FilmMan

Video to check out.   http://vimeo.com/71071523

Building Betty. http://blackbettycameras.com/building-betty-2/

Check this out.       Betty is a custom camera housing that combines a Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini Camera Head and an Apple Mac Mini into a cohesive, portable camera system. It shoots 2K Cineform RAW Quicktimes with 1:1, 3:1, or higher compression to removable (off the shelf) 2.5″ SSDs.   http://blackbettycameras.com/first-camera/  

mtheory, below is about Stallone's look.  Cheers.   Sylvester Stallone was a difficult birth, yanked from his mother's womb by a doctor's forceps that severed a facial nerve. As a result, the lower left side of his face is paralyzed, including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin, an accident which has given Stallone his trademark snarling look and slightly slurred speech. He spent his first five years in Hell's Kitchen, bouncing between foster homes while his parents endured a loud, troubled marriage. Eventually reunited with them, Stallone's odd face made him an outcast in school, where he was often suspended for fighting, other behavior problems, and poor grades. His father, a beautician, moved the family to Washington DC, where he opened a beauty school. His mother, a flamboyant woman who has become something of a celebrity in her own right, opened a women's gymnasium in 1952, called Barbella's. They divorced when Stallone was 11, and he was later sent to a special high school for "troubled kids," where he was voted "most likely to end up in the electric chair".

Paulio, I'm still chuckling at your post.  Too funny.  Cheers.  :D

http://t.entertainment.ca.msn.com/celebs/sylvester-stallone-asks-fans-for-movie-cash-1 Sylvester Stallone asks fans for movie cash   Stallone plays a retired sports coach who writes a self-help book in the drama, but the project hit the buffers shortly after filming began when a major investor pulled out.   Now director John Herzfeld is asking movie buffs to donate cash via the Kickstarter.com fundraising website to finish the project - and Stallone has shot a video message to his fans asking for their help.   He says, "Coming to Kickstarter for John is a great move because he is a filmmaker for the people, by the people, and he makes films that are really enjoyable and understandable, about everyday situations that you can identify with... Reach Me is an incredible film, I'm telling you - it is something that is remarkable and it just needs a little finishing touch, and you guys can provide that."   Herzfeld claims most of the actors in Reach Me have worked for "next to nothing", and as an incentive to encourage donations he is offering 'prizes' including set visits, signed copies of the script, and meetings with the cast. The fundraising drive on Kickstarter had reached $20,000 as WENN went to press.   Copyright (c) WENN 2013, All Rights Reserved.

Link to a review on the Leica 35 F/2 ( I own 2 of these lenses - got one for too good of a price to refuse).  It is a tricky/interesting lens at times.  It can be very cinematic with the images it can produce.  http://slrlensreview.com/web/reviews/leica-lenses/leica-wide-angle/438-leica-summicron-r-35mm-f2-e55-lens-review?showall=&limitstart=

Interesting Read.  http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/actual-images-of-sony-lens-camera-surfaces-show-how-itll-play-with-smartphones/

Perhaps the price drop due to Canon 5D3 having ML's raw video now?

Zack, so many girls and guys (I'm not focusing on the beef)  with dslr's.  Today, there was this beautiful "tanned Angela Jolie version" standing on a pool chair recliner clicking away.  If I stood on a pool chair, I'd flip and break my arm.  She was taking pictures with some very unique angles.  It seemed unusual as this girl could easily pose for a swim wear magazine.  Then there were 2 girls on the beach, locking lips, holding their camera out stretched and clicking the camera towards themselves with the sun in the background.  Oh to be young again.  Three girls posing over looking the gulf of Mexico  on a ridge.  A girl running and jumping into the water for the perfect action shot.  I'm actually learning about photography from watching bikinis.  Kind of strange in a weird way.   I only have the internet to the room for 24 hours (the internet is the new drug and hard to break - the wife needed to check her "facebook" account).    I'll be learning about unique camera angles for another week.  As an aside, Canon and Nikon are the 2 main cameras being used from what I have noticed so far.    By the way, Mexican culture and the people are wonderful.  Cheers.   

Hello Everyone,   Down in Mexico with the family.  I didn't bother bringing my DSLR but I am impressed at the number of travelers who bring their camera dslr babies with them.   Many lovely women with dslr's taking unique shots by the beach and pool.  Lying on the ground, standing on chairs, jumping in the surf, etc.  Usually my perception of a camera geek is me.   If I would have brought my camera, I'd be the ugly looking dirty old man with the gut.  Instead, there are so many bikini model dslr users.  I feel like a troll.  Cheers everyone. 

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?102557-Dragon   According to Jarred,   Is done. Dragon will likely win the award for the most suitable name ever given to a product. Its been quite the beast to tame, with quite a few fires started along the way. Dragon ( the sensor ) was actually done before NAB... when you all saw cameras being put together. Sorting out the existing camera infrastructure so the sensor and the ASIC could be an upgrade has been the consuming part. But we are there. Final parts are now being sent off to manufacturing and customer upgrades will begin the first week of September. It's a good time to share with you a few things we have learned along the way. The increased latitude of the Dragon isn't just in the bottom. The increase is also at the top. So you get the same 16+ stops of latitude at 200 asa as you do at 2000 with the Dragon. No latitude penalty when you lower ASA. Which means when you are shooting outside, less ND filters. Less IR issues, better images. Because the Dragon also has lower bottom end noise than the MX, You can still push the camera to where you want it.. and you will still get cleaner images than you did on Epic MX at any comparable ASA. The Dragon also wants to be warmer than not ( go figure ) . Good thing, as the Epic itself doesn't have a problem generating heat. A match made in heaven. The Dragon Firmware will automatically bring the sensor temp up... which can mean a lower fan speed (depending on your circumstances). Dragon Firmware is actually ahead of the Epic MX firmware.. rock solid. Since we have had so much time with the Dragon... it is probably the most tested build we have ever had. Graeme has also had the time to really dig deep into the color science. He will say he is never done.. but there are alot of color improvements he has made that are worth the upgrade all by themselves. 6K is incredible. I know the rest of the world has just (finally) landed at 4K... but 6k motion and the stills pulled from Dragon are remarkable. O the stills. And talk about oversampling for 4k motion delivery. It's hard to go back. Rocket-X is going to be your Dragon's new best friend. Seriously. It should be shipping at the time the upgrades begin. Expect to see images start trickling out over the next few weeks. It's time to finally let the Dragon out of the cage.  

