Digital

I've had a blog for a few years now that talks primarily about film gear that I've used that I can't find much info on. You can read more at

www.theclosefocus.com

Streambox remote grading

All of a sudden, all my past projects want to finish and need to get into grading. A few have allowed me and the colorist to be in the...

Jonathan Hall

Dec 8, 20202 min read

2:1 Aspect Ratio for a Feature Film

There are many different aspect ratios being framed for out there, but the one getting a lot of screen time these days is the hybrid...

Jonathan Hall

Jun 18, 20183 min read

Panasonic GH5 SLR Magic Anamorphic

I was asked to shoot a docu-project at a tech conference in San Francisco a few months ago and the reason it interested me was not only...

Jonathan Hall

Dec 30, 20172 min read

Arri “OPENGATE” for 2.39:1 for Spherical

I was in pre-production for a film when I ran into the need to understand all my options for shooting in a 2.39:1 ratio on digital. I...

Jonathan Hall

Aug 26, 20174 min read

Sony a6300 travelcam

I’m not much of a DSLR guy. Normally I prefer bigger cameras for any regular job, but sometimes you need an all-in,...

Jonathan Hall

Jul 31, 20162 min read

Sony A7s Drone Short

So, I’m out for drinks one night with my friend Jordan Rubin and he turns to me and says, “I’m thinking about doing a mock trailer for a...

Jonathan Hall

Jul 3, 20153 min read

Canon 1D C

I’ve been getting my hands on some interesting DSLR camera systems lately, all of them with their own cool features and price points. ...

Jonathan Hall

Jan 19, 20153 min read

Hands on the Arriflex AMIRA

I finally got my hands on the new Arriflex “Amira” camera system. Actually, I got my hands on it for two projects in a row, which...

Jonathan Hall

Nov 19, 20143 min read

Blackmagic 4K RAW

I recently got the chance to play with the newly updated Blackmagic 4K Cinema Camera in its long-awaited “RAW” mode and was impressed...

Jonathan Hall

Aug 22, 20142 min read

Phantom FLEX

Every once and in a while I get the chance to shoot some very high-speed footage. I have worked with the Phantom systems a few times and...

Jonathan Hall

Dec 8, 20134 min read

Lo-Fi Video

A few weeks ago, I was asked to shoot a project with the idea of looking like it was shot years ago with old public access equipment....

Jonathan Hall

Oct 19, 20132 min read

Lo-Fi Video

A few weeks ago, I was asked to shoot a project with the idea of looking like it was shot years ago with old public access equipment....

Jonathan Hall

Oct 19, 20132 min read

CATHERINE and the PANASONIC SDX900

What you see here is a 2003 Panasonic SDX900 recording at 60i, going out SDI standard definition 480i 16×9 to an AJA up-converter to...

Jonathan Hall

Sep 2, 20131 min read