News
Philip Vischer Joins Second Reef
Philip Vischer (above, center) has joined the crew (Alexander Schwarz (left) and James Bouchie (right) at Second Reef as they set sail on their latest journey.
Philip will be Vice President of Sales & Client Relations. Welcome aboard.
Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65mm
Blackmagic
URSA Cine 17K 65mm Even Larger Format camera by the end of the year.
Sensor size: 50.808mm wide x 23.316mm high
Diagonal: 55.9mm
Horizontal Resolution: 17,520 pixels
Vertical Resolution: 8,040 pixels read more…
AJA ColorBox v2.1
ColorBox v2.1 from AJA Video Systems is a free software update for the AJA ColorBox.
Quick review: AJA ColorBox is a powerful device for on-set color management, DIT carts, post-production work and live production. It does LUT-based color transformations using the AJA Color Pipeline as well as other look management tools—including Colorfront, ORION-CONVERT, BBC, NBCU LUTs and now ACES.
ColorBox has 12G-SDI in/out and HDMI 2.0 out. It can handle up to 4K/UltraHD 60p 10-bit YCBCr 4:2:2 and 30p 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 output. ColorBox’s browser-based user interface makes it simple to adjust settings—connected via Ethernet or a third-party WiFi adapter. read more…
Tags: AJA ColorBox v2.1
NAB 2024 – FDTimes Booth C7436
Film and Digital Times will be at NAB. Please pick up a free copy of our NAB edition from the publication bin near the entrance to Central Hall. Or stop by FDTimes Booth C7436. Here’s the floorpan. NAB Show runs from April 13-17, 2024 in the Las Vegas Convention Center with exhibitors and visitors from around the world. There will… read more…
Tags: FDTimes at NAB, NAB 2024
Photographing the Eclipse
In anticipation of the solar eclipse on April 8th, Canon and Keith Ladzinski (Canon Explorer of Light and National Geographic Photographer) and shared these suggestions. Photo (above) and text courtesy of Canon and Keith Ladzinski. It is never safe to look at the sun without proper eye protection when any part of it is visible behind the moon. It is… read more…
Johan de Nysschen, ARRI Americas CEO & Pres.
March 28, 2024, Munich. Johan de Nysschen has been appointed President and CEO of ARRI Americas Inc. He will also be responsible for ARRI Rental North America and Illumination Dynamics—and reports directly to Matthias Erb, Chairman of the Executive Board at ARRI. read more…
Andrew Tiffen named President of Tiffen Co.
New York, March 15. Andrew Tiffen (at right, above) has been named President and COO of The Tiffen Company. He is responsible for the operations of the company, including manufacturing, marketing, sales, R&D and Product Development.
Steven Tiffen will remain as Chairman and CEO.
The company’s brands include Tiffen Filters, Steadicam, Lowel, DOMKE, Davis & Sanford, Stroboframe and Zing. read more…
Cine Gear NY 2024
It was a beautiful, warm spring day for a walk to the opening of Cine Gear Expo exhibits in Industry City. And there are many other choices of where to get off and take a subway, cab or car service.
Here’s a brief slideshow of the exhibits in Box Factory Hall, an 1900s historic industrial space with massive windows and gorgeous available daylight. read more…
Tags: Cine Gear NY 2024
Cooke Digital
Cooke Optics creates a new business unit to develop software-enabled products for post-production, VFX, animation and gaming.
Cooke has launched a new Cooke Digital business unit. Jordan Thistlewood (photo above) will be Managing Director of Cooke Digital.
This is a logical progression of Cooke’s /i Technology, an industry standard lens metadata protocol. In the past year, Cooke introduced Near Real-Time post-production capability in partnership with EZtrack, and explored other opportunities to extend Cooke’s role across the increasingly convergent creative markets of live action capture, animation and gaming. read more…
Band Film & Digital Europe
BAND PRO FILM & DIGITAL INC. REOPENS EUROPEAN OFFICE
Band Pro Film & Digital Inc., located in Hollywood, has been supplying the production industry with high-quality cameras, lenses and new technology for 40 years. This reopening of a new branch in Europe is a continuation of Band Pro’s expansion.
Band Film & Digital Europe GmbH is located in Hohenbrunn, near Munich. read more…
Nikon acquires RED
“HOLLYWOOD (March 6, 2024) – RED Digital Cinema (RED.com, LLC) announced that it will be acquired by Nikon Corporation (Nikon). The agreement with Nikon, reached with RED’s Founder Jim Jannard and President Jarred Land, signifies a new strategic partnership that brings together Nikon’s history and expertise in product development, image processing, optical technology and user interface, with RED’s innovative digital cinema cameras and technologies.”
