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Technicolor & Canon Combine on Color
Canon & Technicolor have announced Technicolor CineStyle, which provides cinematographers with a look that allows for the greatest image latitude.  The new CineStyle will be unveiled at the NAB show: Technicolor: Technicolor & Canon USA Form Strategic Alliance...

It appears that this will be a picture style in the camera much like the existing picture styles. According to Planet5D, Canon USA doesn't now if this will be available for existing cameras. Planet5D: UPDATED! TECHNICOLOR & Canon USA...



Prime lens vs. Zoom
B & H posts two pictures taken with a prime and a zoom lens, and asks you to pick which is which: B&HInsights: Prime vs Zoom, Can You Tell the Difference?



James Cameron wants Higher Frame Rates
Perhaps lead by his interest in 3D, James Cameron is pushing for higher frame rates. But there is a lot of debate about whether higher frame rates are "good" or "bad." Part of the "film look" that many people strive to recreate is 24p. This battle isn't new; Douglas Trumbull has been pushing for high frame rates for years [See NotesOnVideo: The 24p debate: Part I]

The debate continues on the blogs. In the pro 24p camp, Filmmaker Stu Maschwitz has jumped into the debate at his blog Prolost: Movies at High Frame Rates
Whether it’s 60 fps or 48 (which is close to PAL video’s 50 fields per second), we’ve seen these frame rates before. And audiences have rejected them to varying degrees for as long as I can remember
In the pro high-frame rate camp, Andrew Reid at EOS HD responds:
This is where I have to disagree with Stu that the loss of 24p is a bad thing.Stu is applying a 2D cinematic mindset to a completely different game here. What suits 2D is not what suits 3D, and visa-versa.
EOSHD: Cameron & Jackson are right - 60p and 3D are how our eyes see reality



Software
  • DaVinci Resolve Review. Jim Geduldick reviews Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve: "The Resolve software has the tools that set it apart in both price and features, including stereoscopic support. You will need a supported Blackmagic video card, and at the time of this testing only the Decklink Extreme 3D was capable of giving me stereoscopic output." PostMagazine: Review: Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve software

  • Phonetic Indexing Part I: Scott Simmons looks at the latest features in Avid Media Composer 5.5, including PhraseFind, which "is a phonetic indexing tool that “listens” to your audio and allows you to search out words or phrases using those results." ProVideoCoalition: Kicking the tires on Avid Media Composer 5.5

  • Phonetic Indexing Part II: Over at the digitalfilms blog, Oliver Peters goes through GET, the phonetic indexing tool for Final Cut Pro: Get – Dialogue Search for Final Cut Pro

The Business of Movies
  • Where Do Movie Goers Get Their Info? Good news for mobile phone makers, bad news for newspapers: "about 40 percent of moviegoers [...] got information about showtimes from a mobile device. Another 40 percent got movie times from the internet. A mere 1 percent found out about when a movie was playing from the newspapers." TheWrap: Moviegoers Getting Info From Mobile Devices, Not Newspapers

  • Netflix Distribution Not For Indie Movies: Greg Sandoval at CNET looks at the economics of distributing through Netflix, and notes some red flags for indie movie makers: "Of the movies that go this route, Balsz said the most she's seen anybody earn from streaming is $20,000. "If you have $2 million in your film, you're not going to pay it off this way," she said." CNET: Some indie studios wary of Netflix partnership

  • Yesterday Writer/Director/Actor Edward Burns, who has embraced Indie movie making, tweeted: And they said I was crazy back in 2007 - take a look: and pointed to an article by Steve Pond about Indie films moving to online. "The message is clear: for some movies theatrical is for show, but on-demand and streaming is just as important." TheWrap: The New Indie Film Arthouse: Is It Moving Online?

Cameras
  • Sony Bloggie Duo: Sony posts a short promo about the Bloggie Duo, a Flip-like camera with a screen on both sides; perfect for shooting yourself: YouTube: New Sony Bloggie Duo: Unboxing & Demo

  • Nikon Announces the D5100: The Nikon D5100 has been announced, and DPReview has a preview up already: Nikon D5100 Preview. Price is $800 body-only and it's expect release is April 21.
    Nikon has a promo video YouTube: NIKON D5100 (English).
    They've also released an external "video" microphone: ME-1 Stereo Microphone.
    While the camera offers 24p and 30p, and they have switched to AVC-HD H.264, EOSHD wonders if all they have managed to do is catch up to where Canon already is. EOSHD: Nikon D5100 announced (UPDATED)

  • Sony NEX-FS100 low-light test: The Video Cobra posts another sample video shot with the NEX-FS100 with one-cigarette lighter illumination at 0db, 6db and 12db. There's also a bit at 15 and 30 db Vimeo: Low Light Killer

  • Sony NEX-FS100 Footage in Post | James Tonkin did the grading for the Vertigo video shot be Den Lennie and in a post at F Stop Academy talks about the experience. He's very impressed by the image quality, low noise, and even the "film grain" like noise it produces. He concludes:
    I look forward to trying the camera next time using the HDMI out to 4.2.2 into a NanoFlash or Atomos Ninja to see the difference in image quality and latitude, however at present even the standard AVCHD codec seems a big improvement over H.264 from a DSLR. FStopAcademy: FS100 FOOTAGE IN POST

  • Sony PMW-F3 Video: A mystery/thriller cinematic piece shot by Ryan Bohling with the PMW-F3 and Sony prime lenses: Vimeo: Chapter 1: The Woods

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