Looper & Taken 2



This is my first entry into critiquing/reviewing movies so I might make it a regular thing.
First is 'Looper' and having seen a trailer it looked promising however in my opinion it wasn't all it was cracked up to be although it could have been my mood but my wife and our friend the Duchess all came to the same conclusion.
The first thing you would notice is the weird face lift vibe you get from Joseph Gordon Levitt. I found out later than this was a special effect added digitally to every shot to make him look more like Bruce Willis who play himself 30 years in the future. I've no idea who signed the design off but they must have been blind as it made him look nothing like old Brucey baby.
The film was ok in parts and lagged in others but I couldn't help but think I'd seen it all before in better films, Terminator, Xmen spring to mind.
All in all I was disappointed which was a shame as I was really looking forward to it.

Next up was 'Taken 2'. Having seen the first film and loved it I was excited about the sequel however I couldn't quite believe they made it.
From the get go I thought there was no way it could be as good as the first and I was right although it did exactly what it said on the tin. It provided thrills and spills, some good car chases, explosions and gunfights not to mention some smacking hand to hand combat.
Mr Nesson did look tired and after one fight scene cliched himself by saying just that.
I did have a good time watching it made all the better by gaining entry for free, see ticket above, by just letting it wash over me.
Stay tuned for some more reviews soon.......

The Meizler Module

So I was on set the other day shooting on Red Epic and I thought to myself, "I wonder when Red are going to bring out some sort of wireless iPhone/iPad monitoring and control system" only to find out that they have and it's called the Meizler Module, not the catchiest branding but its was named after some bad ass 1st AC apparently.
Anyway, it seems really cool. Pretty much every setting can be configured via your phone or pad remotely and while I can't definitively say that it also sends hd video to any mobile device over wifi, it must be possible especially with the hefty price tag.......but hey, I'll definitely be renting it as soon as it comes available.
Check out the light hearted quirky little film they made about it.....


Meizler Module from RED Digital Cinema on Vimeo.

Black Magic's Cinema Camera

So following on from my previous post, a colleague of mine pointed me in the direction of this vimeo clip of a side by side comparison of a 5D and the new Black Magic Cinema Camera.
The findings are very clear in that the Cinema camera is far superior to the 5D in terms of image quality however they both perform the same in the rolling shutter test.  I think that was inevitable although I would have liked to see some improvement in Black Magic's offering but hey, aren't we forgetting that they both cost the same! Nevertheless Im sure there could be some firmware updates to rectify that issue as we are only at version 1.0
I would also like to see some other tests too, maybe from set to screen test with full grading and RAW codecs in the mix, could be interesting..........

Anyway, if you are interested in seeing the shoot off then check it out below........

The Canon Killer?

So with the release of this new player right around the corner, I'm extremely interested in seeing what it can actually do. Whilst the spec of this little box certainly looks impressive, nobody really knows much about it.
I managed to come across a vimeo pro page by a guy called John Brawley who has apparently tested this piece of kit and has uploaded some movies in various scenarios.....take a look at it here.
The camera is able to take Canon EF and Zeiss ZF lenses but Im sure there someone will develop a PL mount soon enough.
Could this camera be the next big thing and the kit everyone wants to use......
Will buyers think twice about purchasing Canons Cinema offering of nearly 5 times the price?
How knows and only time will tell but with a price tag of just less that £2K (body only) I can see the industry being flooded with these units especially in indie circles, as its just so affordable.
If you're interested in the tech 'n' spec then check it out here

Faces of China

So I've been filming in Mongolia for almost a week and managed to get this nice portrait in downtown Ordos...
I'm now in Shanghai and the city is spectacular and hope to add some more images soon...

My First Pap

Thought I'd share this funny little photo of me whilst at work shooting some red carpet.
We were positioned perfectly in the background of every snapper taking their shots, appearing in the tabloids or on the net was inevitable......
Where's Wally?

Gaining Momentum.......

Our little Feature pilot is certainly gathering interest. From what the Director, David Wike, tells me is that some big players both in front of the camera and behind the scenes are interested being part of this project.
The rush is on now to get the final cut and last drafts out to those that need it in the hope to get tongues wagging.
As we all know in this business you have to strike while the iron's hot to get maximum impact otherwise you could be in danger of fizzling out.
So, I've ended up grading this little film, although who better to colour it than the Dp that shot it.
I have to say it has been enjoyable however it hasn't been hick up free.......computers! what can I say.
Having only graded it in FCP I think it has turned out well.........


Spring in June


You've got to love the 'Artemis Directors Viewfinder'

I just finished shooting a little promo for a feature named 'Spring in June' starring Georgia Groome.
This is a picture of me and director David Wike making full use of the portability of the iPhone while still having the confidence that what we were looking at was what we were actually going to get in frame.....
Awesome!

The Great Camera Shootout 2011






So I came across this great little production the other day, produced by Zacuto.
It's called the 'Great Camera Shootout 2011' and its a test of all the latest and greatest cameras that we're currently using in our productions by putting them through a rigorous and detailed test.
They had a similar offering last year but with only a small handful of cameras, so if you saw it last year then you'll know what to expect.
It consists of 3 episodes and I must say its very interesting as to where we are in terms of Film vs Digital.
So if you're interested in the performance of todays cinema cameras then check out the The Great Camera Shootout 2011 here.....

Canon C300


OMG, not 2 minutes after my last post I came across a link sent to me by the ASC..
It is of course Canon's new cinema camera rival to Red's new offerings, the C300.
While it seems not to have the same colour depth as the Red cameras, at only 4:2:2, one thing is for sure...
Both will have their merits and it could become hard to choose.
Check it out here and get excited.
Canon C300

Red Scarlet-X

Can it be true?
Having talked about this with colleagues for a while now, we all thought this was never going to happen until I received an email this morning...........
There it was, a picture of the Scarlet-X. Not sure when we will actually see one on set but orders can be placed so it could be sooner than you think.
Will we see a rival from Canon? Who knows......
Check out the link for more info Scarlet-X

Cypher 16 'Lonely Road' Promo



Here is a little video I shot for Cypher 16 at Battersea Power station......
If you like serious heavy metal music with some fire thrown in for good measure, then you'll love this.
It was a real treat to be able to get access and have free reign inside this iconic listed building.
During the lighting set ups I managed to grab some great stills inside the old control room and in and around the atrium.
Check 'em out!

Outer Wall and Windows

Star Ship Enterprise Control Desk

Knobs and Level 

Wimbledon Power Supply

 A Trasformer

Resistor Wall