4k's Impact On Story Telling: Format Matters

This weekend marked the official release of The Dark Knight Rises, the last in the Christopher Nolan trilogy of Batman films.  My wife and I joined several of our friends for a road trip up to Seattle to watch the film on the largest IMAX screen still projecting film in the Northwest. By the end of the day we had covered almost 400 miles, seen the film on two screens, projected in two different formats on a journey that lasted almost 18 hours, and reinforced this storytelling truth to me: Format Matters.

Perspective On Part 02 of Zacuto's Revenge Of the Great Camera Shootout 2012

On the 15th of this month Zacuto released part two of their Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012. In this second episode of their three part series they reveal the answers to the blind test that was conducted in part one. This test has raised a lot of discussion, debates, and heated arguments on the internet. As I participated in the event by running Red Epic - a camera with a very passionate following by its users, I thought I'd offer a little perspective on the test.

Resources For Filmmakers & Cinematographers

The internet has become a treasure trove of great resources available to everyone on just about any kind of topic. (Anyone up for Underwater Basket Weaving?) But part of the problem of this large body of information is trying to sort through it all to find the truly helpful and useful information. This is especially true with filmmaking and topics related around cinematography. This is why, over the years, I have been slowly gathering and organizing that information and I want to offer it to you.

Film Class 2012: Introduction To The Camera World

Over the past couple of months I have had several great conversations on twitter with fellow director of photography Corey Steib on a number of topics related to filmmaking. Having a conversation in 144 character bursts can be quite challenging as it doesn't allow for complex answers to many nuanced issues. We both felt limited by these constraints and we wanted to open it up ...

What You May Have Overlooked At NAB 2012

While we were all getting excited about the latest camera offerings at NAB there were a lot of other items that did not get the same hype or exposure but still caught my eye and are worth taking a look at. Some of these offerings are completely new, while others are not as new, but I had not heard about them until this NAB. So take a look at what you may have missed while walking the floor at NAB ...

The Camera Conundrum: What "K" is the Right "K" at NAB 2012

WOW! What a time to be alive! I can't think of a more exciting time to be alive and involved in the filmmaking world than now (Except maybe when it all began). It feels like everywhere you turn a new camera is popping up. It seemed like yesterday the Digital Bolex was announced, and now at NAB Canon has launched two new cameras and Blackmagic Design has surprised everyone and released a camera. It's hard to keep up with it all ... so I wanted to provide some perspective and help you to evaluate where things are at so that you can make the best choice for your situation as you ponder your next camera purchase. For those of you who just want to cut to the chase, here are the results: Canon is not the best, Sony is not the best, Red is not the best, Blackmagic Design is not the best...in fact no one camera meets everyones needs all the time. Different tools for different projects- but some of these cameras still leave me asking some significant questions if they are going to survive in the market place. For a more detailed analysis continue reading ...

Zacuto Shoot Out 2012: A Master Cinematographer's Experience

Back in February of this year Zacuto & Kessler asked me to join them for their Revenge 2012 camera shootout as the Red Epic Master Cinematographer. While I was honored to be a part of an event where I would be working alongside such greats as Bruce Logan, ASC, Rodney Charters, ASC, Nancy Schreiber, ASC, Michael Negrin, ASC & Curtis Clark, ASC, I accepted the offer with a bit of trepidation. After years of running various tests, and making those results public, I have become acutely aware that no matter how stringent a test is run, inevitably people are going to find fault, and there is no way to make everyone happy. Add to that the fact that critique from the Reduser community is even more stringent, and it is a recipe for some harsh criticism and open flaming of one's character. Even though I knew I was walking into dangerous ground by being the Red Epic Master Cinematographer, this was an opportunity I could not pass up.

Act Of Valor

Last night I had the opportunity to watch a prescreening of Act Of Valor, a feature film shot by Shane Hurlbut, ASC on the 5D and 7D, with some Arri 235 & 435. And I've got to say that this movie has heart. It tells the real story of what life is like for our men and women in the service, showing the struggles they encounter both during their missions and in having to leave their families. While it follows the storyline of the Navy Seals, it does a great job at honoring the sacrifices that are made every day by each one of our military personnel.

RedCine-X to 50" Plasma WITHOUT a Redrocket

I recently stumbled upon away to get the video out from RedCine-X to my 50" Plasma without having to buy a Redrocket card & the breakout box - a savings of almost $6,000! My original intent was to get my second display (Asus ProArt) out to the Plasma so that I can watch Hulu on my big screen when I'm not working. (Lofty goal I know. ;) ). Anyway, this turned out to be more difficult then I had originally thought as not all of the equipment I bought played nicely with each other the first time around ...

Asking The Right Questions

Over the last month or so I have been asked at least once a week the following question: "If money wasn't an issue, what camera would you shoot with?". While I get that the people asking this question are trying to determine what I think the best camera is on the market currently, I think that this question is fundamentally the wrong question to be asking. 

What is the "right" question after the jump ...

How To Get Better At Negotiation

Cinematographers are great at what we do because we care about our craft- we put in a LOT of time learning, experimenting, and preparing for what our job requires of us - and we LOVE IT. :) However, we are usually horrible business people. The creative side of our brain is massive and strong, while the business side is anemic - as is often the case with people in the creative world. This translates in to our inability to negotiate appropriately when landing a job. I know I've made a lot of mistakes over the years in this area. Unfortunately, I haven't put in as much time as I should have learning the business end of it as I have put in learning the creative and technical side of cinematography. Fortunately, however, it is never too late.

Check out these helpful tips after the jump.

And The Next Superstar Is ...

November 3rd was a highly anticipated day by many. Months ago Canon announced that it would be making an HISTORIC GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT. Not a company that usually makes these kind of claims, many people projected that they were going to announce and release their next camera, the update to the Canon 5D MKII - the MKIII, and it would be 4k. Days later, and never to be one who is out done my hyperbole, Red Digital Cinema announced that they too would be making an announcement of their completely updated Scarlet camera. Jim Jannard himself said this battle was going to be the next "Ali VS Frasier". Now that the "fight" is "over" and the dust has settled - who one? And who is going to be the next superstar?

Find out after the jump.

Master Cinema Series Lunch Party Wrap Up

The digital revolution is just now starting to come into its' own. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you must have been living under a rock somewhere. Welcome back to civilization! This is the next erra of filmmaking - one which is being shaped by digital cinematography. Like it or not, digital capture devices are changing the way stories are told, and even shaping what stories can be told.

More after the jump.