iPhone 6s

So as you guys may have heard, or seen on a commercial, the iPhone 6s is coming out soon and there are a ton of new features with the latest version of the Apple product. Among these new features, the iPhone 6s has an updated camera, that can now shoot in, yes this is correct, 4k video.

So in case you don't know what 4k video is, it is the most advanced resolution that you can watch or shoot video content in. 4k means that there are 4,000 horizontal pixels in the content you are viewing or shooting. Here is an example of a video that was shot entirely on an iPhone 6s

The Painter Of Jalouzi: A Look At The Future Of Mobile Film Making

THE PAINTER OF JALOUZI

A LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF MOBILE FILM MAKING

    4K (4096 x 2160), or "Ultra Definition" has been probably one of the most hot topic words of 2015. With cameras coming out in increasing numbers in not only cinema style, but ENG, and DSLR models, as well as cameras like the GoPro Hero4 this year, and the increase in 4K TVs for a commercial market it seems safe to say that 4K is here to stay.

     "The Painter of Jalouzi" is a short documentary on a Haitian painter that was just released by RYOT just a week ago. The doc, which was shoot in 4K, is absolutely stunning with vibrant colors and detail in every pixel. However this was not shot on a typical ENG camera, or even a DSLR. No this documentary was shot on the new Iphone 6s. 

    I was stunned to see the footage that they produced with this Iphone, the details and clarity were unlike anything I could have dreamed be shot on a phone. It made me think of the capabilities and tools that we as content creators have accessible, and the future of mobile film making. 

    Does this mean that all of us will be able to make a "Painter in Jalouzi?" Of course not. As with all advancements in technology the priority will always be the story, will always be the composition. Like in the days of early handheld camera work, it looked like garbage, but if the right people were behind it the it doesn't matter. 

     You may also notice while watching this the amazing depth of field and shots in it. In a behind the scenes video the filmmakers used gimbals, drones, and attachments so they could use actual lenses on the iphone. However they did mention that the stabilizer on the iphone proved very impressive and that they used the gimbal less then expected. 

     It's exciting that to me to see the way we are going to start producing content change, whether that be through film, documentary's, or any media really. And the fact that the picture quality is getting better too is outstanding. The more tools we have, I honestly believe, the more creative we are bound to come. 

                     

      

The Alexa 65

Arri just made a big announcement; they're releasing a different version of the Alexa, titled the "Alexa 65" and some of its features are very impressive (6K and a 65mm sensor just to name a few).

The camera gets its name from the 65mm sensor that comes with the camera, which is about 3x bigger than a standard super35. They call the sensor the A3X and claim it is "the largest high-performance motion picture sensor available on the market today. The sensor has a 54.12 ,, x 25.59 mm active imaging area, which is even larger than the film gate of ARRI's 765 65 mm film camera." The sensor has a dynamic range of more than 14 stops and the sensor is designed with the same color imaging/interpretation so that the image produced will match well with any member of the Alexa family. 

Just to give some insight as to how impressive the dynamic range of this camera is here's some comparison: 

The Canon 5D Mark ii - 10 stops

RED Epic X - 13.5 stops

Sony FS-100 - 11.5 stops

Sony PMW F3 - 12+ stops

Blackmagic URSA - 12 stops

The Alexa 65 features a similar design and ergonomics as the 35mm Alexa, except a little wider to fit the larger sensor. Arri isn't making the Alexa 65 available for purchase, its going for rentals only. Arri will be sending the camera out with an entire system, including rehoused Hasselblad prime lenses as well as a Codex Vault workflow solution. 

Here are the specific features (provided by "no-film school):

• 65mm Digital Cinema Camera
• ARRI A3X CMOS sensor
• 5-perf 65mm (full camera aperture)
• 6560 x 3102 resolution (maximum recordable)
• 54.12 x 25.58 mm Sensor size (active image area)
• Weight: 10.5 kg / 23.2 lb
• ARRI XPL Mount (64mm diameter)
• 200 - 3200 ISO. Base is 800 ISO
• Dynamic Range: >14 stops
• Uncompressed ARRIRAW
• LDS metadata
• Electronic Shutter 5° - 358°, adjustable in 1/10° increments
• 0.75 to 27 fps (upgrade to 60 fps planned for early 2015)

Here are some links to find out more:

http://www.fdtimes.com/issues/cinec-munich-issue/

http://arrirentalgroup.com/alexa65/

http://nofilmschool.com/2014/09/arri-reveals-6k-65mm-cinema-camera-alexa-65

While it is so great that cameras are advancing so much with the ability to shoot in high resolutions like 4K, 6K ect, what does it say that the exhibition and distribution of 4K+ projects isn't keeping up with the advances of cameras and that some laptops still feature sub-HD monitors. 

