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Friday, April 12, 2013

Quick Links

This is the gadget from NAB I want...


I've been trying to get a camera up in the air - whether with a kite or a jib or what-have-you - for a long time, with not much success. So this under $1,000 quad copter that takes a GoPro Hero, the DJI Phantom Quadcopter, really appealed to me when I first saw it (just a week or two ago.)

And now at NAB they are showing a little gimbal for the thing which will also cost under $1,000. NewShooter has the demo: NAB2013: DJI INNOVATIONS PHANTOM AERIAL COPTER WITH NEW GIMBAL UNIT

Oh! I want one!



Tomorrow, Saturday, the MassProdCoalition seminar series of 2013 gets underway:
Join us for a great collection of Seminars this year with topics developed from feedback in our first series. Each seminar will be an opportunity to learn from a panel of accomplished professionals in a relaxed and intimate environment. The seminars include time for audience Q&A and networking.The 2-hour sessions cover a range of topics from the speakers and presentations for the first hour, followed by a panel discussion for the second hour with an audience Q&A to open the conversation.


I thought Disney closed down their hand drawn division a few years back...
According to former Disney animator Tom Bancroft on Twitter, Disney gutted their hand-drawn animation division this afternoon, and laid off nine veteran animators, including some of the studio’s biggest names


Editor Vashi Nedomansky has been cutting with Premiere Pro for features, commercials and music videos for over 5 years, now the industry is turning to him to help them get up to speed with Premiere Pro. Learn why Vashi chooses Premiere Pro and why he believes the continued refinement in Premiere Pro Next makes it best choice for editing.


| Chuck Fadely | News Shooter
Lightworks, a cross-platform video editing program from Editshare, has a working alpha version of their Mac NLE they showed off at NAB. The $60-per-year program aimed at professional editors and uses an old-school film editing nomenclature: you work in bins, reels, and racks. Robbie Fleming shows Chuck Fadely how it works.


I link to this in the hopes that it might work for you...though I can hardly ever seem to clean up noisey audio when I need to...
This is an excerpt from a recent PowerUP webinar: Repair Bad Audio Using Adobe Audition CS6. We never intend to record bad audio, but, sometimes, weird things just happen.In this Adobe software video training excerpt, I show how to reduce the background noise of an audio clip. There are two ways to do this – one automated and the other manual. I illustrate both in this video.


| Freytag Film
A one rack unit sized Thunderbolt dock that includes 4 independent 2.5 inch disk docking slots for inserting and mounting hard disks and SSD’s.  It features an independent SATA chip per slot so you get maximum speed. That means with a power cable and just a single Thunderbolt cable you can manage 4 disks at once!


Some more info on the NEX-FS700 4K options:
Now before you hover your finger over the Buy It Now button like I just did, realise that Sony are still tightlipped on how much the firmware update will cost (if anything) and there seems to be some confusion too about whether the camera needs to go off for a chargeable service due to hardware changes.


Gordon Willis is regarded by all of his peers as one of the greatest cinematographers in the history of film, and for many as the greatest of all time, period. Meeting with him only served to have him rise in our esteem from previous. Without wanting to use hyperbole, between lensing The Godfather trilogy, many of Woody Allen’s best films (including Annie Hall, Manhattan, Stardust Memories, Interiors, and others) and several master thrillers for Alan J. Pakula (All the President’s Men, Klute, The Parallax View, The Devil’s own, and others)


Firmware coming soon Lots of questions about the firmware updates Canon announced a while back. A non official source has updated us on the progress of the software updates for the following 3 cameras.


So, my question is, what does this mean for all you actors out there who understand and commiserate with Junie Hoang, with respect to your reliance on IMDB? 





Thursday, April 11, 2013

Quick Links

Stunt Driving with the Biscuit Rig, Jr: Interview with Engineer and Driver Robert Nagle | Michael Murie | Filmmaker Magazine 
I had a really interesting chat with Robert Nagle about stunt driving and this special trailer rig they have built:
Robert Nagle studied mechanical engineering and racecar design before becoming a professional race driver. But when he found out that some of the other drivers were working in the film industry, it piqued his interest. Said Nagle, “What I found was that it fulfilled a creative side of me that I didn’t really realize was there.”


NAB 2013 - Tokina New Cinema Lenses | FreshDV | Vimeo
First Samyang, and now Tokina is getting in on the Cine lens business by repackaging the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens with de-clicked aperture, T ratings, new mechanicals and in Canon and Nikon mounts. The optics are unchanged but it's an all-manual lens (not auto-focus etc.) The price is "under $2,000." Shipping around August. They are also showing a 16-28mm which is full-frame, and much more expensive...

