Notes On Video

How often do companies try to suppress information using copyright takedown claims? That's what I was wondering yesterday. Here's another example reported by Ars Technica ; KTVU, who had that unfortunate incident with the pilot names on the Asiana Airlines crash attempted to suppress the video by posting take down claims on YouTube. It seems they gave up after a day or so...(you can't suppress the really big stuff.) Kickstarter Project Canceled After Dude Spends All the Money | Gawker This is interesting; guy makes $120,000 and blows it all on...well we're not too sure exactly on what, but he's given up on the project. I thought this response way interesting. I wonder what the results are for Kickstarter projects: Michael Scott ‏@DorkmanScott I've backed 23, 22 of which succeeded; to date received rewards from 2. RT @E_MARSTON of the 4 i've donated to i've gotten one postcard. Meanwhile, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter is raising money on IndieG...

Den Lennie has posted a story on Facebook about a short video review he posted on Vimeo getting taken down due to a Copyright Infringement claim from one of the manufacturers in the test. What's disturbing is that in the thread of the post, a representative from the company actually seems to admit that they made the claim because they didn't like the results, not because of any copyright claim. In a first message they state " We just feel that the test was not fair or representative of our product ," but in their second post they state: You are completely right, we should have just contacted you directly to arrange the re-test rather than acted via Vimeo, please accept our sincere apologies for that. We of course have no issue at all with you posting the results of the re-test all we wanted was just to ensure the test was representative , there was nothing more to it than that. This is, frankly, shocking. While the internet is a sea of copyright infringement,...

Completely un-video related, I just ordered a Yamaha StagePas 400i . [ We're getting the band back together-Ed]  I was looking for something simple and light weight for vocals and guitar amplification. I nearly went with a mixer and powered speakers. Getting a dedicated mixer might have been the better choice if we had larger - or any - aspirations, but simplicity and lightness seemed the way to go. The 400i is a new model; the previous models (the 300 ) were considered good for what they were, but the effects were criticized a lot. Yamaha re-engineered the effects in the 400i , so I'm hopeful they are useable. You don't get a lot of choice in effects, but again, we're looking for simplicity. Back to the video stuff Canon has a 50mm f/1.8 IS coming? CanonRumors reports that maybe Canon has a 50mm f/1.8 IS coming. Canon currently has three 50mm lenses; the $125 f/1.8 II , the  $399 f/1.4 , and the $1,439 f/1.2L monster. CanonRumors wonder if it will replace...

VFX Color Grading in After Effects - a quick tutorial for After Effects users showing how to create more dynamic images by adjusting multiple copies of the same video. You can do similar things in grading programs like Resolve , but if you have After Effects and just started playing with it, this could be a useful tutorial. Animated Font - Franchise This is sort of cool; an animated font. The Type Face was designed by one person, then animated by 110 animators in After Effects . " The file contains all the keyframes, expressions and artwork from the artists. This makes it a great learning source for motion students and professionals. " Works for After Effects CS5 and up. It's listed as "Free" but you must "pay" with a Tweet or a Post (to Facebook.) Prolost Burns Preset for Adobe After Effects CS6 Stu Maschwitz has posted an After Effects preset that creates zooming/dissolving photo montages. It's $2.99. Or if you have a Mac...

The most interesting thing to come across the wires yesterday was this low-light comparison between the ARRI Alexa, Canon C300 and Sony F55 by Thomas Weber . The Alexa was rated the best picture below 800, while the F55 was the best at very high ISO's. The C300 did well in low light, and was no slouch considering it's considerably cheaper that the Alexa or F55. Want to get into movie production? MovieScope offers two articles which paint a somewhat contradictory and confused picture of what's going on. In " The Film Release Slot Machine " distribution experts explain "how a decline in studio production bring opportunities for the independent sector," while in " Digital Distribution and the Invisibility Dilemma ," "Industry analyst Michael Gubbins examines why the growth of digital cinema and on-demand platforms may see independent content disappearing…" It's sort of like when matter and anti-matter come together... But w...

