Technicolor has teamed up with Canon engineering as well as ASC Directors of Photography to produce what might be the best “picture style” or curve to use with the Canon 5D MKII.   Oh – and it’s FREE btw.

You can download it and the accompanying instruction HERE.

Below you can see the Technicolor profile with the settings recommended in this article compared to what you could previously expect out of the Canon 5DMKII using the same Picture Style settings but without new profile. These are simple frame grabs off of a series of files opened up in Quicktime straight off of the CF Card (i.e. untouched – and the video file was not converted to any other format.)

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES can be seen on the jump page.

On top is the Technicolor Profile with the settings recommended in this article. Below is what you could get out of the Canon using the same Picture Style settings but without the new profile. Go to the jump at the end of this article to see full resolution images. ©Vincent Laforet /ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Also – in case you missed it – I’m looking to hire a few people – click here for more info.

Below you’ll find some tips from me as well as step by step instructions from Technicolor, as well as HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES BELOW:

Read the rest of this entry »

ALL POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED – THANK YOU!

This blog recently saw it’s 6,000,000th visit and as many of the regular readers of this blog know, I’m always looking to not only expand the content I put up on it, but also to improve the content you’ll find on these pages.   If you’re not already aware of it – you should check out the "My Gear" section of this blog, which lists just about every single piece of gear that I use on a regular basis on my productions – especially HDDSLR productions.   That section has become the most popular destination of this blog and it separates itself from many other gear lists out there in that I do my best to show examples of the gear in action, as well as the results I produce with each piece of kit.   That’s in fact the area I’d like to add to even more to in the upcoming months.   We’ve put months of work into it already, but the amount of new gear to review never seems to end,  and therefore in order  to be able to take it to the next level,  I’m looking for some help.    If you’re obsessed with gear and the way HDDSLR filmmaking is ever evolving – this is a great opportunity to play with prototypes on a regular basis.  

See below for job descriptions! (FYI our studio is located in El Segundo, CA within 5 minutes of (LAX) Los Angeles Int’l Airport.) If you are interested in any of these positions please follow the instructions at the bottom of this post.

1. Short term gig – (a.k.a.: "Position #1") –

I’m looking to do a 2 week project in mid to late May (sometime during the last 3 weeks of May to be exact.)   We’re looking for a rockstar shooter and more importantly editor.   Someone who can knock out a lot of short videos during that 3 week period of time and who can make them incredibly dynamic with their editing skills.   We have the cameras – we just need someone to work with us for two weeks as we do a road trip through Big Sur, Death Valley and a few other epic spots.  You might even get to meet the one and only Tome Lowe from Timescapes at some point if we can somehow locate him in the dark.   You need to be proficient in either CS5 Premiere or Final Cut Pro – knowledge of Motion / After Effects and other fun post tricks is a big plus.   This is a paid freelance gig with all expenses paid during the trip, exact dates TBD.

2. Gear Section Wrangler – [Part Time 2-3 days a week]  –  (a.k.a.: "Position #2") – 

I’m looking for someone who is pretty obsessed with gear.   If you get a certain kind of high with getting a chance to be the very first to hold a prototype in your hands – this is the job for you.   The catch?  You need to have a good understanding of Word Press and some HTML – the more the better – as you’ll be helping to develop the "My Gear" section of this blog.  I’m looking for someone to work part time for 2-3 days a week regularly throughout the year.   This person will be responsible for staying on top of the latest gear, staying in touch with this blog’s sponsors to see what’s coming out, and to help build the gear section of this blog.   This person needs to be a self starter and highly organized and able to operate independently.   My preference is to have someone who lives in the Los Angeles area and who can commute to our studio in the LAX airport area.  This person can have a flexible schedule in terms of what days they work each week (so that they can pursue their other interests / freelance gigs on the side.)    I am open to having someone from out of the area do this remotely – but it’s not ideal.  (This job could technically be done remotely.)   Additionally this person will be in charge of gathering links and images for blog posts and should be able to contribute some writing of certain gear related posts.

3. In house videographer / editor – [Part Time 2-3 days a week] (a.k.a.: "Position #3") 

Basically I’m looking for the same type of person in the first position listed above who will work 2-3 days a week continually producing videos for the blog.   This person will work hand in hand with my staff, as well as the "Gear Section Wrangler" above to make sure the gear section is updated with a regular stream of video content.   This person will also get the chance to do behind the scenes videos during commercial/film productions that I work on.   You need to be proficient in either CS5 Premiere or Final Cut Pro – knowledge of Motion / After Effects and other fun post tricks is a big plus – as is an ability to grade footage.  This person needs to be a self starter and highly organized and able to operate independently.   This person must live in the Los Angeles area and be able to commute to our studio in the LAX airport area. This person can also have a flexible schedule in terms of what days they work each week (so that they can pursue their other interests / freelance gigs on the side.)   If you are not a skilled shooter, but are incredibly talented in post – feel free to apply nonetheless as I can help someone grow in the shooting area.   Depending on your level of skill – I can see this person working with me on actual productions down the line.

4. Über Position – [Full Time position] ((a.k.a.: "Position #4") –  I’m not sure that it’s going to be easy to find a person who is able to do BOTH position #2 and #3 because each demands a very special skill set.   If you feel that you can do both – please do apply as you’d get a chance to become a full-time member of the team. All of these positions are paid positions – wages will be determined based on skill set, experience etc.

Here’s what you need to do to apply:

1.  Send an e-mail to us by clicking HERE

2. In your e-mail’s subject line, please put EXACTLY: "Position #1" or "Position #2" etc., depending on what gig you’re interested in.

3. Please write a SHORT paragraph as to why you’d think you’d be a good fit.

4. Please include your resume in PDF/Word/pages format.  Make sure to include your cell phone information as well.  References are a plus but not required initially.

5.  Please include links to your video/editing work.   This is the most critical piece of material that I will be evaluating applicants for position #1, #3 and #4.   You can submit work you’ve both shot and edited as well as work that you did the post on that someone else shot.   I’m in LA and can easily find editors/post people to work with out here.  What I’m looking for is someone who has real talent that shines.  Someone unique.

6. DEADLINE for applications is 5/6/2011, 12 p.m. PST.   If you are applying for position #1 please apply ASAP .

I wanted to share a quick observation with readers of this blog that I think is relevant to most of us in the film/photo industry:

First – there is absolutely no need to panic.  That being said,  it should be noted that almost every single company (and more to the interests of this blog:  every high tech manufacturer) in Japan has been affected by the Tsunami – regardless of whether or not they were directly hit by it.

Why? In the weeks following the Tsunami – Japan was forced to impose rolling blackouts across the country. This means that companies such as Sony, Toshiba, Toyota, Nissan, Honda – and pretty much every technology company in Japan – were forced to shut down assembly lines for weeks on end.    That of course means that Canon, Nikon, Panasonic etc. were affected as well – no one was spared.

So what does this mean for filmmakers and photographers?

Well if you’re debating the purchase of a lens, camera body (film or still),  or computer monitor  – don’t debate too long.   To be clear – this aftermath will also affect Televisions, Blu-Ray players, Playstations, automobiles, air conditioners – you name it.   So if you NEED something for an upcoming shoot or production: make sure you get one while you still can for four reasons:  Read the rest of this entry »