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5D Mark III Manual Online | CanonRumors
Via Planet5D, the 5D Mark III manual is online. Also, a report that the 5D Mark III may be shipping next week:

There are various reports around the globe of 5D Mark IIIs appearing in warehouses and stores. If you preordered, you’re going to be very happy next week.

5mins 5d mk3 | Sam Morgan Moore | DSLR 4 Real
Sam got to spend a few minutes, and shoot some video, with the Mark III:

The video shows a quick jello test - my opinion is that the jello is slightly better than the 5d2, but still there. Of course good camera handling means jello is often a non issue any way

We then filmed my shirt. I would subjectively say that I saw no colour artifacting - this is a major upgrade to the 5dmk2. While the image is not super sharp there were no horrid surprises.

First truly representative 5D Mark III video file graded – how does it stand up?
| Andrew Reid | EOSHD
Andrew took a couple of frames from Sam and did some color grading experiments with them:

So much data in the shadows. Detail wise the amount of real detail is much improved over the 5D Mark II and seems better than all the pre-production footage. You can sharpen it a lot in post and it stills looks nice and organic, not too electronic. Out of the box it is softer than the GH2 – not sure what the in-camera sharpening was set to (picture profile was Neutral) – but it is a superb base to work from and after a bit of sharpening in post detail can pop like it does on the GH2. Sharpen the old 5D’s footage and it looks horrendous! Not so here.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Video Features | Jeremy Stamas | Camcorderinfo
Not a full review, but Camcorderinfo looks at the video features of the camera:

You can record video with the 5D Mark III in aperture-priority (Av), shutter-priority (Tv), full manual (M), program (P), or the dedicated auto mode (A+). Full manual is the only mode that lets you adjust ISO manually for your videos, and it also lets you set aperture and shutter speed independently. The manual ISO range for the camera is extensive, as you can select up to ISO 12800 in video mode.

10bit S-Log is no standard on the PMW-F3 | Sony
Sony's official announcement of the changes in the PMW-F3 product line to roll S-Log into the camera:

Sony has raised the bar on the PMW-F3 Super 35mm camcorder. The 10bit S-Log gamma option, so popular among F3 cinematographers, is now standard! As of March 1, 2012, every new PMW-F3 camcorder is equipped with the S-Log gamma encoding as a standard feature. The PMW-F3 now offers, out of the box, in addition to standard XDCAM EX™ 8bit YPbPr for 4:2:0 internal recording onto SxS cards, 10bit uncompressed RGB 4:4:4 and 10bit YPbPr 4:2:2 outputs for external recording. This is the first time such an option is available in a hand-held camcorder – at no additional cost.

Sony USA also says "We are further developing the program for those that purchased CBK-RGB01 (SLog package) at the original price, Stay tuned"



10 Tips On Producing And Financing From SXSW | Scott Macaulay | Filmmaker
Notes from the panel “Making it Happen: Financing an Independent Film” at SXSW with Troublemaker Studio’s Aaron Kaufman, Katie McNeill (V.P. of Production, Electric City Entertainment) and Garrick Dion, Senior Vice President of Development at Bold Films.

4. Find people who other people want to work with. “If you’re trying to compete with a Pirates movie costing hundreds of millions, you want an actor or director [attached] other people want to work with,” said Dion. “Your filmmaker and your material is your only strength as an independent producer.”

The 8 Film Startups You Should Know From SXSW | IndieWire
A look at some of the companies "hawking the latest and greatest ways to share, tweet, sell, upload, download and otherwise ensure you're connected:"

Moviepilot.com
The pitch: "Moviepilot.com is a new home for upcoming movies – and a home for the movie fans around the globe who care about them."
The backstory: Berlin-based, Moviepilot lets you "subscribe" to upcoming movies to build a "personal news stream," discover new projects based on your likes and discuss them with others, Doesn't sound terribly compelling yet, but the Moviepilot crew appears to be comprised of serious tech geeks who could develop some interesting ideas.

The Passion of the Bolex | Stu Maschwitz | prolost
Stu was skeptical about the Digital Bolex when he first heard about it, but after talking to the two people behind the project he's at least convinced it's not a complete scam.
I don't think it's scam, but I'll be surprised if they pull it off. Of course, stranger things have happened...

Elle was a good sport about my post right away on Twitter, but Joe also sought me out via the Prolost contact form. We had a delightful chat this morning via phone. Joe specifically wants to connect with filmmakers who have reasonable concerns. He sees thoughtful critique as an opportunity, not an attack.

Infinitely Wide – The new Distagon T* 2,8/15 super wide angle lens | Zeiss | Blog
Zeiss formerly announced the 15mm lens available for Nikon or Canon EF mount:

After plenty of guessing by Carl Zeiss fans, it’s now official: the new super wide angle Distagon T* 2,8/15 lens has arrived. With a large angle of view of 110 degrees in combination with a fast f/2.8 aperture, the lens enables the features for dramatic perspectives and performance demanded by the most ambitious landscape and architectural photographers. With a unique ability to capture events in a natural and extraordinary manner, it is also an ideal companion for advertising, journalism and commercial photography. It will be available with an EF (ZE) or F bayonet (ZF.2).

WideOpenCamera has a short video: New Carl Zeiss 15mm f2.8 Announced. $2900 Smackers


NAB apps
The NAB show has released a free iPhone and Android app:




It's available for Android too: Google Play: 2012 NAB Show



Making 'That Day' (Behind the Scenes) | Danny Lacey
A 42min behind-the-scenes video. The movie was directed by Danny Lacey and DP'd by Philip Bloom and shot on the Canon C300:

A fly-on-the-wall style look at how we made That Day, a short sci-fi film shot over 3 days on an incredibly low budget.
10 actors, 15+ crew, 3 locations, 11 page screenplay
Written, produced and directed by Danny Lacey. The short film will be released in Summer 2012.

Nazis in space - Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing are becoming more sophisticated | The Economist
More ways to fund indie movies:

Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding have been slowly on the rise for independent films over the past few years. Sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo handle fund-raising; OpenIndie, which has just relaunched after a stagnant period, helps find and build audiences. Where “Iron Sky” has broken ground, says Tero Kaukomaa, one of the film’s producers, is not just in getting fans to pitch in with the work, but in its funding model: most of the money raised via the website was in the form of equity investments, which will pay back if the film makes a profit.

Adobe Story update: new and changed features (15March2012) | Adobe Blogs
Highlights of the latest release of Adobe Story:

This week, we released an update to Adobe Story. When you start the Adobe Story desktop application, you should be prompted to update the application. After you have accepted this invitation to update the application, the update will be downloaded and installed.

In addition to several bug fixes, this update adds many new features. You can see the details of what was added and changed in this update in the release notes.

Should I transcode HD video from the VG20? | NEX-VG20 User Group | Vimeo
Craig Marshall wonders about the best way to work with footage from his Sony NEX-VG20 and offers his workflow:

Now we come back to my original question. My suggestion is this: save your money on expensive third party SSD recoders and instead transcode your original .MTS footage to DNxHD. There are several good 'transcoders' available, some free and others available for a small fee. Few I've tested will accept the VG20's .MTS file directly without first convering it to an .MP4 or similar.