Using 3ds max 8

I'm remaking a gun scene from the first matrix using 2 very simple
body meshes that are very simply boned.

I want to animate one to do what Neo did on the roof when he first
dodged bullets in bullet time. He bends backwards.

Here is my bones setup: [Link to img363.imageshack.us]

When I rotate my thigh bones, the whole leg rotates from the waist.
How can i reset where it rotates from so that it rotates from the knee
and bends the whole body back from knees up?

I tried moving the pivot in all the settings that I can see but none
of them change where the pivot is, it just moved the bone which moves
the mesh.

I also tried bone tools and tried everything I could think of but
nothing worked. Any help?

My second problem is with rendering, when I'm rendering an animation
video, it looks great when it's rendering, but when I watch the
finished video file it looks horrid, no matter what rendering setting
I use!!! it's so annoying. You will probably need to ask me something
about the computer i'm using to answer this question, so ask away.

THANK YOU!

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