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JETSETTER.
Artwork.Title:Jetsetter. By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
MIKOS • MLPappas
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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ASCENDING.
Artwork Title: Ascending
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts MIKOS • MLPappas
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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ENIGMA COMING
Artwork Title: Enigma Coming
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts This painting you need to stare at for a moment to let your eyes acclimate to the texture. After a while this painting absorbs you. The large version of course even more so. If you click on the painting, depending on the browser your using the artwork will open up with a dark bordering background.
MIKOS • MLPappas
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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EMPOWERED
Artwork Title: EMPOWERED.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
MIKOS ARTS
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CURIOSITY
Artwork Title: CURIOSITY
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
MIKOS • MLPappas
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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CANDLELIGHT
Artwork Title: Candlelight
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Deceiver.
Artwork Title: Deceiver. By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
Here was a video posted a few weeks ago of The Deceiver artwork. The video has a music track as well.
Youtube
Vimeo
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FLOATING AMONG THE HEAVEN AND STARS
Artwork Title: FLOATING AMONG THE HEAVEN AND STARS. By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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RAINS OF FIRE.
Artwork Title: RAINS OF FIRE. By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
MIKOS • MLPappas
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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GLIMPSES OF A PAINTING IN THE WORKS
CLICK THUMBNAIL TO SEE LARGER
This is a preview of some small details of a painting that is still in the works.
Artwork Title: UNTITLED
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Oracle
Artwork Title: Oracle.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Deluge
Artwork Title: Deluge
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Ninja Warrior Girl
Artwork Title: Ninja Warrior Girl
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
This Graphic Art is based my Charcoal Gesture Work.
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Dissolve
Artwork Title: Dissolve
By MIKOS • MLPappas
From The World Within.
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FLUX.
Artwork Title: Flux.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Four Seasons of the Soul.
Artwork Title: Four Seasons of the Soul.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
Here is a quick trailer of the Four Seasons of the Soul artwork. The video has a music track as well.
Youtube
Vimeo
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Dual Masters.
Artwork Title: Dual Masters.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Farewell.
Artwork Title: A Farewell. By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Contemplation.
Artwork Title: Contemplation
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Aura of Flesh.
Here is a small sample from the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Series Vol. 1 Exhibition.
Artwork. Title: Aura of Flesh
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Disintegration!
Here is a small sample from the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Series Vol. 1 Exhibition.
Latest Artwork Title: Disintegration.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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Cirque du Insane!
Here is a small sample from the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Series Vol. 1 Exhibition.
Latest Artwork Title: Cirque du Insane!
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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A Beautiful Repentance.
Here is a small sample from the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Series Vol. 1 Exhibition.
Latest Artwork Title: A Beautiful Repentance.
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
From The World Within.
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LUNA…..
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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To Save A Mockingbird…….
Last month during filming we heard what sounded like the cry’s of a baby bird off set. After our shot was up we looked around and came upon a little fur ball of feathers. When I approached this baby bird it was terrified, and rightfully so. As I must have looked like King Kong coming towards it. I picked it up and secured in a small box, while we searched out the nest that it had fallen from. With no luck in locating the nest, I took it home with me as it was becoming night time. Within a short while the little baby bird become calm, comfortable and very hungry- what an appetite this little one has. Since then I have been taking care of the this baby mockingbird and hopefully it will be free, and able to fly soon.
Update: I think it’s a girl Mockingbird based on head colors from some reading I did on this species and a private email I got about the bird . This little one is sure a big eater too, and is very comfortable sleeping in the palm of my hand & follows me every where….
Feeding time- Demanding girl……..
By MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Ray Bradbury- A Genius Prolific writer moves on. Enjoy the next level sir, your literary greatness will live forever and inspire many..
Ray Bradbury was an American writer who stood at the top of his profession. He was responsible for such great works as- Fahrenheit 451 written in 1953- The Martian Chronicles (1950) and The Illustrated Man (1951). Many of Bradbury’s story’s have been adapted into television shows and motion pictures over the years. He was revered as one of the masters of science fiction literature as well other subjects including fantasy, mystery and horror stories. His work will remain an inspiration to many forever.
