Redrock Micro cinescreen ground glass upgrade cuts light loss

Today Redrock Micro announced an improved ground glass imaging screen for their M2 35mm lens adapter system. The new ground glass element has been dubbed cinescreen II, and Redrock has said it offers “significant improvements in light transmission, contrast, and sharpness.” I’ve not had an opportunity to examine images shot with the new element, but Redrock isn’t being shy about it’s performance…

S/N Ratios Demystified

    In light of a recent discussion I had with a photographer about the grain inherent in high ISO speeds, I thought I would take minute and write about Signal to Noise Ratios and how they affect image processing in both video and photography. I will try my best to explain this subject as I understand it. I am no electrical engineer however, and this subject can quickly delve into the physics of electronics deeper than I fully comprehend so if you have more observation or clarity on the subject please let me know in the comments below. Ok here we go. So what is a signal to noise ratio?

Audio Peak vs Average Levels: How our ears perceive loudness

Recently I posted a link to TurnMeUp.org, a project that aims to restore the dynamics and range of sound in today’s audio production. The problem is that consumers are being fed increasingly over-compressed, over-produced music and audio, and it’s created a loudness war of sorts. What’s really interesting about all this, is that human ears actually perceive more dynamic music as louder. There’s a very informative post over at the Mastering Media blog that deals with this, check it out.

Can Ikonoskop’s DII Digital Cinema Camera Coexist with Red?

One of the most exciting launches at IBC this year came from Ikonoskop, a small company located in Sweden that has to-date catered to 16mm filmmakers and extreme sports applications. Their latest product is a digital cinema camera with a sensor size equivalent to a 16mm film frame.

The A-Cam dII is a compact, lightweight camera that captures 1920 x 1080 12-bit 4:4:4 images to a high-speed flash storage cartridge. It supports framerates from 1-60. An integrated viewfinder is tucked into the body, and orientates vertically also. The EVF includes a 1:1 zoom mode and histogram. Directors and sound crew can check audio levels, access a menu, and view footage on the embedded LCD screen on the opposing side of the camera body. The camera captures uncompressed, RAW DNG images along with two channels of 48k uncompressed audio and embedded image metadata. In addition to offering very capable specs for general filmmaking, the dII looks to be a nearly perfect configuration for tight, fast-moving extreme sports shooting. Of course, nowadays it’s nearly impossible to mention any camera without the Red One or Red Scarlet in the same breath. So how does this offering from Ikonoskop stack up to Red? In my opinion, it doesn’t. It’s not aimed at competing with Red, directly. The A-Cam DII is another animal entirely, read on for my reasons why…

Behind the Scenes at a superfad Phantom shoot

superfad is the creative production company behind some of the most compelling uses of high-speed video that I’ve seen to date. When Vision Research needed a demo of their Phantom camera for NAB 2007, they tapped superfad and DOP Stephen McGehee for a three-minute demo that showed off the camera’s high-framerate possibilities. The result was impressive. You can see a fairly detailed behind the scenes featurette on that project here. Another recent project was a few essential elements-themed spots for a Kung Fu HD channel. A photographer working to capture stills alongside the 1000fps Phantom has posted a short behind the scenes clip on the project, you can watch it below. Two of the finished superfad ads are posted in their high speed gallery. Enjoy the slow motion goodness.

Boris Motion Key plugin restores my childlike belief in Magic

I just watched a demo video for the Boris Continuum plugin called Motion Key. The instructor showed how unbelievably easy it was to use Motion Key to remove a moving foreground object, in this case a car traveling across a locked-off street scene. In a few clicks, the vehicle was gone. Bam! Magic. This looks like a seriously cool plugin…

Creative Titling Inspiration

Titles are one of those areas in editing that at times can seem like an afterthought. With all the time and budget constraints in today’s demanding editing schedules, titling often takes a back seat. But when creative editors have the time and budget to devote to it, a strong opening title sequence has the potential to be a story within a story, setting the tone and pace for the film or production to follow. One only need watch the splendid intro of “Catch Me If You Can” to be reminded of this. Read on for some practical examples of innovative title sequences, and a few resources to draw inspiration from in your own editing projects.

Sony XDCAM EX and SxS making industry inroads

An interesting announcement that emerged from IBC this year is the news that JVC will be supporting Sony’s XDCAM EX long-GOP MPEG format as well as SxS solid-state media cards. Initially the format and media will be implemented in JVC’s KA-MR100G docking recorder accessory for ProHD GY-HD200 and HD250 camcorders. Read on for details…

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