If Joe Dunton Buys Kodak

2/5/12 | by Jon Fauer
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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 and an aggressive blogger could spread a contagion of speculation by dropping “If” from our headline.

“It would be run like a boutique,” Joe said. “You would order quantities and emulsion for the production at hand.” It would be bespoke Kodak: edge numbers with the name of the cinematographer indelibly etched, perhaps. Or rolls of professional still film with your name on the yellow box. Kodak is one of the legendary brand names of our industry, and Joe is a legendary managing director with a passion for the business.

Joe has been managing director of JDC and an executive at Panavision. He has made an art of personal service and technological catering to cinematographers and directors, has a loyal following worldwide. He is an MBE (Member of the British Empire) which is only a few steps from being Sir Joe Dunton. He received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema in 2010 and the 2008 Lifetime achievement award from the Society of Operating Cameramen. He never saw a piece of equipment he didn’t want to modify—or buy the company that made it. He is famous for his anamorphic lenses and specialty lenses.

Some of Joe’s many inventions include the Ladderpod, some of the first video assists, the Moy Bazooka, the Mitchell Vitesse geared head and a digital camera magazine. Could Kodak be next?

Topics: Cameras

Hercher to Band Pro – Baier to Leica

2/3/12 | by Jon Fauer
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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 Pro, Rainer was at Berlin-based Camelot Broadcast Services GmbH, which he co-founded and where he was Managing Director. (Full disclosure: Camelot was an FDTimes sponsor.) Camelot was a major Berlin rental house of high-end video equipment for broadcast, film and television. Before Camelot, Rainer was a cameraman, covering events worldwide.

Rainer replaces outgoing Managing Director Gerhard Baier. After nearly 10 years as the head of Band Pro Munich, Gerhard stepped down on January 31, 2012.

Today, February 3rd, 2012 we heard that Gerhard is working in Wetzlar. Eric Feichtinger continues as co-Managing Director. Eric’s background is banking and finance. Gerhard, I assume, will handle the nuts and bolts side of management. Iain Neil will continue as designer, consultant and more.

Rainer said, “Gerhard and Band Pro Munich were instrumental in helping Europe move into the world of HD production through their training seminars, workshops and technical demonstrations. I look forward to continuing his tradition of working with the community through educational outreach and by continuing to provide the high-quality products that are pushing our industry forward. We have spent the last year traveling and demonstrating the new Leica Summilux-C lenses, which are beginning to deliver. Now Sony has released the F65 camera and we are building workshops to get cinematographers, camera crews and DITs up to speed on it as well.”

Gerhard said, “I look forward to bringing my practical production experience to Leica and helping to ramp up production.” I think he said something about bringing Hollywood to Wetzlar, but our phone connection was sounded like the conductor on New York’s Lexington Line Subway (barely audible) and it was noisy at the BSC Show where I got the news.

We wish both Rainer and Gerhard our best wishes in their exciting new positions.

 

Topics: Band Pro, Leica

BSC Show

2/3/12 | by Jon Fauer
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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 of their 3 new Nova Zoom Lenses: 15-40 T2.6, 27-75, and 60-125 mm T2.8. All have built-in focus, iris, and zoom motors. Disconnect the cables for manual control. Production units are expected in 2012.

Frieder Hochheim flew from LA to London with a preview of his new Celeb 200 LED Kino Flo. About the size of a Diva light, the Celeb 200 continues the company’s theme of appealing to Divas, Celebrities and talent who crave soft single source light that’s easy on the eyes (no hot pin-points of light). The Celeb 200 has a soft diffuse face, dial-in color temperature from 2700K to 5500K, with on-board or remote dimming. It draws 100 watts and provides the equivalent of more than a 750 watt tungsten zip (soft) light. To be continued…

 

 

Topics: Trade Shows

McConkey in February FDTimes

1/31/12 | by Jon Fauer
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In the current February issue of Film and Digital  Times, we interviewed Larry McConkey about his  Steadicam work on Martin Scorcese’s Hugo.

Jon Fauer: When did you start on Hugo?

Larry McConkey: I got a phone call at about 4 in the morning in late April, 2010. A voice said, “Larry, you have to get on a plane.” “Who is this?” I asked. “You have to be at the airport in like an hour and a half, so get going” was the reply. I recognized the voice—it was Bob Richardson calling about a 3D film with Martin Scorcese. I immediately flew out to LA and started working with the great team at Cameron|Pace.

That trip was critical, both in helping design a 3D rig that was practical—light enough, small enough and self-balancing—but also in redesigning my Steadicam to handle the weight and power requirements of the 3D rig with two Alexas. I was determined not to let my operating be compromised by the equipment. Cameron|Pace was really responsive and did a brilliant job, and I went to work on my own gear. I’ve flown several IMAX cameras, but this was heavier. It was so heavy that my Steadicam arm was bending sideways from the load. I took power connectors and threw away the metal casings and potted them in epoxy to make them lighter, bought new lightweight monitors and video recorders, re-wired the sled and added additional battery mounts and a hundred other little mods. Finally, Gregor put together a set of the Cooke Panchro/i primes for me that matched our S4/i and 5/i lenses very well and were much lighter. That made a real difference.

Tell us more about the Segway.

