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Film History & Appreciation
Behind the Lens: Rachel Morrison Receives Kodak Vision Award
Cinematographer Rachel Morrison, who photographed the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner Fruitvale Station, was presented with the Kodak Vision Award at the 2013 Women In Film (WIF) Crystal + Lucy Awards in Los Angeles on June 12. The award is given annually to a female filmmaker with outstanding achievements in cinematography who also collaborates with and assists women in the entertainment industry. Fruitvale Station, directed by Ryan Coogler, tells the story of the 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who is killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) policeman on the Fruitvale Station platform.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Rachel Morrison |
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Film History & Appreciation
Behind the Lens: Peter Suschitzky & After Earth
British cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, BSC, ASC has shot an astonishing number of films that have become iconic: Privilege (the film that inspired George Lucas to ask him to shoot Star Wars), Star Wars Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and every David Cronenberg film since Dead Ringers. He got his career start as a child, fascinated by the dark room work of his father, cinematographer Wolfgang Suschitzky, who shot Get Carter among his other credits, and as a very young man shooting documentaries in Latin America. Most recently, Suschitzky was the first to get his hands on Sony's new F65 cameras, to shoot After Earth.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Peter Suschitzky ASC BSC |
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Cinematography
Behind the Lens: The Kings of Summer with Ross Riege
Ross Riege just finished shooting his first feature film, The Kings of Summer. Currently working on a feature-length documentary with director Greg Kohs, Ross took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with Creative COW about his career path as a young cinematographer and his experiences shooting Kings of Summer.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Ross Riege |
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Film History & Appreciation
VFX Titans Remember Ray Harryhausen
"When we grieve Ray Harryhausen's passing, we are at least in part grieving perhaps the last living link to the earliest days of movie visual effects," says Creative COW's Debra Kaufman. She spoke to many of today's VFX giants who were inspired by Ray, including Phil Tippett, Richard Edlund, Jeffrey A. Okun and ILM Animation Director Hal Hickel, who says, "Ray Harryhausen's impact on an entire generation (several actually) of filmmakers cannot be overstated, each of them trying again and again to reproduce the wonder they first felt as a child watching Jason fight those skeletons."
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation
Iron Man 3, Marvel & The Future of the Superhero
Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios Executive Vice President of Visual Effects and Post Production, began her career in the early days of the digital visual effects industry. We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Victoria about the Iron Man movies, post production's evolution, remote dailies and coloring on set, 4K & HFR, and keeping the modern superhero movie fresh.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part FOUR: When to Use Previs
In this fourth chapter of Gare Cline's tutorial series on Previsualization, we focus on when is the best time to hire a previsualization artist. We begin by looking at the various stages of filmmaking and then concluding with making the decision as when is the best time to hire a previs artist.
Editorial, Feature Gare Cline |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part THREE: How Previs Works
In this chapter of Gare Cline's series on previsualization, the art form for conceptualizing a project, we focus on how the process of previsualization works. We begin by finding the look for the picture, and then proceed through blocking, coverage and finally end with determining the time and cost expenditure.
Editorial, Feature Gare Cline |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part TWO: Why Previs?
In part two of Gare Cline's ongoing series on Previsualization, readers are transported to examples of cinematic genius such as George Lucas and Alfred Hitchcock to truly understand the compelling reasons as to why previs is crucial to conceptualizing and demonstrating your storyline.
Editorial, Feature Gare Cline |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part ONE: What is Previs?
Previs. You may or may not have heard of it. If you have, you may have heard conflicting or more often muddled definitions. Many assumptions have developed around this often misunderstood word. Join Gare Cline, Previsualization Storyboard Artist, in this series of articles as he defines what previs is and isn't, what it can do for you, why you should use it, and how it works.
