Anonymus . . . The Movie

[Zeb B]

I saw it last night - have a lesser opinion of Willy Shakespeare and Alexa now. Looked real video-ish. Blown highlights and compressed DR - just real flat and dull. Saw in a just newly remodeled theater where I have been recently impressed with the projection and sound system. Looking forward to seeing Babe w/Dragon Tat there soon for comparison

 

[George Butterfield]

I've read several, (there are many), books on the theme, Edward de Vere wrote under the pen name Shakespeare. It is a fascinating topic, showing how a lie can be perpetuated over many many generations. A UoT professor recently wrote an 800 page bogus book about the man from Stratford, he wrote pages about Shakespeare's wife, all total fabrications without references as there is nothing really known about the woman.

 

[Gabriele Turchi]

Looked real video-ish. Blown highlights and compressed DR - just real flat and dull.

i completely disagree

 

[Zeb B]

I imagine the Stratford Chamber of Commerce will fight any further research into the subject. William was and is a simple vehicle for others to benefit from. Also, for our public educators: it's a bit easier to tell the fairy tail as we know it rather than "Well see, the Queen had sex with her son which beget another son . . . son #1 / lover was a tortured artistic soul with no desire to rule instead pouring his life into the non-noble pursuit of creative writing for which he needed a illiterate pen man . . . enter camera left . . . Shakespeare

Oh and, the first feature shot on Alexa was visually flat in my view

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Looked real video-ish. Blown highlights and compressed DR - just real flat and dull. Saw in a just newly remodeled theater where I have been recently impressed with the projection and sound system. Looking forward to seeing Babe w/Dragon Tat there soon for comparison

Josh, same rules that apply when judging RED footage, don't go by final results. You'll be amazed at what decisions are made to arrive at some of these looks, or perhaps the theater is not up to spec, whatever the case may be. Alexa generally doesn't have the problems you mentioned, worked with it a number of times now. Where it lacks is in resolution (which some DPs may be ok with by the way) and of course is a much more expensive system. But generalizations based on a particular film, never accomplish much because of the variables involved. Now if you had seen the original footage in a calibrated room, then it might be a bit more intriguing.

By the way, not trying to aim this at you. It's just I hear this a lot, and then I think back to shoots I'm on where I get to see original footage and then what is done to it, and realize people will never see what I saw.

 

[Brad Hawkins]

Josh, same rules that apply when judging RED footage, don't go by final results. You'll be amazed at what decisions are made to arrive at some of these looks, or perhaps the theater is not up to spec, whatever the case may be. Alexa generally doesn't have the problems you mentioned, worked with it a number of times now. Where it lacks is in resolution (which some DPs may be ok with by the way) and of course is a much more expensive system. But generalizations based on a particular film, never accomplish much because of the variables involved. Now if you had seen the original footage in a calibrated room, then it might be a bit more intriguing.

By the way, not trying to aim this at you. It's just I hear this a lot, and then I think back to shoots I'm on where I get to see original footage and then what is done to it, and realize people will never see what I saw.

Well said Steve!

 

[Zeb B]

Who cares what the raw footage looks like on a specialized system - that is not reality. I saw what I saw and it wasn't a good day for video in cinema.

 

[Michael Millichamp]

If the Alexa wasn't a great camera, people wouldn't use it. Same with the Red.

Don't be that ignorant to completely blow off a camera just because you are so stuck with Red.

There are both amazing cameras and deserve to be used.

 

[joe hedge]

Drive w/Ryan Gosling was shot on Alexa - watch that opening sequence and tell us the Alexa looks flat and video-y

I had some extremely knowledgeable people, who CC Red regularly, tell me at the SMPTE conference that the Sony F3 was the current champ for out-of-camera image quality

Really it's a great time to be doing what we do, with so many great cameras and options

 

[Michael Millichamp]

Drive w/Ryan Gosling was shot on Alexa - watch that opening sequence and tell us the Alexa looks flat and video-y

Totally forgot about Drive being shot on that.

