charles pappas

Thanks you, I will be in Chicago sometime in August, and will contact you beforehand, if that's ok.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of an AFI or ASC donation, but that will probably now happen when the time is right. I went to Victor-Duncan once or twice just to gawk, as a side pilgrimage on infrequent trips to Dallas. I'm attaching his obituary that I just read: DUNCAN, ASC, VICTOR Son of Clark and Margaret Duncan, born October 5, 1924, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Frisco, TX on September 18, 2007. While attending Highland Park High School in December 1941 as a junior, he joined the U.S. Navy and honorably served his country during WWII. After the war and earning hi

Not a word about Arri III, just a little bit of history of the early 35mm BLs. I add that the book has virtually none of the info abut the Arri II that one finds in the camera's operator's manual.

Satsuki, I double checked and you're right, they crazy raised the prices. I ordered the hardcover in August and it has almost tripled since then. If I were buying now I would probably drop them a line and see if they could do something about that increase. At any rate, it's fun to read and won't be regretted, I believe.

Sir, I could not possibly agree with you more in that everything has a market value (and I'm no free-enterprise parrot) - I think that has been the thrust of my two posts above, noting an exception for, as Mr. Calderon said, purchases that have a component of "learning a bit more, just playing and having fun, etc.," in which case I posted that the purchaser should just go ahead and buy if his personal finances allow it. Subsequent posters seemed to say there was a difference in the valuation of equipment, or in the business-models, between a rental house and an owner-operator and I attemp

Gregory Irwin: I’ve owned my camera rental company for 31 years. My payoff model is for large ticket items, I want the piece of gear paid off within 2.5 jobs. These purchases are mostly $100,000 or more so the return takes a little longer. For smaller rentals, you can get a payoff in much less time. Mr. Irwin, would you not agree that the only viable business/payoff model for an equipment rental firm or rental/owner side of an owner/operator is in renting big-ticket items? I think this would true in any business-to-business rental model. Guesstimating for the film rental business, I'd

As Mr. Calderon's question is now framed as a discussion of business-models and investment returns, let me add this. The business model of a rental house and the business model of the rental portion of an owner/operator should be identical. In other words, the owner/operator must charge for a specific piece of equipment what a convenient and accessible rental house would charge for the same item. Any variations should either be trivial or balance out over a short period of time. If equipment rental should be $1000 per day and and operator is $1000 per day the owner/operator can word-

Since no one else has replied so far, I assume the answer is as I thought, you can't. So forget about it. The only constructive thing I can say, and it's obvious, is try to estimate the resale value of your item over a range of years, just so you know your "true," cost.

I'm surprised none of your classmates had any interest in the fresh stock especially at that price. Curious if that is a required course where you attend. Thinking the worst, I assume they think by eventually completing the class they can check off the "shot film," box but don't really want to shoot film. Still I think - if I'm doing the hiring, and I have no doubt I'm wrong - the starting on film is the "best," way to learn movie-making. If I'm a passenger in the jet, I want the pilot who learned to fly in a single-engine prop, not a 737 simulator.

Thanks for bringing back memories (and the many helpful hints). Some years between 1985 and 1988 I shot many miles of high school football games with a CP-16/A and dog-leg Ang. 12-120 all on good old VNF (Video News Film). I also had a few disasters, I think once I lost the first half of a game. Loved the camera though, and it was great to be paid to shoot film ($75 a pop). Most of the 16/A 's were raggedy, but I borrowed the best one for a 16 minute narrative film. Somewhere I had met a NASA soundman, Pete, who owned an Nagra 3 and wanted to do narrative work. He did the sound free of co

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Oops, shouldn't trust my gut. I looked up his filmography now, and it seemed to me at the time that Zodiac, Ben Button, Social Network and Dragon should have grossed higher. Panic Room was before those and successful I think, not sure if film or digital. Worth no more that 2 cents.

My $0.02 worth too, I've always had the gut feeling that when Fincher switched to video at the time he did (I believe with Collateral) he severely damaged his grosses - they all seemed to underperform. Edit: didn't know he did Gone Girl and Dragon Tattoo. Gone Girl was big hit I think, maybe Dragon Tattoo also.

it's really a GSMO.

I ordered and received this book several months ago and read it straightaway. The subtitle is "The Arriflex 35 in North America, 1942-1972," and it does cover that topic thoroughly. It is written by Norris Pope, an academic and self-professed owner and user of an Arri II and is available through the University of Mississippi Press for just under $20 delivered. The book is, as mentioned thorough, and is of course well-researched which leads to my only minor "criticism," that some paragraphs of the book read as a laundry list of films made partly or entirely with the camera of honor. More t