News From Here & There

Sony PMW-F3 Firmware Update Due Shortly
It may be almost impossible to buy a PMW-F3 right now, but the v1.10 free firmware update is expected very shortly according to @CineAltaNews



Canon 1Ds Mark IV in August?
Canonrumors thinks there will be a major announcement in August, and that it will be the 1Ds Mark III replacement, though the 5D Mark III would follow soon after.

While those waiting anxiously for an upgraded 5D Mark II may be disappointed by this news, the arrival of the 1Ds Mark IV should answer one question; what the video capabilities of the 5D Mark III will be. It's unlikely that the two cameras will be very different, so if the 1Ds Mark IV doesn't have RAW video,  Thunderbolt, or full HDMI out, then don't expect the 5D Mark III to, either.
Canonrumors.com: 1Ds Mark IV & 3 Lenses in August?



Working With Actors
Filmmaker Robin Schmidt interviews actor Henry Maynard about acting and how Directors can help actors. Robin also offers some insights of his own:

Talk to us! Talk about what you want from the scene and our performances individually, the feeling you want to engender – we need context. Discuss the character, age, work, hobbies. These are called ‘Given Circumstances’ [Stanislavsky] and if the actor has trained they’ll know about them. Some will be implicit in the text and some you can invent, if you do them together it will help you both to understand how you see the character. You can do a bit of guiding there and then; for example you may find your actor sees the character as an accountant and you see him as a hot air balloonist if you hadn’t talked about it and gone straight to filming you may have been frustrated by the interpretation.

WideOpenCamera: Develop Your Craft 1: Working With Actors



The Sparkle In Your Eye
Robert Nulph explains what Eye Lights are, and how to use them:

An eye light is a light that creates a small sparkle of light reflected from the eye's surface, giving sparkle to the subject's eyes. Without the eye light, the eyes would seem lifeless and unemotional. We would feel detached from the characters, because we couldn't see their expressions very well.

Videomaker: The Eye Light



The 12 Rules of Animation
Digital Arts explains the key aspects of animation and uses examples of character animation to explain them and how they can be applied:

1. Squash and Stretch
2. Exaggeration
3. Staging
4. Anticipation
5. Motivation
6. Secondary Action
7. Overlap
8. Follow-through
9. Balance
10. TIming
11. Rhythm
12. Camera Movement

Any questions?
DigitalArts: The 12 Rules of Animation



The Problem in the VFX Industry
Eric Roth, executive director of the Visual Effects Society has written an open letter that outlines the problems facing people that work in this part of the industry:

As globalization intensifies, the process of creating visual effects is becoming more and more commoditized. Many wonder if the current business model for our industry is sustainable over the long term. Indeed, multiplying blogs are questioning why artists are forced to work crazy overtime hours for weeks or months on end without health benefits and VFX facilities are forced to take on shows at a loss just to keep their pipelines going and their doors open (they hope).

Deadline.com: Visual Effects Society Exec Director Eric Roth Slams Movie Industry For Terrible Treatment



Secrets of Independent Film
Elliot Grove explains the secrets of independent film:

4. Be original. But don't be too original.
As much as film executives say they want something original, they really don't. What they mean by 'original' is simply 'old wine in a new bottle.' They want a familiar genre or story or tried and true formula told in a completely original way. For example a rock and roll musical (familiar) about a man with a botched sex change operation (very original) called Hedwig and the Angry Inch. That works.

Raindance.org: 10 Dirty Secrets of Independent Film



Shortening Your Documentary
Sheila Bernard offers tips on how to shorten a project that gets out of size:

Consider a range of structural possibilities. With any film, but especially shorter ones, three-act structure isn’t your only option. Watch and map short films that you enjoy watching, to see both the content and the craft

Masteringfilm: Keeping your documentary short… short



Kiefer Sutherland's web series "The Confession" judged a success
The Confession is a web series staring Sutherland that was produced by Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) and screened on Hulu:

The good news for fans of The Confession — and for fans of web video in general — is that the project is already profitable. DBG CEO Chris Young told us in a phone interview that Hulu viewership exceeded its expectations. According to him, the average episode had a 95 percent completion rate, meaning viewers were watching all the way up to the credits — and the biggest complaint from the series was that episodes were too short, at six to eight minutes each.

Gigaom: Kiefer Sutherland Proves Online Video Can Be Profitable