Catch up with all the latest kit. Along with a closer look at the game-changing unveiling of Apple’s ProRes Raw, we’ve also got news of big launches from the likes of Blackmagic, Sony, JVC and Atomos.
GROUPTEST: LED LIGHTS Top-quality studio gear to suit all budgets
CO-OP FILMS
How to migrate to the new Resolve 15 CRACKTHE DAVINCI CODE!
A whole new way of working explained
SUMMER 2018 £4.99
@ProMoviemaker www.promoviemaker.net
FUJI’S CINEMA TRIO TESTED THE X-H1 AND MATCHING MKX LENSES RATED
WIN AN OLYMPUS LS-P4 RECORDER
FROM PRORES RAW TO NEW CAMERAS FROM BLACKMAGIC AND KINEFINITY, IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT THE ULTIMATE FORMAT
PLUS Pennies from heaven: How to make serious money from your drone Tested: Sony A7R III and A7 III, camera bags from Camrade and lots more Buyers’ Guide: Just what is the ultimate kit for travelling light?
All the latest equipment releases NEWMETAL
SAVE CASH ON KIT! Revealed: Best used camera buys now
SUMMER 2018
OPINION by Adam Duckworth
FROM THE EDITOR
The world of filmmaking gathered for the NAB show in Las Vegas recently. It’s Sin City’s annual blow-out where all the new video kit is released, the technology of tomorrow is showcased and lots of experienced experts and brand ambassadors spout forth their views and learnings. It’s a wonderful place if you make films for a living, and you can learn an enormous amount. It attracts a huge gamut of visitors from every walk of life and with every sort of budget. There are Hollywood moguls looking for the latest cutting-edge SFX or camera jibs to create those never-to-be-forgotten scenes in forthcoming blockbusters. There are all sorts of ‘real’ moviemaking types with job titles that you see on the end of movies but don’t really understand. Key grip, best boy, lighting electrician, gang boss and craft service all have real jobs and scoured the halls in Vegas looking for, well... whatever they need to do their jobs. But there are also lots of visitors who are Pro Moviemaker readers – small production companies with a few employees, camera owner-operators, photographers making the move into filmmaking and various commercial video production companies. All ogling kit, of course. The vast majority were most interested in how to make money in a toughening market – where a film school graduate can buy a camera and some kit, use a laptop and set themselves up as a professional filmmaker. The consensus for building a successful business seemed to centre on delivering quality, rather than shoddily-filmed clips to be used on Facebook. For social media, low quality is accepted. But with TV production quality now being so high – think of Game of Thrones or Peaky Blinders – a cinematic look is increasingly being demanded by discerning clients. These are the people who recognise and want quality, and will pay for it. Find them, keep them happy and thrive, was the clear message to all. WHEN FILMMAKERS GATHER, THE TALK TURNS TO... MONEY!
Welcome to the summer edition of Pro Moviemaker and, as you might expect from an issue that was completed immediately post the NAB Show, it’s packed full of news and reviews of some of the best of the killer products that have been released over the past few weeks. Inside you’ll find in-depth reports from our team on the show floor plus a full analysis of the key announcements across the board, including reaction to the headline-grabbing, and potentially game-changing, announcement of ProRes Raw. Reviews in this issue include the amazing Kinefinity Terra 4K camera, set to become a further option for higher-end filmmakers, the newmodels in the Sony A7 range and the Fujifilm X-H1, the company’s first serious foray into the movie-capable arena. We’ve also lined up a group test of studio lighting for the filmmaker, including many products that are also equally capable of being taken out into the field. On the feature front we’re looking at how VR is adding a cutting edge to coverage of events in war-torn and disaster-hit areas around the world, talking to a filmmaker who is creating incredible timelapse sequences with his drone and finding out how some of TV’s top shows are relying on cameras that are well within the price range of commercial filmmakers. Lots to catch up on as always and enjoy the read!
TERRY HOPE, EDITOR
MEDIA SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS OF:
The ultimate magazine for next generation filmmakers
Editor in chief Adam Duckworth Editor Terry Hope Senior sub editor Lisa Clatworthy Sub editors Siobhan Godwood & Felicity Evans Intern Laura Jeacocke EDITORIAL ADVERTISING Sales director Matt Snow 01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com Advertising manager Krishan Parmar 01223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Design manager Alan Gray Designers Lucy Woolcomb, Flo Thomas & Man-Wai Wong PUBLISHING Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck
Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire CB22 3HJ
Pro Moviemaker is published quarterly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without priorwritten permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. ISSN number: 2045-3892. Pro Moviemaker is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Pro Moviemaker that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted are street prices. In sterling they includeVAT but US dollar prices are without local sales taxes. Prices are where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.
ADAM DUCKWORTH, EDITOR IN CHIEF
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The ultimate magazine for next generation filmmakers
SUMMER 2018 CONTENTS
AGENDA 6 NAB NEWS SPECIAL!
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All the latest hot kit, cool new technologies and lots more from the world’s biggest filmmaking and broadcast show in sunny Las Vegas. Check out Sony’s new FS5 Mark II, the 4K BlackMagic Pocket cam and lots more! FEATURES 24 THE RISE OF AFFORDABLE CAMERA KIT Making TV shows was once the sole domain of mega- expensive kit. But not any more as affordable Sony, Canon and Panasonic kit prove on some major TV series. 32 ACTION STATIONS! How former professional motorcycle racer Jonty Edmunds turned his off-road bike knowledge and contacts into a thriving filmmaking business. ACADEMY 38 PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE HACKERS How to keep your valuable footage safe online from the computer wizards who may want to steal your stuff - just for the thrill of it! 40 MAKING SENSE OF VR If you think VR can be complicated, then recording from a war zone takes the logistics to a whole new level. We meet the man who does it for a living. 48 HOW TO USE DAVINCI RESOLVE 15 It’s the feature-packed BlackMagic editing software that just gets more popular - and it’s free! But how easy is it to get to grips with latest version of the huge programme?
