Dimitrios Koukas

:) Indeed! Happy flying m8. Dimitrios Koukas Thanks Mike, Is it supposed that the schneiders are using better quality optics? (glass). Dimitrios Koukas

Justin m8, In case I will ever do a shoot there, u will me my gaffer! Actually u are 95% true here, in the other 5% I would suggest to just black out all the outside light, by making a box out of anything,(black cloth or even the ones I like to use (foamcore material ) and then just put some readheds on dimmers with golden amber (or lighter) gel. In case that you want to have the light and the colour pass thru the window and light some parts of the scene, then u have to mimic this with lights in the set, above the windows. Dimitrios Koukas There is no need for such a big light from outside if you want the afternoon /sunset colour on the windows. And I have answered your question about blow out the windows. This is a different effect that you want to achieve, so u need just as little light to colour the paper that u will use on them. And better have it reflected form a big white surface to make 45degrees, on the paper. This is a good way to have it evenly lit. Amber gels is what you re lookin for,here are the numbers. 104,134,135. And yes, u must use a daylight white balance, if you don't filter the lights (or little filter them) from the window, or a tungsten balance with the gels. Dimitrios Koukas

Hello, If your current is 240V then us hould use a socket with 16Amps or more to light a 2,5 KW. As for the type is: Volts multiply by Amps , eguals Watt. So you have Watt divide by Volt equals Amps. Remember though that you shouldn't go with the limits of the fuses. AQnyway, as I previously said there aren't any 2,5KW changeable to 5KW. (If we are talking for HMI's. U have 2,5KW, changeable to 4KW. Hamilton lights? The only ones I know are for marine/aquarium insalments, I am not sure if they have anything to do with filming, unless it's underwater, or you will use them for specific reasons,or over frames of diffusion. Anyway, the list that I have suggested you was with one 2,5 KW and 2 x 1200W cinepar's among with the kino's, redheads, fresnels 1K and blonds. Since your stock is tungsten, be sure to have much of CTO correction gels with you all the numberes 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and full. Dimitrios Koukas

Aaron, I will go with the first, light some broken mirrors, in a low plane of water, and move this too. Dimitrios Koukas

Hello there, First of all, the diffusion frame is a good idea, it will help u control some light. Check the weather channels before u go, you might put your result in risk, if it is gonna rain or overcast clouds. Use the frame to shadow all the area your action will be, and use reflectors to control the light wherever you want it . This might be a little tricky though, if the bench isn't positioned in a way that u will have sunlight crossing it about it's vertical axis in relation to your POV. I hope I have manage to make myself clear here. Another way to control the light with reflectors is to use one R1 hard silver mirror reflector that will always point to one softer reflector. For the close ups, things are much more easier, and more controlable. Is there any way that u can use cinepar's ? If so just use 1x 2,5KW and one 1,2KW. By doing this u will have your actors in the shadow of the diff frame while the ''sun'', will be the 2,5KW cinepar. I would use the 1,2 KW as a backlight. U will need a generator or any AC socket near. consistency, might be a problem if you have a building in the background that characterises the sun's position, SO the most orefferable move is to do your general shots quickly and first of all, then the medium shots and CU's after. Dimitrios Koukas

Just do a test without any shutter on.Tell to the house to remove it for you. This will give something like a double vision effect though.With the motion blur. Dimitrios Koukas

Is there any 5k HMI there? Never heard of this.5k and 10K refers to tungsten fixtures, while 2,5K, 4K ,6K and 12K and 18K to hmi's As far as I know.Maybe this is a new one? But anyway I believe u are limiting your budget and the flexibility of your lighting. Are u shooting with a daylight stock? Then u need the HMI's more, but if you don't, you are just renting two huge sources (2,5K), in compare for kinoflo's u will use to fill in. I would sugest 1 x 2,5K cinepar _ 2 x 1200W cinepars and the kinos.Also some redheads, some 1K fresnels. Dimitrios Koukas

