CJ Biddle

Thanks, everyone. Great advice, good points. If I get the Dedo's right now, that means no Kino Diva 400, which is on my need-right-now list. I'm going to get an arri 150 right now and stick to renting the dedo's for the time being. But after the fine points put forward here, I'll set aside some cash (or hit some schoolkids up for their lunch money) and buy one or two dedo's down the road. Thanks again, CJ Making things happen with lunch money budgets

Laura, I have a DVX100a and love the many options it offers. I would highly recommend that you do as much research as possible on the camera because it offers a lot of great tools for influencing basic lighting situations. Great resources: The DVX100 forum here on cinematography.com http://adamwilt.com/24p/index.html (Adam does a good job of explaining the 24p/24pa question) http://www.dvxuser.com And Barry Green's book and DVD on the camera, which will really help in explaining all the details of the camera. It is written for all knowledge levels. I think you can get the book/dvd at dvxuser.com or Amazon. Pricey but really worth it. (I have no interest or connection with these products.) Called "The DVX DVD and DVX Book" Good luck, CJ

Hello, I am adding a few things to my (small) kit. I shoot both film & video and need two or three little fresnels. I've used pepper 100's and Arri 150's a few times and like the size of the peppers. However, I would like input from others as to the difference in quality of light from these fresnels since they have different reflectors and lenses. Is there a general preference? Is the throw that different? (As an aside, dedo's are too pricey for me right now.) Thank you in advance for your input, CJ

Kyle, Nice work. Interviews look great. For those who are new to interviews --one basic thing that I would like to add, simply because it is a lesson I had to learn when first shooting interviews, it helps to put several feet of space between the subject and the background when possible. It will eliminate that person-in-a-couch-against-the-wall look that is often so flat. This is probably a no-brainer for most of you. I think Kyle's interviews are a good example of separating the background with depth, color and contrast.