Tag Archives: jennifer modica

Front Page, Industry News

A Retrospective look at Hot Docs 2007

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By Jennifer F. Modica,

Toronto, ON – It isn’t hard to see why documentaries have become such a popular genre these days. A DVD collection is scarcely complete without a documentary or two. Hot Docs has capitalized on the niche, celebrating and showcasing the very best the doc world has to offer. They’ve also successfully marketed the event around their aptly named motto: “Outspoken. Outstanding,” generating both audience frenzy and steep competition amongst filmmakers.

Some critics of the event cited this intensity as both a drawback and a benefit of the event. “The greatest thing about it [Hot Docs] is the intense passion generated,” recent contributor, Albert Nerenberg commented, “but it also meant scalpers were selling tickets [to our film] and our own guys couldn’t watch their work.” However, this kind of success at the event is not typical for each contributor. It is no small feat that Nerenberg’s film Let’s All Hate Toronto is making its commercial debut in the city.

Overall, most doc Producer-Directors find Hot Docs to be a beneficial venue for documentaries. Let’s All Hate Toronto’s screening was a huge success giving the film exposure to two thousand viewers. Nerenberg felt Hot Docs increased the hype surrounding the film directly increasing its audience. Hot Docs has produced a grape vine like effect in generating interest around a film. This is the case for Let’s All Hate Toronto. whose commercial debut in Toronto had everyone out standing in ticket queues and out speaking about the film.

The future for Hot Docs does not come without challenges. In its 14th year, Hot Docs’ presence on the scene as the biggest documentary festival in North America coupled with its growing popularity may not have given the event enough time to mature consistently with its grassroots foundation. With a mandate “to showcase and support the work of Canadian and international documentary filmmakers and to promote excellence in documentary production,” the festival hopes to captivate and inspire success for rising “Doc Stars.”

As long as remarkable stories are highlighted in this niche, Hot Docs will be able to consistently define itself as a festival that is both outspoken and outstanding. The Festival is also the backbone for innovations such as the Toronto Documentary Forum and Doc Soup; Hot Docs has made documentaries more accessible than they have ever been for Torontonians. And if Doc Soup doesn’t feed your hunger for documentaries, you have until next April to submit your own….

Industry News

Lights, RED Camera, Action!

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By Jennifer F. Modica

TORONTO, ON – From a tent on the floor of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference in Las Vegas to buzzing in the ears of the production gurus worldwide, the RED ONE camera is creating a lot of buzz since its magnesium cast prototype made its debut early this month. Scheduled for delivery at the end of the year, two hundred of these cameras were pre-ordered on its first day and a half on the scene.

This camera is the brainchild of Jim Jannard who, when he is not busy running Oakley, is persistently pursuing his passion for photography and cinematography. Partners, Jannard and Schilowitz set out to build a camera that rebelled against the frustration that comes with limitations. RED ONE is a camera that hopes to evolve as technology evolves, as their tag line totes: “making obsolescence obsolete.”

The idea behind RED camera is simple, “[to] design and build a high performance digital cine camera with the quality of 35mm film and the convenience of pure digital. RED delivers unmatched image quality with no recording system limitations.” Removing limitations is the rationale behind their modular design making parts replaceable and preventing the system itself from becoming outdated. At merely nine pounds, the modular format makes RED ONE’s versatility a huge selling feature, allowing it to be adjusted for different applications and adding a depth to the level of customization available.

RED Digital Cinema is creating the highest grade high-definition capture format available at a low cost bracket. RED ONE is changing the rules not only with regards to innovation but also with regards to cost as the 4K HD camera body is available at a price point of $17,500 USD (Note that prime lenses, camera support and hard drive capture are extras). The hope behind the product is that it will prove to be a digital cine quality camera that can stand the test of time. This philosophy is what keeps the camera both affordable and cinema grade, revolutionizing the film industry and democratizing its accessibility. Schilowitz described the camera as “inclusive” in an interview outside the RED tent at NAB, where everyone clearly wanted in.

RED ONE comes with REDCINE, a pre-editorial and finishing application that is designed to ease the process of exporting camera footage to a variety of industry standard video file formats. This process is not only revolutionary for cinematography but also for Toronto broadcasters who are in the process of moving from tape to an electronic server, making the switch seamless. Final Cut Pro announced at NAB that it will support Red Digital Cinema increasing interest in RED and calming some initial concerns about post-production workflow.

