Notes On Video

5 Things I Learned While Shooting My Low Budget Short Film | Justin Minich | No Film School 1. Do the Budget Yourself On small indie projects, everyone in the crew usually ends up wearing a variety of hats. Of the various roles I took on, the one that I found to be particularly instructive was that of the Unit Production Manager; that crew member who – among other things – writes up the budget. How To Light An Interview For $26 | StillMotionBlog Seriously, you should have seen Patrick when we gave him $26 and sent him to Home Depot – he was like a kid on Christmas morning! ;)We wanted to show you that great interview lighting can be achieved on almost nothing (you can judge for yourself in our example). Uncoated Samyang Lens Test | Cinescopophilia The uncoated Samyang lenses are a great solution for achieving lens flare and a more vintage look using low-cost DSLR lenses according to Shoot Blue. All lenses are fully manual ‘cine-style’ and fitted with focus & iris g...

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Masterclass in Why HFR fails, and a reaffirmation of what makes cinema magical | Vincent Laforet | Blog Vincent goes into the issues he has with the image of The Hobbit: My final answer:  if HFR does become more of a standard, then we’ll all stop paying attention to the new technique, and perhaps be able to refocus on story. The points I make above about being able to choose where I look, and what I choose to focus on and getting lost in any part of the frame, and becoming more immersed by seeing "less" do ultimately make me doubt this will happen until the 3D process as whole gets much much better. Let’s Cook | Stu Maschwitz | prolost A good write-up on using the Blackmagic Cinema Camera for the first time: As perfectly expressed by Vincent Laforet (the generous loaner of this particular BMC), the Blackmagic Cinema Camera is a perplexing mix of unmatched bang-for-the-buck, along with some maddening shortcomings and inscrutable design deci...

DenLennie | Camera+ #BMCC next firmware release will have interval recording (timelapse) from 1 sec to 10 sec then 1 min to 8min #date TBC OneRiver Media | Facebook So I received permission from Blackmagic Design to talk about the latest Cinema Camera 1.2 beta firmware update I've been testing the last couple of weeks. It includes aperture readout on display, 2.5K rez time-lapse recording, exFAT format support, improved CinemaDNG file naming, better overlay options on SDI output, fix on RP188 output over SDI, and my Canon 35mm f/1.4L lens is working again! Firmware Updates Are Flying, Cinema Camera Will Get Aperture Display, exFAT, Timelapse, and More | Joe Marine | No Film School This is a great sign, and it means that we are going to see regular and consistent updates for the camera. The other big update, exFAT support, means the drives will now work natively with Windows machines, so you won’t have to use any software to read the drives if you’re not already on a M...

The Hobbit Arrives with a High Frame Rate, and New Sony Camera Prices | Michael Murie | Filmmaker Magazine As the first movie in wide release to be shot and shown in 48p, the acceptance – or success – of the movie is being closely tied to the future adoption of 48p. This is, of course, ridiculous. The success or failure of a single film is unlikely to define the future of a format. But we’re still left with the question: Is 48p (or High Frame Rates) a good thing, a bad thing, or just different? And why does this discussion feel suspiciously like the one about 3D? Everything you ever wanted to know about HFR and The Hobbit | Tim Dashwood | Dashwood 3D Tim is the developer of Stereo3D Toolbox , and here he offers his thoughts on 3D in The Hobbit : Well, the stereoscopic 3D execution is not perfect, with numerous stereo window violations and some depth map/inversion errors on dimensionalized VFX shots. These are issues that left me with strained eye muscles (specifically in my ...

File this under 'News that's not news': Adobe has released updates to some Creative Suite applications that are available only to people who are subscribing to the Creative Suite. If you purchased the suite outright, you won't be getting this update (at least, not immediately.) Lots of people are complaining ( Adobe announces updates for cloud members only! | HD Warrior ) but if you read Adobe's press releases, or attended any of their presentations when they announced CS6, you couldn't have missed that Adobe explicitly signaled their intention to do this. Of course, they didn't phrase it as "we are going to release new features only to subscribers." Instead, they explained that having people subscribe would enable them to offer new features much faster.....[ it's an accounting thing, or something.. .-Ed] For Adobe it's a win-win situation: Subscribers get frequent updates, which encourages customers to switch to the subscription ...

Street Price Drop for the Sony PMW-F5 and PMW-F55 Cameras | Cinescopophilia As expected, the street price of the PMW-F5 and the PMW-F55 is a few thousand less than the list price. Good news, if you have the budget: Abelcine have listed the street price for the Sony PMW-F5 and PMW-F55 CineAlta cameras and it is pretty darn good. Forget the official suggested list price from Sony which saw the PMW-F5 CineAlta 4K Camera at $19,400, and the PMW-F55 CineAlta 4K Camera at $34,900. Sony shows off new Sony 4K cameras & more 4K content is on the way | Tom Di Nome | Sony Mainly a marketing piece, but there is some interesting comments about Sony's new cameras in this post: Doug Wellman, assistant dean at the USC School, said it best: “these pieces that we shot really highlight the full gamut of the cameras’ capabilities, and the flexibility and performance they can offer on location.” BLOGGING FROM THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT WASHINGTON AND DOCUMENTING EXTREME WEATHER WITH HEATED C...

