Grow Your Own

We’re selling what?

By Matt Wightman

About a year ago, I received a call from a producer who needed a crew for a direct-market commercial. I was referred to him by a gaffer I often work with. The producer felt my specialty in product shooting and direct-market content would be a good match for his needs. I live in a part of Florida where direct-market content, or infomercials, is shot... Read more

Peak Performance

Apogee MiC 96k, and output levels for online delivery

By Dan Brockett

APOGEE MiC 96k Q We recently landed a project that will involve shooting on-location performances with singer/songwriters. I have a Canon C100 camera that has okay audio quality, but I’m looking to step up the quality in regard to microphones and sample rate. We just bought the newest version of Apple’s Logic X, so I’m interested... Read more

The State Of 4K Today

What a difference a year makes

By Andy Shipsides

In the October 2012 issue of this magazine, I wrote a column called "4K Plug-And-Play" about an AbelCine client who wanted to shoot and play back 4K live. They had purchased a 4K camera and a 4K projector, and wanted to see the output of the camera live. At the time, this presented a complicated and expensive problem to solve. Their camera... Read more

Lightning Strikes Twice

Plus, conquering critical focus

By Michael Guncheon

THUNDERBOLT 2 Q I see Thunderbolt becoming more common, but now I see a new Thunderbolt coming out. Is this like FireWire? My experience with going from FireWire to FireWire 800 wasn’t terrible, but not great. It all seemed to be about theoretical performance, but when I would use it, I wasn’t that impressed. Am I going to be disappointed... Read more

Sensors & Circles

Will your lens cover your particular sensor?

By Andy Shipsides

At AbelCine, one of the most common questions our techs get these days is about lens coverage with different cameras. It’s no wonder that we get these inquiries, as there’s an endless stream of new cameras coming out, all of which have different sensor sizes and specs. We frequently get questions like this: "Does my 16mm lens cover... Read more

Single-System Sound

Sound Devices MixPre-D sound mixer, and Sony MDR-V6 headphones

By Dan Brockett

SOUND DEVICES MIXPRE-D Q Could you offer a suggestion on a small mixer for maximizing audio quality when shooting with DSLRs and medium-range video cameras like the Canon C100? We’ve been using a Zoom H4n, but keeping the audio organized and syncing in post is becoming tedious, so we want to maximize the sound quality from our new microphones... Read more

Resolving Detail

Shooting from a different perspective

By Michael Guncheon

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES Q I recently set up to shoot some interviews and thought about the concept of what framing I should use. Usually, I would just mix up the framing, going from medium to close-up, etc., so that once the footage got into edit they wouldn’t be hampered by jump cuts. But as I set up my gear, I got into a discussion with the... Read more

Speed Wars

Plus, getting the LED out, Part II

By Michael Guncheon

In the last column, I talked about LED lighting and color temperature. I recounted the experience a small studio had when evaluating LED lighting to install in a new stage. They were somewhat surprised at the variance of color temperature and, more importantly, how colors look on camera. While their tests weren’t scientific, they pointed out the... Read more

Sound Restoration

iZotope RX 2/RX 3 complete audio repair, and how to improve your audio

By Dan Brockett

iZOTOPE FOR AUDIO REPAIR Q I have a video project that I’m working on as the sound mixer, and I’m serving as the audio editor, as well. I had some equipment issues, however, which resulted in audio tracks that were noisy and hissy. This was a one-shot deal for a documentary, and it can’t be rerecorded, so I need to do the best I can... Read more

Beyond The Bars

Common questions on monitor calibration

By Andy Shipsides

We recently started offering HD monitor calibration services at AbelCine. Our clients are very particular about image quality when it comes to their cameras, and the same is true for monitors. We did receive a few questions, however, about why monitor calibration is important in a production setting. Most people know how important monitor calibration... Read more

Plugging Back In

Why I returned to subscription television

By Neil Matsumoto

In the past few years, online video has exploded. The Internet has become faster and more accessible, online video advertising has become more personalized, and perhaps most importantly, mobile video streaming has become the viewing platform of choice for anyone under 21. By 2017, a Cisco study predicts that video-on-demand traffic will nearly triple... Read more

Is 3D On Its Last Legs?

Not quite, but the writing is on the wall

By Neil Matsumoto

In 2008, I attended the first 3D Entertainment Summit. Delivering the keynote was DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, who proclaimed that in film’s 100-plus-year history, there have been three major milestones that have advanced the art of filmmaking: sound, color and, now, 3D (obvious hyperbole to promote upcoming DreamWorks Animation 3D releases). ... Read more