Unfortunately, you may be in a situation on a low/no-budget film where production won’t rent a follow focus or you’re a one-man-band filmmaker who can’t afford one. Luckily there are some easy techniques to rig up a follow focus on the cheap, most for under $10.00.
Filmmaking Tips and Advice
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More RED Epic Details Emerge from Jim Jannard
Adam Wilt of Pro Video Coalition recently paid a visit to the RED company headquarters in Los Angeles where he saw first hand some working RED Epic cameras. He also was able to watch a 4K projection of that recently released HDRx footage. While touring the complex with Jim Jannard, founder of RED, Wilt was able to find out some interesting new details about the upcoming RED Epic digital cinema camera.
Great Method for Focus Pulling on Long Lenses
Garwood claims this is the “most effective” method for focusing on long lenses, especially with subjects traveling to or away the barrel of the lens. Since he does such a good job explaining the method himself, I will let the tip stand on it’s own.
Review: Legend of the Guardians – The Owls of Ga’Hoole
While establishing himself as a visual powerhouse with films like 300 and Watchmen, Zack Snyder has always tip-toed the line between live-action and digital animation. In those raw, CGI-heavy films, Snyder showed an affinity to treat his movies like a canvas – a world to be painted instead of captured. With his latest effort, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Snyder is able to bring the best of his visual effects sensibilities into the presence of Animal Logic, the animation studio behind Happy Feet.
First HDRx Footage from RED Epic Digital Cinema Camera
Not to be outdone by the Arri Alexa, RED has been prepping an HDRx mode for it’s Mysterium-X equipped EPIC camera that is similar in nature to Alexa’s high dynamic range capture process. The EPIC boasts a full 18 stops of range and two modes that allow the processing to be done in camera or in post-production. But does it look as good as many think Alexa does?
Past and Future Lens Technology News
I’ve got the goods from the guys at Engadget who lead me to two interesting stories that both involve lenses. One story whisks us into the past as Timur Civan over at the cinema5D forum has mounted a lens from 1908 on his DSLR. The other story brings us far into the future where depth-of-field may be infinite and focus be chosen in post-production (no that’s not a joke).
Arri Alexa Camera Simulator
If there was one thing other digital camera manufacturers should note about the Alexa, it’s the streamlined menu system and user-interface. It certainly swayed my opinion on the Alexa. For those without $50k in the pocket, it’s now possible to mess around with this menu system without the camera in hand.
Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl Footage Test
Though RED MX and Arri Alexa currently are the higher end options for digital cinema today, increasingly common is the practice of filming with DSLR cameras. Canon’s 7D is the frontrunner, though recent developments have even seen the iPhone make a crack. Well now Barbie Video Girl enters the scene with this video that compares the two camera systems side-by-side.
Oops! Gov. McDonnell of Virginia Mistakes Vinyl for Movies
On Twitter yesterday, Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia tweeted a link to a press release advertising “170+ new jobs” in Virginia and that his administration is “working hard to continue expanding the film industry in Virginia!” It sounds like good news for those Virginia residents freelancing in front of and behind the camera, but the Governor’s tweet might be a bit misleading.
RED One Mysterium X Cameras Now Available to Buy, Original Sensor Dead
Digital cinema’s favorite color coded company is now taking orders for the Mysterium-X equipped RED One cameras. Mysterium-X sensors were previously only available as an upgrade and in the forthcoming Epic and Scarlet cameras. The sensor’s main draw is it’s ability to be more sensitive to light and handle color better, as Pete Jackson found out. But while the Mysterium-X being up for purchase is good news, it doesn’t come without a price…