Production

The New 4K: Different from the Old 4K

4K TV is on its way, and it has the potential to change the way we shoot--especially when it comes to composition.

By Art Adams | February 15, 2013

On a recent visit to Sony Studios I saw a 4K monitor for the first time. For the first time ever I thought to myself, "I hope they hold this shot long enough for me to see everything in it!"

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The Masters of Compositing Series - Part 1: Petro Vlahos (1917-2013)

Inventor of the Sodium Vapor Compositor and the Blue Screen Color Difference Traveling Matte & Multiple Oscar recipient

By Jeff Foster | February 14, 2013

*REPOSTED: This is the first in a series of interviews with the pioneers and masters in the compositing/VFX film & television industry. I originally recorded these interviews for my published book "The Green Screen Handbook" (Sybex/Wiley, pub) and had intended to produce one full-length documentary from the materials. But after a couple of years past now, I thought they would be better served as individual parts of a series to help educate and inform people about these historic times from the early days of VFX compositing through modern-day techniques.

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Who Wants to Take a Lighting Class?

I'm teaching a lighting class in Southern California on March 2nd. Here's why you should come...

By Art Adams | February 14, 2013

Lighting is both emotional and technical: we use tools to create a feeling. Most DPs can talk about the emotional reasons behind a lighting approach, but very few can state clearly and plainly exactly what problems they were trying to solve with each light. Apparently this is something I'm good at, and I'm going to give you a chance to exploit this on March 2nd.

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Rodney Charters Honored with ASC Career Achievement in Television Award

HDSLR Pioneer ASC, CSC Charters Recognized by ASC

By Clint Milby | February 12, 2013

One needs only glance at Rodney Charters’, ASC, CSC, accomplishments, and it is clear why the Society of American Cinematographers chose to recognize him.  

Charters has a lineage of television credits dating back to the... Read More

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Log vs. Raw: The Simple Version

Raw is all the rage, but should it be? Log gives us 99% of the benefit of a raw file in a grade but with much smaller files.

By Art Adams | February 06, 2013

Years ago I wrote an article describing how log encoding works using Sony's S-Log as an example. Sony's S-Log2 is coming down the pike in a big way in their F5 and F55, so it seems like an appropriate time for an update.

First of all, I should warn you that this is a much, much... Read More

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Product Review: Flashpoint 500C Portable LED Light

A temperature-adjustable 500 LED light panel for $200?

By Jeff Foster | February 06, 2013

Adorama introduces another hit in their line of affordable video and photo lights, with the Flashpoint 500C - a 500 LED portable light panel that features adjustable dual color temperatures and output running on either AC or battery power (battery not included), works on overseas voltage and includes sturdy, built-in reflective barn doors - all for about $200.

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Back to the Drawing Board

In which I field complaints about my C300 matrices, and commit to fight anew...

By Art Adams | February 05, 2013

I've been getting sporadic complaints on Twitter about one of my C300 matrices turning reds a bit blue on some cameras. Time to take another look…

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San Francisco SuperMeet 2013:  ATOMOS Ninja-2

It's a Full Res Recorder, It's a Monitor and it's Totally Affordable!

By Clint Milby | January 31, 2013

With a Little Help From My Friends — The Making of 1000 to 1

By James Mathers | January 31, 2013

Believe me, being a journeyman DP shooting indie pictures is a hard way to make a living, but it does have its rewards. It can be much more than a job for hire if you are able to enjoy the contagious passion of your filmmaking collaborators. I generally end up getting more involved than just... Read More

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JVC answers questions about GY-HM650 news camera with WiFi + FTP

JVC answers my questions about the GY-HM650, i.e. WiFi bands and FTP protocols.

By Allan Tépper | January 31, 2013

Back in April 2012, I published the article For broadcast news, “Starbucks is the new microwave!” which was a recurring theme at NAB 2012. In that article, I covered proposed uses of several mobile Internet services as substitutes for microwave, and included information from Avid... Read More

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Get a Little Closer With the Redrock Micro 72mm Macro Lens

New lens offers crystal clear magnification

By Clint Milby | January 31, 2013

Redrock Micro Lens..?

