Digital Cinema Society
Newsletter

January 13, 2012
Volume 8, Number 1

This is our first full international eNewsletter of the new year and we’ve got plenty to tell you about. There has been a lot of Tech News, much of it emanating from CES, and there are many upcoming events around the world that members might be interested in. There are member content contributions, such as a handy chart of common digital file formats and their storage requirements, and an update to the Cine Lens Database, plus an essay from James Mathers on the current state and future of 3D. Thanks for keeping DCS as your trusted source of information in the field of Digital Cinema.

Featuring JVC’s new Falconbrid large-scale integration (LSI) chip for high-speed signal processing and a 1/2-inch CMOS imager with 8.3 million active pixels, it delivers real-time 3840x2160 footage at 24p, 50p, or 60p. Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144 Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to economical SDHC or SDXC memory cards. Similar in size to JVC’s ProHD line of camcorders, the GY-HMQ10 includes a built-in F2.8 10x zoom lens with optical image stabilizer, as well as a color viewfinder and 3.5-inch touch LCD monitor. The retail price has been set at $4,995 with delivery slated for March 2012.

The U.S Patent office has issued Fujifilm a patent for their so called "Photoelectric Conversion Element and Imaging Device." The technology combines silicon circuitry on an organic material with a unique pixel structure. It seems the photoelectric organic coating substitutes for silicon photodiodes as the means to convert light into electrons as in CMOS and CCD sensors. This is said to provide a larger light sensitive area and be less expensive to produce than a conventional silicon based sensor. In addition, the organic material is sensitive only to visible light eliminating the problems caused by IR pollution on Silicon sensors. It is interesting to note that Fujifilm’s longtime rival, Kodak was responsible for the Bayer Pattern Sensor in use today for most high-end Digital Cinema cameras.

DCS Advisory Board member, Dick Millais, now with Advanced Digital Services, has offered a very useful chart which lists the most common digital format types from Full Aperture 4K uncompressed to NTSE Standard Def and even iPhone video. It then lists the corresponding resolutions, Bitrate in Mbps, and the amount of necessary storage in GBs per minute. Available for download as a .pdf: http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/downloads/FileTypes&Sizes_Chart.pdf click here

Richard Bradbury, a Focus Puller from London, has updated his compressive database of motion picture lenses with secondary lenses, relay lenses, shift/tilt lenses and effects lenses, now close to 1000 lenses! It’s a continuing work in progress, and he jokes that “it may become my life’s work,” but it is a great tool to be used during prep, shoot and post-production. It is free to access for such information as Aperture, Field of View, Depth of Field, Close Focus, and harder to find details like Front diameter or shipping weight for a given lens. The database is also available and is searchable as part of the FilmCalc App on the Mac App Store at $24.99US. If you haven’t checked it out in a while, it is worth another visit and is a valuable browser bookmark for the Richard Bradbury Motion Picture Lens Database: www.tinyurl.com/cinelenses. Again, the web version is free to access. We thank Richard, a DCS Member, for the tireless work he has put into collecting this vast amount of information and making it available to the community.

“Is 3D Dead...?” Again?

by James Mathers

I was recently browsing the magazine section of a vintage book store and came across an American Cinematographer issue from December 1953 emblazoned with the headline asking: “Is 3D Dead?” In fact the same magazine had a whopping 11 cover stories featuring 3D that year. It was certainly the talk of 1953, just as it has been for the last couple of years. Looking back at CES of 2011, it was virtually all about 3D, but this year, the tides seem to have turned and 3D innovations were pushed aside by announcements featuring 4K, web connectivity, HUMONGOUS displays, and mobile apps, (mostly for Apple products even though Apple doesn’t even participate in CES.) Sharp was even touting a prototype 8K 85-inch display which represents 32 million pixels of resolution, 16 times the resolution of HDTV. I’m not suggesting that this portends the demise of 3D, but I think it’s safe to say that the consumer electronics industry’s excitement about 3D has waned along with the public’s.

It was previously taken for granted that the renaissance of 3D would sell lots of TVs, and that manufacturers would encourage the stereoscopic format in any way they could. For manufacturers, 3D would seem a compelling feature; giving consumers a reason to upgrade their HDTV's. This functionality adds little cost to TV makers but comes to the consumer at a hefty premium. Plus a major consumer electronics company can use those 3D TVs to sell 3D cameras, peripherals, and even push smartphones and tablets. However, a dearth of 3D content, slowly evolving 3D technology compared to other more compelling TV tech, and really tough economic conditions have conspired to rob consumers of the burning desire to convert to 3D.

