Peter Jackson used RED cameras to produce District 9 (a powerful commentary of present day social rifts between ethnicities) and will continue his Hobbit film using them also. Listen in as he reminisces on the unique qualities of this odd little company called “RED.”

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• Film: Newswire: Peter Jackson rumored to be pushing Neill Blomkamp to direct The Hobbit (avclub.com)

Revenue from video telephony, video messaging, and similar services is projected to grow from $121 million in 2010 to $2 billion in 2013, says ABI Research.

By Esther Shein of InformationWeek

July 19, 2010 12:16 PM

Mobile video services revenue from video telephony, video messaging, video sharing, video on demand, VoD downloads, and other video services is expected to exceed $2 billion in 2013, according to the ABI Research Mobile Video Services annual global study.By contrast, video services revenue will only be about $121 million in 2010, according to Mark Beccue, senior analyst. But the growth curve is “very steep indeed,” he said, and will continue to accelerate through the end of 2015, which is the end of ABI Research’s forecast period.

Read the rest over at INFOWEEK

Even more …

Do movies that move: “Abba. Hear my prayer. Make this film Yours. Use it to move the people who view it. Lead them to a life of prayer and praise. Cause them to turn from their sin and towards the life and light of Your Son, Yeshua. Lord, use my film to turn couch potatoes into life-long activists for truth. Build your eternal kingdom through this film, Abba!”

Todays “DIY distribution” allows us to start “small” using the internet. We have been given HUGE access to the actual purchasers of our products by comparison with what was available to movie makers less than 10 years back.

An interesting formula (subject to change) might include (but not be limited to) -

• Youtube and  Vimeo and/or Blip channel to present your footage, podcasts and behind the scenes previews.
• A WordPress site and a Facebook Page for presenting more complete footage and gathering “likes” and email subscriptions.
• filmbaby – createspace or indieflix for distribution and
• a WithoutaBox account to hit the festivals with.

This digital distribution model – with a fraction of the money and effort it took 10 years ago – gives us great hope for a breakthrough and the possible “big-time.” We can secure a healthy return on our investment of creativity and labor by simply targeting our people consistently with our story and DVD or digital product.

But what if we could finance the film with “old-school” big dollars and actually distribute it into movie houses and DVD stores (think, Walmart)? That could be sweet, too!

Real sweet.

But HOW?

There’s a new kid on the block that might hold some answers This NYTimes article talks about “Kickstarter.”

But before you rush in and read that one, I want to say something about “micro-financing” and the Christian community.

In this “information age” we, as believers in the One who gives wisdom from heaven freely, should not limit our horizons to resources that are either blatantly non-Christian or who refuse to sustain a testimony of King Yeshua in the public arena.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.” James 1:17

Imagine working with other passionate believers who sustain Kingdom activities through efforts  on the internet.. and “google ‘em up!” And, if you can’t find what you’re looking for  -  make it happen!

Also see the Christian micro-financiers, the1010project, featured in my friend, Sid McGregor’s film, One+One – A Human Network (Facebook). Good people, indeed.

- Tom “Toma” Chaffer

Sony’s NEX-VG10 ($1,999 with lens) is one of the world’s first interchangeable-lens camcorders for the consumer market.

The unit adds the flexibility of a d-SLR to a camera form factor that Sony believes to be more practical for shooting video.

The Handycam NEX-VG10 (shipping in September at a $1,999 suggested retail as a kit including an 18-200mm f/3.5 lens) brings the ability to change lenses for a variety of creative shooting techniques including telephoto extensions. The camcorder was designed to use Sony’s new e-mount lenses originally developed for Sony’s new NEX mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series.

Three e-mount lenses are available, including a new 18-200mm f/3.5 lens ($799 suggested retail) that will be made available as part of a kit with the VG10. Existing e-mount lenses include an 18-55mm ($299) lens and 16mm fixed-focus lens ($249). Sony is also offering an optional e-mount adapter for Alpha-mount lenses ($200), an ultra-wide converter ($129) and a fisheye converter ($149)… (more here)

Video images are captured in up to 1920-by-1080/60i AVCHD format at 24Mbps. Stills and video are recorded to SD or MemoryStick memory cards. [Tom: That's a pretty righteous form of AVCHD - high bandwidth at 27 mips. Can't wait to see some images!]

The company is also including its Sony Vegas Studio 10 (a $129 value) video-editing software through a download voucher that ships with the camcorder. [Tom: Nice! Vegas is THE PC video editing program, imo!]

Read more here.

[UPDATE: Paul Moon responded with lightning speed to invite us MMASFY-ers over to the NEX VG10 users group over at Vimeo and Facebook. Check out this video - SWEET images from this new cam - and get your prayers on for the BEAUTIFUL people of the East!]