Last month, I had an opportunity to get my hands on another great product from Redrock Micro.  When I think of Redrock, I think of camera support systems, like the wireless follow focus, DSLR Cages and cinema rigs.  I have to confess that lenses don't... Read More

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Product Review: DJI Phantom Quadcopter for GoPro

Part 1 - Initial Testing & Useability

By Jeff Foster | January 31, 2013

Everyone is looking for that elusive aerial cam that's both affordable and easy to operate for the average videographer. I'm setting out to see if the DJI Phantom Quadcopter combined with a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition is the answer, in this two-part review and workflow study.

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Move the Camera, Not the Actor

It's rarely a good idea to remind an actor to hit their marks. It's much easier to move the camera to adjust. Here's why...

By Art Adams | January 30, 2013

On a recent shoot a discussion arose as to whether it was better to move an actor or to move the camera to maintain a composition. The actor kept settling into a position that obscured an over-the-shoulder angle, and there are some who would simply ask the actor to not do that.

That... Read More

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How to Be Kind to a Camera Assistant

It's a thankless but crucial job. Be kind, and they'll come through for you when you really need them to.

By Art Adams | January 28, 2013

A lot of people are starting out at the top these days--just buying a camera and starting a career shooting. That's cool, but cinematography is a collaborative craft. You have to know how to work with others, especially those that work for you. Let's talk about camera assistants for a moment...

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Color Matching a Canon C300 to an Arri Alexa

They said it couldn't be done. Maybe, but I got close. How close? You judge...

By Art Adams | January 26, 2013

I'm shooting more projects with the Canon C300 but none of the built-in looks greatly appeal to me. While trying to build my own custom C300 look at a local rental house I spied an Arri Alexa in the next stall over... and asked, "Can I put that next to this C300 for a while?" The results are really interesting...

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Cine Meter for iOS - shipped!

A light meter / waveform monitor / false-color display for iPhone

By Adam Wilt | January 22, 2013

[Warning: crass commercial message follows.]

So, it's finally done and dusted: Cine Meter for iOS has shipped. 

It actually went live last Thursday, but one of my beta testers immediately told Jon Fauer about it. Jon posted a quick review on Film and Digital Times... Read More

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Find Out Everything On-set Professionals Need to Know About Color Correction

Learn How to Deliver Stunning Images on February 6th, 2013 at 11:00 AM PST

By PVC News Staff | January 21, 2013

Event Date: 02/06/2013 11:00 AM

Get the scoop on color theory and grading for on-set professionals in this exclusive webcast with Juan Carlos Ortiz-Duran, colorist, DIT and local 600 member whose latest work includes MTV's hit show "Teen Wolf." Juan Carlos will be sharing his... Read More

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Meet the Experts at the Digital Process Workflow Lab

By Jeremiah Karpowicz | January 18, 2013

A select group of industry leaders shared their knowledge and expertise about the digital workflow process in an informal Q&A session at the DPW Lab during last fall's Entertainment Technology Expo in Burbank. Participants included...

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Low Light Levels and Wide-Open Lenses: the 80s/90s Look

Faster cameras means extreme low level lighting here to stay. Here are some examples from the days of (gasp) 400 ASA film!

By Art Adams | January 17, 2013

There's something amazing about shooting low light images with a wide open lens. Now that the average camera is rated at 800 or faster, we can take advantage of using smaller and smaller lights and even shoot scenes that look brighter on the monitor than they do by eye...

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Review: The Marshall V-LCD56MD

5.6 Inch Monitor is Perfect For HDSLR Production

By Clint Milby | January 14, 2013

Recently, I had an opportunity to review what I have always considered to be the on camera monitor to which all others are judged: Marshall. Marshall has achieved this by manufacturing monitors that are streamlined inside and out.  When Marshall puts... Read More

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