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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World War II Fighter Plane Discovered in the Sahara Desert After 70 Years
Not as dramatic as the first scene to Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” but its discovery is totally awesome. The Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s P-40 Kittyhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. A P-40 fighter aircraft that disappeared during World War II was recently found in an excellent preserved state considering it has laid in the Sahara desert for 70 years where it crash-landed in 1942. The discovery was made in a remote part of Egypt’s western desert by a Polish oil company worker. Hopefully they can get this aircraft out of the dessert and into a museum soon. This story reminds of another recent discovery of 20 World War II-era British Spitfire planes buried in Burma at the end of the War in weather sealed containers in perfect shape.
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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“I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it” Marty McFly
The debate over high frame rate cinema rages on. I’m personally glad it’s finally front and center now. However to see how it affects people emotionally is very interesting and confusing. Many filmmakers are adamant against HFR. Declaring this as the black plague to cinema. As I have said- I believe this to be a conditioning issue rather than a technology problem. If I were to take late 70’s & 80’s punk rock or heavy metal such as Metallica to the year 1950, audiences would have screamed aloud out of sheer fear- claiming the noise was like tearing steel from colliding trains with not a single merit of musical integrity. In the 70’s and 80’s it took people who were young & progressive to embrace punk and metal, most over 40 hated it, however for a few who could see beyond their conditioning to music and sound- loved it!
Today heavy metal and punk is mainstream and considered to be rock an roll, not some crazy insane sound as it was thought of many decades ago. The complaints about cinema if it becomes 48fps or higher will turn films into a refuge of daytime soap opera disasters, is unfounded. We have never seen truly “A” class directors along with”A” class actors at the top of their career game in HFR cinema. I always said about Showscan, if you get the best directors, actors and crew in town, this stuff will look like magic. If you didn’t do the best possible work, it would look terrible. HFR leaves no stone unturned. It exposes all nuances and allows very little room for error. Many filmmakers are afraid of that, they don’t know what to think when faced with this technology. HFR forces you to elevate your talents beyond almost anything you’ve seen or done, and that scares many filmmakers…
A revolution will happen for motion images, no matter what, that you can bet on.
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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High Frame Rate Cinema
CinemaCon was buzzing about with the first look of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. The buzz could have been that everyone was in anticipation to get a first glimpse of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien classic story. Surely that was a huge part, however there was another curiosity about The Hobbit film. It has been no mystery that Jackson was doing something very revolutionary with the filming of The Hobbit. The Hobbit is the first major motion picture to be filmed at 48FPS, a (HFR) High Frame Rate captured film. Jackson choose to take the chance with HFR on one of his most anticipated films since he directed The Lord of The Ring series. I knew what was going to be the affect, having done research at Showscan years ago, I knew what experience HFR would offer. What I haven’t ever seen, and those as well at CineamCon is a top Hollywood director cracking his whip at HFR on the highest level of motion pictures. If 3D isn’t enough, now add 48FPS to the mix. After the sneak peek of The Hobbit was done, the buzz went viral, everyone tweeting, blogging and the crowds going mainly into two camps. One camp, hated the “soap opera” feel, while others liked it’s new immersive feel, and felt the need to wait for the film’s official release in December to give it a chance. Most people have never seen 48fps footage. Well your in luck. I have started a thread on the topic ( the link below ) where I posted links so you can see it for yourself. Not from The Hobbit unfortunately, however from a few DP’s that have done tests with RED cameras set to 48FPS ( RED cameras are also the one’s used to film The Hobbit ). Hopefully Peter Jackson will release a new trailer at 48FPS, as I’m eagerly awaiting to see The Hobbit at 48FPS.
“Shoot a good film at 48fps and show people that version. For some it comes off
as a “Soap Opera” feel. Spit out a 24fps version of that exact film, and it’s now liked,
and revered as good Cinema. However both are identical as for the film is concerned.
It’s kinda like having a book read to you, versus you reading the book. You absorb
the story in a different way. Same story, same book, different experience”
“Simple solution in the short term to get people accustomed to High Frame Rate Cinema
is to offer the same production as Full Motion 48fps, and one in Cine Motion 24fps. I believe over time people will choose the production that is more immersive with more temporal info. However they need to see both, and realize psychologically that both versions are identical films, just one is more in tune with our temporal resolution.”
