Dimitrios Koukas

Oron, very nice thought, what is the film stock that u are planning to use? Do you want the shot to be done in one day, or u have cut-aways that can help you continue the next day? Is the background the horizon that fades?Or just a sand hill? Sorry for all this questions , I just feel that I need the details. Dimitrios Koukas

Final cut, mac G5 with RAID on.Some Tera bytes. Dimitrios Koukas

If it is a 35mm BL try this link, maybe you can copy this idea.http://www.jurgen.com/35bl.htm Or for the 16mm BL try this link http://members.aol.com/azspectrum/16blccd.html Dimitrios Koukas

Mark, For what camera u want this? And u want to use it as a parralax camera, or thru the lens? Dimitrios Koukas

Yes, this will happen, it's just that the windows will not have orange colour anymore. Dimitrios Koukas

julia, I do not want to get into the details right now, Just the basics: Reversal is a type of film that while is beeing proccesed (developed) it will give you a positive result. Wich means that u can project it right away and see the results.example: all colours will have their ''physical'' appearance if you see it under light. Negative stocks, give you a negative result, wich means that in B+W negative you will have white as black and black as white, while all the mid tones of grey apear negatively.darkest tones means whiter tones ,e.t.c. In a colour negative, you will see the opposite colours of what u have filmed. example: reds will look cyan, green will look magenta and blues will look yellow/orange. With the reversal stocks there is nothing you can do if you want to colour correct scenes to match eachother, unless u will do an internegative out of this and then do the corrections on the new negative. Negative stocks are more flexible in terms of lighting and colour handling, cause you can colour correct them or reduce the brightness for the final copy that will go to the theaters, minimizing loss in quality. Reversals have a short straight line on their curve, and usually this line is more vertical than a one from a negative stock. In other words reversal stocks are ones of a harder contrast, while negs have a bigger straight line that will give you more flexibility, regarding the final result.And better options considering contrast. Dimitrios Koukas

I believe if you have this stock and only that, you can't go with sound. Use another stock, or blow up the 16mm to 35mm. I believe that many 16mm projectors using both magnetic and optical as a preference. Dimitrios Koukas

If you properly put a pole operated light fixture on a tripod (wich means that the switch and cooling metals are facing the ground, same is the bulb base ) then the pole operation sprockets or controlers are facing the sky.(white for vertical, blue for panning) wich means that u cannot pole control them from the floor, and u need to take the light down and twist the head to any position. Pole operated lights are a bit heavier than the ones you use on location. Dimitrios Koukas

Joachim, My opinion is to shoot B+W stills and then take them to an optical printer to give you the length you want. U see colour negative cannot be degraded (colourwise) to complete black and white tones (greyscale). Only if you do a DI from it. SO in my humble opinion always, I would go with the B+W photos.And as u said, shoot them in a frame, with your negative that you are using, so no need to go for optical printing. Dimitrios Koukas

Hello all, Maybe I am a bit late for this topic, and I ve read only the last posts here, But as for the topic's question what kind of films I like to make, my prefferences goes to action, aviation movies (like the aviator, or pearl harbour). ''Speed'' also was something that liked a lot.But I like Spike Lee's cinematography , yes maybe this is something I would have like to do. Also romantic stories like Malena, or cinema il paradiso. As for the last posts, that have the really old and classic question, script or image? I have to say that as cinema is an art that contains all the other arts in it, (music, painting, dance, architecture, poetry,acting), wich also means that if you don't have all this ingredients blended and mixed together as a whole, then u will spoil the recipe. It is like watching a movie and say: very nice music! Wich means something didn't worked so well? :) . Directing all this arts, needs artistic knowledge, experience and guts. Dimtrios koukas

David, That's the correct route to take, yes, just becarefull with the old stocks, they can produce chips or dirt that comes from bad storage, so be more carefull with your camera's darkroom and the gate.I believe that u should check most than usual. Do some tests before you go. Dimitrios Koukas

