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jcs

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Posts posted by jcs

  1. 19 hours ago, mercer said:

    Yeah, I get that this camera isn't for everyone, but for those filmmakers interested in narratives... it's a $7000 Alexa. Unbelievable. 

    + killer AF! No competition on the market at that price point. Recently shot an art piece on the 1DX II at 4K60 (vs. C300 II which has 10-bit but no 60p) and 8-bit was fine. Most of the shots wouldn't have been possible without DPAF (the alternative would have been a wireless FF and an AC).

    For those with a $7500 camera budget, especially if one has many Canon lenses, it's a no brainer. Again, the C300 II doesn't do 4K60, the C200 does. If the C200 had been available when we got the 1DXII, we would have gotten the C200 to get 4K60 instead.

    The most popular camera on this forum right now, the GH5, is a useful tool which creates great images, however it's not in the same league as the C200. Both products are priced fairly for their performance and features.

  2. Practice shooting stills in black and white to learn light and shadow. Also indoors against black backdrops where all the light is controlled- ideally with point light sources so you can do every kind of light (bounce/diffuse to get bigger sources), plus flags etc. Start with just one light.  I read a lot and prefer doing my own experiments to really learn things, vs memorizing and not really understanding how things work.

    I learned a lot from this guy when doing still photography: https://peterhurley.com/

    Sometimes we learn after the shot. Couple seconds lined up shot on iPhone, noticed amazing lighting on face later (positioned her quickly, just one photo. Quick edit in Snapseed; all on phone):

    IMG_0959.thumb.JPG.e2e32a426acd973c761f98fbb4c739b4.JPG

    IMG_0960.thumb.JPG.bde1cc68f31e3bed1ec5f4e53efea84c.JPG

    You can practice with your phone anywhere anytime. Positioning the subject(s) and camera in natural/practical light is also part of the craft.

  3. 11 hours ago, jonpais said:

    Sorry jcs, I deleted all my social media accounts, but where can I find one of these bot gear reviews? Could you post a couple genuine ones and a bot one to see whether I can determine which is which? 

    Hey Jon, as @BTM_Pix noted, the bot posts on this forum have so far been (mostly?) obvious. I just received that email from nVidia, so I haven't done any searching for more examples, specifically for gear/cameras/tech.

    In college I wrote a program called ELMO (elementary linguistic motivator). It was a simple program that looked for keywords and common patterns that people could 'talk' to via keyboard. It would type responses with random delay, including making random mistakes (as @iamoui noted), backing up, correcting, and moving forward. It was entertaining to watch people interact with it (I took notes to make improvements for future revisions). So I can see the appeal developers have to test these systems on real people.

    Through the massive power of GPUs and advances in machine learning, AI is now being used for world influence and for profit. Specifically for buying camera gear, here's the 'convincer program' (NLP term) I use before buying gear:

    1. Learn about a new product, such as when Andrew does a blog post.
    2. Read review replies on the forum.
    3. Read reviews on Amazon and B&H.
    4. Read reviews and watch videos from other bloggers/vloggers.
    5. If all good, buy the product. I prefer to buy locally, such as from Samy's (the biggest camera purchase, the C300 II was from Samy's DV Edit). Low online prices are good, however at some point there will be little or no competition, less jobs for local folks, so hopefully more people will start buying locally when possible (even if it costs a little more).

    Intuitively, when reading online reviews the detailed ones are more convincing, vs. generic "Great product!" which could be a bot or paid poster. As AI gets more sophisticated, detailed reviews could be bots. So the value of blogger/vlogger reviews with real people become even more important to find truth. @Andrew Reid and other gear reviewers could use this info to generate more traffic as people begin to realize what is happening to product reviews on sites like Amazon & B&H (and possibly even on forums as AI improves). As @tomekk noted, AI (and perhaps simpler statistics-based grammar engines) has been used for fake SEO.

