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Saturday, April 09, 2011

NAB Quick Links | Updated

[10:33PM] - from the SuperMeet website:
STAY TUNED FOR TICKET ANNOUNCEMENT:
We will announce shortly our last round of tickets - Temporarily Sold Out

  • Vincent Laforet lists his appearances and a few "interesting" product announcements, including the new Canon PL zoom lenses. NAB – Lectures and live appearances on Teradek TV

  • The arrival of these Canon PL lenses has prompted concern that Canon's next DSLR will use a PL mount: DSLR 4 Real: Total Specualtion - Canons New Lenses
    Personally Canon going PL seems unlikely; they may just be making a lens to sell for other cameras, or they may have a video camera coming that uses a PL mount (they do have a video division.) It's doubtful they'll abandon the EF mount for DSLRS. At least not for the majority of users

  • Boston DP Tom Guilmette will be at NAB working the Vinten booth April 11 to April 13th and the Zacuto/Kessler Booth the morning of April 14th. He'll be posting updates at @tomguilmette

  • Baselight on Final Cut Pro Filmlight have announced a Baselight color grading plugin for Final Cut Pro. This plugin gives editors direct access to Baselight functionality within Final Cut Pro. You will be able to see it on the Filmlight stand (SL7920) or in the Paramount Room at The Renaissance Hotel: NAB 2011
    Scott Simmons has posted his take on it, noting the under-$1,000 price and wondering if it will work with FCP X: Baselight introduces Baselight on Final Cut Pro
    Patrick Inhofer also has details: Baselight is Final Cut’s Newest Color Grading Plugin! and is bound to have more after he sees it at NAB.

  • Scott Simmons from The EditBlog at ProVideoCoalition lists the things he plans to check out, as well as the classes he will be teaching. One of those NAB Where I’ll Be posts

  • Color Grading expert Alexis Van Hurkman will be at the Blackmagic booth Monday 3-5, Wed 10-12, and Thursday 10-12. Alexis Van Hurkman

  • A Facebook page for the NAB Show features Meetups, Tweetups and Parties!" Facebook: NABShow

  • Paul Antico of NeedCreative has posted a list of his planned activities at NAB: NeedCreative At NAB - Bring It.

  • ICG Magazine Preview: offers their preview of things to see at NAB, including the Atomos Ninja and Samurai digital recorders, SGO/Mistaka Post-Production Systems, a postproduction workflow tool called Flexxity, and many more: NAB 2011 Preview

  • Brandon Damon Blog Shorts: Looks like he will be video blogging his way through NAB. [The first things he sees is "slots", I repeat, "slots"-Ed]: NAB Has Started

[UDPATE: Added entry for Alexis Van Hurkman
11:30PM Added Paul Antico entry

2:20PM added Baselight links to Scott Simmons & Patrick Inhofer | Added ICG Magazine Preview and Brandon Damon Blog Shorts links ]

Sidney Lumet | Director | 1924 - 2011

Sidney Lumet directed over 50 films, including one of my all-time favorites, Twelve Angry Men (starring Henry Fonda)


Scott Myers has collected together some links to articles and video clips: R.I.P.: Sydney Lumet (1924-2011)

Amazon(1957) Twelve Angry Men | (1974) Murder on the Orient Express |
(1975) Dog Day Afternoon | (1976) Network | (1982) The Verdict 

Links From Here & There

3D News
CamcorderInfo does in-depth review of JVC GS-TD1
Camcorderinfo got their hands on the 3D pro-sumer camera from JVC, the GS-TD1, and while it does a better job than the Panasonic HDC-SDT750 they already reviewed, they note a lot of problems including: a slow menu system, confusing playback interface and a headache inducing "glasses-free" 3D LCD. And they had problems with the footage and shooting good 3D:
The 3D footage captured with the camcorder, while better than what we saw from the HDC-SDT750, still had problems with trailing and interference, and it was nearly unwatchable if you moved the camcorder around too fast during recording. Shooting the perfect 3D video clip requires precise camcorder movements, intricate staging, and proper lighting.
If you have the money and want to play with the latest 3D gadget, it might be the one to get, but you're paying for it.
Camcorderinfo: GS-TD1



Sony Handycam HDR-TD10 First Look
DigitalCamera Review posts a first look at Sony's pro-sumer 3D camcorder, the HDR-TD10. This isn't a full review, but they do note that while the Sony's glasses free LCD has a "limited sweet spot for viewing" they do describe it as "novel and a heck of a lot of fun."

They talk a lot more about the issues you encounter and have to deal with when shooting 3D:
...high contrast situations like a black couch against a white wall, can result in “ghosting,” or a splitting of the image. Also, it’s important to retain all the action in the frame. Any subject cut off of the edge of the frame warps the 3D effect and appears unnatural.
as well as discussing convergence, and the TD10's manual and automatic modes for handling convergence. They warn that Sony - and the manufacturers - have their work cut out for them:
There is a learning curve and it’s easy to do it wrong. It’s also easy to see consumers being turned off to the technology because their 3D footage is blurry or jarring.
DigitalCameraReviewSony Handycam HDR-TD10 First Look



Arri Alexa News
ARRIRAW recorder
ARRI has formed an agreement with Codex Digital - the leading developer of digital media recorders and media management systems for film and television production - to manufacture a Codex ARRIRAW recorder for use with the ARRI ALEXA and ARRIFLEX D-21 cameras: ARRI Group News


Alexa User Interviews
ARRI has posted a couple of "on the set" type articles about the Alexa. They talked to cinematographers Alik Sakharov, ASC and Marco Pontecorvo, AIC for the upcoming HBO series Game of Thrones:
Marco Pontecorvo: First of all the ALEXA was extremely user-friendly, but yes - the dynamic range was fantastic. Of course there's always room for improvement, but I can't see why I'd need more dynamic range - and my style for the show was to shoot with a high contrast ratio. That was the case even in Northern Ireland, when we were shooting on the stage; I had a lot of contrast, with strong shafts of light and lots of shadow. The range could easily be from T2.8 to T22, so I did need the ALEXA's dynamic range and it performed very well. If you give me the stops, I'll use them!
ALEXA wins the Game Of Thrones


Shooting in 3D
An interview with "The Three Musketeers" cinematographer Glen MacPherson, CSC, ASC. This movie is being shot in 3D and the interview talks much about shooting in 3D, though also talks about the camera's low-light capabilities:
I tried to stick to the 800 EI as much as possible, although we got up to 1280 or 1600 EI at some points I think, in extreme low light situations. We had some night exteriors at Bamberg in Bavaria with huge expanses we had to light and I just don't think I could have shot it on film, with the equipment we had. I'd walk out of my tent and think there wasn't nearly enough light, but we'd be shooting at T2.8; it was amazing.
Alexa Shoots The Three Musketeers in 3D


You want fries with that?
The ARRI Facebook page has an interesting report:
Yesterday we visited a rental house in LA and saw an ALEXA that had been burned to a crisp in a fire. On a whim, we powered the camera up. Not only did the camera start up, but the display worked, it output images and we recorded footage on an SxS card. What a testimony to the ruggedness of this camera! Thanks to camera owner David Wells from Moving Pictures Electronics Services for permission to post this.
Facebook: Burned ALEXA still works!




