New Hitachi DZ-BD10HA Three Format Hybrid Blu-ray Disc Camcorder

The leading global electronics company, Hitachi has announced the launch of its next-generation Blu-ray Disc Hybrid Camcorder - Hitachi DZ-BD10HA, which is able to capture rich and vibrant videos and stills in Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution by recording HD video onto three different formats.

“Hitachi is well known for having introduced the world’s first DVD camcorder, the world’s first Hybrid camcorder with a DVD drive and a Hard Disk Drive and the world’s first Blu-ray camcorder,” said Daniel Lee, Vice President of Marketing at Hitachi Home Electronics, America.

“Hitachi continues to improve upon and deliver cutting-edge and innovative products, and is pleased to offer the latest upgrades in camcorder technology to its customers and consumers. The new DZ-BD10HA underscores Hitachi’s commitment to developing original technologies that consumers can easily embrace.”

READ MORE - http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/08/14/new-hitachi-dz-bd10ha-three-format-hybrid-blu-ray-disc-camcorder/

© 2005 - 2008 My Digital Life All Rights Reserved

Editing Laptop Buyer's Guide

Imagine hopping a plane in New York with your raw footage on your laptop and arriving in London with a fully-edited video several hours later. It could happen...

Laptops have largely replaced desktop PCs for many applications, and they're becoming increasingly more popular for video editing as well.

The reasons for this are self-evident: they're very affordable today, they're portable, they're powerful and they're versatile. But if you're considering a laptop for your video-editing chores, there are a few things you'll want to look for prior to parting with your hard-earned bucks. After all, you want to make certain that the laptop you buy is up to the tasks you intend to give it, right?

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE - By Tom Benford - http://www.videomaker.com/article/14063/?utm_source=enews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=%2520&utm_content=enews_2008_11_2&utm_campaign=traffic

©2008 Videomaker, Inc.

Terminator Salvation - Animated Poster

Described by the studio as a 'Motion Poster', which sounds a bit vile to me, this latest piece of Cyberdyne-related puffery is a mildly diverting little distraction.

It might just help assuage your natuaral desire to see Christian Bale as John Connor laying the smackdown on a batch of early-model infiltration combat cyborgs. For about 30 seconds anyway.

Then you'll be back to watching old episodes of the Sarah Connor Chronicles again to stave off that keen keen Terminator jonesin'

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POSTER - http://timesonline.typepad.com/blockbuster_buzz/2008/11/terminator-sa-1.html

As real Actors Consider Striking, Digital Actors Take Over

Massive Digital Actors In the Foreground of Changeling

Clint Eastwood’s newest film "Changeling" tells the story of a mother’s search for her lost son.

At first this doesn’t sound like the type of film that would require a lot of visual effects until the setting is taken into account. eastwood had to recreate the bustling metropolis that was Los Angeles in the 1920s and ’30s.

Shooting on the Universal backlot required the city being rebuilt digitally. Set extensions are standard fare for VFX house CIS Vancouver, but this one had other requirements. CIS Vancouver used High-Rez Models, Tons of Mo-Cap and Massive to Populate 1920s LA. They added crowds of digital people into their CG environments to replicate the bustling city environment.

Adding crowds has been done before and it was always done well. But the digital actors in these crowds are not just wandering around in the background, they are crossing right in front of camera and interweaving among the real actors shot on set. They take center stage!



READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE by Matt Armstrong - http://www.studiodaily.com/main/topstory/10258.html

STUDIO DAILY © 2008 Access Intelligence LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Blockbuster's NEW ON-DEMAND SERVICE

Blockbuster is now appealing to the larger audience that prefers watching entertainment on big-screen TVS.

To bypass the struggling video chain's 7,500 stores, Blockbuster Inc. will start renting movies and television shows through a new gadget that may give consumers another reason to avoid using the family car.

The new system relies on a small box that will connect to television sets. The box stores video after it's downloaded over high-speed Internet connections.

The player is made by San Jose-based 2Wire Inc. and it is built on the same concept as storage devices made by Apple Inc. and Vudu Inc. These devices are all meant to provide a bridge between the Internet and TVs.

Netflix Inc., a Blockbuster nemesis, has been trying to make the same leap with a video-streaming service that can be watched on TV sets through a variety of devices, including a $100 box introduced by Roku Inc. six months ago.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE - http://wtopnews.com/?nid=108&sid=1525627

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Rotoscope Tutorial

I'm asked a lot, " how did you create 'Rotoscope Practice'?" Here is a short tutorial of the method I chose for my animation.

Plymouth OKs building $488M movie studio

"We want to become the alternative to Hollywood for the film industry," said Joseph DiLorenzo, chief financial officer of Plymouth Rock Studios.

