Thanks for your interest in Swiss Effects and the compliments regarding "Everything Put Together." I think it is one of our finest examples of tape to film. Roberto Schaefer did a wonderful job as DP. It was shot in PAL and I think that is important as to why it looked so good -- particularly the shots where he played with the shutter speed to show the emotional distress in the scenes in the halls of the storage facility.

At Sundance, I ran into Peter Broderick and he was bemoaning how many of the dv projects looked bad at Sundance and why should this be so when there is so much experience to draw upon. Well, the answer I told him is that there is also a lot of misinformation out there and people listen to the wrong answers as carefully as they do the correct answers. Also, people want to believe things that just are not true in the real world of tape to film.

Roberto Schaffer -- Antony Dodd Mantle ( 28 days later)-- these are big guns. Very talented people. Picasso's with toy cameras. There is no "exact" as they work as craftsman and artist -- developing and tweaking along the way. Roberto used our VX 1000 camera specs -- and I think he used the anamorphic adapter -- but the rest is sheer talent. No secrets. It is not the camera but the brilliance or weakness of the DP and director.

The camera is a pencil.

The PAL issue is important. If you are not going to shoot in PAL you have to be thinking of a bigger camera or more stringent shooting requirements -- less movement -- less of everything as you have 100 less lines of resolution and the 3/2 pull down will be a nightmare in any language.

At the end of the day, PAL isn't a magic format that will automatically guarantee you the kind of results seen in "Everything Put Together". Your DP has to be good. This is important. It is also important to NOT use the "progressive scan" or "film mode" settings on any of these inexpensive consumer/prosumer cameras. Don't worry about interlacing removing -- shoot interlace on small dv cameras. Interlace trumps fake progressive scan or movie mode any day for film out. Do a test to film and prove it to yourself.

You might consider doing atwo minute test with your DP and experiment with achieving the look you desire. This is so important and it seems only the really experienced DP's take the time to do these tests. Two minutes to 35mm is $600 and the price comes off the final transfer cost if you go with Swiss Effects.

Everyone worries about this outlay of bread but it saves so much money and time in the end that it is foolish, in my mind, to go into production without spending the time and energy to do a test. Even myself, who have worked on probably 60 dv to 35mm features, would not go into production without doing extensive tests. It helps bring everyone together on the same page.

The cost I quoted - $600 - is our cost without profit margin. It is a serious offer at doing something basically for free, on our part, for your benefit -- we still have to pay Kodak, Federal Express and the light bill. A two minute test is hours of work. Looking at the test, analyzing it -- making decisions and recommendations. All that.

When the test is done we will send you back your original dv tape, plus the 35mm film negative.

First off, don't buy -- rent. Prices and cameras are changing very fast. New cameras with new goods and bads are slated to come out and people who own the PD 150 (PAL) will probably be looking to upgrade to the next cheerleader. As a consumer -- dv movie makers are the new consumer of product -- you are going to be told to buy this, buy that -- so and so is better -- if you want to be the best you have to have it. All that garbage. Put it out of your mind and work with what you have. Your mind, not your credit card, makes the movie. For this reason, also, I say buy a camera for your learning process -- burn it up -- but rent a camera when it is time to say "action."

With dv filmmaking, there are no answers, only alternatives. You have to stop looking for the right way and find your own way which you are happy with. Shoot video -- hours of it -- learn how to hold the camera -- any camera -- shoot hours and hours. Work on focus issues, framing issues. When you decide to make a movie make sure the camera is PAL and don't shoot progressive scan option on the baby cameras. Those are probably the most tried and true rules. Also, invest money, time, -- anything -- in a trusted sound person.