Momentum

Jay-Z & Kanye West: 'No Church In The Wild' - Directed by Romain Gavras

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Tue, 29 May 2012 22:34:35 PDT

No Church In The Wild
Directed by Romain Gavras

Jay-Z & Kanye West - No Church In The Wild
New Music video Directed by Romain Gavras: Jay-Z & Kanye West performing No Church In The Wild feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream. © 2012 Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC

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F1 shot at 120fps with ARRI ALEXA

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Wed, 23 May 2012 11:48:54 PDT

F1 shot at 120 fps
High Speed ARRI ALEXA Option

Formula 1 at 120 fps with ALEXA
DP Jonathan Jones of Ember Films in the UK recently shot a Formula 1 season-opening promotional film for the Caterham F1 team using the ARRI ALEXA's 120 fps high speed option. ALEXA Software Update 6.1 is out.

Via: Cinescopophilia | Visit: ARRI

Also watch: F1 Shot on DSLRs, ARRI 35mm & RED
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Ridley Scott talks Prometheus

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:10:30 PDT

Ridley Scott talks Prometheus
With Geoff Boucher - LA Times Hero Complex

Ridley Scott talks Prometheus with Geoff Boucher
For the debut episode of Hero Complex: The Show, Los Angeles Times reporter Geoff Boucher talks to Ridley Scott, the director of Blade Runner, Alien and the upcoming Prometheus. Ridley reveals the role storyboarding plays in his films, what it was like returning to the Alien franchise and how he may return to the Bladerunner franchise in the future.

Visit: LA Times - Hero Complex
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Getting Creative with White Balance - RAW Photography quick tip

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:49:52 PDT

Getting Creative with White Balance
RAW Photography quick tip

Aegean Sunset Before & After - View: Large Size
All digital cameras can capture the image from the sensor into a JPEG or RAW file using settings for white balance, colour saturation, contrast, and sharpness that are either selected automatically or entered manually by the photographer before taking the picture.

However, RAW has numerous advantages over JPEG such as higher image quality bypassing undesired steps in the camera's processing, higher dynamic range, finer control, 12 or 14 bits of intensity information (not the gamma-compressed 8 bits stored in JPEG files), and much much more. The ability to control White Balance is one of the greatest advantages of RAW over JPEG.

White balance is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Proper camera white balance has to take into account the "color temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light. Most people approach White Balance with the mindset of getting true color representation and that's the right thing to do. You want your whites to be white and all your other colors to be true representations of the original scene as you shot it.

But sometimes you can play with White Balance to achieve artistic effects and a more interesting photo. For example i shot the above sunset (Canon 7D, 17-55) in the middle of the Aegean sea. The original file is nice with a more accurate color representation of the actual scene i was looking at but, is it interesting?

In order to make the shot more interesting i deliberately dialed "wrong" White Balance settings for a more dramatic effect. At the screenshots below you can see the Adobe Camera RAW Settings of the Original RAW File as well as the Edited File. Don't be afraid to play with White Balance, you can have wonderful results and much more interesting shots.

Original RAW File

Adobe Camera RAW

Edited RAW File

Adobe Camera RAW settings
Download: RAW Photo Before & After [large size]
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Cineflex Elite - First Footage

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:16:23 PDT

Cineflex ELITE
Brain Farm Beta Test

1st Footage from the new Cineflex ELITE Camera System
The new Cineflex ELITE is a light-weight, compact super 35mm digital stabilized camera system featuring a design that ensures quick, affordable transport, and simple rigging onto a wide variety of mobile platforms.

The Cineflex ELITE integrates the proven 5-axis stability of the Cineflex camera systems with the award winning ARRI Alexa M® camera inside and state of the art Canon Premier® lenses. Originally designed for helicopters and aerial platforms, Cineflex camera systems deliver superior image quality, offer versatility, and are easily integrated onto cable and rail systems, aircraft, automobiles, boats and other mobile platforms.

The ELITE is compatible with a variety of certified mounts and can be rigged in one-fourth the time of other gimbals on the market. The exceptional image performance is achieved through fiber optic data transfer with extended, clean highlights, natural skin tones, excellent color separation, and cinematic depth of field.

KEY FEATURES:

• Arri Alexa M super 35mm sensor
• EI 800 base sensitivity (EI 160-3200)
• 14 stops of dynamic range
• Integrated Canon Premier® Lenses
• Fully integrated filter set
• Modular design for future upgrades and integrations
• Recording Options:
• Codex Digital Recorder-
• Up to 2880 x 2160 ARRIRAW 12 Bit
• 0.75-60fps Variable Frame Rate
• Onboard SxS Card Recording-
• 0.75-120fps Variable Frame Rate
• Up to 1920 x 1080 ProRes 4444 12 Bit
• Multiple output options-
• ProRes, DNxHD, ARRIRAW and HD-SDI
• Log C, Rec 709 or DCI P3
• ARRI Look Files for custom looks

Visit: Brain Farm Digital Cinema
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Genie: Motion Control Timelapse Device

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:44:03 PDT

Genie
Motion control timelapse device

Genie, by Chris Thomson & Ben Ryan
The Genie! A simple, affordable and extremely easy to use device used for motion control and image capture for Time Lapse Photography + more. The Genie is an all-in-one device used to combine image capture with motion control, capable of either panning or linear movement that’s commonly used in Time Lapse Photography. Simply attach your camera to the top of the Genie, plug it in, and program it to move and shoot to your desired needs.

The Panning and Linear accessories provide ultimate flexibility for a range of movement and it’s transportable size means you will never have to go without the option of motion controlled Time Lapses no matter how constrained your location may be.

Features.

Panning or Linear Mode. The Genie can be setup to record either panning or linear time lapses. Attached to any standard tripod head or legs the Genie connects to your camera and is programmed to move and shoot in a panning direction at your desired speed. To switch between modes simply detach the panning accessory and attach the linear accessory. This is commonly used with sliders or dollies so the Genie can now drive in a linear direction along a track to capture perfectly smooth tracking time lapses.

User Presets.

A lot of time has been spent refining the Software on the Genie to make it extremely easy to use. Being able to save presets into the recording menu is one of the key features. This means that if you are happy with your final time lapse then you can simply save your settings into the recording menu so that you can easily revert back to them at another location. The time between setting up your shot and pressing 'Start' is drastically reduced resulting in an increased possibility that you will get the shot you're after.

Preview Mode.

Preview mode allows you to watch your time lapse movement before starting your camera move. Once you have your time lapse settings refined you can simply press preview and the genie will drive at the 'real time' speed of your final time lapse movement. This means you can refine exactly how fast or slow your final speed of movement will be, once again increasing the chance of getting your desired shot. In this mode it is also possible to record perfectly smooth real time video shots such as panning or slider shots. (Note that there are some limitations to how fast the Genie can drive).

Portability.

Our research and experience with Motion Control equipment indicates that often film makers will put it in the 'too hard basket'. We believe much of this reasoning comes about due to bulky and heavy equipment. It's easy to rule out the option of taking your motion control kit along with the rest of your camera gear particularly in constraining environments such as in the wilderness or around cities. With the Genie all components are packaged into one neat device with integrated screen, keypad, motor, batteries and controller all inside one unit. This allows you to always have the option of Motion Control time lapse whether you need it or not; as it easily fits alongside your camera in a standard camera bag.

Sensors.

The Genie has an interface port that allows users to connect a variety of sensors including light, motion and sound sensors that will trigger the genie to start a recording, take a photo or take multiple photos.

This application will be primarily valuable for Natural History and Nature Documentaries where capturing animals in remote locations is difficult. The sensor port also allows for integration with smart phones providing additional functionality via updateable external mobile Apps.

Smartphone App.

Currently a mobile App for android and Iphones is in development. This will allow full control of the Genie and the various settings from your smartphone.

According to Engadget, Genie will cost $1000.
Visit: Syrp | Kickstarter

Sources: Cinescopophilia | Engadget
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Grandma commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:25:15 PDT

Grandma
by Martin Hodara

Director: Martin Hodara
Martin started working in movies at 18 years old. He worked in different departments until 1986 a year in which his focus geared more towards the directing department. From there he worked as a first A.D. working in features and commercials.

He assisted big names such as Robert Logevall, David Dennen, Ed Nammour, Sebastian Chantrel, Fredrick Bond, Joao Daniel Tikhomiroff, Jaume, George Muskens, and others giving him a great sensibility of Film Directing. These great experiences combined with his strong still photography background gave Martin the talent he has today for treating the image and telling a story.

He has directed three short films, including one that screened at the International Film Festival from Sao Pablo, Brazil. Since then, Martin has been directing commercials and video clips with big success including a "Lapiz de Oro", one of the most prestigious prizes in the Argentinian Industry.

