Notes On Video

David Kilpatrick at P hotoclub Alpha has a pretty good walk-around of the NEX-5, though he doesn't go too much into the video aspects. He does mention that the clip length for 1080 video is unlimited - except by memory size... Photoclub Alpha : What's NEX

In " "Best Worst Movie": The cult of the truly bad film " Sam Adams posits that there is "a select class of movies so sublimely, ecstatically dreadful that the standard criteria no longer apply." Of course he thinks he's found one in Troll 2 : What distinguishes "Troll 2" and its ignominious ilk from run-of-the-mill failures is the sheer scale of their awfulness, a level of misconception and malexecution so profound that it inspires a perverse kind of awe. Anyone can make crap, but the proverbial horde of monkeys tapping away at their infinite typewriters might well produce "Hamlet" before they came up with this soiled pearl, from the opening of "Plan 9 From Outer Space": "We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friends, future events such as these will affect you in the future." You could scour acting classes across the country ...

Marshall 5" V-LCD50-HDMI If you're thinking of getting a monitor for your HDSLR, but have been put off by the high cost of Marshall's 8" monitors, then their new 5" monitor, the V-LCD50-HDMI , might be just the thing. It's small, light, runs on four "AA" batteries and costs $600! Jared Abrams at Cinema5D took a tour around their factory and has a video up, which is interesting; though I think the music is a little bit over the top; it's a factory tour, not the final battle scene in "Lord of the Rings"! Cinema5D : Marshall Electronics Factory Tour. New 5″ HDMI Monitor Sony NEX-5 sample videos DPReview.com has write-ups about the coming Sony cameras. They also have a sample video on YouTube taken using a full production NEX-5 and you can download the movie exported as a high quality H.264 Quicktime MOV video from iMovie (it's 300MB). [ UPDATE ] Having looked at the video, my initial reaction was surprise at how wobbly the...

Another announcement : The WESTDOC Conference (the West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference 2010) will be held September 13-15, 2010, Santa Monica. Register before May 31st for $699. Then it goes up $50 every month to $895. There's no agenda yet, but you can see a list of speakers, and Philip Bloom is going to be doing a masterclass...

It seems that today's the day for meeting/show announcements. And this is the BIG one; SuperMeet comes to Boston on June 25th . If you're a digital video editor living in the greater Boston area, you'll want to come to this one! The agenda for the Boston SuperMeet is expected to be finalized about 3 weeks before the event. However, Rodney Charters ASC, DOP of the hit TV show “24” will be on hand to discuss Canon DSLR workflow as well as show footage. Autodesk will present the high-quality editorial finishing system, “Smoke for Mac OSX.” In addition there will be user driven show and tells, FCP tips and Tricks and workflow solutions and more! Tickets are $10: Register here .

EOSHD.com reports that Sony has a NEX-7 waiting in the wings which will put the just announced NEX-3 & 5 to shame. Reportedly the camera will feature full manual control, a revised sensor, and: 1080p@60 1080p@24 720p@120fps and 60p Wow! 60p at 1080 and 120 at 720?! Be still my heart! The report suggests the camera won't come out until the end of the year, and that they are holding back - in part - to see what Panasonic has up their sleeves for the GH1 replacement, and also to release updates to their Alpha range with video capabilities. No idea what this means - if anything - to the report of a camcorder body that will work with these lenses. Sony certainly seems to be taking this whole video thing more seriously. EOSHD.com : Sony NEX7 to rival GH2 in September?

The next BOSFCPUG Workflow Mixer will be held on Thursday, May 27th at AUTODESK in Waltham. [ UPDATE - it's gone now]- NOTE: the current listing has an erroneous paragraph at the beginning about what's being covered! Look to the AGENDA further down for details! Here's the highlights of the agenda: Colin Smith of ADOBE will be in the house to show you all that's new in Adobe Production Premium CS5 . See the new Mercury Playback Engine in action! Graham Sharp of AV3 Software will show off one of the most talked about new applications which made its debut at the recent NAB, " get ." " get " is a phonetic search application that works in conjunction with FCP. Registration is free for this months meeting!

