As a few thousand people on the board will tell you, it's not putting me out. The last thing I want to sound like is, oh, heck, I don't know what the word is but my wife's and my whole life is all about using what we have to educate and help people in this industry. Paolo's life story is a great one and a great example of what 2nd Unit and our lives are all about. He's a house guest here all week because I want him to meet the people who can make a difference in his chosen profession so he's headed to a premiere at the ASC with us with us Tuesday night and working here throughout the week after hanging out with us in the Motorcoach at CineGear al weekend. So, as I said, I don't want to sound whatever but I do want people to understand that there are people out there who just give and don't ask anything in return. That's why your individual and collective opinions are so importnat to us here. We take what we're doing and giving very seriously. So let us set the schedule over the next two or three days and you can pick the set you'd like to work on. I can fly out and pick you up or fly you in commercially the same as I did for Warren and a few other members of the board who have worked with us here. Our house is large enough to host a few people so you'll stay here or in a hotel of your choice, your pick. I don't want you spending your own money. Ypu're donating your time to 2nd Unit and that's enough. Tell you what. Take the money you would use to fly out here and subscribe to the site for a couple of months !!! ;-)

As a few thousand people on the board will tell you, it's not putting me out. The last thing I want to sound like is, oh, heck, I don't know what the word is but my wife's and my whole life is all about using what we have to educate and help people in this industry. Paolo's life story is a great one and a great example of what 2nd Unit and our lives are all about. He's a house guest here all week because I want him to meet the people who can make a difference in his chosen profession so he's headed to a premiere at the ASC with us with us Tuesday night and working here throughout the week after hanging out with us in the Motorcoach at CineGear al weekend. So, as I said, I don't want to sound whatever but I do want people to understand that there are people out there who just give and don't ask anything in return. That's why your individual and collective opinions are so importnat to us here. We take what we're doing and giving very seriously. So let us set the schedule over the next two or three days and you can pick the set you'd like to work on. I can fly out and pick you up or fly you in commercially the same as I did for Warren and a few other members of the board who have worked with us here. Our house is large enough to host a few people so you'll stay here or in a hotel of your choice, your pick. I don't want you spending your own money. Ypu're donating your time to 2nd Unit and that's enough. Tell you what. Take the money you would use to fly out here and subscribe to the site for a couple of months !!! ;-)

Sounds good to me. I have no problems being your 2nd Unit bitch! :)

Must be nice owning a cessna...

Now now. No one referes to anyone as that. If we did, we'd all be that to each and every guest we have on set. I mean, can you image my position next to, say, Rodney Charters. What he accompllished or rather is accomplishing on "Molly" right now is incredible through his use of light, diffusion and imaging. Or Izzy Mankofsky who DP'd "Somewhere in Time" who I talked to yesterday afternoon at CineGear with George. There was a scene toward the end of that movie that was all his making. He's focused on Christopher Reeve as he comes out of the hotel and sits on a bench. He swings the camera 180 as he follows Reeve and split dioptics the scene where Christopher is in the foreground and 100 yards away, behind and well-below Reeve, Jane Seymoure appears from behind a treeline onto a greass field. The hotel is white, Reeve is in brown, Seymoure's in pure white and the grass and trees are a brilliant emerald and kelly green. Both in focus at the same time. With experience like that, I don't know of many people in this industry who aren't subserviant to that kind of talent.

Anyway, I'll e-mail you with the days that are available for camera and the names of the guests. You can choose which day and which guest you want to work with and we're happy to have you. And thank you for volunteering your time. You'll be working with some other great people from the board.

And as to the Cessna, I use it like most people use a car so it's just another tool.

Somewhere in time is a great flick.

And I'm still holding out for company benefits ;)

Well, keep making those recommendations than make the site better so when we start charging a small access fee, we'll start generating some income, bring you in as a Supervising Producer, pay you a salary and get you those benefits. But you'll have to come out and actually work with us soon. I'll have the dates and guests nailed down this week and get them over to you.

Send the Cessna. However, I will be unavailable next week, I'll be at Disney ;)

Hey Keith,

Disney? Heh, looks like you don't really need those company benifits. ;)

Jonathan, as another member in the cheaper by the dozen category, all I can say is, have you thought about other ways of distribution? After all, you will be competing with the subscribers money allocations. There's only so much money a guy can spend. DVD's, games, new camcorder, monthly cable/dish bills, etc...

What you are competing with, it's a hard take. Most users on DVinfo might sign up, but would that be enough to keep your site running?

What's your pay structure going to be like? Free trial date for visitors? I'm of the type that get turned off from sites such as these. I don't like the auto payment deduction after the free trials bit.

I say, you might want to think about offering your services for free. That is, content you produce for the web.

A partnership with Brightcove or using Brightcoves structure would be interesting and something you should look into. They offer the bandwidth and profit sharing for your content, or you pay them a certain amount and get all the revenues made from your shows.

You can offer DVD's for sale of the show to make extra money. Copy streaming content over DVD? I would purchase a DVD (if I needed it), after watching it on the web. Think-transcripts and shows sold on networks and PBS.

Just a thought.

Hey Keith,

Disney? Heh, looks like you don't really need those company benifits. ;)


Right now, I really, really, need a vacation. The past two years has put a new low on the "Really sucks" scale. Really really!

