pask74

Thanks for those spot-on tests, Andrew!

I'm also under the impression that next year we could see the next generation of A7s with internal 4k and a few more goodies?

I'll see if I can borrow or rent an A7s in the meantime.

Also, if you fancy I'd appreciate it a lot if you could shoot a bit with some LOMOs and the A7s, just to see how their characters match. I'm thinking of shooting A7s in APS-C mode + LOMOs oct-19 (spherical only).

Thanks!

Not sure if anyone is still checking that thread, but I have 2 questions here:

- of the supposed 15 stops od DR, what DR would be truly usable? I mean, GH2s are rated with 11 stops of DR but we all know that the usable DR is far less.

- no internal 4k is a bit of a bummer, even though I understand the technical challenge to make it happen. In theory, would the APS-C sensor crop mode allow for internal 4k?

Don't forget that most labels buy YouTube view by the thousands to inflate the audience's interest...

Everyone appears to be under the impression that the musicians are the ones who need Youtube, but.....

'>

 

Of the 100 most viewed videos of all time, 95 are music videos.

 

Maybe Youtube is the one who needs musicians. 

I am not advocating for all so-called artists to be able to make a living from their art.

What doesn't work is when nearly everybody consumes something that cost money to produce without paying for it.

What would happen if a large gang of terrorists would break into food shops all over the world and everyday to steal food and run away with it? Wouldn't the authorities do something to protect their population and economy? They surely would.

This is what happens to music everyday. People from all over the world just steal it and consume it. But what do the authorities do to protect the ones producing it? Not much from what I know.

So, people keep on consuming music for free and think that it is free for real.

What is now left for artists is a tip-jar and we know that the tip-jar thing doesn't work, not even for Radiohead.

I didn't mean a solution where everyone can work in music/film who wants to; only a new, inexpensive way in, for a smart, determined or lucky few.  

 

pask74, if you could wave your magic want and eliminate all free music we would go back to the 70s, which I remember, and young people would start to listen to the same music over and over and over again.  It would make it even more difficult for new bands to gain an audience.  Everyone, young people especially, only have a limited amount of money to spend.  It's not like the 16-year-old has money stashed under his mattress he can pull out to pay for music he stole ;)

 

Whatever money people have to spend that trickles down to sound engineers is already being spent.  The question isn't about how many sound engineers can make a living, the question is allocation of engineering budgets (for 100 bands or 10,000?)

 

When I was young the Olympics meant rich white people with an interest in sports.  The "amateur" thing was actually exclusionary.  Then it was changed and penniless runners from Africa were able raise air-fare (from sponsors) and win races.  Yet today, most people who want to make a living as an athlete can't.  Economic structures change, but people always seem to re-create a star system. (In the Olympics, from trust funds to corporate sponsors).

 

What young people have trouble seeing is that EVERYONE wants to be someone.  No one WANTS to work in McDonalds.  How can everyone make a living then, in the arts?  If you want to be a sound engineer at your local church, or for corporate events, I'm pretty sure you can get those jobs.  

 

My parents pushed me into the Arts.  I worked in Hollywood for a few years, but came to my own conclusion that it wasn't for me (which I won't bore you with).  I'm pushing my kids into the Arts too, because I think all young people should pursue what they're interested because later in life you know too much ;)

 

Others have suggested in this thread, and I agree, that if you really, really want it, you can make a living in the Arts.  HOWEVER, it won't be a life you imagined as a young person.  I love the series Entourage because it makes show business realistic enough, shows just enough failure, to make the life-style seem plausible and attainable.  In real life you don't know if there's going to be a "next" episode.  So after a while most people make choices that give them more security.

 

Finally, as I tell my kids, all professionals ultimately make a living working in a narrow formula.  This is true for actors, singers, etc.  Yes, occasionally they'll go out and experiment.  But for the most part, we pay for what we can expect.  When my wife and I watch the "Good Wife" we expect a well-written character drama.  The artist on the show may want to do a torture scene out of "Scandal", but if they did I'd stop watching.  If I bought a Radio-head album and it was full of hard-core punk rock I'd probably wouldn't by their next album.  In short, all Art becomes a "Job".  That isn't necessarily a bad thing.  The life of Mick Jagger and your local high school principal isn't as dissimilar as it looks.

