The P3 Update Magazine Blog

By Gordon Meyer

P3GizmoGuy@gmail.com

If you’re a working professional, a good printer is one of your most essential tools.  At CES earlier this year, one of my quests was to find a multi-purpose printer that give great performance at a modest price – and just as importantly, was inexpensive to use in terms of consumables (i.e. ink or toner).

I’ve been playing with Lexmark’s new Pro905 for several weeks now and am very impressed with what I’ve seen so far.  This is a full color inkjet printer/flatbed scanner/copier/fax machine with dual paper trays (combined capacity of about 300 sheets) and auto document feeder. 

That document feeder was one of the first things I tested by scanning a 130 page screenplay from my library and converting it into a PDF file.  The 905 can handle about 30 pages at a time in its document feeder and took roughly 15 seconds per page.  While the bundled software didn’t give me the option of pausing the scan process to load in a new batch of pages, using Adobe Acrobat, I was able to easily combine each section into a complete script file.

The 905 also comes with business card scanning software, which is pretty nifty since I’m always picking up cards at meetings, trade events, etc.  I’ll get into the specifics of that software in an upcoming column and compare it to its counterpart bundled with Fujitsu’s ScanSnap document scanners (also to be discussed in an upcoming blog entry).

While there are lots of features to still be explored and spoken of with this product, it still comes down to print quality, speed and cost of operation.  Let’s get one of the few down sides out of the way first. Lexmark claims a print speed of over 30 pages per minute for the Pro905.  Folks, it’s an inkjet printer and that technology is inherently slow.  If you’ve got a graphics-intensive page, it’s going to take a while to print.  The Pro905 is not intended for heavy duty or high volume printing.  It’s just not that fast.

However it does print beautifully clean text and, depending on the source material and type of paper you’re using, pretty damn good color graphics and pictures.  I really like that Lexmark gives you the option of two sided printing as well, which is kind of cool to watch as the printer sucks the paper back into its guts to print the flip side of the page.  If you’re part of a wireless network, you can use your WiFi card to connect instead of the USB cable (included).

Even better is the cost of consumables.  Most inkjet printers really sock it to you charging as much as $20 for a black ink cartridge that will render a few hundred pages.  The Pro905 (and a few other new models from Lexmark) uses a new ink technology that lasts around 500 pages per cartridge on average and only costs $5.00 to replace.  (Staples sells the replacement black cartridges in a 2-pack for $10.)  My black cartridge just ran out the other night and according to the stats listed on the test page, was right at 499 pages.  Pretty nifty.

The Lexmark Platinum Pro905 has an SRP of $399.  I’ve seen it offered online for as little as $298, including shipping.  Now because of its speed, if I were printing out multiple copies of a 120 page screenplay, I’d definitely prefer a good basic laser printer.  But for day to day small size/small volume print jobs, it’s a damn good value.

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By Gordon Meyer

P3GizmoGuy@gmail.com

Sometimes ya gotta be able to pull rabbits out of your hat when you’re on set, especially in the independent world.  DP Paolo Cascio was on location in New York, shooting the low budget feature “The Big Shot-Caller.”  He was shooting in Times Square and had been given permission to shoot at the Sheraton for one night.  Unfortunately, they were missing a shot because the actor had already gone home and came back the next night. 

Arriving on set, PC turned to his gaffer to begin the process of setting up his shot, only to be told that they had no generator – it had been sent back to the rental house at the end of the previous night’s shoot because it was only booked for the one night.  In addition, he learned that they didn’t even have a permit to shoot for that second night.

It was a textbook guerilla filmmaking challenge – how to shoot something on the sly without the use of normal lights.  The shot absolutely had to happen as the main character was having an emotional breakdown that was critical to the story.   Cascio decided it was time to channel MacGyver. 

