In yet another recent interview, David Lynch talks about the creative processes behind filmmaking with The Onion. Among discussions regarding the progression of ideas, cinema as a tool for expression, and transcendental meditation, Lynch again gives another nod to digital video, claiming "There were no cons. Only pros," during the production of Inland Empire.David Lynch interview with The Onion
In yet another recent interview, David Lynch talks about the creative processes behind filmmaking with The Onion. Among discussions regarding the progression of ideas, cinema as a tool for expression, and transcendental meditation, Lynch again gives another nod to digital video, claiming "There were no cons. Only pros," during the production of Inland Empire.31-megapixel H3D-31 DSLR from Hasselblad for just $24,995
Hasselblad have launched its H3D-31 DSLR 31-megapixel, the slightly tamer beast to its 39-megapixel cousin. The H3D 31 sports a 31-megapixel 44- x 33-millimeter sensor, micro lenses for faster ISO rating up to 800 and a faster capture rate at 1.2 seconds-per-image capture. It also features a mobile and tethered mode as well as Hasselblad's Natural Color Solution, Digital Auto Correction and Instant Approval Architecture.This camera is of course aimed at the most serious and professional commercial photographers and deservedly so. The more amateur cameraman might want to save his $24,995 for a new car, dream holiday or deposit on a house. If anyone has one of these babies and wants to send it in to DVGuru so we can review it we'll give it back. Promise!
GFX Pack offers customizable video graphics packages
You may be like me and are constantly on the lookout for graphics to add to your production library. Besides being expensive, you usually get-what-you-get with no easy option to make changes. Well GFX Pack is offering video graphics packages that also contain the After Effects project file so you can make changes yourself. Now that is sweet. There may be others out there that provide project files, but this is the first one I have come across. GFX Pack currently has 5 packages available for $99 each, or you can purchase them all for $399.[via Digital Production Buzz]
SpeedEDIT finally shipping
The 6 city launch party took place in November without a product, but NewTek has finally announced that SpeedEDIT is now shipping. Boasting a tagline of The Worlds Fastest Video Editor, SpeedEDIT breaks away from traditional NLE workflows that are based around the film mentality and focuses on a resolution independent digital workflow. I couldn't find a trial version on their website, but I hear one will be offered. If your curious (like me), you can download the user guide and get a better understanding of how the app works. SpeedEDIT costs $495 but if you are a Lightwave owner you can get it at a special price of $295.
MCA introduces internal Blu-ray burner for Macs
Attention Power Mac G4/G5 and Mac Pro owners, MCE has introduced an internal Blu-ray burner for your rig. The drive is user-installable and along with Blu-ray is compatible with all DVD and CD recordable media. Speed specs include 2X read/write speed for Blu-ray, 8x read/write for DVD-R and 24x write/32x read for CD-R media. But wait, there's more. The drive is bundled with the new Toast Titanium 8 software with Blu-ray support. The price is listed as $699 but here's a tip. If you already have Toast Titanium 8, or just don't want it, you can opt out when you checkout and it subtracts $49 from your total. So that brings it down to $650 for just the drive.[via Engadget]
Rooftop Films blog
Rooftop Films is a Brooklyn, New York-based non-profit festival series that hosts dozens of screenings and film programs throughout the summer months in parks, schoolyards, and of course, on building rooftops. They have grown to become a pretty serious organization, and their lineups are always filled with top notch independently-produced shorts and features from established and up-and-coming filmmakers, students, and others. (I did some volunteering for them two summers ago, and was definitely impressed with their approach.) Anyway, they have launched a blog that brings attention to films that they have previously screened, and other notable shorts worth watching. Worth a scope.Canon's HV20 HD Camera coming soon for $1100
Engadget got wind of leaked details of the soon-to-be-released Canon HV20 HD camcorder by a brief "coming soon" appearnece on the Circuit City website (now disappeared). The 2.96 megapixel High Definition camcorder sounds remarkably similar to the HV10 featuring a 2.7-inch LCD display, CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, and HD recording to MiniDV tapes.
The only real difference between the HV10 and the HV20 appears to be an HDMI jack (which was really needed in the HV10). There is of course plenty of room for improving on the HR10s low performance light, difficult upright, pistol-grip body and poor audio recording. The HV20 was listed as $1100 which is actually less than Circuit Buy is listing the HR10 as at $1299, although the HR10 can now be picked up for about $900 at Amazon.
