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Friday, August 09, 2013

bits & pieces

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
It seems that the BMPCC is finally arriving - in limited quantities to Instagram and Twitter accounts near you.

Speaking of Blackmagic, their new page for the Production Camera 4K looks an awful lot like an Apple product page (and that's not necessarily a bad thing!) Order yours for $3,995...



Day 1 of 25: James Ponsoldt and The Spectacular Now | Scott Macaulay | Filmmaker Magazine
A new, occasional column here at Filmmaker, “The Shooting Schedule” looks at film production through the prism of a single shoot day. I peruse a film’s call sheet and production report and ask the director questions solely based on what I see there.


How to Option a Book for Film Adaptation |  Robert Zipser | Filmmaker Magazine
Hollywood has loved books ever since the days of silent films. It always will. Sometimes you will hear grumblings from studio executives and producers that acquiring motion picture and television rights to books costs too much. They vow to cut back on it. Pay no attention to this babbling.


Episode #11 – Den Lennie Talks Colour Grading with Warren Eagles | F Stop Academy
Warren Eagles is a Colorist and a very good one too…. I learned to grade with Warren at one of his intensive color grading workshops that he holds around the world.  He also set up icolorist.com along with some of the worlds top colorists to offer workshops and resources for anyone looking to learn more about  the art and craft of grading.
And if you're into color grading, you might be interested in this blog on Grading Wide Shots at iseehue.




A picture of a really long dolly track | Twitter
470 ft. of dolly track on the set of Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice'. #BehindTheScenes #Panavision #OnTheSet pic.twitter.com/3eiPouoQlr



WOODY ALLEN: WHAT I'VE LEARNED | Esquire
If I saw Manhattan again, I would only see the worst. I would say: "Oh, God, this is so embarrassing. I could have done this. I should have done that." So I spare myself.


Venture Capitalist Who Suggested There Should Be Texting in Movie Theaters Writes "Another 1000 Words Proving [He's] an Asshole" | IndieWire
After saying he's being misunderstood (thinking like this is just what venture capitalists do!), he defends the first attack by reiterating that he wants to segregate movie audiences into people addicted to their Twitter feed and, well, people who can go two hours without a tweet.


Blackmagic Design - Hypderdeck Shuttle 2 ($327.75)

Thursday, August 08, 2013

the News

Ep. 56 - "Pure Logic" (With Dot Bustelo, Alex Gollner & Mike Trigg) | NeedCreative Podcast
Lots of interesting stuff about Logic Pro X in the latest NeedCreative Podcast, as well as some pre-Final Cut Pro X 10.1 talk:
Episode 56 is all about Logic Pro X! Ben Consoli of BC Media Productions talks to Dot Bustelo, Logic Pro expert and trainer. Then Alex Gollner (Alex4D) comes on the show to talk about how Logic Pro X works with Final Cut Pro X . We also cover all big news in the production world including a short chat with Mike Trigg, Chief Marketing Officer from Hightail, to discuss the strategy behind changing YouSendIt's name to Hightail.


Final Cut Pro X is faster! | Philip Hodgetts
A collection of quotes about Final Cut Pro X:
I turned to the director and said, ‘why do YOU think we have achieved so much in such a short time?’ He said, ‘I think its because its so visual, you really fell like you are in it’.


No compromises | Zeiss
Interesting piece about the development of a new lens at Zeiss:
The project had been discussed internally at ZEISS for a long time. The first concepts were already discussed in 2008, but it was not until 2010 that things became concrete. Back then it was clear to the experts at ZEISS that the image sensors in the new generations of cameras would make such a big leap forward that there would already be a need for corresponding high-performance lenses in the medium term.


How to Use Color Correction in Adobe Premiere with the Fast Color Corrector | ReelSEO
Quick intro to quick color correction in Premiere Pro:
Color correction is foreign to many of us.  How do the pros get their images looking so rich and beautiful when mine still look kind of plain by comparison, even though I'm using a pro camera and everything?  Well, the answer lies in knowing how to use your software--there are many different ways to correct color and it can take years of practice to master.