Flashback to NAB in April 2006. FDTimes wrote, “Customers were holding a $1000 casting with serial number representing a refundable reservation for a RED One Camera. read more…
Tags: Nikon acquires RED
BSC Expo Feb 2024
BSC Expo 2024 exhibitors enjoyed 14-degrees-globally-warmed weather during setup days. Flowers blossomed in Battersea Park. The grass was a super-saturated green you probably would have dialed out in a grading suite. This being London, temperatures dropped, the clouds sputtered and a fresh 20-25 mph westerly breeze blew down the Thames in time for BSC Expo VIP and visitor days, Feb 15-17. Opening day was as packed as the Lexington Subway Line in New York at rush hour. It was a great, big, really busy expo. read more…
Tags: BSC Expo Feb 2024
Cine Gear Expo NYC 2024
3/14/24 – 3/16/24
Cine Gear Expo NYC 2024 in Industry City: Cine Gear Expo returns to NYC for 2nd year
Who said New York is a tough town for motion picture trade shows? After a great launch last year, Cine Gear Expo NY returns to Industry City in Brooklyn New York on March 14-16.
Register here—free through March 9.
This is not a convention center where, to misquote Truffaut, if prisoners were forced to eat the food inside, they’d rebel. You will not go hungry in Industry City. In fact, you will want to linger longer and enjoy the area, sometimes called Brooklyn’s playground or backyard.
Industry City in Brooklyn is a trendy, interesting, fun 137-acre area with offices, shopping, events, dining and more. Japan Village has a huge Japanese market with food stalls, an Izakaya restaurant, sushi, sake and Japanese groceries. Moore Brothers Wine Company has some of the best selections in the city and is cooled to 55 degrees F.
In between seminars and hands-on equipment exhibits at Cine Gear Expo NYC, wander around the businesses in Industry City. Buy a Volvo or Porsche. Furnish your home at West Elm or the Design Within Reach outlet store. Buy a computer, SSDs and media cards at Micro Center. read more…
BSC Expo 2024 London – Feb 16-17
2/16/24 – 2/17/24
BSC Expo London: At Battersea Park Evolution, Feb 16-17
See you at BSC Expo 2024 at Battersea Evolution in London on Feb 16-17.
The Feb 2024 BSC Expo Printed Edition of Film and Digital Times will be there as well.
BSC Expo in London is one of the most important events of the year to see and try the latest cine equipment.
There will also be 2 days of presentations and panel discussions in the seminar theatre. read more…
The Life of Trevor
Trevor Steele passed away in Paris on Dec 20, 2023 He was a beloved, influential, innovative pillar of the cinema industry. Trevor was the center of attention, an optical centering, the life of the party wherever he went. He could explain technical details, and almost anything else, with great clarity, charm and wit.
Andrew and Ben Steele sent a call out to friends and colleagues for WWW—When did you first meet Trevor, Why did you meet him, and What happened. The response was amazing, really a who’s who of the industry remembering a beloved colleague. read more…
Tags: EMIT, The Life of Trevor, Trevor Steele
DJI Ronin 4D Flex
DJI Senior Product Line Manager Paul Pan suggested trying the Ronin 4D Flex as one of the world’s smallest Full Frame 6K camera remote heads. And so Lucas, Prince of Darkness, rides again—so named for its 1992 vintage electrical system, “Darkness by Lucas,” (a gentleman does not go motoring about at night.) read more…
Tags: DJI Ronin 4D Flex
Preston All-Points Lens Mapping
Geographers and map-makers in the Dutch Golden Age worked at an intersection of art, science, commerce, engraving and publishing. They were in great demand.
These vintage maps, like vintage lenses today, required careful updates as new routes were discovered and new waypoints found.
Another industry flourished in the Netherlands of the 17th century— optics, grinding optical elements and manufacturing lenses.
Although vintage cine lenses are decidedly not four centuries old, the two disciplines of lenses and mapping converge today, as Howard Preston explains Preston Cinema Systems’ new All-Points Lens Mapping.
C. Kim Miles ASC CSC on THE BROTHERS SUN
Going into The Brothers Sun, you might have imagined the studio pitch that sold it: “Michelle Yeoh is the star—it’s Sons of Crouching Tiger meet Everything Everywhere and Crazy Rich Triads.” The opening sequence of this Netflix gangster series quickly dispels any preconceptions. But we’re here to discuss cinematography, not spoilers, with C. Kim Miles, ASC. read more…
Farewell Trevor Steele
Trevor Steele passed away in Paris on Dec 20, 2023 He was a beloved, influential, innovative pillar of the cinema industry. Trevor was the center of attention, an optical centering, the life of the party wherever he went. He could explain technical details, and almost anything else, with great clarity, charm and wit. Trevor will be missed by so many of us. read more…
Tags: EMIT, Trevor Steele
Daniel Band named President of Band Pro
This article about succession was initiated by Dominique Rouchon, Deputy Managing Director, Angénieux International Sales-Marketing & Communication. Passing the mic Amid the celebration, partying, demos and gathering at the annual Band Pro Open House 2023, there was an important announcement. Amnon Band took the stage and said, “I joined this industry in 1981. I opened Band Pro in 1984. Band Pro… read more…
