This is relevant to me because i have family and friends that currently serve or have previously served in my country’s armed forces, and this is a real and current view into what is actually happening over there. It’s also remarkable because the video was shot by a single person using Canon’s new EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR that records high definition video. Which means scenes that used to be reproduced by armies of filmmakers for the movies can now be captured — actually documented — as they happen with cinematic quality and detail never before possible on today’s battlefield.

This preview is a rough cut from the first act of the Frontline documentary Obama’s War.

FRONTLINE: Obama’s War | PBS

[Seen on Gizmodo via Lightstalkers]

“How sad is it when the President of the National Association of Theater Owners doesnt think his members can create a better movie going experience than what we can see in our houses and apartments ?”

-Mark Cuban, “What Business are theaters in ?” [via]

The sad part is that a lot of the time a movie is better experienced at home. Not necessarily the movie part, but the experience part. As Cuban notes: “People of different demographics have different expectations of the movie going experience. Trying to mix them only ends up making both mad.”

“…shoot in a film style, with all of the discipline of film.” – Another brief overview outlining some of the differences between video and film production techniques.

How can I achieve that film look?

Shallow DOF not desirable & other Video versus film problems.

In general [...] deep focus is not desirable unless for style or effect. It’s too easy to get background interference. Plants, books, paintings, stairs, furniture — all that stuff when extremely sharp has to be properly designed so as not to interfere with foregound action. If on the other hand it’s soft in the BG, it’s not as big of an issue.

Simulating 35mm Motion Picture Clarity in After Effects by Daniel Broadway

Virginia Film Office

Production Companies:
• New Dominion Pictures / Home
• Creativedge – Portfolio
• Henninger Media Services

• Lighting
  • large diffused/bounced light sources—not direct lighting
• Frame rate (24fps – 24 frames per second)
  • normal video is 60i (60 interlaced frames/second, which makes 30 full frames/second)
• Scan method (interlaced vs. progressive)
• Frame aspect ratio (basically, the shape)
  • current SD television is 4:3
  • future HD formats are 16:9
  • film is presented at various aspects (1.85:1, 2.35:1 are common “standards”)
• Recording medium
  • Pixels Vs Film
  • Clumps and Chumps
  • Digital video vs. film
  • Film_Grain vs Video_Noise
  • film
    • grain structure
    • gamma curve
    • analog/non-digital capture of light
  • video
    • limited based on storage medium (tapes)
    • limited based on imaging chips (CCDS), both in quality and number
    • digital recording of light levels
• Gamma
  • Dynamic Range
  • Color
• Depth Of Field
  • lens (aperture, focal length)
  • light/exposure
  • in film production, the Director of Photography usually selects a set film stock and appropriate exposure level and works the lights, lenses, etc. around that
• Camera movement
  • no zooms
  • camera moves on dolly/crane/steadicam for professional, smooth movements, unless stylistically called for (hand-held like Saving Private Ryan)
• Sharpness

The cliche is that every waiter in LA is an actor. The truth is that every non-waiter is probably working on a screenplay.

John August. “On friends, colleagues and jealousy.” [via]

Don’t consider myself much of a writer, but some very interesting insights into the industry at johnaugust.com.

As always, i was amused by that obviously fake blood they used back then that’s too opaque and looks more like runny orange paint than blood. Did they just not know that it looked fake, or what? It took me a little while to recognize Richard Attenborough who was much younger than the entrepreneur from Jurassic Park that i picture him as.

I’ve read that the beginning crash scene of the remake is pretty awesome, which is one area the original was really weak in. Not sure if i wanna risk buying a ticket to find out if the rest of it is good though—it has some definite stellar potential.