 

But I'm getting ahead of the story .... :)

YouTube may close a door, but a window will be opened somewhere else :)

Show me where. The music business has been in a crisis for the last 10 years and no real solution has been found yet.

The more time passes, the more young generations grow with this idea that music is actually free.

I'll be willing to work as a sound engineer for free if my rent, food, insurance, taxes, transportation costs etc. are free as well.

The fundamental problem is that people consume for free something that took an investment to be created.

Just as if McDonald's had been forced for over 10 years to give away their burgers. Who would go to Wendy's and pay for food?

At least as it pertains to securing freedom and access to information.

This would be a good starting point for some sort of dispute ;-)

The artists themselves.  Just like filmmaking, it's not expensive to do these days.

I'd be interested to know what you actually know of the process of music making.

I'm a sound engineer and music producer by profession and know firsthand that except for bedroom electronic styles of music, all the rest will take lots of time (composing, writing, rehearsing, recording, promoting, etc.), energy of course and also professionals (recording studios, etc.) to deliver a product that is up to nowadays' standards.

Djrockadoo: thanks a lot for your observations - much appreciated!

I'm totally new to 4k etc. Does it mean that shooting 4k with a s16 lens (thinking of Switars here) would allow us to cut a 2k image in the middle to get rid of the vignetting?

Hahaha - very true.

Now, because "everybody" does it doesn't make it more ethical.

Pshaw! I've been monitoring the 'skunworks' in MANY domains and they all over promise and under-deliver. The fundamental problem is how these projects are funded and the ethics involved in pre-promoting them before the R&D is actually finished.
The fundamental mechanism involves the same key factors every time:
1) Tapping into known end user desires and wish lists
2) Appealing to prospective customers' dependence on 'Cool Factor'.
3) Teasing with slick prototypes and renderings
4) Apeasing & Teasing with seeded prototypes
5) Threatening scarcity with 'Limited  Serialized Editions'
6) Resting on laurels once first round funding is in hand
7) Delaying releases with lame excuses
8) Repeat # 7)
9) Releasing a 'Public Beta' that's full of bugs
10) Offering firmware upgrades for life
11 ) Resting on laurels once second round funding is in hand

Do you notice anything? This is the merchandising process for software products
:lol:

They're not late yet, they don't have to keep reminding people that they're still on schedule, do they?

You're right.

Like I said, I'm a bit irritated by BM bold marketing and communication, but maybe that's just me. They show picture of someone shooting in the desert under bright sunlight where I'm not sure how feasible it would be to focus from this camera's screen in such a real life situation.

I find it great that they try their best to bring raw and overall good quality picture to the masses, though.

A little early to judge the BM team yet, and it is funny that you are still waiting for the Digital Bolex. Looks like a great camera, but really, complain about BM's ability to deliver, when you have companies like Digital Bolex out there?

You're right about judging the BM team too early. I must admit I'm a bit irritated that their website says that the Pocket will record raw where they say in interviews that this has not been tested yet and that it may come in a future firmware update, etc.

Now, this is fresh news from Digital Bolex : http://www.digitalbolex.com/getting_ready/

Basically, they're about to ship their first batch.

I don't want to start at BMPocket vs Digital Bolex D16 thread, as I think they are different tools anyway. But it's good to see the D16 being almost ready for assembling where some people have been talking of "vapourware".

Maybe so, but doesn't really come anywhere close to being comparable to a RAW video camera.

That's one of the reasons I'm looking for the Digital Bolex D16 to ship!

I find it unethical and a lack of respect to tell people "we'll deliver for sure at that date" and then leave customers in the void. I don't understand potential customers saying "yeah, but for what they offer, I'm OK to wait 6+ months". Is the concept of telling the truth that outdated?

I wish I could attend!

For 10 years, I've been part of a music band using images projection triggered live by some sort of pictures-ician and I'd have been very interested to live this Curtis v Massiv Attack experience.

i've personnally experienced moments of total creative immersion using both sounds and image that I've never managed to live with sound only. On the other hand, I've also noticed that the audience need room to breathe, to make their own film or soundtrack.

Too much information to process simultaneously is sometimes and somehow interferring with our inner poetry stream. Or at least over-riding it, which is not something I find desirable.

Yep _ I bought from Ciecio7 in the past (OCT-18 to mft adapter) and I would recommend him.

