Andrew Reid

“Christian Bannert [of Zeiss] took great pleasure in asking me to guess the third surprise coming from Carl Zeiss. An 1800 mm T1.3 lens perhaps?…I had no clue. “We’re back in the Anamorphic Lens business,” he said. [url=http://www.eoshd.com/comments/index.php/topic,61.0.html]More on the anamorphic forum here[/url]

Fantastic news. These will be for the new Alexa Studio probably. Bring on the consumer lenses and camera modes next... 16:9 just isn't cinema! 

Unless you are going really extreme with bitrates and intra-frame AVCHD (GOP-1, 176Mbit+) actually you should be ok with a Class 6 card. I would suggest get the Class 10 cards anyway since it will be quicker to get your footage off the card reader, unless you want to save some money. Sandisk are reliable, Samsung also since they make most of the memory chips.

It usually happens that way when a lens becomes kit, they become more common on the 2nd hand market for starters, but not sure retail price will be lowered by Panasonic yet when bought on their own since they are premium top end lenses in the Lumix line up and pretty new.

Very tempted by those umbrellas with Christmas coming up... But are they a bit girly?  :) http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/d163/?srp=2

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/gh3-ces.jpg[/img] [url="http://www.eoshd.com/comments/index.php/topic,57.0.html"]Find out how to get a GH2 body for $499 in the US at Adorama on the new EOSHD forum[/url] Ethics statement: holding off buying a camera due to a rumour is silly. Anyone who wants to shoot and is not currently shooting with a GH2 especially with the hack and current discounts is missing out on a fantastic camera. Whilst the GH2 discounts continue today I received an email from a guy in the Netherlands who had a sneak at MediaMarkt’s stock list. MediaMarkt is one of the biggest consumer electronics retailers in Europe and actually there is one near me in Berlin where I double checked the stock list. The news here is that the GH2 is showing as EOL (end of line). [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/6468/gh3-around-corner-at-ces/"]Read full article[/url] [/html]

