Featured Video - Critics Season 2: "The Lost Episodes" Episode 11 ~ Flame & Glory

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In The News

New Product Video ~ Zacuto’s Z-Grip iPhone Cinema Kit

Steve Weiss and Jens Bogehegn introduce the next big thing for iPhone Video Shooters with the new Zacuto Z-grip iPhone Cinema Kit. Perfect for iPhone users shooting video, the new handgrip gives a stable point of contact and the articulating arm adds more adjustability. The Kit includes: Zacuto Z-grip iPhone Pro with Articulating Arm to hold the Z-Finder Pro viewfinder. (Note: Z-Finder Pro NOT included). A perfect addition to the kit is Zacuto’s Z-finder Pro which gives you an additional point of contact for even more stability by placing your eye in the viewfinder. The Z-Finder also shades out any light and helps with focusing on the iPhone LCD. Most important, the Z-Finder can quickly be articulated away from the LCD screen by manipulating the articulating arm.

  Watch Z-Grip iPhone Cinema Kit Video

Featured Columnist

Defining the Cinematic Look ~ Part 2 by Sara Frances

 

    How do you separate the elements of a movie, and assign what parts are the main contributors to that quality we loosely call cinematic? Hard question, because final production value should add up to more than the sum of the parts. This is where artistic genius comes in; elements combined to create something extraordinary.

It’s really hard to objectively analyze or dissect art, because we lapse immediately into matters of taste, history, experience and personal preferences. But we do have language to discuss elements of skill, technique and execution. I think of the elements in the shape of a pyramid. The tip is the initial impact, and the ground level is the foundation of storytelling. These are the fuzzy parts that must be present for success, but are very slippery to talk about. Scheherezade bet her life on the impact of her storytelling, and changed the lives of others! In between the tip and the foundation of the pyramid are the building blocks that make the entire artistic construction whole and durable. Or not. I’m breaking down the extreme complexity of film making here, leaving aside acting, and the myriad other contributions to focus on the two major tracks toward the cinematic grail: in camera work and postproduction.

Read: Defining the Cinematic Look by Sara Frances

Steve's Picks

MOMENTOS By Nuno Rocha

People have been asking me why it has been so long since I’ve added a “Steve’s Pick” and the reason is mainly because I didn’t see anything that grabbed me.  Susan sent me this video and I was immediately sucked in with its look, sound design, camera movement and screen direction but most importantly, its wonderful touching story.  Things have changed for me in the past few months: I’ve watched enough tests in this new revolution and now I want stories. MOMENTOS by Nuno Rocha is a charming, touching story told with no words.  Softly & wonderfully told to the perfect length and proper story and character arcs.  My only critique would be at the end of the video it would have been nice to hear one line, for instance, the daughter saying: "I love you Dad." In a silent film, that would have had a nice shock to the viewer.  Just one man’s opinion. Well done Nuno, you told a wonderful story and made the equipment irrelevant.  That’s filmmaking. ~ Steve

Watch MOMENTOS by Nuno Rocha