danny bartle

Hello all, I'm doing a short film for a contest where the first 2 mins will be all on Super 8 K40. Almost all of the scenes are outdoors except for 2 short scenes where it will be filmed inside a large bedroom of a guy sleeping & then waking up. I want to give the room a happy, warm look as its the room of a young surfer who's about to wake up to go surfing. Also want to give it the "morning look" also, if this all makes sense. If anyone can give me advice as to how to light it & what to use it would be appreciated. I can borrow a reasonable range of lighting from my work (photographic store). Also bear in mind i'm relatively a beginner when it comes to lighting an interior scene so please be specific in any advice or descriptions. Thanks to all who reply...

Hi Scot I've just had a long chat with Video 8 (Dominic, very helpful guy..) & he's done a lot of 16:9 crops from standard super 8 & he said most of the results we're ok. He said obviously you lose about 30% of the image area but its usually good enough for TV standards. I too was strongly considering Super Duper 8 but in the end found it too much of a hassle. The decent transfer places in Oz dont know about it & all the ones who can do it in the US only do NTSC conversions!! I'm doing a VNF test roll today which will be sent to Video 8 to check that I do the 16:9 framing correctly, i'll let you know my results....

is this guy serious??? it looks like we have another ultra/jakazami/pete wright/ person....

Hi Rachel, Jonathan & George, thanks for the replies... I'll be a bit more specific in exactly what I'm doing so I can get more answers. I'm entering a short film contest. It will be a combo of Super 8 & 16mm film transferred to video (mini DV or Beta) also with some footage from my 3CCD mini DV Sony. All video will then be transferred to my PC via firewire for editing (prob Premiere or similar NLE). I wont be doing any colour correcting but maybe some slight brightness/contrast adjustments. No special editing, just mostly cuts, fades, dissolves, etc. The final presentation for the contest can be either mini DV or Beta SP. If using Beta, will the Codec still be the same when I transfer it to my PC? Will I be able to output the Beta footage on my PC firewire to my mini DV camera to make back up copies like normal?

Hello all, I'm getting some 16mm neg transferred to video by a professional transfer place & I have a couple of questions. They've given me the option of putting it onto mini DV or Betacam tapes. Will I get any better results (resolution or picture quality I mean) transferring it onto Betacam? I own a Sony PDX10 which can connect via the firewire on my PC so it would be easier doing the transfer onto mini DV. But if you do get better results from Betacam, & if I was to hire a Betacam VCR for a day, can it be connected to my PC via the firewire input?

Hi Guys I too work for a service centre, although I mostly do consumer video & camera equipment. Like Elhanan said, you could probably call the authorised Panasonic Service Centre & if the actual problem is a faulty video head then they may be able to give you an estimate. Has the faulty head been diagnosed by a service centre or is that just what you think? (it could be a number of other problems...) Although many service centres maybe reluctant to give you an estimate over the phone. "Site Un-seen" estimates usually upset the customer in the end as their diagnosis on the problem is usually different to what the actual problem is. Also be aware that if you book it in for a quote, their is usually a quote fee payable if you dont proceed with the repair. This is especially true if its professional equipment too....

Anyone have an answer for this question?...

Yeh I heard there were a few workprinters here in Oz but I still dont know anyone who is willing to do the transfer.... If you know the contact details of people with workprinters that'd ge great if you could pass it onto me....

Hi, I was pretty sure it can be done but what I really wanted to know is the 16:9 still good enough for TV standards? Will the cropping of top & bottom make the frame too small for a decent 16:9 transfer? I have been considering using super duper 8 but i'm not sure if anyone in Australia can transfer super duper 8. I know there are people in the US who can do it & i'd happily send it there but i'm sure they can only transfer to NTSC & I need PAL.....

Is it possible to get a good quality telecine transfer of super 8 to 16:9 ratio? I mean by just shooting normal super 8 & then cut the top & bottom to give you the 16:9 ratio, would there still be enough frame size to get a good 16:9 transfer from it for TV or data projector use? Also would most transfer places be able to do this type of transfer?

Hello, You must've read my mind as i've been considering using Super 8. I already own a Canon 814XLS & have shot Super 8 before but I dont want it to look from the 60's. Its more of a lifestyle short film & the majority of it is being shot in a remote bushland area here in Australia. I do want the film look but i'm not sure if Super 8 will make it look too old. In regards to water housings, I already have one for my PDX10P. I could get one of those water tight bags for my Super 8 camera also. My main concern is to how the super 8 footage will look. I dont want it looking like an old home movie as this isnt the style of shooting i'll be doing..... Perhaps I should try a well shot test roll of K40 & telecine it & see what its like....

Thanks for the tips guys... I actually work in a photographic store so I can borrow all those type of things like reflectors, lights, stands, tripods etc. I'm reading up on styles of lighting at the moment. OT but another question, has anyone used a mini 35 apadtor (or similar) on a PDX10P? I know they're available for the XL1 but not sure about the PDX10P. Has anyone used one on a XL1 & what was it like? I can borrow a XL1s for free if necessary but not sure if the mini 35 adaptor is available or cost effective.

Thanks for the advice... What about the shutter speed? Is 1/25th second suitable for this look? In regards to lighting, all of it is being shot in remote outdoor locations which means no mains power. Is using reflectors suitable?

Does anyone know what lenses are suitable for a Bolex Super 16 RX5? I wanted to use a C-mount Angenieux 5.9mm but am not sure if it will cover the entire frame....

Hello all... I'm entering a short surfing film festival (8-9 minutes) in which i've decided to shoot it using my Sony PDX10P. I really did want to shoot it on 16mm, it would suit the type of shooting very much so but even though I own a 16mm Bolex, it would've cost me about AU$900 just in 16mm film, processing & telecine costs. Although this may not seem like a lot of money to some, to me it did since i'm not very experienced in shooting 16mm in case I made mistakes, etc.... The question I want to ask is (i'm sure you've heard this a lot before) how do I make my video get the "film look" in regards to both shooting with camera & in post production. I've heard numerous things like using ND filters, shooting at 1/25th shutter speed, using Magic Bullet software (which I dont have) etc.... Now i'm aware of the limitations in what i'm trying to do but if anyone could give me advice it would be appreciated.....

Hello Windman.. Kako si? Another Croatian here too....

Since i'm in Australia, i'd probably have to order it through a technical bookshop. Do you know the exact name/edition of the book so I can order it? Thanks....

do you know where I can get the ASC video version manual?

well after doing some research on my own, I've come down to 2 choices: David Elkins, Camera Asisting Manual Douglas Hart, The Camera Assistant Has anyone read these books & are they worth while buying? Thanks...

Does anyone know any web links or books which cover Video Camera Assisting? (Like for a news station) Thanks to all who reply..

thats great news Tim!!

ok thanks Phil.. I'll try it out & see how it goes.

Hi Phil, Sorry I dont know know exactly what your talking about. Could you give any advice what level filters to do/adjust? I assume this can be done in Prem 6.5?

haha Well spotted.. there are also other names on here he goes under... replies to himself under different names to seem like he has friends on here. Sorry to go OT...

Thanks for the replies... How does the de-interlacer in Adobe Premiere 6.5 rate? Phil, you mentioned you can do this with cheaper tools, any advice as to which ones work good? (and are cheap!)