Panasonic DVX200

Browsing NoFilmSchool today after not reading the site for well over a month I discovered that Panasonic released a camera called the DVX200. This camera is a successor to the DVX100, a 4:3 CCD camera released in 2002. At its time, the DVX100 was the first camera to support progressive scan video recording at an affordable price. Since then other cameras have been released, such as the HPX500, the HVX200A and the HMC150, which were released in the 2000s.

Several years ago I owned an HMC150 that I bought after saving up for over a year while working at a NAPA Autoparts store in my town. I loved that camera. At the time, I was shooting action sports videos of my friends snowboarding and riding BMX bikes. The HMC150 served a versatile tool for the type of filming I was doing. Action sports filming is a run'n'gun situation. Many times we would arrive at a location and after a few minutes of scoping out shot locations begin to film. Content was key, the more the better (as always), and we never wanted to miss a moment. The first video I have posted above is a edit from footage I shot during one year for my friend Shane. His video was being shot when I bought my camera and is the first one that I shot part of with my HMC150. The second video was made about a few years later. By this time I had become much more adept at using the camera.

The release of the DVX200 is important because it brings 4K quality video recording to the build style that favors action sports videos as well as documentaries as well. Most 4K cameras are not built for run'n'gun style shooting as they require a monitor and a complex setup that is suitable for studio work in a controlled environment. Sports and documentary filmmaking involve quick setups, the ability to zoom easily with a servo zoom motor, attachment of shotgun mics with onboard XLR ports, as well as other features, such as ND filters. All-in-all I'm excited about this camera.

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a 2011 American biographical drama film directed by Sean McNamara. It is a film adaptation of the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton about her life as a surfer after a horrific shark attack and her recovery. The film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Lorraine Nicholson with Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Sonya Balmores, Branscombe Richmond, and Craig T. Nelson.

Filming of this prestigious life story took place in Hawaii in early 2010 with Robb wearing a green sleeve on her arm so visual effects could be added in post-production to create the appearance of a stump. More additional filming took place in Tahiti in August 2010. Soul Surfer was released in theaters on April 8, 2011 in the United States and Canada by a partnership between FilmDistrict and TriStar Pictures.

Bethany (AnnaSophia Robb), a natural talent in the sport of surfing, loses an arm in a freak shark attack. Helped along by the love of her parents (Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid), brothers, and friend Alana Blanchard, she refused to give up.  With big plans to return to competition, questions about her future continued to trouble her. Upon seeing the devastation in Thailand caused by the 2004 tsunami on a trip with her local youth group, Bethany discovers a greater purpose: to make a difference in the lives of others.  She realizes she cannot give up.  She needs to be an inspiration for other people with traumatic experiences and disabilities.  She wants to make a difference and prove that you can do anything you put your heart to.

I believe that this film did not get enough credit.  There was a large amount of work that went into this film.  Not only does filming surfing create challenges, but a realistic shark attack, and a green screen arm that looked completely real as a stump.  This film had phenomenal technical work.  I believe that the film also had beautiful acting.  The actors captured the emotions perfectly, and as a viewer, I really felt what they were going through.  I think that this movie is one to be watched, it is very inspirational and truly a great film on a brave, courageous person.  It really earns its name, Soul Surfer. 

Playmakers and their 1 season

Playmakers is an American television series that aired on ESPN from August 26, 2003 to November 11, 2003. It illustrated the lives of the Cougars, a fictional professional football team in an unidentified city. The show starred Omar Gooding, Marcello Thedford, Christopher Wiehl, Jason Matthew Smith, Russell Hornsby, and Tony Denison. The show, which ran eleven episodes, one season, was the first original drama series created by ESPN.  Playmakers ended up becoming the highest-rated show on the network other than its Sunday Nigh NFL and Saturday college football games.  Unfortunately for the network, ESPN eventually canceled the series under pressure from the National Football League, who disliked the portrayal of the negative aspects of its players' lives off the field.