The weather has cooled down a bit here in Boston after several days of 90+ temps, so that's good news. Unfortunately, the big studios didn't get a lot of good news this weekend, with R.I.P.D . and Turbo performing worse than expected (that's not exactly true, the word on R.I.P.D . has been bad for the last couple of weeks at least, so it probably lived up to low expectations.) According to the New York Times , Hollywood has now sustained six big-budget duds since May 1. Ouch . Meanwhile, over at Slate , Peter Suderman has written about the book ' Save The Cat! " and blames it's adoption as a bible of screenwriting for many of the problems in modern movies. I was intrigued, as I was interviewing a scriptwriter a couple of weeks and he referenced this book (which I hadn't really come across before.) ...this book broke down the three-act structure into a detailed “beat sheet”: 15 key story “beats”—pivotal events that have to happen—and then gave eac...

Last night was the latest Boston Creative Pro User's Group meeting, featured  Aharon Rabinowitz , Director of Communities for Red Giant, talking about their latest short film Spy Vs Guy , and Adobe Certified Master Trainer and Apple Certified Master Trainer  Simon Walker talking about Red Giant's latest application: BulletProof . Now I could talk at some length about Spy Vs Guy , or you could just watch it (it's 16 min. long.) I could also talk at some length about how it was made, or you could just watch the Behind the Scenes: BulletProof is described by Red Giant as "a complete offload, prep and delivery solution." I could also tell you a bit about what I saw at the demo of  BulletProof , or - if you have a Mac - you could just go and download the free public Beta and try it out yourself. [ I just want to point out that it's very hot here in Boston at the moment... ] Well, if you really want to know a little more: For those not intimatel...

It's Thursday here in Boston, and it's been a hot couple of days, with no relief in sight! I hope it's cool where you are. If you are stuck in Boston tonight, come to the BOSCPUG meeting with Red Giant , who will talk about BulletProof and stuff. A couple of days ago I erroneously stated that Blackmagic had said their new pocket cinema camera would ship on time. ahhhh...that wasn't really true, so I'm hesitant to post this, but a British distributor is evidently a big disturbed about whether the camera (and the 4K camera) will arrive on schedule. Of course, they are in Europe... Interested in the  MōVI ? Alex Buono (DP from Saturday Night Live's Film Unit) has posted a cool demo of the unit made at his Visual Storytelling Tour event (the tour is going on through out the country, and there are still a few dates left .) For actors and filmmakers, some casting directors wrote an article about 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Agent and Manager . N...

The Daily Show almost goes Dark The third segment of Monday night's episode of The Daily Show was taped using "consumer cameras" after a power failure occured. It's not clear what cameras were actually used (someone tweeted that they were consumer cameras), though it looked like they really needed to do a white balance, and at the end of the segment a microphone boom could be seen! This is not the first time an evening show has been recorded under "difficult" circumstances, or with consumer cameras. The Craig Ferguson Show has had problems with the lighting system and resorted to flash lights, and Jimmy Kimmel taped an episode of his show using a laptop webcam. The show shot with consumer cameras Apple releases Logic Pro X Apple released a new version of Logic Pro X , and while it's too soon to be certain, it looks like the initial reactions are more positive than Final Cut Pro X received. It's just $199, AND it can connect to Fi...

Vincent Laforet has posted the latest news on the  MōVI M10s - it will ship in 30 days, and the  MōVI M5 will be available in October-December, and cost $4,995. Meanwhile everyone seems to be creating camera cages for the GoPro as Cinescopophilia highlights the cage from CineShark and two from Lensse . Tech News has a piece about using an octocopter to shoot some Gettysburg battlefield footage, 4/3 Rumors reports that John Brawley of Blackmagic tweeted the Blackmagic Pocket CInema Camera will ship on July 25th. [ Oops, no he didn't. He tweeted that the firmware now includes new features: Auto-focus & battery percent remaining - see comment below - Ed] (You can pre-order at B&H for $995 ) Over on YouTube,  The Basic Filmmaker offers some basic tips on lens buying (buy the best you can, lenses are more important than cameras, etc..) and if you're looking for a good podcast, the latest NeedCreative Podcast features Cinematographer Will B...

