Tom Doolittle

Thanks Tim. Got one already. Works in most cases but I find that it opens too wide. To keep side light out of the lens, I still use flags. I just thought a deeper matte box would serve as a better sunshade, but have not seen an affordable one that will accomodate the 77mm dia. front of my Angenieux. -Tom

"Use B&H Camera Oil of course. Since B&H is defunct I imagine that any 20-30 weight non-detergent or turbine oil would suffice." I've been using sewing machine oil for some time now in mine. It runs smoothly, but I have noticed a few drops of oil on the foam liner of my case. Could be too much, or too low viscosity, but seems to work in any case. I think it would be hard to damage this camera with too much oil. Just don't get dirt in it or let it run dry. -Tom

Hey folks Slightly off topic, but while we're on the subject of the 16S matte box, has anyone ever had much success fitting a larger matte box to this camera? Something that would accomodate a larger lens, for example. I currently have a zoom lens on my 16S and would like to keep stray light off the front element without having to use tape and cardboard flags. Tom

Brian, Don't know much about your NPR or sync motor setup, but my experience has shown modern DAT recorders to be the way to go. I'll assume you can find one that is compatible with your crystal sync motor, and then it should be as simple as plug and play. Your camera motor will keep the recorder in sync. You're going to need a marker of some sort, since your camera won't record any sync marks on the film for you. The traditional clapper works great for this. Just make sure both camera and recorder are running and call out shot/take numbers so you can hear them later on the audio track and line it up with the clapper on film. The audio files from a digital recorder will dump right into most basic editing packages, and is easy to manipulate. The important thing, especially if you have lots of coverage that all looks/sound similar, is to keep track of which sound file goes with which take, and that has to happen every time the camera rolls. Beyond that, I know little. Hope it helps

Not a bad idea, really. A "collective of shooters" would certainly help those looking to run a few rolls of film through their cameras every now and then, and would keep costs reasonable. Despite the professional intent of this forum and others, I suspect a significant number of posters and regular visitors do not work in the film business, but nonetheless have a deep interest in the subject. I certainly don't earn any money shooting 16mm film, nor do I expect to in the future. Cinematography is "just" a creative outlet for me, one I would like to pursue on a deeper level, but find myself limited not necessarily by equipment and money (although those are certainly factors) but also by lack of real world contacts with whom I might collaborate (sharing time, talent, equipment, and cost) on a singular project. Personally, I'm not interested in shooting vacation film or family holidays- that's what video is for. I want to make narrative films, but: a) Have limited equipment; B) Don't know many people who share my passion for filmmaking; c) Am a working professional who doesn't have the time to visit local film schools in hopes of drumming up contacts, and frankly am not terribly interested in working with students anyway. My point being, given the apparently vast number of visitors to sites such as this one, and the rate at which older, decidedly non-professional cameras trade hands on eBay, I can only assume that there are a hefty number of "armchair" cinematographers and camera nuts out there, a percentage of whom would probably like to participate in some actual production work, if only for the sheer joy of it. One fellow might own a decent camera, while another has a good set of lights and a sister who likes to act. A third person comes along and can contribute writing skills and a tripod. Sooner or later, you've taken a bunch of people who would otherwise be shooting 100' rolls of their trip to Disneyland and turned them into a production company with some potential. They probably won't be making the next Sundance surprise hit, and they surely won't be turning a profit, but they will be having fun, and that's what counts in the end. If someone provided a place (online, ironically) for these folks to meet and form those intial connections, I have little doubt that it would ultimately result in the formation of production companies that would not have existed otherwise, film stock that would not have been sold, cameras that would have remained in closets, actors undiscovered, scripts unwritten, films not made. By nature, filmmaking requires collaboration. I suppose you could lock the camera off, flip the run switch and jump in front of it to act, but come on- that's only going to satisfy you for so long, and trust me, you feel pretty silly doing it :) .

Looking back at 2005, I realize I have spent waaayyy too much time thinking about shooting film and not enough time actually doing it. I suspect that, like me, there are plenty of other wannabes out there with real jobs and far more important things to do than run around burning up 16mm film at $20 a minute, but for some reason can't get let go of the dream. I imagine these folks, like me, would jump at the opportunity to partner with people similarly afflicted with the movie-making bug, but being busy with wife and kid and job, don't have the time to lounge around coffee shops and film schools hoping to meet people with whom they might work. And so, I was hoping to open some discussion between such people; discussion that might ultimately lead to collaborative efforts (for myself and for others), instead of another year of day-dreaming, wasting time on the internet, and making dumb short films starring my dog. :) If nothing else, could someone at least direct me to a more appropriate forum for such a discussion? Tom Doolittle

Oops, try that again... I recently purchased an Ang. 10-150 zoom for my Arri S. I am a little concerned about hanging this lens off the front of the camera, given the relative instability of the turret. The obvious answer is to use a bridgeplate/lens support system, but it occured to me that I have never actually seen an Arri S with one of these. I was hoping to mount the camera to a moving vehicle (and use the zoom function in the same shot). Should I be worried about dynamic forces pulling my mount out of whack? Is there an affordable generic bridgeplate that I can use? Should I bother to design/build one myself? So many questions... B)

Howdy,