Produce Your Best Ever HD-SLR Video—6 key areas to consider | Nikon
Nikon offers their own guide to shooting video with their DSLRs:
Let’s look first at the Picture Control profile and White Balance settings to be sure the desired “look” can be achieved in-camera. Remember that with video, settings such as these are baked-in so very little can be done to correct flaws post-capture. By baked-in, the camera is applying the Picture Control profile and White Balance settings in a non-raw format so neither can be changed later.


Sony Strengthens Line-up of Next-Generation Optical Disc Archive Systems | Sony
Sony has expanded it's optical archive system with news drives. No prices, so not sure how they fit in relation to the existing model: ODS-D55U (which is expensive enough!):
The ODS-D77U and ODS-D77F bring high speed reading and writing capabilities, being able to achieve a maximum over 1Gbps* – more than twice that of Sony’s ODS-D55U.  The ODS-D77U features a high speed standard USB 3.0 interface for fast and easy connections whilst the ODS-D77F features a high speed fibre channel connection to support the new Optical Disk scalable PetaSite™ libraries and storage management software providers.


Sony Delivers Enhanced Wireless Connectivity for Professional Camcorders with a new Wireless Adapter | Sony
 The new wireless adapter, model CBK-WA100, is designed to significantly accelerate the News and Production workflows by enabling easy transmission of content over a wireless network significantly accelerating the ENG workflow. The CBK-WA100 adapter connects directly to a camera and allows XAVC proxy files to be created and then saved on an SD card in the adapter.  The CBK-WA100 is then able to upload the proxy content and the original high-resolution content via 3G/4G/LTE/Wi-Fi* to a broadcast station, on premise server or to a cloud environment.


Short interview with Roger Deakins where he talks about British Cinematographer magazine:

Why don't we do it in the Road?

On August 8th, 1969, a very famous photo for a very famous album cover was taken. The following video is a nice little salute to the subject of that photo:



Why don't we do it in the Road? from chris purcell on Vimeo.

A lyrical portrait of one of London’s most peculiar tourist attractions - a humble pedestrian crossing in 
St John’s Wood. But this isn’t any ordinary piece of street furniture, a 10 minute photo session back in the 
summer of 1969 saw to that. A couple of weeks after Neil Armstrong took his giant leap, theBeatles took 
a few short steps across Abbey Road and the rest is history. Roughly timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first recording session at Abbey Road Studios, this quirky short film explores a tiny part of London that is, in the words of narrator Roger McGough, suffused with a sort of magic.'Best Super Short' - NYC Independent Film Festival... 'Best Documentary' - UK Film Festival

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

The News

Can you do serious work with Magic Lantern? | Red Shark
That's a question I've been asking myself, now that they are hinting at RAW capture with the Canon 7D....should I? Unfortunately, this article probably won't really answer the question for you, just give you some things to think about:
First of all, let's get rid of the idea that because the ML software is running on Canon's hardware it must be reliable, because the moment you install a single byte of "alien" code on a third-party's product, all the testing is completely invalidated. In a sense software like ML's would be treated by the original manufacturer as one giant bug.


Andrew Ellard on Writing for Film and Television | Filmmaker Magazine
I really enjoyed interviewing Andrew for Filmmaker. I'm not sure it comes through in the interview, but he's an energetic and enthusiastic guy:
There’s a lot of good advice out there but often it’s the same advice wearing a different hat. You just need to find the techniques that get you to write your best. I’ve got quite a structure-oriented mind, so I can skip a lot of things that Save the Cat has in it like, you must put on the card what’s the plus and what’s the minus, what’s the turn.


Boston Creative Pro User Group Meeting | August 22
Featuring a special conversation with ZACK ARNOLD, Editor (USA Network's BURN NOTICE)Zack will join us to discuss his "interesting" career path as well as his editorial work on this hit TV show.


Magic Lantern Raw vs H264 and Random Thoughts on the BMPCC | Learning DSLR Video
For me the new Black Magic Pocket Camera is very interesting because it appears with will have a nice wide dynamic range and it shoots raw or to a editing friendly codec like ProRes so can perhaps push the image even farther because of it’s actually larger dynamic range.


An Overview and Comparison of 16 External Video Recorders | Wolfcrow
This article is a simple side-by-side comparison of some of the major external recorders in the market today. The goal is to provide you a birds-eye view that will make your purchasing decision a whole lot easier.