Visit: Spy Films
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SloPro: Slow motion on iPhone [Free App]

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:56 PDT

SloPro App
Slow motion on iPhone

SloPro App
Did you ever think you could make beautiful slow motion video right from your phone? Well, with SloPro you can. This app shoots 60fps slow-mo video at 720p with 30p playback. Free Download: SloPro [App Store]

Visit: SloPro - Download: SloPro [App Store]
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Side by Side Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:09:50 PDT

Keanu Reeves: Side by Side Documentary
The Science, Art, and Impact of Digital Cinema

For almost one hundred years there was
only one way to make a movie — with film.
Movies were shot, edited and projected using photochemical film. But over the last two decades a digital process has emerged to challenge photochemical filmmaking.

SIDE BY SIDE, a new documentary produced by Keanu Reeves, takes an in-depth look at this revolution. Through interviews with directors, cinematographers, film students, producers, technologists, editors, and exhibitors, SIDE BY SIDE examines all aspects of filmmaking — from capture to edit, visual effects to color correction, distribution to archive. At this moment when digital and photochemical filmmaking coexist, SIDE BY SIDE explores what has been gained, what is lost, and what the future might bring.

James Cameron

Robert Rodriguez

Steven Soderbergh

Left: Keanu Reeves - Right: David Lynch
Visit: Side by Side Documentary
Read also: DP Phedon Papamichael, ASC on Momentum
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John Cleese on Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:07:53 PDT

John Cleese
How to be Creative

John Cleese on Creativity
In this brilliant 36-minute video, John Cleese gets to the core of what it takes to become creative. "Creativity is not a talent" he states, "It is a way of operating."

“So, the prospect of settling down for quite serious study of creative for the purpose of tonight’s gossip, was delightful,” states Cleese in the introduction, “and having spent several weeks on it, I can state categorically that what I have to tell you tonight about how you can all become more creative is a complete waste of time.”

Specifically, Cleese outlines "the 5 factors that you can arrange to make your lives more creative”:

1) Space (“You can’t become playful, and therefore creative,
if you’re under your usual pressures.”)

2) Time (“It’s not enough to create space; you have to create
your space for a specific period of time.”)

3) Time (“Giving your mind as long as possible to come up
with something original,” and learning to tolerate
the discomfort of pondering time and indecision.)

4) Confidence (“Nothing will stop you being creative
so effectively as the fear of making a mistake.”)

5) Humor (“The main evolutionary significance of humor is that
it gets us from the closed mode to the open mode quicker than anything else.”)

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Amazing photography trick! Take your camera and follow the instructions!

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:37:31 PDT

What Is There?
Follow the instructions

Take your camera and follow the instructions! Set your aperture to f/5.6 and your shutter speed at 1sec. Use a tripod or hold your camera as steady as possible facing the above video, shoot the static and see what happens! [Warning: Spoiler]
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The FIAP is an international federation which affiliates as operational members, the national associations of photography. FIAP counts more than 85 national associations in the five continents and represents the benefits of nearly one million individual photographers. Since September 2004, camera-clubs and regional groups ouf clubs can join FIAP, under some conditions.

Its purpose is the promotion of photographic art under all its aspects and by all kinds of photographic events. All considerations of political, ideological or racial order are absolutely banned from the activities of FIAP. FIAP was founded by DR. M. Van de Wijer, belgian, who has established links between different national photographic associations through the world, since 1946.

Read also: DP Phedon Papamichael, ASC on Momentum
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The most beautiful neoclassic building in the world

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:15:15 PDT

The most beautiful neoclassic building in the World
The Academy of Athens (shot with Instagram)

The Academy of Athens
View on: Instagram | Twitter
The Academy of Athens' Building constitutes one of three parts in an "architectural trilogy" consisting of the Museum (the National Library) - the University - and the Academy. The latter was designed in 1859, by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen (1813-1891), the younger brother of the University's architect, Christian Hansen. It is considered the most important work of Hansen, and is regarded by experts as the most beautiful neoclassic building worldwide.

The Academy Exterior 1/3
View on: Instagram | Twitter
Fashioned out of fine marble, the facade of the Building of the Academy of Athens, faces Panepistimiou Avenue. One side faces the University of Athens and the other two face the garden of the Academy, which extends north to Akadimia Avenue and east to Sina Street.

Academy Exterior 2/3
View on: Instagram | Twitter
The Building consists of a central part with two wings, and displays characteristics of the Ionian rhythm. Its central part is designed along the lines of an amphiprostyle temple.

Academy Exterior 3/3
View on: Instagram | Twitter
The Building of the Academy of Athens has a rich sculptural decoration, which was executed over the course of a decade, from the 1870s up to the mid 1880s. The major part of the decoration is the work of the sculptor Leonidas Drosis (1843-1884). The terra-cotta sculptures adorning the eight smaller pediments of the building's two wings, are based on designs by Hansen

Foreground: Socrates - Background: God Apollo
View on: Instagram | Twitter
On the right side of the Academy's building there are two statues: Apollo the guitar-player (3.71 m. high) and seated Socrates (2.40 m. high).

Foreground: Plato - Background: Goddess Athena
View on: Instagram | Twitter
On left side of the Academy's building there are two more statues: Athena the defender (4.11 m. high) and seated Plato (2.40 m. high).

Visit: The Academy of Athens | The National Library of Greece
Read also: DP Phedon Papamichael, ASC on Momentum
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Constantine Manos Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:22:06 PDT

Constantine Manos Documentary
Leica & Magnum
Constantine Manos Documentary
Vimeo description: Constantine Manos was born in 1934 in South Carolina to Greek immigrant parents. He went on to attend the University of South Carolina, from which he graduated in 1955. Joining Magnum Photos in 1963, he then became a full Member in 1965. This video, produced in partnership with Magnum, is a personal documentary of Manos' wide-ranging subjects – from desegregation in the American South to life in Greece and his later work throughout America which he shot in color. One thing has remained constant throughout his career, it's been Costa and his Leica rangefinder.

Constantine Manos was born in 1934 in South Carolina to Greek immigrant parents. His photographic career began when he was 13, in the school camera club, and within a few years he was a professional photographer. At the age of 19 he was hired as the official photographer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. During this time he attended the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1955 with a BA in English Literature.

After military service, he moved to New York, where he worked for Esquire, Life and Look. His book Portrait of a Symphony, on the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was published in 1961. For the next three years, he lived in Greece, producing work that resulted in A Greek Portfolio, first published in 1972 and an award-winner at Arles and at the Leipzig Book Fair. In 1963 Manos joined Magnum Photos.

Manos's work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago, the George Eastman House in Rochester, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

His book Bostonians, which celebrates the people of that city, was published in 1974. A new edition of A Greek Portfolio was published in 1999, accompanied by a major exhibition at the Benaki Museum in Athens. In 1995 Manos's American Color was published, and in 2003 he was awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence for his continuing work on that project.

Visit: Constantine Manos | Magnum | Leica
Photo/Bio: Constantine Manos Wiki

Read also: DP Phedon Papamichael, ASC on Momentum
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Blackmagic Cinema Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:46:08 PDT

Blackmagic Cinema Camera
13 stops of dynamic range, 2.5K sensor

April 16, 2012. Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Cinema Camera, a revolutionary digital cinema camera design that includes powerful features such as super wide 13 stops of dynamic range, high resolution 2.5K sensor, built in high bandwidth SSD recorder, open file format support, color correction with full version of DaVinci Resolve and a built in LCD with metadata entry, all in an attractive compact design for only US$2,995.

DslrNewsShooter tech editor Matt Allard talks to Black Magic at NAB
Many current generation video cameras suffer from a "video look" due to a limited contrast range, a maximum HD resolution sensor, poor quality optics and lenses, the use of heavy video compression for file recording and poor integration with NLE software metadata management. With these limitations, they cannot be used for high end work or feature films.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera has been designed to eliminate these problems so customers get a true feature film look, and at an affordable cost can shoot high end television commercials, episodic television programming and feature films.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes a super wide 13 stops of dynamic range, large 2.5K sensor, a built in SSD recorder that has the bandwidth to capture open standard CinemaDNG RAW, ProRes and DNxHD files, a built in capacitive touch screen LCD for direct metadata entry, standard jack audio connections, built in high-speed Thunderbolt connection, 3 Gb/s SDI output, a refrigerated sensor for low noise, and is fully compatible with extremely high quality Canon EF and Zeiss ZF mount lenses.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera also includes a full copy of DaVinci Resolve for color correction and Blackmagic UltraScope software for waveform monitoring. UltraScope can be run on a laptop connected to the camera via a Thunderbolt connection.