By now you know that I'm a reasonably fun-loving guy but I 'd seriously like you all to think about some things when it comes to 2nd Unit. Alot of people are putting alot of time and money into this venture to bring you things quite frankly you'd be hard-pressed to see or hear anywhere else. We know that there's competition out there for limited dollars but from as business perspective, there are a number of assets you can get from 2nd Unit that you can't get anywhere else.

First is the fact that we're incorporating a number of the subscribers' suggestions as we continue to refine the process. Where else can the viewer write the script, ask for an interview and information on issues that affect them and get them back in video format. Simply put, would you rather buy a book that tells you what to do and augments those words with still pictures or have the guy who invented the solution on tape explaining the theory behind the thing and visually showing you how to employ it?

Next there's the fact that magazines that sell for $7 to $12 a month are comprised of 75% ads with the rest a grab-bag of info, most of which is slanted towards the advertisers' view points. 2nd Unit is pure filmmaker info that the viewer wants to see and hear about. And for $5 - $10 a month, virtually the same amount of money, 2nd Unit subscribers get 4 new issues within that same month quadrupuling your investment dollar.

Next, 2nd Unit brings professionals to the viewer eager to provide the same information that's made them king of the hill to you that can send 2nd Unit subscribers right back to their cameras to better their own productions. Want to see how Michael Mann got a particular shot? It's on 2nd Unit. Want to see how DP star and Sony poster boy Jody Eldridge who lasted so long on JAG and made the jump to NCIS lights his scenes for the 2nd most popular series on TV today? It's on 2nd Unit. Want to hear and see Armageddon's Mauro Fiore, 24's Rodney Charters, Dukes of Hazzard's Brian Crane, Star Wars' David Tatersol and Pirates of the Caribbean's Raphael Sanchez talk about light and camera? They're exclusively on 2nd Unit.

Need to stream the shows or download them later. You can do it on 2nd Unit.

Want discounts on equipment all filmmakers use? You'll get it by being a 2nd Unit subscriber.

Want to go on-set with televisions's hottest series? 2nd Unit's cameras take you there.

Want to know what filters do what? 2nd Unit will tell you. And we're doing a complete series on each of the Tiffin filters, how they should be used and when and their effects....all on podcasts that are immediately available to the members and all that show the before and the after videos...not still images out of a catalogue.

And finally, want podcasts you can download and take with you anywhere? They're only available through 2nd Unit.

In short, 2nd Unit gives you access to people and places you'd never get access to by yourself and we do it all for 1/4 the cost of a monthly, ad-filled magaine.

In short, 2nd Unit brings Above- and Below the Line people to Above and Below the Line people all to the benefit of its subscribers and independent filmmakers through its guests' insight, experience and knowledge. That's something you'll simply never get without 2nd Unit. Honest, straight-forward, in your face discussions with today's top DPs, cinematographers, directors, producers, gaffers, manufacturers, etc gives the independent filmmaker invaluable information working to improve his or her craft.

So I guess the bottom line is will people pay $5 or $10 a month to get access to people and information they'd otherwise be hard-pressed to get? We hope so becasue, again, the insight of the guests appearing on the site is generally unavailable except where the viewer is fortunate enough to be enrolled in USC School of Film or another prestigious institution with tuitions topping the $40,000 a year mark or is alrady working on sets.
2nd Unit is a true non-profit organization whose mission it is to bring reliable information and opinion to the filmmaking community with all of the profits derived there from reinvested in the operation and growth of the site.

Being video-based, the site is exceedingly bandwidth-intensive and thus costly to maintain. Being video-based, the content is subject to costly, labor-intensive post-production work to assure a quality show each and every week. Being video-based, there is an entertainment value to the site to anyone who might happen by. 2nd Unit is intended for the benefit and sole and exclusive use of the independent filmmaking community and by charging a nominal fee, we assure that the casual passerby does not use up valuable bandwidth thus slowing the data rate of the episodes web cast to the independent filmmaking community for whose benefit 2nd Unit was created.

And finally, why the small fee? Becasue we have talent to pay, talent who is working for 2nd Unit as a way to gain valuable experience in the entertainment industry's field of their choice. 2nd Unit is dedicated to paying them a decent wage that provides them with the ability not only to provide for their own and their family's needs but to acquire advanced equipment as their level of experience, knowledge and need advances.

I sincerely hope that all of this gives everyone food for thought. Again, we're not in this for the profit. We're in it to help the independent filmmaker be a better filmmaker and I've already put almost $150k where my mouth is. We'll see where it leads.

Great show, concept, etc.! My only gripe is the lighting (been said I know, but) we have a couple Lite Panels and for what they are, and how we use them, we love them. But to set up an interview using them simply looks so bad, IMHO. Far too blue at 6500K to get a good white balance, and soft to the point of fault. Balance them with some jells and a little better, but then there goes the light values. Just simply not enough light was used, no punch with the Panels. Low light and color all wrong mad it look sick. Please consider using another light kit and offsetting them with maybe some lite panels if you sill want to use them. Or... not?

Good luck to you, good job.

I will happily pay the subscription fee.

Regarding lightingk, etc., I think it will take a little experimenting and practice to get a look that that's right for the computer. What looks good on the monitor in the studio is not necessarily going to look the same compressed and on the computer screen.

