LIES AND DECEIT IN COLOR. THE SEVENTH LIE.

By George Leon
Review

The Seventh Lie is the feature film directorial debut of James Hung. The Seventh Lie is a fresh departure from the light fare of many dramatic and action Chinese films on the international film market by compelling the audience to participate vicariously on an elliptical narrative presenting intertwined individual complex plots in a seamless linear manner. 

 Hung selected chaotic Hong Kong as the backdrop landscape to frame this dramatic dark narrative of the human condition into a series of four vignettes about the decay and downward spiral of truth and honesty as known by society into a web of lies, deception and betrayal through the eyes of an ensemble cast of flawed characters interconnected to each other on the different vignettes by a common denominator, what it seems to be similar to the famous seven sins, namely wrath, greed, lust, and envy. Corruption, contempt and the  twisting of the word are the driving force on the narrative of this tale, but regardless of moments of despicable betray, redemption and a new found honesty prevails at the end.
 

  
(password: doyoulie)

The very physical and quasi-comedic performance of the cast comprised by Hong Kong top caliber actors (Josie Ho, Ronald Cheng, Loi Hong Pang and Wai Kai Leung Tommy) portraying assassins, cheating couples, corrupted policemen, disgruntled spouses, sexual deviants, runaway brides and a redeeming psychic are the right catalyst to this mixed-genre narrative as written and directed by Hung, who also utilized claustrophobic locations such as hotels rooms and hallways to determining time, landscape and space as another character to tell the story. (Hotels rooms in Hong Kong are rather small in contrast to the urban architectural grandeur displayed by the city). 

The cinematography by Ka On Ronnie Au and production design by Rose Hung worked seemingly with Hung's vision. The photography and art design (Janet Chan) of every location/vignette is under its own color palette, running from a clean surgical steel look (while an assassin is choosing which tailored suit, shirt, and tie to wear before going out to kill again) to the warm tungsten glowy look of a runaway bride perplexed by the possibilities of her own future while hiding from her future husband and bride maids crisscrossing the city under the neon and traffic lights to a final rendezvous with a prophetic psychic on an idyllic park illuminated with colorful china balls and lanterns.

The low budget film was shot on a single Canon 1DC with Canon cinema lenses and recorded to SanDisk’s Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 cards. 

LIGHTING FOR A LEGEND & CONFIGURATION OF THE EOS C500 PL

Here is the coverage of a  story by two different sources, which I decided to merge into one posting given  both  articles- a journalistic blog posting by David Heuring and a marketing video by Canon- are intrinsically inseparable to a cinematographer's discerning eye to better understand the production process involved in the making of the short  film The Human Voice.    

Lighting for a Legend — Rodrigo Prieto Shoots Sophia Loren Short in Rome
As originally published on September 4, 2013 in ASC Parallax View by David Heuring
with the exception of two still photos credited to other source.

Rodrigo on the set of THE HUMAN VOICE. 

© Jon Fauer, ASC

Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC recently finished a unique short film that stars Sophia Loren and was directed by Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti. The title is The Human Voice, and the script is based on a one-person stage play by Jean Cocteau. The 25-minute film was filmed over the course of about two weeks, mostly on a soundstage in Rome, with some flashback scenes shot along the coast in Naples.

Rodrigo says that says that as a teenager, Loren was struck by another screen version of the story starring Anna Magnani, whose performance helped inspire Loren to eventually become an actress. She’d dreamed of taking on the role ever since. The Human Voice depicts a long, intermittent phone conversation between a woman and her lover, who is leaving her for another woman. At first, she tries to put a brave face on things. But eventually her emotions pour out. The male half of the doomed relationship is never seen by the audience.

 Rodrigo and first AC Zoran Veselic at work.

©Jon Fauer, ASC

Rodrigo met Ponti on a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival, where they each had a short screen in the same program. Rodrigo’s short, which he directed and shot, was titled Likeness and starred Elle Fanning. Ponti’s film, Il turno do note lo fanno le stelle, starred Julian Sands and Nastassja Kinski. “Edoardo approached me after the event and told me about The Human Voice,” says Rodrigo. “I was immediately fascinated.”

