DSLR vs. RED ONE.

We were in a conversation today about the diff between the RED ONE and the new DSLRs out there. I remember when years ago the rumors about the RED ONE was just an urban Legend. Finally after 8 years it came out. We were all very excited. It's been a great platform and is very very versatile.

Then Canon's 5D came out and every wanna-be out there suddenly became a filmmaker. So, it was hard to wade through all the crappy uses to find actual quality footage and images. The 7D allowed a production to have 2 or 3 additional cameras for the cost of one. It was just a matter of time before Nikon threw it's hat in the ring. They have the D7000. The D7000 comes with Nikon glass and a color sensor as opposed to the black and white sensor on the Canon 7d. The contrasts you get with the D7000 is truly amazing to see. You can see all the details in shadows.


Nikons D800 is been talked about coming out last fall. It's still not here. We are being told it'll be here in June. It is a full sensor (35mm film sensor) size. This will compete with the Canon5D. Obviously the D800 will be the best since it has Nikon glass.

• Brand new 24.6MP FX 35.9 x 24 mm CMOS sensor
• Full HD (1080p) movie recording @24fps
• Nikon Multi-CAM 3500FX AF of 51 points

We will be listed support rods and equipment that we are using in a coming blog.

Next project using the Canon 7d and the Nikon D7000.

For our next Industrial Shoot we are doing we are going to use the Canon 7d and the Nikon D7000 side by side. There will be a third camera(another Nikon) but we aren't concerned about that one. Has anyone gotten the same "look" from both  cameras?

We will be shooting 60-70+ hours in 7 days times with both. We will be using one lighting setup between them. Audio is only going to be a a reference for editing final project. We will be uploading footage and images from both cameras for everyone to compare. These will be used for the purpose of the project not just to prove the two are or are not compatible.

If anyone has already done this give us any settings you think we might need.

Check back soon.

Open letter to Hollywood. From Father Jonathan Morris

Dear Hollywood,

I’m writing on behalf of all Americans. It’s been a while since you’ve been in touch with us. You haven’t called, you haven’t written, but you keep sending films. Just thought I would drop you a line.

You see, I’m concerned about you, and about your future. We saw your Oscars show last night. Some things were just like we remember. Jon Stewart behaved himself quite nicely and, though very different from other emcees we knew and loved, I still think Bob Hope would have been proud. The red carpet, pretty dresses, all the glitter…I know it’s all a bit superficial, but it’s captured our heart just the same. It’s always exciting to see familiar faces and get a feel for what our favorite actors and actresses must be like in real life. Oh, and the drama of it all. Don’t change that!

But I do have one question. What’s your idea of “good film?”

These were your favorite films this year, along with their ranking in box-office ticket sales, and number of Oscar nominations:

• Brokeback Mountain: 27th place, 8 nominations
• Crash: 49th place, 6 nominations
• Good Night, and Good Luck: 90th place, 6 nominations
• Memoirs of a Geisha: 45th place, 6 nominations

I didn’t want to see any of them, and I haven’t seen any of them. And judging by the numbers, neither did anybody else. These “masterpieces” were playing to mostly empty theaters for most of their theater run.

"March of the Penguins," nominated in the Best Documentary category, actually grossed more money than any of the Best Picture nominees.

“Crash” took your high honors, but the theater owners don’t share your enthusiasm, because we the people don’t. You gave 8 nominations and 3 Oscars to Brokeback Mountain, which only came in 27th at the box office. Capote didn’t even make the top 100 at the box office, but you liked it a lot: 5 nominations (including Best Picture) and an Oscar.

Actually, America’s favorite film this year was "Star Wars III." We paid $380 million to go see it in theaters. You gave it a single nomination: for makeup. It proves the old Hollywood maxim: “People will flock to theaters in droves and stand in long lines to get in to see movies with good makeup.” Or did I just make that up?

That’s why I’m announcing today the first annual We the People awards. There’s only one criterion: whether audiences actually wanted to go see the movies. Revolutionary! Drum roll, please… the We the People (WTP) award winners for this year are:

• Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith: $380 million gross (1st place for the year), 1 nomination
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $288 million (2nd place for the year), 1 nomination
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: $288 million (3rd place for the year), 3 nominations
• War of the Worlds: $234 million (4th place for the year), 3 nominations

Oh, look, I think I see a pattern. None of these movies glorifies homosexuality ("Brokeback," "Capote"), squeezes in 182 expletives ("Crash"), bashes McCarthyism ("Good Night") and America in general ("Syriana" — 2 nominations) or features subject matter unmentionable in this column ("Geisha," "Transamerica" — 2 nominations). In a word, none of them is propaganda. Maybe that’s why we wanted to go see them.

