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<\/a>Despite the usual array of parking, weather (as in very hot) and logistical challenges, Cine Gear Expo 2014 was, by all accounts, one of the best ever. \u201cIt was a mini-NAB,\u201d as one Guild member noted, \u201cwith almost too much to cover in the short time available.\u201d<\/p>\nSeth Edmunds, with CW Sonderoptic – Leica, added that, \u201cCine Gear is one of the best opportunities for companies to meet so many working production professionals in one place. This year was no different, if not better than past years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sherry Fragmeni, Brand Marketing Manager for Anton\/Bauer, agreed with Edmonds. \u201c[Cine Gear is where] so many crewmembers have a chance to see [equipment] in the casual, hands-on environment that really makes this show unique.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the main reasons Cine Gear Expo 2014 was a slam dunk was a bounty of well-designed panels (led by a Local 600-sponsored Workflow discussion), and equipment that had not yet been introduced at the over-crowded NAB.<\/p>\n Participants on the Guild\u2019s panel, New Workflow Choices and the Director of Photography<\/i>, held before a packed audience in the Sherry Lansing Theater on Saturday morning, included cinematographers Paul Cameron, ASC (Total Recall, Dead Man Down<\/i>), Mark Doering-Powell (ABC\u2019s Super Fun Night<\/i>, CW\u2019s Everybody Hates Chris<\/i>), Andrew Thurman (commercials for Target and Lexus) and Local 600 National President Steven Poster, ASC (Donnie Darko, Someone to Watch Over Me<\/i>).<\/p>\n Also on-board were 1st<\/sup> AC E. Gunnar Mortensen (Amityville, Cooties<\/i>) and D.I.T.s Michele deLorimier (Cover Girl\u2019s Pink, Cream Reunion at the Royal Albert Hall<\/i>), Bobby Maruvada (DI colorist Project X, After Earth<\/i>) and Joshua Gollish (Skyfall, Prisoners<\/i>), who acted as moderator. The highly knowledgeable Gollish kept the discussion focused on practical workflow solutions in the real world.<\/p>\n That topic resonated perfectly with Poster, who had just finished an indie feature, Amityville<\/i>, which he\u2019d turned into a test lab for workflow. \u201cI was interested in live grading on the set and doing all the lab work there \u2013 delivering transcodes, LTOs, all formats for dailies,\u201d Poster revealed. The veteran DP\u2019s notion is that new workflow technology can enhance the value of the on-set camera team, revealing \u201cthe magic\u201d behind the craft to producers, directors and other key creatives.<\/p>\n Mortensen, who was Poster\u2019s 1st<\/sup> AC on Ammityville<\/i>, said the idea of live dailies gives the production team a way to create a shortcut that will smooth out the workflow on the set so \u201ctrust is built instead of production trusting us blindly.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a concept all DPs on the panel agreed they often have to fight for. And those in the commercial world, as Turman stated, aren\u2019t quite as successful in achieving.<\/p>\n \u201cEven the director has lost control [in commercials],\u201d Turman lamented. \u201cWe aren\u2019t able to implement what Steven and others are doing because the image is taken out of our hands. There was one instance, for example, where a subpar image was delivered to the client \u2013 and I had no idea. Being able to bring the kind of control we\u2019re talking about today to that world would be important.\u201d<\/p>\n Cameron said that such control resides in \u201chow you handle the workflow. Working with a team who knows it is their responsibility not to change but to facilitate the flow is [key].\u201d DPs have to keep on top of the color management, because often images come in from all over the world \u2013 and they have to work together. Cameron said this is best handled with the right tools \u2013 ACES, for example.<\/p>\n \u201cACES is a point of unity for all images,\u201d deLorimier added. \u201cThis fills the need for standardization of image valuations to maintain the intended look throughout the post process. Doering-Powell echoed that sentiment with a reference to a recent pilot where \u201cACES allowed us to do everything from 3D LUT references to stills and 1D LUTS. Everything worked together seamlessly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYears ago, color grading of images, IMAX, etc., took the whole day,\u201d Maruvada continued. \u201cWith color grading on-set, images sent to calibrated monitors at the post houses, for example, are all timed the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Each of the D.I.T.s on the panel was in accord with how a smart workflow can facilitate the creative process. For example, using different LUTs in a single shot for choices while shooting. Want to see a \u201cbleach bypass?