Okay guys,
Just a quick note the first day of NAB was unbelievable!!!

We have some great stuff I’m uploading a complete interview hands on with the
new Panasonic HPX-500, and showcasing all of the new P2 technology including,
a new vendor who is showcasing their third-party P2 cards. Here are some of the
vendors we spoke with today. Those shows will be up tonight and tomorrow morning.

-P-S Technik New Digital 35 PL lenses
-SI-2K Camera
-Redrock’s new Matte Box and Remote Follow Focus.
-Varizoom’s new media pro rig
-Dalsa’s demos the evolution 4K
-Dedolight showcasing some pretty impressive lighting gear.
-AJA IO-HD FW800 for laptops THIS WAS HOT!!!
-Bogens New 503 Head
-Techno Dolly

STILL TO COME THIS WEEK
-Person to person with Ted of Red Digital
-Hands on with the new Apple Pro-Apps Suite
-ColorSpace
-MUCH MUCH MORE!!!!!

We shot 3 hours in one floor today! Be patient with us the hotel we are at is haveing wi-fi issues making it kind of difficult to get this news out to you guys but we want you to see and experience what we are finding out. GREAT STUFF ALL AROUND

Okay looks like we are knee deep in the middle of the Apple press event at NAB. Among
other thing it looks as though a new updated FCP studios will be a reality among other features.

VIA MACRUMORS.com

-Uncompressed HD support
-4K File Manipulation (Red Users Rejoice!!!!)
-Improved Motion integration.
-Realtime SD-HD Conversion
-From Engadget: “We took some of the great technology in Shake and brought SmoothCam
down to Final Cut Pro, removes camera shaking.”
-From Endgadget: “We introduced effects plugs — they’ve added dozens of them. GPU-
accelerated realtime playback of filters and effects.”

Motion3 also seems like it will be offering some new features. Will it begin to compete in the realm of AE?? Well have to see, competition is always good:)

From Endgadet: “We’re just getting started. Going to turn my attention now to Motion 3 — this year we’re embracing 3D, extended all the familiar tools into cameras, light sources, navigation of 3D space… create the kind of graphics you want to create. We’re adding paint. Particles, video, pictures, pen — speed, pressure sensitivity — and throw behaviors on the strokes to bring that paint to live. Something shockingly complicated in the past is now easy: match moving.”

Also more comprehensive details can be found at Hdforindies.com via our friend Mike Curtis.

and more…logon to macrumorslive.com for minute to minute coverage. And don’t forget to check out our NAB PODCAST where we will be showing you the new gear starting tomorrow.

Just a quick reminder that over the next week we’ll be posting daily videocast coverage of the NAB 2007 Expo floor from Las Vegas. Stay tuned to our podcast feed and here at www.freshdv.com/nab/

Coverage of NAB 2007 is presented by Videoguys and DV Info.

Here’s another Canon HV 20 review, compliments of CNET. Despite being dinged a bit for low-light performance, the new camcorder still scored at 7.7 out of 10. If you have been living under a rock, the HV20 is one of the more highly-anticipated “bang-for-buck” camcorders this season, and just so happens to shoot 24p video. It also plays back 24f and 30f recording modes, so it can be used in concert with the Canon pro-level HDV cameras.

The HV20 is available for just under $1100 from B&H and Amazon.com

(Via Digital Camcorder News)

Brian Valente of Redrock Micro has posted an audio podcast on the topic of choosing glass for your Redrock M2 35mm Cinema Lens Adapter. While they obviously are making recommendations for the M2 adapter, the advice transfers well to other 35mm adapters. Good stuff.

Taylor Wigton has a thread over at DV Info where he’s shared a few 24p 1920×1080 still frames taken with the Redrock Micro M2 adapter on a Canon HV20 camcorder. The footage was taken with a 50mm Nikon lens at f/2.8, and is quite sharp. Bear in mind that Taylor is an accomplished shooter with plenty of 35mm adapter experience.

