Has Shakycam Finally Run Its Course?

GREAT review of the new movie “Battle: Los Angeles” by Matt Zoller Seitz at Salon.com, taking the filmmakers to task for the evil combination of long zoom, short depth of field, and lack of shot stability that equates to nausea for the viewers.  Huzzah!  Huzzah!  Something that has needed to be said for over a decade!

Will it make a difference?  Doubtful.  You see as many faux-Steadicams as decent tripods at NAB, a travesty I expect to continue next month.  Anybody want to lay odds?

And no, I haven’t yet seen “Battle: Los Angeles,” but once it hits the Roku I promise to pop a few Dramamine and give it a go.

Something To Check Out At NAB 2011

DollyCrane Demo from Andrzej Dybowski on Vimeo.

It’s just about time to start making a list of what I really want to see at NAB 2011, so when a Facebook post from GearHeads came across linked to this video for the FloatCam, let’s just say I was…intrigued. (And nostalgic for my long-since-sold VW Bug Convertible.)

Got any stuff you want me to check out for you in Vegas next month?  Let’s hear it!

Is “Good Enough” Killing Our Industry?

I contend that the “it’s good enough” mentality is killing quality, and especially in our industry. Philip sees it differently. What do you think? Episode 20 of the Terence & Philip Show.

iPhone Apps: The Short List for the Average Cinematographer

It seems everyone and their sister’s friend’s cousin has made a list of indispensable cinematography iPhone apps. Now it’s my turn. Let’s see how original I am.

How Would You Build The Entertainment Business From Scratch?

Philip & I originally talked about the concept of starting over in production with a green field – no established starting points – in episode 11.
In this episode we take it a little deeper as there is a lot of ground to cover.
How would a new studio look? What would distribution look like? Would it be a return to the studio system approach of old?
These are just a few of the many areas we tackle in this episode of the Terence & Philip show.

Maybe Facebook Is Good For Something After All

I’m not really a huge Facebook fan, but I can recognize a bargain when I see one.  If you are on Facebook and you “like” Smartsound, they’ll send you a free music track on February 15th.  Hey, what can it hurt?  It’s not like they want you to play Farmville or something. 

Courage Under Lighting

Recently I had the opportunity to direct a music video for a local Chicago band called Flatfoot 56. On this particular project, the narrative would be completely shot on a sound stage and the performance piece of the band would be shot at one other location. Lighting the performance location wound up taking roughly eight hours to rig, utilizing around 22 heads and drawing about 23,000 watts. So where did we end up and how did we get there? Come and take a ride along with us; our first stop is in Gary Indiana. Read on…

So You Think You Have An Original Idea?

Everything is a Remix from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Everything is a Remix Part 2 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

Big thanks to Gary Bettan of Videoguys.com for pointing out a really interesting take on modern creativity.  It’s at a site called EverythingisaRemix.info .  A guy named Kirby Ferguson just disassembles two of the most sacred cows of the last forty years - Led Zeppelin and Star Wars - in a funny, deadpan way that makes “This American Life” sound like “Family Guy.”  And they aren’t the only victims here - be sure to hang on through the credits for even more fun!  There are currently two episodes out (of a promised four).  Even though there are embed links in this post, be sure to go to his site and click on the “Donate” button.  This guy deserves a little dough!

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