Category Archives: Digital Technology

Impact of new technologies on indie filmmaking

Panasonic AG-HPX300

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While the new Panasonic AG-HPX300 might be a bit out of your budget range ($8000 street price), it comes with plenty of bells and whistles.

It shares pedigree with Panasonic HVX200 and it offers much of the same features: a ton of formats and frame rates. It records on P2 cards as well as DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPROHD.

In terms of lenses, it comes with a 17x Fujinon lens that’s well above the usual pro-amateur fair. The sensor is big – 1/3″ and incredibly crisp, recording in FULL HD – 1920×1080.

If your budget allows it, I urge you to rent this baby for a test and then include it in your arsenal!

Panasonic AG-HPX300

Prince of Persia workout

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Jake Gyllenhaal Prince Of PersiaNow, Jake was pretty ripped in both Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain.

He takes it to a whole new level for the Prince of Persia. The Jerry Bruckheimer’s production seems to be of epic scope indeed, since Jake has an year to get in character: note the hair, it’s not a wig (I think).

I find it amazing that someone in Hollywood has “underwritten” transferring Prince of Persia to the big screen – as a summer blockbuster too.

Effectively, this is a $150-million one-way bet on video games. Uwe Boll shot video game movies in Canada for 10M and barely broke even. Some even claim he did it for tax purposes, as German investors could write off the losses as an “investment in art.”

I can tell you right now what the NEXT game movie blockbuster is going to be. Sam Raimi was attached as Director to a World of Warcraft movie. Blizzard makes a billion a year in revenues from their hit MMORPG, I’m certain they can fork up $150 million.

Update: Gemma Arterton has been working out and tanning quite a bit too. She confessed she had to shed 10 pounds for the role of the princess. So it’s not just Jake that is a “serious” actor as Daily Mirror put it.

Increased dynamic range (tutorial)

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This is a tutorial on how to increase the dynamic range of an SLR. SLRs and camcorders are pretty close in terms of dynamic ranges, so you might find it useful in your post-production of video as well. Keep in mind that “digital” has a significantly smaller range when compared to film, so every little bit helps.

How to increase the Canon 7D dynamic range (Tutorial) from Luka.

Warcraft movie gets a screenwriter

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You’ve probably heard that Blizzard has embarked on a quest to extend the World of Warcraft into a movie franchise.

Wired announced that Robert Rodat (the screenwriter of Saving Private Ryan) has been working on a draft for Director Sam Raimi.

That’s my first concern, when hearing about a game-based movie – the script. Uwe Boll has created a dozen of infamous movies with mediocre (putting it mildly) scripts.

I still think a Diablo horror movie based on Diablo will work MUCH, much better for Blizzard but it’s pretty obvious they want to exploit WoW’s popularity while it lasts. I hope they want to release Diablo 3 first to spark up Diablo’s popularity.

Sony HVR-Z5U

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Sony HVR Z5USony HVR-Z5U is the same Sony HVR Z7U, however, Sony has fixed the lens on this one. Let’s find out if it’s such a good move.

First off, the new Sony HVR-Z5U is affordable – $4200 street price ($4950 list). It’s in the same league price-wise as Sony Z1 and a bit more expensive than Sony FX1 and Sony FX7. It’s very competitive pricing considering a Panasonic HVX200 goes for more than $4,200 – and in some stores it goes to $5,000.

Let’s examine what could make you upgrade to Sony HVR-Z7U – it usually costs about $1,200 more. Both camcorders use the same electronics. The controls and I/O are a bit different but it’s more a matter of personal preference rather than anything “measurable”. The key difference is the lens – the Z7U has a 12x Zeiss lens that can be REMOVED. Just so you know, this is where your $1,200 will be going – giving you flexibility to change the lens.

The lens on the Sony HVR-Z5U is a fixed 20x Sony “G” zoom lens. In this, Sony is consistent – all its camcorders in this range have sported a similar lens – all the way back to (my beloved) Sony VX2000.

If you’re easily impressed by ZOOMs, Sony estimates the 35mm equivalent is 29.5mm – 590mm! Impressive! If you go with the Z7U, it stops at about 380mm. So in practical terms, you get a lot more tele from the fixed 20x lens. Frankly, I’m not a big bird watcher, so zoom isn’t that important to me. However, if you plan to shoot architectural videos, you might need a wider lens (or adapter).