It was a beautiful film.

 

[David Collard]

Well, it's hard to really complain about the film being shot on Alexa and it had "such and such" technical issues. I've been to Imax theatres that weren't
projected/calibrated correctly.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the film since I have a lot of knowledge about Shakepeare. Without giving anything away, it's a miracle his writings survived.
Our generation with the Epic or Alexa etc. faces a similar challenge as the survival of "Shakespeare's" writings...How will our digital data be interpreted in the future or will all the ones and zeroes be interpretable? Somehow "Shakespeare's" stuff survived based on plain ink and paper.
Visual story telling's very survival, whether it be Epic or Alexa may depend on an output to good old fashioned film.

 

[Zeb B]

Drive was a good looking lame plot movie. I was impressed with the low / practical light performance throughout. Funny, I read that some lady is actually suing the movie theater for a refund: "there wasn't any Driving in this movie". Not that every movie should be disclosed as specifically as "Snakes on a Plane" for title/content but I must say if you're going to ripoff the '70 revenge Death Wish etc genre then at least put a chase scene or two for us simpletons . . . especially if that is the whole premise of the movie: ie he's a professional get away driver. If I want a sappy love story I'll coin up for a Jenn Aniston flick.

 

[Dan Kanes]

I usually use OFF TOPIC for movie reviews - and I try to spell the titles right.

In any case - haven't seen Anonymous yet, but I thought drive looked spectacular, and I actually loved the story. Didn't expect any more, or any less than what it delivered - but I digress - I'll throw in my two Pence after watching Anonymous over in O/T.

 

[Zeb B]

thanks Teach

 

[Dan Kanes]

No Problem, Son.

 

[drew sandoval]

I haven't seen Anonymous yet, but he images from Alexa blows me away. Drive loked great, it wasn't til after the movie I read in AC it was Alexa, In Time was a sharp looking picture, and it is used on my three favorite tv shows, CSI Miami, Hawaii 5-0, and NCIS LA (not great shows, but my favorite to watch). I can;'t wait for Epic pictures to start being released in the next year, and for Scarlet pictures in 2-3 years.

 

[Josh Snyder]

OP must be joking. Alexa produces way more film like image than EPIC. The biggest issue with EPIC vs Alexa is that EPIC has videoish look and flatter image. Alexa is really close to Arriflex which obviously looks gorgeus. Just watch the newest Pirates of Caribbean or any other movie/trailer shot with EPIC. Then compare those to films or trailers shot with Alexa and you'll see.

 

[Deanan]

OP must be joking. Alexa produces way more film like image than EPIC. The biggest issue with EPIC vs Alexa is that EPIC has videoish look and flatter image. Alexa is really close to Arriflex which obviously looks gorgeus. Just watch the newest Pirates of Caribbean or any other movie/trailer shot with EPIC. Then compare those to films or trailers shot with Alexa and you'll see.

Pirates was shot with RED One and graded aggressively with a LUT that compensated for 3D systems and shows less range than was actually in the original footage (I was there during parts of the shoot and had access to original footage).

Either way, it's easy to make either Alexa or Epic or RED One look flat or great.

Saying Alexa looks like a mechanical camera without naming a film stock is kinda funny though.

 

[Dan Kanes]

OP must be joking. Alexa produces way more film like image than EPIC. The biggest issue with EPIC vs Alexa is that EPIC has videoish look and flatter image. Alexa is really close to Arriflex which obviously looks gorgeus. Just watch the newest Pirates of Caribbean or any other movie/trailer shot with EPIC. Then compare those to films or trailers shot with Alexa and you'll see.

Keep Trolling Dude.

Have you ever even used an Epic Or Alexa? I work with both practically every week. Spend some time behind the lens or at least next to it, and know what you are talking about before coming in here.

 

[Josh Snyder]

People can go watch the trailers from youtube and see. Yes don't lie.