First 4K movie delivered via internet as 6K shows signs of life | tech radar
6K? really?!
Odemax claims to be the first to deliver 4K content in a file. In June this year, a Japanese telecoms company also made UHD headlines by streaming 4K-resolution video directly from the internet to TV set-top boxes.


Five ways the digital camera changed us | BBC News Magazine
"I remember Sony Ericsson in 2001 showed off a phone with a clip-on camera," says Jonathan Margolis, a technology writer for the Financial Times. "Along with everyone else, I thought 'why would you want a phone with a camera?'"


Sony rejects Loeb's proposal to spin off entertainment unit | Reuters
Japan's Sony Corp on Tuesday rejected a proposal from activist shareholder Daniel Loeb to partially spin off its entertainment business but the billionaire investor vowed to keep talking with the company and to explore other options.


Cinefex Classic Collection for iPad | Kickstarter
Cinefex has a Kickstarter campaign under way to convert their back catalog to digital format.
To provide the best interactive experience possible, we have custom developed our own publishing platform, and are developing a reading, browsing and search environment just for the archived issues of Cinefex magazine. Instead of simply making PDFs of the pages, like more tablet magazines out there, we undertook the monumental task of adding features that we think are even more valuable to your creative development. 
Cinefex Classic on Kickstarter | prolost

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Quick News

First ProRes files from the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera released | EOSHD
John Brawley has released a few ungraded ProRes files from his card, shot with the Pocket Cinema Camera and SLR Magic 35mm F1.4.
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera – First Impressions | Dan Moran | Mixing Light
I have to say I’m very impressed with this camera. The images John has shot are beautifully sharp and even in a difficult lighting situation I can’t see any issues. 


DSLR Shoulder Rig: A brief history of the shoulder-mounted video camera | DSLR Solutions
I remember when I first heard about DSLR cameras getting video capabilities. At the time, I owned a Panasonic DVX100 and I was not sure why anyone would want to capture video with a DSLR when they lacked the much-needed features only available on professional video cameras.


Nikon Quietly Getting Some Love in Hollywood | DoddleMe
It was rather quiet, in fact, we barely noticed when the news came out a few months back.  But Nikon’s D800 has been used on the sets of Showtime’s Dexter, and almost exclusively on FX’s Wilfred.  


Final Cut Pro X gets updated to 10.0.9 with stability improvements and bug fixes | FCP.co
It's an update, but a small one. Final Cut Pro X has been updated to 10.0.09. No new features, but stability improvements and bug fixes are always welcome.


NEW AVID Media Composer v7 Sony AMA plug-in for 4K RAW | Sony
This AMA plug-in provides support for Sony RAW MXF files (F65, PMW-F55/F5 and NEX-FS700) in Avid Media Composer and Symphony products, allowing viewing and editing capability.


Tips From a Former Vintage Gear Addict on How to Purchase Vintage Lenses | The Phoblographer
For years, I built a collection of cameras and lenses–consistently trying to feed my lust for the pieces. And this is how you do it.


This sounds terrible, and yet somehow inevitable...
Reinvent the Movie Theater: wifi, outlets, low lights, second screen experience | Hunter Walk
Increasingly I wanted my media experiences plugged in and with the ability to multitask. Look up the cast list online, tweet out a comment, talk to others while watching or just work on something else while Superman played in the background.
Fortunately, at least someone agrees it's a bad idea...
Don’t reinvent the movie theater, just refine it | Matt Singer
folks like me, who’d rather eat a smartphone than sit behind someone using one during a movie, would be relieved to be rid of those patrons. But this is what I still don’t understand: why would anyone want to pay $15 to not watch a movie?

