by gerard | Dec 1, 2016 | sport film
“Ruin and Rose,” a feature-length movie that takes extreme skiing to new heights, will be screened at the Palace Danbury. The film is much more than a series of breathtaking maneuvers — it’s also an imaginative tale about a world without snow, which offers a message for the future. Zack Giffin, who lives in Colorado, is among the movie’s all-star cast of skiers. “Every stunt you see is 100 percent real,” he said, referring to sand skiing and snow skiing in no-fall zones, where if you slip up, it’s all over. “When you’re out on a glacier, you don’t have a helicopter right there that can whisk you away to a hospital,” he said. “We try to find the line where you’re right on the verge of catastrophe.” Saturday’s screening will be the Connecticut premiere of “Ruin and Rose.” Giffin said the title refers to the movie’s essence: “a planet ruined, and the spirit of humanity overcoming that, and finding beauty in the ashes.” Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Ben Sturgulewski, the movie was created by Matchstick Productions, a Colorado company known for its incredible ski flicks. They are filmed everywhere, from France and the Swiss Alps to the African deserts of Namibia. Unlike other ski films, “Ruin and Rose” begins not in the snow, but on the edge of an endless desert where a group of children survives on their own. When a young boy unearths an ancient relic, hinting at the lost wonders of winter, he sets off to find the ghosts who once called the mountains their home. “I have lived my life immersed in...
by gerard | Nov 29, 2016 | Equipment rental camera
The ALEXA Plus adds integrated wireless remote control, the ARRI Lens Data System (LDS), additional outputs, lens synchronization for 3D, and built-in position and motion sensors. It shares ALEXA’s image performance, simplicity of operation, reliability in extreme environments and versatility of workflow, and is available either as part of a complete camera package or as an upgrade for the original ALEXA. An advanced electronics side cover permits real-time wired or wireless remote control of camera REC/STOP and lens functions like focus and aperture, using either ARRI hand controllers such as the Wireless Compact Unit (WCU-3) or cmotion’s modular cvolution system. The lens mount of the Plus model incorporates LDS contacts, allowing lens data and depth of field to be displayed in the viewfinder or on monitors, and making speed/iris ramps easier. Lens metadata can be recorded using ProRes, HD-SDI or...
by gerard | Nov 24, 2016 | video editing
Apple’s redesigned MacBook Pro has been surrounded by controversy since it was first announced a few weeks ago. Even though Apple says the new MacBook Pro is its best-selling version of the computer to date, it has received loads of blowback from the professional community. Those are the power users that need high-end computers for video editing, coding apps, or photo editing. The most common complaints are the lack of ports and power compared to rival computers. For example, you can only get up to 16GB of RAM, while many are asking for 32GB of RAM. The MacBook Pro also only has one type of port called Thunderbolt 3, which makes it tough for those who need SD card slots or HDMI ports to connect their external monitors. So while I already tested the MacBook Pro from a generalist’s perspective, I thought it’d be worth it to have one of our own in-house professionals give the computer a spin. Justin Gmoser, one of our video producers here at Business Insider, has been testing the 15-inch model of the MacBook Pro for a little over a week. I had him detail some of his thoughts from a video editor’s perspective. There are four Thunderbolt 3 ports on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. These are used to charge the computer and connect accessories using the new USB-C standard that will eventually replace the “regular” USB you’re used to. Justin said Thunderbolt 3 was a big issue for him, since he often uses a USB thumbdrive to transfer video to his Mac. But with Thunderbolt, he has to use an...