Sometimes known as America's hometown, schoolchildren and tourists flock here to see Plymouth Rock, a replica of the Mayflower and the place where the Pilgrims and Mashpee Wampanoags Indians shared the first Thanksgiving meal.

But the historic image of Plymouth could soon be tempered by a decidedly modern attraction: a brand new $488 million film and television studio, complete with 14 sound stages, a 10-acre back lot, a theater, a 300-room upscale hotel, a spa and 500,000 square feet of office space.

The thought of turning Plymouth into a movie Mecca has won the enthusiastic support of many residents, but some dislike the idea of adding Hollywood to their history.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE - By DENISE LAVOIE, Associated Press Writer - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081123/ap_on_en_mo/plymouth_hollywood_east

Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Beware the fake “ANGEL INVESTORS” and Representatives

A filmmaker wrote me yesterday to report that he lost $250.00 to a
"representative" for "investors". After that lesson he was wondering if he should give 10% of the money to finance his film to give to someone else, who would arrange to finace the full film.


There are many legitimate agents and representatives. These people need to get paid. As a general rule these professionals will not ask for money upfront. That does not mean there could not be real expenses in promoting your project. However they are not compulsatory.

Isn’t it great when you are trying to raise money for your film project and people say, "I MIGHT give you a lot of money for your project if you give me a little money first!"

BE FOREWARNED: Angel groups NEVER charge a fee. By nature, these groups are looking
for places to invest their money and they are very open to looking at what you have without any advance on your part.

If someone representing you to any group has to "approve" you by charging you money up front to cover due diligence, to make a presentation to the investors, to submit your application, to preview your project or for any other reasons, understand that without a contract that specifies what will happen and when, it is impossible to know what you are getting or if and when your project will ever move forward within any group.

If you insist on paying money up front, everything must be spelled out in a legal binding CONTRACT. If a contract or retainer agreement doesn't say what will happen and WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN, NEVER PAY MONEY to ANYONE UP FRONT whether they are a "reputable" attorney or not.

I signed a retainer agreement without spelling out in detail how long it would take for the attorney to do something simple. Since there was no time limit mentioned in our retainer agreement, the attorney evidently felt she could put everything off two, three, five or ten years. MAKE SURE YOU SPELL OUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN and WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN or you will lose your money exactly as I lost mine to a “reputable” attorney: Vina Fleisig (of 67-69 Groton Street, Forest Hills, NY) BEWARE OF PEOPLE LIKE THIS and stay away from them.

NOTICE: The views expressed in this article are those of the writer, Stanley Lozowski, and they are not necessarily those of this website, its owners or employees. We invite attorney Vina Fleisig to express her views as to why the Grievance Committee of the Second and Eleventh Judicial Districts issued an ADMONITION and a PERMANENT record was made against her.

Color Temperature: When "white" isn't just white

If you've ever heard someone talk about color temperature, you may have wondered what all the fuss is about. What does temperature have to do with color? Isn't "white" simple enough to understand on it's own?

The short answer is no. Now, here's the longer answer:

You may remember from elementary school that white is defined as the presence of all color. This was usually demonstrated by taking a white light and shining it through a prism to create a lovely little rainbow. This is the same reason rainbows often appear on sunny days through mists of water hanging in the air.

In order for an object to appear to be white, it must reflect back all of the colors contained within the light that is reflecting off it's surface. If one or more of the colors of the spectrum are missing from either the light source or the reflected light, the object will appear to have a color. The color of an object is determined mainly by the light source illuminating the object.

This is where color temperature comes into the equation. Marketing departments like to describe color temperatures using terms like "cool white" or "warm white", but in film and video, these terms are just not specific enough for our purpose. Instead, we describe the temperature of a light in degrees Kelvin.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE by Producer/Director Greg Steiner; a graduate of Berklee College of Music and holds a degree in Music Production & Engineering. - http://qstationfilms.blogspot.com/

Sound Advice: Can You Hear Me Now?

Other than your typical birthday party or wedding video, most productions include some kind of narration or voice-over.

This applies to documentaries, training and orientation videos, promotional projects and especially advertising. Using your script as a guide, it's easy to discover those portions of the video that need narration. Armed with your existing audio tools and this article, you can start recording today.

Gear Up
If you shoot a lot of video, you probably have everything necessary to record and edit narration. A nice microphone is a good place to start. Most handheld, shotgun and even lapel microphones can be pressed into service for your voice-over.

At the upper end of the scale, a large-diaphragm studio condenser is ideal for vocal recording. Vintage models can cost thousands, but there are dozens of project studio models -- some even sell for under $100. If you record narration on a regular basis, even a basic model is a good investment.

