timHealy

You should ask the guy to be specific. Insurance usually asks for replacement cost new, (which doesn't make sense because they aren't made anymore, but what makes sense about insurance) or would they take a used estimate? Best Tim

Here's the key: "After examining the damage the vendor has informed me ...." If the electricians didn't see it or troubleshoot the light, the vendor may have taken it upon himself to get a whole new light on the productions company's insurance bill. Crazier things have happened. best Tim

did that guy in boston change his name? same lengthy posts and even the same pictures to boot. http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?sh...amp;hl=guy+holt

Typically, my first response would be if the location isn't right can one find another location. Using a location that has limitations placed upon filmmakers from the get go, can always be troublesome. So if you have to use that location you have to figure out what you can do with the resources you have meaning money manpower and equipment. If you have to shoot during the day you may want to build a tent so that you may use a light and the existing windows. If you can't build a tent, then maybe you can black out the windows and perhaps create a source from inside the room from an imaginary window. Your idea to use a mirror is a good thought to that end. But you may have to compromise your coverage or shooting, utilizing tighter shots that you expected. Maybe you can try and shoot it with just practicals and no moonlight effect. You can try a fresnel into your mirror or even a leko. You could try the leko without a mirror too. Or go back to the original question and ask if this is the right location for your job. sometimes it takes the DP or production designer, or an AD to say the location isn't right. Best and good luck Tim

hard to dim? aside from the short range dimmer on square wave ballasts they are impossible to dim. They run on an arc. if you need dimming use tungsten.

you can get partial frame flashes with a film camera if the strobe is not synced up with the shutter or the strobe flash is not longer than the exposure. For an example of the top of my head is when ripley gets on the escape pod at the end of alien. you can clearly see the strobes coming in and out of sync with the shutter. It might work for some things and not others. best Tim

Electricians from LA do that but electricians in NY seem to differ. We take the scrims out when turning off large hmi pars so that the lens don't shatter. Whatever works for you. Best Tim

Sometimes a cake is just a cake ... maybe you should play the lottery today ... bulbs explode sometimes. Two in a row? You just got lucky. Nothing really technically wrong. Just coincidence. best Tim

I agree with Adrian. Slow film, 50 or 100 ASA film especially. Sharp lenses. Overexpose negative. Stay away from lens diffusion. Also stay away from "if we use faster film we'll have to light less" mentality. Nothing degrades quality like the fastest 16mm film. Unless you are interested in a look. Best Tim

Your photos on flicker aren't good enough to really see what kind of shape the lenses are in. did you use a camera on your phone? If you can, use a better camera and I would love to see shots of the front elements. thanks Tim

don't forget to include how much you can rent something to production for in your calculations. best Tim

I have always been a fan of that transition as it is very easy to do. The models and minitures are another issue. To the OP, have you ever seen Rope? best Tim

No it wasn't a Ruby 7. I know them very well. I also know the guys who created it and sold it to Arri. The best place that I recall seeing the light with no name was in the documentary "Lost In La Mancha". It is definately a European light (assuming that since I have never seen it in the US). Have you seen that film? I'm sure you have. It was a big circular light on something like a crank stand. Was that a Jumbo? Have you used them in LA? Perhaps it is an LA term for something more familiar. Lost in La Moncha is worth watching regardless of the reason. best Tim

Hey David, I never used Jumbo's. Are those a large circular looking fixtures with 12 to 16 ACL's? I think I have seen pictures of them on European shoots but have never seen them is the US. At least I don't think I have. Tim

