May 2010
12 posts
Graduating With a Production Degree →
The following piece is written by guest contributor Jessica Menkin from Marietta, GA who has just graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Telecommunication Arts (the…
The Rise of 3D and the Era of the Tiny Sensor →
We love our RED’s, our DSLR’s, our enormous full frame sensors and the obnoxiously shallow depth of field they provide. Unfortunately, it’s just these characteristics that make them…
Who Killed Bambi? →
“This, for the benefit of future rock historians, is the transscript of a screenplay I wrote in the summer of 1977. It was tailored for the historic punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and was to be…
Who Needs Cable? →
According to a new study released last week by the Yankee Group, one in eight consumers will eliminate or scale back their cable, satellite or other pay-TV services this year. This may come as a…
Motion Cover for the iPad →
Although some are skeptical of the iPad’s claims to revolutionize digital text, Viv Magazine has released a video (top) showcasing the incredible possibilities that lie in this portable tablet.
Astounding new videos of the Sun →
We see it every day but we don’t even look at it. We can’t, or we will be struck blind, according to our second grade teachers. It is so awe-inspiring that every single ancient religion had a god…
Hitler Gets Banned →
One of the latest viral jokes flooding the internet these days is the “Hitler finds out…” meme, a parody of the German film, Der Untergang (The Downfall).
Due to copyright infringement…
Don’t make the feature of your short film →
I read a thought provoking article by John August that offered advice counter to everything I read about independent filmmakers who wanted to break into the industry. You shouldn’t…
The Music Video Fights for Relevancy →
Before we begin our talk of the music video, its relevancy (or lack of), and the bold new steps it is taking, I think it is necessary to look at the current state-of-affairs for the other visual…
Directorial Debut: New Low →
So it’s every young filmmaker’s dream, right? Write a script, star in it, get some of your friends to help you film it, and then put it together and get into Sundance. Go no-budget, on location in…
First Commercial Shot Entirely on an SLR – Air... →
When it comes to video on DSLR’s, we like to toss around words like “game-changer”, revolutionary, and of course first. But it’s easy to forget the heritage of these…
The Teller in Storyteller →
In my last article I urged artists and critics alike to forgo doomsday rhetoric, and instead ask questions that are constructive to the creative lifestyle. If one remains convinced that…
April 2010
77 posts
Perfect Pitch: How to get your script made into a... →
Okay, so you have your script done. It’s gone through rewrites and read-throughs. Your friends are absolutely sick of having to voice your characters. It’s on the thirteenth draft, it’s…
The 3Ds of Student Filmmaking →
While my colleague John has started his definitive top-ten lists of “Hollywood” film cliches by genre, I wanted to step in with a quick observation I have made over the years regarding…
Monetization in the Digital Era →
Last week, I attended a panel at the Nashville Film Festival discussing the way the internet and the digital age are changing the monetization model for film and other entertainment. The…
First Flight of the Steadicam Zephyr →
At NAB, Tiffen announced the Steadicam Zephyr which, along with the insane steadicam + jib setup known as Tango, represents the newest products in the steadicam lineup….
What Roger Ebert is Full of (and Why He’s Full of... →
Roger Ebert is a world-renowned, Pulitzer Prize winning film critic, author, and journalist. He’s probably the only film critic many people have ever heard of, in fact, and he popularized the…
Skyping with Ted Schilowitz and the new generation... →
Ted Schilowitz demonstrates the camera
Last week, a panel I attended at the Nashville Film Festival featured a conversation via Skype with Ted Schilowitz, one of the masterminds behind…
Hulu to Launch Subscription Service →
Rumored since last year it has been confirmed by the Los Angeles Times that Hulu will to begin testing a $9.95 subscription service called Hulu Plus as soon as May 24th 2010.
The…
The Problem of Story →
“Has Hollywood finally killed the screenwriter?”
Paul Laight beings his essay with an intentionally provocative question that really can be read as a statement, since he will spend all…
Walter Murch on the Birth of Cinema →
I am a huge fan of Walter Murch. I have read both Conversations and In the Blink of an Eye, and I am currently trying to watch my way through every film he has ever put…
Sony Preparing to Release EVIL Twins →
No, it’s not the plot to a bad movie, but rumors are coming in hot and heavy that Sony will be announcing two Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens (EVIL) cameras on May 11. EVIL cameras,…
8 Tips for Selecting an Audition Monologue →
Almost every audition you will ever attend will require a monologue. Choosing the right monologue for you can absolutely make or break your audition. After auditioning for 15 years and occasionally…
How I Met a Rock Star on Chatroulette →
If you haven’t heard of internet phenomenon Chatroulette by now, then you must have been living deep underground for the past couple of months. Everyone from CNN to your creepy neighbor next…
“Kick Ass” Review →
Kick Ass begs the question, “Have comic books really grown up at all?” If this were the only indicator, I would say that they still retain the level of conscious maturity that they started…
9th Tribeca Film Festival Kicks Off →
Yesterday, the 9th edition of the Tribeca Film Fest began in New York. Despite industry executives saying that the festival itself is a work in progress, filmmakers and audience members relish in…
8 Reasons to Buy a DSLR for Video →
Recently, I wrote “8 Reasons NOT to Buy a DSLR for Video“. This piece was written not as a malevolent piece meant to destroy the fledgling DSLR market. I do not work for RED or Arri and am not…
iPhone 4 prototype discovered in a bar →
The new iPhone (left) next to an iPhone 3GS
What appears to be the unreleased, unannounced, 2010 version of the iPhone has been discovered in a bar in the San Francisco area. It is…
L O S T’s final five episodes →
ABC’s Lost has five episodes remaining to air. Many love it, many hate it, but not many haven’t heard of it. The show is in it’s last stages of its sixth and final season, and its 114th…
“How to Train Your Dragon” wins the weekend box... →
DreamWorks seems to like not having to compete against Pixar in their latest 3-D animated film How to Train Your Dragon. Now in it’s fourth weekend, it raked in around $20 million this…
World Cup Broadcast in 3D →
Aruna Media AG and Sensio are working together to broadcast the World Cup Soccer tournament in 3D to venues around the world.
