BLACKMAGIC POCKET CINEMA CAMERA

We'll see. I pulled the trigger on this thing today and it ships sometime in July 2013. Looks like its essentially the promise of simply a sensor on the end of some great glass. At a price point of just under 1K, Lossless CinemaDNG RAW and Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at 1920 x 1080, 13 stops of dynamic range, it looks to be a revelation. Click on the seemingly ridiculous image below to read more on Blackmagic Design's site.
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ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM

Did Archimedes invent the first computer only to have it fall in to the hands of the Romans and eventually make its way to the Arabs who then used it as a template for the Astrolabe?

PBS Nova: Ancient Computer explores the story in a fascinating documentary. A Greek shipwreck holds the remains of an intricate bronze machine that turns out to be the world's first computer.

Click on the image below to watch online.​

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MōVI - DIGITAL 3-AXIS GYRO-STABILIZED HANDHELD CAMERA GIMBAL

This short by Vincent Laforet was shot with the The "MōVI" - a digital 3-axis gyro-stabilized handheld camera gimbal. The completely silent device weighs under 3.5 pounds bare and can be operated solo, or with the help of a second "gimbal" operator with a joystick to pull off some incredible moves. To read more about it go to: wp.me/pjtZ0-2a4 The resulting video from this shoot is at: vimeo.com/62917185

To download extra features go to: vimeo.com/ondemand/movi

All proceeds from the "Tip Jar" and Vimeo on Demand will benefit the Lollipop theater network lollipoptheater.org/ - a nonprofit organization that arranges showings of first-run movies to children confined to hospitals.

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PROJECT PINOCCHIO: AUTODESK LABS

Project Pinocchio is a free technology preview that leverages Autodesk's powerful 3D design and animation tools to provide you with a web-based laboratory where you can create fully-rigged custom 3D characters. Design a creation of your own or modify existing stock characters using a variety of pre-defined body types, facial features, and clothing styles for inclusion in 3D games, animations, and scenes.

Project Pinocchio is a free technology preview that leverages Autodesk's powerful 3D design and animation tools to provide you with a web-based laboratory where you can create fully-rigged custom 3D characters. Design a creation of your own or modify existing stock characters using a variety of pre-defined body types, facial features, and clothing styles for inclusion in 3D games, animations, and scenes.

MAPPING COLOR

I've been working with two of my colleagues from VCU, Robert Meganck and Peter Martin, for the last year or so developing a software application for realtime color analysis of both still and moving images. We are presenting our work at TEDx in Richmond, VA this Friday. It should be a lot of fun and help us finance the final push to get our application out of the alpha stage and into the hands of creatives and industry. We put together a website briefly exploring the concept and we will continue to update the site as continued development and release dates approach.

​Click on the image below to visit our site:​

1982 BLADE RUNNER PRODUCERS NOTES

1982 Ridley Scott classic Blade Runner went through a long and tortured development process, including several recuts and the addition of a monotone voice-over that was famously hated by star Harrison Ford. Despite being included partly because of executive pressure to make the film less confusing, at least one of the film's producers seemed to loathe it as well, according to an apparent page of screening notes posted on Reddit. Dated from January 1982, around six months before the film launched, the notes are mostly from executive producers Jerry Perenchio and Bud Yorkin at Tandem, one of the three production companies attached to the film. "This movie gets worse every screening," writes Perenchio. "Why is this voice-over track so terrible, hopefully this is not being dubbed in. He sounds drugged, were they all on drugs when they did this?"

​A fascinating look inside the depths of the process. Read the entire set of notes below.

TEDx RVA

Robert Meganck, Peter Martin and I are going to be giving a TEDx talk on Friday, March 22nd in Richmond, VA.  ​

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​Click on the image to find out more about our talk and how you can attend or watch the live stream.

​Click on the image to find out more about our talk and how you can attend or watch the live stream.

FREEFLY CINESTAR WITH 3 AXIS GIMBAL

Amazing.​

A beautiful video by the guys at Freefly Cinema using their Cinestar 3 Axis Gimbal, which I composed & produced the score for! Writing it has been the most enjoyable few days of composition so far this year - although it wasn't hard to be inspired by the incredible footage!

DAVID BOWIE IS...

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The David Bowie Is exhibition, at the V&A from March 23 to July 28, is one of London's biggest cultural events in 2013 for art, design and music fans alike. It features more than 300 kaleidoscopic artifacts from The David Bowie Archive, tracing his pioneering style and reinvention across five decades.

On display in the exhibition, curated by the V&A's Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, are more than 60 of the musician's stunning stage costumes, impressive set designs, music videos and album artworks, plus more personal items like handwritten lyrics and instruments.​

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Highlights include the Freddie Burretti-designed jumpsuit from Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era, which he teamed with flame-orange hair, make-up and red patent boots, Natasha Korniloff's Pierrot costume, designed for the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album and Ashes to Ashes music video, and a set model for Bowie's 1974 Diamond Dogs tour designed by Jules Fisher and Mark Ravitz.

The exhibition will explore the broad range of Bowie's collaborations with artists and designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theatre, art and film and is supported by a series of talks, workshops, performances and late-night openings.

David Bowie Is runs at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, SW7 2RL, from March 23-July 28. vam.ac.uk.

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350 SQUARE FEET

An incredibly efficient use of space. The only thing I'm not liking so much is the stove set up and the uber-tiny fridge. But either way, its an impressive feat of design and engineering.

© Matt Wallin. All rights reserved.