Prolost

OK, maybe this is your new crash cam

The Canon PowerShot TX1, announced pre-PMA in that weird way that they do. From the press release:

The versatile PowerShot TX1 digital camera helps users to shoot home movies that can look like the next Hollywood blockbuster while recording CD quality Stereo Sound, in 44 KHz. In fact, consumers can take full advantage of the 10x optical zoom lens and image stabilization while shooting movies, which is a rare feature in most digital cameras. In addition to recording widescreen 720p HD movies at a rate of 30 fps for stunning High Definition clarity, the TX1 digital camera shoots high-quality VGA (640 x 480 pixels) movies at 30 fps (in a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio) and has the option of shooting at 30 fps or 60 fps in the QVGA 320 x 240-pixel setting (also in 4:3 format).
I love the 16:9 30p movies my Panasonic LX1 shoots, but I use them for previs and videomatics only. With this, maybe (big maybe) you could do a little more. I just wish I could somehow convince camera manufacturers to make a 24 (or even 25) p mode on these things!

Is Film School Obsolete?

Dave Basulto of the most badass Filmmaking Central podcast, on which I had the pleasure of appearing at the end of last year, has been featured in a very interesting New York Times article. If you don't have an account, the entire text is available here. Here's a taste:

When David Basulto decided to become a movie producer, the first thing he did was enroll in a class at a film school in Los Angeles. The second thing he did was drop out.

“I absolutely didn’t learn a damn thing from the course I took, so I went out and bought a couple of books,” Mr. Basulto said. Home-schooling worked where the classroom failed. After 45 days Mr. Basulto, who is 41, had raised enough money to produce his first feature...

And so on. Like I said, good stuff.

Personally, I had a great time at film school. I met friends who went on to become luminaries in the animation and effects worlds, some of whom I still work with today. I made movies with borrowed equipment and got internships at Oscar-winning effects houses. I saw plays and concerts and bootleg John Woo movies, had formative social experiences, and most importantly learned that wherever there was a system—even one designed to help you—true success is only to be found by working around, not within, that system.

But that was before thousand-dollar HD cameras, and before any cheap computer could be an onlining station capable of mastering a film. Has the equation changed? Seems to me the answer is yes if you're focused on results, but what about the journey itself?

Wanna Get Away?

I just finished my entry for the Southwest Airlines "Wanna Get Away" user-generated commercial contest. I fly Southwest constantly, so this is a bit of a labor of love.

Part of the contest is based on YouTube user ratings, so if you like Fender Bender please vote! The contest and the voting end on Tuesday the 20th, and the way video with the most high ratings wins—so I'm at a bit of a disadvantage against the videos that have been up there accumulating votes for weeks or months.