brandon kaufman

Hello!

I'm thinking about doing a little experiment on my Arriflex SR2 — the first time I'll be shooting on the camera — and have a few questions.

Has anyone tried doing double exposure on the camera? I'm not entirely clear on if this is even possible, but do you have recommendations for mathematically finding the correct exposure times which would be using variable shutter speeds?

We would want to re-expose the film using different speeds in the followup exposures, but we are curious if there are tools that would assist in matching up our exposure times for re-exposure.

Thanks so much!

Hi,

I purchased a Super 16 Arriflex SRII w a PL mount and was wondering if anyone could recommend a lens. Given the costs, and the fact that I'm just ready to get shooting ASAP, I'm really looking for the most basic glass possible. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks so much!

Hi,

I'm interested in buying an Arriflex 16SR. Also would be interested in a 16S. Located in Canada.

Thanks so much!

6 minutes ago, Tyler Purcell said:

Yes, because you will need to add effects to it up the road and you'll be stuck to using render cache, which is annoying. For realtime playback, you'll need something a bit more than what you got, even for 1080p. Also, who is doing to do the online? 

In that case maybe it makes sense to just hire an editor—thankfully I have some friends who do that! Maybe it's beyond my technical knowledge/skills/infrastructure at this moment in time...

Again though, thanks so much for taking the time to help out!

8 hours ago, Tyler Purcell said:

I'm sorry to say, but you will need to invest in a new computer no matter what. Transcoding your entire show and using a proxy file to edit is smart, but renting the facility doesn't seem worth it. Apple is going to be releasing a new M1X Mac mini in November, which will be pretty kickass and burn through those .R3D (red code) like it's nothing. You don't need the "pro" version, it doesn't offer anything important until you're ready to do finishing and need noise reduction and DCI 4k resolution. Otherwise, just cut it in 1080p and when you're ready to export the final, up the resolution to 4k for the final output and you should be good to go. 

But yes, you will need a better computer no matter what. Resolve will not run well enough with that system you currently have. I struggle on my MUCH newer system with a real GPU. 

Thanks so much for this reply! Just one point of clarification. Do you mean I will need a better computer no matter what going forward? Or to be able to cut it in 1080p?

2 minutes ago, Phil Rhodes said:

And you've tried just throwing your 5K R3Ds on a timeline and cutting them, with the resolution wound down?

 I have not, but I tried editing a previous project in 4K on my computer and the frame rate was, like, 1. I did not, however, render proxies that time.

13 minutes ago, Phil Rhodes said:

That's a fairly basic machine, particularly since it doesn't have a real GPU, but if you have proven you can throw a basic timeline together in Resolve then you can probably do what you need to do. Render time may not matter much as it can happen while you sleep!

Really the way to do this is to work backward from what you want to end up with, exactly like you would if you had to deliver a big TV show to Netflix. If you need to deliver an HD result, convert your r3ds to some sort of intermediate format at HD resolution (prores springs to mind) ideally with a log encoding, then edit and grade that.

What are you aiming to end up with here?

That makes sense! Very much appreciate that. Also not sure if this is unhelpful but I'm looking to end up with a 5K cut for the colour grader.

Hey!

I'm wondering if someone could give me some advice on figuring out how to go about post for a short film I wrote, directed, and am editing. A little context: it's in 5k and the files are .r3d. My computer's a little bit slow when I've used DaVinci in the past. Here are some specs:

2.3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5

8 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3

Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536 MB

I'm not particularly well-versed in technical minutiae, but I don't believe that's ideal for the kind of onerous files I'll be dealing with.

There's a good editing suite near where I live, but that costs pretty expensive, and the budget's already very tight. Does it make sense to render / convert the files there and edit them at home, using my free version of Da Vinci? Alternatively I could render/convert and buy DaVinci pro, since the cost would be roughly the same for a single day of editing. But if it seems like it's necessary for the sake of the project, I'd definitely be willing to go over the budget and edit in a professional grade facility.

Excited to hear thoughts / can answer any follow up questions!

Thank you so much....

Hi,

I'm trying to achieve some of the effects used by Stan Brakhage and Carolee Schneemann for a project I'm working on. I think they painted on the film and ran it through an optical printer, which a local co-op has for rent.

Example of what I'm thinking of...

Anyone have any guides or advice on how to go about this?

Thanks so much!

Hey!;

I'm shooting a concert tomorrow. There's going to be a crew working with digital cameras, but I'm bringing my Bolex too. I'm fairly certain it's going to be pretty dark, but I'm expecting a spotlight on the performer's face. This was a short notice thing, so all I was able to get was 200T and 250D rolls. Anyway, I'm of course nervous about not exposing correctly (especially because I usually direct and leave the technical stuff to my DP). 

Should I be intentionally setting my light meter to a different ASA in order to overexpose? Should I ask the lab to push/pull? Or some combination of both? Just wondering what you all would do in this situation.

Thanks so much!

Hello!

Hope everyone's doing well. I'm shooting a little thing with my Bolex tomorrow without a DP. (It's mostly just for fun because I haven't been doing much since Covid started). With that said, I have some questions. You'll have to excuse my technical incompetence. The camera is an H16 Reflex (it says 176944 on the bottom) and the leens is a Switar 25mm (no. 506204).

1. I've read that the variable shutter reduces the need for a neutral density filter. When I'm metering a shot how do I adjust for this? I'm mostly shooting outside, so I would likely need to stop down, correct? I have a Sekonic L-398.

2. I've got two No. 1A Skylight gel filters, which supposedly make outdoor shooting warmer and cool blues. Would you recommend using this? Would I need to adjust my shooting in any way? I have the attendant adapted shutter speed numbers for 24fps (normal: 1/80 - 1/2: 112 - 1: 188) but to be honest I'm not sure how I need to readjust.

3. Given my lens (which I'm not sure adjusts for the lost reflex light), would I have to take into consideration the effective 1/80 shutter speed? Or does the lens negate this?

I really, really appreciate everyone's help + time.

All the very best, and let me know if you need any more information.

Hey!

I'm in preproduction for a short film we're shooting on 16mm. I'm super inspired by Chantal Akerman and her long takes. Now,  my fully winded camera will only shoot for 30-40 seconds. Does anyone have any creative workarounds / tricks / etc for doing long takes in this kind of situation?

Thanks!

Brandon

Hello!

I'm planning on shooting a short doc this weekend, and before I do that I just want to ask a few questions. Here are my test rolls: 

The first cartridge was 200T and the second was 50D. These were scanned flat: is this the reason they look so .... grey? I like the texture of the 50D but the 200T seems off. Did I overexpose? I shot on a Nizo S560, if that makes a difference. I assume I should get 200T because I will be both indoors and outdoors and won't have that strong a light source, but I don't want it to look so drab. (I'm getting the next project colored, though, so hopefully that will make some difference.) Should I go for 500T?

Let me know what you all think or if you have any other advice!

Thanks so much.

Hi!

I have a quick question about this short: 

Does anyone know, or can anyone guess, how this was made? I know the Tscherkassky used footage from an old film, but did he gave the negatives? How would one go about doing something that looks similar on 16mm?

Thanks so much!

D

Hey!

Not a DP but a director. I'm shooting a short at the end of the month on 16mm, and 400' of this stock is alluringly cheap. Has anyone used it before? 

If it's blue-sensitive B&W, is it possible to shoot indoors? That's probably a dumb question but are there any workarounds? I'm a student and my DP is too (they don't have much experience with film but hey, should be fun). Ideally trying to get something like a Cassavetes film. Hoping someone has some tips or advice!

Thanks so much!