Ok you can see them now, But first of all, this are pole operated lights wich means are made only for studio setups, (not that u cannot use them on a tripod), but there are a bit tricky to control vertical and pan movement. Also the part that is for hookin it on the tripod or clamp is missing. I don't believe they have a flicker-free balast comin with them, definately they would need a nice repair. Did you by them? The price is nice, just old technology and heavier than the cinepars. Dimitrios Koukas

Tomas, A 5 to 4 stops sometimes is a no,no, when u re using pro-mists.And he doesn't want to blow out the window, he wants to colour it with amber light, like the sunset's. Dimitrios Koukas

Stephen, This isn't a union rate, it's my rate.And it is applied only for commercial jobs. For a tv advert/comercial the rates are from 700 euros/day on a 12 hour basis, to 1500 euros. The D.o.P. rates are much different that the ones of a lighting designer in a tv studio for example, where they give you the humble 2900 euros/month! It's just that in a tv drama, or soap opera, u think about the time of the contract wich is the least 11 months. Also it gives you the weekends to do any other jobs that they might show up. On the other hand usually we arranging ''fix'' rates for a feature film, my rate is about 14000 euros on a 10-11 hour basis. Basic wages here are about 700 euros /month if you are working in a bookstore for example. Dimitrios Koukas

Just because you were asking about worldwide prices, here in Greece in commercials is about 1500 euros /day on a ten hour basis. But when is lower budgets and video u can see with 700 euros too. For a tv series drama, on video , they give as little as 3000 euros per month, on an eleven months contract. Dimitrios Koukas

All my suggestions were about what u should do with the window lights, and not for lights that one should use from the inside. If you go for 5600/5500K then it's obvious someone should use 5500/5600 K lights. The rest goes for windows... And it's tungsten all the time for windows, just the first time filtered with a tungsten film or balance, while unfiltered, or less filtered for a daylight film or balance. That's why I have suggested them to be on dimmers, cause u can control the quality of light, the quantity and the colour. Sorry if I have been confusing. Dimitrios Koukas

U usually find this in deep caves,high mountains, or near a canal on a hot-sunny summerday. Also in Peru there are some places with fog, and you should concern this if you are planning to shoot there.And yes fog means high humidity levels too. I don't have any solutions or advises at the moment, u should consult archives that are related to tropical cinematography. Dimitrios Koukas

Did u do an ''one light'' telecine job? I am guessing here that you just want to take the material for post poduction. Do the editing, and after this cut the negative and edit it? There is no problem that u have no space on the frame, u can just ask the technician to super-impose the keycode on your frame. (if it isn't for television). Dimitrios Koukas

How many hertz is the power there? 60HZ? I don't think that there would be a problem. U can try it with a video camera if you have one handy. Dimitrios Koukas

Gain up? For 1/2 a stop? I am not so sure about this. I use to overexpose a lot and always worked fine. No grain, no pain. Dimitrios Koukas

My last two feature films in Greece :) ''Tv or not tv'' and ''netrino'' Dimitrios Koukas

The problem with the counter-weight balanced heads, is that they don't work as they supposed too, when u put a lighter camera on them. Even first step, counterbalance position will work really ''heavy'' and add a lot of drag on the movement. SO better don't buy something really outside your camera's weight, unless u want to do a shooting under really windy conditions with a telephoto. Dimitrios Koukas

I would suggest the experienced director/cinematographer in HD among with a minimum crew that bob have allready suggested. Dimitrios Koukas

That's the way it was, :) The selection of the lens always goes with what you want to achieve, for example : is you want to mimic an alien that has his head between it's legs, then I would use a fisheye lens. But for a standard, drama, it's the most common to use all the lens (or almost all)available from the same manufacturer, and that is for continuity in quality, and look of the movie. Many time though I have used some macro lenses that were from a different set, that caused me a little to nothing problem. I said almost all because there are some focal lengths, that u don't mind to have or not in your inventory, if you have the one step after. Example of Arri ultra primes: 10-12-14-16-20-24-28-32-40-50-60-85-100-135-180mm. So u can just use: 10-14-20-28-32-40-50-85-100-135-180mm Dimitrios Koukas

Or maybe they didn't have the budget :) Dimitrios Koukas