The crane on the electric camera car with the stabilized head at the front was a scary-looking machine. It took a lot of time to safely get a shot up to speed. I was looking for a way to move my much smaller rig quickly through the set, without running—that just wasn’t going to happen with this beast. I called Chris Fawcett, a Steadicam Operator in Holland. Chris brought his Handsfree Transporter 2, a Segway modified for Steadicam use, and taught me how to ride it. We then made some modifications: a seat to allow a very low operating position, fenders to protect the 3D rig (courtesy of the extremely skillful special effects department), and mounting for video transmitter, batteries and my gyro kit. Chris now offers his own modified version of a Segway, the Steadiseg, based partly on those mods.

When it came time to do a POV of the dog racing through the station, I told Bob I could do it. Could I? This was a big movie, and the rig was very heavy and I was inexperienced with the Segway… should I really be trying this? I took a deep breath and went for it. Marty was at the other end of the stage. After several rehearsals, building up speed with each one, I did the first take, and I immediately heard yelling. “What’s that?” I asked Bob, as he met me returning from the run.

“I guess it’s not working out”, he said, “Marty’s not happy”.

I was crestfallen. Then a moment later: “Just kidding—he loved it!” Marty was excited to shoot so quickly and easily. Up to then camera car shots through crowds with the 3D rigs had been an exercise in extreme patience.

What was your most challenging Steadicam shot in the movie?

It was definitely the end sequence, in Méliès’ apartment. In most of the films I’ve worked on with Martin Scorsese, there’s been at least one sort of signature long Steadicam shot.

You did the Ray Liotta Copacabana shot in Goodfellas?

Yes. But this time the camera was much heavier and bulkier, making it harder to maneuver, and 3D brings its own unique problems as well. I was definitely feeling the pressure and the weight.

Take us through the end shot.

Bob wisely let me know well ahead of time that I would do the shot, so I had time to prepare. For a long shot to succeed, every idea has to lead seamlessly to the next one, every moment needs to have meaning, and every detail has be nailed down. I have learned to take responsibility for everything, rehearsing all the critical parts endlessly. This shot required even more.

Marty wanted me to meet George coming down the hallway and follow him into the party, and I thought, why not start outside the building and fly through the window—evoking that amazing opening sequence? The set was a couple of stories above the floor of the studio, so scaffolding was needed for the track (I rode a dolly, then stepped off into the hallway. The window was added later by visual effects). All of the main characters were at the party and Marty wanted to see each of them.

It was complicated by one other specific request: near the end of the scene, as Chloe sat down in the far corner of the room, Marty asked me to circle all the way around her as she began writing in her notebook—writing the story we have just seen. This required one additional film magic trick.

Special effects built a large dolly and attached it to the far side of the first wall so it could be flown out of my way. The second wall was an outside wall, and the estimate for the additional scaffolding and rigging was $20,000 dollars. Production strongly suggested that I find another solution. The special effects team built a very low profile dolly for the chair, with rails that were sunk into the floor. After the first wall was pulled, Chloe’s chair began to slide away from the corner. I slowed my circular track but continued the pan until I had room to move around her. It had to be a perfectly smooth slide and perfectly timed for the cheat to work. I asked for a witness camera in the corner above the set for cueing and we put several hundred pounds of weight on a sled dolly 2 floors below, connected by steel cables to the sliding chair. My excellent dolly grip, Keith Mead, did that job.

In addition, a bureau was in my way, and then there was the table, right in the center of the room. I could have removed it, but I loved the look of that small room packed full of people and furniture. Crew members doubled up as extras in the party. Two of them picked up the table after I entered the room and danced it around just out of shot, and another pulled the bureau out of my way. Finally, the chandelier was rigged to fly up as we crossed underneath. I wanted it to look so crowded it would be impossible for a camera to get through, and make it look effortless, nonetheless.

I also liked the idea of making a complete circuit of the room, but half way around I had already seen almost everyone. I needed to fill out the second half of the circle with meaningful action. I brought the band in and worked with Sacha the way I had worked with Ray Liotta in the Copacabana. He improvised a brilliant little scene with them as he guided his new girlfriend back towards the doorway, leading me to discover Asa, and then, off his look, I panned to Chloe.

The other dance in the scene was between Demetri, Gregor and me. The dance of 3-D. Every part of this complex shot required Demetri to make adjustments and I had to take each of those into account as the rig reacted. I modified my moves for him and he worked on merging his changes in IO and convergence with my moves. Gregor’s focus pulls had to be accommodated as well. We were interacting with each other throughout.

Working in the new and different environment of 3D was a challenge, but having such a great crew to work with, while telling such a wonderful story, so beautifully shot by Bob Richardson, and led by the great Martin Scorsese, made Hugo the most satisfying job of my career.

photo above: by Jaap Buitendijk © 2011 GK Films, LLC. From Paramount Pictures and GK Films.  

Topics: Steadicam

BSC Expo Update

1/30/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Additional details on the BSC Expo 2012 this week:

Friday 3rd February 2012 –  11am to 7pm.
Saturday 4th February 2012 - 10am to 4pm.

on the George Lucas Stage, Elstree Studios

Some of the companies exhibiting:

Mark Roberts Motion Control, MK-V, Moviescope, Licht Technic, CVP London, Canon, Pirate, Airstar, Innomedia, Big Pic Media, Kay Media, Cirrolite, Dedolight, Arri Media, Arri Lighting Rental, Movie-Intercom, Codex, Panavision, Top-Teks, Octica, Cooke Optics, Roscolab, Ianiro, Powergems, Daylight Grip & Textiles, ONSIGHT, British Cinematographer, Film & Digital Times, Moviescope, LCA, K5600, Briese Lighting, Panalux, MPE, Fuji, cmotion, Tiffen, The London Filter Company, Take 2 Films, Ronford Baker, Optical Support, BoomRental, Lee Filters, Photon Beard, VFX, Abakus, AC Entertainment, Mole Richardson, Oxygen, Rotolight, Gekko, Manfroto, Cinesphere, Briadcast Networks, ELP plus many others including leading associations such as BSC, GBCT, AMPS, GTC etc.