    Here are examples from the Yelp test, some are real, some are AI:

    1. Easily my favorite Italian restaurant. I love the taster menu, everything is amazing on it. I suggest the carpaccio and the asparagus. Sadly it has become more widely known and becoming difficult to get a reservation for prime times.
    2. My family and I are huge fans of this place. The staff is super nice and the food is great. The chicken is very good and the garlic sauce is perfect. Ice cream topped with fruit is delicious too. Highly recommended!
    3. I come here every year during Christmas and I absolutely love the pasta! Well worth the price!
    4. Excellent pizza, lasagna and some of the best scallops I've had. The dessert was also extensive and fantastic.
    5. The food here is freaking amazing, the portions are giant. The cheese bagel was cooked to perfection and well prepared, fresh & delicious! The service was fast. Our favorite spot for sure! We will be back!
    6. I have been a customer for about a year and a half and I have nothing but great things to say about this place. I always get the pizza, but the Italian beef was also good and I was impressed. The service was outstanding. The best service I have ever had. Highly recommended.

    Answers here: http://www.businessinsider.com/researchers-teach-ai-neural-network-write-fake-reviews-fake-news-2017-8

    Something to think about if a user is acting strangely, such as disagreeing with everything everyone says (there was a user like that here for a while- I thought maybe they were a bot, especially when I saw that user name on another social media site acting the same way).

    Would be rather silly arguing with a robot designed for the purpose of arguing (unless one enjoys arguing, then by all means...) :) 

    1 hour ago, mkabi said:

    I was telling jcs, how much alike we are in a PM after reviewing his profile.

    Who else on this forum is like that???

    Right on brother, we're all alike more than we know. Namaste (for those unfamiliar- essentially means "I recognize me in you").

  4. 3 hours ago, iamoui said:

    Interesting. How do we know you're not AI/a bot?

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcschultz/. Perhaps contact some of the people who gave recommendations and ask if I am real.

    The same question for you- what's your LinkedIn?

    1 hour ago, tomekk said:

    Hasn't this been known for ages now? Couple years back black hat seo had AI generating whole articles on all kinds of topics which would pass as legit for a lot of people. Fake reviews seem like a piece of cake for an AI in comparison. It seems like it's an easy article spinning AI software for reviews https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_spinning

    I had not heard AI systems were so good they could pass 'mini-Turing' tests: so good the results passed as human.

    It's understandable some people prefer to remain anonymous online. However for those anonymous accounts it may be challenging to convince folks that the account owner is human. For example, if an account simply disagrees with everything one says, that's a pretty simple 'mismatcher' program.

    As the article points out, product reviews might become a challenge to find truth. Perhaps this is a new business opportunity to create trusted accounts connected to real people and authenticated with crypto. Or maybe we need to bring back brick & mortar stores for local shopping and encourage more local meetups/fellowship where people can discuss things face to face and/or in groups. I'd think Samy's in LA and similar places might host such events.

  5. 42 minutes ago, iamoui said:

    For some men being in a "loving relationship with a woman" means covering them in bag and not letting them leave the house without a male guardian. Just because you have a definition of love doesn't mean everyone else uses and adheres to that same definition. Some men show their "love" of women by beating them. I was never comfortable with the whole John Lennon "All you need is love" bullocks. First off because he was a hypocrite, a horrible human being, and a woman abuser. Also because it's woo woo. All you need is love? People have different definitions of love. What you really need is proper education and the empowerment of women.

    What is "female energy?" Jihadists become radicalized because of ideas and idealogies. 

    coughAmericanRevolutioncough

    People who are willing to kill others and die, themselves, in the process because you don't believe what they believe is most certainly not "bait." Do you know what would happen if you acted like Gandhi in the face of jihadists? You would be killed.

     

    "False flag events" "Deep state" "Shadow Government" Give me a break. Our government is so slow, inefficient, and inept. How could it possibly pull off the biggest conspiracy EVER? Hanlon's razor (Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by stupidity; Don't ascribe to malice what can be plainly explained by incompetence.) Can you please provide proof of these alleged things? Also, do you think 9/11 was a hoax?

    In another topic you preach about how alcohol, sugar, tobacco, and caffeine are toxic to the mind and body yet you've advocated in the past for taking psychoactive drugs. I know many productive people who ingest alcohol, sugar, tobacco, and caffeine regularly. 

