Search found 918 matches

by tom hardwick
Wed Nov 21, 2007 8:34 am
Forum: Competitions, Festivals and The Art of Film
Topic: Time to call a halt to 4:3
Replies: 38
Views: 34824

TVs are geared up for 14:9 Dave? It's but one option in my 16:9 TV's menu, that's all. It's there as a half-way-house compromise, where 4:3 material can be zoomed so that more screen is used albeit with the loss of top and bottom of the image and reduced picture resolution. The best TV in my house i...
by tom hardwick
Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:45 pm
Forum: Competitions, Festivals and The Art of Film
Topic: Time to call a halt to 4:3
Replies: 38
Views: 34824

Re: Time to Call a halt to 4:3?

Tom, you should have re set the projector when you had finished. Had I been the projectionist Michael, you could be sure I'd have done this. But then again, only if Dave and Jan's film had made it plain that their film was shot in the 1925 aspect ratio. In fact 4:3 projection filled the NW Region's...
by tom hardwick
Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:02 pm
Forum: Competitions, Festivals and The Art of Film
Topic: Time to call a halt to 4:3
Replies: 38
Views: 34824

I'll go along with the missmatched frequencies theory, Dave.

As to your film, it was as if we three had planned it all up front. Your talk of cheap mics up close, Minidisc recorders and so on near had me yelling from the darkness, ''See? I told you so!"

tom.
by tom hardwick
Tue Nov 20, 2007 11:30 am
Forum: Competitions, Festivals and The Art of Film
Topic: Time to call a halt to 4:3
Replies: 38
Views: 34824

Time to call a halt to 4:3

It's time to call a halt to 4:3 I feel. Certainly ok to have pillarboxed footage inside the 16:9 screen, but all these squashed, stretched, pulled, distorted and 'smart' image formats are a right pain. Surely there can't be many camcorders out there that can't do a 'letterbox' shoot these days. For ...
by tom hardwick
Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:12 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Mercalli Image stabilizer or 'de-shaker'
Replies: 37
Views: 29714

You're quite right Mike, Premiere v 6.5 has been dead and burried a long time. The fact that lots of people still use it is about as relevant as people still using their old VX1000s or driving their Sierras.

tom.
by tom hardwick
Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:43 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Mercalli Image stabilizer or 'de-shaker'
Replies: 37
Views: 29714

Can't really agree that using a tripod 'makes the shots boring', Ian. The filmmaker and the editor make the shots boring, all the tripod does is keep the camera steady. Post op image stabilisation is coming along in leaps and bounds, but as always it's better to get it stable when you shoot if at al...
by tom hardwick
Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:13 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Your next Camcorder?
Replies: 135
Views: 125176

Actually Bunny we both got it wrong. I meant the HV-20 (under £700), and you can see it here:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo ... .html#hv20

Sorry for confusing you.

tom.
by tom hardwick
Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:14 pm
Forum: Club and General Issues
Topic: Are we really getting better?
Replies: 39
Views: 31974

Every man has his price Willy, they just weren't offering you enough. Selling one of your films doesn't make you a professional or commercial filmmaker in my book - that condition exists when you earn your living making (and of course selling) your films. In the same way Ridley Scott or Tom Hardwick...
by tom hardwick
Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:44 pm
Forum: Club and General Issues
Topic: Are we really getting better?
Replies: 39
Views: 31974

Professionalism being classed as a dirty word may have been due to its association with money, profits, shareholders and Equity to those amateurs years back. These days I have to show professionalism in my approach to my photographic clients, but my amateur upbringing ensures that I go the extra mil...
by tom hardwick
Mon Oct 01, 2007 1:32 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Your next Camcorder?
Replies: 135
Views: 125176

I think you'll be waiting in vain Roy. Menu-driven switching is far cheaper, lighter, more reliable and comprehensive than mechanical 'real' switches. The further away from the consumer Handycam you get the more you're offered in the way of discrete buttons and switches though. This is partly due to...
by tom hardwick
Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:33 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Your next Camcorder?
Replies: 135
Views: 125176

Good. Glad you've changed your mind. Mini DV is streets ahead of the silly DVD camcorders, though I'm pretty sure salesmen have an easy time shifting the latter. The camera you want is the Canon MV-20, no doubt about it. If that doesn't appeal then go for the Sony HC7. It's not as good, but hey, the...
by tom hardwick
Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:28 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Your next Camcorder?
Replies: 135
Views: 125176

Does confused of Croydon really mean Mini DVD essential? If so the Panasonic HDC-DX1 (£590) looks to be a good one. Hi def - and therefore 16:9 by definition - but the DVD means it records AVCHD files and the 1.4 gb discs only hold 14 mins of footage before they've got to be replaced or recorded ove...
by tom hardwick
Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:19 pm
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Your next Camcorder?
Replies: 135
Views: 125176

You're quite correct Michael, the faster running tape is 'safer' in that more tape is used to store the same information. So in DVCAM, a crinkle in the tape will affect fewer frames than in LP mode. But is it 'safer' as far as retrieval goes? There are far more decks around that will decode SP than ...
by tom hardwick
Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:43 am
Forum: Equipment and Technical Issues
Topic: Your next Camcorder?
Replies: 135
Views: 125176

I'm quite often forced to use LP in the church. I set the FX1 camera going at the back of the church and then go outside with the Z1 (in HDV mode) so as not to miss the bride and her father arriving in the car. If she's late (and 90% of them are) I'm always mighty glad the FX1 has a longer running t...
by tom hardwick
Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:36 am
Forum: Club and General Issues
Topic: ND Filters
Replies: 14
Views: 12794

Don't feel sorry Ian. You have to be very careful when cleaning your lenses and I'd not advocate you doing it before every shoot unless of course it was obvious that it needed doing. Last month the groom shook the Champagne bottle with his thumb over the end, and that squirted straight out, splodgin...