Click to see thread on 48FPS and HFR Cinema
BLOG FORUM- 48FPS & HIGH FRAME RATE CINEMA
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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BlackMagic Announces Digital Cinema Camera
NAB launched this Week in Las Vegas with a surprise no one expected. BlackMagic Design unveiled its first camera, a 2.5K, 13 stops of dynamic range; built in SSD recorder for just $3,000. A revolution in so many aspects.The BlackMagic Cinema Camera is targeted at production areas including feature, TV series production as well the independent market. More news and info at the links below.
Click to see BlackMagic Digital Cinema Camera BMCuser Thread
Click to see BlackMagic Digital Cinema Camera BLOG Info
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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America Captured in Color- In Less Colorful Times.
A selection of photographs taken during 1939 to 1943 from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information show’s a tiny glimpse into the depression era of America’s rural and small town populations. The photo’s are striking and emotional. Taken with 4×5 Kodachrome, it captures all the beauty and sadness of the depression era and early days of America going into World War II. Among the released images we also see photo’s of WWII personal such as pilots as well those that built the amazing air machines of the past through a pictorial window of nostalgia influenced by the dramatic settings of the time. A look and feel that is its very own, not repeated by any other decades following to such an unique degree. The rural photo’s are stark in reality and yet beautiful in how there captured. I wonder if those photographers who shot them ever thought their works would be viewed 70 years later. On a technology level, I still find it humorous that the 4×5 Kodachrome 70 years ago has a quality and texture that modern digital technology seems to not infuse in it’s imagery. Today’s images have a flat texture less feel, while these have a tactile all to their own, a color that seems organic, and true. Enjoy these works, as they are a window to a time that was America’s triumphs and hardships that so many experienced first hand long ago.
Click to see full collection here
Higher quality 4×5 Kodachrome transparency versions Click to see full collection here
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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Canon steps into the 4K arena with new cameras.
Canon has announced two additional cameras to go alongside the C300- making a Cinema EOS plethora for such a new camera line. The EOS-1D C was at the C300 launch six months ago, however it become a reality today with a possible shipping sometime this year. The C500, the big brother, and of course a higher end version of the C300 adds several new features including dual 3G-SDI ports and plenty of needed production technology that was most likely a result of professional suggestions made to Canon. Both cameras can capture 4K video, and this makes 2012 the year 4K has stepped onto to the stage in the main stream production world.
Canon’s 4K Cinema EOS Official Announcement & Latest Info-NAB 2012 http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?279850-Canon-s-4K-Cinema-EOS-Official-Announcement-amp-Latest-Info-NAB-2012
http://excoboard.com/PappasArts/150043/1858375
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Universal takes bite of JAWS for restoration.
Steven Spielberg’s classic film has been digitally remastered and fully restored. This short video segment takes us into some of the process of that restoration. It’s part of Universal’s celebration of it’s 100th Anniversary. Scheduled to be released this summer on Blu-ray.
MIKOS • MLPappas
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The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades.
UPDATE: Experience the Spring 2013 DVF fashion show as never before, filmed exclusively by Glass:
The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades- Google shades that is. Google is looking to bring the technology that we have come to see only in the world of science fiction into reality. It’s all heading this way, and once it takes, you’ll see other major technology companies jump on board with all types of advance glasses as well other wearable technology. Technology like Apples “siri” as well the Ipad mixed into wearable technology seems like a logical progression. After that technology runs its course, then I assume we move on to implants.
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY- MAKING OF A MYTH.
Updated: The making of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as well insights from others including collaborators Arthur C. Clarke and Douglas Trumbull.
Click to see the short film on the Making of 2001:A Space Odyssey
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Sony’s 4K NEX-FS 700 Camera announced!
http://excoboard.com/PappasArts/150043/1856776
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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5D Mark III MODIFIED! The consensus is speaking.
When the second video was posted from the 5D Mark III minus one of it’s two OLPF’s , it became even clearer what was going on, literally. Canon had either added an unnecessary extra OLPF or an extremely aggressive one. Either way the 5D Mark III had 4 years of new technology over the 5D Mark II, including an improved CMOS sensor, Codecs and the new DIGIC 5 chip that has specific technologies built for video. Maybe that’s where lies the problem. A camera with all that new technology, and built in “Know How”, had way to much potential.
If the 5D Mark II, an almost 4 year old camera with older DIGIC designs could deliver a nice image, what would a modern 5D mark III with all new digital processing technology designed with optimized digital video technology deliver? Logic would dictate that 4 years later, a way better image. However almost 4 years later, and $1000 dollars more, quite the opposite happen in specific areas. Most importantly the video was soft, it didn’t resemble a good down convert from it’s sensor to a nice 2K image.
