.amcamera.com/contact/
  8. In that case, you might also consider some makeup/prosthetics on the stomach that can be a transition area for the hole. Might help the two shots line up better.
  9. If you’re ok with compositing in post, I would shoot it as two elements. 1. Background plate - person’s stomach. Leave enough room around the edges of where you want the hole to be, and make sure nothing crosses it. If you want to have the actor’s foreground hand reach into frame and pull the video cassette out from the stomach area as a visual reference, that’s fine. Although you will most likely be using the clean plate for your effects shot. 2. Foreground hand + prop hole + video cassette on green or bluescreen. You’ll have to decide how realistic you want the hole to look - having some texture inside and a sharp line around the edge of the hole will make compositing a little easier. It would be kinda gross but also cool if the hole was gently pulsating inside. You’ll also want to make the lighting match - in your B&W reference, there’s a back edge light that hits the hand as it pulls away from the hole, which I think you could also use.
  10. Tyler, I’m just very confused by all of these professional crew members you work with who seem to be completely incompetent at their jobs. ACs who don’t know how to set up Sony cameras and let cameras fall over in the wind; Dolly Grips who don’t know how to run a dolly without it falling off the tracks; Grips who let stands fall over and don’t know how their own equipment works; Jib Operators who are unable to keep their cameras from bashing into walls. Personally, I have never encountered crew like this, outside of student films and no-budget music videos...
  11. That's pretty nice. I don't think it would be worth upgrading it to HD-SDI from a picture quality standpoint, as you're still limited by the quality of the available sensors and lenses. Plus the footage counter overlays are very useful.
  12. There is rolling shutter tearing at all video assist frame rates (29.97p, 59.94p) while the camera is rolling, except for 59.94i. So that's what I set the tap camera for. Then you just get normal mirror shutter flicker, just as it looks in the eyepiece. It's not ideal, but it's fine. The original B&W Moviecam SL tap is very, very simple. There's no flicker-free, frame store, overlays, nothing. Just an image and an iris control. So I don't really feel like I'm missing anything, but if you're coming from a modern Arriflex IVS then it may seem like a step down.
  13. But you said it was a camera rehearsal? There's no reason to not stop the dolly during a rehearsal for safety. Even if it was a take, you can stop the dolly for a serious safety issue. The whole shoot sounds like a shit-show, frankly. None of the Local 80 grips knew how to build the jib arm? Hard to believe, really.
  14. To me, this is a clear case of stepping outside your lane. Maybe as an operator, you would quietly point the shadow out to the DP and ask them if they're ok with it, if you have a good relationship. If you have a really good relationship, the DP might empower you to make those little tweaks while they're busy with the director. Barring that though, they'd be right to be upset with you for touching their lighting, no matter how well-intentioned. Not to mention, the grip who was responsible for that flag probably wouldn't be happy with you either. At the end of the day, the DP is the one who has to answer to the producer and director for these issues. Not the AC or the operator. Imagine if you've been hired to pull focus, and a PA standing by the camera tweaks the focus wheel from where you've set it for a split because they thought it was 'off.' Wouldn't that upset you as well? You have to respect other people enough to let them do their own jobs. If you can't do that, then you shouldn't be working together.
  15. I think so too. This one is my design which Greg machined together and focused/centered the optics. He only charged me for labor, but I provided all the parts and had the camera/lens built already. You're right that labor/setup is the highest cost. The more you can do yourself, the more you'll save. I ended up paying around $2500, probably spent around $1000 on parts. Greg is using a different camera for his tap - no idea what he is using, and I wouldn't reveal his trade secrets anyway. I know his version will be much more polished than mine. I probably would look for a more modern camera with 24p and flicker reduction features if I were starting today. For myself, I went with this camera: https://www.viewbits.com/Camera-HD-SDI-1080p-60-traffic-POV.html Took apart the boards, ordered matching ribbon cable and power cables. The ribbon cables are basically single use expendables, so you need quite a few if you're tinkering.
