10 most wanted DIY parts for independent filmmakers

>I'm sure you tried the styrene 2x4 translucent diffusion panels of different

Those really wouldn't be a selling point for me. If I wanted to soften the light, I'd just clip a gel on. Getting light softer is easy, it's controlling it that's important. For that a nice black egg crate would catch my eye.
 
So here's the news back on the 1" thick thin cell aluminum eggcrates. They don't have that as a stock size but of course can make it for a minimum order of 1000 sq meters.

I fired back asking about other options like stacking the 1/2" two deep and we'll see if we can talk them into it one way or another. In fact, I think I'll just have him make me a sample with two stacked on top of each other in a frame to go in the slide-in adapter on one of my demo units and i'll try it out and see how it looks.
 
siniarch said:
Hey guys,
I've researched the Monitor issue, and this adapter from component to vga is not that easy to crack. I mean, you really need an electrical engineer who knows what he is doing. I can only imagine that this would take much money in R&D. (you are talking about creating a circuit board with special connectors, etc...) And unless combined with the controller for the TFT display, you would have to power 2 devices.
I'll keep looking though.
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....I know this is from a ways back, but its worth looking at...

http://elm-chan.org/works/sc/report.html
 
Hey Nomadic,

Don't worry. I kept my word
I'll keep looking though
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I did keep looking and I'm pretty sure I've found a good solution.

I have a sales representative getting me pricing and will order some sample components this week coming up. For the whole monitor, not just the adapter.

I've also received an enclosure and I'm working on customizing that (hence the cnc machine)

So if everything works, I should have a working prototype withing a month or so.

Hopefully before the next Los Angeles HVX user group meetings, so I can show it off there. :) But we'll see.
 
I'd like to second the univeral car mount, preferably with both pumpable suction cups and straps. Not sure what parts would be needed to be manufacured, but even a DIY tutorial would be nice.

-DES
 
Great thread! I've been slowly making progress on various personal projects.

jmc said:
Ooh, now that would be very useful, and universal: a 100mm bowl (perhaps with a 75mm adapter?) with simple bolt holes for mounting to various DIY projects (crane, hi hat, dolly, etc.)
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I've got a very reasonably priced universal 75mm bowl for sale: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=979075

I'm all for more suction/vacuum cups, as I'm working on car mount solutions.

Have you seen the "making of" documentary on the Collateral DVD? What about sourcing the flat "cell phone screen" lights they were using in the cab? What about small fluorescent tubes designed for the confined spaces of vehicle interiors? I've been using a Kino-Diva from school, but it's still bulky for a 2dr coupe, and my trusty home depot clamp on work lights tend to elicit snickers on set.

I'm just getting into the grip/electric world, but what about some reasonably priced mounts for lights?

l_127602005e8ee8eb6e9e2e4e31f63f23.jpg

It's hard to make out the "Junior" mounts I threw together out of scrap steel, but do they already manufacture something like this for universal applications?

Thanks again for the kick ass thread.
 
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TroutPro said:
Have you seen the "making of" documentary on the Collateral DVD? What about sourcing the flat "cell phone screen" lights they were using in the cab? What about small fluorescent tubes designed for the confined spaces of vehicle interiors? I've been using a Kino-Diva from school, but it's still bulky for a 2dr coupe, and my trusty home depot clamp on work lights tend to elicit snickers on set.
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I didn't see it but I can imagine. Something like a litepanel is what you're talking about or a reasonably priced LED array unit with battery capability.

TroutPro said:
I'm just getting into the grip/electric world, but what about some reasonably priced mounts for lights?
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I'm definitely thinking about that all the time. We've already been working on some stuff here.

TroutPro said:
It's hard to make out the "Junior" mounts I threw together out of scrap steel, but do they already manufacture something like this for universal applications?

Thanks again for the kick ass thread.
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When you say junior mounts, do you mean a junior female? That's a 1 1/8" (28mm) diameter receptacle. So you need a junior female to what on the other end? Something like a clamp?
 