Their earliest conversations about the look of the film were conducted via Skype, with Ponti in Rome and Rodrigo in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was finishing The Homesman for director/star Tommy Lee Jones. “Edoardo wanted it to feel romantic, but at the same time realistic,” says Rodrigo. “He didn’t want an overly dramatic image — he said the drama would be in the words and in the performance. I chose to use Cooke S4 lenses as I felt they have a pleasing quality that would work well for a monologue piece.”

Changes in the time of day offered Rodrigo a range of lighting opportunities. 

©Jon Fauer, ASC

Ponti had done his previous short on the Canon C300, so he had a relationship with Canon. That led in part to the decision to shoot The Human Voice on a Canon C500 camera. During a conversation with Rodrigo, Canon’s Tim Smith mentioned that the C500, in addition to its ability to capture images in 4K 10-bit files, can shoot 2K files with 12-bit color depth. The camera incorporates an onboard Codex S Plus recorder that facilitates either format.

“In testing, I noticed that especially on skin tones and some fruit I placed on a bowl next to the stand-in, the subtlety of color was best captured in 2K 12-bit,” says Rodrigo. “For our purposes, the differences in resolution between 4K and 2K were negligible, but the proper rendering of the many colors in her face was essential.”

 The opportunity to work with the legendary actress was intimidating. “It was an incredible privilege, honor and responsibility to photograph an icon of world cinema like Sophia,” he says. “It did scare me a little bit at first. She has been lit by the best photographers and cinematographers in the world. I know that she understands lighting, especially her own — she knows what looks good. I think that feeling of fear was actually positive in the end. I think it helped me find ways to lovingly photograph her while enhancing the dramatic curve of the piece.

“Edoardo was instrumental in easing these fears,” says Rodrigo. “He is a very generous director who likes to have a fun atmosphere, which is something I enjoy. I think I run a disciplined set, but I appreciate being able to laugh and joke a bit. Sets are tense enough already, with budgets and schedules causing stress. I think it’s important to feel relaxed and happy while you work.

 Edoardo Ponti and Sofia Loren on the set

of the Human Voice © BestImage

“The other great privilege for me was witnessing the mother-son relationship, and how Sophia’s dream of playing this role was becoming a reality through her son,” says Rodrigo. “Seeing them on the set together, through these emotional moments, was very touching. Seeing them find the right performance and direction as a family was very beautiful and special.”

Prior to The Human Voice, Rodrigo shot two completely dissimilar projects, but he reprised the “mostly film-some digital” approach he used on Argo, which of course won Best Picture and two other Oscars this past February. For The Homesman, he shot Super 35 film format for 85 or 90% of the film, but used the Sony F55 in low light situations, including some scenes where he shot with just an oil lamps and candles for illumination. On The Wolf of Wall Street for Martin Scorsese, he shot with Hawk anamorphic lenses and some scenes with spherical Master Prime lenses — for the most part on film and sometimes on Alexa for low light and visual effects.

For the time being, Rodrigo is shooting commercials and enjoying some time close to home.

Canon Collaborations: The EOS C500 Configured by the Crew of Human Voice

A conversation between three talented filmmakers, as director Edoardo Ponti, Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC, and First AC Zoran Veselic discuss how they configured a Cinema EOS C500 PL camera to shoot the intimate short film, Human Voice.

 

 For more detailed technical information about The Human Voice, check out the Film & Digital Times coverage by Jon Fauer, ASC.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEES FOR THE 86TH OSCARS®

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEES FOR THE 86TH OSCARS®

These are the nominees in the Cinematography category for the 86th Academy Awards with technical specifications. Note that the camera body of choice used by all these talented directors of photography in the nominated films was an Arri film body or a digital camera used for negative film stock photography or high definition digital acquisition.

 On matter of lenses, the Panavision C-Series Anamorphic primes, ATZ/AW22 zooms and Panavision Primos were the choice for two of the nominees. 

