The Move to Online Based Software

Lately more and more I have been reading about software companies planning to release the next versions of their software online, and have been wondering what the advantages would be, if any. As opposed to desktop installed software, online software seems to have a lot of flaws - slower load up times, slower performance and basically a reliance on a good internet connection. It was only after some more thinking on the topic that I realized what a good idea it was, for quite a few reasons. The first of these is that it gives software companies a goal to reach towards, it makes the products totally mobile, and it means more people can use their software. I explain each point in more detail below.

The first point, giving software companies a goal to reach towards, basically means that most software products on the market today are either reaching or have already reached full maturity - what I mean by this is that their feature set is completely full, so to make a new version of the software becomes more and more difficult. The only way they can really progress is by adding small and minute features that most users won't even need or want, thus unjustifying an unnecessary purchase. Look at all the recent versions of Microsoft Office, for instance. The only things that seem to change are the interface, and a few nondescript, non mentionable changes to the main product. Porting their software products to exist online is a new challenge, and a new way to refresh a companies software line-up. This way they can generate new markets and new revenue for the same products.

The second point is quite important as well. One of the main advantages is the mobility of online software, meaning that you only need access to an internet connection to use your software.This clears up a lot of headaches seeing as you will not need two separate copies of a program for home and work, or even your laptop/fancy cellphone etc. This way you can always bring the software with you no matter where you go, provided there is some sort of internet connection available. You will also need less space on your mobile device to use the software, allowing capable cellphones and similar devices to be able to run these products. Seeing as WiFi internet is becoming more and more widespread, it is getting a lot easier to have a constant internet connection wherever you travel.

The third point is in my eyes the most important, and that is that more people can use the software. In fact, 100% of people with internet connections will be able to use the software, regardless of what hardware or operating system they use. This will bode very well for both the Apple and Linux camps, as software will stop being made for specific hardware or operating systems. So instead of targeting the 80% of PC/Windows computer users (broad estimate) they can target instead the full 100% of the market, allowing people to use the software they require without any of the current platform related problems.

I believe the move to online based programs is a good one indeed, it just requires some thinking to pinpoint exactly what advantages will become inherent through the change. No idea of the time frame of this change, although Google already has a full office suite available, and Adobe is currently working on online ports of all its software including the popular Photoshop. It has began.

The Eventual Demise of Microsoft

Lately the web has been rampart with stories about two main topics - Ubuntu 7.10 Linux and Apple's freshly released Leopard operating system. Primarily the stories are dealing with computer users switching from their familiar Windows systems over to the new ones, with great success. I have to say, it sure has taken a lot of time for the software giant to be put in such an endangered state, but the release of their Windows Vista operating system seems to have finally put some nails into their coffin.

To be blunt, the general reaction to Vista has been cold. For an operating system that took so much time and effort to produce, you'd expect at least an improvement over Windows XP. The main things that seem to have been updated are the user interface, which although might look slightly better after getting some "inspiration" from Apple and Linux, the operating system is a juggernaut, barely running on a 512MB of RAM system and working only marginally better on more top end systems. Plain and simple, Vista is generally a hassle for computer users since it turns their computer is slugs, and offers no more of a better user experience than Windows XP. Which is one of the primary reasons people are switching over in their drovers to alternative, better operating systems.

And there's never been a better time to switch, either. The freshly released Ubuntu 7.10 is a very fine piece of software, and shows some of the maturity and polish Linux is finally beginning to show. Ubuntu comes with 3D desktop effect engine Compiz Fusion defaulted enabled for systems that can handle it, and rivals the special effects of Apple and Windows machines. Installation of programs is now very easy, and in general there isn't much a Linux beginner would have trouble with. The thing I like best about Linux is how with every release, the operating system seems to get faster and more responsive, instead of the other way around using Windows logic. With Ubuntu 7.10, Linux may finally begin to break some ground in users transitioning over from Windows.

