Apple‘s October 30, 2023 Event closed with this end credit: “This event was shot on iPhone and edited on Mac.”
That would be filmed using the iPhone 15 Pro Max with the free Blackmagic Camera App and Apple Log. Plus edited in Premier Pro and then graded and finalized in Davinci Resolve.
michael tobin adds further insight and commentary:
My take: Of course, now Apple has to film everything they do like this!
The Beatles have just released their last single, Now and Then.
It appears as a free VEVO music video as well as these for-purchase products: various versions of vinyl and cassette.
“Now and Then” was a demo John Lennon recorded in The Dakota in the late 1970’s. The main reason it’s The Beatles’ last single is because until now it was too hard to separate John’s vocals from the piano notes. Technology to the rescue:
Want to know more? Check out this Parlogram documentary.
My take: I like this video most when it starts incorporating images from “Then” with footage from “Now” viz. 1:47, 1:55, etc. I would have liked to have seen much more of this technique used. This is truly the visualization of Now and Then — show us more!
Unfortunately, I’m not overly enamoured with the song itself; I find it middling and melancholic. I also don’t like:
As to “last singles” — I think they should give this treatment the last song the Beatles actually recorded together: The End. Although, after 60 years, perhaps it’s just time to move on.
Telefilm Canada has release two annual reports: Full Screen 2022-2023 Annual Report and PROGRAM RESULTS FROM SELF-IDENTIFICATION DATA COLLECTION Fiscal 2022-2023 – First Edition.
Some highlights:
“We guide filmmakers every step of the way: from training and mentoring at the beginning of their journey, to supporting them in development and production, from helping them promote their projects to partners and digital platforms, to supporting them in theatrical and festival releases.”
From the 2022-2023 self-identification data report:
My take: there’s lots to celebrate in these reports. I just wish we could see more Canadian films on cinema screens in Canada.
Jason Hellerman shares on No Film School: 6 Essential Ways to Prep Your TV Pitch for Studio Execs.
He starts by pointing out: “Every TV show that’s on the air was an idea in someone’s head at one point. and then, it was a pitch that they delivered.”
His suggestions, in a nutshell?
He closes with:
“By focusing on comprehensive coverage, crafting a compelling logline and synopsis, developing memorable characters, creating a strong visual presentation, and utilizing feedback for improvement, you can create a pitch that stands out from the competition and captures the attention of network executives.”
My take: This is great advice, and well worth the read!
On September 29, 2023, co-founder Matthew Buchanan of Letterboxd announced, “we have accepted an offer for Tiny to acquire a 60 percent stake in Letterboxd, securing the platform’s future as an independently run company and part of the Tiny stable.”
Matthew elaborates:
“Something else that began around this time, courtesy of Tumblr’s flourishing design community, was my friendship with Andrew Wilkinson and his brother Will, both involved with MetaLab. There was no-one paying attention to the design scene at that time who wasn’t aware of their digital agency in Victoria and the quality of work it was delivering. We first met in person at XOXO in Portland, then kept in touch, as we both continued to build: us with our studio and Letterboxd, and Andrew with MetaLab and then Tiny, which acquires and supports great, creative businesses.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports the deal at $30,000,000 USD.
My take: fascinating! I can’t help but think the world is smaller than I once thought.
Telefilm Canada has selected 18 Talent to Watch projects to share $3.6 million from 126 submissions.
It’s quite revealing to look at the numbers in detail.
Let’s start with Genre.
| Documentary | 9 |
| Drama | 5 |
| Comedy | 3 |
| Horror | 1 |
Province?
| Quebec | 5 |
| Ontario | 4 |
| British Columbia | 3 |
| Alberta | 2 |
| Manitoba | 1 |
| Nova Scotia | 1 |
| NWT | 1 |
| PEI | 1 |
Let’s look at Language next.
| English | 6 |
| French | 2 |
| English/Farsi | 2 |
| English/French/Kinyarwanda | 1 |
| English/Hungarian | 1 |
| English/Plains Cree | 1 |
| English/Punjabi | 1 |
| French/English/Arabic | 1 |
| French/Vietnamese | 1 |
| Spanish | 1 |
| Wayuunaiki/Spanish/English | 1 |
And let’s finish up with Stream.
| Filmmaker Apply-Direct | 11 |
| Industry Partner | 5 |
| Indigenous | 2 |
In addition, if Gender is assumed from names:
| Female | approx. 26 |
| Male | approx. 16 |
Some observations:
It appears Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program continues to compensate for the broader industry.
My take: this is the second year that filmmakers could apply directly and Telefilm has rewarded them well! Therefore, if you can apply direct, bypass your local industry partner, for odds of better than one in fifteen.
