Visualnary

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Sorry for the lack of posts of late, it’s been a very busy time, a lovely summer break and finished off with a hacker attacking this site (and a number of others I am helping with). Sorry about that, all should be back to normal now.

Copyright is at the core of any creative’s profession. It makes sure we get paid for what we do. I am not going to enter the discussion on what is wrong with current copyright laws (and it sure does need some fixing), but have a brief discussion on what to do if someone actually steals your content. Lorelle from WordPress has written a very good and practical article on the issue, focusing on a blogger’s perspective.

First, gather evidence. Second, get in contact with the offending party, I would always stay civil. Do all your communication in writing. If the party chooses to ignore your demand, you can either hire a copyright lawyer, or if you are a member of a professional body/union, get them to sort it out for you. I think it is important to not let it slip.

Tags: copyright, protection, theft

A czech user has just uploaded a 720p video taken by the newest iPhone geration:

As expected, you can see compression artifacts in the grass and blow-out highlights in the clouds, but taking into account that this HD video was shot on a freaking telephone this is amazing. Will be interesting to see what this will do to citizenship journalism, as well as amateur film productions.

Tags: demo, hd, iphone 4, leak, video, vimeo

Occasionally I work for news, and am always surprised at how suddenly all feeling of comradeship or sometimes basic common decency go out the window the moment there are more tv cameras than there is space for them. You are being shuffled around, elbows punched into your side, verbal abuses hurled.

Fortunately, I have never been attacked by a member of public, but not all cameramen have been so lucky. There is a blog just about those episodes where tempers run too high: the Schmuck Alert Central.

Tags: attack, camera, cameraman, cameramen, fotog, paparazzi, photog

Busy times, thus you have to do with this mesmerizing music video. Enjoy:

It seems to be sparking off a whole new wave: Read More…

Tags: crappy, Fun, music video

Yet another exciting week over at the RED HQ.

Already next week will see the first RED One cameras getting a sensoral facelift. The new sensor has better dynamic range, higher sensibilty (800 ISO as standard, usable even at 3200 ASA) and the new color science, named FLUT. The swap will also get your camera a new sensor board and a new (optical) low pass filter. A bit over USD 5.750 for the conversion ($1.250 will be refunded when you buy an Epic). Throw in an extra 3k, and you will get a RED Rocket for a bargain price.

Anamorphic, baby

Today RED announced that they will produce anamorphic lenses. Last year they rocked the glass world with their set of primes, where a set of lenses costs as much as you would previously have to pay for a single focal length. Now you have until the end of this year to save towards the 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm lenses; all at T2.4. A 25mm is probably also in the pipeline.

Tags: anamorphic, lens, lenses, m-x, primes, program, r1, RED, red one, sensor, trade-in, upgrade

Here comes a slightly updated overview of how much weigth your shoulder, your tripod or your rig is supposed to handle. Always keep in mind extra weight for mattebox, filters, cables, transmitters etc.

Thanks to Adrian T. for permission to reproduce his table.

Tags: accessoires, battery, body, camera, digital, kg, one, overview, plate, pounds, r1, RED, red one, table, weight

I recently needed to uprez some footage from 160×120 to HD. I used the occasion to give Red Giant’s Instant HD a try-out. The results looked decent, but for comparison I also simply adjusted the motion settings in Final Cut Pro. Surprizingly, to me those results looked actually better.

Famous enhance moments

A fun compilation of all those films that use the (non-existing) enhance function that is part of any science-fiction/tech-thriller/computer-action movie. Enjoy!

(via)

Tags: editing, enhance, final-cut-pro, instant hd, red giant, resolution, sd to hd, uprez, uprezzing, video, youtube

If you have some a lot of spare cash floating around, you can buy a 5200mm Canon lens on eBay. It will set you back at least 45k$, the f-stop is 14, and the nearest focal distance is 120, yes: meters. You’ll need 2 strong people to carry the lens, and a SUV to transport it.

To give you a sense of its size, have a look at this photo. At the rear the little blob is a 35mm camera.

A nice little video showing both the lens and some video footage shot with it Read More…

Arri has published a great list of applications for the iPhone, sorted after Camera Lighting Production Sound Reference.

Tags: app, iPhone, ipod, software, tool

Been a bit quiet on this blog, mainly because of work-load. Plus, I’ve been promoted to admin over at reduser, so I tend to spend computer time there.

It’s been a week now since the latest announcement by RED, and mostly people are very happy with the new information. Currently though there is some discussion about the naming of their new electronic viewfinder, the BOMB EVF. Some people tend to worry that the naming might cause problems at security checks. Matt Gottshalk promptly suggested an alternative name, the Warm Squishy Love Monster EVF, which inspired me to do a quick photoshop mock-up:

Since that wasn’t peaceful enough, Andrew Clemson also asked for a furry version. I just had to oblige:

Tags: evf, Fun, humor, mock-up, Photoshop, r1, RED, reduser