Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM for $734

No idea how long this is going to last, but you can get this Canon lens for $734 at Amazon (It's normally about $1,150)

This lens is popular with some video shooters for because of it's Image Stabilization, making it good for traveling shots.

Amazon: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras

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The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio | Vimeo
A very interesting history of aspects ratios, including where 16:9 came from:


The Changing Shape of Cinema: The History of Aspect Ratio from FilmmakerIQ.com on Vimeo.



Kickstarter is coming to Canada - later this summer



MC 7 is out! What Avid won’t tell you about Spanned Markers | ProVideoCoalition

So, one of the features I saw demonstrated at NAB in April that I thought was pretty cool was Spanned Markers. Markers or Locators (as they used to be called) have always simply provided a mark on a moment of time – a specific frame. But I have often felt that it would be very useful to mark a SEGMENT of time, like an in to an out point, for example.

New plugin developer Lawn Road launches two products for Final Cut Pro X
| fcp.co

First is Color Precision a $49 set of ten plugins (there is no price on the website), well five really that are presented as both effects and titles in the pack. The plugin does duplicate a lot of the FCPX built in functionality, but if you don't like the Color Board then maybe this is for you.

Short Concept Videos to Be Eligible for Option at Amazon Studios | IndieWire

Amazon has just announced that starting June 27, "concept videos" can be submitted and evaluated for a development option by Amazon Studios. These short films are meant to present a compelling idea for a commercial, theatrical film.

Vitaliy Kiselev decoding Nikon D7100 firmware, discovers “LiveView Raw”
| EOSHD

D7100 has fun string present in firmware “A:\LvRaw%03d.raw”. If someone do not understand, it means LiveView Raw.

Lomo Anamorphics and Phantom Miro capture "Ghost Hits" | Dave Kruta

In anticipation of the official release of their music video for “Ghost Hits”, Shake the Baron dropped some teasers, shot at 1000fps on the Phantom Miro. This is the sort of goofy fun that we had for two days of shooting, and what truly exemplifies the spirit of making music videos.

BEACHTEK DXA-SLR PRO AUDIO ADAPTER REVIEW | Videomaker

The whole package is very manageable in terms of overall size and weight. Being able to record professional audio along with amazing DSLR images directly in-camera is truly magical. The easy-to-read VU meter, headphone monitoring, HI gain, limiting and AGC disabling all worked together in concert to produce quality audio without the added step of syncing in post.

4k? No way! Yes. Way. | Duke Digital Media Community

4k video arrived at Duke today. Through the cooperation of SONY, Duke Media Services, Duke School Of Medicine Medical Education IT Group as well some amazing faculty and staff from the Duke School of Medicine, Duke OIT’s Interactive Technology Services were able to test a specific use case of the emerging Ultra HD or 4k video format comparing it to high definition capture of the same content.

AVID MEDIA COMPOSER 7 RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC | Videmaker
Positive review of this $439 XLR audio box for HDSLRs:

A highlight of the software is the high-res workflow capabilities that make it simpler to work with video like 4K. The FrameFlex tools let you work directly in HD from high-res sources while efficiently managing all the image reframing and keyframing.

2013 TFI New Media Fund Grantees Announced | Tribeca Film Institute

Today TFI unveiled the six grant recipients for the 2013 TFI New Media Fund. Each project have been awarded between $50,000 and $100,000 apiece, with funding effective immediately.

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CineEurope: Sony Claims 4K Is Now 'Mainstream' | The Hollywood Reporter

"4K is now 'mainstream,'" asserted David McIntosh, senior vp at Sony Digital Cinema, during the company’s CineEurope press conference on Tuesday.
“The movement over the last year is very clear,” he said of the technology, referencing not only the company’s 15,000 installed 4K projectors, but its latest production gear and new Ultra HD (4K) TVs.

Don’t Expect Things to Get Better for 3D | Home Media Magazine

Let me make clear, right away, that I am not faulting the content side. I think our industry handled the advent of 3D quite well. For those who bemoaned, and now want to blame, the lack of product, consider this: 3D was never meant to be a whole new viewing experience, like Blu-ray Disc or, before that, DVD. Rather, it was always intended to be a selective experience, one that is not universally applied.

Which Camera for Which Genre? Five Questions for D.P. Timur Civan
| Michael Murie | Filmmaker Magazine

As an undergrad at NYU, Timur Civan studied sculpture before moving into video. “I became really interested in video because I was able to bring time into my sculptural work,” he says. Civan has produced a wide variety of work, from short films, music videos, and corporate videos, to commercials and documentaries.

Editing With Canon C300 Footage – Tips For When It All Goes Wrong
| PremiumBeat

If for whatever reason your card structure doesn’t come across intact, what can you do? Depending on your NLE you have various options. If you’re in Adobe Premiere it doesn’t matter, as it will read the MXF files just fine.

Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera with MFT Mount IN STOCK | B & H PhotoVideo
The Micro-Four Thirds mount version of the Blackmagic Digital Cinema Camera is in stock at several dealers.

Canon Lens Rebates Scheduled to Expire Saturday, July 6th

AND the $1,000 rebate on the Canon C100 is scheduled to end on JUNE 30th.



Is Hollywood really BROKEN? Help Spark some change… | Vincent Laforet

This is something I think about, breathe, and discuss just about every waking moment of every day.    I dare say that anybody who is in the film/indie/tv/commercial industry hasn’t paused at some point in the past year to question the long term viability of the current business, distribution and advertising models…  that part is definitely… well… kinda really broken for sure.

Ep. 50 - "Editing: We F--ing Love it!" (with Vashi Nedomansky)
| NeedCreative Podcast

6/26/2013 IN THIS EPISODE:In this 50th episode of the NeedCreative Podcast, your co-hosts Paul Antico of Anticipate Media and Ben Consoli of BC Media Productions are joined by expert editor Vashi Nedomansky to talk all kinds of news, including the latest Macs. Then all three engage in a very spirited discussion about the art of editing, including Vashi's experiences in LA. Oh yes, and there's hockey. WARNING - contains some strong, fun language.

THE FASTEST PROCESSOR FOR VIDEO EDITING | VideoMaker

However, as noted earlier, AMD has a clear advantage when it comes to price. The only real way to tell which processor manufacturer is best is to look at the numbers. Websites like tomshardware.com and PPBM5 have spreadsheets dedicated to showing readers which processor performed best in a variety of editing applications. 

The Power Of Camera Filtration | Ryan Walters

There are two fundamental reasons (and one side benefit) why camera filtration is better than post filtration. The first fundamental reason is demonstrated by my non-technically accurate diagram above. The numbers I have used are completely arbitrary, and are only there to communicate the big idea (so don't get hung up on them). The concept that I am demonstrating with this diagram is that an element of "organicness" and nuance is lost at each stage of the process.

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: VILTROX LOW COST EF TO NEX LENS ADAPTER
| News Shooter

Viltrox is a brand you may never have heard of – but they make probably the cheapest electronic NEX to EF adapter available. It claims to offer AF and aperture control with EF lenses but is not a ‘Speed Booster’ with optics like the more expensive Metabones which I use.

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: CONVERGENT DESIGN ODYSSEY 7Q WORKING SHOOTING RAW WITH FS700 | News Shooter

The company recently announced that it would be supporting RAW shooting with the Sony FS700. To do this requires a paid for firmware upgrade from Sony as well as the 7Q and the additional codec license. At Broadcast Asia last week Convergent actually had a working sample. Check out the video to see more.

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Up Coming Events

Canon C100: Best Kept Secrets | Rule Boston Camera | Boston
Wednesday June 26, 10am - 12 noon

Canon’s Ryan Snyder shares best-kept secrets of the C100 with an in-depth, hands-on demo of this affordable, high-performance camera plus a special look at the compact Ninja 2 Recorder from Atomos, ideal for capturing HD while doubling the color resolution.10am to 12n

Sony Pro Day with the PMW-F5 CineAlta 4K camcorder | Adorama | New York City
Wednesday June 26, 2-6pm
Adorama, 42 West 18th Street, NYC

The hands-on training will give attendees a chance to experience the full capabilities offered by the Sony PMW-F5 camera and new Sony PVMX300.

Create Now: Ask A Video Pro Webinar Series | Adobe | Webinar
Thursday, June 27, 201310:00 AM - 11:00 AM US/Pacific

In this Ask A Video Pro Series, learn what's new in Adobe Creative Cloud and get tips and tricks on using new tools and services to create for video. Join these interactive sessions held via Adobe Connect to learn from Adobe experts, training experts, influencers and other creative professionals. Register for a live Webinar.

Looking for Crew and Actors for Providence Rhode Island 48 Hour Film Project

Good Natured Dog Productions are looking for some crew for the Providence RI 48 Hour Film Project! Camera Dept, Art Dept and Actors. Email: alecia@goodnatureddog.com if you are interested. Dates July 12 (7pm) - 14 (7pm), the 13th is the main shooting day.

BOSFCPUG Featuring Simon Walker, Team Red Giant & More | July 18th | Boston

RSVP is Now LIVE for our Thursday, July 18th BOSCPUG featuring London-based Simon Walker, Team Red Giant and the Boston Premiere of BulletProof by Red Giant Software - Plus other Special Guests & Screening to be announced shortly! A great night to get out to network, discover talent & crew for your next project, enjoy a few cocktails & interact with our guests & other filmmakers!
You've got a great camera, you've got a great editor — how do you manage everything between them? Join the Red Giant Team and Guru Simon Walker as he demonstrates BulletProof, a complete media prep and delivery solution that simplifies how you handle footage every day. 

