Evoke 1200B FL-35YK lens repair

As part of my role as Technical support for the Masters Degree in Filmmaking I often make minor repairs to equipment.  Just recently one of our Nanlux Evoke 1200B lights was returned from a student film shoot and during the check in process I noticed the focus ring on the fresnel lens (FL-35YK lens) was sticking at around 18 degrees (the lens has a beam angle of 11-45 degrees). On initial inspection - you can undo the focus range dial to reveal the mechanism - there was no obvious obstruction and certainly no signs of damage. I thought this is odd and the item will need to go off for specialised repair. However I then put the item to one side. Today I made the decision, under controlled conditions and giving myself time, to fully open the fresnel mechanism. I paid careful attention to the positions of the dials, rings and mechanics of the device by marking the parts with tape. This was so that I would know how to put it back together after. I had to remove the threaded rods that enable the Bowens mount to move backwards and forwards to then allow the Bowens mount to move freely and reveal the issue. On close inspection of the internal area I noticed two of the six screws that hold the yolk on the sides of the unit had come loose and where obstructing the mechanism from passing. I tightened the two loose screws and checked the opposite side was also fully fastened. Assembling the mechanism again was easy because I had placed tape on areas that needed to be realigned. The focus ring now turned freely and the full range of the lens' beam angle is now restored.

FL-35YK Lens

Tape placed for reference

Focus scale ring removed

Focus scale ring and baring pressure mechanism

Bowens mount mechanism

Threaded rods

Threaded rods and gears removed 

Loose screws that prevented mechanism passing

Screws fully tightened

Fostex Archives Tapes

Back in the 90's I purchased a second hand four track tape recorder to make recordings of my guitar playing. There are many types of home recording four track such as the Tascam Portastudio and the Fostex Multitracker XR range. The Multitracker XR-3 was an interesting option at the time as the feature of bounce down (essentially a basic mix) of 3 tracks to 1 track which then enabled the use of the 3 tracks again to essentially give 7 track capability. This feature was a little bit fiddly and once committed to the bounce down you lost any adjustability to individual levels. However the system wasn't designed for perfect recordings but idea creation (or demo recording).

Multitracker XR-3 by Fostex

I used the XR-3 for many years as a way to quickly record guitar ideas and as my musical horizons spread from heavy metal guitar to electronic music creation the XR-3 stayed with me as a trusty way to capture the moment. Its small form factor meant band rehearsals and trips away weren't an issue and storage was convenient too. 

The recommended tape to use was the C-60/C-90 (type II/High position) TDK SA, Maxell XLII or equivalent - however due to limited funds sometimes the only option was to record using whatever tape was to hand - as such often when playing back there would be a track of high speed music pitched up as a result and often backwards - this all adds to the strange world of four track recording.

In recent times I mainly use my phone to record guitar ideas - which isn't ideal as voice memo doesn't allow multi track recording - however I always have my phone with me so its often convenient to record on it. To produce multi track recordings I will often use Garage Band on my Mac computer or a program such as Pro Tools or sometimes Audition. Both of these programs allow multi channel recording through a digital audio workstation (DAW). The Focusrite Scarlette 18i8 allows 8 devices to be connected to enable live recording. 

To preserve the recordings I have made over the years on the XR-3 I recently recorded the output of the XR-3 using the Scarlette 8i8 into ProTools and I'am now going through the recordings and mixing them to share online. I have currently completed 3 Archive Tape recordings and have many more. Here is a link to my Soundcloud account where I posted the archive recordings and who knows maybe some of the ideas will get a re-working using ProTools or even developed into new songs altogether in the future. 

Soundcloud - Sausisson Fas https://on.soundcloud.com/2L9RBLpabJPQvLFk8

Short Film 'Final Rinse and Spin'

Last July I had the privilege to film a short with a fantastic crew in a challenging circumstance - a car wash! The short film, written and directed by Nigel Bristow and featuring the talented Ingrid Evans and Georgie Fox centres around a strange occurrence in a regular car wash somewhere in suburbia. 

The project is currently in post production and I hope to share it once available. The main challenge faced was how to rig the camera in the limited space available. Test shoots helped a lot in understanding the limitations. 

Feature film in Malta

In August 2021 I flew to Malta to help Peter Sant with his new feature film ZAFZIFA. My task was to work along side the Director, who was also DoP for the shoot, as essentially Gaffer but with some camera duties also. Shooting on an ARRI SR2 using 16mm film (50D and 500T) with a strong tungsten hard light aesthetic (2K open face). Unfortunately I don't currently have my Nikon DSLR pictures but here are some iPhone pics of the trip (no production pictures just yet I'm afraid).

Journey snack at Liverpool Street train station

1930s Maltese apartment in St Pauls Bay

Kitchen area

View of the bay at dusk

Popeye village tours poster board

St Pauls Bay

Nikon D7000 DSLR with Nikkor 35mm Lens

Empty water bottles (average temperature was around 40 degrees)

Beach sandles

Palms

Hobz Biz-Zejt tuna roll and coffee

Resting boats

Harbour

Valletta harbour

Valletta Streets

Churchill Statue

Bastion of Valletta

Gateway to Valletta

Opera house

Same designer as Covent Garden in London

Basement stairs

Street decorations

Republic Street banners

Red letter box

Red phone box

Wide steps for the knights and horses

View to the top

Baking Pistizzi

Mdina bridge

Archway

Balcony

Mdina street

GoT merchandise

Self catering breakfast

Blue sky

Apartment balcony

Plants