Remember only a couple of years ago when RED was the golden child for ushering in 4K digital cinema shooting? It allowed productions to reduce budgets, increase flexibility, and attain the immediacy of the “what you see is what you get” approach to filmmaking that in “big hollywood” productions before then, were video taps from film shoots.

Now it seems, with the Canon Expo having gone on this week in New York City, Canon unveils a working “concept” camera capable of shooting 4K video.

Shooters professional and consumer alike, as well as tech lovers in general, have already chimed in and rumored about the potential Heavyweight match between Canon and RED regarding this new development. Though this 4K model from Canon is only concept, it works! Plus, why give a working camera full-on, detailed specs, if you only intend it to be a nice looking paper weight? If history has been any indication, we’ve already seen Canon introduce video into their DSLRs, then HD, now it’s to a degree where indie filmmakers, TV shows and Hollywood are taking serious initiatives to implement Canon into their production workflows.

My only question is this: what in the world took so long, Canon? Granted, you’ve spent years honing and refining your optics, designs and execution, while developing digital still technology that has made you the grand puba for photographers the world over. Video has been no slouch either! Even though Sony, Panasonic and JVC were throwing their respective weights around in affordable video cameras, you took many shooters’ sensibilities in mind and developed cameras, using your optics, that rival these companies day in and day out. As a matter of fact, you’ve just released a line of NEW cameras that take advantage of widely used non-proprietary flash memory cards, boasting the highest quality rendering in this grade of camera.

That said, does the “DSLR hand” know what the “Video Camera hand” is doing? Does the video camera department heads know what potential it could truly tap into if they took the DSLRs that have paved the way for gorgeous still and emerging video imagery and advanced it far beyond a compressed MOV file and took it to the heights RED has been enjoying for the last couple years?

Does Canon realize it could have BEEN RED, before the Oakley sunglasses guy even thought to get into digital cinema??

This is what happens when consumers aren’t really listened to, both professional and consumer alike. Sorry, but focus groups alone won’t cut it anymore Canon. Buyers want the worlds of still and video merged and in this day, with our technological capabilities, there is no reason not to. Canon, you know just as well as we do that with enough buzz (and irate complaining and demanding), your 4K concept camera can become a reality. You also know, that with your global reach, brand loyalty, quality and most importantly, rapid and accurate product releases, you could give RED and film camera companies, a run for their money. So, what exactly are you waiting for Canon??? Does another company have to trump you AGAIN? I’m looking at you Panasonic, Sony, Nikon.

To know more about what Canon played show-n-tell with this year, check out Philip Bloom’s ongoing blog. Thanks for spreading the knowledge Philip. Expo stills courtesy of Philip Bloom.

Greg Payton/Natasha M. Hall
C3Stories

New “Close.” Trailer from Tahir Jetter on Vimeo.

This seems to be becoming a series. Tahir Jetter is a buddy of mine. Perhaps the most prolific tweeter on Twitter with 20,000 updates. Anyway, this is another story of a young NYU hustler who once worked for me, then with me, and is now forging ahead making waves. I think I had something to do with him appreciating Jigga more than he used to too. He’s a funny dude too as we had many a laugh in South Africa on a project for Ubuntu Education Fund. Check out the trailer above for his short film “Close.” which will be premiering at the Urbanworld Film Festival in a few weeks.

It was my pleasure to see this project come together from the sidelines.

The Wilderness Downtown is an experimental interactive film using Google Chrome created by Chris Milk in collaboration with Arcade Fire and Google. A perfect merging of technology and creativity, it’s definitely worth watching. I suggest using your childhood address (you’ll understand) if you do, you’ll get nostalgic.

www.thewildernessdowntown.com

I couldn’t wait until today to post this trailer. Say what you will about Ben Affleck, I believe he will have a long celebrated career as a director. Gone Baby Gone was a good movie and if this trailer is any indication this one will be as well. I should qualify this by admitting that I’m a sucker for trailers and this one had me at Warner Brothers Pictures presents.

Over the years I’ve become a fan of Clooney. Great choices in roles and stories. Always pushing the envelope, then doing something like Oceans, LOL. Anyway, this looks pretty good. Who’s gonna see it?

Be sure to support Hill’s latest book, THE CONVERSATION, in stores September 7th! And become a fan of The Double Down Film Show HERE!

Summer break is over, the leaves are turning and the buzz of a new school year is in the air, which can only mean one thing…Time for the new season of The Double Down Film Show! On Wednesday, September 15th @ 9pm we’re gonna kick off the 4th season with an uplifting conversation about acting and managing a career in the industry with actor/author Hill Harper (CSI:NY, Premium, Lackawanna Blues,etc.). Hill took a most unusual route to acting, first earning a law degree from Harvard and a Masters from The Kennedy School of Government, before leaving it all behind and gambling on his newfound passion – acting. It turned out to be a good bet that paid off with roles in many tv shows, plays, indie and studio features. Today Hill is reprising his starring role as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes for the sixth year on CSI:NY and just completed his third book, The Conversation.

· Why did he pursue acting despite having a Harvard Law degree?

· What do great actors do that others don’t?

· Why does the best actor not necessarily get the job?

· What’s the most important thing you can do to last in Hollywood?

· What do you do if you don’t have access to great roles?

All this and more will be revealed on the 4th Season premiere of Double Down Film Show with CSI New York’s, Hill Harper.

Sean Penn sits down with Zach’s twin brother, Seth.

Director: Scott Aukerman (Comedy Deathray, Mr. Show)

Confronting Doctor Death from Field Agent C on Vimeo.

“Marchands d’anthrax” (“Anthrax War”) directed by Bob Coen is a feature documentary about bio-warfare that I’ve shot over a year long across the USA, the UK, Europe, Russia, Siberia, the Ukraine, Switzerland, and South Africa. It will be on ARTE September 7. Please check the ARTE website; we’ll be releasing one new video a day – things that did not make it in the movie.

http://www.arte.tv/fr/3090730.html
Watch more clips on Vimeo!

Urban Art Beat is in competition for $50k in grant funding on Refresh Everything, the Pepsi marketing/philanthropic initiative. All you have to do is VOTE every day in September. UAB, as you’ll see in the above Biocast, is a great program that brings back arts education in underperforming inner-city schools that don’t have programs of their own. It’s an incredibly positive thing, and the people that do Urban Art Beat are incredibly good-hearted and hardworking people. So donate some clicks, why don’t you?

Vote HERE