Arri Amira at Videofax
Last Wednesday, Videofax in San Francisco hosted Arri’s Snehal Patel, who showed off Amira, “the new documentary-style camera” with the heart of an Alexa. Amira is a tasty package: backlit…
Lights I Haven't Made Yet #1: The Art Book Light
A gaffer once called me a “picky lighter.” I take pride in that designation, but I also take pride in working fast. Here’s a new soft light trick I’ve been…
NAB2014: New Features in Premiere Pro, After Effects & Media Encoder
Adobe has announced a major update to Premiere Pro CC, After Effects CC and Media Encoder CC. As expected, there are many under-the-hood improvements that affect Mercury Engine and now Mercury Transmit,…
NAB Show Reports
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A Smooth HDV Workflow for iMovie / Final Cut Pro HD
Last night I was playing with the new iMovie 5 ($79, free on new Macs) and figured out a very nice HDV workflow for Mac users. First of all, it is important to mention that when installing the new iMovie, the Apple Intermediate Codec shows up in the QuickTime codec list. This portion is key to this solution. Here’s the workflow:
HDR-FX1 and HVR-Z1U Feature Set Comparison
Sony’s first pair of HDV camcorders share the same chassis design and a number of identical features. There are, however, about forty-odd differences between them. Here’s a fairly comprehensive chart which compares the two. The HDR-FX1 is a consumer model; the HVR-Z1U is a professional version.
Using Free Run Time Code as an External Sync Substitute for HVR-Z1U Multi-Camera Shoots
there is an option in the Z1U available to you which will allow for frame-accurate time code synchronization of several cameras in a multi-camera shoot. The procedure for this work-around requires only one person and one Sony RMT-841 Wireless Remote Commander (the wireless remote control which is supplied with each camcorder).
I went to Ginza Sony Plaza to look at FX1
After checking it out on the tripod, they let me shoot with the cam with the shoulder pad and play the tape back on the Wega TV. I shot people walking by, panning and zooming in and out. I was amazed at how well the stabilizer worked…
Review: Canon 16x Manual Servo Zoom Lens for XL1 / XL1S / XL2
General Features · Weight · 14x Manual Lens Compared · Servo ZoomND Filters · Back Focus · Summary · Specifications Chart The 16x Manual Servo Zoom lens introduced simultaneously with the XL1S in 2001 generated nearly as much interest as the XL1S…
XL1S and Mini35 on Seinfeld / Levinson Shoot, Pt. 1
Radical Media was hired to produce a long form Internet spot for American Express, written by and starring Jerry Seinfeld with Barry Levinson directing. My good friend and associate Shane Hurlbut (Drumline, Crazy/Beautiful) was hired to DP the spot, and when he was told that the intention was to shoot on DV, he brought me on to operate and advise him on the approach to shooting a high-end DV project.
XL1S and Mini35 on Seinfeld / Levinson Shoot, Pt. 2
The second film in the series features Jerry and Superman taking a road trip somewhere in the desert in a 1965 Porsche. Our first day was to be spent shooting the scenes within the car, so we spent the morning rigging onto the process trailer which was to be towed by a camera car for Monday’s photography. Shane wanted to find the camera angles and lenses to avoid having to do that work on Monday morning.
XL1S and P+S Mini35, Images Pt. 1: New York City
These images accompany an article by Charles describing how he helped shoot an American Express internet spot starring Jerry Seinfeld and directed by Barry Levinson. The copyright on the images shown here is held exclusively by by Charles Papert, Jason Wawro and Gary Hatfield; all rights are reserved accordingly.
XL1S and P+S Mini35, Images Pt. 2: Death Valley
These images accompany an article by Charles describing how he helped shoot an American Express internet spot starring Jerry Seinfeld and directed by Barry Levinson. The copyright on the images shown here is held exclusively by Charles Papert, Jason Wawro and Gary Hatfield; all rights are reserved accordingly.
The XL2 Watchdog's Tips & Tricks
This section offers some operating tips gleaned from savvy XL shooters for the benefit of others. The idea here is to have a place to point everyone who asks, “how do I do that again?” without having to keep reposting the same information on usenet. I got the idea from watching how many times people have asked how to generate color bars on the Sony VX1000.
Article: Comparative Demonstration of the Sennheiser ME66 and MKH416
This article is presented mainly as an opportunity for you to just listen to each microphone do its job side-by-side… I made every effort to create the following demonstration clips to represent the true performance of each microphone in identical settings.
Tutorial: Assemble Your Own Low-Budget Light Kit, Part One
I’m a big believer in get the right tools for the job, but sometimes you just can’t afford the right tools. Here’s where ingenuity comes into play. First, where do you find cheap, or if you prefer, inexpensive, lights? Hardware stores, auto parts, store, Salvation Army stores, Goodwill, garage sales.