    Millions of people now know what's going on because we have the internet? More like small groups of people can now gather on the internet and share their stupid ideas in an echo chamber and think they know what's really going in an attempt to excuse any responsibility for themselves.

    Not going to argue with ya brother. Seems like you had a bad day. The truth is out there if you do the research and are willing to accept what you find, no matter how terrible. Hope ya feel better man.

  6. If yelp reviews written by AI can pass as real, so could camera reviews and social media posts (I've wondered about some posters on this site too ;)): https://news.developer.nvidia.com/ai-writes-believable-fake-yelp-reviews/. A great way to test AI would be on forums. So if someone is acting a bit odd, especially if they have a very anonymous presence- could be an AI / bot!

    AI is also predicting image popularity for social media posts: https://news.developer.nvidia.com/ai-app-predicts-the-popularity-of-social-media-posts/.

    Applying this tech to video would also be possible (much longer to train as well as to process once trained).

  7. 3 hours ago, Grégory LEROY said:

    Thank you @jcs, I know this theory. 

    I watched the video again and I think you mean well. When you say, "Because we men, we need to fight to feel alive". Do you think that applies to all men? Do you think a man in a loving relationship with a woman thinks that way, especially if he has children? A little female energy in your life might change your perspective. Perhaps you already know this, jihadists sometimes become radicalized because they don't have female energy in their lives.

    Self defense and gun safety training are useful skills everyone could benefit from learning. I understand your frustration with corrupt governments, however armed response from the people will play right into the hands of the Rulers who's goal is Divide and Conquer. They'll declare marshal law and things will get far worse for everyone. It's better to think and act more like Gandhi vs. challenging a superior fighting force (government). Jihadists are bait- don't fall for it. If you want to make a difference, perhaps it would be better to use your filmmaking skills to spread the word about who's really in control (and it's not the government), and rally people to march peacefully to stop and prevent future false flag events designed to get the people to fight each other and/or allow further restrictions on everyone's freedom.

    Start here, brother. This was recorded in 1967! This puts in perspective that even though it was known what they were doing, no one could stop them. In 2017 we have the internet, and now millions of people know what is going on. Please help promote unity and love, and help as many people as possible to understand what is really going on vs. getting people thinking about armed conflict (again, self defense and gun safety training is OK). This information can be confirmed from various other sources (the religious elements can divide some people, best to look past those parts):

    And here:

     

  8. 31 minutes ago, jonpais said:

    @Grégory LEROY I'm also a bit confused. I thought you were training men to fight back in the event of a terrorist attack, but then later in the program, you tell the reporter how men need to be men, how men need to fight, that in some way this military training is to compensate for their social immobility in France. It also seems to me that a mere month of Skype interviews or emails is insufficient to weed out individuals who may have less savory motives than defending themselves and their loved ones from extremists. Are you a trained psychologist? Do you even do criminal background checks?

    Right on, we don't want to promote counter-violence, which is violence. We want to promote peace through education. Remember the Rulers are playing the Divide & Conquer game: let's opt out and promote peace, while focusing our efforts on policy to prevent the manufactured conflict from growing in the first place.

  9. 12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

    JCS, why do you think this health advice is relevant for a camera forum?

    It's getting hard for threads about creativity and gear to be waylaid like this almost every time with your new age philosophies.

    Please let's try and stay on topic.

    While it's true that others waylay some of my posts, I stay focused on the search for truth, wherever it may lead, while being respectful. I suppose I could take conversations to private message, however some people do appreciate the health topics. For example one member messaged me privately asking about one of these items his doctor also asked him to stop using; now he better understands why we both said the same thing.

    Quote

    Diet also affects learning and behavior. Avoid or minimize sugar, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol. Detox the body with herbs and supplements. Meditate and exercise every day. This will result in learning anything faster.

    This thread is about learning new things, the above information promotes improved learning, and facilitates creativity with a better functioning mind. While I don't mind being called "new age" (don't really identify with that, more of a science guy vs. woo woo), the information I post can be backed up with scientific research.  I can't tell you how many times I've had technical and creative breakthroughs after meditating and/or exercising. I've also seen excellent boosts in energy and cognitive performance after changing my diet and following the same suggestions I give: I practice what I share. I'm constantly working to improve communication skills to avoid being preachy, which is what tends to annoy people, as does the know-it-all archetype.