General News
Red Giant Colorista Free and LUT Buddy
Stu Maschwitz explains some details about these two new - free! - tools, and notes that Colorista Free supports CDL compatibility. CDL stands for Color Decision List and is a method of sharing simple, primary grades between different systems. It was created by the American Society of Cinematographers and is supported by nearly all high-end color grading systems.
ProLost: Two Free Color Correction Plug-ins from Red Giant Software



Documentary Shooting with the Canon T2i and Panasonic HPX-170
An article from Greg Sucharew and Frank Trotta about shooting "The Bicycle City" in Nicaragua, where they decided to use the Canon Canon EOS Rebel T2iDSLR as well as a more traditional HPX-170.
The 170 offered us the benefits of the traditional video camera – high quality sound, ease of use, and stability. The T2i gave us a DSLR’s ability to change lenses based on shifting shooting environments/objectives, a compact lightweight body, high-resolution video, and the capability to capture still images that made it perfect for time-lapse photography.
DSLR NewsShooterSHOOTING THE BICYCLE CITY – A DSLR DOCUMENTARY BY GREG SUCHAREW AND FRANK TROTTA



Multi-camera video production iPhone app - Collabracam
This is both amazing and a little bit puzzling; a multi-camera video app for the iPhone! Collabracam links up to four iPhone 4, 3GS or iPod Touch 4G cameras as sources, and then away you go editing on a fifth. It seems to have some impressive functions, including the ability to send camera move or angle cues to the camera operators. BUT, you're editing at 640x480. You could always upload the videos and re-edit, but it doesn't look like the program
Collabracam




Final Cut Pro post-of-the-day

There's really no news, but Apple taking over the upcoming SuperMeet to announce the next release of Final Cut Pro is such a big news event that I have to write something...I feel like one of those 24 hours news cable announcers repeating variations of the same thing over and over again...


Ask the AV Guy
Chris Eschweiler claims to be the AV guy for the SuperMeet [you're right, this is definitely getting very cable newsish -Ed] and though nobody met his asking price of a small tropical island (with submarine) to reveal what he knows about the SuperMeet, he did tweet:
Exporting logos for #SuperMeet. And there are just as many logos as there were a week ago. Huh. Funny, that. #dontbelieveeverythingyouread
@chrisesch
"Don't believe everything you read"...... hmmm...


Meanwhile, Philip Hodgetts, who knows a person or two involved with the SuperMeet, and maybe even some people at Apple, tweeted:
I can't reveal my source but Supermeet is definitely FCP X preview. Yes it's very unlike Apple and all happened at last minute
@philiphodgetts


Kevin Smith
Meanwhile, the whole Kevin-Smith-getting-booted-from-the-program got a lot of mileage on Twitter, but Avid seems to have found a home for him.
We’re happy to announce that Kevin will be featured during an NAB General Session which is open to all. Join us on Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM in room S222 of the Upper South Hall. All you need to attend is an NAB Exhibit Badge or a SuperMeet badge.
I'm sure he'll have some nice things to say about Apple [But what about poor Philip Bloom? He got booted too! -Ed]
Avid Community: Give Kevin Smith a Stage at NAB – UPDATE
Philip Bloom: Live appearances at NAB including live broadcasts through Teradek



Google Puts Things In Perspective
As important as all this SuperMeet stuff may seem to us, it's important to put things in perspective. In doing a Google search today for 'SuperMeet' the first item returned was titled Report: "Apple Launching New Final Cut Pro Next Tuesday," but the second item was: "Kevin Smith headlines NAB SuperMeet | MacNews" The third, fourth and fifth were about neither topic, but the sixth was "Filmmaker Kevin Smith Headlines 10th Annual NAB SuperMeet"

News travels slowly.

Friday, April 08, 2011

Red Giant Announces Free Colorista | Updated

Red Giant Software has pre-announced their NAB announcements:


Colorista Free. Colorista II is a great color grading plug-in that works with Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro and Apple's Final Cut Pro. Think of it as a step up from the Final Cut three-way color corrector, without the confusion of Apple Color. Colorista Free is a sub-set of the Colorista II plug-in, available for free! No word on availability or what feature set is implemented.

LUT Buddy is a free tool for sharing Look Up Tables.

[UPDATE Both are now available for download here: Two New FREE Tools for Color Grading & Color Decisions]


Magic Bullet Grinder 1.5: a free update to this Mac tool for converting DSLR footage. Three new options for time-code, and two new main codec formats ProRes HQ & LT have been added and support for conforming from 30p to 25p (it already supports 30p to 24p)

Also, Guru Preset Packs, and for the iPhone, Magic Bullet Movie Looks and Noir Photo.

Red Giant: NAB News: What’s New at Red Giant


[UPDATE: Added link to download page for Colorista Free and LUT Buddy ]

Quick Links

Final Cut Pro:
There's news about Final Cut other than the goings-on at the SuperMeet.


Cameras
  • In the field - A cautionary tale. In this blog post Robin Schmidt talks about his experiences using the Sony PMW-F3 and the AJA Key Pro Mini on a recent 48 hour film challenge. Rather than a review of either, this story is more a cautionary tale about using equipment that you are unfamiliar with in situations where you have little or no time to get up to speed and to adjust to the way the equipment works. They didn't realize the camera was on an odd color setting, they found it harder to hand-hold than they expected, and the Key Pro batteries ran out after three hours. Elskid: F3 VS KI PRO MINI VS 5D – IN BRIEF

  • Sony 4K Camera: HollywoodReporter says that "Sony Electronics will unveil a prototype digital cinematography camera capable of handling true 4K and higher-resolution imagery Sunday at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas." Sony has been hinting about this camera, and the sensor they are developing to work with it for some time now. HollywoodReporter: New Details Emerge About Sony Electronics' 4K Camera
    NotesOnVideo: Welcome to 4K Sony, Seriously