Other News

Immersed in Movies: Pixar Goes Photoreal for 'Blue Umbrella' Short | IndieWire

The great thing about The Blue Umbrella, though, is that it's a new kind of enchantment for Pixar. Imagine animating The Umbrellas of Cherbourg from the umbrellas' point of view, only the city comes alive at night in a symphony of rain with expressive faces everywhere (from buildings to windows to street signs to lamp posts to traffic signals), bolstered by a lovely score by Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Is Your Camera Gear at Risk in Extreme Weather? | Light Stalking

Heat and Humidity: Whilst not as obvious as the previous two weather extremes, heat and humidity can both take their toll on equipment.The first issue is the condensation problem we have in the cold, especially if coming from an air conditioned environment. The solutions is the same, allowing time for acclimatization.

802.11AC WI-FI: UNPLUG YOUR VIDEO EDITING COMPUTER | VideoMaker

Here’s what video editors will really love about 802.11ac: you won’t have to tether your workstation to your hard drive while editing with big files. You’ll be able to edit video on your laptop and connect remotely instead of manually to your external hard drive — unheard of with 802.11n — which will help cut down on that already messy tangle of cords.

Why Movies Have Sucked Lately | Alexandra Jaffe | 34Street

In Hollywood today, there’s almost no room for failure. The movies that are made have astronomical budgets, so they need to have a high  likelihood of box office success, too. The studios have come up with what cinema studies professor Timothy Corrigan calls a “dull, repetitive formula” for these commercial winners. 

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An Introduction to Buying Used Lenses | Jeff Guyer | Digital Photography School

I know we all love the excitement of opening new boxes from B&H and Adorama. It would be a mistake, however, to avoid well-cared-for lenses just because they’re previously owned. Nikon, Canon, Tamron, Sigma and the others spend a great deal of time and money researching and producing lenses which are made to last.

Adobe Software Moves to the Cloud: What Users Need to Know | Michael Murie | Filmmaker Magazine

Adobe Creative Cloud, the latest update to the Adobe application suite of programs, was released last week. This release marks a major change for Adobe away from a “purchase” model to a subscription model; if you want the latest versions of their applications you must now pay a monthly fee to use the software.

Behind the Lens: Tom Burstyn Shoots Defiance | Creative COW

I got onto Defiance through line producer Clara George. She and I have done a lot of work in the past -- we did a season of Fairly Legal together and, before that, a number of TV movies. Cinematographer Attila Szalay (Reaper) did the two-part pilot, and I've shot the rest of the episodes. We have seven shooting days per episode, and being the only cinematographer on the series means a lot of lunchtime meetings.

After Effects Tutorial: Motion Tracking in Mocha | Shutterstock

check out this skate-centric tutorial we put together on motion tracking in Mocha for After Effects. (Mocha comes with your Creative Suite, so don’t worry about needing new software.) We’ll show you how to add some cool stickers to the bottom of a moving skateboard — or any other moving object, for that matter.

Walter Murch: searching for the sound of the God particle | The Guardian

In between winning three Oscars, having four children, keeping bees and studying music, Murch recently investigated new links between the architecture of the Pantheon, the work of Copernicus and the origins of heliocentrism in western astronomy. Does the grand globe at Cern inspire him in the same way as the dome in Rome? Does he feel these days we are less awed by the beauty of science?

Canon C300: Philip Johnston, the HD Warrior speaks | MacVideo

Philip Johnston, of hdwarrior.co.uk, talks about why he purchased the Canon C300. Philip is no stranger to camera technology - it is worth listening to his opinion as to why the Canon C300 is the right camera for him. The camera, compatible with Canon EOS lenses, opens up a world of affordable cinema who those willing to invest in this camera.

3-axis Stabilizerfrom | Rotorview Sweden | Vimeo

Here is the first demo of our new 3-axis handheld stabilizer. It can handle cameras of up to around 1.5kg. It is light weight, easy to operate and silent. It's built to order and estimated delivery time is 3-4 weeks. Please send us an e-mail for information: info@rotorview.se

3-axis Stabilizer from Rotorview Sweden on Vimeo.




Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM A Lens Review | ePhotoZine
Expected delivery end of July:

This lens opens new possibilities for owners of APS-C format cameras for low light shooting and creative use of depth of field with a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture, normally reserved for prime focal length lenses. The image quality delivered, especially at shorter focal lengths is of the level normally reserved for prime lenses also.