Same as the Sony Z7U, this camcorder uses the new Sony’s ClearVid CMOS with 1440×810 photosites. Through extrapolation (i.e. software), Sony achieves 1080 resolution. The sensor deliver very similar picture to full resolution 1920×1080 sensors which cost a LOT more.

So in conclusion – do you need it? If you already have a Sony Z1 or comparable, you probably don’t need to upgrade just yet (unless money is no object).

If you’re in the market for a new camera, the Sony HVR-Z5U is a very solid choice and comes highly recommended from all the reviewers I follow. The only caveat is the fixed lens but let’s admit it, at $4,200 you won’t find a camera with a removable lens anyway.

Droidmaker – free book download

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droidmakerMichael Rubin, an author of books on Mac and editing, has decided to give away his Droidmaker book for free!

The book describes in detail the development of nonlinear editing (NLE) and computer graphics. The book is written from his perspective of working with Lucasfilm and Pixar.

I think this could be a valuable tool for independent filmmakers too, after all, the cost of doing computer effects has been falling steadily.

Sam Raimi joins Warcraft movie

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Blizzard have just announced that Sam Raimi joins the team working on a Warcraft movie. Now, I can understand where their excitement is coming from. After all Sam Raimi has turned the Spiderman franchise into a goose that lays golden eggs.

And on the surface, you could say that Warcraft and Spiderman aren’t that different. Both are cartoony and appeal to nerds.

However, I can’t imagine what a scrip meeting will be like … in Blizzard’s Global domination HQ. Sam will want to limit the protagonists to a reasonable trio, with one being a love interest and one being the comic relief (see Conan). Blizzard will argue that a party of three will get nowhere even if they have been twinked up. Plus, PVP isn’t balanced in groups of three.

A Diablo movie on the other hand will be Sam Raimi’s dream come true. After all, he made his name with the Evil Dead (at least in my book). Total nightmare, one protagonist… hell, he could use the already excellent Diablo 2 cinematics as a jumping point!

Worst of all, when the Warcraft movie gets awful reviews, Uwe Boll will be telling everyone that he was the first to come up with the recipe for turning a good game into an awful movie.

New Conan, Arnold clone found

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roland kickingerThe new Conan has finally found a lead. You might find it hard to believe but the new lead shares a LOT of similarities with Arnold.

Roland Kickinger

  • is born in Austria (check)
  • has been a pro bodybuilder (check)
  • probably sports a thick Austrian accent (check)

I guess the list could go on and on. I could imagine someone from Nu Image is having a DUH moment right now. They’ve looked everywhere but the one place where Arnolds are born and bred. They gotta be careful though, so that photos of him in skinny jeans don’t surface anytime soon.

Sony HC3 for $500

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Sony HDR-HC3Sony HC3 is an amazing little HD camera for any aspiring filmmaker on a budget.

B&H have a used one (in excellent condition) for around $500. You can get it here.

While in B&H used equipment department, check out the other HD camcorders too. They’ve got discounted Canon H1, Sony FX1, and even Panasonic HVX200 but you’ll need more than $500 for these babies.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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Monty Python are one of the prime examples of indie cinema. Look at this episode and tell me it cannot be shot on shoestring budget.

No fancy lighting, the camera is static (no dolly)… the list goes one but you don’t think about production values. You think about how a “farcical aquatic ceremony” cannot be the basis of a government system. Hilarious!

Discovery’s excellent videography

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I just saw a new show on Discovery (well, new for me) called Chris Ryan’s Elite Police. The reason I post a snippet here is the amazing videography in the episode about MAGAV, Israeli police.

I’d love to learn more about the type of cameras (and other equipment) they’re using. The effect is similar to Black Hawk Down … only it comes off very natural and I bet it cost only a fraction of what a big movie would cost.

Man vs Wild

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I must admit I’m a bit obsessive at times. This time it’s Bear Grylls’ Man vs Wild show that’s aired on the Discovery channel.

Check out this bit from a survival episode in the Alps. He jumps into a frozen lake to demonstrate how to survive if you ever get into one.

Now, talking about indie moviemaking (and documentary-making), this is one talent you’ll need to develop – getting a cold shower every so often. Think about what it takes HIM to do a half-hour show.