James Caan to host webcam chat about how to get into "the biz" Actor and Chairman of Openfilm, James Caan ( Las Vegas , The Godfather , El Dorado ) will be hosting a live online webcam chat to answer questions sent in from fans and filmmakers about everything from how to get into "the biz" to expert-level advice, and reflections and anecdotes about his career. Thursday May 20, Noon - 1 pm PT .  Register to watch here . According to their About Us page, Openfilm is an independent film community company dedicated to developing, marketing and distributing great works. What the hey?! - Canon pimps HDV video Even though they've announced some cool solid-state professional camcorders , Canon obviously sees a continuing future for their HDV cameras. They just sent out a press-release about producer Randall Dark and his use of the Canon HDV camera, the XL H1S . Actually, it's an interesting little piece about using the camera, worth a read, though th...

Rule Boston Camera is holding their first Annual Tech Expo , and it's being held in in two New England locations: Tuesday, June 22nd 5pm to 9pm, Rule Boston Thursday, June 24th 10am to 3pm, Highlander Inn, Manchester NH Vendors include: Anton Bauer Apple Avid Bogen/Manfrotto Canon Fujinon Matrox Panasonic Sennheiser Sony Steadicam Tiffen/Lowel What? No Zeiss?! They say that more vendors will be added, so we'll see what develops... RSVP by June 11

Philip Bloom has written up his report of being on a movie set for Lucasfilm and shooting using Canon DSLRs. Lots of pictures and a behind the scenes video too! So everyone and their dogs are getting Canon DSLRs and are shooting everything from our home videos to blockbusters on them apparently. But, what is the reality of going down this route and what do you need to be aware of and what advantages can be gained from using them?

YouTube lets you post semi-private movies Previously, YouTube videos were either Public (everyone can see them) or Private (only specific YouTube users can see them.) Now they have added an Unlisted option; this gives you the URL of the movie, which you can share with those you want to, but others won't be able to find the video (unless they are given the URL.) CNET: YouTube gets useful 'unlisted' video option What's on at Cannes? Can't make it to Cannes? Andrew O'Hegir at Salon provides a look at what's going on, why Cannes Film Festival lacks glitz and glamour, and some of the more interesting movies being shown there. Salon : Cannes this film festival be saved? Hurt Locker producers to put the hurt on pirates From The Hollywood Reporter : We've learned that the producers of the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker" are preparing a massive lawsuit against thousands of individuals who pirated the film online. The case could be filed...

On what would have been her 103rd birthday, the U.S. Postal Service has issued a commemorative stamp for Katharine Hepburn. "With the Katharine Hepburn commemorative stamp as the newest in our Legends of Hollywood series, we continue our proud tradition of honoring the special people who epitomize our nation's character and aspirations," said Postmaster General John E. Potter. "Katharine Hepburn will be remembered for generations, for both her unparalleled acting ability and being a role model for women who chose to live life on their own terms." Katherine Hepburn : Wikipedia , IMBD [Two of my favorite movies starring Katharine Hepburn are The African Queen & Desk Set . It's interesting that in both movies she's starring with somewhat cantankerous leading men! Desk Set is probably lesser known, but if you like a comedy about computers putting people out of work, then it should appeal to you! Desk Set is only available on DVD, but The African ...

Sam Mallery has written a piece for B&H Insight s on audio recording.  In  Why and When to Use a Stereo Mic on a Camera , he focuses on consumer microphones for video-enabled DSLR cameras, and consumer cameras with 1/8” mini-plug inputs. He promises a later article on professional stereo microphones that connect with XLR jacks. Products covered include the Audio Technica Pro-24CM ($63.19), with a Windtech MM1 softie ($29.95), with passing references to the Sennheiser MKE400 ($199.95), R0DE Stereo VideoMic ($249), and Azden SMX-10 ($64.95). I'm a big believer in getting better audio, and adding an external mic to your kit is a big step forward; particularly if you can get it off the camera. But I'd rather save up for a good wireless mic, and I'm not convinced that a stereo mic is really necessary; maybe it's a good interim step. One thing I did learn; I wasn't aware that some Sony cameras without a microphone plug may work with the Pearstone Microphone...