 

 Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC AMC principal photography was achieved using Arri Alexa Studio and Plus cameras and a 65mm film camera, the Arri 765 with magazines loaded with Kodak 5219 65mm negative emulsion, a perfect film acquisition tool for digital intermediate processes and 4K workflows. All camera bodies were fitted at one time or another with Panavision Primos and Zeiss Master Primes lenses and a still medium format photography lens, the Hasselblad 765 to help him to capture the emotion of the characters on their struggle for survival on this weightless and sweeping outer-space 3D/CGI rendered drama.

 

 Phedon Papamichael, ASC used Panavision Anamorphic lenses in Nebraska to capture the essence of Alexander Payne's color graded black and white road trip narrative. "The Panavision C-Series Anamorphic lenses helped me achieve a textural quality I was trying to find for Nebraska - the older glass helped reduce the sharpness off the digital image and gave it a more film-like cinematic feeling"  said Papamichael. 

 Bruno Delbonnel ASC, AFC shoot "Inside Llewyn Davis" a York folk music story in the ‘60 on a single 35mm film stock,  Kodak Vision T500/5219 1:85 aspect ratio and the cameras were Arricam LT and ST using Cooke S4 lenses. “The movie has a lot of magenta and cyan, which you can’t really get from a lab process, or at least not as controlled,” Delbonnel states. “The blooming and diffusion we added gave the feel of uncoated lenses. But I actually shot with the super sharp Cooke S4’s, with nothing over the lens at all. Uncoated lenses are uncontrollable – flares, etc. – and I needed to control the light and clarity [during shooting] at all times.”

 Delbonnel crafted imagery that is low contrast, with little or no sunlight. That approach fit well with the short New York winter days, which only provided about six hours of daylight. “I don’t like the term ‘look,’” Delbonnel says. “To me, a ‘look’ is just fashion. You see it in fashion photography. It’s just an aesthetic, and in a couple of years it will be something else. It’s about emotion and the story. For Inside Llewyn Davis, I was looking for sadness, so I had to define it. Is it yellow? Is it green? I had to find a way to make this sadness with color and density and contrast. That is my job as a cinematographer.”

Roger Deakins  A.S.C., B.S.C, C.B.E, received his eleventh Oscar nomination for Prisioners, a dark and disturbing criminal kidnapping thriller shot digitally using the ARRI Alexa Plus and Studio cameras fitted with Zeiss Master Primes. Deakins elaborated a precisely unobtrusive camerawork with the perfect amount of steady control to build tension, framing the storyline in a wintry rain-drenched desaturated color palette, a departure from his fluid camera work and stylistic photography of Skyfall, his 10th Oscar nomination.

"The Grandmaster" charts the mostly true story of Ip Man (Tony Leung), the martial arts master who would eventually teach a young Bruce Lee how to fight. The film was shot on the last roll of Fujifilm ever produced.
Fujifilm  informed him and Mr. Le Sourd, that it would be delivering the company’s final  roll to them but Le Sourd isn't absolutist about celluloid. "I think everything is possible on digital," he says. "‘Gravity' is amazing work and we couldn't do it before. It's a great adventure today to be a working cinematographer."

 When the cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd teamed up with the director Wong Kar-wai to make “The Grandmaster,” he was expecting a six-month project. Those six months turned into three years, making the production felt as epic as the life story at the heart of the film: that of the kung fu master Ip Man. 

Philippe Le Sourd’s outstanding cinematography brings scintillating action sequences into sharp focus -- a crucial factor given Wong's penchant for close-ups that can seemingly reveal a universe in the burning tip of a cigarette to the shape and reflective transparency of rain fall turned into motivators of camera movement.

 Le Sourd shot this masterly crafted narrative using Arricam ST/LT and Arriflex 435 cameras, "the workhorse of the industry", a MOS camera with variable ramping  speed instrumental  to capture in detail the action sequences. All magazines were loaded with the last rolls manufactured by Fujifilm, the Eterna 8663 and 8673. For the most vivid detailed slow speed action sequences under the rain,  Le Sourd opted for the Phantom Flex, an high speed digital 2.5K camera, capable of shooting from 5 frames-per-second (fps) to over 10,750 fps. The result is truly amazing as lensed by LeSourd.