Far too blue at 6500K to get a good white balance, and soft to the point of fault.
George's interview was lit with the Daylight Lite Panels indoor. Even with accurate white balance the straight-from-the-camera result was that look that you see in the first cut of episode 1. Please note that Jonathan has not done any color correction. The new cut, after two days of color correction and rendering is much softer and warmer. We shot today some more inserts for episode two and I esplicitly asked for tungsten Lite Panels and Ron @ AbelCine graciously provided the goodies. I can tell you without needing to check the tapes that the results were much better. We also used a Daylight Flood but this time with full CTO gel in front. So, even with WB the daylight Lite Panels are not the right choice indoor. Fortunatly their kits come with the gels and the gels correct the color temperature perfectly.
I almost finished the new cut of episode 1 but the rendering has been going on for a full day (Magic Bullet) and it's still to be completed. Kinda surprised because my G4 Powerbook seems to render MB footage way faster than the dual processor Intel machine I'm using for 2nd Unit editing. We'll seee. Hopefully the night will be enough for Premiere to digest the footage :)

I'm no expert, but for me a backlight or other light to separate the figures from the background would help a lot on the computer screen I believe.

I also think moving out from the wall and setting background light on another plane farther back, with some highlights and shadows, to add depth would help the look. (Perhaps no backing at all, just the deep recesses of the studio, light stands, cranes, cameras lurking in the semi-darkness, with some highlights, etc.)

For the interview segments, since the interviewer is not the focus, I would prefer to see a setup that puts him off camera or somewhat off camera, perhaps his back to the camera, or 3/4, or at an oblique angle so that a diagonal points to the person being interviewed.

I think the TV/monitor would be better placed a bit away from the interview and lit (or not lit) separately. If the person being interviewed needs to see the monitor, it should be in a place the person interviewed can look at it without turning, somewhat in front. Another camera could be dedicated to the monitor for shots to show the audience. Highlights/pointers can be put in in post if appropriate.

I think the whole thing should be simple, but with some separation, depth, character, and pleasing diagonal lines. And I'm just talking about the interview segments -- the demonstration segments of course will be dependent on their content.

Again, I'm not an expert, just my thoughts.

In short, 2nd Unit gives you access to people and places you'd never get access to by yourself and we do it all for 1/4 the cost of a monthly, ad-filled magaine.


I like those ads... specially the Varizoom ones. Those girls are hawt! You going to have them on, and show us how to use those stabilisers?

I'm no expert, but for me a backlight or other light to separate the figures from the background would help a lot on the computer screen I believe.

I also think moving out from the wall and setting background light on another plane farther back, with some highlights and shadows, to add depth would help the look. (Perhaps no backing at all, just the deep recesses of the studio, light stands, cranes, cameras lurking in the semi-darkness, with some highlights, etc.)

For the interview segments, since the interviewer is not the focus, I would prefer to see a setup that puts him off camera or somewhat off camera, perhaps his back to the camera, or 3/4, or at an oblique angle so that a diagonal points to the person being interviewed.

I think the TV/monitor would be better placed a bit away from the interview and lit (or not lit) separately. If the person being interviewed needs to see the monitor, it should be in a place the person interviewed can look at it without turning, somewhat in front. Another camera could be dedicated to the monitor for shots to show the audience. Highlights/pointers can be put in in post if appropriate.

I think the whole thing should be simple, but with some separation, depth, character, and pleasing diagonal lines. And I'm just talking about the interview segments -- the demonstration segments of course will be dependent on their content.

Again, I'm not an expert, just my thoughts.
I really like your idea. It reminds me of those interviews where they periodically look at the camera monitor that is focused on the guest. Pretty much like a reality-documentary mix.

Well, we've got a hot chick coming up for you in Episode 2. Hope you like her. The crew did!

For the interview segments, since the interviewer is not the focus, I would prefer to see a setup that puts him off camera or somewhat off camera, perhaps his back to the camera, or 3/4, or at an oblique angle so that a diagonal points to the person being interviewed.

It's already done. My camera was pointed to Jamie but every now and then I framed George from the side and I included a bit of that in the new cut. Still waiting for the final render ... :)

because my G4 Powerbook seems to render MB footage way faster than the dual processor Intel machine

If it's not Universal Binary code that could be the case (assuming you're on a Intel Mac).

I do find the idea that 5600k bulbs can't be warmed up with really cool white balancing doesn't make sense to me though. That should work. Also, 5600k indoors should balance pretty well with daylight coming in through any windows, right?

LitePanels always seemed really expensive for the light they were putting out to me. Am I wrong there? I like the idea of building your own Kinos better.

Or just get these - aren't these triple the power for 1/3 the money (without heat and at similar power consumption levels)?
http://www.flolight.com/

Am I missing something?

If it's not Universal Binary code that could be the case (assuming you're on a Intel Mac).

It's one hell of an assumption, since my post said G4 Powebook ;)

That is what suprises me. A G4 1.67, essentially a 3 year old machine, can render faster than a dual processor Intel modern machine. I'm sure it's not the CPU, there is something that is not performing as expected.


Also, 5600k indoors should balance pretty well with daylight coming in through any windows, right?

