One of the cooler products of last year’s NAB has been thrown back into the kiln for a whole new design. So says RED Leader- Jim Jannard over at Scarletuser.net:

http://www.scarletuser.com/showthread.php?t=1047

“We have changed everything about Scarlet because the market has changed and we have discovered a lot of things in the process. We have a new vision.

Wipe you minds of the past announced Scarlet. Forget the design and forget the price. It is all different now. We think you will be surprised. Glad we didn’t take any deposits…
Jim”

If I had to venture a personal guess, I would imagine the idea of launching a compact motion picture camera with a fixed lens in this particular market segment a year from now became the issue. Recently released cameras like the Nikon D90 and Canon EOS-5D offer somewhat compromised, but still quite usable movie modes that encroach on Scarlet’s turf a bit. This becomes especially evident when you see little cameras like the brand-new Panasonic micro four-thirds cameras which are tiny little non-SLR but interchangeable lens, digital still cameras that shoot HD:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/21/panasonic-unveils-video-capturing-lumix-g-prototype/

You look at RED’s DSMC and it’s not hard to see how that and Scarlet should be one. If nothing else this is a fascinating look at how industrial design and manufacture works and why the whole thing is like a giant game of poker. You gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em. Let the games begin, again.

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24p, apple, digital cameras, film, final cut pro, high-definition, indie filmmaking, new techology, production, RED, video

Here’s an interesting blog on the Canon EOS 5D which shoots 1080p video using awesome Canon still lenses.

1. The 5D MKII camera produces the best stills in low light that I’ve ever seen - what you can see with you eye in the worst light (such as sodium-vapor street lights at 3 a.m. in Brooklyn) - this camera can capture it with ease.

2. It produces the best video in low light that I’ve ever seen - at 1080p. A top commercial film editor who who regularly edits RED camera footage - and has seen the raw footage from the 5D MKII - says the 5D MKII is “far superior to the RED camera” in terms of low light performance…

3. You can use your prime and zoom lenses from your Canon still cameras with it - and shoot wide open… so you can shoot films with fisheye lenses, 50mm 1.2 as well as the 200mm f2 or 400mm 2.8 that you may already own…

4. This camera is so easy to use - that you can work incredibly quickly, mostly handheld - without a huge production - and using natural light - ergo you don’t need a huge budget and tons of preparation anymore… forget the lighting trucks and generators that take up entire city blocks…

5. This camera will sell for approx. $2,700 - and perform better than many $100K plus video cameras out there…

6. Photojournalists in particular - will be able to take full advantage of this camera’s strengths - because they are used to walking into any room, and finding the best natural “available light” in the room - or knowing how to add a single light source to make it pop… they are used to working quickly and with small or no budgets… which is something this camera is begging you to do…

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/09/20/something-very-interesting-is-comingboth-to-this-blog-and-to-our-industry/

Ok well it’s not full Blu-Ray in DVDSP just yet but here’s the next best thing. To make this work you need a Blu-Ray burner, such as this nice little 6X number from MCE:

http://www.mcetech.com/blu-ray/

You also need a copy of Toast Titanium 9 and then this new HD/BD plug-in for Toast 9 gives users the ability to author high definition video content on to Blu-ray, or even standard DVD discs.

Take high-def video footage from AVCHD camcorders, TiVo and EyeTV and create Blu-ray discs that can be played on any standard Blu-ray set top box or Playstation3 game console. Did you invest in HD DVD? The HD/BD Plug-in even supports HD DVD formats and disc players. For more information, visit this link:

http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/toast/plugin/overview.html

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apple, dvd, high-definition, indie filmmaking, new techology, os x, production, sony, video, blu-ray

