Illumination Dynamics has moved its Los Angeles headquarter from San Fernando to a new location in Santa Clarita. The new, 67,639 square-foot facility is located at 21335 Needham Ranch Parkway, within sight of the 14 Freeway and just a few miles from Interstates 5, 405, and 210. As such, it allows easier access to the thriving film industry in the Santa Clarita Valley, while still remaining just a short distance from Hollywood.
How do you make a full-length feature film, with flawless, cinematic values when your camera budget only stretches to the Sony FS7 cinema cameras already owned by the crew? School Fight is a low budget, independent feature film, but you’d be forgiven for assuming the investment in the on-screen image was far more high-end. This comes from the crew’s unwavering commitment to achieving the highest possible production values by squeezing everything they could out of the camera equipment they had available and a minimal budget.
Documentary filmmakers understand that the job requires contending with all kinds of weather, environmental conditions, outside noise and un-trained talent. Freelance cinematographer Neil Fernandez, owner of Lucky Finn Productions, has traveled to the Black Rock Desert to shoot a short about Burning Man, along Route 66 filming Alien Highway for the Travel Channel and to Bora Bora, Jamaica and the Bahamas to shoot various swimsuit campaigns.
Atomos Limited has introduced Neon, an all-new line-up of precision 4K HDR field monitor-recorders for on-set or in-studio production where reliable and trustworthy monitoring is essential. Neon comes in four screen sizes, 17-inch, 24-inch, 31-inch and 55-inch, ensuring that no matter the critical production usage, every crew member sees an accurate image representation so directors know with confidence that they have got the shot, that cinematographers ensure consistent exposure, focus pullers maintain the sharpness of an actor's eyes, and so editors and color graders can lock down the creative intent from shot to shot.
Leading Polish cinema equipment and servicing company ArtTech is now the distributor of the Tibex T/WS projector lift and boothless cinema ventilation uniit, products that combine cost and space savings with the comfort of easy maintenance.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers Leica Camera has released the M10-P ASC 100 Edition. The still camera includes a Leica Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH lens and offers two specially tailored Cine Look modes built into the camera’s software that make it a focused professional tool for cinematographers and filmmakers. The set also includes a Leica Visoflex electronic viewfinder and a Leica M-PL-Mount Adapter that allows the use of almost all PL mount cine lenses available on the market.
Red Digital Cinema has added the DSMC2 Touch seven-inch Ultra-Brite LCD Monitor to its line of innovative camera accessories. According to Red, the monitor is a robust, optically bonded touchscreen with Gorilla Glass that provides the most intuitive way to navigate menus, adjust camera parameters, and review .R3D clips directly out of the camera.
Matthews Studio Equipment has introduced a rig that further extends the range of filming environments for Samsung 360 Round camera. The Matthews VRig offers flexible mounting options, low center of gravity and a small footprint to minimize nadir hole obstruction while maintaining rock-solid stability. When paired with Samsung’s 360 Round, which captures true 4Kx4K 360 degree footage, users can record, edit and livestream complete VR video and audio, anywhere. 360 Round features a unibody chassis and compact design and is IP65 dust and water-resistant.
As the trend toward boothless cinemas grows, Arttech Cinema has introduced the Tibex T/WS projector lift, the only product of its kind on the market with a turntable, which enables easy access to the projector from every side for service and repairs.
The Society of Camera Operators has named DJI’s Ronin 2 as this year’s recipient of its Technical Achievement Award. The award is given to a manufacturer or technology that has demonstrated superior engineering, advancement of camera operation, and substantial facilitation of the craft. This year’s recipient is DJI’s Ronin 2.