Economic conditions have also hampered the supply side with profits from TV manufacturing becoming slim to nonexistent; Sony’s CEO, Howard Stringer speaking for manufactures, has been quoted as saying “Every TV set we all make loses money." Add to that the fact that consumers are watching less TV, and thus are buying fewer new sets. The annual Consumer Electronics Trends Study found that the percentage of consumers watching televisions within a week fell from 71% in 2009 to 48% in 2011. Apparently, they are turning to other screens, such as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones to view media content. And to top it off, of those who are buying TVs, only 25% seem to care about a display’s 3D capabilities. Research group TDG suggests that new HDTV buyers are 50 percent more likely to purchase an Internet-connected HDTV (a TV that features native Internet connectivity and can support a host of TV applications such as Netflix, gaming, shopping) versus a 3D HDTV. Although 3D and net connectivity are not mutually exclusive, the question is whether consumers will spend a premium to get 3D when most HDTV's will soon natively feature Internet connectivity. Industry wide, only 10% of LCD and Plasma sets on the market are equipped with 3D technology.

Panasonic continues it’s strong support of 3D and believes 2012 will be the year 3D breaks through. They continue to sponsor DirecTV's n3D programming and have partnered with NBC/Universal to produce 200 hours of 3D programming including the 2012 Olympics. They will manufacture 93 models of plasma and 40 LCD which will be 3D capable, not to mention all the supporting devices and several twin-lens/one piece HD camcorders. These include everything from the highly professional shoulder mount 3DP1, recording AVC-Intra to P2 cards, to the sweet new Z10000, more of “palmcorder,” which features an autostereoscopic display (no glasses needed,) and shoots images as close as 18” away, (a previous weakness of the one piece/dual lens models.) Other manufacturers offer 3D displays and even camcorders, but I don’t think any of the others match Panasonic’s commitment to 3D. Only time will tell if this strategy will pay off.

So, how about the theatrical market for 3D? The Digital Cinema Rollout is going extremely well with roughly 65,000, (or 48% of the worldwide total of 137K cinema screens), now DCI-compliant. Some estimate the conversion will be nearly 100%, by the end of 2014, which also adds to the number of 3D enabled screens. Stereoscopic content doesn’t get much better than “Hugo”; Scorsese’s use of 3D was masterful. I think it could be the best picture of the year, and undoubtedly, the best use of 3D. However, the box office receipts have been disappointing. It will go down as one of the ten biggest money losers of the year. Shot at a monumental cost of around $170 million, it has so far only recouped about $65 million worldwide. Part of the problem is that American audiences have simply not turned out to the theaters. Overall box office was down 3.4 percent from 2010, which brings movie attendance down to a 16-year low. To make matters worse for 3D, 2011 audiences often chose the 2-D version of a film over its 3D counterpart. Perhaps, it’s that they object to the extra admission fees for 3D movies, don’t like to wear glasses, or simply that the allure and novelty has worn off. I should mention that theatrical and broadcast 3D are notably more popular in Europe and is all the rage in China. Still not enough to rescue 3D from it’s current slump.

One glimmer of hope for the Entertainment Industry is that Blu-ray Disc continued to post significant gains in 2011 after several years of drops, according to the home entertainment trade organization, Digital Entertainment Group. Although overall Blu-ray, DVD, and digital rental were down 2% compared to 2010, Blu-ray sales topped $2 Billion for the first time, rising 20% in the year. FYI, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" and "Part 2" were the top-selling titles, but not necessarily their more expensive 3D versions.

Many are hoping that James Cameron will come back to save the 3D Day; after all, his 3D masterpiece, “Avatar” is the all time box office champ at over $3 billion worldwide. He does have a 3D conversion rerelease of “Titanic” coming out soon, and a picture he has produced featuring the Cirque du Soleil is also on tap. However, probably due in part to the current lackluster market, “Avatar 2” has now been postponed until 2016. It may be left to Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” or Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” to get folks excited about 3D again.

Through attrition, the pool of potential 3D TV buyers will increase at a slow but steady rate, and as more and better 3D content makes its way to Blu-ray, streaming, and live broadcasts, there will be more compelling reasons for consumers to invest in 3D. I also expect significant improvements to the technology. Glasses free 3D is on the horizon, and it is expected to be commercially available relatively soon. There will also be improvements in 3D TV’s angle of view, so larger family audiences will not have to fight for the glasses or the living room’s sweet viewing spot. On the theatrical front, Peter Jackson has been shooting his 3D at advanced frame rates, which is said to vastly improve the 3D experience at the movies.

