why dont they shoot with anamorphic!?

[Voytek_Stitko]

I got dvx with anamorphic adapter but...November and other features were shot without adapter? Hm...if pros dont use anamorphic maybe it is worth to follow their steps?

I am about to shoot my feature using 2 dvx and still did not decide if I should go with or without anamorphic adapter...

Any thoughts?

What are your experiences with and without this piece?

 

[XCheck]

Good question. I love the wide field of view that the anamorphic gives you, plus the increase in resolution when compared with letterbox or squeeze modes, but I must admit that focusing takes more work, and you better forget apertures larger than f/4 or f/5.6 for the longer focal length settings of the zoom (Barry Green's book has excellent chapter on the subject). You can't focus at all with zoom beyond Z90...

What I found, though, is that if you want close ups with a longer zoom, they are easy to match if you shoot them without the anamorphic (either as letterbox cropped in post or in squeeze mode), while using the anamorphic with wide to medium shots. Pain to put the adaptor on and off all the time, though.

The other reason I'd see the pros don't use the anamorphic is that it's more difficult to use matteboxes and filters with it.

Well... you have a $3500 camera, it can't be perfect in all aspects.

 

[XCheck]

Oh, and I forgot to say - I'd definitely go anamorphic, especially if you have any plans to blow up to film.

And... congrats on your film success. I love Polish films (the few I remember from my youth in Czechoslovakia). Polish directors were always able to pass along subtle messages that the censorship didn't get, but the audience did. And of course, you have all the great Polish directors and cinematographers... Polanski, Kaminski. I was told once that a sure way to make it in Hollywood as a cinematographer was to have a Polish-sounding name. So I am thinking about becoming Jerzy Censki :grin: .

And... being Polish - do you know if Sexmisija (don't know the spelling, but it would be Sexmission in English) is available in North America? It was a sci-fi about two guys who got hibernated and woke up in a world completely ruled by women. Very funny movie, with serious political subtexts! I would love to have it in my DVD collection...

J.