News From Here & There

CineStyle vs GH2 Cinema Mode
Andrew Reid at EOSHD does some tests comparing the Technicolor CineStyle Picture Style in the Canon 600D with the Panasonic GH2 Cinema Mode. While the CineStyle has some advantages, he thinks the GH2 still comes out on top:

CineStyle essentially reduces the brightness of highlights to preserve detail, and boosts the brightness of darker tones to save more shadow detail. What it cannot do is increase tonality. The GH2 has more - it is the higher contrast camera, with better scaling and yet it still holds onto more dynamic range.

[...] Oddly, RAW stills confirm that the GH2's sensor has less dynamic range to begin with relative to the 600D (and especially the 5D Mark II) - but clearly the Canon is not running away with it. The Canons lose so much in the scaling process, not just detail and a clean image but tonality and dynamic range. The GH2 holds onto a hell of a lot, so even though the Canons have sensors capable of wider dynamic range, the GH2 still beats them, CineStyle or no CineStyle.

EOSHD: Canon 600D Technicolor CineStyle versus GH2 Cinema Mode



Comparing the Sony NEX-VG10, Canon T2i and PMW-F3
Alister Chapman at XDCAM-user.com has a short video demonstrating the quality of video produced by these three cameras. It may be a rather odd comparison given that the cameras really only have one common characteristic; they each have a "large" sensor. Another common characteristic; the same lens was used on each: the Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens using different adapters.

Alister notes that the VG10 and T2i have issues with aliasing on the brickwork of the building. This is probably because these two cameras share something else in common too; they have chips which have a much higher resolution than the final HD image.

He goes on to say:

Also note how much wider the FoV is with both the Canon t2i and even more so the F3. Clearly these cameras have larger sensors than the VG10, the largest being the F3′s Super35 sized sensor. This was another surprise, I had assumed the Canon and F3 sensors to be much closer in size than this. Remember that all three used the same lens and the shots were done from exactly the same place.

XDCAM-user: Comparison clips to download



Canon T3i Review
At Professional Photographer, Ron Dawson reviews the T3i, focusing on the video performance:

Don’t get me wrong, the video quality on this camera is amazing, especially at this price. But the ISO performance is far below that of the 5D Mark II or the 1D Mark IV. Depending on the lighting setup and the color and shade of the objects in the shot, you’ll start to see noise at ISO as low as 400 with the T3i.

ppmag: A New Angle on Video in an Economy HD DSLR: Canon EOS Rebel T3i



Inside Pixar
Michael Johnson, leader of the Moving Picture Group at Pixar talked about working at the company during an appearance at the University of Illinois:

So many people want to work at Pixar that it received 8,000 applications this past summer for internships. Only 100 were hired.

During the editorial phase, the film is edited and organized like a live-action film; Johnson called this phase the "spine of the filmmaking pipeline." Voices are recorded during this stage, before any actual animation takes place, in working prototypes, which are low-resolution, black-and-white sketches of the movie. "If you can't get the movie working here, it will never work out," said Johnson

The pain that comes with making movies is temporary, but a movie that "sucks lasts forever," Johnson said, quoting Jason Dreamer, Pixar's art director.

News-Gazette: For UI alumus working at Pixar, filmmaking 'hard fun'



Database of Motion Picture Lenses
Richard Bradbury has put together a spreadsheet containing most motion picture lenses divided into spherical and anamorphic, by maker.
spreadsheets.google: Motion Picture Lens Database



3D YES! - Fundamentals of 3D Production, May 10, 11 & 12
Sony is offering a crash course in 3D with 3D producer Buzz Hays, chief instructor at Sony's 3D Tech Center. The program will cover the fundamentals of 3D production and the numerous challenges of the format. Several examples will be screened and discussed.

The Sony 3D Technology Centre seminars are offered to directors, cinematographers, operators, producers, executives and educators for both motion pictures and television. Participants will learn the fundamentals of making good 3D and what to avoid.The presentation will last approximately 90 minutes with an additional hour devoted to Q&A and overview of a stereo 3D rig.

Tuesday, May 10 - Thursday, May 12, 10am-12:30am & 2pm-4:30pm
Sony Building, 550 Madison Ave. (56th and Madison) 7th Floor Screening Room
Sony: 3D Crash Course



3D NO!
Scott Weinberg would like 3D to go away please, as it makes the image "dulled, muddied and blurry," and adds 30% to the ticket price. He goes on to note that:

So to James Cameron, a great storyteller who seems way too obsessed with one small facet of the filmmaking process, I say this: The Terminator is immersive. It has great action and a really clever sci-fi hook. Aliens is immersive. It elevates what we loved about the original film and does so with energy, originality, and strength of character.'

Movies.com: Dear 3D, Please Die Already (Again)



GET dialog search for Final Cut Pro
FCProducer posts a video review/demo of GET, a phonetic search engine that works within Final Cut Pro and they describe as a "must for any editor, especially Documentaries, Feature, and News [who] does not have assistant editors or associate producers logging footage."
YouTube: FCProducer Reviews "Get" Dialog Search for Final Cut Pro