Notes On Video

Just for fun, I ran the blog through URLAI and got the following results: Text analysis notesonvideo.blogspot.com is probably written by a male somewhere between 36-50 years old. The writing style is academic and happy most of the time. Gender Ranking notesonvideo.blogspot.com is the 85th most manly blog of 3227 ranked. Mood Ranking notesonvideo.blogspot.com is the 271th most happy blog of 3227 ranked. I guess I'm surprised it rates so manly & happy!

We just purchased Adobe CS6 Production Premium through a reseller, and they sent us an Adobe Software License Certificate with the Serial Number for the package. We were told to download the software from Adobe’s site. I logged into Adobe’s website, and figured that the first thing I would do is add the software to the list of products we had registered. (I also thought that this section would provide a link for downloading the software.) I went to the “My Products & Services” page, clicked the button to add software, entered the serial number … and it told me it was an invalid serial number. After some time wondering about what to do next, and reading three FAQ documents that covered invalid serial numbers - they seemed to be linked in a never-ending circle - I connected to the Online Chat to ask them what to do. This turned out to be a confusing and somewhat frustrating adventure. The following is an edited transcript; I have inserted some commentary to let you know what

The last few weeks I've had the good fortune of trying out a couple of newer versions of things I already own; specifically the LansBaby Composer , and now the Glidecam HD-1000  [$389.00] I bought a Glidecam 1000 Pro over ten years ago, so it's interesting to see what's the same, and what's been improved when comparing it to one of their latest stabilizers. The old 1000 Pro is looking a little rough,  particularly with it's washers rather than nicely machined base and weights.  Note too: the sled on the 1000 is not the original! The gimbal, which is perhaps the most important moving part, appears to be little changed. Maybe it's different internally, but it's hard to tell; it seems to work the same way. What has changed is almost every other part of the device. The arm that attaches the handle to the gimbal is a solid machined piece, rather than a strip of bent metal. The foot and weights are also now nicely machined, not simply a bent metal plate and

8 Tips: Making Silent Films Today | Karlanna Lewis | Raindance This article suggests that making a silent movie is a great way to build skills: 4. Camera and Set Because visual elements are the core of silent movies, camera quality is crucial. Set also plays an important role in the story, so consider contrasting locations to follow the plotline and using existing locations since background noise does not matter. Canon announces EOS-1D X release date | Christopher MacManus | C|net The 4K DSLR is coming, though in limited quantities: Talking to Imaging Resource, a Canon U.S. representative said that "the EOS-1D X cameras will be arriving in mid-June to select dealers in small quantities and increase gradually over time. They will be here in time for the Olympics and will be available." Exclusive preview of Zacuto’s Revenge Of the Great Camera Shootout | Philip Bloom | Blog As luck would have it, they showed the film in Boston last night; unfortunately, I was unabl

Download Autodesk Smoke 2013 Pre-Release Trial | AutoDesk The pre-release trial of Smoke 2013 is now available: Enjoy this free* Autodesk trial until September 15, 2012. ...we will send out updated versions of the trial, helpful tips and tricks, instructional how-to videos, and more via email. And if you want to learn how to use Smoke , check out these tutorials: Smoke Learning Channel | SmokeHowTos | YouTube If you are new to Autodesk Smoke 2013, follow the movies in this Getting Started playlist and learn the basics. Topics include project creation, media management, editing, timeline FX and Connect FX node-based compositing. We strongly advise you to view these movies in sequence, from first to last, before moving to more advanced topics in other playlists. Video Encoding Presets for Kindle Fire, Nook, iPad and Android Tablets | Danny Greer | PremiumBeat Presets for Adobe Media Encoder for the Apple iPad , Amazon Kindle Fire , Barnes and Noble Nook , and other tablets

Canon C300 Tips for DSLR Filmmakers | Ron Dawson | Dare Dreamer Ron offers some tips for using the C300 : The C300 comes with shutter speed defaulted to shutter angles. So instead of setting the speed manually to 1/48, you choose a shutter angle of 180, and it’ll make the correct shutter speed adjustment for you. But, if for whatever reason you want to achieve a different look and need to change the shutter speed, but you’re not familiar with dealing in “angles,” you can change the C300 setup to display shutter speed. Canon EOS-1D X Manual Posted | CanonRumors The manual for the upcoming Canon EOS-1D X is now available online Apple announced - as well as didn't announce - several updates today: Apple quietly discontinues the 17-inch MacBook Pro | Nathan Ingraham | The Verge ...the company quietly did away with one of the long-standing veterans of its notebook lineup: the 17-inch MacBook Pro is no longer available. You can still buy a refurbished model on Apple'

Canon EOS Rebel T4i | TJ Donegan | Digital Camera Info The first review of the new Canon is already up: The major improvement to AF is seen in live view shooting and video recording. In either mode on most DSLRs, the normal method of phase detection autofocus is not available, forcing the camera to rely on contrast-detection AF. With the T4i’s new image sensor, the camera has a hybrid phase/contrast detection system available in the middle of the frame, combining with Canon’s new stepping motor lenses to provide smooth, silent autofocus tracking to the subject. It starts at the camera | Oliver Peters | digitalfilms Interesting thoughts about not relying on how well modern cameras handle bad lighting: All too often though, producers take the “fix it in post” mantra way too seriously. Since modern cameras offer excellent low light sensitivity, the basics of good lighting and proper art direction get short-changed. If the director, DP and lighting crew are allowed a bit of time to

I'm going to come right out and say it: I wasn't that impressed by the movie Prometheus . The movie was nicely shot, the acting was good, effects mostly believable, and it moved along quickly, so you didn't have to dwell so much on the problems with the story. But seriously... It's hard to believe that anyone - including eccentric trillionaires - would finance an expedition staffed by such amateurs. For those who don't know, Prometheus is about a bunch of alleged scientists sent on a secret mission to investigate the possibility of aliens on another planet. Aliens who might have had contact with humans in the past. Unfortunately, I think some of these "scientists" might have lied about their backgrounds, or were judged experts only because they had appeared on CNN. In a nod to Alien , there's a brief hint that some of the crew are dissatisfied with the money they are receiving, but that doesn't become a major plot point. My major complai

'Dark Knight Rises' Director Christopher Nolan Isn’t a Fan of Digital | Alex Ben Block | The Hollywood Reporter It's not news that Nolan doesn't like digital, but here's more quotes from him: Nolan said he thinks film is still best because it provides the filmmaker the most range, captures the most depth of image and works best as a tool to tell a story. Nolan said that moving to digital creates a risk of “devaluing what we do as filmmakers.” “The problem with the push to digital is its has been given a consumer aspect,” says Nolan,” who suggests it confuses the camera with an Ipad. “It’s not what is best for the film,” he insists. Celluloid no more: distribution of film to cease by 2013 in the US | Megan Geuss | Ars Technica It's also not news that celluloid distribution is going to end sooner rather than later: While economics may be spurring directors toward digital movies, theaters aren’t following quite so quickly on their heels. "51.5 perce