Derek Leverette

A very basic question because I'm still learning: how do I get rich blacks in miniDV? I've only begun to experiment with video, and for now I have no access to 24p or HD. I would like to shoot low-light scenes where much of the frame falls to black, or at least near to black. What I'm getting is visual "noise" in the black areas, no doubt a symptom of what the camera sees as underexposure. Is it possible to get true blackness on a prosumer, miniDV-only camera?

A very basic question because I'm still learning: how do I get rich blacks in miniDV? I've only begun to experiment with video, and for now I have no access to 24p or HD. I would like to shoot low-light scenes where much of the frame falls to black, or at least near to black. What I'm getting is visual "noise" in the black areas, no doubt a symptom of what the camera sees as underexposure. Is it possible to get true blackness on a prosumer, miniDV-only camera?

I am very new to lighting techniques so forgive the dumb question: How do you make flourescent light look like that? It reminds me of the Matrix, Neo's interrogation scene. I love that look. Is it the gels?

I have a lesser Sony prosumer miniDV cam, and I want to begin my journey of truly, actually understanding DV cinematography. Can someone point me to some information on how the 3CCD process functions? I'm not concerned with "how to light" necessarily (though of course, I am), but I want to understand the technical process of DV recording. I believe it's one's knowledge of film's physical aspects that lends the traditional cinematographer his ability to create artful images; a similar understanding of DV would help me make better images. Edit: Anthony Dod Mantle, for instance. I saw a documentary about him. He shot several of the Dogme 95 films and 28 Days Later. His understanding of this medium is incredible. How can we follow in his footsteps?

I don't wish to sound too hard-headed; I just want to think all this stuff out before I put my money down. Naturalism is equally difficult (and/or desirable) to attain in any format I suppose, but maybe there's a certain surrealness built-in to S8 that would be harder to achieve in 16. Truth is, I'd be happy with MOS 16 with a few features like variable shutter and one frame exposure. I do enjoy myself some animation. Most important to me is lens sharpness; I really distrust zoom lenses actually. Can you help me with some suggestions?

Disclaimer: This message was originally posted in the S8 forum. I post it here because I want to get many different perspectives. I'm aware that professional quality film/processing/telecine costs are practically the same with 16mm as with S8, but I have very little money to spend and I'm only beginning. Please keep reading. I trust many 16mm users once started on S8, so I would love to hear your opinions. ----- I've spent the better part of the past 4 days online, reading nothing but S8, DS8, Single 8, all kinds of 8mm knowledge and I'm kind of obsessed with it. I'm a film student and I've decided I have to shoot film, asap. The entry cost of 16mm is too high, I feel. And I don't really care for naturalism in cinema anyway, so S8 is how I'll go. From what I've read, it seems K40 is wonderful because of its price and quality, maybe not the best for transfer but still good. It amazes me that I could shoot and transfer (not on a rank machine) 4 rolls of K40 for little more than 100$. A shitty transfer maybe, but good enough for me to edit an experimental piece. But K40 is going to go away and I've never shot a single roll. I still want to get into S8 because people say 64T could be great, maybe even better for telecine. I want to self-fund 500$ music videos, shoot in S8, and then edit on a friend's workstation. Is this the right choice for me? I'm going to buy a Leicina Special and of course use proper transfer for serious work - but what about the costs of raw stock and processing for 64T? Do we think it can compare to K40? I'm encouraged also by Spectra's deal. From them, it appears one can buy a package of 8 rolls of S8, even neg film, get processing, rank telecine and media tape for under 500$. But some people strongly dislike the neg stocks in S8... (not having seen it myself, I ask you for advice) I'm ranting at this point. What do you guys think. Am I swept up by the romantic qualities of all of this? Is the death of K40 the death of S8 as a poor, starting filmmaker's learning tool? Do I instead save up the big bucks for 16? Please help.

I've spent the better part of the past 4 days online, reading nothing but S8, DS8, Single 8, all kinds of 8mm knowledge and I'm kind of obsessed with it. I'm a film student and I've decided I have to shoot film, asap. The entry cost of 16mm is too high, I feel. And I don't really care for naturalism in cinema anyway, so S8 is how I'll go. From what I've read, it seems K40 is wonderful because of its price and quality, maybe not the best for transfer but still good. It amazes me that I could shoot and transfer (not on a rank machine) 4 rolls of K40 for little more than 100$. A shitty transfer maybe, but good enough for me to edit an experimental piece. But K40 is going to go away and I've never shot a single roll. I still want to get into S8 because people say 64T could be great, maybe even better for telecine. I want to self-fund 500$ music videos, shoot in S8, and then edit on a friend's workstation. Is this the right choice for me? I'm going to buy a Leicina Special and of course use proper transfer for serious work - but what about the costs of raw stock and processing for 64T? Do we think it can compare to K40? I'm encouraged also by Spectra's deal. From them, it appears one can buy a package of 8 rolls of S8, even neg film, get processing, rank telecine and media tape for under 500$. But some people strongly dislike the neg stocks in S8... (not having seen it myself, I ask you for advice) I'm ranting at this point. What do you guys think. Am I swept up by the romantic qualities of all of this? Is the death of K40 the death of S8 as a poor, starting filmmaker's learning tool? Do I instead save up the big bucks for 16? Please help.

Hello, Please reply to thread if you have one for sale. If you've got the Cinegon 10mm lens, that's even better.