Modern day cinema camera’s have reached a duality of a bigger, better picture. Looking at Red Epic Dragon it improves upon low-light while giving you 1-100fps at 6k. That’s a huge image, a lot of data in a RAW format. For most event, documentary filmmakers this may not be practical. Insert Arri Amira, its primary focus is to stay under a 2k image while improving on image quality low-light capability and higher variable frame-rates up to 200fps in HD. Which philosophy is right?

To answer this question, I think one must look at there own workflow and what our clients need. I still have friends who shoot on Panasonic HVX200′s that are now over 7 years old. There clients are happy with the workflow because it suites there needs. But you as a modern day shooter want to grow and improve your skill set right?

The duality of image acquisition only gets bigger and more complex as any professional would know. Speaking from experience I recently invested in a Red Scarlet to grow my skill set and capture new high-end clients. What have a learned so far? A ton, here’s what people are overlooking, the post production process. In shooting a high quality, 16-bit RAW format image, my clients now have to consider extended post production.

While some programs such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut X and even AVID have inserted Redcode into there NLE’s. There still a bottleneck in working with a 4k or future 6k image. Even with a loaded 27′ inch iMac with a blazing fast RAID. You will have trouble keeping up with playback of a RAW 4k image. Now you have to edit a proxy version or edit at 1/4 resolution to be productive. And since we are shooting RAW, color correction abilities are endless and re-framing the composition for HD. The editor will love and hate the modern day RAW codec. Love it for its possibilities, color space, resolution, reframing, no aliasing. Hate because of laggy playback, processing demands, extended export times.

Look at it like this. When shooting a 1 hour interview with say a Red Scarlet. It still takes the same time as if we were shooting in HD. Now take that 4K RAW 16-bit 24fps image and start to edit. What normally you could do in a 8 hour day edit, could take more like 12 or 16 hours. It will take four times longer just to transfer 1 hour of footage.

AVID Media Composer 7 – Reframing footage.

Counterpoint. But now, you the producer have only shot with one camera at 4k. Editing in HD you can reframe and punch-in on the 4k while still maintaing HD quality. You essential can take a single 4k shot and reframe endless ways. This makes it appear like you had multiple cameras. Understanding the workflow and it capabilities your production will benefit. Even if it takes a few days longer to edit. Plus, you only had to higher one camera. Typically a day rate for editing is far less than a day of shooting. So even if your edit takes longer you still come out ahead.

To sum up the duality of bigger or better? As technology advances its important to know the benefits of shooting in different formats. Whether it be a 4k RAW or at 200fps in HD. Talk with your editors and camera person about workflow and budget before committing to a particular format. Ask a ton of questions and make sure you understand the entire workflow. And make a pro’s and con’s list. Look at what is gained by shooting at higher resolutions, raw, frame-rates, etc. Find what’s important and desired in your production.

So its been about 100 days since I purchased my Canon C100 from B&H. Thought I would share my experiences for those who may still be considering the C100.

So far all I have to say is WOW! Not the kind of wow that gets you out of your seat. Let me explain. What I found is the ergonomics of the camera paired with variable ND filters and the ability to capture great depth of the field. This has only re-enforced my desire to use this camera over DSLR’s.

On the eve of buying the C100 I had just transitioned from my beloved Canon 5D MarkII to a Nikon D800. With the Nikon I planned on shooting more timelapse and it was boasting 14.2 stops of dynamic range. I thought the D800 was my camera, especially with headphone jack, microphone input and audio meters. I was hesitant to buy the Canon C100, but I needed something for events that could record longer than 20 minutes and had XLR audio inputs.

Quickly the Canon C100 warmed up to me. Upon arrival I thought a different kind of camera I want to create a different kind of look than what a typically Canon DSLR was producing. Knowing that the camera had great low-light capabilities I wanted to utilize this to my advantage. Profiles. Custom Profiles was the key to getting familiar with the camera. Researching Canon C300 forums and different looks people were creating I wanted the same thing. What I found is most C300 profiles can be loaded on the C100. Bonus, now I have a whole new arsenal of looks at my finder tips.