One of the most important features of the camera is its super wide dynamic range of 13 stops, allowing feature film quality images. Commonly people focus on more pixels, however often this just creates a higher resolution, but still "video" looking images that suffer from highlight and black clipping that limits details. Blackmagic Cinema Camera's wide dynamic range eliminates this problem and provides film quality with dramatically more detail retained in black and whites in the image. Once the shoot is complete, the included DaVinci Resolve color correction software can be used to adjust images and take advantage of this extra range in the images. The high quality EF and ZF lens compatibility also helps create sharp and cinematic images that look incredible.

To eliminate the damage that low bit depth and high compression video storage creates, Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes a fast SSD recorder. The built in SSD recorder can record on fast solid state disks the full sensor detail in 12 bit Log RAW files in the open standard CinemaDNG format. These files can be read by all high end video software. The full 2.5K sensor data is stored in the files completely uncompressed because the SSD has the speed to store video data at the required rate. Then this high quality file can be color corrected on DaVinci Resolve for the same high quality result currently only possible on cameras costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera has been designed as the perfect companion to Final Cut Pro X and Avid Media Composer NLE software. Unlike other cameras, which require the use of custom video file formats that are not compatible with popular NLE software, often making the post production process a nightmare, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes absolutely no custom video file formats, and every file type included is open standard. It records into CinemaDNG format for RAW files, ProRes and DNxHD for HD resolution files compatible with Final Cut Pro X and Avid Media Composer.

The built in large LCD display makes focus easy, and allows playback of captured files. Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes a built in microphone, as well as external jack based mic/line level balanced audio connections. When playing back recorded clips, a speaker is built in, and there is an included headphone socket, as well as embedded audio on the SDI output and Thunderbolt connection. The SDI output includes all camera data such as timecode, transport control, shutter angle, color temperature setting and ASA information overlaid in attractive anti aliased fonts.

For easy metadata entry, the built in LCD features fast and responsive capacitive touch screen technology. When the user taps the display with a finger, a data entry window called the "slate" appears. This lets the user enter shot information just like typing on a smart phone. This data is then stored in the files so can be accessed by NLE software when editing content later. Metadata is compatible with popular software such as Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve. All camera settings can be changed on this touch LCD, such as frame rate, shutter angle, color temperature, dynamic range, focus assist settings and more.

Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes an innovative industrial design built from solid machined aluminum metal which results in an attractive but rugged design. All of the camera, recorder and display have been shrunk down into a lightweight design thats very portable.

"This is one of the most exciting products we have ever created and its been a work in progress for a very long time," said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. "Ever since I was a telecine engineer back in the 1990's I have wished that video cameras would include features that allowed them to perform creatively similar to film. However current digital cameras are too heavy, way too expensive and need costly accessories to work. We felt there was a need for a camera that delivered these features in a design that's optimized for professional video shoots, as well as being a compact, elegant design that's easily affordable. We think we have achieved that!"

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Cinema Camera will be available July 2012 for US$2,995 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Watch: Blackmagic Cinema Camera Footage by John Brawley
Via: Blackmagic Cinema Camera Official Press Release
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DP Phedon Papamichael ASC Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:03:59 PDT

Phedon Papamichael, ASC, was born in Athens, Greece and moved with his family to Germany, where in 1982 he completed his education in Fine Arts, in Munich. Working as a photojournalist brought Phedon to NYC in 1983, where he started crossing over into cinematography.

Phedon now counts 50 feature films to his credit as Director of Photography. His credits include many critically acclaimed films, such as Phenomenon (1996), Mousehunt (1997), Patch Adams (1998), The Million Dollar Hotel (2000), America's Sweethearts (2001), Moonlight Mile (2002), Identity (2003), Sideways (2004), Walk The Line (2005), The Weather Man (2005), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), 3:10 To Yuma (2007), W. (2008), Knight and Day (2010), The Ides of March (2011), The Descendants (2011) & more.

On the music video side, his work includes: U2 (Electrical Storm, The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Stuck in a Moment you can't get out of), The Killers, Eric Clapton, Bryan Ferry, Pearl Jam and more.

Phedon has also shot and directed over 100 commercials for such clients as BMW, VW, Audi, Seat, Cadillac, Nissan, Hyundai, Renault, Fuji, Barilla, McDonalds, Fosters, Bud Light, Coors, Beck's, Goodyear, ESPN, Powerade and Nespresso.

Phedon's many international Awards include the Orpheus Career Achievement Award given by the LAGFF in 2010 AWARD. He has been accepted as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1997, where he served several years on the Cinematographers Branch Executive Committee. Phedon is also a member of The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and the International Cinematographers Guild.

DIR: Alexander Payne | DP: Phedon Papamichael
I had the pleasure to have a long talk with Phedon on Skype discussing cinematography. The following lines is the transcript. There is so much fascinating stuff in this talk so make a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy the ride with my personal favorite DP and one of the best in business.

Alex Maragos: Ok Phedon, let's take it from the beginning. You were born here in Athens Greece, you've moved in the States, then back in Europe and then back in the States. When did you become interested in Cinematography?

Phedon Papamichael: When i was a high school student in Munich i first started having interest in cinematography. When i was 15 i bought a Super8 camera and i start filming, making films and edited them. Later that format became very limited for me and i actually transitioned into still photography just because i could afford a professional camera. I felt like i could deliver some higher quality work with something that was affordable, so i bought my first Nikon and then i got very seriously into still photography. Of course i was a film-lover. There was one particular film called Le Mépris, its Godard's with Michel Piccoli and it was cinemascope, it was very graphic.. the colors... I related with that movie because first of all i loved Brigitte Bardot but second of all i realized that: "oh, there's somebody doing this job!". I mean i knew some directors but that's the first movie i wrote down the name of a cameraman. I wrote down Raoul Coutard. And i got: "ok, so there's somebody that does that. He moves the camera, he designs shots, he helps to tell the story, he helps the director." So at least i knew there was such a thing. Growing up in Munich.. it wasn't like a big society of filmmakers at the time. There was Wim Wenders and Robby Müller so.. we were looking mostly at French & Italian films. Then i finished my school, i did my military service and i left for America right away because my father, Phedon Papamichael, he was working on a John Cassavetes movie, he was an art director, so i just went there to check it out, i had no plan and i couldn't really afford a film school. So i was living in New York and then i started making a short film with Liz Gazzara, Ben Gazzara's daughter. She hired me based on my still photography. From that point on i just kept shooting, i never went to film school but i shot UCLA graduate films & various short films. Cassavetes had a Eclair NPR in his closet that he shot Faces with, so i asked him if i could borrow it and then i learned how to use it. I think it helped me get work. I had access to a camera and i got actually pretty busy, pretty fast.

• So you've learned the craft of cinematography from within the job.
Yes. I mean, i made mistakes in the beginning. I knew still photography so i knew exposure, i knew depth of field, i knew composition, but in terms of how to make a movie as a cinematographer i've discovered it along the way.

• After 45 films in your career, are you still learning things?
Of course you learn things, first of all everything is constantly changing. The technologies are evolving. But besides that, that's why our profession is special. Every time you've given a new script, it's a new approach. I really make an effort not to repeat things and also my work is very diverse. I don't have one style that i imprint on everything. If you look at Mousehunt is very different than The Million Dollar Hotel and very different than Sideways. I really try to not be unidentifiable through my work.

• You mentioned technology. What's your opinion about digital cinematography? We have ARRI Alexa, we have RED Epic at 5k, now we have Canon's C300...

The C300 was the weakest camera in the whole group that tested by the ASC & the PGA which is The Producers Guild of America. They do a big Shootout every year.

• What about the Mark III?
Mark III supposedly is very good. People prefer the Mark III i think over the C300 and it cost like the 1/5th or something.

• What do you really think about the DSLR revolution?
I just directed a movie that i shot with a RED Mysterium X chip and 5D combination. I used the 5D everywhere i didn't have permits to shoot. In the subway, on the streets at night, at Santa Monica Pier, and i think it's fantastic. You know, i'm still shooting film. I've shot all my features on film except the last one, a Judd Apatow film called "This is 40" i've shot with Alexas and it was the right thing to do because he shoots an incredible amount of film. On his last movie "Funny People", that Janusz Kaminski shot, they shot 2 million feet of film. It was really convenient to use Alexas, because of the multiple cameras and to have 30-minute takes. There are stories that should be shot on video and then there's films that are gonna be shot on film for a while. I think it depends on the preference of the director.

