More choices of everything at Nab

Okay here's a few important things to know:

1. Canon has 2 new cinema cameras to add to the C300, both 4k cameras, the c500 and the new 1D

2. Sony has a 4k version of the FS100, the FS700. This is more consumer based but 4k is taking off here. Their F65 is an 8k camera. This is outrageous. I can't even imagine what that means in data workflow.

3. Aja has a 4k KiPro mini

Overall this means digital cinema is fully in swing. Arri can't be far behind as the Alexa is currently the favorite digicine cam and is well established after only 2 years in production.

Most of the day here has been looking at cameras and rigs. I rubbed shoulders with James Cameron. His company was showing automated 3d where you can set up a 3d sled and digitally save the set up.

I also met Joe Rubenstein who is the developer of the Digital Bolex, a brave new interpretation of the classic. Both his and the Swedish Ikonoscope are kind of retro lower priced RAW cinema cameras. Maybe they can keep the big guns (Sony, canon) on their toes.

Just arrived nab

Started in the audio department today but got sidetracked into the GoPro booth. Q5X makes amazing radio mic transmitters such as a bendable sports player mic, and a submersible pack for water sports. Also, they embed mics I shoes for broadway shows such as Hair. Not too far away, goPro has the Hero2 sports video camera recorder, which now includes a suite of software that doubles the sharpness and has a Technicolor designed color LUT scheme. This means you can shoot with a GoPro and match it to cameras such as the Arri Alexa or any other professional digital motion picture camera. Not bad for a camera that retails for $299. Oh and they have an underwater 3d rig for it too. Sound Devices is showing their 422 video recorder, remarkable for a sound company that is moving into video data recording. Lots of companies are making add-on recorders. We recently bought an AJA KiPro mini to leverage the 422 output of our F3 camera that senior students use to shoot dramas. Sound Devices recorder rig leaves a bit to be desired in that the power add-ins, with the battery under the unit more or less disable the use of the tripod. I'm sure that there are better rigs out there. I'll be looking for that here at the show. Yamah's DM1000 /2000 mixing consoles more than replace the function of our aging Ward Beck mixing console. These are powerful consoles available at a fraction of the cost of the old WB. Hopefully next year we can get funding to update the audio side of our studio.

Nab 2012

Check in frequently as I will update during the day as I go. Remember it's a few hours earlier in Vegas.

Sundance Panels

Excerpted from the DOC listserve

"Here are links to public panels recorded at Sundance a few weeks ago.
One features Robert Redford, Sheila Nevins and Nick Fraser. The other
focusses on advocacy docs and social entrepreneurship, as sponsored by
the Skoll Foundation. Both were sell-outs:

http://www.sundance.org/video/power-of-story-how-docs-changed-change/
Power of Story: How Docs Changed Change
<http://www.sundance.org/video/power-of-story-how-docs-changed-change/%2\
0Power%20of%20Story:%20How%20Docs%20Changed%20Change>

How have documentaries changed the notion of change? That philosophical
conundrum animated the lively exchange at the Power of Story: How Docs
Changed Change panel at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday afternoon,
between moderator and CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien asked the
panelists - Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford;
Sheila Nevins, the president of HBO Documentary Films; and Nick Fraser,
the commissioning editor of BBC’sStoryville.

http://www.skollfoundation.org/stories-of-change-charged-up-sundances-ma\
in-street/
<%20http://www.skollfoundation.org/stories-of-change-charged-up-sundance\
s-main-street/>

Talk about spirited discussion. Stories of Change charged up Main
Street, Park City Tuesday afternoon. Led by the Skoll Foundation and the
Sundance Institute, the SoC panel discussion brought social
entrepreneurs Joia Mukherjee (Partners in Health) and Bunker Roy
(Barefoot College) to the stage, along with the film-makers who are
telling their stories. There was a packed house at the Egyptian Theater
â€" and lots of cheers and clapping."

Giving Voice Doc Mentorship Program

Giving Voice is pleased to share with you an exclusive featured in Playback online
about our mentorship program, Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working with
Filmmakers. The program is sponsored by documentary and is the only
documentary-focused apprenticeship program of its kind.

See below for the article:
http://bit.ly/yp1XRh

Submissions to the program will be open until February 29th 2012! You can
find the call for submissions, including application criteria, on our
website at: http://www.docorg.ca/en/givingvoice

For more information about Giving Voice and how you can participate, please
get in touch with me, Adèle Charlebois. You can reach me by e-mail at
adele@docorg.ca or by phone at 416-599-3844 x2.

Grad Shines

Sergei Petrov one of our past grads just got word that a documentary he worked on as a DOP just won the Best Film Award at the Russian Documentary International Film Festival.

"Remembering The Future" is about the hockey legends who played in the 1972 summit series.

It looks like they will try and enter the Hot Docs festival.

New in the Cage

A lot of new equipment was purchased this semester to upgrade the facility and replace worn out gear. All of our tape based cameras have been replaced with the Sony NXCAM NX5U. This camera is used for all first year projects. We have also added more cameras to our inventory of XDCAM EX1 cameras, which are designated for 2nd and 3rd year projects. All of our cameras are now filed-based, so the tape era is now officially over at B&F! Along with this we have added enough tripods and pro sound kits to go with every camera package.

On the camera support side, we've added the Steadicam Pilot, the Premier Studio Equipment PD-1 Dolly with track and several Shape Spider Pro Shoulder Mounts. And that's not all, we've really beefed up the lighting side with a whole range of new lighting kits including the Lowell DV Kits for 1st year, Arri and Lupo Kits for 2nd and 3rd year. Not to mention an extensive bump on grip gear inclduing apple boxes, sand bags, grip stands, flags, nets, scrims, clamps and reflectors. We've also ordered four new editing stations and are replacing the Mac station in Room 271, Post-Audio. As previously reported, the Sony F3 Camera is our new state of the art digital film camera.