I started shooting a flat profile, learned about LUT’s and DaVinic Resolve 9. What this gave me was the look I was hoping for. Noise less, clean, almost pastel colors. Some of my clients even caught the glimpse of some un-graded footage and said “I like that, don’t change a thing”. That was surprising since I new the video was in a more raw state. But what it was, the video looked very clean and refreshing. Different than regular video but different a good way.

To date, I have used the Canon C100 to shoot, Cage fighting, Music Videos, Documentaries and Commercials. Everyday I use it I feel stronger and more supported by it. Some of the perceived weaknesses have diminished. Lack of 60p, small viewfinder were some of the early complaints. So far I have had no problem using the viewfinder, 24p is my primary frame-rate. 60p for slow motion would be nice but I haven’t missed it as much as I suspected. Overall the features I enjoy most is the built-in ND’s and side grip. The built-in ND’s make handling light and achieving depth of field a breeze. The moveable side grip adjusts to my position on those longer events.

At this point I have an Blackmagic 4K Production Camera on order. Typically I would sell my older cameras, but this time around I’ll be holding onto my Canon C100. It just helps to get the job done right.

Logic X has just been introduced by Apple. Reading through the new features and updates. Logic X seems to be geared towards any musician that looking for a lot of power under the hood. Logic X take on the look of FCPX, with its clean and quick design. This is meant to inspire an artist to jump right in.

Easy exporting and sharing to programs such as FCPX, SoundCloud and other Apple apps. This gives more power to FCPX sound scoring as well. Better organized stack tracks hosted by a powerful new mixer interface only strengthens the Logic user market. Not being a logic user, I wonder what impact this will have on Logic users? Reminisant are the days from Final Cut Pro 7 to X. In that most people wanted to see X, but when they did, were shocked at how vastly different it was.

Another noteable update and something I would really like to see for FCPX in the color grading area. Apple is pairing Logic Remote to Logic X. This enables the user to integrate there iPad as an extension of the software. In Logic, the remote app can act like a mixer, allowing you to adjust levels on the fly. Example would be a sound booth or vocal performance. Really like the way Apple is going with this.

Just in time for the school year. Actually there’s probable a lot of upset teachers that may have just finished there fall curriculum and now they have to re-think or re-learn Logic X. Technology tends to move faster than schools adapt, I suspect most students are going to purchase Logic X over previous versions.

All in all, it was a surprise to see Apple release Logic X. This really has my hopes high for an update to FCPX this fall paired with the release of the new MacPros.

The Blackmagic 4k Cinema Camera will change the way we shoot and edit. If your mastering in HD 1080p or even 720p you can take advantage of this camera. Shooting in native 4k will allow you recompose your shots, extract other detail shots from the same shot. And if your shooting RAW, the ability to correct highlights and lowlights exposure of the overall scene. Basically it gives you ultimate control in post production.

What makes this camera even more powerful is the release of DaVinci Resolve 10. Watching the NAB Supermeet video below, it makes FCPX very green. DR10 (DaVinci Resolve 10) not only allows for a lot of creativity in color correction, the addition of a powerful timeline, its adds some very powerful features. One of these features is the ability to smooth out slow motion with optical flow. This option was first scene in Media 100, later with Twixtor plugin inside Adobe After Effects and then Apple’s Motion. What it does, instead of duplicating frames to achieve a slow motion effect. It will actually make new frames comprised of the frames you have. In turn this makes a much smoother and more natural slow motion effect. Very exciting since most modern editing applications such as Premiere and FCPX do not have this.

Certainly until DR10 is released we will not know just exactly how powerful it is and how well it stacks up to other NLE’s. The NAB Demo just shows that they are making a concentrated effort towards the NLE market.

Just looking at DaVinci Resolve 10′s color grading abilities, now paired with even more powerful editing abilities. They caught my eye and I’ll grabbing a copy as soon as its released along with a Blackmagic 4k Production Camera.

