May 31, 2006 10:21 - Digital video cameras go to war with the combatents
Instead of going to Iraq and shooting the video for her documentary, Deborah has given digital video cameras to the soldiers themselves and had them shoot their expeiorences. Check out the results:
Deborah Scranton's "The War Tapes"
Attempting to achieve a delicate balance between a respect for and a critical stance toward the subject, with a constant awareness of the moral and ethical dilemmas potentially undermining the epistemological foundations of their projects, war documentaries arrive onscreen carrying a host of artistic burdens. "The War Tapes" is unique in its radical attempt to get past the ideological suspicion accompanying antiwar docs by having the bulk of its footage shot by soldiers themselves--detractors will initially hesitate before declaring that director (but how useful is such a term for a film like this?) Deborah Scranton brought her political baggage to a complex reality toward which she refused to remain objective. The misconception will no doubt also arise that "The War Tapes" captures the "real" face of the Iraq War in a way supposedly inferior documentaries fail to do because of their limited access to military quarters and combat zones. This is of course, nonsense--even if "The War Tapes" allows us to view the war directly from soldiers' points of view, it is still filtered, edited, and selected to manufacture distinct effects. Make no mistake, however: "The War Tapes" is decidedly antiwar, and its use of video diary from the front lines isn't mere exploitation--it's powerful reportage
by Michael Joshua Rowin with responses from Chris Wisniewski and Nicolas Rapold (May 30, 2006)
[indieWIRE's weekly reviews are written by critics from Reverse Shot.]
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May 27, 2006 08:22 - Digital Cameras: The New Generation by Olga Sen
With the advent of modern scientific tools, life has become highly sophisticated. There has been a significant evolution in the technology and the lifestyles of the human beings. One of the fine examples of evolution is the advent and craze for digital cameras. A digital camera is equipped with an electronic photosensitive sensor. The photographs are stored digitally in the in-built memory of the camera and can be directly uploaded on a computer for viewing and printing. There is no need for buying films or getting them processed with these modern gadgets.
The craze for using the cameras can be traced back to the 16th century. Man has used the cameras to capture the history or larger-than-life-events. As the science has expanded in this ever-shrinking world, the expansion of camera technology has soared to new heights. From the normal camera, the world has stepped into the era of digital cameras. These cameras have brought in a complete revolution in the camera industry.
The features of digital camera are so unique and advanced, that handling the camera has become a child’s play. Before you go and buy your digital camera, you should know some basic information on these modern weapons. You must pick the right camera to capture your precious moments.
How a Digital Camera Works
The basic difference between a digital camera and normal camera is that a normal camera uses a film to store the photographic images, while a digital camera uses an in-built memory to store the photographs in digital format. The lens of the digital camera focuses the light directly on to a semiconductor device. This device records the light electronically. The computer then breaks and stores this electronic data into digital data, which gets stored in the memory of the camera and can be transferred on to a computer.
Charge Coupled Device (CCD) is employed as the image sensors in the digital cameras. These charge coupled devices are responsible for converting the light into electronic forms. The CCD is made up of light sensitive diodes which accumulate electrons when hit by a beam of light. The prominently used CCDs are the triple CCD cameras. The product of these cameras is superb as the three CCDs react separately to the three basic colors such as red, blue and green. The end result is fantastic. These electronic symbols are then stored as digital data in the digital camera.
Buying a Digital Camera
The modern market is booming with various types of digital cameras. Digital cameras vary in function and most of all their mega pixel quality. If you plan to buy a digital camera, prior information about digital cameras would be an added advantage.
First of all you should figure out your need for buying a digital camera. The need for a digital camera helps you narrow your search for the best camera, suited to your requirements. You might want to buy a digital camera for posting photographs on the net, using photos for professional graphics work, to get a better-quality photographs and much more.
Next thing you should determine is the resolution you require in a digital camera. There are broadly 5 classifications of resolutions for digital cameras. These resolutions are expressed as mega-pixels. The higher the resolution of a camera, the better quality photograph it will produce. There are cameras available with 6 and 7 mega-pixels however, anything above 4 mega-pixels will produce really great photos.
Now buying a digital camera should be easy!
Olga Sen writes articles on a number of different topics. For more information on Digital Cameras please visit http://www.digital-camera-guides.com/ and for additional Digital Camera related articles please visit the following article pagehttp://www.digital-camera-guides.com/digitalcameras-articles/
Article Source:http://goodinfohome.com
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May 25, 2006 19:54 - Check out this easy to use digital video camera
The LA Times reviewed this new camera from Pure Digital Technologies Inc.. Cheap and easy to use, for a change... Check it out.----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Small Easy: Device Creates Instant Video
"Point-and-shoot" is not a term I associate with digital camcorders.
When I try out a new one, the pointing and shooting usually has to wait until I take a few moments to learn the basic controls. If the video camera doesn't have its memory disk or tape installed, add several more minutes. And if I have to consult the manual, tack on at least an hour.
So much for instant memories.
But as I was wandering through the newsroom a few days ago, I came upon a going-away gathering for an editor named Betty who had been promoted and was moving to the Food section. She was about to give a goodbye speech.
I quickly pulled the new Pure Digital Point & Shoot Video Camcorder ( about the size of a deck of cards ) out of my shirt pocket, pressed the record button on the back and zoomed in to capture her heartfelt remarks.
There were only four buttons plus a rocker switch for the zoom on the back of the camcorder, so even I couldn't mess it up.
When Betty was done, I zoomed out to catch the applause from the crowd and then walked back to my desk. I plugged the camcorder into a USB port on my computer, and about a minute later I was e-mailing the clip to Betty's co-workers.
The age of instant and relatively inexpensive video has arrived. This camcorder, which came out this month from Pure Digital Technologies Inc. of San Francisco, costs only about $130.
There are drawbacks, the biggest being that the images are not up to the quality of those made by more expensive and complicated video cameras.
But it could be just the thing for someone who wants to capture vacation memories without dealing with a full-fledged video camera. It could also be a good choice as a work tool. For example, an employee in charge of finding new offices for a company could easily shoot video of various spaces and e-mail the clips back to headquarters.
This is not the camcorder you'd want to use to record a major family occasion or a company presentation aimed at impressing outsiders. Nevertheless, the images were quite viewable — especially when shown uncompressed on a computer or television screen — considering the compact profile and ease of use of the device. Indeed, from the moment I opened the Point & Shoot package until I sent off my first clips, I never consulted the manual.
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