Having the new DIGIC 5 chips alone should have shown considerable improvements in specific areas, however this was not the case. Something else was causing the softer looking image. Some speculated that an overly aggressive OLPF was the culprit. However there was only way to know for sure. That would be by removing that OLPF from the optical path before the sensor. James Miller, an early Canon 5D Mark III owner and Filmmaker / Lens Whacker from Sussex, in the UK took on that very deed. He removed the OLPF, as you can see in my previous blog post and the rest is history.
So what are people saying? Here’s a sample of quotes from people about this.
“Mother of god. That looks amazing.”
“two Fridays ago when I got my MKIII I suspected the OLPF was too strong and that maybe Canon had purposely ‘dumbed down’ the MKIII in favour of the C300”
“Yes, game changer, it is a whole new world” “Now THIS IS INSANE!!!!!! this is what the output from the 5DmarkIII should look like,what it was meant to look like”
“This is an indictment on Canon and their practices”
“Wow… vast improvement.”
“That’s crazy..looks like Canon is sabotaging their own camera…lol”
“Really impressed by this, looks much better than other 5D mk3 footage”
“Wow, this looks like full frame GH2! Looks fantastic.”
“It looks like a lot of people will be ‘hacking’ their 5D Mark III bodies to turn them into ‘single OLPF’ bodies!”
“It looks amazing. Thats how the MKIII should have looked without the mods. Really nice job.”
“I’m shocked there seems to be so much difference. Thank you for posting it.”
“the 5d3 was in such a demand that they would have easily offset any profit from the C300 due the volume…these foolish decisions will come back to haunt them big time”
“My bet is the camera was crippled on purpose to protect C300. It is not ‘the’ AA filter but a secondary OLPF”
“This is really annoying. I will be looking at my new MK III and be thinking, To void, or not to void”.
“The difference is clear and I now feel blind that I didn’t see it. The 5d3 is sharp… with that freaking OLPF off!”
“It is a new camera! This is our dream of years ago…”
Links to video’s and frame grabs. http://excoboard.com/PappasArts/150043/1856626
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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Was Canon’s 5D MARK III resolution suppressed?
The breakdown of the Canon 5D Mark III to the sensor & then to the OLPF.
” The video image quality now, is not the same 5D Mark III that came out weeks ago. It’s as if the camera was transformed. “The mushiness is gone” It never made sense that 4 years later, all new chips , Digic 5, and the image was soft on the 5D Mark III. Well, we know why now.”
Food for thought…….. I mentioned days ago, I was curious why the Marionette short film from Canon shot on the 5D Mark III looked so much better ( more detailed ) than what was coming from the 5D Mark III videos filmed with the shipping cameras this month.
Were the pre-production models missing a soft element? An OLPF possibly?
Today info came to light, that an OLPF had been removed from a 5D Mark III with an accompanying video. This appears to be what the 5D Mark III was expected to be in performance on the video side. The results are pretty amazing to say the least. Coincidentally similar to the Marionette short film by Canon, shot on a pre-production model. All this in just a few weeks after it’s release, and the 5D Mark III is being modified.
James Miller the brave 5D Mark III owner and hacker/modifier wrote:
” What is the aliasing like now? Well I was prepared for a terrible mess but I was really happy with the first few tests, I can’t really hardly spot any problems of Aliasing and thus Moire. And also I think the RAW still images have benefited from this also..”
It’s like an entirely different image coming from the 5D Mark III. Definitely download the 1080P for the best resolution.
Links to videos and frame grabs. http://excoboard.com/PappasArts/150043/1856626
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Nikon D800 Footage and Images.
Link to test Footage/Frame grabs and Info. http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?278662-More-Nikon-D800-1080P-video-tests&p=1986112841#post1986112841
http://excoboard.com/PappasArts/150043/1856281
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Douglas Trumbull Discusses the Future of Cinema.
A conversation with Pioneering Visionary Douglas Trumbull on the future of the cinema on the radio talk show On Point with Tom Ashbrook. It’s the future of cinema Trumbull is worried about, as more people are watching on little screens and staying home to watch movies. He discusses how movie theaters aren’t pulling the audience in like decades ago and what he’s working on that might be revolutionary approaches to filmmaking in hopes to make cinema mind-blowing again to movie going audiences.
