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Saturday, January 22, 2011

YouTube Changes Default Embed Code to HTML5

Mark Robinson points out that YouTube has changed their default Embed code from an object tag to an iFrame tag. You can still get the old tag by clicking the "Use old embed code" check-flag, but you have to remember to do that.

Curiously, this new tag doesn't seem to place nicely with Blogger (previews don't work) so I am still using the old Object tags for the moment.

ReelSEO: YouTube Quietly Changes Default Embed Code to HTML5-Friendly iFrames

10th Annual San Francisco SuperMeet

The 10th Annual San Francisco SuperMeet is happening this Friday, January 28th at the Robertson Auditorium Mission Bay Conference Center (William J. Rutter Center)- UCSF. In addition to a Digital Showcase with 35 vendors and an Open Screen Theater, there will be presentations from:

  • CANON Presents: Michael Blieden, Expolorer of Light "Yes You Can Use Autofocus And Still Call Yourself A D.P."
  • Kevin Jardin and John Stark present their video "I The Pro Res Maker."
  • Best of the Best – Tips, Tricks, and Secret Techniques in FCP 7 - Returning to the Stage: Abba Shapiro and Steve Martin!
  • What's Happening in 3D Production? - Alex Lindsay
  • "POST IN A FLASH" - Tony Cacciarelli, AJA Video Systems
  • Smoke on Mac OSX -Josh Courtney and Marc Hamaker
  • The New Up: "Bitch" - Peggy Peralta and Albert Lopez

Hard to believe they're going to get through all that in one evening!
SuperMeet: San Francisco

MacUpdate Promo Jan 22-23 - Martini for $99


Martini QuickShot Creator (Martini) is a plug-in for post-production visualization. Designed to work within Apple's Final Cut Pro, Martini makes it easy for editors to create additional shots and sequences. With Martini's dynamic power, editors no longer need to use black slugs with text explaining what "shot goes here". From single shots to multi-shot sequences, Martini helps directors and editors create a better final film.


Sony NXCAM 35mm latest news

At the recent event on the Sony PMW-F3, there was a little updated information on the NXCAM 35mm camera that Sony previously talked about at the InterBEE show in November:

  • It's being developed by the same team that developed the HXR-NX5
  • It's designed for handheld use (i.e. compete with DSLRs)
  • Uses a Super 35mm CMOS imager
  • E-mount lens platform
  • AVCHD Full HD Recording 1080/30P, 24P (using MPEG4/AVC H.264)
  • Compatable with existing NXCAM workflow
  • There is a 1080/60P capability
  • Tentative List Price: $6,000
  • Availability First Half 2011

It was noted that it doesn't look anything like the above image; even though they still showed that image with their slides. Also, they are still being coy about whether the CMOS sensor is the same one as the one used in the PMW-F3. At the moment, the official line is that they can't confirm that it's the same sensor.

It's unclear what the 1080/60P capability support means; since it was listed on a separate slide to the 30P and 24P support, I took that to mean that it's add-on (i.e. future firmware update) or might only be possible when using additional hardware i.e. recording to an external device.

When asked about audio support, the answer given was: It will support audio! The details are still being worked out.

I would expect to hear a lot more about this camera at NAB.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Sony PMW-F3 Rule Camera LearningLab is now up

Sony showed the PMW-F3 at a LearningLab at Rule Boston Camera this past Wednesday, and they've now posted a video of the event. This talk goes through a lot of features, including S-Log and external recording options. It's 2 hours long, but does include some sample videos at the beginning and end.

Rule Boston Camera: Rule Website
Rule: LearningLabSeries



Learning Lab: Sony’s PMW-F3 Super 35 Digital Camera on 1.19.11 from Rule Boston Camera on Vimeo.

Film & Digital Times Report on Sony PMW-F3

Film & Digital Times have put together a special report on the Sony PMW-F3. You can download the PDF file from Sony's CineAlta Site.
Sony: CineAlta
Sony: PMWF3 Special Report, Film & Digital Times [PDF]

Panasonic AG-AF100 being used at Slamdance

The Panasonic AG-AF100 is the "Official Camera of Slamdance 2011 Film Festival" and to celebrate they are running a competition “The Road to Park City,” where six selected Slamdance filmmakers will have one day to shoot a one minute film using the AF-100.

