FilmMan

I have a story for you all:

I work in a small non-profit independent movie theater. We saw a trailer for documentary on the economy that was well reviewed and booked it. Not thinking anything was amiss, just booking the documentary because it was well reviewed.
What followed was a certain political party in town going absolutely ballistic. Calls came in that they would boycott our theater, one of our employees walked out (they came back, but would only work for us, but would never see a movie in the theater again...way to hold to you principles.), the leader of the party said in a public email to all their members that we were in cahoots with the other political party, that we had talked to party leaders and we should have our non-profit status revoked.

Emergency board meeting was called, to give them credit, everyone on the board took a stand "Fuck em', show the film!" It was attended by every single board member and they told all their friends to go, it was the highest grossing documentary we have ever shown. It did far better than it would have if no fuss had been made. We threatened to take the party representative to court for slander unless he retracted his statement. They agreed, but only if we showed a political film from their side! During which a political candidate spent 20 minutes talking about the bad things the other party had done before the film started.
Now when people come in asking for documentaries that have even the slightest political ties (most requests come from this party) we tell them we are never showing political documentaries ever again. People are no longer rational about these things, cannot take critism, and have created a us vs. them mentality.

It's going to get really ugly before it gets better.

I hate talking politics because its a zero-sum game. Nobody wins. Every ideology is flawed, because we as humans are flawed.
A liberal management unchecked will exploit capitalism and everyone suffers when free trade consumes their daily bread - like Uber to taxi drivers and AirBnB to hotel workers, or China and Mexico to automobile factory workers.
A conservative management unchecked will end up exterminating... well anything that walks funny.
But everybody embodies both ideologies at different times and in different situations.
As a whole, people are stupid en-masse and selfish, but as Bronn said in Game of Thrones about Geofrey:
There is no cure for being a cun*

I hate hacks and respect them at the same time. They are super intelligent people that know how to push buttons of segments of society. A word here and there, and they are repeating facts, but molding your opinion at the same time with adjectives, word placement and headlines for these facts.
Edit: I always look at the Drudge Report everyday before I look at the BBC, because I find it so fascinating how Drudge molds opinions with a single headline or omission. BBC says the Trump did something insane, a black man gets shot in the back, or next to his girlfriend and dies on mobile video, and no mention on Drudge or even an acknowledgement... but his followers believe he is reporting the 'truth'. Fascinating. But I am old enough to know that even the BBC is anti-trump, which in itself is not great. They constantly add stuff like his exact dialogue in quotes and of course that makes him look dumb because he is not a public speaker. I can hear the journalist chuckling to himself.
I consider someone writing for the Sun, Daily Mail, Daily News, NY Post, the Mirror, etc... hacks. But they all have Master's degrees or excelled in school and they know what they are doing. In the UK you would be hard pressed to find a journalist on Fleet Street who did not go to Cambridge or Oxford. Even at the tabloids. These are professional (and the original) trolls. Piers Morgan for example.
Documentary has the same.
 

Dave - Looks really good. 

Was at the old computer and thought to give this pic a go.  Gave a very quick grade.  Eyes see spots at times so don't laugh too hard at my attempt.  Cheers.  

Was at the old computer and thought to give this pic a go.  Gave a very quick grade.  Eyes see spots at times so don't laugh too hard at my attempt.  Cheers.  

JCS, 
Keep up the good work.  Much appreciated that you share your videos and expertise too.  Cheers.

I'd go for the 1D C.
The only thing the 1D X II has in its favour is the AF.
The 4K/60fps produces unmanageably large files and will be extremely difficult to edit on any current CPU, besides I'd rather shoot 120fps 2K if it were slow-mo I was after. 60fps doesn't really look that dramatic and there are a ton of cameras that can do 60fps at lower resolutions for a fraction of the cost.
Moving onto the 120fps mush on the 1D X II, obviously just about any other cheaper camera shooting 120fps is a better choice for that, there's nothing special about the image in comparison to the A7S II's 120fps that I can make out so far.
Any other advantages over the 1D C apart from the AF? Nope.

JCS - You look attractive with a blonde wig and glossy lipstick.  Just kidding. 
Only see differences if looking closely.   Dress 2 and 3 - close color match.  Pink bracelet - closer match on 1 and 2.  And so on.  Vast majority will not see any differences.  Keep up the good work.  Cheers.

