[Dan Brockett]

Hey Damon:

I agree, it’s been done to death, just rent the top 20 “80’s” movies and you will see this gag over and over.

That said, I am a huge Chris Guest fan, Spinal Tap, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, etc. I thought he had the mockumentary thing all sewed up, every other mockumentary that I saw basically paled in comparison to these masterpieces.

Then I saw Michael Winterbottom’s Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and lo and behold, someone else had a very fresh, original take on the mockumentary format. My point is, if you can take that tired “locked out of your room wearing just a towel” concept and give it a fresh, alternative spin and make me really laugh or think, I will call you a freaking genius and will talk you up all over the web.

It’s true, almost everything has been done, we work in an art form/medium that has been putting out entertainment for well over 100 years but quality is rare and a new vantage point on old ideas is still new.

Get my meaning, it’s just like music, how many true originals and innovators are there out there? Not very many. In a very loose sense, Woody Guthrie begat Bob Dylan begat Tom Petty, etc. They is a connecting thread there, but each took what the other did to the next level and ended up original. Not saying they are each directly connected but each is a writer/singer/performer with a similar POV in a way.

Good luck – dazzle us!

Dan

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[Dan Brockett]

Hi:

Kona 3 has analog Y/C, composite and component video output when combined with the K3 breakout box (a must by accessory for $265.00)

What the K3 lacks is analog input. Most use something like the Aja i/O to integrate analog input with the K3.

Best,

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Hi guys:

Not sure of your definition of “pro” but I have two of the Mole Richardson 1,000 watt dimmers and they are good at about $110.00 ea. I recently purchased half a dozen of these router speed controllers from Harbor Freight for $12.00 ea. These router speed controllers are actually 1,500 watt dimmers and work better than the Mole Richardson “Pro” dimmers.

I am cheap and love a good bargain, these Harbor Freight dimmers are rated a best buy in my book.

Try one, they are cheap enough to try without much risk
https://da.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=router+speed+control&Submit=Go

Best,

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

To me, glamour is all about lighting and has very little to do with plug-ins. I usually will light with a prominent hair light to give a glow/halo to the edge of the talent, then use a usual soft key source but I will also fill in with a white card/flex fill on the ground with a 650 watt fresnel bounced into it from overhead to fill in underneath the chin and eye sockets.

Also the key should be very frontal, giving a soft, even glow to the face. An eyelight helps. As far as filters, anything that simulates a black or white pro mist, or better yet, you can actually shoot with the filter on the camera although then you are stuck with that one look.

I suppose if you want to get cheesy, a star filter would look glamourous?

If the video was lit moody with a lot of shadows or if it was badly lit, forget about it, you will never make it look glamourous no matter how you post process it.

Best,

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

1. What type of monitors do you run? I was considering a single 23″ Apple monitor as opposed to the two 17 inch Dell monitors I’m used to on my PC system – but I’m not sure if I should get two 20 inch monitors or a single 30 inch monitor.
I am running the Dell 2405FPW 24″ LCD as my main monitor and I have a 20″ Apple Cinema Display as my secondary monitor. If you split the secondary monitor between FCP’s browser and the Kona control panel, that seems to work very well. I like having dual monitors over a single but you can get by with a single 24-30″, if need be. Two monitors are more fun though, you have acres of room.

2. I am looking at a BlackMagic MultiBridge Pro box, but am intrigued by your endorsement of the Kona 3. I’ll be shooting everything on the JVC GY-HD110U and do very little in the way of conversion.
I almost bought the MultiBridge Pro too, The Kona 3 runs about the same. The selling point for me was the Kona 3’s upconversion feature. If you do docs, I can’t imagine too many projects where you shoot everything in a single format, don’t you always have archival NTSC/PAL material that must be used in an HD project? Anyway, we do, it happens all of the time with our projects.

Blackmagic is a great product, it’s just that the Aja product fit mt situation better. The interface is very intuitive and if you combine the Kona 3 with the K3 breakout box and an Aja i/O, you pretty much can handle any editing task known to man. I like how the Aja interfaces with FCP and I like the real time TC overlay that the Kona TV utility lets you put on. It’s everything I had hoped it would be, simple, easy to use and very intuitive. When you deal with all of the flavors of HD, NTSC, PAL and HDV of all flavors plus need the future proofing capability of using the Genesis and HDCAM SR 4:4:4, the Aja is a GREAT product.

3. Do you use any of the hard disk recorders that record directly from the camera?
Just my G4 Powerbook with a little 100GB notebook drive. We are eagerly anticipating the Cineporter if it ever ships, I am beginning to have my doubts. The FS-100 looks interesting but I have heard too many horror stories to trust one on my projects at this point.

Thanks for any feedback. Much appreciated.”
Best of luck. FCP with either the Blackmagic or the Aja is a great tool.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Hiya:

I recently set up two on-line bays with the Aja Kona 3. We have been extremely satisfied with the Kona 3, it is easy to use and works like a charm. The BMD products are good but tech support from the Pacific Rim where their offices are located (can’t recall, Singapore or Australia?) can be challenging because of the time difference.

Plus the Aja does the HD upconversion, which to us, saved us thousands over having to buy a Teranex or something like it. Love it!

Aja’s tech support is truly excellent.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Hi Gary:

I thought just hitting “set” in the menu hierarchy did it??

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Hi guys:

we have between 3-5 of these decks (rental) in our place most weeks. I have ran into two of them where I would switch the I/O to 1394 and nothing would show up. It took resetting the master menu list both times, then all was well. There are a lot of other menu items that can effect things in ways you would never guess so when in doubt, do a factory reset.

Also, these decks seem particularly susceptible to head clogs, always have a head cleaning tape handy when you shoot with these decks.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Hi:

I agree with John, either could be the right instrument for you, but you have to accept each instruments limitations. Interestingly, I was on the set of a hot new ABC TV show less than ten hours ago and besides the large cylindrical space lights that lit the whole stage, they were using a Diva 400 as a key for a few scenes in addition to a Kino 4×4 as a larger, softer fill. They had a sheet of 216 clipped to the Diva and the 4×4 was punched through a large sheet of Opal Frost.

Both are good instruments, they are just different. For me, if I was shooting small narrative scenes with a small crew and moving a lot and doing a lot of setups, I would lean toward the Diva. If I had a larger crew and fewer setups, a couple of 4x4s would be nice. Another option, get both a Diva 400 and a Diva 200. The 2000 makes a nice fill source when matched with the 400.

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs

[Dan Brockett]

Hi:

I would contact Kino Flo directly. Are you under warranty? Somethings not right. I would also try two different daylight bulbs in place of the ones that won’t light up.

Best,

Dan

Providing value added material to all of your favorite DVDs