For a complete list of Exhibitors and to Register for Free please click on
this link:  http://www.bscexpo.com

Topics: Trade Shows

FDT February Issue 46 Ready

1/27/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Film and Digital Times February 2012 Issue 46 is now ready for subscribers to download. The print editions are at the printer and will be mailed from LA the week of January 30th.

The AFC Micro Salon French edition–in French–is also online now, and free to download. Courtesy of our sponsors in France and the kind cooperation of the AFC Micro Salon, printed copies of the French Edition will be distributed at the event on February 10-11 in Paris.

On the cover: Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC in Rome on Woody Allen’s Nero Fiddled, to be released in 2012.  Photo by Philippe Antonello, courtesy of Massimo Proietti, General Manager of Panalight, the rental house in Rome that equipped the production, with  permission of Woody Allen. Darius is lining up a shot with a Cooke 5/i 50 mm prime on a PL finder.

“Paris is always a good idea,” (Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina). Paris certainly was a great idea for our two favorite films of the year: Midnight in Paris and Hugo. Midnight in Paris was filmed in Paris on film. Hugo takes place in Paris, was shot partly in Paris, mostly at Pinewood and Shepperton, and done in digital 3D.

In Midnight in Paris, Gil asks Hemingway to read his novel and give an opinion. Hemingway answers, “If it’s bad, I’ll hate it. If it’s good, then I’ll be envious and hate it even more. You don’t want the opinion of another writer.”

We happen to have the opinions of more than a dozen writers in this edition. Woody Allen and Darius Khondji talk about the style of Midnight in Paris. Darius discusses look, light, lenses, paintings, and photographs.

For Hugo, we have: Bob Richardson, ASC (Cinematographer), Rob Legato (Second Unit Director and Visual Effects Supervisor), Chris Centrella (Key Grip) , Larry McConkey (Steadicam driver and operator), Demetri Portelli (Stereographer), and Gregor Tavenner (First Assistant), with special appearances by Howard Preston (Preston Cinema Systems), Jean-Marie Lavalou (Loumasystems), and Laurent Mannoni (French Cinematheque). This section of FDTimes happens to be longer  because I knew more crew on Hugo than Midnight. It’s kind of a Rashomon approach. Although Rashomon had four characters telling four divergent stories, our dissection of Hugo has eight primary sorcerers telling the same story.

For example, Bob Richardson talks about the beautiful shot in the National Film Library, with the shafts of light streaming through the windows:

“Weren’t they stunning? It was natural light. It’s a real location, the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève. We were very fortunate that we had these shafts. We lit outside each window in advance, and then the real sun came streaming in. The shot was, for both Marty and myself, an extraordinarily remarkable moment. I set up two dollies simultaneously, knowing the speed at which the sun was going to come, so we’d get a series of shots when the sun was there. And I set one closer for the medium shot and one further back for a wider shot. And then, on top of that, we had the crane on the left hand side move one, two, three, as rapidly as possible, to keep the sun in its proper place to match.

“It was fascinating that, as I was setting the shot up, I looked and I saw what you just described. And it was, for me, almost a spiritual event. Because the light became solid. And it made me think of where we sit in this world. When we think that something is not real and may not exist or matter, it is in fact filled with solid elements, regardless of size.

“Marty and I noticed that the beams of light were like solid beams. They almost looked like they were made of wood. You felt the solidity of it, and you knew that you were walking through it, seeing people walk through it. Yet you knew it wasn’t solid. There’s a remarkable transformation that takes place in your brain. That, for me, was one of the major moments of the 3D, in terms of something I hadn’t seen to that point.”

There are many firsts and a lot of Cooke in this Book. Midnight in Paris and Hugo were the first major motion pictures shot with Cooke 5/i lenses. Hugo was the first feature to use all three sets of Cookes: Bob Richardson used 5/i, S4/i, and Panchro/i sets. Of course, since Hugo was a 3D production (the first to use ARRI Alexa cameras), each set of lenses was multiplied by 2 or more (since there were multiple camera setups). On Midnight in Paris, Darius Khondji used Cooke 5/i, S4/i, and Speed Panchro Series II and III lenses.

Darius explained, “We found the Cooke Speed Panchro Series II and III lenses in Paris, gathering dust, sitting on the shelves of the rental house. Few people use them. We had some of them redone, rehoused, had them worked on, cleaned and everything. They were beautiful. I used to use these lenses when I started as a cinematographer in France.

“For the look of the Twenties, we looked at paintings of George Bellows that I love from America in the 1920s: Ringside Seats, Dempsey and Firpo, and images from that period. They are beautiful. We looked at a lot of images of Paris in the Twenties: still pictures and also moving pictures that showed us the life of the time, the Roaring Twenties, that Woody wanted for his movie. We also researched what the light looked like at the time. I was trying to put myself back into that feeling, that state of mind.”

After reveling in the delights of Paris, we get down to nuts and bolts. Our Jumpstart Guides to the Canon C300, ARRI Alexa Studio, and RED Scarlet-X should provide enough overview of these essential cameras to deflect quizzical looks from rental house floor managers and experienced technicians, and may temporarily offer a modicum of competent respectability before a proper perusal of the manuals.
Next comes EMIT, the beloved company in Paris founded by Trevor Steele. Heat and dehydration may account for the origins of this article in the delirium of a dusty bus ride with Trevor. In the beginning it was to be an epic biography—working title: “The Life of Trevor.” Two years later, we are honored to deliver this much shorter version to celebrate the 30th anniversary of EMIT.