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MOVIE MATTERS 54 COOPERATIVE FILMMAKING
Always wished you had a big team on hand who could pitch for far bigger-budget films than you can on your own? Then check out how a group of creative professionals teamed up to offer a service that punches well above its weight. 62 WHICH USED GEAR TO BUY NOW You can save thousands by not splashing out on the latest new kit but by buying wisely and spending on used. We name the very best kit that has passed the test of time and can make a sensible buy for the budget-conscious filmmaker.
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70 SKY NEWS: ALL THE LATEST RED and Fujifilm team up for the ultimate UAV, the DJI drone award winners are announced and British Standards for unmanned aerial vehicles are revealed. 72 TIME LAPSE FROM A DRONE How one time-lapse specialist picked up backing to create an ambitious project to create stunning aerial versions of his amazing work. And mastering the technology was only part of the problem.
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GEAR 78 KINEFINITY TERRA 4K
The rugged new Chinese-made cinema camera that’s packed with features but doesn’t break the bank sets a new standard for affordable, modular equipment. 90 SONY A7R III AND A7 III The latest mirrorless wonders are put through their paces as movie cameras, with shockingly good results. 100 FUJIFILM X-H1 AND MKX LENSES Retro-styled camera experts Fuji take cinema seriously with the new 4K mirrorless camera and its pair of matching MKX cinema zoom lenses that are ideal for photographers moving to movies. 104 ADOBE PRORES RAW A first test of the latest format from Apple shows this could be the biggest news on codecs for many years. 106 GROUP TEST: LED STUDIO LIGHTS From pricey and huge light panels to affordable and portable units, we test a group of mains-powered LEDs for all budgets. 116 MINI TESTS Sennheiser mic, Hague slider, Padcaster Verse, Sekonic light meter, LockCircle camera cage, Camrade bags and more reviewed. 124 BUYERS GUIDE: KIT FOR TRAVELLING If you’re trying to keep your kit light and portable for location shooting, check out our kit guide to suit all budgets.
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A snapshot from the biggest show in the world for filmmakers and TV producers Postcard from Las Vegas AGENDA
T hey say everything is bigger in America. That’s true as far as shows and conferences go – certainly for filmmakers. The NAB show at the mammoth Las Vegas Convention centre is the biggest show in the world for moviemakers and people who work in TV and film production. Attracting over 100,000 visitors from all over the globe, it’s where the big tech companies show off their latest kit on huge stands that often feature full-size sets for you to test their cameras. All the biggies like Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Arri got to wheel out their latest kit, as well as all the lens makers such as Cooke, Zeiss, Tokina, Leica, Sigma, Fujifilm, Angenieux and even upstarts like Los Angeles-based Atlas Lens Co showing their range of full-frame anamorphic lenses. And major tech firms from Google to Microsoft, plus Vimeo and Hitachi were showing their latest wares. WORDS AND IMAGES ADAM DUCKWORTH
4K Pocket Cinema Camera and the explosion in HDR. Sony was keen to promote how forward-thinking it is with HDR
Many were getting geared up ready for 8K TV production. There were more than 1800 exhibitors all over the huge halls, showing everything from grip and lights to tripods, dollies, gimbals, bags, drones and even helicopters. And hundreds of talks and demonstrations by some of the best in the business to inspire and teach. Even Hollywood star Zach Braff – famous for his role in TV’s Scrubs as well as in major movies – was on hand to check out what’s new and to speak to the delegates. He’s now also a successful film director and did a talk called “From Podcast to Broadcast”. Some of the most exciting new tech on show revolved around film and TV studio-type productions, such as VR and 3D interactive studios. But for independent filmmakers, the show had three major talking points which were the new Apple ProRes Raw format launched at the show, the new BlackMagic
technology such as Hybrid Log Gamma built into many of its latest cameras. This means that in theory, the footage is HDR TV-ready right out of the camera. In terms of cameras, Sony showed the new FS5 Mark II and some interesting 4K camcorders. But the biggest wow was the BlackMagic 4K Pocket Cinema Camera which you can read about in this issue, as well as DaVinci Resolve 15. But by far the biggest talking point was the new Apple ProRes Raw format which could finally bring Raw performance in sensible file sizes to the masses. It could be the next big thing in codec, taking over from Apple’s current ProRes formats. You can read about it, and our test on it, in this issue as we bring the highlights of the 2018 NAB show from Sin City!
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“It’s where the big tech companies show off their latest kit”
Sigma showed off its range of cine glass, as well as silver unfinished versions. They’re not for sale. Canon held a workshop on how large-sensor cameras can be used in college sports films. The star of the show, if we do say so ourselves! ProMoviemaker magazine proved popular. RED didn’t have a stand but its cameras were everywhere, like on the Fujifilm lens test area. Want to test a camera? Sony had a huge set-up complete with various sets and models. Happy days as Glidecam show off their recent ProMoviemaker award for the stabiliser. If you have the cash, then there was kit for you at NAMB! Like this off-road tracking quad bike.
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AGENDA
THE BEST OF NAB 2018
ProRes Raw: the new industry standard?