Cinematography Nominees chart courtesy of Setlife Magazine

A GUIDE TO HAND HELD CAMERA OPERATION W/ SEAN BOBBIT, BSC

A Guide to Handheld Camera Operating with Sean Bobbitt, BSC, from the ARRI Workshop at this year's Camerimage Film Festival. This is a must see presentation for all cameraman. Enjoy!

 Sean Bobbit, BSC and Steve McQueen on the set of 12 Years a Slave.

Bobbit is a Film Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography Nominee.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMNEES. SPIRIT AWARDS 2013

Nominations Best Cinematography

 
 Sean Bobbitt Best Cinematography 
 

 
 Benoit Debie Best Cinematography 
 

 
Bruno Delbonnel Best Cinematography 
 

Frank G. DeMarco Best Cinematography 
 

 Matthias Grunsky, Computer Chess

 Best Cinematography
Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years A Slave
Benoit Debie, Spring Breakers
Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis
Frank G. Demarco, All Is Lost
Matthias Grunsky, Computer Chess

Best Director
Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
J.C. Chandor, All Is Lost
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
Jeff Nichols, Mud
Alexander Payne, Nebraska

Best Feature
12 Years A Slave
All Is Lost
Frances Ha
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine
Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke & Richard Linklater, Before Midnight
Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, The Spectacular Now
John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave

DECLAN QUINN, ASC MASTER CLASS. ONE FILM. ONE DAY

Master Class: One Cinematographer. One Film. One Day. 

Declan Quinn, ASC - Leaving Las Vegas

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2013

Registration: $50 

Sign Up

In this Master Class, Quinn will deconstruct Leaving Las Vegas, scene-by-scene, while discussing his process, choices, obstacles, challenges - what worked and what didn't.

10:00 AM Screening: Leaving Las Vegas. 

12:00 PM Catered Lunch. 

1:00 PM  Master Class 

3:00 PM  Day Ends.

About The Film

Leaving Las Vegas,  Color, 111 min, Drama | Romance 27 October 1995 (USA)

Distributed by United Artists/ Park Circus

Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.

Leaving Las Vegas won Declan Quinn, ASC the first of three Independent Spirit Awards for Cinematography. In her October 27, 1995 New York Times review, Janet Maslin described his work as "subtly distinctive...a neon apparition, beautifully evoked by other worldly contrasts and lurid nocturnal light."

About Declan Quinn, ASC

Declan Quinn, ASC, is an Irish-American cinematographer and a three-time winner of the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography.

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Quinn spent several years growing up in Ireland before returning to the United States to earn a degree in film from Columbia College Chicago.

After working as a News Cameraman in Illinois, he returned to Ireland, where he was employed at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, filming several music videos and documentaries including U2: Unforgettable Fire (1984) and U2: Outside It's America (1987).

 Quinn returned to the United States in 1986 and filmed videos for bands such as REM and SMASHING PUMPKINS. Maggie Greenwald’s The Kill Off was his first feature in the US. Since then, Quinn has collaborated with several top directors, including Louis Malle: Vanya on 42nd Street,  Mira Nair on Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair and Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Quinn collaborated with his writer/director brother Paul Quinn and actor brother Aidan Quinn on This is My Father. He has also worked with director Jonathan Demme on Fear of Falling and most recently, the AMC pilot episode for Line of Sight. Additional credits include 2x4, which won him the Cinematography Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, as well as Leaving Las Vegas, One True Thing, In America, Cold Creek Manor, Pride and Glory, Rachel Getting Married and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Quinn resides in the Hudson Valley, New York with his wife Edda where they raised four daughters.

CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUNDTABLE

Cinematographers Roundtable Full Interview by The Hollywood Reporter.

Barry Ackroyd (Captain Phillips), Sean Bobbitt (12 Years a Slave), Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis), Phedon Papamichael (Nebraska) and Stuart Dryburgh (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) sit down for a candid conversation.

FUJIFILM RELEASES A NEW LENS. THE CABRIO 19-90MM

The 19-90mm Cabrio (ZK4.7x19B) features an exclusive detachable servo drive unit, making it suitable for use as a standard PL lens or as an ENG-Style lens. The ZK4.7x19B also features flange focal distance adjustment, macro function, and is LDS (Lens Data System) and /i metadata compatible. With a 19-90mm focal range and weight of only 2.85kg including servo motors, this lens has the longest focal range available in a light weight zoom.