  • Canon announced two PL-mount Cine lenses for 4K cameras: Designated as the Canon FK14.5-60 wide-angle cine zoom and the Canon FK30-300 telephoto cine zoom, these precision-matched lenses incorporate breakthrough Canon optical designs that simultaneously optimize and enhance multiple imaging attributes while minimizing optical aberrations and distortions.
    Note that Canon showed a prototype 4K camera at the Canon Expo in New York last year. Canon: Canon U.S.A. Introduces Two PL-Mount Digital Cine Zoom Lenses With Full 4K Image Format Performance

  • RED Epic 5K try out. The guys and gals at fxguide get their hands on the RED Epic and give it the full video review treatment ( - with a nod and a wink to a certain UK motoring program) fxguidetv: #106: EPIC & April fxphd


Software:
  • Boinx Software iStopMotion Review: Mike Curtis reviews this stop motion animation tool for MacWorld. While he found it easy to get started, as he got more ambitious he found it rather limited. MacWorld: iStopMotion Pro 2.7

  • Lightworks Update: There's an update to the open source Lightworks video editor. Lightworks 2010 Public Beta - 10.0.4

  • Magic Bullet Colorists II 1.0.1 Update:  fixes problems with non-English installations, crashing issues, and in Final Cut Pro, the Mids and Highs RGB functionality were switched, so that when the RGB Mids were raised it effected the whites and when the RGB Highs were raised they effected the middle values. RedGiant: Magic Bullet Colorista II 1.0.1 – Bug Fixes and Goodies


Other:

Final Cut Pro X Non-News: Is Apple "All-In?"

[Update 4/13: To see what was revealed, check out SuperMeet reports: Final Cut Pro 10 - Sneak Peak Wrap Up]

The presentation with #FCP at the #Supermeet ends one of two ways. Big Win or Epic Fail. Nothing in between."
- @walterbiscardi
Walter Biscardi - who's definitely on the "not applauding" side of the fence when it comes to Apple's apparent heavy-handed takeover of the SuperMeet - has written his FCP X manifesto:
In the parlance of Las Vegas, Apple has gone “All In” for this one event. There is no Apple booth on the show floor. There is no Sunday Apple Marketing event. There is no ANYTHING from Apple other than a complete takeover of one of the largest paid gatherings of video editors at NAB. In other words, just one shot in front of an audience of the very people who will make or break the product and presentation.
He then goes on to list seven things he thinks this release has to have. Now he does say "forget the interface," at the beginning, which maybe gives you an idea of what he thinks is important, because the first five items aren't the most exciting demo subjects: Media Management, Offline / Online Workflow, Format Integration, Project Settings and TimeCode output.

That'll make for an exciting ten minutes.

If that's all Apple has to demo...well it's important work, but would anyone see it as little more than a maintenance release with a power-feature or two thrown in for good measure?

His last two suggestions are much more interesting; on-screen text tool and full integration of apps. Now you're talking something interesting!

But then he goes back to demo hell with his next requirement:
The most efficient workflow to get my job done so I can spend more time on the creative and less time on the technical.
And in case you think "workflow" means user interface, or even integrated apps, I don't think so: he cites Adobe as having the lead here. I'm assuming he's talking about working with multiple formats without having to transcode.

There goes another five minutes of the demo. Just another hour and a half to fill.

Yes, I do hope they've done things to make working with compressed formats easier; but would I consider that "jaw dropping?" Come on, Adobe CS5 is already doing that!

And then - even though he said he wasn't going to talk interface - Walter set's up a straw man, and trots out the big fear of the past year; the iMovie-fication of Final Cut.:
Or have they made something that’s really more prosumer targeted that won’t stand up to following demos by Avid / Premiere and will take 2 hours to convince us it’s the best product?
This makes little sense given that at the beginning of the article he said that Larry Jordan described the demo as "jaw dropping." And Mark Raudonis - who was also there - has described it as "awesome." Are we honestly expected to believe that they would be saying things like that about iMovie Pro?

In his very limited comments on the demo, Mark did say that Apple is looking to the future; or as he said in his metaphor, "where the puck will be."

Which, oddly enough, reminded of something Steve Weiss said in his webchat with Planet5D; he wondered why all the young kids were focused on making movies, when so few movies are actually released. He thinks they should embrace the web.

So are we suffering from a lack of imagination?

If history is prologue, look at what Apple has done before; the willingness to embrace new directions and abandon old ways. And don't be shocked if there's still no support for Blu-ray in FCP X, and they've abandoned tape I/O.

FCP X could be startling in more ways than one. It may not be iMovie Pro, but it may not be Final Cut Pro goosed to compete with the features Adobe Premiere CS5 added either.

Steve Jobs has demonstrated time and again a willingness to embrace the future, and it's dangerous to bet against him.

So is it all-in? Will this demo be a Big Win or an Epic Fail? Will we enter the Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field and be amazed, or come out scratching our heads? Or will two camps walk away; one saying that this new version does nothing they want, and the other saying they saw the future.

We find out Tuesday.


BiscardiCreative: Apple’s “All In” move: Big Win or Epic Fail?
NotesOnVideoMore on Final Cut Pro
NotesOnVideo: Steve Weiss - Zacuto | Webchat recap

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Large Sensor News

Video review of the Sony PMW-F3
Philip Johnston of HD Warrior reviews the Sony PMW-F3: He likes it! He really likes the low-light capabilities of the camera, and he mostly likes it's layout and operation (much better than the NEX-FS100, anyway!) About the biggest dings against it; the lack of a tape hook for measuring focus distances, and the fact that the Sony lenses won't fit other cameras.

He also demonstrates how to remove and attach lenses.
HDWarriorVideo Review of the Sony PMW-F3



Sony PMW-F3 Kit Lens Quality
While we're talking about the Sony lenses that are included with the Sony PMW-F3 Kit, Matthew Duclos at the Circle of Confusion took apart one of those lenses, and he wasn't impressed, finding lots of plastic and poor build quality:
While I was taking the lens apart I came across so many things that rubbed me the wrong way like the plastic all over the place, the screws didn’t line up with their holes and were stripped before I even touched them.
He has added an update to the original post noting that the optical quality of the lenses is quite good, and he does say that the build issues will relate more to service than operation, but he remains unimpressed.
Circle of Confusion: NICE TRY, SONY

[For another interesting data point on these lenses, check this earlier post about a person who did a comparison between the Sony, Arri Ultra Prime and Zeiss CP1 lenses. NotesOnVideo: Lens Color Differences]



Panasonic AG-AF100 Scene Files
Andy Shipsides at AbelCine has put together some scene files for the AG-AF100, and also notes a trick for reducing sensor noise: ...to my surprise, changing the Matrix settings to NORM2 seemed to make the biggest difference.
The scene files are:
  • CLEAN: gives the cleanest possible image in terms of noise
  • RANGE: increases the dynamic range of the camera
  • 5DMK2: designed to match up with the 5D Mark II HDSLR
  • CONTRAST: for anyone wishing for more contrast in their image
  • Cool & Warm: same as the Contrast look but with warm or cool offsets applied
CineTechnica: AF100 Scene Files Created by AbelCine



Kitting out the NEX-FS100
Zacuto has posted pictures of a fully kitted-out the Sony NEX-FS100, complete with baseplate and arms [$2,530.80], follow-focus [$1,591.25], EVF [$950], mattebox [~$1,000] and AJA Key Pro Mini [$1,995.00]. Total Cost? ~$8,066 (camera extra.)

