Hannes Famira

Don't wait for anyone to give you permission. I made that mistake. You can invent how you make a film. The worst thing that can happen is that your first couple of projects stink. But there is no way to learn without getting right into it.

This is a very compelling argument. I was going for focus on the left but I have a very experienced operator friend who disagreed. He works mostly in TV (big camera on sticks) and he is used to the FIZ handle with all the buttons on the right. So your point comes as a relief. I think this settles it for me. Thanks Satsuki!

Very interesting. Thanks Aapo. So when I operate shoulder mounted with both hands on the grips you would tend to still use the left hand for focus?

I am craving Tilta's Nucleus-M FIZ system mightily. Without having actually tried it I am wondering: Coming from still photography my instinct is to map focus to my left hand. I am right hand dominant though. So over time I might actually be able to achieve more precise control if focus was mapped to the right Tilta handle. It's a finger wheel that I assume is operated with the index finger. Does anybody have experience with this, can share their preference with me and maybe add a reasoning for their choice? Thanks!

Ladder, ubangee and camera underslung?

Hey everybody. I just ordered a xMac mini Server, Thunderbolt 3 Edition (https://www.sonnetstore.com/collections/thunderbolt-expansion-systems/products/xmac-mini-server-thunderbolt-3-edition?variant=28533878587426) intending to turn my 2018 MacMini into a powerful Davinci Resolve editing workstation. Can anyone advise me as to what GPU card would be compatible with Mac OS and currently offer the most effective speed-up for Resolve? Any pointers are appreciated.

I am just working my way through the Film Simplified online courses and I am very happy about the way things are explained: https://deals.filmsimplified.com/home They have a bunch of free classes that will give you a good idea of the level of detail and the pace of the classes. I am a total beginner and from my vantage point I highly recommend it!

How about a eyepiece cup heater unit? There is a Denz heated eye cup on eBay https://ebay.us/YmBWKC I wonder if I could somehow have that fitted to my (more budget friendly) Alphatron. Or is there a lens it these?

I have no experience with these. Are they somehow standardized? I am interested to learn more.

Thank you Robin, while this looks like a great product I am not sure it will work in my Alphatron. Has anyone tried anti-fog sprays? I am reading wildly different reviews on Amazon and I am reluctant to spray any of this stuff on my EVF without having someone here confirm that I won't ruin the diopter and that it actually works.

I am using an Alphatron EVF. When I am operating shoulder mount and break into sweat the diopter fogs up and it's basically impossible to work that way. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

I have the Tilta EVF mount and extension that use standard Arri connectors. For behind the camera I am combining this with Arri eyepiece leveler support. Works like a charm. No wiggling: https://tilta.com/product-category/tilta/support-systems/evf-support/

Operator work out: https://video.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t42.9040-2/62386936_463407177768609_6728038940307095552_n.mp4?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=985c63&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InN2ZV9zZCJ9&_nc_ohc=sMVG93THOIkAX-eT4cT&_nc_ht=video-lga3-1.xx&oh=71cd39e8035d7c8bda8b694ec57d794c&oe=5EF60465

Thank you everybody. This is really good guidance. I know now what to do and I even understand why. 😄

So I shot my first short and I started poking around in Resolve and now I want to get the basic set-up right. My question for you is: What size should I choose for editing my project. The obvious question is what is the intended use for this film, how would I deliver it? I do not expect to ever show it to anyone besides the participants and "friends 'n family". So it really doesn't matter. But it seems a good moment to learn about the considerations going into this decision. The footage was captured on a Super 35 sensor at 1080p with an anamorphic 2x squeeze. So if I keep the 1080 vertical lines and apply the 2.39:1 formula it gives me a resolution of 2581x1080. That means that once the picture is de-squeezed I'd be chopping off a lot of pixels that extend horizontally beyond the CinemaScope frame: 1920 x 2 = 3840. So I would be giving up 1259 pixels per line. Wow. Still, I have no problem with this as it means that I can even adjust my framing horizontally and I am keeping every single pixel of the vertical resolution. Cool. Now I am reading that 2560x1080 wide is actually the maximum width for DVI dual link and a standard Scope film on a BluRay is just 1920x800. The last contestant for this game is the 2k Cinema DCP at 2048x858. And now I am at a loss which way to go. I hesitate to reduce the vertical size for the edit. While it would allow me to tweak the frame in all 4 directions, I would be surrendering resolution. I am thinking that if it became necessary for the delivery format I might as well just scale down the finished edit, right? Can you sway me in any of these directions? Do you have a personal preference or any experience what film makers prefer and why? Any input is appreciated. Thanks guys!