News From Here & There

Cinervate Grip Sticks
Cinervate has announced mounting accessories called Grip Sticks which can be used for any camera or kit that supports a ¼-20 thread. Based on components of the new Simplis system, Grip Sticks allow users to mount standard accessories with ¼-20 threads such as on-camera monitors and external audio recorders in virtually any orientation imaginable. Grip Sticks are available in 11”, 13” and 15” lengths.
Grip Sticks start at $174.98. The Simplis rigs starts at $399.
Cinervate: Proteus Grip Sticks
Cinervate: Simplis Solo - DSLR Rig



Stop Motion by Carlos Lascano
A post on the Zacuto website profiles Carlos Lascano, and the stop motion effects he uses to make videos.

I used a Nikon D70s to capture the textures.  For the Stop Motion, I used a Sony V1 and iStopMotion Pro software. I also did a lot of hand-drawing for the 2D and 2D1/2 animation parts.  I love the combination of drawings and real objects.  Then I placed all the elements that I shot on a 3D space in After Effects.  This allowed me to create camera movements and achieve more depth.

I first became aware of Carlos' work last year when it was high-lighted as part of the Great Camera Shootout.
Zacuto: The Making of a Short Love Story in Stop Motion ~Carlos Lascano
See also NotesOnVideo: The Making of J'ai pas le temps



Story Structure
PhotoCineNews collects together four videos (total time 20 minutes) from Ira Glass, of This American Life talking about the elements of good story structure that won’t make your eyes crossed, or keep you away from shooting for too long. PhotoCineNews: Could be the Most Important Video You Watch This Week



PortaSlider from DitoGear
Nino Leitner spoke to Patryk Kizny from DitoGear about the PortaSlider. a new slider that uses a track that it’s possible to join multiple segments together to create a long track:

Technically there are no limitations for building a 200m slider as well as shorter units like 2, 3, 4 meters.We wanted to push the concept to the limits and see how it all performs in really demanding conditions – you wouldn’t be able to notice some potential issues at 2-3m unit, but you do with 14m.

NinoFilm: New PortaSlider from DitoGear: Some questions answered



Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington
Photojournalists Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington lost their lives in Misurita, Libya on Wednesday. Vincent Laforet has a remembrance: 2 Great photographers lost today in Libya – doing what they loved to do.

As much as I want to tell all of my friends and colleagues to leave that place in the world – I respect and admire what they do.  I understand their need to be there to document history.

Just a few months back Tim Hetherington posted Diary (2010)

'Diary' is a highly personal and experimental film that expresses the subjective experience of my work, and was made as an attempt to locate myself after ten years of reporting. It's a kaleidoscope of images that link our western reality to the seemingly distant worlds we see in the media.

Vimeo: Diary (2010)