These films will be screened on Thursday, January 27th, and a winner chosen who will receive an AF100.

Slamdance: The Road to Park City Competition Screening

New From Here & There

ProTrack Recorder Review
The ProTrack Recorder from Alesis is a plug-in dock for iPhone or iPod that adds a Stereo-Mic and two phantom powered XLR inputs. The FinalCutUsers Blog takes an in-depth look at it, finding the unit generally okay "for the money," as well as going though getting your sound files into Final Cut Pro:
The unit has a headphone output that can be useful. It’s not the best in the world though… not as clean if you power it all the way up, so some of the noise you will be hearing in your headphones will not be on the recording itself.
Speaking of noisy … the built-in limiter is not really usable as this thing adds a lot of noise / static to the signal. Use the limiter only if you really have to. You will not be happy if you record (in) quite surroundings / environments with a turned on limiter.
FinalCutUsersBlog: ProTrack Recorder for iPod & iPhone …a test
Amazon: Alesis ProTrack Handheld Stereo Recorder for iPod [$177.25]



Final Cut Pro Editing Tips
A half hour clip on MacVideoTV features 30 minutes of Final Cut Pro tips and tricks, presented by Rick Young, live at MacVideo Expo October 2010.
MacVideoTV: Rick Young: Final Cut Pro tips and tricks



Why 24p?
Filmmaker, VFX Supervisor and ProLost blogger Stu Maschwitz explains to MacVideoTV why 24p is so important.
Certainly, we have this historical association with narrative material being presented at this reduced frame rate [...] but for me the big deal is that film is not about reality. Narrative filmmaking is about storytelling, and in storytelling we can use all the help we can get to enhance that sense of things being larger than life.
MacVideoTV: Stu Maschwitz: DV Rebel (part 2)



Camera Rigs
HDSLR 101 episode #6 takes a look at Camera Rigs, explaining what rods are and how you build rigs around them.
YouTube: HDSLR 101 #6 Camera Rigs



Thursday, January 20, 2011

How big is your TV?

Here I was thinking that the Sony Cinema Projector was a little over-the-top, but maybe in a few years, everyone will have one....because here's some interesting stats about television sizes from a recent article in the Boston Globe:
In 2004, the average television measured 27 inches and the vast majority were standard definition. Today’s average TV is 36 inches, according to Paul Gagnon, director of North American TV research at DisplaySearch, a California-based market-research firm. “Even people who bought a flat-panel set in 2006 or 2007 are starting to look at replacing it with a 40-inch or larger set.’’
the penetration of high-definition TVs in US households is at 56 percent, according to Nielsen
BostonGlobe: Inviting your buddies over for the big game without high-def? Don’t expect a high turnout




Canon to hold workshops at Sundance

Cannon just sent out a press release about their involvement at this years Sundance Film Festival. The release includes the following statistic:
Nearly twenty percent of the overall 2011 Sundance Film Festival films were shot on HD DSLR cameras,

In addition to showing The Story Beyond The Still at this years Sundance festival, Canon will also be offering two educational workshops led by filmmaker Eric Schmidt, creator of the film, “I Melt with You,” which was shot using Canon DSLRs and will premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

These workshops, targeting film enthusiasts and professionals, will highlight the impact and need for DSLR cameras in the filmmaking industry. Attendees will gain both technical and creative expertise to advance their careers and involve them with the new realm of DSLR video. The workshops will take place on the following dates and location:

Friday, January 21, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 22, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

New Frontier Blue Building
1354 Park Ave, Park City, UT

NotesOnVideo: "Story Beyond The Still" Contest Reaches A Conclusion

Sony Cinema Projector, in the flesh

Yesterday Sony put on event at Rule Boston Camera about their CineAlta cameras - especially the Sony PMW-F3 - and for the event they dragged along a digital projector. I believe it was the 4K DCinema Projector. This is a huge beast - about the size of an oven - and was probably much more than was needed for the comparatively small conference room we were in!



The images were impressive. This thing is clearly supposed to be installed in a separate room; the fans gave off a lot of noise, and it had a cute little tin hat on the top of it's ventilation spout at the back (normally it would be vented.)

