Uli Meyer

The LWZ1 is the one I am contemplating and since I would only use it in connection with film, I am curious to learn more. If it is superior would that involve mechanics, glass and/or coating? The seller is in Germany but I might try and find one here in London to rent for a day.

I had the Alura at the weekend and shot some footage to test it. The LWZ is in another country and I can’t test it before buying. If there’s no noticeable difference, thats all I need to know. Thank you guys!

If you were offered an Arri/Fujinon Alura 15.5-45/T2.8 and the Arri LWZ1, 15.5-45/T2.6, both in very good condition, for nearly the same price, which one would you go for? This is for analog filming only.

Thank you Satsuki, that is worth a try. This weekend I used my old Miller DS 60 on a Hi-Hat and both fit nicely into the Hamax together with the camera. Restricted to low angles but since I was filming my 6 months old son, not a problem ?

How is historical context regarding slavery a one-sided opinion?

Not quite. "HBO Max has temporarily removed Gone With The Wind from its streaming library in order to add historical context to the 1939 film long criticized for romanticizing slavery and the Civil War-era American South." Nothing wrong with that.

Thanks Daniel! I was hoping to hear from someone who had tried something similar. I've got to find the right balance of steadiness and compact mobility. Hey Jordan, thank you for your suggestion but the FSB 8 wouldn't work. Even though the 235 is the lightest 35mm camera from Arri, it is still pretty heavy once you've added all the bits and pieces.

Thanks Phil. The payload is ca.10kg, including clamp-on matte box, lens, batteries and 400ft mag. Maybe I should rent the Sachtler 20 for a day to see if it fits into my bike trailer.

What is the lightest tripod and fluid head anyone has used with an Arriflex 235, a single prime lens and clamp on matte box. I've been taking my 235 out and about in a bike trailer for hand-held filming but would like to add some legs. There isn't enough space for the heavy duty gear. Any ideas?

The Arriflex 235 and 435 Advanced manuals don't mention a problem with film rolling out. To the contrary, it tells you that in case it hasn't fully wound into the magazine, you can do it manually. I've never had a problem with letting the film fully wind onto the take-up side. Attached the 235 manual, see page 34. 235_manual.pdf

I've been using my kid's Hamax bike trailer which has a pretty good suspension. I wouldn't take it up a mountain trail but it's great for taking the 235 around the countryside. Or pushing it around the city. Lens, mattebox, filters and batteries are in the back compartment.

I had no idea. Thank you for letting us know Heikki.

That sounds disheartening. If this keeps happening to you again and again, you must have an inkling of why that is?

We shot this metered for the actor and area in the shade and then half a stop down if I remember correctly. This was a summer sun at 5pm and the highlights were pretty hot. Shot on Vision 3 200T.

I don't think it will ever be risk free. The efforts made are to minimize the risk. I read a report that says that masks and visors are reducing risk of infection up to 92% and that percentage keeps going down the longer you stay in the same room/area together.

David, what proof are you talking about? What is it that is lacking? Don't just blurt stuff out. What fresh lunacy is this? You went into lockdown March 25th. How could anyone have known in March what is happening today? Look, nobody is happy with this virus and the problems it caused around the world. When life changing things happen and we are forced to change paths, people get scared and angry. Don't fall for the voices that are using this situation to cause more division. They are preying on people who find comfort in blaming others. Each government has done what they thought best in order to avoid a high death toll. In New Zealand "only" 21 people died because of the virus. You should celebrate that. And now put all your energy into a new start. Stay positive. If you think the hit to your economy is too great, you must answer the question of how many more deaths you personally would have been comfortable with? How many of your friends and family would you sacrifice? Can you do that?

You can't just say 'Nope, I don't buy it. Please do try and answer the question why you think you were lied to. If you can't answer that question, there's something wrong with your thinking. Did your government have any reason to think that this unknown virus can't be as lethal as it had the duty to assume it is? I'd love to hear actual answers to those questions from you.