This also means that the new kids on the block will have a shot at making something that budget and formatting constraints would have prohibited in the past. RED Camera is yet another democratizing trend on the market. If blogs revolutionized publishing, wikipedia revolutionized encyclopaedias, and iPods revolutionized music, then RED Camera is revolutionizing film. A quote from the RED marketing brochure should read: “Perhaps it’s time to step on our mark and join the RED-volution.”

Editorial comment:

This is still a camera in development. As such, there will be several modifications required both before and after the expected summer delivery date. Estimates on

the cost of required lenses, support and capture could push the acquisition price to $100,000.00 CDN and beyond. Frankly, it’s too early to tell, in spite of the ballooning interest garnered by Red Cinema’s promotional efforts at NAB. Of course, how much of a winner Red will be or if initial concerns raised by local experts about workflow and capture issues will bloom into full scale production problems will only be evident in time. We know that some Toronto rental houses have several cameras on order. If Red is indeed a winner there will be no shortage of opportunities to get your hands on one.

Technology News

Lights, RED Camera, Action!

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By Jennifer F. Modica

TORONTO, ON – From a tent on the floor of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference in Las Vegas to buzzing in the ears of the production gurus worldwide, the RED ONE camera is creating a lot of buzz since its magnesium cast prototype made its debut early this month. Scheduled for delivery at the end of the year, two hundred of these cameras were pre-ordered on its first day and a half on the scene.

This camera is the brainchild of Jim Jannard who, when he is not busy running Oakley, is persistently pursuing his passion for photography and cinematography. Partners, Jannard and Schilowitz set out to build a camera that rebelled against the frustration that comes with limitations. RED ONE is a camera that hopes to evolve as technology evolves, as their tag line totes: “making obsolescence obsolete.”

The idea behind RED camera is simple, “[to] design and build a high performance digital cine camera with the quality of 35mm film and the convenience of pure digital. RED delivers unmatched image quality with no recording system limitations.” Removing limitations is the rationale behind their modular design making parts replaceable and preventing the system itself from becoming outdated. At merely nine pounds, the modular format makes RED ONE’s versatility a huge selling feature, allowing it to be adjusted for different applications and adding a depth to the level of customization available.

RED Digital Cinema is creating the highest grade high-definition capture format available at a low cost bracket. RED ONE is changing the rules not only with regards to innovation but also with regards to cost as the 4K HD camera body is available at a price point of $17,500 USD (Note that prime lenses, camera support and hard drive capture are extras). The hope behind the product is that it will prove to be a digital cine quality camera that can stand the test of time. This philosophy is what keeps the camera both affordable and cinema grade, revolutionizing the film industry and democratizing its accessibility. Schilowitz described the camera as “inclusive” in an interview outside the RED tent at NAB, where everyone clearly wanted in.

RED ONE comes with REDCINE, a pre-editorial and finishing application that is designed to ease the process of exporting camera footage to a variety of industry standard video file formats. This process is not only revolutionary for cinematography but also for Toronto broadcasters who are in the process of moving from tape to an electronic server, making the switch seamless. Final Cut Pro announced at NAB that it will support Red Digital Cinema increasing interest in RED and calming some initial concerns about post-production workflow.

This also means that the new kids on the block will have a shot at making something that budget and formatting constraints would have prohibited in the past. RED Camera is yet another democratizing trend on the market. If blogs revolutionized publishing, wikipedia revolutionized encyclopaedias, and iPods revolutionized music, then RED Camera is revolutionizing film. A quote from the RED marketing brochure should read: “Perhaps it’s time to step on our mark and join the RED-volution.”

Editorial comment:

This is still a camera in development. As such, there will be several modifications required both before and after the expected summer delivery date. Estimates on

the cost of required lenses, support and capture could push the acquisition price to $100,000.00 CDN and beyond. Frankly, it’s too early to tell, in spite of the ballooning interest garnered by Red Cinema’s promotional efforts at NAB. Of course, how much of a winner Red will be or if initial concerns raised by local experts about workflow and capture issues will bloom into full scale production problems will only be evident in time. We know that some Toronto rental houses have several cameras on order. If Red is indeed a winner there will be no shortage of opportunities to get your hands on one.