Even though it was reportedly operating at it's dimmest (lowest?) setting, it was almost too bright; the image was so bright that in light images you could see the ripples and bends in the screen!

I don't think they sell these at Best Buy.
Sony: SRXR320P 4K DCinema Projector

News From Here & There

Is the Camera Important?
Kevin Shahinian at Converge takes a shot at people who fixate on particular cameras over the art itself:
Cameras; lenses; NLEs; these are but tools to help us breath life into our stories in ever more cinematic ways. They are merely conduits, inane in a vacuum. The breadth and depth of their function is only as relevant as how well each serves the story we aim to tell and the way we aim to tell it. It’s no more detrimental to your audience to tell a compelling story through uncompelling means than it is to tell an uncompelling story with high budget Hollywood polish.
Converge: My Camera I Better Than Yours



3D TV is Ten Years Away
Digital Cinema Report explains why 3D is still ten years away, including:
10. Some People Simply Hate 3D
There are a sizable number of people who don’t care for 3D and there is a small percentage of people – estimates vary somewhere between two-five percent – who either can’t see it or get physically ill when they watch it. This is not a huge hurdle – the numbers are small and may be shrinking – but it is still a factor.
Digital Cinema Report: The Top 10 Reasons 3D TV is 10 Years Away



More on 3D
In an interview at ScreenRant, ‘Green Hornet’ director Michel Gondry gives his views on post-converted 3D:
...we shot some scenes with a 3D system and some scenes in film on 2D, and converted [it] afterward. I think both are complimentary – because you cannot do everything you want with the 3D camera, it’s too big, and the digital quality of those cameras is a little bit limiting. With film, you have a lot more subtly, like with highlights and color.

[...] I think some people feel that if you are going to have 3D, then you have to shoot in 3D, but they shoot 3D, so of course they’re going to say ‘my way of doing a film is better.’ I’m not telling anyone how they should do their film, so why should anyone tell me how I should do mine?
ScreenRant: ‘Green Hornet’ Director Michel Gondry Talks Hardships In Hollywood



Video Shot with Sony PMW-F3
There have been a few videos posted that were shot with the Sony PMW-F3, but I think this one of the better ones both for the quality of the video, but also because of the subject matter:
For over thirty years Anthony Stern a London based glass artist has fused extraordinary coloured patterns into his beautiful glass creations. He explains his brand of fusion.
Even if you're not interested in the PMW-F3, check out the short section in the middle; Stern started out as a filmmaker and shot a journey across America in 1968.

This short film is in a Sony Award competition, and the producers have asked people to visit the link and vote for it: Sony: The Fusion of Light and Colour


The Fusion of Light and Colour. from Mike Saunders on Vimeo.

The King's Speech

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that The King's Speech is the best movie I've seen all year. The fact that it's the only movie I've seen this year is not significant; I think it's possibly the best movie of last year too. It's the only movie - other than True Grit - that I've seen in a while that I actually thought I'd like to see again.

While it's sort of a buddy movie, it's also a character study, and it's about someone that I knew very little about; I think I actually knew more about the King George's brother (who abdicated) than I did about him. This was a man who ruled Britain during World War II; but who was over-shadowed by the many stronger characters of the time; like Churchill and Hitler.

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are great as the King and his speech therapist, but I especially enjoyed Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the King's wife. She gives the character tremendous energy and humor, without overshadowing the other players.

There's a 20 minute making-of video that's been released that has interviews with the Director, Writer and Actors. Particularly notable is that they got hold of the notebooks of Lionel Logue (the Geoffrey Rush character) the day pre-production started!


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Amazon Studios Closer to First Round WInners

Amazon Studios, a contest-come movie-making development process is moving towards it's first giveaway of $20,000 each to two winning scripts. They've picked six finalists, and the winners will be announced on January 27th (you have to join Amazon Studios to be able to view the scripts):
  • The Alchemist Agenda ›by Marty Weiss (Action and Adventure)
    Diver Jonathan Rocklin discovers a sunken U-Boat full of gold bullion and teams up with former Mossad agent Orly Ellis in a race around the world to uncover its origin before the German government buries the secret forever, and them with it.