Enjoy this interview with Mr.Trumbull, a film industry master.
Main Site:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/03/05/future-of-films
Direct link to player to listen:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/media-player?url=http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/03/05/future-of-films&title=The+Shape-Shifting+Future+Of+Films&pubdate=2012-03-05&segment=2&source=onpoint
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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Canon’s 4K Camera- Coming soon…..
More and more the picture is becoming quite clear. This was a quote from Canons press release last year that was accompanied with the above photo’s.
“The model will be equipped with a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor and, enabling the recording of 4K video* (at a frame rate of 24P, with Motion-JPEG compression), will make possible the type of exceptional image quality and sublime imaging expression to be expected from the next generation of “EOS Movies.””
Now it’s 2012- I think we are about to see a big milestone come into play. Like I said in my previous post. If this is it, and I don’t see any reason it isn’t. Then they’re now shooting with it some where in the LA area and abroad. Getting their short films made for the NAB screening as Canon did the months before the C300 release at Paramount studios.
Keep you eye’s out for it, as I’m sure someone is near by with this new “mystery” 4K camera. Oh yeah keep your cell phone cameras ready to take pictures. The rumor sites would love that scoop..
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Canon Cinema Line- Another one up the sleeve for NAB?
Canon is teasing of an exclusive screening at NAB in Las Vegas on April 15th. Is a new Cinema EOS product coming? Could this be the 4K or another DSLR 2K? Or something else? I will say that the 5D Mark III roll out was played a little low key. Could the minus of a HDMI clean out, as well a few other things allude to another camera in the wings? Canon did say there would be more products coming at the C300 release event. Did you notice the usual suspects were missing on the 5DMIII roll out who were part of the 5DMII roll out over three years ago. Some were connected to the C300 roll out that was at Paramount. Their absence from the 5DMIII was odd since it was the most anticipated camera I’ve ever seen. Could this be the reason? If so Canon’s attention would be focused squarely on this “mystery” and it’s announcement.
There’s a chance we could see this “Mystery” before the announcement……. If it’s the new 4K camera or even another type of 2K DSLR, you can bet that there are multiple productions going on in the Los Angeles areas and abroad shooting with this new ” mystery” camera for showcasing footage at NAB. Just as they did for the C300 and 5DMIII roll out, especially the C300 one at Paramount.
I suggest, people keep their eye’s open and cell cameras ready for productions that look high scale and just happen to have a DSLR that isn’t quite like the other Canon DSLR or camera layouts.
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Sand to Power. Bloom Box- Science Fiction Reality.
60 minutes Lesley Stahl did a report on K.R. Sridhar, inventor, engineer of the Bloom Box. A device that could single handedly spawn the coming of a new age of energy to the world. Presently major companies like Google and Ebay have installed them already quietly as others big companies too. Though not a filmmaking related subject , I feel that visionaries like Sridhar are not so different of those like, Disney, Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron, Kubrick and so on. Their visions have changed the world in many direct and indirect ways. These are the foot prints left behind of genius’s that are permanently embedded in the fabric of society. K.R. Sridhar is that same type of individual, just as Dean Kamen another 21st century genius of our times is. Enjoy this news report, as it’s a glimpse of what’s to come in the very near future for us all.
NY Times Article
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/a-secretive-start-up-raises-the-curtain/
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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The Way of the Future-Ultra High Definition 8K!
Check this out an 8K test done by the BBC/NHK. This is the future people, and it’s closer than we think. Totally kick ass awesome.NHK plans to broadcast/shoot the 2012 London Olympics in 8K too.Of course these are test runs, however quite remarkable.
Check it out: http://excoboard.com/PappasArts/150043/1850846
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
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Large Format 65MM and IMAX in Hollywood.
