I don't know but the Astronauts were using a Sony DSR PDX-10 durring the flight. I couldn't imagine them carrying something as big and clumsy as an XL1 on a space flight, maybe on the ground in mission control but small and simple is the tool for space flight.
The recorder in question was a built in wall unit and I doubt there was any reason other than pure chance that it survived the entry, just luck, but I would bet that like the black boxes used in airplanes, the video recorders are built a little sturdier than your average consumer deck and probabaly not something any of us could buy even if we wanted to.

What I was thinking about was, they found this tape a few days later in east Texas and the last 11 minutes was gone. Or was it? The tape they showed on TV looks real good, but they said the last part was burned up! I think the whole tape was found in good shape. But they just don't want to show the last few minutes of the tape and probably they shouldn't.

CineALTA 24P Training Class
 

There is a three day "hands-on" workshop using this camera.

750 bucks to Denver, CO plus R&B/Plane Ticket is a significant amount of change. I was wondering if anybody here has gotten their hands on that camera?

Thanks!

Cheers!

Derrick

If you're interested in the CineAlta platform and don't want to travel you might check with local rental houses to see if they hold training classes. (In NY there must be several.) I know that Fletch, here in Chicago, rents this gear and periodically holds classes to promote the platforrm.

Megacon Orlando
 

Did anyone from the dvinfo community besides me make it to Megacon last weekend?

Talk about culture clash....
We have Megacon with geeks and freaks and outsiders, many dressed up in strange costumes (Anime, Star Wars,Fantasy...).
At the same time was the National Cheerleader finals all mixed in, in the same general area. The Cheerleaders (from tiny tots to teen agers) were all nervous, but their moms were absolutely paranoid, hehehe. Watching them freak out as someone dressed up as a murdering psycho carrying fake handguns strolled into their mists was hilarious. Or the women dressed up in a skimpy skimpy outfit with a slave chained behind her, and her beating him every five minutes. good family fun!

Top it off with a meeting of East coast ISP and apparantly several hundred people in business suits, and it was quite the weekend.

Things noted.
Two anime groups, called Anime Sushi and JACO, were both showing movies all weekend. They had converted movies to divx or downloaded directly off of the web and were using those cool little shuttle PCs hooked up to a projector and AV receiver. No DVD, no tape. All digital.
And I got Erin Grays' autograph. Finally.

Video projector requirement?
 

I have $5,000 to spend on a video projector (that has to include a spare bulb).

The intent is to optimize the projection capabilities for video even at the expense of the computer projection capabilities. I intend to drive the input with S-Video (unless I can find a firewire input projector)

The venue is a room of about 60 by 100 feet with a raised stage on one end. The projection screen is a glass bead of about 12' diagonal measurement. The room lights are not bright but have to be off when the current projector is used. Projection distance is flexible but is at least 20 feet and can be as much as 50 feet.

All of the usual features need to be present . . . keystone correction, preferably in 2 axis, Black screen when the input is idle, suppression of any menu items once it is up and running, reasonably quiet fan, low light
leakage.

Weight is not a major issue although I have to be able to schlep it into a venue.

Right now I'm thinking around 3,000 lumens or so. I like the Sony VPL-PX40 LCD but wish it had a DLP panel. It can be had for just under $5,000 and Sony is offering a free spare lamp.

Any input would be very welcome.

Thanks,

Mike Rehmus

Hi Mike, you might want to look into the Canon LV-7355 at http://www.canonprojectors.com/lv7350_55/index.html -- it's an LCD projector though. There's a handy comparison matrix at that link. Hope this helps,

The joys of Autocue
 

rtsp://media.channel4.com/channel4/n...ne/1autocue.rm

I know, I know, it's realplayer.. but it's worth it :)

Here's the gist of it: Tony Blair is about to give a speech and is assured that all he will have to do is read it off of the autocue. Not so easy!

Shallow Hal
 

I just watched this movie last night, and noticed something I had never seen before. During the end credits, where they usually show outtakes of the actors screwing up and goofing, they had nothing but crew credits and video clips.

Instead of the actors getting even more spotlight, they honored the people behind the scenes. Very cool.

I agree. It's one of the coolest things I've seen for credits. From this point on, I will be doing credits in all of my movies in this fashion. I think it's very fair.

I thought the movie sucked though. :)

Vancouver "Hero" DVD showing party
 

I know some of you are in Vancouver. I have just the occasion to get together if you're interested in seeing some great cinematography. That's when my roomate and I show the really beautiful DVD "Hero" this Sunday March 16, a film by Zhang Yimou and photographed by Christopher Doyle. Details here:

http://www.keithloh.com/video/hero/

Hero is up for a best foreign Oscar. I've previewed it and it really is a stunningly lensed picture. The link contains a trailer I cooked together.

Wish I could make it. I've got an old buddy of mine from Ontario in town for the next week. Might turn into an old-school drinking binge.

Tears of the Sun
 

Best Bruce Willis movie ever - and yet it's not really a bruce willis movie ... sort of ...

Anyway I thought it was a very good movie, worth watching in a theatre. There's a few "what the f#$@, why did they do that?" moments in the plot, but it's fairly believable through the whole movie. And of course no one can play the tough talking/sensitive officer in charge - better than Tom Skerritt.

One of the reviewers got a good read on it, they called it a cross between Apocalypse Now and Top Gun. Or to put it another way it's a "serious" Top Gunnesque movie

If Tears of the Sun and Chicago are any indication of the movies coming out, I'm absolutely ecstatic about going to the movies this year.

Love to hear what you think.

Achieving the look of "Blow"...
 

Does anyone know how Ted Demme got the look of Blow, specifically the scenes that take place in the 1970's. It looks like it might be a little desaturated..but there's something more I think. Thanks!

The best advise I can give you here is to try and get hold on
the DVD with behind the scenes on it (rent it?). I've seen it and
they do explain how it was made. If I remember correctly (and
this I'm really not sure on) it was through a chemical effect or
the lack thereof. I think it was the latter. They didn't develop
the movie fully or something to get the mexico scenes....