 Videographers used to shooting video in a typical ENG-style will be very comfortable with the servo. Cinematographers will also be right at home with this lens. With the detachable drive removed, the lens is set to accept industry standard cine motors and matte boxes. Plus, the lens has all the lens data output that appeals to a Cine-style shooter. LDS and /i metadata compatibility is very useful when you want to record the position information of zoom, iris and focus for computer animation and other uses.

The digital servo on the 19-90mm Cabrio has 16-bit encoding, so operators can be assured that all lens data output is extremely accurate.

The 19-90mm covers 31.5mm sensor size on a digital cinema style camera. While sensors on standard broadcast cameras are all the same size, sensors on digital cine cameras vary greatly. This new zoom ensures the image captured will cover large sensors for optimal, full-frame resolution. A nine-blade iris part of the design as well, creating the most natural-looking imagery possible.

Barrel markings are luminous for visibility in dark shooting situations. Distances are listed in feet or meters and can be changed in the field.

The 19-90mm can be controlled using cinema industry standard wireless controllers, as well as existing Fujinon wired and wireless units. Whether you are from a film background or a video one, the Premier PL 19-90 offers uncompromising quality and unprecedented flexibility.

PANAVISION UNVEILS NEW PRIMO V LENSES OPTIMIZED FOR DIGITAL CAMERAS

 Panavision, the company behind many of the industry’s most respected cinema lenses for the last 60 years, has introduced a new line of Primo lenses, the Primo V series, specifically designed to work with today’s high-resolution 35mm digital cameras.

 “Panavision’s unmatched optical expertise and high-quality manufacturing capabilities have now been brought to bear on lenses adapted for digital cameras,” says Kim Snyder, Panavision’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’re focused on providing cinematographers with the best tools to tell their stories with vision and creativity. With the industry’s ongoing transition to digital capture, we want our customers to know they can continue to trust Panavision to bring innovative, world-class solutions to the marketplace.”

The Primo V lenses are designed to bring the look and feel of Panavision Primos to digital cinematography, using the lens elements from existing Primo lenses, long an industry standard for top cinematographers. Primo V lenses take advantage of specific design adaptations to work in harmony with digital cameras, maximizing image quality while delivering Primo quality and character.

“Cinematographers tell us that the hyper-sharp sensors in today’s digital cameras can result in images that are harsh and lack personality,” says Panavision’s VP of Optical Engineering Dan Sasaki. “That’s one reason why there’s so much emphasis on glass these days. The Primo V lenses bring the smooth, organic flavor of Primo lenses to the high fidelity digital image. Our philosophy is to take what cinematographers love about the Primos, and update them for the digital world.”

Digital cameras require additional optical elements including low-pass and IR filters that increase off-axis aberrations. ND filters are sometimes part of the chain. Primo V lenses have been re-engineered to correct for this. Patent pending modifications eliminate the coma, astigmatism, and other aberrations introduced by the additional glass between the lens and the sensor, while preserving the desirable imaging characteristics of the Primo optics. The resulting image appears more balanced center-to-edge.

The Primo V lenses are compatible with any digital camera equipped with PL or Panavision 35 mount systems. They cannot be used on film cameras. The internal transports and mechanics of the Primo V lenses will retain the familiar Primo feel. Since the Primo V lenses retain the essential Primo character, imagery from Primo V and standard Primo lenses will intercut well. A set of Primo V primes will include 14.5, 17.5, 21, 27, 35, 40, 50, 75, and 100mm focal lengths.

“Filmmakers have embraced Panavision Primo lenses since their introduction 25 years ago,” notes Snyder. “Now the classic Primo look has been refined and optimized for use with the latest generation of 35mm sensor digital cameras.”

Panavision

CINE METER APP FOR iOS 5

In the past I have provide you with resource lists of  iOS and Android applications for the cinematographer, some still are free offering basic software and others are paid, offering more  professional software like the Depth of Field (DOF) Calculator that can help you get a job done a little better or a little faster than before.