Editorial, Feature Gare Cline |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: Panasonic
Panasonic used NAB 2013 to unveil a number of new products and technologies. Chief among them was the third generation VariCam, the first to incorporate Panasonic's new AVC-ULTRA video codec for native 1080/60p operation. The company also unveiled the AJ-PD500, its first P2 HD recorder with native AVC-ULTRA recording and built-in microP2 card slots - and the first to record in full-resolution, 10-bit 1080/60p (in AVC-Intra Class100). Also new from Panasonic was the the BT-4LH310, a 31-inch 4096 x 2160 resolution LCD monitor, an important piece in the move to UltraHD/4K production and post.
Editorial, Feature Debra Kaufman |
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Archiving and Back-Up
NAB 2013: Bob Zelin: The Evolution & Revolution
Calling Bob Zelin one of the industry's most respected voices of engineering and systems experience is an understatement. (We might also have to add "most feared.") For over 20 years, he has been at the leading edge of building next-generation post houses and broadcast facilities using the latest, greatest, and most affordable new technology. He's also been around long enough to have seen through an awful lot of hype, so when Bob drops the "R" word, it's because he really believes it's revolutionary himself. His coverage of the 2013 NAB Show is once again don't-miss reading.
Editorial, Feature Bob Zelin |
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Cinematography
NAB 2013: Anton/Bauer
Anton/Bauer came to NAB 2013 to celebrate its Scientific and Engineering Award from AMPAS earlier in the year...and to introduce three new products: the Anton/Bauer Gold Spectrum Wireless Series, the result of a collaboration with sister Vitec company Integrated Microwave Technologies; the DIONIC HD battery, aimed at use with some of today's high-end digital cameras; and the PowerCharger 3000 Series of three new chargers.
Editorial, Feature Debra Kaufman |
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Canon Cameras
NAB 2013: Canon Demonstrates 4K Workflow, Intros New Cameras
Canon highlighted an end-to-end 4K workflow at NAB 2013, showing a digital intermediate suite and a live 4K broadcast with "Ultra-Zoom" applications. The company also debuted two new, entry-level professionals video cameras, the XA25 and XA20. The cameras feature Canon's first-ever Organic LED (OLED) touch panels, weigh 2.6 pounds and are priced at under $3,000. Canon also announced that it's begun development on a new 35mm prime lens for large-format single-sensor cameras employing Super 35mm, full-frame 35mm, and APS-C size imagers.
Editorial, Feature Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: Day Two With Ryan Salazar
Ryan Salazar fills Day Two of NAB Show with interviews. Ryan spoke with Marc Hamaker, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Creative Finishing at Autodesk, with Vince Pace, co-founder of the Cameron | Pace Group, and stopped by the Panasonic, Canon, GoPro and Camera Corps booths.
Editorial, Feature Ryan Salazar |
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Cinematography
Cinematographer's Journey: Rightfooted in Ethiopia April 3rd
April 3rd: Bill Megalos, cinematographer and documentarian, is in Ethiopia with first-time documentary feature director Nick Spark on a mission to "make a film that makes a difference." Raising money on Indiegogo, they're following Jessica Cox, a 29-year old woman without arms who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is licensed to fly planes solo (among her many accomplishments). She is an advocate for the disabled and often spends time in countries where the handicapped are stigmatized. Megalos is keeping a shooting diary for Creative COW readers of their experiences in Ethiopia.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Bill Megalos |
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Art of the Edit
Sony Launches Media Cloud Service Company
Sony Corporation unveiled a new subsidiary - Sony Media Cloud Services - which brings Ci, a new platform and tools to collect, produce, share, manipulate and archive content. This brings Sony not just into the cloud but also into the Software as a Service business model. NBCUniversal is an alpha customer for the Ci MasterSuite tools, which enters beta today.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography
Cinematographer's Journey: Rightfooted in Ethiopia April 2nd
April 2nd: Bill Megalos, cinematographer and documentarian, is in Ethiopia with first-time documentary feature director Nick Spark on a mission to "make a film that makes a difference." Raising money on Indiegogo, they're following Jessica Cox, a 29-year old woman without arms who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is licensed to fly planes solo (among her many accomplishments). She is an advocate for the disabled and often spends time in countries where the handicapped are stigmatized. Megalos is keeping a shooting diary for Creative COW readers of their experiences in Ethiopia.
