Camera
Here's Shogun's cinematographers on their Emmy-winning process
| Image: FX |
Shogun, the FX show set in feudal era Japan, has broken the record for the most Emmys won by a show in a single year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show won 18 awards, including the one for ‘Outstanding Cinematography For A Series (One Hour).’
The cinematography nod is particularly interesting, especially for cinematography and camera nerds. Even if you’ve only watched the trailer, it’s clear that Shogun has a distinct visual style. The show is shot on anamorphic lenses with lots of character; in many shots, the frame is filled with aberrations, the background has a strong swirling look (fans of vintage lenses will be familiar with the effect), and the edges of the frame are blurry or even downright vignetted.
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The show uses a lot of shallow depth of field and interesting bokeh.
Image: FX |
Thankfully, the show’s creators have gone into a lot of detail about the how and (perhaps more importantly) why of the aesthetic decisions that impressed the Television Academy. FX’s website even has a page dedicated to the show’s cinematography, which mainly focuses on the choices made around lighting a show set before the advent of electricity.
American Cinematographer provides a deeper look into the technical aspects of how they shot the show. According to the feature, the cinematographers relied heavily on the Sony Venice and FX3, outfitted with several varieties of Hawk anamorphic lenses. The article also goes into even more lensing and lighting choices and contains a plethora of interesting details. For example, the show was apparently shot at 6K but cropped to 4K to meet FX’s delivery standards while maintaining a 2.0:1 aspect ratio.
The American Society of Cinematographers also had Sam McCurdy, who shot five episodes of the show, on its interview series. During the conversation, he talks about the lightning and grip setups (complete with diagrams), ‘butchering’ light bulbs to get a convincing simulation of firelight, and how the story informed the show’s aesthetic, down to which aperture was used for certain shots.
Shogun’s look has its detractors, with some commenters going as far as saying it made them think something was wrong with their TVs. But even those who didn’t like it would likely agree that it’s great to live in a time when we can get such an in-depth look at the creative process behind such a critically acclaimed show. Television hasn’t always gotten the behind-the-scenes treatment that movies have, but fans of the medium or even people looking to get a job in the industry now have great resources available from the people out there making it.
| Image: Adobe |
Adobe has announced that it’s working on a feature for Photoshop called Live Co-Editing, which lets multiple people view and edit the same document at once. The concept will be familiar to anyone who’s worked in a Google Doc with other people, though applied to photo or graphical editing instead of word processing.
The feature is coming next week as a private beta, so it won’t immediately be accessible to everyone. If you sign up for the beta and are accepted, you’ll be able to use it via the share button, similar to the existing collaboration feature. However, instead of only one person being able to work on the document at once, you’ll have the option to turn on Live Co-Editing.
Adobe’s press release details some examples of when the ability to work on the same Photoshop document could be useful. The first is the most obvious one, where there’s a big project with several pieces that designers can work on at once. It could also be handy if a teacher is trying to explain a specific process to a student or if you’re on a call with a client and want them to be able to see your work in as much detail as possible.
The announcement is Adobe’s latest move to present Photoshop and its other products as services rather than simply applications, along with the increasing number of built-in generative AI features. It may hope that these features will help justify the ongoing cost of a subscription, especially as some tiers of that subscription are getting more expensive. To start, Live Co-Editing will be available on the desktop and web versions of Photoshop.
| Photo: DJI |
DJI has announced a new drone, offering a folding design unique to its lineup. The DJI Flip is the company’s first foldable drone with full-coverage propeller guards, maintaining safety in a compact, portable package. The palm-sized drone combines the simplicity of the DJI Neo with the photo capabilities of the DJI Mini 3. Like both the Neo and Mini 3, it weighs less than 249 grams, so it’s more accessible to fly than heavier drones since you don’t need a license from the FAA. DJI is calling it an all-in-one vlog camera drone with features ideal for content creators on the go.
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| Photo: DJI |
The standout feature of the DJI Flip is its foldable design. The propeller guards are attached to the rotors using carbon fiber string, and each rotor can then fold down for easier storage. Like the Neo, it offers very simplified flight controls, making it an easy option for those who don’t have drone flying experience. That includes one-tap flight, six intelligent shooting modes (Dronie, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, Helix and Boomerang) and AI Subject Tracking. It also offers automatic braking with the 3D Infrared Sensing System, making it safer to fly.
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| Photo: DJI |
Regarding camera capabilities, the DJI Flip features a 48MP Type 1/1.3 (9.6 x 7.2mm) CMOS sensor behind a lens with an F1.7 aperture. The sensor has a Quad Bayer-style color filter layout, meaning it can either output 48MP photos, or combine pixels to give 2.4μm “4-in-1” output, just like the DJI Mini 3.
DJI also promises “Dual Native ISO Fusion,” which appears to be its branding for sensor maker Omnivision’s Dual Conversion Gain HDR feature. This claims to sample each pixel’s charge twice, using different conversion gain levels to boost DR, while also combining variable exposures. It appears to be for capturing wide-DR video in a standard DR space rather than true HDR footage for playback on high DR screens. We’ve asked DJI for more information.
The drone can record HDR video up to 4K 60 fps, supports slow-motion recording at 4K 100 fps, and the 4:3 sensor produces vertical crops up to 2.7K. It also supports 10-bit D-Log M color mode for those who want to dive into color grading.
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A sample image taken with the DJI Flip
Photo: DJI |
The DJI Flip offers up to 31 minutes of flight time, which is quite a bit less than the DJI Mini 3’s 51-minute flight time (provided you use the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) but substantially longer than the Neo’s 18-minute max flight time. You can control the Flip with Voice Control or the DJI Fly app, and it is also compatible with the DJI RC-N3 and RC2 controllers. It supports up to 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) of 1080p 60 fps video transmission, so you don’t need to be right next to your subject to record or capture photos.
The DJI Flip is available for purchase as of today. You can opt for only the drone only for $439, buy a kit with the DJI RC 2 for $639 or opt for the Fly More Combo with the DJI RC 2 for $779.
| Image: TTArtisan |
TTArtisan is keeping the lens news coming this year with another lens announcement just a few weeks after its last. The company is following up its AF 35mm F1.8 II with another F1.8 prime lens for APS-C users, as reported by PetaPixel. Priced at just $127, the TTArtisan AF 23mm (35mm equivalent) F1.8 is a budget-friendly option that slots nicely into TTArtisan’s existing lineup of affordable yet fast prime lenses. It is available for Fujifilm X cameras now, with Sony E and Nikon Z mount models coming later, though the company hasn’t specified exactly when.
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| Image: TTArtisan |
Like TTArtisan’s other lenses, the 23mm F1.8 features an aluminum body, offering better durability than you may expect for the budget price. It’s also very lightweight, weighing 210 grams (7.4 ounces). TTArtisan doesn’t provide additional details on dimensions, but the lightweight design and 35mm equivalent focal length could make it an ideal street, travel, and landscape lens. The USB-C port for firmware updates on the rear lens cap, so you won’t want to lose that after unboxing the lens.
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| Image: TTArtisan |
While the details about the lens size are minimal, the company did provide information on the optical design. The lens is composed of 11 elements in nine groups. It includes two extra-low dispersion elements and a high index element. Additionally, it features a nine-blade aperture diaphragm. There is no aperture control ring (as is expected on a lens of this price), so all aperture control will be done through the camera. The 23mm F1.8 uses a stepper motor for autofocus, which the company says is fast, accurate and suitable for video applications. Finally, it can focus as close as 0.3 meters (11.9 inches).
Sample Images
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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| Photo: TTArtisan |
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