THEHOT LIST FEATURE
4. ANAMORPHIC FOR THE PEOPLE
If you’ve ever fallen in love with the look of high-end Hollywood productions, especially big-money sci-fi, then one of the reasons they look the way they do is down to using anamorphic prime lenses. Anamorphic is a very expensive type of lens with its own signature letterbox- style widescreen look, producing the long horizontal flares so favoured by sci-fi filmmakers as well as oval out-of-focus highlights. However, there is usually a massive price tag on these lenses which are often custom-made by some of the world’s finest lens makers such as Cooke. But the anamorphic style is coming to the masses with a raft of new products. The Panasonic GH5S, for example, supports anamorphic shooting via special and more affordable anamorphic lenses from companies like SLR Magic who offer different levels of anamorphic ‘stretch’ to suit different cameras. A set of three 2.0x lenses costs around £9300/$8500, while a
wider 1.33x set is more than double that – so they’re still not exactly cheap. And now, SLR Magic has revealed an new anamorphic adapter which can convert conventional cine lenses. The Anamorphot 65 is a 1.33x adapter used on cameras with a 16x9 sensor ratio that screws onto the front 82mm filter thread. This makes it ideal for some of SLR Magic’s own primes, but also Sigma lenses and the FujifilmMK 18- 55mm and 50-135mm cine zooms. For around £1380/$1500 it can give a great approximation of the anamorphic look to serious cine glass at an affordable price.
For years, you’ve probably winced at smartphone users holding their phones vertically to shoot video clips. But that’s the way that the majority of users hold their devices, so social media giant Instagram has responded. They have launched IGTV, a new video-hosting social media app where the videos can be up to an hour in length – instead of the usual minute on the regular Instagram app – and are designed to be shown full-screen on vertical smartphones. IGTV is like a mobile-specific version of YouTube, where users will have their own ‘channel’ and followers will be able to ‘like’ or subscribe to that channel, comment on them and recommend videos to their friends. And the videos autoplay as soon as the app is switched on – just like a TV set. IGTV content will also appear on the main Instagram app, which is the most important social 5. INSTAGRAM TV IS NOW
media platform in certain countries like the USA, especially in targeting users of a certain youth-led demographic. That means advertisers, companies who want branded content and media outlets will suddenly be looking for videos shot vertically that work on smaller screens. Be prepared, work out how to do it better than others and you will be able to sell your services to a world eager for vertical, smartphone- ready video.
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AUTUMN 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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