DCS Lighting Technology Event Saturday, 21 March, in Burbank
[Update 23 March: event coverage at Sound & Picture.] The Digital Cinema Society is having its annual Lighting Technology Event in Burbank, California this coming Saturday, 21 March. Almost twenty manufacturers and…
The Sony FS7: One Light, Three ISOs, and Many Possibilities
I’ve always wanted to test a camera’s dynamic range by beautifully lighting a room using one punchy light placed outside a window. I finally got my chance. When RED released…
Never Say No — And Learn to Live with It
A famous DP once told me, “Never say no.” I suspect this is the best possible way to have a glorious career, but I don’t think it’s always appropriate. Here’s…
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OS X: Fixing AVCHD media to avoid the dreaded “CANNOT OPEN”
If you’re using OS X and you copy AVCHD media folders to a NAS (network-attached storage) or a case-sensitive disk, you may run into problems: opening the media in 10.8’s Finder gives…
Relaying Light: Using Diffusion to "Fix" Natural Light
Diffusion doesn’t just soften light; it relays light. Here’s how I used a large piece of dense diffusion to light the inside of a car and hide the little known fact that the sun moves.
This spot was the first in a series of six that I shot two years ago for OnLive, a company that specializes in streaming gameplay over the Internet. They went through some rough times but now they’re back and they’ve decided to release these spots as part of a new ad campaign.
My lighting budget had to cover the needs of all six spots over five days, so I had to build an equipment package that worked for everything. This car was the only location that would normally have required some big lights to balance a dark car interior with a day-lit exterior and keep the quality and direction of light consistent over time, but we didn’t have the money for a generator and a couple of large HMIs. Fortunately I had two tricks up my sleeve: an Arri Alexa and a 12’x12′ frame of full grid cloth.
Relaying Light: Using Diffusion to “Fix” Natural Light
Diffusion doesn’t just soften light; it relays light. Here’s how I used a large piece of dense diffusion to light the inside of a car and hide the little known fact that the sun moves.
This spot was the first in a series of six that I shot two years ago for OnLive, a company that specializes in streaming gameplay over the Internet. They went through some rough times but now they’re back and they’ve decided to release these spots as part of a new ad campaign.
My lighting budget had to cover the needs of all six spots over five days, so I had to build an equipment package that worked for everything. This car was the only location that would normally have required some big lights to balance a dark car interior with a day-lit exterior and keep the quality and direction of light consistent over time, but we didn’t have the money for a generator and a couple of large HMIs. Fortunately I had two tricks up my sleeve: an Arri Alexa and a 12’x12′ frame of full grid cloth.
DJI Phantom – Flying Commercially in the UK
To me the Phantom is a tool to which I can attach a camera to take stunning photographs or video from an angle that is totally alien to us. To some and sadly a few of our newspapers the Phantom is a drone, a device which is seen as being used for surveillance, to strip away our privacy. As responsible pilots we need to act in a manner that doesn’t harm this emerging market for aerial video and photography. My fear is that sooner or later a member of the public will be hurt by somebody flying irresponsibly. The press that will follow will put all multirotor pilots in the spotlight in a negative way.
My involvement with multirotors has up to this stage been as a hobbyist. I was introduced by a friend to this technology about 18 months ago and have fallen in love with it. I was involved with building my first rig, went on to buy a Phantom and have almost finished building the larger DJI S800. From this point on my interests are of a commercial nature, I want to provide aerial footage to a niche and specific market. To do this though however brings about what appears on the surface to be another set of complexities.
How the Search for a Standard HD Camera Model Went Awry
I’m a member of SMPTE, and as such I receive the SMPTE Journal fairly regularly. The latest issue contains an article that’s backed by the best intentions but, in the…
A Softer Approach to Modern LED Panel Style Lighting.
The new LED array lights that are sweeping the industry have a lot going for them. Fundamentally, they’re amazingly efficient turning most of the power applied to them into light…
Pushing Resolution – The Path Toward 4k and 8k Video.
Resolution is a double-edged sword. It makes our pictures clearer, more useful, and helps make them as “future-proof” as possible. But it also puts significant demand on our hardware systems…
Zacuto Canon C100 Z-Finder NAB Update
Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 9, 2013 — Zacuto announced their Canon EOS Cinema C100 Z-Finder here this week and displayed a prototype but actual product delivery is at least four…
The Padcaster
Every year at NAB we see new and improved hardware accessories for taking mobile device video to new levels. Now, we have the Padcaster. The Padcster consists of an aluminum…
Rampant Design shows new products at NAB2013
Rampant Design shows new products to instantly enhance your projects with animated mattes, transitions, and light elements. At NAB 2013 in its booth #SL3630 (Plug In Pavilion) in the Las…
Replay XD Showing New Accessories at NAB2013
Here at NAB 2013, Replay XD is showing some new accessories for their action cameras. The new $39.99 dive housing is waterproof to 60 meters(197 feet). The standard lens is…
BlackMagic Debuts new Cinema Production Camera and Cinema Pocket Cinema Camera
The big buzz on Day One at NAB 2013 comes once again from BlackMagic Design. Definitely not resting on their laurels, they’ve raised their game a couple of notches. At…