  • America's Ben Franklin in: The Electrocution String ›Jason Ungate (Comedy, Action and Adventure)
    Follow Ben through the dark winter of 1777 as he uses his cunning and wit to foil the British forces and clear his name as a proud American patriot. You'll never think of George Washington, Benedict Arnold, or sexy flag-maker Betsy Ross the same way again.

  • Cody & the CubnappersBill Schreiber (Kids and Family)
    13-year-old Cody Wiles has an idyllic life in the Everglades. When he rescues a panther cub from a bear, the media attention attracts poachers who will stop at nothing to steal the cub from Cody and sell it for a nice profit. Luke (Cody's dad), Sydney, the local vet, and Mehala, a Seminole Indian, lead the poachers on the chase of a lifetime in order to reunite the cub with its mother.

  • The House That Evil BuiltMichael Coady (Horror)
    An ancient Ouija board and a severed hand are the first clues that Laura finds in her attempt to discover the secret of Elenor Pierce, whose ghost haunts a house in her hometown. With each clue, she thinks she's closer solving the mystery but is she really falling into Elenor's trap?

  • MemoryAlexander Greenfield (Thriller and Suspense)
    Former detective Nick Adler has a photographic memory so vivid, he can't tell past from present and the image of one victim, a young woman, haunts him wherever he goes. Now Melissa Driscoll is on the case, and needs Nick's help to catch the Second Sight killer.

  • VillainRichard Stern (Kids and Family)
    Epically evil super-villain Mortimer Savage is mourning the death of his nemesis, heroic spy Drake Develin. His therapist says hes lost his edge, and now a new bad guy has the world on red alert: the mysterious, nefarious Jackal. Savage must team up with his former enemy, The Agency and Drakes replacement, Rex Steele to uncover the Jackals identity and (shudder) save the world.

If you want to try your own hand at it, the Second Competition deadline is January 31st. Note that by uploading a script, you give Amazon Studios a free 18-month option on your script.
Amazon Studios: Welcome to Amazon Studios
NotesOnVideo: Amazon Studio's gets mixed reviews

Boris Continuum Glitters - Twitter Promo

You can get a free copy of the Boris Continuum Glitters Unit (normally $99) by Tweeting. You have to go to a web page and enter your Twitter username and password, and it will then send out a Tweet and ask for an email address to send the registration information for the software. Promotion ends on Wednesday, January 26, 2011.

About Glitters: This package includes OpenGL hardware-accelerated effects filters that will generate glittering sparkles and specular highlight effects, ray bursts, and sharp catchlight reflections. Parameter controls include brightness, scale, color, and the number of rays that each filter emits.

Go to this page to Tweet: Tweet for a Free Boris Continuum Glitters Unit
Boris FX: Glitters

News From Here & There

KickStarter Movie Headed to Sundance
The Woods, a movie partially funded through Kickstarter (the "crowd-funding website) is the first such movie to make it to Sundance.
Mashable: FirstKickstarter-Funded Film Headed to Sundance



Birger Canon-to-Micro4/3 Adaptor Should Work with GH1 and GH2
EOSHD reports that the upcoming adaptor from Birger Engineering that will allow Canon lenses to be mated with the Panasonic AG-AF100 and let the camera control the lenses, should work with the GH1 and GH2, through external power might be required.
EOSHD: Birger Canon to AF100 adapter to also support GH1 and GH2



Extended Power for the Canon T2i
Switronix PowerBase 70 for the T2i is a 70wh 14.8v lithium ion battery pack that provide 6 times the runtime of the Canon T2i's standard battery. It can be mounted under the camera and provide power to two additional 12vdc devices.
Owners of existing PowerBase 70 units can purchase a T2i converter block separately.
Switronix: Powerbase for the Canon T2i
http://freytag-film.com/dfy/2011-my-sound-workflow/



3D Ads and Technology
TVTechnology takes a look at 3D in a couple of articles. Making 3DTV Pay by Jay Ankeney, looks at use of 3D in advertising and finds some excitement, perhaps bolstered by the results of one study that found:
... on average, purchase intent increased from 49 percent to 83 percent when comparing the 2D ad to its 3D version, cued recall went from 68 percent to 83 percent, and ad enjoyment increased from 65 percent to 70 percent in 3D while presence went from 42 percent to 69 percent.

