KitPlus | Articles

Leading digital cinematography seminar with Matt Siegel

by Matt SiegelIssue 83 - November 2013 Multiple-award-winning film producer and cinematographer Matt Siegel chose a Leader LV5381 four-input multi-SDI monitor for use during his recent seminar on Digital Cinematography at The Maine Media Workshops. Designed for emerging cinematographers, the course explained the advantages of using digital technolo...

Submitted by Matt Siegel

Published 01 December 2013

True neutrality with TRUE ND

by Raymond BurnsIssue 82 - October 2013 Neutral Density (ND) filters are an essential addition to any filmmakers kit, particularly when attempting to get a proper exposure or a shallow depth of field when shooting outside in bright conditions or with strong sunlight. Now available in Europe via exclusive distributor Octica Professional, TRUE ND fil...

Submitted by Raymond Burns

Published 01 November 2013

Feeding a world hungry for instant news and entertainment

by Lorna GarrettIssue 81 - September 2013 It might sound cliche, but it is definitely true: the news never sleeps. With a third of the year still left, 2013 has already seen a host of events that have captured the worlds attention. From the anticipation of a royal baby to the devastation of hurricanes, tornados and bombings, from encounters on the...

Submitted by Lorna Garrett

Published 01 October 2013

Education: Live TV approaches to learning without a safe...

by Jennie RawlingIssue 81 - September 2013 Live broadcasting is the core business of the University of Portsmouth course, BSc (Hons) Television and Broadcasting, and they are now entering into their fifth successive year of weekly television output. Course leader and senior lecturer Charlie Watts is delighted with the developments so far, but there...

Submitted by Jennie Rawling

Published 01 October 2013

Why test and measurement is for real life, not just for e...

by Will StraussIssue 79 - July 2013 Thanks to its long-standing association with virtually incomprehensible acronyms, dark machine rooms and (lets face it) engineers with unruly beards, the subject of Test and Measurement (T&M) always gets a bit of bum rap. Yet, for all the pre-conceptions, it is a hugely important part of the production and broadc...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 August 2013

A cinematic makeover with Blackmagic Design

With the announcement of Blackmagic Cinema Camera at NAB 2012, Mark Linnhoff, a France based cinematographer, began to see the future of filmmaking in a new light. “Finally, an affordable acquisition tool that doesn’t compromise on image quality,” he recalled. “When I got the camera, I carried out some tests with a series of Carl Zeiss ZF.2 and Nik...

Submitted by Mark Linnhoff

Published 01 July 2013

Increasing creativity and functionality with Q-Ball

By Jim Daniels, technical director, Camera CorpsTell us more about Camera Corps and its position within the industry…Camera Corps was founded almost 20 years ago to offer broadcasters video system design and rental services. Having focused on rentals from the very beginning, we have provided high-volume cameras, pan-and-tilt heads and tracking syst...

Submitted by Jim Daniels

Published 01 July 2013

The key to the success of OTT services

By: Antonin Krl, nangu.TV CEOSmartphones and tablets have provided a major technological breakthrough in how we operate. Look around and you’re likely to see someone using their device to search for content, watch content or interact either directly or via social media applications. This is reflected in the Orange Exposure 2012/2013 annual independ...

Submitted by Antonin Kral

Published 01 May 2013

Creating the illusion: Green screen lighting

The illusionIf good cinematography is about creating the illusion of three dimensional reality, on a two dimensional screen. Working to create reality using background plates offers a whole new variety of technical issues that need to be addressed with skill if it is going to be successful. In this article I will touch on some of the basic issues t...

Submitted by David Morphy

Published 01 March 2013

Is it time to review your colour grading toolset?

One important step for all budget levels of post-production is the colour correction or grading tools you use to match the colour of different shots in your edit, to give a consistent look and feel. You may already be doing basic colour grading without really thinking of it as a separate process in your edit, or you may be sending off your edited t...

Submitted by Mark Brindle

Published 01 February 2013

Is film a brand

In 2000 George Lucas announced he wanted to make Episode 2 of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. It was going to be about 90% CGI so he wanted to shoot the live action sequences using video. It is said that as he had just had a very expensive divorce and needed some money which is why he embarked on making these prequels! Then there was no video camera...

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 January 2013

Twas the issue before Christmas;

As it’s nearly Christmas, I figured, what better way to honor the end of anther year than to celebrate everything that has gone before? To do that, I’ve picked my favourite production technology innovations of 2012. But, as we’re fast approaching the festive season, I’ve compiled them in the form a Christmas shopping list. Yes, I know. It’s genius....

Submitted by Will Strauss#

Published 01 January 2013

Video Monitoring Essentials - By Den Lennie

As a DP the video monitor you work with is one of the most important tools on set. I began my career in 1994 shooting television news for Reuters on Betacam SP and it was very rare that I'd get to use a monitor on location. As my career evolved I started shooting more considered pieces and used Sony 9\" tube monitors all flight cased up. I shot the...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 December 2012

The highs and lows of histograms

Histogram displays for video analysis probably followed those found in common computer graphics programs such as Adobe Photoshop. This can be very useful in finding video signal problems that would be difficult or impossible to see with a conventional waveform display. The histogram is a way of showing statistical results as a bar-chart. The range...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 December 2012

HOW AND WHEN TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS

In the first of two articles on diversification, Peter Savage offers advice on building your business by diversifying within your existing business and marketI had an interesting experience last week, and one which conveniently leads on to the subject of business diversification which is my topic for this month. Some of you might have seen that I h...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 November 2012