Looks cool though.
Zacuto: Sony’s NEX FS100 has Arrived



Lensbaby Composer Pro
Lensbaby makes a series of low cost effect lenses which can be fun to use. They've now come out with a "Pro" version; the Composer Pro. The Composer Pro upgrades the swivel ball and focus mechanism to deliver smoother focus and tilt control. According to the company, the updated focus mechanism "features a fluid and accurate dampened focus ring comparable to the focus mechanisms of the highest quality professional manual focus lenses." This lens might be the Lensbaby for videographers.

The Composer Pro will retail for $300 with the Double Glass Optic installed or for $400 with the Sweet 35 Optic installed.
Lensbaby: Composer Pro
 
Composer Pro With Sweet 35 Optic [$399.95 B&H] (For Canon EF (EOS)) (For Nikon F) (For Olympus E1) (For Pentax K) (For Sony Alpha A)
Composer Pro With Double Glass Optic [$299.95 B&H] (For Canon EF (EOS)) (For Nikon F) (For Olympus E1) (For Pentax K) (For Sony Alpha A)

Evolution of A Camera Design

Ever wonder how the companies come up with their camera designs? We did too, but after seeing some of the behind-the-scenes process for the Sony NEX-FS100, now we think we understand it:


Canon to enhance 3D capabilities of XF305 and XF300

Canon will later this summer release a firmware update for the XF305 and XF300 Professional Camcorders that includes the ability to configure two units for 3D HD video capture. It will include Canon’s 3D Assist Function that allows two units to be easily set up for 3D HD video, as well as an updated Scan Reverse function, Double Slot Recording for instantaneous backup, and the option to disable Relay Recording. Canon will be demonstrating this functionality at NAB.


3D Shooting Capability
The new firmware includes the ability to perform OIS Lens Shift to aid in optically aligning two XF305 or XF300 camcorders and a Focal Length Guide to display the zoom position of each camera in relation to each other and help calibrate zoom settings. This adjustment can be done through the menu system while the camcorders are mounted to a rig or tripod. Once aligned, the amount of the angle-of-view change is displayed after zoom adjustment, preventing camera misalignment and simplifying adjustment. This is similar to the 3D shooting functionality found in the Company’s XF105 and XF100 model professional camcorders.

Scan Reverse
Allows for recorded images to be flipped on the horizontal axis, vertical axis, or both simultaneously to facilitate recording with 3D mirror rigs.

Double-Slot Recording
Allows the camcorders to record footage simultaneously to both card slots for instant backup of important footage and files.

Note: this firmware is scheduled to be available later this summer and should not be confused with an XF300-series firmware update being posted today.


More on Final Cut Pro

a friend has seen new FCP says its 64 bit and awesome and he is a long time Avid user. said Avid will need to play catch up
- @ronsussman


From the March 2011 Editors' Lounge:
In this panel discussion Mark Raudonis says he was at the pre-reveal of Final Cut, and that Apple has good lawyers, but:
Here's what I can say.
I was there.
It was awesome.
-Mark Raudonis
He then goes on to say that he can't give details, he can only speak in metaphors, and then suggests that Apple is looking into the future, rather than extending what we have...

There's also some speculation from other panel members, including this:
"We've heard that there's no tape I/O"
fcp.co: Pre-NAB buzz on the future of FCP from the guys who broke the SuperMeet rumour



Breaking - Charlie Sheen to give Apple Keynote at Supermeet. Hopes to make up for Detroit. #winning
- @comebackshane


Final Cut Pro vs. Avid
Aaron Weiler does an amusing little spoof of the Avid vs. Final Cut Pro argument, done in the style of a Mac vs. PC ad.
AaronWeiler: Final Cut Pro VS Avid


[Breaking] Apple at the supermeet will take the stage to demo the new three way color corrector controller for the iPad. That's it. #post
- @robtheeditor

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

SuperMeet Sold Out

[UPDATE 6:06 PM
Now the page says:
Temporarily Sold Out! WAITLIST IN EFFECT.
We are currently working to accommodate more seats.
But there's nothing about how to get on the waitlist (that will probably appear shortly...?

This is exciting stuff, no? [Not if you don't use Final Cut Pro, No. - Ed]

[9:00PM] Now the waitlist text is gone....  -END]



[UPDATE 6:00 PM
Site now just says:
Temporarily Sold Out!
We are currently working to accommodate more seats.
Unclear if any tickets were made available this afternoon. If they were, they went fast! -END]



[UPDATE: 2:00 PM
@AJAVideo tweeted earlier:
@NABShow 4/11] #AJAVideo is the exclusive sponsor for #NAB11 #FCPUG #SuperMeet live video stream
Which is kind of odd if the live stream - as others have reported - will not be happening.


Scott Simmons at Studio Daily rips into Apple for kicking everyone else off the program:
If Apple is confident in the awesome, jaw-dropping, stunning product it has produced then it should want to present during the second half of the show and let the new product stand on its own against the competition.
Personally, at the moment no one know's exactly how this went down. Was the offer to the SuperMeet organizers "give us the whole show, or we won't come" or was it something more insidious like "give us the whole show or we'll never talk to you again"? If the former, then it's as much the SuperMeet organizers responsibility as Apple's. Maybe they were damned if they do, damned if they don't, but they could have still said no. If it's the latter, then yes, Apple is guilty of more than playing hard ball, and should be called on it.

One thing is for certain, this looks like it's turned into the biggest event of NAB; and that's surely what Apple wanted.-END]



The SuperMeet page now says that the event is "Temporarily Sold Out!"
We are currently working to accommodate more seats. Check this page on Wednesday, April 6 at 4:00PM EST for details.


When Would It Ship? The SuperMeet page does say "sneak peek," which raises the question; when would it ship? There was speculation earlier that some of the new features may be tied to Mac OS X Lion, which isn't due until the summer.


Chris Fenwick has already written at article listing the features he thinks the new version of Final Cut should have: One to One: Final Cut Studio 4 Review


More details, see also: SuperMeet Event Changes - Apple to unveil Final Cut?


