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You could taste the level of excitement Monday at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center as Apple’s founder and uber CEO Steve Jobs kicked off the computer giant’s 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. It was here that he unveiled the company’s latest “must-have” consumer electronics device, iPhone version 4 and the updated/renamed operating software it runs on, iOS 4. With this announcement Apple is once again poised to revolutionize the cellular market, not to mention how all of us communicate, work and live.

The redesigned and re-engineered device, notoriously leaked on tech website Gizmodo back in April, has been highly anticipated for months, and although news of it’s release didn’t include some much hoped for features – i.e. additional service providers (Verizon) and 4G capabilities — Jobs and Co. managed to load it with enough improvements and refinements that when all was said and done, the crowd of Apple faithful was left doing Snoopy’s “happy dance”.

iPhone 4, which ships on June 24th, sports a sleek new design that’s less rounded and, if you can imagine, more minimalistic feeling than previous iterations of the product. iOS4, is compatible with older iPhone 3G and 3GS models (however only the latter and iPhone 4 support all features) and packs over 100 new features including multitasking, the ability to group apps into folders, better mail, wireless keyboard support, 5x digital zoom and much more.

However, what’s likely to cause the biggest stir among video enthusiasts and a new generation of content creators is the addition of HD video recording (720p @ 30 fps or frames per second), and a new version of iMovie, Apple’s flagship, entry level desktop editing application. iMovie for iPhone is a $4.99 download from the iTunes App Store that enables users to edit and refine their newly captured video clips, directly on their iPhone.

Monitoring reactions online and in the “twittersphere”, I found it ironic that many who would have never had the chance to edit, were it not for the release of Final Cut Pro more than 10 years ago, were jadedly poo-pooing the new shooting/editing combo and it’s possibilities. Posts like; “it’s not something anyone would use for professional work”, or “Ugh, I dread the thought of the first iPhone movie”, were running rampant. Not for professional work? OK, I’ll give them that, but lets put things in perspective.

Although you might not see those occupying “professional” editing suites, honing their sequences on the new iPhone, you can rest assured that a new generation of filmmakers most certainly will be. Frankly, if I was Apple the NEXT generation is all I would care about. These are the kids who will get a taste of what it’s like to shoot a narrative, cut it, try to make sense of it, and then broadcast it to the world for all to experience.

Many of us remember getting together with friends and sneaking our parents Super-8 (or VHS) cameras to make our little films. Today, young creative’s with a desire to tell a story have the ability to do it cheaper, faster and with stunning quality. Then they can then disseminate their vision, (no matter how crude or raw it may be) with the click of a button to the rest of the planet.

iMovie for iPhone 4 is like a pair of water-wings for a new generation of media creators. For writers, directors, editors; anyone with some genuine talent and drive, it provides the fundamental tools to teach, tell stories and entertain and is a stepping-stone to the next level of the filmmaking crafts. And don’t be surprised to see iPhone generated clips being cut into “professional” productions. It’s happened so many times before.

Love them or hate them, it’s an exciting time once again for media creators courtesy of everyone’s favorite computer company. Hold on to your hats!

Today we present Part I of a multi-part series with award winning film editor Chris Dickens. Chris is the recipient of this years “triple crown” of editing awards for his work on “Slumdog Millionaire”, for which he took home the American Cinema Editor’s (A.C.E.) EDDY Award, the British Academy of Film an Television Arts (BAFTA) award and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy Award.

I had a chance to sit down with Chris the Friday before the Academy Awards here in Los Angeles, and although I had a pretty good idea, we didn’t know that two days later he would take home the Oscar. We spoke a bit about his career and went into depth about both the creative and technical aspects of his work on Danny Boyle’s hit film. The project, which was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures received a total of eight Oscar’s at this years ceremonies, an excellent showing for an independent film which was budgeted at around 15 million dollars.

Here in Part I, I ask Chris what drew him to the editing profession and how he got his foot in the door in his native country, the UK.

More from this series
	QuickTime Movie HD 768×432	Part I	Part II	Part III	Part IV	Part V
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Here is Part II of my interview with Skywalker Sound supervising sound editor Matthew Wood. In this segment we focus on Matthew’s work on Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E. Matthew worked closely with his mentor, the lengendary Ben Burtt, on the project, who supervised the sound design and also played the voice of the lead character, WALL-E.