It has taken a long time, but I believe that the Redmond software giant Microsoft may finally be on the downward spiral. Both Linux and Apple parties are capitalizing on the blunder that is Vista, and the general public is becoming better informed about the alternatives choices that are available to them. On a PC using Windows? Try out Ubuntu 7.10 or Kubuntu, the KDE based equivalent. In the market for a new computer? Try and Apple out. Chance are you'll like what you see.

Sony XDCam EX1

Sony is due to release a new camera in this November to replace the familiar Sony Z1, and it looks like its shaping up to be a very decent camera and worthy replacement. Some of the big changes to Sony's traditional camera lines are the tapeless recording medium, no SD recording or down conversion options and bigger 1/2 inch sensor chips. I thought it would be interesting to compare a few technical specifications between the Z1 and the new EX1, as well as compare them to the recently released Holy Grail of digital movie cameras, the Red One. Although some might say this is rather like comparing Apples to Oranges, both the Sony EX1 and Red One are targeting the high end Prosumer markets which will appeal to Indie film-makers, and the price range isn't too dissimilar to compare the two. The results are below: (scroll down for the table)

Camera	Sony Z1	Sony EX1	Red One	Sony CineAlta F23	Panavision Genesis
Sensor Type	3x ¼ inch CCD	3x ½ inch CMOS	1x 1.1 inch CMOS	3x 2/3 inch CCD	1x 1.1 inch CCD
Effective Pixel Count	1440 x 1080 / 1.1MP	1920 x 1080 / 2.2MP	4520 X 2540 / 12MP	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080 / 12MP
Sensitivity	F10	F10	F11	>F12	<F10
Signal/Noise Ratio	52 dB	54 dB	66 dB	62 dB	63 dB
Frame Rate Ranges	25/29.97fps	720P 1-60fps, 1080P 1-30fps	2k 1-100fps, 4k 1-60fps	1-60fps	1-50fps
Recording Formats	108050/60i 25Mb/s onto MiniDV	108050/60i 25Mb/s, 1080P 35Mb/s onto Express Cards	2540P, 4K, 2K, 1080P, 720P onto CF Cards or RAID	1080P HDCAM SR	1080P SSR1 or HDCAM SR
Color Compression	4:2:0 8 bit	4:2:0 8 bit	4:4:4 RGB 10 bit log	4:4:4 RGB 10 bit	4:4:4 RGB 10 bit log
Weight	2.2KG	2.8KG	4.5KG	5KG	6KG
Price Range	$5 000 US	$12 000 US	$17 000 US	~$80 000 US	$10 000 / Week Rental US

It's important to remember that there are a few major differences between the Sony EX1 and RedOne camera. With the EX1, you recieve an all inclusive package which includes batteries, a fixed lens, 2x 8GB Express Cards and charger etc. With the RedOne you only receive the camera, and must purchase all extras separately. There are two reasons I can think of behind this decision, the first being to keep the apparent camera price low, and the second to make the camera highly customizable and upgradable, especially in regard to changeable lenses. Thanks to DVUser (http://dvuser.co.uk) for the images and be sure to check out this in-depth article on the first impressions of the Sony EX1

Edit: I added the CineAlta F23 and Panasonic Genesis, due to their use in motion pictures. It is interesting to compare to cheaper cameras to these more professional orientated ones, as there is less of a difference than what you would expect. The new Sony EX1 compares really well to the Sony F23, as does the Red One to the Panavision Genesis, despite their major price differences.

Environmental Effects in the Digital Revolution

Since it is Blog Action Day (probably tomorrow for most of the world), and the theme is Environmental Concerns, I began to think how much of a difference changing over to Digital over Film in production would affect the environment. Although I doubt it would make much of a change during the Pre- and Post- stages of production, Digital may actually come out surprisingly as being more green and eco-friendly than Film.

There are two main factors that I can think of - the first being the creation and processing of film as opposed to digital storage and acquisition, and secondly the single use reality of film as opposed to reusable digital storage media.