Large format films, there’s nothing quite like them. Unfortunately it has almost declined to nearly absolute zero compared to 30 years ago when 70MM was still used as a marketing hook that represented the best possible experience, and additionally if shot with 65mm film that would’ve included phenomenal clarity over the standard 35mm film as well. Then there was IMAX for those wanting to go beyond the normal cinema experience. Showscan and IWERKS was there as well, however, and unfortunately those two were held at bay in the ride venue world. Most recently in a nice turn of events, especially in the decade where film is seeing its last days of being the pinnacle of choice for production ( as well the bankruptcy of Kodak ) there has been a resurgence of large negative film being used for principle photography on some large scale films for IMAX exhibition. The large frame in IMAX is so massive that it collects all the details and nuances the lens has to offer. The best way I can describe that, is its unique look is like cinema with the elegance of medium format photography. The clarity is unmatched from anything less. I will update this section later on, however for now here is Cinematographer Wally Pfister on Imax put to use in films he’s DP’d and his collaboration with Director Christopher Nolan. ( Wally Pfister discusses Imax at the 10min point in this video )
A frame from The Dark Night showing an example of an IMAX frame vs 35mm film.
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Though not new, I remembered recently that Filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud made Wings of Courage in Imax 3D back in 1995. To my knowledge it was the first time a feature had been shot in IMAX. The film stared Val Kilmer, Craig Sheffer, Elizabeth Mcgovern and was from Sony Pictures. I saw this in Imax, and it has stuck with me ever since. The beauty of the large format, the elegance of the imagery. I was only able to find these low resolution clips posted below. One is the films trailer, and the other is a scene. However if you know how Imax feels, it doesn’t take much of a leap to imagine how this looked and sounded.
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News came to light that Paul Thomas Anderson’s religious drama The Master staring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, about a man who starts a new faith based organization following World War II was shot in 65mm film and will be projecting at 70mm. Last year a rumor was floating around that Paul Thomas Anderson was using 65mm to film The Master. Of course it’s hardly a secret where crews can be over a 100 people and camera support teams working daily with the cameras as well rental house supplying the gear. However it did remain under the radar until recently when it was confirmed in a modern way: Twitter! Yep, that indispensable communication tool to the masses via 140 characters is how we found out.
It was a Twitter conversation between current and former Pixar directors Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich. Andrew Stanton tweeted “The Master is indeed in 65, they nearly lost a camera shooting in the Bay.” So there we have it, quite awesome news.
MIKOS at MIKOSarts
http://www.MIKOSarts.com
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THE SMOOTHING OF CINEMA.
Ever since sound came to the cinema the main standard frame rate for the movies has been 24 frames per second. Over those decades there were attempts to take it to 30fps, 48fps and 60fps. However they failed to grasp the mainstream side of the film industry let alone the exhibition side. High frame exhibition stayed mainly in the special venue arena like Showscan and Iwerks. Sadly ImaxHD, which I had the privilege to see, was all of those, however on a level that is quite hard to explain with out experiencing it for yourself. Personally my love for large format cinema makes me biased. I wish all movies were shot on imax and 65mm. Of course when Digital acquisition systems reach this level of quality, we will just adopt that as standard. However until then, large format will remain the choice for only a few who can afford to do so within the industry.
Frame rate change will not have to wait though, there’s these two guys, you might have heard of them – James Cameron and Peter Jackson; these two men want to take cinema to the next level sooner than later.
There are two choices: 48 Frames Per Second and 60 Frames Per Second.
Peter Jackson made his choice, and that was to film The Hobbit in 3D at 48 fps on Red Epic cameras. James Cameron though at this time has not stated which he will go with. He has mentioned that 60fps might be what the Avatar sequels will be filmed at. Either way he will choose one of them, and this will have one of the largest impacts on how cinema is perceived since the beginning.
There are at least two very solid camps in the film industry on this subject. The filmmakers that want to move the frame rate upward, and the camp that wants to keep it where it has been since sound entered the picture. The filmmakers that want no change are worried that the emotional impact on audiences will be sacrificed for a soap opera feel of live HD motion that has minimal strobing. The other camp wants to move the frame rate upward to eliminate the the strobing associated with 24fps acquisition, and this will also improve the 3D experience. Increasing the frame rate to 48fps, and 60fps will smooth out the annoyances that happen with strobing with 3d projection. James Cameron believes this will be one of the major additions to 3D to make it more complete. Whatever choice is made, we are in a pivotal evolving stage at this moment in the film history. It’s really just a sit back in the chair, watch it unfold and let it become what it is destined to be.
Here are some articles on the frame rate change.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/douglas-trumbull-frame-rates-smpte-253730
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/peter-jackson-talks-at-length-about-using-48fps-for-the-hobbit/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/apr/13/peter-jackson-hobbit-cinema-director
James Cameron at NAB answering the question about frame rates.
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