Matt Serrins

In great condition. Please pm for pics or to make an offer. Thanks. Matt

Here's the Ebay auction link. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...E:L:LCA:US:1123 Feel free to ask questions. Thanks. Matt

Check out my Ebay auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...E:IT&ih=019 Thanks for looking. Matt

Thanks for the info.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a lab in Los Angeles? 16mm kodak, 8,000 ft, processing and telecine. I really like Postworks/The Lab at Moving Images or whatever they're called (they have been really helpful with my small projects), but I'll be in LA and would like to sit in on the telecine. Fotokem? Modern Film and Video? Any other opinions for my smallish film. Thanks. Matt

For starters, just go by directors. Michael Powell, Ken Loach, Terry Gilliam, David Lean. I don't really wanna get into what defines a british filmmaker. Hitchcock and Ridley Scott are british by nationality, but work/ed in hollywood. Kubrick is the reverse, an american who lived and mostly worked in Britain. Is Clockwork Orange a british film? Barry Lyndon, which is great? Anyway, I would add Terence Davies, Ken Russell, Stephen Frears, Peter Greenaway, and Neil Jordan. Off the top of my head, I would say Brazil qualifies, though maybe you can call that monty python. My Beautiful Laundrette. Performance or Don't Look Now by Roeg. The Long Good Friday by ?(I forget). The Third Man. There are tons more.

I think a lot of the criticism of this film comes down to Scorsese and his legacy. I liked The Departed, but for me (and maybe for a lot of people), it's hard to really love and get excited about this movie when thinking about Scorsese's body of work. I also saw Infernal Affairs before The Departed, so in some ways that will always be the original and basis for comparison. Thought the cinematography was fine but maybe a little uninspired. Not sure there's any classic Scorsese like the tracking nightclub shot in Goodfellas (or the car trunk/red scene with Pesci burying the body), the boxing scenes in Raging Bull (or the final shot in the mirror), the slo-mo bar scene with rock music in Mean Streets, or the ultra stylized ending of Taxi Driver. And that's fine. Not sure there's anything 'bravura' about The King of Comedy, but I love that movie. For me, the bigger problem was that the movie just didn't have that much to say, especially for a Scorsese movie. This territory has been covered by Michael Mann ad nauseaum, and I'm not sure Scorsese added anything new re: life undercover, evil, parralellism between cops and crooks. One of the things I liked about Goodfellas is that you realize they're petty, small time, banal people, and also that they're addicted to the lifestyle. They feel guilty but want more. For me it dealt with the romaticism of the gangster life but ultimately exposed it. Not sure The Departed left me thinking about anything new. I also really didn't like the ending, especially the last shot with the rat (too glib for me, though I guess it makes sense with the movie's POV). If I remember correctly, Infernal Affairs ended with the Matt Damon character living, having to deal with his empty life as a police officer. To me that's a more realistic ending. With Damon dead in The Departed, it's tidier: justice is somehow served, and good triumphs, though at a cost. I guess I just find the Matt Damon character more interesting. To me Dicaprio character is obvious and telegraphed: missing father, can't choose between good and evil, dies in service of good. Damon's character, if he lives, is harder to deal with. Can he become good? Is he ultimatley corrupt etc? As for the other technical aspects, I really liked the editing, especially the playfullness/quick cutting in the beginning. I also really liked the NAS song. I wish Scorsese would use some newer music. Anyway, the departed was definitely enjoyable, but for a lot of scorsese-philes, myself included, that's not really enough.

Hi, I'm wondering about the procedure for getting the rights to short stories. Is it as simple as contacting the author? The publisher? Does anybody have any experience with this? Obviously it's not feasible for me to spend big bucks. I guess I'm also wondering how realistic this is. Is this possible if you're not enrolled at a big name film school? And does every short film based on a short story on the festival circuit clear rights? Who polices the system? It seems like every year someone is making a Carver story into a short (which then plays at festivals), and I wonder whether they have the rights. I know that personal or educational use films aren't subject to the same copyright issues, but what about for the festival circuit? Thanks for any info. Matt

I'd be wary of this Aaton. While I don't think the auction is an absolute scam, the seller has a tendency to not answer questions directly, specifically about when the camera was last serviced. Also, his feedback is private, and he only takes bank transfers...even when I suggested I would cover the fees for paypal I heard nothing from him. He may just have different motivations than most in terms of selling his camera, but I would procede with caution.

In terms of the bible contradicting itself, there are two, almost contradictory creation stories in the first two chapters of genesis. I understand that one could be viewed as general and the other specific i.e. chapter two an extended account of day six, but i think that's a stretch, given the order of creation in each. In Chapter 1 of Genesis G-d creates man and woman at the same time (not to mention the fact that he creates beasts before humankind): 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. In Chapter 2, G-d creates woman from man (and humankind before beasts): GEN 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. GEN 2:21-23 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Also, the issue of whether or not man can see G-d seems to be contradictory. In some verses he can see G-d and some he can't, although maybe this distinction can be fudged if you believe in the trinity. Google it if you're curious.

In terms of Russian cinema, you may be thinking of Russian Ark by Sokurov. One take in the Hermitage museum. For current Japanese cinema that's not as genre bound, check out Hirokazu Kore-eda (Maborosi, Afterlife, Nobody Knows), Kikujiro by beat takeshi, and Tony Takitani. I'm sure there's tons of other current stuff too that I don't know about. For past stuff, check out Imamura. Matt Serrins

Someone mentioned to me that the Kodak office in New York sells 16mm film on 200ft cores wound down from the 400ft loads, and that these are different from the A-Minima loads (b wind not a wind). Is this the case? Maybe John Pytlak or someone can confirm or deny this (I'm not in NYC so I can't go check, and I called the office but they only knew of the A-minima), but he was pretty adamant about this being possible. I'm considering the ACL, and obviously this would be easier than winding down myself or paying a lab. Thanks. Matt Serrins

Thanks for the info and for the link guys. I appreciate it. Matt

Hi, I'm a short filmmaker who's been asked to do some corporate video for a small company, and I'd like to know what kind of rate I should ask for, as I've never done this. I'm basically freelance, and I will be required to film for about half a day (4 hours). I'm not involved with the creative, but I will be required to light and compose, and I will also have to edit. I also need to borrow/rent a camera and whatever minimal lighting kit will be necessary. I'm in a smallish city in the South if that affects anything. What's a fair rate for this job? Do I charge for the time spent tracking down the materials? For the time spent brainstorming? How much do I charge for editing? Thanks for any advice. Matt Serrins

Thanks for the reply Mike. I talked to Forde Labs in Seattle and they will wind down 400ft loads onto 200ft cores for $5 per 400ft. It seems reasonable to assume that a number of labs will do this. I also talked to someone who says Kodak New York sells 200ft cores that are B wind (at least in person). He's reliable, but I'd like to double check it myself.