Monday, August 05, 2013

Canon Firmware Update - Canon EOS C300/C300PL Cinema EOS Camera

Canon sent out the following announcement of a firmware update for the C300 yesterday (thanks to Paul Antico) :
This service notification e-mail contains important information about your Canon EOS C300 Cinema EOS Camera/Canon EOS C300 PL Cinema EOS Camera. Please note that product service announcement e-mails contain advisory or informational content that may be critical to the proper operation of your product, including safety, update, and instructional messages. Please carefully review the information in this e-mail as it relates to your Canon product.
Thank you for using Canon products.
Affected Products
Canon EOS C300 Cinema EOS Camera
Canon EOS C300 PL Cinema EOS Camera

Firmware
Firmware Version 1.0.9.1.00 incorporates the following additional functions and modifications:

1. Apple iOS6 is now supported when the camera is paired with the WFT-E6 for remote operation.

2. The polarity of the XLR terminal has been modified to improve compatibility with external audio devices. The pin configuration has been modified to be consistent with the description in the Instruction Manual.

Firmware Version 1.0.9.1.00 is for Cinema EOS C300 and EOS C300 PL cameras with Firmware Version 1.0.2.1.00 to Version 1.0.8.1.00. If your camera's firmware is already Version 1.0.9.1.00, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

Once the camera is updated to the latest version, it cannot be restored to a previous version.
Support
Download Firmware Version 1.0.9.1.00 for the EOS C300.
Download Firmware Version 1.0.9.1.00 for the EOS C300PL.

The News

How to succeed as a creative long term: know your C.O.D.B. | Vincent Laforet
Vincent Laforet put together a good guide for calculating your cost of doing business. I think it's a useful and interesting piece for succeeding in the long term. However, I don't know how much use it is to those just starting out. Until you have an established customer base, there's practically no way to know how much income you will have, or how much to charge.
C.O.D.B stands for "Cost of Doing Business."    Basically it’s a number that represents what it costs you to operate your business for every day that you work.
On a basic level, you add up all of your purchases and expenses to run your business, as well as your salary (I suggest you add your salary, but some people don’t)  and divide that by the total number of days you expect to work each year.


9 Important Insights if You Work in Film | Michelle Brooks
2. Smile - Or at least don't walk around like you hate your life.  There are a lot of people on sets that are slightly miserable. That's not my opinion. Its a fact.  Its the best experience to work with people that are serious about what they do, wicked professional, but still enjoy themselves, even when its a terribly challenging day.  You'll also make more friends.


RED EPIC DRAGON - ITS THE REAL DEAL | Mark Toia | Vimeo
The Red Dragon sensor has 3 F STOPS more than before. 1 in the hight lights which rolls over wonderfully !, 2 solid extra stops in the darks…. maybe 3 once the colour science has been perfected. But there is still noise, but nothing like before. I ran some 250d 2k film rushes next some of my 4000asa stuff, And silly as it sounds, it looks like film grain, not noise. Don't ask me how, as I wouldn't have a clue. But it looks great !


Pocket Cinema Camera Status Update! (Interview) | Two Nerds Flip Out
We just got that yesterday afternoon so the first few cameras that we’ve kind of already been receiving actually left Blackmagic U.S. yesterday (Tuesday, July 30th), and I think the rest of the world will start shipping their cameras today (to retail outlets). So the pocket cameras are now shipping.



BMCC M4/3 Demo on 2.5k Version from Ferguson Sauve-Rogan on Vimeo.
This is a demo showing how the BMCC handles wide ranges of lighting. With 13 stops you now have to ability to expose for shots that were impossible or required a lot of G&E work. 100% natural lighting, no bounce cards, no LEDs, no HMIs, just some good old fashion sunlight.


Industry

George Clooney launches tirade at Sony Pictures “carpetbagger” Daniel Loeb | EOSHD
To have this guy portraying it that Sony management is the bad stepchild and doesn’t know what it is doing and he’s going to fix it? That is like Walmart saying, let me fix your town, putting in their store, strangling all the small shops and getting everyone who worked in them to work for minimum wage with no health insurance.


The Chilling History of How Hollywood Helped Hitler (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter
In devastating detail, an excerpt from a controversial new book reveals how the big studios, desperate to protect German business, let Nazis censor scripts, remove credits from Jews, get movies stopped and even force one MGM executive to divorce his Jewish wife.


Something Interesting To Finish

They've posted the script to Shaun of the Dead, which includes images from the film and sketches from the storyboards. Not sure that it's really interactive...
Shaun of the Dead / Interactive Screenplay | Edgar Write Here