[Ryan Domis]

Thank you! it worked

how i fixed it:

1. Downloaded the Rebellion FCP maintenance pack ($139)

2. Trashed Preferences.

3. It still didn’t work automatically. What was different however was the fact that I was able to finally change my settings/preferences , save them and use them as such instead of it resetting to the previous preference. This was all due to the easy preference management that took care of it at one click of a button.

Thanks creative cow!

[Ryan Domis]

I guess I can only edit my posts…sometimes?

[Ryan Domis]

He was asking what the focal length of the lens was….18mm….25m….ok…I get.

This means that a camera or viewfinder must be set up in order to determine the focal length correctly….. Right? There was no camera or viewfinder on set at that moment. How could we have figured it out without it set up?

What I dont get….is…why my cinematographer did not reply or at least have input on the situation?

If we had the camera set up & turned on…then that could all easily be determined, couldn’t it?

How could it have been determined without a camera, viewfinder or measuring tape on set? The cameras we are using are old school Sony Betacams that only the cinematographer (teacher’s assistant) is trained for. The students in the class actually have no training on the cameras that are used, so we rely heavily upon or cinematographer (aka teacher’s assistant) when it comes to working with the camera.

your help is much appreciated.

Yet…how can I determine focal length without a viewfinder, camera, lens or measuring tools on set?

[Ryan Domis]

I cannot thank you enough for your help and wisdom. So…I do not need the SAS drives…I just need SATA drives? This is odd… because when it comes to building your MAC PRO on apple.com…it mentions that only the SAS drives will work with the raid card.

This is what it says under the RAID card description
———————————
“Your Mac Pro includes four hard drive bays and support for either Serial ATA or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drives, offering up to 4 terabytes of data storage. Configure each drive bay separately.

Please note: Mac Pro systems must be configured with either all Serial ATA or all SAS drives. SAS drives cannot be used without the Mac Pro RAID card.”
———————————-

So..they RAID card is necessary….but the SAS drives are not? Does that mean that the regular Serial ATA drives can then be used as a RAID? IF so…I’d grab two-4 TB’s worth.

[Ryan Domis]

I cannot thank you enough for your help and wisdom. So…I do not need the SAS drives…I just need SATA drives? This is odd… because when it comes to building your MAC PRO on apple.com…it mentions that only the SAS drives will work with the raid card.

This is what it says under the RAID card description
———————————
“Your Mac Pro includes four hard drive bays and support for either Serial ATA or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drives, offering up to 4 terabytes of data storage. Configure each drive bay separately.

Please note: Mac Pro systems must be configured with either all Serial ATA or all SAS drives. SAS drives cannot be used without the Mac Pro RAID card.”
———————————-

So..they RAID card is necessary….but the SAS drives are not? Does that mean that the regular Serial ATA drives can then be used as a RAID? IF so…I’d grab two-4 TB’s worth.

[Ryan Domis]

I thought that the highest SAS Hard Drive (the ones required for RAID…because it says that ATA wont work for RAID) was at only 300GB….for a price of $484.00 ????
I would be paying an extra thousand bucks if I decide to go with a RAID, because I have to buy the SAS drives…not the ATA drives that run up to 1TB. Is it true that RAID drives only work with SAS drives?…that’s what it says on the website.

ATA drive at 1TB (supposively wont work with RAID)

https://store.apple.com/1-800-780-5009/WebObjects/EducationIndividual.woa/91144004/wa/PSLID?n=internal&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/storage&nplm=MB362G/A&mco=E4DE9143&wosid=2b1vM5HeVNIv3gLIc241cVSM0OO

SAS drive at 300GB (Supposively the only drive that works with RAID)

https://store.apple.com/1-800-780-5009/WebObjects/EducationIndividual.woa/91144004/wa/PSLID?n=internal&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/storage&nplm=MB195G/A&mco=46FF4C1C&wosid=2b1vM5HeVNIv3gLIc241cVSM0OO

What’s the point of getting RAID…if I can only configure up to 1.2 GB of RAID storage? (as it says on their website).

Also…let’s not forget the extra $720 just to buy the RAID card. Where can I find Apple RAID drives that are over 300GB SAS drives that are RAID compatible?… they are not on the website.

[Ryan Domis]

As a Columbia College Student in my final year…I am horribly displeased with our current efforts here at Columbia College. While our administration promises to bring a great education experience in the future when they build their state of the art Media Center(it will be finished in a couple years)…our current students suffer with bad equipment and a loss of opportunities.

Here is some insight of just what equipment and access you get at columbia.

Freshman Year

Access to Wind-up Bolex Cameras & Black and White Film. No Sound equipment. No sound in your film. Film editing is done by splicing film with razor blades by hand…not machine. You literally grab a razor blade by the hand and cut it, retape it…old school style.

Sophmore Year

Access to Wind-Up Bolex Cameras & Colored Film. Post Synch Sound (ONLY!). Yay…40,000 later…and we can finally edit on a computer now! Avid! yay!

Junior Year

Access to Wind Up Bolex Cameras & Colored Film. Post Synch Sound (ONLY! with film). Access to Sony PD-150’s & 170’s. Avid & Final Cut access. Finally..sound equipment.

Senior Year

Wind up bolex, colored film, post synch, live synch, avid, final cut, Sony-PD150 &170’s, Arri-S, Arri-BL, SR-2, SR-3, Aaton 35mm

5th Year Students

(most students stay an extra year because its sooo hard to get access to the equipment. By the end of their 4th year.. they’ve barely even qualified for the upper echelon of cameras. By that time, most students graduate disappointed at the horrible access of equipment. )

Wind up bolex, colored film, post synch, live synch, Sony-PD150 &170’s, Arri-S, Arri-BL, SR-2, SR-3, Aaton 35mm, HVX200, HPX500, Panavision GOLD(School rarely lets out the HPX, HVX or Panavision….politics, of course.) Access to Panavision, HPX, & HVX requires you take the school’s Digital Cinematography Course….which only lets in 8 students a SEMESTER!(Most students, who are seniors, end up waiting too long to get in and up graduating before they can get a spot in the class.) You can also use an HVX in the Directing III class…which only accepts 8 students a YEAR!.

That means, only 24 students a year, total, get to use any video equipment that’s actually worth using. Imagine going to a school for 4 years and NOT getting access to the good cameras JUST because there are too many students who fight for those 24 spots.

Does that seem like a tuition that’s worth almost $20,000 a year? Nope!

1.The school issues out liability insurance to 3rd party locations…but NOT to individual students.

2. Medical and Equipment liability insurance simply doesn’t exist here at Columbia. Not only do we have to come up with our own props, sets, locations and budgets, but we are liable for anyone who gets hurt on our production. yippie!

3. Shitty equipment for the majority of students… a small selection of good equipment for the few that are lucky enough to fit into the 24 spots per year (Directing III=8 students=per year) x (Digital cinematography=8 students=per semester)

[Ryan Domis]

I am a student with no business whatsoever. I am volunteering with my own HVX to work on other student/independent films. If I were to get my own insurance policy…I would still be screwed…because the policies I am familiar with ONLY cover personal use and it must be me who damages it. As an AC…I would be breaking my own insurance by letting someone else use/break it. I generally operate the camera…but in some cases..I will volunteer as an AC if they need a camera. Yet…I admit…Lesson learned.