Notes On Video

Color Correcting Video in Photoshop | Photofocus You’ll learn how to color correct and grade your sequence.  You’ll learn how to refine the color and exposure of video footage. You’ll also learn how to use Lookup Tables in order to quickly apply a style to several clips.  The Photoshop editing interface is easy to learn and master. Credit Suisse: Only Canon, Nikon and Sony will survive in the digital camera market | Sony Alpha Rumors “Only those who have a strong brand and are competitive on price will last – and only Canon, Nikon and Sony fulfil that criteria,” said Credit Suisse analyst Yoshida. The new Hobbit movie saw Weta Digital make Smaug larger than a 747 in one scene yet use GoPros in another | Pocket Lint That said, the scene where Smaug chases Bilbo about the mountain of treasure is jaw-dropping and obviously took a lot of work. Yet the barrel escape scene seems more straight forward. That intricate blend of 4K footage and GoPro shots is thanks to Wet...

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Review – Final Part | EOSHD Audio is the only major weakness of the camera. The internal pre-amps are poor, the circuits are noisy, monitoring it is tricky and there’s hardly any audio features. But considering how much hassle, manpower, time and expense is saved with other areas using the Pocket in a pure directing sense like a viewfinder with a record button, it isn’t much to ask to have a sound guy on location with you. An Examination of the RED DRAGON Initial Impressions | Timur Civan Thats when I realised the difference.   I thought my MX was broken….  It just looked …. old.  Its a funny thing with technology, you don’t notice an improvement  as being that huge until you take a step backwards in generation.  I love the current MX, but I just met its successful, smarter, hotter, younger sister. Cine-EI Mode when recording S-Log2/3 and raw on the F5 and F55 | XDCAM-User Prior to version 3 of the F5 and F55 firmw...

I saw a link to " Minimalist Posters Depict The Architecture of 13 Classic Films " and immediately scanned through them to see if the house from North by Northwest  was amongst the chosen ones. And of course, there it was: But wait! There's something wrong! Firstly, it's pictured from the opposite side of the house to that seen in the movie. That feels a bit wrong because you never see that side of the house in the move; I guess that does give the artist some extra room to play given that the house doesn't exist. Still, there's definitely some problems compared to the "actual house;" for example, in the poster the front section of the house is at the same level as the back section, but in the movie it appears to be lower than the back section, though that could be an optical illusion. More troubling is the placement of the stone structure next to the end of the front section of the house (the red line in the image above). If you comp...

Is the Mac Pro processor user replaceable? Reviews of the new Mac Pro's are starting to appear, and already it's a bit confusing whether the CPU can be replaced. MacWorld's review suggests that the GPU's are user replaceable, but doesn't mention the CPU (making you think that's it's not.) The article is well worth reading as it explains why the current iMac can actually be faster than a Mac Pro for some tasks: Mac Pro (Late 2013) review: Apple's new Mac Pro really is for pros | MacWorld When it comes to apps and tasks that can take advantage of multiple processor cores, GHz matters, but multi-core matters just as much—or more. For apps and tasks that don’t benefit from multiple cores, the processor’s clock speed becomes more important.  Meanwhile Mac Rumors has an article that says that the CPU is removeable, though whether the user can actually switch it for another processor is unknown: New Mac Pro Confirmed to Have Removable CPU | Mac Rumo...

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN 4K PRODUCTION CAMERA DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE FROM MARCO SOLORIO | News Shooter One thing I did notice is there didn’t seem to be as much dynamic range as some other cameras or even the original BMCC.  If you have a look at the sky at 01.08 and the shot in the garage at 01.37 of Solorio’s video you can see examples of what i’m talking about. There is also some noise visible in shadow areas too. Digital Bolex D16 Review Part 2: First Footage & D16 vs. Blackmagic Pocket vs. SI-2K Mini Test | No Film School To me the image looks a bit less digital than some other cameras, and I think part of that is due to the CCD sensor. The texture is different from CMOS sensors, and certainly at lower ISOs this can be a great look if the project you’re working on benefits from it. I have always been partial to CCDs and the way they produce an image, so I’m probably a little biased. Kicking the Tires on Final Cut Pro X 10.1 | Pro Video Coalition While the whole change...

The most ridiculous thing I have ever done…the “DigitalRev Cheap Camera Challenge” with…BARBIE CAM!! | Philip Bloom Philip was challenged to produce something using a cheap camera....a very cheap camera! I put the .AVI file (yes .avi) onto a 720p 25p timeline and upscaled it by 300%..my god it looked AWFUL!! Premiere CC just sort of accepted the odd framerate no problem and with this Super 8mm like frame rate I had to see if my go to plugin FILMCONVERT with a Super 8mm film stock could reduce the awfulness…and guess what? It did as you can see below! Sony RX10 Review: A First-Rate Camera With a Do-It-All Lens | Gizmodo A positive review of the Sony RX10 : The RX10, on the other hand, samples the entire sensor's raw data, then downscales to HD resolution using the powerful Bionz X processor. It works great. We found the RX10's video detail to be almost at the level of the Canon 5D Mark III, the camera most pro DSLR shooters spring for. You won't get the creamy ult...