I believe that this show was an accurate description of the hardships of professional athletes, especially professional football players.  The show played on the emotion side of the athletes and what is going through their heads.  In the big leagues, when you get injured, it could cost you your career, and in turn, your dream.  The first episode hooks the viewers with real-life script, and touching stories that people can relate to.  The first story of the whole season they show involves an accident that occurred during a game that paralyzed a man from the waist down.  Even though the player went to visit the fellow athlete he paralyzed, it will never change the fact that the player's career is over and that he can no longer do the simple things, like playing football, that came as first nature to him.  The line that probably hooks most viewers is how the player responds to the athlete when he says he is sorry.  The player says, with no remorse or sympathy for the athlete, "I can't even feel my own dick." The show goes on to other characters and their stories throughout the season and how they handle what comes at them.  I believe that the show should have had more seasons, but it negatively impacted the NFL, so they requested it be taken down.  Obviously the big man of the business must be obeyed.  I definitely encourage watching the show, I think it could have been better produced, but all in all I enjoyed it.  

4K filming changing the gam

As the supper bowl is coming our way, many people are excited for the game, the commercials, food, friends, but what a lot of tech geeks are looking forward to is the 100+ cameras (several of which being 4K) they will be using.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that enormous amount of background work that goes into media aspect of such an event. Other than the $3,000,000 30second commercial spots, the technology that will be used to make this showdown is unfathomable.

Unfortunately, we are not at the point where we can film the entire supper bowl in 4K nor are we at the point where we can view it at that quality, but it is coming soon. Many people will not be able to appreciate the picture quality that will come from these cameras because it will be broadcast on television in 1080p and available for streaming in only 720p, regardless, it is quite the triumph to get where we are today. A majority of the cameras being used will be the HDC-1500 and HDC-2500, which will be routed to any of the 5 production trucks used during the game. I am still trying to get a grasp on the FS-100 so it will take some research for me to full grasp the capabilities of the cameras they are using now.

What Fox is trying to do with these cameras is allow for a type of digital zoom the will not degrade the picture quality but allow for cropping on original 4K images to fit a full HD resolution. In essence Fox is trying to improve their picture quality through placing their new cameras along the sideline, goal line, and will be used to improve officials reviews of plays. This new technology is going to change not only football, but all sports, TV shows, and News. Movie theaters have already adapted to the new ways and movies are already being shot and viewed with 4K technology. For instance, “The Hobbit” was beautifully made shot with high-resolution cameras that gave an amazing dynamic to the film.

 All forms of broadcasting are changing rapidly, soon it will be the norm to have only 4K TVs and say bye to 1080p HD.  I am excited for what will be coming next; I heard 8K cameras are in the making…

Olympic internship

So its finally almost here.  Time to get going on the application for the NBC Olympic internship.  Pretty excited personally.  This was a huge reason I came to Ithaca College was to get a good chance of being apart of the 2014 olympics in Sochi.  I cant even think of an even more incredible experience.

So the reason I am getting all excited is because today was the first informational meeting.  Alumni and students, who just returned from London 2012, came and talked about their experience.  While I am not 100% sure if NBC or broadcasting/studio production is the exact career I want to pursue, I still believe this experience would be a life-changing one.

Also, I feel the situation is perfect.  Its in Russia (probably one of my top 5 favorite countries for whatever reason).  Number two, its in the winter which means snowboarding, skiing, luge, bobsled, and who can forget curling.  Some of the most underrated sports right there, and what comes with these events? The best athletes in the world.  Put all this and the overall hype of the olympics in one town, and give me a job in the field I love, well consider me on the first plane out of here.

Moneyball

A film that has been getting a lot of press lately is "Moneyball" starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The Film, based on the best-selling book by Michael Lewis, is about the sabermetric statistics revolution the devoured baseball in the late '90's and early 2000's. The movie centers around Billy Beane, Pitt's character, the much maligned general manager of the Oakland Athletics. The cash-strapped franchise was looking for ways to stay competitive without the financial resources of high-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. In turn, Beane and his staff revolutionized the way baseball statistics came to be interpreted. The film is an absolute must-see for any sports fan and will hopefully live up to the hype it has generated since the movie began pre-production more than two years ago.

Interesting Title

Hi everyone. My name is Kyle Riether. I'm a sophmore TV/R major. I hail from Langhorne, Pa, it's a philly suburb. Langhorne is home to Sesame Place, a big Sesame Street themed water park. That's about our only claim to fame. I'm a huge sports fan, especially baseball, and I play tennis here at Ithaca. I'm also the president of our ping-pong club on campus. My favorite tv show is How I met your mother. I'm hoping to go out to LA in the fall. I want our new athletic center to be done so we can have indoor tennis courts. Old school cartoons are the best. Period. Well, I realized this is just a random list of things but I guess it will help to get to know me. See you guys bright and early.