Know The Difference: Joe

Actor Joe Willand waits during a promotional shoot for the film "Know The Difference" in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

Know The Difference

Director Kirk Dilley records HDSLR video of Caroline Macey during a promotional shoot for the film "Know The Difference" in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

DocuDay and the Oscars

I went to DocuDay on Saturday, watching all the Academy Award nominated docs from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. -- but couldn't stay for "Undefeated," thereby guaranteeing it the win. I was also able to predict that "Saving Face" would win. I'm not sure why I knew that.

But the two real surprises:

1. DSLR video was key to "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom," shot on a Canon 7D, and also "Hell and Back Again," shot in essentially a photojournalistic style but on video.

2. The 3D look and feel of "Pina," which I thought I would hate, worked. Worked very well, even. Biggest surprise: Wim Wenders was very clear about the fact that editing for a 3D doc could not just use existing strategies from 2D work. It has to be a different edit.

Above: the worst cell phone camera photo I've ever taken.

Sony's Secret Lab, Somewhere Off The Jersey Shore

So Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, and Pentax all have useable HD modes in their DSLRs now.

All have problems, the Panasonic GH1 being the smartest of the bunch so far -- and the closest to useable for documentary video. (The Canon 7D is also creating a lot of excitement among doc makers -- but the Panasonic still has the best implementation to date. It's just that people love their Canons, and associate it with "professional" and Panasonic with "consumer" cameras -- even though Panasonic has done wonderful things in video camcorders.)

Yet Sony -- which has pushed forward some very smart, very price-savvy products very quickly in its DSLR offerings but not gotten the respect it deserves -- says they won't implement video until it is fully cooked.

That's fine, just get cooking soon, Sony.

Above: an iPhone snap from last night's class.