I hope you enjoy our February Issue 46.

Topics: Film and Digital Times

Band Pro’s First 25 F65 Cameras

1/25/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Why is this man smiling? Sony F65 cameras have landed. Amnon Band (above) had his first twenty-five Sony F65 cameras delivered to Band Pro headquarters in Burbank. Fedex unloaded pallets of them. “They are all committed,” Amnon said. “Every one of them is already scheduled to go out on a production–mostly features.”

Clairmont Camera received their first 3 F65 cameras of many ordered.

Topics: Band Pro, Sony

First ALEXA Studio at Clairmont

1/18/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Clairmont Camera got the first ARRI ALEXA Studio Camera in the US. Although delivered with less fanfare than other recent camera arrivals, our rumor phone and embedded camera technicians have definitely confirmed that Clairmont’s ALEXA Studio arrived the first week of January. I should have known: I was supposed to take pictures of the camera in New York for our imminent Alexa manual, but it cleared customs and was whisked to Burbank before I could say “Optical Viewfinder.”

New cameras are like the race for first Beaujolais or the running of the bulls.

And in Europe, we heard that the first two ALEXA Studios went to Vantage Film. That would make sense, because Vantage is the manufacturer of Hawk Anamorphic 2x and 1.3x lenses.

Topics: ARRI, Clairmont

Call for Entries: 2012 Oskar Barnack Award

1/17/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Leica Camera is accepting entries for the 2012 Leica Oskar Barnack Award. Professional photographers are invited to apply online through March 1, 2012 at www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com. The winners of the 2012 Leica Oskar Barnack Award and Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award will be announced during the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie festival in Arles, France from July 2-8, 2012.

The award has been presented since 1979, the year marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leica inventor Oskar Barnack.

The winner of the 2012 Leica Oskar Barnack Award will receive a Leica M9-P camera and lens worth approximately €10,000, in addition to a cash prize of €5,000. The winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award for (aspiring) professional photographers aged 25 and under will also receive a Leica M9-P complete with lens.

An international jury will give the awards to photographers whose “unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between people and their environment in a portfolio of up to 12 images. Submissions must be a self-contained series of images in which the photographer perceives and documents the interaction between people and their environment with acute vision and contemporary visual style – creative, unobtrusive and groundbreaking.”

The members of this year’s jury include: Bruce Gilden, Magnum Photographer, Stephan Erfurt, Director of C/O Berlin, Valérie Fougeirol, Creative Director of the Magnum Gallery in Paris, Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Artistic Director of the Leica Galerie in Salzburg and Brigitte Schaller, Art Director of Leica Fotografie International Magazine.


Topics: Leica

BSC Show and AFC Micro Salon

1/15/12 | by Jon Fauer
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BSC Show

Film and Digital Times will be in London for the BSC Show 2012 in the George Lucas Stage at Elstree Film and Television Studios, UK on February 3 and  4, 2012.

Held over two days, the BSC Show is for everyone interested or involved in cinematography, equipment, services, and facilities used high-end film and television production.

Lights, Cameras, Lighting, Motion Control, Rigging, Broadcast Equipment, Grip, Cranes, and more.

It has been two years  since the last BSC event.  Information for exhibitor or visitors: www.bscexpo.com

AFC Micro Salon

A week later, we’ll be in Paris for the annual AFC Micro Salon on Feb. 10 (10 am – 8 pm) and Feb. 11 (10 am – 5 pm), 2012. This is one of the best shows of the year; the entire French film industry is usually in attendance, the drinks are great, the food is superb.

AFC Micro Salon will be at the usual location: La Femis Film School, in the former Pathé Film Studios of Montmartre. 6 rue Francœur, Paris 18e, France.

For more information:   www.afcinema.com

The Imago Annual General Assembly of European Cinematographers will also take place during Micro Salon. If you’re a producer, don’t try to schedule production on Feb 10 or 11—everyone will be at Micro Salon.

Topics: Trade Shows

1st Alexa Studio at AbelCine

1/14/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Yesterday was a day of firsts. While the first production Sony F65 was presented in Hawaii, New Yorkers got to see the first ARRI Alexa Studio demo at AbelCine’s newly redesigned headquarters.

Moe Shore made the introductions. He pointed out that the majority of TV shows this year have been shot with Alexa. The reasons are probably image performance, efficient workflow, reliability and simple operation. Alexa Studio joins ARRI Alexa, Plus, and M siblings.

Next, ARRI Inc’s Guenter Noesner went over the key features that differentiate the flagship Alexa Studio model from the rest of the line (mirror shutter, optical viewfinder with anamorphic de-squeeze, 4:3 sensor, behind the lens ND and clear filter).

New readout on display shows "M S" when Mirror Shutter is spinning

AbelCine’s Professor of All Things Cinematic Mitch Gross gave an in-depth look at how the camera works, with helpful hints on how to use it. His lively presentation was peppered with practical advice, perceptive comparisons, and interesting hands-on how-to demos. It was like getting a graduate degree in Alexaology.

Key points:

Alexa’s Super 35 4:3 sensor is the equivalent of a 4-perf film gate. Each frame from the 2880 x 2160 active pixels produces a 6.5 Megapixel image. Rec 709 is about 8 stops, Alexa is about 14 stops. Sweet spot is 800 EI.

