Notes On Video

The new Sony HDR-CX700V may be available for pre-order at Amazon, and the SonyStyle  US website says it will be available on or about the 15th of March, but it's already turning up in stores in Canada ! Ron Evans in Ottawa noticed it was listed as "in stock" at the Sony Canadian site, so rang up and ordered it. He was told it was one of only two in the country. He's written a little about his experience's so far at the DVInfo.com forum: The LCD is smaller but is very sharp and bright. Will do some more shooting tomorrow its dark now. What is surprising is taking some shots in my dark bedroom the data code shows 21db of gain and the image is pretty clean. Will do some more testing tomorrow against the XR500 and the NX5U. Comparing to the XR500 and NX5U the colour seems to be a little lower easy to bring up to the same in Edius by adding about 5% to chroma then they match more closely. Wide angle is very wide compared to even the NX5U. The downside so far i...

Last year Vincent Laforet did a multi-day workshop on HDSLR shooting, and he's back doing it again today. You can watch it for free today and tomorrow; either live (and they also repeat it overnight.) You can also purchase a copy of the event for $99 this weekend (it goes up to $149 after this weekend.) The event actually started yesterday, with an introduction to equipment, rigs and editing. I think the best days will be today and tomorrow: today they are going to be covering documentary shooting, and Sunday they will be covering cinematic shooting. The broadcast starts at 10:00AM PST. creativeLIVE :  FREE Workshop: HDDSLR - Moving From Still to Video with Vincent Laforet

IFP’s Script to Screen Conference is taking place today and if you can't be there, you can at least watch this afternoon's " New Platforms for Writers " panel though UStream. As hype rapidly builds for new platforms and technologies for screenwriters and filmmakers to tell their stories, competition is growing stiffer for more traditional writers to “make it” – unless they, too, become curious about these new methods. In this conversation with “Onion News Network” Head Writer Carol Kolb, who took the show from a web series to national broadcast; Noah Harlan, a filmmaker and content developer for story-driven apps; and the writing team behind Writers Guild Award-winning web series “Anyone But Me”, we discuss these new landscapes, and how to approach them. IFP : Script to Screen

There are some interesting accessories for the Flip that have recently become available. Flip Video Action Tripod Compatible with all Flip video cameras, it can be used as a tripod on a level surface, or attach to bike handlebars, helmet, and other gear using the attachable (and removable) straps. Features a standard tripod mount that is compatible with Flip Video camcorders and other light-weight tripod-based cameras and devices. Users note that as a tripod it's a little shaky, but it's only $14 . Included in package: Action Tripod, two velcro straps to attach Tripod to gear. List price $24.99 Amazon : Flip Video Action Tripod [$14.25] Ikelite ( left ), Bower .45x lens ( right) Ikelite Underwater Housing All camera controls are fully functional through the housing and depth rated to 200ft (60m). Easy open latch and drop in camera loading. Compatibility Note : This housing is compatible with 2nd generation Flip models U1120 and U2120 only. Ikelite does not offer ...

Final Cut Pro Stuff While we impatiently wait for Apple to not release anything about Final Cut Pro 8 at the NAB show, here's some great tips for Final Cut Pro users: fcp.co : The Top Ten FCP Technical Errors And Noise Industries has some free filter effects that work with FxFactory : Free Final Cut Pro plugins Going to NAB? Don't forget the SuperMeet ; even if you aren't a Final Cut Pro user, if you edit with any NLE it's worth going to. Early bird sales end March 15th. Hardware News & Reviews Rycote Portable Recorder Audio Kit Rycote has announced this new piece of gear; a combined Windshield and Suspension solution, the kit contains everything needed to protect a handheld digital recorder from outdoor wind noise, and also to isolate it from unwanted vibrations. It's currently available in a configuration for the Zoom H4n . [ It's listed as available March 1st, though it's not yet available at online retailers. ] Rycote : Portab...

