The Camera Department Continuing Education Series hosted on Oct. 9, 10 and 11 their first set of workshops with support from the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600. Sponsored by CW Sonderoptic and camadeus Film Technologies, the workshop entitled “Advanced Lens Prep & Checkout” drew a large number of Southern California cinematographers, 1st assistants and camera operators to the Leica Store and Gallery in West Hollywood to learn more about the art and craft of lens evaluation in a rental environment.
Camera Department CES offered three workshop sessions, each opening with Steven Poster, national president of ICG Local 600, offering words of advice to union members about the importance of prep, continued learning and hard work.
Next, Matthew Duclos, long-time lens technician and COO of Duclos Lenses, lead the class through the finer points of lens design, cleaning and prep. After an introductory presentation that pointed out several myths and misconceptions, the group moved over to a camera to see what lens tests could easily and accurately be performed when the rental house does not have a projector. Later, the group went into the projection room to learn how to read a projection, what to test for, what matters and what doesn’t.
Sebastian Lumme, managing director of camadeus, said, “This event was a great success. We had a strong turnout from the Local 600 and strong presenters in both Steven and Matthew. The feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to doing more of these workshops.”
“The Advanced Lens Checkout workshop was just the beginning,” said CW Sonderoptic marketing director Seth Emmons. “Sebastian and I plan to continue building new seminars around the needs of the men and women who work in the camera department. So much of our industry revolves around mentorship and shared learning, which is great and sets the cinematography world apart from other industries. We simply want to bring a lot of that knowledge into one place for those who want to learn more or learn deeper.”
Poster added, “Training is key to our mission at the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600. When companies with the caliber of CW Sonderoptic and camadeus offers us training on any level our members will always take advantage of the opportunity to further their skills. I wish every member could take advantage of the knowledge imparted at a seminar like this one at the Leica Store.”
Local 600 members and other production professionals who wish to receive more information about future Camera Department Continuing Education Series workshops are encouraged to like the CDCES Facebook page or email directly at info@cdces.org to join the mailing list. The next series of workshops will take place on December 4-6, 2014 in Los Angeles.
Addendum
The ICG Safety app will soon be released for iOS and Android devices. More information about the Safety app will be available on the Local 600 website in the coming weeks.
Local 600 members also qualify for special financing and discounts on the range of products offered by camadeus Film Technologies.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More