Cine Meter viewing a DSC Labs ChromaDuMonde® 12 chart, 

showing an RGB waveform

I would like to bring your attention to this application by Adam J. Wilt which is ready to download from the App Store in iTunes for $4.99 and I think it is worth every penny to add it to the short list of favorite working iOS apps for cinematographers. It is an application that rolls three functions into a one screen for fast measuring and readout at a glance turning your iOS device into a very capable light meter, RGB waveform monitor, and a false-color picture mode monitor.

Cine Meter is a professional film/video/photo application for your iPhone®, iPad®, or iPod touch®, using the built-in camera to provide a shutter-priority reflected light meter, an RGB waveform monitor, and a false-color picture mode. Cine Meter works on any iDevice with a camera running iOS 5.0 or higher.

Cine Meter not only gives you exposure information, it shows you at a glance how evenly your greenscreen is lit, and where high-contrast hotspots and shadows may give you trouble. With Cine Meter, you can walk around, light your set, and solve problems long before your real camera is set up, making pictures, and running down its batteries.

The light meter shows you the stop to set as decimal readings (such as f/5.0, good for cameras with EVF iris readouts) or full stops and fractions (like f/4.0 ⅔, good for cine lenses with marked iris rings). You can calibrate Cine Meter to match other meters to a tenth of a stop, and take readings using matrix or spot metering.

The waveform monitor shows you how light levels vary within and across a scene. They show you how even the lighting is on a greenscreen or white cove, and let you see hotspots and imbalances at a glance. The waveform’s RGB mode shows you color imbalances in the image and gives you a handy way to check for color purity on a greenscreen or bluescreen.

The false-color picture lets you define allowable contrast ranges, and see instantly which shadows are underexposed and what highlights risk clipping:

 
Cine Meter viewing a DSC Labs ChromaDuMonde^® 
12 chart in false-color mode

Cine Meter runs entirely on your iDevice: it doesn’t use WiFi or mobile data. If you have power in the battery and light in front of the lens, it will work.

How To...

Calibrate the meter: shoot a gray card or other solid target with Cine Meter and your most trusted reflected meter, DSLR, or video camera. Adjust the Meter Compensation control on the Settings and Info page to make Cine Meter’s readings match those of your reference device. (The camera picture is unaffected by any compensation you set; the camera always sets its own exposure and its waveform and false-color levels may not match those the light meter reading would indicate!)

Check exposure: aim the camera at the scene, and read off the exposure (use the spot meter if necessary to narrow down the area of interest). You can tap EXP to freeze the reading, and then vary ISO and shutter to see how aperture changes even if you are no longer pointing the camera at the scene.

Compare exposures: aim the camera at a gray card or other reference target, and tap EXP. Cine Meter will hold that exposure, letting you walk around the set and look at the waveform monitor and false-color displays to compare light levels to your reference.

Compare white balances: aim the camera at a white or gray card under your reference lighting, and tap EXP to lock the white balance. Cine Meter will hold that white balance, and you can use the RGB mode of the waveform monitor to examine the color balance as you walk around the set. (The range of color temperatures and lighting spectra that Cine Meter will properly white balance to is entirely dependent on the camera in your iDevice: some accommodate a wider range of white points than others do.)

Check lighting evenness: when you need flat, even lighting (on a greenscreen, white cove, test charts, or flat art), Cine Meter’s waveform monitor shows you the relative light levels across the camera’s field of view in a single glance. It’s a lot quicker to use the waveform monitor than to spot-meter several points across the field of view, or to take multiple incident readings to get the same information.

Match color temperatures: using WB and the RGB waveform monitor makes it very simple to compare LCD displays, different LED lights, or any other combinations of radiant or reflected lights. If you use WB on a known-good source (or a white card illuminated by it), the differing RGB levels when looking at another source will indicate how you have to color-correct it to make it match, without the subjectivity of the human eye.  
more how to...

Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad 2 Wi-Fi, iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iPad Wi-Fi (3rd generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (3rd generation), iPad Wi-Fi (4th generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (4th generation), iPad mini Wi-Fi, iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air, iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini with Retina display, iPad mini with Retina display Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPod touch (4th generation), and iPod touch (5th generation). This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

SEAMUS MCGARVEY, ASC BSC AT GCI

Seamus McGarvey, ASC BSC was a guest instructor at Global Cinematography Institute GCI  The class was Cinematography for Independent/Low Budget Films. Level 1.