Since the beginning of the year is the traditional time to make predictions, and in the case of Apple, this is especially true prior to MacWorld, I’m going to go out on a limb. Everyone now knows that Apple will be manufacturing Apple TVs, and when they enter a new market, they tend to pretty radically shake up the technology, (a la the iPhone and iPad.) Some were surprised that with the current demand for larger and larger displays, they would limit theirs to 37.” Now I remember reading a couple of years back that Apple had patented a technology for autostereoscopic displays, and my thinking is that this technology works best not in the typical living room environment, but sitting closer, in a narrower viewing field as we do watching a computer display or mobile device. So, what I’m predicting is that besides the interconnectivity innovations they will surely bring to Apple TV, they will soon be coming out with an integrated glasses free 3D display up to 37.” My bet is that they’ll announce it at MacWorld; we’ll soon know if this theory holds water, or if I’m all wet.

In any case, to answer my own opening question, “Is 3D Dead...Again?” I don’t think so. I expect consumers and manufacturers will get excited about it again as the technology and economy improves; and especially as more and better content becomes available. “The Hobbit” is scheduled for release December 14th, 2012, and it looks like it will be extraordinary! For fascinating behind the scenes coverage including 3D technology personally explained by Peter Jackson and a new trailer, visit his Hobbit blog at: http://www.thehobbitblog.com/

All comments are welcome. Please write James at Mathers@DigitalCinemaSociety.org or leave a comment on our DCS Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DigitalCinemaSociety

click here

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) have announced their nominees for Outstanding Achievement Awards. The winners will be announced at the ASC Awards celebration at the Hollywood and Highland Grand Ballroom on February 12, (more details can be found later in our events calendar). In the Feature Film category, the nominees are Guillaume Schiffman, AFC (The Artist), Jeff Cronenweth, ASC (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Robert Richardson, ASC (Hugo), Hoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), and Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (The Tree of Life).

In the Television realm nominees in the one-hour Episodic Television Series/Pilot Category are: David Franco for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (“To the Lost”) --- Jonathan Freeman, ASC for Boardwalk Empire (“21”) --- David Katznelson, DFF, BSC for PBS’ Downton Abbey (Pilot) --- John Lindley, ASC for ABC’s Pan Am (Pilot) --- David Stockton, ASC for NBC’s Chase (“Narco Part 2”). The finalists in the Television Movie/Miniseries category are: Ed Lachman, ASC for HBO’s Mildred Pierce --- Kevin Moss for Showtime’s Chicago Overcoat --- David Moxness, CSC for ReelzChannel’s The Kennedys (“Moral Issues and Inner Turmoil”) --- Martin Ruhe for PBS’ Page Eight --- Wojciech Szepel for PBS’ Any Human Heart (“Episode 2”). The third category, for a half-hour Episodic Series or Pilot, was just added this year. The inaugural nominees are: James Bagdonas, ASC for ABC’s Modern Family (“Bixby’s Back”) --- Michael Balfry, CSC for The Hub’s R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (“Brush with Madness”) --- Vanja Cernjul, HFC for HBO’s Bored to Death (“Forget the Herring”) --- Levie Isaacks, ASC for ABC’s Man Up (“Acceptance”) -- Michael Weaver, ASC for Showtime’s Californication (“Suicide Solution”).

Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC, William Wages, ASC, Francis Kenny, ASC, and Fred Godfrey will be also be honored for their body of work. Spinotti will receive the 2012 ASC Lifetime Achievement Award, with additional ASC honors going to Wages for the Career Achievement in Television Award, Kenny with the Presidents Award, and Godfrey with the ASC Bud Stone Award of Distinction.

DCS Advisory Board member Dick Millais was recently appointed Senior VP Marketing at Hollywood based ADS / Advanced Digital Services. An industry veteran with a total of more than 40 years in production & post, he was, for the past 20 years, VP Marketing at IVC Digital Film Center in Burbank.

Longtime Vitec Group Brand Manager, Ali Ahmadi has joined the Litepanels company as Senior Product Manager where he will head Product Management and development. Ahmadi had previously served, among other Vitec assignments, as Brand Manager for OConnor, maker of popular fluid heads and camera accessories.

