[Frank Otto]

I have to agree with Charlie. Backing up to data discs, baking up to tape readers for data will keep your digital data in the digital domain…keeping archival masters of rendered footage on mag tape or DVD will at least preserve a copy of the work.

I know, we went through this rush to eliminate tape and hard archives, but guess what? We’re finding out that magnetic discs aren’t that forever and it’s a lot easier to dump a drive than it is to bulk a mag tape. I’ve never heard of a virus or a “ghost in the machine” that put a secured tape into record mode or blanked it after one playback pass.

Discs are great for access…lousy for long-term storage and security. That means mag tape and CDr-DVD backups – and storage libraries should be in your plans.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

LPFM isn’t the outlet that LPTV is. LPFM was designed for local, neighborhood broadcasts, primarilly for community factions that felt they couldn’t get access to commercial outlets. It was never ment to be a revnue generator. Some communities use them for council meeting notes, block warden alerts, traffic and safety issues and the like.

The limited range (even with a high antenna) is a major detriment to getting out anything more than a message to the neighborhood.

LPFM transmitters are easy to come by. A world of mil surplus radios – detuned to broadcast FM frequencies – are just some of the options. Specific low power FM transmitters are also easy to come by, many are just public service repeaters, again, retuned and in many cases attenuated in the final output.

I beleive we have two in the greater Las Vegas area – one at a community college campus for traffic and safety information and one in a lower income urban area for discussion of neighborhood issues.

As far as support, the best you can hope for is a trade-out with a local pizza guy.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

[Leo Ticheli] “The prettiest compositions almost always include a window, if not a wall of them. At least that’s my preference.”

And that was my arguement that you can pick your background…if you don’t have the gear to light it then you pick another. The suits rarely give the in-house guys an assignment that calls for really pretty pics…as I said they’ll call in guys like you or me to do that work – the in-house guys get the basic stuff. It’s not a question of skill, it’s a issue of perception – many times the suits have the perception of more gear = more professional.

We strive to make our pictures look as good as possible – Charlie King, my partner here and myself came out of broadcast and commercial work. We also know that we’re the “in-house guys” and as such, regardless of the Emmys, Clios and Addys we have earned, the corporate managers will always make the statement about bringing in “the pros” when they shoot our national spots – even though Charlie produced most of the campaigns seen across the country for the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority for over a decade. Its still the “perception” that in-house isn’t as good as the $10k a day agency. But boy, they sure scream about how high our salaries are!

RE: Kino’s vs others…[Leo Ticheli] “I’d almost rather retire than go back to the bad old days!”

I agree with you there…I spent more than a few years hauling 4ot. and carbon arc Brutes – don’t ever want to to that again!

We so rarely need a daylight source (and yes we have LOTS of windows in casinos – and outdoor features and ammenities and CEO’s who demand a skyline shot for every speech or interview) because we set our shoot up to avoid the glass whenever possible. If I need daylight, I’ll rent, but generally when we rent we’re talking 2.5k or bigger HMI’s – the Kinos just don’t have the punch for those situations – and those are about all we have the need for. (I still want a Biax for the interior work…)

But your milage may vary.

The Arri kits are probably the best “starter” kits on the market. You get the basic tool and the accessories that will get you through 75% of the work you do in-house. Get more skills, add more gear, do better work – the cycle continues. Then comes the day that you’re ready to do the independent thing and stake your rep on your work…not just collect a paycheck.

As always, buy what you can afford, work with what you have, find alternatives to what you need. It makes your cinematographer’s brain much bigger when you have more of a challenge that just grabbing a 12×12 overhead and a few HMI’s off the truck. Or as the Jefferson Airplane put it…”Feed your head.”

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

Hi, Leo:

I must respectfully disagree back at ya…

I don’t think Marcelo is looking at Hollywood…from my take on his post I’m guessing that its mostly head shots and product/training in your standard office/classroom…(assumption). I know a majority of that work isn’t going to require a lot of “daylight”, especially if the daylight is for “art”, i.e. the CEO shot in front of the window or the need to show the “campus”.

I don’t remember doing a lot of night anything for the corporate work I’ve done…most of the suits are 8-to-4 and gone and the management/training staff is usually dayside as well. And product/training is again usually in the “classroom” with the gacky overhead flos and r-lamps. So I feel confident that, given the budget constraints, the Arri kit may be the best choice.

Arri has a wider array of kit combinations, but still, as you’ve pointed out, the kits aren’t the end all as far as being able to mix and match…another problem the maufactuers might address some day; the kit cases are mostly the same, why can’t they develop a lot price and order what you want?