We go on to talk about how he managed multiple projects of such a large scale (he was simultaneously doing WALL-E and Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and some of the cutting edge tools he learned, including Symbolic Sound’s Capabara Kyma. Matthew also give us some insight into working in animation and the unique approach he and Ben were able to take to create the audio environment for the film. Enjoy!

By Lawrence Jordan

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Link to Matthew Wood Interview Part I

By Lawrence Jordan

Today we present Part I of a three-part interview with Matthew Wood, supervising sound editor at George Lucas’ Skywalker Sound. Matthew is one of a unique new breed of craftspeople who have not only embraced digital technology but who, since early in his career, have contributed to its evolution. Starting out at Skywalker as a teenager, he’s had the amazing opportunity to see the technology develop from ground zero. From his beginnings as a QA tech on the first of its kind Sound Droid, he has had a chance to work on almost every digital editing technology used at the Ranch.

In this first segment I cover the basics. What exactly does a sound supervisor do? We go on to talk about how he approaches each project creatively, how technology has changed since he started out 16 years ago, and who were his mentors? We also talk about his current tools of choice and why those products best address his workflow.

Stay tuned for Parts II and III where we get more into what goes on up at Skywalker and his experiences working on his most recent projects, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and Disney/Pixar’s “WALL-E”.

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I had a chance to go over to ARRI in Burbank, California recently and spoke with Eric Johnston, Product Manager for their Professional Camera Accessories. Eric gave me a demo of their new MMB-1 Matte Box, MFF-1 Follow Focus and MBP-1 Baseplate designed specifically for the new generation of lower cost, lightweight HD cameras. People shooting with Sony’s EX-1, EX-3, Panasonic’s HVX-200 or soon to released PD-170 can now outfit their cameras with these accessories, which can be purchased individually or together as a kit.

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Today we have Part II of our interview with cinematographer John Leonetti, ASC about his experiences shooting his most recent film “HYBRID” with the RED digital cinema camera. I ask John about the level of training that was needed for himself and his crew and the kind of support he received from Toronto rental house PS Production Services. We go on to talk about the Cooke S4 lenses he used and his thoughts on how these lenses complimented shooting with RED. Next he tells us about shooting 4K RAW and what it is like reviewing his work using 4K stills on his MacBook Pro. Finally I ask him if and how he changed his working style shooting with RED. It’s a fascinating and informative talk for anyone who is interested in the “bleeding edge” of digital filmmaking.

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Link to Part I
Link to Part III

The RED digital cinema camera is causing a stir. It’s the paradigm shifting, production tool equivalent of Apple’s Final Cut Pro and it’s changing everything about ultra-high resolution digital cinematography. Directors such as Peter Jackson and Steven Soderberg have embraced it, and the Southern California based company can not make the camera and its accessories fast enough. In fact, if you were to order a RED camera today, it wouldn’t ship until December; that’s how hot this thing is.

That’s why I was delighted when I heard my friend, cinematographer John Leonetti, had just shot his latest film, HYBRID, with six RED cameras on location in Saskatchewan, Canada. HYBRID is an action thriller, and as John reveals, the thirty-one day schedule really put the RED system to the test. Here is part one of a three part series on John’s experience shooting with the RED; his background with digital cinematography cameras from other companies; his thoughts on the future of film and finally, the RED camera’s potential effect on the future of Hollywood.

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Link to Part II
Link to Part III

Here is the 2nd part of our 2 part series on the Red Rock Micro M2 Cinema Lens Adapter. In this segment our guest, independent director Stefan Glidden demonstrates how to assemble the adapter on a Panasonic HVX-200. He then goes on to show us how to adjust and calibrate both the adapter and the HVX for optimal shooting. We then take a look at some real world examples of Stefan’s work utilizing the M2. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions or feedback be sure to drop us a line.

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Today we present part one of a two part segment on Red Rock Micro’s M2 Cinema Lens Adapter. 35mm lens adapters have really given independent filmmakers on limited budgets the opportunity to get a cinematic look while shooting on video. Since it’s introduction, the M2 has garnered much praise and now has quite a following from those working in the “pro” sphere, with filmmakers utilizing the adapter on music videos, commercials and feature films.

In this first part of our spotlight, Los Angeles based independent filmmaker and director Stefan Gildden gives us some insight on why he decided to purchase the Red Rock Adapter and what type of work he uses it for. He then takes us through each component of the product as mounted on his Panasonic HVX-200. Finally, we talk about some precautions that should be taken into consideration when shooting with the Red Rock M2.

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