In part two of our Digital Survival Guide, we continue our look at some of the latest digital motion picture cameras. If you missed part 1, check it out here.
In 2006, the independent movie making world was rocked by the introduction of the RED One digital camera. This camera was surprising for two primary reasons: its ability to shoot at 4K resolution(more than double that of competing HD cameras) and its base price of only $17,500. The net effect of RED’s introduction onto the scene has been the democratization of the tools of filmmaking.
Armed with a RED, a nice set of 35mm lenses and of course a modicum of talent in front of and behind the camera a user can create imagery equal or superior to anything a 35mm film camera can achieve. Shooting to solid-state flash memory cards, RED’s workflow can be complex and daunting but it’s ultimately intended for compatibility with relatively inexpensive editing software such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere.
With RED, the glass ceiling has broken and with even more cameras on the way at lower prices, RED clearly has its sights set on getting film quality digital motion picture imaging into the hands of anyone who wants it. Hollywood is just getting accustomed to the idea of RED as several big-budget motion pictures have gone or are going into production with the camera, including Steven Soderbergh’s Che and Knowing, which stars Nicolas Cage.
Silicon Imaging also offers a digital camera with relatively low pricing and high-end specs to provide another alternative to film capture. With its 2/3” 16:9 CMOS sensor, the SI-2K can shoot standard definition, HD in 720 and 1080 and up to 2K using PL mount and C-mount HD and 16mm cinema lenses. A variety of over and under-cranking options are also available, where the maximum frame rate depends on the capture resolution.
At SD the camera goes up to 150 fps, while at 720p the maximum frame rate is 85 fps. The SI-2K camera offers cinema style lens mounts and 2K image capture to the Cineform RAW codec for around $29,000. Movies shot with the SI-2K include The Dark Country starring Thomas Jane (Boogie Nights, The Punisher) and Slumdog Millionaire from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later.)
The Phantom HD is yet another digital alternative to film whose speciality is very high-speed image capture. Phantom is capable of shooting up to 1,000 frames per second at 2K resolution, fully uncompressed using an array of ultra-fast onboard flash memory and PL-mount cinema lenses. To put that in perspective, an event that takes only 7 seconds to occur in real-time takes more than 7 minutes to playback when photographed at 1,000 frame per second.
Highly suitable to action movies, commercials and music videos, the Phantom slows time down to an art form and provides an unparalleled look into motion at unprecedented slow speeds. Phantom comes primarily as a rental camera complete with a utility to convert the camera’s native Cine file format into QuickTime and Video for Windows compatible files ready for editing in the NLE of choice.
The high-speed alternative on the film side is much more expensive because unfortunately film is charged by the foot and shooting high speed burns through film at an alarmingly expensive rate. Furthermore, with Phantom’s digital nature, complex actions can be reviewed immediately to see if everything went as planned. With high-speed film shoots, the production must wait until the next day’s dailies to see if a shot actually worked, when expensive sets and actors may be already unavailable.
Film no longer has the playing field all to itself, with viable, production-ready digital cameras here today and more on the way the choice has never been wider. Producers can now pick the camera that suits not only their creative vision but also meets their budget requirements. Never before in the history of filmmaking has so much opportunity been available to movie makers with a desire to make their mark. And as with all technological things, development constantly continues to make digital movie making less expensive with higher quality. The digital future is now.

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apple, digital cameras, film, final cut pro, financing, high-definition, indie filmmaking, multi-camera, music video, new techology, os x, p2, panasonic, photography, production, RED, sony, television, video

In this blog, we’ll take a look at some of the newest digital motion picture cameras, learn where they’re being used and what’s involved in taking full advantage of their capabilities at a wide variety of budget levels.

For more than 100 years, celluloid has dominated movie making as the recording format of choice. It has always been the dream of filmmakers and producers alike to find a less expensive, more user-friendly alternative. Shooting film engenders a mountain of costs incurred during production and post. Film stock is expensive, compounded with processing, telecine transfer to digital for editing, negative cutting, answer printing, release printing and more.

These costs are daunting enough to turn away many would-be filmmakers from realizing their creative vision. Video cameras began to gain prominence as occasional movie acquisition tools in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s but were never seen as a viable aesthetic alternative due to their low image resolution and limited dynamic range.

With the arrival of digital video and later high definition in the ‘90s, movement towards the visual quality of film drew closer and closer. Finally, within the past few years the digital imaging revolution sweeping the still camera world has caught up with the movies. With cameras like RED, CineAlta and Phantom the choice between film and digital is now purely objective and identical image quality results can be achieved in the right hands.

Panasonic was one of the first companies to offer a digital camera specifically designed for movie production with the introduction of its 720/24p High Definition VariCam in 2001. VariCam’s 2/3” CCD chip allowed for more filmic depth of field, especially when combined with high-quality interchangeable zoom and prime lenses. At around $65,000 plus lenses and accessories, VariCam was expensive to purchase but highly affordable as a rental camera while offering high-definition recording to relatively inexpensive digital DVCPROHD tapes. The tapes can be ingested and edited natively at full resolution via Firewire capture to editing programs like Apple’s Final Cut Pro. The VariCam is used extensively in indie movie production, commercials, music videos and on many TV shows such as American Idol and Arrested Development.

Not to be outdone, Sony offers several cameras in the high-definition world under its CineAlta line, aiming to replace film as the primary image capture format. Sony was strongly encouraged to develop its first 24p camera by George Lucas, who requested a digital 35mm equivalent for his second Star Wars prequel. Recording in 1080/24p to HDCAM SR tape decks, the Sony CineAlta line has since developed into a number of cameras including the F-950 and F-23.