A new codec fromApple could bring Raw quality to the masses
A pple has revealed a brand new Raw codec for ProRes in its latest update to Final Cut Pro X that could revolutionise the quality of many of the latest cameras. Where ProRes has become industry standard since it was launched 11 years ago, shooting in Raw has become the holy grail of file formats as it offers the full signal directly from the camera sensor for the ultimate in quality and ability to change the file in post. Raw provides unmatched flexibility when setting accurate colour balance and in highlight and shadow details so is ideal for HDR. Until now, Raw files can be tricky to process, often taking an intermediate Raw processing software before footage can be edited. But ProRes Raw offers the quality and flexibility of Raw files, but is a very efficient codec that allows instant playback and editing in FCPX without the need for conversion before use. Demos of the software shows multiple 4K ProRes Raw streams can be run in real time on a MacBook Pro laptop. “ProRes Rawoffers the quality and flexibility of Rawfiles, but allows instant playback”
Monitor firm Atomos has developed the files in conjunction with Apple and is already offering ProRes Raw support in a free firmware upgrade to Sumo 19 and Shogun Inferno monitor/recorders. At the moment, the cameras capable of outputting Raw so that the Atomos recorders can convert it to ProRes Raw are the Canon C300 Mark II and C500, Sony FS700, FS5, FS7 and FS7 II, Panasonic Varicam LT and EVA1. And DJI will include ProRes Raw as a codec in its Zenmuse X7 cameras next month. As it’s an Apple codec, it only works with Final Cut Pro X at the moment but if pressure from users grows, chances are it will appear on other editing platforms. There are two version of ProRes Raw, the standard version and the higher- quality ProRes Raw HQ. The HQ files are smaller than ProRes 4444 files while the standard ProRes Raw files are similar to ProRes HQ which many filmmakers use. That’s a fraction the size of a full 12-bit conventional Raw file. The beauty of ProRes Raw is that it can be instantly edited in FCPX without any need for conversion. And as ProRes Raw files contain metadata that identifies the camera manufacturer, FCPX can apply the correct log settings during import. The colour space and bit depth depends on what the camera outputs over its SDI, whether in 10 or 12-bit. High frame rate Raw recording is also supported.
Atomos revealed the stealthy new Ninja V HDR monitor/recorder which is ideal for mirrorless and DSLR cameras. It NINJA UPGRADE
has a 5.2-inch anti-reflection screen and at 1000nits, is very bright for daylight use. And as it
weighs just 320g/11oz and is only around an inch thick, it’s ideal for smaller cameras. The £648/$695 Ninja V displays High Dynamic Range footage and you can load LUTs. There is a histogram, false colour, peaking, movable 1-1 and 2-1 pixel magnification, waveform, RGB parade,vector scope and eight-channel audio level meters. It records up to 4K 60p 10-bit video over HDMI 2.0 in edit-ready Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR direct to standard SSD drives. The screen can also be calibrated to maintain perfect colour accuracy over time. It runs from one Sony-type battery and uses new compact AtomX Drive SSD drives or conventional SSDs in the Atomos Master Caddy II. Audio can be input directly from the camera via HDMI, or fed in analogue via a stereo 3.5mm line/mic socket . Expansion modules will dock onto the battery slot of the unit for advanced features such as continuous power modules and third party accessories in future.
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AGENDA
THE BEST OF NAB 2018
4Kcomes to Blackmagic’s pocket cam A total redesign and impressive specs star on the affordable new BMPCC
Blackmagic’s new DaVinci Resolve 15 editing software gets a massive update that fully integrates visual effects and motion graphics. That means it now can combine editing, colour correction, audio production and visual effects in one package. There is a new Fusion page with over 250 tools for compositing, paint, particles, animated titles and more. There is also a major update to Fairlight audio, along with over 100 new features and improvements in editing and colour science. The new version is still free, and available as a Beta download on Blackmagic’s website. There is also a paid-for Studio version, which adds multi-user collaboration, 3D, VR, dozens of additional filters and effects, unlimited network rendering and other advanced features. This costs just £210/$299. DAVINCI RESOLVE GROWS AGAIN • Full size Four Thirds-sized sensor with native 4096x2160 resolution • Records 4K up to 60fps and windowed HD at up to 120fps • Takes Micro Four Thirds lenses • 13 stops of dynamic range • ISO up to 25,600 ISO • Tough carbon fibre polycarbonate composite body • Takes SD, SD UHS-II and CFast media • USB-C expansion port allows recording to an external SSD • Full size HDMI output • Professional mini XLR input with 48 volts of phantom power • Built-in five-inch LCD touchscreen with histogram and focus peaking FEATURES AT A GLANCE
M any new versions of existing cameras are often just improved specs, but it’s fair to say Blackmagic just threw away the designs for the old Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) and designed a totally new one, the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Although you’d need very big pockets as it has grown significantly from the earliermodel, the 4K camera is still small and portable and has a Four Thirds sensor, which is bigger than the Super16 sensor in the older model. It has dual native ISO with up to 25,600 ISO for great low-light performance and 13 stops of dynamic range. You also don’t need an external recorder, as it has a USB-C Expansion Port; you can record to the camera’s internal SD/UHS-II and CFast cards or to an external hard drive. The camera has a DCI 4K resolution, and will record DCI 4K at 60fps and cropped HD at up to 120fps in either 10-bit ProRes or 12-bit Raw formats. There’s also a full-sized HDMI port that can output clean 10-bit video, and amini XLR input with 48v phantompower for audio, as well
as a standard 3.5mmaudio input and a headphone jack. The camera is powered by a standard Canon LP-E6 type battery. It now looks and feelsmore like a conventional mirrorless camera, but has a five-inch touchscreen with histogramand focus peaking displays but no waveforms or vectorscopes. The UK price is £1235; in the USA it’s $1295 and comes with a full version of DaVinci Resolve Studio software, which normally costs $300. The new larger sensor means the crop factor when usingmicro four thirds lenses is much reduced. Blackmagic says its colour science records images that are far better than DSLR or mirrorless cameras. The camera shoots HDR-ready footage, too.
