Jim Perry

Just by coincidence I ran across a video shot with the camera on Vimeo. I didn’t really realize it was this camera just that it was Super 8. Footage looked great and reminded me more of 16mm. So, regardless of all the price discussions I’d say at first glance it looks pretty good. Logmar S8 on Vimeo

Looks like this is for two cameras, one factory and one converted. There’s also the Visual Products base and the Jurgens video door. I recently saw an Arri 2B 2-Perf listed for $9k which sold but I’m not sure for how much. I think people think it should cost the same as any Arri 2C but it’s a differential similar to Arri S16 vs plain 16. In any event, it’s the first I’ve seen in three years and looks like a nice camera you can use out of the box.

Doug might be onto it. Robert Rodriguez did the same when filming El Mariachi with an Arri 16mm camera that was quite noisy. He’d film the scene once with the camera and then again with the audio, using a Marantz cassette recorder and a Radio Shack microphone. Here’s a good article about it. Guerilla Filmmaking- El Mariachi The main obstacle the production faced was in regards to sound. The downfall of the Arriflex was the motor was too loud to allow for recording audio simultaneously. The only work around for this was to shoot each scene twice. The first take would be the scene shot silently with the camera, while the second take would be acted in front of the microphone and tape recorder, both being synced later on in post.

Just saw 2 Arri 2C 2-perfs for sale, one is a factory movement. Very well equipped with video tap, crystal motor, etc. Facebook- Arri 2C Techniscope

Good audio is important which is why I rarely rely on just the sounds in front of me. I mostly use a couple of Zooms which are super handy as you can tape them to nearly anything. Then, in the edit, I grab the sounds I want and stack them to create a good track. Sometimes, I have actors pre-record their lines (where they can read them) to ensure I have good clean audio in the bank. It’s pretty easy to cover up with good B Roll or reaction shots. At a project I did at a circle track, I just taped a Zoom H1n to my camera and let it run the whole time. The few bits of spoken words I just filmed the real action first then held the camera close and had them repeat it. And hey, planes can go over, crew can sneeze, things can fall, you can give directions during filming, etc. Speeds up production. Besides, if it was good enough for Fellini it’s good enough for me!

Also, recently this: McGregor reveals all the dialogue in Attack of the Clones had to be re-recorded. In an interview with SlashFilm, McGregor says that the new digital cameras they used to film Attack of the Clonescreated a strange hum that the filmmakers later discovered was the same frequency as human voices. All the actors had to come in and perform Additional Dialogue Recording (more commonly known as ADR) on film as none of the dialogue was usable, meaning the entire film was recorded in ADR. read the article Here

You can record a rehearsal before you film, then capture wild sound with the camera running, then substitute in the edit. Or just go all Sergio Leone- play mood music on set and have the actors dub it in later.

Thanks, Max! Techniscope is the original name back in the era of CinemaScope, SuperScope, Delrama, Vistarama, TechnoVision, PanaScope, WarnerScope, SovScope (USSR), Tohoscope (Japan), etc. It is in modern terms 2-Perf, though this only means something to film people. Basically, they all mean widescreen which today is pretty standard 2:40:1. The other benefit is that the lenses are standard sizes and can be fitted with PL adapters and used on modern digital cameras. All that being said, 2-Perf cameras don’t come up for sale very often. I was fortunate to find an original factory-equipped Arri 2C that I had shipped from England and I haven’t seen another in three years. If you can get one go for it!

The lab scans a little more area above and below showing a bit of the other frames. The width is close to the 4096 so cropped it works out. Personally, I like the flexibility as some projects I mix digital and film and it’s nice to pop in a visual cue that one is film. People seem to like it, especially when I cover classic car events. Someday, maybe I can get funding for a feature but till then…

Thanks, Jon! It was a bit of a journey to get everything looking good and I had much better luck with 500T vs 50D, even in daylight. As for affordability, I didn’t buy it to make features, just to integrate into my workflow of promotional work and to get the film look without renting an Arri Alexa for $1000 a day. Plus, billing the film/development costs into a project was easy as I never used that much film. Besides, it’s great fun!

Here’s a couple of examples showing 4K 2-Perf scans from my Arri 2C techniscope. I was beginning to integrate it on existing shoots for the various BMW departments I did work for and found it to be a nice look. The image shows the crop lines and the original is 4096 x 1856. The video on Vimeo jumps between cropped and uncropped footage to retain the film feel. I know there’s a lot of discussion about display device sizes but most of my projects required many different versions with different sizes, ratios, etc so I probably worried less about getting everything right and to have footage that was flexible to adapt to whatever. I have noticed an increased use of film and 2:40:1 aspect ratio in many luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and of course shoe companies. Just watching Peacock I saw Verizon and Alexa choosing the 2:40:1 format so wide is certainly not limited to Sergio Leone westerns anymore (though if you want to know how to compose for wide watch them). BMW Certified Collision Centers - Arri 2C techniscope

Just to clarify, the actual film scanning has the original ratio, 2.33:1 or 2.35:1 depending on who you believe. The black bars are not in the file. Many displays can play these files correctly but not all. It looks great on an iPhone which is closer to the right ratio and Vimeo takes them fine. For some online platforms or displays you need to add the bars to the file as they lock in a 16:9 ratio.