DIR: George Clooney | DP: Phedon Papamichael
George Clooney wanted to shoot film mostly because he's more traditionalist. He's happy when he gets to direct a movie and he wants to shoot it on film, there's no other reason. I did very extensive test with Super 35, Anamorphic Alexa, Epic, all 2.40:1 aspect ratio and then i did color correction in the DI suite. First i colored the film, it was Kodak Vision 500 and then i matched all the other formats to that, i added a little bit of grain to the digital cameras and then i went to film, so i printed everything and i filmed-projected everything side by side A/B Projection and the reality is that i could have tricked most people, probably everybody, by labeling it anyway i want. No one would be able to tell the difference. Certainly an audience will have no idea what they're looking at.

So, that's when i went to Kodak and they asked me 'what kind of film stocks we should develop?'. And i said, 'if you can give me a 1000asa stock that is completely neutral and has 20 stops of latitude, it has no grain, then ok!'. I said "look, you're a moving target but there is a big Mack Truck on the road coming up behind you, you're not gonna make it. You have no chance." And i told this lady at Fuji "find another job", she's a friend of mine. The reality is, it's over, in terms of film. There is no more release prints. By the middle of next year all the movie theaters will just receive DCP (Digital Cinema Package). So, Fuji is gonna keep making film, for Kodak we're not sure. Depends if they re-invent themselves, it's going to be difficult though and you know, i might shoot film, i'm not gonna fight shooting film. If somebody wants to shoot film i'm happy to shoot film. It's still very beautiful. I don't like the workflow on the Alexa.. or any digital cameras. Because now instead of lighting to the eye with my light meter, i have to light of a monitor. There is no other way to do it. I can't trust my eye and i can't trust the meter. So that's a little bit annoying. Just because i have to have a big monitor on set.

Phedon Papamichael film stock evaluation
• Do you have any particular favorite film stock for day & night scenes?
No i think all film stocks are so similar that it doesn't really matter. I mean between Kodak & Fuji. I usually use just Vision 500 or Fuji 500 tungsten because i like a little grain, so i don't really go lower speed stocks. I like having consistent textures, i don't mix stocks.

• How do you decide if a story requires a shallow DOF or a narrow DOF? Correct me if i'm wrong but i think you've shot the entire "Weather Man" at 2.8
Yeah i usually shoot around 2.8. It depends on the lensing. Some movies are little longer lenses. I usually shoot a little wider, i also intend to shoot close-ups like a little bit wider and just get physically closer to the actors. Longer lenses work for Tony Scott i guess but, it's less intimate for the characters when the camera is physically removed. If you shoot wider lenses you have to keep a shallow depth of field in order to isolate them a little bit better and keep the background out of focus. I do ND down a lot, but there is no rule to it. With Alexa you kinda have always narrow DOF which is nice.

• Are you talking with the colorist before filming about the DI process later?
Normally no, on "The Weather Man" yes. We picked what we call our "cocktail", which was a little bit of desat, a little bit of green, so we dialed in the look and then we maintained that look and applied it in the DI afterwords.

• Are you using any filters?
No, not really any more. I try to get the sharpest image now and then i can always degrade the image or soften in specific areas if a need to. With Alexa i shot Panavision lenses - i've Panavised Alexa - they're not as sharp as with Master Primes anyway. They are older lenses, they're not really made for digital cameras so they're little softer anyway.

• Where exactly are you focusing during filming? What are you thinking?
Not to gain too much weight! [laughing]. It depends on the movie, you focus on consistency. You have to stay focused. Anyone can make a couple of scenes look good. That's why commercial DPs don't always do so well in features. It's very hard over a duration of 10 weeks, or 12 weeks, or 5 weeks depending on the movie, to have every day come together in the final product. You have to stay focused just like an actor has to stay focused on the performance. And it's mostly experience that makes you accomplice consistency. You have to be able to predict what's gonna happen, you have to know how to layout the day especially on day exteriors.

• Are you shooting any commercials or music videos now? You shot three U3 music videos in the past.
I don't really shoot music videos. That was just because we had a connection to Bono and he was asking me to do it.

• I'm a big U2 fan you know!
I met Bono because he wrote the story of The Million Dollar Hotel. He invited us to Dublin and we went out a lot. We went to his house, he cooked pasta and we did a music video for the Million Dollar Hotel, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet". Then he called me for "Electrical Storm" which Anton Corbijn directed and i went to Monte Carlo. That was very nice. We did another one that he again requested me, but it's been a while since i have seen him.

DIR: Anton Corbijn | DP: Phedon Papamichael
• Electrical Storm is a very beautiful b&w video...
...Later with Anton Corbijn i did a Killers video and then we did another one in L.A, "Stuck in a Moment". It's fun when you do U2 videos, other than that i'm not really into doing music videos. Of course i do commercials because that helps me bridge time between features.

• Are you planning to shoot any movies in Greece?
There's one script that takes place in Greece but it's not financed yet. Most of the movies that take place in Greece are not financed. But, of course i would like to work in Greece. I directed a lot of commercials in Greece.

• I think you've also directed an Ouzo commercial, Plomari?
Yes, Plomari, Volkswagen TSI..

• Are you staying in LA now?
I was 4 months in Greece, from October till mid-January. I came back to shoot "Nebraska" with Payne which is black & white. No casting yet, it's been pushed back.

• Is this your 4th collaboration with Alexander?
3rd i guess. Everybody thinks i did more. I've only done two. "Sideways" and "The Descendants". I have a house in Leonidio. So i come to Greece. I like coming to Greece. I want to come there and i want to work there more but also i don't want to come and take work away from the few people that they're working. Cause when i come down, its like 'oh do this, do this commercial, do that' and then i directed and shoot, so i don't want to take work away from DPs in Greece.

• I see. When you come here again i woud love to have an ouzo with you in Leonidio!
We'll do that!

• Ok, one last question.
What's the best way to learn the craft of cinematography?
By shooting all the time!

• Simple as that!
Yes, what else is there? What are you gonna do? And watch movies! I think younger generation doesn't watch movies. Maybe in Europe its better but here they have no idea. They don't watch any of the great classics and French & German New Wave cinema. They watch contemporary films. People need to watch Bergman movies.. Kurosawa movies.. David Lean movies. I'm really worried about the classic storytelling style. Somebody asked me 'what is the most important thing for you in cinematography?'. I go 'Lighting'. They go 'Lighting?!'. Like it was some kind of surprise to them. That's how you tell a story. You create a mood. You set the light for the character.

I'm worried a little bit that the new generation is not gonna know how to tell a story like that. There's a trend now of running around handheld with available light. It's very appropriate sometimes - some of those movies are interesting - but it doesn't mean that other kind of more traditional storytelling is gonna disappear completely.. There's gonna be a demand for that. But also the way people view films is going to change, which doesn't help. It's really getting very difficult for young DPs out there. We're losing respect of the craft. You know, there used to be a mystery about us. We had a light meter and a viewing glass and we've been talk to the lab about printings. Everybody thought they can write and direct, but nobody knew exactly what we do and now everybody feels like they can just stand by the monitor and have an opinion. So, i'm just worried about we're going to lose the respect for our craft and that the DPs are going to get under-appreciated and underpaid.

• One of the things the DSLRs done was exactly that. Everybody can have a 5D or a 7D and shoot just about anything with only available light.

Yeah i know. If you think about it -maybe it's not true but- we went from 1 out of 100 people having a Nikon film camera and now everybody's having a digital still camera. I'm on Instagram and it's amazing, the amount of images & photography, it's just mind-blowing.

We're starting to do online film school. It's going to be streaming probably on Facebook. It's gonna be, myself, Wally Pfister and Janusz Kaminski. And it's gonna be not really a film school in the technical sense. Its more philosophical, its more career advice and tricks of the trade and dealing with the industry. Because when i give seminars & Masterclasses it's all these questions i've been asked that you don't learn in film school and no film teacher can ever tell you about.

• Only on Facebook?
I think that's how we're gonna launch it yeah. It's gonna have about 25 courses, you can purchase them individually or as a package. And there going to be maybe 25 to 30 minutes long each. I'm not sure the pricing yet but it's really trying to reach out to all these countries that have young cinematographers or filmmakers in general.

• When will it go online?
We have to shoot it so i'm hoping to do it next month. It will go online after the release of "The Dark Knight Rises".

• Ok Phedon, thank you very much. It was a real pleasure!

All the best, γεια χαρά!

Visit: Advanced Filmmaking on Facebook
Interview: Alexandros Maragos
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April 04, 2012

Canon EOS-1D C 4K DSLR

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:33:06 PDT

Canon EOS-1D C
The first 4K DSLR Camera

April 12, 2012. Canon has announced the highly anticipated EOS 1D C Digital SLR Camera with 4K Video Recording up to 4096 x 2160 px res.

