Ok im a noob to everything video and dv related i have come light years ahead since i have found this forum. But I'm still a beginner to be kind, my goal is to due indy music videos for my artist i produce for. I'm settling on the xh-a1 with the letus Extreme, nikon mount, zeis 35mm, Chrosziel 450, Kessler crane 12ft kit with out axis system right now. besides lighting which i know is critical is that more than nuff to start off with and get some pro looks.. I don't want to shoot those videos that are all face height.

what type of lighting would you suggest for warm indoor shots im shooting alot of rnb records with which i envision a lot of warmy film like feels.. i do plan on taking advantage of a rental company here in miami for some outside pre sunset shots by the pools. but what type of lighting do you suggest in the 2,000.00 dollar range

will the matte box i selected work fine with the letus extreme. i know there issues with low lights with the xh a1 would this do me more harm then good. i want to have that professional look for some outside clients i hope to attract in the future..

once i tackle the lighting is this more than enuff to get me started or am i missing something else..

www.myspace.com/themusicluvas is our music.. If you need original music for your indy films we can work out something out i produced 5 tracks on a John Singleton movie Illegal Tender. my partner jus finished playing for the pope this november so classical piece are no problem either are unique interpolations of classical pieces. I was nominated for a grammy for the work i did with Tego Calderon on his Sophmore album. I'm really just looking to satisfy my creative hunger..

There are so many of you who inspire me i would appreciate any help so i can calculate this budget correctly..

I think this might get more response in the "lighting" section. Perhaps is should be moved.

The lighting is only one of my issues.. I would like to kno from other xh users if they found the matte box worth the buy. I"m investing in a monitor aswell which one do you guys use to do your focus adjustementsd an white balance or is it all on the a1

Any insite would be appreciated

Why do you feel you need a matte box?
Are you getting lens flares that you can't control with a lens hood, or do you have a stack of filters you need in front of your lens? Your adding more weight to a Kessler that has a limited weight limit.

Why do you feel you need a matte box?
Are you getting lens flares that you can't control with a lens hood, or do you have a stack of filters you need in front of your lens? Your adding more weight to a Kessler that has a limited weight limit.


i haven't received it yet im just wanting to order all items at the same time so i can play with them till new years eve..

So i dont need a matte box if I'm going to use a kessler crane cuz it would make it more top heavy, the lens hood is the work around . Is the marshall monitor hd/sd worth the purchase ? what do you guys use for getting your shots right since i read all on here the View Finder is unreliable..

any knowledge or advice is greatly appreciated...

Thank You (in advance)

Also, you won't be able to control the focus of your Zeiss 35mm lenses on the Kessler without adding focus gears to each lens, along with a motorized remote follow focus unit.
Remember, you are working from 12 feet away from the camera.

Gratzi david..did not take that into account....thanks for letting me know

Also, you won't be able to control the focus of your Zeiss 35mm lenses on the Kessler without adding focus gears to each lens, along with a motorized remote follow focus unit.
Remember, you are working from 12 feet away from the camera.