In 3D on a Budget TVfilm professor Chuck Gloman talks about his experience actually shooting in 3D for a low budget student film, and the lessons learned so far, including how to edit the footage:
Julian Guindon, our sophomore Mac expert, researched and found the perfect solution. Using Apple's Final Cut Pro 7, he selected the Channel Offset from the pull down menu and changed the Red Channel to negative fifteen degrees (-15°) which moves the reds to the left. Once applied to the footage, you noticed a distinct cyan and red ghosting of the image. Donning the 3D glasses, your eyes marry the two colors and you see a "3D" image on the screen. Cat extends her "3D" arms as a fan blows her hair and fog rolls by in the background. The number "minus 15" is not an arbitrary setting. In our tests, minus fifteen degrees works best (separation of colors when wearing the glasses) for wider shots when the objects on the screen are farther apart and minus seventeen degrees when seeing things in close-up because of the telephoto's compression. The slight shift is evident in the wide shots and more of a shift is needed when closer.
TVTechnology: Making 3DTV Pay
TVTechnology: 3D on a Budget



Magic Bullet Colorista II
Craig Meritz takes a looks at the Colorista II color correction plug-in for Final Cut, After Effects and Premiere. He particularly likes the fact that it works in multiple environments; so you don't have to learn two (or three) ways of doing things!
CircleOfConfusion: Magic Bullet Colorista II







The End of Physical Media I

Sony is closing down a CD plant in New Jersey citing the U.S. economy and sagging interest in physical media.

CNET: What happens when the CD factory closes?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

"Story Beyond The Still" Contest Reaches A Conclusion

Way back in January of 2010, Canon - with the help of Vincent Laforet - started the "Story Beyond The Still" competition.
The Story Beyond the Still is a series of six competitions creating a user-generated movie "The Cabbie": for the first round, take the last moment (or still) of the first segment - the Prologue - created by Vincent Laforet, and make the next Chapter in the film. The entrants in that round will be judged, the first Chapter chosen, and then the second challenge starts based on the last frame of that one, and so on. At the end, the six Chapter winners get to join Vincent Laforet on location to collaboratively shoot the final chapter of “The Cabbie.”
And now it's finally completed and about to be premiered at Sundance: The world premiere of the entire saga of the Story Beyond The Still, including the final chapter "Corridors", will simultaneously premiere on Vimeo and at a screening at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23rd at 6:30 EST.

VincentLaforet: Behind The Scenes: Final Chapter


The Story Beyond The Still "Corridors" - Behind the Scenes from Blake Whitman on Vimeo.

Canon Rebates on Consumer Video Cameras

It's that time between the announcement of new cameras at CES, and the arrival of the units in the stores, and you know what that means: SALES on the old models!

Canon has some rebates on their consumer video cameras that run through the 22nd or the 29th January. Models include:
  • Canon FS300 Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver): Standard Def, SD Memory camera with 37x optical zoom, Dynamic Image Stabilization, DIGIC DV II Image Processor, 786k Still Image Capture [$100 Rebate] $169 @ B & H or @ Amazon

  • Canon VIXIA HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder (Red) 8GB Internal Flash Memory, SD Memory Card Slot, 2.39MP HD CMOS Image Sensor, 20x HD Video Lens, Dynamic Image Stabilization, 24p and 30p Frame Modes [$100 Rebate] $299 @ B & H or @ Amazon

  • Canon VIXIA HF M300 Flash Memory Camcorder: SD/SDHC Memory Card Slot3.89MP CMOS Sensor [$200 Rebate] $349 @ B & H or @ Amazon

  • Canon VIXIA HF21 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder 64GB Dual Flash Memory, 3.89MP Full HD CMOS Sensor, 15x HD Video Lens, Dynamic, 24p Cinema Mode [$300 rebate] $499 @ B & H

  • Canon VIXIA HF S200 Flash Memory Camcorder: two removable SD memory cards, 10x HD Video Lens, 1/2.6" 8.59-Megapixel Full HD CMOS Image Sensor, Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor, Dynamic SuperRange OIS [$200 rebate] $674.99 @ B & H or @ Amazon





Never Assume: The SD Video Edition

A very short warning.