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/blade-runner-eye-flames.jpg[/img] Ridley Scott will direct the sequel to Blade Runner soon and a screenplay is currently being prepared. Find out what Scott and cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth were thinking when they shot the incredible original with anamorphic lenses. They copied Citizen Kane In preparing to shoot Blade Runner, Ridley Scott told his cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth that the photography of Citizen Kane best suited his vision for the film. Says Cronenweth – “This included, among other things, high contrast, unusual camera angles, and the use of shafts of light.” Embrace unusual light sources Part of the reason Blade Runner resembles the great Asian cities like Tokyo is due to the overcrowded streets and abundance of neon lights. In fact rather than use normal film set lighting for the most part Scott had a 7 man crew overseeing numerous rented neon signs. The signs in-frame were on dimmer switches and turned down to the point where they’d just begin to flicker. The flicker was more attractive and the dimmer switch avoided blown highlights so that they maintained a vivid colour on film. Off-frame neon signs were ramped up to full brightness so that they bathed the set in a neon glow from afar. Anamorphic composition is more dramatic For many years after its release in cinemas Blade Runner was shown in a pan and scan format on 4:3 TVs. Brett Sherris of 80′s magazine Videofax remarks for the first time on the new Laserdisc transfer of Blade Runner in all its anamorphic glory. “One of the most interesting surprises that one immediately notices upon seeing the entire Panavision anamorphic frame is how cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth frames his characters either screen left or screen right – rarely centred. This aesthetic is reinforced by a lighting design that places the characters half in light, half in shade. This motif gives the impression that all concerned are living their lives on the fringe – an existence that is perpetually off-balance. The anamorphic laserdisc transfer of Blade Runner makes an excellent case for the idea that when a portion of the frame has been left empty, it may be intentionally so.” [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/265/philips-release-2-39-1-anamorphic-tv-with-2560x1080p-resolution"]With the exception of this Philips TV (coverage at EOSHD)[/url], the TV standard today is 16:9 unfortunately. I think Brett sums up what anamorphic gives you as a cinematographer. It supercharges the attractiveness of the rule of thirds and gives you more room to play on the emotions of characters, isolation and dead-space. In other words, it is simply more dramatic. Flaws can add to the film On the Los Angeles set for a chase sequence where Deckard chases a replicant through several glass shop windows Ridley Scott struggled with the lighting until he decided to take some of the neon lights from outside and put them into the store window itself. The very high brightness of the lights allowed for high frame rates so Scott and Cronenweth decided to shoot the memorable sequence in slow-mo to better capture the shattering of hundreds of shards of glass and the flailing limbs of replicant Zhora. The only problem was that the high shutter speeds required caused a visible flickering effect on the neon signs. Rather than abandoning the slow mo Cronenweth decided to use the ‘pulsing’ as an element of the chase. To always aim for a 100% perfect shot setup is not always the right choice because flaws introduce creativity. Sci-fi plots allow for more creative license The future setting of Blade Runner allowed the director and cinematographer to be more elaborately stylish. “Since the film is set in the future, unusual sources of light could be used where one would not accept them in a contemporary setting. For example, many of the people on the street set carried umbrellas that had fluorescent tubes incorporated in their shafts, providing a light source which could create a glow on their faces.” (I actually like this idea for an umbrella maybe I should start a Kickstarter campaign). Most CGI lacks soul In the pre-workstation CGI geek era of filmmaking, control over special FX were micro-managed and every frame was touched by hand and far less clinical. This slow process also gives the director far more control over what is on screen and the ability to see immediately what affect the camera, lighting and composition has in unison with the effect. Says Blade Runner DP Cronenweth: “One of the identifying characteristics of replicants is a strange glowing quality in their eyes. To achieve this effect, we’d use a two-way mirror — 50 percent transmission, 50 percent reflection — placed in front of the lens at a 45-degree angle. Then we’d project a light into the mirror so that it would be reflected into the eyes of the subject along the optical axis of the lens. We’d sometimes use very subtle gels to add color to the eyes. Often, we’d photograph a scene with and without this effect, so Ridley would have the option of when he’d use it.” With actors use hard backlighting, soft frontlighting Any DSLR shooter can try this. The cinematographer on Blade Runner had a specific technique for lighting characters. Cronenweth would use a bright backlight to give a sharp high contrast edge to the character and a dramatic sense of atmosphere and location. He’d then use a soft dim frontlight on the actors’ faces to better emphasis their humanity and vulnerability. This from an interview with ASC Magazine… Cronenweth: “I can never use enough backlighting. It’s just that some directors want to see the actors’ faces. I keep telling them that the audience only goes to see the sex.” ASC Magazine: “The cinematographer is as interested in creating mood or an effect as he is in lighting an actor’s face.” For Cronenweth there was one exception where he’d use hard frontlighting on Blade Runner. “I love hard light in the face if it is overexposed. I think that’s beautiful. It’s different; it’s unusual. It’s exciting; it’s violent. Further reading / sources [url="http://www.eoshd.com/anamorphic-guide"]The EOSHD Anamorphic Shooter’s Guide[/url] [url="http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/11/04/ridley-scott-says-he’ll-direct-‘blade-runner’-sequel/"]Ridley Scott directing Blade Runner sequel[/url] [url="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HAma4m3w38EC&pg=PA171&dq=Cronenweth+panavision&hl=en&ei=7RbiTrzPAYjTsgbtzZSrBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Cronenweth%20panavision&f=false"]Retrofitting Bladerunner at Google Books[/url] [url="http://www.theasc.com/magazine/mar99/blade/pg1.htm"]ASC Magazine on Blade Runner DP Cronenweth[/url] [url="http://vimeo.com/30300114"]Blade Runner inspired Tokyo time-lapse on Vimeoe[/url] [/html]