Really interesting, and I'm tempted to get one for my Sony NEX-EA50, except that the Sony 10-18mm E mount lens that Sony sells, though not nearly as nice mechanically, and not quite as fast, does have optical image stablization...

NAB 2013 - Tokina New Cinema Lenses from FreshDV on Vimeo.



#TeamAdobe Brings It to NAB 2013 | Eric Philpott | Pro Video Coalition
A look at some new features coming in Adobe's tools:
Editing Finesse represents a whole set of interface and workflow enhancements, including a redesigned timeline, intuitive track targeting, Dupe-detection markers, clearer media start/end labels, and handy new tools, such as Paste Attributes for copying effects from one clip to another. It’s just going to be that much more fun doing your editing in the new Adobe Premiere Pro.
And more from FreshDVNAB 2013 - Adobe Part 1

NAB 2013 - Adobe Part 1 from FreshDV on Vimeo.

FreshDV also take a look atNAB 2013 – Red Giant Bulletproof and Digital Rebellion and Avid & Lightworks



NAB2013: DEVIN GRAHAM: “I DO YOUTUBE, FULL-TIME, FOR A LIVING”
| Jonah Kessel | News Shooter
While his Facebook bio might be simple (“I’m a film maker!”) his success in the viral video world is not. His collaboration with YouTube superstar musician Lindsey Stirling has resulted in hundreds of millions of views. All done with no production company, no record label, no recording studio, no crew.


NAB2013: GLIDECAM TAKES MOBILE FLIGHT | Jonah Kessel | News Shooter
An electronically stabilized rig and a mini rig for your iPhone...
Jonah Kessel looks into a new 3-axis gyro stabilization modification allowing Glidecam users to fly their cameras smoothly in cars or helicopters. Glidecam also demonstrated their new iGlide, a stablization device for iPhone, smart phones or hand held devices. The mobile steady cam will be available in most colors of the rainbow.


NEX-FS700 Camcorder 4K Updatefrom Sony Professional | Sony Professional
| Vimeo
Hmmm...so I thought that to record 4K from the NEX-FS700 you just had to buy the AXS-R5 4K recorder ($5,350) but it appears you will need the $2,000 HXR-IF5 interface as well?
Juan Martinez, Senior Product Manager for Sony Professional Solutions Division, discusses the latest updates to the NEX-FS700 camera system, and highlights the camera's 4K capabilities.


The Conversation (1974) Audio Commentary with director Francis Ford CoppolaCinephilia and Beyond
Coppola, who directed The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, revealed that his earliest films — like The Rain People and The Conversation — were more like what he’d hoped to do over the course of his career. But then money and life got in the way. “I had to get a job, and of course, the job was The Godfather,” he says.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

NAB News

NAB News Sites

It's the middle of NAB week, and if you're looking for NAB news, make sure to check out News Shooter (aka DSLR News Shooter.) They've been doing a good job of posting interesting pieces like this: NAB 2013: REDROCKMICRO SHOW ONE-MAN BAND AUTOMATED SLIDER, GOPRO CAGE AND BLACKMAGIC CAGE and also NAB2013: RED PROVIDES DRAGON MAKE-OVER AND NEW GLOBAL SHUTTER MOUNT.

Wide Open Camera has also been covering the event; Area 48 Phosphorus LED Soft Light. Wide Open Camera NAB 2013 & Small HD High Bright Monitor. Wide Open Camera NAB 2013.

Definition Magazine has some special free online issues for NAB covering the Blackmagic cameras, ARRI and Zeiss announcements...

Freytag Film has also posted several pieces on NAB products.


Other NAB News

Media Composer 7: Avid Brings Their Flagship NLE into the High Resolution Future and Lowers Price | Robert Hardy | No Film School
Lastly, Avid has dropped the price of Media Composer to $1000. While it’s still a cut above the measly $300 for FCPX or Adobe’s $30/month, the toolset is extremely high-end (especially considering that it comes bundled with Avid DVD and Sorensen Squeeze), and it’s one that you’ll find in just about every major post production house.


More details on global shutter and possible Blackmagic sensor supplier CMOSIS
| Andrew Reid | EOSHD
John Brawley says the native ISO of the Production Camera is ‘a smidge’ lower than the native sensitivity of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, which was ISO 800. I’m guessing ISO 640 would be the native ISO on the Production Camera. The same drop can be seen between the rolling shutter Sony F5 and global shutter Sony F55. 


