IBC Wrap-Up Report

The 66 page report on new products, ideas and trends from IBC is ready both as a low-rez PDF directly from our home page or as a high-rez PDF in the MEMBERS section (subscription required).

Cinematographer Style Volume 2

The long-awaited completion of the Cinematographer Style trilogy is now ready. Along with the full transcript of Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC are the remaining 54 interviews conducted from 2003 and 2005 for the feature-length documentary Cinematographer Style. As with Volume One, the pages are packed with advice, anecdotes, lessons and history from some of the world’s top cinematographers. Available from the ASC Bookstore.

From Silicon Imaging Press Release

Hollywood, CA – Silicon Imaging, the company that enabled the digital shooting of this years Oscar winning Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire, is now changing the face of stereo-3D cinematography and production. The company unveiled the world’s first integrated 3D cinema camera and stereo visualization system at NAB 2009. The SI-3D shoots uncompressed raw imagery from two synchronized cameras and encodes directly to a single stereo CineFormRAW QuickTime file, along with 3D LUT color and convergence metadata. Read the rest of this press release at Silicon Imaging’s website.

Andrew Burke – Documentary Reel

I can’t remember how I came upon producer, cinematographer and editor Andrew Burke’s documentary demo reel, I just remember thinking it was extraordinary. No, it’s not an example of complex studio lighting techniques, just the opposite. But his visual style demonstrates a discerning and painterly eye for composition and a confident use of natural light. His editing style and choice of music show a natural instinct and sensitivity for rhythm, motion and flow.

Andrew started out with a strong interest in animation. After bouncing around a few schools including San Jose State and North Carolina he ended up at Chico State University in northern California, where he studied Communication Design. He won a top award at the student film show, and went on to organize the event for the next few years. He attended Film classes through the Communications Department and Fine Art Photography classes through the Art Department. I found it interesting that during his last semester he was actually able to earn his tuition fees “in-trade” for the production of web videos. “The school paid for the content, I paid them for tuition. It worked out nicely”.

He cut his teeth editing digitally in a rural high school class on Adobe Premiere 4.0, where he says his claim to fame was ‘figuring out’ they could Print to Tape without rendering. “It saved the class a LOT of time!”  He’s been working in Final Cut Pro since 2004. As aspiring freelancers we take work when we can get it and Andrew recently picked up some work on a commercial set as a workflow tech. (aka DIT or Digital Imaging Technician) He said the work of managing the P2 and CF card media was rock-solid using FCP.

In terms of his Gallery reel, Andrew explained to me that the majority of shots came from commission work for various television and web outlets. The subjects range from the cousin of revolutionary Che Guevara, to the fastest mountain biker in the world. “To be sure, I am still very “on the fringe” in regard to the TV and film industries. I mainly shoot and produce short-form content”. Call it ‘backpack journalism’ (though he believes that’s become a derogatory term) his demo reel includes projects that are made distinctly with a hybrid approach: not as in-depth as PBS is, but also more engaging than the evening news.

Andrew shot most of the images with Panasonic’s HVX200 P2 based HD camera. He told me “I like to get the color dialed in the camera, so only a few of the shots have any color grading or correction”. The opening shot, with streaky lights, was shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is an in-camera technique that he’s been working on for a few years, which will be displayed in an upcoming project.

The animation handiwork is care of the comic artist. Burke shot the material in 24p mode on the HVX200 and gave the artist 12p QuickTime files to draw on top of. He then composited the the images in Final Cut Pro.  He cut the reel together using FCP 6 and Photoshop.

The bike sequence where the rider ends up as a bunch of images in the frame was shot on a 35mm Canon RT SLR, which he describes as “a pretty neat toy!” and has the ability to shoot 7 fps without blacking out the viewfinder. He accidentally brought those still photos into a DVCPRO-HD sequence at their full resolution. “To Final Cut Pro’s credit, I basically had 4k photos, 1080, 720, and DV all living in the same sequence. Normally I’d have to optimize the photos first.”

I asked him about the amazing shot of the bike jumper, which starts with a bee in the foreground. He told me, “I would say the bee was one-in-a-million, but it’s closer to 36-in-a-million  I’ve had many insects “ruin” shots but in this instance the bee seemed to make that shot. Nevertheless, he told me he always carries some Cutter brand insect repellant in his gear bag.

