It's not too often that I get caught up in the allure of a shiny new camera, but the Sony NEX FS100 and the Panasonic AF100 both have me pretty excited!

This Sony camera seems to represent most of the factors that digital filmmakers have been asking of their Canon 7D and 5DMkII DSLRs...Super35-sized sensor, uncompressed 4:2:2 output via HDMI, long shot lengths (it's compatible with a 10-hour Sony HXR-FMU flash module), an interchangeable lens system, and built-in XLR ports for balanced (and controlled) stereo audio). I said seems, because it won't be released into the wild until July-ish, so there won't be many clips to judge it by.

This camera is about the size of a Hasselblad digital camera, which is also about the size of a Red Epic. So, the form factor should be very workable. While the list price is $6,800, some analysts predict that it will be released to go head to head with the Panasonic competition below, placing the price right around $5,000.

The current offering at this price point and with a comparably-sized sensor is the Panasonic AG-AF100, using the Micro 4/3" sensor from the very popular GH2 camera.

The AF100 has many of the same features as the FS100, and a similar form factor. The difference in sensor size...17.3mm x 13mm for the AF100 vs 25.1mm x 17.6mm for the FS100...is minimal, about 10%. In a side by side test, this would likely be visible, but I think they would cut well together.

There are purists who would suggest that the Sony would produce a more filmic image, but if the shallow Depth of Field that everyone talks about is what you're looking for, and the 5DMkII is all that you're really satisfied with, then what you're really talking about in motion picture camera terms is VistaVision, where the film runs horizontally instead of vertically. It's cool, but the vast majority of films that are actually shot on film shoot on a camera based on the vertical 35mm mechanism. Standard, anamorphic, or Super35.

For $5,000, either of these cameras should get you there just fine!

A huge honor for a friend of mine

A couple weeks ago I received a brief text from my long-time friend Michael:

Our film is going to be shown at Cannes.

The film in question is his team's entry in Portland's 48 Hour Go Green Film Festival The film is called To the land of the setting Sun. It finished first in Portland, then went to Las Vegas, where it finished first nationally. Out of all the international entries, it finished 5th!

The film can be viewed here.

When I received the text from Michael, I don't think I could have been much more excited than if it was my film that was going to Cannes. We talk about film ideas frequently and collaborate on ideas, so I feel a vicarious thrill through his accomplishment.

Congratulations, my friend!

Hearing what's being said

As individuals, we each have slightly different penchants for what we find entertaining, and more frequently, what we find boring or downright insulting because we just wasted our time or money to watch something that didn't appeal to us.

The same thing can happen in a conversation, even one that we share with our friends. The chatter may move away from a topic we are interested in, and suddenly we find ourselves thinking of something else or realizing that we are bored, even if it is just for a moment.

Each of us has something to say. We are all aware of in inner voice. But we often aren't aware of what's beyond our own voice. We often don't pay as close attention to what others are saying as we probably should.

Artists are unusual among people in that we are willing to emotionally stick our necks out. We are willing to look foolish just to have the opportunity to play with an idea that's floating around in our heads. And that idea can start with something as simple as a single sensory impulse...a color, a scent, the way we feel when we hear a melody, or simply how a phrase strikes a chord in us. Others may not understand this, but that isn't what's important. What IS important is that we take this impulse and put it up an a large, wrinkled, bedsheet screen as we try to express to anyone who will listen "This is how I feel. This is what I see."

What we see may strike us as the most brilliant combination of sound and picture we have ever seen and inspire us to want to create. It can also seem raw, undisciplined, short on technique, and cliche-ridden, and leaving us asking the question "Why did they bother making this movie?"

And that is the critical question. Why. It begs to be asked of the artist, hopefully in a respectful way. It begs to be discussed among your peers as you try to decipher what you're seeing. Even if you don't like the work, don't discount it and move on.

Those of us who have children spend countless hours talking with them, questioning them, and trying to understand them and help them understand the world as they struggle with a vocabulary that can never express the wonder that they experience the world with.

As they mature, many artists struggle with a limited vocabulary that they are trying to expand. Spend the time to ask the questions, and try to understand some of what the artist is trying to say. Because you may have missed the message, and the message might unlock some unexpected beauty for you.