The post-production workflow to edit natively in HDCAM SR can be more costly and require more expensive equipment to edit than the DVCPROHD workflow, but several lower-resolution, offline editing methods exist to keep post-production costs manageable. Panavision also derived its own Genesis camera, which is available strictly as a rental, from the CineAltas. Movies shot on the Genesis include Apocalypto, Domino and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

In part two, we’ll continue to look at digital alternatives to film. Coming Soon.

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There’s an amazing collection of do it yourself links over at Filmmaker IQ.com. A few samples:

Table Dolly

Radio Controlled Camera Pod

$14 Steadicam

Car Rigs

For these and a whole lot more, head here:

http://filmmakeriq.com/general/featured/202-diy-filmmaking-tutorials.html

This question comes up in the forums often- how does one label a DVD-R? I’m not big on using a print-on inkjet disc. They can smear with just a droplet of moisture nor stick on labels because they peel and jam. Instead- I’d go for one of three technologies- depending on budget and how professional the labels need to look:

1. Sharpie. This is cheap as dirt and works like a charm for sending to replication houses and for internal backups. But not so much given to clients- looks decidely ghetto for that…
2. LightScribe- this is a type of DVD burner than works with special media and lets you burn a monochrome image directly onto the disc surface. Looks a lot more pro than Sharpie for clients and has no issues with peeling off.
3. Rimage Everest Thermal transfer printers. This is a great printer- quite expensive but worth every penny. You can easily create a full color DVD with a printed surface that exceeds the image quality of most replicated discs but with zero risk of peeling, fading or smearing. This is the way to go if you want to do one-off discs that look as pro as can be.

Now of course if you don’t want to spend the dough on a Rimage and you still want that quality, you’re in luck. I use a company called CDPrintexpress that prints my short run DVDs and duplicates them to. They use a Rimage Everest and it looks awesome- like better than most Hollywood DVDs. Check them out:

http://www.cdprintexpress.com/Cddvdservices.aspx

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indie filmmaking, new techology, production, dvd, printers

Here’s a question I get asked just about every day: “which camera should I get to shoot my indie feature?” Well of course with anything in life it depends. These days the choices are wider than ever. You can shoot on anything from a Sony Handycam DV camera that costs $500 to a RED One that costs $30K+ with lenses to a Panavision Genesis that you can’t even buy- rental only.

I’m going to assume for the purposes of this article that most of our readers are somewhere in the mid-range. You have more than a few bucks to spend on the camera but you’re not rolling in the dough. You want something that looks good enough to project in a movie theater but it doesn’t have to be an IMAX camera.

So with that in mind I want to break it down to two cameras I think you should look at, the Panasonic HVX200 and the Sony EX1.

Both cameras are capable of shooting high definition at several different resolutions, the most common being 720p/24p and 1080/24p. The 720 and 1080 refer to the vertical resolution of the image in pixels and the 24p means it shoots 24 frames per second progressive, just like a film camera. You can learn more about what all that means here. The short of it is that both cameras shoot a picture you can project onto a movie screen that will look good(assuming it’s lit and composed well.)

Why not one camera over the other? Well, personally I think that both of these cameras are quite evenly matched, which is kind of a rarity in the digital camera world. The HVX200 has been around longer and so the workflow in post is a bit more standardized, it also shoots DVCPROHD as its compression format. That’s a better quality of compression than the EX1’s XDCAM EX. But it’s also a less efficient codec, meaning it takes up more space on the memory cards that both cameras use. There are a lot of other minor differences in terms of workflow and ergonomics that brings it down to personal choice.

That’s right, both the EX1 and the HVX200 shoot their footage to memory cards, much like the SD or CF card you probably have in your digital still camera already. The HVX200 uses P2, while the EX1 shoots to SxS. The upside is that without an HD tape deck involved, these cameras can be a lot cheaper, durable and lightweight. The downside is you have to be really careful when you’re shooting that you don’t accidentally erase footage before you’ve had a chance to transfer it to a hard drive, but you can figure that out pretty quick.

The HVX200 and EX1 are also variable frame rate cameras. This means you can shoot cool slow motion and funny high speed motion just like some film cameras do. The creative possibilities are endless- but don’t overdo it. A little slow-mo can be cool, a lot can be pretentious and boring. So pick your battles.

Both cameras work with Final Cut Pro, which I highly recommend as your editing platform of choice. Final Cut Pro is very powerful and reasonably easy to learn. It’s also priced relatively cheaply at around $1,200- you can even get it for less if you’re in school or a teacher. Most importantly, FCP is in use on many films, TV shows music videos, etc. So on those days when you’re not working on your own movie, you can potentially use your FCP skills to edit for a living.