Just to clarify - the standard Arri 2C has a 180 degree shutter. The techniscope 2-Perf has a 200 degree shutter angle.

I also found this

Hi Andy, I'm hardly an expert but it's 6 pins and circular so it may be an old audio plug of some kind repurposed. Easier than finding an Arri 2-prong. At the end of the day it's just a motor. It at least has a power and ground in there and being Cinema Products may also have a way to piggyback to their zoom and focus controllers. You'll probably need to open it and check it with a multimeter or just follow the wires. If you're in New York you might go down to Du-All Camera http://www.duallcamera.com/ which apparently moved to NJ as they know the old cameras. Once you know which wire is which either find the right 6-pin plug and wire it up or convert it to something more normal like xlr. Not really an answer but volts are volts. Good luck!

You're welcome, David! In fact, I thought about this discussion and your doubts about it being darker as I watched Polaroid, a similar movie with arguably similar scenes. Polaroid is much darker film that had no inclination at humor but I kept thinking about the decision for Jennifer's Body to be lighter. In the end, I think the lighter worked better for the story but had it not been for this discussion it's not something I would have paid attention to in the first place. Gave me something to think about. I also just rewatched Psycho with the swinging light bulb which was duplicated in Polaroid. I wonder how many times that's been done? Thanks again for your insights. Hope your dog is feeling better.

Just watched it on The Criterion Channel and was surprised to see David's name there. Knowing there would be a great discussion about it I came here and was not disappointed. Light or dark, one thing I'd say after listening to hours of Team Deakins is that the cinematography didn't take me out of the movie and you never know when a film is going to have staying power. Plus, horror must be a bit more entertaining to film than other genres.

I won’t even mention what I can do with zip ties.

Hi, might I recommend using the cardboard tube from paper towels and some tape. It's a perfect fit on mine. Price is right as well.

Hi, that sounds like a good solution. Being cheap, I chose to stick with off-the-shelf items. As for my motor, it’s a crystal Thoma handgrip model that locks in 24 or 25 frames (switchable) or can have a variable rate. I do have an original motor but haven’t shot with it but did hook it up and it runs. I’m not an expert in matters but perhaps the varying speed is a result of fluctuating voltage. Input Voltage: For a fixed load, the speed of the motor is affected by applied voltage. Increase in voltage = increase in speed I’m going to start by saying I am not a tech and that would be the best way to get an answer but... If it were me, I’d load up some extra film (always good to have) or just take 100’ off of a short end or leftover stock and conduct some tests with a multimeter to find the right voltage from the motor (after the motor/before the camera) and to see if it’s fluctuating. Try the battery at different states of charge. You could do it with the motor on or off the camera . You can also mark the film or hole punch it to measure how much goes through in a given time. 4-Perf should be 16 frames a foot. there’s more variables like magazines, gears, camera condition, etc but at least you might know if the dial should be on 9 or 10 or if there’s an issue. I’m guessing someone other than me has actually done something like this and can give you a real answer and correctly label mine as crap. As for eliminating moisture I’d recommend leaving Scotland. Or a garbage bag. I keep them in my kit. Either one.

Had the camera out today so thought I’d add an image of the 2 battery solutions I use. The Milwaukee is 12v and I’ve shot several hundred feet with no issues at 24p. The v-mount I haven’t tried but at full charge it’s 16.3v.

I haven’t tried it but it did arrive. It says it’s an E26 base. The Eiko ECT Lamp (500W/120V) is a white interior-frosted bulb with an E26 (Edison) base and a color temperature of 3,200K. Eiko ECT Lamp at B&H 500w E26

I'll second the aperture lantern which comes with a black skirt with velcro which is very handy. I couples it with a Genaray portabright led that has a battery and an xlr power connection for 12v. Put it on a good boom pole and you're set. It's basic Wes Anderson lighting which Bob Yeoman explains in Team Deakins podcast #92. I tried it on a recent walk and talk piece and it was great. So easy or you can mount the boom pole on a stand and hang a sandbag off the end to balance the light. Here's a good behind the scenes where you can see it in action.

I have two Mole Richardson 407 1k fixtures that I've put Visionsmith LED relamps in. It's still a little weird grabbing them when they're on but they work well and the 407 has a decent size Fresnel lens on it. The daylights run around 5200k in temperature FYI and aren't quite 1k in power but work very well and the fans are very quiet. I'll also add that Moles are very fast and easy to adjust compared to most other lights.

I think Stephen is correct but I'm guessing you haven't checked out the forums at www.rogerdeakins.com where you can ask him yourself. Great forums and podcast. Also - I just ordered an Eiko 500w bulb for $5 for just that purpose.