We Can Do It

We Can Do It

Monday, May 28, 2012

I am speaking at CineGear about the F65 camera


I recently wrapped production on a film shot on the brand new 4K Sony F65 camera, and I will be presenting footage and speaking about my experience and workflow, etc in LA on Friday night, June 1st and I will be on a panel about the F65 with other DPs on Saturday.

Both presentations are in the Paramount Theater.  Registration for CineGear is free if you register by 10AM May 26th, or $25 after that.

You do not need to reserve my particular sessions; seating is first come first served.  The film is called BOX, and the producer, Don Cummings will be in the audience, as well as representatives who worked on the project from Technicolor NY, who designed our workflow, and Abel Cine who provided and trained us on the camera.

I also plan to attend the Produced By Conference the following weekend.  For those of you attending, please stop by the grand opening open house of the Sony Digital Motion Picture Center.  Some of my footage will be playing there throughout the conference.  I also shot the stills for the ASC/PGA ICAS Camera Assessment Test that will debut at the conference.

* I may be returning to NY right after CineGear to start prep on a feature, in which case I will miss the Produced By Conference but my footage will still be showing.


Friday
Paramount Theater   7:30PM – 8:30PM          
Episodic TV: Bringing the art and technology of the F65 to the small screen
Presenters: Various
 
If you think the F65 is just for feature film work, this session will change your mind. Industry experts will share their first-hand experience, demonstrating why the F65 is the right choice for your next episodic Television or HD production project. The workflow including native editing and finishing will come to life in this presentation, you will learn how to harness the full power of the F65, from its 8K imager and mechanical shutter to 14 stops of dynamic range and a color gamut wider than film – all in a simple, straight-to-edit HD workflow using the industry standard SR Codec.

Saturday
Paramount Theater  11:30AM – 12:30PM
Harnessing the power of the F65 for Feature films and Commercials Production

Presenters: Various

This presentation will focus on the imagery, art and science of the F65 digital motion picture camera and the workflow using 16 bit Linear 8K RAW and the SR Codec for feature film and commercials production.

It’s only been available for a few months, but the F65 is already shooting more than half a dozen big-budget feature films and high-profile commercials, all of which are still in production. Come see why this groundbreaking motion picture camera is taking
digital cinematography to a new level. With 8K of resolution, color space wider than film, 14 stops of dynamic range and one of the only mechanical shutters on an electronic cinematography camera – the F65 produces images that need to be seen to be believed.

And here is a list of all the great panels and presentations:

For more information about the film see

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Shooting the short film "BOX" on the Sony F65 camera

Whenever I sign on to shoot a short film, I see it as an opportunity to try out a new camera I haven't used yet.  So I was ecstatic when I was able to acquire the fancy new Sony F65 camera for my latest film BOX.  The best camera ever made, the biggest deal about this camera is it shoots true 4K resolution, but I actually don't care too much about resolution.  I care what the image looks like and what I can DO with the camera, which is why we all love the Alexa so much.  When I tested this camera at the Sony training center in LA last month, I was astounded at the Dynamic Range that resulted from shooting in 16bit RAW.  We measured 15 stops!

But the 4K files are just way more data than we need as an indie film.  The storage requirements and the post needs are unrealistic for most indies or even TV series.  So far the only other films shooting with this camera are big studio films.  So with Sony & Technicolor's involvement, and with the expert guidance of Abel Cine who is providing our package and lots of expertise and training, we decided to be the first film to shoot in the camera's HD mode, which shoots in the new SR codec (just like HDCAM SR tape, but tapeless.)

I shot a Dynamic Range test earlier this week, in this mode & confirmed my suspicion that the 10 bit SR codec wasn't going to equal the range of the 16 bit RAW. (Mathematically, higher bit depth equals more stops.)  It's certainly enough range (11-12 stops) for the majority of the movie, but for the scene where I am most worried about range, (a daylight driving sequence) I plan to shoot that in the 4KRAW mode to maximize that dynamic range.  It's pretty cool that you can switch between the 2 depending on your project's needs.

I'm excited to start shooting tomorrow, and for all the publicity we are already getting.  Follow me on twitter & Facebook for more updates, including links to press.


FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/JendraDP
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/Jendra


For more info about the film, check out
www.indiegogo.com/box