The News

Canon has a new VIXIA MINI COMPACT camera [Updated]
Canon just sent me a press release for a new camera, which appears to be a GoPro competitor. Unfortunately, no pictures were included, and the link to the camera page on their website - at the moment - doesn't seem to display anything.

Clearly, the size, shape and included LCD sets this apart from the action cameras...
The VIXIA mini compact personal camcorder features an ultra wide-angle Canon f/2.8 fisheye lens (160 degree movies / 170 degree photos) allowing a user to shoot from unique and creative perspectives while including their surroundings to make their videos and images more interesting. By utilizing the Wide Mode users can give the viewer a full view of their surroundings and then switch to Close-Up Mode to provide emphasis on a particular subject. While in Close-up Mode, users can record a centered 1920 x 1440 resolution image with little distortion. They can also quickly toggle from one shooting mode to the other, or switch back and forth between video and image mode, by touching the camcorder’s innovatively designed 2.7-inch capacitive-tilt touch panel LCD display. Attached to the camera by two parallel hinges, the Vari-Angle LCD monitor allows for various shooting styles, including low-angle shooting, normal and high-angle-shooting and self-shooting.
Price will be $299 and it's expected in September.



Using the ARRI Alexa | Filmmaker Magazine
A Boston D.P. I know, Chris Loughran, recently spent some time with the ARRI Alexa, and offered these thoughts.



Changes at the NeedCreative Podcast
The latest issue of the Need Creative podcast is up, and it features Aharon Rabinowitz of Red Giant talking about BulletProof, and Matt Allard from Aljazeera talking about the new Sony FS700 4K update. Should be worth a lesson.

There's some sad news, as this episode marks the farewell of co-host and founder, Paul Antico. Paul has made the decision to leave the podcast due to other work and family commitments. Paul did an astounding job putting together over 50 episodes of the show.

But, it's not all bad news as Ben Consoli of BC Media Productions is going to continue the show, and if he can keep up the quality of the latest episode, then the show is in good hands.


BulletProof v1.0 Released | Red Giant
Red Giant released the official 1.0 release of BulletProof. The Company also announced two new suites: The Red Giant Shooter Suite (which includes BulletProof) and The Red Giant Color Suite (which replaces the Magic Bullet Suite, but includes Magic Bullet Looks).


Making Movies

Five Successful Indie Films Made For Under $30,000 | Doddleme
The Blair Witch Project (1999), directed by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick; budget: $20-25,000. Whether you thought it was scary or not, the fact is The Blair Witch Project is one of the most influential films of the last 20-years.

How To Distribute Your Film Yourself – Interview with Jon Reiss of Think Outside The Box Office | Chris Jones
...if you are thinking of making a micro budget film and self distributing, or creating a hybrid distribution model where you work alongside traditional sales agents and distributors, then Jon is your man.


Color Grading


The Culture of Colour: Diane Kuo – Digital Colourist | movieScope
One picture you can colour grade ten different ways but you have to communicate with your client and you have to make a decision about which one will go well with the story. It really helps the story and helps the audience to understand that image.


Get the Hollywood movie film look in Sony Movie Studio 12 | YouTube
Apply these small adjustments to get the big screen film or movie look in Sony Movie Studio 12. Quick and easy to do.


Hawaiki Color for Final Cut Pro X | Noise Industries
Hawaiki Color is a fully featured primary grading tool for use exclusively within Final Cut Pro X. No more messing around with fiddly controls in the inspector or trying to make sense of the Color Board.  A serious grading product with a professional interface that is unrivaled at this price.


Other News


The Music Bed – interview | Nino Leitner
Interview with the founder of The Music Bed
That problem being the comical lack of affordable, quality, relevant music living in one space and made available to filmmakers for synching. We began just getting songs cleared for us to use in our own projects, and it quickly grew into a fully functional landing place for filmmakers around the world to pick up some tunes.


Working with Less (or, Get Out There and Shoot!) Part 1 | Philip Bloom
A guest post by David Kong about working with less gear, for less money, and making it look good:
You’re more versatile. What happens if you show up on set and your Steadicam operator has sprained his ankle? If you can jury-rig a Steadicam substitute from an extra tripod and a piece of rope, you can actually get the shot. 
Interesting piece, though I'd still rather have a Canon C300 over a 5D Mark III. Just don't over-rig it!



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