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mandorla-hacked-gh2.jpg[/img] [url="http://www.mandorlamovement.com/about/"]Mandorla – a feature directed by Roberto Miller in production now on the hacked Panasonic GH2[/url] The new official GH2 firmware is out now, you can [url="http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/download/fts/dl/gh2.html"]download it at Panasonic here[/url]. Please be aware when you install it that any hacked firmware is overwritten and lost although one forum member at Vitaliy Kiselev’s site said he was able to roll back the hacked version 1.0 firmware again just fine with PTools and the new firmware doesn’t block anything. Take this with a pinch of salt until more people have tested it and if you need the hacked firmware for an important upcoming project don’t install this update. Vitaliy says [url="http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1656/gh2-v1.1-new-firmware-with-25p-discussion-topic/p1"]here[/url] that it will be a while before the current hack patches are ported to the new official firmware update, which has a few new features. The new update includes a 24Mbit 1080/25p mode for PAL GH2s (30p for NTSC cameras sold in Japan and the US) wrapped in a 50i AVCHD stream. It is a native 25p output and you just need to unwrap it when you transcode the footage like with the old out of the box GH1.Great for PAL GH2 users to finally have the choice between 24p and 25p for broadcast and pro work or mixing with footage from other PAL cameras on 25p timelines. Some users are reporting that the gamma switch between live view and record mode has been fixed by the new firmware. This would be great if true since it is very noticeable especially via HDMI on a good monitor and it will make for more accurate exposure. [url="http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1656/gh2-v1.1-new-firmware-with-25p-discussion-topic/p1"]See the latest findings here[/url] [url="http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1656/gh2-v1.1-new-firmware-with-25p-discussion-topic/p1"][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/gh2-official-firmware-v1-1.jpg[/img][/url]     [/html]

[html]It is not a major announcement to all filmmakers at all! [/html]

[html]Philip’s EPIC also skipped frames every second of a major project, and had had to be repaired twice so far in as many months. That is a an entire project affected by a major problem, on a $50k camera. I don’t cover RED on the site because they haven’t produced an accessible sub $3000 DSLR competitor yet. The Canon is interesting because it is new technology and the tech will filter down into affordable DSLRs. Plus it is the bigger news of the day by far. RED cater for a very small niche in comparison to Canon. [/html]

[html]I am not in the least bit envious because I don’t subscribe to their philosophy, at all. I am of a completely different belief system. [/html]

[html]Business, business business. It is all I ever hear from most filmmakers these days. “If you’re not making money off your shooting, you’re wasting your money”? What utter crap. [/html]

[html]Yes they said it in the DPReview interview. TV production crews don’t need 1080/60p. It isn’t the massive issue some make it out to be. [/html]

[html]danyyyel – Why does not having one small feature disqualify it from costing $20,000? It is too expensive, yes, but not because it lacks 1080/60p for slow mo. [/html]

[html]And support. I agree – specs aren’t everything. [/html]

[html]Ouch indeed! The good news is you don’t need em! [/html]

[html]Wow… unbelievable!! This is it: http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/07/magma-introduces-thunderbolt-pcie-expansion-box/ But can you really use the external graphics card as your main card to power a display and the OS instead of the internal one, or is this still just a theory? Is it as easy as selecting it in the Display control panel? [/html]

[html]Agree go for the 15″ quad core MacBook Pro. The Air isn’t fast enough. [/html]

[html]They really should offer an option with RAID SSD drives in place of the DVD drive now. That drive can be connected via USB anyway. I never use mine. [/html]

[html]Native AVCHD. [/html]

[html]Sandy Bridge on the latest MacBook really does negate the need for CUDA. [/html]

[html]Huge difference in timeline playback with CUDA enabled on that CPU? You must be doing some very FX heavy work. [/html]

[html]Apple sticker? Do you miss the more obvious engineering advantages altogether? The engineering and design is why I went to Apple, I couldn’t have cared less about the brand in fact I actively used to despise the aloof brand until the iPod came along. A Mac gives you an integrated design, integrated peripherals, complete lack of hassle, no need to update drivers, far better UI, better mail app and FaceTime, iCloud, TimeMachine, better display, no need for anti-virus crap and when Final Cut Pro X gets serious again it is capable of running it. OSX Lion is still the best OS. I’m sorry but Windows 7 just isn’t in the same league. [/html]

[html]All great apart from Windows. [/html]

[html]Coffee shop credibility is important, not. Thunderbolt and OSX are worth the extra in my opinion. Thunderbolt is an investment for the future, a big one. [/html]