Newest addition to the family

Here is our newest camera, a MovieCam SuperAmerica MKII (on the left) with an anamorphic "de-squeezing" viewfinder (long black tube in front)... and the 50mm anamorphic lens (sitting in between).

ASSETS!

We now have 2 MCSA packages with 5x1000' magazines, 6x500' magazines, 2x anamorphic viewfinders and a bunch of goodies (not to mention the 2 Russian Kinor 35H packages).

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A Bit about the Bits they call MOUNTS
The funny thing about photography gear is trying to fit your lens to the front of the camera body. There are so many things that have been standardized in the camera industry that it makes one pause in frustration when considering this irritating fact: there are as many lens mounts as there are manufacturers of lenses and camera bodies: Canon, Leica, Nikon... the list just goes on and on... and on. Having said this, there are some "non-proprietary" mounts that were seeming attempts at standardization in the cinema world at least, the big players in that alphabet soup being BNCR and PL. It seems that PL is the most common of these two, but that isn't really saying much. At least it's something. The problem we have run into at ETE is that our super-fab vintage lens collection is from a Russian manufacturer Lomo (AKA Ekran depending on how much Vodka you had and what day of the week it was) and guess what? Yup. They have their own mount too, it's designated OCT-19 (what is it with these Russians and October?). Luckily, it's got similar dimensions to BNCR, so if you have a camera body with a BNCR mount, you're in good territory. If you have a PL mount camera, well, PL is a smaller diameter than BNCR so get out your hard-hat and jackhammer, it's time to dig up the streets.

PL mount

Guess what? Our first MCSA came with a BNCR on the front hood: woohoo! The second one? PL... But hey, don't smash your Vodka bottles in disgust quite yet! We're in good hands with the Dr. of mount-ology Steven Morton! He and his machinist worked the first mount so, being that the camera bodies are identical, he ought to be able to whip up another mount fairly easily. The important bits with the critical measurement points are in the mail as I type this, on their way to Australia where Steven will work his magic. We should have the second camera ready to accept Russian lenses in the ensuing weeks.

We are ON like Donkey Kong. Let the filming begin.

Flags of our Fathers... and Mothers

So, are you on set and need something to block out just SOME of the light in a certain area to prevent unwanted highlights or something? You, my friend, need what's called a flag. And guess what? We have that covered at about $5 a pop. 

Speaking of pop, he was the one who bent the wire frames and mom did the sewing :-)

Flags... from the pirate ship ETE! YAR!

 I love cheep and easy. Did I mention I love cheep and easy? Apply directly to the forehead.

ed. note: Apply directly to the forehead

Table stands, for standing on ANYTHING

In the spirit of DIY and shielding ourselves from spending millions of dollars on specialty equipment that really isn't worth it, we've designed our own table-top stands (and we'll allow them to be used on the floor as well in a pinch).

A flange, a pipe, 4 screws and a piece of wood

2K MADNESS!

1 foot... just what the Dr. Peppered

So, with a little of that good ol' American elbow grease, we've made 4 of these for our 2K lights and another 4 of them for the small 200-watt tungsten "inkie" lights. They can be placed on the ground and point up, on table tops where regular stands might be too cumbersome, or on top of tall stuff in cramped quarters pointing down. Versatility just cost us about 10-bucks a pop. And that's ETE!
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UPDATED:

Here is a group photo... we have 2 more in the wings.

A band of brethren... sans 2 that is...

 

In this case, a "jig" is not a dance...

...unless it refers to the dance you do as you try and wrap the wire around the guide-posts.

Huh?

Let me put it this way. Do you have a bunch of scrims you want to make on your own so you don't have to pay a million dollars for store-bought ones? And you want to do it in a timely manner?

Yes.

Then you need a jig. A jig is like a template that helps you to engage in a repetitive process in an accurate, efficient manner. Observe:

The jig

Our first production run

Not bad!

So, there you have it! We're making 24 of these babies in the next few days, and it should be fairly easy... More than you ever wanted to know about making scrims!

ed. note:  Yes, this is more than we EVER wanted to know about making scrims.

UPDATED:

As promised: scrimania!

 ed. note: I thought I might add, mom made all of these for us after dad bent the wire to shape. Don't families ROCK?!?

Scrims

The more we experiment with and make our own lighting equipment, the more I realize how much cool stuff we're learning and how much money we're saving by doing it. It's like a free college course that would otherwise cost $1000's at some big name campus. AND, we have a complete rig to call our own when we're done.

Scrims

What is a scrim? 