• 3D LUTs can be applied for monitoring and recording
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AGENDA
“Amore refined picture tone to capture natural highlights and realistic skin tones”
New colour science, fast frame rates internally and ProRes Raw compatibilty Sony upgrades popular FS5 THE BEST OF NAB 2018
Sony also unveiled the PXW-Z280 and PXW-Z190. The Z280 is the world’s first 4K three-chip handheld camcorder with a 1/2in-type Exmor R CMOS image sensor. The Z190 uses three 1/3in-type CMOS sensors. For $6950 it can shoot in 4K at up to 60p, all 4:2:2 10-bit. The Z280 also includes Sony’s electronic variable ND system and can record in 4K and HD simultaneously. There is a 17x zoom, face detection autofocus, four channels of audio and Sony’s Dual MI Shoe. It also streams through its integratedWi-Fi module, modem or Ethernet. The $4000 Z190 can record 4K at up to 60p in 4:2:0 8-bit, and HD at up to 60p in 4:2:2 10-bit. It also has electronic variable ND filters. It has a 25x zoom, plus face detection autofocus and the same streaming capacity as the Z280. The Z190 can also record four channels of audio with a 3G-SDI output. The upgraded PXW-Z450 4K production camcorder now supports HDR, BT.2020 colour gamuts and HLG live output too. No UK prices have been announced yet. TWO NEW ONES TOWATCH
S ony has upgraded its popular FS5 large-sensor camera to the FS5 II. It may look virtually identical but has a refined picture tone to capture natural highlights and more realistic skin tones using technology from Sony’s full-frame Venice cinema camera. The FS5 II can now record 120fps internally to an SDmemory card, where the old model could only do this after a pricey firmware upgrade. And the older model also needed a paid upgrade to output Raw while the Mark II comes with it built in. It still only records UHD or 4K internally in 8-bit 4:2:0. As before, it supports both S-Log 2 and 3, Sony’s Instant HDR Workflow to produce HDR content for quick post- production without the need of heavy grading, and of course is now ProRes Raw compatible if used with an Atomos Shogun Inferno or Sumo 19 monitor/recorder running the latest firmware. There are more picture profiles, including a profile designed to give a DSLR-style look.
The specs remain at 4096x2160 4K HDR as well as Raw capabilities. High frame rate shooting includes four seconds of 120fps in 4K and continuous 240fps at 60Hz mode and 200fps at 50Hz mode in 2K RAW output when used in conjunction with a compatible external recorder. Continuous 4K 60fps Raw output at 59.94p is fully supported, with 50fps supported at 50Hz mode. The camera also offers high frame rate recording to an internal SD card at Full HD 10-bit 4:2:2 up to 240fps of eight- second cache recording. It will go on sale in June at $4750, which is roughly the same price as the old camera which needed to have around $1000 of firmware upgrades to get close in performance. No UK price has been announced yet. Anyone buying an FS5 would be better off buying the Mark II but owners of the original, who already have the upgrades, would find it a little tougher to justify the cost.
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AGENDA
Canadian company Back-bone takes action cameras like Sony’s RXO, GoPro’s Hero cameras and the YI Action cam, removes the standard super-wide angle lens and fits an interchangeable lens mount in its place. A modified Sony RX0, called the RibCage RX0, costs £983/ $1399 and allows you to fit manual Micro Four Thirds lenses or C-mount lenses, for example. A similar-spec Ribcage GoPro Hero 6 Black costs £632/ $899. If you have your own GoPro Hero 3 then a fit-yourself kit costs just £49/ $69. www.back-bone.ca BIG LENSES FOR SMALL CAMS
JVCgets Connected
slots for SDHC/SDXC media, a 3.26-inch OLED colour viewfinder and a 3.5-inch LCD panel. There is a genlock input, time code in/out, dual 3G-SDI outputs and an HDMI output, three XLR audio inputs, ethernet and USB ports, wireless audio module slot, and an additional slot for future expansion. Available in June, the GY-HC900 comes with a 20x lens at $18,500 or body only at $13,950. No UK prices have yet been announced. www.pro.jvc.com
JVC has strengthened its position as master of streaming with the launch of the GY-HC900 Connected Cam broadcast camcorder, which features three ⅔-inch CMOS sensors. It features new streaming technology that enables simultaneous recording and streaming with virtually no delay thanks to built-in Wi-Fi with dual external antennas. The weather-resistant camera has a B4 lens mount, produces full HD images as well as HDR mode and up to 120fps 1080p slow- motion recording. It has dual memory card Rode’s affordable VRmic
Kinefinity revealed its 6K Super35 Mavo and full-frame 8K Mavo LF modular cameras at the NAB show. The two cameras are big brothers to the 4K Terra we test in this issue. They are both a similarly small size and form to the Terra but have a new look. The 6K Super35 Mavo, which will be available soon at a cost of £7074/$7999 body only, has ProRes, Cinema DNG and Kinefinity’s own Raw format, and shoots 6K wide up to 66fps, 4K wide up to 100fps and 3K wide up to 196fps. The LF has identical spec apart from no 1.5x crop factor. No price has been announced for the 8K Mavo LF as yet. Also at NAB, Kinefinity showed its new range of full-frame cine lenses for the first time, built by Chinese filter company Nisi. A set including the 25mm T2.1 and T2.0 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm optics will cost just £10,795/ $15,180. www.proav.co.uk KINEFINITY GOES BIG TIME
Microphone giant Rode has revealed its own ambisonic microphone, the NT-SF1, which is the most affordable type of its mic on the market. At £700/$999, the VR mic is based on a completely new capsule design and is said to offer extremely low noise, smoothness and extension of frequency response. The ambisonic arrangement is developed by high-end VR audio expert SoundField. www.rode.com
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AGENDA LACIE
“Enterprise technology we have been shipping for nearly ten years is coming to consumers” removing those ports rather than adding them!” In terms of performance, Seagate is now driving forward its development of ever-faster and reliable SSDs thanks to its recently-announced deal to be part of the group acquiring Toshiba. “We’re going even deeper into the flash business,” says Tim. “Hard drives are still very important for us as SSDs have penetrated notebook. The capacity has gone down significantly in these notebooks so people buy an external drive for backup. “In future, we will continue to make HDDs and flash but the key is performance. It’s not one 4K streamany more, as when you’re editing youmight have four 4K streams at the same time. That’s why you need fast transfer, via Thunderbolt 3. The spec is 40GB/s but you don’t actually get that. It’s more like 2.8GB/s which is plenty to streammultiple 4K and 8K streams for editing. It’s not capacity, performance is becoming amore dominant variable.” Seagate is also focusing on capacity. It recently showed off a 60TB SSD and at NAB it had 104 SSDs raided together for one petabyte of storage. That’s 1024 terabytes! And these aren’t just any SSD drives, as not all drives are created equal, explains Tim. “Flash drives have a finite life but it depends on the quality of the flash. We have Enterprise flash SSDs and we have consumer SSDs. I wouldn’t storemy Star Wars movie on a consumer SSD, but the Enterprise class are fine,” he says. “You are limited to the number of writes on a SSD but that’s been changing quite a bit. We embrace both flash and HDD technologies and you will seemore and more of both solutions coming out. “We also have had Seagatememory cards shipping for a while but not in UK or USA, yet. With the Toshiba acquisition, we now have an ample supply of flash.” Seagate and LaCie are continuing to innovate and Timhints theremay be some big news on the horizon. “Price has come down a lot. We recently unveiled our HAMR - Heat Assist Magnetic Recording – technology. With this you’ll have a 20TB single drive, and that’s just around the corner. It’s not a $100 situation at first but it will be in the future.”
