Notes On Video

Do Filmmakers Really Need A Digital Camera As Beautiful As This One? | John Pavlus | CoDesign John Pavlus considers the design of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera ; as in how it looks, not what it does: The Blackmagic Cinema Camera looks more like an iMac crossed with a Polaroid than a piece of production equipment: all smooth aluminum curves and lush matte plastic, with a sheer touchscreen interface gracing the back panel. The aluminum body allegedly gives the camera a rugged solidity without excessive weight. Behind the Scenes with the Phantom Miro's | filmbot | Vimeo Shooting with the new "lower cost" Phantom high-speed camera: Shot on Phantom Miro M series Edited with Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 & After Effects CS6 Graded in Davinci Resolve Plugins- Red Giant Denoiser II Apple Mac Pro & Macbook Pro How one young filmmaker has embraced Final Cut Pro X | FCP.Co Comments from young filmmaker Chris Gatewood who is using FCPX: Since the introduction of FCP...

If you're in the Boston area you'll want to check out Rule Boston Camera's TEXPO event next month. Last year's event featured a wide number of exhibitors and was well worth attending: Where: Rule Boston Camera 395 Western Avenue Brighton When: Tuesday, June 5 5:00 to 9:00pm RSVP: TEXPOevent@rule.com UPDATES: www.rule.com

RED's 4K shootout canceled two days after its announcement | Jeff Blagdon | The Verge That was quick. The 4K shootout RED proposed died two days later: Just two days to the hour after RED challenged the world with a 4K camera showdown on June 4th, the company is pulling the plug on the competition. RED’s founder and CEO Jim Jannard announced the cancellation on his company’s site, saying "several companies have refused to participate" and "the grief and complication don’t warrant the effort." Color Correction - My thoughts | Chris Fenwick | One on One Rather than using a color correction tool, Chris explains why it makes sense to use your NLE or a plug-in to do color correction: So what is the alternative? Working in my editor, ON my timeline, using plugins. I find that this method of work saves me a LOT of time. Can I get the exact same results… probably not. Can I AFFORD the exact same results? NOPE. I can’t. I work in the real world where money is ...

The 5D Mark III Fix | CanonRumors It appears that the Canon 5D Mark III "light leak" has been fixed - with tape: LensRentals.com has received their first shipment of fixed 5D Mark III bodies. They did what any of us would have done, they disassembled one to see what the fix was. It turns out the fix is two pieces of black tape. Canon EFS 17-55 causing vignetting on the C300 | Paul Joy | Blog Paul originally posted that he saw some vignetting with this lens but thought it was caused by the lens hood, but now it appears it's not just the hood. He also tried a couple of Canon L lenses, the 16-35mm and the 17-40mm , and while they don't have the vignetting, they don't have Image Stabilization either: I’m still seeing some vignetting from this lens so I decided to try out Canon’s other wide zooms, specifically the 16-35 f/ 2.8 L and 17-40 f / 4 L. I really like the image from the 16-35, I’m not sure why it’s less exposed than the others, the metadata confirm...

Sony NEX-FS700 Pricing You still can't order it, but B & H is listing the prices for the Sony NEX-FS700   body only at $7,999 , and for the camera with 18-200mm ket lens at $8,599 . Delivery expected June 30. When Sony was saying that the price would be "under $10,000" I was assuming it would be $9,999, so I'm almost shocked to see it $2,000 under $10,000. Of course, I'm shocked again because I can't afford that either. Still, that seems like a good price and makes you wonder how much longer Canon can sell the C300 for twice the price (of course, we haven't yet got the full details on the NEX-FS700 and how it's image compares to the C300 .) FS700 Price Confirmed - It's Under $10k, but by Just How Much? | E.M. Taboada | No Film School More comments on the pricing, and some links to videos: Once the 4k upgrade details come out we’ll know more about just how it stacks up with other cameras in that market space. What do you think? I...

Four new Picture Profiles for The FS100 2.0 | Frank Glencairn | Blog Frank Glancairn has come up with more picture profiles for the Sony NEX-FS100: The FS100 finally received the 2.0 firmware update, so it´s time for some new profiles. My main goal was to get good looking skin tones at daylight. For other situations, play with the white balance till the skin tones are right and everything else should fall into place For best results: Adjust your black levels to Zero (you can even go a hair below, as I have learned) for every single scene. Becoming A Specialist VS. Jack (hack) Of All Trades! | Mike Sutton | Wide Open Camera Mike Sutton explains why it makes sense to specialize: You need to find your calling in a time where everyone claims to be an expert at every aspect of filming. In the world I live in only a focused professional gets the gig and when they do its at a prime rate. There is no bartering rates as a specialized pro. Your rate is your rate and because there is...

Blackmagic Design is hosting two events; Los Angeles Wed 16th May and New York Thu 24th May Come and see the complete range of Blackmagic Design solutions for broadcast, post production and live events! This is a fantastic opportunity to see our newly announced NAB 2012 products for the first time after the event in a series of demonstrations and theater presentations. Register here: Spend a day with Blackmagic Design

NAB 2012: Is BMD the new RED, Part 2? | Adam Wilt | ProVideoCoalition Adam puts together nearly all the outstanding questions about the Blackmagic Digital Cinema Camera : A “normal” lens for the BMDCC will be something like a 20mm, so ultrawide EF-mount lenses like the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, Canon EF-S 10-22mm, or the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L are your best wide-angle bets. The widest Zeiss ZE lens, the Distagon 18mm F/3.5, isn’t very wide on a 15.6mm-wide sensor. I also think he has a point when he writes:  it’s funny how folks gave Sony endless grief about the lack of NDs in the large-sensor NEX-FS100, but I haven’t heard any complaints about the similar omission on the BMDCC. Mike Valentine – Depth Of Field | Anwar Brett | movieScope Mike worked on The Bourne Ultimatum and multiple Bond movies, and is one of the world’s leading experts on shooting underwater. Here he talks about how he got into the business, and some of the factors involved in shooting underwater: When we g...

It's not quite NAB, but if you're in the Boston area, it can be worth checking out The Camera Company's Annual Pro Show : Fri. May 11th, at The Dedham Holiday Inn, 55 Ariadne Rd. Dedham, MA., 02026. Our lowest prices of the year. See the latest Broadcast and Pro Video equipment from Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Canon and many more. And this year, join us as we introduce our new concept in pro video and filmmaking learning, The Camera College. Instructed by this regions most influential experts, The Camera College promises informative and innovative classes, sure to keep you at the top of you game. Free admission to show.

6 Filmmaking Tips From Stanley Kubrick | Cole Abaius | Film School Rejects Some advice from Kubrick, based on quotes from the man: Try to See Everything "I try to see every movie, I have projectors at home, so it's a little easier for me now; those pictures that I can borrow prints of I run at home, and those that I cannot, I go and see, but I try to see everything." Using the New Warp Stabilizer in Adobe After Effects CS6 |  Adobe Press An excerpt from the forthcoming Adobe After Effects CS6 Classroom in a Book In previous lessons, you’ve used many of the essential 2D and 3D tools you need for motion graphics design. But Adobe After Effects CS6 also offers motion stabilization, motion tracking, advanced keying tools, distortion effects, the capability to retime footage using the Timewarp effect, support for high dynamic range (HDR) color images, network rendering, and much more. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the Warp Stabilizer to stabilize a handhel...