Large-diaphragm mikes have a unique sound quality that is difficult to duplicate. On the other hand, it's possible to record a voice-over with a $10 computer mike or the one built into your camcorder. Just don't expect studio quality from these low-cost alternatives. Don't forget to devote a few dollars to a foam or hoop windscreen. These simple accessories will eliminate breath pops and add to the professionalism of your recordings.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE - http://www.tapestockonline.com/soadcanyouhe.html

Copyright 2006 TapeStockOnline.com. All rights reserved.

ON DEMAND TV and now, ON DEMAND PIZZA

TiVo and Domino's to let subscribers order their pizza through TV!

IS THIS THE NEWEST TREND? Digital video recording company TiVo Inc. announced it is teaming up with Domino's Pizza Inc. to allow subscribers to order pizza for delivery or pick-up directly from their TV sets.

"This is the first time in history that the 'on-demand' generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set," Rob Weisberg, vice president of precision and print marketing at Domino's said.

LEARN MORE - http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081117/ap_on_hi_te/tivo_domino_s

Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

RUNNING...

This short animated film by Steve Madden has a slow start, but it gives you a chance to appreciate the work done in all the different mediums as well as grasp the animation aspect.



Find more videos like this on Hollywood East TV

'Romeo and Juliet' with a bite: 'Twilight'

FROM THE BOOK TO THE BIG SCREEN it’s just another one of those typical high school romance movies. You know: Lonely boy meets lonely girl, each falls hard for the other, boy turns out to be a vampire.

OK, so maybe it’s not so typical. The source material is a four-part series of books that’s taking on aspects of “Harry Potter” popularity among adolescent girls and, in many cases, their moms also.

Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight,” has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for over a year. In the story of shy 17-year-old Bella Swan, who shuttles between her divorced parents, and mysterious 17-year-old Edward Cullen (or is he really 109?), a forbidden romance ensues, something along the lines of “Romeo and Juliet.”

The Vampire That Rocked The Chart

The soundtrack for the upcoming teen vampire romance TWILIGHT debuts at #1 on The Billboard 200.

TWILIGHT is the first soundtrack to hit #1 in advance of the movie's release since 8 MILE six years ago. That album topped the Nielsen/SoundScan chart for the week ending Nov. 3, 2002. The Eminem movie was released on Nov. 8.

Only five other soundtracks have ever hit #1 in advance of the movie's release. In 1997, PRIVATE PARTS hit #1 five days before the Howard Stern comedy opened. In 1994, MURDER WAS THE CASE hit #1 four months before the Snoop Dogg movie opened. In 1975, THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD hit #1 one month before the little-seen Earth, Wind & Fire movie opened. In 1964, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT hit #1 two weeks before The Beatles movie opened. And in 1951 (hey, I said "ever"), SHOW BOAT hit #1 six weeks before the MGM musical opened.

READ MORE - http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/19138/week-ending-nov-9-2008-the-vampire-that-rocked-the-chart/

Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved

NO MORE INDIES???

Although the major studios continue to maintain that they are likely to feel little impact from the current economic downturn, the outlook continues to grow bleaker for independent producers.

Movie consultant Jeff Dowd, who found a buyer for the singularly successful, The Blair Witch Project, told Bloomberg News that independent filmmakers "are having a harder time getting money at the $500,000, $1 million level than they were a year ago."

He said he expects to see a significant drop in the number of independent movies next year, following more than a decade of growth. Bloomberg cited the case of producer-writer-director Neil Schulman, who used the equity in a second home in Nevada to finance his film, Lady Magdalene's, starring Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame.

He has been unable to find a distributor for the film and now, with the collapse of the real estate market, he says that his equity in the home has been wiped out -- leaving Schulman with a hefty monthly payment to cover the debt he incurred in making his film.

READ MORE and SEE "LADY MAGDALENE'S" and "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT" PROFILES - http://www.showbizdata.com/news/48197/INDIE-FILMMAKERS-HIT-HARD-BY-ECONOMIC-CRISIS

1997-2008 ShowBIZ Data Inc. - All rights reserved.

9:04 am - A NEW WAY TO WORK!

9:04 AM is an independent feature film and Heath McKnight is a filmmaker and a writer.

Heath decided to cut 9:04 AM into many 4-6 minute pieces to create webisodes.

9:04 AM is a drama/comedy about the difficulties of life, love, happiness, and the fine line between fantasy and reality.

Although this is an ensemble piece; there are multiple storylines that weave in and out of each other. As you watch, you will soon realize how all the characters are connected.


9:04 AM webisode part 1 from Heath McKnight on Vimeo.

WRITING FOR REAL

The main reason that the late Michael Crichton's books and films were so successful, is because the science was so well researched, and thus, the films made from his stories were plausible. The same is true for the late Arthur Hailey. All his films had great stories behind them because Hailey spent a year or longer researching of commercial aviation (AIRPORT), the auto industry (WHEELS), banking (THE MONEYCHANGERS), etc.