LaCie goes for performance and security
The revolution in hard drive storage enters a new era where speed and safety are crucial
T he rush to bigger storage devices shows no sign of slowing down, with camera resolutions getting higher and higher. And there’s the additional needs of VR. But the real key to the future of how data is stored will be around speed and safety. That’s the view of one of the topmen in the global hard drive and storage industry, TimBucher, senior vice president of Seagate. He looks after all the consumer products made by Seagate and its extended family of companies like LaCie. With the Seagate group being one of the two global giants making hard drives and flash storage, he understands what filmmakers, as well as other users, want of data – from consumers on their mobile phones to Hollywood SFX specialists. “We have seen an exponential rise in the amount of data created,” he says. “First 720p was the big deal, then 1080p and now 4K, 8K and VR goggles.” With lots of data beingmoved around, security is a problem. The data for things like Hollywoodmovies is vast, so can’t
be stored on the cloud. That means hard drives with sensitive data are oftenmoved around - which is why leaks can and have been happening. “These TV andmovie data breaches are occurring as people ship large hard drives to colour correction and editing. These are billion dollar issues for films like Star Wars. To be able to secure those is really important,” says Tim. “To prevent that we now have the LaCie Rugged Secure, currently in a 2TB version though there will be higher and lower capacity versions. It has hardware encryption. The device doesn’t have storage of the key, so you can make sure it is only shared with trusted sources. “We will start doing this on standard hard drives. It’s Enterprise technology that we have been shipping for nearly ten years that we are bringing to consumers.” And for security of your data on location, the new LaCie Rugged RAID Pro has two separate drives inside as well as an SD slot. “For creative professionals, it’s nice to have that when notebooks have been
ABOVE LEFT The man at the helm of LaCie and Seagate”s consumer products talked to Pro Moviemaker exclusively.
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LaCie’s newRugged RAID Pro 4TB not only gives protection thanks to its tough build and rubber coating but also offers a built-in RAID to protect data thanks to two separate hard drives. It also comes with an integrated SD card reader, and the latest USB-C connector. It’s compatible with next-generation Thunderbolt 3 connections and with USB 3.0. LaCie is so confident of its products, the RAID Pro includes a three-year warranty with data recovery services and a one- month Adobe All-Apps Plan featuring Adobe Premier Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator CC andmore. With speeds of up to 240MB/s in RAID 0 and RAID, the drive is £319/$349. LaCie also showed the £139/$139 Rugged Secure 2TB drive which allows you to transport your data and keep it protected fromunauthorised access via self-encrypted technology. So if you lose your drive or someone steals it, they can’t access the data without your log-in credentials – even if they remove the drive from the case. It has USB-C, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3. LaCie also launched Collective, an online community bringing together creative professionals to share ideas and hone their skills by collaborating with like-minded filmmakers, photographers and industry experts. The site hosts a select group of experts who will nurture talent by providing content and feedback during their residency. collective.lacie.com
RUGGED AND SAFE
Topnew kit comes toLondon If you couldn’t make it to Las Vegas for a hands-on with all the new kit, thenmake sure you get to London to see all that’s hot in filmmaking. Now in its third year, The Media Production Show (MPS) takes place on 12-13 June 2018 at London Olympia, and is ideally timed for some of the biggest names in the industry to present their latest products, technologies and services, many in their first UK outing. Changing formats and standards are impacting on the way that content is acquired, moved and stored. UHD, HDR, ProRes Raw, the transition to IP workflows and somuchmore will be covered in the free seminar stream, as well as on the show floor. Top names including Panasonic, Ikegami, Canon, Avid, Cooke Optics, Fujinon, Sharp and Rotolight are in attendance with their latest equipment. Many of the UK’s leading resellers and distributors such as XTFX, CCK, Jigsaw24, Digibox, Holdan, Altered Images and Global Distribution will also have a vast array of kit to pore over. The free seminar programme is one of the highlights of the show and goes from strength to strength each year. There are
stands at the show. This is often where you will find a genius gadget or fledgling technology that is set to revolutionise the industry, or at least make production life a little easier. Register for your free pass and keep up with the latest news at www.mediaproductionshow.com
leading experts across production, post, broadcast and live production lining up to share their experiences and advice. The programme includes masterclasses from cinematographer Kate Reid, documentary filmmakers Ed Perkins and JimGreayer, and wildlife cameraman Hecktor Skevington-Postles. On the audio side you can pick up tips on what sound editors andmixers need from sound editor and AMPS Fellow Chris Roberts, plus freelance dubbingmixer, ADR recordist and sound editor Emma Butt, and production soundmixer David Lascelles. Some of themost innovative ideas can be seen by hunting out some of the smaller
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Focus on the Small SmallHD’s latest touchscreen camera-top monitors now features a brand new OLED display, a wider colour gamut, higher resolution and are half an inch bigger than the existingmodel. With a 1920x1080 resolution and a and come with the SmallHD Tilt arm tomount to a camera’s hotshoe. Power is from Sony L-series batteries but this can also be used to power a camera via the 7.2V output. You can upload LUTs via an SD card slot, and there are waveform, vectorscope, false colour, zebra and peaking tools.
