Filmmaking

Is it time to turn your TV on its side and embrace the future? Or is vertical video just a passing trend, fundamentally unsuited to how we want to watch things?

Two very different $200-million-dollar films. Two release strategies. Two pathways to the future. The theatrical film industry has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a pair of films could determine the fate of the definitive popular entertainment medium of the past century.

Blackmagic Design has sent the filmmaking world into fits of nervous laughter with a new digital film camera capable of shooting 12K RAW at 60 frames per second. Yes, each frame will be an 80-megapixel raw photo with 14 stops of dynamic range.

Although the showbiz industry still is centralized in places like Hollywood, it's becoming less and less so as technology advances. That's where Solo Cinebot comes in, as it's a robotic camera system that can be operated over the internet.

When it comes to video-camera-stabilizing gimbals, some are motorized, and some work solely by the force of gravity. The GravGrip is among the latter, but is unique in that it incorporates hydraulics.

That little quadcopter of yours may be fine for shooting cool videos, but when it comes to industrial applications, a beefier drone is often required. That's where the Acecore Noa comes in, as it can lift up to 20 kg (44 lb).

New specs released today on the upcoming EOS R5 show Canon is finally ready to take a leadership position in mirrorless video, getting back to the pointy end of things with some truly juicy capabilities including 8K RAW video capture.

Filmmaking is entering a new era, powered by the technology that's made video games some of the most compelling entertainment in recent history. It's not green-screen CGI as we know it, either – it's the creation of whole digitally projected sets.

Phone makers continue to cram better lenses and more cameras into their phones, and now app developers are catching up: a new app called DoubleTake from Filmic lets you record from multiple cameras at once on the latest iPhone handsets.

With their built-in HD cameras and nice big LCD screens, tablets are tempting to use in professional video production. Their format is still a little cumbersome, though, which is where the iOgrapher Pro is designed to come in.

From long-awaited adaptions of classic sci-fi novels, to blockbuster original stories from some of our most creative modern visionaries, here are our picks for the most anticipated science fiction film and TV hitting screens in 2020.

Although camera drones can already automatically circle or follow a subject, they don't know what sort of shots actually "look good" artistically. That could be about to change, as a new system turns drones into self-directed aerial cinematographers.