Why do you think you were sold a lie? To what end? An unknown virus that quickly spreads across the planet is a serious risk to any population. Nobody ever had the disease, there is no medication, no vaccine. The transmission factor had to be brought to below 1 otherwise even more than 80k could have died. It is not difficult to understand that. Don't fall for any of the conspiracy theories out there. Governments had been warned for many decades that one day such a virus could occur and it could have been a worse one. A lockdown is necessary to avoid disaster and bring it under control. Only then can you reopen the economy. New Zealand dealt with the situation much better than most countries.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. A friend of mine has used Georg Bogner in Munich and was very pleased with his service. Bogner used to be an Arri Technician as far as I know and opened up his own shop to service analog cameras. http://www.cameraservice-bogner.de/album_5-2-3_004.htm Maybe give him a call first.

Tyler, I very much agree with you, there are so many ways to be creative and money isn’t at the end of everything. I was not going to go into this but Richard’s wilful ignorance it’s just too much. My background is in animation and I came to London as a 22 year old to work on ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ and was later part of the initial creative team that set up Spielberg’s Amblimation in London (the studio that later became DreamWorks). I didn’t like the corporate way those companies were run and decided to set up my own studio in 1991. When it comes to achievements, I always talk about my team and ‘we’ because filmmaking is a group effort. Even if I do write, direct and produce, you are not making films on your own. Every crew member is part of the creative process and nobody should be so arrogant to say it is "just him". My studio ‘s bread and butter work was commercials. Over 22 years we made 750 films for the world-wide market. My speciality is combining live-action and animation and I directed most of them, travelling around the world and returning to my studio to finish them off with my team. We also produced 52 episodes of a children’s show for the BBC at one point but I felt that this wasn’t what I wanted to do. Because of my reputation in the industry, we worked on many high profile projects for most of the major studios. I was always very much involved in the creative process of those films, not just work for hire. Ivan Reitman once told me that I saved his ass on ‘Space Jam’. As an artist and designer I created many characters that are still remember today (American Tail, Space Jam and, don't laugh, many cereal characters that people fondly remember) My Instagram account has 25,000 followers and people collect my artwork. I was friends with the late Ronald Searle, a famous British illustrator, and he and entrusted me with his most famous characters. I am currently developing a feature based on ‘Molesworth’. I have pitched many feature film projects, both Live Action and animation and have come close to making them. Who knows, some might still happen. And there will be more attempts in the future. I like the short film format and love analogue film. My last film ‘From Life’ won several awards. I was in the middle of preparing two more short film projects when the pandemic happened. Having looked at Richards titles and having read some of the reviews, I come to the conclusion that his biggest talent is talking people into getting his films made. I don’t know how he does it, it can’t be the quality of his projects. So hats off to that. I was never good at being a salesman. Like many of us, I create every day, no matter if it is for money or just to enjoy myself. Not sure what Richard does between making ‘Dogfather’ films. He does go boating and thinks the coronavirus is no more dangerous than the flu. That I know.

Any other ways of seeing your films? I really can't find them anywhere. I see. Richard doesn't give his crew credit. He makes his masterpieces all by himself.

Oh Richard, I bet you are a very loud man. Very good at making statements without having much knowledge of what you're talking about. As you have proven here repeatedly. At its peak my studio employed 110 artists and we worked on many major feature films that are all remembered. Are any of yours? I can't even find a way to watch one of them. Please do point me in the right direction. Bargain bucket at Walmart?

Really? Oh my. I have so far resisted watching one of your oeuvres, put off by the embarrassing reviews. Which one are you most fond of? I promise to give it a go. Still, well done for talking people into getting them made. I'm sure your family and friends are proud of you.

I can only assume that you are deliberately being obtuse. Nobody can be this slow to understand.

So you succeeded in preventing disaster and your response to that is that it wasn't necessary to shut down? The mind boggles. How do you know in advance if you are not causing even bigger devastation by not taking actions? What a silly thing to say.