Well looks like the GH4 is killing even the Black Magic Pocket Camera

I know... I know... It's been said to death but this time I swear it's different.

Anyway, just in case you didn't already know, the GH4 now semi officially pwns not only the 5D mk 3 but also the venerable Black Magic Pocket Camera in RAW mode also. Hard to believe... but check the video.

3DX Point Memory 1000x faster than SSDs (NAND) and 10x denser

Look at your SmartPhone. Impressive, isn't it? Just like Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, Intel and Micron - two behemoths of the microchip fabrication world - landed an impressive blow to the status quo across the memory storage board especially Random Access Memory (RAM) that has held out since 1989.

Now pity your SmartPhone, to paraphrase Kenshiro's famous quip before he slays his enemies "You're already obsolete. You just don't know it yet." That's right. Your computers. Your tablets. Even those that you are going to buy next holiday season. All obsolete.

Why? Because the future is now 3DX Point memory. Memory 1000 times faster than the SSD that is making your current desktop fly at insane speeds at the moment, is like comparing a kids bobsled to an AA-Sidewinder missile. There will be a good 3 orders of magnitude difference. Check the figures. That's not hyperbole or an over-the-top exaggerated assertion. In fact, it's slightly underexaggerated: A bobsled could go a decent 20km/hr but multiplying that figure by 1000, you'd be hard pressed finding a sidewinder reaching 20,000km/hr folks. It is far, far slower.

So now, what does this new technology mean when it hits? Well, this is a filming and video blog... so the ramifications for film and video editing is ridiculous.

UTTERLY RIDICULOUS.

Strapping expensive cameras to cars

Get hooked on suctioncups and things as you watch this great how-to video from the guys over at Film Riot and Triune Films. Take home points: 1. Get insurance. 2. Get insurance. 3. Use other people's gear. But seriously, filming at 3am without a permit is perhaps the route most indy film makers would have to go. There are a few caveats with that route but all in all on a tight budget you can end up with some amazing epic footage and hopefully no broken gear.

Cheap lens vs Expensive lens

Don't chuck your fantastic plastic el-cheapo Canon glass just yet! For many applications, a $150 lens is indistinguishable from a $15,000 lens. Thanks Freddy.

Filmconvert Tutorial - Simple easy colour correction for the masses

Has colour grading been this elusive fontleroy? Always preferential, sometimes optional, never simple? Got 6 minutes to spare? This is perhaps the magic bullet you've been waiting for. It's so simple and fast, it will allow you to speedily grade your footage and strengthen your resolve.

Want to know all you need to know to use FilmConvert? I can say that once you watch this tutorial, you would be able to download the software and colour correct your footage - AND apply film stock and grain to them to give your takes a nice cinematic film look.

Special Effects using transparent film and projectors

There are amazing special effects you can do with just a few simple projectors and some transparent film (really just transparent vinyl table covers) hung from the ceiling.

Canon unveils C300 Mk II and points it squarely at RED with 4K recording, FHD at 12-bit 4:4:4 and 120fps recording and 410mbps.

This is what your movie can look like if its shot on a C300.

Canon just declared war on the RED line. Its new refreshed line up of Cinema cameras is looking better and better with each announcement. The new C300 Mk II brings a killer package to the table for a paultry $15,999, including:
- 10-bit 4:2:2 in 4K recording (UHD 3840 x 2160 & DCI cinematic (4096 x 2160 pixels)
-  up to 410Mbps (in 4K)
- 10/12-bit 4:4:4 in 2K & Full HD
-  up to 30p in 4K, 120p in 2K/Full HD
-  4K RAW files to external recorder
-  dual DIGIC DV5 processors
-  dual CFast 2.0 slots
-  15 stops of dynamic range with new Canon Log2
-  Dual Pixel CMOS AF
-  New XF-AVC Intra, Long GOP and Proxy H.265 codecs in 4K, UHD, 2K and 1080p
-  4-channel audio in 16 or 24 bit and 48 kHz
-  sensor-read out 2x faster than C300, less rolling shutter

This camera will be sold out and on backorder.

Thanks to Linus Tech Tips for the video.

Story Concept and Story Premise: Do You Know the Crucial Difference?

What’s up with story concept and story premise? Are they interchangeable words for the same idea–or are they separate tools with their own important jobs to fulfill?

Check out this fantastic write-up piece by K.M. Weiland on this very thing. Get your story and flesh it out with this remarkably simple and straight forward method.

"Expanding Role of the Cinematographer" with Robert Legato, ASC

Two-time VFX Oscar Winner (Hugo - 2011, Titanic - 1997), Director of Photography and VFX Supervisor Robert Legato, ASC sits down with GCI Co-Founder Yuri Neyman, ASC to discuss how the lines have become blurred between Cinematography and Visual Effects.

5 Things Cinematographers Can Do To Make The Editor Happier

Anybody successfully working in the arduous art of filmmaking will confirm it: it’s a collaborative process. And yet, because so many people are involved at very different stages, effective communication can sometimes be tricky. Two of the most important positions in the filmmaking crew are the cinematographer and the editor, but unless a conscious choice is made, they rarely overlap during the storytelling process and little chance is given for both parties to exchange.

This is actually a shortened list from an article over at RedShark News by Jonny Elwyn entitled "11 things video editors wish they could say to camera operators and DOPs" --- check it out for a more detailed list!

In any case, head over to jamuura.com for the top 5 list!