Be open, and be curious.

A plug for two companies that support Portland's creative community

Portland is the home amazing companies that support the creative industry. They want us to be successful. It's good for the community that they serve, and they like to be associated with people who are able to gain traction with their work. It is also good for their business for us to be successful.

A couple standouts that I've had the pleasure of working with are 3DV, led by Kurt and Mark Macey, and Red Giant Software, managed locally by John Kerr.

3DV is a vendor of Autodesk products, which include 3DS Max, Softimage, and Maya...the heavyweights in the 3D animation and effects industry. Their post-sales support is phenomenal, and they'e great guys to work with.

Red Giant Software is the creator of the famous Magic Bullet image treatment program. Their software library is impressive, and their support is right here in Portland. They also want to see how artists are using their software, and they'll bring lunch!

Both of these companies support the industry financially and with knowledge. They both donate to local groups dedicated to growing our industry, such as Portland After Effects User Group, the Portland Cutters, and Portland 3D User Group. This support allows users to grow and learn in a market that isn't yet moving at the pace of Los Angeles, Vancouver, or New York. They help our local market grow to serve the national market.

I'm asking everyone who reads this blog to keep this in mind as they decide which tool to buy, or where to buy it. The global market allows us to buy software and hardware more cheaply if we go online. But the big superstores don't support our local talent base in any way other than by selling to it. Please support those who support you.

New project in the works

I have a long list of projects that I can't shoot because of the cost involved. So far, all of my scripts are either features, or they are longer shorts with a lot of physical and digital effects. I don't write small. So I have the challenge is writing something that I can shoot.

I’m intrigued by the idea of shooting an entire movie in a single space. It can either be really boring, or psychologically intense. It all depends on the skill of the storyteller.

I'm particularly interested in the work of Takashi Miike for his use of narrative and photographic style in emotional counterpoint to each other. My take is that you don't know what lurks in the emotional recesses of a character, despite how rosy or dismal their surroundings are, or the photographic style is.

My criteria were that the project had to be:
1) Easy to shoot and quick, preferably in a day or less.
2) Cheap
3) Can be shot at a moment's notice
4) Strong aesthetic value

So, to solve these problems, here's how I worked it out:

The short is expected to be four minutes long. This is just an arbitrary number that I came to. It could be longer, but I think that I’d lose the emotional intensity of the piece with a longer narrative.

It will take place in 3 rooms in a single location (my apartment), using available light, or, if needed, lit for action. No complicated action, and any real specificity would be handled in the edit, where I have all the time in the world. No sync sound or dialog. That's right. I'm shooting this silent on a DSLR, probably a Panasonic GH2 because of the crispness of the video image and its mobility, but possibly on a Canon 5D, simply because it has a better menu of lenses. There are also technical and creative reasons for these choices, which I'll discuss further as I start blogging about the projects. While I do have access to more purpose-built tools, such as the Sony EX3 and the Red One, the SLR form factor and optics simply suit this project better.

The more people are involved, the slower the project moves. Therefore, the on-set team will include myself, my director of photography/camera operator, and my onscreen talent. We are also shooting with the edit in mind, and the editor will be involved from the start. This choice solves several problems: two people are a lot easier to get to a location with a few day's notice than a crew of 20. Also, it significantly reduces expenses, and creates a much more intimate environment for collaboration between artists. It also allows us to be very nimble on the set.

The project will be storyboarded using the stills from our camera tests. We will record temp audio and fit it to the 4-minute run-time, then create an animatic from the stills. This allows us to be efficient on the set and make sure that we have the shots that we need. We also have the opportunity to discover what we can do with the shots visually, and if we need to explore other framings and focal lengths to accomplish some of our visual goals. This process also allows us to make sure that we are shooting each room in an order that makes sense from a daylight availability perspective.

The real challenge at this point is that my apartment doesn’t look inhabited by a woman. I’ve visited a few single friends to see what their spaces look like so that I can properly dress the space.

I'm excited to be working under these constraints! They will help me hone my processes and ability to communicate, while being over short enough duration that the project is still manageable.