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Bill Totolo

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Everything posted by Bill Totolo

  1. I noticed a set of these lenses on ebay a couple days ago. Up until two days ago I never heard of them. Turns out they won an academy award for their design. The only DP I could dig up that used them was Oliver Stapleton on "Absolute Beginners". After I inquired about the lenses the auction was ended early. The seller was also selling a complete set of Cooke Series II lenses and pulled those as well. Each set was going for $2,000.00 I guess I'm just curious about the history of these lenses. Anyone use them, do they hold up? Apparently back in the early 80's they were being compared to Zeiss. Thanks,
  2. Now THAT made me laugh, thanks. Talk about poetic justice.
  3. Strange, I drove by Axium at about 5am this morning (I work next door) and the lights were already on, with two guys in fancy cars smoking cigars out front. Didn't think too much of it at the time, now I wonder...
  4. Thanks, Jason. Wish I had a fun story but my day started with a 5am call time...
  5. Definitley influenced by Lyle Lovett :P .
  6. I can vouch for Super8Arena. I bought a Nizo from them about a year ago on ebay, had a minor problem with the time lapse function. Sent it back and received a replacement very efficiently.
  7. *Potential Spoiler* Jonathan re: the ending here are my thoughts: If Daniel Plainview is the embodiment of the thematic elements of the screenplay and Eli Sunday is the equal but opposite, then what other logical conclusion can there be? Did Daniel Plainview's behavior up to that point lead me to believe he was capable of that action, indeed, capable of nothing less? ------------------------------------------------- *End spoiler alert* It was a tough ending. It stayed with me. But nothing in the film allowed for comfort, the sound design and score cued us in to that pretty quickly as did the opening sequence. If you weren't comfortable with the ending (as I think most people weren't) ask yourself if you were dissatisfied by it? What would have been a more truthful ending? As I know you're well aware, good art asks questions in indirect ways.
  8. I'm no gaffer but what are we going to put in our tungsten production lights?
  9. Funny, just watched this a couple times over the weekend. The commentary is very detailed, perhaps you can reference that and the films it borrows from? Obvious influences are anything in the Spike Lee catalogue as well as Scorcese's "Mean Streets". Jodie Foster does a lengthy introduction on the Criterion disc where she drops a lot of film references. I'm sure you can get some mileage out of that. Post that report when you're done.
  10. Well done, I really enjoyed it. I'm sure the client was ecstatic.
  11. It's probably a pain in the neck but like so many people post lens comparison tests on this sight and others, would someone like to post a comparison of the HVX's 720P performance next to it's 1080i? Would you be able to see the difference on an LCD monitor? Maybe it could be posted in HD on Vimeo.com? I know I'd be interested in a side by side comparison, seems there's so much conjecture.
  12. Yes, the DJ Shadow music video. Very familiar...Mike?
  13. I disagree on moral grounds...
  14. Can you shoot your 2k into beadboard/showcard and use flags/nets to control the spill? Don't underestimate the importance of your grip package, this will go far in controlling your lights. Another great unit is Mole Richardson's 2K zip. You can also shoot through lite board (flexible flame retardent material manufactured in the UK, available in LA at Leonetti). There's a lot of ways to create soft light sources, heck, I've bounced 1k's off movie screens in conference rooms. Everyone's used a ceiling bounce.
  15. I shoot with the std def version of the XDcam. My favorite frame rate is 30psf. The 24p stuff looks too staccato to me, in other words it feels like an exagerrated effect.
  16. My 6008 rebuild took about 2 months door to door with Bjorn in Sweden, My R16 took about the same time with Super16, Inc and my 5008 took about 6 months with IJM here in LA.
  17. Thin vs. thick is only applicable when shooting std def modes. Regardless of what menu item is selected the camera is always on "thin" in high def (720 or 1080). 400asa? That sounds a little optimistic to me so make sure to take some field measurements before you make that assumption. My main concern would be detail settings and black levels. Where are you going for the film out?
  18. I'll second that. Happy holidays everybody. Let's have a great '08. Peace,
  19. I applaud those lucky few who make it. As long as I continue working with creative people and continue learning, I'm satisfied. I think it's important to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses and know whether or not you can overcome them. These can be technical, creative or personal challenges. If you know your voice as an artist and play to that you'll attract like-minded people. This may not land you the multitude of gigs like some of the working men and women on this site but it may give you entry into a niche market that you enjoy. Like Annie, I ran a little headlong into this as well in the beginning and have learned a little more patience and exploration have been more rewarding over the long run.
  20. Living or dead? It's such a great question to wonder about. Here's a few: Bob Elswit Bill Pope Harris Savides Michael Ballhaus Lance Accord Roger Deakins Theo van de Sande Jan DeBont Tak Fujimoto John Schwartzman Robert Yeoman Christopher Doyle Vilmos Zsigmond Macgregor Then there's: Gilbert Taylor Conrad Hall Jordan Cronenweth Ernest Haller Geoffrey Unsworth James Wong Howe John Alcott Jean Yves Escoffier Arthur Edeson Gordan Willis
  21. I'm sure they quickly realized they had the right guy for the job. Looking forward to some screen grabs ; )
  22. Be aware that a lot of people are having an audio issue using the 16G cards in slot 1. The workaround is to simply use slot 2. This is only with the 16G cards.
  23. Just caught it at The Landmark. Congrats, Eric on a great job. I'd love to have an animated credit like that some day.
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