Mitch mounted four strips of black tape and showcard on a household fan to show how Alexa’s mechanical shutter eliminates jello effect.

 

Next class was Anamorphic 101, because that is where  Alexa Studio is probably going to the top of the class. The 4:3 sensor for anamorphic format is roughly 80% larger than a cropped 4:3 composition within a 16:9 sensor’s frame. Mitch demonstrated oval bokehs and anamorphic look with a Hawk anamorphic prime lens.

AbelCine’s Professor of Post Workflows Andy Shipshides showed the seamless integration of the CODEX ARRIRAW Recorder and post production. Alexa Studio 4:3 12-bit images are 12 MB each (16:9 frames are 6.8 MB each). The elegant thing about Codex is that it records ARRIRAW as virtual files that can be output in almost any flavor you desire: DPX, ARI, AVI, MOV, MXF, etc. At the moment, Alexa 4:3 RAW will not record to SxS cards–only Codex.

Note: Cartoni’s new Maxima head was an excellent match for Alexa Studio. Balance is brilliant, moves are smooth, pan and tilt locks are intuitively located, and thoughtful touches like oversize locking levers make using it a breeze.

The well-attended class was dismissed. It was snack time in AbelCine’s bountiful kitchen/café, followed by more hands-on time with the equipment and Q&A with the instructors.

 

 

Topics: Abel, ARRI

Otto Nemenz first Sony F65

1/13/12 | by Jon Fauer
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FDTimes’ reliable sources were reliable yesterday. At an exclusive ceremony held during the Sony Open golf tournament, Sony senior executives presented the first official production unit of the F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera , Serial number 10001, to Otto Nemenz, president of Hollywood-based Otto Nemenz International.

In the photo above, l to r: Alec Shapiro, Senior Vice President, Professional Solutions of America, Sony Electronics; Phil Molyneux, President and COO, Sony Electronics;  Otto Nemenz, President, Otto Nemenz International; Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation.

With approximately 400 units pre-ordered worldwide, at least two major studios are planning to use it on projects that will begin shooting almost immediately upon delivery of the cameras.

Otto said, “4K is a reality and represents the next great leap in entertainment technology. The F65 is a revolutionary camera and sets a new standard for digital production.”

Sony’s 4K digital cinema projectors are installed in more than 10,000 screens worldwide. At the Consumer Electronics Show this week, the company reaffirmed its commitment to 4K, announcing plans for new 4K home theater technologies. The F65 camera raises the bar further, with an 8K image sensor that derives 4K content…and beyond.

The F65 camera has an 8K image sensor, with approximately 20 total megapixels, and 16-bit Linear RAW File output capability.

The F65 camera will be available directly from Sony and through authorized resellers, including Band Pro, AbelCine and PhotoCineRent Paris.

 

Topics: Otto Nemenz Intl, Sony

F65 s/n 001

1/12/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Reliable sources tell us that Otto Nemenz is taking delivery of the first Sony F65 tonight in Honolulu, Hawaii. F65 serial number 001 is expected to be presented to Otto personally by Sony Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Sir Howard Stringer.

Topics: Sony

JVC Shows Handheld 4K Camcorder at CES

1/10/12 | by Jon Fauer
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It’s here! JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., today announced the GY-HMQ10, the world’s first handheld consumer-priced but professionally potent 4K camcorder at CES. Anyone wondering whether all the flurry over 4K monitors would be in vain for lack of 4K content has only to fight through the crowds at JVC’s booth to see a breakthrough 4K camera. You may not be watching network 4K broadcast for a while, but you can simply plug in your new HMQ10 directly.

It which captures, records, and plays video images at 3840×2160, which is 4 times the resolution of HDTV 1920×1080. JVC’s Falconbrid large-scale integration (LSI) chip for high-speed signal processing and a 1/2-inch CMOS imager with 8.3 million active pixels, delivers real-time 3840×2160 footage at 24p, 50p, or 60p.

The big thing here is the ability to capture, process, display and record full 4K images in real time, without external processing.

JVC’s Falconbrid LSI processing takes raw image data from the camera’s CMOS device and debayers it in real time. Unlike many high end 4K cameras, the GY-HMQ10 is able to output 4K images to a monitor or projection system in real time with virtually no latency. This capability opens up applications in cinematography, medical microscopy, specialized observation, surveillance, and live wide-view event coverage.

Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144 Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to economical SDHC or SDXC memory cards.

In addition to 4K imaging, the GY-HMQ10 also captures and records 1080i or 1080/60p full HD. HD is recorded on a single memory card in a format compatible with most editing systems. This combination of 4K and HD imaging was requested by attendees of JVC’s 4K forums (we participated at Cine Gear Expo 2011), conducted throughout North America last year, and is unique in the camera industry.

Similar in size to JVC’s popular GY-HM150 ProHD camcorder, the GY-HMQ10 includes a build-in F2.8 10x zoom lens with optical image stabilizer, as well as a color viewfinder and 3.5-inch touch LCD monitor with a new user interface.

The GY-HMQ10 is equipped with manual level controls for audio, with audio metering in the LCD and viewfinder displays. A microphone holder and two balanced XLR connectors with phantom power are located on the handle. The camera is equipped with a built-in stereo mic for ambient sound pickup.

Other features include JVC’s patented Focus Assist, as well as manual and auto control of focus, iris, gain, shutter, gamma, color matrix, and white balance. The cameraman output  live 4K via four HDMI terminals.