Alyssa Miller reports on No Film School that Deepfake Technology Could Help You Change Inappropriate Dialogue in Post.
Flawless AI‘s tools include TrueSync that can be used to replace dialogue or even change the spoken language, all the while preserving correct mouth and lip movement.
Flawless TrueSync from Flawless AI on Vimeo.
Lara Lewington from BBC‘s Click explores the technology well:
Flawless on BBC Click from Flawless AI on Vimeo.
Other Flawless AI tools include: AI Reshoot (“‘allows you to make dialogue changes, synchronizing the on-screen actors mouths to the new lines, without needing to go back to set”) and DeepEditor (“enables filmmakers to edit and transfer an actor’s performance from one shot, to another, even if the shots were filmed from different angles.”)
My take: this is powerful technology but not sure how I feel about Robert De Niro’s face speaking in German, German that some other actor is speaking. (Of course, the next iteration of this tech is to voice clone and use that to speak in German. But now we’re really offside.)
Blackmagic has introduced Digital Film for iPhone.
“Blackmagic Camera unlocks the power of your iPhone by adding Blackmagic’s digital film camera controls and image processing! Now you can create the same cinematic ‘look’ as Hollywood feature films. You get the same intuitive and user friendly interface as Blackmagic Design’s award winning cameras. It’s just like using a professional digital film camera! You can adjust settings such as frame rate, shutter angle, white balance and ISO all in a single tap. Or, record directly to Blackmagic Cloud in industry standard 10-bit Apple ProRes files up to 4K! Recording to Blackmagic Cloud Storage lets you collaborate on DaVinci Resolve projects with editors anywhere in the world, all at the same time!”
The tech specs are impressive.
This is a great way to learn Blackmagic’s menu system.
It’s also a great way to get introduced to Blackmagic’s Cloud.
And it’s a great way to explore the Sync Bin in DaVinci Resolve.
Oh, and by the way, it’s free.
My take: Grant Petty mentions how multiple filmers at “protests” in this update could use Blackmagic Cameras on their iPhones and work with an editor to create almost instant news stories; I think this technique could also be used during concerts as well.
So, have things changed from fifty years ago? The revolution will be live.
Kofi Outlaw reports on Comicbook.com strong-worded views by Ryan Reynolds on Pumpkin Spice: “What the F Are We Doing People?”
Kofi points out: “Beyond his acting, Ryan Reynolds has made a name for himself as one of the most media-savvy modern-day moguls. In addition to Aviation Gin, Reynolds also has his Mint Mobile venture; the Canadian wealth management service Wealthsimple; tech ventures Nuvei and 1Password; production and marketing venture Maximum Effort, and sports ventures including stakes in F1 team Alpine and England’s Wrexham AFC soccer team (which is also the subject of his hit docu-series). Reynolds is also pursuing a bid for Canada’s Ottawa Senators NHL team, and their stadium, the Tire Centre. Reynolds’ wife, actress Blake Lively, is similarly branching out as a mogul, launching her own line of sparkling non-alcoholic cocktail mixers, Betty Buzz.”
Here’s the transcript, delivered as only Ryan Reynolds can:
“It’s nearly fall, which means the entire universe will once again be losing its mind for pumpkin spice. Well, not at Aviation. Not on my watch. Let’s make a Negroni.
First, take one part each of Bitter Red Liqueur and Sweet Vermouth. Pour over ice. Take a pumpkin spiced cinnamon stick and shove it right up your [BLEEP].
Then, we add one part Aviation American Gin. And stir.
Then while stirring, we’re going to take a moment to ponder, why it is, that once a year for two or three months, we lose our [BLEEP] mind over pumpkin spice. What the [BLEEP] are we doing, people? I’m not sending my kids off to school with a [BLEEP] cumin yogurt in their lun…
Next, we’re going to garnish with an orange peel, delicious orange fruit, and enjoy a real drink. [BLEEP] you pumpkin spice, it’s Negroni week.
(credits)
It’s come to my attention that pumpkin spice has quite a lot of fans, and a powerful political lobby. So, on behalf of Aviation American Gin, its parent company Diageo, we’d like to wholesale apologize for our previous commercial.
Help me.”
My take: I love Negronis!
Now that Apple has brought a USB-C port to the iPhone 15, it’s time to review how USB-C differs from Thunderbolt.
Similarities:
How to identify similar cables:
Keep in mind:
(See Cult of Mac for more.)
My take: turns out, a cable is not just a cable! I wonder if there’s a plug in device to tell you if your cable is legit and what speeds it supports. But whatever you do, don’t check out this video if you’re paranoid.
