Panavision
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Panavision's latest cinema camera has an 8K RED sensor
Nearly every blockbuster film used to end with "Lenses and Panaflex camera by Panavision," but now it's more likely that your favorite movie was short on Arri or RED. Panavision is trying to flip that equation, however, by adopting one of its rivals' key pieces of tech. Its latest cinema camera, the Millenium DXL2 uses RED's Monstro 8K VistaVision sensor, giving it 16-bit, 8,192 x 4,320 RAW output with a claimed 16 stops of dynamic range.
Film's cinema comeback is driven by nostalgia, not logic
When Kodak declared bankruptcy and Fujifilm halted film stock production, things looked grim for celluloid. Shooting was going digital, and new cameras from Red, Sony and Arri produced quality nearly on par with 35mm cinema cameras. Film, however, has made a cinematic comeback. Last year saw a string of shot-on-film movies you may have heard of: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Hateful Eight and Interstellar. The directors of those movies believe that film is superior for capturing images -- and Quentin Tarantino even thinks it's a better release format, judging by his Hateful Eight 70mm roadshow. On the other hand, we seem to have forgotten about the crappy theater release prints, environmental waste, extra cost and elitism of film, to name just a few issues. The latest digital cameras now equal or exceed photochemical celluloid in just about every way. Yet, we still hold onto film's unique look and even its faults. Are we just too used to it to move on?
Quentin Tarantino's 'The Hateful Eight' will premiere on 70mm film
It's no secret that Quentin Tarantino prefers film over digital, and he's underscoring that point with the planned debut of The Hateful Eight. The director kicked off a San Diego Comic-Con panel with a video revealing that his Western was not only shot on giant 65mm film, but will screen in 70mm film before any other format. This will be a roadshow-style release where 100 theaters will put on a special show that might even recall the golden era of film, with overtures and intermissions. It'll expand to other formats after two weeks.
Canon 5D Mark II helmet mount attracts Hollywood's attention
Details are a bit light on this one, but the Planet 5D blog has received an email from the director of photography on 24, who himself received an email from the DP of Dollhouse, who passed on a video of a Canon 5D Mark II helmet mount built by the folks at Panavision. The rig was apparently designed specifically for use in fight scenes and other instances where a very close camera point-of-view is beneficial, and of course for "parachute drops and the like." The story also goes that the mount might have actually been used on Iron Man, although that's yet to be confirmed. Hit up the read link below to check out the video for yourself, although it unfortunately doesn't actually include any sample footage taken with the rig.
