4K Opinions & Interviews

Yes, 4K, 8K and 12K are three different pixel resolutions. 4K stands for “four thousand pixels,” which is usually short for 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition). 4K is rounding up the horizontal pixel count, which for 4k UHD is 3840 horizontal pixels and 2160 vertical pixels. Unlike 1080p, 720p, and 480p, which use the vertical pixel resolution as its naming “label”; starting with 4K, the horizontal resolution is used instead i.e. 4k = 3840(w) x 2160(v), 8k = 7680(w) × 4320(v), and 12k = 11520(w) x 6480(v). There is also a difference between 4k UHD and what is colloquially referred to as “Native 4k” or “True 4k,” which is 4096 (w) x 2160 (v). This wider frame is usually the preferred and default settings in cameras as well as cinema projection (DCI) standards. It scales to 8,192 x 4,320 and 12,288 x 6480 for 8K and 12K respectively. You can see that the vertical resolution stays the same, but the frame width increases in each instance.

The director / editor of the project, Adam Hawk-Jensen, asked me to come on board as his director of photography. As I understand it, the nonprofit organization “Victims of Communism,” approached him to helm a new series of documentaries that would tell the stories of these survivors. I knew going into the project that Adam needed me to bring a strong vision with a lot of creative autonomy on my end as his DP - he’s a great collaborator in that regard. I’ve worked a lot as a cinematographer on projects that explore themes of liberty and what it takes to sustain a free and prosperous society, as well as the inverse. While I have only shot three videos for the Witness Project, it’s been an absolute honor to capture the story of these heroic and inspiring individuals.

Display technology has considerably advanced over the last decade. The 2K-to-4K UHD transition represents a giant leap forward in video realism and has created a lot of buzz with content creators. The industry’s demand for higher image fidelity and an immersive cinematic experience has catalyzed the technological advances required for a true 4K experience. When viewed from 3.5 to 5 feet away, 4K images on a 50 inch 4K TV are life-like, with more depth and color. Desktop displays at only 18 to 36 inches away display sharper and significantly more detailed images.

The K’s in 4k, 6k, 8k, and beyond, represent the horizontal resolution of an image. For example if you have a 4K camera shooting an image you will be creating 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution and 2,000 pixels of vertical resolution. So in essence, the more K’s you have, the more information is being captured.

A major trend in broadcasting recently is Video over IP, and we’ll be showing a demonstration of how the technology works, in order to showcase the huge potential it has to change broadcast workflows and speed up time to air. The demonstration will involve a newly developed VOIP gateway for 4K and HD video, which uses IP networks to transmit video in near real-time, sufficient for seamless video switching. We’ll also have our latest remote camera range at the show, which remains hugely popular for reality shows and outside broadcasts. The range includes our 4K AW-UE70 remote cameras, as well as a focus-assist camera, the AW-HEA10, which can be used remotely with an iPad. IBC will also be the first opportunity to see working models of two additions to our professional 4K range, the AG-UX180 and AG-UX90, after they were announced at NAB earlier in the year. In addition, we will be displaying prototypes of a 360 degree real-time camera, which is currently in development and a working model of our new AK-UB300, 4K box camera, as part of a robotics system ideal for studio and live production applications.

There is no set standard for this. As many test setups as required would be conducted to ensure that everything would be safe.

Jeff Feuerzeig and I met on a commercial shoot in which we connected creatively. He mentioned he was looking to collaborate with a DP on an up and coming film project about JT Leroy! Ironically I shot Savanna as JT Leroy back in 2006 for a Robert Wilson "Director of The Black Rider" art project. So our collaboration on Author was meant to be.

I’ve been working in VFX for more than 23 years now – I still feel as passionate about it today as the day I started. Unlike when I started, however, I’m very grateful night shift isn’t required anymore! (Except for a few odd occasions!). I’m a lover of photography and try to shoot as much as I can.

I just came to a point in my career where I said this wasn't fun anymore playing the mean killers and hateful raging characters. I made some money playing those characters, however as a classically trained actor, after a while I wanted to seek something else to creatively nurture my artistic side.

I was a Set Decorator for sometime and on the film Cleaner, the director Renny Harlin said to me, "You should Design, you have a real vision." Up until that point I hadn't really thought about it.  A couple years later, I remembered that and decided to make the leap into production design.  A friend I went to film school with, Karri O'Reilly, was producing a bunch of low-budget horror films in Iowa when it had a tax credit and had heard I was wanting to design. Sheave me a ring and said, "Do you want to do these four films in Iowa?" I said, “When do I start?” and that was really the beginning.

I worked in London and came to Toronto five years ago as I was attracted to the strong creative community here. In the last seven years I’ve collaborated with brands such as TED, Apple, Starbucks, Sky, McDonalds; agencies including DDB, Blast Radius, Brothers and Sisters; and studios like NEON, IAMSTATIC, Jam3, and Tendril. While I’ve enjoyed working with clients, I created Apiary to focus on building our own intellectual property and tell stories on our own terms. There's a lot of movement and opportunity for 3D artists and motion designers in the VR landscape right now and we are excited to play in this market.

Production side: 4K is four times better resolution than HD. It is similar to the jump made from standard to High Definition. Once everyone has fully made the move to 4K, no one will go back to UHD. I think everything should be shot in 4K, you should source in 4K, not HD.