When designing a drive, engineers assume that some energy will always be applied. Leaving any drive on a shelf without power for years, will almost certainly lead eventually to lost data. For those of us with vast archives stored on umpteen drives sitting idle in a closet or warehouse, the failure of a single large […]
With the introduction of Imagine Products’ PrimeTranscoder, the QuickTime-based paradigm introduced over 25 years ago may finally be changing for video and web-publishing professionals. Foregoing the aging QuickTime engine, PrimeTranscoder utilizes Apple’s latest AVFoundation technology instead, taking ample advantage of GPU acceleration and core CPU distribution, among other tricks. To its credit, PrimeTranscoder supports virtually every professional camera format, […]
As filmmakers and directors of photography, we are constantly working to recreate the 3D world in a 2D medium. We use a variety of techniques to accomplish this, for example, by maximizing the use of linear perspective, and when blocking actors, by placing one slightly behind the other. For the same reason, when lighting scenes, […]
We all know that shooting in log can improve exposure latitude and dynamic range. In short, log capture allows us to record more professional-looking images, as the brightest highlights in sun-dappled scenes, for example, may often be accommodated without clipping or loss of detail. Practically, shooting in log may also mean utilizing less fill light, which can be helpful […]
Since the advent of tapeless workflows it has been necessary to safely and securely offload camera original footage from memory cards and onboard drives. For many of us this can be a process fraught with trepidation, which is why I and most industry professionals use Imagine Products’ ShotPut Pro to handle the offloading chore. Of course we […]
This year I am pleased and honored to be conducting a three-day camera and visual storytelling workshop at PDXFF16. This fun hands-on event will take place from August 31 – September 2 at the Pro Photo Event Center in the city’s NW Pearl District, 1801 NW Northrup Ave, Portland OR 97209. While the workshop is designed primarily for aspiring camera craftsmen and […]
This summer I am again in East Africa leading a camera and visual storytelling workshop at the Zanzibar International Film Festival. The hunger for knowledge in this part of the world never ceases to amaze me as my students demonstrate an eagerness to learn and practice the fundamental lessons of good visual storytelling and effective camera operation. […]
Its most recent demise has been nothing short of astonishing. As recently as four years ago 3D seemed atop of the world and gaining momentum with filmmakers and TV broadcasters around the world seemingly poised to jump on the 3D bandwagon. Pouring tens of millions of dollars into new cameras, rigs, and displays, the major manufacturers […]
On many shows we are increasingly shooting RAW and/or in a multitude of compressed formats with different cameras utilizing different flavors of log. ARRI Alexa, Canon C300, Sony FS7, Panasonic VariCam, GoPro, Blackmagic, DSLRs – just keeping all the color spaces and log profiles straight can be a major challenge. The Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) has simplified […]
With the advent of post-camera filter software like Tiffen’s Dfx4 and powerful color grading tools like Davinci Resolve, it’s easy to see how some shooters, even some relatively accomplished ones, no longer see the need for an on-camera filter. But this can be a big mistake. Especially given today’s onslaught of low- and mid-level 4K camcorders and DSLRs that […]