Notes On Video

Definition Magazine (Download PDF) Special IBC Edition Arri AMIRA (AMIRA) 200fps Documentary Style Pick up and Shoot Professional Grade Video Camera | CreativeVideo UK ARRI AMIRA unveiled | ARRI Cheaper ARRI...but I can't find a price anywhere... ARRI proudly presents AMIRA, a versatile documentary-style camera that combines exceptionalimage quality and affordable CFast 2.0 workflows with an ergonomic design optimized for singleoperatoruse and extended shoulder-mounted operation. Ready to pick up and shoot straight out ofthe camera bag, AMIRA is hardy enough to take anywhere and features in-camera grading withpre-loaded 3D LUTs, as well as 200 fps slow motion. ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic Lens Series Shipping Dates | Cinescopophila ARRI have published shipping dates for all seven of their focal lengths in the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic lens series. The MA35, 50 and 75 were released in August this year and have started shipping, with the MA100 to follow in Oct...

For years I've bought Duracell batteries because I thought they tended to be more durable; they seemed less likely to leak. But some recent experiences are making me rethink that. The first case happened with a battery in a guitar that leaked. Now the battery was not at the "Use By" date they stamp on them - which tend to be years out - but it had been sitting in the guitar for a year or two. I wrote that off as an unhappy accident (and removed all the batteries from all the guitars!) But today I went to use my wireless mic, and it didn't turn on (which was a bit odd as I'd tested it only a few days before and it had worked.) Then I noticed that the unit had been left on (which I thought was the reason the unit wasn't working.) I opened it up to replace the batteries and there was liquid all over the cradle that holds the batteries. - YUCK! Now I know that the batteries had been in there for less than two months (and that's being conservative, I...

The Massachusetts Production Coalition's seminar on filmmaking scheduled for this Saturday has been postponed: I'm sorry to report that this weekend's seminar for "The Independent Filmmaker" will be postponed. A new date will be announced soon. My sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused in your promotional efforts as we do appreciate your support of these events so much. Our Fall MPC Meeting on Tuesday night will proceed as planned.

LETUS35 LAUNCH HIGH QUALITY ANAMORPHIC LENS ADAPTER | News Shooter Enter Letus35 who have announced a brand new adapter that may just revive all that Anamorphic magic again – this time without breaking the bank balance. This series of adapters will start at around $1700 US and promise to be high quality and yet reasonably simple to use. Lens compatibility is much greater than vintage options with a universal adapter for zoom lenses and later on different versions for different focal length primes. EDITSHARE SERVES UP LIGHTWORKS ON WINDOWS, MAC AND LINUX AT IBC2013 | EditShare The Mac version of this editor is supposed to come out first quarter of next year, which will be only two years later than when they first starting talking about releasing a Mac version (but I'd be excited if they actually pulled it off!): The tri-platform editor has reached a groundbreaking 600,000+ registered users and is the tool of choice for editors working on a wide range of critically acclai...

My 5 favorite things from the upcoming Adobe Premiere Pro release | Scott Simmons | Pro Video Coalition SpeedGrade Direct Link This is probably the signature feature of this update and that above quote from Adobe's overview video is probably the understatement of the year. Notice that the heading says Direct Link and not Dynamic Link. This is important to note and was even corrected by Adobe’s PPro product manager on Twitter: After Effects CC: Mask Tracker | Adobe.TV Adobe is offering info on the new features too: Quickly create a mask and apply an effect such as color correction that travels frame by frame throughout your composite. Mask Tracker eliminates the need to adjust the mask and effect throughout time and avoids repetitive rotoscoping tasks. IPHONE 5C? YAWN. IPHONE 5S WITH 120FPS? AWESOME! | Hand Held Hollywood The iPhone 5S looks like an interesting step forward. My iPhone 4 is looking old.. this innovation comes with a dangerous side-effect. In about 2 m...

Defy Gimbal:  THROTTLE PAN/TILT CONTROL NOW AVAILABLE! Brushless gimbals are all the rage, and the Defy G2 seems to be a promising mid-priced gimbal for small cameras (like the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera.) They have posted some demo videos, including this one on using the (optional) pan/tilt control: We wanted to make it even easier for the “single operators” who need full control of their rigs which is why we are introducing the Throttle pan/tilt controller. The Throttle controller gives users extremely smooth pan and tilt with a bit of feathering to allow for buttery smooth operation and footage. Better yet, it’s a simple direct USB connection for the G2 as well as the G5. The Throttle controller is available for purchase now Flying Defy G2 Gimbal Stabilizer w/ BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera | Pro Cinema Tools One user reports on mixed results with the Defy G2 and the BPCC: I’ve heard that these brushless gimbals are a lot simpler to learn than traditional stabili...