    "sugar, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol" are highly addictive and ultimately toxic to the mind and body. I've seen unbelievable suffering from addiction, including a close friend's father who's dying from diabetes, losing his body limb by limb as he slowly and painfully dies. It's not just his pain, but his wife & children's: so much suffering. If we all kindly remind and encourage each other to avoid these toxic things, much suffering can be reduced or eliminated. And at the same time we can increase our learning ability, productivity, and creativity.

  10. 9 minutes ago, tugela said:

    Explain to me how guys with guns at a training camp differs from other guys with guns at a training camp?

    One group is fighting for their freedom and very survival, the other is paid by the Rulers to create division to take over their country.

    Best not to get bogged down in Left/Right Liberal/Conservative distractions: look higher to see who is pulling the strings and why.

    The terrorist and jihadist problems are manufactured. Unfortunately, when the people start fighting the invaders with guns, that opens the door for the Rulers to declare marshal law and remove the rest of their freedoms. It's good that people are learning to protect themselves, however it's best to make sure local law enforcement handles any gun violence themselves, to keep the door to marshal law being declared closed.

  11. 30 minutes ago, Snowfun said:

    @jcs

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3902221/

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2642860/

    Just 2 papers which question the wisdom of blindly applying animal models to a human context. UG stuff. Totally irrelevant to these fora but you did ask.

    The fact that you "studied" something is irrelevant. I have studied the spec sheet of a Red epic. Does that make me an "expert" in the art of  cinematography? On your logic, yes. I wish! 

    Your approach to the scientific method is flawed. A good scientist presents evidence FOR his or her proposition. They do not demand that someone produces evidence to the contrary. (Unicorns exist. If you don't accept that prove that they don't. Reductio ad absurdum).  And evidence in this respect isn't a collection of random copy'n'paste from a variety of sources (rarely peer reviewed).  

    You mention refraining from alcohol. Generally good advice (as witnessed elsewhere by Kaylee's story). But remember

    http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/articles/drink-fuelled-nations-art

    Always a counter-example!

    But this is impinging on my day job and it's dull. I apologise for treating your posts like one of my student essays! 

    On a not totally unrelated note - you don't by any chance have direct experience of comparing high ISO footage on the C200 compared to your C300ii do you? (I think you have the latter?) I'd be interested to learn more about that as I'm thinking of a C200.

    Tim

    Not demanding anything, Tim. This is a friendly forum among friends, right? By telling you I have a background in biology I'm letting you know it's OK to go deep if you like.

    My understanding regarding THC and CBD is that when we are young (e.g. under 30), our bodies have sufficient cannabinoids, and if one uses THC, it can impair memory and brain function, so my advice to those under 30 is to limit or avoid THC. As we age, we have less cannabinoids, and thus supplementation can actually help the ECS system, resulting in improved memory and brain function. CBD is ok even for children, e.g. brain seizures, however I wouldn't suggest it for kids in general until there is more research data. I would expect CBD to be less toxic to the body than pharma for anxiety in teens and young adults.

    I did quickly search the NIH for THC and memory studies for older adults; didn't find any. The CB1 receptor and ECS system are relatively much simpler than cancer studies, which involve so many system in the body, especially the immune system: it's super complicated. So I agree that animal studies for cancer may not be that great in some cases. I know from personal experience (anecdotal) that CBD is quite effective in both humans and dogs. Sure it's not a double blind large population study, but it's good enough for us and the dogs :) 

    Yes, I have a C300 II, used mostly in the studio. I only shoot internal (vs. external raw), so I can't comment on that, however noise performance is pretty good. The latest firmware allows you to completely turn off noise reduction, which would be the same as raw (haven't tested turning of NR yet). The C200 is a killer camera if you don't need 10- or 12-bit compressed (vs. 12-bit raw). Noise control is the secret sauce to getting 8-bit to look really good. For most people, 8-bit and a little in-camera noise is good for everything they need. The C300 I and C100 I & II were super popular, the C200 will be as well.