A set of filters designed to mimic the classic ‘stocking over the lens’ vintage Hollywood style has been revealed by Schneider and uses real hosiery –made on genuine 1950s knittingmachines – set between glass. The newTrue- Net filters are available in three densities of blacks, and two each for beige and grey. Each one is laminated and protected by Schneider’s unique process which helps to reduce flare and reflections from the very edges of the filter. Pricing starts from around £320/$450. www.schneideroptics.com SCHNEIDER BRINGS BACK STOCKINGS!
brightness of 350 nits, the Focus OLEDHDMI monitors are available in two versions, one with an SDI and one with a micro-HDMI output. Both now boast a 5.5in touchscreen
They are on sale now at £695/$699 for the HDMI version and £809/$799 for the SDI. www.smallhd.com
WIN AN OLYMPUS LS-P4 RECORDER Reliable, stylish and portable, this state-of-the-art recorder is a must have for your kit
N ew to the LS Series, Olympus has released a robust, smart and professional audio recorder that easily fits in your pocket. Designed using the groundbreaking TRESMIC 3microphone system, it has an expanded frequency response in stereo sound to guarantee a rich capture. It has improved compression rates, a sampling rate of up to 96Khz/24-Bit and is one
of the first Linear PCMRecorders to be compatible with FLAC recording. Its frequency spectrum is 20Hz-20kHz and it offers overdubbing plus an easy fade-in/fade-out. Compared to PCMor WAV, it has a longer recording time and up to 30%smaller file sizes. One lucky Pro Moviemaker reader will win their very own LS-P4, worth £190/$265. Just answer the question below.
Question: The LS-P4 is one of the first Linear PCMs to be compatible with what recording system? Enter via our website at: www.promoviemaker.net Visit www.olympus.co.uk to find out more about the LS-P4 recorder.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Entries must be received by 11.59pm, 15 August 2018 and the winner will be notified by email within seven days. The winner will be chosen at random from all the correct entries. This competition is open to worldwide residents, aged 18 and over only. Employees of Bright Publishing and the prize provider and their immediate families and agents may not enter. The prize must be taken as offered with no alternative. Entries not in accordance with these rules will be disqualified; by entering, competitors will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these rules. In the event that the prize cannot be supplied, no liabilitywill attach to Bright Publishing. For the full terms and conditions, visit: www.bright-publishing.com/terms/termsconditions.html.
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Ollie Kenchington is not only a filmmaker and colourist but one of the UK’s top training experts I KNOW THIS MUCH... S tarting out as a stills photographer, Ollie Kenchingtonmade the jump tomoving images when he became the pro video expert on Final Cut S-Log3 only gives youmore flexibility if you have the information there. If you are shooting an FS5 or FS7, outputting Raw in 10-bit 4:2:2 , it’s fine. These cameras are
There are built-in tools or plug-ins in DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier Pro to use the colour charts and get corrected, neutral colours. My workflow is to edit an assembly of shots first, but at the start I use little clips of the colour charts for all the shots I’ve used. I export the colour chart clips to DaVinci Resolve. I domy colour correction there, comparing the target I shot to the known values for Hue v Hue and Hue v Saturation, so all cameras are the same. Some plug- ins, like ColorFinale, will automatically do it for you but it’s not as accurate. I prefer to do it manually every time. I then export those back to themain edit and apply the changes to the shots. So I havematched cameras and neutral colours throughout the whole edit. Don’t rely on creative LUTs I do generate a customLUT on set of a large shoot for a consistent look on all the monitors, but I never use creative LUTs. If you buy a LUT package and put a creative LUT on top of footage that’s not been sorted for colour, it magnifies any errors. I see people putting creative LUTs on their films and it’s like watching a car crash. You have to create a neutral look, with accurate skin tones. Only then can you start to change it for amore creative look. But you have to be careful with some colours that are important in the particular shoot. In a shoot for a beer manufacturer, the colour of the beer is very important, for example. Calibration is crucial On set, I use an Atomos Shogun and a Sumo which can both be calibrated with an i1 Display. I then set the exposure. If you were using LUTs on a Sony shooting S-Log, you’d have to overexpose but the LUT doesn’t “know” that, so the results aren’t right. Once you have shot the colour chart, got the exposure right using your zebras, you’re ready to go. Concentrate on the narrative, not the technicalities. I just love the process of shooting and editing.
