Columns
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Sony 4K Camera Pricing and Playback
At special events in Europe and L.A., Sony announced the pricing for their new 4K cameras, the PMW-F5 and the PMW-F55. They also showed the first sample videos shot with the cameras. The suggested U.S. LIST pricing for the new products, planned to be available in February, are: PMW-F5 CineAlta 4K Camera $19,400 PMW-F55 CineAlta 4K Camera $34,900 The AXR-R5 RAW Recorder, which is required to record 4K with the PMW-F5, or to capture RAW 4K with the PMW-F55 will list at $6,300 Sony has also come out with new PL mount lenses for the cameras that will be available […]
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Watching Blue Velvet in the Land of Borges
In Jorge Luis Borges’s story “The South” the narrator notes that “every Argentine knows that the South begins at the other side of Rivadavia.” And this is where I found myself last month, in a city called Mar Del Plata, for the 27th Mar Del Plata Film Festival, hundreds of miles south of Buenos Aires, where I had been invited by Pablo Conde to attend the book launch of a Spanish translation of The Blue Velvet Project, which originally appeared here at Filmmaker from August 2011 to August 2012. Where I was, among generous, film-loving people, everything hovered on the […]
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4K is Coming, Ready or Not
When 3D TVs were the rage, I was convinced it was just a cynical push by the electronics manufacturers to sell TVs and nothing else. To me, 3D was a fad that would be used for a few things, but was unlikely to become mainstream. I’d seen the future before; I saw Jaws 3D when it was first released. So when the manufacturers started talking up 4K cameras, with promises of 4K TV sets, I was convinced that this too was a push to sell new TV sets that wouldn’t amount to much. Sure filmmakers with a big budget will […]
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Spanned Attentions
I’ll make this brief. Attention spans are not what they used to be. Everything I learned in film school failed to include tips on the pitfalls of the digital age of storytelling — because there wasn’t much of one back in 2000. I currently write a lot for youth audiences, and also web series. With web series, it’s basically trying to sum up an entire scene in one page. Or the entire episode in five pages. Trying to bend a whole story arc, pieces of the series arc, plus character motivations, subplots and gods forbid a beat or two — […]
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The Week in Cameras: The Empire and the Rebellion
This week saw Sony announce two new cameras, the PMW-F5 and PMW-F55, as well as some details about 4K recording for the NEX-FS700. Unfortunately, they didn’t announce many pricing details, other than the $2,000 price for the interface unit for the NEX-FS700. The cameras are expected in January, and pricing information will probably come sometime in December, but we have been left to depend on whispers from those who say they have been told numbers, even though Sony continues to say that they haven’t told anyone the prices. That said, it appears that the PMW-F5 will be under $20,000 and […]
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Why 3D?
John has graciously given me a chance to tell people why I do 3D, why I ACTUALLY do 3D, to write something beyond the technical babble that typically highlights any in-depth discussion of 3D or the snark that informs any “3D, ugh” diatribe or the relative silence from my peers in the indie community. I’ll do my best to talk about 3D in a way that I haven’t heard often… less a technical piece (or 3D ugh-fest), more an honest ramble on independent artistic creation. An ode, if you will. It’s a shame to start like this, but to get […]
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The Week in Cameras: An October Surprise
This Tuesday we have the big announcement of “The New F” from Sony to look forward to. Will it be amazing? Sony is certainly talking it up, billing it as “The Future, Ahead of Schedule.” Peter Crithary of Sony has tweeted: Peter Crithary @CineAltaNews Those few that have seen, and know the features, their reaction is #GameChanger Of course, he’s from Sony, so he might be expected to say that. Filmmaker Sebastian Wiegärtner has said: Sebastian Wiegärtner @wiegaertner #TheNewF announcement will be very tough for some big players in the industry! I was so surprised yesterday! And Andy Shipsides of […]
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In Production: The Untitled Terence Malick Project, Zulu, The London Project and Abuse of Weakness
“In Production” is a regular column which focuses on notable independent films that are currently shooting. If you would like your film to be included in this space, please send an email to nick@filmmakermagazine.com Terrence Malick With his soon to be released To the Wonder and recently wrapped Knights of Cups, the once reclusive Terrence Malick is proving to be one of those rare artists that become more prolific with age. His latest film The Untitled Terrence Malick Project is currently shooting in Austin, Texas and features an all-star cast including Ryan Golsing (Blue Valentine), Christian Bale (The New World), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Cate […]
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Hard to Kick: On Videogames and Addiction
February 12, 2014: It was something of a watershed moment last weekend when Doug Nguyen, creator of Flappy Bird, the world’s most popular free app, pulled his game from the App Store. The app was estimated to have generated for Ngyuen $50,000 a week in advertising revenue. The problem? The game, said Nguyen, was addictive. He told Forbes, “Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed. But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone […]
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The Week in Cameras: Interesting Times Ahead
If the Mayan calendar goes beyond 12, we could be in for an interesting new year. The next few months should see several new cameras being announced or begin shipping, and 4K acquisition becoming almost mainstream. The New F From Sony Sony is letting people know that a new “F” camera will be announced October 30th. You can even sign up to be notified here: pro.sony.com Will this camera replace the current PMW-F3 ($13,000) or perhaps fall somewhere between that and the Sony F65 ($65,000)? It remains to be seen, but October 30th also fits with the time frame for the […]