Here’s the cam in its current state (thanks to Mikko Wilson for image)

Panny is also releasing (in July!) their new Gl-2. See Gizmodo’s “Micro Four Thirds” “everything-page” for more on that.

More on Micro Four Thirds goodness…

• Panasonic camcorder changes lenses; Sharp ups recording time (search.japantimes.co.jp)
• Camcorder With Interchangeable Lens Planned By Sony For Late 2010 Release [Sony] (gizmodo.com)
• Panasonic’s Micro Four Thirds AG-AF100 Camcorder: More Details Come Into Focus [Camcorders] (gizmodo.com)
• Sony to clone Panasonic’s 3D Camcorder (feldmanfile.blogspot.com)

Howdy, MMASFY people!

Well… MMASFY.inJesus.com and MyRightHand.inJesus.com … both fell by the wayside recently.

Tom Chaffer here and, altho its a sad thing, there’s something even better, I think, taking their place!

My 2 new sites – MMASFY.com and MyRightHandsArt.com! And 2 more besides – YeshuaIS.com and Atomsound.tv!

Interestingly, I feel I can actually post this same article to both you MMASFY-people AND you lovers of Jerusalem, my MyRightHand’sArt peeps! I’m sharing a video project (MMASFY) which has to do with Jerusalem (MRHA)!

I’ve had the wonderful privilege to help Esther Levens present 4 unique videos, through her site, UnityCoalitionforIsrael.org, for Jerusalem Day this year – May 12th, 2010.

All 4 can be viewed, either on the UC4I Youtube channel or on Esther’s website.

The 4th video, I’m most excited about, features famous Russian dissident, Natan Sharansky. It’s quite feasible that one particular man was responsible for the release of over a million Jews from the former Soviet Union. It was quite a moment to be able to record his voice live and direct… onto my iPhone! Esther interviewed him and I recorded, researched and edited together this piece.

I also had the privilege to participate in an interview with Senator Sam Brownback, regarding his bill to ensure the final fulfillment of US Law 104-45 (104th Congress, 1995) and move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the eternal Capital of the sovereign State of Israel! If this move happens, the Lord MAY spare judgement on the USA because of other current, ongoing mistreatment of Israel and favor being shown to her (and our) enemies. See Esther’s Action Alert to help make it happen here.

We also interviewed Dr. Robert Stearns, founder of Eagle’s Wings and singer and theologian extraordinairre – and Shoula Romano Horing, (the only of the 4 in which I used my iPhone to capture video!). Shoula is an Israeli Sabra (native-born) and Kansas City lawyer and lecturer. Have a look at her moving testimony of growing up in Jerusalem during the 6 day war time frame!

- – - -

As to what my recent email might mean to those on my list (see sidebar – SUBSCRIBE if you’re not already!), I would like to urge you to stay on board with the MMASFY or MRHA emails, but, if you must, you can freely unsubscribe with this new “MailChimp” email service I’m using and I will sorely miss your presence.

In fact, if you would like to explore further into the “atomsound universe,” you could even subscribe to more than just this one MMASFY or MyRightHand email. Just sign up here for the other 3 services I’m offering now – emails along the lines of any (or all of ) the following sites -

MyRightHandsArt
MMASFY (MovieMakers and Shakers for Yeshua)
YeshuaIS and
Atomsound.TV Updates

I promise I won’t send more than once a month on each… and even THAT probably won’t happen super regularly (except for MRHA.. I try to be faithful to that one for sure). There’s a fun one-question survey in there, too!

Thanks precious saints. I’d love to hear from each one of you personally. Give me a call.

Blessings in Yeshua, our amazing, wonderful and soon-coming, ROARING Messiah!

Tom Chaffer

The Nikon D300s (I think)

http://creativelive.com/courses/vince_laforet/

Vincent, who grabbed the Canon 5d Mkii the FIRST day a pre-release was available and (on the fly that weekend) made Reverie – a “glamoromance” short film that stretched the low-light talents of the 5d Mkii to the max. His little video (with a production cost of $5,000) has been viewed over 5 million times.

This 3 day workshop teaches how to best set the Picture Styles in your Canon 5D MKII, White Balance, the new Zeiss CP.2 Cinema style lenses in action, and much more. The workshop is presented with 3 main sections: THEORY, GEAR/TECHNICAL, and LIVE SHOOTS – followed by some workflow examples that discuss basic editing, grading, and output.

5 of 29 videos are available FREE but the entire course can be had for the low, low price of $129 bucks!

Enjoy!

I certainly am!

Seriously MUST see!