Pro 6 and 7 for Apple. With a highly technical knowledge of colour grading and editing along with many years’ experience teaching students at filmschool, Olliemixes training and working as a freelance colourist with making corporate films for big clients including Apple, BMW, Microsoft and Rolls Royce as well as working on TV productions andmusic videos. He’s used lots of different cameras, is an accredited trainer in all the big software packages and knows colour theory like the back of his hand. We caught up with him to learn about how to get colours nailed. I’m the white-balance guy! Good colour management is about getting the white-balance right to get the colours in alignment, and the correct exposure to get the contrast right. You have to know how to expose properly for the gamma profile you’re using at the time such as S-Log3. Youmust use a proper white- balance chart rather than a white sheet of paper as this will have colour pigments that the eye can’t see. You need a proper white-balance target which has no coloured pigments and is off-white. Not an 18%grey exposure target. Onmy blog I mentioned that I use X-Rite products as part of my colour process. They saw it, and now I’man ambassador for them. And you need to do it regularly during shooting. It’s no good doing a white- balance in themorning then leaving it as the light will change during the day. Log is not always the answer I see somany people shooting a Sony A7S II and they do everything in S-Log3 to keep the profile as flat as possible. But that’s an 8-bit 4:2:0 camera, and shooting in such a flat profile throws away 70%of the colour information because S-Log3 compresses the file to fit more dynamic range in.
designed for a big dynamic range. People are scared of changing the gamma in themiddle of a shoot as often they just want simplicity. That’s why some people always shoot S-Log3 with the white-balance set to 5500K. Use Log when you need to, for example when there’s a lot of contrast. Otherwise change settings. Use a colour chart every time You also need to shoot a colour target before every shot. I use the X-Rite target which has patches of saturated colours as well as secondary chips, so you can see how far out your colours are in processing. Some people think it’s time consuming. But you remember to charge your batteries, set your lights up, get the camera on a tripod and focus it. So you need tomake time to shoot a colour target, especially if the shot hasmultiple cameras. To get exposure right, I use a 90% reflectance target which is equivalent to 90IRE. I set my zebras to 90, or use the histogram, to get the exposure set at that level. But if you are shooting S-Log, then it’s different as the Sony needsmore light to its sensor. For S-Log2 you set your zebras to 59while for S-Log3 it’s 61. Learn to light properly! Many filmmakers who use an A7S II for run-and-gunwork think shooting S-Log is an easy way to get good results when the lighting is too contrasty as they compress the highlights rather than raising the shadows with something like a reflector. But grading S-Log3 froma shot like this is a chore and you don’t have to do it. If you do light things and get it all right in camera, you can spend all your effort in post on creativity, not fixing bad shots. Colour is vital Around 70%of communication is non- verbal and colour is one of those factors.
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LATESTUPDATES
“My workflow is to edit an assembly of shots first, but at the start I use little clips of the colour charts for all the shots I’ve used”
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G-TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Keepingpace withprogress
As the filmmaking world becomes ever more data hungry, companies such as G-Technology are providing the solutions required to keep pace, as three headline launches at NAB 2018 demonstrated
T hanks to rapidly evolving ever-higher resolution and quality thresholds to be achieved. The NAB Show in Las Vegas involved lots of talk about such things as 8K productions, while 4K is now an accepted norm across the board in professional cameras, with Raw poised to become a more mainstream format and VR requiring the use of multiple cameras. Highlights of NAB 2018 included RED launching its new Gemini 5K S35 sensor with REDCODE RAW file format, while Apple’s announcement of its groundbreaking Pro Res RAW and RAW HQ codecs further promoted the feeling that Raw is about to gain the prominence within filmmaking that it’s long had in still photography. Even though the data rates of the new codecs are impressive, they will still push the limits of storage media. None of these exciting developments could be taking place without the necessary storage solutions being available, and against all of the hullaballoo around the show floor G-Technology was unveiling three utterly groundbreaking new products. All offer Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and insane read speeds of technology, filmmakers are now faced with a range of options at the shooting stage, enabling
up to 2800 MB/s – that’s an eye-watering five times faster than the 560MB/s speed reached by the G-DRIVE MOBILE SSD R-Series – along with comprehensive five-year warranties. Each new product comes with USPs that make it perfect for a particular sector or job requirement, and their development was only possible since G-Technology, alongside the likes of SanDisk, is part of “None of these exciting developments could be taking place without the storage solutions” the giant Western Digital set-up, enabling access to a vast reservoir of technological expertise. The company has more patents than anyone in the world apart from Google and Apple, and that allowed G-Technology’s product developers to acquire input and resource from across the entire business. In turn that situation has allowed great strides in data storage to be achieved in a relatively short space of time.
ABOVE The G-Drive Pro SSD is small enough to be dropped into a bag, and comes with capacities up to 7.68TB.
The Power of Three For those looking for a ‘pick up and go’ data storage product the G-DRIVE MOBILE PRO SSD is the perfect choice. A portable powerhouse designed for editing on the go, the product is rugged, drop- proof and crush-proof although, unlike the smaller R-Series, it’s not waterproof since the TB3 port itself can’t be made watertight. That small consideration apart, this new product, which utilises an aluminium enclosure for protection and heat dissipation for consistent writes – bleeding out heat as fast as it can be added - offers blisteringly fast 2800R/2200W speeds, making this what is considered by G-Technology to be the fastest portable SSD on the market. The design of the newMOBILE PRO SSD is based on the latest NVME PCI Express technology that matches high-speed media to the high-speed potential of Thunderbolt 3. It will be available in 500GB and 1TB capacities, with 2TB to follow. The cost of the initial two capacities will be £569.95/$649.95 and £899.95/$1049.95 respectively, available in the summer.