  16. Okay, so many things to unpack here. Where to start... 1. I actually agree with you on this point, though I don't think we are talking about the same thing with regard to what constitutes 'fully paid/fully crewed shows.' And that's fine, production scale is all relative. I'm sure Greg Irwin has a very different idea of what constitutes a 'big show' than the rest of us here. It's important to realize that the bigger you go, the more complicated and hierarchical personal interactions can get. They are different cultures that one has to learn to navigate. Most of us (if not all of us?) have had bad experiences on set due to missteps in etiquette at one time or another. It's best not to take these experiences too personally, but accept them more as a learning experience. Usually, there are things one could have done differently to avoid the problem. And if not, then at least you know not to work with that person again. 2. I think this is not a great way to deal with the situation. It's best to go up the chain within your department, so as a set PA it would be best to go the Key Set PA and have them take it to the 1st AD. Or something along those lines. With regard to permits, you hope that it never gets to a point where a PA has to ask that question - realistically the key department heads should be the ones to bring those concerns to the 1st AD. If you are in that situation, then you are on a shit-show, and you should get off that job as quickly as possible. 3. I agree with you that Camera often gets their voices heard above others. The Gaffer on a lot of smaller sets also will have quite a bit of pull. Which is why if you can develop a good relationship with those departments, you can speak to them privately about those concerns. Much harder situation for day players who don't have time to build that rapport, as I well know. On the other hand, if you're only there for a few days then conflict is less of an issue. 4. If the c-stand is actually falling over and you're in a position to grab it, then do it. I've never seen a grip yell at someone for saving a piece of equipment. Just don't make a big deal about it, don't embarrass them, and usually you've made a new friend in the grip dept. On the other hand, if the c-stand just looks precarious, then it's best to quickly find a nearby grip and quietly let them know that their stand is about to fall over. Let them do their jobs, simply informing them of an issue is enough. Same thing for a camera issue, lighting issue, makeup issue, etc. 5. Who exactly yelled at you for not putting an end stop on the end of the track? It is the dolly grip's job to do that, no one else's. I know at least one very experienced dolly grip who doesn't bother with end stops in certain cases, as he's very confident that he knows exactly where the end of the track is. It may be that this was the case here - unless you had that conversation afterward, it's a little rude to assume incompetence right up front. Certainly, making a big show of saving the day and embarrassing the dolly grip in front of the entire crew probably wasn't the best move. Really, it's not that hard to whisper to the dolly grip that there's no end stop on the track while you're riding the dolly. You're certainly within your rights as a camera operator to mention it and ask for it. The operator and 1st AC really rely on the dolly grip, it's a very important relationship. You have to manage that relationship carefully and work as a team.
  17. I had an HD-SDI Video Assist upgrade finished for me by Greg Defoe of Defoetech last month: This an upgrade of my design with parts that I've managed to scrounge up. It is not flicker-free, but it works well with Teradek Bolt XT transmitters and HD-SDI monitors, which is all I wanted. It required 10+ hours of engineering and machining on his part, in addition to many hours of my tinkering over several years. I know that Greg is working on his own HD-SDI Video Assist with a different design for another Moviecam SL owner, and I'm sure that one will be even nicer when it's ready. Greg used to work at CEI, btw. If you're interested in a HD-SDI tap for your Moviecam SL, I can let him know.
  18. I want to circle back to this, because I think it’s important. Set safety is not one person or one department’s responsibility. When it comes to dangerous situations, every single person on set has the responsibility to say something if they see a problem. This is especially true for the key department heads who need to look out for the people working under their supervision. It’s always easier to look out for someone else in the heat of production than it is for yourself, as any camera operator can attest to. Safety is a mindset. When we all share that mindset and take responsibility to make things as safe as possible, we can catch each other’s mistakes. This goes for something as simple as handing off a lens or formatting a card, to something with more inherent risk like filming with firearms blanks, going up in a lift, or placing cameras for a car crash stunt. When we make safety the other guy’s responsibility and assume they have everything in order, bad things happen. This has nothing to do with budget, or whether you’re being paid or not. We can all look out for each other on set (and in life) and make sure we all go home at the end of the day.
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