ali wrote with the following question:

I want to ask you for info on a specific camera- not sure if youve tried it out but i cant get an honest answer from a sales guy so id thought id try here. the model is gy-hm100u it is a jvc hd cam that records on sd card and it is made to drop and drag files directly onto apple final cut pro. I was wondering if the camera would be still compatable with adobe and if it would be difficult to transfer video to a pc. if anyone knows about this and has any advice please let me know. I dont want to buy something that will be too expensive and doesnt work well with my pc.

Anyone know about this camera?

Those of you who have been following the RED phenomenon may be interested in this news from engadget about a just-announced new camera system. Looks to be fairly cheap and configurable, just as previous RED One cameras have been. There's a thread on this at Slashdot as well. Update: Oh, and they announced a 3D-camera system too.

2nd update: Interesting critical look at RED here. (warning- a bit technical)

This is kinda of interesting. According to this story, the new Speed Racer (based on the cartoon) movie is going to use some kind of special camera where "the entire frame always in focus… like a cartoon." Also "they’re also doing two dimensional and three dimensional stuff and mixing and everything is very, very saturated with some new kind of film, so they actually have to treat the actors in some way so we can hold our own with the background."

Good news for indie filmmakers!. Canon has just announced four new camcorders that will, according to Yahoo, "shake up the market." They are: the higher end $6999 XH G1 and the $3999 HX A1. Then there's the $1200 HV10 and the DVD DC22 camcorder for $699. Apparently Sony is going to have to announce price cuts soon to compete.

The difference between a dolly and a zoom shot. Right of the top you need to recognize that (zoom) is a two dimensional move that is simply magnifying the image. On the other hand, a (dolly) move is a three dimensional move that displaces objects in the frame. In essence it gives a three dimensional feeling even though your audience is watching images on a two dimensional space. In layman's language we could say that the dolly move just looks real.

The dolly shot generally applies to moving in or out from the subject. When we move left to right across the subject we call this "trucking" or a truck shot. One of the most inportant things to remember when doing a dolly shot is that your composition at the beginning and end of the dolly is strong. (this also applies to the zoom shot). Professional dollies that you will see on a movie set have names like PeeWee, Panther, Spider, Elmack, Fisher and many others.

These units will not only move in and out but will also "boom" which refers to moving the camera up or down at the same time or separately from the dolly move. The person pushing this wheeled platform is known as "the dolly grip" (grip is similar to a "stage hand" in theatre.

You will often see metal track in exterior shots that is layed down for the dolly to roll on. One of the simplest dollies that I have personally used many times on promotional/corporate videos that I have shot is known as a "tube dolly". You can make of of these yourself quite easily. All you need is two pieces of PVC pipe, (the pipes I use are 10 feet in length) along with a 4 foot square piece of 3/4" plywood, a push bar attached to the plywood and a couple of sets of skateboard wheels attached underneath the plywood that run on the PVC track.

Get lots more hands on tips and techniques from my book "Marketing with Film & Video". Just go to www.speakfilm.com and click on the book.

Here's to good shooting
Barry Casson c.s.c.
bcas...@speakfilm.com

An excerpt (free subscription required):

Sony's new HDR-HC1 is the world's smallest and least expensive HD camcorder. At 7.4 by 2.8 by 3.7 inches, it's about a third the size of previous HD models, and small enough to pass for an ordinary digital camcorder. At $1,750 online, it's about half the price of the FX1. And as if price and size didn't make the HC1 distinctive enough, here's the best news of all: it's also an absolutely terrific camcorder.

Cinetactics has announced the launch of their latest product, the Matteblox, a soft matte box and lens shade for most popular DV cameras. According to Cinetactics, the nylon Matteblox is the first full-featured foldable matte box that can fit in your pocket. The design allows the Matteblox to serve as a simple lens shade when needed and then expand to a full-featured matte box in seconds. It can mount on most cameras and wide angled lenses. Matteblox can hold 4"x4" filters, 100mm filters, Cokin A filters, and Cokin P filters and comes with a removable and adjustable french flag which provides extra shade when needed.
Sorry for the press-release-ese..

A post (you'll have to find it, I'm not gonna tell ya!) on the Bulletin Board asked this fun question: On a movie set, what is the last shot of the day called? Do you know the answer? Compare your answer to other users in our new survey...

A recent story at Salon.com interviews a number of cinematographers and discusses the "film is dead" mantra we've been hearing for a couple years now. If you're a cinematographer, or just interested in the film vs. video debate, it's worth a read. (Non-members of Salon.com can watch a 10 second ad for a "day pass" to read Salon's content.)

Cristina Clapp writes, "We're hosting the online chat for the American Society of Cinematographers on Saturday (the day before their yearly awards) and would love to let our friends in the filmmaking community know about the event. Following is info -- please call me if you need any further information, or have any questions." Wow, what a lineup. They've got the cinematographers of "The Man Who Wasn't There," "Moulin Rouge," "Amelie,"
"Pearl Harbor," "Lord of the Rings" and others. Click Read More below for the full info.