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G-TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
BELOWAND RIGHT The G-SPEED SHUTTLE SSD. BOTTOM The G-DRIVE MOBILE PRO SSD.
Based on the classic G-DRIVE design, the G-DRIVE PRO SSD is a workhorse designed for intensive daily use. At its heart is an Enterprise-class SSD with an endurance rating of one Drive Write Per Day. With a traditional SSD you measure life in the amount of terrabytes that you can write to it, which would normally be around 500TB, but with an Enterprise- class SSD that number rises to 14,000TB. So if you’re a video editor sitting at a work station who will be hammering your storage device day in, day out, with high res content being read and written, this is the SSD you want to be working with. It’s possible to achieve a higher speed in a single drive chassis than with a fully loaded 8 bay 96TB G-SPEED SHUTTLE XL, which tops out at 2000MB/s, while a further benefit is that there are two TB3 ports on board the G-DRIVE PRO SSD, allowing daisy chaining if required to boost capacity. The device is also small enough that you could drop it in your bag and move from location to location. The device comes in capacities ranging from 960GB, with further capacities of 1.92TB, 3.84TB and 7.68TB
you can simply edit multi-stream Raw footage directly from the drive, making it the perfect tool for bleeding-edge 8K and VR jobs. One of the key benefits of this new unit is its ability for SSDs to be swapped out for any higher capacity units that might become available in the future, while there’s also an ev Bay adapter that will slot into an available drive bay, enabling data from a wide range of ev Series drives and readers to be quickly offloaded. Despite the fact that the capability of the G-SPEED SHUTTLE SSDmakes it suitable for even the most demanding storage and editing requirements it’s still small enough to be considered eminently portable, and to ensure its safety in the field there’s a dedicated Pelican case available. The 8TB model is £4399.95/$5099.95, while the 16TB version is £6569.95/$7599.95, with the Peli case costing £259.95/$299.95, available now. Three amazing products utilising the full potential of the Western Digital expertise, exactly the kind of powerful, adaptable and reliable devices the modern filmmaker requires to run an efficient and high-speed workflow supporting today’s high performing cameras.
and prices are £1,199.95/$1399.95, £1,799.95/$2099.95, £3,549.95/$4099.95 and £6,569.95/$7599.95 respectively, with the product available now. At the top of the range and designed for filmmakers working on huge, data-heavy projects, is the G-SPEED SHUTTLE SSD – 8 SATA SSDs in a portable RAID unit. Designed to be the ultimate powerhouse for high-speed, high-res editing and consistent 2800 Reads and Writes, this is a bulletproof edit station to go. In user terms this equates to the capacity to move a terabyte of data in around seven minutes, blisteringly fast, enough to keep up with even the likes of a RED 8K camera, without any kind of a slowdown or low bandwidth issues. Furthermore, there’s no need for proxies;
More information www.g-technology.com
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CASE STUDY AFFORDABLE TV CAMERAS
CONSUMER GEAR BROADCAST ON A BUDGET The assumption if you’re filming for TV is that you need to be working with high-end cameras, but in reality more compact and affordable models can sometimes do a job that’s not achievable any other way
WORDS TERRY HOPE Y ou don’t have to go back too far to encounter a time when the door to filmmaking was locked tight by the eye-watering cost of equipment. Anyone wishing to break into the business had to not only have the necessary skills and contacts but a budget stretching into the tens of thousands, and it kept the barrier almost insurmountably high. Over the past ten years the financial element of that brick wall has come crashing down, and it’s now way more affordable to get involved. However, the broadcast sector in particular still has very high quality thresholds, and it’s not at all unusual for those operating here to still be working exclusively with the likes of ARRI and RED cameras and bespoke lenses that can each cost as much as a mid-range Mercedes. However, the influx of more affordable gear has made its presence felt here as well, and the fact is that there are actually certain things that are better off being filmed using products that are smaller, lighter and more expendable. We’re now seeing some very high-profile productions containing sizeable amounts of footage that has been shot with cameras that are well within the price range of most professionals, and the ingenuity of those at the sharp end is ensuring that more and more possibilities are opening up as technology continues to advance.
You don’t, for example, come across programmes much more high profile than Amazon’s The Grand Tour , featuring the former stars of the BBC’s Top Gear , namely Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Big budget and high profile it might be, but the central focus of each episode is inevitably high-octane dream mobiles tearing around country roads and test tracks at unspeakable speeds, and there’s a constant requirement for in-car commentary from the presenters alongside a host of quirky camera angles. Ultimately, these are the kinds of things that are nigh-on impossible to film using conventional broadcast cameras. Cameraman Jon Shepley, through the specialist company he worked for, was originally tasked with the job of fitting bespoke mini cams to the cars being used by Top Gear and, having set up his own business, Creo Kinetics, around the same time the three presenters moved on, he was approached to carry on in the same vein when The Grand Tour was in the planning stage. “The timing was all a bit of a coincidence really,” he says, “but it was a great opportunity and I was delighted to be involved. Mini cams are ideally suited to the concept of a car programme because they are small enough to fit inside what might be a very compact cockpit, and they can record the presenter talking
ABOVE AND RIGHT Anna Collins still can’t feel some of her fingers due to frost nip on her Arctic adventures. BELOW Jon Shepley’s trusty Panasonic GH5S.
“There are actually certain things that are better offbeing filmed using products that are smaller”
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