KitPlus | Articles

4k is a reality for live production

Some aspects of the broadcast industry move exceedingly quickly; new cameras are launched seemingly daily, shows are commissioned and shows are axed but the overall pace of the industry remains pretty steady. Would it shock you to hear that NHK in Japan first built its own 4K prototype camera in 2003? (At this point, it's worth clarifying that we'r...

Submitted by Liam Laminman

Published 01 April 2016

Staying within a recognisable landscape

by Alan Wheable Issue 110 - February 2016 2015 saw the maturing development of UHDTV 4K signal technologies and a growing agreement that both SDI and IP will exist in their respective strong application areas, as a solid engineering solution to the differing requirements of live signal handling and programme contribution. While the apparent panacea...

Submitted by Alan Wheable

Published 16 March 2016

Post Production Companies Protection

by Leighton Chenery Issue 109 - January 2016 The UK Post and VFX industry has some of the most skilled and creative talent in the World attracting work from all over the globe including many of the biggest movies from the US. We all know, however, that problems are not a rarity and whilst nobody might be to blame, you may end up having to make a di...

Submitted by Leighton Chenery

Published 21 January 2016

EXIT PLAN - Creating an indi SCI-FI for less than 3000 do...

with Richard Oakes Issue 108 - Decmeber 2015 The director behind new indie short "Exit Plan\" reveals just what it took to write, crowd fund, shoot and grade his very own proof of concept for a science fiction feature with DaVinci Resolve, a Pocket Cinema Camera, and only four crew members on set For founder of Dark Fable Media, Richard Oakes, film...

Submitted by exitplan

Published 15 December 2015

Setting out your terms of business

by Den Lennie Issue 107 - November 2015 Its one thing to win a client and work, but it can be a whole different thing getting paid. Setting out a simple one-page terms of agreement can protect you. Im not qualified to give legal advice so I encourage you to seek professional advice when setting up your own terms of business. In simple terms, you ju...

Submitted by Den Lennie

Published 01 December 2015

Budgeting and controlling costs

by Den Lennie Issue 106 - October 2015 This is a very important aspect of running a production, and one you have to keep a close eye on. Its very simple; you have your actual hard costs in one budget and you have what youre charging the client in another. Lets say you charge the client £450 per day for the camera package, but the rental house is on...

Submitted by Den Lennie

Published 01 November 2015

Take a peek at Periscope

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 106 - October 2015 If youre a Twitter user, you may have recently started to notice an increase in the use of the word Periscope. No, this is not a sudden surge of nautical fanatics - Periscope is the latest social media app to the take the web(/world) by storm and has duly been morphed into a verb - to Periscope. The live vi...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 November 2015

Ground breaking production tool

with Stefan Lange Issue 106 - October 2015 NEO¢, the latest product from British LED manufacturer Rotolight, is a revolutionary on-camera or location LED lighting fixture designed for the most demanding of professionals. NEO¢ includes several industry first features that set it apart from the field, notably amongst which is an arsenal of Cinematogr...

Submitted by Stefan Lange

Published 01 November 2015

Sony PXW-FS5 Review

by Alister Chapman Issue 106 - October 2015 I was lucky enough to get some hands on time with a prototype FS5 in Amsterdam at IBC. In case you havent heard about it, the PXW-FS5 is a compact interchangeable lens, super 35mm camcorder from Sony that can record in HD or UHD 4K. It shares many of the features of the already incredibly popular PXW-FS7...

Submitted by Alister Champman

Published 01 November 2015

7 must sees at IBC 2015

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 105 - September 2015 IBC, the annual broadcasting event that brings professionals in the media industry together has been running since 1967. Each year brings new excitement and innovation to the event held in Amsterdam. Originally aimed at purely the technical broadcasting industry, IBC (International Broadcast Convention) a...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 October 2015

Is working for free, training or a pathway to paid work?

by Graham Reed Issue 102 - June 2015 I suspect like a lot of KitPlus readers I often have a look at a websites that advertise jobs, but mainly un-paid. I have frequently thought that these job offers are really just trying to get free or cheap labour for the benefit of the director/producer. One recently advertised for .... a cameraman thats enthus...

Submitted by graham reed

Published 01 July 2015

DOPs discuss minicams, lenses, 4k and all

by Mel Noonan Issue 100 - April 2015 If anyone knows about the practical reality of using minicams and lenses it has to be the DOPs who are out there using them. We are now seeing minicams used in all areas of production, some with 1080p and 4K capability at prices you would not have believed possible a few years back. I spoke to some of the DOPs I...

Submitted by Mel Noonan

Published 01 May 2015

What is the future of media creation, salaries and conten...

by Thomas Urbye Issue 97 - January 2015 Often this very question is debated by experts in our industry, but many have their own agenda, whether that be advertising creation, media buying, low budget film-making, publicly funded television, subscription based services and beyond. But what is the real future for our viewing habits, those of us workin...

Submitted by Thomas Urbye

Published 01 February 2015

Social Media... a filmmakers new best friend?

by Beth Zarkhosh Issue 96 - December 2014 Social media platforms can be extremely helpful the mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Youtube can be utilised for everything from generating interest in a project and sourcing ideas, getting feedback to getting funding. Sifting through my own personal Facebook and Twitter feeds I am...

Submitted by Beth Zarkhosh

Published 01 January 2015

It is in the Can Bag

by Dan Rose Issue 94 - October 2014 As a freelance cameraman/director, like every one else, I\'m always looking for that money shot! And some times it\'s a ground shot or a maybe a moving shot from a vehicle window. The lower shots can be hard to keep stable using your hands, and I don\'t really want to put my cameras on a wet or stony surface, wel...

Submitted by Dan Rose

Published 01 November 2014