I always try to push my limits and achieve realistic movie-like picture in my work. But it's quite difficult, if you don't have a variety of pricey cameras at your disposal.
Cinema makers use anamorphic cameras. Those are an expensive and complex systems with cylindrical lenses, which narrow the picture horizontally. Afterwards, the image is edited back, to normal ratio.
We believe that this approach is a complete mess, and we wanted to know why it is necessary:
Nikita | Operator
This filming method allows us to achieve specific, cinema-like picture. For example, when light comes into the objective, horizontally stretched glares appear and whole image deforms around the edges.
To obtain the same distortions on a camera with exchangeable lenses we would have to pay 20 times the price of a single Hercules printer for an optical system, or the exact same price for a nozzle.
Nikita | Operator
Both ways would be too expensive for me, so I decided to make the nozzle for the camera myself. I searched through local cinemas and found an old broken film projector with cylindrical lenses I needed.
Nikita | Operator
There was a problem -- I did not have holders I needed because I could not find specific ones in the stores
In that case, Hercules is indispensable. In order to design two lens holders you would have to spend no more than an hour.
Moreover, you can make them any size and form, add clamps with a desired diameter and location.
Nikita | Operator
I printed everything I needed on Hercules. The most exciting thing about it, that I no longer have to fiddle with oblivious amount of adapters.
Nikita | Operator
I made holders for my 6mm guides, and the frame for lenses. Minor inaccuracies do not bother me for, so I do it all for myself.
Whole thing will cost you 100 grams of plastic and an hour to prepare the model. All the details will be ready in 10 hours, allowing you to use the whole thing by tomorrow
Advantages are obvious: mere 10 hours and practically zero cost price versus whole month of wait from an online store and a high price.
Nikita | Operator
Anamorphic nozzles often cost from 1000$ and beyond. Now you realize how much money I saved with making this nozzle myself. I use it to film my sketches.
Actually I often print various nozzles and stubs on Hercules. It helps me a lot, especially when parts are absent from stores. By the way, those trifles are so easily get lost...