Los Angeles based Media Producer Linda Folsom works at Walt Disney Imagineering with responsibility for media in all Disney Parks worldwide. Her background before joining Disney included serving as Production Coordinator on major feature films such as “A Few Good Men,” “Misery,” “When Harry Met Sally,” and many more.

Cinematographer Christopher Chomyn specializes in shooting independent feature films and commercials. Chris also holds a faculty appointment as Senior Lecturer at the USC School of Cinematic Arts where he has been teaching cinematography and visual communication since 1997.

We count on your dues and contributions to continue our mission and maintain our services to members. So, if your membership has expired, or will soon, and provided that you value our services and can afford to offer support, please take a few minutes to renew your membership at the $30 annual level or $100.00 for a Lifetime Membership. You can follow the convenient Paypal links,(using any major credit card, and you don’t need to be signed up for Paypal,) or you can send payment to our offices at P.O. Box 1973 Studio City, CA 91614, USA.

Paypal Annual Renewal Link - $30US: clickhere

Paypal Lifetime Renewal Link - $100.00:clickhere

Checks should be sent to: The Digital Cinema Society, P.O. Box 1973, Studio City, CA 91614, USA. Check payments must be in US dollars. Please note that if you are a student, or otherwise cannot afford the dues, just send a note and we will be happy to extend your membership.

The Digital Cinema Society proudly welcomes Key Code Media to our list of supporters. Key Code Media, headquartered in Burbank, CA with satellite offices around the country consults, supports, and sells digital media communication systems. Founded in 2001, the Company is an industry leader for end-to-end turnkey systems with exceptional customer support and service.

Their installations are equally at home in entertainment, broadcast, corporate, educational and government production facilities. They provide award winning creation and editorial tools, the latest technological advances in storage and media management solutions, as well as data distribution systems from the leading manufacturers in the industry. For more, please visit: http://www.keycodemedia.com/

We also want to send out a big thanks to all “Friends of the DCS,” whose support makes it possible for us to continue the DCS mission of educating the entertainment industry about the advancements in digital and cine technology: Panasonic - Canon - Sony - ARRI - AJA - Avid - Schneider Optics - Tiffen - FotoKem - K5600 - Fujinon - Iridas - Filmtools - Key Code Media - Sound Design - Zacuto - Zeiss - Adobe - The Studio At B&H - AbelCine - Litepanels - Angenieux - Band Pro - Redrock Micro - Canon - Libec - R3D Data Manager - Polecam - Vision Research - OConnor - Convergent Design - ZGC - Cooke Optics - S.Two - Cinevate - LensProToGo - Kino Flo

DCS members are invited to meet the founders and faculty to find out about their new educational initiative at the Beverly Garland Hotel In North Hollywood This Saturday, January 14 starting at 10AM.

Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC and Yuri Neyman, ASC will unveil plans for an “Expanded Cinematography”™ educational program for postgraduate students and veteran filmmakers at The Global Cinematography Institute. Classes will be conducted on Virtual Stage UVS1 at Universal Studios. During the January 14th 2012 meeting at the Beverly Garland Hotel Zsigmond and Neyman together with many of their teaching colleagues will discuss issues and answer questions regarding subjects which will be taught in the Global Cinematography Institute including Advanced Lighting, Cinematography for Music Video, Digital Lighting and Previsualization, Digital Cinematography and 3D Cinematography , Virtual Cinematography, On-the-set Image Management and Post Technology, and Cinematography for Actors and Directors. Other instructors and participants in the Global Cinematography Institute include cinematographers Affonso Beato, ASC, ABC, Bruno Delbonell, ASC, AFC, Daniel Pearl, ASC, Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC, David Stump, ASC, Geoff Boyle, FKST, Founder of CML, James Chressanthis, ASC, James Mathers, Founder of DCS, Matthew Libatique, ASC, Sam Nicholson, ASC, and distinguished members of the Industry Bob Kertesz, Digital Imaging Specialist, Brian Pohl, Pre Viz & Visual effects/Co-Founder of PreViz Society, Dean Parisot, Director, Fred Durand, Digital Lighting, Michael Most, Colorist/Technologist, Ron Fischer, Technical Director of the Universal Virtual Stage and journalist Bob Fisher.

For information about the Global Cinematography Institute and about the preview meeting on 1/14/12 please visit:

www.globalcinematography.com and register your attendance.

