Apple lays off 40 from FCP team, before NAB?

Apple laying off 40 people from the Final Cut Pro software team has been noted on Twitter, but not corroborated anywhere else as I can find.

But if the layoffs are actually true, it begs us to wonder what Apple’s long term dedication is to high-end computers, and professional apps— especially considering that the vast majority of profits come from: iPods, iPhones, iApps, iMacs, iBookstore, iTunes music & TV shows, laptops and soon- iPad.

FCC says 700 Mhz now OFF limits.

Under a new FCC rule, anyone who uses a wireless microphone (or similar device) that operates in the 700 MHz Band will have to stop operating their wireless microphone (or similar device) no later than June 12, 2010.

To see if this law affects your wireless microphone, check their Manufacturers Equipment list.

Why did the FCC make this rule?

Some Olympic stats.

The Olympics are in many cases, multiple Superbowls or World Cup events being staged at the same time. What does it take to produce all this?

Well, some stats being passed around on the production reveal it’s a huge undertaking, and I’m sure these stats don’t account for everything because those crews that come in always have to retrofit the stuff built out to “make it work right.”

Do Effects? Check out FXguide!

If you love visual effects, SciFi, etc. And especially if you are in the business of making visual effects, then you need to be sure FXguide is on your regular reading list.

I’ve been subscribing to the FXguideTV podcasts for a while and I think they are some of the best produced, and FREE, industry-related podcasts I’ve found.You can even see them in full-on 1080 HD as opposed to an SD feed or just 720. 

If you have others you’d like to recommend, leave them in the comments!

Film fights back- on cost.

It is interesting to read about push back from studios and even producers where cost is concerned- and film is reconsidered instead of digital. 

Some of the thoughts are true, you need a digital imaging technician to do it right, you need a media wrangler, but weren’t those positions already there on film crews (DP, loader, respectively)? Using less film reduces cost, but it also reduces quality- at a time when digital is improving quality with every codec revision. 

Film may still record more latitude, but HDR still cameras are already here so HDR video can’t be far behind. Those few advantages film has are slowly being whittled away, while the advantages digital offers keep increasing. The only one Film may keep, in the end, is as an archival medium, having already demonstrated, in some cases, 100-year stability.

DSLR Video – it’s a tool. Not the holy grail.

While the industry may be all atwitter about using Digital SLR cameras for video to get that shallow depth of field (DoF) you get with motion picture cameras and prime film lenses, the truth is, very shallow DoF and beautiful bokeh will not save a crappy story, bad writing, misguided direction or bad acting.

It is as if suddenly, a single piece of technical gear will magically make a movie be so much better. It’s the latest “got to have it” piece of tech. In reality, the camera can only make it look better; and certainly not sound better.
Moreover, if the camera op isn’t well versed in all the serious caveats these DSLRs have, it will look far worse than if you just shot your movie with a prosumer camera and spent all that extra money and time on script rewrites or a great director.

Flash Media and the Demise of the Deck

Even though professional and prosumer camcorder prices haven’t substantially changed over the years, the quality of the footage, and the features you have at your fingertips, have increased dramatically since the era of plumbicon tubes and 3/4″ tape. One the most revolutionary changes is the most recent one: the arrival of compact flash storage in mainstream HD video acquisition.

Netbooks = Deja vú all over again?

I have recently joined the Netbook clan, adding an Asus Eee 1000HE to my portable arsenal. I love the little bugger. The multi-touch trackpad, nice screen, built in SD card slot, built-in webcam, honkin’ big battery life and hard drive space… all for cheap-cheap make this baby a winner in my book.
But why does this all seem eerily familiar?

It’s because this Mac-aficionado had already owned the Sony C1VN, a miraculous feast of engineering from Sony— a decade ago!

Video Pro’s & web sites.

I’ve noticed an interesting dichotomy.

Pros that have been around a while have web 1.0 web sites. Those just coming out of college have access to the latest tools and, well, a lot more time on their hands, so they have some spiffy web 2.0 websites, but nothing to really promote. Makes you think that the old hands ought to hire the young guns to revamp the web site! Here’s what I did…

Confusing Bogen & Manfrotto part numbers – solved.

Almost everyone has a piece or two of some Bogen or Manfrotto gear. It’s decently built stuff with an affordable price tag. The problem is that 3-digit Manfrotto numbers are now being used for products which used to have Bogen 4-digit numbers. This can cause a lot of confusion when you need to order a new part, or a few additional matching pieces. Well, PhotoNotes.com has a nice conversion chart that seems pretty comprehensive, though perhaps a bit dated. If that page vanishes, I’ve copied it as a pdf on my IEBA web site.