charles pappas

Looks extremely good and an inspiration to the low budget filmmaker. (I made a small donation to the charity - probably too small, 10#, will increase.)

I have nothing of great import to say but I did see a Beaulieu News16 in a glass countertop in a tiny storefront film lab/football film company in a run-down part of Waco, Texas in the mid 80's. The place had probably been a cigar store or something earlier. I asked about buying the camera, but the guy said he didn't want to sell it.

West Texas. Junk storage.

Regarding Chinese theaters, back in the day I had occasion to explore a couple of abandoned Chinese owned movie theaters. One was relatively new and had only shown Chinese language films. The other was much older and smaller and had changed to porn before been being closed (abandoned). Both were basically unlocked. The thing I got a lick out of was that behind the screen in each theater were the remnants of a gambling den. Chairs, gaming tables and small bars - all too beat-up to be worth moving out.

If you think I can self-teach myself to use the oscilloscope and you can include instructions in the video for adjusting with the oscilloscope, then put me down for one.

Thank you for your response, however, the oscilloscope requirement is too much for me for possible later use or resale. Of course I will continue to follow your project.

This is strictly hypothetical I know, but if there were any way to just plug the controller into any CP-16 I would buy it if only for later re-sale. If I had a CP-16 I would do this without hesitation.

To save film stock and costs Rick Schmidt in "Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices," advocates what he calls the "freeze method." This means pre-editing each scene in your mind before filming it, discussing the edits with the actors and then saying freeze instead of cut so the actors maintain their positions and attitudes while you quickly have the camera and lights shifted as necessary for your next set-up. So in a 45 second two actor scene, instead of say 2 full takes of a master shot, two full takes of a two shot and two takes of each close-up you would do two takes of a ten-second master shot and two 15 second shots each of a 2-shot and the CU's (for example), slashing the shooting ratio. Would experienced and talented actors ever win an Oscar under that method? Never. Would they in fact storm off the set saying you were chickens..t? Probably. However, if you were using non-actors, beginning actors and inexperienced actors (which you probably will be), would you get much better acting using the "freeze," method, instead of expecting them to execute long takes? In my limited experience, yes. Also in regards to lowering shooting ratios and just general utility, don't forget to have a enough cut-away shots in reserve to be used as needed.

Checking Wikipedia, the "ultra quiet'" Arri SR-1 to be released in 1981 apparently became the SR-2, which was released in 1982 and was much quieter. The early SR-1, per Wikipedia, was about 30 dB, which would be louder than the CP-16. The reason I thought the SR-1 was very very quiet is that I watched a little of the filming of "Dazed and Confused," (1993) and they were using an Arri SR to make a "the making of," documentary," at the same time, and that Arri was so quiet that from a foot or two away one couldn't tell if it was running of not. I thought it was a SR-1 but checking my dates however it must have been an SR-2 (or conceivably an SR-3, 1992).

The CP-16R should run at 28 dB at one meter, the same as an Aaton 7 LTR (source: Victor Duncan Production Equipment catalog, 1980). I don't think I ever shot with a CP-16R, but did many rolls with beat-up old CP-16A's, and with the right mag and some luck they were pretty darn quiet. Incidentally, the same catalog states that Arri was supposed to release an "ultra-quiet," SR-1 in 1981, which would run at 24 dB's. I'm not sure if that ever happened. It doesn't list the original SR-1 dB's but I would be surprised if they weren't 28dB's or probably lower.

What goes around comes around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YihOPI_e92g

To be clear any thing i want to throw out will be free. There are I few other things i want to keep but may sell cheap. Also, i will get the films etc., out of the dumpster for you if you want them. Clean construction dumpster, not food and garbage.

Anyone live in Austin, Texas? I just threw away about twenty 16mm industrial and educational films (not kid's films) a couple of Meir-Hancock 16/35 hot splicers, and some other stuff. I still have a bunch more 16mm films, as well as some more splicers and other misc. stuff that I need to throw away.. (The stuff I threw today is easily accessible at the bottom of an empty construction dumpster.) It is killing me to throw this stuff away so if anyone wants some of it and can come by tomorrow reply with your phone number and I will call you. PM me if you want. I also have some other minor items I will sell cheap if you come by and are interested.

I tried to thank you for this post on the 11th but it didn't go through so I am taking this opportunity to do so now. Thanks.

Agreed this is all subjective and based a few seconds of trailer, but I see, as you also say, a chintzy video look and in addition it looks assembled in a computer from CGI, or green-screen or whatever on a cyclorama set, with pretentious portentousness. Of course there is great talent attached to The Tragedy and I hope it turns out they have created a minimalist (minimalist based on the trailer) masterpiece.

They say Americans live to work and Europeans work to live, and I believe there is some truth to that. And I don't think American unions are really that powerful now, after having been beat-down for forty years.

You're right, and for the average joe unions were supposed to counteract that. The ruling class and their vassals in academia and the media have succeeded however in convincing the average joe that unions are bad for them. Successful unionization also sets a floor for non-union professional and white-collar types.

Too bad MST3K has ended. Judging from the trailer only, MST3K's send-up on this could have run right next to their take on the German TV Hamlet. Ever since their first few films I've thought Coen Bros. was a top two-to-five active movie director but, from the trailer, this looks unwatchable.

I don't know what the pros do, but amateurs when shooting movie film generally only use hyperfocal settings in combination with what you call zone focusing. The amateurs, in general, only pull focus as a rack-focus on a carefully set up static shot. They also don't move the camera much. I'm pretty sure about all this and I would think it should hold true for shooting video also.

It would be interesting to see how the manufacturer arrived at these capacities. I would think they would be based on most likely on the resistance of the hinge between the boom and tripod (that is tightened with a bolt) or possibly on the amount of "sway," in the boom that they would deem acceptable to most users. Lastly, I would think, would the capacity of the steel members before failure be the determining factor. Since boom counterweights and sandbags on the tripod can be easily added, the amount of boom extension and the angle of the boom should be less of a factor in the capacity than as compared to a construction crane.

I know they are just the hoods - everything else applies.

I have several of these viewfinders NOS, in boxes with the plastic tape seals unbroken. Anyone interested in buying one or some, or would care to shed some light on them. They appear to be discontinued but a couple of places on the Web are listing them at high prices. I want to avoid E-Bay if possible; if interested please PM me an offer.

I can't answer your question but I can suggest the following, assuming there is an eventual return to post-covid normalcy. See if there are any art museums in Toronto that run film series and cold-call to see if your short can be placed in the series for a showing, especially if your film fits the theme of the film series, if there is one, or fits in with a specific film. Conceivably you could even receive a small honorarium. Ditto the same cold-call for independent art house theaters in Toronto (if any) but I would suspect no chance of honorarium if you're lucky enough to be shown. See if there is a local band or musician who's work "resonates," with your film and see if they won't project your short in conjunction with their gig(s). If you don't have your soundtrack yet, maybe approach the band first to do the soundtrack. Organize your own one-time mini-festival, an hour or two long, free to viewers and the filmmakers (who you may know or who hear about it), at a bar, coffee house or any space really. Try to get some publicity for it beforehand to get a small audience and/or some filmmaker's films and invite all the local film critics you can think of. If any of this works at least you will not have suffered the indignity of paying your own appearance fee and in my opinion have greater potential benefit.

I am in awe.

Hey, some of you guys, don't have kids!