Feature, People / Interview Bill Megalos |
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Cinematography
Cinematographer's Journey: Rightfooted - Travels to Ethiopia
Bill Megalos, cinematographer and documentarian, is in Ethiopia with first-time documentary feature director Nick Spark on a mission to "make a film that makes a difference." Raising money on Indiegogo, they're following Jessica Cox, a 29-year old woman without arms who is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is licensed to fly planes solo (among her many accomplishments). She is an advocate for the disabled and often spends time in countries where the handicapped are stigmatized. Megalos is keeping a shooting diary for Creative COW readers of their experiences in Ethiopia. Today's entry covers events from March 28th to April 1st.
Feature, People / Interview Bill Megalos |
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Cinematography
Behind the Lens: Game of Thrones with Anette Haellmigk
Cinematographer Anette Haellmigk shot two episodes of Season 3's Game of Thrones, the HBO blockbuster that returns on March 31. A native of Germany, Haellmigk was the 2012 winner of Kodak's Vision Award from Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards. A pioneering woman cinematographer, Annette's resume includes Das Boot, Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall, The West Wing and many more.
Haellmigk speaks to Creative COW about her path as a pioneering female cinematographer and her work on Game of Thrones.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Anette Haellmigk |
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Film History & Appreciation
Sony Imageworks Takes Us On The Yellow Brick Road to OZ
Sony Imageworks provided over 1,100 digital visual effects shots to Oz the Great and Powerful, a movie which explains how a small time magician became the great Wizard of Oz. Featured are two all-digital characters, the 18-inch China Girl and Finley, the wise-cracking monkey with wings, as well as a host of other digital creatures from river fairies to flying baboons. In addition, Imageworks provided environments from the Kansas Circus to Emerald City and effects work that include the magic of evil and good witches and Oz himself.
Feature, People / Interview Debra Kaufman |
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Stereoscopic 3D
NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference M & E Roundup
There was truly something for everyone at NVIDIA GTC, and a surprisingly rich amount of thoughtful presentations for the Media & Entertainment crowd. GTC provided many opportunities to learn the basics and, for the truly nerdy, many opportunities to dig deep. As a mere semi-geek, Debra Kaufman learned a lot and met a lot of interesting people. Read her roundup of new M&E technology thanks to super-fast GPU computing.
Feature, People / Interview Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography
The Nouveau French Wave of Cinematography for Television
Claudia Kienzle writes on the use of Fujinon Cabrio lenses by DP Bill Sheehy ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"). The article discusses in depth about the new handheld digital cinema shooting style that pairs the lightweight Sony PMW-F3 Super35 HD camera with the new Fujinon PL 19-90 Cabrio (ZK4.7x19) PL mount zoom lens. Sheehy is currently shooting the BET show "Real Husbands of Hollywood" using that Sony camera and Fujinon lens.
Feature Claudia Kienzle |
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NAB Expo
Tips for Attending NAB 2013 From A Convention Veteran
Walter Biscardi tells us, "Once again, springtime is upon us, so of course, it's time for the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention. Last year y'all seemed to like the before you go tips, so may I present the 2013 edition of 'Tips from an NAB Veteran to make the best use of your time'."
Editorial, Feature Walter Biscardi |
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Cinematography
The Making of 1000 to 1: Lenses & Lighting For The RED Epic
Working with Angenieux on new lens solutions for the RED Epic, wrestling freakish gym fluorescent lighting, wrangling national park filming permits: these were just a few of the challenges facing cinematographer and co-producer (and Digital Cinema Society founder) James Mathers in the making of "1000 to 1," an inspirational indie drama to be released later this year. James tells a remarkable tale of the lengths one production went to make their film look much bigger than its budget, with practical advice for filmmakers on every scale.
Editorial, People / Interview James Mathers |
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