Review: August

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review augustI tried to enjoy August – it’s really the only portrayal of the dot com bubble I can think of.

I’ve read quite a few (good) books about it and I have been a part of it in a minor way, so I expected to empathize with the protagonists. It proved to be rather difficult as right from the start, Josh Hartnett is tough pill to swallow. He’s too good looking (too sexy for our lady viewers too) to picture him as a real CEO. Don’t get me wrong, there are good-looking CEOs but that happens only AFTER the VCs take over the company and put their own puppet to run the show.

Now, despite Josh’s appearance, you can tell she’s trying hard to pull off a convincing portrayal. My problem with the support cast is that as out of place as Josh is, there’s no one else that steals scenes. I recently saw Charlie Wilson’s War and I watched in awe how Philip Seymour Hoffman steals EVERY scene he’s in.

I guess the moral of the story is: no matter how sexy you make a business guy, he always falls short of keeping the interest in the cinema. If only I didn’t have Wallstreet as a perfectly good example of a business movie!

None: The movie looks good and has been shot digitally with a Sony CineAlta rig!

Review: Mongol

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MongolI saw Mongol almost a week ago. I wasn’t even aware it was nominated for an Oscar (for Best Foreign Film). It didn’t win but I’m hardly surprised.

The movie aspires to portray Ghengis Khan‘s early life. I understand there will be 2 more movies to follow. It does a decent job of portraying the 12th century nomads of Mongolia. It was shot on location in Kazakhstan and Inner Mongolia (a Chinese province).

I guess this first part was intended to show why Temudgin (played as adult by Tadanobu Asano) became who he became. It focuses on several important episodes – his choice of bride, the poisoning of his father, the relationship with his half-brother, and the numerous captures and escapes.

The photography and the art direction are excellent – they really contribute to an epic but authentic feel. The characters do not disappoint either.

My only problem is that the movie seems incomplete – maybe because it’s intended as a part of a trilogy. We don’t get to see Ghengis Khan and his Golden Horde until the very end, the last battle scene.

WGA strike set for Monday

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The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is in all likelihood going on strike starting Monday. This from Inthenews

A federal mediator attended the eight-hour talks, with the writers’ union seeking extra revenue for the re-use of their work when reproduced on DVD, the internet and mobile phones.

But studios issued a statement confirming increased demands from the WGA had constituted a “complete roadblock to any further progress”.

Btw, the last WGA strike was in in 1988 and lasted 22 weeks. It cost Hollywood an estimated $500 million.

Canon HV20 Camcorder

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Although I’m not a big fan of “consumer” camcorders like Canon HV20, I’m always tempted to try them and see if they compare well to my preferred segment (that’s $3,000 to $8,000).

Canon HV20 CamcorderFirst off, the good news. It’s a small camera that you can fit virtually anywhere. It weighs less than a kilo (with battery), so you can CARRY it anywhere.


The sensor is a single CMOS sensor with over 2 million active pixels. That means a native support for 1080i format (1920×1080 pixels).

The bad news is its light sensitivity, mic inputs, and the battery life. Battery life can be extended by purchasing a better battery (BP-2L14) and you should definitely consider it if you’re shooting anything longer than an hour (which is most stuff).

DV.com‘s Chuck Gloman has a more detailed review of the camera. Overall, he was impressed by the outdoors footage and the form factor. I’m still not convinced I’ll trade a small-factor Sony (like Sony HC3).

I’m considering switching from my web cam to this baby. Here’s a short guide on how to select a web cam.

RED camera price and schedule

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There’s been quite a stir every time someone mentions the RED camera.

RED cameraFor one, its support for 4K video (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) made quite an impact last year when RED camera stole NAB 2006.

Another point is the price … point. The body will cost “only” 17,500. If you consider the average indie producer’s budget this seems quite high but at the same time, a good zoom lens could cost that much (and more). So considering the 4K capability, you’re getting an excellent deal.


So let’s go to the schedule part. The first batch of RED cameras (50 or so) will ship in August. From then on, it’s about 100 cameras per month. About 2000 have been pre-ordered already which means that if you order today, you’ll get yours in February 2008!

Which definitely is a long wait. Fear not, some of the guys who are buying it are OK to rent it for a week or two.