modifoo

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ASC member and DP for the long-running 24 series, Rodney Charters, gave a 20+ minute interview, showing off his RED One rig that he used to travel around the world.  Equipped with the Birger Canon mount (about 1.200$), he uses the Canon 16-35mm 2.8 (1.450$), the Canon 24-70mm 2.8 (1.190$) and the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 (1.190$; $1.700 with image stabilisation) lenses. From Sim Video he has a special handle (1.200$) that doubles as EVF and battery holder.

He also had some custom made handle bar system, that does not need any rods - thus shedding off a pound or two, and saving further space (sorry, no link).

The whole set fits into one smart looking bag (the Think Tank Airport Acceleration, about 200$) that can be taken onboard a plane.

The whole interview can be found on the excellent Reel Show.

Sam had some bad luck with his Canon 17-85mm lens, which retails for about 500 dollars. Rather than just throwing it away (or worse: selling it on eBay), he followed his inquisitive nature, and took the beast apart. Visit his post for more pictures.

Finally some details about the long awaited budget MMB-1 Matte Box and MFF-1 Follow Focus are emerging from Arri. While the former is geared mainly towards the HDV crowd, the MFF-1 could be very interesting for anyone looking for a quality follow focus. It features hard, adjustable stops - which are also great when you are doing both focus and operating at the same time - that way you can set your marks beforehand and off you go.

The MFF-1 has a gear that can be reversed in about 30 seconds. This is great when using still lenses, many of which focus in the other direction as traditional cine lenses.

The MMB-1 can be clipped on or attached to 15mm bars. Though nicely built, it has some limitations that will make it a no-no for anyone wanting to shoot more than just HDV - because of the design of many HDV cameras, Arri had to make the mattebox side-loadable. This is a nice safety feature, but many graduated filters will simply not work in the mattebox.

Bottom line

I am quite excited about the Follow focus, and am looking forward to trying one out myself. As to the mattebox; if you are on a budget, have a look at the offering from RedRock.

A good friend, who is both a programmer and dancer, sent me this well made french dance film from 1994, Le petit bal perdu. Love the feel of film (and can you spot the matte box?)

While working on some render jobs, I used the downtimes to do a little redesign of this blog. Hope you like it.

Let´s see who is first to guess all 4 cameras used in the header graphic?

There are a couple of grades in the cameraman’s world. Sometimes they get confused. If you look at some low, low budget films with a crew of 3, you will often find a “Director of Photography” in the endcredits. To help with finding out what your proper job title should be, here comes an alternative definition - with a slightly humorous angle.

Camera operator: You arrive on set with your eyes. A technician has already set up the camera.
Cameraman: All your gear fits in one or two bags. You do all the lugging. No assistants.
Lighting Cameraman: All your gear fits in the trunk of a station wagon. You help with lugging, with a good chance of you doing most of it. If you are lucky, you have one or two assistants.
Director of Photography: The gear takes up a couple of trucks, or at least a van. You arrive on set with only your light- and spotmeter. Assistants swarm around you.

Personally, I am at the lighting cameraman stage.