Here is another disturbing film that was shot raw with the BMCC and that I find more convincing:

http://vimeo.com/64712637

And if you read French, here are the director's comments:

http://www.pampuri.net/2013/05/07/retour-dutilisation-de-la-blackmagic-cinema-camera-par-marc-linnhoff/

I like the concept, pace, camera moves, location, pumping walls but struggle to find it appealing in terms of image quality. The noise is really distracting, the skin tones not very flattering (those end shots) and the false skin really looks like plastic. I don't see how this can be a good showcase for 5D raw.

You also may want to check this :

http://www.digitalbolex.com/forum/lenses-and-accessories/switar-comparisons/#p4302

I've just put up pictures that display the Switar 10, 16, 25 and 26mm coverage.

A Switar video shot on the GH2 is also in preparation.

Sorry if I'm dumb, but where's the Photoshop file?

 

Eagerly awaiting your Pocket Cinema Camera? You already have a micro for thirds camera and some C-mount lenses? Want to know if they will cover the sensor of the Pocket? Lets find out! I hope you will add your results, so we can make this list growing.

 

I will only add lenses to the lists when you have proof, in other words: images.

 

How?

Because we know the active sensor area of the BMPCC measures 12,48 x 7,02 mm, it is fairly easy to check if our C-mount lenses will cover the full sensor. Calculate this by taking a picture with a lens on your micro four thirds camera, and crop out the image area of theBMPCC.

 

In Photoshop:

1. Open the image.
2. Go to Edit > Image Size, uncheck resample image.
3. Change Image width to 19 centimeters, press ok
4. Go to Image > Canvas Size, change dimensions to 12,48 x 7,02cm, press OK to crop the image to BMPCC size.
5. Resize to 1920x1080 pixels
6. Post your results!

Note: If you shoot on the GH3 or other MFT camera's, the sensor size is 17 x 13mm, so change the width in step 3 to 17 cm!

To lazy to do it yourself or you can't work it out? Upload the full resolution files and I'll do it.

List terms explained:

Yes = covers the full sensor of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
No = doesn't cover the sensor
Needs modification = Doesn't fit on C-mount to M43-adapter without modifications
Equivalent = The focal length and depth equivalent on a fullframe camera (5D Mark III for example)
 

I'm late to the party but will definitely test my 10mm, 16mm, 25mm and 26mm Switars!

Some of them vary in coverage according to their diaphragm aperture (!)...

Andrew, I like your optimism and I think BMD may be able to deliver those cameras on time if all goes well, especially if production is about to start already.

Now, how can they/we make sure that all goes well?

Talking Pocket here:

How about over-heating?

SD card compatibility?

Firmware portability?

Battery life?

etc.

There are many aspects of every new product that are difficult to forecast and many potential stones to stumble upon.

I'd have appreciated if BMD's communication would have been more like "our ideal plan is to start shipping in July and we will keep you updated on how production progresses. We would like to avoid the situation we have encountered with the first camera by any means and, even though we've taken all necessary measures, we prefer to be a bit on the reserved side with our announcements."

So, my personal re-phrasing of your blog post would be "A few good reasons why Blackmagic could manage to ship around July".

;)

Those cameras and the Digital Bolex just around the corner is just incredible news, by the way!

Thanks for sharing so much edgy information...

This pocket thingie is exactly what I've been waiting for ... wow, miracles happen!

BMD website says that it records RAW, too, but the guy on the vid says ProRes only. Is compressed RAW going to happen sometimes in the future?

BTW, the form factor makes much more sense to me than the BMCC. The fact that the camera is usable out-of-the-box is a plus in my opinion and you'll be able to rig it anyway.

Sound: a true analog gain stage with knobs is a very nice feature. XLR or balanced jacks don't make a huge difference - just make a proper cable and you're set.

H4n may not be the ultimate recorder but I was told by a friend of mine who works for a major post-prod company that it's what they use a lot as it's sound image is very much surround-systems compatible.

All in all, I'd better invest my money in a small company of passionate film-makers growing a true community, than in a "regular" profit-oriented company. To each his own.

Please keep on behaving as cynical haters - that will leave more cameras for those recognizing a honest, transparent, user-centered and - yes - somewhat idealistic project that is very close to turn into one of the coolest indie film-maker's tool(set).

I'd be surprised if the first camera batch is not produced before Q1 this year.