New video of the Sony 4K camera (FZ mount, 8 Megapixels, no mirror and coming in 2014) | Sony Alpha Rumors
The video on tops shows you the new 4K Sony prototype. While there are no official specs the camera is “rumored” to have an FZ mount (like the F5 and F55 Cinealta cameras) an 8 Megapixel sensor and definitely no SLT or optical mirror. This is a pure mirrorless camera with Electronic Viewfinder.


Sony Creative Software at NAB 2013 | Sony Professional USA | YouTube
Learn about the latest Sony Creative Software including Vegas Pro 12, Soundforge 10, and Spectral Layers. Presented by Michael Bryant, Director of Marketing for Sony Creative Software.


Sony Professional Audio | Sony Professional USA | YouTube
Learn about Sony Pro Audio's latest product introductions from this year's NAB show. Presented by Karl Kussmaul, Product Manager, Sony's Professional Solutions Division.


ALEXA Showreel NAB 2013


ALEXA Showreel NAB 2013 from ARRI Channel on Vimeo.

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Quick Links

Perhaps the biggest surprise of NAB this year is Blackmagic's announcement of a 4K version of their Cinema Camera. Using the same housing as the original, and only $1,000 more, this camera features a couple of notable improvements over the original (beside the 4K capability.) The sensor is now a Super35 sized sensor, and the camera has a global shutter, which should reduce image artifact issues that appear with fast motion and flashing lights.

Blackmagic also announced a smaller Pocket Camera that will sell for $1,000, which will have an amazing 13 stops of dynamic range, but I'm not sure I'd rush out and buy that one.
Both cameras will reportedly ship in July.

You can pre-order the Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Production Camera 4K [$3,995] and the Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera [$995] from B & H now.



The pocket rocket…Blackmagic downsizes the BMCC and does a 4K upsize of the orginal ! | John Brawley
What BMD have done with this camera is to take a super 16 size version of the exact same awesome sensor that’s in the current BMCC and shrink the form factor down to that of an iPhone with a lens mount. Then they added what many have clamoured for. An internal battery that can be easily switched out.
Note: Blackmagic said that the sensor is the same size as the BMCC, but it's not the same sensor...



Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera Puts 1080 RAW In Your Pocket | DL Cade
| PetaPixel
The camera debuted today at NAB in Las Vegas alongside a few other impressive introductions from Blackmagic. On the hardware side of things, the pocket-sized cinema camera sports a 1080HD Super 16mm sensor, a built in SD card slot for Apple ProRes (no more removable hard drives) and an active Micro Four Thirds lens mount — all at less than an inch thick.


NAB 2013: THE FIRST INTERVIEW WITH BLACKMAGIC ABOUT THE BRAND NEW PRODUCTION CAMERA 4K | News Shooter
Matthew Allard talks to Blackmagic Design about their brand new Production Camera, capable of shooting 4K. The camera has an identical body to the 2.5K version but, as opposed to the previous model, shoots full 4K on a Super35mm sensor and has a global shutter, along with many other features.


Blackmagic's New Cameras | Stu Maschwitz | ProLost
The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is a “4K for $4K” update to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Same not-quite-ideal-but-who-cares form factor, but now with a Super35 4K sensor with a global shutter. It’s priced at $3,995, and is available for pre-order at B&H.


Blackmagic announce new products, major upgrades | MovieScope
With a price tag of US$995, the Pocket Cinema Camera comes equipped with a Super 16mm sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, an MFT mount and the ability to record in ProRes and 12 bit RAW.


NAB 2013 – DaVinci Resolve 10 and Blackmagic Scopes | FreshDV
FreshDV post-production host Scott Simmons dropped by Blackmagic to get the scoop on the DaVinci Resolve 10 and Scopes updates.


Save $1,000 on the Canon C100 [$5,499] | B & H
I always thought the C100 was a nice camera that was a little too expensive. Now you can get it for $1000 off through April 11.
Which reminds me....what happened to that talk of a Canon C50 being announced at NAB? Guess that isn't happening after all...



Carl Zeiss Presents Compact Zoom Lenses | Planet5D
For the first time, the new CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 will be presented in the US. The Compact Zoom Family currently comprises the CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 and the CZ.2 70-200/T2.9; the latter won the prestigious iF product design award in February 2013.


NAB 2013: STEADICAM SOLO COMBINATION STABILISER/MONOPOD AND STEADICAM CURVE FOR GOPRO | News Shooter
Also launched was the Steadicam Curve, which is a mini-stabiliser designed especially for the GoPro. No pricing as yet, but certainly looks like a desirable piece of gear for the outwardly mobile. It will come in several colours and can also be used as a mini handgrip.


