Acquisition
GoPro… Going even more Pro
Some of you may recall that I wrote about the GoPro Hero HD camera a couple years ago. Despite the low cost of the basic camera, it produces amazing images with enough quality to be utilized in many professional broadcast and production applications. Fast forward a couple years and it’s clear that GoPro hasn’t been Read More
The One-Offs: A Short Film Made with the Canon EOS C300
I’ve included all the details I think are essential to not just the camera and it’s function, but the script and process as well, compete with names, dates, work flows and strategies. We’re finishing post production as I write this, and the film looks great. We had a delightful time shooting, thanks to a genuinely bright and funny cast, a small, industrious crew and an amazing new camera, the Canon EOS C300.
Canon USA Announces Cinema EOS C300 and EOS C300 PL Cameras
Two identical cameras, one with EF mount, one with PL mount; Super-35 4K CMOS sensor,records 1080p30 to Compact Flash cards using existing Canon XF 50Mbps 4:2:2 MPEG2 codec. At Paramount Studios in Hollywood today, Canon USA is announcing two forthcoming digital cinema cameras, the EOS C300 and the EOS C300 PL, as part of their Read More
First S-Log Test with Sony F3
First, before I finish the story, allow me to explain what S-Log is, and why its so darn significant. The Sony F3, a phenomenal 1080p HD camera already, records 8-bit 35mbps XDcam to SXS media cards. This is the standard recording media for all mid-range professional Sony cameras working right now. When Sony created the F35 camera a few years ago, they built a full Super 35mm sized CCD sensor capable of producing some of the best images in the digital cinematography world. This was a camera designed from the ground up to be a full cinema-style system that records to the highest quality footage to HDCAM SR tape (it also costs about $250,000). The standard XDCAM recording format would not cut the mustard with such a high end camera, the problem being that video systems in general are not able to capture the wide latitude of exposure that film can. Sony thought of a clever solution. They created S-Log.
Sony PMW-350K Viewfinder Bracket Kit
Note: This article was originally published by Patrick McLoadand is reprinted here with his kind permission. I finally made the leap from an old Beta SP rig (Sony BVP-550) with Canon lens to the new-fangled world of High Definition and SxS cards. That last camera cost 35 thousand dollars, and I wasn’t about to spend Read More
A Beginner’s Guide to Shooting Stereoscopic 3D
This article was Originally published in FCPUG Supermag #4 (April 2010) and on Dashwood3D.com Updated and Revised September 2011. All images ©Tim Dashwood unless otherwise specified. 3D is back in style again and it seems like everyone, from Hollywood producers to wedding videographers, is interested in producting stereoscopic 3D content. So how can you get involved Read More
Focus Enhancements Solid State DTE Recorders
The new FS-CF Pro DTE recorder provides additional features such as video playback on the unit’s color LCD, MPEG-4 proxy file generation, wireless metadata logging, and much more. The Focus Enhancements FS-CF and FS-CF Pro DTE recorders are ideal for professional cinematographers and videographers looking to upgrade their existing Canon HDV equipment to a seamless file-based workflow.
City of Lakes: A Hybrid Production in India
Our production was never short on challenges. They were immediate, frequent, and often unbelievable. One thing that never failed us, however, were the D-SLRs. From the beginning, getting through customs was not an issue. Shooting quickly and unobtrusively in crowded areas, in the streets or in the middle of a massive festival was something very doable with our small crew; which often times meant we had to take a back-to-film-school approach. We could shoot multiple cameras simultaneously during live events and transition quickly to a scripted scene with ease.
An Affordable, Rugged, Compact, Versatile HD Camcorder
Meet the GoPro Hero HD camera. This tiny powerhouse has got capabilities at a price we could only have dreamed of a few years ago.
Honorarium: a Hybrid 7D / EX1 Short
This has evolved into a long article as I have not only ventured into the technical aspects but into a broader perspective of filmmaking. For me, technical choices are mostly tied to aesthetic decisions. Sometimes aesthetics determine the technical choice and sometimes it’s the other way around. As I started this piece I found myself wading into issues that ultimately pushed this project in a distinctive direction, far outside issues of frame rates, shutter speeds, ISO, and codecs.