He immediately began scanning the location to see what he could draw on. It was Times Square, so plenty of light for the background, but no light for the actor’s face.  Suddenly, the solution presented itself.  Cascio directed his driver to pull his Lincoln SUV to a specific spot on the street and turn his on high beams.  He then got a grip to grab a 4×4 bounce card with a silver side and stand in front of the car with the bounce card at a 45 degree angle so the light was directed straight into the wall.  It worked perfectly – and the shot can be briefly seen in the film’s trailer at http://www.thebigshotcaller.com/.

As PC demonstrated with that challenge, the greatest tool a cinematographer has is not what’s on his truck or toolbox.  It’s their flexibility and creativity and ability to think under fire – all in the service of the story. 

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By Margie Barron
Movies for Grownups got their own awards show thanks to AARP the Magazine, which held a ceremony and handed out trophies. It was cool to see the best films of the year, which features the over 50 crowd, being honored .

Actually, the mature stars and movies had quite a year. Bill Newcott of AARP said, “In 2009, 50+ actors and filmmakers turned in performances and films that were riveting and nothing short of daring. Tackling war, apartheid, sexuality and adding real depth to romantic comedies, the 50+ Hollywood community shows once again that they are an integral, much-needed element of the film industry. And 60-year-old Meryl Streep proved without a doubt that she is the leading lady of our times, a critical and box-office cottage industry.” All I can say is “Amen” to that.

I admire intelligence and experience, and for me nothing is more entertaining than a “smart film,” whether it’s an outrageous comedy or a gritty drama. Just add a star with a familiar face and substantial hard-earned credits to his/her name, and I’ll certainly purchase a ticket for that movie.

At the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, I got to mix and mingle with the over 50 crowd, which included the guest of honor Robert De Niro, who accepted the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award. Jeff Bridges was there and got the Best Actor award presented by his Crazy Heart co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal…so I got a preview of his sincerely humble Oscar acceptance speech.

Ultra-mature Morgan Freeman was there for Invictus, along with producer Lori McCreary. The film, directed by Clint Eastwood, was named the Best Movie for Grownups, and Julie & Julia (starring Meryl Streep, who wasn’t there — darn it!) won the Best Grownup Love Story. Best Comedy for Grownups was It’s Complicated, Helen Mirren was named Best Actress for The Last Station, The Soloist won Best Buddy Movie, The AARP’s Readers’ Choice award went to The Blind Side, and an award for Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up went to Star Trek.

As De Niro said, “I’m still a kid, and like most kids, I’m very happy for the approval of grownups.”

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by Frank Barron

I remember when television shows had one or possibly two writers. Now there are at least a dozen on every program, half hour or hour.

So with great anticipation, I went to the Writers Guild of America West awards event at the Century Plaza Hotel to find out why so many scribes? The answer, a producer told me, was that while a couple might be working on the current show, another pair could be writing an upcoming script, while others could be going over future scripts. And most would get producer credits. Well, it seems superfluous to me, but what do I know? I’m just glad these guys have jobs.

At this year’s WGA awards lots of deserving writers received their statuettes. Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker, Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air, and many more. At the awards, the writers grouped together like a family– which they really are. Very large families, by the number of writers who took the stage for “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and “Mad Men.” Mad Men’s creator-writer-producer Matthew Weiner made sure they all got their names mentioned backstage in front of the press. It was their moment in the spotlight. There were accolades and congratulations for the all the winners in various writing categories: comedy, drama, documentaries, etc.

Carl Gottlieb, who I crossed paths with decades ago when he was writing for “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” was honored with the Morgan Cox Award recognizing his longtime service to the Guild. We asked him about his favorite line from all the scripts he’s written in his lifetime. Musing about the Jaws screenplay (by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb) Gottlieb smiled and said, “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

Yep, great lines don’t write themselves. But I still question the number of writers on every show. But hey– it’s not my money.

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By Gordon Meyer

P3GizmoGuy@gmail.com

Almost a year ago, I conducted an interview with writer/director/DP Peter Hyams, who predicted that James Cameron’s “Avatar” would do for 3D what “The Jazz Singer” did for synchronized sound and “Star Wars” did for Dolby Stereo.  Maybe he’s right.  3D is certainly hot.  “Avatar” is setting global box office records like nobody’s business with much of those “Titanic” revenues coming from the higher 3D ticket prices that many theatres now charge.

