Category: News

Camera manufacturer ARRI recently utilised the company’s ‘Fiber Remote Option’ (FRO) that they have been developing for the Alexa. Arri recently put the Alexa and FRO into action for a televised recording of Robbie Williams in session, and also on a concert film produced for the band Coldplay.

New features include a new Fiber Remote box design and monitor mount, designed to allow a lot more flexibility for the operator to position the camera monitor for optimal ergonomics and ease of use.

The Alexa FRO now features increased flexibility when adjusting the White Balance as operators now have the option of manually selecting the Kelvin colour temperature value directly on the remote control panel. In addition, a new colour saturation setting is available in the Camera’s RCP menu.

The ALEXA Fiber Remote Option is a fully certified setup that includes CopperHead from Telecast Fiber Systems, allowing ALEXA and ALEXA Plus models to be connected through SMPTE 311M fiber and remote controlled for live painting of the image in camera. High production values are achieved from the Alexa’s shallow depth of field and colour rendition makes it perfect for soaps, sitcoms, talk shows, sporting events and concerts and a lot more!

Cooke Optics, designer and manufacturer of 35mm lenses for the film industry is set to receive an Academy Awards honour this year. The British company, based in Leicester which exports to over 60 countries worldwide, are set to receive the award at this year’s ceremony on 9th February at the Beverly Hills Hotel, L.A. which will be held two weeks before the actual Oscars ceremony.

Cooke Optics, whose innovations and contributions to the cinema industry over the years have included cinematic zoom lenses, and fast prime lenses for movie cameras, which has eliminated the sheer need to very bright lights on set and on location over the years, and have also developed ‘iTechnology Protocol’, which has been adopted by many leading camera and lens manufacturers  that collects vital lens metadata to provide more accurate information to camera operators and post-production teams, an almost invaluable tool in today’s fast-paced industry.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® created the Scientific and Technical Award to honour the men, women and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant, outstanding and lasting ways to motion pictures. The Academy had this to say about Cooke’s merit award; “helped define the look of motion pictures over the last century.” Cooke lenses are renowned in the industry for the ‘Cooke Look®’, which gives a warm, natural feel to images on the screen.” 

Each lens produced by Cooke is carefully hand-crafted in Britain, to combine new state of the art technology and 100 year old craftsmanship that work together to create the now famed ‘Cooke-look’.

Cooke Optics owner and Chairman, Les Zellan had this to say about receiving their first academy award, “We are thrilled that the company has been recognised by the Academy after 120 years’ continuous service to the motion picture industry; I’m humbled to accept the award on behalf of all the talented people currently working at Cooke as well as the thousands that have gone before. Cooke has been an innovative force in this industry from the birth of motion pictures to the current digital film revolution. Our commitment has always been to enable customers to realise their vision and help them create the films that capture the imaginations of audiences around the world.”

Having used Cooke Lenses before on many occasions, we at All Ablaze Productions would like to wish Cooke Optics congratulations with their long awaited (and much deserved) award, and wish them all the best for future projects and camera technology innovations! Thanks Cooke!

I has been revealed this week, that SONY will be introducing, not one, but TWO new edit suite packages. Sony will release ‘MOVIE STUDIO PLATINUM: VISUAL EFFECTS SUITE 2’ and ‘VEGAS PRO 12 suite’.

Both Movie Studio Platinum and Vegas Pro 12 come equipped with versions of the visual effects software HitFilm 2 from London-based development company, FXhome. These new collections will enable users to dramatically enhance their post-productions with professional special effects via Sony’s seamless and integrated work flow.

The updated Vegas Pro 12 Suite also offers a wide variety of professional audio and video editing applications and soundtracks. Movie Studio Platinum: Visual Effects Suite 2 has all the creative tools needed to produce professional-looking movies. Users can  move media easily between applications to maximise effects and editing tools from both products, which is ideal for the newbie filmmaker or editor.

HitFilm 2 Express enables users to add effects to movies with advanced 3D compositing, extensive ‘film-look’ filters, and over 100 visual effects.
Dave Chaimson, Vice President of global Marketing for Sony said this of the new product releases, “With a range of effects, like smoke, explosions, and muzzle flash, the inclusion of HitFilm 2 in both Movie Studio Platinum: Visual Effects Suite 2 and Vegas Pro 12 Suite give video editors the ability to achieve the realistic and dramatic look they desire in their productions.”

The new edit suite packages also allow it’s users to easily edit video in almost any format, including high definition and stereoscopic 3D, while extensive audio and video production tools help editors achieve feature-film results in their studios, with a wide variety of delivery options to suit any client.

Commercial release of both Edit Suite packages are expected for early quarter of 2013, we look forward to Sony’s latest developments

JVC’s latest addition to their Camera family is the all new  GY-HMQ10E, which is set to revolutionise the use of 4K within the curret market. The GY-HMQ10E is the first commercial camcorder on the market to offer 4K Resolution for filming, whilst at the same time having a smaller body than that of the Sony PD150/170s.