January 16-18, 2012, The Universal Hilton, Universal City, CA

The ICTA Seminars are a series of technical seminars for motion picture exhibition industry personnel including executives, technicians and operations staff. It is designed to keep one informed with current information on the latest technological trends and issues that affect the industry today and tomorrow.

http://www.internationalcinematechnologyassociation.com/events/january/

Digital Cinema Society members receive a 10% discount on any AbelCine Training Course. Use code: DCSMember10 for discount. For complete schedule of upcoming classes, visit: http://training.abelcine.com/

January 24-25, 2012, AbelCine, LA, Burbank, CA

The FS100 Two-Day Workshop is designed to be a hands-on class covering the various functions of Sony’s newest Super-35 camera. You will gain a detailed understanding of the many features of the FS100, including the menu system, camera operation, lens options, post-production workflow, and available accessories. Emphasis is on developing an understanding of the camera sensor, recording format, lens choice, and menu systems. For more information (including cost - don’t forget to use code: DCSMember10 for discount) or to register, visit:

http://training.abelcine.com/sony-fs100-two-day-workshop-3/#more-748

Pro Level I - Saturday, January 28, 2011, EVS Studios in Glendale, CA

Pro Level II - Sunday, Sunday, January 29, 2011, The Association headquarters, Burbank, CA

These Boot Camp workshops are for industry professionals that want to use the Canon 5D or 7D DSLR cameras for film and television. Early Bird discount ends on January 26th at Midnight. Digital Cinema Society members receive $50 discount by using registration discount code: DCS1120. For more information and registration, visit: http://www.theassociation.tv/canonbootcamp.php

January 31 - February 1, 2012, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, AbelCine, LA

This two-day workshop covers the many functions of the PMW-F3 including detailed instruction on camera operation, lens choice, production techniques, and aftermarket accessories. Emphasis is on developing an understanding of the camera sensor, recording format, lens choice, and menu systems.

http://training.abelcine.com/sony-pmw-f3-two-day-workshop/

February 7, 2012

http://www.visualeffectssociety.com/ves-awards

February 12, 2012, Hollywood, CA

http://www.theasc.com

February 14-17, 2012, Hyatt Grand Champions, Indian Wells, CA

http://www.hpaonline.com/mc/page.do?sitePageId=130712&orgId=hopa

Saturday, February 18, 2012, Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA

http://ace-filmeditors.org/ace-eddie-awards/

February 18, 2012, Los Angeles, CA

www.cinemaaudiosociety.org

February 18-19, 2012, Los Angeles, CA

The Annual Film Training Company Masters POV event brings together some of the world´s finest Directors of Photography and most creative minds in the profession of cinematography. This years speakers include: Allen Daviau, ASC (“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, “The Color Purple,) Robbie Greenberg, ASC (“The Milagro Beanfield War, “James Dean: An Invented Life,) Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC/BVK (“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, “Independence Day,) Daniel Pearl, ASC (“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, “Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean,) and Mark Sawicki (“Gangs of New York, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.)

Masters POV will present Master Classes featuring Seminar Talks, Workshop Demonstrations and Screenings of clips from each cinematographer’s work to reveal their unique work flow, technique and artistic choices. There will also be a dialogue between the invited cinematographers and the audience – with discussions, Q&A sessions and a mutual sharing of experiences and view points. Seats are limited, early registration is advised. To register, visit:

http://www.masterspov.com

DCS member discount: 50% discount ($249.00 for both days -- regular price $495)

To obtain the discount: Choose ticket category: REGULAR 2-DAY TICKET ($495.) Enter Discount Code by clicking the Click here to Enter Promotional Code Button in the bottom-left. Enter Code: DCS-LA12. The discount will then be automatically deducted.

February 19, 2012, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, North Hollywood, CA

http://soc.org/index.php?id=24&event=69

ALEXA Camera Functionality Workshop - February 22, 2012, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm, AbelCine, LA

ALEXA Workflow & Post Workshop - February 23, 2012, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm, AbelCine, LA

AbelCine works closely with ARRI on both selling and supporting the ALEXA and as part of that effort, they have put together two ALEXA Workshops, which will be led by AbelCine’s experts. The ALEXA Camera Workshop is focused on camera operation and image control, while the ALEXA Workflow Workshop is focused on workflow and post production. The two days are designed to work in conjunction, but each ALEXA Workshop may be attended individually.

http://training.abelcine.com/arri-alexa-workshops/

March 1, 2012, LA Center Studios, Los Angeles, CA

www.createsphere.com

March 2-14, 2012, Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, CA