“Historically, JVC has been a leader in camcorder and display technology, and the GY-HMQ10 is our latest breakthrough,” said Edgar Shane, general manager of engineering.  “It’s part of a larger move at JVC to bring 4K technology to a wide range of customers.” In September 2011, JVC introduced an affordable line of 4K projectors to the home theater market. The company’s high-end 4K projectors are widely used in commercial flight simulators and planetariums. “4K is the logical step beyond HD,” said Shane. “And JVC is uniquely positioned to lead the industry in this new direction.”

JVC’s move into professional 4K will be unveiled in a series of industry announcements beginning at CES and continuing throughout 2012. We’ll stay tuned.

At a retail selling price of $4,995, the GY-HMQ10 launches today, with market deliveries beginning in March 2012..

Topics: JVC

FUJIFILM X-Pro1 FUJIFILM X-PRO1

1/10/12 | by Jon Fauer
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 FUJIFILM North America Corporation introduced the FUJIFILM X-Pro1 interchangeable lens digital camera system at CES today. Three technological advances make this camera interesting not only for still photographers but also for cinematographers and the people who design motion picture cameras.

1. CMOS Sensor without low-pass filter

Fujifilm has developed a new CMOS sensor called the X-Trans CMOS. It does not need an optical low-pass filter. The new color filter array is inspired by the random arrangement of fine film grain, removing the need for an optical low-pass filter to solve moiré and false color issues.

In the array, RGB pixels are arranged in 6×6 pixel sets with high aperiodicity (randomness). Increasing the degree of randomness eliminates the fundamental cause of moiré and false colors – a problem that occurs in conventional arrays when shooting stripes and other repeating patterns. The presence of an R, G and B pixel in every vertical and horizontal pixel series minimizes the generation of false colors and delivers higher color reproduction. Furthermore, the absence of optical low-pass filter improves resolution.

As a result of using a film-inspired array, a more powerful processor was required to process the image signal data. So Fujifilm has developed the EXR Processor Pro for  high speed and high precision image processing.

Cine cameras will benefit from this low-passless technology. I’m reminded of the P+S TECHNIK PRO35 Image Converter that used an oscillating ground glass to capture video images with 35mm format lenses. The random pattern of the moving grains gave a film-like look to the video images.

2. Hybrid Multi Viewfinder

First introduced in FUJIFILM’s X100 digital camera, the X-Pro1 Hybrid Viewfinder has the ability to instantly switch between an Optical Viewfinder and Electronic Viewfinder. For the brightest viewing image, and to keep shutter lag to a minimum, users should choose the Optical Viewfinder. Those wanting focus confirmation, exposure information, white balance information and depth of field indicators should switch to the Electronic Viewfinder.

The Electronic Viewfinder provides a “Live View” of your composition. This fusion of technologies allows “Leica-like” composing of images through a bright rangefinder viewfinder, and also has the option to overlay vital picture taking information should this be required.

Changing between the two viewfinders is simple, thanks to the switch on the front of the X-Pro1 body. When attaching a FUJINON XF-series lens on the X-Pro1, both the viewfinder magnification and bright frame size automatically switch to support the lens focal length. Viewfinder magnification switches to 0.37x for the 18mm lens, and to 0.60x when the 35mm or 60mm lens is mounted, letting you compose your shot with the bright, crystal clarity of an optical image. The X-Pro1 also lets you manually set a focal distance and switch between viewfinder magnifications.

Someday cine cameras will use hybrid viewfinders, I think.

3. FUJIFILM X-Mount

Flange focal depth is getter shorter. This allows lenses to be designed that are smaller, lighter, faster, less expensive. Specifically designed to take advantage of the mirrorless design of the X-Pro1 body, the X-Mount has a short flange-to-image-plane distance of 17.7mm.

I can hear the CNC machines revving up in Munich, LA, London and elsewhere. P+S TECHNIK, 16×9 Inc, Hot Rod Cameras, Denz, Mike Tapa, Peter Denz, Alfred Piffl, Ken Robings are all surely yearning for this camera as a wonderful platform onto which to fabricate PL to X-Mount adaptors–to be used as directors finders, lens test cameras, and PL still cameras.

What does this mean for the motion picture market? Shorter flange focal depths in the future.

Specs

Complete camera specs are available online on Fujifilm’s X-Pro1 Website.

 

The FUJIFILM X-Pro1 will be available in February 2012, and the price will be announced in late January 2012.

Topics: Fujifilm

Charlie Davidson at Tiffen

1/8/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Charlie Davidson has been appointed Vice President at Tiffen for Strategy and Market Development. He will be responsible for all of Tiffen’s product lines.

“As Tiffen expands its consumer and professional product, it is important that we align our management team to support our growth. Charlie possesses the key combination of technical expertise and a successful track record of business leadership and innovation. This is extremely important for helping managing the growth of our business,” said Steve Tiffen, President and CEO, The Tiffen Company. “We look forward to the benefits and new business opportunities that Charlie will bring to the Tiffen family.”

Charlie joins Tiffen from ARRI Inc, where he was Chief Operating Officer. He has worked in  the camera and lighting industry for more than 30 years. As head of lighting at ARRI Inc, he developed ARRI’s markets in the US, North and South America.

Charlie said, “I’m excited to join the Tiffen Company and help each of its great brands plan for future growth.”

In addition to having been a long-time guru to FDTimes on all things camera and lighting,  Charlie’s exploits as an avid sailor have put him on our speed-dial list.