Delivering outstanding video performance, the compact, lightweight EOS-1D C provides video recording at 4K (4096 x 2160-pixel) or Full HD (1920 x 1080-pixel) resolution to support high-end motion picture, television production and other advanced imaging applications. Equipped with an 18.1-megapixel full-frame 24mm x 36mm Canon CMOS sensor, the camera records 8-bit 4:2:2 Motion JPEG 4K video to the camera's CF memory card at 24 frames-per-second (fps) or Full HD 1920 x 1080 video at selectable frame rates from 24p to 60p, making it possible for next-generation visual expression with even higher image-quality and resolution performance.

"The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera was designed in response to the needs of filmmakers, television producers, and other high-level motion-imaging professionals," stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. "Not only does it combine 4K and Full HD video capture with a convenient design, its use of dual CF cards also offers an efficient workflow compatible with today's post-production requirements."

The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera incorporates Canon Log Gamma to enable the recording of high-quality video with rich gradation expression, making possible the type of impressive image quality required in motion pictures by maximizing both highlight and shadow detail retention while also providing a high level of color-grading freedom. The EOS-1D C's full-frame 24 x 36mm 18.1-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor makes possible a wide range of creative imaging expression, such as image-blur effects.

Additional features include an expanded sensitivity range of up to ISO 25600 for exceptional motion-imaging results with reduced noise even in low-light settings. The camera's ability to record 8-bit 4:2:2 4K and 8-bit 4:2:0 Full HD video to CF cards eliminates the need for an external recorder and enables workflows with increased mobility. If desired, however, captured video (excluding 4K video) can be output from the camera's HDMI terminal to an external recorder using an uncompressed YCbCr 8-bit 4:2:2 signal.

4K video is captured by an approximately APS-H-sized portion of the full image sensor, while Full HD video can be captured in the user's choice of two different imaging formats:

1. The standard Full HD setting captures the full 36mm width of the CMOS sensor to achieve the largest possible angle of view for any compatible lens.

2. An optional Super 35 crop setting enables cinematographers to match the industry-standard imaging format and angle of view achieved by traditional motion picture cameras. This enables video footage from the EOS-1D C camera to more closely match the look of footage from other cameras in multi-camera shooting environments.

Other useful video-related features on the EOS-1D C DSLR include a built-in headphone jack for real-time audio monitoring, and the ability to view the camera's LCD even when the HDMI port is connected to an external monitor. The EOS-1D C camera uses the same LP-E4N battery pack as the EOS-1D X, and it can also be powered by an optional AC Adapter Kit.

The EOS-1D C camera ships with Canon software applications including EOS Utility, which enables various camera settings to be adjusted from a PC, and Picture Style Editor. These two personal computer applications enable users to view the camera's live output on an external monitor1 and adjust the image in real-time to maximize shooting and post-production efficiencies. The software also ensures no loss of quality for 4K/Motion JPEG and full HD/60p video displayed on the external monitor, and it enables video shot with Canon Log Gamma to be output on the monitor with video gamma applied.

Versatility and Value
The Canon EOS-1D C camera can be used to capture still images with more than 60 interchangeable Canon EF and EF Cinema Lenses, all of which are designed to deliver exceptional image quality to maximize the potential for creative visual expression. The compact size and lightweight design of the camera make it easy to carry so it is highly mobile for convenient shooting inside automobiles and other confined spaces. Its compact size also enables peripheral equipment such as rails and cranes to be more compact, which can facilitate smoother handling and reduced costs on-set. The camera's low-light capabilities can also help to minimize lighting costs and increase versatility for lighting. For added usability, record start/stop can be remotely controlled by EOS Utility Software via an optional Canon WFT-E6A Wireless File Transmitter.

Realizing the same exceptional still-image performance as the recently introduced Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR camera, the camera provides a sensitivity range of ISO 100-51200 for outstanding still-image results with reduced noise, even in dimly lit settings. Incorporating high-performance Canon Dual DIGIC 5+ image processors, the EOS-1D C delivers high-precision AF and AE performance while also enabling high-speed continuous shooting of up to approximately 12 fps. In the ultra-fast continuous shooting mode, the EOS-1D C provides a continuous shooting speed of up to approximately 14 fps (mirror remains raised during shooting; JPEG images only).

The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera is scheduled to be available within 2012 at a suggested retail price of $15,000.

Via: Canon EOS-1D C 4K DSLR Official Press Release

READ ALSO: Phedon Papamichael ASC Interview on Momentum
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Tutorial: How to Edit Videos in Photoshop CS6

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:46:23 PDT

Photoshop CS6 Tutorial
Editing Videos in the Timeline panel

Linda Tutorial: How to Edit Videos in Photoshop CS6
In this Linda course, Deke McClelland offers a sneak peak at the new features in the free public beta of Photoshop CS6. He reveals the secrets behind the new dark interface, searchable layers, the powerful Blur Gallery, Camera Raw 7, video editing, and the Adaptive Wide Angle filter, which removes distortion from extreme wide-angle photographs and panoramas. Deke also covers the new nondestructive Crop tool, dashed strokes, paragraph and character styles, editable 3D type, and the exciting Content-Aware Move tool, which moves selections and automatically heals the backgrounds.

Download: Photoshop CS6 Beta
Topics include:
Enabling auto recovery and background saving
Filtering layers in the Layers panel
Modifying multiple layers at once
Applying layer effects to groups
Working with the Content-Aware tools
Redeveloping photos in Camera Raw 7
Creating depth of field with the Blur Gallery
Correcting wide-angle panoramas
Filling and stroking shape layers
Editing videos in the Timeline panel
Previewing 3D shadows and reflections

Visit: Photoshop CS6 | Linda
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War Zone Docs: Anonymous Commander X unveils on camera how Anonymous work

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:55:20 PDT

Soldiers With No Name
War Zone Documentary

War Zone - Soldiers With No Name [Commander X interview]
Language: Greek | Interviews: English
A war correspondent and photographer, Sotiris has been filming news & current affairs documentaries since 2003, highlighting the stories of people in crisis and the contemporary issues of the world we live in. The awarded War Zone documentary series takes the viewer to the world’s hot spots and the centre of international news developments. Each feature of 60 minutes, is the result of long-term journalist research characterized by cinematic narrative, quality image & detailed editing. War Zone airs on Mega TV Greece.

On March 2012 War Zone covered the Anonymous
story interviewing Commander X via Skype.
SOLDIERS WITH NO NAME: Activists or internet rebels? Pranksters, common hackers or contemporary revolutionaries with keyboards and flat-screens? For the first time on Greek television, the people behind the masks that spread panic with their attacks and have set off the alarm at governments and corporations around the world, reveal their goals and targets. The notorious "Anonymous" came on TV screens last night, in War Zone's new two-part documentary "Soldiers With No Name". via War Zone

The documentary also feature interviews with Wired journalist Quinn Norton and Chief Technology Officer of Application Security, INC, Josh Shaul.

Visit War Zone: Official Site | Twitter Account | Facebook Page
Read also: War Zone - Sotiris Danezis Interview on Momentum
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Prometheus - Ridley Scott

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:31:04 PDT

Prometheus
Ridley Scott

Prometheus Q&A with Ridley Scott
Conceived as a prequel to Scott's 1979 "Alien", rewrites of Spaihts' script by Lindelof developed a separate story that precedes the events of Alien, but which is not directly connected to the films in the Alien franchise. According to Scott, though the film shares "strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak", and takes place in the same universe, Prometheus will explore its own mythology and ideas. Principal photography began in March 2011, with filming taking place in England, Iceland, and Spain. Prometheus is scheduled for release on June 8, 2012 in various territories through 20th Century Fox.

DEVELOPMENT
Since the early-2000s, a fifth installment in the Alien franchise had been under consideration. James Cameron had initially worked on a story for such an installment; it was to explore the origins of the Alien creatures. However, Cameron dropped the project after learning that Fox was pursuing Alien vs. Predator - a plot which he felt would "kill the validity of the franchise". By this time, Scott and Weaver had also expressed interest in returning to the series and both supported the idea of exploring beginnings. Scott furthered that the most logical course would be to explore the origins of the "space jockey" - the unknown extraterrestrial being, who only had a brief appearance in Scott's 1979 science fiction horror film Alien, as the derelict spaceship's deceased pilot - as well as the Aliens, should the series continue. "I think it would be great to go back, because I'm asked that question so many times: 'Where did the Alien come from?' People really want to know in a very visceral way," Weaver said. By 2008, Scott was fully attached to the project with Weaver commenting that "[he's] enthusiastic about it."

