Two things of import happened yesterday in the land of synchronicity.
The first was the birthing of the Script of Torment; the second was the
release of Panasonic's new HD camera.
I listen to synchronicity. I have felt Los Manos de Dio a few too
many times to ignore it, particularly when I'm riding the crest of a
wave of change.
The script came out with a lot of blood and pain. It scooped some things
out of me and opened up some doors to things that need to be dealt with.
I understand the symbology a little bit better today, and realize that
the tortuousness of it is necessarily my own... But I also think it's an
incredibly intense experience and could make a really powerful movie.
The camera is the answer to almost everything I was looking for as a
filmmaker. A while back I was looking into new cameras, and comparing
what was available with what I wanted for future growth. This camera
went beyond my expectations.
You have to understand that this camera can shoot true high-def at 24p.
That means a number of things including the ability to use greenscreen
comps without fear, and the ability to blow up to a 35mm print directly.
Or to project digitally directly. Onto a big screen.
It can also record directly to P2 memory sticks. This means no transfer
of images from tape through firewire, and no expensive ($85,000 and up)
HD decks. And the memory sticks are re-useable many times: just dump the
contents to a hard drive and you're done.
Oh, my, yes, this camera will turn the indie film world upside down.
This does change my direction a little bit. It is no longer a question
of waiting for a camera, or figuring out how to afford the huge, huge
budget it was going to take for me to upgrade. This is realistically
affordable (in equipment terms) on my budget. I could actually save up
for and buy this camera within a year or less.
The only thing it doesn't have is interchangeable lenses. And
realistically, that is not the issue that it could be. By the time I run
into a situation where being able to use primes would be a good thing, I
should be well into my career as a filmmaker. :)
The script currently sits at nine pages. It's sparse; with a rewrite it
might bump to 12-15. Rule of thumb is a minute per page. It's a good
length for a short film.
Synchronicity says it must be done.