1 The Chimerist If you’re a new iPad owner, you should know that there are reading options other than iBooks, the Kindle app and Instapaper. Indeed, while games and social apps get most of the iOS press, there are artists who are rethinking the book form for the tablet device. These innovators are chronicled at The Chimerist (thechimerist.com), a Tumblr blog by “two iPad lovers at the intersection of art, stories and technology.” Follow writer, editor and literary blogger Maud Newton and Salon co-founder Laura Miller and learn about new graphic novels (Eric Shanower’s Age of Bronze), storytelling game apps […]
Earlier this year, The New Yorkermagazine hosted a panel discussion titled, “Is Television the New Cinema?” In his opening remarks, The New Yorker’s editor, David Remnick, posed the question, “Television is in the process, in many ways, of eclipsing cinema: True or false?” While the panelists didn’t give a definite answer, it was generally agreed that the TV medium — once considered a mainstream form of “junk storytelling” — has recently blossomed. Journalist Emily Nussbaum noted the rise, beginning in the late ’90s, “of a breed of irascible, aggressive and auteurist TV makers,” and the creation of shows like Buffy […]
TV FOR FILM Original characters. Unlikely relationships. Undiscovered locations. The purview of independent filmmakers is increasingly the stuff of television, and filmmakers are making the small screen a bigger part of their careers. Creative crossover is not breaking news, of course; shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, In Treatment, Enlightened and dozens more regularly hire directors from independent film and have for a long time. But now more and more independent film writers and writer/directors are making the leap — pitching, developing and producing original series. Meanwhile, reliable outlets like Netflix and IFC/Sundance Channel have slowed down their […]
The first day of NAB and it appears that this year Panasonic has nothing to say to indie filmmakers. Going in to the show, Canon and Sony had already pre-announced several new cameras, yet there had been nothing from Panasonic. And now the show has opened and Panasonic has only three things to talk about; the first is the AG-HPX600 2/3 CMOS P2 HD camcorder with 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra recording. At seven pounds, it’s described as the lightest professional shoulder camcorder, but it’s not really an indie filmmaker camera. They also announced the microP2 card and microP2 card adaptor. With […]
DP’s are probably aware of Blackmagic Design’s capture and playback devices such as the HyperDeck Studio or UltraStudio SDI. They may have even heard of their Davinci Resolve color grading software. But I don’t think anyone expected Blackmagic to announce a digital camera, which is what they did yesterday at NAB. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera features: • Super wide 13 stops of dynamic range allows capture of increased details for feature film look. • High resolution 2.5K sensor allows improved anti aliasing and reframing shots. • Built in SSD allows high bandwidth recording of RAW video and long duration compressed […]
Over the last century, as Hollywood matured as an industry, it grew increasingly more conservative. The movie business evolved from a maverick entrepreneurial venture, then an innovator introducing groundbreaking new technologies like sound and color, and finally to an evermore-cautious enterprise. One example of this conservatism is the studios’ reactions to the transition from analog to digital media. Last year, a coalition led by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the music industry and a handful of digital rights holders, including games companies Sony and Nintendo, launched a major campaign to fight “piracy” by restricting the Internet. However, in […]
“Location, location, location” could very well serve as the tagline for the Bermuda International Film Festival. Set on a paradise island surrounded by spectacular pink sand and Technicolor-blue waters in the North Atlantic, it’s only a couple hours’ plane trip from NYC (or less if you can hitch a ride with the private-jetting Mayor Mike). This gracious and warmly welcoming fest – a reflection of the country’s unbelievably gregarious and helpful population (pull out a map and you’re just as likely to have a total stranger walk you to your destination as point the way) – is now in its […]
Second #4606, 76:46 Frank has just hurt Jeffrey, and now it’s Ben’s turn. A casual sort of hurtfulness. The frame comes from second number 6 in a shot that lasts just over 53 seconds. In the background, staring back at the camera (at us) is the same Party Girl from earlier. The frame, cut vertically by the curtain and Dorothy’s right arm, is pulled apart by a clash of gazes and lines of vision: Dorothy’s and Frank’s leading our eyes toward Ben, and Ben’s and Hunter’s leading our eyes towards off-screen Jeffrey. In Barry Gifford’s 1990 novel Wild at Heart […]
Do you watch movies via a wireless connection on your laptop, tablet, smartphone or even TV set? If so, have you received a love letter from your service provider informing you to either go on a digital data diet or plan to pay more to suck down more streaming 1s and 0s? If not, it will arrive shortly. The leading wireless companies are changing the usage and pricing models they have long used, shifting the industry from one with “unlimited” plans to “limited” deals. These new limited plans tier data downloads to the ability to pay. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Virgin […]
The last month has been a little confusing for the Sony PMW-F3. When the camera was originally announced, the S-Log Gamma option was an add-on which came on an SxS card and cost $3,800. But a month ago, Sony announced a “temporary” change for the camera that was to run through March 31st. The S-Log upgrade would be available for $899 for those who hadn’t bought it, but Sony said that you’d have to send the camera in to get the upgrade installed. For those who had already purchased the upgrade at full price, they offered a $2,500 rebate if […]