You can preorder the NEX-3 and NEX-5 at B&H Photo Video: NEX-3 Black with 16mm f/2.8 lens ($549.99) NEX-3 Red with 16mm f/2.8 lens ($549.99) NEX-3 Silver with 16mm f/2.8 lens ($549.99) NEX-3 Black with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens ($599.99) NEX-3 Red with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens ($599.99) NEX-3 Silver with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens ($599.99) NEX-5 Black with 16mm f/2.8 lens ($649.99) NEX-5 Silver with 16mm f/2.8 lens ($649.99) NEX-5 Black with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens ($699.99) NEX-5 Silver with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens ($699.99) Delivery expected in June. Interestingly, looking at the specs for the two cameras , they seem to be identical except for the body (the NEX-3 is polycarbonate, while the NEX-5 is magnesium alloy), and the video specs: the NEX-3 is MP4 1280 x 720 9Mbps, while the NEX-5 is AVCHD 1920 x 1080i 17Mbps or MP4 1440 x 1080i 12Mbps. If I had the itch to get one of these - and I don't! - maybe I'd get the NEX-3, and wait for the video camera bod...

Vincent Laforet interview The website Jag35 posts an interview with Vincent Laforet on switching from photography to filmmaking, shot at NAB. Zeiss Cine CP.2 lense dealers Interested in the new Zeiss Compact Prime lenses? You can find a dealer using the Find a Dealer link on their Cinematography page . Seems that mine is B & H Photo/Video . I'm going to have to save a bit for this set: Zeiss Compact Prime Cinema Lenses (7-Lens Kit) $27,405 The 3D World While some people worry about the Health Issues related to watching 3D video, manufacturers keep on rolling out product; here comes Sharp with a tiny 3D Camera Module . Looking at the picture, is that actually a stereo lens module, or is that just the processing module and the lens is separate - doesn't seem to have much interaxil distance . TomTom Darth Vader recording I can't decide if this is hilariously amazing or just another sell-out. It's probably both:

Broadcast Pix has an iPad app, and though they announced it a while back, it's finally available in the app store - for $199! (You need a Broadcast Pix to make it work too!) iPad app iPix app in action

This tip was just posted by the author's of From Still to Motion on their Facebook page : You can now use the Lens Correction filter on your DSLR video. Open Video Clip. Choose Filter > Convert for Smart Filters Choose Filter > Lens Correction. You can fix vignette, perspective, warping, pincushion, barrel, and other distortion. Specific lens profiles too.

In the excitement/distraction of the NEX-5 announcements I really didn't pay close attention to the other announcement from Sony of an HD Camcorder due sometime later in the year(?) But check the website, and the little movie. Seems that the camera will share lenses with the NEX-5; and is that the body of an NEX-5 or -3 flying off the lens at the beginning before the "camcorder" body is attached? OK, maybe Canon should be nervous ...

Yanobox Nodes is a visual effects generator that works inside the FxFactory platform and will run on Adobe After Effects CS3 / CS4 / CS5, Apple Final Cut Pro , Apple Motion and Apple Final Cut Express . Think of it as an infographic generator on steroids. Nodes, can distribute graphics and text in 3D space into various shapes such as spheres, circles, and spirals and connect them with a succession of dancing lines and curves. You can also add custom images to nodes. Yanobox Nodes Feature Highlights Fly through hundreds of nodes, or design minimalistic eye catching motion titles quickly and easily. Populate the text, explore the whole stage, and then highlight individual elements featuring information from the moving 3D forms. Connect the nodes with several modes or script specific connections. Draw growing lines, curved lines, or curved tubes between nodes with a single slider. Map symbols, soft shapes, or a custom image to the nodes. Add vibrant shades with the versatile ...