by gerard | Nov 22, 2016 | documentary
Dan Cogan, Executive Director and Cofounder of Impact Partners and producer Howard Gertler have worked together on two films: the Academy Award-nominated “How to Survive a Plague” and DOC NYC Opening Night film “Do I Sound Gay?” In a Masterclass on Producing on November 17th, Cogan and Gertler will used these two films as case studies to explore creative and business challenges in documentary producing and ways to overcome them. Here are five tips they shared about producing a documentary: Get shit done. The producer’s main job, according to Cogan, is to “get shit done.” The producer is responsible for financing, running the production, handling people and crews with care and grace and creating a positive experience for everyone on board. Story structure matters. Gertler said “How to Survive a Plague” had no structure at all when he came on board. They had 700 hours of footage with an eight-month deadline looming. Its first-time director, David France, was a journalist who knew how to tell a story but not how to craft or cut a film. So Gertler had to help France find his focus and bring his vision to life. “People won’t remember all the facts,” Gertler said. “They remember the characters and what happens to them.” When asked if he feels like he’s taking away power from the director, Gertler said, “The producer is there to help the director accomplish his or her vision. I’m like a handmaiden to the director. We challenge them and push them, we don’t challenge their authority.” Make it as strong as possible. The pair suggested that filmmakers shouldn’t send their films to festivals,...
by gerard | Nov 17, 2016 | pre production
Pre-Production is the process of fixing some of the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance. There are three parts in a production: pre-production, production, and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content starts being produced. In filmmaking and video production, pre-production formally begins once a project has been greenlit. At this stage, finalizing preparations for production go into effect. Financing will generally be confirmed and many of the key elements such as principal cast members, director and cinematographer are set. By the end of pre-production, the screenplay is usually finalized and satisfactory to all the financiers and other stakeholders. During pre-production, the script is broken down into individual scenes storyboards and all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects are identified. An extremely detailed schedule is produced and arrangements are made for the necessary elements to be available to the film-makers at the appropriate times. Sets are constructed, the crew is hired, financial arrangements are put in place and a start date for the beginning of principal photography is set. At some point in pre-production there will be a read-through of the script which is usually attended by all cast members with speaking parts, the director, all heads of departments, financiers, producers, and publicists. Even though the writer may still be working on it, the screenplay is generally page-locked and scene-numbered at the beginning of pre-production to avoid confusion. This means that even though additions and deletions may still be made, any particular scene will always fall on the same page and have the same scene number. ...
by gerard | Nov 15, 2016 | audiovisual service provider
The Commission’s proposals aim to drive cross-border e-commerce in the EU and level the regulatory field across audiovisual media services and online platforms. The European Commission (Commission) announced new proposals with potentially farreaching implications for digital market participants. These include in particular: Modernization of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) Communication on online platforms Regulation on geo-blocking Regulation on cross-border parcel delivery The proposals, as part of the Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy (DSM), aim to stimulate increased cross-border commerce within the EU and modernize some of the legislative frameworks that govern content diffusion and communications. Please note that even with the current proposals, the Commission’s DSM work is far from complete: More proposals (some of which may be seen as even more impactful and controversial than the current proposals within the audio-visual sector) are likely to take place later this year. The preliminary report of the Competition Directorate on its sector inquiry is also rumoured to be published very soon, which may also provide hints as to whether the Commission is likely to open any antitrust investigations as a parallel effort to break down barriers to e-commerce and promote the DSM. Background – DSM Strategy Just over a year ago, the Commission formally announced its DSM Strategy. 1 The aim of the Strategy is to make the EU’s single market ‘fit’ for the digital age by focussing on better online access to digital goods and services, creating a growth environment for digital services, and networks and ensuring that the European economy takes advantage of the opportunities that digitalization has to offer. As part of its DSM initiative, the...
by gerard | Nov 8, 2016 | video editing
High dynamic range (HDR) clips feature a wider range of colours and a greater number of brightness levels between black and white. This boosts contrast and can make images seem more detailed. However, users will require compatible screens to see the improvements. And HDR-encoded videos may also look odd when played back in normal mode. While YouTube is offering one of the first ways for the public to share videos in the new format, professional streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Video have offered HDR films and television programmes for several months. The Xbox One S and PlayStation 4 video game consoles also recently added HDR support. “YouTube’s move is a big vote of confidence in HDR,” said David Mercer, from the technology consultancy Strategy Analytics. “It really is all about whiter whites and blacker blacks – it sounds corny, but when you’ve seen a really good demo, it can be quite spectacular. “But we will all need HDR screens to enjoy it.” Many of the latest 4K televisions support the innovation, which can help water appear to glisten, stars to sparkle and generally adds “pop” to footage. But it is still relatively rare to find HDR-capable computer monitors or laptop displays. Creators will also need access to compatible video cameras and editing programs. Apple’s Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid all added support for HDR video formats in recent months. But consumer-orientated software, including YouTube’s own web-based Editor, have yet to do so. To ensure those without compatible displays do not miss out, YouTube will, by default, play a standard dynamic range (SDR) version of...
