Looks like Panasonic will have 32 gig P2 cards out by the end of the year as promised. The AJ-P2C032RG is scheduled to arrive in November with an expected MSRP of $1,650. Which generally means you can get it a bit cheaper from your local neighborhood Panny dealer. The cards will double shooting time for P2 shooters, giving them 32 minutes record time or 80 minutes at 24pN (per card, assuming 720p DVCPRO HD).

It’s worth noting that earlier this year Panasonic suggested the 32GB card would debut at $1800, so this is a nice scale back in price. Surely the imminent drop of Sony’s solid-state XDCAM EX1 has had some effect on pricing. Competition is good for the community.

UPDATE: The Panasonic 32GB P2 Media is listed in B&H’s catalog at $1599.95.

(Via Engadget)

The October print issue of DV Magazine has a very interesting article on Les Stroud, the one-man-production machine behind Discovery Channel’s Survivorman. Stroud is a filmmaker with an outdoor bent, and single-handedly shoots his harrowing adventures with a 5 camera kit. He’s also intimately involved in the editing process. It’s an intriguing look at the making of a very unique show. Fans of the series may also wish to read Stroud’s blog.

I should also mention that FreshDV editors have two articles in that same issue, one on location lighting kits and one on follow focus systems. We’ll be sharing some accompanying video footage of those solutions here at FreshDV in the near future. Stay tuned to FreshDV’s Podcast feed.

(Via Digital Camcorder News)

Interview with Director Blake Calhoun by Eugenia Loli-Queru

Today we are happy to feature an interview with director Blake Calhoun, known for two feature films (”Killing Down” and “Hit”) and a number of short films during his earlier indie career. These days Blake is testing the waters for internet-based TV series. His first effort in the field is called “PINK“, it’s of TV/broadcast quality and it’s starring Natalie Raitano (of VIP fame, next to Pam Anderson). Two episodes have been released so far (1, 2), while new episodes are posted every Tuesday on YouTube, Revver and MySpace. Read on for what Blake had to say about this new trend.
Continue reading ‘Exclusive Interview with Blake Calhoun, Dir. of “PINK”’

Digital Content Producer has an audio podcast interview with the DP of Mythbusters, the hit TV series on Discovery Channel. Sweet.

One digital cinema camera that hasn’t got a lot of attention is the noX by GS Vitec. They recently announced they would be attending the IBC tradeshow, and that they had met their target release date of September 7th. The 2K camera system can be ordered at this time, with a delivery date in approx 5-8 weeks. Some of the camera specs are intriguing, like the listed 12+ full stops of dynamic range. I’d be interesting in seeing a stouffer wedge shot by this camera. It appears to be an IT-based design similar to the SI-2K, with features like Gig-Ethernet access of files and programmable under-cranking. Interesting stuff. Specs follow…
Continue reading ‘noX Digital Cinema Camera Now Available’

For as long as recent memory serves, there has been a gamma-shift issue with Quicktime for Mac editors. It’s one of those “why wasn’t this fixed 4 versions ago” problems, and has been discussed fairly widely (here is one such discussion over at HD For Indies). To put it in very simple terms, Final Cut Pro “assumes” that source files have been created with a RGB gamma of 1.8 (the Apple display standard). This is not always the case, as the technical sRGB standard (and most PC displays) is a gamma of 2.2. So when exporting via QT there is a gamma (brightness) shift. To make matters worse, this behavior is NOT consistent across all codecs and formats…there are many caveats. As you can imagine, mayhem and gnashing of teeth ensues.

But it looks as though there is now a system-wide fix. In the 7.2 update, Apple has added a new tickbox in the Quicktime Preferences labeled “Enable Final Cut Studio color compatibility”, with the description “When enabled, video is not displayed using ColorSync. Source colors are read with the 2.2 gamma and are displayed in a color space with 1.8 gamma.” Which, I am assuming, should be ticked if you are a FCP editor. Is this The Big Toggle Switch users have been begging for?

Scott Kirsner notes that he has updated his list of video sharing sites that pay filmmakers/content creators. Scott does an excellent job of keeping the community updated on the business of media, both at Cinematech and the various other publications he writes for. FreshDV interviewed Kirsner on the topic of Alternative Distribution a few months ago.

We are just weeks into the release of the RED Digital Cinema Camera, and the updates keep pouring in. Mike Curtis is keeping up with it over at HD For Indies, here’s the latest.

*The Red Diaries - Mark continues to sing the praises of Red (days one through six)
*Upcoming Red/Apple Training in Folsom, Ca.

These new links have also been added to our massive RED Update post. We’ve also noted the latest schedule update posted by Jim Jannard (20-ish day delay for refinements and fixes).

Just a quick reminder that we’re regularly updating a previous article on the XDCAM EX with the latest updates and news additions. Bookmark that link if you are interested in current info on the forthcoming new camera. The latest additions include additional user pictures of the EX1 at a recent Sony event, news from Sandisk on the new 8 & 16 GB SxS solid-state media, and some irritating quirks noted at the IBC tradeshow.

