Here’s a unique solution that seems aimed directly at Law Enforcement applications…it’s a standard-definition capable video camera embedded in a flashlight.

So what’s a striking writer do with their time in the picket lines? Write, it seems. “Not the Daily Show” is one such outlet, and offers a slice of snarky insight that will remind you why you miss The Daily Show. This is why you want good writers on your side. Watch the video below. For another take on the WGA walkout, Variety has an article in which the IATSE takes aim at the strikers.
Continue reading ‘Writers Strike a Chord with “Not the Daily Show” Parody’

Black Friday will be here soon, and the groggy tryptophan-laden masses will flood stores across the US in an attempt to score on promotional deals. If you’re like me and you’d rather stay home and shop online, you’ll be happy to note that there are quite a few online shopping deals available. We’ve compiled a few noteworthy ones below.

For starters, B&H (everyone’s favorite superstore of all things geeky and wonderful) has quite a few Holiday Deals listed, as well as Free Shipping on a bunch of categories. Unfortunately I don’t see any specials running on the new Sony XDCAM EX1, which is a crying shame. Ah well, one can hope…

Amazon has a good bundle deal with their $199 HD-DVD Player + 10 Disc Bundle Offer.
Continue reading ‘Black Friday Gear and Tech Deals’

Sometimes we are so wrapped up in technicalities, we make judgments based purely on specs. It’s important to remind yourself from time to time that “specs lie“, and the proof is in the pudding.

Tonight, Tuesday 11/20/2007 we will be doing another regularly-scheduled Live FreshDV Show @ 9:30 PM Central Time. It will be hosted by myself (Matt Jeppsen), Kendal Miller (editor here at FreshDV and founder of Lighthouse Media), and we’ll also be joined again by Rick Henshaw of cineastfilms.

Tonight’s topics will include a short news segment and discussion on the Avid No-NAB-’08 announcement. Kendal is then going to fill us in on the production challenges and triumphs of a recent commercial shoot captured with the new Red Digital Cinema camera. Not to be missed! We will be opening the phone lines for calls on the Red production workflow, so be prepared with your questions (we will post the call-in number at the start of the show). The last topic will be some discussion on the new HVR-Z7U and HVR-S270U Pro HDV cameras from Sony, and how we believe they’ll integrate in the industry. Update: We will be joined by Anthony Burokas of IEBA, who recently handled the S270U at GV Expo. Calls and specific questions are welcomed. You can also e-mail us in advance with comments or specific questions.

If you missed last weeks show, you can download a podcast archive here. Once again, the show starts at 9:30 PM CST (that’s 10:30 PM Eastern and 7:30 PM Pacific). We invite you to join the discussion.

We here at FreshDV are excited to announce two new resources for the online film and video community. CrispyFeeds News is a quick and convenient way to get a snapshot of current news and blog posts from respected sources like HD For Indies, DCN, The EditBlog, Cinematech, Studio Daily, fxguide, and of course FreshDV. You may discover a few sources you haven’t heard of before.

Likewise, CrispyFeeds Discussions trains it’s lens on popular discussion forums like DVinfo, DVXuser, Reduser, 2-Pop, DV Doctor, IndieTalk, CGFocus, and many others.

Why did FreshDV develop CrispyFeeds? I’m glad you asked, and I’ll tell you why! We believe information is a good thing. And today’s extensive number of blogs and news sources makes getting fresh news and information extremely convenient. Unfortunately, managing these disparate info sources is sometimes difficult and overwhelming. Many people use RSS Feed Readers or services like the Google Homepage. But there exists a demand for those that don’t wish to manage a full-fledged feed reader, who don’t require that level of control, but still need access to quality news and info. Enter CrispyFeeds. It’s not a feed reader replacement, it’s something completely different. We hope you’ll like it and use it daily. We welcome CrispyFeeds feedback and suggestions here.

Here at FreshDV we tend to lean towards more Final Cut Studio-centric tutorials and tips, as those are the tools we use on a regular basis in production. But that is not to say that we’re unaware of other editing and software solutions. To that end, I’ve been reading the Avid-related blog Splice Here. One recent post pointed out a new blog that delivers tips and tricks for Assistant Editors. They already have a collection of informative and useful posts up, like this management tip for color coding timelines, or this handy little trick for maintaining mattes when resizing.

Great stuff! I like the site so much I’ve added it to CrispyFeeds News.

FreshDV did a full review of three loaded lighting kits for DV Magazine recently; Lowel, Mole-Richardson, and Arri. They are all production-ready, but each features unique strengths and weaknesses. In the following short video, Kendal Miller walks through some of the major things we noted…the strength and construction of stands, barn doors, quality of cords and switches, and simplicity of swapping and replacing lamps. This should shed some *ahem* light on the strengths of each kit, and how it shines. (As you can see, we’re writing corny copy as a show of solidarity for the WGA’s currently striking writers.)