Recently, a friend was helping a middle school with their video needs. The school was looking to replace an old video camera that was being used to shoot events around the school. The footage would be edited using Premiere, and then "broadcast" on the schools internal TV network. That network is SD only.

The school went out and bought a couple of mid-range consumer video cameras.

But something that was completely overlooked when ordering the cameras was whether they shot in SD. It was just assumed that they did.

Turned out, they didn't!

One solution would have been to just shoot in HD and then edit in SD. Except that we determined that this would probably require updating the editing equipment they were using, and also would add another complication for users given everything was in SD format. In the end, the cameras were returned and replaced with two lower-priced SD only cameras (they do still make them!)

While just a year or so ago most HD video cameras also could be switched to record in SD mode, that seems to be changing. So are buying a camera and need the option of recording in SD, just remember to check the camera does record in that mode; never assume!

Somy PMW-F3 News

Sony has announced some new information about the PMW-F3, though so far, it's not earth shattering:
S-log, 3G, Dual Link HD-SDI will be one firmware package that's available in April with initial feature set. The second release of firmware is scheduled for September with remaining functionality.

3DLink firmware requires two keys to work, one for each PMW-F3. A 3DLink cable will also be required. Combine with Genlock, 700 Protocol.

The power zoom design specs have changed. It was originally 15x, but the new design will be 14x
Source: @CineAltaNews on Twitter

DSLR Rig Comparison

The DSLRRigComparison website posts a PDF file that compares 24 different DSLR rigs and rates them based on a number of criteria, including Aesthetics, Build Quality and "Worth The Money?" If you're thinking about buying a rig, it's probably worth checking out (though you probably want to try a rig in person first before buying it.)

DSLRRigComparison.com

Camera Launch Events

If you're in the UK and interested in the Panasonic AG-AF101 (AF100) PlanetVideoSystems, based at Pinewood Studios is holding a launch event on Wednesday, 26th January from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Be amongst the first to see and handle the AG-AF101, talk to experts, including Lighting Cameraman and DVUser magazine editor Nigel Cooper (www.dvuser.co.uk), about using the camera and gain valuable insight into its imaging and workflow benefits.
The event is free, but space is limited.
PlanetVideoSystems: AF101 Launch


And if you're in Minnesota, Z Systems Inc is holding an event for the Sony PMW-F3 on January 27th.
We'll have presentations running at 10am, 1:30pm, and 6:30pm with plenty of time in between so you can get up close and personal with this camera. Snacks and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.
ZSystems: Sony F3


And don't forget that if you're in Boston on January19th, Rule Camera is holding a couple of PMW-F3 themed events...
NotesOnVideo: Sony PMW-F3 events and a review

News From Here & There

How Monsters was created using Adobe CS Production Premium
In a short video on AdobeTV, Writer/director Gareth Edwards of Monsters talks about how he believed he could create a movie "using stuff from home."
AdobeTV: Episode: Monsters



Production Office Episode to feature Philip Bloom
The Production Office LIVE is a free and interactive TV show for film makers and creatives. The first show of their second season will have DSLR guru Philip Bloom for a full hour of chatting about Canon, Panasonic, lenses, dollies and all manner of other goodies.
Thursday January 20th, 7.30pm UK time 
ProductionOffice



Nikon to release mirrorless pro camera system in April
MirrorlessRumors.com reports:
According to our veeeeeery good sources Nikon will unveil their new mirrorless system in April! Nikon developed a very advanced (and expensive) pro system not meant for the amateur market
While this will primarily be a still camera - I'm guessing - it will probably include video features, and the video quality from Nikon's still cameras has been steadily improving...
MirrorlessRumors: EXCLUSIVE: Nikon to launch a mirrorless system in April (with Sony sensor)





Monday, January 17, 2011

News From Here & There

Is DSLR Video A Revolution?
Back in December, Robin Schmidt posted an article: DSLR Video Is Not A Revolution, arguing:
There’s no revolution going on in Hollywood. People are incorporating stills cameras into production because they’re cheap and they can get away with it...
Actually, that's about as strong as it gets, because later in the piece he argues that Renaissance is a better word to describe what's going on.