Can Independent Film Be an Addiction? | Scott Macaulay | Filmmaker Magazine When confronted with this thought, my immediate answer to myself is, independent film is an addiction! The problem is, we’re addicted to making it, not that other people are addicted to watching it. But what if we stole a page from video game designers or the cliffhangers of cable drama? What would we have to do to make independent film an ingrained activity? An addiction? What is the Big Deal About H.265 or HEVC Anyway? | Cinescopophilia Poor old Fugly H.264, that brown paper bag wearing misfit is getting pushed out the door as the ugly lights are turned on. You’re going home with a new partner that H.265 in the corner you have had your eye on all night. High Efficiency Video Coding HEVC or MPEG-H Part 2 is the follow up to H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC Advanced Video Coding standard for video compression. FCP X 10.0.6: Sharing Made Simpler | IAIN ANDERSON | MacProVideo Prior to Final Cut Pro...

Join One Day On Earth & Film Life Around The Globe Tomorrow, 12/12/12 | Megan O'Neill | Social Times I'm not really a fan of these kinds of things, but I think you should take at least one photo or video today: One Day On Earth, the collaborative film project that documented life on earth on 10/10/10 and 11/11/11, is revving up to film life around the globe tomorrow, 12/12/12, and it’s not too late to be a part of it! 25 Pieces of Juicy Filmmaking Knowledge from Cinematographer Roger Deakins | The Black And Blue 3. Compromise is Sometimes Needed for a Better Film “Sometimes, as with the death row scenes on ‘Dead Man Walking’, it is better to compromise composition, lighting and perhaps even sound a little and shoot with two cameras in order to help an actor get their performance. Sometimes it is better to go wider to include a prop in frame than break an actor’s concentration. Christmas Gift Ideas for the Editor - 2012 Edition | Scott Simmons | Pro Video Coa...

Behind the Scenes C100 Test | Magnanimous Media | Vimeo Jonah Rubash, Scott Reagan, Teddy Hoffman, and Kevin Larson take out the Canon C100 for test shoot. They gab about their thoughts on the new Canon Cinema EOS camera.Shot by Kevin Larson on the C100 with a Canon 16mm-35mm and Canon 24mm-70mm. A Guide to Building a RED Camera Package: An Accessory List for Every Budget Level | Ryan Koo | No Film School Despite the recently reduced price of RED cameras, each model still requires a lot of (pricey) accessories. We’ve pointed this out from the very beginning, but now we’ve gone further and compiled some realistic shooting packages at three different levels: a “cheapest possible ONE MX” list by Aaron Rich, an “owner/operator SCARLET” package by myself, and a “full professional EPIC” package by Timur Civan. Blackmagic Cinema Camera behind the scenes with CocoRosie | John Brawley | Blog Shot CinemaDNG and processed through Resolve V8 with mild correction, making the blacks ...

Canon Says 6D Buggy with YouTube, and Some 1D Xs Still Have f/8 AF Issue | Michael Zhang | PetaPixel Canon has issued a couple of service advisories to notify customers of known issues with the 6D and 1D X DSLRs. The former camera has a YouTube problem, while the latter has some autofocus issues for certain customers. Sub $6K 65" Changhong Ultra High Definition TV Set Coming | David Richards | Smart House Chinese TV and appliance company Changhong, who is looking to grow market share in Australia, is set to launch a low cost 65” Ultra High Definition Smart LED TV next year. The new TV will be shown at the 2013 CES Show in Las Vegas.ChannelNews understands the TV will retail for sub $6,000 and be launched in the second half of 2013. Shooting an Indie film with the SONY FS-700 in Bangkok | Artikel von Steffen | HackerMovies Interesting piece about shooting with the Sony NEX-FS700 : The gear I brought was the FS-700, several A-mount lenses with a fast aperture (for ...

Many Camera Formats Strike in Waiting for Lightning | Michael Svitak | Hurlblog The primary camera package, donated by Revolution Cinema Rentals for the documentary project, consisted of three Canon 5D bodies, three tripods, a set of Canon “L” series primes, Canon 24-70mm, Canon 70-200mm zoom, two sets of 77mm Tiffen Water White IR ND filters, two SmallHD DP6 on-board monitors, a HP Dreamcolor lighting monitor and 20 Hoodman 16GB CF cards. SPENCER CHUMBLEY SHOOTS PUBLIC TELEVISION IN WISCONSIN – ON A DSLR | Spencer Chumbley | DSLR News Shooter It was this forward thinking that led me to the show—and I knew the innovation would continue when Ircink agreed to let me introduce my Nikon DSLRs to his production workflow. The show has been traditionally shot on Sony’s EX1, but the shallow depth-of-field offered by the DSLRs really allowed the food—the show’s main character—to shine. RED Ends Lens Production, Dragon Sensor Compares to 65mm According to CEO Jim Jannard | ...