Canon T3i Review Methods Blog has posted a review of the Canon T3i that includes sample video, and pictures comparing the T3i to the T2i . I don't see much of an improvement between the T3i and the T2i .  If you can live without the swivel screen, I don't see a need to go and rent or buy the new T3i .  methodikalge : Canon T3i Review Amazon : Canon EOS Rebel T3i Panasonic AG-AF100 Review Dan Brockett reviews the Panasonic AG-AF100 for HD Video Pro . He was loaned a unit with the Panasonic Lumix G Vario HD 14-140mm F4.0-5.8 lens and he likes the fact that it basically combines video camera features with the shallow-depth of field capabilities of DSLRs. The AVCHD codec is surprisingly good, better than expected, with clean greenscreen shots easy to obtain. Operationally, the AG-AF100 is a big step up from the HD DSLR. Panasonic seems to have tamed CMOS artifacts nicely, with very little rolling shutter and no moiré or aliasing visible in my footage HDVideoPr...

The Birger Engineering lens adapter for Canon EF lenses to the Panasonic AG-AF100 first got some press a few months ago, and though they won't be formerly announcing it until NAB, Erik Widding from Birger Engineering spoke at this weeks LearningLabs at Rule Boston Camera . Rule has posted a video of the event, and if you are interested in this mount, it's well worth watching ( though it does get a bit technical here and there.) Some interesting details: They are already looking at other cameras they could support in addition to the AG-AF100 . The Sony PMW-F3 and even the Arri Alexa were listed, though they think the Sony NXCAM Super 35 might be the other "high-volume product." The mount allows the camera to communicate with the lens, controlling aperture and focus. It will also allow autofocus, though he hedged a bit on whether he thought people would like the performance of auto-focus. He suggested that people come to NAB and try it! The camera will display ...

The iPhone Film Festival is looking for entries. Closing date is March 31st (Film Festival date is April 6th), and categories are: Cinematography, Comedy, Commercial, Cooking, Documentary, Feature Film, Featured Video, Interview, Music Video, Series and Short Film. Entries must be shot on an iPhone or iPod Touch ! The prizes include a variety of iPhone accessories. iPhone Film Festival

3D Passive 3D will get better? Passive 3D screens currently aren't that good; they suffer from limited viewing angle issues and other problems. But  Vincent Alzieu seems to think things will get better....in five years or so. DigitalVersus : Confirmed: Passive 3D to Replace Active 3D Technology 3D doesn't work! David Cohen notes that even way back in 1953 people were complaining about 3D: Patron complained about not seeing picture on screen. Had his own viewers. Checked them; they were ordinary sunglasses . Twitlonger : Odd complaints about 3D: "Those Crazy, Mixed-Up 3-D Kids" July 8, 1953 Sony PMW-F3 3D rig. A photo of two P MW-F3 's on a 3D rig is posted at: ow.ly : bethmarchant Software Problems with DaVinci Resolve : Patrick Inhofer at Tao of Color has been blogging about his experiences switching from Apple Color to DaVinci Resolve . He writes about a problem he encountered because the software didn't support a video format he assumed it...

GoPro has announced another accessory for the GoPro HD HERO camera, the GoPro Battery BacPac . The Battery BacPac works as both a charger for HD HERO batteries and plugs into the back of the 1080p HD HERO camera to nearly double record times. The Battery BacPac  plugs into any USB charging source to charge spare batteries and built-in LED lights indicate battery power status. It includes: 1 Battery BacPac 1-1100mAh Li-ion Battery 1 Waterproof Door for HD HERO housing 1 Skeleton Door for HD HERO housing 1 USB cable It's available for pre-order at Amazon for $49.99: GoPro ABPAK-001 Battery BacPac

We have a long history of video editing. We're the largest supplier of video editing software in the world, we think. - Steve Jobs