Yes, but we didn't have any source of external light, the only other light available was the industrial fluorescent lamps.

LitePanels always seemed really expensive for the light they were putting out to me. Am I wrong there? I like the idea of building your own Kinos better.

I just worked with Lite Panels all day yesterday and I tell you, they are something different. There's no comparison with a fluo tube. The LP are really easy to handle, they have a built-in dimmer that doesn't buzz or shift color, the minis throw so much light in a small package, it has to be see to to be believed. At CineGear their booth was constantly crowded, people kept playing with the units, bringing friends to look at the etc.
Way easier and simpler than fluorescent.

It's one hell of an assumption, since my post said G4 Powebook ;)

My friends all call me Sherlock
(buffing my nails)



The minis throw so much light in a small package, it has to be see to to be believed. At CineGear their booth was constantly crowded, people kept playing with the units, bringing friends to look at the etc.
Way easier and simpler than fluorescent.

Hmm... that's interesting. I suppose it would be worth a test, but they sure aren't "indie priced".

Do you have a light meter you can use to test the output? I'd really like to compare with some of my home grown compact flourescent ideas. I'm betting bang per lumen on the litepanel isn't very good in comparison. Might be cool for one DC light, but it might take $6,000 vs. $500 DIY CF to light up a room with them.

Here's another LED alternative:
http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/cc-vivid-par-38-led-spotlight-bulb.aspx
OR
http://www.swps.com/11-8552-a00.html

I'm betting bang per lumen on the litepanel isn't very good in comparison. Might be cool for one DC light, but it might take $6,000 vs. $500 DIY CF to light up a room with them.

When it comes to pure monetary point I don't argue, I see your point very clearly. It's in the comparison of features that I believe the LP are ahead of other technologies. And the LED technology allows them to create solutions that can't be mathed by other systems. I'm not at liberty to provide more informations but their R&D dept is working on something very cool :)

I'm going to ask Jaime Emmanuelli, Director of Sales and a partner at LitePanels to answer this. I have a call into him this AM and will post the response as soon as I hear from him.

I'm going to ask Jaime Emmanuelli, Director of Sales and a partner at LitePanels to answer this. I have a call into him this AM and will post the response as soon as I hear from him.

Sounds good. I know new high intensity LED's are supposed to be out there. But again, why wouldn't I just buy prebuilt bulbs like those in the links I provided. The Ringlite might be a unique case.

I think rolling your own is going to be both more flexible and less expensive for the indie filmmaker.

Jonathan,

It looks like you might have taken offense to what I've said but your response to the statement leads me to believe that you are working on a site that will be as valuable as DVinfo has been for it's members and guests.

I can read the passion you have for this project of yours and truly hope for the best.

I've only made suggestions as to how you might work on other ideas in bringing revenue to support your project.

Recent article in todays Wall Street Journal talks about YouTube and the amount of video viewed on it. Over 60,000 clips are submitted everyday and over 70 million clips are viewed on You Tube. Competition has caused the website My Space to ban You Tube until it's users complained so much that they brought it back, along with their own content streaming program right after.

Besides the competition from such sites as Google, Yahoo, MySpace, etc... You Tube is working on a revenue sharing program with content providers like Google's AdSense.

This is why I was suggesting other venues of income generation.

I know your site is different compared to all these other sites, which is not geared specifically to a niche, but it's something to think about. You'll have less competion for a professionaly produced product, but you'll also start getting competition from larger outfits, once you start gaining media attention.

Now to a different topic, how about doing some interviews with some of the other members and professionals on this site? Say, Chris (founder of DVinfo), DSE (Vegas or VASST), and of course, Jim (seeing Red).

Recent article in todays Wall Street Journal talks about YouTube and the amount of video viewed on it. Over 60,000 clips are submitted everyday and over 70 million clips are viewed on You Tube. Competition has caused the website My Space to ban You Tube until it's users complained so much that they brought it back, along with their own content streaming program right after.
less competion for a professionaly produced product, but you'll also start
Hey John.
Just because MySpace, YouTube and such serve millions of people it doesn't mean that that account to anything. I was in the middle of the high-tech industry during the Netscape craze and the .com bubble. This is another one of those. Remember that Amazon didn't make any money of its own for years and years. YouTube can give 2nd Unit more exposure but to whom? We don't want to show this to everybody. The show is for a very targeted audience: aspiring film makers. We toss this inside YouTube and it goes together with "Americas Funniest Animals", bad karaoke tapes and the like. And what we gain? Nothing. Also, the quality of those videos is way substandard. That is one of the reasons why I made a specific clause for CruiserCast, my Vodcast, that makes the video freely distributable but prohibits people to post it on YouTube, Google video etc.
The WSJ did not see the .com bubble and there are plenty of so-called financial analysts that are totally clueless when it comes to high-tech and new techno trends. It's not a coincidence that a good chunk of the movie business has been ruined by he lawers and accountants that seem t be running the studios nowadays.
We are going to add a Vodcast version of the show and we will publish it in the iTunes music store asap.

