April 4, 2018

Microsoft ‘excited’ about its secret hardware built for artificial intelligence

Harry Shum of Microsoft’s AI and Research group says he’s very excited about the company’s upcoming hardware driven by A.I. He doesn’t disclose any details, but Microsoft already admitted it’s working on chips dedicated to A.I.

The post Microsoft ‘excited’ about its secret hardware built for artificial intelligence appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

April 1, 2018

Fujifilm Finally Drops the ‘Film’ and Becomes FujiBlockChain

Appeasing market pressure, Fujifilm has finally dropped the antiquated “film” designation and rebranded for the future as FujiBlockChain

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Source: NoFilmSchool

April 1, 2018

What Can Guillermo del Toro Teach Us About Worldbuilding?

Filmmakers are not only storytellers but world builders.

There is a reason why a map of Middle Earth exists, and it’s not just because fans of The Lord of the Rings love merch. It’s because author J.R.R. Tolkien (and later, director Peter Jackson) managed to create a world that felt so real that its topography could be mapped. (In fact, it was many times by Tolkien himself.) This is what’s known as “worldbuilding,” the process of creating, or building, an entire narrative world, and it’s a crucial skill for filmmakers to have in their arsenal.

Sareesh Sudhakaran of wolfcrow suggests that nobody builds worlds quite like Guillermo del Toro and in this video essay, he not only explores the worlds del Toro has spent his entire career building but explores the techniques he used to build them in hopes that you can employ them your own work as well. Check it out below:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

April 1, 2018

Meet GoPro’s New $200 HERO, a HERO6 Without All the Bells and Whistles

The new GoPro HERO costs half as much as its big brother the HERO6, but it also doesn’t pack as big of a punch.

Back in September, GoPro released the sixth addition to their HERO series, the HERO6, whose key features, like 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 260fps, better dynamic range, and a new processor, made it a force to be reckoned with in the action cam market. However, GoPro has set its sights on more casual users and hobbyists with the brand new HERO, a budget-friendly alternative to the company’s high-end models.

This thing looks like a HERO6 or HERO5, just without all of the internal bells and whistles that come with them, like 4K video, slow-motion options, Protune, exposure control, or a 3.5mm audio input to name a few. The HERO may be a pared-down version of its predecessors, but it still comes with features like 1080p60 video, 2″ touch display, video stabilization, voice control, and more.

Take a look at the launch video below:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

March 31, 2018

Balancing Realism and Fantasy: What’s the Key to the Success of Disney’s ‘Snow White’?

How did Walt Disney manage to turn his first animated feature into one of North America’s top ten highest-grossing films of all time?

Animated films have become a mainstay of the film industry, with titles like Despicable Me 3 and Coco not only grossing nearly $2 billion dollars worldwide but receiving accolades at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. But it wasn’t always this way. In the early days of animation (the 1910s to the late-1920s), feature-length films weren’t considered to be the major theatrical events that they are today, that is, until Walt Disney released his first feature under Walt Disney Productions in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

The film became a rousing success, earning almost $8 million at the international box office after its initial run. It not only received an honorary Oscar at the 11th annual Academy Awards but it impressed legendary Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein so much that he, according to Roger Ebert, called it the greatest film ever made.

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Source: NoFilmSchool

March 31, 2018

How NextVR and the NBA are bringing VR from the sidelines to center court

In just three years, NextVR and the NBA have worked together to help push virtual reality to new heights. We went behind the scenes to find out what’s in the magic hat.

The post How NextVR and the NBA are bringing VR from the sidelines to center court appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR

March 31, 2018

Watch: 4 Different Kinds of Light and How to Use Them in Your Cinematography

How can you use light to bring out the most dynamic features of your subject?

For cinematographers, light has many purposes. Of course, its primary role is to illuminate a subject so that it may be properly exposed by a camera, but it can also be used to capture a subject’s most dynamic, beautiful, and unique qualities, including its texture, color, and shape. In this video, National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting goes over several different kinds of light and how you can take advantage of each one to highlight unique qualities of your subject. Check it out below:

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Source: NoFilmSchool

March 30, 2018

Snapchat hides a million Easter eggs on the Snap Map in a geocaching game

Think you’re too old for an Easter egg hunt? A million virtual eggs might change your mind. Snapchat wants users to compete with friends — and all of Snapchat — in a virtual Easter egg hunt on the Snap Map.

The post Snapchat hides a million Easter eggs on the Snap Map in a geocaching game appeared first on Digital Trends.

Source: Digital Trends VR