But Nino Leitner is having none of it, and has posted a response:
I tend to disagree with his principal notion of denying the revolutionary impact of DSLRs in the filmmaking world. Ironically, I get the feeling he found himself confirming the very fact that these little cameras are nothing short of a revolution while he wrote his own article

[...]DSLR video is a revolution for many. It opens doors. It gives you results that you thought would cost a fortune to create only 5 years ag
I'm sure they are both right.
TheConvergence: DSLR Video Is Not A Revolution
NinoFilm: DSLR video IS a revolution



Sony PMW-F3 Videos
Sony Australia has a demo reel page with videos shot using the PMW-F3.
Sony: PMW-F3 Reels



BON Monitors
A South Korean company called BON has a number of small video monitors available, including 5 and 7 inch models. They might be ideal for DSLR monitoring, but unfortunately, while they seem to have a Canadian distributor, they don't seem to have a US one.
Bon: Webpage



First Time Filmmaker Wins HDSLR Competition
CJ Clarke has been awarded first prize in the first Open Shutter Awards for his movie Mother and Daughter. Clarke, 27, shot his winning film using a Canon 5D Mk II
PhotoCineNews: First Time Filmmaker Wins Inaugural UK HDSLR Award

More On Consumer 3D Cameras

Camcorderinfo has published two fairly extensive "first-impression" reviews of the two most interesting consumer 3D video cameras announced at CES: The Sony HDR-TD10 [$1,499.99] and the JVC GS-TD1 [$,999.95].

They found both cameras to be rather large and bulky, and wonder if users will be willing - in this age of ever shrinking cameras - to put up with it.


Even though it was $500 cheaper than the JVC, the Sony HDR-TD10 impressed Camcorderinfo less than the JVC:
...we were not impressed with the [HDR-TD10's] glasses-free LCD capability. The images often had plenty of ghosting and blur when we watched them on the tiny screen and, at times, the LCD’s 3D function didn’t appear to work at all.

[...]we expect the HDR-TD10 to do quite well in our 3D testing. The Panasonic HDC-SDT750 did a decent job producing a 3D effect in our labs, but we’re hoping of even better performance from the Sony due to its dual lens and sensor setup. If the Sony HDR-TD10 does blow us away with its 3D performance, we may revise our critique of the camcorder. But, for now, we remain disappointed with the TD10 based on design, handling, and the poor quality of the glasses-free 3D LCD.


What they seemed to like about the JVC were the manual controls:
What impressed us about the GS-TD1 was the camcorder’s extensive set of manual controls and features that were functional in both 2D and 3D record mode. This includes regular manual controls like shutter speed adjustment, as well as other features like 3D time-lapse recording and a 3D still image mode. These are things that set the TD1 apart from the other 3D camcorders currently available.
Note too that the 3D LCD screen on the JVC seemed to perform about as well as that on the Sony:
Honestly, the LCD looked very bad in our time with the camcorder, but we saw the same poor performance from Sony’s glasses-free 3D LCD on the HDR-TD10.
But the real question is "how good are the images?" and we'll have to wait for a review of that.

Camcorderinfo: Sony HDR-TD10 First Impressions Camcorder Review
Camcorderinfo: JVC GS-TD1 3D Camcorder First Impressions Review





Sony PMW-F3 Blu-ray Disc

Sony says they have a free PMW-F3 Blu-ray promotional disc that is almost ready for release. For a copy (USA Only) e-mail production@am.sony.com

[NOTE: This is not the promised "new important information" Sony said they were going to announce today]

Sunday, January 16, 2011

News From Here & There

First Canon HF G10 Video
Nicolas Charbonnier managed to capture some video using the display HF G10 at CES in the trade show hall. It's probably not the best way to evaluate the camera - particularly as it's compressed on YouTube. He also has a video showing the XA 10 and HF G10 cameras themselves.
ARMdevices: Canon Vixia HF G10 Sample recordings