The HV20 is available for just under $1100 from B&H and Amazon.com

In your offbeat news of the day, it seems that a film production shooting off the coast of Australia came to a screeching halt due to the presence of potentially deadly Irukandji Jellyfish in the water.

“The ones we were catching weren’t any bigger than your thumbnail. They’ve got tentacles that are probably a half to three quarters of a metre long, and pretty much transparent. So unless you really know what you’re looking for, you’re not going to see them in the water.�
Continue reading ‘Jellyfish of Death Halt Film Production’

Well if you have been wondering just when the digital revolution would occur at a mainstream filmmaking level it seem that 2007 is poised to be a watershed year in that direction. With multiple independant companies now tauting delivery of tapeless 2K Digital Cinema cameras the digital era recieved another push forward with the announcement of Dalsa’s “Evolution” a 4K untethered 16Bit Uncompressed camera.
Continue reading ‘Dalsa Heralds 4K “Evolution” Camera’

Lighting and Color Theory Tutorial
Itchy Animation has a pretty extensive tutorial on lighting and color theory,if you are wanting to enhance your lighting skills it would be great to check out.

Here is a quick excerpt from the 7 page tutorial.

Why is the terminator the darkest area on the ball?
Continue reading ‘Extensive Light & Color Theory’

This is a fun video that showcases some of the more famous Los Angeles shooting locations and how they were used in films we all know and love. A well done mashup of what looks like Google Earth footage, old photos, and um, DVD copyright infringement. Quite well done regardless. You can watch the video at Youtube or below.
Continue reading ‘The Cinematic Geography of LA’

 Dirty Shooter - Interview with DP Douglas Glover [24:50m]: Download

This is Part2 of an interview with Douglas Glover, one of the talented DOPs for Discovery Channel’s hit series “Dirty Jobs”. Hear Part 1 here, or via our iTunes feed.

You can see more of Doug’s work at his website, www.douglasglover.com

We recently broke the news that the new Foveas Wireless Remote Follow-Focus unit is for sale. Now I have it on good authority that Foveas and FSPRO are teaming up to deliver a “Indie Motion Bundle” that includes the Remote Follow Focus (with wireless monitor) and the FS PRO SM1 Stabilizer. The package deal will sell for around 3000 euro, which is discounted about 10% off what you would pay for each product seperately.

I’ve never used the FSPRO personally, but have been told that it is well-suited to slightly heavier camcorder rigs, particularly those with the added weight of a 35mm adapter and lens (that a Glidecam 4000 simply can’t handle). The FSPRO is designed to handle loads between 6 and 20 pounds. Lighter loads can be flown with the use of counter weights.

So if those two products were on your radar already, you might want to stay tuned for the announcement from Foveas and FSPRO.

Panasonic has lowered pricing on 8GB P2 cards by nearly $500. It’s not clear if this is a sale or a permanent price drop. They are now listed for $700 at Panasonic. B&H still has them listed at $1100 though. UPDATE: B&H has updated the price now to 679.95. That’s more like it…

 Freshdv's NAB 2007 Expo Video Coverage [1:05m]: Download

Myself, Matt Jeppsen and fellow Freshdv editor Kendal Miller will be sharing daily video podcast coverage of the NAB 2007 Showroom floor. We’ll be on the scene to bring you in-depth footage and info of the latest innovations and product offerings. We’ll also be sharing interviews with some of the leading industry pros. It all starts on April 15th, so subscribe now to the iTunes podcast feed and stay tuned. Podcasts will also be posted at www.freshdv.com/nab/

We have lined out a very busy schedule of booths and interviews to cover, but are open to additional suggestions for specific products or people to check out. We will do our best to be the eyes and ears of those who can’t make the trip to Las Vegas. Feel free to leave us your suggestions and requests in the comments below.

Coverage of NAB 2007 is presented by Videoguys, DV Info, and with the assistance of the good people at NAB.

This looks like a cheap and potentially very handy little adapter from Sonnet…it’s an IEEE-1394 FW400 > FW800 port adapter that converts a 6-pin connection to a 9-pin. Just under $15.

(Via Scott Simmons Editblog)