[Rick Wise]

Thanks very much, Peter. The second link is especially helpful.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Chuck, thanks for the update and the pictures. I agree that price does not always mean the best for the job. Thanks again.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

My huge typo: Bruno’s last name is Quinquet, not Quintet. Think of it as a musicl slip.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

There have been a great many posts here on this topic. It sounds like what you have is working for now. For $1,000 you will not be able to add much. Areas to consider: LED lights; fluorescent types such as Kinoflos, etc; HMIs; tungsten. Do some homework. Search this forum by topic. Go to BHPHotovideo.com and look there.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Chuck,

Thanks so much for all the detailed links. (But i think you put up the wrong link for a picture of your rig. That link takes one to a “frame your art” page.) Did you decide on the Cavision viewfinder of the Zacuto because you like it better or because of price?

Rick

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Robbie,

Thanks for the news. About the Zacuto support systems: they don’t look very comfortable. They look as if you end up with considerable weight on your arms. Good to hear that’s not the case.

As for which camera, I am guessing the 7D is generally better than the Panasonic and not that much more expensive. However, the one huge advantage of the G1 is the flip out LCD viewer. That makes it possible to put the camera very low or very high and still see what you are doing.

I would love to see a shoot out between these three cameras and something like the Sony EX1 or 3, or one of the Panasonic HD prosumer video cameras. I image someone will do that eventually.

I see that Canon is coming out with a full 35mm size HDSLR soon, for a mere $5,000 or so for the body. Who needs a budget?

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

You could offer the narrator a percentage of the gross.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

From 1972 to 1985 I owned a CP-R, and loved it. As far as I know, the only way to mount primes on this camera is with an adapter. I had an adapter for Nikon lenses that hooked into the CP mount. But for PL lenses I am almost certain you need to convert the camera’s CP-mount to a PL-mount. There are probably still shops that can do that conversion. Google for them.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

[Sascha Engel] “An EX3 is so much more expansive in rent/buying – will it be worth the difference?”

That’s a call only you can make. The DVX 100b was, I think, the top of the line of prosumer SD video. You write you have the DVX100 so I am guessing you do not have a model A or B, which had significant upgrades. Still, an excellent SD camera.

An HDV camera such as the EX1 or 3 or one of the Panasonic P2 cameras will produce significantly better images — more visual information, smoother gradations from pure white to pure black, more exposure range, etc. It’s your money.

If this is your first time out with such a project, maybe the place to put the money is with sound: hire a good sound person who knows well how to use and place a good mic on a boom and who can also finesse radio mics. As Richard noted, good audio is essential to a dialogue-intensive project.

And then you can concentrate on the actors’ performances. How good your script is, and how well the actors perform, and how cleanly we understand their words trump any visual fine tuning. And I say that as a lifelong director of photography.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com

[Rick Wise]

Ben,

An eye light is any light that puts a sparkle of light in the subject’s eyes. I like to use a cheap, old fashioned “Flood Light” such as this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/48743-REG/Smith_Victor_401002_A8UL_Adapta_Light_250_Watt.html. Get the plastic diffusion screen (see “accessories”), a couple of ECA (tungsten balanced) and BCE (daylight balanced) 250 w. light bulbs. Add a mini-Cardelinni clamp (https://www.cardelliniclamp.com/mini_cardellini_clamps) for $52. Then splice in an in-line household dimmer and you are set. Dim the light up/down to taste. Remember, when you dim down a light, the color temperature becomes warmer, but a tiny bit of warm fill almost never hurts. All you are going for is that twinkle of light in the eyes, though with this unit, you sometimes end up using it as a soft fill as well.

The major drawback to the above is it is large. It may be the LED light you were considering would work fine too, especially with a piece of opal taped to the face, and perhaps some gels to balance the Kelvin temp. and also 1/4 plus and 1/4 minus greens to deal with fluorescents.

Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com