Picture Hire Australia [Archived News 2010] Adelaide, South Australia

NEWS ARCHIVES 2010


December 17, 2010 - Every so often one of Picture Hire's clients wins an award or participates in something worth highlighting, or both. In this case it was local Ad Agency Fnuky. Adtown's Sputnik wrote a fun piece about how Fnuky's Amy O'Connell & Erica Brien cleaned up in a 'nudie' competition. Read Sputnik's story here See the entries here. Both were posted on Nov 12 - 'nudie run' by Amy O'Connell & 'Adam & Eve' by Erica Brien. Well done guys!

December 7, 2010 - At Picture Hire Australia we feel privileged to work with a visual artists the world over who bring us unbelievable imagery. Sometimes we simply cannot believe our eyes. This Christmas Season, Picture Hire Australia will be again donating to Sight For All instead of giving Christmas Gifts. If you would like to also donate to Sight For All, then we can all help play a role in restoring eyesight to the many million people worldwide who are in need. Please visit the Sight for All website for more information & to make a small donation, let's all make a difference. Please donate here Many thanks for your support Liz Francis Managing Director

December 1, 2010 - Pop a champagne on us! Every hire this December you receive a bottle of champagne. Right now you can hire Panasonic's new AG-3DA1 Twin Lens 3D Camera. Why not shoot 2D & 3D at the same time? And, in the New Year the much anticipated Sony PMW-F3 Super 35mm Digital Cinematography Camcorder arrives. As Christmas approaches don't forget you can purchase a Picture Hire Gift Voucher to any value to give to your fellow filmmaking colleagues, every dollar helps when it comes to making films of any length.

November 28, 2010 - Picture Hire Australia goes 3D! The Panasonic AG-3DA1 Camcorder is the world’s first integrated twin-lens full HD 3D camera recorder, equipped with convergence point adjustment, & automatic horizontal & vertical displacement correction functions. The solid-state memory file based recording system enables high efficiency production workflow for 3D videos.

November 22, 2010 - Until the end of December 2010 Zacuto are running three great promotions: AUD $50.00 Instant Rebate on Striker AUD $125.00 Instant Rebate on Fast Draw Free Z-Finder Storage case with every Z-Finder purchase Contact Pete Hall on 8364 2411 or pete@picturehire.com to obtain a quote.

November 22, 2010 - An official letter from the Manager Dangerous Goods Standards & Compliance at QANTAS approving members of the ACS [Australian Cinematographers Society] to carry Lithium Ion Batteries on QANTAS flights. Download the pdf document for ACS Members here Click here for more information on Dangerous Goods.

November 22, 2010 - At this years ACS SA & WA Awards for Cinematography data was recorded in relation to what camera/format the Cinematographer chose to record his or her images. It's the first year such data has been recorded. It's a fascinating snapshot on what camera equipment was used to record the winning entries, but depending on what camp you're from the data can be massaged to suit your needs. Read more .......

November 13, 2010 - Every year here at Picture Hire Australia we like to publicly congratulate those Cinematographers who win awards for their cinematography. At this years ACS SA/WA State Awards we of course congratulate all winners but would like to make special mention to those who used Picture Hire equipment, whether that be an entire kit or part of. Read more .......

November 10, 2010 - The SaveMAPSfilmschool Facebook Page is now active & was created with the aim of demonstrating the importance of keeping MAPS alive. If you're an ex student, or you'd just like to show your support, please visit the Page & participate in any way you can. If you feel without MAPS you wouldn't be where you are today feel free to upload a short video testimonial. Tell us about your career, success, projects, or whatever it is you feel is important. Click here to visit SaveMAPSfilmschool

November 7, 2010 - Digital SLRs for TV Production by TV Technologies Asia Pacific Magazine's Craig Norris, is an excellent article for those who are considering using HDSLR Cameras to shoot HD video. As you'll read there's lots to consider before recording your first frame. Craig says "The most basic problem with a digital stills camera is that one can't hold them in a way that a motion picture camera needs to be held". Click here to download the 4 page pdf. Subscription is free to TV Technologies Asia/Pacific Magazine.

November 1, 2010 - MAPS future beyond 2012 is uncertain. Due to proposed cuts to secondary education recently bought upon by the South Australian Government, MAPS' future is unclear. Click here to view ABC Stateline's broadcast about MAPS' dilemma. Hopefully in the coming weeks there will be news of a petition that we can all participate in. MAPS is extremely important to South Australia's Film & TV industry & after almost 30 years to have it disappear from our landscape would be heartbreaking for Peter Thurmer, other MAPS staff, & the many students who have studied there.

October 20, 2010 - The MAPS Film School based at Hamilton College has a history of preparing filmmakers that spans more than twenty years. Over that time it has produced the ruling share of technically trained film & video specialists engaged on film shoots, operating in television stations & working within Production Companies. Interested in Camera Operation, Editing, Production, Audio, Script Writing, Photography & more? On Tuesday November 2nd & Wednesday November 10th MAPS are opening their doors at 6:30pm & accepting applications for 2011. For information on the Diploma courses visit the MAPS website. For those industry professionals who have ether studied with MAPS or are familiar with it please spread the word. Click here for the offical Open Night Invite.

