Advance press screenings of 48fps The Hobbit ‘disappoint’

Advance press screenings of 48fps The Hobbit ‘disappoint’
Wednesday, 25 April, 2012 on EOShd


The future is here but it seems nobody checked to see if it looked any good.

Shot with a 3D Red EPIC rig at 48fps, Peter Jackson’s return to the world of JRR Tolkien has been ‘stripped of the magic of cinema’ according to many who saw the advance press screenings by Warner Brothers.

This from Devin Faraci at CinemaCon [reading the full article here is highly recommended]:

“The 48fps footage I saw looked terrible. It looked completely non-cinematic. The sets looked like sets. I’ve been on sets of movies on the scale of The Hobbit, and sets don’t even look like sets when you’re on them live… but these looked like sets. The other comparison I kept coming to, as I was watching the footage, was that it all looked like behind the scenes video. The magical illusion of cinema is stripped away completely.

[The Hobbit] looked like a hi-def version of the 1970s I, Claudius. It is drenched in a TV-like – specifically 70s era BBC – video look. People on Twitter have asked if it has that soap opera look you get from badly calibrated TVs at Best Buy, and the answer is an emphatic YES.”

Oh dear!

The view is common – here is another who says it reminded him of 70′s episodes of the BBC’s Dr Who.

This guy had good things to say about the sweeping helicopter shots and landscapes (real landscapes) but it seems that 4K 3D at 48fps is so revealing and clinical that it reveals ‘the gaffer tape holding the set together’ and the makeup on the actors. Such a level of reality is good at reproducing reality but it seems Jackson and Red forget it wasn’t much good for creating fantasy.

“[The] landscape shots are breathtaking. 48fps is the future of nature documentaries. But if it’s the future of narrative cinema I don’t know if that future includes me.”

The big question for me here is – will people acclimatise to the high altitude and get used to accepting ‘the 48p’ look as cinematic (once they forget 70 years of history and Hitchcock) or will the be spewing into their popcorn for a good deal many years to come? How will set design keep up with the advancing resolution and frame rates of cinema cameras? Is the answer to have a 100% CGI based set? I hope not.



It seems filmmaking is becoming a science first, an art second?

As for Red – they have a helluva lot staked on this movie. If it ends up looking as bad as these early viewings suggest then people will squarely pin the blame on the camera company rather than just the filmmaker. This is an unusual situation because the technology has been ‘going steady’ for years so I cannot for the life of me remember when the camera company was blamed rather than the filmmaker for a film’s failure.

I admire their guts for trying such an audacious change but maybe the magic of soft looking 24p is not ready to go quietly into the night.




Source: EOSHD.com

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Sony launches pair of Full HD and 3D digital binoculars, Full HD, 3D digital binoculars

Sony launches pair of Full HD and 3D digital binoculars
Aug 19, 2011 at 19:27:12 GMT
Sony has launched two pairs of digital binoculars capable of recording Full HD and 3D video. The DEV-3 and DEV-5 binoculars feature 10x optical zoom lenses, pairs of EVFs and compact-camera-sized 7MP CMOS sensors. They take advantage of the recent extension of th
e AVCHD standard, enabling them to record 1080p video. The autofocus, image-stabilized binoculars can record up to two-hours of 2D footage on a single battery charge, recording to Memory Stick cards and allowing output via an HDMI connector. The DEV-5 model allows digital zoom, includes GPS and comes with a host of accessories and, at $2000, a $700 higher price-tag.

Press Release:

SONY INTRODUCES WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL BINOCULARS WITH HD VIDEO RECORDING, ZOOM, AUTOFOCUS AND STEADYSHOT IMAGE STABILIZATION



Share the Thrill of Discovery, Easy-to-Find, Never Lose the Subject; New Models Enable 2D and 3D Image Capture/Playback with Stunning Resolution, High-performance Features

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 19, 2011 – Life’s “can’t miss” moments are now easier to observe and capture with the world’s first digital binoculars to record in AVCHD™ 2.0 format, from Sony. The new models, DEV-3 and DEV-5, are ideal for nature/bird watching, they can record Full HD video with stereo sound at the touch of a button, and even add a 3D mode that records scenes as thrilling stereoscopic video footage for playback on most 3D HDTVs.