Apple announced the iPad 2 , and here's what we know: Unchanged: Same price/configurations (though with Verizon models added) Same screen resolution same basic physical shape same battery life Changed/Added: Faster (2x faster CPU, 9x faster graphics) Thinner (13.4 mm to 8.8mm) Slightly lighter (1.5 to 1.3lbs) Black & white models HDMI output (up to 1080p) Gyroscope Forward facing VGA camera, backward facing 720p camera (probably identical to the iPhone 4 ) Software changes: Improved Safari and Java performance iTunes home sharing iPad switch can be rotate lock or mute FaceTime PhotoBooth local Wifi hotspot (for iPhone 4 ) New software iMovie They've upgraded iMovie to work with the iPad . It looks like it grows up the version they previously released for the iPhone (it might be the same one; I'm really hoping that it is and it's a free upgrade if you already bought the lousy previous iPhone version of iMovie .) The iPhone version I foun...

B & H is offering the Tascam DR-03 for $59.99 (that's $20 less than Amazon is currently listing it.) The pocket-sized unit can record high-quality WAV or MP3 files at rates up to 24-bit/48kHz. The unit records to readily-available microSD flash memory cards, allowing you to record hours of material and share it easily. A 2GB card is included for convenience. Seems like a great pocket recorder for taking notes and recording lectures; may be even useful as an additional recording source during live shoots. B & H: Tascam DR-03 Portable Digital Audio Recorder

Film & Digital Times has more details on the upcoming  NXCAM Super 35mm camera. Though they couldn't post pictures of it, they have added some details, including the fact that it appears to have retained the block-like shape of the prototype, though added a viewfinder on top and a removable top handle. Sounds intriguing. FDTimes : Sony NXCAM 35 The NXCAM group were also showing prototypes of a dust-proof, sand-proof, rain-proof and spray-resistant camcorder and a 3D camcorder . It appears that both units can use a top-detachable handle like the Super 35mm camera. Both cameras will be priced under $3,500 (and they won't use large sensors!) FDTimes : NXCAMs for Sea, Sand and 3D And I thought all the excitement today would be over the iPad 2 announcement!

The Mistake Novice Directors Make Peter Rea , author of Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video explains the number one mistake novice directors make: Novice directors often give actors too much direction. There is also a tendency to give the actor a “result” direction such as asking an actor to be angry or compassionate or ironic. This is how their performance might be interpreted by the audience in the story, but is not an effective way to get that result on the set. masteringfilm : The Mistake Novice Directors Make and How to Avoid It ILM's first full-length feature Industrial Light & Magic has been in 3D and FX so long, it's hard to believe that Rango is the first full-length animated movie they have produced. Daniel Terdiman at CNET talks to Tim Alexander , the Rango visual effects supervisor at ILM, and gets the behind-the-scenes on the production of the movie. For most animated films, the actors record all their lines in otherwise empty sound st...

Even if you haven't heard of the movie Ryan vs Brandon 2 , and aren't interested in lightsaber duels, this behind-the-scenes has at least three things of interest: Overhead spinning camera rig : starts at about 4.00 - Awesome! Lego mechanized dolly rig : starts at about 6:30 Motorized rail rig : starts at about 7:00 There's also tips on staging fights and clone shots, and it's noted that they crowd-sourced the rotoscoping of the lightsaber effects.

Sony PMW-F3 Firmware Upgrade Sony has given a hint at the cost of the firmware update for the PMW-F3 that will provide support for Dual Link RGB / S-Log / 3G / Pre-Loaded 4 LUTS & 5 User LUT's for monitoring in S-Log mode. It will be approx $3500.00... ouch! Impressions of the Sony PMW-F3 Matthew Allard bought one of the first PMW-F3 's - though he only just got to play with it! - and he loves it. Particularly the low-light capabilities, and - though this may not be true for all - he actually is glad it supports 50i. I have been very happy with the image out of the 5D mkII and the F3 certainly has a very different look to it than the DSLRs. It does look more like video on the standard settings and that’s because it is a video camera. The F3 is incredibly sharp on the standard settings and the detail is incredible. It can be made to look more like a 5D mkII but that requires a lot of tweaking and bringing the sharpness way down. He recommends buying it with th...

