The News

This article seems to celebrate the pricing of Panasonic's GH4 4K camera by bashing Canon. And they have a point; pretty much everyone agrees that Canon has been sitting on their hands when it comes to the video capabilities of their DSLRs. On the other hand, as expensive as the 5D Mark III is, it still has a very large sensor with excellent low-light capabilities...it remains unique, and even if the Panasonic GH4 is 4K, and even if it's low light capabilities are as good, the Canon 5D Mark III still has a much larger sensor.
So Canon can probably go on selling their camera for a year or more.

UPDATE: Canon HDSLRs vs. Micro 4/3 Panasonic GH4 | HD Cam Team
Sadly, Canon has been crippling the entire EOS DSLR line and selling them overpriced, taking advantage of their brand name and big line of lenses to sell. But when we look at the products themselves we found LOT OF THE SAME since many years ago, with some few exceptions of improvements in specific features.


Meanwhile, here's something interesting; a new "archival" optical system which seems ideal for backing up and archiving digital video. If only (it's not priced way too high) and we didn't have to wait until mid 2015...
“Archival Disc” standard formulated for professional-use next-generation optical discs | Sony
Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Panasonic Corporation (“Panasonic”) today announced that they have formulated “Archival Disc”, a new standard for professional-use, next-generation optical discs, with the objective of expanding the market for long-term digital data storage*.
Both Sony and Panasonic aim to launch systems with a recording capacity of 300 GB per disc from summer 2015 onwards. In addition, both companies plan to leverage their respective technologies to further expand the recording capacity per disc to 500 GB and 1 TB.



Sony is also doing some pre-NAB hinting about new capabilities for their F55 & F5:
New capabilities...Limitless potential | Sony Community
It's the power to change, and the freedom to choose; to always push for more. It’s about the same cameras you know so well - the F5 and F55 - with more options, new capabilities and limitless potential.
We are transforming these cameras without compromising performance.
This is about more than just metal rods, plates and pads, it is about the best options for today......and tomorrow.
We have heard your feedback, and we will deliver.


DP Simon Duggan Explains How 3D Created Character Depth in Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby' | No Film School
He very often mentions how he relates it to theatre; there’s a proscenium, there’s an upstage, downstage and that’s how he related it to shooting 3D and that’s how he looked at staging the actors and the performances, with different layers all through the foreground and through the background


It Came From Inside the House: Community, Criticism and The Act of Killing | Filmmaker Magazine
For much of the past decade, one constant gripe within the world of documentary has been a need for more writing and better criticism about the craft of the filmmaking (as opposed to summaries of the plot or lionizations of the subject). So why have two recent, very critical op-ed pieces about The Act of Killing drawn such heat? The answer lies in both the source of the criticism and the method.


Warner Bros. Is Buying a Stake in Struggling YouTube Net Machinima. Here’s Why | Variety
Still, Machinima isn’t financially healthy: Last week it axed 30% of its staff, essentially eliminating its ad-sales department, in its third round of cuts in 15 months. The company said it was shifting ad-sales strategy to rely on YouTube — another sign of distress, as MCNs typically make even less money on spots that YouTube sells than the 55-45 ad-revenue split the site grants partners.


Creating An Infinite Black Background





Sarah Jones | On Set Safety


Sarah Jones Hollywood memorial draws calls for safer film sets | LA Times
"We make movies and we entertain millions of people and no one should have to die for that," said Mike Miller, vice president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. "What happened on that train trestle in Georgia horrified us."


For Sarah: Sept. 22, 1986–Feb. 20, 2014 | ASC
There is a magic bubble of invulnerability that can seem to enclose a movie crew filming out on the streets, more so than on the artifice of a stage set. For just a few moments, as the cameras turn over, there exists a kind of parallel reality that lives inside that bubble. It burst on February 20 above a 100 year old, single-track railroad trestle over the Altamaha River near Doctortown, Georgia. The fallout injured half a dozen crew members of a feature film on its first day of shooting; it also killed the 27-year-old camera assistant, Sarah Jones.


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