MPC SEMINAR: THE INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER |  Saturday, September 14th High Output Studios Coffee & Bagels 9:30 AM Seminars 10:00 - 12:00 Noon A panel of talented filmmakers will deconstruct what "Independent Filmmaking" means today. In addition to being producers, directors and writers, they are also fundraisers, marketers, bloggers, distributors, educators, CEOs and CFOs of their own companies, technologists, designers, and more – all while keeping the fundamental STORY in their films front and center, and figuring out how to distribute their content onto all available platforms. MEET THE PANEL • Gabrielle Dockterman – Director / Producer, Angel Devil Productions • Laurie Kahn – Director / Producer, Blueberrry Hill Productions • Beth Murphy – Filmmaker / Founder, Principle Pictures • Moderated by Kathryn Dietz – Executive Director, Filmmakers Collaborative FALL MPC MEETING  |  Tuesday, September 17th DoubleTree Suites 6:00 - 7:30 pm Cocktails ...

It's IBC week , so expect some announcements this week. Adobe has started off the week with an announcement of new features coming for Adobe Creative Cloud. After Effects CC (12.1): what’s new and changed in this update due to be released October 2013 | Blogs | Adobe Here is a virtually comprehensive list of changes, with detail beyond the summaries of the top items listed above. We’ll be posting a lot more detail over the coming weeks, and the outline below will be populated with links to in-depth articles and tutorials, so bookmark this page and check back. Adobe Premiere Pro CC October 2013 Release | Blogs | Adobe Color is becoming increasingly important throughout an entire production workflow, and the addition of the Lumetri Deep Color Engine in the June 2013 Premiere Pro CC release gave editors the ability to work with beautiful SpeedGrade grades right inside the application. With this release, SpeedGrade has fully implemented the Mercury Playback Engine from Prem...

Sony FDR-AX1 The announcement of a $4,500 4K consumer camera by Sony has to prompt the question; when will there be a $1,000 4K consumer camcorder? Of course there already are at least two; there’s the GoPro Hero3 Black , and Acer just announced a 4K smartphone . But let’s talk about a reasonable quality, useable consumer camera? If what’s past is prologue, maybe we can look to the speed of adoption of HD to project how long it will take for Sony to come up with a $1,000 4K consumer camcorder. Sony HDR-FX1 In late 2004 Sony introduced the HDR-FX1. It’s kind of cool that the new camera’s name ( FDR-AX1 ) echo’s the model number of the camera that pioneered low-cost HD capture (as does the PXW-Z100 echo the name of the HVR-Z1, which was the professional version of the HDR-FX1.) The HDR-FX1 was also the first camera that featured Sony’s new camera body design with the LCD on the handle The HDR-FX1 also had 3-CCD chips, but let’s ignore that. The HDR-FX1 was priced at $...

Red Shark interviewed Bill Drummond , of Sony Europe, who is responsible for marketing of entry level production products, including all camcorders up to about 10,000 pounds (he covers everything from the  NEX-VG30 up to the PMW-320 .) While the interview was instigated by the announcement of the two new 4K camcorders (the FDR-AX1 and the PXW-Z100, there's very little information about the cameras presented, other than an explanation of the recording formats of the two cameras, and much of the discussion covers Sony's video business and the 4K market place. The most interesting things mentioned: When asked what their most popular cameras were in his market segment, he listed the PMW-200 and the NEX-FS700 "I think those two really indicate how the market is moving. A lot of mainstream run-and -gun style television shooting is moving to 50 M/bits MPEG 2 looking at products like the PMW-200. And then there’s also this requirement for new creative shooting, ...

First up in the world of 4K, Blackmagic announces a 3-4 week delay for their Production Camera , though it should still appear before the Sony FDR-AX1...maybe Blackmagic Design Forum |  Grant Petty |  Blackmagic Production Camera 4K Update Hi,I just want to give you an update on the 4K camera. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, we received the production sensors much later than we expected. When we built cameras from them we saw some big differences in the images between these production sensors vs the pre production samples we originally received. What this means is that we have been working over the last few weeks to replace a bunch of the software in the camera that handles the sensor calibration and image processing. It's taking a bit longer than we expected to do this and we think its going to take about 3 to 4 weeks more to get those changes done and to get the QA process completed before we can start shipping. Meanwhile, 4K is playing at your cinema (which may...

Here's more info on the 4K FDR-AX1 ; some first impressions and videos that Sony has posted to YouTube. One important note about this beast: the camera uses XQD memory cards, and with a throughput of 150MB/s you'll need the S Series cards, which cost $199.95 for 32GB , or $299.95 for 64GB . The Phoblographer | First Impressions: Sony FDR AX1–The First 4K Camcorder With an Auto Mode See that XQD card in my hand in the photo above? It was burning hot when it came out of the camcorder due to all the work that the processor was doing. Since the processor is burning that hot, the system obviously needs a way to cool it. There is a fan in the camera where the intake is around the side hand grip and the vent is toward the back.  SlashGear |  Sony FDR-AX1 4K Handycam official: top-quality video within reach The exposure system on this device works with multi-segment metering modes and both AE level and speed compensation. You’ll have noise reduction, white balance m...