I imagine that the millions upon millions of miles of film used around the world would take their toll in both its creation and processing. The film making process involves using heavy metals such as silver and nitro cellulose. Getting the film processed and developed involves using many chemicals to retrieve the pictures from the medium. Although the film creation and development methods have increased in efficiency and safety over the years, a lot of chemicals and heavy metals are still unfortunately required. Compared with digital, the only environmental cost is the initial creation of the storage devices, which may include gold and some other metals and plastics. Once the storage device is created, there is no environmental cost during its use.

The other main advantage to digital is the ability to reuse digital storage devices many times, compared with the single use function of film. This, combined with no processing costs involved with digital acquisition (the media is simply downloaded onto the required editing system or archival system) means that digital can drastically decrease wastage and harm to the environment.

So, surprisingly, I think that the Digital Revolution will in fact contribute positively to the environment, and is a cleaner and greener medium of which to work on compared with the older method of film.

Important Life Lessons in Scarface

Finally got around to watching Scarface, which is a masterpiece of a film. Early on in the film a couple of lesson's are imparted to Tony Montana. I decided to add a couple more, seeing as how he managed to break all the rules and do away with such lessons.

#1 Don't underestimate the other guy's greed.
Tony, paranoid and obsessed as he became, eventually succumbed to this.

#2 Don't get high on your own supply.
Nope didn't happen. The massive pile of 'snow' on his desk took over from his small lines of cocaine.

#3 Live and let live.
Didn't really follow this one, seeing as how killing basically set him up right from the beginning. The only downside was, with so many names on his belt, it was inevitable to get killed himself.

#4 Turn the other cheek.
Instead of turning away, a high pitch sound reminiscent of the siren played in the Kill Bill films begins playing, as Tony's anger takes over. He ended up losing his best friend this way.

#5 The best things in life are free.
Supposedly not, as in Tony's words - First you get the money. Money gets you the power. Power gets you the women. After becoming the top dog with all the money, Tony wonders if all the paranoia and stress are worth it.

I find it hard to believe that Tony Montana is the idol of many 'gangster rappers'. Can't they see that in the end he ends up with nothing? Where's the glamour in being filthy rich, whilst always worrying about people trying to take you out / kill you. I guess Tony imparted little wisdom on the waves of materialistic souls. This film reads as a warning to the dangers of a distorted view of the 'American Dream', and does it very stylishly. A true classic of a film that shouldn't be missed.

Car Burnout pics

Finally got around to obtaining some stills from the car fire that I mentioned quite awhile ago... Some of the footage turned out really well, there's a piece where the wind blows the fire around in a weird circle, and it spirals. There were 4 cameras shooting at the same time during the burnout, so there are plenty of angles. Good usage of an otherwise useless car!

Abandoned Hospital Wing

A couple of days ago I was involved in a shoot in the abandoned wing of the Invercargill hospital. The area is huge, and has been abandoned for the last three years since the new hospital was built. The cool thing about the location is how it has just been left, and is almost totally furnished with old desks and hospital beds etc. It looks really run-down too, with trash everywhere and empty medicine bottles. The area includes many offices, hospital rooms and even an operating theatre.

The place basically looks like something out of Silent Hill. I'm trying to write a short script based around the location, just a three minute one, and try to make it as spooky as possible. Will try and have the location secured for shooting this coming Friday if I can book out all the gear. Sure wish I had a camera to take some pictures with...

How to be a Millionaire Stills

As promised, here are some stills from the film I worked on.

Conan the Barbarian

Last night I decided to relax, and watched the 1982 classic Conan the Barbarian. I have to say, this has to be one of my favourite movies. Directed by John Milius and based off the stories by Robert. E. Howard, Conan the Barbarian basically set the standard for all following fantasy styled films, and kick-started the Dungeons and Dragons movement. While watching the film it is hard not to notice how much later films and even games have borrowed from this title.

