Monthly Archives: February 2012

First Sony F65 4K Feature

Under a volcano in Costa Rica with the first Sony F65 digital motion picture camera on a major feature: Director M. Night Shyamalan and cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, ASC, BSC. “After Earth,” starring Will and Jaden Smith, is about a father and son who crash-land on planet Earth after it has long been abandoned. The crew recently wrapped Costa Rica location… read more…

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EMIT 30th Anniversary

This February marks the 30th anniversary of EMIT, the beloved company founded by Trevor Steele in Paris. On February 10, 2012, the largest tour bus Montmartre has ever seen loaded celebrants from the AFC Micro Salon for a trip to Chez Serge. Chez Serge is the company’s water hole, and it was closed for the evening to outside guests. Inside,… read more…

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Robert B. Richardson, ASC

Bob Richardson, ASC received an Academy Award for Best Cinematography on Hugo. He previously won for JFK and The Aviator. It was the first award of the evening–appropriate because Hugo was a beautifully shot (in 3D), masterfully directed, a compelling and complex story brought to screen with many innovations. It was the first 3D picture for Richardson and Scorcese, the first… read more…

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The SOC Awards and Angenieux’s New President

It’s been a good week for France in Hollywood. A week ago, February 19th, the Society of Camera Operators awarded Angenieux a 2012 Technical Achievement Award for the design of the Optimo series of hand-held zoom lenses: 15-40, 28-76 and 45-120mm. Pierre Andurand, new President of Thales Angenieux, accepted the award on behalf of all the people who made these… read more…

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The Artist’s Five Oscars

A French black and white, mostly silent film was the only Oscar Best Picture Nominee that was actually shot in Hollywood. Originated on Kodak Vision 3 500T 35mm color film, it received 5 Oscars in the previously named (before chapter 11) Kodak Theatre. Ironic. The Artist, an homage to Hollywood silent films and the move to talkies, won five awards:… read more…

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Canoflex C300

Imagine a Canon C300 on an Arriflex 16SR3 exoskeleton. That’s what Tim Arasheben has created with his new Canoflex C300. Tim is an accomplished Camera Operator, having worked his way up from AC, and now is on the brink of something new with his innovative design and production of a practical, handholdable, accessory-friendly life-support system for Canon’s new C300 camera…. read more…

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Otto as Art

I was walking along Main Street in Santa Monica and jumped when I looked through the window of the Axiom Contemporary Gallery (2801 Main Street) and saw a giant 5′ wide painting of an ARRI 3C with an Otto Nemenz logo. I immediately phoned Otto, who rushed over to provide provenance. The ARRI 3C with 200′ magazine, Juergen Meindardus pivoting finder… read more…

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A Tour of Vantage Paris

Vantage Paris is located at 113-121 Avenue du President Wilson in Saint Denis, the media and film production district on the periphery of Paris. The elevator opens onto a large and airy loft. Sunlight streams in through the large windows. The walls are white and spotless. Is this a motion picture rental house? It looks more like a high fashion… read more…

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Vantage Paris

In the beginning of Midnight in Paris, Gil Pender says,  “This is unbelievable! Look at this! There’s no city like this in the world. There never was…Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain?” His fiancée Inez replies, “Why does every city have to be in the rain?” There is no city in the world like Paris. It’s… read more…

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PhotoCineRent Paris

There are more motion picture rental companies in Paris than almost anywhere else. That makes sense, since France is the number 3 feature-producing country on the planet, and Paris is the epicenter. A century of cinema culture and the fact that most French families go to the cinema every week help. Box office last year was huge. The French CNC… read more…

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AFC Micro Salon 2012

  It was a very good year for The Association of French Cinematographers’ (AFC) 2012 Micro Salon. The French Film Industry took a 2 day break on Feb 10-11, with more than 4000 attendees descending up la Femis in the former Pathé Film Studios of Montmartre. France is the 3rd largest feature film producing country in the world–making this a… read more…

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Nikon D800

Nikon joins the HDSLR high-end cinema circle with the introduction of their new D800. This is breakthrough technology. Three things should rivet the attention and capture the imagination of FDTimes readers. 1. The Nikon D800 has a 36.3  (7360 x 4912) megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24 mm) CMOS sensor. That means it accepts Nikon’s full line of full frame lenses. Furthermore, you can… read more…

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Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2012

Yokohama, Japan. Feb 9-12. Report by Dorian Weber. 65,120 visitors attended the annual CP+ Show at the Yokohama Pacifico Exhibition Hall near Tokyo. The show was a big success–up 130% from last year. Lots of new products. The Nikon booth was way crowded as you can see in the accompanying pictures in our Flickr Slideshow. Nikon was rubbing shoulders with… read more…

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If Joe Dunton Buys Kodak

What if Joe Dunton were to purchase Kodak? I have often quipped that Joe Dunton never saw a camera company he didn’t want to own. (Among his collections are Moy and Mitchell Camera Company.) Joe Dunton, MBE, BSC had a mischievous smile when I saw him at the BSC Show on Saturday.  Headlines taken out of context quickly become rumors… read more…

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Hercher to Band Pro – Baier to Leica

On Feb 1, 2012, Rainer Hercher was named Managing Director of Band Pro Munich. On Feb 3, we learned that Gerhard Baier was named Managing Director of CW Sonderoptic (Leica Summilux-C Cine Lenses). Rainer Hercher was previously Business Development Manager at Band Pro Munich GmbH, a subsidiary of Band Pro Film & Digital, Inc., headquartered in Burbank, California. Before Band… read more…

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BSC Show

The BSC Show opened today in the big George Lucas stage at Elstree Studios. Tomorrow’s (Saturday, Feb 4) show times are 10 am – 4 pm. It is a terrific show: well organized, well attended, with lots of new equipment, and a great opportunity to catch up with colleagues. Some first looks (for me, at least)– Panavision showed working models… read more…

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