Will Sony announce the NXCAM Super 35mm camera before NAB, or at NAB? Or will they just preview it at NAB and announce it sometime later? Serious tea leaf reading is taking place, but it looks like we'll have a ship date by NAB. Here's a couple of news snippets: Sony themselves are offering the NXCAM Super 35mm camera as a prize in their " Behind The Lens Contest ." The winner will be announced June 1st , so the camera will more than likely be available by that date! They also list the ARV: at $5,999. Separately, Matt York at VideoMaker reports he got to see 3 incredible things at Sony, one being the NXCAM Super 35mm camera, which "seems like an HDSLR killer." Sony : Behind The Lens FAQ VideoMaker : Sony Atsugi Technology Center

Film Students are invited to submit their work to the Sony Behind the Lens Contest: Film School Edition through March 15. The winner will win a Sony PMW-F3 camera (plus lenses), as well as one for their school. There's also a semi-finalist prize of a NXCAM Super 35mm camera. Any student enrolled in a film or video digital media program at an accredited college or university can enter. Submissions are limited to one entry per person. Sony : Behind the Lens Contest

Nikon D4 to support Thunderbolt Apple and Intel announced Thunderbolt (formerly Light Peak) last week, and while several peripheral manufacturers have indicated support, it seemed unlikely that a camera this year would include that new standard. And yet NikonRumors thinks that the forthcoming Nikon D4 might support it. NikonRumors: Nikon D4 to support Light Peak/Thunderbolt? Nikon D800 Announcement Soon? The D700 is reportedly discontinued, a D800 announcement is expected shortly. Wonder what sort of video support it will have. DigitalRev : Imminent Announcement of Nikon D800 NikonRumors : Nikon D800 rumors

Photorumors reports that Samyang has announced a manual 8mm f/3.5 FISH-EYE CS VG10 lens designed specifically for the Sony NEX-VG10 digital camcorder. It then goes on to say that the "lens will be officially introduced during the forthcoming Focus on Imaging fairs held in Birmingham [ Mar 6-9th ]" and exact release date and price will be announced later. The article/press release concludes: "We are also about to introduce Samyang lens with Sony E mount for NEX system cameras." The puzzling part about that is that the Sony NEX-VG10 and the Sony NEX-5 (and NEX-3 ) cameras, all use the same mount; the Sony E-mount. Did they mean to say that there are other lenses coming, or did the first sentence of the press release get accidentally moved to the end of it, or am I totally confused? PhotoRumors.com : Samyang announces the 8mm f/3.5 FISH-EYE CS VG10 lens Focus on Imaging

Sony PMW-F3 Andy Shipsides at Abel CineTech has been conducting some sensitivity tests on the PMW-F3 , and posted his initial results that 0 db = 800 ISO, and 18db = 6400 ISO. He says he will be posting a detailed report soon. DVinfo : 63db S/N Accurate on F3? Matthew Allard has posted a video to Vimeo that compares the F3 and the Canon 5D Mark II . At the same shutter speed, f-stop and ISO, the F3 is noticeably brighter than the Canon 5D . He adds that "at ISO 1600 and 3200 the F3 was too bright and had to be stopped down to f4." Vimeo : Sony F3 vs Canon 5D Mark II Low Light Test Choosing between PL and still lenses for the F3?  Ola Christoffersson compares the choices, concluding: when it comes to ergonomics [...] PL-lenses win, hands down. But in a lot of situations you can come reasonably close with a good still lens. kamratprod.blogspot : PL-glass or still lenses for Sony F3 The Future of QuickTime The news of a forthcoming update to Final Cut Pro has...