Are u going to shoot this nightime and u want it to look daytime? Even this way, u have to put some CTB on the tungsten sources wich will reduce your light. I would suggest to go with flicker free HmI's, that u will not have to correct them. U will need at least a 2,5K HMI cinepar to blow up the windows, I don't know their actuall size. I use 2,5K and 4K cinepars. Or you can just find a house that is really into the sun, and u will know what time of the day u can have the windows in the frame.So no use of lights there from outside.Remember that u must have your windows at least 2-3 f/stops (reflected measure) above your actor's f /stop. I hope that I have been helpfull , Dimitrios Koukas

Nate, Very interesting, thank you.I can't totally agree, it's too sophisticated for me, I was satisfied all this years (18yrs) believing that it's similar to 18%, and it didn't affect my work either. I guess that's why we all happy to overxpose a bit? Dimitrios Koukas Yes, I have to agree here, and thank you for the remark. Dimitrios Koukas

You know that I pretty much agree here, but they are both students. Dimitrios Koukas

Well, It's a matter of scenario and mood,in case you need big sources or strong sources like HMI's. I am using them a lot when I want to blow up windows or mimic a strong sunlight comin thru them. I rarely use them in the set, (not that I haven't done it), I remember one set that had so huge windows that it was obvious that I couldn't stop them down because of the large area I wanted to cover and a bright sun outside, so I used some 6K cinepar's thru a large diffusion frame for fill. Also note that the bulbs life is not so big like the tungsten ones and if you read the manufacturer's specs it is reduced if you are turning them on and off. Actually OSRAM recomends a 20minutes switching period between on and off. One thing that u don't have to worry about them is that they don't have a ''spring'' type bulb as they are producing light by an arc, wich means they don't blow up if you accidentaly kick them, like the redheads and blondes do. The output of an H.M.I lamp compared with the same wattage tungsten one, is 3 times more. Cinepars are reccomended and flicker free ballasts. Cinepars have as the word says, a PAR lamp, that u can change it's beam with the set of crystals that come with every fixture. Flicker-free ballasts are noisy ones, so if you are doing a ''synchronous'' sound shooting, u have to take them out of the set or as much the cable allows u from the scene. Some Arri fixtures and other brands maybe, have a ballast that can accept either 2,5K-4K bulbs for the same fixture, so u can just have spare bulbs, I am usually doing this, I have the 2,5K on and the 4K bulb on the truck, in case want some more light.4K cannot be powered up by house sockets so u will need either a generator , or an industrial light house. What else... As for the colour correction, use a colour meter and check them before u rent them, have some minus green and plus green gels with u.The light itself needs some time to give it's full power, I believe the new generation bulbs, need about 2 minutes to give you full output. So wait before u take a reading. Dimitrios Koukas

Jeremy, Everything that is mounted on a chopper, plane or ballon,glider and anyway on anything that flyies, needs to have technical authorisation from the FAA or the CAA. This happens for the simple reason of the rule''safety first'', that aplies to anything that flies. So, a tyller mount or a wescam needs approval first for it's arms and brackets that support it. As we can all easily understand a wescam with a mitchell 35mm on, weights about 140-160 kilos, not all the aircrafts can handle this weights for simple reasons (like displacing the center of gravity). Also there are different arms-mounts for everytype and that has to do with the airplane's or helicopter's designing factors. So, one company may have the arm that goes to a bell-206, but not for a hughes 600. And this mounts/arms MUST have certificates from both the helicopter or airplane company and the CAA. I am talking especially for the nose/belly or side mounts. With the things that do not extend outside of the aircraft itchelf , and are less heavier than a passenger, things are just a little bit easier, but they need approval from the CAA and the pilot. Dimitrios Koukas