Apple wants to show up and take over the Supermeet stage-you let em. Try telling Paul McCartney to get off the stage at a Beatles re-union.
@tomchartrand
Apple to announce #FCPx for iPhone 5/iPad2 at lafcpug #supermeet. Next Tuesday.
@BeetleCarDriver





Rick Macomber, DP/Editor | shooting with the T2i

DP/Editor, photojournalist and multimedia specialist Rick Macomber shot the following promo video for Joanne Chang's book Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe.


He talked about shooting the piece at last week's BOSFCPUG & Boston DSLR Meetup.


THIS IS FLOUR BAKERY from Rick Macomber on Vimeo.

I shot the video for her publisher, and this was really guerrilla shooting. Hand held for the most part, low budget, done in about three hours, and they wanted it turned around very quickly to get up on their web site.

These days she delegates much of the baking to her staff because she is running three bakeries, in addition to the funky indie diner with her husband, Christopher Myers: Myers + Chang in the South End. It’s the perfect example of someone who is very successful, and is caught up in the business now. When she said to me, “How are you going to film me, and do a Day in the Life? I sit in my little office much of the day now.” I said “You’re not going to do that today!”

I went to her loft located on the edge of Chinatown in the morning. Did the interview in one hour, and then I had about three hours in the bakery. And then the editing took about a day with a couple of fixes at the end. The publisher gave me a short list of questions, and then I ad-libbed from there. I basically locked down the shot on her and sat next to the camera.

Rick Macomber

Everything was real time, there was no time to set up shots. They were busy, the staff was working, they were baking things, I had to shoot hand held because things were happening so fast. I started out on the tripod, but I quickly pulled it off the tripod and did it all hand-held.

Let me tell you. She was popping food in my mouth the whole three hours I was shooting. "Try this, try this!"

After it was done, I did a couple of slider shots and a couple of tripod shots.

I was shooting with a Canon T2i, and a 17-50mm Tamron f/2.8 that I bought used on Craigslist. I had one little LED daylight light running on batteries on a light stand which I moved around the kitchen as I followed Joanne and her staff as they worked. I used a wireless microphone system with a Beachtek audio adapter for the sound because I’m sick and tired of synching up the audio with the H4n. I did have the H4n as the backup.

For the customer shots, I had to ask each person for permission to shoot them, and I had to crop out others.

Remember when she talked about her favorite brioche and that she can’t look at them, and if she does she’ll eat them all? I told her I’m going to go back pro bono one Saturday morning and I’m going to make her bake those and shoot that and have her popping one in her mouth and I’ll add that to the video for free. Because, she gave me all these photographs and I said, no, this is video. We need video. I told her I’d go back and we’d do that one scene because it’d be much more compelling when she talks about eating her favorite food.

Macomber Productions
Flour Bakery
Myers + Chang

Quick Links

Technicolor & Canon Combine on Color
Canon & Technicolor have announced Technicolor CineStyle, which provides cinematographers with a look that allows for the greatest image latitude.  The new CineStyle will be unveiled at the NAB show: Technicolor: Technicolor & Canon USA Form Strategic Alliance...

It appears that this will be a picture style in the camera much like the existing picture styles. According to Planet5D, Canon USA doesn't now if this will be available for existing cameras. Planet5DUPDATED! TECHNICOLOR & Canon USA...



Prime lens vs. Zoom
B & H posts two pictures taken with a prime and a zoom lens, and asks you to pick which is which: B&HInsightsPrime vs Zoom, Can You Tell the Difference?



James Cameron wants Higher Frame Rates
Perhaps lead by his interest in 3D, James Cameron is pushing for higher frame rates. But there is a lot of debate about whether higher frame rates are "good" or "bad." Part of the "film look" that many people strive to recreate is 24p. This battle isn't new; Douglas Trumbull has been pushing for high frame rates for years [See NotesOnVideo: The 24p debate: Part I]

The debate continues on the blogs. In the pro 24p camp, Filmmaker Stu Maschwitz has jumped into the debate at his blog ProlostMovies at High Frame Rates
Whether it’s 60 fps or 48 (which is close to PAL video’s 50 fields per second), we’ve seen these frame rates before. And audiences have rejected them to varying degrees for as long as I can remember
In the pro high-frame rate camp, Andrew Reid at EOS HD responds:
This is where I have to disagree with Stu that the loss of 24p is a bad thing.Stu is applying a 2D cinematic mindset to a completely different game here. What suits 2D is not what suits 3D, and visa-versa.
EOSHD: Cameron & Jackson are right - 60p and 3D are how our eyes see reality



Software
  • DaVinci Resolve Review. Jim Geduldick reviews Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve: "The Resolve software has the tools that set it apart in both price and features, including stereoscopic support. You will need a supported Blackmagic video card, and at the time of this testing only the Decklink Extreme 3D was capable of giving me stereoscopic output." PostMagazine: Review: Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve software

  • Phonetic Indexing Part I: Scott Simmons looks at the latest features in Avid Media Composer 5.5, including PhraseFind, which "is a phonetic indexing tool that “listens” to your audio and allows you to search out words or phrases using those results." ProVideoCoalitionKicking the tires on Avid Media Composer 5.5

  • Phonetic Indexing Part II: Over at the digitalfilms blog, Oliver Peters goes through GET, the phonetic indexing tool for Final Cut ProGet – Dialogue Search for Final Cut Pro

The Business of Movies
  • Where Do Movie Goers Get Their Info? Good news for mobile phone makers, bad news for newspapers: "about 40 percent of moviegoers [...] got information about showtimes from a mobile device. Another 40 percent got movie times from the internet. A mere 1 percent found out about when a movie was playing from the newspapers." TheWrap: Moviegoers Getting Info From Mobile Devices, Not Newspapers

  • Netflix Distribution Not For Indie Movies: Greg Sandoval at CNET looks at the economics of distributing through Netflix, and notes some red flags for indie movie makers: "Of the movies that go this route, Balsz said the most she's seen anybody earn from streaming is $20,000. "If you have $2 million in your film, you're not going to pay it off this way," she said." CNET: Some indie studios wary of Netflix partnership

  • Yesterday Writer/Director/Actor Edward Burns, who has embraced Indie movie making, tweeted: And they said I was crazy back in 2007 - take a look: and pointed to an article by Steve Pond about Indie films moving to online. "The message is clear: for some movies theatrical is for show, but on-demand and streaming is just as important." TheWrapThe New Indie Film Arthouse: Is It Moving Online?