In addition to the FDR-AX1  - their just announced $4,499.99 "consumer" camcorder - it seems that Sony has another version, the PXW-Z100, that offers a few more features and looks almost identical to the FDR-AX1. The PXW-Z100 offers: XAVC Intra 422 recording (the same codec found in the PMW-F5), 3G-SDI (for HD output), variable frame rate for HD and a Wi-Fi Remote. The significant difference is the recording format and the support for 4:2:2 (the FDR-AX1 uses 4:2:0 encoding.) All this will set you back about $6,500 and will be available "by the end of 2013." StudioDaily |  Sony Announces Sub-$6500 Pro 4K Camcorder Sony demonstrated the Z100 for members of the press in New York City last week, pointing the camera out the window of a midtown high-rise. The 4K image was of remarkably high quality given the camera's small sensor size, fixed lens, and aggressive price point. Live Production TV |  Sony Launches Professional PXW-Z100 4K Handheld XDC...

New Capabilities Include ACESproxy Output, Full RAW 120fps 4096 x 1080 Resolution and DCI-P3+ Color Gamut Support for the EOS C500 Camera, and 80,000 ISO Shooting for All Three Cinema EOS Camera Models New firmware is scheduled to be available starting in November 2013 for the EOS C300 and EOS C100 camera and December 2013 for the EOS C500. In addition, the XF305 and XF300 series camcorders are scheduled to receive firmware updates in early 2014 that include GPS support and enhanced digital tele-converter capabilities. Among the updates for the Canon Cinema EOS C500 Cinema Camera are: an ACESproxy (Academy Color Encoding System) output from the camera’s 3G-SDI monitor terminal for immediate on-set color correction (using a compatible ACES monitor with ASC CDL [The American Society of Cinematographers Color Decision List]) while primary footage is being recorded in RAW; support for the DCI-P3+ color gamut (a selectable function providing a wider range of color than DCI-P3); Canon...

Canon has announced the new CN-E35mm T1.5 L F single-focal-length Cinema prime lens designed for large-format single-sensor digital cinematography cameras employing Super 35mm or full-frame 35mm imagers. The new Canon CN-E35mm T1.5 L F prime lens is the sixth member of Canon’s line of EF-mount Cinema prime lenses, which also includes 14mm, 24mm, 50mm, 85mm and 135mm EF-mount models. The lenses feature consistent color balance, minimal focus breathing, water-resistant rubber gaskets, and an 11-blade aperture diaphragm to help achieve creative depth-of-field manipulation and pleasing “bokeh” effects. “As with all Canon Cinema prime lenses, the new Canon CN-E35mm T1.5 L F lens has been crafted to meet the creative requirements of the most discerning cinematographers, directors and producers,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “Filmmakers indicated a need for this lens in our lineup and...

Anyone who's in sales will tell you that it's important to have memorable names for your product. Companies can get involved in complicated deals just to procure the rights to the ideal name. I note this because I had a couple of experiences of name confusion the last couple of days. Sony's Alphabet Soup Problem Sometimes Sony comes up with easy to remember names for their products. Sometimes not. The NEX-FS100 is a bit of a mouthful, yet shortened down to the FS100 it's easy to say and somewhat memorable. But try to remember the name of their Action Camera? It's the HDR-AS15 . And even if you can remember it, there's little point in telling someone the name, because they won't remember it. I was giving a short talk on the camera and I completely spaced on the name. Not that I've actually had cause to use the name other than when I ordered it. And then there's the NEX-EA50UH . Now there's a name that rolls off the tongue. Sony needs...

Sony is supposed to be announcing several things today, including the sensor/lens combination for smartphones, or QX lens cameras . I think the most interesting thing is the 4K camcorder , (not that I'm planning to buy one...) They've also announced a new version of the  Action Camcorder, the HDR-AS30V , which adds 1080p 60fps video capture to the range. It's expected to be available by the middle of the month for $298. They've also announced the  HDR-MV1 Music Camcorder  (no price and no delivery date.) It's an interesting looking duck, but I think I'd rather get the mic away from the camera, no matter how good the mic might be. LPCM & AAC Audio Formats for Recording Versatility Records in uncompressed Linear PCM (LPCM) and versatile AAC audio formats. With LPCM recording you'll be able to capture high-resolution CD-quality 44.1kHz/16-bit sound. With AAC recording you'll be able to capture 48kHz/128kbps audio files for easy uploadin...

Sony has announced a new 4K camcorder. It has a single 1/2.3" CMOS sensor with approximately 18,900,000 pixels, (though it has an "effective" 8,300,000 pixels.) It also has a 31.5mm - 630mm f/1.6 - f/3.4 lens and built-in ND. It will shoot at up to 3840 x 2160p at 60 fps (150 Mbps). While the price of $4,499.99 is quoted , currently there's no delivery date at B&H. With 4K resolution and recording for $4.5K it's pretty impressive. And it has a nice lens and built-in ND. But , it's a fixed lens and a small sensor. For documentary work it would be great, but probably not for most narrative work. Capture 4K 3840 x 2160p Video at 60 fps This model supports 4K 3840 x 2160 resolution. With four times better than Full HD 1080p image quality, you'll be able to capture the finest details at high resolution and produce vibrant, realistic images. Plus, the fast image processor is the same one employed in professional Sony models, making it possib...