Dominik Bauch

I'm guessing that someday Arri will update the Alexa ALEVIII sensor, Arri must be sick of the resolution technicality that makes Alexa exempt from Amazon and Netflix original content...

So if, purely to hit 'true' 4K, Arri release a new sensor, any thoughts on whether it will for sure be S35 or a kind of in between S35 and VV?

I'm guessing that there will always have to be 2 distinct sensor sizes due the the massive amount of S35 glass out there.

Reason I'm wondering all this is I'm interested in a couple of Optimo style zooms but they scare me a little as they vignette pretty badly on Alexa OG, so if a new sensor is any bigger, they will make very expensive paper weights....

Just had a serene arm installed on my easyrig (no gimbal).

Kind of a little underwhelmed with result to be honest. I hear great things... Maybe I was expecting too much, I was hoping to be able to achieve a more stable result than a naked shoulder mounted rig.

Anyone have tips on how to get best result?

I'm looking for a creative gaffer, ideally with narrative experience.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

You're right. I was kind of hoping to fake the cyc curve at floor level. May need to see full figure so floor would be in play.

I need to check out some reference but was hoping for some tips to avoid any common gotchas.

I have no experience working with cyc backgrounds so would appreciate some tips and suggestions.

Set up is talent on white cyc bg. 1 wide shot (full body) and a tight shot.

I have access to what ever lights I would need within reason but have to make do with a non studio location.

Any suggestions for how best to:

a) Evenly light the bg and avoid shadows or seams.

b) Beauty light the talent in a cinematic way. Can I get away with a nice low key, sidey soft source with a 3:1 contrast ratio or will this look odd in practice over an evenly lit white bg?

Or is a soft top light the way to go?

c) What's the best poor mans cyc bg? Can a large silk do the job? Assume that under tension and with some C47's I could get a ground and backdrop.... Talent would probably be too close to the bg though...

Thanks in advance.

Dominik

Played around today and off angles worked as but anything remotely flat on was infected. Just as you said. Still confusing as I've seen the front on shots in so many movies shot on Alexa.

Changing screen resolution unfortunately didn't have any effect other than making image more pixelated.

I've been hearing that quality diopters like the Arri Master diopters or the Leica macrolux are amazing - virtually zero stop loss and no CA.

Any reason not to use those compared to a bonafide Macro lens? Seems like diopters are way easier as can be used on almost any lens with adaptors, also I really like what they can do for wide angle lens DOF.

Thanks for the info. So you'd essentially scale down the resolution until the moire goes away? I thought of this but was concerned that the number of pixels is still the same regardless of what resolution the monitor is set at so might not make a difference. I'll def give this a try.

Also r.e. macro lens; is this purely to get super close focus or are they better at handling moire. I realize that moire is a sensor issue but I suspect that glass definitely plays a role.

Just watched Deepwater Horizon over the weekend (great looking movie) and it has a ton of great c/u detail LCD screen shots. Where you really see the great texture of the LCD screens.

Using an Alexa Mini and virtually any cine lens, I've never managed to safely go above an 85mm without getting into Moire. But at that focal length I never get close enough to get the nice LCD pixel break up.

How do people achieve this? Deepwater was shot on an Alexa XT with Sumicron C's but I've used virtuall that same combination, same sensor and lenses but no joy.

Anyone have any insight or know how to go about this?

I have a shoot coming up that will involve a lot of filming laptop screens.

I'll be using a slider as well as long lenses to follow action close up on the screens.

The slider moves will be relatively slow, even so at 180 shutter the motion blur obscures more than I would like

I was testing 90 degree shutter, I definitely can afford to lose a stop so that's not a concern. To my eye, given the slow moves, it looked better. The screen content was clearer and strobing wasn't obvious.

Is there any obvious reason why this is a bad idea? I can't think of any, aside from potential strobing or flicker with practical lights.

Also planning on using Summicon C's for the shoot. I've done a bunch of testing with Cp.2 super speeds and I'm not getting any laptop screen moire apart form with the 135mm lens.

Are the Summmicrons very sharp? Anyone noticed moire-ing with those?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Just finished a shoot on an Alexa mini with a set of Cooke S4i primes and have been pretty shocked how pronounced the Chromatic Aberration is.

On exteriors at T4 bright spec hits have pronounced purple fringing. On T2 there is a lot of green and purple fringing.

Master Primes are totally clean in my experience. I definitely expected much better from these. Honestly not much better performance than my crappy Zeiss CP.2 superspeeds.

Any advice from long time users of these? Is there a magic T stop that makes everything beautiful and clean?! I highly doubt that the Alexa Alev III is to blame? I always thought that on high end cameras chromatic aberration really is a lens issue as opposed to a sensor issue.

Did a test today and from what I can tell the moire is far less of a problem than with epic dragon. I was able to shoot a macbook pro screen at on a wide open 135mm CP.2 at minimum foucs with no moire at all.