Just my $0.02 :)

Live long and prosper

As long as the criticism is constructive, John, it's always welcome at 2nd Unit. Do our feelings get hurt when someone denigrades our work here? Of course because we care so much about what we're trying to bring to the independent filmmaking community; a community that is a family, a poor family compared to its rich Uncles the studios but a family none the less. If the criticism is constructive, we look for the validity in it and employ it in future efforts. If it's simply meant to attack, then its simply dismissed out ofg hand and forgotten. There will always be individuals out there who for some strange reason feel it necessary to belittle people on this and other boards, attacking them personally under cover and protection of the Internet as if it somehow makes them look bigger. Actually, it's simply cowardly and, in the end, they'll reap the rewards of their actions. We're just doing our best to bring professional insight and information to the independent filmmaking community and trying to give its members what they want instead of what we think they want. And that's what separates us from the vast majority of the sites and the magazines and the other media out there. I mean, what other site do you know of that asks so many time of its viewers, "What do you want to see? Who do you want to talk to?"


The bottom line is this, John. We want your constructiuve criticism and any recommendation that can bring in revenue from sources other than our members to off-set the cost of doing this is welcomed. But as for the recommended business models, I don't want passers-by taking up expensive bandwidth because they have nothing better to do with their time than cruise the web looking for content that they can soak up for free and provide nothing in return. Our prime objective is to provide information, education and advice on filmmaking to the independenmt filmmaking community; things that the average filmmaker would never see, hear or know if not for 2nd Unit. Paolo's right this time. It's an exceedingly targeted audience which is going to be kept targeted and thus the small monthly fee; a cost that's insignificant compared to what we're providing the viewer IMHO. Let's look at the recent CineGear. Even though you could download your pass for "Free", there's simply no getting around the fact that there was a cost to attend. Even if it was only 10 miles from your house, round trip it took you 1 gallon of gas to get there and back. That's about $3.25. But when you got there, you got to see a bunch of cool stuff, ask a bunch of questions and see some icons of the movie world on the stage talking and answering questions. Then, when you left the pannel discussion, you were hungry so a burger and drink was $7. Then, if you're anythng like me, you bought something there. Now, add the wear and tear on your car, the time in transit and everything that a business model has to take into consideration even down to the wear and tear on your tennies walking the circuit, the soiling of your shirt and pants that have to be washed when you get home, it could go on and on but you get the point. All of a suddent when you take everything into account, that the "Free" trip to CineGear wasn't really free at all. It was at least $3.25 and more likely like $25. Now compare that with a month of 2nd Unit. We have George Dibie, Laszlo Kovacs, Rob Kositchek, Rodney Charters, Jody Eldridge David Leitner and a dozen others scheduled to appear on the show. We're reviewing things like Sony, Panavision, Tiffin and a dozen other manufacturers who are going to appear and discuss their prodcuts. We have people like Dr. Steve Mullen to go over his 300+ page book on the 100HD and excplain things that might be a little over my head at least. We have disounts avauilable at major cine stores because you're a member here. Add it all up and there's plenty of reason for members to pay something like $5 or a gallon and a half of fuel to access the site. We're not getting rich of this, believe me. The fee is to do two things; 1) help offset the cost of producing the content and 2) keep passers-by from hogging the bandwidth and leaving nothing in return. That's it. We're not making "Gone With the Wind" or "Apocalypse Now". That's the responsibility of our guests. We're simply giving the viewer to see, hear and feel what it's like to be on set with NCIS through DP Jody Eldrige for example. So please, keep the constructive criticism coming in but remember, the prime objective of 2nd Unit is simply to be a conduit from Hollywood directors, DPs, gaffers and the like straight to you. Nothing more, nothing less.

Jonathan, did you ever get a chance to watch the Screen Savers on TechTV? It was a computer show that did exactly what you are trying to accomplish- They brought you how to's, product comparisons, and interviews with software, hardware, and other developers. They also had a fun, entertaining format, with just a little eyecandy.

They also bolstered viewership with contests and give aways. And you know us geeks, we'll do backflips for swag ;)

That's precisely one of the things we're working on now and, quite frankly, the more positive feed back we receive, (and I'm not subporning perjury, I want to know exactly what everyone thinks truthfully so we can make it what you want) the easier it will be to get the stuff to contest away. Jody Eldridge and I were talking about the 168 contest and doing that here for JVC owners...ok others can enter too... and giving away things that should be in every filmmakers bag. Give me some suggestions.

You want suggestions? I gots your suggestions... You are doing a show on filters with Tiffen, right? If Tiffen is a sponser, get them to give you a set of filters (Which probably cost them $20 to make) and use them as a demo. At the end of the show, you select a name from the list of viewers, and send them the filters. Got a show dealing with warm cards? Same deal. And t shirts go over well too. And some of those light pens Chris Hurd was giving out too! It doesn't have to be extravegant. We're easy ;)

As to the LitePanels units, I spoke with Jaime and he said the following, "They're not cheap. Technology today is expensive when its the best and as more and more studios are discovering, LitePanels are the best out there. Let's look at Flourescents vs Litepanels. No heat and low power are similar but with Litepanels fully dimmable 0-100% you get virtually no color shift. The flos, however, are dimmable maybe 30% with flickering issues as well as huge color shifts to green."

"With Litepanels, there's no bulb changing with an average of 100,000 hrs of life or about 16 years. The flos average about 500-3000 hrs but usually last a fraction of that 1) because they get broken easily and 2) from the moment they are clicked on, they begin dying and that dying alters their optical values relative to changing color during their life. Most noticeably, if you change one bulb and not the others you will have different color temps so you will have to correct them thus developing different light outputs."