DaVinvic Resolve 10 Demo at NAB Supermeet. Around 10:30 is a sample of complex editing that most NLE’s have. I think DR10 is building its base among colorists and editors.




Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera could be the next groundbreaking camera for documentary filmmakers and photojournalists. The camera has the ability to shoot a very clean, less compressed and controlled image. And at a $995 price point will make you second guess using your iPhone.

The camera boasts a full 1920×1080 image using the Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) as its codec. This will require high speed SD cards which have already hit the market. Paired with the camera using an off the shelf Nikon battery. Buying additional accessories should not be a problem for a filmmaker on the go.

Headphone and microphone connections are a welcome addition crucial for field work. 13 stops Wide Dynamic Range means you can avoid clipping the highlights, yet still maintain details in the shadows. Its ships with DaVinci Resolve Lite, Blackmagic’s own color correcting software designed specifically to handle there cinema camera line.

But this does leave me wondering how many people or production houses will adopt this as there main camera? Everyone wants the best picture possible but not everyone has the budget to afford the best cameras.

This is a better alternative for film students to learn on then there iPhone. Given that it has a similar workflow to the camera that are used in Hollywood. i know for my vacation travels and random weekend trips this camera looks very appealing. Who knows maybe my vacation trip will make for some great b-roll someday. Why not shoot with the convenience and quality that this camera has to offer. Checkout Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

May 2012, I was in the backyard of my friend Todd’s house. We were discussing our plans for the 48 hour film festival that happens in August. People were talking about how work has been slow and needed more outlets. Not only for work but just interesting projects to exercise our skills as filmmakers. This is when the idea hit me.

Why not make a 48 hour film festival where a filmmaker contacts a local business and tells there story? Local businesses benefit because they get an introduction to video, Filmmakers benefit because if they do a great job they may get called back for paid work.

On the plus side, if you make it a festival your only committed to 48 hours on the project. Also this gives you a chance to demonstrate your skills and possibly when prizes.

So far the idea hasn’t taken full flight. We’ve had a few draw backs getting the site up and the rules properly drafted. Its on the agenda for Fall 2013.

We are always looking for feedback and sponsors. Feel free to contact us and share your ideas with us.

November 2012 Canon released the Canon C100. With much praise the DSLR community watched for initial reactions as to how well this camera would be adopted. The C100 while maintaining the cinematic look and feel of DSLRs added some very key features into the camera. ND filters, XLR audio, Dual SD Card Slots and a Viewfinder.

The Viewfinder. Everyone was shocked at how limited Canon made the C100′s viewfinder. It was smaller than its bigger brother the C300. Not as adjustable, with its size and placement seemed unpractical. Many complaints were heard but few offered solutions. Zacuto touts a Z-finder addition to add-on to the LCD (not yet released). Others simply added a small Atomos Ninja 2 to aid in recording and monitoring. But I am a shooter who likes things clean and efficient.

Now there have been other suggestions and what to do about the viewfinder. One of my favorite solutions was someone modifying a PD170 eyecup to go over the existing eyecup of the C100. Looking that part up will set you back $65 USD if you can find one.

A solution I’ve tried and seems to be working costs about $7 USD. Adding a Bluestar Eye Cushion – Round Extra Small, seems too help tremendously. No it doesn’t make the viewfinder bigger or more adjustable. What it does do it eliminate light-leak around your eye that makes it easier to see the viewfinder. So far I’ve shot an entire afternoon with this solution and its worked out pretty great. The only caution I would warn is it can be bumped off fairly easily. This only happened once in my 4 hour shoot. Otherwise it was happily sitting there ready to be used when needed.

UPDATE! Having a Zacuto Z-finder nearby I pulled off the eyecup. It fit the C100 perfectly and eliminated the light leak. Looking it up at B&H, I found it for $10.80! A quick fix for those looking to improve the viewfinder.

Zacuto Eyecup from B&H

If your second guessing the C100, I would say go for it. For me it has everything I need for documentary and filmmaking. The form factor is a delight. Let me know what you think if you decide to try it.