 Lowel, Mole, Arri lighting kits overview [7:09m]: Download

We’ve mentioned Jeff Han several times here at FreshDV, from his first multi-touch demo at the 2006 TED event to his tech growing into a company and garnering mainstream attention. Well it’s time for another Jeff Han Multi Touch Update. Embedded below is the latest interview and video demostration. I can’t wait until we can get multitouch in the edit room!
Continue reading ‘Specialized Multi-Touch Interfaces Mature’

We had great discussion during last Tuesday’s Nov. 13th Live FreshDV Show, thanks to both Kendal Miller and Rick Henshaw for helping me host the show. In case you missed the live show, we’ve uploaded a audio archive which is now available in our normal Podcast Feed. Feed subscribers should see it show up soon. It is also available as direct MP3 and AAC downloads via the below links (note that the AAC version has annotated chapters). And you’ll want to join us live next Tuesday at 9:30PM Central Time for a discussion about Kendal’s recent RED commercial shoot, and how we believe the new CF-card capable camcorders from Sony will shake up the industry. We’d love to hear listener opinions on those topics, so be prepared to call-in and join the discussion. And if you have production-related questions about the RED One camera, Kendal will be happy to fill you in.

 FreshDV Live Show for 11/13/2007 (with chapters) [72:08m]: Download
 FreshDV Live Show for 11/13/2007 (no chapters) [72:08m]: Download

Useful third-party codec pack Perian may cause issues with Final Cut Pro 6. The Apple fix is simple…just trash /Library/QuickTime/Perian.component if FCP is crashing when attempting to transfer AVCHD footage.

LifeHacker has compiled an extensive list of useful video converting applications and ripping software. You’ll see that there is something for everyone, whether you are a PC or Mac user (or both).

10. VLC media player (Open source/All platforms)
9. MediaCoder (Open source/Windows)
8. Avi2Dvd (Freeware/Windows)
7. Videora Converter (Freeware/Windows only)
6. Any Video Converter (Freeware/Windows only)
5. Hey!Watch (webapp)
4. VidDownloader (webapp)
3. iSquint (Freeware/Mac OS X only)
2. DVD Shrink (Freeware/Windows only)
1. Handbrake (Open source/Windows, Mac)

Read the comments on that LifeHacker article, there are a wealth of other solutions noted by users, tools like MPEGStreamclip, Virtualdub, etc.

Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 is out in the wild, and they have added XDCAM EX1 support. It still requires the installation of Sony’s Transfer software, and a plugin…but it is supported. And just in time, as the EX1 should be shipping out in the next few days. There are also a number of bugfixes and some behavior changes. Scott Simmons has a post over at the Editblog that talks about all the Avid-like features and UI changes introduced in this new update. Stuff like “Zoom In on Playhead in Timeline” and “Scroll to Playhead”, all commonly-noted annoyances by new FCP users.

You’ll find a slightly more detailed list of additions and changes thanks to an apparently fully-caffeinated Mike Curtis. Oh…important note: Users won’t see the FCP 6.02 option in Software Update until they first update OS X to version 10.4.11. All the other FCP Studio updates are listed at that last link as well. Thanks Mike!

FreshDV recently had the opportunity to review the full Lowel Super Ambi kit, and one of the components included was the Rifa eXchange softbox. This is a unique softbox solution with a twist…you can swap out the lamps from tungsten to fluorescent on demand. The benefits seem obvious…you now have the choice of outputting daylight or interior balanced light from your softbox, and of course flouro lamps are much more energy efficient. In this video, Kendal Miller walks through the features and construction of the Rifa EX, shows how lamps are swapped, and finally we measure and compare output from both lamp options.

 Lowel Rifa EX Review [4:49m]: Download

While everyone was salivating over and pre-ordering the XDCAM EX1, Sony has been quietly putting together the final pieces of it’s alleged “Z1U replacement” camera. And they have now announced not one, but two new models…a boxy handheld unit dubbed the HVR-Z7U, and a shoulder-mount configuration designated HVR-S270U. Pricing for the new models is quoted by Sony as $6,850 and $10,500, respectively.

Both record 1080 HDV @ 24p and 30p via Sony’s 1/3-inch 3 ClearVid CMOS Exmor imager, and are rated at 1.5 lux. Other options include 1080i, DVCAM, and DV. Both downconvert HD to SD via Firewire (ok, i.LINK) and “other SD output connectors.” Additional output options include HD-SDI/SD-SDI (with embedded audio and TC) on the S270U and HDMI output on the Z7U.

What’s more, there is apparently a CompactFlash card module available for these cameras that will allow solid-state recording on industry-standard CF cards. You have the option of recording HDV, DVCAM, or DV to CF, and can do this at the same time you are recording to tape. The only requirements here are a 2GB minimum capacity and 133x minimum speed card. An 8 CF card would net you 36 minutes of HDV/DVCAM/DV, and 16GB CF doubles that to 72 min. I find it odd that Sony is backing a non-proprietary format, perhaps we have Red to thank for that.
Continue reading ‘Sony Announces HVR-Z7U and HVR-S270U Pro Cameras’