“Now consumers can watch birds, wildlife, sports action and more in steady, sharply-focused close-up views, while capturing their subjects in crisp Full HD,” said Andy Bubala, director of the camcorder business at Sony Electronics. “These new models add entirely new levels of flexibility and convenience to viewing, recording and enjoying your favorite images and scenes.”

Users can select the variable zoom on both models to scan a wide area at low magnification before zooming in seamlessly to pinpoint a subject, such as birds in a field. Turning on the digital zoom at magnification settings over 10x boosts the DEV-5 model’s total magnification range from 0.9x up to 20x digital (image quality is reduced when digital zoom is on and recording 2D video at magnifications higher than 10x), rivalling many high-powered conventional binoculars. The DEV-3 model pulls wildlife, sporting subjects and architectural details closer with a maximum magnification of 10x optical. In 3D mode, the binoculars’ maximum magnification is 5.4x optical.

Unlike traditional binoculars, electronic autofocus keeps moving subjects sharply in focus at all times. A comfortably positioned dial allows fingertip adjustment of manual focus – ideal for focusing selectively on a subject, rather than overhanging branches or other obstructions in the field of view.

Electronic autofocus allows both binoculars to focus cleanly on subjects less than half an inch away when recording in 2D (minimum of 32 inches when recording in 3D).

Separate images for left and right eyes are captured by a matched pair of precision G Lens optics by Sony with “Exmor R” CMOS sensors and powerful BIONZ® processors. Independent electronic viewfinders provide clear, detailed images for left and right eyes, offering a stereoscopic viewing experience that’s comfortable, natural and highly immersive.

The DEV-3 and DEV-5 digital binoculars feature Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization (Active mode), the optical stabilization system that’s found on Sony Handycam® camcorders and Cyber-shot® cameras. Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization helps keep images clear and stable, even when viewing at high magnifications. The binoculars can be connected via HDMI® to a Sony BRAVIA® HDTV or any HD television with HDMI input for viewing images (cable sold separately). 3D videos can be enjoyed on virtually any 3D-compatible TV, including Sony BRAVIA® models. There’s also a USB connection for transferring video clips to a PC for storing, editing and sharing.

The binoculars feature a “stealth” design that eliminates distracting buttons or external details that could reveal a user’s position to wildlife.

Both binoculars feature an ergonomic grip area that’s coated with an elastomer material for sure handling and stable operation. Top-mounted controls allow easy operation with gloved fingers, while dual buttons are provided to start recording instantly with either hand.

The DEV-5 model includes an on-board GPS receiver that automatically geo-tags video clips and photos. Tagged images can be viewed after shooting in online maps (requires compatible software).

Both binocular models come with a high-capacity rechargeable battery pack (NP-FV70) that allows up to approximately three hours of 2D recording on a single charge. Remaining battery time (minutes) is displayed in the electronic viewfinder.

The DEV-3 and DEV-5 models also include a battery charger/adaptor, A/V connecting cable and USB cable for PC connection. In addition, the DEV-5 binoculars are supplied with lens cover, finder cap, large eye cups, a carrying case and neck strap.

The new DEV-3 and DEV-5 digital recordable binoculars from Sony will be available in November 2011 for about $1400 and $2000, respectively, at http://store.sony.com, Sony retail stores and other authorized retailers nationwide.







Source: http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/8/19/hdbinoculars

Spiderman 3d Street Artby Kurt Wenner

SPIDERMAN 3D STREET ART BY KURT WENNER
With his NASA background, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that artist and architect Kurt Wenner has an out of this world imagination and the skills to bring passerby into the picture. When viewed from the correct angle, people standing on top of them look like they are floating in thin air, and solid concrete can look like gaping chasms. Kurt has been perfecting his technique since 1982. Now, using the skills he has perfected over 30 years, he is able to create stereoscopic images, such as the one above enabling people to walk along imaginary webs slung by Spiderman. 




Source: telegraph