Sandisk has announced their line of SxS ExpressCards, which Sony has spec’d for the new XDCAM EX1. They will be available in November in 8 GB and 16 GB varieties at $500 and $900 MSRP, respectively.

Thanks to Anthony for the link!

On October 10-11, New York City will host HDFest’s international short film screenings at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab Theatre. There are a number of very interesting films in the schedule, you can see the entire list at www.hdfest.com/hdfestnyc.html. FreshDV has obtained a limited number of free screening passes for our readers, available on a first-come-first served basis. More info after the jump below.

“HDFEST’s New York festival screenings will be held October 10th and 11th at the High-Definition Theatre at Sony Wonder Technology Lab. The New York event will be screening a truly diverse selection of HD international short films with most making their US premieres and their HD premieres simultaneously. HDFEST shorts to be screened at the New York event originate from countries around the world including Japan, Seoul, Singapore, Germany, England, Ireland, Canada, and Spain. Highlighted festival screenings also include an HD Comedy, Animation and FX” shorts sequence which will include “Off Beat,” written and directed by Will Becher. “Off Beat” is the first HD short film from Aardman Animations. The New York event will also screen the New York premiere of the award winning feature film “The Rat Thing” written by and directed by Kevin Keresey who will be in attendance to discuss his work. “The Rat Thing” focuses on two men who launch a wild, get-rich-quick scheme in a last ditch effort to solve their problems. The HDFEST New York festival also will present a series of High-Definition documentary films including “Globeriders Silk Road Adventure” a pioneering project about a group of motorcyclists who follow the ancient Silk Road through 8000 miles and 8 countries over a two-month period. Additional documentary screenings will include three documentaries from the American Museum of Natural History, all of which focus on environmentally related issues: “Lemurs of Madagascar: Surviving on an Island of Change,” “Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Mapping the Universe,” and “Melting Ice: Rising Seas.”

Continue reading ‘HDFest New York: Focus on International HD Shorts’

This is way offtopic, but hilarious. There’s an extensive compilation of cringe-worthy CSI: Miami David Caruso lines over at Youtube that cracked me up. Nearly every cliche’d line is delivered as Caruso dons his shades…and the inanity of it all just keeps building as you watch. You can also watch the video below. Continue reading ‘OT: CSI Miami, Sunglasses Edition’

Sachtler will be showing their FSB Cell battery at IBC this year, a tripod or shoe-mounted battery pack designed to power small compact HD cameras for up to eight hours on a single charge.

“SB CELL is a powerful 7.2 Volt lithium ion rechargeable battery that fits directly below the camcorder. When used with Sachtler’s new FSB 2 or FSB 6 fluid heads, a stabilizer system or hand-held, it adds a carefully positioned 1.4 lb. (0.65kg) mass facilitating smooth pans and tilts that may otherwise be challenging with lightweight camcorders.

To facilitate optimum balance, the FSB CELL offers a sliding range that expands to 225mm. The FSB CELL is compatible with popular lightweight camcorders from Sony, Canon and Panasonic via optional adapter cables. The system comes complete with the global FSB CELL charger (90 – 250 VAC 50/60 Hz input).”

The FSB Cell is available at B&H for $210, a adapter cord for your specific camcorder will run you just under $80. It reminds me a lot of the Anton Bauer ElipZ battery pack system, also available at B&H for around $330 (with camera adapter).

Sometimes you have to knock a photo montage out quickly, but you want to create something a little more intensive than simple still images with cross dissolves. Enter CoreMelt ImageFlow, a set of plugins for Final Cut Pro and Motion. Roger Bolton has written a detailed tutorial over at The Cow on how to use the plugins, and includes free download links for two of the filters demonstrated. I’ve often wished for a simple “Ken Burns Effect” checkbox in FCP, and am not ashamed to say that I’ve used iPhoto to quickly generate montages on occasion. The ImageFlow “Continuous Random Pan” looks like the FCP equivalent of that, but now I can really control the parameters and apply it where I need it. This is an informative tutorial that will demonstrate a “quick and dirty” way to knock out simple montages, without hours of keyframing and tweaking. Thanks Roger!

Sony has announced an as-yet-unnamed interchangeable lens camcorder that records HDV. It has three 1/3″ ClearVid CMOS sensors, uses the same L-Series InfoLithium batteries as the Z1U/V1U, can record progressive images natively (lists 1080p/25, but I think that is the EU release info), and has DVCAM and HDV > SD downconversion on board. There is an uncompressed HDMI output, just like the V1. Oh, and interchangeable lenses too…

“Flexible Lens Options
The handheld camcorder is supplied with an interchangeable HD Carl Zeiss lens with 1/3â€? bayonet joint mechanism, allowing the flexibility of attaching existing 2/3â€? or 1/2â€? lenses with a standard lens adaptor. Lenses from the popular Digital SLR – a System from Sony can also be used with a special adaptor.”

Mike Curtis has more info and a video about this odd new annoucement.