Notes On Video

Blackmagic sent out a press release with some interesting news. They say that the Pocket Cinema Camera is shipping (though no mention of quantity.) Perhaps more interesting is an astonishing price drop on the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera to $1,995 [ At time of writing the price hasn't been updated at B & H yet ]. That's $1,000 off the original price! Wow. (Either Canon or MTF mount .) Finally, there's a seminar in New York on August 8th. Camera Update The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is now shipping and there is a software update for it posted on our web site. There are some new features in the software for the Pocket Cinema Camera. You can now focus by pushing the focus button when using an active MFT lens. This makes it very easy to accurately focus. The focus peaking feature is still there and you enable it by double pressing the focus button. The focus zoom feature is enabled by double pressing the OK button. There will be an update for...

Rotolight sent me a short email (below) and a copy of the statement that they released concerning the recent take-down of a video by Den Lennie (see:  Using a Copyright Infringement claim to shut down the opposition ) With reference to the recent online publicity regarding Rotolight please find attached the official Response from Rotolight. The Statement is also available online:- http://www.rotolight.com/officialstatement/ There will be no further comments. I've reprinted the full statement below. I'm not going to flog a dead horse; I don't think we'll learn anything more by pursuing this particular event, though I don't think it removes the underlying concern that companies can have things taken down because they don't like them. I will add though, that I'm a little bit puzzled that in their statement they say that they received advice advancing the legal theory of having things removed that might be " potentially misleading and unrepresenta...

Sometimes, when you're wading through the detritus that is much of the Internet, it's easy to take for granted what an amazing thing it is. Of course, there are downsides. I'm quite convinced that the Internet will one day prove that there is no original thought. Have an idea? Search for it; you'll almost certainly find that someone already thought of it, or did it. I have a Steadicam Smoothee that works with the iPhone 4 . I used it a couple of times and then put it away and never used it again. Now you can buy an adapter for the GoPro , but I don't have one of those. Today I was thinking, 'maybe I could adapt it to work with a better camera?' Well, of course you can, and dozens of people were already doing that over a year ago . Hardly an original idea! Actually, I'm not that upset to find out lots of other people have been doing it; because now I have something to copy and I'm much more likely to meet with success.. And there is the joy o...

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 t...

Indiesonar interviews Charysse Tia Harper about the making of her currently in-production documentary Panomundo: "We’ve been fortunate enough to borrow equipment from crew members and friends from our past shoots. However, I have a Lavalier mic and a Nikon D5100, and Keith has acquired a Canon 60D." NPR's POV blog has an article for those just starting out:  Tips for Making Your First Film : Choosing a Topic, Interviewing Like a Pro, and One Aspect of Filmmaking That’s Often Overlooked Choosing a TopicIFP: You have to go with your gut on this one! Whatever makes you happy, piques your interest, inspires (or enrages!) and activates is probably going to appeal to someone else. When you put passion into a project, others can see it. This makes them excited about the work too! First test's of Canon 70D footage aren't that spectacular . Johnnie Behiri has posted an initial test with a beta copy of this camera, and the footage: " At present time there i...

Back in April Vincent Laforet started tweeting and posted about a new device he'd used that would be a "game changer" and would shake things up in the industry as much as the Canon 5D Mark II had. He said that this was the first thing since the 5D Mark II that he felt was as important, and added "I have a hard time imagining the day where I won’t be using it on a shoot." The device was, of course, the  MōVI , a "revolutionary" camera stabilizer. The footage was certainly impressive, but at $15,000 for the M10 (they have a M5 that will sell for $7,500) I found it difficult to see this as a game changer for the majority of the video production industry. I just couldn't see a lot of indie or corporate video people spending that much money for a video stabilizer. And while the shots were pretty impressive, a regular Steadicam shot - done carefully - is pretty similar, and probably just as effective. But, now there seems to be a dozen or s...