Logan Schneider

That is a rather old follow focus. The new lightweight follow focus was design by the guy who built the Willytech follow focus. As a result, it has a tightening mechanism that eliminates ALL play. However, the FF-1 does have a major problem....it's $6000!

Cookes are great, but for $97,000 all you get is $1200 off and a little bit of red ink. Rebel my ass. I love the lenses, but I can't listen to people talk about the "cooke redbellion" when there's nothing to it except that red ink.

The FF4 is a bit more sturdy, but has a higher profile and will hit the bottom of some HD lenses (that is my understanding at least). There are now some gears to use the FF5 with film lenses. However, I've heard rumors that ARRI is working on a new full size follow focus that utilizes the internal clamping technology from the FF1, which has zero play. Yes, zero play. However, this will make the new design significantly more expensive. I would say that it could be considered ridiculously expensive.

I saw Beowulf twice and laughed the whole time. I saw Juno twice and laughed also. The only difference was that in Juno I laughed where they wanted me too, not at Angelina's built in stilletos and the fact that Grendel's jaw reminded me of Sammy Davis, Jr.

The XTRprod should be fine, so long as it is properly serviced in preparation for the cold. March of the Penguins used them for six months in the arctic and they kept going. I will ask my friend about having several days in the cold without reheated. I would expect that this is the case during expeditions, though it may have been brought inside the tent.

A friend of mine has been the main DP on the Warren Miller ski films for the last 15 years. He uses sachtler heads and carbon fiber sticks, and he has never said anything about them freezing up.

As I understand it, many of those daylight shots were on film. There is one scene that was shot on viper where the characters were standing in front of a wall of glass looking out toward the ocean. It took 3 18ks that were just 10 feet from the actors to even it out. ow.

I loved it. It's amazing how arresting scorsese can make 2 minutes of narrative. Savides nailed the look.

I would suggest a Sachtler video 18 with two stage carbon fiber sticks. Light and effective. It's best if the sticks are wide so that they don't sink in snow.

Some of these shots look very nice, but there is an overall lack of contrast that I think would benefit from some color correction.It doesn't feel that there are any real blacks, and the colors are also a bit flat. I like the shots of her facing camera in the middle of the street, but there doesn't seem to be any really wide shots, so they start to blend together.

I usually tie the bag on to the tent poles at the top. This way it is always handy. I shake the bag out every now and then to get out any dust, just opening the flap and shaking. When putting it away I fold the tent in half and then roll it around the tent poles.

Your Doc reel is beautiful, with great use of natural light. However, it does feel like it is all from the same project, which makes it feel less like a reel than a preview. Unfortunately, your other clips wouldn't play. I'll try again later.

The trouble with 65mm on big movies is not really the cost of the stock, but rather the compatibility with equipment that was designed for smaller, lighter 35mm cameras. Superman Returns considered 65mm 5-perf as an option, but decided against it because they wouldn't be able to use their favorite toys. They instead chose the Genesis in an attempt to get a similar grainless feel, which worked, unless you like detail. The next Batman movie is shooting some scenes in 65mm Imax (on the ultimate arm no less), so maybe we will see people keeping a 65mm body on the truck for scenic shots on big movies.

That was early september. I saw the camera and asked where it was going out to. The assistant said Morocco and a few other countries, and then told me it was a Fricke picture when I asked what for.

The last time I was a Panavision I saw a 65mm camera going out on a Ron Fricke globe trotting shoot...

Wow, did Mr Rousselot fall off the wagon or what. This looked so flat and milky that I thought a was looking through a glass of milk. I really liked his work on "The Brave One". What happened? Don't get me started on the 'story'... I just had to vent.

I think the more important question is how does Soderbergh direct and shoot WELL. I don't think you can say the same about Rodriguez. Soderbergh has some of the best people working for him, such as Jim Plannete, who has gaffed huge movies for decades, and ACs like Barry Idoine, who is now Robert Elswit's 1st AC. Having the best people is vital, but at the same time, Soderbergh is a real DP and is specific about what he wants. While Rodriguez puts out a lot of work, I don't think any of it is particularly good.

I've learned so much watching TV DPs work. Some of the best have been: Bob Primes, ASC Chris Manley Bill Roe, ASC There are more, but I learned huge amounts from these guys in a very short amount of time. There is a fluidity that comes with having shot so many episodes over so many years. The cinematography becomes very assured, detailed and incredibly fast.

have someone check the lens out with the adaptor on a collimator. I recently had a real PL mount put on my 8-64 because the spring in the adaptor was weak. However, if, like you say, the lens is coming from a reputable dealer, it should be in good shape and the adaptor should be fine. I've had one on my Ziess for years without a problem.

Kodak has a special relationship with one of one of the express shipping companies. It can be prohibitively expensive for small productions, but it can also save you. Much better to plan ahead, though it is nice to have the safety net. By the way, it's called "kodak shootsaver"

I shot a short film last year where much of the film took place in a car. I had the SR halfway out the window trying to get to minimum focus with the Zeiss. Makes the 8-64 look much nicer....

A Panavision rep recently told me that they are now interested in getting the Genesis on smaller movies. There are now about 70 cameras, and I guess they must have been out long enough to give a little bit of financial wiggle room.

With a mattebox, french flag and a good grip, the flaring shouldn't be a problem. The Ziess also flares if it gets hit, so either way that will be an issue. Good luck.

I find that the 8-64 is a much better range for narrative filmmaker, although it would be nice to supplement with a longer prime or two. Also, the 8-64 has a close focus of two feet, which during production has been invaluable to me. I think that the Ziess is a sharper lens, and it feels more contrasty, which could be good for your project.

In the theater I thought that the shadows were very muddy and the camera really clipped on the exterior highlights. I did enjoy the movie, and occasionally shots were very beautiful.