James Chressanthis uses Max 8 in TNT's Mystery Movie Night: HIDE

Last night I watched in awe the remarkable use of Super 8 film in the TNT made for TV movie HIDE. Based on a thriller mystery novel by Lisa Gardner, the film was directed by James Gray and beautifully shot by cinematographer James Chressanthis, ASC. Hide marks their reunion, as they have collaborated on other projects such as Ghost Whispers and Brian’s Song.

The deliberate choice by Chressanthis to shoot full Max 8 to punctuate the numerous flashback scenes by different characters in the story had a strong aesthetic punch. Never did you feel as if you were watching a home movie, but rather a vivid porthole into the memory of painful events that these characters were being asked to retell investigators. 

Chressanthis chose our MAX 8 1014 XLS camera with crystal for the Super 8 sequences. Shooting was done with  Pro8/19, a Kodak Vision 3 200T film stock that is highly versatile for both bright and low light conditions. The film has 13 stops of latitude, extremely fine grain, and an ultra wide exposure range. It captured both the shadows and highlight details so well that  in some shots you could actually see the skeletons of the mummified bodies inside the hanging body bags down in a low lit  underground pit.

We scanned the film in native 1080 to ProRes 4:4:4 HQ with 3 separate passes at different frame rates. "We shot mostly at 9FPS on the Max 8 camera. Editorially they used all the frame rate transfers:  24, 12, 6 fps.

I shot the various frame rates to speed up, slow down and blur the image and also to increase the grain.

That's because normal Super 8 is so clean that it can look like good 16mm but we wanted an edgy, grittier 

look in representing the deep memories of the characters. It looks fantastic! " says Chressanthis.

Plot Summary: Carla Gugino (Californication, Entourage) plays Boston Police Detective D.D. Warren, who is called to the grounds of an abandoned mental hospital where a buried chamber is discovered. Inside are the mummified remains of six young women, who have all been missing for years. The case leads D.D. to Annabelle, played by Bridget Regan (Legend of the Seeker). Annabelle is a young woman who spent her childhood moving from city to city, from identity to identity, hiding from someone or something totally unknown to her. D.D. uses clues from Annabelle's secret past to unravel the mystery behind her twisted family history. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (TNT's Franklin & Bash, NYPD Blue) and Kevin Alejandro (True Blood, TNT's Southland) also star. Hide is written by Janet Brownell (Eloise at the Plaza), directed by John Gray (Ghost Whisperer, Helter Skelter) and executive-produced by Stephanie Germain (The Day After Tomorrow)  (summary from TNT website)

Chressanthis has used Pro8mm workflows is such projects as No Subtitles Necessary (2008)and Brian's Song (2001). He is a three time Emmy Award Nominee, and has been a member of the ASC since 2002.

If you missed last nights premier, check for an opportunity to stream it  directly from TNT’s website http://www.tnt.tv.

Kurt Markus Sets Mellencamp Documentary Project

We just got the official Press Release and can't wait to share the news! Kurt Markus will film John Mellancamp on tour this summer armed with two Max 8 Classic Pro Cameras with crystal sync and tons of Pro8mm film. The project will be scanned in native 1080 on our M2 scanner. The test footage we have seen so far looks amazing! We have worked with Markus on Music Videos for Jewel (Goodbye Alice) and we love his camera work and up close and personal technique.

NEWS from Bob Merlis/M.f.h.
606 N. Larchmont Blvd. #102
Los Angeles, CA 90004
323.962.6887
bobmerlis@bobmerlis.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KURT MARKUS SETS MELLENCAMP DOCUMENTARY PROJECT

Kurt Markus, whose still work has put him in the front ranks of contemporary American photographers is about to embark on a film project that will document a journey he?ll be taking this summer with John Mellencamp. Markus? extraordinary vision and focus on the American West has earned him critical accolades over the course of his 35 year long career in photography that has seen his work published in Vanity Fair, GQ, Rolling Stone, Travel and Leisure, New York Times Magazine, Outside, Esquire, Texas Monthly, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue and Best Life as well as overseas outlets. He was recipient of Life Magazine?s Alfred Eisenstaedt Photography Award for his Rolling Stone ?Sports Hall of Fame? shots of triathelete Peter Kotland.

This summer he will accompany Mellencamp with a classic Super 8 camera, capturing him on tour and as he records an album of new songs. Ian Markus, his son, is his assisting cameraman and will film digitally and capture sound. The expectation is that Markus? approach to production will capture the unrefined truth of his experience with Mellencamp over the course of July and August.