NAB2013: GETTING RIGS RIGHT AT ZACUTO | News Shooter
Rick Macomber chats with Jens Bogehegn and Steve Weiss from Zacuto about their latest camera rigs. New products include the DSLR Gorilla kit, The Marauder and the ergonomic Recoil System with EVF Dogbone, Z-Drive follow focus and Tornado grip.


A look at Red Giant’s new BulletProof | Scott Simmons | Pro Video Coalition
BulletProof is an intriguing tool. It’s not the only DIT-centric software tool out there and I’m sure it won’t be the last. If we know anything about Red Giant Software we know that they make or associate themselves with quality tools that provide a lot usefulness and value for the dollar.


Redrock Micro's New Curving Slider Aims to Make You a 'One Man Crew'
| E.M. Taboada | No Film School
The big difference between this slider and others on the market is the parabolic curve — with no need for an operator, you can get nice slider moves while keeping the subject anchored in frame.


Monday, April 08, 2013

Quick Links

Sony News at NAB 2013 | sonyelectronics | YouTube
Sony didn't really announce that much it seems - other than the pricing for the 4K 65" and 55" monitors:
A quick round-up of the newest products and technologies that Sony announced at NAB 2013. For more real time updates from the show, follow #SonyNAB




Sony announces compact 4K digital cinema camera. | Jason Wingrove | Propic
Sony may be showing a prototype of a compact 4K camera, but I don't think they announced it/



The new Sony PMW-400 | HD Warrior
Sony’s new PMW-400 shoulder-mount camcorder is the latest addition to its widely used XDCAM HD422 line-up. Ideal for live production or ENG, the new camcorder uses a 2/3-inch Exmor™ Full HD 3CMOS sensor to capture beautiful images with high sensitivity1 and low noise.


Sony Sues RED for Patent Infringement by RED ONE, EPIC and Scarlet Camera
| ERIC REAGAN | Photography Bay
On the eve of NAB 2013, Sony released a statement that it has filed suit against RED for infringing on seven of its patents.
On April 5, 2013, Sony Corporation (“Sony”) sued Red Digital Cinema (“Red”) for infringing 7 of Sony’s patents in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Sony believes that the Red ONE, EPIC and SCARLET cameras, various digital still and motion camera modules, and various accessories such as the REDMOTE infringe our patents.


Sony show prototype 4K DSLR in Cinema EOS style future camera range based around full frame | EOSHD
Sony have revealed two very early prototype cameras at NAB. They are hybrid stills / video cameras from the pro A/V division in Japan. One is a DSLR style camera with what looks like a PL mount. Sony is also committed to developing a range of full frame cinema prime lenses.


Sony Announce Prototype Professional 4K OLED MonitorsCinescopophilia
Sony’s latest innovations in professional display technology include the development of a new 4K professional OLED monitor and a new series of OLED monitors with wider viewing angles and significantly reduced color shift.


Editors Lounge 2013 Pre Nab Part 1 | Art of the Guillotine
Editors' Lounge presents the 10th Annual Pre-NAB Discussion Panel with Debra Kaufman and featuring Terence Curren, Michael Kammes, Dan Lebental and Mark Raudonis discussing the current state of post-production, looking at what to expect for this year's NAB and peering ahead to trends for 2013 and beyond.


Avid Media Composer 7 Extends Real-time Production Everywhere | Studio Daily
Avid fighting back with a new release and a lower price:
Industry’s preeminent nonlinear editing solution now available for $999; New release simplifies and accelerates file-based workflows, and offers Mac support for Interplay Sphere


NAB 2013: KINERAW MINI UNVEILED – 2K RAW FOR AROUND $3K US | Matt Allard
| NEWS Shooter
One of the most eagerly awaited cameras this year has been the new KineRAW MINI. The diminutive RAW camera is a scaled down version of the company’s S35 model – it shares the same sensor and 2K RAW capability, but loses Cineform onboard encoding and SDI output.


First footage from the new Phantom Flex4K - "Let me know when you see Fire"
| Gregory Wilson | Vimeo
Director Brendan Bellomo and I were asked by Vision Research and Abel CineTech to shoot the first test footage with the yet to be announced Phantom Flex4K Digital Cinema Camera. The camera was a little more than a week old and still in its Alpha Proto-type stage when we got our hands on it.

- First footage from the new Phantom Flex4K - "Let me know when you see Fire" from Gregory Wilson on Vimeo.