Pacific Rim  Budget: $180,000,000 (estimated)

Well said Andrew.  Cheers.

Crazy times with the movies. 

Disney's Lone Ranger didn't perform so well compared to Despicable Me 2.   The Lone Ranger cost at least a quarter of a billion dollars to make.  Will it turn a profit or even break even?  http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment/lone-ranger-flops-despicable-me-2-soars-holiday-box-office-6C10561731  

Right on.  Liked it.  Cheers.

Looks really good.  The video looks as if it had been shot on a really expensive camera.  Cheers.

I bought Dark Energy plugin for Adobe After Effects.   From my research, it is top notch.  Hurlbut endorses it.  I bought it when it was on sale and I am waiting for them to update to Windows 8 so I can use it.  http://darkenergyforaftereffects.com/buy/  I took in a web meeting a while back.  Amazing product.     Does noise reduction and can texture to reflect film.  Company people are awesome to talk to.  This page sums it up. http://darkenergyforaftereffects.com/buzz/  

mtheory, we'll have to wait and see how the final version performs.  There probably will be a lot more gyros popping up during the year.  Cheers.

Me Bad.  Here's the corrected price as today for a Built Model:   $521.49   https://www.gyroscope.com/d.asp?product=GYROSTABILIZER   Hand-held gyrostabilisers for binoculars and cameras have been around since the 1950’s and have been used extensively in the film industry as a means to stabilise the video footage. There are numerous scenarios where the camera is being buffeted causing unwanted blurring or shaking. In many cases gyrostabilizers enable shots that would otherwise be impossible. For example the chase scene in the forest from the film Return of the Jedi required an ultra-smooth shot as the cameraman walked/ran through the forest floor. The footage was then sped up giving the illusions of a fast smooth but intense chase scene. The concept is simple; A gyrostabiliser connected to camera gives stabilization resisting moving in given directions. Each gyrostabiliser unit provides stabilization on single axis, either pitch, yaw or roll depending how you choose to mount it. You can also stack multiple gyrostabilisers together providing stabilization on extra axis/axes. Fittings are built-in into the gyrostabilizer to mount two together for both pitch and yaw axis. So In other words it helps with twisting motions left/right and twisting up/down. If the roll axis needs to be stabilized too (rare) a third gyrostabilizer needs to be added (no mounts to do this can be provided at present). Until now the gyrostabilizers have inherently expensive and only affordable to serious professionals. Development of a lower cost gyrostabilizer is being finished. Many applications will require just one gyrostabilizer. Some two. You will have to consider what you need. I will describe some typical setups soon.....   Reduces/stops camera shake where there is Pitch, Roll or yaw (1 axis per gyrostabilizer) Relativity quiet operation Reduces blurring Enables use of slower shutter speeds Can be used with binoculars Can work with most types of cameras, including SLR cameras Works with small/medium sized video cameras (can double up for large cameras) Ideal for use in Helicopters and Fixed wing aircraft Works with any vehicles not providing a complete smooth ride Can be used where bulky equipment cannot go Can be used wherever there is a problem with vibration or unwanted movement Could even be used with some RC aircraft and UAVs Stackable for easy 1 axis or 2 axis stabilization (pitch + yaw) 3 axis stabilization possible with your own mounting equipment Built in Camera mounts to connect to most cameras and video cameras Specification of the camera gyrostabilizer Size: H 91mm x W 156mm x L 72mm (excludes camera brackets) Weight: TBA Battery: 360g with over charge, discharge and circuit protection protection Battery size: 76 mm x 115 mm x 32 mm Battery life: up to 3 hours (with LED battery Fuel Gauge) Start up time: TBA dB: TBA

Here's another Low Cost Gyroscopic Camera Stabilizer.  Not sure if this was posted.   Cheers.    http://makezine.com/2012/03/12/how-to-low-cost-gyroscopic-camera-stabilizer/   $529 US.  Coming soon.  Read this website.    https://www.gyroscope.com/d.asp?product=GYROSTABILIZER    

@Cineman1, right on.  Looks good.  A lot of work goes into producing a flick.  I look forward to seeing your end product.   All the best.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2819446/videosites

Spielberg and Lucas gave these dire predictions while speaking on a panel at the USC School of Cinematic Arts last week. According to them, major studios will decline and theatrical films will become a “niche market.” Spielberg said:       Spielberg said:   They’re  going for the gold, but that isn’t going to work forever. And as a result they’re getting narrower and narrower in their focus. People are going to get tired of it. They’re not going to know how to do anything else – There’s eventually going to be a big meltdown –There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen of these mega-budgeted movies go crashing into the ground and that’s going to change the paradigm again.

Jgharding and Andy, I'm on the same page as you.    So many movies are relying on the blockbuster special effects.  Dialogue?    I went to the new Superman movie last week -  I thought a combo of Avatar, Transformers and non comical Iron Man at times.  I'm not knocking the movie but Andy sums it up,  the new 'Man of Steel' film is designed for / aimed at fans of Transformers and Battleship........nuff said!! ;)