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Chasing imaginary arrows....


RobVanGelder

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Here are some pictures from a shooting I did last week. It´s a kind of magic, cartoon style action movie. With arrows that can avoid trees and act like those american pathfinder missiles.

Only, we can not see them, they will be CGI'ed later.

 

Shooting on Varicam, with an Angenieux converter and Ultraprimes.

I really dislike this combination. The lens is so far out that any correction on the gimbal becomes a track or lift movement at the same time.

 

Together with the extreme "anamorfic " format that they wanted it is really difficult to keep a good headroom and watch the sides of the frame as well.

It´s very easy to overshoot any correction.

 

I don´t really understand the whole reason behind letterboxing 16:9 into an even smaller screen, specially as this movie has to be transferred to film.

Basically they use even less than an SD-image (in vertical resolution) to blow up to 35!

I´m afraid for the outcome...

Look at my screen for the aspect ratio.

 

We also some shot 8 fps, to make a similar shot as the chase-scene from Luke Skywalker, only I had just 15 minutes to make this shot. "We'll fix it in post...."

 

Another nasty side-effect from the Angenieux adapter is that you have to make your (circle) movements much larger, e.g. physically you have gone past a certain set element or actor for a long time before you actually can get it in shot, it really messes up my idea of timing action and camera movement.

 

But all together it was a good day in the woods! :)

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I don´t really understand the whole reason behind letterboxing 16:9 into an even smaller screen, specially as this movie has to be transferred to film.

Basically they use even less than an SD-image (in vertical resolution) to blow up to 35!

I´m afraid for the outcome...

 

That sounds crazy, did they have a good reason for this ?

 

matt

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Seems like it would make a lot more sense to use a PS Technik Pro 35 to PL mount so you could use actual anamorphic lenses. Then you'd use all the vertical pixels.

also this would have the advantage of placing the end of the prime lens closer to center and increasing the lens sharpness. (primes)

 

Sometimes the decisions made before one comes to work are so strange!

 

Do you have any trouble with the Preston motors catching on the saran wrap over the lens? Is that to protect from moisture?

 

Still wide screen no matter how formatted is challenging work. kThat little band aid of an image! Hope you are having fun out in the warm jungle, was out skiing today, very cold n nasty here.

 

TJ

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Hey there...

Just got back from the north of Sweden...24 Celsius below zero...pretty F***ing cold!

 

Sorry for straying from the topic, but i was curious about the little box on top of the monitor? is it a tally box or frameline maybe?

 

Oh and by the way Rob have you moved down there for good? seems like you've been there for a while.

 

All the best-

 

Sebastian Jewell

Stockholm,Sweden.

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According to the DP on this project the result when transferred looks fine, but I have a feeling it´s more like "not too bad, it´s acceptable"

 

Being in Thailand gives us some limitations concerning equipment. Basically everything is here, only very special items, and that PS Pro adaptor is one of them, have to come from another country, like Singapore or Hong Kong.

Thailand has a lot of productions but mostly low budget, when compared to US or Euro standards. That is reflected in the choice of equipment.

 

Also, I doubt if I would be more happy with anamorfic lenses. Those are heavy AND you need another box to desqueeze the video image. That means 2 convertors on the sled, no thanks. One AJA gives enough delay already!

 

The saran wrap was against the rain, we just had a tropical storm passing through Thailand and it was not cold but very wet all day. No problem for the equipment and the preston motors. The main problem with the Preston is that the motors are so strong and with those long support bars (fiberglass) there is so much flex that the gears disengage if the motor is not taped towards the lens. But that was easy to solve.

 

Sebastian, that little box is my electronic level that I made some years ago with the level-board from my old IIIa.

I like re-using and altering equipment.

 

As for me staying here, I am not sure yet. Next year must prove if that is possible and profitable, untill now it has been slow, due to the tough Thai competition that can and will undercut any reasonable quote.

But I like it here a lot, not in the least because of my girlfriend :) :)

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Rob,

 

I notice you have two options of height on your gimbal post. do you have all three (low as well... out of shot on photo) set up all the time? very good idea.

 

do you not knock the back of the camera when boomed downwards with your higher post bit?

 

your gimbal post adaptor ... is it of the thai machined variety (not anodised) .... can i buy one off of ya?

 

I ve been using the baer-bell arm a little recently .... amazingly lively! the bearings in the gimbal post seem to add loads of isolation from fat man waddle to camera....

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Hi Thomas,

 

The extension I have there is is not much more than a full aluminium rod, about 20 cm long with a hole (16mm) on on side and a stainless steel stud for the gimbal on the other. Home made in Amsterdam.

 

It gives me a lot of clearance for the camera, in high and low mode and I can give an angle to the gimbal compared to the arm which is often very helpfull.

 

I don´t need a third low mode post because I can fix the stainless steel stud in the gimbal recepticle, turn the handle upside down et voilà, another 15 to 20 cm lower. But I rarely need that. Only with really low low mode.

 

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