a few comments. I agree with Nico about shadows. When maxi's and dino's are used from far away they become one source. There are no perceived multiple shadows. If we are talking about sunlight then he could easily use 3200 bulbs. I find the actual color temp of the sun is closer to 32 than pure skylight which could be higher than 55. If you wanted bluer light the Dichroic bulbs mentioned by David R are a great way to go. I think they are 4800 or so. If you can find them. They may be hard to find. Someone told me they aren't making them anymore, but that would need to be checked. A condor and 6k will be great and more flexible for lighting positions if money is not an issue. If money is an issue, than tungsten and the roof top is cheaper. Just have to get power up there. Is there room for a condor on that street with the planters and trees in the way? Can they close off traffic? Do you have to leave a lane for emergency vehicles like we do in NYC? If you want a really kick ass bright light try 1200 watt fire starters in the Ruby 7's. The single biggest advantage a Ruby seven has over maxi brutes and dino's is that it is focusable. sure you can pan a row of bulbs in a maxi or dino, but you can't focus all bulbs in one spot like a Ruby seven. If you have enough manpower and money to get a bunch of 24 bulbs dinos and 4/0 up there then that could be brighter than a Ruby seven. But that would probably be overkill. David mentioned ACL's which are terrific but you can use AC or DC as long as 4 30 volt bulbs are wired in series for 120 volt AC US power. Some rental house have a wiring adapter for that purpose. Or make your own. There may be no gel correction on the dino's in the UN set up but that picture does not show what they may have had on the windows or not. I recommend a couple of ruby sevens on the roof too. Looks like it is perfect for that location and one can easily roll around a couple of road runners or cranks stands up there and the roof is actually higher than your set. If money is not and issue you could do a condor and have a light or two on the roof as well. Just my 2 cents. Good luck. Best Tim

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cinematography+electronics it depends on your shooting speed/interval. best Tim

HMI's help to kill arcs. Also you would need to put a man on each one when shooting. that's extra salary for cheap producers and production managers. best Tim

I just watched it in pieces over the weekend. very funny. best Tim

What kind of lights and sizes do you want to use, and have you thought about getting a few EU 2000's or EU 3000's? You can do a lot with them. I think there may a 5500 version now, but you may have to check that. They are even quiet enough to mount to a car rig. Best Tim

The earliest generators were DC. You can see pictures of them if you stop by Mole Richardson in LA or along the walls in Kaufman Astoria in Queens, NY. They took up a whole truck. I have never seen one run so I don't know how loud there were but during the silent era it wouldn't really matter anyway. Best Tim

I worked on a Sidney Lumet movie call Night Falls on Manhattan where there was no video tap and Sidney just sat next to the camera during takes and watched his actors. It was a very enjoyable film without the clutter of video village. On the other hand I just recently worked on Step Up 3 HD and 3D. The village turned into a city and was a ball and chain for production. I found the experience a bit painful. Best Tim

I also liked the Bourne films and the hand held work there. It also lent itself well to Grengrass work on United 93. I also like the steadicam and handheld work for the original Law and Order. Every line moves the story. That type of coverage doesn't work for all material and content. However for fast action coverage I prefer how film captures it. Video seems to give itself away too easily with fast moving action or fast moving camers. Perhaps some cameras and settings are better than others. Best Tim

The only flickering I see is what was on the background. So what was lighting the background? I don't see flickering on the backlight. Was there and errant light hitting that background and not a film or tungsten light? Am I missing something? Best Tim

Car rigs are usually done with a tow or towed rigged platform, so one can use lights and the actors can concentrate on acting and not worry about driving safely. If you are having your actors drive the vehicle they must be able to see the road and not have their vision obscured by lights and cameras. Having said all that. If you go that way keep it simple and safe. I did this once on a closed road and had a white sheet taped to the hood. If you are not going through the shadow of trees the exposure can be consistant. if you are doing the low budget method you can expose for their faces and let the background go, but it may really go! You can wait for earlier or later in the day where the sun is low and hitting the actors face and the back ground won't be blown out. It depends on what your resources are in terms of money and rigging and manpower. best Tim

For clarification "the house" refers to the place one is shooting. It could be a building, it could be a stage, it could be an actual residential house. All are referred to as "the house". Usually if one is working with the maintanence guy, or electrician for the building, he is referred to as the "house man". Best Tim