Seamus shared with students lighting and camera movement techniques used in Atonement and Anna Karenina. Yuri Neyman, ASC moderated the class. Part 1

Seamus shared with students lighting and camera movement techniques used in Atonement and Anna Karenina. Yuri Neyman, ASC moderated the class. Part 2

©georgeleon/filmcastlive 2013

CANON FIRMWARE UPDATES FOR EOS -1DX AND EOS 1D-C

FILMCASTLive

39 minutes ago

Canon Firmware Upgrades for the EOS-1D X and EOS-1D C Digital SLR Cameras Deliver Improved Creative Control and Convenience Firmware Version 2 for the EOS-1D X is Based on Extensive User Input and Provides More Efficient Autofocus Performance in Low Light, Custom Controls, and Improved User-Programmed Functionality

MELVILLE, N.Y., October 22, 2013 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announces improvements in the functionality and convenient operation of the EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera and the EOS-1D C Digital SLR Cinema camera through new firmware scheduled to be available starting in January 2014 and November 2013, respectively. Firmware enhancements for the EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera are designed to provide photographers with greater creative freedom and speed, especially in sectors such as sports, wedding, nature/wildlife, and journalism, which often contain rapidly changing action, sometimes in low-light environments. Service enhancements for the EOS-1D C Digital SLR Cinema camera improve lens performance, lens status display, metadata storage, and audio recording.

“Canon constantly strives to provide our customers with advanced and innovative technology in our products,” noted Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “We understand the daily life of photographers, we listen closely to what they have to say, and we use their feedback in our constant efforts to improve existing products and develop new ones. The latest Canon firmware for the flagship EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera provides better automation to help photographers fine-tune how the camera operates moment-by-moment so users can concentrate on creativity and success. Filmmakers have also requested improved functionality for the EOS-1D C Digital SLR Cinema camera, and its new update delivers.”

Improved Operability for the EOS-1D X

Developed as the ultimate Canon EOS camera, the EOS-1D X Digital SLR is designed with foresight that enables its performance to be periodically improved with new firmware upgrades, helping to ensure maximum long-term value for owners and users of the camera. These improvements are engineered to support and advance the evolving creative needs and business imperatives of professional photographers and committed high-end amateurs. The features provided by firmware version 2 are designed for more efficient automation that takes the task of changing settings away from the “heat of the moment” and enables photographers to concentrate on creativity and obtaining valuable shots. 

Firmware version 2 upgrades and operability additions include a total of 10 features that are now new or improved:

• AF Performance with Moving Subjects – For greater creative control, additional parameters have been added to AI Servo 2nd Image Priority, enabling users to adjust these settings for more accurate AF performance according to the situation at hand. Photographers can fine-tune the balance between prioritizing focus versus the framing rate for the second and subsequent shots in a burst.

• Enhanced AI Servo AF Performance in Low Light Conditions – The AI Servo focusing algorithm has been improved to allow more time for light sampling during AF activation prior to shutter release, enhancing AF performance in low-light situations. Additionally, initial AF control is now based on the new “+2 focus priority” setting of AI Servo 2nd Image Priority, which has higher distance measurement capabilities under low-light conditions. Upon full depression of the shutter button, settings from AI Servo 1st Image Priority take over and then settings from AI Servo 2nd Image Priority are applied on any subsequent images in the burst. This increases the probability that the first image in a burst sequence will be as sharp as possible.

• Improved Acceleration/Deceleration Tracking Parameters – To improve tracking performance of fast-moving subjects that fill the frame, additional parameters for acceleration/deceleration tracking in AI Servo AF have been added to provide photographers with more precise control when photographing rapidly moving subjects that accelerate or decelerate quickly or unexpectedly. In response to feedback from professional photographers, these new settings have been added to handle larger differences in speed (i.e., the rate of change in image magnification) compared to the previous firmware.