Finally for a little bit of shameless self-promotion, I do think it’s critical you learn to use these cameras properly. They are not exactly point and shoot and with both having solid-state memory cards to record to rather than tape, the workflow may be completely new to you. So with that in mind, I humbly offer my own training DVDs. I have one for the HVX200 and one for the EX1.

Anyways, hope that’s given you a bit of food for thought. I highly recommend renting or at least demoing both cameras at your local camera shop, which if you’re in L.A. or NYC I’d suggest Abel Cine Tech. Determine which one you like better in terms of look and workflow. Then get out there and shoot your movie!

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24p, apple, digital cameras, festivals, final cut pro, high-definition, indie filmmaking, new techology, p2, panasonic, production, RED, slow motion, sony, television, video

Here’s a little tip for you would-be indie filmmakers out there. I cannot emphasize this enough, get photos of your movie as you’re making it. Now there are two basic types of photos you need and both are important: behind the scenes and production stills.

Behind the scenes photography are the photos where you can see the movie crew and the gear being used to make the movie. Now of course you’ll be tempted to photograph your cool crane that you managed to borrow or steal for a day or the Steadicam operator running after your actress. Or maybe you have a car mount or maybe a really nice Panavision or RED camera. These are all great to have but not the most important.

The most important behind the scenes photo, as least as far as the success of your movie is concerned is a shot of you, standing with one of your actors or near a movie camera pointing. Now this is silly, but read just about any movie magazine like Entertainment Weekly, US, Maxim, Moviemaker, etc and you’ll see oddles of the directors, “directing.” Now of course some of us might actually direct like this but probably not. Anyways it’s a must.

That being said, production stills are actually more important than behind the scenes shots. These are the sort of stills that look exactly like frames from your movie. These will be useful for advertising and all sorts of articles about your movie. Ideally you want some of these for every scene in your movie if not at least the most pivotal scenes. Using the frames from your actual taking camera isn’t good enough, just not enough resolution for print, especially if you’re shooting HD.

Now what sort of camera should you use? Well ideally you can afford to hire someone with a really high end digital SLR camera to do your photography. Someone who has let’s say a nice Nikon D300 or a Canon 40D. Something fairly pro and digital. Then they can give you just oddles of great photos you’ll have for every occasion.

In my case when I did Formosa I couldn’t afford to hire someone to shoot stills specifically. So I did it myself. This was a lot of fun and as the director I was in the perfect position to shoot great production and behind the scenes stills. And in a couple of occasions my photos were used either for continuity checks or even to create props. So fire away.

This was 2004, many generations ago in terms of digital cameras. So I used a 2-megapixel Minolta Dimage X. This camera didn’t take the sharpest photos but they were more than usable for print and the tiny pocket size meant I could always have it on me. These days I recommend the Canon Digital Elph cameras. They’re under $500, take absolutely great photos and are easy to use.

And don’t use flash. Most flash photos you’ll get with these little cameras look very amateur because the flash is too close to the lens. Get an ELPH with the IS(image stabilization) feature. Shoot with a high ISO and hold the camera steady. With luck you’ll be able to shoot in just about any reasonably well-lit scenario without flash and get great photos. Bottom line, if it’s well-lit enough for your movie camera it should be more than good enough for your still cam.

Hope you’ve enjoyed that little bit of extra info about still photography. It might seem a little counterintuitive to be so focused on still photos while you’re supposed to be making a “motion” picture but believe me it will come in handy constantly for the rest of the life of your movie. Check out www.dpreview.com for the latest and greatest in cameras.

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festivals, indie filmmaking, new techology, recording, television, video, photography, digital cameras

Here’s something interesting. An app that gives you native MXF in all QuickTime applications including FCP. Calibrated Software’s unique solution successfully joins the separate video and audio P2 MXF files so that Final Cut Pro sees them all as ONE file - complete with TimeCode and Reel Name. PullDown can also be removed or added for select frame rates. And you’re not just limited to Final Cut Pro, you can also natively import files in Compressor, Motion and Sound Track Pro.

Not only that but they have also unveiled a DVCPROHD decoder for Windows. This is something our friends across the aisle have been requesting for a long time. Calibrated{Q} DVCProHD Decode is a multi-threaded DVCProHD QuickTime Codec(Decode Only) that enables you to view QuickTime DVCProHD Movies in QuickTime Player and other 3rd party applications that support QuickTime. Check out both at Calibrated:

http://www.calibratedsoftware.com/welcome.htm

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24p, apple, final cut pro, os x, p2, panasonic, production, television, video, windows, pc, vista