PMW-F5 WILL get 240fps and Anamorphic De-Squeeze!! New Firmware Timeline | Alister Chapman | XDCAM User The F5 will get the ability to record 2K raw at 240fps (with the R5). In addition it will also get 1.3x Anamorphic De-Sqeeze. Sony have just released an updated firmware timeline. There are no major changes to the timing of the already announced features, but now we can see that in the July release the cameras will get Reel Number and Camera ID for SxS recordings. NEW Firmware Timeline Charts - July 2013 | Sony Highlighting the big update this month is the HD - 10 bit SR Codec, (SR File). This codec has been strongly requested for episodic television and feature film work; since it’s an extremely robust algorithm that is visually lossless (areas of every frame are uncompressed). Also, 220Mbps 4:2:2 and 440Mbps (both 4:2:2 and RGB) result in very manageable file sizes and very easy to decode. Final Cut Pro X Audio Filter Tips | Mac Pro Video When dealing with Audio in ...

Cinemek's Storyboard Composer HD app for the iPhone/iPad is now 99 cents. As a simple storyboarding tool it's quite cool; you can simply take photos of locations, add figure shapes to indicate your actors, and then add camera moves. I wrote a review of the original iPhone app here:  Hitchcock - iPhone Storyboard App NOTE: The sale ENDS TODAY!

20 Tips by Roger Deakins | Burak Oguz Saguner 1. Don’t Get Distracted with Technique“Operating the wheels needs to become second nature as it can be a disaster if the technique of operating distracts from the relationship that an operator has with the subject. Pawel Edelman – Cinematographer | Filmuforia it’s interesting to be involved as early as possible, to know the main subject and the themes to be a part of the whole machinery of the movie-making process, which makes you (as a DoP) more involved and in the  centre of the process. New Features in Premiere Pro CC 7.0.1 Update! | retooled Well, it seems Adobe has kept their promise to use the new Creative Cloud platform to deliver a whole slew of new features. Now I don’t just mean bug updates as we had seen in the past with the Creative Suite, I mean upwards of 25 new features. In this video we go through the biggest changes to Premiere Pro CC and what you should know and expect from these new features. What’s ...

Premiere Pro CC July 2013 Update | Adobe One of the best things about Creative Cloud is that we’re able to develop and release features in cadence with the demands of this rapidly growing and evolving industry. The Premiere Pro CC July 2013 update, available now, is the first example of that, and we’re thrilled to be able to give you multiple new editing features so soon after the first CC release – less than a month after we shipped CC. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera in a News Environment | Pro Video Coalition I am the Creative Services Sr. Writer/Producer for the NBC affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee.  Every spot we produced for over a year was shot on my personal Canon 60D.  Now, the poor camera looks like it’s been to combat and in dire need of a rebuild.  Needless to say, when the BMCC arrived the week after I returned from NAB 2013 I was glad to see it. Eurovision working on 4K Ultra HD product badge scheme | Recombu Televisions built to receive 4K Ult...

ARRI Alexa suffers 26 foot fall, survives | Facebook ARRI posted the following on their Facebook page: This ALEXA took a 26 ft. fall onto concrete and survived! They charged the camera up and were shocked to find it was still working as well as recording. Just to be safe, ARRI China’s service department performed an impact assessment and found no serious damage to the camera; so they sent ALEXA back to set to keep working. Thankfully no one was injured all were just left pleasantly surprised at how reliable ALEXA is. It’s official: Arri are developing a 4K Alexa! | Redshark News Franz Kraus, managing director of Arri, has announced that Arri are working on a new 4K camera. It will feature at least 4K resolution, at least 14-stops of dynamic range and high frame rate capability.  The idea being to create a new camera with greater spatial resolution without losing the visual qualities that have made the existing Alexa so popular. A Field In England multiplatform rel...