In May 2009, Fox first reported the project as a "reboot" to the Alien franchise, which was soon afterwards expressed as a then untitled prequel to Alien. Being so, Scott set the story in 2085, 30 years prior to Alien - Weaver's character, Ellen Ripley, would not play a role; neither would the "original" Alien creature. The film would explore the nature, origin, and "staggering civilization" of the alien race of the space jockey, as well as the beings' fictional anthropogenic role in the origins of humanity on Earth. Such ideas were "partially" inspired by Erich von Däniken's writings about ancient astronauts. Scott told the Hollywood Reporter, "NASA and the Vatican agree that [it is] almost mathematically impossible that we can be where we are today without there being a little help along the way... That’s what we’re looking at (in the film), at some of Erich von Däniken’s ideas of how did we humans come about." Scott's prequel, which originally went through several drafts, featured a female lead character and would also focus on terraforming and the fictitious Weyland Industries before its merger with the Yutani Corporation. Scott furthered that the original Zeta II Reticuli planetary system would be part of the prequel story and that the plot would also entail "technologically feasible" approaches and applications towards "near faster-than-light travel" which would play a key role. "Time dilation and the effects of essentially de-materializing and re-materializing" also factored in the drafts. Elaborating more, the director commented in an interview that "the film will be really tough, really nasty. It's the dark side of the moon. We are talking about gods and engineers. Engineers of space. And were the aliens designed as a form of biological warfare? Or biology that would go in and clean up a planet?" He later added, "The cast find an establishment which is not what they expected it to be, it’s a civilization but what we find in it is very uncivilized behaviour."

Scott initially sought to produce the prequel in two parts and in 3D. He also anticipated having former commercial director Carl Erik Rinsch direct it, but 20th Century Fox, which owns the Alien franchise rights, wanted Scott to be the director. By July 2009, Scott was attached to direct the film. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts had pitched to Fox his approach to the prequel. The studio and Scott liked the pitch and hired Spaihts to write the screenplay. Lindelof was later hired to revise Spaihts's screenplay. In October 2010, Lindelof submitted the revised screenplay to 20th Century Fox. The studio was pleased because it had contested Scott's proposed budget of $150–160 million and found Lindelof's screenplay to be more budget-conscious; Scott had initially requested a $250 million budget along with an R rating, but 20th Century Fox was reluctant to invest so much money in a film that was not PG-13.

In late 2010, it was reported that the film would be called "Paradise", but in January 2011, the title was confirmed as Prometheus with a release date scheduled for 2012. Scott downplayed the film's ties to the Alien franchise, saying "while Alien was indeed the jumping-off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative." In February 2011, Scott maintained that the film was not an Alien prequel, but confirmed in December 2011, that the Space Jockey was still an aspect of the plot. Fassbender stated the film would feature elements of Alien, saying "Prometheus is absolutely connected to Alien... There's a definite connecting vein." In June 2011, Lindelof stated that he concurred with Scott's belief that the Alien creature had been "diluted" by the exposure it had received since Alien and did not want the film to be "burdened by all the tropes of that franchise with Facehuggers and Chestbursters". Lindelof stated that the film takes place in the same universe as Alien, but is not a story about the events leading into that film, saying "a true prequel should essentially proceed [sic] the events of the original film, but be about something entirely different, feature different characters, have an entirely different theme, although it takes place in that same world." In June 2011 Scott said that Prometheus does occupy the same general universe as Alien, and in July 2011 he stated that "by the end of the third act you start to realize there’s a DNA of the very first Alien, but none of the subsequent [films]" and called it "pretty organic to the process and to "Alien", but maintained a distinction between the two films, saying "we go back, we don't go forward." In a February 2012, interview, Lindelof described the film as a hybrid in tone between Alien and Blade Runner, pushing a philosophical idea alongside action.

PRE PRODUCTION
Production of Prometheus has been marked by a high degree of secrecy with story details "extremely under-wraps." Determined to maintain the secrecy of the plot, Scott required the cast to sign clauses to prevent them disclosing story details, and the cast were only allowed to read the script under supervision in Scott's production office.[53] One exception was made when a courier flew to one of the actors in a foreign location and then stood guard while the actor read the script.

On November 10, 2010, a tweet by Henry South, a visual FX designer working on the Alien prequel, indicated the film had gone into production. Production designer Arthur Max is heading the film's Pinewood Studios art department, whose task is to deconstruct the first Alien and reverse-design the prequel from the original art and visuals. Scott stated that the alien itself would not appear in the film, saying "they [the Alien sequels] squeezed it dry. He [the alien] did very well. He survived...and no way am I going back there." Scott brought Alien creature designer H. R. Giger onto the project to design murals that would appear as some of the first artefacts of the alien world in the film. At Comic-Con, Lindelof stated that the film would be keeping as many practical effects as possible. The only mention of CGI used was for on-set pre-visualization of external space visuals. Scott recalling advice special effects artist Douglas Trumbull gave him on the set of Blade Runner stated, "if you can do it live, do it live", with Scott claiming that although "you can pretty much do anything you want" with digital technology, practical effects are more cost effective. In designing the space suits worn by the ship's crew, Scott was inspired to have the suits include spherical glass helmets, inspired by a story in the autobiography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs about building an office out of Gorilla Glass, with Scott remarking "If I’m in 2083 and I’m going into space, why would I design a helmet that has blind spots. What I want is something where I have 360 [vision]. Glass, by then, will be light and you won’t be able to break it with a bullet."

Roger Christian, art director on the first Alien, speculated that the film would be shot in 3-D, which was eventually confirmed by Ridley Scott. Since 3-D films need high lighting levels on set, the hallmark atmosphere of the Alien films with darkness and shadows will be added in post-production through grading processes, while the 3-D equipment will be based on post-Avatar technology.

PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Filming began in March 2011 using Red Epic cameras fitted with Element Technica Atom 3D rigs. After three weeks' filming at Pinewood Toronto Studios, production moved in May to Pinewood Studios in London. The 007 Stage was used for one of the set pieces. On using the 007 Stage and other filming facilities, Scott stated, "It's the story of creation, the gods and the man who stood against them. It's not a small film. I'm using the giant James Bond 007 stage at Pinewood and six other sound stages to film it." Filming went underway in Iceland for a two-week shoot. Ridley Scott stated that this location would occupy the first 15 minutes of the film as a "beginning of time" sequence.[72] It was also reported that filming would move over to Spain in November where scenes involving a water tank and a ship would be shot. Construction reportedly went underway in Alicante to recreate the ship of the protagonists in the film.

Actress Charlize Theron stated that, while on set, "Ridley started doing this interesting thing, where he would have me stand in corners and lurk all the time, and it wound up being really mysterious." Generally speaking, Rapace shared, "I was out there filming for about six months and it was super-intense, my body was in so much pain sometimes but it was absolutely amazing." She also confessed that it felt like returning to Earth after the conclusion, in Iceland, of principal photography.

POST-PRODUCTION
After spending two weeks working on additional dialogue recordings for the film during December 2011, Noomi Rapace described Prometheus in post-production as "brutally beautiful." Scott stated that he will edit both PG-13 and R-rated cuts of the film to be submitted to Fox for review when the film is finalized.

MUSIC
Marc Streitenfeld, who worked on several of Ridley Scott's previous films, will be composing the musical score for Prometheus. Scott processed Streitenfeld's score at Abbey Road Studios in London, England, the studio formerly used by The Beatles.

Visit: Prometheus | Source: Prometheus Wiki

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My Excuse The Band - A short documentary about the Greek rock band

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:12:55 PST

Shot, Edited & Directed by Alex Maragos
Available on: Vimeo | YouTube
1080p version: If you are experiencing choppy playback uncheck the HD
My Excuse are a Greek rock band based in Thessaloniki GR formed by lead vocalist Steven Triantafillis. The group consists of Steven (vocals, guitars), Markus (guitars), Thodoris (bass), Baha (drums) & Tasos (keys). Over the last years the band is holding a great number of live performances across the country with successful gigs in both Athens & Thessaloniki gaining popularity through their songs & their solid stage presence. My Excuse's music is alternative rock & the band's lead vocalist acknowledges Kings of Leon as a major influence on their sound & material.

My Excuse have appeared on the highly popular Greek tv show Radio Arvyla airing on Ant1 tv Greece as well as on Imagine Radio 89.7. In 2012 My Excuse also appeared on Mad Walk, a well-known Greek fashion music show hosted by MAD tv Greece.

The documentary takes you on a journey with the band, on the road, at the studio, at the concerts, during rehearsals and the in between moments - a physical journey but also the life journey of the band.

On the technical side the piece was shot using only available light at 24fps, 1080p on the 7D & Canon glass, except the slow motion footage which were shot at 60fps, 720p & treated with Twixtor. All footage shot in Technicolor CineStyle ungraded. Edited in Final Cut Pro 7. Audio editing in WaveLab 7 for Mac.

