More models, cinematography and Super 8

I've gone absolutely psycho buying all sorts of plastic scale models. I've amassed a pretty good set of 50's Willy Ley era spacecraft including the hard-to-find Werner von Braun space station. I have several V-2 rockets on the way plus a couple of XV-1 Convertiplanes and a Mitsubishi Ki46 III. If it's stubby, awkward and circa 1950, I probably bought it. I must have looked through hundreds of models so far. I'll be happy if I never see another Starfighter, SR-71 or Messerschmitt again. Strange, the popularity of these items. I built the Starfighter and SR-71 when I was a kid and those kits are still easy to find. Part of what's getting me to pick up so many models is that I realized that these things don't have infinite shelf lives. Even models I bought in the last few years like the Glencoe Marsliner are no longer made. I'm sort of like the New Jack FM of plastic models. I'm not looking for the MOST popular stuff, but the second-most popular stuff. I like flying wings, Lockheed Constellations and DC-3s, but those planes are too iconographic. I tend to get things with a slightly more generic quality—things that have the familiarity of a hazy dream--like you can't remember if you ever saw it or not and you definitely don't know its name.

I've been investigating cameras lately. Fast forwarded through November last night. Shot on a dvx100. Really interesting look and a pretty sucky film. The cinematography shows incredible control and craft. But it still has the tell-tale pebbly dvx-100 grain. I'm beginning to realize that what shooting on HDV got me was better looking grain. The grain is smaller since I'm down-rezzing and HDV has a prettier grain than the dvx anyway. I also scanned through Episode II. The whole movie looks like it was made of plastic. I wonder if they used the Renderman renderer? Remember, Lucas used to own Renderman/Pixar. The one thing that stands out for me whenever I watch A Bug's Life is how plastic-y it looks. I always figured that was due to Renderman.

Been looking to get a Super-8 camera. David reminded me that 8mm cameras have to be threaded by hand in the dark. No thanks. I only know cartridges. It's cool that a lot of the Super-8 cameras do varying frame rates from 18 to 24 and even 36 fps. The last time I shot Super-8 was in high school and college. I still have my Super-8 roll from my UCLA undergrad sculpture project. But I'm too cheap to convert it to video. I still remember what's in it: walking down the stairs of Dykstra Hall, plastic robots on the loose, me bloodied in a car accident. SO undergrad and totally useless. For my project I projected it onto a muslin screen. You had to lie down on a bed and put your head in a covered frame to watch it.