Apple iPad 2 Rumors
The good old rumor mill is picking up, and in addition to the possibility of two cameras, it seems that the iPad2 screen resolution may by doubled (or quadrupled if you're talking about total number of pixels) to 2048 x 1536. Any actual announcement is still probably at least two months away.
AppleInsider: Apple iBooks app indicates iPad 2 will quadruple pixels to 2048x1536



Google Defends Itself, WebM coming to Safari and IE9
Taking a bit of flake about it's announcement of dropping H.264 from Chrome, Google fires back. Says you'll still be able to use Flash.
They also say that WebM plugins will be coming for Safari and IE9.
AppleInsider: Google reaffirms intent to derail HTML5 H.264 video with WebM browser plugins
Engadget: Google defends H.264 removal from Chrome, says WebM plug-ins coming to Safari and IE9



The Social Network Script
The Social Network has been getting a lot of awards attention. Now Deadline Hollywood has posted a PDF of the script for those that what to analyze it closely.
Deadline: The Social Network [PDF]



Francis Ford Coppola Interview
Ariston Anderson interviewed Coppola at the Marrakech International Film Festival:
You must never be the kind of director, I think maybe I was when I was 18, “No, no, no, I know best.” That’s not good. You can make the decision that you feel is best, but listen to everyone, because cinema is collaboration. I always like to say that collaboration is the sex of art because you take from everyone you’re working with.
the99percent: Francis Ford Coppola: On Risk, Money, Craft & Collaboration



The Greatest Movie Never Made?
After 2001, Kubrick began work on a movie about Napolean Bonaparte. He spent two years on research, but ultimately it was never made, yet like The Beatles 27 minute recording of Helter Skelter, it has become legend amongst Kubrick fans.

In 2009, a limited edition ten book set was released that featured research notes, scouting photos, script drafts and the final script. Now a single edition book containing all of that material will be released this April.





More Panasonic AG-AF100 News

After yesterdays post, a few more items turned up:


Zacuto Announces Rigs for the AF100
Rig maker Zacuto has announced some baseplate kits especially for the AG-AF100: Docu Baseplate Kit [$1,012.00], Cine Baseplate Kit [$1,479.00], and the Indie Baseplate Kit [$2671.00].
Zacuto: Panasonic AG-AF100 Rigs



Is The AF100 Sensor Too Small?
Seems that some people have been complaining about the small size of the 4/3 sensor camera; and how that effects the field of view when you use different lenses. With the smaller size sensor, your lenses become much longer.

Matt Jeppsen at the ProVideo Colaition jumps to the AG-AF100's defense, writing that many of these people are unfairly comparing it to the Canon 5D, which is full-frame, and which is "not normal." He thinks video and movie makers should be comparing it to Super35mm, which is what is really the current standard for filmmaking and "Which the AF100’s sensor size compares relatively favorably to." [Nice use of a modifier -Ed.]

Using examples from Abel Cine's Field of View calculator, he goes on to show how the 5D, 7D and AF100 compare to Super35mm (the APS-C sensor of the 7D is the closest match.)

All well and good, but then he goes on to compare it to the 1/2" sensor of the Sony EX1 and I have to say, he loses me a bit. Sure many people were using 1/2" [and smaller!] chipped cameras prior to jumping on the DSLR bandwagon, but that was almost the whole point of DLSRs; they were much larger than the video cameras people were using. It would be a bit like electric car makers today saying "Well, the range doesn't compare as well to your gasoline powered car, but they're much better than the horse and buggy people were using before that."

He does have a point; the sensor of the AF100 is still larger than those video cameras, but the comparative size of sensors to me isn't the issue; if people can get the field of view they want, and the shallow depth of focus they want, then most won't care about the sensor size. But if they have to scramble to find really wide lenses with really wide f stops to get what they want, then they might not be so happy.

That's the real question; can you easily find reasonable lens combinations that do what you want?
ProVideoCoalition: Panasonic AF100 Sensor Size Comparison
Abel Cine: Field of View calculator



Some AF100 Questions Answered
Andy Shipsides at Cine Technica answers some AF100 questions that they keep getting, including an interesting issue that the camera does not record audio with variable frame rate turned on.
CineTechnia: Your AF100 Questions Answered


Yesterdays post:
NotesOnVideo: Panasonic AG-AF100 Starts Arriving