I’m embarrassed to say that it’s taken me up until now to finally get around to seeing “Avatar”.  I did so at the AMC Universal Citywalk IMAX earlier today and have to say, although I enjoyed the movie and was awestruck by the amazing world of Pandora that Cameron and his crew created, I walked out of that theatre questioning how much of a difference the 3D actually made.

Great movies are about great stories with compelling characters and telling those stories in ways that draw you in.  The technology used is almost secondary and should, in fact, take a back seat to the story.   In this case, I’d say the CG and motion capture technologies that Cameron so artfully used to create this magnificent other world proved to be much more important to the artistic success of “Avatar” than its 3D implementation. 

Now to be fair, the IMAX rendition I saw was a digital to film transfer and frankly the brightness of that IMAX projection system leaves a lot to be desired.  I will try to catch “Avatar” in a completely digital 3D environment in the next week or two for a second opinion.

But at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month, I saw countless 3D demos with a broad spectrum of subject matter.  Getting out my crystal ball, I predict that sports will be killer app that will sell more 3D TVs than anything.  And a different type of sports, euphemistically referred to as “explicit erotica” will no doubt be a close second as the adult entertainment industry has traditionally embraced and exploited new technologies for decades. 

Yes ladies and gentlemen, 3D is on the cusp of becoming main stream.   At first, there will be a lot of crap out there that will sell well simply because of the novelty factor.  Just as multi-channel sound systems like Dolby Digital and DTS were at first ticket-selling novelties, in time audio artists learned to master those technical tools so that they are now an integral and organic part of the big screen storytelling process, 3D will ultimately become the norm.

However in order to cost justify the investments in technology throughout the entire entertainment food chain, from pre-production all the way to the plethora of in-home 3D products due out later this year, the artistic challenge is to find ways to create 3D content that takes advantage of its immersive capabilities without getting gimmicky so that, once the novelty wears off, audiences worldwide have compelling reasons to pay a premium for 3D content. 

I’ll tell you what.  Whoever has the broadcast rights to the next Olympic games should be mastering 3D sports coverage right now (if they’re not already).  Because, just as the Super Bowl sells lots of big screen TVs, so too will the Olympics in 3D (and the Super Bowl too) sell a slew of 3D TVs and DVRs.

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By Gordon Meyer

P3GizmoGuy@gmail.com

You never know who you’re going to run into at trade shows, which is one of the reasons I like them so much.  Take last week’s Createasphere Entertainment Technology Exhibition (formerly HD Expo) at the Universal City Hilton.   In addition to running into several of my P3 Update colleagues (the magazine was an exhibitor and media sponsor), I re-connected with my old friend Paolo Cascio, who usually goes by “PC” and won the 2009 Emerging Cinematographer Award from the International Cinematographer’s Guild last September.

PC is a journeyman camera guy who has been living and breathing his craft since seeing his first Panaflex camera at the age of 16, while taking a tour of Alcatraz with his parents during a family vacation.  A film crew was doing a location shoot at the time and, PC was hooked.  He’s been steadily mastering his craft, first in his native Chicago and now here in LA ever since. 

I’ve known PC for several years.  He’s a man of professional integrity who only takes on gigs he can be passionate about. In fact he’s turned down a number of gigs during his career because of that.  He told me that to simply take on a project for a check would be too much of a disservice to the director as he wouldn’t be giving it his all.

Towards the end of the summer of 2008, he was booked to work on a Tyler Perry project and a gig in his home town.  Then life happened.  The Perry project got pushed back, the Chicago gig got cancelled and he had already given up his apartment.  Suddenly he found himself living in his car.

