Last Thursday I attended a Sony road event. There, they showcased a few 3D cameras and discussed some workflows and technology updates. They showed the PMWTD300, PMWF3, HXRNX3D1I and F65 (CineAlta,) which is an 8K camera!!
These cameras (not all are out yet) are very cutting edge and have much to offer. They seem to have improved the image quality while maintaining the proper size. The only exception would be the smaller consumer sized Handycam types. I was thoroughly impressed with the F65. This beast can produce an 8K image. There are few cameras that can do this. It can shoot 16 bit RAW files and works as an SR master. For those that don’t know, this camera would likely rival the Arri Alexa or Panavision Genesis. It seems that this is Sony’s foray into the DI acquisition field.
For post, it seems that nothing has changed except the need for faster computing power and processor speed. These behemoth files will likely reach 100 MB per frame of video. You’re going to need some serious storage for these bad boys. I didn’t hear a mention of how this might with with Davinci systems for color grading, but I certainly could have missed it. At times I was busy being awestruck at this stuff. This F65 is slated for a January release, but I have the feeling that it may be pushed back. They mentioned how the others were supposed to be out already but some were not. I’m not sure about you, but it’s rare that I itch to spend $65,000, just on the body. The glass used on the demo was a Canon 18mm-85mm zoom. I can’t imagine how much it was.
The one negative part about these cameras was they each employed a different 3D technology. You can’t use the same glasses while monitoring these pictures. Each monitor required a different set. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, but we’ll see.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Spielberg Makes the Switch to Avid?
A recent interview by Steven Awalt with Steven Spielberg reveals that he is now starting to embrace the industry standard Avid. There are 2 main things to get here. The teamwork aspect is the one I wasn't expecting.
First and foremost, he is making the jump to a digital world. His editor, Michael Kahn has used computers to edit many times before, but Spielberg has steadfastly stuck with film. This is big news because he's really resisted the digital world when it comes to picture editing. His resistance has been rooted in the creative process, not some holier than thou hatred of a Mac. He explains this in the interview quite well. He has said what other editors have told me before. The time required to make an edit on film allows for the creative juices to flow at a bit slower pace. He says digital editing is too quick and you need time to absorb the edit. I've only edited "Gunsmoke" footage on film and have never cut a project, but I can certainly see where he is coming from. This team effort of editing the picture can be hindered if the creative process is not allowed to flow freely. When editing, the editor and director collaborate as a team. They bounce ideas off each other and try different ways of cutting the film together. With digital editing, this is too fast for him, and many others.
Next time you're feeling that nervous tick in the edit room, take a walk and think through your edits. Clearing your mind away from the suite may help. I know one editor that like to go to the gun range and get some range time in. He says it really clears his mind. I don't know if that will work for you. You'll have to find your own way of doing this. Good luck!
First and foremost, he is making the jump to a digital world. His editor, Michael Kahn has used computers to edit many times before, but Spielberg has steadfastly stuck with film. This is big news because he's really resisted the digital world when it comes to picture editing. His resistance has been rooted in the creative process, not some holier than thou hatred of a Mac. He explains this in the interview quite well. He has said what other editors have told me before. The time required to make an edit on film allows for the creative juices to flow at a bit slower pace. He says digital editing is too quick and you need time to absorb the edit. I've only edited "Gunsmoke" footage on film and have never cut a project, but I can certainly see where he is coming from. This team effort of editing the picture can be hindered if the creative process is not allowed to flow freely. When editing, the editor and director collaborate as a team. They bounce ideas off each other and try different ways of cutting the film together. With digital editing, this is too fast for him, and many others.
Next time you're feeling that nervous tick in the edit room, take a walk and think through your edits. Clearing your mind away from the suite may help. I know one editor that like to go to the gun range and get some range time in. He says it really clears his mind. I don't know if that will work for you. You'll have to find your own way of doing this. Good luck!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Walter Much speaks out on FCPX, not sure where the "Pro" part went
This past weekend at the Boston Supermeet, Walter Murch spoke about his experience with FCPX to date. As the video below demonstrates, he's not sold yet. I think he's in line with the rest of the post world. If their main cheerleader isn’t sold, then they have trouble. Ever since Walter edited Cold Mountain on FCP, the world has been at Apple’s fingertips, but it seems they have been hell bent on being different, just for the sake of being different.
Where did FCP go so wrong? Is it part of a bigger plan? If so, why alienate your core customer so much that they take numbers to get in line to jump ship? Although I haven't edited a complete project in FCPX, I have played around with it enough to know I can't use it for the work I do. It seems that with the departure of Wes Plate from Automatic Duck to Adobe, Premiere stands to fill in where FCP strands people.
With this, news comes that Automatic Duck is now FREE!! I can only surmise that there will be a new product coming shortly. However, this is still great news. Since FCP 7 will not be around much longer (yours still works,) you’ll want to get your projects off FCP and bring them over to Avid MC or Premiere. Doing all of this archiving for free sounds good to me!
As for the latest FCPX update, it does address a few concerns. XML support is a must that should have been included with the original release. “Roles” are their idea on how to handle tracks?? Not quite. Shared network support was added as well. However, the elusive shared projects idea seems to fall on deaf ears. This alone causes most professionals to avoid this program. It’s a big reason why FCP is not the market leader with film and TV editors.
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