"Cinematography Tour in New York"

alvaro cortes · July 11, 2004

Hi guys, I spent some time in NY in 1998 (a long time ago...like Lucas says) and I need some "city guide" for a friend of mine that go next week to the Big Apple (for 10 days). He wants to go to every place that a cinematographer have to know. I told him about CSC, Panavision, Du Art, Kodak in Rochester (Anybody know how to go???).

Please, he has been commissioned by me to get "all" the information and free stuff about ALL (we are a little far from you and we don't have the kind of access that a cinematographer love to have).

Please, if anybody can help me about this, I really appreciate it, guys,

Best regards to you, from this far (but Beautiful) place,

alvaro cortes

santiago de Chile

CHILE

South america

PD.: I saw las week "Northfork" (in a DVD illegal, but in good shape (sorry David...My only option) and I really love the "mood" of the film, and the beautiful compositions, like my students (I told them that the main cinematographer ia a kind of guru to us, and now, is an ASC member ...something more to wish??? , so Tell to David that even in Chile there's people that love his work...

David Mullen ASC · July 12, 2004

Thanks for seeing the movie!

All those companies will be happy to sit down and talk to your friend, just call in advance. I'd probably first go to Kodak in NYC and then arrange a trip to Rochester (probably by train?) to visit Kodak there. I'd like to go myself someday...

He might also visit the places doing digital intermediate work in NYC. And if he's interested in digital, he can visit the video rental companies and perhaps the Sony offices in New Jersey, I believe.

It's touristy, but he can also go to the movie museum in Astoria.

Mitch Gross · July 12, 2004

Every place that a Cinematographer has to know? That's dozens and dozens of facilities. New York is a pretty big town, and even though the industry here is far smaller than in LA, there are a lot of cinematography-related businesses here in town. There are labs (Technicolor, DuArt, The Lab at Moving Images and Lab-Link), camera rental houses (CSC, Panavision, TCS, Handheld, CPT, Abel Cine Tech, plus a few other for film, plus half a dozen other facilities for video gear such as Bexel, Plus-8 Digital, LVR, BVR Tamborelli and more), dozens of transfer facilities with everyting from old Ranks to new 4k Spirits and C-Reality machines, plus lighting & grip houses, video posting houses and even a few equipment manufacturers (Lowell Lighting is located in Brooklyn). Kodak has a nice office in midtown Manhattan he could visit--it's a long trip to Rochester (6+ hour drive). The oldest continuously operating studio space Kaufman-Astoria is in Queens and that's where the Musuem of the Moving Image is also located (yes it is touristy, but also holds nice seminars and screenings). There are films screened in NYC that are often unavailable elsewhere. The Film Society at Lincoln Center, the Film Forum, Anthology Film Archives are just some of the places to look. And of course for any DP there are a number of agencies in town for professional representation. There are a few publications with information and some have information available online. Check out the New York Production Guide (NYPG) or the NY411.

Hope this helps. I've lived here more than 15 years and am still discovering things of interest to cinematiographers.

John Pytlak RIP · July 12, 2004

If you want to tour the Kodak plant in Rochester, you really need to work with your local Kodak sales and technical representative. Generally tours have been available to organized groups of cinematographers, often associated with one of the national cinematographers organizations.

Even if you come to Rochester on your own, there's lots to see. Especially the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House:

http://www.geh.org

http://www.geh.org/technology.html

http://www.eastmanhouse.org/

It's about a six hour drive from New York City, and just another two hours to Niagara Falls. There's also a new "fast ferry" across Lake Ontario to Toronto, Canada that takes a little over two hours. Toronto has lots of production too, and is home to one of Deluxe's major release print labs.

http://www.thebreeze.com (Rochester-Toronto Fast Ferry)

alvaro cortes · July 12, 2004

Thanks to everybody...maybe 10 days is not enough...but the spirit is Great!!!

Congratulations again David, thanks Mitch and John.

alvaro cortes

Nathan Milford · July 16, 2004

Alvaro,

A lot of those places will give tours of thier facilities if you just call ahead. You can usually get some free swag like t-shirts and pens and what not. Some of the rental houses might sit you down and give you a once over with some of the cameras.

It's a bit outside Manhattan, but you could always swing by Abel Cine Tech! Although Staten Island is a bit of a journy, we'll be moving into lower Manhattan in a few months.

Mitch Gross · July 16, 2004

It's a bit outside Manhattan, but you could always swing by Abel Cine Tech! Although Staten Island is a bit of a journy, we'll be moving into lower Manhattan in a few months.

So it's true! I'd heard you guys were moving to Tribeca soon but I haven't had the chance to give a call to find out. Great news.