A scrim is a piece of material held in a frame, sometimes large, sometimes small, and then placed in front of a light source.

Why? 

Essentially, light needs to be modified. In it's raw form, light is harsh and damaging. It needs to be shaped and coaxed to do what you want, and given the right conditions, you will be rewarded with beautiful results. Scrims soften your light sources and thereby flatter your subject. The degree of softening depends largely on the type of material you use. We have tested a number of different materials and found interesting properties of one kind of fabric. Notice the moire pattern:

Interference pattern between two layers of fabric

So, not only is it important to chose fabric based on the degree of softening it does to your light, it's important to make sure you don't get interference between layers if you chose to double up. Interesting! 

We have sourced some great material that costs about $5 per yard so... for about 12 scrims we're probably going to pay less than $50. Compare that with $160 for 5 from Matthews. No thanks, I'll take ours any day, and save the money for paying the talent on set.

ed. note: BTW this was a free test of material we were experimenting with from an old linen closet we raided... Don't worry, that's "mom" holding up the frame, she's the one who did the raiding LOL! I love FREE.

Mission Statement; Evolution of Concept

ed. note: We've uploaded a lot of posts that have incorporated humor and joking as we present our ideas and progress. It's been fun, but as the director I'd like to take a moment to discuss in a little more serious tone the overlying goals and mission statement we're focused on accomplishing.

*  *  *
Our Mission:
To uphold and participate in tradition while forging our own methods, develop interestingly unique characters who tell good stories, and to have fun doing it.

*  *  *

We've been in the development stage for 3 scripts in a series entitled El Sendero since about 2007, and in 2010 started the 4th. A Tale of Two Sillies was among the original 3, and since it called for the smallest amount of resources and easiest forces to bring to bear, I pushed to have it developed first. We chose to shoot both the first and last film in the series in B/W from the beginning, and originally we were going to go with 16mm. Eventually that concept changed as money became available and we decided on 35mm, and then anamorphic widescreen. The two middle films are going to be in color, but again shot on film.

We have been diligently sourcing equipment that we have bought and can call our own. In this way, we can pick up any piece and experiment with it, test how best to use it, learn what doesn't work. We can decide to shoot any time we want and not have to deal with rental houses. We've been able to organize our tools to work within our concept of efficiency and speed, while staying in the constraints of a modest budget. I think it's amazing what we've accomplished so far, though there is yet still much to do.

Now, our philosophy if you will, is to break from convention, yet participate in tradition. While we honor tradition and love the work that has come from Hollywood, we also feel that the last 10-15 years has been quite stagnant. We are not the only ones to feel this way. Most movies these days palm off stock characters and thin plots with massive SFX budgets to get the theaters packed; and while that's good a couple of times a year maybe, everyone wants to cash in. Audiences have noticed, and the natives are restless.

We are among the restless, and this is the reason for our MO; it won't be easy street. Breaking with convention means to travel a road that will be bumpy. It means going against the grain, and it may feel a bit uncomfortable at first, especially for those steeped in the norm. It means being different, thinking differently: entertaining truly and honestly different thoughts, and not just giving the idea lip service. Chris' writing is so refreshingly different, and so vibrant... we have a hit with T2S, I just know it--not to mention the next films. But that will all come. We must stay true to ourselves, true to our mission statement, and not stray off course.

In seeking like-minded individuals who are willing to hitch their wagons to our train, we have developed a screening process that asks for something a little different. Most people point and click on the internet, never caring to actually read the fine print, never sifting to find the important stuff. This is OK , but it is not for ETE. We need conscious, breathing and thinking individuals, ready to invest themselves in the ~120 pages we hand them as though they were the keys to our classic Corvette. Unlike watchful parents lending out their car, we want you to rip the tires loose, tear our script apart and put it back together again after we give it to you. We want you to become your character... these are your chops as a thespian and central to your professionalism. Can you bring what we have in B/W ink on the page, and ask of you during rehearsals to life for the big screen? We are looking for people who have the desire to make this happen.

In return, we will do our best to take the performance you give and put it together into a movie that will likely launch all of our careers. That is our professionalism at ETE, and the end goal we will do our best to bring about. It can be done, and done once, we then have 3 more waiting for immediate repeat of the process.

Thank you,
Brandon Esten
Procuder/Director

Scott Bullock
Assoc. Prod.

Jan Esten
Production Managment

ed. note:

I also wanted to add that this is a family affair. Family is very important to us at ETE, and you can expect to see moms and dads, nephews and uncles running all over the place... go family!