Shooting 4K films on your iPhone?

So we all know about the new beautifully clear 4K TVs and more importantly, 4K filming cameras. Now that they've been out for a couple months prices haven't started to calm down and they are a bit more affordable. Since it has come out though new technology around 4K filming has emerged. Other than the 8K TVs and whatever else they have now, they've developed a new way to film 4K film without buying a 4K camera. Recently an app has been developed for the iPhone that seeks to bring 4K filming, editing, and delivery for phones everywhere at a big price.

The app known as "Vizzywig" is estimated to cost an estimated $1,000. It will allow you to film at 24 high resolution frames per second at a data rate of 72MB/s. The creator Michael Zaletel made the app in such a way that it allows you to actually add transitions titles, music, ect. Currently the app is only available for IOS 7 and IOS 8 and requires at least 32GB or 64GB memory card.

This addition to the iPhone is revolutionary for filmmakers everywhere and even the common folk. Having this ability can greatly impact the average persons ability to make great films. It is definitely upping the popularity of film making. For more information view the link and watch the attached video to see what you can do.


http://nofilmschool.com/2014/09/you-can-now-shoot-glorious-4k-video-your-iphone-itll-cost-you

Making a lot Out of a Little

Over the past semester I have started to really branch out an learn about as much independent filming as I could. I started to follow a lot of different websites such as Cinema 5D and my personal favorite Phillip Bloom's website and blog. Phillip Bloom is a British cinematographer who works on a higher professional level as well as making his own independent videos. The video I am focusing on today is "From Chicago to the Moon", one of his most recently pieces. This film was shot in 4k. 4k resolution is considered Ultra High definition. 4k resolution has 3840 pixels x 2160 compared to 1080p which is HDTV or 2k resolution. This explains why the video looks so beautiful and the reason why you may be asking your self why your videos don't look like that.

The cameras used for this film were the Sony F55 and the Canon 1DC. These two camera bodies combined cost around 40,000 dollars. Thats a lot compared to my Canon T3i which was 600. My first point I want to make is that you definitely get what you pay for. My T3i can produce awesome shots and its a great camera to start off with, however the two camera Phillip Bloom used are professional grade equipment and are worth every penny to a professional. The shots in this video are beautiful, its is almost spot on to what the human eye can capture, and thats why the equipment costs so much, quality. The quality of the shots in this video is what made it a Vimeo Staff Pick not the story, which kind of confuses me. I'm personally a big fan of using video as means of telling a story and when you break this video down, it is just a lot of B-roll. I'm not critiquing the quality or beauty of this piece of art, I'm saying is the content could have been more intriguing. However this video was shot in about 15 minutes. In the post about this video Phillip Bloom says he was at dinner and then had he saw something he had to capture but only had so much time to get the shots, luckily he had his equipment with him. Along with his two cameras he had an array of lenses including a 800m lens with two telephoto extenders making his 800m 4x its actual size. He used this to obtain the shots of the moon as well as the skyline. The shots of the moon were probably my favorite part of the film, the definition of an object so far away is just amazing. The shots of the skyscrapers were quite interesting as well, he says in his blog post that the shoot location was about 40 miles away from the city of chicago.

Overall the video is quite creative, my only problem with it is that it is getting so much reception without even a basic story line. There are plenty of ways you could bullshit the story or symbolism behind the video, but the plot should be observable to the viewer without to much effort. This video is however a great example of the mentality a cinematographer should have. Phillip Bloom saw something he like and he filmed it with what he had, granted he usually has a lot more available then you average film student but the general idea is there. If you want to be successful you should be shooting something at least once a week if not once a day, some footage will be shit, other footage will be great but thats all part of the process. The videographer of this video saw that the sun went down and he immediately started shoot the moon, thats the mindset you must have when you're shooting. There is always something else to shoot, even if it is as simple as the moon.