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: ZACUTO FS700 GRIP RELOCATOR | News Shooter
A $90 accessory for moving the FS700 handle down on to a rig:

They now offer grip relocators for Sony FS700 and FS100 camcorder, as well as the Canon C100/C300/C500. These move the manufacturer’s original handgrip from the side of the camera to a more comfortable position on your rig.

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: KINOFLO CELEB 400 LED LIGHT – IMPROVED FOR LOCATION WORK | News Shooter

The Celeb 400 which was announced earlier this year is the latest in the LED light range. It has around twice the output of the 200. At Broadcast Asia Kinoflo told us about a few changes that will make it more attractive as a location light – check out the video to see more.

Quick Links

Why British film is all kitsch 'n' sink | Mike Figgis | The Guardian

I'm pissed off with the British film club because once again I turn to Hollywood to make my next film. I made a film last year in London, ended up financing it with my producer out of our own pockets after being turned down by the BFI for both budget and post-production help. 

Why video color changes on different monitors and programs | Technicolor

Usually you don’t alter the gamma of an image because when using sRGB in your computer’s monitor setting and in your camera, it automatically sets the gamma to 2.2. This gamma value is used in a viewing environment that mostly exists in an office environment – meaning reasonably bright. The problem arises if your client watches the video on a TV or a theater: it will look too contrasty and you need to apply a gamma correction. Rule of thumb: you should color correct in the same ambient light situation as your client is watching the video.

Cannes Lions scooped by Dumb Ways to Die | FX Guide
Loved this animation/music video/PSA. Here's an interview with the creator:

"I boarded most of the verses roughly, ran out of ideas, told the agency “characters will probably dance in the chorus somehow” and then started animating. I tend to think as I go but that requires a lot of trust from the client, which luckily we had. Some bits I had no idea about till right at the end. Like the glue guy. How do you animate someone who ate glue? Oh yeah you don’t."

Coca-Cola Creates ‘The Wearable Movie’ | Design Taxi
The results are sort of so-so, but the concept is interesting:

An animated short clip was created, but to share the joy, the soda brand got its fans and other employees involved—and each of the animation’s frames was printed on a T-shirt, and sent to people all over the world to participate in making the movie. 

STABiLGO | Kickstarter
Hmmm....$550...sounds interesting:

STABiLGO is an affordable, motorized stabilizer for active cinematography aimed at GoPro users. A high-speed processor and state of the art gyroscopic sensor work in tandem to keep the camera both perfectly horizontal and vertical. The STABiLGO allows for 180 degrees of pitch movement and 270 degrees of roll movement. It frees you to independently capture movement without a crew or cumbersome equipment. 

On Friendship, Managing, Respect and the Director/Actor dynamic
| Vincent Laforet

Always keep in mind that "we’re all in this together" but that every group needs to have someone set clear goals, and to help keep everyone on target. And being that person, the "leader", is something a lot of people want – until they actually get their wish and see what comes with it. I’ve in fact seen quite a few people decide never to lead again once they’ve been given the opportunity to do so. 

New Mac Pro & GPUs | Grant Petty | Blackmagic Forum

I think this new MacPro is amazing and those 2 GPUs are incredibly powerful. I am not sure what I can say however there is a whole new OpenCL and DaVinci Resolve 10 is having lots of performance work done to integrate it and its really really fast. Those GPUs are very high performance and each GPU has lots of graphics memory so this is the Mac we have been waiting for! We have lots of Thunderbolt products too so video in and out is taken care of. 

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: MILLER AIR TRIPOD FOR DSLR AND LIGHTWEIGHT SYSTEMS | News Shooter

It looks very similar to previous Miller Solo tripods but is designed specifically for DSLRs and smaller video camera setups. Most importantly the price is set to be around $1000 US which will make it one of the more affordable true fluid head options and a competitor to the popular Sachtler Ace tripod system.

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: BLACKMAGIC DESIGN POCKET CINEMA CAMERA UPDATE – “YOU’LL SEE THEM IN JULY FOR SURE” | News Shooter
B & H still lists July 25th as expected delivery date:

We had a chance to speak to Richard Lim of Blackmagic Design at the Broadcast Asia in Singapore this week. Like many others we wanted to know just how likely it is that the company will be delivering its new models in July. Watch the video see what he had to say.

BROADCAST ASIA 2013: TOKINA 11-16MM CINE VERSION TO BE PRICED BELOW $2000 | News Shooter
"Less than $2,000"....and the non-cine version is $569:

Seeing the popularity of their lens and the demand from shooter Tokina have decided to make their own cinema version – first seen briefly at NAB earlier this year.At Broadcast Asia in Singapore the lens was on show again but this time with more details. According to the Tokina representative the price will definitely be less than $2000 US and it should be available in September.