\u201d Select an isolated area of the image and still maintain a different \u201clook\u201d to the remainder of the frame.<\/p>\n All insisted that strong communication between DP, D.I.T. and 1st<\/sup> AC helps to create a \u201cworkflow roadmap\u201d that can decrease postproduction costs and maintain the DP\u2019s desired look. And the presence of all that combined workflow brainpower sparked a series of interesting questions from the audience. Like why the D.I.T. has become such a key figure on-set, for as deLorimier noted, \u201cit\u2019s [the D.I.T.\u2019s] job to take the technical burden away from the DP \u2013 and, [as Cameron pointed out] deliver what the DP wants,\u201d \u2013 so production gets the best image available.\u201d<\/p>\n Guild members who attended Cine Gear Expo 2014,<\/b> couldn\u2019t help but marvel at the big NAB-like crowds flocking around vendor\u2019s booths. \u201cI got there late and in the full crowd,\u201d remarked 1st<\/sup> AC Jamie Felz. \u201cSo, I relied on suggestions from people I saw. Amy Vincent led me to the new anamorphic lenses \u2013 some of which are T 1.0, which are hard for pulling focus \u2013 and the new ARRI Amira, which was going in the case by the time I got there. One thing that caught my eye was the Cherry Boxes \u2013 lightweight plastic apple boxes. Some are even colored like green screen. Innovative.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt seemed like you couldn\u2019t walk five feet without seeing some version of a camera remote movement system, where it was a helicopter, radio controlled car, hand held Gyro system or a Steadicam with 360 degrees of roll,\u201d added cinematographer Billy Dickson.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies like Cinemoves, owned by Scott Howell, continue to be on the forefront of big scale solutions,\u201d Dickson observed. \u201cTheir Power Slide is an amazing tool for car work. MK-V, with its revolutionary 360-degree solution to aid Steadicams was amazing as well \u2013 going from low mode to high mode during the course of a Steadicam move. And Matthews Grip is always a forward thinking company \u2013 their newest motorized sliders are top notch. I also thought the Fuji Monitor calibration image processing system was a great solution to matching different monitors for more accurate color correction and look management.\u201d<\/p>\n Local 600 Education Committee member Mark Weingartner was on the prowl for new technology for upcoming workshops. \u201cThere were a lot of things that had incremental improvements,\u201d Weingartner said. \u201cBut what did catch my eye was the good mounting choices and a unique magnetic clutch to add some drag on the slider from That Cat. I also really like the various truss and super-slider designs by Solid Grip Systems. Their TwinDolly and TrussDolly systems are clever modular systems for over and underslung camera work.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the profusion of \u2018ergonomically challenged\u2019 cameras over the last few years, I noticed that there were a lot of companies presenting accessories,\u201d he added. \u201cWhat stood out was CineSMART, a new company owned by Marker Karahadian. Their products range from handheld rigs to Hollywood Handles, focus whips, speed cranks and mounting systems. I found the design simple, elegant, and sturdy.\u201d<\/p>\n Vendors, too, were enthusiastic about this year\u2019s show. Cine Gear Expo draws many shooters looking for products that will aid capture in all venues; the show is geared to the vendor\/inventor, as well as the smaller companies who put a lot of personal R&D into their products. For Alessandro Di Leo, who is out there with a product developed by retired Local 600 Member Mario Di Leo, the traffic for their Ready Rig was phenomenal.<\/p>\n \u201cHollywood pros, reality show camera operators, and documentary and independent filmmakers were checking the rig out,\u201d Di Leo noted. \u201cEveryone who tried it on discovered the rig\u2019s versatility. It\u2019s getting more popular every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Another Local 600 member team \u2013 Greg Smokler co-owner with Daniel Kanes of Paralinx \u2013 said the announcement of their new wireless video system, the Arrow-X, was an unqualified success. \u201cThe zero-delay, uncompressed Full-HD video with a 700+foot range caught a lot of attention of people who are out there every day in need of support like this,\u201d Smokler relayed.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>