Another issue or challenge with Kino type technology that I've noticed and I have to tell you I've produced enough and been on enough set to see this is lack of projection in Kino lights. Don't get me wrong, I like the Kinos in certain circumstances but for example their ringlight projects up to 3 feet whereas Litepanels Ringlite will project 30+ feet! Add to that the part the e-crew hates, weight. Kino type units have ballasts that have to be used to power units whereas Litepanels can be powered from any battery from 9-30V, 100-240V AC anywhere around the world even off cigarette lighters in cars. All this equates to quick set-up and rigging for example a car shot can be rigged in about 2 minutes as oppossed to 20-40minutes for mini kino type units that don't project! We've used the mini's as eye and brow lights for drivers by attaching (read: gaff-taped!) to the headliner, windshield area and for police lights by gelling a mini w/ red and placing directly befind the driver's head. I've used them as an assist to a practical when I've had a character sitting at a computer in a darkened room like CTU and need to maintain the dark ambience but illumninate the character. I've used them as hair and hi-lites to add texture through glow on individual hairs to a character. You'd be surprised to see the difference between a simple angle shot of a woman without the hair light and adding a mini at a 45 degree angle above and behind a woman's head shining down onto her hair. (Caution! Do not do this with a Telly Savalas character!) I've used them off-camera to cast what appears to the audience to be a window's light on a wall behind a character. I've used them to deepen the shadows on a villian's face to make them seem more ominous and I've used them to brighten the sparkle in the eyes of a fanciful (for lack of a beter word) model just off-lens. (See this week's show Part 2 with George Dibie and the model we use. Look at her eyes.) IMHO, the mini is an indispensable lighting tool and I'm hopeing to get LitePanels to donate one for a contest we're putting together. Most of all, I'd ask Warren Shultz what he thinks of his.

I want to make it clear that I'm not selling Lite Panels over Kino or anything else that works which is why I wanted Jaime to ring in on this post. It's, from my perspective and pocket book, a good investment because we do enough production that the LitePanels save us alot and I mean alot of money through time and labor alone not to mention breakage.

Okee Dokee. I'll call Tiffen when we finish this week's lens special and see what Sandie the CIC says.

things that should be in every filmmakers bag. Give me some suggestions.

- A day on the set of 24. Watch whatever you want to but stay out of the way.

- A DSC Labs chart. We need one, but at $300+ it's probably not first on the list. Actually, I bet you could swing a bulk discount for the group here if you profiled their product and how to use it.

- just about any accessory, batteries, lighting. Many are expensive but anyone who is getting gear reviewed would pony up gear and/or short term discounts for viewers.

Here's a show suggestion that to me is probably most critical:
Get distributors who specialize in movies with budgets under $250k. What are they looking for, what genres work and what don't, what kind of money should a filmmaker expect to make back and how long will it take to get that money.

If a distributor's Son in Law wanted to make a movie in this category how would the distributor tell them to proceed? Frankly, I'm skeptical of distributors because I know their job is to get the most favorable deal they can from a filmmaker. Then they can drop your film in favor of the next new cool thing and there's nothing you can do because they have the rights for the next 7 years or so.

These guys have 50 DVD's on their desk at any given time and they might want to deal with one or two. Which ones and why? Can they point to examples we can go rent that have been financially successful for the filmmaker?

You may want to split TV vs. Movie into different shows. You could subdivide those into genres and budgets. Frankly, there's nothing I'd rather pay for than this info. There are a ZILLION books, videos and websites on technique. And I've already got them. I don't want to pay for product reviews unless I'm positive they are totally unbiased and products get RIPPED for what's not right about them. At that point dealing directly with manufacturers gets tougher.

But the business side is changing everyday. You could have a totally different price structure for that info. I'd pay $100 a month if I knew I'd get a constant update of the market. What's hot and what's not. Indie filmmakers can react much more quickly to trends than Hollywood can. So we should. :-)

Is this a great group or what! This is what I mean by a family. Great suggestions. OK, here's the deal. It's my site and I make the rules and pay the bills. So Joel, First Prize goes to you for the greatest response to me saying, "Tell me what you want and 2nd Unit will deliver". Tell me what Tiffin filter you want and you just won it. We don't have a deal with Tiffin; this is coming out of my own pocket but they did give me a couple dozen filters to look at so we're doing a short selection of filter reviews for you this week. And again, we call it as we see it. Some changes we saw were subtle while some were dramatic. I'm not paying or asking anyone else to pay for a "subtle" filter unless the change really works and makes a difference in their film. So, the reviews will recommend some of their filters and not others because I can't see using a $150 filter that's distinguishable on a 50 foot screen if your viewers more than likely will be seeing your films on a monitor or TV. Now if its an HDTV or if you are doing a feature for the big screen, that's different and we'll tell you when they make a difference on HDTVs and should be used on the big screen. And that pretty much goes to your statement, "I don't want to pay for product reviews unless I'm positive they are totally unbiased and products get RIPPED for what's not right about them". That's what 2nd Unit is all about. I just ducked in on Paolo doing the filters comparisons for this week's show and I think you'll like them! And before you ask, NO, what you see is what you get. There's NO correcting and they're all shot on-set as you'll see with equipment in full view of the "B" cameras that did the testing while the others rolled on the movie.