Pretty insane. I maxed out on the epic dragon at a 50mm, sometimes a 75mm would be good too but sometimes not.

I tend to shoot a lot of my own stuff so for me it's just getting the best overall package with an emphasis on a filmic image. Red tends to need more grading but new Helium sensor plus coming updated color science might close the gap. Also form factor of Red is great but the Alexa image...

Could use some help making a decision.

Choice is between an Alexa Mini and the New Red Weapon Helium.

Leaning towards the Alexa Mini but the lack of raw high frame rates and not true 4k is a little scary. Some consider the Alexa sensor overhyped and old in the meantime, so I'm concerned about sinking a lot of cash into old tech.

Any thoughts or advice hugely appreciated.

Thanks David, would you say that it's on par or better than Epic Dragon? I was concerned that the lower resolution of the Alexa sensor would be more prone to moire than the 6k Dragon sensor.

I shoot a lot of laptop screens and was thinking about getting an Alexa Mini.

Is the Alexa sensor prone to moire or is it a non issue. Red dragon can have issues with longer lenses.

Anyone had any issues?

Hi,

Looking to possibly jump ship into an Alexa mini and was hoping for some advice from users:

- Is there a new sensor on the horizon or is the current sensor expected to stay for a while?

- Coming from Red is the resolution an issue for 4K? Have there been comparisons between the sharpness at 4k, how does the mini hold up?

- Whats the real world difference between a mini and an SXT? Just Raw frame rates and ergonimics?

- Anyone have experience with the TiltaMax Arri Mini cage / batteryplate combo? Is worth getting?

- Any gotcha's that might be a surprise? I'm aware of the licenses.

Thanks in advance, any advice really appreciated.

Thanks for the feedback. My main concern with the HMI's is how fragile the bulbs are. Replacing bulbs due to breakage can get expensive fast. Had also been looking at LED's but the sheer power of these is hard to beat in an LED...

Good call re renting lights, might be the best way to go to narrow down which the best ultimate investment would be. Hard to find definitive info online. I've used a bunch of lower wattage Jokers and Arri HMI's on set but not these exact models.

For a booklight scenario, which of these 2 would you recommend?

1. Joker Bug 800W

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/192705-REG/K5600_K0800JB_Joker_Bug_800_Watt_HMI.html

Seems pretty pricey and lower output than the Arri below, bulbs are pretty expensive too. There is a 1600W version but that's a big step up price wise. Seems relatively compact and light and it is a PAR.

Would you say that when used as a bounce light it would be more efficient than a fresnel?

i.e. would the 800W joker have similar output when bounced off beadboard to the Arri 1200W fresnel?

2. Arri 1200W HMI Fresnel.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/583781-REG/Arri_Compact_1200_Watt_HMI.html

More power than the Joker but much bigger. Also a little more expensive but worth it to get some extra juice for use in certain daylight situations.

Which of these 2 would be more useful?

Output is a big deal but interested to hear any real world experiences with the lights.

Andrew, would you say that it packed a good punch? What would you rate it in terms of equivalent HMI and Tungsten?

Any one have experience with the Mole Richardson LED Fresnels?

Specifically was thinking about the daylight 400W Junior, seems to pack a good punch. Far more thank a 2k tungsten fresnel and it's daylight balanced.

Only problems seems to be weight and a little pricey vs tungsten fresnels...

If you don't need the hard side, a beadboard with one side covered in silver stipple material is a good replacement. I also keep 4x 1x1 mirrors taped to Matthews foamcore holders in my car just in case. They fit in the seat back pockets!

Nice tip! Thanks.

The Mole LED fresnels are pretty good, and you could try the "5K" version since it pulls much less power than a tungsten 5K.

Thanks David, I'm looking into those. Saw that they released a new version of the 400W Junior which is now bicolor. The 900W senior is pretty heavy, nice punch though. Any idea if the overall light output is the same regardless of color temperature?

Just remember that you will lose 2 stops with Full CTB. So by the time you add the CTB, the 2K will output about the same amount of light as a 500w fresnel which will basically do nothing in day exterior conditions.

 

To compete with direct sunlight and still diffuse the source, you need to be in the 4K HMI range. You can use a 1.2K or 1.8K HMI without diffusion up close if you are going for a hard-lit look. Personally, I think if you're doing day exteriors on a budget, bounce materials, diffusion fabrics, reflectors, and mirrors are the way to go.

Thansk for the thoughts. Mirrors are definitley a good call. Now to find a semi transportable one, the Matthews mirror boards are beasts.

Thanks for the fast response David.

I figured I could 1/2 or full ctb the 2k which would, even with filtration, be more powerful than a 1K. I also would as you said, limit myself to late afternoon where the warm color is justified. Like the dual 1k's idea but trying to keep a leaner footprint if possible.

I don't suppose there are any LED fresnels that are worth talking about, 2k power with good CRI?