You can learn more about PC’s story both in a feature article about him in the Chicago Daily Herald (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=359551) that appeared on February 18 and on his website (http://www.pchollywood.com).   You’ll also be reading an interesting war story about his creativity on-set in an upcoming piece I’m writing for the print edition of P3 Update.

Here’s the thing I want to say about my friend.  He committed himself to persevering when on the surface his life had imploded.  And by sticking to his values and sense of self-worth, he came out the other end with flying colors and is on track to take his career to a whole new level.  He is quite the inspiration.

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By Dyana Carmella

Createasphere (formerly know as HD Expo) will be underway this Wednesday and Thursday (February 17-18) at the Universal Hilton in Universal City, Calif., and there will be several enlightening sessions. I’m very interested in seeing what’s new in cameras and 3D and HD technologies, and sitting in on the innovative and inspiring conferences and presentations, such as the Createasphere Digital Asset Management Conference. This unique conference will give attendees the chance to hear industry experts discuss how to deal with the challenges facing digital media. I’m also looking forward to the session “Keeping Production in California: Building an Influential Coalition to Save and Create Jobs and Business Now.” It’s nice to know that California is making an effort to keep producers in the state.

Stop by Createasphere and educate yourself on the next generation of production.  Wednesday will be dedicated to creative seminars and conferences and Thursday will be the only day to walk the floor and talk one-on-one with some of today’s leading HD manufacturers and suppliers.

For more information, visit www.createasphere.com

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By Gordon Meyer

P3GizmoGuy@gmail.com

In the world of electronics, lots of folks define “obsolete” as “no longer state of the art.”  By that definition, they freely claim that by the time a new product hits the stores, it’s already obsolete.  I couldn’t disagree more.  To me, a product like a computer is only obsolete if it can no longer do what you want the way you want it to.  And since a computer is an essential productivity tool for just about everyone in the P3 universe I want to share with you how I’m milking mine for a bit more time before I retire it.

Even though there are constant improvements to hardware and software in the computer world, the truth is, older computers can often still have a lot of life and productivity left in them, especially with the help of an easy internal upgrade in RAM (random access memory – as opposed to the storage memory provided by your hard drive).

Case in point is my own ancient (by computer terms) Compaq PC that I got over 8 years ago.  At that time, its standard 128MB of RAM seemed more than adequate and doubling it to 256MB seemed darned near indulgent.  But even though that 256MB is technically more than enough for most standard Windows apps, my poor old PC has been kvetching along for some time.

Then someone pointed out my own advice to a friend in a similar situation a few years back who wanted to boost her PC’s performance but didn’t want to spend a fortune doing so.  The solution for both of us was a memory upgrade.

Since my computer is so old, I’ve long lost the info specifying what kind of RAM I need.  Fortunately, there’s an online solution through memory maker Lexar/Crucial.  Just go to http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/index.aspx where you can download a small, brief app that will scan your computer’s motherboard to identify just how much RAM you have, how much that motherboard can support and which memory modules will be compatible with your computer.

According to Crucial’s memory scanner, my system has two slots for memory modules, each of which capable of handling up to a gig of RAM for a 2 GB total.  Naturally as part of the diagnostic screen there was a place for me to order the recommended RAM and at a competitive price (about $38 for each 1GB memory module).

As for swapping out the RAM modules, while Crucial does offer pretty good instructions, it’s really a pretty simple process since those modules can physically only fit one way in their respective slots.  It actually took more time to shut down my computer and crack open the case than it did to remove the old modules and install the new ones.  (Reminder: circuit boards like memory modules are very sensitive to static electricity, so you need to ground yourself before handling them.)

Most memory manufacturers buy the RAM chips from someone else and then assemble them on their own circuit boards.  Crucial, through its parent company Micron, does every step of the manufacturing process in-house giving them total control over their product.  I like that.   

While upping my memory isn’t a substitute for getting a new computer (that’s hopefully happening soon), it absolutely extends my PC’s useful life. That 8X memory boost has noticeably improved its performance, especially with Firefox, which loads and runs MUCH faster now.  I am a happy camper.

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