Why I Sold My RED and Downgraded to a C100 | F Stoppers Interesting article about choosing the Canon C100 over a RED. Has prompted a lot of comments! After using the c100, I realize how wrong I was. In my opinion, the Canon C100 is the best of both worlds: A sharp and dynamic image in a compact body with professional audio inputs and amazing battery life/record time. The new Final Cut Pro release is out: Final Cut Pro X 10.1 | Philip Hodgetts As well as beefed up 4K support, making the best use possible of the dual GPUs in the new Mac Pro, additional language support, improved XML and a long list of other features, 10.1 gains some seriously useful media management and project organizational tools, plus improved editorial functions. 10.1 is for OS X 10.9 Mavericks only. What's News | Apple Final Cut Pro 10.1 - A First Look by Steve Martin & Mark Spencer | FCP.Co Final Cut Pro 10.1 is the next major step forward for Apple’s professional editing software Final ...

Introducing Amazon Storybuilder | Amazon A free, screenwriting tool that helps you build stories for Movies or TV. What is Amazon Storybuilder? Amazon Storybuilder is a cloud-based writing tool from Amazon Studios that can be used to create stories for Movies or TV. Amazon Storybuilder uses “notecards” to represent a single beat or event in a story, just as screenwriters have for years used actual physical notecards to represent story beats on corkboards around the world. Storybuilder notecards can include both text and images. You can string individual cards together into a sequence on a virtual “corkboard” to convey a narrative and tell your story. Unlike physical notecards, it is easy to share Storybuilder projects and it is easy to take them wherever you go with your laptop, phone, tablet or Kindle. Blackmagic 4K Production Camera – First Sample Videos from Grant Petty | EOSHD The first 4K images are rolling off the 4K production camera, shot by Grant Petty himself no...

Digital Bolex D16 Review Part 1: First Impressions (And How You Can Order One Right Now) | No Film School The camera does a very good job combining color temperatures in the same frame. This doesn’t always look right with certain camera systems, but it was a particular strength of film — and it certainly looks like a strength of the D16. 10 VIDEO EDITING HABITS TO GIVE UP | Videomaker It's no lie, video editing can be messy. It's also a bad habit. That doesn't mean a video editor has to like it or live there. A video editor who keeps their workspace, virtual space, and their projects well organized will be more proficient. I Am No Longer Going To Produce Films For My Living | Ted Hope I have decided I am no longer going to produce films for my living.  To do so requires me to deliver quantity over quality. Or to not contribute as fully as I like since I won’t be fairly compensated.  Or to make something that is virtually guaranteed to not have the cultural im...

Revising Your Script: The Evolution of Even The Dogs Know | Filmmaker Magazine Intrigued by how the script had evolved, and because Capodiferro had worked on the script through several screenwriting classes and workshops, I asked him if he would explain the evolutionary process of the script in more detail 88 CINEMATOGRAPHERS SHARE THE BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE THEY’VE EVER RECEIVED | The Black And Blue At the suggestion of reader Martin Warrilow, I went through AC magazine’s online archives and pulled the answers to this question from 88 different cinematographers. Some are well-known while others are still under the radar. Yet all have crucial insight, wisdom, and knowledge to share that could help you in your filmmaking career. DIY Monday: Telling the Truth Without Paying for it | MovieMaker Most documentaries show some slant in the way they present a story to further their theses. Likewise, fictionalization of true events in a narrative film can result in the altering...

Exploring a 4K workflow in FCPX | HD Warrior Philip Johnston got to play with the Sony 4K Camcorder, the  FDR-AX1 ($4,498). But then he had problems with editing the footage in Final Cut Pro X (readers suggested trying something else) and decided that the 4:2:0 8bit color isn't good enough, so he's going to try for the professional version of the camera, the PXW-Z100 ($5,499). More troubling (and rumored when it was released) the sensitivity of the camera is lower than similar HD cameras. A reader comment in the post notes: It is about 1 or 2 stops slower than the NX5U depending on the available light.  So maybe you should stick with HD for the moment... Death of the Canon 7D? Canon Rumors has run a couple of posts about the future of the Canon 7D. The first reports a rumor that there will be no Canon 7D Mark II , while the second consists of thought's about whether it can really be true that Canon is abandoning this segment: This got me thinking today wh...

