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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Quick Links

Canon EOS C300 = Awesome | Jonathan Yi | Vimeo
Canon evidently asked Jonathan Yi to shoot a video with the C300, but once he finished it they didn't like his sense of humor and decided not to use it. But you can see it on Vimeo. The video shows the use of a variety of different Canon EF lenses and operation of the camera in different situations:
I believe that Canon made a beautiful camera that is sensible, reliable and portable in a way that I've always dreamed a camera could be. It prioritizes great skin tone and has higher ISO sensitivity than any other camera out there.

I know there's nothing I can say to change the minds of the RED fan club. For the rest of the skeptics, I think once you get your hands on it you'll understand how great this camera really is. Please buy this camera in January and go film some good skin tones in the dark. You'll love it.
Jonathan also wrote this piece about the camera that's posted on Canon's Website: EOS C300 for Cinematographers
Canon Log is a custom picture setting that has log gamma and high dynamic range, leaving maximum freedom in post-production with color correction in mind. The image is recorded with a flat image quality with subdued contrast and sharpness. This setting helps provide the most image information, subject detail and texture from the sensor. Canon Log is therefore ideal for the film cinematographer who doesn't want to rush to commit to a look on set, but would rather adjust color carefully during the editing process, in a proper viewing environment with a trusted colorist. Canon Log gamma can be selected and activated via the CUSTOM PICTURE button, on the camera's left side.


DPX, ProRes and EX 35Mb/s comparison tests – what a nightmare!
| Alister Chapman | XDCAM User
Alister wanted to compare the Convergent Design Gemini and Atamos Samurai codec performance, but then ran into a lot of problems:
However all sorts of strange things are happening when I bring the clips into my edit applications. What’s worse I get different results with different apps. For example bringing in all the material in to Adobe CS5.5 results in different luma levels for all the clips. Not only that, I also created some ProRes 4444 clips from the uncompressed DPX files and these are different again.
He does note some interesting things; the Sony PMW-F3's internal 8-bit recording compares very favorably with the 10-bit recordings, that ProRes is noisy, and the DPX files from the Gemini were the best!



ZEISS CP.2 VS. ZF.2 | Matthew Duclos | Circle of Confusion
Zeiss's CP.2 lenses use the same optics as their ZF.2 lenses, but is the CP.2 just a ZF in a different case? Matthew compares:
The ZF.2 lenses use a fairly standard 9 bladed iris whereas the CP.2 lenses utilize a much more rounded 14 bladed iris. This isn’t just a numbers game. A rounder aperture makes for rounder bokeh, smoother background blur at wider apertures. This brings me to my next difference. The Compact Primes will provide a much smoother, creamier bokeh thanks to the 14 bladed aperture design but you won’t be able to pull off the crazy shallow depth of field shots because the CP.2 lenses are all limited to f/2 (T2.1) at most.


Sony NEX FS 100 Picture Profile Test | Michael Solomon | Vimeo
Michael has posted some test videos shot with the NEX-FS100, including this one showing the different picture profiles - graded and ungraded:
Profiles Tested
1) AB Normal
2) GLog A
3) GC 1
4) GC 2
He also posted: Sony NEX FS-100 Test Shoot
Shot on Sigma 20mm f/1.8 nikon mount using a novoflex adapter
Picture profile used was ABNorm
Shot on a Blackbird stabilizer
Beach panoramas shot at 60fps 1080


The Technicolor CineStyle | Craig Fields | Blog
Short example clip and instructions for installing the Technicolor CineStyle on a Canon DSLR:
A Picture Style (profile) is simply a look you can apply to your footage while shooting. The EOS camera’s come with various different ones, like Standard, vivid, black and white etc… but when working under a professional group of people where there are people who want a more specific ‘look’ they’ll turn to someone who colour grades footage. When doing this, it’s vital you get a flat image! This is what the CineStyle by Technicolor does.


Camcorder Of The Year 2011 | Trusted Reviews
Three consumer camcorders are picked as winner and runners-up for the year, with the Panasonic HDC-TM900K [789.95] coming out on top (it is a three-chip camera, which is unusual for consumer camcorders in this price range):
With a 12x optical zoom and 700x digital zoom, this camcorder records outstanding image quality in virtually all conditions. Our panel was impressed at the test footage we shot, which was smooths[sic] and pin sharp.


Killing the Film Fest Panel | Brian Newman | Sub Genre
Kill the film panel, but replace it with something else:
We need more one on ones, more panels where two people debate (or agree) on a topic. Let’s hear just from the expert. Let’s talk just with the director. Let’s hear what the entertainment attorney thinks for one solid hour. Let’s hear what the DP learned on set for one hour. Let’s hear a talk between just two festival programmers.


Douglas Trumbull Sees a Better Filmgoing Future | Debra Kaufman | Creative COW
Trumbull did the effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and directed Silent Running and Brainstorm. This is an interview with Trumbull, who is now an advocate for high frame-rate movies:
Higher frame rates give a strong sense immersion and realism, made possible by the tremendous reduction of blurring. Showscan was based on photographing 65mm film at 60 fps and then projecting it using 70mm prints at the same rate.

We had done laboratory tests to see the impact of high-frame rates images on viewers. Viewers were shown identical films shot and projected at 24, 36, 48, 60, 66 and 72 fps, and all of them were monitored with electromyogram, electroencephalogram, galvanic skin response and electrocardiogram. The results were conclusive that the 60 fps profoundly increased the viewers' visual stimulation.


You Better Be F—ing Serious: David Fincher on Directing | Fincher Fanatic | Blog
Fincher on being a director, and the differences between the American and Swedish film industry:
"I think the Swedish film industry is probably more like the future. The directors of the future are going to come from YouTube. I'm telling you, Steven Spielberg tells me, 'check this out!' – and he's watching YouTube. People are sending him links to stuff. Here's some dude in Argentina, who's made some short, and he's watching it on Vimeo or whatever. It's totally decentralized."




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