HOW TO BE PROLIFIC: GUIDELINES FOR GETTING IT DONE FROM JOSS WHEDON | Co.Create You know, it’s so easy to just get nothing done, but you’ve got to rock a little David Allen out to be able to get things done and break your list down into next actions. And this is true of producing and directing but even of writing. It’s like, Okay, today I am going to figure out this action sequence.  Crowdfunding: Terms You Need to Know to Successfully Fund Your Film | RainDance Ad Swap – This is when projects promote each other in a basic synergy type deal by exchanging ad space– this is useful as it is free advertising in exchange for you placing some poster or banner up and helping out a fellow Crowdfunder. Should Crowdfunding Sites Ban Overfunding? | Filmmaker Magazine I would suggest that one of the key factors in backer dissatisfaction is project over-funding. Many see this as a blessing — extra cash is always good, right? Wrong! Along with extra cash comes more rewards to ful...

A MONTH WITH MŌVI | Alex Buono After they nailed the shot on take one, I just stood there with a dumb look on my face: “Uh…I guess we should do it again, right?”  So we did another take and they nailed it again.  I looked at my watch and realized that at this rate, we could probably shoot half a dozen shots instead of just one or two.  A Field In England A Film4 Digital Masterclass | A Field In England Lots of information, well worth checking out this site: Shooting with deep focus means that the foreground, middleground and background of the shot are all in focus. Ben Wheatley chose to use deep focus extensively on A Field in England, particularly on wide shots of the world of the field. The Low Budget Starter Kit | Raindance Film Festival Anyway I digress…the point I am trying to make is that cameras are the starting point in your journey and are becoming much easier to get your hands on. Smartphones have changed the way home videos are made, with all of...

Announcing: Sony’s First All 4K Ultra HD Media Player and Content Download Service | Sony More on Sony's new 4K player, including the cost to rent or purchase features: Also launching soon is Sony’s new Video Unlimited 4K Ultra HD service available later this summer with many more feature films, TV episodes and a variety of short-form video – all with 4K native picture quality and wider color gamut. The cost for Downloads of feature film titles as 24-hour rentals or for purchase will s start at $7.99 and $29.99. WHY (SUCCESSFUL) CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS CAN BACKFIRE ON STORYTELLERS | Mentorless Good thoughts on running a crowdfunding campaign.... after you've got the money: Decide that no matter what, you will do a bi-weekly update post-campaign to let your backers know where you are at. See your successful campaign as the true opportunity it is: getting people to root for you, not only for this project, but for your career, for who you are as an artist. You are your ...

Canon 70D |  optyczne.p Hmm..so a Polish website has posted a hands-on with the new Canon 70D. Unfortunately, I can't read Polish, but they have posted some videos showing the auto-focus performance of the camera with the EF-S 18-135mm lens and the EF 100mm, so you can get an idea of how that new focus technology works. EOS-M Price Cut | B & H Photovideo Canon made an attempt to enter the mirrorless market with the EOS-M, but the camera got mixed reviews - autofocus performance was sighted in several reviews. Now it looks like they might be phasing out the first model, as B & H is offering a half-price deal on the camera. Should you get one? No idea. It will work with regular Canon lenses, but you need to buy an adapter, which will set you back another $150. The  Canon EOS-M Mirrorless Digital Camera/ EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens is now $349, while the  Canon EOS-M Mirrorless Digital Camera with EF-M 22mm f/2 STM Lens is $299. 

Canon 70D  | B & H PhotoVideo This new camera looks intriguing, if only because of the new focus mode Dual Pixel CMOS AF which promises much faster and more accurate focusing while shooting. The demo looks good and a few people have had a chance to try it out and say it seems to work as advertised. Would I rush out and buy a new camera just to get that feature? Probably not, but it's good to see Canon actually adding an interesting - and useful - video feature to their DSLRs. CANON’S NEW EOS 70D – A REVOLUTION IN AUTOFOCUS FOR VIDEO? | News Shooter This is all very technical but essentially it seems to work very well if early online sample videos are to be believed. What is even more interesting to me is how Canon claim to have been also be working on how to make the video AF look more smooth and natural too. Ep. 51 - "The Dark Side" (with Gabe Cheifetz)  |  NeedCreative Podcast 7/1/2013 In this 51st episode of the NeedCreative Podcast, your co-hosts...