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Cool Lights said:
moz-screenshot-1.jpg
moz-screenshot-2.jpg


I didn't see it but I can imagine. Something like a litepanel is what you're talking about or a reasonably priced LED array unit with battery capability.
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Your pics didn't come through, please try them again.

I think it was electroluminescent (sp?) sheet. I believe they were even able to find it at the correct color temp. They redid the entire interior of the cab in velco loop material, and then used velcro hooks on the back of the light. Super flat, put it anywhere, and able to run off the vehicles 12v power. Super cool!

I brought the DVD with me to work and have MediaFork working its magic right now. I'll try to chop out that little segment and have up on YouTube tonight.

Cool Lights said:
When you say junior mounts, do you mean a junior female? That's a 1 1/8" (28mm) diameter receptacle. So you need a junior female to what on the other end? Something like a clamp?
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I ran outside and snapped this photo of Optimus Dime:
l_ef51b72caa6cf11f1612657224cd880b.jpg


I only had 3 hours to try and build the light rig, and ran out of welding gas half way through, so this is pretty rough, but it's in the vein of what I'm looking for. Some universal male 5/8" studs with various mounting applications (1/4" or 3/8" in male or female) for lights and gobos, as well as 1 1/8" female with a 1/2" male or female mount for bigger lights. I've seen similar items around, but the markup is unreal. I can make almost all of it myself, but these days I don't really have the time.

mr7040.jpg

I want one of these REALLY bad, but don't have the $500 bones lying around. Any chance you could get our far Eastern friends to make me one for a six pack of TsingTao?
 
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Not sure what happened with that link in my last message.

Here's an interesting idea for your lite panel. Someone posted this a few months ago and I saved the link because I thought it should be investigated. Unfortunately I can't do it right now as I'm not in the USA.

http://midwestled.com/products_panelux.asp

http://midwestled.com/products_tilux.asp

Could be interesting as a portable lite panel application and has 3200K and 5500K choices.

As far as your other light mounting ideas there. It looks like to me, what you want is some various standard adapters that have bolt mountings on them to make it easy to mount them anywhere--not just on a light stand. Would that be the type of solution? Like a junior female, baby spud, baby female, etc.
 
I'm not too much about parts BUT... i had a great idea to pre-fabricate aluminum or steel pieces for a home-made, portable, easy to assemble jib... and since the basic jib is a fairly simple design... I'm sure you can turn a good profit... mine took me roughly 2 and 1/2 days to build. 1st day research and design, 2nd day at the hardware store and the 3rd day hands on. If there was an affordable jib I would have bought it... but my design reaches twice as high and costs 4 times less than the cheapest one on the market... here are some pics if you're interested...click on the thumbnail at the lower right hand side.
 
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hey Mindzeye,
I'm just building my jib myself for the same reasons you built yours. but I can't see the pictures. can you repost?
Thanks,
Luis
 
Spartacus said:
Wow, great find Richard!
Please someone in the US check these TiLux panels out...!
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Could be. Just needs a decent frame around it so you can protect it and put it on a yoke or lolipop type mounting. Also, I wish they wouldn't put the diffusion on it. That just waters down the LEDs. No need for that really as an LED just doesn't have that much throw. I think the reason they did it though was to reduce the number of LEDs they put in there. If you get one of these, I'll bet you discover in fact that there are only LEDs around the edges shining into the panel and letting it do the work of distributing the light over a larger surface area rather than having a huge array of LEDs underneath which would be more expensive.
 
1) Battery solution for on camera accessories (which I might actually build this for myself):

A 14.8 V LiPo battery (www.maxamps.com) and various voltage regulators to power my HVX, Marshall Monitor, RR Micro35, Birger EF232 and my custom RF controller. Not cheap, but one battery to a voltage break out box would allow the custom solution for any rig.

2) Various rod clamps and aluminum brackets for the industry standard 15mm rod system. I would love a few clamps to add to the RedRock base, but they do not sell them separately.

Bob
 
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