• Selection of Initial AF Point While Shooting in 61-Point Auto Selection AF – This new option in the AF Menu provides more continuity when switching to 61-Point Auto Selection AF from any other AF Point Selection mode. The option maintains the AF point selected from the previous Selection mode as a starting point for 61-Point Auto Selection AF. It also maintains the ability to change to a pre-programmed AF point when changing the Selection mode. This time-saving option is designed to help eliminate the need to stop and think, and helps photographers to customize their individual shooting style.

• AF Point Switching According to Camera Orientation – In addition to programming the EOS-1D X camera to automatically switch to a different AF point and area selection mode based on camera orientation, firmware version 2 adds the option of programming only the AF point according to camera orientation (horizontal, grip up and grip down). This new ability to select up to three different AF points according to camera orientation allows for greater customization of the camera to specific shooting styles.

• Expanded Minimum Shutter Speed in Auto ISO – In response to user feedback, this improved functionality in Auto ISO enables photographers to select a minimum shutter speed as high as 1/8000th of a second to freeze moving subjects.

• Exposure Compensation in Auto ISO with Manual Mode Set – This new function enables photographers to manually set a desired shutter speed and aperture, use Auto ISO to control the exposure, and use Exposure Compensation to adjust the exposure for challenging lighting conditions (e.g., a very dark or very bright background). This new function can be activated through the Quick Control Dial or by using the Main Dial while pressing the SET button.

• Toggling Between Alternate Camera Settings – EOS-1D X camera users can now toggle between three groups of camera settings instantly by pressing the shutter button, AE Lock button [*] or the AF-ON button. Selectable settings that can now be assigned to the AE Lock and AF-ON buttons via Custom Controls include:

- Currently selected AF point vs. pre-registered AF point

- AI Servo AF configuration sets (Case 1 through Case 6)

- One-Shot AF vs. AI Servo AF

- Currently selected drive mode vs. 14 fps Super High Speed drive mode

With these new options, photographers can reconfigure their EOS-1D X camera on the fly, while keeping their eye on the viewfinder to maintain concentration on the shot they are trying to get. For example, the camera could be set up for One-Shot AF and single shot drive mode on the shutter button, AI Servo AF in Case 1 with high-speed continuous drive mode on the AE Lock button, and AI Servo AF in Case 4 with super-high-speed 14 fps continuous drive mode on the AF-ON button.

• Same Exposure for New Aperture in Manual Mode – This new firmware feature provides users with the ability to maintain consistent exposure levels in Manual mode when the aperture changes, for example when a photographer shoots at maximum aperture with a variable-aperture lens (such as the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM telephoto zoom) or when using a lens equipped with built-in extender (such as the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X). The feature gives users the option to have the camera adjust the shutter speed or the ISO to compensate for the aperture change.

• Display Protected Images Only – Users can now page through protected images only via an option on the main dial. This feature already exists with rated images, and is an expansion of that capability.

 Enhancements for the EOS-1D C

 A versatile, self-contained 4K cinema camera as well as a robust still photography camera, the Canon EOS-1D C will also benefit from a new service update that further enhances the performance of this unique imaging device.

• EF Lens Communication – The new service update for the EOS-1D C Digital SLR Cinema camera will enable Canon EF-mount Cinema lenses to store lens metadata in the video recorded by the camera. Furthermore, Canon EF-mount Cinema lenses will be supported by Peripheral Illumination and Chromatic Aberration Correction functions, helping to improve overall image quality [1].

• Audio Recording – In response to user requests, audio on the EOS-1D C camera has also been enhanced. Currently audio recording is limited to a MIC input, but the forthcoming service update will permit selection of LINE or MIC input, allowing use of a wider variety of external audio sources.

New Firmware Release Schedules and Installation Procedures

 Firmware version 2 for the EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be posted on the Canon U.S.A. website in January 2014. Users will be able to download and install the new firmware on their own, or have it installed by an authorized Canon Factory Service Center. For more information please visit: www.usa.canon.com/eos1dxfirmware.

The update for the Canon EOS-1D C Digital SLR Cinema camera is scheduled to be available November 2013, and will be installed at no charge as a service upgrade that requires the camera to be sent to an authorized Canon Factory Service Center. For more information please visit: www.usa.canon.com/CinemaEOS Firmware Update.