Quick Links

“Borrowed” – what’s it like moving from an HDSLR to the RED Scarlet-X?
| Josh Negrin | Planet5D
Josh recounts his experience moving from the Canon 5D Mark II to the RED Scarlet:
I’ve never been much of a camera manual reader, but I did myself a favor and read through the RED Scarlet manual, before day two. Oh, and I also ordered us an LCD Hood (Hoodman 5.6″ Monitor Hood for RED Cameras, which fits the 5 inch touchscreen perfectly). In the manual, I found that the top button, on the side of the lcd, will let you punch into the image, and a simple auto focus setting will allow you to either press the front record button down half way to get focus or by simply touching and holding on screen where you want the focus.


10 Reasons to love the Sony FS100 | Corey Steib | Blog
Corey provides ten reasons to "like" the Sony NEX-FS100, though sometimes it seems like he's damning with faint praise:
3. The Handgrip
Ok I agree with everyone that this handgrip is not the best in the world and looks funny a breakable but it's built pretty dam good. Yes you have to screw it lose to re position it but once you get it to were you want it then I think you will like it as I do.


Director/DP Kyle Camarillo Skates through Life with his AG-AF100 | Critical View
| Panasonic
On Panasonic's own site, an interview with skateboard shooter Kyle Camarillo who uses the Panasonic AG-AF100:
“Trying to make DSLRs work for the past year was a constant struggle,” he continued. “I loved the look but never was happy with the actual video quality. The usual suspects (moire, aliasing, rolling shutter) were always a disappointment when going into editing.


Video: “Both Ends” And Thoughts On The Canon EOS C300 | Jamie Stuart
| Filmmaker Magazine
Jamie got to borrow a C300 for a couple of days and shot a movie using two - comparatively - slow lenses, the Canon f/2.8 16-35mm zoom and Canon f/2.8 24-70mm zoom:
The semi-radical conclusion to this approach was that I shot a low-light practical source film without high-speed lenses. The camera alone made this possible. Yes, there was noise in certain high ISO shots, but that was mostly visible when the lighting was indirect and extremely low-contrast, as opposed to it being entirely ISO-based; high-contrast lighting in shots using the same ISO didn’t yield particularly noticeable noise.


Looking Into the Camera for Interviews | Ron Dawson | Dare Dreamer Magazine
Interesting suggestion about shooting people talking to the camera. I agree that it adds more impact for some things, though I also think it takes much longer to shoot, as you will have to do more work to make sure your talent is comfortable:
But for the past year or so I’ve been a fan of having the interviewee look directly into the camera, as if they are talking to you personally. I think this composition is particularly effective in videos where there is some call to action or a testimonial. It feels stronger and more personal that way. Let me demonstrate.


Shane Hurlbut Full Interview Part 1 | The Rock | YouTube
If you follow the work of Shane Hurlbut, and the move Act of Valor (which made extensive use of Canon 5D Mark IIs) you'll enjoy this radio interview:
Shane Hurlbut director of Photography calls into The Rock and talks to Studio Guy and Hollywood Scott about his work on the hit movie Act Of Valor in theaters now. This is part 1 of the complete interview. Parts of which were aired on The 80's at 8 every sunday at 8 am and 8 pm on the Rock 106.9 WCCC!


Expression Shorts - Auto Center A Layer Between Two Moving Layers
| David Torno | ProvVideoCoalition
Ever have the need to have a layer stay exactly at the midpoint between two other moving layers? This tutorial for After Effects explains how - though it includes code!
2D SOURCE CODE:
x1 = thisComp.layer(“Point 1”).transform.position[0];
y1 = thisComp.layer(“Point 1”).transform.position[1];
x2 = thisComp.layer(“Point 2”).transform.position[0];
y2 = thisComp.layer(“Point 2”).transform.position[1];
xResults = (x1 + x2) / 2;
yResults = (y1 + y2) / 2;
[xResults, yResults];


Top 10 Pitching Tips From Script To Screen | Nick Dawson | Filmmaker Magazine
Notes from a “Pitch Intermission” session in which a panel of experts fielded pitches and then offered advice on how the screenwriters could hone their spiel
2. Keep it loose. “Try and be personal and conversational,” suggested Sokol Savage. “Allow yourself to be off the cuff.” David Young agreed, adding, “Don’t be too rigidly scripted, because if an exec interrupts you, you’ll struggle to get back into your flow.”


Should you upgrade to the New iPad? A filmmaker’s perspective | Taz Goldstein
| Hand Held Holywood
Personally, if you have an iPad 1, upgrading makes sense; if you have an iPad 2, I'm not sure it's quite as worthwhile - but that may depend on how good your eyes are!
I’ve been banging on Apple’s newest iDevice since Friday morning, and I’m ready to offer my answer to this burning question: Should mobile filmmakers run screaming to the nearest Apple store to grab the new iPad?
Answer: Yes.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony GV-D200 review

Image
Sony GV-D200 I've been using a Sony GV-D200 deck to transfer old Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Some of these tapes are over twenty years old, and no longer having a Hi8 camcorder that worked I was concerned that if I didn't do something about transferring them to a more modern format soon, I might never be able to. While Sony no longer make camcorders that use these tapes - that I know of - Sony does still sell the GV-D200 deck (or Video Walkman, as it's sometimes labelled.) They also offer the GV-D800, which is almost identical but adds a small LCD screen for about $120 more. I didn't think I'd need a screen since I was using this to capture to the computer, but you will need an external monitor when you first set it up. Physically, the device is small. At 5 7/8" wide, 5 3/8" deep and 2" high, it's the smallest video deck I've encountered. I used to have a Video8 deck that I thought was small; and it was twice as deep and twice as high. The t...
Read more

Response: Which iPhone to Get?

Image
In response to my iPhone musings, I got the following reader email which actually sums up a lot of my second and third thoughts too: You might have a point about the fancier camera, but otherwise I would buy the smaller model. Its screen is about the same size as that of my Nexus 4, and I don't feel at all like it limits me with a too-small screen. But I do sometimes stretch to get my thumb the reach to the other corner of the screen. It is plenty big for a phone. A phone is a pocket thing. (Well, in my case it lives an ancient REI soft sunglasses case that I have on my belt.) Ubiquitous, handy, convenient, almost always with me. Small is crucial for all of that. Certainly a large screen is cool, but you need a place to put it: don't break a fundamental feature of a pocket phone by getting too big. That is what your small tablet is for. I have my phone with me almost always. I have my Nexus 7 tablet with me nearly as much. The bigger screen is great, yet it fits in some...
Read more

Should you buy the Sony NEX-FS100 Kit Lens?

Image
The Sony NEX-FS100 is available in two configurations: B & H : NEX-FS100U Camcorder only $4,999 B & H : NEX-FS100U (with 18-200mm lens) $5,599 But what does that extra $600 get you? It get's you this: Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for NEX Camera This lens is also available separately for $799.99, so at $200 off you'd think everyone would be jumping on it. But not so fast... In his article about switching from the Canon 5D Mark II to the Sony NEX-FS100 , Paul Antico  at Need Creative says of the kit lens: 7) Its 18-200 F3.6-6.3 kit lens absolutely sucks and should be avoided (thankfully, you can order it without one) [ 1 ] But is it that bad? At B & H 's site, 43 reviews give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. That's not a bad rating, though many of these people are using it for stills, and the most common complaint noted is how large and heavy it is. Of course this feeling of size would be exacerbated when you put it on a tiny camera ...
Read more