Heading for Hong Kong
 

I'm heading for Hong Kong next Tuesday with my GL2 to see the Chinese New Year's celebrations. I've been to Hong Kong many times over the past 35 years but never at this time of year. I'm sure it will be both colorful and loud. I've rarely shot video there, only 35mm stills; any suggestions about special locations and the like?

Incidentally, I'm staying at the Harbour Plaza which has a very interesting bar. It is done in Formula One motif with photos of drivers and cars all over the walls and replicas of Ferraris in the inside bar section. The waitresses wear very much modified pit stop outfits and even the urinals are F1 inspired.

The whole trip should be very interesting.

Sandy

Have fun overthere! Be sure to bring a receipt with you from your
camera, so you can get it back with you as well without paying
import taxes etc.

Collaboration - - Present/future
 

Writing collaboration, to work, to sale - - > to more work...

New York based writer/director and seeks an active writing collaboration for independent production. Actively seeking a writer for current project and future work. (NYC location preferable.)

Experience in the North East fishing / Lobster industry a definite plus, however, not necessary.

Include a sample of your writing and a letter about yourself.

Please send to:

D.P. BEGIN
962 Saint Nicholas AVE, No. 4B
New York, New York 10032

Anyone using a Sharp Zaurus SL 5500 PDA?
 

I'm looking for user comments and experinces using the Zaurus SL5500.

MTV Harlem Hoops doc
 

For the most part i really can't stand MTV but if u like to see cams in action watch the docu on street ball championship. there was a 150 and XL1s in almost everyshot as it would cut back to the other cams angle as well as a 150 on one of the tortoise rig backpack suspension systems.

on-line sites
 

I was just looking at atomfilms.com I believe is the name of the site and watched a 12 min. short called "The last of the Cowboys"(If I remember correctly) with B.B.Thornton and was supprised by the amount of name recognisable actors who are useing this type outlet and how good this short was..
What other sites have you all checked out that are worth recomending and what shorts in particular did you enjoy at these sites?

Any PDA or PALM users???
 

Any Palm or PDA users amongs us know of any good camera sites, or one with latest news in camera\camcorder techno that work under Avantgo? Sp you can hotsync all the lastest news in media world direct onto palm as u can with avantgo???

Cool VR camera trick
 

Just saw a really neat trick on the Lord of the Rings Ext DVD set -

They put Peter Jackson (the Director/Writer) in a pair of VR eyeglasses so that he could go "on location"to any computer generated locations or characters in Middle Earth.

The neat part was that they gave him a wooden camera with sensors that he used to "film" the computer generated world as he walked around - quite interesting to see him "filming" while walking around a grid

Most of the shots of the computer generated Stone Troll in Balin's Tomb/Moria were all "hand-held" using the VR camera

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
 

I just saw the film, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. It has one of the most unique looks I've seen in recent history. It seems almost like it has the texture of film, but the feel of Digital, if that makes any sense.

I'm sure it's probably just film and then digitized and wacked up in post, but does anyone have any info on how they did this film? Could it be HD?

Can you point me to the exact location where this is at on the 4
disc extended DVD set? I've seen to have missed that piece!

Thanks!

Marilyn Monroe home movie
 

Anyone see the story today about the long-lost Marilyn Monroe home movie? A fourteen year old kid followed her around Manhattan back in '55, shooting her with his regualar 8 camera.
The film was "lost" untill recently, and the images are superb.

I was reminded again of the quality of small guage film, as I transfered some regualr eight footage this last week of old home movies from the 50's and early sixties. The kodachrome looks GREAT after more than 40 years, which is more than I can say about old vhs tapes I shot of my son in '84!

It's always good to remember in this digital world, that "small guage" filmmaking should not be left behind, especially since the moder NLE's make sound sync, foley and music so easy.

It's a good way to get that "film look" that people are always looking for.

Regards,
Bill

Rats, I returned it to Blockbuster - but I know it's on the 2nd Appendices disk. There's a video there called "Cameras" or something like that.

Hunk of Burning. Love? CD-R quality explained!
 

Very interesting overview of CD-R media quality. Enjoy.

XL1s, Xbox, and the game Apex racing
 

All,
I picked up the new game Apex yesterday and was playing it last night after I pried the controller from my oldest boys hand.
(Since he recently turned 18 and is a senior in high school it's kind of hard to tell him "OK time for bed" =)

In the game you have a shop to build prototype cars. In the shop there are shelves where you edit your game settings/save/load/etc.

On the top shelf there is a Canon XL1s sitting there as part of your gear !

They (infrogames) did a really good job of detailing the camera.
I was actually surprised at the details. It's a stock XL1s with the stock 16X lens.

I just wanted to pass it on to the group for the sake of nostalgia.

Here is a link to the game for those of you that have an Xbox and like racing sim type games.

http://www.apex-game.com/flash.html

That last Columbia tape
 

What sort of camera do you suppose the final videotape recovered from the Columbia orbiter was shot on?

I remember that a few years back NASA selected the XL1 to serve as the official mission camera, but the way the camera moves it looks to be a smaller handheld MiniDV cam, perhaps Laurel Clark's personal camera?

The only thing I can find about it is that "The video was shot with a small onboard camera"... I'm just wondering if it was a consumer device or something custom built for the shuttle.

Why was this, the final tape to be shot, the only one to survive? Was it because it was still in the recording deck?