Digital Cinema Society

First, let’s start with the headline news: Sigma has announced a major upgrade to their Compact Mirrorless fp camera and added a detachable EVF.  The new “fp L,” is identical to the extremely compact body of the original fp released in 2019.  However, the “L” has significant new features under the hood ... [ Read: A Deeper Dive - James Mathers Reviews the Versatile Sigma fp L & EVF-11 ]

by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the February 2021 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter)I have a Canon 5D that takes beautiful pictures; it’s not a 5D Mark III, or a 5D Mark II, but the original 5D released in 2005 before it was given the ability to shoot ... [ Read: Crossing The Blurring Line Between Still and Motion Picture Cameras - An essay by James Mathers ]

Once again Industrial Light and Magic rocks the world of visual effects with the production of The Mandalorian using the new virtual production technology. It has sent shock waves through the VFX community and worries many of my fellow compositors about the future of our jobs. After all, shots that would have normally ... [ Read: Virtual Production: Compositing Will Survive - DCS Member Content Contribution from Steve Wright, FXecademy ]

by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the November 2020 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter) In mid-July of this year, Blackmagic Design CEO Grant Petty held an online press conference to announce their latest camera, the URSA Mini Pro 12K.  I follow all ... [ Read: Where The 12K Rubber Hits The Road - James Mathers Tests the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K ]

Excuse Me, I Think Your Camera is Ringing — iPhones for Movie Making Part II by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the October 2020 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter) The iPhone is so prevalent, especially in the entertainment industry, that it seems ... [ Read: Excuse Me, I Think Your Camera is Ringing -- iPhones for Movie Making Part II ]

by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the September 2020 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter) As the picture above suggests, it is a chaotic time for our industry. As you surely know if you follow DCS, all the major trade shows we regularly cover were either ... [ Read: A Fork in the Road or a New Paradigm: The Uncertain Future of Trade Shows ]

by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the August 2020 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter) Streaming, Progressive Downloads, Over The Top or “OTT”, Video On Demand or “VOD”; whatever you want to call it, this general form of content delivery is having ... [ Read: I Stream, You Stream, We All Stream ]

by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the July 2020 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter) There is a tectonic shift taking place in the process of making motion pictures, perhaps as significant as the introduction of sound, color, or the transition from celluloid ... [ Read: Virtual Production - A Pandemic Fueled Catapult Into The Future ]

by James Mathers Cinematographer and Founder of the Digital Cinema Society (Excerpted from the June 2020 Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter) As I sat down to write my essay this month, I wanted to cover any subject that would not require mention of Coronavirus, COVID-19, the Pandemic, or Getting Back to Work, ... [ Read: Getting Back To Work -- The Waiting Is The Hardest Part ]

The Great Film Production Renaissance: Are You Ready? a DCS Content Contribution from Richard Janes Pixomondo show how they made use of Virtual Production. During times of struggle, the inevitable is often accelerated. Companies that were dying go bust, new ways of working, that were once seen as too disruptive ... [ Read: The Great Film Production Renaissance: Are You Ready? Essay by Richard Janes ]