Topics: Tiffen

Angénieux in Singapore

1/4/12 | by Jon Fauer
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The First Rendezvous with French Cinema festival took place in Singapore from December 8 to 13. Organised by Unifrance, Institut Français and Alliance Française de  Singapour, the festival helped promote the latest French films to International and Asian audiences. Over 20 films were screened at four venues: Golden Village Vivocity, Shaw Theatres Lido, The Cathay Cineplex cinemas as well as the Alliance Française Theatre.

(Picture above: Artistic delegation, L to R: Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre -président of Unifrance, Mme Carole Bouquet, Stéphane Rybojad director, Ismaël Ferroukhi director, Gilles Paquet-Brenner director, Fred Cavayé director, Rithy Panh director, Catherine Dussard producer, Mathieu Demy director and actor, Pio Marmaï actor, Rémi Bezançon director.)

As official Film Industry Sponsor, Angénieux was prominently in attendance, showing its commitment to French cinema, demonstrating its cinema lenses for high-quality filmmaking, and supporting Singapore’s cinema student community. Angénieux zoom lenses were used on the production of many of the films selected for the festival, including Un Heureux Evenement / A Happy Event (Director of Photography: Antoine Monod), Sarah’s Key (Pascal Ridao), The Well Digger’s Daughter (Jean-François Robin), The Monk (Patrick Blossier), Free Men (Jérôme Almeras), Beloved (Rémy Chevrin), and The Minister (Julien Hirsch).

Optimo 24-290 in Unifrance booth at ATF - Asia Television Forum

Singapore is becoming an international media hub and offers several degree programs for cinema students. Angénieux presented its zoom lenses to students at master classes organised at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Nanyang Technological University School of Art, Design and Media.

During the master classes, Remi Bezançon (Director), Pio Marmaï (Actor) and Antoine Monod (DP) presented their movie A Happy Event and answered general questions.

L-R: Dominique Rouchon, Angeneiux Int'l Sales Director; "A Happy Event" crew: Pio Marmaï actor, Remi Bezançon director, Antoine Monod AFC, DP

Antoine Monod shared his experiences using Angenieux zoom lenses:

“I immediately accepted Angenieux’s proposal to present my experience to future cinema professionals. It was the occasion to show exacting pictures and to explain technical and artistic aspects of my way of working. On all my latest movies, most of the time I’ve used an Angenieux Optimo 24-290 that perfectly matches with the best prime lenses. This choice allows me to have permanently on set the longest focals that I particularly appreciate. Moreover, from a practical and economical point of view, a zoom lens allows the second unit to be autonomous to shoot without the need to rent extra equipments, which is really appreciated by productions! On Coach, one of my last movies, I used exclusively the lightweight Optimo 15-40 and Optimo 28-76. They gave us opportunity to improvise on set while keeping the highest image quality. I’ve also just finished the 3D short film Eve with a set of two matching Optimo DP 16-42 zooms. We wouldn’t have been able to make this movie without them. 3D requires many very precise camera adjustments each time we change the lens. That can last up to one hour. Thanks to Optimo 3D-ready zooms, the focal length change is nearly instantaneous. We can double number of takes in one day.”

About the First Rendezvous with French Cinema Festival

Organised by uniFrance (the association responsible for the promotion of French cinema internationally) the Institut Français and the Alliance Française de Singapour, the First Rendezvous with French Cinema festival was organised to promote the best of contemporary French cinema to international and Asian audiences and, in partnership with Asia Television Forum (ATF), Asia’s leading content market, to offer a business platform and networking opportunity for French and regional cinema industry players.

Mr Olivier Caron, French Ambassador in Singapore, Mme Carole Bouquet, Mr Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, President of Unifrance, Mr Pio Marmaï actor, Mr Olivier Gougeon, Regional Chief Executor Officer-Asia Pacific

The festival paid homage to Carole Bouquet, who led the delegation of actors and directors in Singapore for the occasion, through a retrospective segment featuring five of her films. French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve also took part in the festival to present her latest film Beloved / Les Bien-Aimés.

Linda Carriel

At the opening ceremony, Angénieux’s égérie (fashion icon) Linda Carriel was dressed by French couturier Julien Fournié and jeweller Swarovski, the festival’s official fashion sponsor. Whenever you see a crowd of cinematographers allegedly testing lenses in the  Angénieux booth at any worldwide trade show (IBC, NAB, Cannes), Linda is sure to be there posing for the cameras in her latest fashions.

Additional Interesting facts:

Unifrance

Unifrance promotes French cinema throughout the world. Created in 1949, Unifrance is under the supervision of the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée). The association has nearly 600 members: producers of feature films and shorts, exporters, sales agents, directors, actors, authors (screenwriters) and talent agents.

Alliance Française de Singapour

The Alliance Française de Singapour, founded in 1949, is a non-profit educational organization. With headquarters in Paris, it is one of 1,085 Alliances Françaises worldwide and serves 6,000 students every year. It is Singapore’s premier French language school as well as a cultural center. bringing together artists from around the world.

 

 

 

Topics: Angénieux

DENZ Camera Base Plate

1/4/12 | by Jon Fauer
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DENZ has designed and manufactured a new camera base plate for most film and digital cameras.

With  black anodized aerospace materials, Denz’s BP-multi (code 301.0377) was introduced at IBC 2011 for video and film cameras from ARRI, RED, Sony and Panasonic. Cameras attach with 3/8 x 16 or ¼ x 20 screws (included). The BP-multi is designed for 19 mm rods. The dovetail plate attaches to standard sliding baseplates. At the front and back there are two ¼” holes at a distance of 60mm. You can also use Ø 15mm rods. A center offset of 16 mm (like BP8) is achieved if you unscrew the mounting plate.