SpeedGrade CC (7.2) Update | Adobe This update focuses on performance enhancements and bug fixes for the Direct Link workflow.  Adobe Premiere Pro CC December 2013 Release | Adobe This release brings multiple performance enhancements to Premiere Pro, and several new features. Planar tracking and camera solver with Mocha, After Effects & Plexus | AEScripts In this tutorial, Mary Poplin of Imagineer Systems uses mocha Pro and After Effects to design a dynamic animated, tracked graphic. Digital-Transition Doc Side by Side Gets Archived … on Film | Studio Daily Kodak is publicizing the decision as a testament to film's continued viability as a stable preservation medium, especially when there is no time-tested equivalent in the world of digital archives. Developing a Concept for a Video | Photofocus Don’t try to reinvent what already exists. You need to closely examine what’s already in the web video universe or competitive marketplace. Videos A Gu...

Sony has announced the HXR-NX3 ( $3,495, expected in January ). This isn't a large sensor, inter-changeable camera, and it doesn't have 4K, so it won't get a lot of coverage, but it's a good general purpose professional level camcorder. I'm not sure if it replaces the HXR-NX5 ($3,795) . Here's a couple of videos: Shot in Istanbul by DP Den Lennie, this video demonstrates the beautiful results that can be achieved on our new HXR-NX3 handheld HD camcorder. Boasting leading lens, sensor and LSI technology, in addition to built-in WiFi technology which allows it to be connected with devices such as smartphones and tablets, the HXR-NX3 is ideal for the professional videographer. We go behind the scenes with DP Den Lennie in Istanbul as he explores our new HXR-NX3 handheld HD camcorder, to beautiful effect. Boasting leading lens, sensor and LSI technology, in addition to built-in WiFi technology which allows it to be connected with devices such as sma...

2013 – 10 things which have impressed me – and some that haven’t! | EOSHD 1. Magic Lantern  Magic Lantern’s achievements have always been pretty incredible and they’ve been doing this for a few years now. However 2013 saw thee first major image quality improvements which you absolutely had to shoot with. Raw video especially was a revelation. (SR5) Sony sensor revolution: First “non-Bayer” sensors coming in 2015. | Sony Alpha Rumors Sony is heavily investing in a brand new sensor tech that will likely find his way in production cameras as early as 2015. I already told you a couple of weeks ago that Sony developed a 54 Megapixel sensor with on sensor PDAF. Well today I have been told by a very trusted sources that this sensor is also the first that has not been designed with a classic RGB (Bayer) pixel structure. ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG WITH YOUR SCREENPLAY IN ONE HANDY INFOGRAPHIC | FastToCreate 01 The story begins too late in the script 02 The scenes are void...

Chase Jarvis posted a video of his latest adventures - with a DJI Phantom. Interestingly, he sent it up with a Sony RX100 II , because he wanted better footage than you get with the various action cameras (that's something I've been thinking about too!) He was also excited to use the WiFi feature of the camera to remotely monitor what it was shooting. So they attached it to the Phantom and took it flying...in Iceland....over water. Now, he says "we've been flying it around in Seattle with the GoPro, it's been fun, but we're also thinking that we could upgrade the camera a little bit." So you're probably wondering; why didn't he take it flying with the RX100 II in Seattle, before going to Iceland? I was wondering that too. I was also wondering whether the camera (which is $748) could be carried by the Phantom. Strangely enough, earlier in the day I had done a Google search to find the maximum payload weight for the Phantom. The post I had f...

The D16 Ships This Week! | Digital Bolex We’re pleased to announce that the Digital Bolex D16 will begin shipping to backers starting this week. If you are a backer, we will contact you shortly to verify your shipping addresses and contact details, so please make sure that emails from digitalbolex.com will clear your spam filter. Anamorphic sample footage shot with the SLR Magic Anamorphot – and which lenses go best with it? | EOSHD The new SLR Magic Anamorphot 50 jointly developed with the help of EOSHD is here in it’s final non-prototype form and I’ve shot the above video with it (Sony FS100). This should give you an idea of how the flare moves around during a shot and the general anamorphic aesthetic you are able to get with the adapter. Slating like a Butler | John Brawley "Doesn’t anyone know how to slate? Don’t they know how they can influence the beginning of a scene? That they can set the tone for the actors? Why are they taking so long to announce the sl...

After Effects | Creating an Animated Crumpled Paper Effect With TrapCode MIR | Lester Banks Inspired by the opening animation for Community, Trevor Penner set out to create something similar in After Effects and walks through how to create a crumpled paper animation with the use of TrapCode MIR. TrapCode MIR lends its self well to this effect, allowing you to get a 3D look right within After Effects using a custom paper image as a base. Trevor also rounds out the look of the animation using RedGiant’s Mojo. 'How To Qualify Your #Documentary For An #AcademyAward' by @HunterWeeks for @OldFolksRock | Film Courage Attention, Documentary Filmmakers: Here Are 9 Tips for Finding and Securing the Archival Material You Need | IndieWire 1. Beware the internet. "Everything is being pulled from the web and then, under deadline pressure, [filmmakers] are trying to find out who owns it. Usually, those filmmakers end up having to hire a very experienced research clearan...