    Saw this a while ago (maybe start another thread as this is going off topic even more ;) ) :

     

  12. 19 minutes ago, fuzzynormal said:

    I offered that advice recently on a forum thread and the OP rejected it.  

    No problem.

    However, that does show that each of us has our own way of doing things, especially with creative stuff.  

    Yeah no worries, everyone has their own methods for learning.

    I guess we're of the same philosophy to skip film school and get out and shoot:

    • AKIRA KUROSAWA    JOHN WATERS    MIRANDA JULY    QUENTIN TARANTINO    STANLEY KUBRICK    TERRY GILLIAM

    http://flavorwire.com/412974/famous-directors-who-never-went-to-film-school

    And Robert Rodriguez when he shot El Mariachi. I recommend everyone read this book if you haven't already: https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-without-Crew-23-Year-Old-Filmmaker/dp/0452271878

  13. 31 minutes ago, Snowfun said:

    @jcs. No.

    The vox pop report you quote refers to an animal study based on the effects of THC. It is easy to copy'n'paste "scientific evidence" - less straightforward to apply and interpret research findings in an appropriate way. 

    Of course, such substances (THC and CBD) may benefit creativity in a variety of other ways!

    @Snowfun, yes, brother. We use mice all the time in mammalian studies which also applies to humans. That's why we test with mice first. I studied cognitive science and biology at UCSD (and nutrition under Dr. Paul Saltman).

    From: http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com/cannabis-restore-memory-cognitive-abilities/

    Quote

    The researchers found that THC’s cognitive benefits were due to its direct interaction with cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is responsible for regulating several physiological processes, including memory and cognitive function. The study found that THC’s effects were “critically dependent” on the CB1 receptors, as the cognitive improvements didn’t occur when the CB1 receptors were blocked.

    Humans also have CB1 receptors in their ECS.

    Do you have information which contradicts these studies?

  14. 15 minutes ago, Damphousse said:

    I am not divided.  Regardless of what someone's personal politics are left or right you just don't post crazy stuff on the internet or send crazy company wide memos.  Honestly would you hire either of these guys?  I mean if you put one of these guys in front of a client how do you know they won't say some crazy stuff?  I am on certain topics left of center and I have worked at a lot of hard right places.  You have to have a sense of discretion and know how to keep your mouth shut.  This isn't even a political thing.  It is just how the professional world works and most of us get it.

    In case of misunderstanding, there was no intended implication that you are divided; only pointing out that it's hard to find non-dividing sources of information online. Do you know of a non-dividing source regarding the google memo case?

    In a sense, the google memo case might also be a kind of whistleblower case, if in fact, google is breaking the law. As I stated at the top of this thread, he put google at risk for the legal statements. I didn't get the sense that what he wrote was crazy at all: did you read it (the full version)? The opposite: written like an engineer trying to solve a problem, as seen from his point of view, with no malice intended. It appears most of the response energy from MSM regarding what he wrote is emotional, whereas what he wrote was very logical, void of emotion (he might be like many engineers: not using his emotional intelligence as a result of years of engineering and/or biology).

  15. https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/02/26/brain-plasticity-how-learning-changes-your-brain/

    Diet also affects learning and behavior. Avoid or minimize sugar, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol. Detox the body with herbs and supplements. Meditate and exercise every day. This will result in learning anything faster.

    Actually creating content is the most valuable tool for learning photography and filmmaking. That's why many famous content creators advise against film school. Their suggestion is get out and shoot- a lot!

  16. 16 hours ago, Orangenz said:

    Mmm, I actually meant to imply a universal "you" and not you specifically. Indeed the article made me think about what right wing news sources I was reading similarly biased in the opposite direction. 

    It was a very long article you linked to and it took a while to read it all (I presumed it was important as you had linked it). I found it mostly rubbish due to the lack of humility regarding the well known Soros funding situations. Don't you (specifically) think the current dichotomy of the media and everyone else is getting too ridiculous? When someone comes along and says, "actually, most people mean well and make small mistakes, just like you" it's a breath of fresh air. 

    incense 

    Right on, brother. Regarding Soros, why is he allowed to "run around wrecking countries and trying to invoke civil unrest in the US"? If he was really doing that, wouldn't he be arrested? Once I realized that Alex Jones, while many times he appears to be delivering true information, is part of the division system, I began to question everything. All I can say with some confidence, is beware of anyone outputting divisive information. Are there any major online information sources who report the truth in a non-partisan, non-inflammatory, non-divisive way? For any for-profit source, this seems to be a challenge, as drama creates ad-clicks and promotes sales as entertainment.