by gerard | Nov 3, 2016 | sport film
Liverpool, one of those teams whose games have incurred plenty of complaints, made considerable upgrades to their stadium over the summer with work extending over into the Premier League season. The Merseyside club had to request special dispensation to switch their opening home fixture of the season against Burnley to Turf Moor because the stadium would not be ready. However, they have now expanded the capacity to more than 54,000 but it does appear to have affected the way the game looks on TV. The camera gantry is now significantly further from the pitch and appears to be higher. It means viewers have a much more birdseye view of the pitch and the camera angle catches more of the play. However, many Sky Sports viewers have complained that the cameras are too far away, making the game difficult and uncomfortable to watch. Some have even compared it to playing FIFA – but without the ability to go into the settings and change it. Similar complaints were made at the beginning of the season when Premier League champions Leicester lost against Hull at the KCOM Stadium and during Liverpool’s bore draw with Manchester United at...
by gerard | Nov 1, 2016 | commercial movie
Sound. Sound is something that is very important in all trailers. It represents the genre of the film and can be used to emphasise certain parts in the trailer. In particular action films use sound in a very clever way in trailers. Diegetic sound can be used in the form of explosions and gunshots representing the genre. Non-diegetic music is also often used to portray the genre also. In the trailer for ‘The Avengers’ that you can see on https://goo.gl/604yd5 usessound from dialogue and diegetic explosions to non-diegetic music. The action genre of this film is represented in the song playing throughout which is ‘We’re in this together’ by Nine Inch Nails. This song is well known and the rock genre compliments the content of the action filled trailer Camera. Different camera shots and angles are used in trailers for different reasons. A trailer that shows optimum use of camera is ‘The Host’. • It begins with an extreme long shot of a view of earth from space. This has a large impact on the audience as it is so unusual to see this in a trailer because we are used to seeing them on earth. It also informs us that there will be a sci-fi element to the film. • This is then contrasted by an extreme close up shot of the main characters eye. But it is unusual because of the colours in her eye and this is an important feature of the film. Though at this point the audience are unsure of what this means Actors and Actress. Trailers can become a lot more successful if...
by gerard | Oct 30, 2016 | documentary
A spaceship is preparing to land on Mars when the crew notices that one of the thrusters isn’t firing. There is, as they say, a problem. But there’s no use telling Houston—by the time a distress message reaches home more than 30 million miles away, either the astronauts on board will be space dust or humanity will have become an interplanetary species. That’s the premise of National Geographic’s new series, Mars, which mixes documentary and speculation to tell the parallel stories of two groups: the fictional future explorers who will make that first journey, and the pioneers of today—scientists, astronauts, and strategists—who are blazing the trail. In the premier episode, for example, that white-knuckle landing scene is spliced with a look at Elon Musk’s SpaceX as engineers test a real retropropulsion landing system. Every piece of tech in the show was designed to accurately reflect the current scientific vision of how we’ll get to Mars—and to avoid the gaffes that have undermined recent films and invited the wrath of astrophysicist/space ombudsman Neil deGrasse Tyson. As executive producer Ron Howard puts it, “It’s not sci-fi!” (Indeed, President Obama has outlined a vision to send humans into Mars’ orbit by the mid-2030s.). Here’s how Mars envisions our red future. The six astronauts in Mars travel to their new home in a rocket called the Daedalus, and their ship is based on science that’s more than simply plausible—it’s coming, and fast. “This is technology that will probably be tested in the next five years,” executive producer Justin Wilkes says. The spacecraft is heavily inspired by SpaceX, but it also borrows design elements from NASA,...
