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Eclair Cameras: DIY telecine for $6k? I think not...



Don't forget the most critical element of the JK optical printer - the $900 Fuji Finepix digital SLR camera and the necessary $750 modification to make it work with the JK's electronics for "batch capturing." Add to the that the cost of your 16mm gate and a special lightsource. Oh, I almost forgot the $200-300 enlarging Nikkor lens to go on the end of the bellows.

However, this set up shows tremendous potential... it's not so much a telecine as a means of digitally mastering and uprezing your 16mm footage (I want one). If you have a fast Mac or PC and Adobe After Effects, you could use the JK optical printer/Fuji digital camera combination to capture a series of stills into a folder on the computer.
From within After Effects, you import those series as a TIFF or PICT (or
whatever) sequence. Now you have actual digitized footage. You can play it back from within AE, using the preview function, or output it using the DV codec to become DV footage for editing in Final Cut Pro (Mac) or Avid Express (PC). Within AE you can change the pixel dimensions, aspect ratio, crop, reposition, color correct, sharpen, desaturate, invert, and otherwise modify the footage till the proverbial cows come home. And yes, you can change your negative into a nice positive. You can even place your footage into an appropriately sized composition and output cineon files, which then go to a 35mm film recorder. Voila... you've used your computer to create a real 35mm blowup from footage that originated on your little ACL. If you've done things right, the quality ought to be superb. I've been working with After Effect for years and have worked on several film sequences for feature films (gotta make a living somehow). As an example, the talking tiger in "The Nutty Professor" was done using film frames scanned in just this way - we used Macintoshes but the same work can be done today on a PC. Needless to say, it is expensive to have film scanned commercially (the sequences I've worked on have come to me already scanned to a digital file - usually by Cinesite). The JK system represents a DIY alternative at about $10k, plus the Macintosh and Software. Not cheap, but not too bad.

eric@earthid.org wrote:

or, you can invest $2-5k in a DIY system that would allow you to capture any portion of your reversal film directly to harddrive in uncompressed HD quality ready to color correct in you nle application. so an hour's worth of film would about pay for this setup! if you are going to DVD or broadcast television with your final cut, then this is the way to go. it will save a ton of money in the long run. and if you have a apple nle with fcp, you can purchase the decklink blackmagic SDI capture/playback card for $999.99 and you will be able to playback/record out to formats like digiBeta, wherein you simply rent a deck for an hour or two, or however long your final cut is. this allows you to edit all your footage i nthe comfort of your own home at your own leisure anytime you want for a fraction of the cost at a nle house.

apple with final cut pro: $2k
hd capture/playback card: $1k
jk telecine/ workprinter: $3k

for $6k you can edit up to HD, and certainly anyling like minidv or greater quality footage, and output to any sdi capable, or firewire capable deck. for $10k, you wll have a jamming system, new G5 with 2ghz dual processors and up to 8gm ram. purchase the new jvc HD camcorder for $3k and use the workprinter 16mm at $2k, and you have an hd editing facility for under $15k. no joke.

eric


---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Raymond <roelrich@shaw.ca>
Reply-To: EclairACL@topica.com
Date:  Sun, 03 Aug 2003 15:56:46 -0700

>I am also using the same lens, and soon the Zeiss 10-100, so I will >compare. >Does the image get compressed to put it onto the mini-DV tape, or can >they >put it onto a DVD to download directly into my computer, without having >to
>put it onto mini-DV?
>
>How does the saturation look compared to the negative film? Also, I >assume >you are talking four 100 ft rolls, not four 400 ft rolls, right, for >that
>price?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Raymond
>----- Original Message ----- >From: "Michael Welle" <mwelle@starband.net>
>To: <EclairACL@topica.com>
>Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2003 3:47 PM
>Subject: RE: Eclair Cameras: Color Reversal Film
>
>
>> Raymond,
>>
>> It costs a total of $193.95 for process, prep, transfer to MiniDV,
>> postage and handling of 400' color reversal at Bono Film and Video.  It
>> costs 137.88 for 2 rolls of 7239 and 2 rolls of 7250 including shipping.
>>
>>
>> So for a total of $331.83 you can have 11 minutes and 7 seconds of 16mm
>> film put onto a MiniDV tape that you can watch over and over again, and
>> not have to worry about getting hair on it and what not (as you would if
>> you watched the original with a projector).
>>
>> This is the way that I plan to shoot all of my films from now on.
>> People say that color reversal has more of a 70's-ish look, and since
>> I'm using an Angenieux 10-150 lens that was used in the seventies, and
>> my camera was probably made in that decade, I figured lets embrace that
>> Kodachromey look.  It sort of reminds me of another quote from Elvis
>> Costello:
>>
>> "When you're kicking in the car chrome, when you're drinking down the
>> Eau de Cologne, when you're spitting out the Kodachrome...you better
>> watch your step."
>>
>> No, but seriously the colors are very vivid, but I love the look
>> personally.  It kind of reminds me of the Return of the Pink Panther, or
>> even Miami Vice!
>>
>> Hope that doesn't cause any of you to puke.
>>
>>
>> Michael Welle
>>
>>
>
>
>
>

--
eric martin jarvies sr
cabo san lucas, bcs mexico cp 23410

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