With the explosive changes in media—the expansion of the internet, portable media players and the decline of the magazine and newspaper business—we have seen many multimedia ideas for new communication technologies. Here’s a look at one of them.

We’re currently witnessing a trend towards still and motion images merging. On the image capture side, just think of how HDSLR cameras are changing the landscape of HD filmmaking. On the distribution side, billboards that spring to life have already debuted in the London Tube. In fact, the “Living Magazine”, where moving images are integrated into a lightweight, flexible and inexpensive display, are no longer the stuff of sci-fi fantasy – they may only be a few years away! OLED technology is a promising platform for this type of media.

Recently Outside magazine explored the possibilities, when they shot their cover in both standard print and Living Magazine formats. Visit Living Art Media, for a fascinating look at how this technology could evolve in the near future. Check out the video and accompanying article.

Abel Cine Tech’s first rental of the Panasonic GH-1 / Hot Rod Deluxe combination was an unusual one. When this camera and Hot Rod’s PL adapter for it first appeared in prototype form, the internet was abuzz with indie filmmakers looking to use the rig for low budget productions, but our first client saw it as a very different device. Pictured above is the rig with a Hawk 35mm anamorphic prime, a lens so large that it requires a bridgeplate support. Abel rigged out a solution, and the system went out with the DP and Director for a weekend tech scout. The production itself is a medium budget feature to be shot primarily on the RED One camera. The tech scout is also a test of the Lumix GH-1 rig to see if footage blown up to 35mm filmout will hold up well enough to intercut with the RED One. If so, the Lumix will work as both a Director’s Finder during setups as well as a B-camera for the shoot.

Last week Saturday Night Live contacted Abel to rent a Phantom HD Gold camera package for an Andy Samberg Digital Short, “On the Ground”. Steve Romano worked as Phantom Tech for the shoot under Director of Photography Aaron Phillips . SNL’s production schedule was very tight, so the crew shot a very long day on Thursday and part of Friday. The entire segment was photographed on the Phantom HD Gold, even 24p sequences in the studio. The production generally recorded directly to a 512G CineMag; this was was then swapped for another CineMag, while an editor mounted the first CineMag to a CineStation and downloaded the files via HD-SDI through a Kona card directly into a Final Cut Pro workstation. The production shot at various frame rates for the effects they desired, including 24fps, 60fps, 400fps and 1000fps.

Check out the final short above, courtesy of Hulu.

A few months back I compiled the first set of iPhone Apps for the Modern Cinematographer. We got a lot of feedback asking for more, along with plenty of suggestions for favorite apps from our readers. Every week or two I get another request wondering when we’ll have another list of apps. iTunes has over 75,000 apps now, so there were plenty to find. For many of these apps there are other similar ones that you may find more to your liking. I’ve tried to dig through to find what is interesting and unique about these little gems; your mileage may vary.

Movie*Slate (PureBlend Software, $9.99)

There are a bunch of slate marker apps available now for the iPhone. This one has a clapper that delivers a satisfying audible “snap” when shaken. It also allows for “jamming” timecode between it and other iPhones and iPod Touches, not that this really gets you anywhere because it is still a closed loop. But niftiest of all is a shot logging feature that allows one to insert vocal or typed notes for a given take. For doc work, one can even speak into the iPhone during a take (hey, quiet back there!) and the notes will log the timecode. The material can even be exported in a Final Cut XML file so that it can be laid down along your timeline for editing reference.

…continue reading iPhone Apps for Modern Cinematographer Pt II

Zeiss has just recently launched two new ZE lenses, an 18mm T3,5 and 21mm T2,8. For those of you unfamiliar with Zeiss SLR lenses, please allow me explain a bit.  Zeiss makes a range of beautiful full frame SLR lenses and they come in a variety of mounts. They break down like this -  F bayonet (ZF), EF bayonet (ZE), K bayonet (ZK) and the traditional M42 screw threads (ZS). So these new ZE lenses are Canon EF mount and work fantastically on the Canon 5D Mark II and the new Canon 7D. I am especially fond of the ZE lenses because they are designed for manual focus control and have very little breathing. This is a real benefit for anyone shooting video on an SLR. With a geared ring they can easily be adjusted to work with a follow focus, and the focus ring stops in both direction for easier pulls. The 18mm and 21mm look great and will be especially nice on the Canon 7D which has a crop (APS-C sized) sensor.