Teaching Peeps about Cameras is Fun

I always have a good time teaching about the Alexa.  I'm a techie nerd and digital technology is fairly easy for me to understand.  So breaking it down for an audience to the point where everyone in the room "get's it" can be a challenge but the results are rewarding.  

In the case of the Alexa, there are a lot of cinematographers, producers and directors that are interested in using this camera on their next shoot.  By getting them the info they need, it makes their decision easier because they can go into their project with confidence.  I like to remind everyone that yes, maybe the Alexa rents for a bit more than other cameras but this is offset by it's ease of use, excellent on-set performance and lightning quick  workflow.  The fact that you can output editable ProRes files in-camera makes a huge difference for a lot of people.  Plus the option of going Arri RAW gives you the ability to record higher quality for the big screen.  Some films that used the Arri Raw format are Avengers, The Dictator, James Bond: Skyfall, Life of Pi, Gambit, Iron Man 3 and others.

Thanks to Stray Angel Films for organizing this afternoon workshop last week.  It was awesome to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.  If you have any rental needs, check out Stray Angel on the Westside.  They can hook you up.

Digital Day at the DGA

The Director's Guild of America hosts an annual event called Digital Day which highlights new technologies for film and television.  This event is specifically geared towards Directors and UPMs that want to be in the know about the cool stuff they can for their own projects.  We got great feedback about the Alexa line of cameras and everyone was eager to see what is next.  We have lots of new tools coming out for your existing Alexa camera like the Arri wireless system which integrates lens data into the metadata stream saved with your video files.

Learning from the Masters of Cinematography

A great part about working with Arri is that I get to participate in some amazing education.  We support a number of workshops including Master Classes like the ones at Mole Richardson.  In one session, we got to hear Masters of Cinematography like ASC members Vilmos Zsigmond, Ueli Steiger and Jacek Laskus talk about how they light different types of sets.  

It's one thing to understand the technical behind how someone is lighting a set, but it's another to hear first-hand the tricks these guys used to make it happen.  We're talking about films like Close Encounters, Bonfire of the Vanities, Deliverance, Austin Powers, The Day After Tomorrow and others.  Did you know that Ueli Steiger had reams of silk material died a certain type of blue for the flood scenes in "The Day After Tomorrow?"  These long pieces of material were sewed together and put on a lighting grid in order to make the light from huge 5K tungsten sources come out that soft blue tone.  This setup was used in a huge studio where the NY street scenes were built so they could be flooded on demand.  

BTW, all three of these guys like the Alexa.  Vilmos said it's the only digital cinema camera he would use.  Awesome!

Screening of Bathroomies

So it finally screened!  On Tuesday, we were at the Downtown Independent at a Web Series Orgy where we had a bunch of folks showing their web series on the big screen. 

Bathroomies, Directed and Shot by yours truly, was well received.  People actually thought it was funny.  I mean, I thought we intended to make a serious drama about having a tough time in the real world, but who knows what happened...

Look for Bathroomies to debut online real soon!

At Cine Gear 2012

Come check out our cameras, accessories and lighting. We have great talent for you to check out through the lens. And the set is pre-lit with new LEDs.

Racist and Stupid Comments on my YouTube videos

Here's a smattering of what internet trolls say after watching some of my videos on YouTube.

comments on Indian Gangster Trailer:

Hahahahah Indians get bashed so much here hahahahah fucking faggots
moeyerdem

These Indian people are too white looking. Get that Indian dude that did that Michael Jackson Indian thriller spoof to play the lead. Now that dude is my man.

HaHa what a joke. indians are not a violent race. most people could bring one down with a back hander

 

will please some one Ban canadian Indians from carrying a camera and working on TV , expect for the hot chicks in porn ofcourse !!

lol @ all of the effort that was put into this and only 800 views. stupid towelheads