Mellencamp will record the album at a variety of historic locations during days off from his forthcoming summer tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. Sessions will take place at the First African Baptist Church in Savannah, GA, Sun Studios in Memphis and San Antonio?s Gunter Hotel. Much of the album will be recorded on location using AMPEX 601 tape recorder made in 1951 and an RCA microphone from 1949. At Sun, Mellencamp and a rhythm section will use equipment similar to that which Sam Phillips used when he first recorded Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and the other legendary Sun Records artists. T Bone Burnett, who produced last years critically acclaimed Life Death Love and Freedom is producing No Better Than This as well.

Markus, who was born in Montana and still lives in that state, made his mark in landscape, figure study, celebrity, fashion and travel. Exhibitions of his work have been mounted by the Cowboy Hall of Fame, Hills Gallery, Halsted Gallery, Staley-Wise Gallery, Gallery for Contemporary Photography and Galleria Photology. Markus published several monographs, including After Barbed Wire, Buckaroo, Dreaming Georgia, Boxers, Cowpuncher, and Dune. He has undertaken commercial assignments for Armani, BMW, Sony, Levis, Calvin Klein and Nike.

Staley-Wise Gallery in New York, The Rose Gallery in Los Angelse and Photology in Milan represent Kurt Markus? work.

# # #

Available now:



John Mellencamp on tour with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson
July 2 - Sauget, IL - GCS Ballpark

4 - South Bend, IN - Coveleski Stadium

8 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Slugger Field

10 - Dayton, OH - Fifth Third Field

11 - Eastlake, OH - Classic Park

13 - Washington, PA - CONSOL Energy Park

14 - Allentown, PA - Coca Cola Park

15 - New Britain, CT - New Britain Stadium

17 - Essex Junction, VT - Champlain Valley Exposition Center

18 - Bethel Woods, NY - Bethel Woods Center For The Arts

19 - Syracuse, NY - Alliance Bank Stadium

21 - Pawtucket, RI - McCoy Stadium

23 - Lakewood, NJ - First Energy Park

24 - Aberdeen, MD - Ripkin Stadium

25 - Norfolk, VA - Harbor Park

28 - Durham, NC - Durham Bulls Athletic Park

29 - Simpsonville, SC - Heritage Park Amphitheater

30 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater @ Encore Park

31 - Orange Beach, AL - The Amphitheater at the Wharf

Aug. 2 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavillion

4 - Round Rock, TX - The Dell Diamond

5 - Corpus Christi, TX - Whataburger Field

7 - Grand Prairie, TX - QuikTrip Park

9 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavillion

11 - Glendale, AZ - Camelback Ranch

12 - Lake Elsinore, CA - The Diamond Park

14 - Fresno, CA - Chukchansi Park

15 - Stockton, CA - Banner Island Park

Pro Rez Price List

Save money when you go to Pro Res! The Pro Res HD prices are less than our standard HD package prices because there is no cost of tape! Plus, they are a dream to edit with in Final Cut Pro. Packages include your film, processing, scanning, prep and clean and full scene-to-scene color correction on the M2 scanner to hard drive.

Super8 Pro Res 422 HQ Prices

Tester (1) $108
Sampler (4) $336
Sampler (6) $454
Sampler (8) $558
Sampler (10) $672
Movie trailer (12) $767
Short film (24) $1420
You tube (36) $1985
Music video (48) $2595
Documentary (96) $5081
Feature film (192) $9965

16mm Pro Res 422 HQ Prices
Tester (1): $180
Sampler (4): $520
Sampler (8): $860
Movie Trailer (12): $1,185
Short Film (20): $1,910
Music Video (40): $3,635
Documentary (80): $6,880
Feature (160): $12,600



*No downloading fee if your hard drive is formatted MAC, and has a properly functioning ESATA or Fire Wire 800 Drive, or you purchase a drive from Pro8mm.

For Immediate Release From Pro8mm

WIDE GATE MODIFICATION NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRO 814 Camera



Pro8mm introduces a NEW wide gate modification to the extremely popular Pro814. The new modification gives 20% better resolution when scanning in HD because it allows for expanded image on the negative. Introduced just over a year ago, the Pro814 is an affordable rebuilt, recalibrated super 8 camera, modified to optimize the results of modern super8 film stocks. The modification is priced at $300.00; This is an inexpensive way to achieve widescreen capability for your Pro814 camera. This is a modification to the gate and block only, and does not include
16 x 9 viewfinder or optical centering. The Pro814 is priced at $795, which includes a water tight Pelican Case and 85 filter. The intro price for the Pro814-Widegate is $995.00, a savings of $100.00.