While it's electronics are basically the same as the T2i , one feature of the  T3i that raised some excitement was the zoom video modes; the ability to digitally zoom at 3x and 10x while shooting video. At ChessyCam , they have posted a couple of videos, the first one shot using the 3x zoom. They note that things "get a bit soft" at 10x. ChessyCam : T3i 3x Zoom w/ 100mm F/2.8L IS Macro A second clip from ChessyCam shows both 3x and 10x zoom on a dime. Canon T3i / 600D Macro Test with 3x-10x Zoom Feature from emmagination on Vimeo . Amazon has the Canon T3i in stock and shipping:

StudioDaily is offering a webinar Tuesday, March 1, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. PT on 3D. It costs $99 . This webinar will take a look at the current state of the industry. Working producers and cinematographers will share their experiences on both the production and distribution sides of the stereo 3D equation, looking at what's working, what's not, and what they know about where the market is heading. We'll look at the realities of today's marketplace for stereographic content and the business plans that will support it. StudioDaily : Monetizing Stereo 3D

I don't care if the Oscar winner was cut on FCP, Avid or Lightworks. All I care about is the engrossing story that takes me away. - @editblog While I agree, I still think it is interesting to know what people are using to create things. The following is a list of acquisition methods, software and (some) lenses used for some of the Oscar nominated movies. The majority of this information is extracted from a post by " Warren " at the International Colorist Academy : 2011 Oscars Best Picture Who Graded Them? I've reformatted it to make it more understandable. ACQUISITION RED One Winter's Bone The Social Network Film True Grit (35mm Film (3 perf)) Black Swan (16mm Film Fuji) Inception (35/65mm Film) The Fighter (35mm Film Fuji) The King's Speech (35mm Film Fuji) The Kids Are Alright (35mm Film Kodak ) Mixed 127 Hours (Canon 5D/7D/SI2K Mini/35mm Film) EDITING [ Only found limited information ] The Social Network (Best Editing - Fi...

I remember when I was young [ well done, - Ed ] and I used to look forward to the Oscars . It was a big, exciting event. Now, it seems sort of blah. I don't know why. Have I over-dosed on Oscars ? Built up immunity? Perhaps part of it is that when I was young I never really saw movie stars on TV except at the Oscars . But now they seem to be everywhere. The web, The Daily Show , the dozens of late night talk shows, Oprah , you see them so much that seeing them get up and read mildly funny bits from a TelePrompter isn't that interesting or exciting. So I generally half watch the Oscars ; catch the opening, miss most of the middle, and try and catch the end of it to see who got Best Director and Best Movie; if I'm still awake. This years event was a little different, as I was half watching Twitter and watching the live show. If anything, Twitter, was the only thing that kept me going; for some reason it was the snark that appealed to me the most: Kevin Spacey locks ...

and the nominations are: Luke Matheny who won best live action short for God of Love . For observing that he should have got a haircut and then thanking his mom who did craft services. David Seidler who won for best original screenplay for The King's Speech . "My father always said to me I would be a late bloomer." Colin Firth who won for best actor for  The King's Speech . "I have a feeling my career's just peaked." "Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some impulses I must tend to back stage." And for saying that he was discovered as a child sensation 20 years ago. but the winner is: Randy Newman for an oddly rambling yet exhilarating speech with several unexpected moments including: "They could find a fifth song from someone... Aw, the hell with it!"

Tonight is the Oscars, so in celebration: Razzie Awards The Last Airbender scored big with: Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actor, Worst Screenplay and Worst Most Eye-Gouging Mis-Use Of 3D. indiewire :  ‘The Last Airbender’ Razzie Leader Oscar Nominated Scripts Most of this years Oscar-nominated scripts can be read here: Raindance : 2011 Oscar Nominated Scripts Oscar Nominated Scores Andy Trudeau plays excerpts from, and provides a little background informatinon about, the Academy Award nominees for Best Film Score . The nominees are: How to Train Your Dragon , Inception , The King's Speech , 127 Hours and The Social Network . He picks How To Train Your Dragon by John Powell for the win. NPR : Movie Music 2011: Oscar-Nominated Scores Story is King The New York Times profiles/interviews movie exec Peter Gruber (former chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.) He has a new book coming out this week: Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Tri...