Justin Ackerman, co-founder of Aruna Media AG is calling it…
RotoBrush in After Effects CS5 →
One of the headline features of the new Adobe CS5 Suite is the RotoBrush tool for After Effects. For anyone who has spent days rotoscoping what eventually turned out to be a finished…
Tweeting for Posterity →
An announcement released Wednesday from Twitter and the Library of Congress revealed that every public tweet ever posted on Twitter since its inception will be digitally stored in the…
Martin Scorsese Dives into 3D Children’s Cinema →
Brian Selznick’s children’s book set in 1930s Paris
Martin Scorsese is set to direct The Invention of Hugo Cabret, based on the bestselling children’s book of the same name by Brian…
PluralEyes for Premiere Pro CS5 →
Singular Software, developer of automation applications for post-production, announced that its flagship product PluralEyes for Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas Pro has expanded its support…
Fraunhofer continues to show off FlashBox →
While they announced a prototype at the IBC in September 2009 (you can watch the video in German), Fraunhofer unveils an updated beta at NAB of their impressive digital cinema recorder….
Ted Schilowitz with the EPIC camera →
The good folks at FreshDV sat down with Ted Schoilowitz, founder of the RED Camera Company, to talk about his newest camera. This is part one of the interview and tomorrow we will post…
Sony 3D at NAB →
Introduced last fall and now shipping, Sony’s HDC-P1 offers a new level of capability for unmanned and point-of-view HD cameras. Based on the company’s flagship HDC series studio…
Star Wars Remade →
In an attempt to remake the original Star Wars film, Casey Pugh started the website Star Wars Uncut. He divided Star Wars Episode Episode IV into 472 separate clips, each 15 seconds long, and…
Apple’s New Macbook Pros →
As expected, Apple released new Macbook Pros today. Check the photo for the updated specs. The 15 and 17 inch models received new core i5 and i7 processors, faster and more efficient…
NAB sees DSLR external batteries →
We have little information right now, but from this tweet-pic from @videomaker at NAB it seems that Anton Bauer has just released DSLR external batteries.
Company Switronix is also…
Adobe Creative Suite Launch Event →
Yesterday Adobe hosted the Adobe CS5 global launch. CS5 provides dramatic time saving for every-day tasks, blazing fast performance including 64-bit for Mac, entirely new mercury video…
Aaton’s Penelope-Delta at NAB 2010 →
Mitch Gross from Abel Cine takes us on tour of the Aaton Penelope-Delta.
freshdv_nab10_ARRI
[Aaton]
ARRI Alexa at NAB 2010 →
Undoubtedly one of the biggest announcements at NAB 2010 is ARRI’s Alexa digital cinema camera. Alexa is an 800 ASA native digital system that captures to solid state SxS media in…
Apple MacBook Pro Updates Imminent →
Worldwide the online Apple Stores are down for maintenance
- usually a dead giveaway that they are updating the site with new products.
AppleInsider has reported the following new models.
Sony Teases With Prototype Digital Cinema Camera →
Yesterday, Sony Electronics tweeted this image with the vague message “Sony’s Shapiro unveiled a prototype digital cinematic camera – scheduled to be released next year.” The camera is…
Kristin Scott Thomas to Emcee Cannes →
Kristin Scott Thomas, British actress from movies such as The English Patient, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and Nowhere Boy will emcee the Cannes Film Festival this year.
She is…
Up Close Look at Panasonic AG-3DA1 and AG-AF100 →
The folks at Film-TV-Video.de have been able to get a closer look at the much discussed 4/3″ Panasonic camera the AG-AF100 and the interesting single camera 3D solution…
AMC & Regal Support Sony 4K Projectors →
In a press release statement Sony Electronics announced it has entered into purchase agreements with Digital Cinema Implementation Partners, under which Sony Digital Cinema 4K projection…
New products from Redrock Micro →
Today at NAB Redrock Micro has announced a new DSLR wireless remote control called the microRemote and the microTape Range Finder. It should be noted that one at the bottom can be used with an…