Luke, sorry, I don't know why but I ve missed that part.If it's a really polulated by trees forest, I don't think there would be so much of a problem lightswise, but you have to consider colour temperature changes. Also, it's a different think broken clouds, overcast or scatered thru the shooting day. By my humble knowledge in metereology,(I am also a pilot), if you expect clouds in a sunny day usually come from broken to scatered to overcast during the day.Wich means that about 4-5 o'clock in a daytime u will have the overcast that u want. So, consult the weather stations and if there is an airport near u can ask them for TAF's or METAR's. In this way u can schedule your general shots in the mostly cloudy parts of the day. for the sunny scenes u can use some low contrast filters to match the low contrast atmosphere the clouds give. DImitrios Koukas

It has the aspect ratio of a bed. Right? :) Dimitrios Koukas

There is one, newly made and gyro stabilised, check this out. http://www.aerialexposures.com/gyroplatform.htm Dimitrios Koukas

Remember to change the gate too ..... ;) Dimitrios Koukas

oops! Yes I lost that part! My mind went directly to Stanard 16 when u said magnetic strips, so I forgot to mentioned it, sorry but u don't have the space to record S16 on this anymore!! Dimitrios Koukas

Luke, I cannot understand what u re aimming too. U want it to look supernatural, or sunlighted? Or you just want a look that has grey,blue tones? Dimitrios Koukas

I have to agree here, And just because the market's facts are proving this, I believe really soon DVD's will be dead, I believe is about three or two years since now that the hard disk recording consumer videos are replacing DVD's? Little by little, as it will hapen with the 4:3 tv format and the tube television sets. Plasma's in 16:9 is replacing them.In the future u could go to the video club and rent a usb hard disk.Why not? And I keep on wondering why all this anxiety by everyone to reach film's attributes and quality or standards. What would be the gain? Cheaper shooting? I don't think so. The crew members will be the same in large productions, u can't light without electricians or u can't make a huge set-up without carpenters. Even that we all know how to paint a surface, or nail two girders together . So what... Dimitrios Koukas

Most of the people want to store their materials, after all something that is artistic and lasts longer takes more value as the time passes by. I don't believe that u will loose anything when makin a transfer, it suppose to be a digital recording, both ways doesn't it? Dimitrios Koukas

Steve, If you have the post beeing on a PC or Mac, then you don't need to worry so much about the shooting, especially if you are using a ''strong'' machine, (int terms of rendering speeds) then u can do almost whatever u like in colour and adding or redusing contrast with just adjustments of the Gamma control as a render effect. I would use a higher stock like 200T or 250 D. Overexposed it by 1/2 to 1 stop.And with a 1/2 promist for the CU while lower diffusion like 1/4 for the GS. But anyway this is a general thought and after all I haven't read the script! Dimitrios Koukas

Hello, First of all disable the auto gain feature of your camera. It must be somewhere on the menu, if you don't have this option, then u just can't. You see consumer cameras come with this auto tools just because there aren't for proffesional jobs. Dimitrios Koukas

I am not sure if the emulsions you have bought are really fresh, or when the numbers have changed, 7240 it's a colour reversal film 125 ASA, while the 7250 is a 400Asa one, both tungsten. I haven't heard rolls of 360 feet lately, and I am not sure if they ever excisted. Magnetic striped means that they have a magnetic strip that u can use it to record sound for a magnetic sound projector, really common for 16 mm. CP 16 cameras were for news gathering so u can record sound directly on them, so u had the image and sound ready to go. I guess that is, this film is made for, unless it has the use also of a screenning positive. (to use it for theatrical release). Dimitrios Koukas

Are we talkin about a cold winter night with no clouds? Dimitrios Koukas

In that case I would probably choose the Sony D-35W on beta SX , SP, or dvcam.It's a bit outdated so maybe u can find the camera in a logical price to rent. It has a ''filmlike'' setup too, that maybe will give you the look, just don't forget to put the detail level to -30 if u use this setup, it's -90 by default! Dimitrios Koukas