• Canon 5D mk III rumored to ship in 2011 (crunchgear.com)
• An appeal for open cameras (blogs.law.harvard.edu)

This video from DigitalJuice.com is the bomb! Please, for the love of all things gadgetorial, WATCH IT! It’s along the (exact) same lines as our last post… DSLRs ROCK!

Introducing the Ikan FlyPack 2 Bundle

Get the Most from Your HD-DSLR

Hosted by Trevor Haugen, Reel Classroom

RELEASE DATE: MAY 11, 2010

The complete and portable support and monitoring system provided in the Ikan FlyPack2 Bundle is a significant addition to any HD-DSLR production arsenal. Watch as Trevor Haugen shows you what the kit contains, how it works and why you won’t want to shoot without it.

Robert Rodriguez, author of “Rebel without a Crew,” is doing it again!

Philip Bloom reports on this sighting of our creative friend fully utilizing a rig built around that little system-changer, the Canon 7D.

More here.

Micro Four Thirds - Mini Filmmaker Camera System of the Future?

Micro Four Thirds is a really interesting technology that could already be moving into the future of film-making. With this overview of a coming (possible fail) wave of 3D competing for attention in the sphere focus for bleeding-edge, early-adopter, I think micro four thirds deserves a lion’s share of consideration before you spring for that new camera system.

The “other consideration” will always be, of course, the RED Scarlet system due this year (2010) sometime. But that’s not a “pocket solution.” Even when the Scarlet is on the scene, we may still want to have a (much) more portable solution for our pockets that gives us beautiful Bokeh and reliable HD video capture.

So I’m considering the Panasonic offerings primarily – The

Thanks to four-thirds.org and dpreview.com for inspiring this article!

Video I did on my vimeo page that never made it home … until now!

Just putting together some comments – with my own – on the Red Scarlet – RED.com – http://camerarentalz.com/video-red-scarlet-camera/ and – http://vimeo.com/4319151

My point is two-fold. Jim Henson was a king of brand. He had a way with characterizing the archetypal extremes of human experience into easily memorable and lovable caricatures that is an ongoing study in product name-branding. So gain from the creative style, but spit out the useless anti-God chatter. Add meaning to your characters that’s both memorable (like the Muppets) and brings the Word of Yeshua (in Hebrew, our Savior’s name means “salvation!”) to a spirit-starved world.

Make video filled with meaning that people can build their lives on. The Hebrew Scriptures uniquely provide that meaning. As substantial as the Western Stone underneath the Temple Mount, in the natural realm, and the far-superior Foundation Stone Himself, Yeshua the Messiah, in the spiritual realm, the very bedrock and cornerstone of all matter!

And the other point to consider from this video is that, although “video-conferencing” is mentioned at the end as being a waste of time, it is using a typical Frankfurt School aesthetic, in my opinion, which is to mock the truth. “Viral” videos (well-written, well-performed, well-produced video nuggets) and video-conferencing (mixed with a dash of reality-networking) can go a long, long (9.5 million views!) way towards getting the word out.

Now, granted, The Jim Henson Company is, perhaps, more skilled together than your average video-hack on Youtube, but it is still unprecedented for a single piece of video to be viewed by 9.5 million people with practically ZERO marketing budget! And the playing field is SO level now that WE can compete.

So lets!

Following is a excerpt from an interview by ICNmagazine with Peter Jackson, the director of Lord of the Rings and who has shot with RED cameras and is integral to the development process:

ICN: But with smaller projects, marketing could be inexpensive and focused, niche-oriented, to reach out directly for those who want to see challenging storylines. And technical limitations aren’t what they once were for zero-budget shoots.

Jackson: I agree. The amateur or low-budget feature is something anybody can make with reasonably good quality due to the technology, so it doesn’t matter about the camera. You don’t even need to shoot on the RED – 1080p HD cameras are enough, and from there cut it on iMovie or Final Cut. I’m hopeful that is where the next exciting trend is going to be. Perhaps as we are talking, the seeds of that ultra-low-budget film industry are being sown. That might bloom and blossom, and if so, $30,000 or $40,000-dollar feature films with really interesting content could be what turns things around. It could happen; I certainly hope to see it.

Wow. Things are moving and shaking in some mighty fine ways, dear filmmakers!

If anyone gets to attend, please let me know! I’ll give you posting privileges!

Just want to take you right on over to Bloom’s bloomin’ awesome site wherein he speaks to the new (much less expensive) Canon 7d. Could be THE inexpensive filmmaker camera of the year (if the RED Scarlet doesn’t come out in 2009)… I’ll make the jump with you and see if I can read it before you do!

Behold the Bloom!