Cameras
  • Sony Bloggie Duo: Sony posts a short promo about the Bloggie Duo, a Flip-like camera with a screen on both sides; perfect for shooting yourself: YouTubeNew Sony Bloggie Duo: Unboxing & Demo

  • Nikon Announces the D5100: The Nikon D5100 has been announced, and DPReview has a preview up already: Nikon D5100 Preview. Price is $800 body-only and it's expect release is April 21.
    Nikon has a promo video YouTube: NIKON D5100 (English).
    They've also released an external "video" microphone: ME-1 Stereo Microphone.
    While the camera offers 24p and 30p, and they have switched to AVC-HD H.264, EOSHD wonders if all they have managed to do is catch up to where Canon already is. EOSHD: Nikon D5100 announced (UPDATED)

  • Sony NEX-FS100 low-light test: The Video Cobra posts another sample video shot with the NEX-FS100 with one-cigarette lighter illumination at 0db, 6db and 12db. There's also a bit at 15 and 30 db Vimeo: Low Light Killer

  • Sony NEX-FS100 Footage in Post | James Tonkin did the grading for the Vertigo video shot be Den Lennie and in a post at F Stop Academy talks about the experience. He's very impressed by the image quality, low noise, and even the "film grain" like noise it produces. He concludes:
    I look forward to trying the camera next time using the HDMI out to 4.2.2 into a NanoFlash or Atomos Ninja to see the difference in image quality and latitude, however at present even the standard AVCHD codec seems a big improvement over H.264 from a DSLR. FStopAcademy: FS100 FOOTAGE IN POST

  • Sony PMW-F3 Video: A mystery/thriller cinematic piece shot by Ryan Bohling with the PMW-F3 and Sony prime lenses: VimeoChapter 1: The Woods

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

SuperMeet Event Changes - Apple to unveil Final Cut?

[UPDATE 2: 
Larry Jordan - who back in February was the first to report seeing a demo of the new version of Final Cut [NotesOnVideo: Final Cut Pro Update - confirmation] - has posted his thoughts on the news from the SuperMeet. He's actually puzzled why - assuming the rumors are true - Apple would do this. He argues that they are pissing off other vendors [well, Avid yes, Canon is probably fine about it, who knows about the others -Ed], placed the SuperMeet people in a difficult position with having to make these changes, and why does Apple even need to be at a trade show?

All good points. I must admit, even though I'd heard a suggestion that Apple was going to make an appearance at the SuperMeet last week, I'm still a little surprised - almost shocked - that they are. I've been telling people for the last couple of months not to expect a new version of Final Cut at NAB, because Apple doesn't do trade shows anymore; they aren't on the list of exhibitors at NAB at the moment.

Except that now, it appears, they do. Sort of.

LarryJordan.biz: Is the New Final Cut Pro Coming at NAB?

Note: I suspect that there will be few further details about the event until it actually happens.]



[UPDATE 1:
@indyfcpug (The Indianapolis Final Cut Pro Users Group) reports there will be no live stream of this years SuperMeet. This is a departure from the most recent SuperMeets which have all been streamed live.

It has also been noted that despite the changes in the main program, there are NO changes to the vendor area or the venue for the SuperMeet.

The Twitterverse has been abuzz with comments from excited Final Cut Pro users, and a fair amount of snark from Avid users. Avid themselves may not be too happy about being bumped; Carter Holland, Marketing strategist and VP at Avid re-tweeted this comment:
RT @walterbiscardi: Instead of a roster of industry leaders & workflows, #SuperMeet now appears to be reduced to a single marketing pitch
They have also invited people to tell them what they think of Kevin Smith being bumped off the stage.]



Looks like something's up at the upcoming SuperMeet in Vegas; all the first half presenters - including Philip Bloom and Kevin Smith - have been pulled, and the SuperMeet site itself now just says:
The Final Cut Pro User Group Network is excited to have a very special guest presentation at the 10th Annual Las Vegas FCPUG SuperMeet. Come to see a surprise sneak peek at something very special - you really do not want to miss this one!
As of last week, there had been multiple presenters listed for the first half of the event, with a teaser for the second half details to be "posted shortly."

It's now widely thought that Apple is taking over, and is going to be showing something...we assume it would be the new release of Final Cut, since SuperMeet is run by the Final Cut Pro User Group Network.

Philip Bloom himself tweeted:
Afraid I won't now be speaking at the #supermeet next Tuesday at #nab. Hopefully something big will be announced there by Apple instead #fb
Hope the new version of FCP that should be announced on Tuesday will be everything we have hoped for and more... #fb
Avid has confirmed that at the last minute the SuperMeet event organizers cancelled Kevin Smith’s talk. They also say that they are looking for other opportunities to have Kevin speak to editors. Avid Community: Inside Out: Give Kevin Smith a Stage at NAB

ProVideoCoalition has more: Are you ready for FCP X? As does AppleInsider: Apple to announce new Final Cut Pro on April 12, pushing sponsors out of event

SuperMeet

Links From Here & There

So long "Lights Out"
Matt Seitz at Salon takes a look at the just canceled FX drama "Light's Out" and tries to figure out why it didn't really work:
A film director once told me that he knew a screenplay needed rewrites when somebody asked him what it was about, and his description began with the phrase, "It's about this guy..." Scripts that are About This Guy can make unusual, sometimes engrossing stand-alone art house movies. But they don't make great TV shows.
It's a good piece not because he's trying to tear the show apart, but because he actually tries to diagnose the problems.
Salon: So long, "Lights Out" -- you coulda been a contender



The greatest tracking shots
I've always loved long tracking shots, even though in using them there is a danger that the viewer gets distracted from the story by the "art" of them. For a while I intended to start a list of great tracking shots, but never got around to it. And now I don't have to, because FimmakerIQ has done it for me, complete with links to YouTube clips!
Note: The Rope clip may seem rather plain, but Rope is a special case of special cases; it was shot as a series of long takes up to ten minutes in length (the maximum length possible on a roll of film.)
Note 2: The Shining was the second major motion picture to make use of the Steadicam (after Rocky).
FimmakerIQ: 25 Greatest Tracking Shots in Movie History



New Product Announcements
It's just before NAB and the new announcements are starting to trickle in.
  • Zacuto has announced their new products; the EVF isn't really new, but now it is up for ordering, and will be shipping next month. They also have a bit more info on the Scorpion rig that Steve Weiss demoed yesterday in the webchat at Planet5D. Zacuto: New Products

  • 3D Hero System GoPro has gone official with their 3D case for hooking up two GoPro Hero cameras and shooting 3D. It's $99. GoPro: 3D Hero System

  • Presto Presentation tool for Final Cut Pro. Singular Software announces the public beta of this new tool for Final Cut Pro to automatically synchronize footage of the presenter, presentation slides, and a video taken of the screen – creating a polished video of the presentation in just minutes. The demo is available to download: Singular Software

