The Era of HD Short Films is here... Canon 5D Mark II / Nikon D90 = new revolution in super high quality optics + high definition

These are real video frame captures from a short film created using the Canon 5D Mark II and top-of-the-line L-lenses. Luckily I already own a bunch of the L lenses already... so for the first time, we'll be able to do full HD footage using top-of-the-line still camera optics at a cost-quality level heretofore never seen before.

Imagine: Naturally lit wide aperture full motion HD video. Drop a 35mm f/1.4 on this camera, and be able to record what a candlelit dinner looks like and feels like -- using actual candle light.
Laforet is a photographer; he has no professional film experience and had never used the 5D Mark II before, yet was able to storyboard, cast, shoot and edit the clip in just two days, with less than 12 hours notice. In particular he noted that dumping the MPEG-4 video takes way less time than it would with an actual HD camera. The only issue that would stop a person from shooting a TV pilot solely with this camera is sound matching, he says. If that's covered, you're gold.

via Gizmodo

Wow, I can't wait... as if I didn't have enough to do already. If I got a Red One, I would have gotten the Canon EOS lens adapter anyway... now I don't even need to shell out for a different camera system.

This is a quantum leap forward... so much so, that I can't wait to see the impact on online publishing sites, like ours right here. It's a very exciting time to be helping people post all their stuff online.

Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better

Great electro-pop song heard on Entourage this week:

From a YouTube comment by djgeoffe: Came out in 2000. Was an underground French gem that got released on Astralwerks stateside. Probably sold about 50,000 copies at the time. With its recent exposure it's probably selling again like hotcakes at iTunes. Proper electronic music with a pop slant. Awesome.

Probably the first time in the history of the universe a YouTube comment has been USEFUL.

The HBO show Entourage has turned out to be a great source of really solid, fantastic music... kind of like the OC soundtrack back in the day. (Not embarrassed to admit I was a big fan of the OC and the OC mix cd's.)

Now seeking the most badass place to live ever in San Francisco. Or at least a vaguely nice place.

Went bachelor pad-hunting this weekend with Stephen and Alex this afternoon. The highlights:

  • South Beach is very laid back... people are definitely paying an extra $500-$1000/month premium just to be in the city but to get a very suburban experience. It is remarkably like Lower Queen Anne in Seattle in atmosphere -- just outside of the city, still close to major landmarks (sports stadium) but an upwardly mobile cast of yuppies. It is city living with a premium without the tourists and "urban elements." I hate to admit it, but I liked this area the most. It's the newest, quietest, and most convenient area in SF, but it's also the priciest.

  • The Marina ended up being a bust -- wasted $30 on cab fare out there because an utterly negligent property manager forgot to call us to cancel. Bastards. This part of the city is obviously 10 degrees colder than the rest of SF. If you add perpetual clouds to the cold wind of the Marina, subtract $500 to $1000/month in rent, and you have the Inner Sunset.

  • We cabbed it again back SOMA, this time to the heart of the Tenderloin -- 6th and Natoma. While preparing my compatriots for the urban elements of 6th St, our cab driver broke into the conversation to say "Don't worry about the 6th Street Boys... hey, you're Asian. Just tell them you're viet and they'll leave you alone." Good to know. I'll tell you the full story in detail if you ask me. Lets just say it was a cultural experience of the first order.

  • The Tenderloin loft itself was pretty impressive (huge bedrooms, 5 stories, marble/concrete everything, tons of glass, and a gorgeous roof deck), but the agent explained the place to be "on the knife's edge of gentrification" -- from the window we could tell from the graffiti just one building over that the insane 5 story luxury loft was ACTUALLY on the front line of a wedge driving through the Tenderloin. It was definitely not a place I would let my girlfriend walk to alone (let alone at night), so that's basically out.

  • The Y Scraper (Crystal Tower Apartments) in North Beach continues to amaze for its location, view, and reasonable price. Too bad they only have 2 BR's available. Also, one heck of a walk from BART. Get used to slow MUNI rides... North Beach is a pretty good area to live, but then it's absolutely crawling with tourists.

San Francisco has many a storied neighborhood, and the feel of each is absolutely different. Overall, rents are at relatively insane levels for 3 BR options, and we're adopting a 'wait and see' attitude to the whole thing. I've always wanted to live in the city proper, but have always ended up in the burbs, so I'm pretty excited / new to the market.

If anyone has tips on finding a great place for a good price in SF, let me know! =)

Adam Duritz is a method singer.

Counting Crows is awesome. Duritz manages to really bounce between the depths of angsty heartbrokenness and the twangy elation of their folk rock soul alt-country medleys.

Again, Shoreline Ampitheater sucks big time. Every time I end up on the lawn I swear I will never come back, but this time Steph managed to snag $6.00 Google tickets. Also free Google parking. Also a free dinner at Charlie's. It's definitely great to be dating a Googler! :-)

It's hard to believe we have been listening to Counting Crows for over 15 years.

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Sent from my iPhone

JJ Abrams TED talk: The Mystery Box = Infinite Possibility, and you have a voice now too.

Favorite quote: "The creation of stuff is democritized... Go make your movie. There's nothing stopping you from going out there and getting the technology. You can lease, rent, buy stuff off the shelf just as good as the stuff that's used by the [pros]."

There's something to this that I think is incredibly powerful. You see super high-quality RED cameras on the scene (see awesome posterous user MrVix), and Final Cut Pro (Sachin used to work on it!) and the technology gets cheaper and better. And that means that there should be a far greater diversity in voices, especially in movies.

And a lot more dreams being realized... and hopefully a lot more mystery boxes too.

Hat tip Brad