Equipment:
- Canon 7D
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
- Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 provided by RentPhotoVideo
- Glidetrack Hybrid
- Sachtler CINE DSLR
- Zacuto Z-Finder
- Zacuto EVF (Snap) provided by MC Manios
- Sennheiser ew 100 G3
- ND8 & PL Filters

Special thanks to Jeremy Rall for his valuable help, Cecilia & Andreas from MC Manios & the guys from RentPhotoVideo, Kostas & Dimitris.

Also watch: Black Rock Studio Santorini

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PressPausePlay

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:44:48 PST

PressPausePlay
House of Radon

PressPausePlay
The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art, film, music and literature or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.

Directors Statement
"After working in the creative industry for a number of years we got a bit tired of the loud complaints regarding the disappearance of business models due to pirating and continuing profit losses. These subjects had been discussed to death at media panels and in newspapers around the world. We felt that an important part of the story had been lost - the unprecedented cultural impact. Sure, there are lots of industry problems caused by technological innovation but there are also enormous new opportunities for creation.

In our daily work we encounter numerous people from all over the world that, just like us, have grown up with technology as their friend. We were intrigued by the dichotomy: artists were able to create with the same technology that allowed pirating and was subverting old business models.

It might be a bit bold to do a film about something that’s in such rapid transformation, where nothing is set and where you really can’t distinguish between the villains and heroes. But we didn’t want to give a definite answer. We simply wanted to make a snapshot of today - documenting both the positive and negative aspects of democratized culture. You will not walk out of the theatre with more answers, but hopefully with more thoughts."

— David Dworsky & Victor Köhler

DIRECTORS: David Dworsky & Victor Köhler
PRODUCERS: Einar Bodström, Philip Marthinsen & Adam Svanell
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Hannes Isaksson
EDITORS: David Dworsky & Victor Köhler
SOUND: Erik Olsson, Redpipe
GRADE: Mike Cosola, Cinepost Studios
ANIMATION: Stuart Langfield
SCORE MUSIC: Ólafur Arnalds, Ludvig Franzén,
Carl Åborg, Feliz Martinz and Joel Hilme
Visit: PressPausePlay | House of Radon
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Canon 5D Mark III

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:18:47 PST

Canon EOS 5D Mark III
The Legacy Continues

Canon 5D Mark III
March 2, 2012. Canon Announced the highly anticipated EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera featuring Improved Image Quality, a 61-Point High Density Reticular AF, Six fps High-Speed Continuous Shooting and Enhanced HD Video Recording Features.

Positioned between the extremely popular EOS 5D Mark II and Canon's top-of-the-line professional EOS-1D X model, the EOS 5D Mark III delivers superb image quality, thanks to a new 22.3-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS sensor, a high-performance DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor, a 61-point High Density Reticular Autofocus (AF) System and six frames-per-second (fps) continuous shooting speed. Building upon the trailblazing success of the EOS 5D Mark II, the EOS 5D Mark III also incorporates enhanced video features for professionals in the fields of cinematography, television production and documentary filmmaking, including better noise reduction, longer recording times and a built-in headphone jack for audio monitoring.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III - "Radball" 1st demo video shot on 5DmkIII
"We are extremely excited to announce the highly anticipated follow-up to our EOS 5D Mark II, a camera which has been called a 'game-changer' in most professional photography and videography circles. The EOS 5D Mark III will carry on that tradition, delivering better and more advanced features, helping our customers achieve excellent image quality for stills and video," stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.

Behind the scenes of "Radball" shot on 5DmkIII
The EOS 5D Mark III inherits many features from Canon's recently announced flagship DSLR, the EOS-1D X, including a DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor and a high-performance 61-point High Density Reticular AF array with up to 41 cross-type points and five dual cross-type points available, depending on the lens in use. The enhanced processing power enables fast continuous shooting of up to six fps, exceeding the speed of the EOS 5D Mark II model by more than 50 percent, and with improved weather resistance the EOS 5D Mark III is a serious option for sports and wildlife photographers.

EOS 5D Mark III Video:
The EOS 5D Mark II captures 1080p Full HD video at 24p (23.976), 25p, and 30p (29.97) fps; 720p HD recording at 60 (59.94) and 50 fps; and SD recording at 30 (29.97) and 25 fps, giving cinematographers and videographers more flexibility and options for video capture.

The EOS 5D Mark III includes new H.264 video compression formats to simplify and speed up post-production work: intraframe (ALL-I) compression for an editing-friendly format and interframe (IPB) compression for superior data storage efficiency, giving professionals options to help achieve their ideal workflow. Like the EOS-1D X, the 5D Mark III also includes two methods of SMPTE-compliant timecode embedding, Rec Run and Free Run, allowing video footage from multiple cameras and separate audio recordings to be synced together in post production.

The new full-frame CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5+ processor have enhanced the camera's image processing performance over the 5D Mark II, significantly reducing moir‚ and color artifacts in scenes with horizontal lines. The video footage produced will exhibit less moir‚ than seen in previous DSLR models, resulting in a significant improvement in HD video quality. Accommodating documentary filmmakers, and event videographers using EOS DSLR cameras, the 5D Mark III includes the ability to record video continuously up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds across multiple 4GB files. Long-form filmmakers will enjoy the camera's automatic file splitting in combination with the extended memory capacity offered by dual card slots.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III also includes manual audio level control with 64 levels, adjustable both before and during movie recording. There is also an automatic audio level setting, or sound recording can be turned off entirely. A wind filter is also included. Sound can be recorded either through the internal monaural microphone or via an optional external microphone through the stereo mic input. Notably, the EOS 5D Mark III is the first EOS Digital SLR to feature a built-in headphone jack for real-time audio monitoring during video capture.

Newly Developed Canon CMOS Sensor
With its completely new 22.3-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS image sensor, the EOS 5D Mark III becomes the highest resolution Canon Digital SLR released to date. It is eminently suitable for a wide variety of assignments including weddings and portraits, nature and wildlife, travel and landscapes as well as commercial and industrial photography. With a gapless microlens design, a new photodiode structure and improved on-chip noise reduction, the new sensor achieves higher sensitivity and lower noise levels for both RAW image data as well as in-camera JPEGs and EOS Movies compared to the 5D Mark II. The result is outstanding image quality in all shooting conditions, even low light. An eight-channel readout doubles the speed of image data throughput from the sensor to the DIGIC 5+ processor, resulting in better video image quality as well as six fps for still photos.

The low-light capability of the EOS 5D Mark III is evident in its incredible ISO range and image quality in poor lighting conditions. Adjustable from ISO 100 to 25,600 within its standard range, the new model also offers a low ISO 50 setting for studio and landscape photography and two extended ISO settings of 51,200 and 102,400, well suited for law enforcement, government or forensic field applications.

The new 5D Mark III is also equipped with Canon's EOS Integrated Cleaning System, featuring a Self Cleaning Sensor Unit with a fluorine coating that repels dust and dirt particles.

Canon-Exclusive DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor.
The EOS 5D Mark III's new DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor is 17 times faster than the DIGIC 4.The EOS 5D Mark III uses that extra speed not only for improved image quality, but also to add no less than nine new features that do not exist on the 5D Mark II. These new features include six fps continuous shooting, HDR and Multiple Exposure modes, in-camera RAW processing, a comparative playback function, Scene Intelligent Auto mode, two forms of movie compression, and support for high-speed UDMA 7 Compact Flash memory cards.

Another extremely valuable feature enhanced by the DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor is the EOS 5D Mark III's choice of reduced resolution M-RAW (10.5 megapixel) and S-RAW (5.5 megapixel) recording modes. These settings are particularly useful to wedding photographers for candid photos that do not require the EOS 5D Mark III's 22 megapixel full resolution, because they take up less space on the memory cards and speed up post-processing without losing the critical benefits of RAW image data, such as highlight and shadow control as well as white balance adjustment. M-RAW and S-RAW also preserve the full field of view rather than cropping the image or resorting to JPEG mode to reduce resolution.

