** We break this mental thread with a community service announcement. This is only a test. **
I saw this camera at HPA this week and spoke to their team, quite impressive but very early yet to know its full range. I also saw a set top box that took Blue ray 2D DVDs and turned them into 3D in real time with pretty good reliability. I think this is an interesting trend obviously kicked in by the Avatar success, but please understand that production of that film was very expensive – some of the smartest people in the industry worked tirelessly to make it happen. Expecting results anywhere close to that with this camera without all the backend toolsets and expertise is beyond naïve. There are many 3D technologies coming down the pike, BTW, and many already in play but don’t get sucked in too fast; remember that in the end it is about your audience and the business proposition not how exciting it would be to shoot in 3D (or any particular camera for that matter). Then again, with the announcement of the first 3D channel released last month there will be inevitable opportunity to expand into that market for the very best shooters that figure this stuff out (it is, BTW, very hard to do). In this recession, I am doubtful people are going to rush out to Wal Mart for the new $10,000 3D HD television sets and glasses for the kids, but this will eventually happen in years to come.
Now for my 2 cents (this may hurt some like holy water thrown mercilessly on a vampire): Technology and capture methods (2D or 3D) in general should be very carefully evaluated and maximized by any level shooter or filmmaker, broadcast or film, based on their target deliverable and audience. Understanding what is out there is extremely important to achieve success with your project. Understanding what results can be drawn from what toolset (or camera) for what cost is something too many people are ignoring by taking at face value what is spoon fed by corporations and their followers. In the end it is your audience that matters. You owe it to them to deliver the best image, best sound, and best story you can create for the money and talent at hand (what I will call the “REAL VALUE”). Anything short of that and you are wasting your and other people’s money.
Some interesting things to ponder. Do you know:
- You can do more with 3k 48fps than 4k 24fps; i.e. motion information can be more valuable than resolution information?
- you can now shoot 16mm and make it look like 35mm, including anamorphic for cinemascope like quality?
- you can shoot 2perf 35mm and save twice the money?
- you can strip all noise and grain out of ANY camera regardless of make and model and film capture size/ratio without loss of detail?
- you can accurately model new film grain structure (not a “noise” plugin) and never do a film-out even for theatrical?
- new, affordable cameras coming out this year that is the closest to film performance ever (ARRI Alexa)?
- the real difference between the low end, middle end, and high end digital movie cameras, what they cost and how good the images really can look when you spend just a little more?
- some camera’s claim of “4k” is not true 4k?
- Why 6k, 8k, and 10k may be a waste of storage?
- what D.I. really is?
- what the perceived resolution loss is in generational D.I. steps is?
- what resolution the typical 20/20 human sitting in a theater can see visually?
- what can be achieved with a proper (and yes, expensive) color timing session?
If not, you should. I have not even covered the “basics” like what format or standards conversion gets you, pulldown problems associated with low end cameras, on and on. And yes, my technology (and others too) applies to many of the things listed above, and is currently only available in world-class post facilities (of which there are none in New Mexico yet), but these are the discussions you all need to be aware of if you want your project to achieve the REAL VALUE I listed above. And I guess you would need to set out to be a moviemaker to really want to discover this…
So what is moviemaking?
If you simply plan to point and shoot YouTube junk then more power to you; your parties will be fun and you will laugh and be merry. Enjoy, I have nothing against that stuff but please don’t equate them to the real art of true moviemaking (combining mythic story with REAL VALUE). The movies in the 70’s looked amazing - don’t you folks remember the “magic” when you went to see Jaws or Star Wars or Close Encounters? The digital films today don’t compare without a ton of expensive post work and clever artistry. Sure I’m a purest that has figured out how to leverage technology to get there, I encourage you to do the same. If I can figure it out you can too. It’s a big world out there with limitless possibilities, just do not believe all the hype you hear from anyone. And no, moviemaking is simply not for everyone to create, but it is for everyone to enjoy. Moviemaking is about combining a good story with the REAL VALUE. Guess what? People know it when they see it and audiences deserve it – they are not stupid. I compare the moviemaking endeavor to the YouTube stuff like a live Shakespeare play is to a Punch and Judy puppet show, they simply are not the same thing. I also contend that a child with an empty sketch book and a box of crayons can achieve it because she is using everything possible in her being and physical world to tell the story. THAT IS WHAT MOVIEMAKING IS.
NMPA
All of this information is on the internet, folks. It’s free and it shall set you free. And it is also what the new NMPA effort is about – re-educating the masses. Consider joining if these things matter to you too. Spend a week at NAB you will be astonished at what else is out there. If not, enjoy the do-it-yourself YouTube digital film revolution, after all it is still entertaining. I will be working on movies.
Lance Maurer
** This has been a test of the emergency “not everything you hear is truth” network. This has only been a test. The real stuff has to be discovered on one’s own. **
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