Jon Fordham is DP-ing a short film I'm directing this Sunday in West Palm Beach, Florida with the FX1!

We're doing a romantic comedy called THE AQUARISTS (my first romantic comedy after years of crime and relationship dramas), and we'll have the footage and clips up on HDV Info soon enough.

For more information on Jon and I, check out our IMdB listings here:

Heath McKnight (http://imdb.com/name/nm1342974/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9aGVhdGggbWNrbmlnaHR8aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft =7)

Jon Fordham (http://imdb.com/name/nm1389377/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9am9uIGZvcmRoYW18aHRtbD0xfG5tPW9u;fc=1;ft=15; fm=1)

More soon!

heath

Last time after reading Jon's review on the HD10, I decided that it was not the camera for me. Hope this time the FX1 will come out favourably.

I really appreciate his unbiased view.

You're shooting this project in CineFrame 24 mode? What is the rationale behind that? I thought that Cineframe 25 was the only viable option to get back to 24 fps. What is your planned workflow through final output? Are you going to offline in DV, then online back to HDV at some point?

I had a great time today shooting, but we ended up not doing my film The Aquarists, mostly because of the extremely windy weather today (at 5 am, I thought it was a hurricane after going through two of them, albeit a small one). So I put together a 3 page script whose name, TRES HERMANAS, will be changing since it's an English film about American sisters (hey, it was 5 am when I came up with the idea!). It's actually a prequel to my next feature film 9:04 AM (www.904am.com) featuring three sisters in the movie. One of the actresses is contracted, the other two were potential candidates.

Jon will have an in-depth review of the FX1 and the shoot, but overall, I'm happy with what we got. I'll have some stuff over the coming days, though I must warn you all I'm working four 12 hour days in a row teaching and working freelance. I'll also have still images of the tests Jon did with the FX1 and DVX100A using one of those camera charts with the circles on it (man, my mind is drawing blanks here).

I'm off to a day-after-Christmas party, so I'll talk to y'all later!

heath

Scott,

To answer your question, yes, we shot it in CineFrame 24, and I feel when the camera is doing smooth moves on the tripod, there isn't a lot of rapid moves with the camera (very little films actually do, with the exception of Blair Witch and some others), CineFrame 24 is nice. I'm going to capture the footage via Lumiere HD's new software (www.lumierehd.com) and convert it, etc., to an HD form FCP can use and then open up CineTools and import it and do a reverse telecine and report my findings and post clips, images, etc.

heath

wait...

you are a film school teacher and you are saying very few films employ rapid moves with the camera? Your example of one was...blair witch?


.....

well, hey, Evan - check out Heath's feature film, Skye Falling at www.skyefalling.com...

I dont really know what that has to do with what I mentioned...but ok

A good 60% of it was handheld! <g> But not too shakey, not quick-pans and -tilts, etc. I feel my XL-1 would've looked bad if I had done that stuff.

BTW, see the trailer here (http://www.customflix.com/Store/ShowTtl.jsp?id=205137).

heath

Bourne Supremacy, anyone?

Exactly, Charles! Aside from Skye Falling (www.skyefalling.com) and Push/Pull (www.pushpullmovie.com), two quasi-dogme 95 films I directed, I'm doing less hand held work, less dogme 95 work. I am embracing the tripod and Steadicam/Glidecam V-16 more now! <g>

heath

<<<-- Originally posted by Charles Papert : Bourne Supremacy, anyone? -->>>

I absolutely hated the camera work in that movie. While it might be the anti-Gladiator look, it was awful. Zoomed in too far, 8 or 12 fps with massive motion blur, shaking all around. I guess it makes it easy to film a fight scene, nobody is going to notice if the punchs don't connect. If you go to this movie, sit far away from the screen or expect a headache.

///d@
posting my own personal opinion :)

absolutely hated the camera work in that movie. While it might be the anti-Gladiator look, it was awful. Zoomed in too far, 8 or 12 fps with massive motion blur, shaking all around. I guess it makes it easy to film a fight scene, nobody is going to notice if the punchs don't connect. If you go to this movie, sit far away from the screen or expect a headache.

Absolutely agree.... :(

Troy

Headache or worse. I had to close my eyes a few times. My girlfriend was motion-sick all night. Ugh.

We're getting a little off subject, but I will say when my fiancee and I watched 13, I got "sea sick" within the first 5 minutes and shut it off. She was fine, though.

And NO crazy shooting in this film Jon and I did!!!! <g>

heath

heath, as we're waiting for you to post clips etc. can you maybe in the interim give us some more info on your experiences etc. like how was it to light for this camera etc. compared to previous experiences etc. and what was your feeling for d.o.f. possibilities etc. and the like...

I'm somehow getting a sense from one of your other posts re: fcp that you guys are gonna downconvert? so you're not editing this puppy in hdv?

any journal entries or anything like that from your shoot you can share with us? etc?

I suggested that people can do a digital downconvert and capture in FCP, etc., in DV. I am doing it in HDV.

Jon Fordham is better with the review, as I focused more on the performaces and overall look and angles.

heath

Mark,

I am in the process of writing a review of my experiences with the FX1 while shooting Heath's film. In this review I will discuss the depth of field and lattitude in terms of lighting for this camera in the same manner as I did in my HD10 reviews which you can find under the heading "JVC GY-HD1 / JY-HD10 Camcorders" here:

http://hdvinfo.net/articles/index.php

The review will be posted under its own thread on this board as well as in the articles section on HDVi. Please hold you inquiries until after I've posted the review. After which I'll be happy to address any unanswered questions.

Thanks,
Jon

And I'll have some notes this weekend from that shoot and another I co-DP'd and operated on a two FX1 camera shoot (yes, 2!).

heath

Hi guys - just wondering since it's been awhile since we've heard anything about your project???

How's it going? Will there be an article soon at hdvinfo.net?

Thanks for the hard work!

I was editing, ran into problems, and just bought iMovie HD. I'm going to use Frederic's workflow (http://www.hdvinfo.net/articles/edithdv/machdvworkflow.php) and import with iMovie HD and cut with Final Cut Pro HD. I should have two rough cuts done: 3 Sisters (FX1) and one from over a year ago, Release Me (HD10).

heath

The write-up will be on hdvinfo.net very soon.

This weekend, like I said, I'll have clips and stills available. Stills especially (they're smaller).

heath

Hey Heath, I've got a 2 gig web server...and 40 gig transfer per month. If you wanna give me some raw FX1 clips I can host them until it reaches about 35 gigs transfered.

I may do that, if it helps Chris here!

heath