High-Performance 61-Point High Density Reticular AF.
For still photographers, Canon has included its new 61-point High Density Reticular AF System, originally introduced with the top-of-the-line EOS-1D X professional camera. A significant advancement over previous 5D-series AF systems, the new 61-Point High Density Reticular AF included in the EOS 5D Mark III is the most sophisticated SLR AF system Canon has ever released. All 61 points are manually selectable and sensitive to horizontal contrast with maximum apertures larger than or equal to f/5.6. The camera's twenty one focusing points in the central area are also standard precision cross-type and effective with maximum apertures larger than or equal to f/5.6. The center five points are ultra-high-precision diagonal cross-type points for maximum apertures larger than or equal to f/2.8. The 20 outer focusing points function as high-precision cross-type points with maximum apertures larger than or equal to f/4.0. Other innovations of the new 61-point High Density Reticular AF include expanded AF coverage area, superior focusing precision and low-light sensitivity to EV -2, and greater low-contrast subject detection capability compared to earlier EOS AF systems. (See image below for AF point configuration)

All AF functions now have their own menu tab for quick and easy access (formerly AF custom functions in previous EOS models). A new AF Configuration Tool allows for customized setting of tracking sensitivity, the acceleration and deceleration of tracking subjects, and AF point auto switching, all of which are easily accessed and adjusted via the new AF menu tab. A built-in Feature Guide advises photographers on which settings to use according to subject matter.

The EOS 5D Mark III uses the same high-performance AI Servo III AF tracking algorithm as the flagship EOS-1D X professional DSLR. This new feature works together with the 61-point High Density Reticular AF system to provide superb tracking performance that blends very well with the new camera's 6 frames-per-second high-speed continuous shooting capabilities.

Similar to the AF point selection options offered in the EOS 7D and EOS-1D X camera models, the EOS 5D Mark III offers six AF point selection modes: Spot, Single Point, Single Point with surrounding four points, Single Point with surrounding eight points, Zone selection and Automatic AF point selection.

iFCL Metering.
Complementing the EOS 5D Mark III camera's 61-point AF system is Canon's 63-zone iFCL dual layer metering system. The 'FCL' stands for 'Focus, Color and Luminance,' and references the fact that the metering system not only measures color and luminance data, but also analyzes the data provided by each point of the AF system. Canon's iFCL metering keeps exposure levels stable from shot to shot, even as the light source changes. The camera's autofocus information is also used to help determine which area of the scene is of greatest importance in determining exposure.

HDR Mode.
The EOS 5D Mark III camera features a built-in HDR mode, merging three images at various exposure levels into a single image, in-camera, for stunning photographs of landscapes and architecture with enhanced tonal gradation beyond the range of the naked eye. The exposure levels in the camera's HDR mode can be set to cover a range of up to ñ3 stops, in a choice of five settings: Natural, Art Standard, Art Vivid, Art Bold and Art Embossed providing unique visual effects. Individual source images can be saved as separate files, and the HDR mode has an optional automatic alignment function that can be useful for hand-held shooting. The EOS 5D Mark III's standard Auto Exposure Bracketing function has been upgraded to allow for up to seven exposures per sequence, and exposure compensation can now be set for up to +/- 5EV.

Multiple Exposure Mode.
The EOS 5D Mark III is the second EOS Digital SLR after the EOS-1D X to feature Multiple Exposure capabilities with the ability to combine up to nine individual images into a single composite image, with no need for post-processing in a computer. Four different compositing methods are provided for maximum creative control, including Additive, Average, Bright and Dark. Compositing results can be viewed in real time on the camera's LCD monitor, and there is a one-step Undo command that allows photographers to delete an image and try again if desired. The EOS 5D Mark III camera's Multiple Exposure mode even allows photographers to specify a previously captured RAW image as the starting point for a new Multiple Exposure composite image, or shoot continuously when photographing moving subjects.

Comparative Playback.
A new feature seen for the first time in the EOS System on the 5D Mark III is Comparative Playback allowing photographers to display two images side by side on the camera's 3.2-inch LCD screen. The images can be displayed with a histogram to check exposure levels, or magnified to check for focus or facial expressions.

Durability, Reliability and Other Features.
The EOS 5D Mark III features a rugged camera body with magnesium alloy body covers and a stainless steel lens mount. The new camera also has dust- and moisture-resistant design with improved gaskets and seals. Although not quite as weatherproof as an EOS-1D-series camera, the EOS 5D Mark III does feature improved weather resistance over the EOS 5D Mark II model. The EOS 5D Mark III's newly developed shutter unit has a durability rating of 150,000 exposures, and shutter release lag time has been reduced to 59 milliseconds, making the shutter button very responsive. Canon's locking mode dial is standard on the new model and a new custom function allows photographers to shut off other dials to prevent inadvertent operation.

The EOS 5D Mark III uses the same LP-E6 lithium-ion battery pack as other popular EOS cameras like the 5D Mark II, 7D and 60D. Battery life is estimated at 950 exposures at normal temperatures, an improvement of 100 exposures more than the EOS 5D Mark II. The EOS 5D Mark III body weighs approximately 33.5 oz. with a battery installed, and the dimensions are approximately 6.0 x 4.6 x 3.0 inches.

The EOS 5D Mark III incorporates Silent shooting modes, available for low-speed continuous shooting as well as single exposures. This feature is ideal when photographing in quiet environments. For better file management especially when working with multiple cameras, the new model also supports custom file names. There is also a new image rating feature that lets photographers rank their photos from 1 to 5 stars for quick editing.

The EOS 5D Mark III features a 3.2-inch Clear View II LCD screen with 1,040,000 dot resolution. This is the same screen that's used in the top-of-the-line EOS-1D X. The camera's optical viewfinder has been upgraded to approximately 100 percent coverage, and it features an Intelligent Viewfinder display with an optional grid on demand. The EOS 5D Mark III also has a built-in Dual Axis Electronic Level that can be displayed on both the LCD screen and the optical viewfinder.

The EOS 5D Mark III accepts both Compact Flash Type 1 and SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards in a dual card slot configuration. Three recording methods are supported: Record the same data to both cards, record different file sizes or types to each card, or automatically switch to the second card when the first card is full.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Preview by dpreview.com
Via: Canon 5D Mark III Official Press Release
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A TED Talk from the future as envisioned by Ridley Scott - Peter Weyland at TED 2023

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:21:47 PST

Peter Weyland at TED 2023
I will change the world

A TED Talk from the future as envisioned by Ridley Scott
Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade.

Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to toe with the Vatican itself on the issue of gene-therapy sterilization, Sir Peter prides himself on his motto, “If we can, we must.” After a three year media blackout, Weyland has finally emerged to reveal where he’s heading next. Wherever that may be, we will most certainly want to follow.

Sir Peter Weyland was born in Mumbai, India at the turn of the Millennium. The progeny of two brilliant parents; His mother, an Oxford Educated Professor of Comparative Mythology, his father, a self-taught software Engineer, it was clear from an early age that Sir Peter’s capabilities would only be eclipsed by his ambition to realize them. By the age of fourteen, he had already registered a dozen patents in a wide range of fields from biotech to robotics, but it would be his dynamic break-throughs in generating synthetic atmosphere above the polar ice cap that gained him worldwide recognition and spawned an empire.

In less than a decade, Weyland Corporation became a worldwide leader in emerging technologies and launched the first privatized industrial mission to leave the planet Earth. “There are other worlds than this one,” Sir Peter boldly declared, “And if there is no air to breathe, we will simply have to make it.”

Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott.

Visit: TED Talks | Weyland Industries
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TED 2012: Peter Diamandis "Abundance is our future"

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:24:50 PST

TED 2012: Peter Diamandis
Abundance is our future

Peter Diamandis: Abundance is our future
On stage at TED2012, Peter Diamandis makes a case for optimism -- that we'll invent, innovate and create ways to solve the challenges that loom over us. "I'm not saying we don't have our set of problems; we surely do. But ultimately, we knock them down."

Peter Diamandis is the founder of the X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is simply "to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity." By offering a big cash prize for a specific accomplishment, the X Prize stimulates competition and excitement around some of the planet's most important goals.

Diamandas' background is in space exploration -- before the X Prize, he ran a company that studied low-cost launching technologies and another company that took civilians on rides into the upper atmosphere. But though the X Prize's first $10 million went to a space-themed challenge, Diamandas' goal now is to extend the prize into health care, social policy, education and many other fields that could use a dose of competitive innovation.

Visit: TED2012 | Peter Diamandis | X Prize Foundation
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Kostas Golemis - Fotis Traganoudakis: A Piece of Greece

noreply@blogger.com (Alex Maragos) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:38:31 PST

A Piece of Greece
Media Offline | Public Eye

A Piece of Greece
CGI artist Kostas Golemis & Photographer Fotis Traganoudakis captured these gorgeous images of Greece & made an impressive moco timelapse shot in various locations of the country. Kostas & Fotis shot it on Canon 5DmkII & 7D with Canon glass, using a 3-axis custom-made motion control system over a period of 1 year. Music composed by Tania Giannouli. Cello, Lyra: Orestis Zafiropoulos. Flute: Paulo Chagas.

Visit: Media Offline | Public Eye | Tania Giannouli
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