A matching adapter plate RED/Epic (code 301.0376) can be supplied. This compensates for RED’s height difference when using all standard accessories (matte box, studio follow focus, etc). The adapter is supplied with two 3 / 8 “screws.

More information: www.denz-deniz.com 

Topics: Accessories

Leica and Kodak Articles in Spanish

1/1/12 | by Jon Fauer
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Two Film and Digital Times articles in Spanish: “Interview with Leica’s Dr. Andreas Kaufmann” and “Tour of Kodak.”

The Leica article was translated by Delfí Reinoso from Barcelona on the Leicaeme.com Website (12/2011). Leicaeme.com is a collaborative project of people involved in the Leica (en Español) Flickr group.

Leica users are everywhere. The Leicaforum is in English, German and Russian; Summilux.net is in French; Leica Forum and Red Dot Forum are in English, Leicapassion is in Italian, and Leicaeme.com is in Spanish.

Delfí Reinoso, webmaster and the person in charge of Leicaeme.com development, explains, “Leicaeme stands for Leica M in Spanish (Leica-Eme). We want to serve the Spanish speaking community with information on Leica photography. Especially the rangefinders from the screw mount cameras to the digital M9-P. We would love to have more S2 users. Now we have a forum and the blogs, a gallery, news on the front page and soon we’ll have a Documents repository, a Wiki and more news pages.

The Kodak article was translated by Pedro Luis Bello, with editing and layout by Marcelo Ragone, a professor at the Cinema School in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Delfí, Marcelo, Pedro: Thank you very much for widening our horizons.

Bookmark this page for FDTimes Spanish editions:  fdtimes.com/spanish

Topics: Kodak, Leica

Y4K

12/29/11 | by Jon Fauer
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The Oracle of FDTimes speaks: two more days before 2012 futures are due. Here are our soothsayings.

Y4K

2012 will be the “Year of 4K.”

Like HDTV, it could be premature. 2013 and 2014 will also be the “Year of 4K.” Remember when 2005 was the “Year of HD,” after its US introduction in 1998? This time, it will not take so long. In fact, 4K home TVs should soon be on display in Best Buy stores everywhere, and in your home as soon as prices drop to affordable levels and carpenters can be rounded up to pry the current crop of HDTV and 3D sets from your home theater, den and living room wall systems.

We’ll know for sure beginning January 10 when CES opens in Las Vegas. I’ve heard of at least a dozen vendors planning to introduce big flatscreen 4K consumer televisions. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) represents the $186 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. All those televisions, tablets and tele communicators make the $10 billion US movie box office look almost like petty cash.

Although we think of 4K as 4096 x 2160, consumer 4K television is usually 3,840 x 2160 resolution.

At CES, LG will be showing an 84″ 4K television. Sony and JVC are expected to show 4K home theater projectors. The list will grow.

There will be the usual salvo of denial about whether you can see the difference between HD and 4K. This will follow the “my grandmother can’t tell the difference between color and her old black and white set” discussion. Your grandmother will not have to sit at the the old 4 to 6 times screen-width optimum viewing distance. She can sit at myopic distances for an immersive, almost 3D and lifelike experience. HD at 1920×1080 is 2,073,600 pixels. 4K is 4 times more resolution at 3,840×2160=8,294,400 pixels.

Bit depth, contrast, dynamic range, longevity of circuits, life of bulbs, and quality of close-up reading glasses may be considered.

4K Cinema

A prominent image scientist told me, “We all know that there are different places to sit in a movie theater. The last rows are good for kissing in the dark. The middle is good for enjoying the film. And the first row is for geeks, pixel-counters, and people who arrive late.”

You don’t have to be a geek to enjoy the new 4K projectors from the front rows. Which may be why theater owners and producers are going to love 4K production and 4K projection: you can sit it the front row and it still looks great. There’s no noise or grain. They will be able to pack more people into the theater, even up front.

Rob Hummel is well-known for his lectures on scanning motion picture film at 4K. Up to now, that has been the realm of high-end effects films, rare restorations and a few big budget studio features. I think we’ll see more 4K DI scans and film-outs, as storage of the estimated 65 Terabytes required gets cheaper and more prevalent.

And, of course, Richard Edlund ASC predicted long ago where we are today with 4K digital cinema cameras that are raising the bar in the production process.

Apple TV

Rumors already abound (AppleInsider, MacRumors) about Apple introducing 32″ and 37″ TV sets in 2012. They probably will not be 4K at first (although I hope they are.) Content will probably come via Internet, and control could be Siri style voice command. The holy grail of “any program anytime anywhere” has so far been saddled by slow download times: typically it takes an agonizingly long 1.5 hours to get an HD movie from iTunes Store to iPad here in New York with high speed Time Warner Cable. A few years ago, it took a mere five minutes to rent a DVD from the local video store across the street. Unfortunately, DVD stores in New York are as vestigial as another good technology that worked quite well in New York and LA, but was too hastily replaced: trolley cars.

Happy New Year. I should heed the advice of Clyde Haberman in the New York Times: “We remember words of caution from the late New York columnist Murray Kempton, who once said that his main virtue as a prognosticator was to be wrong 10 minutes ahead of everyone else.”

Picture above: “The Delphic Sibyl,” Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1509, fresco, Sistine Chapel, Rome  (138 x 150 inches) 

 

 

Topics: Products of Note