The News

The State of 4K | Filmmaker Magazine
I tried to sum up what's going on in 4K at the moment...

Technology tipping points – when something goes from the unusual to the commonplace – can happen with unexpected rapidity. Has 4K reached a tipping point, and if so what aspect of 4K? Acquisition, production, distribution, or all three? If you’re shooting a film today, should you be shooting in 4K?

But of course, things keep changing. Here's an article that ARRI was promoting yesterday because it makes the case for dynamic range over resolution:

Why 4K Might Not Be the Best Way to Attract Consumers | The Hollywood Reporter

But what if they could choose only one? By a show of hands, the majority of the hundreds of engineers in attendance voted for better pixels, with a fair amount choosing faster pixels (higher frame rates), leaving 4K a distant third with just a few supporters in the room.

From Chicago to the Moon: The power of 4K resolution and how to make it work for you creatively | Philip Bloom

Now with 4K and higher video on HD timelines, it’s becoming quite common. In video, the danger of course is we use this reframing ability to be lazy and not get coverage. That’s a bad idea, never be lazy….also the frame size will change but the DOF won’t, nor will the field of view, that would change by cropping but would on a tighter lens giving a better looking image to cut too if they are cut together.

How We Did It: SNL - "The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders" | Alex Buono
Alex provides a very detailed piece about the shooting of an SNL sketch. Well worth reading, whether you like SNL or not!

Wes Anderson loves his controlled color palettes and we debated the color of the sets on this spot more than any other spot I’ve worked on.  Eventually we combined the dark pink signature color of “The Royal Tenenbaums” with the wall-papered flourish of “Rushmore” for the living room along with the faded yellow and teal palette of “Life Aquatic” and “Moonrise Kingdom” for the bedroom and kitchen.

iMovie (2013) and Final Cut Pro X 10.1 | Alex.4D

When Apple releases big new revisions of software we can insights into their thinking on application design and features. When Final Cut Pro X appeared in 2011, it was very different from the previous version. In the process of rewriting it from scratch they changed the main user interface metaphor and didn't have the opportunity to recreate every feature from Final Cut Pro 7.

PMW-F3, Onboard Codec Slog? | Sam Morgan Moore
Sam continues playing with his new Sony PMW-F3:

So everyone says don’t use the thin onboard codec to record Slog [on the PMW-F3 -Ed]. I am sure there are some gotchas, but it aint that bad..Out of the camera. Grey at 38? Not in my book.

'Anchorman 2' Is The Latest Film To Get The Superticket Treatment | Forbes

The hotly-anticipated film hits theaters December 20th but fans will be able to see the film two days early by purchasing a Superticket. The tickets go on sale November 26th through Fandango. Paramount has yet to announce how much the tickets will cost and what kind of perks come with them.

Nikon announced a new DSLR. I wouldn't normally cover it - it doesn't record video! - but I have a soft spot for DSLR cameras, and old Nikon's in particular. However, they want $3,000 for it, which seems expensive...Unfortunately, some people seem unimpressed anyway:
Dear Nikon… | EOSHD

It is true I don’t get the same emotional kick out of using the 5D Mark III for stills as I do the Fuji X100S, Sony RX1 or Olympus OM-D E-M5. But there’s really no such thing as a retro camera market. People bought into the Fuji X series because the cameras as a whole were compelling in terms of functionality not just design.

Nikon Df vs. Canon 5D Mark III vs. Fuji X100S | Stu Maschwitz

Gordon seems to conclude that Nikon didn’t quite get it right. For myself, I’ve concluded that I already own an expensive, hefty, full-frame DSLR—and while it might not look hipster-retro, it feels great, and using it is second nature to me. Upon closer inspection today, I was reminded that it is, in fact, covered with knobs and dials.

A short skating video I filmed with my Sony F55. Recorded at 120fps and edited natively in FCPX. This is WITHOUT the 2K OLPF installed. I definitely would recommend installing the 2K OLPF for the F5/F55 HFR options.



Chuck Fishbein takes the PMW-300K1 to NY for a test shoot. Video was shot using 4:2:2 50mb at 23.98 fps.