When writing your screenplay, the more you know about any subject the more plausible your story is likely to be.

Plausibility is only one slant of story telling but if we look at the Sci-Fi genre as an example, the Star Wars stories are completely implausible and yet, no one cares. They are great entertainment; old fashioned swashbuckling pirate and princess stories, dressed up in a new time and location. Instead of galleons with cannons, we have tie-fighters with lasers. STAR WARS never mentions Earth and when we are asked to suspend all disbelief, we gladly do do.

© 2008 Stanley Lozowski, All Rights Reserved.

Top 10 DVD Software Free Download

If you need help in using and improving all your DVD software activitiesm we can provide fast and simple software solutions for you.

Because of high public demand, we focus on areas such as copying, ripping, audio converter, converting, authoring, CD burning, Video editing software, Audio recording, iPod converting, Zune converting, digital photo editing, and Game copy programs.

You do not need specific technical expertise in order to run these DVD software free downloads. In such a short time, you will be able to create your own copy of your personal disk, without any hassles.

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DOWNLOADS - http://forums.digitalmedianet.com/cgi-bin/displaywwugpost.fcgi?forum=digital-video-editing&post=081007061755.htm

TV is DEAD...

Or TV is dying...take you pick!

There is no longer any question about it! Television transmission just isn't needed anymore as everyone with an Internet site begins to realize that they could control their own "television" station.

Things were getting out of hand with tens of millions of website destinations, but a few forward thinking sites are now positioning themselves to be leaders in this new race. Think early TV: think early NBC, CBS and ABC. Only today, there are many, many more options.

By the end of 2009, almost half the people who watch videos online will be watching full-length features via the Internet. With all the other videos online, by 2012 we will spend a third of each day passively or actively viewing. Computers will send images to billboards, our high-def screens, our monitors and our phones. No more limited channels; now we have access to millions of them. Besides, no one really wanted to wait until 8:00 to see the feature film; until 10:00 to see MAD MEN and until 11:00 to see the 11:00 news! We consume when we want to consume, not when some TV exec "thinks" we should!

Everyone wanting video will turns to places like YouTube when they want movies. And many new exciting sites like www.indiemoviesonline.com are leading us into the new era of FREE online feature films and TV shows! A goldmine awaits us!

You can forget the boob tube with its limited channels since places to watch TV on the Internet are proliferating at an extemely fast pace. From NBC Universal and News Corp.'s Hulu to Joost, many sites plan to launch and make TV viewing a more interactive experience.

Joost will let users watch shows like "Friends" or "The Daily Show" directly on the Web. YouTube also is beginning to offer full-length, commercial-supported television shows in addition to the shorter clips it's well known for.

Previously, Joost users had to download the site's free software to be able to watch its programming, but this step proved to be cumbersome. The company is now scrapping its original setup in favor of Flash video, which has long been used by Hulu, YouTube and many other sites.

Joost Chief Executive Mike Volpi said the site's social features have also been greatly enhanced. People can see what their friends are watching on Joost and create groups around TV shows, characters or artists. Users will also be able to post a news feed of their and their friends' activities on Joost to other Web sites, such as social networks like Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE - http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/10/13/online.tv.joost.ap/index.html

© 2008 Stanley Lozowski, All Rights Reserved.
© 2008 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MySpace ad deal lets members use copyright video

Instead of trying to take down all the copyright-protected videos that its members post, MySpace will now let certain clips stay — and it will also give the creators of the original content a cut of the revenue from advertising that will be attached to the snippets.

MySpace and the online video ad technology company Auditude planned to announce a partnership Monday with Viacom Inc.-owned MTV Networks and this partnership will let ads be placed in clips of the network's shows that users upload to MySpace. These include shows like Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and MTV's reality show "The Hills."

MySpace usually tries to keep such clips off its social network along with other copyright-protected content that users might post. In the past, the News Corp.-owned site removes clips at the request of the videos' copyright owners. Google Inc.'s YouTube also has a similar policy, although Viacom is suing YouTube for allegedly profiting from millions of clips with Viacom content posted online.

MySpace will now take a different approach with videos produced by partners it makes with its new ad deal.

READ MORE - http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081103/ap_on_hi_te/tec_myspace_video_ads

Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

SCREENPLAY PARODIES

Indie filmmakers are always searching for that perfect short film that will get them noticed. One technique creating a lot of buzz involves taking a hit film (or a hit screenplay) or TV show and parodying it. There are now thousands on youTube and some fans are having a field day producing more while vying to have the best parody of each title.

A screenplay has to be really good to spawn a great parody. The gentile version of the parody below won Best Original Screenplay at this year's Oscars.