gdp's Comments

PoetZero : Film Industry Wage Calculator Released for iPhone/iPad

Thu, 26 May 2011 02:56:48 +0000

Unfortunately, it's bound to Apple's iOS - but the developer has mentioned an Android port may be in the distant future. Try contacting app@nscratingapp.com to encourage further development.

PoetZero : 8 Reasons to Buy a DSLR for Video

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:14:27 +0000

A lot of these are really valid points and it should be mentioned, I own and shoot on a 7D constantly - I just wanted people to understand the shortcomings. I also work with REDs, high end Cinealtas, and Alexas and the DSLR's don't come anywhere close to comparing (not that they should for the price) contrary to what many producers will have you believe. The Hyperdeck shuttle is the most exciting NAB announcement, by far. While it's no good from a 5D (with only 480i out, unless Magic Lantern has a workaround), it's ideal for a camera like the 7D which can be configured to only output the red recording symbol, easily cropped around. The HDMI output, however, is still only 8-bit 4:2:0, you're not getting a better signal, just better compression. The moire and aliasing from the line skipping is still present, shutter rolling still there, color space still heavily compressed. You're only getting around the 45Mbps H.264 encoding, which isn't terrible to begin with. I imagine this will all change with the 5DM3 anyway...

PoetZero : What Roger Ebert is Full of (and Why He's Full of it)

Sat, 1 May 2010 18:17:41 +0000

Also most sculptures, all architecture, ballet, performances, large paintings like the Sistine Chapel, etc. Ebert admits this, " Yet a cathedral is the work of many, and is it not art?" but it does nothing to change his definition. What he has a problem with is games in general being art. "Why are gamers so intensely concerned, anyway, that games be defined as art? Bobby Fischer, Michael Jordan and Dick Butkus never said they thought their games were an art form. Nor did Shi Hua Chen, winner of the $500,000 World Series of Mah Jong in 2009." What he fails to recognize (as amply evidenced by the extremely dated images on his article) is that video games have evolved with complex art design, cinematography, soundtracks, and storytelling - sometimes blurring the line between film and game (as in Heavy Rain). Yes there are goals and a layer of interactiveness is required, but how different is this from being drawn into a film, rooting for characters and guessing what will happen? How is this different from the experience of attending the symphony or theatre, sitting down and actively participating through the act of listening and thinking? And most damning, how is this different from the growing work of interactive art exhibits that have found open arms in the world's museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, Art Institute of Chicago, and hundreds more? There is a powerful adage in the scientific community that I believe fits here perfectly: When an old scientist says something is possible, he is probably right. When an old scientist says something is impossible he is probably wrong. Video games will be, if they already aren't, art.

PoetZero : 8 Reasons to Buy a DSLR for Video

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:04:51 +0000

Thanks for the link and that's a wonderful system. There are actually several manufacturers who have solutions though the hotrod setup is the most complete. However, for someone who wants to retain the DSLR part of their HDSLR camera, these setups are a bad alternative as they're expensive, disable the optical viewfinder, and limit what lenses can be used. Zeiss, with their new Compact Primes II which will ship with a Canon EF mount seems to have the best solution currently and other lens manufacturers are preparing conversions for their own lines.

PoetZero : 8 Reasons NOT to Buy a DSLR for Video

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:54:30 +0000

Thank you, and I agree in part, which is why I finally got around to finishing the counterpoint:http://poetzerofilm.com/2010/04/8-reasons-to-buy-...

ViaTorci : Searching for Stories

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:59:57 +0000

I'll have to look into those authors. As for the re-invention of life as art, this is what I was trying to get at. I wrote that "Our imagination is the convoluted conglomerate of a life lived and imagined and consequently capable of creation through reformation" implying that we create through what we have lived. The point of my writing was to illustrate the difference in thinking when it comes to story creation. I've watched, and been a victim of, an inability to create stories because of the pressure I put on the creation aspect. I was stuck on the idea of making up an original idea and the task would always prove to be too much for me to undertake. I was perpetually stuck. One day, it clicked and I realized that I simply have to write what I know and what I know is not limited to what I've lived but includes what I've seen, heard, and imagined as well. It was then that I began to think about writing as not spontaneous generation but reintegration. I had to pass the mental roadblock of writing new ideas to get to building stories from life.

ViaTorci : Searching for Stories

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:01:10 +0000

Much easier, which is why I'm sharing this. I struggled for a long time with "making up" a story. It was painful, pulling teeth painful, and I would dread it and consequently avoid writing at large. Then one day something clicked and I realized there were stories EVERYWHERE. It was like opening my eyes for the first time. I now carry a notebook with me all the time. It is filled with characters, phrases, ideas, notes, and everything else I can cram in it. Almost none of it will ever find it's way to paper in this raw form but it provides a great resource to look towards and well to draw inspiration from.

ViaTorci : Somebody Must Like It

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:39:25 +0000

Absolutely.

ViaTorci : Somebody Must Like It

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:47:35 +0000

[youtube -8z7Y_KGgsY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8z7Y_KGgsY youtube] A clip for your viewing enjoyment.

ViaTorci : Synchronicity

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:22:35 +0000

This was one of the 16 films screened out of over 100 at the Georgia State University Campus Moviefest.

ViaTorci : Michael Uslan Lecture

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:21:45 +0000

It was a 37 minute lecture as on the website and was, in total, 1 hour and 16 minutes including questions.

ViaTorci : Prescription Label Stock Image

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:17:14 +0000

Glad it worked out for you! Feel free to link back your film, I'd love to see it.

ViaTorci : Daily Download

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:37:05 +0000

I will put up a post better detailing RSS and other syndication systems. I've also updated the comment system on my site to better enable discussion. It will now email you when a reply is posted and also allows logins from a variety of social networks. The film I just finished is a 30 minute short made over the summer with my friend. I did not write the script but have it as well as a plethora of footage and of course the final product. If there is anything you would like to specifically see, just let me know. I will also work on writing about the creative process in an upcoming post.