I’ve had this conversation with the Parkers @ Mole a few times over the years…If Mole would build a kit that included the Biax, a pair of Betweenies and a Tweenie and bring it in for $2400.00, they’d smackdown the Arri competition. They still haven’t escaped the “studio” era and their kits still show that.

You are right, however, when you say that Kino-Flo has changed the world. It is better from a “green” standpoint…and the soft look is obtainable with one fixture without a bunch of attachments and bulk.

The price is still out of the range of most industrial and corporate users. Most beancounters balk at the price for one light fixture…without lamps and a stand. I’ve been trying for two years to get just one Biax, but the beancounters here ( at the LARGEST gaming corporation in the known universe – look under “more money than God”, for an explaination of their income levels), they make the same point, especially when they see that a tungsten unit costs half that.

And I’ve tried the “educate” approach..it generally results in a P&L discussion and believe me, in corporate America, unless you’re a profit maker, then it’s a write down and the cheaper gear is what they’ll buy, everytime.

Yes, it’s different in your shoes…you (as I was – this is my semi-retirement gig) are “the pro from Dover” and the go-to guy when corporate image or sales are on the line…not “how to imput the 362J from a miltimode server”. In the “in-house” world, if it costs more than your staff’s hourly then many times it isn’t done.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

I suppose if you have a few years of experience and have collected a few years worth of equipment that the “no kit” option would be best. And I’d love to have a Diva or two to replace my 1k Chimeras – but I don’t set my budgets.

But let’s talk what’s in a kit…

Stands, scrims, barndoors, lamp packs, etc. And the lamp heads themselves.

What’s a Diva run now? $800 and shipping…plus stand so you’re up to $1K.

Add say, an Arri fresenel. $350 for the 650 plus 70 bucks for the barn doors, another 40 for the scrims…you’re up to 460…not including shipping. And a stand – that’s another $90.00 – so the light, by itself is just shy of 600.00

Now you’ve spent $1600.00 and you’ve got two lights.

Add in the 300w – with everything say another $500.00. That takes the total for three lights, stands, scrims and barn doors to over $2000.00…and yet there’s more – lamps!

For the Kino, that’s two sets – one tungsten and one daylight – 10 lights (two spare) 250.00. The tungsten fresnels figure @22.00 each so with spares you’re near 100.00 more.

Total is aproaching $2400.00 and we still don’t have stingers or a case. Nor have we added in the time and effort to research, purchase, assemble our “cheaper custom kit”. It’s going to run about 3g’s by the time we’re done…did I mention diffusion and C-47’s and….

You’re not saving anything…especially enough to put towards a “pro” gaffer to come in for a day to show you what to do.

Compare that total with the Arri D-4 kit…which includes a 650 with soft box, a 300w plus a pair of additional 150w lights…pre cased and “good to go”, for about $2200.00, minus the agrevation of a neophyte having to shop around. All that’s left is a few stingers…14-2 25′ ac is about 9.00 bucks each so at most say total final price for it all is $ 2270.00, including shipping.

Buy the kit…as you progress you’ll add and subtract as you need. Trust me, in thirty years you’ll end up with a 5ton grip truck’s worth of gear anyway.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

I’m using an Arri Soft IV kit (a 1k w/soft box, 1-650 fresnel, 1 300 fresnel and a pair of 150 fresnels)…the only thing I’ve added is a Source Four PAR56 with a Chimera box for a second 1k soft or when I need the 1k fresnel for more directional punch.

This kit is used to produce material for the in-room marketing, human resources training and Jumbotron material for a major Las Vegas Strip resort/casino. Occasionally I augment the kit with a few HMI’s when we’re outdoors (rarely) and I do have other lighting control equipment – cutters, flags, silks and the like as part of our production facility.

I found it to be the most bang for the buck kit…other may have different use/needs..but this kit gets me through commercials, food product shots, retail product shots, marketing shoots, high-key training video and the occasional press conferance set up.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

[rich rosen] “What an education watching that much of my own stuff.”

Brother, you ain’t kidding.

I spent ten years as a “union” shooter in the days when one man = one job. It wasn’t until I started working freelance and for non-union shops that I finally had to confront the issue of making 3:30 out of 1:05 worth of shots.

