Featured video: "New York City | "Color Commentary" on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera" by H. Paul Moon

At Vimeo, the caption says: Within the week of posting, my NYC test run of the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera went north of 3k playbacks, seeming sensible now to complement with a split-screen comparison of the untouched footage straight from the camera, alongside that finished product after color correction/grading. I have no delusions of being a studio auteur, who could justify a braggart director's commentary, but after thinking about the option to write a long, wordy blog post, I figured it's easier and better all-around just to talk over my footage. It's a visual medium anyway, and I'm sort of surprised there aren't more of these. Would love to see yours, too. The video streams by default in full 1080p high definition, so if you get jitters, click the HD icon in-frame to reduce your playback resolution. For reference, here's the original seven-minute film: http://vimeo.com/hpmoon/nyc. As I say at the end of this commentary, please add your comments below, and please share your work as it happens by joining the User Group: http://vimeo.com/groups/blackmagic http://facebook.com/BMCCusers http://twitter.com/BMCCusers TECHNICAL NOTES: Filmed handheld on a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera (http://bhpho.to/bmccpckt), using a single lens (Panasonic 12-35mm, continuous f2.8 aperture, optically stabilized H-HS12035 | http://focuspull.in/hs12035). Shooting was on September 1 and 2, 2013, with post-production on September 7 and this commentary on September 12. Edited and graded in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, with clip-by-clip balancing adjustments using Fast Color Corrector, then applying an Adjustment Layer over the entire sequence with FilmConvert Pro 2, using its Blackmagic Cinema Camera profile and selecting the classic film stock emulation of KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207/7207 (with vintage Super 16mm film grain to match the feel -- and the actual size -- of the BMPC's digital sensor).

Featured video: "New York City | Breaking in the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera" by H. Paul Moon

At Vimeo, the caption says: On August 29, there were just a handful of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras (BMPCs) in circulation, but I managed to get one. That weekend, I took a visit to New York City as my occasion to break it in. Manhattan has been a limitless source of inspiration for people far more talented than me, but the Blackmagic technology, coming to market in such a versatile size, invited this cinematic tone poem which might, even so, look different. Instead of creating something like a tourism video, I wanted to try and capture the human energy of the city that New Yorkers themselves know best, driven by the extraordinary music of Richard Danielpour that I came across recently (ringing in my head all weekend as I captured these shots). True to the elegant simplicity of the BMPC (http://bhpho.to/bmccpckt), I shot the entire piece handheld, using a single lens (Panasonic 12-35mm, continuous f2.8 aperture, optically stabilized H-HS12035 | http://focuspull.in/hs12035). Shooting was over the course of two days, September 1 and 2, gathering well under an hour of raw footage which was all that could fit onto a flash card using ProRes 422 HQ anyway. In post-production on September 7, I performed clip-by-clip balancing adjustments using Fast Color Corrector in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, then applied an Adjustment Layer over the entire sequence with FilmConvert Pro 2, using its Blackmagic Cinema Camera profile and selecting the classic film stock emulation of KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207/7207 (adding vintage Super 16mm film grain to match the feel -- and the actual size -- of the BMPC's digital sensor). The BMPC concept has a long way to go; it doesn't live up to its promises in terms of dealing with highlights (those dreaded white orbs), its batteries last a New York minute, and its interface is wonky, but I'm excited by the latitude that it buys me for image corrections in post, given its portable form factor which really suits my working style. If you're interested in seeing the creations and comments and tips of other filmmakers using this camera, join the User Group community that I created at: http://vimeo.com/groups/blackmagic http://facebook.com/BMCCusers http://twitter.com/BMCCusers [Note: This video streams by default in full 1080p high definition. If you experience stuttering, click the HD icon in-frame to reduce its playback resolution.]

Featured video: "Let There Be Light" by Mark Vargo

At Vimeo, the caption says: The video begins with a historical review of the origins of cinema lighting. Next - some background on the physics of light and color - and how these facts relate to the choices we make as cinematographers and photographers. The video concludes with a montage of modern lighting instruments and then a quick summation. The next tutorial is about grips and gripping. Production started today! I'll put a teaser out soon for " GRIP IT GOOD". Thanks for watching! - Mark Vargo, asc please visit - http://markvargo.com/