So it’s agreed, then… you have your awards ceremony and we’ll have ours.

But let’s talk seriously for a moment. Remember what Samuel Goldwyn, one of MGM’s founding producers, used to say? “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” Movies are just pure entertainment, right? Wrong. Very wrong.

Even Michael Moore and I will agree on this much: filmmaking is much more than entertainment. It’s psychology: a viewer watching a film moves in the actor’s world as though it were his own, and even, to some degree, lives in his place. The viewer begins to identify himself with the actor’s situation and values. That’s why we come away from movies feeling happier or sadder, quoting lines and humming tunes.

So movies can sweep us up to beauty and truth or degrade us, warping our fundamental attitudes about life and about each other. Michael Moore uses all kinds of powers of suggestion to get you to think a certain way about moral issues. So does Ang Lee. For that matter, so does Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. Psychology is not bad, it’s what you do with it.

Here’s the principle: moviemakers have a responsibility to society. A movie that doesn’t respect the truth about who man and woman are is simply poison. Remember the line from "Spiderman 2," “With great power comes great responsibility?” A side point: "Spiderman 2" would have won a We The People award in 2004 for grossing $374 million to finish 2nd for the year. As a matter of fact, it just barely beat out "The Passion of the Christ," with $370 million, another WTP would-be winner (and the all-time gross money maker in the R-rated category).

Some will object: "Hollywood is just entertainment." I respond: "If that’s so, this year it entertained very few." Others will object: "Hollywood is just a business." I respond: "Not a good one, at least not this year." Still others will chime in: "We’re just reflecting what’s already out there." I respond: "You’re great people, but remember, you live in a subculture that has been sick for a very long time — lots of demons. Change the angles of your mirrors, and see new realities. Then let them shine."

Anyway, Hollywood, if you’re still reading, keep this in mind. Your overall box-office receipts have been falling steadily over the last three years, and two-thirds of all films still lose money. Something has to change. There are lots of ideas out there. Some make money. Some don’t. Leave Hollywood and Malibu for a while and get back in touch. Write to us. Call us. Visit us. Ask us what would be a reflection of what We The People really think and what we’ll pay to see.

God bless.

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE VALENTINES

Sweetheart, I've got you under my skin. I'll wash and wash, but you'll never come out.

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Roses are red, violets are blue. Sugar is sweet, and I think I left the iron on.

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I'm crazy for you! Get it?

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BE MINE. Wait. That has six letters. Six letters is so unlucky. It's like YOU DIE. That's exactly what it's like. Now you're going to die and it's all my fault.

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Honey, I'm hot for you! It's like a fever. Do you think it's viral meningitis? I bet it is. I touched the light switch and who knows what germs were on there. Then I thought about you, and infected you—it's a viral brain infection, so of course it's transmitted through brain waves, that makes perfect sense. We should probably just drive to the hospital right now.

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You're all I think about. Literally!

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You and me, sitting in a tree—oh, wait, that doesn't sound very safe, does it? Let's say we're sitting on a couch instead. Huh. I wonder who sat on this couch before us. Maybe we should put some plastic wrap down. Yeah, I think we'd better. Is this a new box of plastic wrap, or has it been opened for a while? Are you sure? OK. OK. Let's just say it's new and move on. So we're sitting on a couch, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Except that I kind of feel this tingle on my lip? Like I might be getting a cold sore? Maybe we should just forget the whole thing.

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It's hard to tell, what with all the SSRIs in my bloodstream, but I think I feel something for you.

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I'd touch you without gloves. If I could, I mean.

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I love you. Wait. That didn't feel right. Let me try it again. I love you. Don't think about disease. Don't think about disease. Don't think about disease. I love you. There.

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Jimmy Page/Robert Plant cira 1972 Texas

I found this old slide in my safe. Its a rare photo of the boys from the UK. This was going to be their last concert. They had not be well received. But they played the Lewisville Rock Festival and became a huge success after that.

75,000 people would make you nervous?

I played in a Pop band Sunday the 2nd of Oct. for the Race For The Cure. It was held in Denver this is the largest one in the Nation. I play the bass guitar. It was the most touching event I've ever been a part of. Too see the women that are TRUE survivors and still battleing. I know that I had become numb to all the pink ribbons. But after this past sunday my heart and mind has been changed to care about their plight. There was a woman there who was 84 and had been battleing for 25 years...... Damn how many of us would give up after six months. We complain if we have to pay a little more for gas or bitch if someone gets in front of us on the highway. Wow whats important and whats not. I for one applaud ALL the men and women that supported all the survivors this year in the "Race for the Cure" I will participate next year either by playing music or walking.