  • PHYX Keyer 2.0 for the FxFactory. Noise Industries and development partner PHYX Inc. announce PHYX Keyer 2.0, designed to work inside Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion and Apple Final Cut Express. PHYX Keyer 2.0 is GPU-accelerated for speed increases of up to 300% and introduces three new professional-quality plug-ins to the existing pack; Composite Matcher, FastKeyer, and MatteFuse. PHYX Keyer

  • Photo Montage slide-show for FxFactory also from Noise Industries Photo Montage presents users with more than one-hundred animated presets, twenty transition styles, easy re-ordering and re-timing options, and built-in motion blurring features for animating any type of still image within Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion and Apple Final Cut Express. Noise Industries: Photo Montage

Adobe Sneak-Previews things
Adobe.tv hosts some videos showing upcoming improvements.
  • Adobe Media Encoder: They've added lots of new presets (including the iPad!) making them easier to apply, and you can output to multiple formats. Sneak-Preview of Adobe Media Encoder Improvements to Encoding

  • Integration of Adobe Story Scripts into Premiere: Lets you move scripts from Adobe Story and embed them in Premiere as Meta Data. Export the script, add Scene numbers in Premiere to your clips, then import the script and it's embedded as meta data. You can then search based on the meta data. Also improves speech-to-text accuracy: Adobe Story Integration with Premiere Pro

  • New Motion Stabilizer for After Effects: The Warp Stabilizer replaces the original stabilizer. Analyzing takes place in the background, and "it almost looks like it was shot with a dolly." He also shows the track points the stabilizer adds to figure out how things move. It can even deal with Rolling Shutter issues which can make smoothing motion difficult. New Motion Stabilizer for After Effects

Steve Weiss - Zacuto | Webchat recap

Yesterday Planet5D held a live webchat with Steve Weiss, Director and Product Designer at Zacuto. The replay of the chat should be up on Planet5D shortly, but here's a recap for those that didn't make it.

Steve Weiss

On price
Mitch from Planet5D opened up the chat by asking Steve about the price of Zacuto gear, noting that some consider it expensive.

"If you look at our kits. We have kits that range from $500 to many thousands of dollars. We wanted to make our kits incredibly complete. Some of the other competitors, you have to buy another part, and another part.
We make them 35 miles from our office. If we have an idea [we can] have it done in 5 or six weeks.
We build our stuff to an indestructible military grade [and have a] life-time warranty."

He also sighted their tech support as another benefit they provide.

Scorpion Rig

Scorpion rig
Steve showed a new Scorpion rig, which is aimed primarily at DSLR shooters, and has an unusual curve plate that goes up-and-over the user's shoulder. This rig makes it possible to hold the camera lower, while still using the shoulder for support. The curve plate has a special foam underneath that molds to your body.

The rig will be displayed at NAB, but there isn't any price yet [see Update below -Ed]

Zacuto Z-Finder EVF

EVF
The Zacuto Z-Finder EVF will be at NAB, he said that they will start taking orders for it today. It will ship early May.

He had one on hand and demoed it, listing some of the many features, including an ability to auto-detect what camera is being used, and adjust the image on the screen with pillar-boxing on the left and right side accordingly. You can manually go in and scale the image any way you want, or set it to fill the entire screen

There are two full sized HDMI’s with pass through, and a USB slot for upgrading firmware.

It comes with a charger and a Canon LP-E6-style battery (it's a third party battery.) An 18" HDMI cable has swivels at each end, and also included is a case and a mount.

It will do audio monitoring (displayed onscreen), but doesn't do audio pass-through. He contended that this would have added to the cost, and if you're serious enough to be using pass-through, you'll probably be doing dual sound anyway.

When asked why two parts, Steve said that it was so you have options. Also, existing customers can use their existing Zacuto Z-Finder with it.

There are 3 anamorphic squeeze options: 2x 1.5x and 1.33x anamorphic, and also a frameline generator.

Someone asked how reliable the focus assist peaking is, and he said it worked very well, and you can adjust the sensitivity, so that the edges that are in focus will be enhanced.
It’s not the camera that makes the filmmaker. It’s your idea’s and the content and your writing, and your lighting and all that.


Little Known Fact
The name Zacuto was taken from Abraham Zacuto a Jewish astronomer, astrologer, mathematician and historian who served as Royal Astronomer to King John II of Portugal.


Other Projects
He showed a new grip "cover" which adds more cushioning to a handle. When asked whether they'd considered doing some kind of camera stabilizer, he said that Glidecam and Steadicam have got that down. "Why would I even try to make one?"


On the movie business
Steve spent some time discussing their web productions - both past and present - and advocated using the web and webisodic series as a way to get your content to viewers. He pointed out that comparatively few movies actually make it out to theaters, and that "you can’t get millions of viewers in the movie theaters" anyway.
Why do you kids on the internet think it’s better to make a movie than to make a webisodic series?
He felt there were other ways to be creative and get produced. Pointing to some of the projects that are coming to the web (like Kiefer Sutherland's latest web-based project) Steve suggested that somebody needs to go to a company like Staples and tell them they should finance a television series, but have them host it on their site. Tell them: "Wouldn’t you rather have somebody watching content on your site than off your site?"

NOTE: Zacuto will be announcing new products at 1pm EST today
[UPDATE: Zacuto NAB Announcements]

Planet5D
Zacuto Z-Finder EVF

March BOSFCPUG + Boston DSLR Meetup Report

Last weeks combined BOSFCPUG & Boston DSLR meetup at E. P Levine’s in Waltham started with free pizza [courtesy AJA]. Levine's is a great meeting location - they have a nice big studio for us to meet in - though I really think we need a diagram to explain where you can park.

Dan Berube. Holding in his hands, he claimed, the Canon 5D Mark III

Dan Berube opened the meeting by demoing what he claimed was the Canon 5D Mark III* and also introducing our hosts for the event from E.P. Levine. [UPDATE: For the asterisk impaired, Dan want's it to be clear that it wasn't the 5D Mark III -Ed]

Main Presentation - Yan Shvalb: Time Remapping in FCP and Motion and Timelapse Workflow (plus more!)
This talk may have been billed as a discussion of time-lapse workflow, but was really an introduction to compositing using different applications. Yan Shvalb of DigitalFilmCreators.com began his talk by showing a sample reel and then explained how he did several of the effects shots in the reel. All of them combined multiple sources - time-lapse sequences, live video, or stills - to create dramatic visuals.