The Alexa is going head to head against the Raven, the BMC, etc.   Been in the works and kept secret for quite some time.  Management felt it is time to offer the Alexa to the masses.  Dry run of 500 cameras to see how the market responds.  Price $5500!
2.5K basic model with aluminum shell. 
No Raw.  Alexa proprietary 5 to 1 compression.
Alexa Colors.
Check the link out for the picture!  https://www.flickr.com/photos/50066720@N03/6257015898
 
 

Depends on what you think 'DP' stands for.

So if I buy this camera I will become a professional DP? 

Cheers!

"Theri" or "The Spark" looks like a lot of fun to watch. I like the colors.  Interesting article, http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/tamil-nadu-politics-and-the-big-screen-amid-polls-will-vijay-make-a-comeback-with-theri-2692040.html  Cheers.

Gees, almost forgot to reply after seeing  Rogue Nation last week.   I thought the movie was good.  Same recipe.  Enjoyed the Opera scene and the motorcycle chase scene.  Perhaps Cruise likes to be shot on film due to the film grain hiding any facial blemishes and aging?  Just kidding.  Being shot on film does instill a certain feel to the whole movie.  Cruise did earn his money hanging on the side of a plane.  Would I hang on the side of a plane for his paycheck?  Definitely... if the plane was on the ground.  I'd do the CGI green screen rather than be strapped in and hanging on for my dear life.  My luck a seagull would either excrete on me or ram into me.  If a bird did ram into Cruise, his goose would have been cooked.  KFC tonight?  Cheers.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Tom-Cruise-Did-Insane-Plane-Stunt-Mission-Impossible-Rogue-Nation-70462.html

I'm a geek inside and out.  I want to see this movie and analyze the footage (with my defective eyes) with respect to the Arri Alexa 65.  Probably take in this move within the week.  If anyone goes to the movie, please respond on your thoughts on the image, ............and the movie.  Cheers.
According to Imdb:
Arri Alexa 65, Hasselblad Prime 65 Lenses
Arri Alexa XT (visual effects plates)
Arri Alexa XT M (aerial shots)
Arriflex 235, Panavision B-, C-, E- and G-Series Lenses
Arriflex 435, Panavision Primo, B-, C-, E-, G-Series, ATZ and AWZ2 Lenses
Panavision Panaflex Lightweight, Panavision B-, C-, E- and G-Series Lenses
Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2, Panavision Primo, B-, C-, E-, G-Series, ATZ and AWZ2 Lenses 

Kodak Motion Picture Film | Facebook
 
 
Tom behind the wheel..

Thanks for posting Aaron.  Took in the film today.  I enjoyed it.  Action filled.  The cinematography is amazing.  
Not sure if this link has been posted too.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTazMnFF-Rs
Cheers.

From the DP. Alot of great information.
https://vimeo.com/127381179

​Good one.  Or maybe the skin tones need more blue with a touch of red.  Cheers.

What camera was used to shoot this? Watching on an iPhone 5S (Retina- generally excellent color), the face skintones look too green. Don't tell me he's an alien and the color is accurate. Everyone knows the green aliens top out around 4'.

Here's a start,
http://vashivisuals.com/5-eq-audio-for-video-tips-for-filmmakers/http://vashivisuals.com/5-eq-audio-for-video-tips-for-filmmakers/
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?191499-audio-levels-in-a-filmhttp://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?191499-audio-levels-in-a-film
Cheers

​My view too. 
I bought the 1DC when it first came out - I chomped down and bit the bullet and paid the premium.  Even though the price has gone down, I have had a few years using it.  With exchange rates, the difference will not be as steep.   It takes time to understand how powerful this camera is.  It is a lot better than most people realize.  Like I have said in the past, when used properly, it is very close to matching film.  Cheers.

What's more it's completely killed my appetite to upgrade. I've always been restless on other cameras. Hankering for more. With the 1D C I can see myself still using it in 3 years and not really caring about what else has come along by then.
10bit? Meh. I can't tell the difference.
Global shutter? Nice, but not essential. Depends on the shoot.
And beyond 4K resolution, I think is just sheer overkill for everything but large scale stadium or public event screens, outdoors. No way is 8K going to take off indoors, in cinemas or in the home.
14-15 stops dynamic range? Again nice but difference is subtle for most shots. It's rare you have a shot that requires more than 12 stops.
So, hard to see where to go after the 1D C to be honest. I think progress might flatten out in the traditional sense. The emphasis will switch to other things. AI, new focus systems, organic sensors and more nimble lighting & rigging. The image quality pixel peeping wars are almost over.