So, we'll do our part and you do yours. We'll think up the Innaugural 2nd Unit Filmmakers' Contest and have it for you by tomorrow and I'll put up the First Prize myself which is, since I'm such an advocate of better filmmaking and an ardent supporter of the DSC Labs chart, a $325 CamAligh Front Box Series HD Standard. That means you do your part and that's to spread the word about 2nd Unit.tv to get the contestants we need outside of the JVC 100HD forum. I pretty much never venture outside these walls because I simply don't have the time to. But if we're going to do this, if you're gonna make suggestions like that and throw the gauntlet down, we're gonna do it together and we're gonna do it right with enough contestants that people don't have a one-in-five chance of winning. You get enough people's shorts in here to where there's a real contest and we'll put up the cash and design the contest. How's that sound, bucko?!?!?!

How about down and dirty tips from the veterens? Like 1,001 emergency uses for gaffers tape? What tool is a must have? How to hang a light in hard to hang places? Sort of like, when you blow a fuse on a motorcycle, you can wrap it in the foil from a cigarette pack. Only video related :)

Tell me what Tiffin filter you want and you just won it.


Wow, that's awesome. Thanks! I'm going to have to watch Paolo's demo very closely. I'll email you when I choose. Thanks again :-)

Jonathan, Paolo

So what about the interviews I suggested with some of the members of DVinfo, as I suggested?

Also like to add Nicolas Bartleet. He has done some wonderful work with a FX-1 and homemade 35 adapter for professional work.

P.S. about You Tube, I didn't mean sharing your video on sites such as You Tube or other, just meant a similar format of revenue generation, which I believe BrightCove is better for. (Just to make this clear, I am not saying go this route but that this was just a suggestion.)

However, it might be good to send out teasers on sites such as You Tube, My Space, Google Video, to market your site. Think of it as free advertising. They pay for the bandwidth, as Paolo mentioned, and you get the subscriptions.

I think other interview ideas are great and if you would like to see them, we can do that. There are challenges with this, however, becasue I don't know anything about them or what they do and I say that with, again, all the respect due them. Chris whom I've only met once briefly lives in Texas, I don't know DSE nor a Jim from Red nor most of the people on this board except those few with whom I converse and have worked. The people I deal with daily are typically from above and below the line of the the production side of the industry. These are really two different worlds that we're trying to bring together. So if you know some of these people and what they bring to the viewership, we'd be delighted to bring them into the programming.

P.S. about You Tube, I didn't mean sharing your video on sites such as You Tube or other, just meant a similar format of revenue generation, which I believe BrightCove is better for. (Just to make this clear, I am not saying go this route but that this was just a
Hey John.
Didn't mean to jump on my sandbox ;), it's been a pretty busy week with very long hours. Thanks for the suggestions.

Jonathan, did you ever get a chance to watch the Screen Savers on TechTV? It was a computer show that did exactly what you are trying to accomplish. They brought you how to's, product comparisons, and interviews with software, hardware, and other developers. They also had a fun, entertaining format, with just a little eyecandy.)

In the beginning I loved the show. But, as time went by, the show became downright silly. After Leo left, the show had no technical content at all.

I know Jonathan will not let that happen. He's commited to increasing our understanding of technology so that folks can be better at their craft. Deep understanding is the key to folks moving into positions with greater creative responsibility.

Being able to "push the right button at the right time" will enable one to get a "job" and make money -- but building a life-long "career" requires constant learning. 2nd Unit will be providing you that opportunity. In a field where the fundamentals keep changing every few years -- this is a great service to the community. Contratulations on your first episode!

Yes congradulations

Contratulations on your first episode!
As a small contributor to that first show, thank you Steve. All credit goes to Jonathan to be the driving force behind it. BTW, it was very nice talking with you today.
We are shooting for an almost simultaneous release of Episode 2 and the re-cut version of Episode 1 today.
Hopefully the compressed file is right this time. I tried 4 times already :)

Thank you, guys so much for the votes of support. We've put...strike that...Paolo's put alot of effort into Week 2's episode using Adobe Premiere instead of his usual FCP because we committed to Adobe as a sponsor, the threory being that the Suite is easy to understand and move up- or into. Already in recutting the 1st week's episode that I originally did, I hope you can see vast improvement by RTFM and trying to think like an editor. I have to tell you, and it's not because Adobe is a trusted sponsor, once I understood the basics of editing, it was much easier and the results I think show it. I keep harping on the fact that the whole premise of 2nd Unit is foundation, foundation, foundation and I never took the time to get a good foundation with Premiere. I'm anxious to see what you all think of the second week's episodes. There's alot mote techie stuff in there as well as some of a movie we have in production right now.

Man is TV different from Internet. Kudos to those of you out there who produce in I-net deliverables. Now I know what my guys go through that come from the board to work on-set with us in a TV production environment.

Jonathan, Paolo,

My criticism, as I'm waiting for the streaming to download at a 6mb connection.

I'm finally checking your site out. I want to thank whatever web designer you're working with.

I can't stand the use of Flash for web, it's just plain annonying, but I do like the flash video format, it's pretty fast and quality is decent.