Whilst sounding not unlike a product destined for the consumer market as opposed to the pro-sumer or pro markets, we have to remember back to the days when JVC introduced the JY-HD10, the first of its kind, the first single fixed lens HDV camcoder back in early 2005.

The GY-HMQ10E records images up to 3840 x 2160 resolution onto 4 different SDHC Cards simultaniously and then utlises a software application at the back end of the camera to edit suite workflow to ‘wrap’ the 4 different streams back together, recording at data rates of 144MBps and using a H264 codec.

The set ‘launch’ price from JVC stands at £3350 in the UK, which firlmy positions it in the cheap end of the 4K Market, however 4K filming outside of Feature Film Production is still a relatively unheard of and untested market, however JVC has explained that it wishes to introduce “4K to the masses”, which raises a challenge other Camera manufacturers to shake up the current 4k Aquisition market!

All Ablaze Productions are pleased to announce the continuing success of their latest video from their ever-expanding music video catalogue, BLAK CAN’s video for their debut single ‘Dark Daze’ has been further selected for broadcast and distribution by SOUNDNET.

Soundnet, who are an online video streaming company who supply large retail and pub chains across the UK such as Toni and Guy, Scream Pubs, Student Unions, Mitchells and Butlers pubs, HMV stores and the Arcadia Group with streaming video content, have chosen ‘Dark Daze’ for their ‘Indie/Alternative’ Programme, and has also been selected by high street menswear giants Burtons for streaming to their stores up and down the length of the country.

So keep your eyes peeled shoppers, pub go-ers and students for All Ablaze Productions video for ‘Dark Daze’  streaming soon to a shop/venue near you!

Also keep a look out for LOADED TV on Sky digital channel 200 for ‘Dark Daze’ featuring in their music chart show throughout the month of October, and get voting if you’d like to see more of the band!

After unveiling the PMW-200 a couple of months ago at IBC, Sony weren’t very subtle about where in the market the new camera is placed, with it’s rivals, so the new PMW-200 and have put their emphasis on the experience they have with sensor technology.

The experience is well earned as is their reputation for their XDCAM line up. Rumours are abound that the PMW-200 will eventually replace the EX1-R.

A variety of recording formats are available on the PMW-200 such as 50Mbps/35Mbps MXF, 35Mbps/25Mbps MP4 and DVCAM, however it is the 50MBps feature that Sony believe sink the PMW-200 firmly within the ranks of handheld Broadcast quality lightweight cameras such as the already BBC approved Panasonic HPX250 and Canon’s XF-305, which feature 1/3rd inch CMOS sensors as opposed to the PMW-200’s new 1/2 inch Exmor CMOS sensor.

 

Bill Drummond, SONY Europe’s Strategic Marketing Manager, Professional Solutions had this to say about the new addition to the XDCAM line-up, “With the new PMW-200, we are putting one of the most versatile handheld camcorders we’ve ever developed onto the market,The PMW-200 combines exceptional picture quality, seamless HD422 50Mbps work flow and a whole host of other useful features, with an ergonomic form factor. The result for users is an agile, lightweight solution that meets their varied needs and is the perfect partner for shoulder camcorders such as the popular PMW-500. It is also the ideal A-camera in its own right for HD broadcast production.” So, does what it says on the tin then basically, ey Bill?

 

Look out for more reviews of the new PMW-200 coming your way very soon.

All Ablaze Productions are pleased to announce that the latest video from their ever-expanding music video catalogue, BLAK CAN’s video for their debut single ‘Dark Daze’ has been selected for broadcast on LOADED TV’s Chart Show (Sky Channel 200 in the UK), and will be viewable every week starting in October.

The show will be interacive, in which viewers can vote on their favourite videos/songs/bands for more featured broadcast time the following weeks.!

So keep your eyes peeled all Sky and Digital TV subscribers in the UK, and get voting!

All Ablaze Productions were lucky enough to catch a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to film the Olympic Torch as it passed through Wolverhampton en-route to Birmingham as it enters the final month of its journey around the UK to mark the start of the London 2012 Olympics. Here’s a small news feature that we’ve knocked together in-house out of just some of the fantastic Archive Footage our cameras caught on Saturday 30th June 2012.

Come and see what an All Ablaze video can do for you, your artist or your business!

All Ablaze Productions latest video produced for the web has recently gone live around the world.

Member of the prestigious ‘Magic Circle’, Magician Kris Krendo from Wolverhampton asked us back in April to begin work re-designing his showreel using some of his existing footage and photos. We also went out for a day to the studio, and to some local beauty spots to film Kris doing some Close-Up Magic and showcasing his skills as a Master Magician.

The final video can be seen on Kris’s newly re-designed website, which has just launched this week at

www.close-upmagician.co.uk