A young Conan starts off in a small Norse looking village, listening to a story from his father about the riddle of steel, and how he cannot trust anyone except his sword. A short time later the village comes under siege, and although the strong villagers fight valiantly they ultimately fall prey to the marauding attackers, which look like Teutonic Knights on steroids. The leader of these is the charming James Earl Jones. After a fairly intense staring battle between Conan's mother and the Earl, her head is misplaced and falls to the ground, while Conan is whisked away to a child slave camp. The whole home village attack scene has been duplicated in many films, and even reminds me of the beginning of Fable. Where some films and games get this wrong, however, is when they start with the invasion right off the bat. It's hard to care for characters if you haven't learnt anything about them yet, so if you feel motivated to use a similar scene to start things off, make sure you have some time before the invasion to establish the characters etc.

Conan the Barbarian is set in a strange world that is not too dissimilar from our own, and seems to be a mixture of time periods. There are definite Egyptian, Arabian and Norse influences, but these are mixed together to create a unique and thriving world. With an inexact time frame, many liberties could be taken with magic, wardrobes and set designs, and adds to the whole fantasy feel of the film. The whole lack of green screen work, except perhaps for the first two shots of the film, adds greatly to the believability. In modern day films, it is hard to imagine doing any non-green screen work. But for Conan, since all the locations were real and all the lavish sets were real, we are drawn into the world even further. I believe that in the recent Batman Begins film they opted to take a similar route, and restrained themselves from using too much green screen (or blue screen, you know what I mean).

The dialogue through most of the film is fairly minimalist, but some comedy seems to come through in this relatively short space of wordage. For instance, after having some Black Lotus drug Conan and his side kick Subotai are making their way out of the city, when a prostitute tells them that she can protect them from evil. Subotai remarks that he is evil, and Conan remarks that she is a slut. Furthermore there is a whole conversation on flowers between Conan and the wizard. Another thing I found humorous in the film is the random laughs, when one character will begin laughing heartily and the characters around them will follow. Almost reminds me of the laughing moose scene in Evil Dead 2.

All in all Conan the Barbarian is an excellent title for anyone interested in fantasy/adventure films, and has really nice cinematography. Get to see Arnold the Governer Schwarzenegger in all his bloodthirsty glory.

Red One Has Landed

Just thought I'd talk a little about the Red One camera, and what impact it will make on the film making/television/documentary etc. worlds.

Now that the Red One is finally being released in small amounts, it may be a good time to quickly discuss some of the changes that are going to be happening once this camera gains a larger user-base. Although it will definitely be out of the price range of everybody, it is important to note the differences of price of similarly specked cameras. Probably the closest rivals the Red One camera will have are cameras based on either the HDCam or DVCPro shooting formats. These cameras already enjoy quite a bit of success in the television production worlds, and are slowly gaining grounds in the formerly film dominated movie industry. So what exactly are the differences between these cameras and the Red One camera? The differences are huge. And how much of a price difference is there between the two groups? This is also huge, but not in the way you might expect.

Pretty much on a price scale, DVCPro would be at the lower end, with an average DVCPro camera costing around $8000 US. Red One weighs in at about $17000, and for an average HDCam camera its around $50000. Wow, what a difference. The Red One camera pratically blows the socks off the best HDCam cameras, and yet HDCam's are over twice the price. Of course, there are slight differences. DVCPro and HDCam's typically have built in lenses, so you don't have to pay extra for those. With the Red One, you have the choice of either using Cinema lenses (very expensive), or with adapters you can use still photography ones to save cost. The advantage to this of course is the custom options available by using removable lenses.

The main competing factor for me is the image quality, which again is a huge difference. The current HDCam's typically have a sensor depth of 2.2 Mega Pixels, which is alright, but not compared with the Red One's 12 M.P. sensor. It's just amazing how much of a huge difference there is between the best current digital camera's and this new offering. I think that the main camera companies, namely Sony, Panasonic, JVC and Canon are really going to have to rethink their game plan.

So in conclusion although the Red One will be out of reach for many, it's not as out of reach as you may think. Especially considering the alternatives.

Red One also looks a lot bigger in real life than it does on the website, http://red.com, as this picture shows. I'm sure the day will come when I will have one of these fine pieces of machinery in my hands, although that may be some time from now. (Image courtesy of http://www.projectred.net/)