Second thing about your site, it's clean! It's informative! You get to read the teaser and than click for more.

Third, the design is constant, it doesn't change from one web page to another.

Now to the bad part. I'm still waiting for the download on the web stream. For video freeks like the members of DVinfo, they'll stick around for the download, for the newby just checking the web site for the first time, it's a BIG turn off! By newby, I mean anyone that's checking your site out, even people working in the profession would be turned off, if they didn't know what was being offered and they had to spend their time for a download.

Another bad thing, no search feature. I know the site is new but a search feature would be great.

Now for another suggestion, you might want to research into or do an interview with some IPTV hardware companies. They just might have a solution to compress video to a better format or know something coming down the line that might be interesting to the web community. (As you mentioned, you might not know anyone in the field but I'm sure you know someone that knows someone in the profession.)

Community forum, this part you should make free, not part of the subscription. A community will build a better loyal base for your site.

And Paolo and Jonathan, I know you guys must be working near 16-18 hour days to get this site running smoothly. I'm surpised you guys can still write back to the users on this site. That's what builds the loyal base. The dedication of a business to it's customers.

Ok, watching the video, I like it, but something seems off about the interview...I'm not sure if it's because this is one of the first interviews done for 2nd unit or if it's because I'm watching it in letterbox format.

Good luck.

Community forum, this part you should make free, not part of the subscription. A community will build a better loyal base for your site.I thought that's what this is. Or are we falling short on that somehow.

Hey John.


And Paolo and Jonathan, I know you guys must be working near 16-18 hour days to get this site running smoothly. I'm surpised you guys can still write back to the users on this site.

What drives us is the enthusiasm shown by all of you and the fact that 2nd Unit is getting very positive reactions from all kind of players in the industry. Yesterday I had the honor to be invited to a screening of "Cinematographer Style", a documentary directed by Jon Fauer and presented for the first time yesterday at the theater of the Academy of Motion Pictures. I tell, it's quite an experience to be in the same room with, among others, the cinematographers that shot "Easy Rider", "Ghostbusters", "Empire of the Sun" and "E.T."
Well, Jonathan didn't loose a minute and he kept telling everybody about what we are doing and we got some really great response from people above and below "the line". It's quite something to see it happening and it keeps us charged. Actually I stayed up all night to cut Episode 2, which is uploading as I write this. So...I hope the video makes any sense. We have a commitment to deliver the new episodes as expected, but I'm using the new freedom of the Net to revise the material after the first release. If you spot anything in the cut that should be fixed, please let me know.

Ok, watching the video, I like it, but something seems off about the interview...I'm not sure if it's because this is one of the first interviews done for 2nd unit or if it's because I'm watching it in letterbox format.

Don't know what you mean but the new cut of Episode 1 will be available tonight, new and improved! ;)

Chris,

No disrespect to you, I meant for 2nd unit to have their own forum on their own web site.

It's like Cineform. They have a forum as well. Everyone on this board knows that the people of Cineform are on DVinfo. The users appreciate the help and support that Cineform and DVinfo offers. DSE from VAAST is on several forums, always helping with the members questions.

It's just that some people that might log on to 2nd Unit might not know about DVinfo. Some people are sticklers for staying on certain forums only. Loyal users. :)

Paolo, I think I figured out what it was about the interview that kind of threw me. I thought it might be the centering of the person, on camera, but it's the interviewer saying, "Right" every now and than. I think the interviewer needs to be a little bit more vocal. More talking, or not talking at all until the next question needs to be said, maybe it was the first time interview jitters, besides that the interviewer did pretty well. But than, maybe it's just me. I'll take a look at your new upload tonight and hopefully have something more of value to say.

One magazine I find useful reading is millionaire blueprints. Not that I'm a millionaire, but it's a great magazine that gives you info on how people became millionaires doing what they love. They also supply a resource/reference on the places that they used to do their business.
The ideas that the individuals used to market their business is the main thing that interests me. It offers a fresh idea on how you might be able to market your business. I like the July/August issue with Ken Roberts on the front cover. There's an article about Moosejaw which I find is great in their customer support. Check them out. I find the magazine is a little hard to find sometimes, but it seems to be gaining a wider distribution. If I had subscribed, I wouldn't have to hunt around for the magazine, but like I said, I'm the type that'll buy a product, if I find something useful.

Their link: http://millionaireblueprints.com/

I have to apologize. We expected to have the 2nd Episode up last night and it simply didn't happen. It downloads but doesn't stream ...YET. Please bear with us whilw we iron out the bugs. You have no idea how it pains me to say that. This thing is supposed to be perfect with all the brain trust we have here and the money I've sunk into this. All I can say is I'm sorry and we'll try harder.
Jonathan

JK- I don't think Chris took offense to your suggestion. It's just that the whole purpose of this site is to provide information to people and then have them go back home to their boards to discuss it. And it's working with 1200 views and over 100 posts in this JVC forum alone. Now I need to figure out how to get the other areas of the Board involved. I don't have the time to properly run a discussion forum. Our mission is to drive people to DVInfo because that's who's supported us from the first time we talked in Vegas about this. In fact, that was the one brief time I met Chris. Again, I can't run a discusision forum. That's for the experts to do like Chris.