Visual Serendipity. Tropical Colors.

 
This week’s image was shot at the Zoo in Cali, Colombia, often recognized as one of the best in Latin America. “The Zoo’s 10 hectares (25 acres) are home to about 1,200 animals, representing some 180 species – from lemurs to condors. The Cali River runs through the zoo’s park-like grounds.”
 

Google Chromecast Review.

 

Google just announced a $35 HDMI dongle that pushes movies, TV shows, and music from Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, and Chrome to your TV from smartphones, tablets and the Chrome browser. According to Google, Chromecast can switch control from one device to another without skipping a beat.

Unlike the more expensive Apple Airplay, which sends video to a TV set via streaming right from an iPhone or iPad, Chromecast makes its own connection to the Internet from home wifi networks making it more reliable. UPDATES (more…)

Frame Rates and Shutter Speed. Quick tip.

 
In still photography we have three settings to control exposure: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. When shooting HDSLR video, the shutter speed is pretty much locked. We only have ISO, which is limited, and aperture, which we want to use as a technical AND as a creative tool. For this post, let’s concentrate on shutter speed.

Is there an ideal shutter speed to use?

The answer is yes, there is. Unless you are trying to shoot high-speed, or slow motion, a good rule of thumb is 2x the frame rate. So for example, if you are shooting at 30fps video, set your shutter speed at 1/60th of a second. When it comes to shutter speed, we basically set it, and forget it.

Faster shutter speeds make for better frame grabs, but also make the video more choppy.  This video is one of the best visual explanations I’ve come across for both concepts. Remember that exposure is extremely critical in digital cinema, we don’t have the RAW latitude we enjoy in still photography.

Francis Bacon and The Last Tango in Paris.

 

Inspiration often comes from the most unexpected sources. I am reading Moviemakers’ Master Class: Private Lessons from the World’s Foremost Directors, and found the conversation with Bernardo Bertolucci, and his inspiration for the “Last Tango in Paris” fascinating.  (more…)

Canon EOS C300 explained for photographers.

 
For starters, the C300 is NOT “just bigger than the EOS 5D Mark III.” Well, it IS bigger, but it is also a completely different system. The Canon EOS C300 comes in two flavors, one with EF mount (EOS C300) which takes your good ol’ Canon lenses, and another one (C300 PL) with a PL mount.
The camera is compact box, similar in size to a Mamiya RZ with a viewfinder. It is a bit heavy, but very comfortable to use for extended periods of time. (more…)

There are two kinds of movie directors.

 
According to Woody Allen there are two kinds of directors: “the ones who have it, and the ones who don’t.”

It is well-known that there are two more kinds of movie directors: the ones who write their own material like Tarantino, and the ones who adapt, like Alfred Hitchcock, or Steven Spielberg. (more…)

Visual Serendipity 74. The killing machine.

 

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the Komodo Dragon is the perfect killing machine. Here’s an article with the most infamous Komodo Dragon attacks in past  years. This surreal Visual Serendipity image was taken at the The Amer­i­can Museum of Nat­ural His­tory in New York.

Wes Anderson’s Top 10 Movies, and the Color Trilogy.

 
I recently read an article where Wes Anderson picked his 10 favorites movies from the Criterion Collection. Guillermo del Toro does the same here. Some of their picks are “Pigs and Battleships“, “The Insect Woman“, and “Kuroneko.” Clearly, I have a LOT of movie watching to do this Summer.

I will also be reading the latest Criterion’s Film Essays. The one about Krzysztof Kie?lowski’s “three colors trilogy“;  Blue (1993), White (1993), and Red (1994) is simply spectacular. (more…)

Putting the “Zen” in Kaizen.

You might have noticed that the official name of this blog is “Kaizen.”

“Kaizen” is a Japanese business philosophy of “continuous improvement of working practices, and personal efficiency.” We deeply believe in this philosophy and do our best to apply it in our daily business and personal lives.  (more…)

Visual Serendipity 73: Neighborhood of make-believe.

 

This past weekend we came across a great exhibit at The American Museum of Natural History entitled, “Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture,” that explores how food is produced and distributed throughout the world; from farm to fork.

This miniature from the exhibit reminded us of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood of Make-Believe. (more…)

New Panasonic GH3 update brings Silent Mode.

 
We just noticed a new Panasonic GH3 firmware update. As you already know this is one of the many cameras we have been using lately for still and video productions. Our original field test review, samples images and links to previous lens and body firmware updates can be found here.

There are some interesting improvements on today’s version 1.2: (more…)

The Future of Storytelling is Transmedia.

 
What is the future of storytelling? We’ll begin our day with a story on our phone. On our subway ride to work a new character will be added to the story and we’ll learn all about him on a tablet computer. At lunch we’ll catch up with the character’s newest adventure on our office computer via Facebook. Later in the day the story takes an unexpected turn—and we’ll learn about it from a digital billboard. Before going to bed we’ll plant the seeds for tomorrow’s developments while playing a video game on our television. This is transmedia—the future of storytelling. (more…)