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Drop a tennis ball into a football sock and then spin it as fast as you can in a circle above your head. Make sure nobody you like is standing nearby. That circle is your film. The ball is Content, the sock is Form. They need each other. One is not any more necessary than the other. They are the two essential ingredients of any artistic endeavour. The ‘art’ is in the spinning. If you can get the tension between the sock and ball right, you’ll knock ‘em out. I really like EOSHD. Andrew knows his stuff and his reviews, if sometimes a little opinionated for my taste, are rarely boring. The thing I like most though is that his blog and forum cater to quite an exiting group of people. Low/no-budget filmmakers and videographers are living in exciting times - we all know this. I assume (perhaps wrongly?) that in one way or another the majority of you see yourself as artists who either don’t have access to enough money to make the films you'd like to, or who simply want to make films entirely on your own terms. I’m not just talking about wannabe Hollywood auteurs. I’m talking about anyone who is excited by the fact that good filmmaking equipment, allowing real cinematic creativity, is available to almost anyone now (even the new dad who thinks his kids are so great they deserve Dante Spinotti on them 24/7). Of course EOSHD is a gear-orientated site, and gear is only one side of the filmmaking coin. On the other side the gear is in your hands and you have to actually create something good with it. That’s what this post is about. It isn’t about form vs content - that’s what’s called a false dichotomy (my title was a lie). This post is about our need to put the amazingly powerful tools we have in our hands to good use. I’ve seen it on this forum many times now - posts asking if there’s a site like EOSHD for the creative side of filmmaking. I’ve wished for the same myself. If you know of one, please point me toward it. In the meantime I decided to set up a forum. It’s not my forum - I don’t know anywhere near enough about filmmaking for it to be that. It’s just a forum. If you guys have a use for it, it may start small and then grow. If not, I’ve lost twenty dollars on a domain name and an evening in front of my Mac. I can live with that. :) Please have a look: www.creativcrit.com GET STUCK IN, have some fun, maybe start a topic or two ... Everyone is welcome. On the homepage there are two boxes - ‘Group Crit’ and ‘Study Group’. The Group Crit is the place to discuss anything related to your own filmmaking. The Study Group is the place to discuss the work of established artists and experts (not just in film!). By the way, in case anyone is troubled by visions of mutiny etc., this thread has the blessing of EOSHD. Creativcrit is intended as a complimentary site, not a competitor. Thanks very much, Matt. P.S. I’m very keen that the forum works democratically, so please leave ANY thoughts, ideas, criticisms, misgivings, suggestions, etc. below.

Sorry but this story about 4k cameras threatening DSLRs because (some) people may pull still images from video sounds like a world of bull crap to me, I have yet to be in a situation as a stills photographer were a continuous 4k burst at shutterspeeds ranging between 1/50 and 1/240 would be useful, let a lone practical. And if, in all seriousness, somebody will come along and tell me that dealing with terabites of raw video frames for a still or two just not to miss the right moment is the way to go I'd have to suggest that person to find a different occupation...

I do agree something like this is needed at EOSHD as well. I love to talk about ideas and get inspiration from people for shoots. My recent shoot at the Aeropark would not have happened without Lars telling me about the location and I've done a shoot at Crosby beach with a 80-200mm F2.8 based on James Miller's stunning Brighton beach footage shot with the Production Camera.   So I have created a forum for inspiring each other to go out and shoot, share stories, script ideas, talk films and anything that isn't gear related...   http://www.eoshd.com/comments/forum/21-creativity-and-ideas/

Very cool Andrew! The only time I've ever really seen "content" become a hot button issue here at EOSHD would be when someone would inappropriately try to derail a technical discussion already underway. It's a common pretense that attempts to establish the troll as somehow above it all while downplaying the importance of technical craft, education and experimentation. It's completely disingenuous and bothersome behavior showing both a lack of respect and context. Having an appropriate framework and context for the discussion should help keep things clear and constructive.

The screening room here kinda has the same function, but I think the problem is everybody just dumps their video there and hardly anyone cares to comment or even come back after posting a video. I have to admit I was a bit sceptical about this idea. But my first experiences on CreativeCrit so far are great! I saw some interesting work made by a member that probably wouldn't have caught my attention here, and got helpful feedback on a video I posted! This might work really well as long as there is a group of people willing to share their feedback and help each other out. I'll still be around here for my daily dose of camera/anamorphic porn though :)

I think cache size is what ultimately helps with individual large files. I would keep the one that tests better across the board :)

Curious as to whether this thing will be prohibitively expensive or how much Sony will cripple it in order to sell it at a more affordable price point. If it is in the $10,000+ price range and not crippled, what really differentiates it from an F5? Probably way too much to ask for, but I'm hoping for "F55 quality" 10-bit internal 4K with all the pro connections (XLR, SDI, etc) stripped off to lower the cost in a DSLR body for around $5K. With the Blackmagic 4K cam and GH4 at much lower price points and similar specs, I don't think it's unrealistic, but I doubt Sony would do it. Could create a big market for Sony FZ, FE, and A mount lenses though. I'd love to see what the new Sony 55 f/1.8 is capable of on a great camera.

Yes, FCP X does not like third party plugins, to put it mildly. One of the most useful, the stabilizer Log & Load, is an exception. With Neat, it depends on the Neat and FCP X version. Google for the experiences of others before you ruin a project.

Go get yourself a stiff drink mate - you sound like you need one!

This isn't the place for political debates.

I thought the topic was BMPC 4K.. am I wrong?

one thing I hate about the sony is the $@%%@$@ AVCHD, no MOV no sale for me btw FF is overated, I tend to find myself shooting in lower F stop so I can fucking focus properly

I haven't bothered reading the review, -I didn't feel the need after watching the movie and to me it really shows how the camera is delivering a moving still photograph. In this piece you have created a really interesting look - one that I'd love to see more often. The posing with living movement is lovely. It would work incredibly for artistic life photography, dynamically lit. Looped as a digital artwork. Or an artwork that captures a subtle movement like that from trees blowing in the wind in a beautifully composed landscape shot.

I couldn't agree more, Skip. I was trying to point out that Panasonic, or MFT cameras, are fighting an uphill marketing battle. When they came out there was hope they would reach full-frame quality in low-light, etc. Right or wrong, I get the sense more photographers want full-frame, whether they can shoot or not is another question. When the GH2 came out, it appealed to both photographers and videographers because it did each one reasonably well. Since then, high-end photographic camera users are moving away from MFT, which makes the GH4 less desirable for photos (again, not saying you can't take great photos with it). So that leaves the GH4 having to fight better in the video space. I have no idea how it will play out. As Andrew pointed out, the stills from the 4K cameras are as good as most cameras (but not full-frames in special circumstances). I do think it is possible 4K camcorders could make a resurgence and be preferable to a GH4. If the Sony 4K downsampled gave me more of a Blackmagic look, I'd want that camcorder convenience. Hand-held, nothing beats a camcorder like nothing beats a minivan if you have kids ;) Or let me say, I know people who shoot video on DV tapes that run circles around those professoinals shooting 4K ;)

GH4 is still some weeks off, as they haven't finished the firmware yet.