Small town film distribution
We might be guilty of associating successful distribution to landing films in major cities and established venues. But it doesn't necessarily have to be this way. Filmmaker Magazine has a great article detailing Jay Craven's experiences self-distributing his film, Where the Rivers Flow North in rural Vermont and applying his strategies and successes to his second DIY film release, Disappearances. "...I decided to launch a 100 Town Tour of the state. We needed cash, so while we waited for movie theaters to clear their schedules, we started playing town halls, granges and old opera houses. You can rent most of them for $50 and set up the show in less than an hour. And you take home all the cash at the end of the night."
Definitely an interesting look at alternative distribution strategies.
(via DIY Filmmaker)
Using ffmpegX to create Flash video
ffmpegX is an extremely robust open source video and audio encoding application for Mac OS X that supports a great number of formats, with Flash Video being the newest addition to the program's encoding capabilities. The number of options and settings within ffmpegX can be a bit daunting at first, but Jake Ludington has a sweet and simple little tutorial for how to successfully convert videos to Flash format while still maintaining acceptable quality. Worth knowing. And if you are not familiar with ffmpegX, be sure to check it out and experiment a bit.(via FresHDV)
Interview with BackupHDDVD developer
You might remember reading about Doom9 member Muslix64's successful attempt at bypassing the AACS encryption system of HD DVD, resulting in his BackupHDDVD software that enables users to extract files from the discs. Slyck News has interviewed Muslix64 to gather his thoughts on fair use, and clearing the misconceptions about "hacking". Muslix64 also explains the differences between content and copy protection, and decryption differences between HD DVD and Blu-Ray. All in all, it's a fascinating and enlightening read.(via FresHDV)
JVC SR-DVM700 - Mini DV, DVD, and Hard Drive Player/Recorder
The JVC SR-DVM700 is a versatile media storage vessel for anyone who needs to offload video footage from a variety of sources and/or needs to move around a lot of media in various formats. The SR-DVM700 can offload and copy media from Mini DV tapes, DVD-R/RWs, DVD-RAM, and pretty much any other analog device. It also has its own 250GB internal hard drive for storing media. The device is expected to be hitting Japanese stores pretty soon. No word on releases in other territories.Reduce time lapse flicker with GBDeflicker
Creating a timelapse movie can be daunting especially when you will be committing lots of time to your subject. A distracting side-effect that distorts the time-lapse illusion is flicker, such as parts of the scene that are lighter or darker in each frame. Granite Bay software has an informative guide on what causes flicker in time-lapse as well as cures to fix it. They even have a free Deflicker plugin for Adobe After Effects or Premiere because sometimes you can do everything right and still wind up with flickering footage. Videomaker's 'best products of 2006'
Videomaker has whipped up a "best of 2006" list for consumer and low budget video creators, including a bunch of notable cameras, software, and other gear that stand out from the rest of the crowd. Camcorders receiving attention include the Canon Elura 100 (best consumer camcorder), Canon HV10 (best high-def consumer camcorder), JVC Everio GZ-MG505 (best hard drive camcorder), Sony HDR-FX7 (best prosumer camcorder), and the Panasonic AG-HVX200 (breakthrough camcorder of the year). Check out the full story for some other useful recommendations. 2006 has been another big year for upping the quality in affordable video production equipment. (via Digital Camcorder News)
Children of Men digs Creative Commons sound effects
To the right is a screen grab from the credits of Children of Men which used a sample from the Free Sound Project. The sample is "male loud scream" and is probably the first time a major motion picture used Creative Commons content with proper accreditation. So what is the Free Sound Project? Only the biggest database of free snippits, samples, and remixes available to anyone to download and reuse as they see fit. Go Children of Men. And if you want to see more behind the scenes stuff about the movie, check out our previous post.Zounds of behind the scenes photos
As DV Gurus it is only natural to thirst for a behind the scene look behind a shoot. Flickr has an On the Set Film/Video group with over 1,900 photos for your "how'd they do that?" cravings. Ok some of them aren't that relevant/interesting but just look at all of those sweet set-ups. And if you have some behind the scenes photos from your latest production, add them to the pool. < Previous Page | Next Page >
