Media Matters

Some recent events within the cinema and video production worlds are causing us to take a fresh look at our shooting media needs

Dan Brockett

Panasonic AU-EVA1 Super 35 Handheld Cinema Camera Some recent events within the cinema and video production worlds have caused us to take a fresh look at our shooting media needs. You know, those cards and/or drives that we use to record our best efforts, dreams and wishes manifested as zeros and ones? Two different relatively earth-shaking events... Read more

iMac Pro, New iMacs And MacBook Pro Target Photo And Video Markets

Updates to the existing lineup and a preview of the iMac Pro renew Apple’s commitment to pros

David Schloss

The history of Apple is tied to that of the creative professional, after all, Apple is the company that ushered in the age of “desktop publishing” with the original Mac computers, and enabled digital photography and digital videography to blossom thanks to affordable, powerful high-end Macs. Apple’s history with professionals, though, has not... Read more

Virtual Reality: Cinematic First-Person Innovators

These breakthrough solutions let us step right into the shoes of a burnt-out detective in the year 2029 or become Harley Quinn in the Warner Bros. Suicide Squad VR experience

By Robert Powell

Over the past few years, filmmakers have been diving headfirst into creating and shaping the language of cinematic VR. No longer are large studios regarding VR as a gimmick or novelty that eventually will pass, instead validating it as a new medium by dedicating their effort, ingenuity and money into designing experiences that are unlike anything seen... Read more

Apple MacBook Pro (2016) Hands-On Video Review

It’s one of the most debated new portable Macs—is the MacBook Pro a must-have for creatives?

Staff

Our sister publication Digital Photo Pro reviewed Apple’s portable powerhouse computer when it was released last year, and now we’ll take you through its features in our hands-on video review. With an almost desktop-level of power, the 15-inch MacBook Pro is lighter and faster than the previous model (as is the 13-inch version). For video editors... Read more

Beyond The Rectangle

The evolution of virtual and augmented reality, and the players who are revolutionizing how we might view content

By Robert Powell

For years, futurists and filmmakers have lamented the passive experience of viewing entertainment enclosed within the frame of the screen. Even as devices become smaller, the rectangle still remains, delivering content to phones, tablets and computers. Over the next decade, emerging technologies promise to fundamentally transform content beyond the... Read more

The Future Of Mobile Storytelling

Google and The Mill team up to bring immersive cinema-quality filmmaking to mobile devices

By Dan Brockett

Filmmakers and visual storytellers have been attempting to bring virtual-reality narrative content to audiences for almost a decade, and during that time, the production challenges alone have been numerous and daunting. The ongoing quest remains the same: How can a 360º view of any narrative adventure be created without seeing camera equipment and... Read more

Virtual Reality Cinema: A New Medium Emerges

VR has arrived, and with it, a new type of filmmaker capable of engaging viewers more deeply with content than ever before

By Robert Powell

Virtual Reality (VR), the next great frontier for film and entertainment, is no longer in a phase of incubation, but rather in its last throes of anonymity. For those unfamiliar with this technology, VR involves wearing a headset that covers your entire field of vision with a screen to envelop the user with dynamic imagery and sound. You may recall... Read more

Eye In The Sky

The state of camera drones for film and television production

By Dan Brockett

2015 is destined to go down in history books as the year of the drone. A quick scan of the floor at NAB revealed new, lower-cost, more advanced drone technology everywhere. As a producer, director or cinematographer, you may have merely a passing interest in drones, but your projects in the future undoubtedly will utilize them to capture shots that... Read more

Micro Filmmaking

The new low-budget filmmaking category puts motion capture into the hands of the masses

By The Editors

When the Vine video-sharing app was released in 2013, most people dismissed it as a filmmaking application. After all, Vine’s video quality was lousy because of the heavy compression, and you could only capture six seconds of motion. But in the year since its release, it has become the new "snapshot," with filmmakers and companies using... Read more

Cut The Cord

The Teradek Bolt system lets you wirelessly transmit HD video up to 300 feet

By Neil Matsumoto

If you’re a director or cinematographer who’s meticulous about the look of your movie (framing, lighting, art direction, etc.), proper monitoring is one of the most important aspects of filmmaking. Before HD, to view shots while not looking through the viewfinder, one had to employ a video tap. The video tap monitor attached to the camera’s... Read more

Drone Wars

Instead of taking out enemies, production drones are being used for aerial cinematography

By Skip Ferderber

One of the production industry’s latest infatuations is with the use of drones in production. No, the intention isn’t to take out an enemy. Using drones in production—unmanned aircraft controlled from the ground and carrying lightweight cameras—has developed into a must-have tool for productions that need aerial coverage and can’t... Read more

The Long Goodbye

For movie exhibitors, the digital takeover is well underway

By Skip Ferderber

Mark Twain once wrote, "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." In regard to shooting and exhibiting motion picture film, unfortunately, the rumors are quickly becoming true. And nowhere does the coming end of film as a significant distribution medium hit home harder than at your local movie theater. Sometime next year, chances... Read more