Game Changers Part 4: Planning and Shooting | Michael Murie | Filmmaker Magazine In this fourth episode of a series on the making of the low-budget independent film, Game Changers, director Rob Imbs and cinematographer Benjamin Eckstien discuss audio recording, communication between director and cinematographer, and how to plan out shooting a multi-day, multi-location project. Earlier parts consisted of an overview and then discussed fundraising, casting, camera and lighting gear. Canon Publishes Short Film Shot on the C100 | Videomaker 1. Looking at the outdoor shots, the dynamic range appears to be pretty good. That said, they're all shot under overcast skies, so it's hard to say what kind of contrast the camera is really capable of capturing based on this film alone. 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey': How Is 48 Frames Per Second? | Mike Ryan | Huffington Post Q: Is Peter Jackson right that, even if it takes some time to get used to watching a film i...

Yesterday Sony held another webchat on their new PMW-F5 and PMW-F55 . Once again, here's a transcript. I just tidied it up; moving the answers next to the questions and deleting any questions that weren't answered. You can find the full transcript on Sony's Facebook page. Admin : Hello and welcome to this Cinematographers’ webchat. In this session we will be talking with a panel with hands on experience using the PMW-F55 and the PMW-F5 and finding out how they got on. Joining us today will be Sony representatives Ainara, Porron, Lucie Wendremaire and Sebastian Leske. Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Director, and Dominique Colin, Cinematographer, join as the team behind the film “Images” shot in XAVC HD on the F5 on location in France. We are also joined by Steve Lawes, Director, and Martin Scanlan, Cinematographer, of ‘Dig’, a short film shot in 4K on the F55. Dado Valentic from MyTherapy joins to give a colourist’s perspective on working with the F55 footage. Steve Lawes:...

PRODUCT REVIEW: CANON 6D | jthorpephoto | Blog 4) Movie: It can record in all the same resolutions as the MKiii, so no difference there, I've heard of reports of Moire with the video, but I haven't seen it really. The video is a big upgrade from the MKii. Also the LCD is MUCH better than the MKii, and damn near the same as the MKiii. 5 Awesome Production and Post Production Online Newsletters | Jonny Elwyn | Premiumbeat Patrick Inhoffer’s excellent weekly newsletter is always jam packed with tons of great links to that weeks best color grading content. There’s always plenty of links to tutorials, color grading craft articles and a ton more on the business side of things, as well as a few ‘Sunday morning funnies’ too.  All enlightening and entertaining stuff.  It’s also a great place to stay on the inside track of what Patrick is up to and has got planned next. Weekend With The Sony FS700 | Robert Ruscher | YouTube I had the weekend to learn the ins an...

Canon C300 & C100 matching custom picture files | Paul Joy | Blog Here’s couple of screen grabs from my testing. I wanted to focus on the greens and yellows first as they are the trickiest to get right on the C300 so I assumed the same would be true on the C100. The C100 actually seems to be a lot closer to a natural colour balance with it’s default settings than the C300 is.  Paul has also posted a follow up: Canon C300 & C100 matching custom picture files Ive spent some time working on custom picture profiles for the Canon C100 and C300 cameras that allow both cameras to be cut together and match well. I don’t own test charts but I’ve tested these under various conditions and they match well. The following examples were shot using the built in tungsten setting on both cameras, manual white balancing or dialling in Kelvin settings on both cameras can produce non balanced results so I prefer to use the presets for two camera shoots when possible. Canon C300 Firmwar...

From Sony Professional Europe on Facebook. Sony held a webchat a few weeks back (see:  Sony "NewF" Webchat ) and now they are going to do another one on the 4th: Don't forget to sign up for a reminder to join our #TheNewF Cinematographer's Webchat on Tuesday. We'll have cinematographers and product experts who have worked with both cameras answering questions on December 4th. Get your questions ready and register for a reminder here: http://www.facebook.com/SonyProfessionalEurope/app_310432762368131 “Dig”, was written and directed by Martin Scalan and shot in 4K using the PMW-F55 by cinematographer Steve Lawes on location in Wales. “Images”, was directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic and was shot in XAVC HD using the PMW-F5, by Dominique Colin on location in France.

The future of 4K video and the cheapest way to shoot it | Tony Reale | NextWaveDV A look at the actual -estimated - cost of some 4K options: So what’s the most cost effective option for 4K? There is one last option that we haven’t talked about. The FS700 + Sony’s 4K option gives you 16bit 4K RAW. But remember back when we talked about the AJA Ki Pro Quad? 4K 10bit for $3995. Sony has hinted that the FS700 will support third party 4K recorders. Right now the Ki Pro Quad is one of the only 4K recorders on the market. Mahout - Sony F55 CineAlta 4k Camera Demo | Stargate Studios | Vimeo Sony asked Sam Nicholson, ASC, and Stargate Studios to produce a short film to test the F55. Nicholson, along with production teams from Stargate LA and Stargate Mumbai, travelled to Sri Lanka to produce the film, hiring local talent and crew to help in the production. "Mahout" follows an orphan girl who helps a baby elephant escape an abusive owner and return to his herd in the wild. ...