Andrew has several projects currently in progress. One is a 25 minute documentary on the making of the largest mural in North America at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, commissioned by Urban Greenspaces Institute, and a promotional piece for photographer Bryant Austin who uses a 50 Megapixel Hasselblad camera to photograph marine mammals underwater. Andrew is excited to be based in Portland, Oregon where he is now a member of Oregon Media Production Assn (OMPA).

Finally, the mesmerizing, soothing music is by Lali Puna, a band from Germany and it was used with permission. He recommends you check them out at: http://www.last.fm/music/Lali+Puna

Andrew can be reached at his website http://www.bikefilms.tv

ASL Gear is a company that designs and manufactures accessories for the Red ONE and other HD camera systems. The Remote Interface Box, or RIB Kit is comprised of two of the company’s products, RIP and RIB (remote interface breatkout box) designed to provide crews using the RED some more robust interface options for getting video, audio and timecode signals in and out of the camera.

From the company’s website.

Now you can finally plug full size XLR’s and BNC cables directly into your RED ONE® without the need for adapters. You also get Genlock and Timecode functions via the BNC panel. The ‘RIP’ provides quick and easy access to the RED’s I/O interface. The RIP easily attaches to the connector side of the camera and can be used in Stand Alone Mode, or with the ‘RIB’ Break-Out Box

In the video above RED user Jay A. Kelley reviews and explains how this product came about and how it can be used to make camera crews lives a bit easier when shooting with RED  in the field.

As a follow up to our series of interviews with John Leonetti, ASC about his experiences shooting one of the first feature films with the RED Digital Cinema Camera, here is a clip from the soon to be released film, “Hybrid“. The film was produced by Oliver Hengst and Elizabeth Wang-Lee, directed by Eric Valette with cinematography by John Leonetti, ASC. Hybrid was also the first feature film in Canada to be shot with the RED.

Thanks to Jakob Boersch at Stallion Media, LLC for helping us get this clip online.

Link to Interview with John Leonetti, ASC Part I
Link to Interview with John Leonetti, ASC Part II
Link to Interview with John Leonetti, ASC Part III

Adam Wilt Reviews the Panasonic AG-HPX170P 1/3”, 3CCD P2 Camcorder

The first review on the net of the successor to Panasonic’s hugely popular HVX-200. Adam gives his usual in-depth analysis of what is expected to be one of this year’s “next big things” in digital cinematography. This article will be of particular interest to indie-filmmakers, production houses and cinematographers…(more)

Richard Recco/QC Central

Cineon/DPX Pro for Final Cut Studio 2 3.0.3

This is a professional set of QuickTime components to read and write Cineon or DPX images. Features include:- Full Integration with Final Cut Pro 6 and Compressor 3
- Solid playback with FCP 6. (If system meets recommended requirements.)
- Sequence Presets for Cineon or DPX based projects
- 32-bit float pixel support during import and export. (more)

IFSS/International Film School, Sydney

Dual-System Sound Sync Options

One particular production workflow that can be a sticking point for many projects is working in post with dual-system sound requiring synchronization.

Dual-System (aka Double-System) sound is simply that where the audio has been recorded separately from the picture, to a physically separate recording device and medium. The main unit used in the school for dual-system is the Marantz solid-state field recorder. This records 2 channel audio to compact flash memory cards in standard 48k 16bit…. (more)

Merinews – India

Video editing: The visual cut

VIDEO EDITING has become an inseparable part of today’s media and entertainment industry and hence the increased demand for video editors. The secret behind making art aesthetically appealing lies in the techniques of editing… (more)

Today we have the 3rd installment of our 3-part interview with cinematographer John Leonetti, ASC, about his experience shooting his latest film, “Hybrid”, with the RED ONE digital cinema camera. In this last segment John and I talk about the state of screening dailies in present day Hollywood and whether he had a DIT (digital imaging technician) on set while shooting “Hybrid”. I then get down to brass tacks and ask John my two most pressing questions; his feelings about the future of celluloid and if he thinks the RED digital cinema camera is revolutionary enough to change the balance of power in Hollywood.

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Link to Part I
Link to Part II

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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