And all you can do is curse yourself…

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

Begin .02…long .02

As long time readers may know…I’m a strong proponent of DIY lighting. The cost savings in the initial purchase compared to a “brand” light kit is enourmous. The catch is always in what you add to shape and form the light…in the end, you’re still going to have to use cutters and gels and diffusion and ultimately an attempt at a home made softbox you read about in AC. I have modified these lights in the past to accept Lowell accessories…the Tota series of gel holders and parts can, with little work, be mounted to the 500w work lights.

The thing about the 500w “safety-work” light is that they’re dependable, rugged, have a stand and the lamps are cheap to replace. They’re also very adaptable as long as you have a modicum of intellect and skill with tools. The biggest issue is one of sophistication – you’re limited to 300, 500 and 1k watt sources and they’re all broads, or pan type lights – must use doors, cutters and the like to control and have no way of changing focus.

John brings up a most valid point…Lowell was designed for the first time user and comes with many of the bells and whistles in the kit as are needed for control of the light. HOWEVER, Lowell hasn’t made any advances in the safety and ergonomics since 1968…they get hot, they burn hands, clothing and sets, they suffer extreme wear early on (the DP is the WORST unit ever made, followed by the Omni-lite as far as falling apart). I’ve always said it’s like a Fiat…buy two ’cause you’ll need the other for parts and spares.

Lowell kits are in the low end of the price range to be sure…some under a thousand bucks…but the majority of the kits you’ll find useful are in the $1100-to-$1900 range. For that money, you can buy an Arri kit (used are cheaper) or an Altman (sort of an Arri style of kit) or a basic Mole kit. I still have one personal Mole kit that I’ve kept intact for nearly thirty years and it has seen major use world-wide – some of the paint has chipped and doors have been bent back into shape from time to time, but I’ve never had to replace a fried socket or chip out a lamp or replace a cable or switch(as I have on every Lowell I’ve owned).

It’s not “old school” to be safe and to use instruments that are not going to burn you, talent or the set. Kits do give you an advantage of having the tools at your disposal to shape the light without having to modify the light housing. They also have the advantage of looking more professsional…but then again, your standard man-on-the-street is still asking you “are you shooting a movie?”…so in reality, we’re only looking professional for each other. And I agree with Rich in that you absolutley need to experiment with low cost equipment in order to arrive at what John refers to the “elegant solution” or to even understand what the elegant solution is. As you grow, you’ll gravitate to the more “professional” gear.

John and Leo also make a vaild point about hiring lighting pros, especially when your rep as a shooter is on the line. If you’re a relatively inexperienced shooter who just got a lucrative gig, it’s really in your best interests to hire outside skills (and pick their brain)for your shoot. For those of us who started with homemade “coffee can” pars and worklights (talking about those “droplight” types…yup, really dates me) we learned by burn and error and watched and observed all the pros we’ve come in contact with until we felt secure in going with the big guns ourselves.

But the real thrust of lighting isn’t the instrument…it’s the eye…if you don’t see the possibilities in your vision, then a 20 ton grip truck with all the latest gear won’t help. It’s still a world of dark and light, bright and shadow and we use light to paint a 3d image on our 2d screens. My most memorable images were shot in a room with no power, one window in the room and a subject and story that was compelling.

And as an aside, I’m still learning. In over thirty years in lighting I’ve used everything from a bare bulb to a Silver Bullet…but I’m still weak with Kino-Flo types and I’ve not had the need to use many of the hardcore gaffer and grip devices like meat-axes, plates, offset arms and trombones. Now I’m using almost exclusively Arri and Mole lights…I still have a few homemade units – they are machined and professionally designed – but still homemade.

end .02

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

Given that Charlie was a demo rep for Grass Valley and still has a HUGE love affair with their gear…I think he wants to work for you based on the toys in your sandbox….

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Frank Otto]

[tony salgado] “support from your wife or girlfriend even MOM “

Tony:

Have you ever done a trick as a local news shooter?

Let’s see…

MOM is usually 200 to 1200 miles away…the wife generally is a second income earner (or even primary since they still pay news photogs about $12.00 an hour)so they’re loath to make you a dinner, much less a bag lunch, and if your single, you’re generally between relationships as the job pretty much keeps you from developing any.

I went with your advise for a bit when I was a news shooter…by the 7th hour when you haven’t had a break all day and you finally get to a meal I found that I had a bunch of car-baked sack lunches that really wern’t all that worth eating. Even tried MRE’s for awhile…

Sure you can do all the wonderful things you espouse…and in fact, whenever possible, you probably should.

There are days (sometimes months) however…

Cheers,

Frank Otto