    13 minutes ago, Damphousse said:

    Are you aware that Jeff Bezos owns WaPo, and he has a .6+billion dollar deal with the CIA? Are you familiar with Operation Mockingbird? The Rulers goal is divide & conquer.

  17. 41 minutes ago, tomekk said:

    Please, no more taxes, otherwise, we're going back to taxing everything based on one ideas of what's good or bad according to their own ideology and again - designing how people should live their life ;)! Let them just smoke (slowly kill themselves in other words) but what about denying them treatment for other people's money as a fair incentive/feedback, unless we develop robots that can treat them for free? Is it wrong if that's their choice and they know about it? If the goal is to empower people, we have to abandon current trend of steering people and deciding for them, don't we?

    Addiction's a tough thing, brother. Perhaps tech will be developed that can more effectively help people quit. If people can't quit for whatever reason, ideally get them to pay up front for future medical costs. Is there a more fair method?

  18. 20 minutes ago, Emanuel said:

    @jcs John as former chap from there where we met for 1st time I guess, what's your currently opinion on cinema5d BTW? I'd love to hear it...

    I was a moderator, as was @squig. I think many of us left when the forum was transferred to Planet5D.

    They appear to be doing whatever it takes to operate as a profitable business. It feels a lot like NoFilmSchool now, more commercial, promoting products in various ways. The article Ethan referenced does feel like an advertorial for Canon and C200. When folks shoot a lot of content and don't want a home/office filled with piles of hard drives (and associated expense), raw is not a viable option.

    On an emotional metaphorical level, it feels like Canon is selling the C200 and raw like a gas guzzling truck, and promotes it based solely on it's ability to haul a payload. Ignoring that there are more efficient engine technologies, such as electric: 100% torque at 0 RPM baby! 

    I think Canon may have been motivated to offer raw on the C200 because of ML Raw on the 5D3. People may buy a raw camera, and after a while might realize RAW really stands for Really Awful Workflow (mostly due to copy time & storage space: editing raw directly isn't a big deal anymore (GPUs)).

  19. 2 minutes ago, tomekk said:

    Is our goal designing how everyone should live their life? Not everyone wants to pursue spiritual development and the arts. I'm also fine with people who don't want to live healthy life but I don't want to be forced to pay for their choices, do you?

    Sure, insert whatever pursuits one desires after their basic living needs are met. Agree that if people want to live unhealthy lives, feedback would be provided, such as tax on cigarettes & alcohol (and ideally sugar!) to nudge people in the right direction to lower the burden on the health care system (an improvement in efficiency).

  20. 4 minutes ago, Thpriest said:

    Whilst it's true that "Guardian Reader" has been used to describe reasonably well off people with a leftist view point, usually by right leaning Daily Mail readers (now that really is a rag that shouldn't be taken seriously), it is actually a paper that should be taken seriously. It is one of the few papers still doing serious investigative journalism not only in the UK, but all over the world.  It of course has opinion pieces, some of more value than others, but in general they are well written and use reason to back up their arguments whether you agree with them or not. It's not perfect by any means but much better than the majority of media out there. The idea that all mainstream media is bad is a dangerous concept. One must learn to analyse the information and reporting provided and then decide how far you should trust them. 

    Of course institutions can change. Here in Spain El Pais used to be one of the world's leading papers but it has lost it's way a bit recently.

    Anyway, I vote John Pilger.

    While Newsweek is Left, this is a good article on AI and data mining: http://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/16/big-data-mines-personal-info-manipulate-voters-623131.html. If you read the comments it upset some Rights. I found this https://applymagicsauce.com/demo.html from the Newsweek link and it's pretty cool (try it on some of your own and other's posts. Possibly a useful learning tool to be more persuasive and/or better understand where a person is coming from).

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