I counted about 70 people in this picture

In the first example, an artist was shown sketching a model. The artist was recorded as a time-lapse and composited with regular video of the model. This created a more pleasing final result because while the artist was jumping about in the timelapse, the model appeared “normal” and fluid.
I want you to not think about the tools, but really think about being an artist. You want to have as many tools available as possible. Yes I know Shake, it’s a great compositing tool, but I use Photoshop, I use Motion, I use After Effects. Whatever tool makes sense, that’s the tool you use.
-Yan Shvalb
Yan demonstrated using a travelling matte in Apple Motion, reminding the Final Cut Studio users that it’s included in the package, and that while Final Cut is a great editor, you want to get out of Final Cut as soon as possible when you’re doing visual effects.

He then moved to Adobe After Effects for a quick demo of that program and it's amazing Roto Brush. This is a great time saver over Motion he said, if the shape is changing, because Motion doesn’t have an automated Rotoscope tool. He did say that the Motion Tracker in Motion is “a bit more accurate” than the one in After Effects.
You’re a filmmaker, and it’s your job to tell a great story.
-Yan Shvalb
The Roto Brush in After Effects – if you haven’t seen it – really is amazing, and is great for moving and changing shapes, but it’s not good for hair.
In this industry, the quicker you can turn something around, the more money you can make.
-Yan Shvalb
He next used Adobe Photoshop to overlay a still image over a video sequence. Photoshop is quite happy to work with video, though he did note that After Effects is much faster at rendering video than Photoshop.

If you’re doing hard core compositing, he recommends looking at Nuke by The Foundary. He described it as 'hard core,' partly because you need a PhD just to figure it out! One of the things he likes about it is that it’s node based, just like his other favorite compositing tool; Shake. Nuke is a 3D compositing tool; Shake is just a 2D compositing tool.
Shake is perfect the way it is. It’s the perfect 2D compositing tool.
-Yan Shvalb
For the last part of the demo he walked through creating an effect in ShakeShake is a VFX tool that Apple bought a couple of years ago and then they took features from it and merged them into Final Cut and iMovie. Shake is no longer available, but you might be able to find it on eBay or at a reseller for about $500 [Or maybe Amazon: Apple Shake 4.1 Visual Effects (Mac)].

Shake is node based, which is a way of working Yan thinks is much more powerful than layers - the method used in After Effects - because it’s easier to change how objects interact with each other after you've built up a complex effect.

He may be right, but whenever I see nodes being demoed, it always looks rather overwhelming.

Yan Shvalb (left)

Yan stressed that it’s really important to plan your effects, and the shots that make up the effects. Planning – for example, figuring out where shadows are in the shot – can make what appears to be a difficult compositing effect, quick and easy to do.

He recommended two books: The Art and Science of Digital Compositing, Second Edition: Techniques for Visual Effects, Animation and Motion Graphicsand Walter Mirch's In the Blink of an Eye.

When asked about Premiere vs Final Cut Pro he said he uses everything and recommends using the tools that are right for you. While he prefers Final Cut, if he needs to edit something very quickly, he will use Premiere because of the support for compressed workflows.
If I have the luxury of cutting the way I like to cut, would I use Premiere? No, because I like Final Cut.
Plus, that compressed work flow only works for me if I’m doing straight cuts. If I’m doing anything to it; if I want to grade it, if I want to do any kind of composites, that compressed workflow is out the window.
-Yan Shvalb
Stuart Cummings demoes the AG-AF100

Panasonic AG-AF100
Following Yan, Stuart Cummings from Watermark Productions talked about the Panasonic AG-AF100. There were two AF100's set up with various accessories, including the Voitlander 25mm lens, which, though it’s not a macro, focuses to 6 inches and has an aperture of .95. Also covered were the AJA Ki Pro Mini, battery systems, rigs and a camera mounting kit from New Hampshire based Westside AV.


Show Your Shorts
The evening concluded with: Show Your Shorts; attendees had been invited to submit their short videos:


Chris Loughran: The Oscar Winning Boston Movie. [see NotesOnVideo: Chris Loughran, Cinematographer, Editor | shooting with the Panasonic AG-AF100]


Art Bell: Time: An Experiment. Art's movie showed the effect you can get by slowing regular video clips way down using Optical Image Flow in Motion. Using a Canon 7D, the video was shot with a high shutter speed; 1/600 or 1/200 at 60fps. Then it was brought into Motion and slowed down to between 5 and 15 % using Optical Image Flow. That was rendered out, then imported into a 24p timeline in Final Cut and then slowed down another 33%.

Most of the clips were quite impressive - a clip of someone exhaling smoke from a cigar springs to mind - but occasionally there were "dirty edges," for example around the tips of one of the birds in flight.

Yan suggested avoiding intersecting motion; "if you have single direction motion it’s great, but if it’s on top of motion going in another direction, you get a warp. To avoid that, you can separate the elements and retime them separately....or just avoid intersecting motion."


Andy Bell: In and Out of the Eye. A "very low-budget" multi-camera shoot. He shot the same performance three nights in a row with a Canon T2i, then produced a three-camera edit using Final Cut Pro.


Jake Thomas: Ask Your Doctor About Meat: A spec video produced for PETA by Ollie Hallowell Productions and shot on a Canon 7D. A very funny video. You can watch it on YouTubeAsk Your Doctor About Meat


Max Esposito: Untitled.  An intro to an uncompleted longer-form video about his collegiate Track and Field team. Max described it as "edited in the style of a sportswear commerical, I tried to capture the emotions an athlete experiences moments before competing." Shot using a Canon 60D and the 5D, and edited with Final Cut Pro.

The piece starts out in monochrome, and then the red's of the athletes uniforms become more vivid. At the same time, the music and the pacing of the editing - all showing the moments leading up to the start of a race - produce a very compelling visual experience. Unfortunately, the piece isn't currently online.

He said that at first he didn’t edit it to the sound while he spent days trying to find the right song. When he finally found it, he went back and re-edited it to match.


Rick Macomber: This is Flour Bakery. This piece will be covered in a later post, but you can see it now on Vimeo: This is Flour Bakery


Rich Moos: Russian Tiger Summit: A Plea to Save the Last of the World's Wild Tigers. This video was shot with the Sony EX1 and the Canon 5D Mark II. Rich noted that the 5D allowed them to shoot in places that they might not have been able to with the EX1. YouTube: Russian Tiger Summit





* It wasn't.

LINKS

Monday, April 04, 2011

Supply Problems

The ongoing problems in Japan continue to pose a problem for manufacturers, and are starting to impact the availability of certain products.






I encourage everyone that can, to donate something to the Red Cross
or charity of their choice to help those in Japan.
G I V E    T O   T H E   R E D   C R O S S