I’m shooting a sketch comedy show and we have a 70’s era "Soul Train" segment and I’m planning on using 2-3 vintage tube cameras to get that look. Anything from a TK76 up to HL79’s. Handheld style only, no ped cameras. Surprisingly, finding working tube cameras for rent in Los Angeles is extremely difficult. No rental houses have them even as a specialty. Wondering if anyone here has a collection and would bring them out to play. If we have to we’ll fall back on our normal cameras (Alexas) and do what we can in post, but of course there’s no duplicating the smearing/comet-tailing and other artifacts of legit tube cameras.

We shot a sketch last year that was supposed to have a home-video look from the 80’s and I used a period Magnavox camera (foregoing the over-the-shoulder VHS deck) for that one, it was a great success! My feeling is that this look was a little too "consumer" compared to the broadcast look we want for the Soul Train sketch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlxkcewBEe0

If anyone has leads on a few functional cameras, please let me know. I don’t post here often so please email: info (at) charlespapert dot com.

Thanks!