October 19, 2010 - Congratulations to Producer Alexandra Blue & Writer/Director Dimitrios Pouliotis, they were the successful team selected for the 'Next Step' $25,000 investment from the MRC for their 15 minute film Unfinished Thoughts. Funding will be made up of $15,000 in cash from the MRC, $5,000 in equipment hire from Picture Hire Australia & MRC, & a further $5,000 in post production equipment &/or facilities from Oasis Post. Production is scheduled to commence in November 2010. We look forward to working with Alex & Dimi soon.

October 6, 2010 - Learn a little about one of Picture Hire Australia's staff members, Cinematographer Pete Hall. Recently TV Technology Asia/Pacific magazine contacted Pete for an in-depth interview & asked for a bunch of stills to appear in their 'Sharp Shooters' section. Pete was extremely surprised & at first thought it was a hoax, but sure enough the article arrived today. Here you'll find a pdf of the relevant pages. Subscribe to TV Technology Asia/Pacific free.

October 5, 2010 - Help bring HDSLR legend Philip Bloom to Adelaide. Philip Bloom is currently working with RODE Microphones on bringing his DSLR workshops to Australia. So he has the best info on where & what we all want from these workshops please click the link below & add your comments. There's no guarantee Philip will visit Adelaide so please let him know how welcome he'd be. http://bit.ly/philipbloomadelaide

September 21, 2010 - The Australian Cinematographers Society [ACS] has announced the names of four the Cinematographers that were recently Accredited at screenings held on September 11 & 12, 2010. Amongst the four accredited was South Australia's Nick Matthews. Nick will join 331 other Accredited cinematographers since the inception of Accreditation by the ACS in 1963. All the staff at Picture Hire Australia would like to congratulate Nick on an amazing achievement. To be consider as one of Australia's best is something special.

September 7, 2010 - Back in May The Media Resource Centre [MRC] launched a new production initiative, 'Next Step', & on offer was $25,000 to assist an establishing filmmaking team to develop & produce an engaging short film. Picture Hire Australia offered its support by donating $5,000.00 in equipment hire. The final three teams have been chosen & are as follows: Unfinished Thoughts (Drama) - Dimi Pouliotis & Alex Blue Somewhere West (Drama) - Bowen Ellames & Jennifer Jones No Bus (Drama) - Kath Dooley & Liz Dooley Congratulations to all three teams & we look forward to working with the winning applicant soon.

September 1, 2010 - This Spring Picture Hire Australia is reducing its Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD Camcorder & the Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 P2 HD Camcorder by 10%, so that's up to $80.00 back in your pocket. You also receive a gift with every hire!

August 27, 2010 - Today we added a Panasonic AG-HPX2700E P2 HD VariCam to our increasing range of professional broadcast cameras. The Panasonic VariCam is well known as a camera that delivers appealing, warm, film-like tone & textured images. This image quality has now been passed on to the AG-HPX2700E P2 HD VariCam. With the reliability, solid-state technology, 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra recording & variable frame rates, this camera produces beautiful images for TV drama productions, natural history, documentary, sport & ENG applications. To view the camera kit & accessories click here. Panasonic AJ-HPX2700/3700 Offical Brochure

July 28, 2010 - Recently Picture Hire offered a sizable to discount to anybody from SA attempting to win a possible $50,000 by creating the next Doritos TVC. Submissions for the Make an Ad make a Fortune competition are now closed. By visiting the Gallery you're able to see the entries, but more importantly please support our South Aussie guys. To do this visit the following links & cast your vote. Vote for week 8 now to be in the running to win a Sony Bloggy, there are 71 one to win...... Good luck guys! Daniel Phillips > Perfect For Any Situation Michael Zeitz > The Interview

July 20, 2010 - The ASC [SA] Branch had one of its best attended events ever with the HDSLR Trade Night held on July 8. Fifty six turned up, that’s right 56! All hungry for info, pizza & a drink. The presenters included Picture Hire's Pete Hall, Kojo's Rags Phillpot, DoP Nick Mathews & post expert David Ngo from The Cutting Room. This all took place at ASC Gold sponsor AV-Central's premises where their huge range of HD monitors were lit up with HDSLR footage. For those who were turned away Picture Hire will be running a smaller session soon. Please contact our office to register your interest. ACS [SA] Kinemagraphe July 2010 ASC [SA] HDSLR Hand Out

July 11, 2010 - Back in July 2009 Picture Hire congratulated one of its regulars, Kirsty Stark, for winning the NSW leg of Vantastic Adventures "Drive It, Film It, Win It" competition. Kirsty & sister Carly spent 6 weeks driving from Brisbane to Sydney in September & October 09 & filmed their adventure. Want to win a MacBook Pro, iPhone & more? Vote for Kirsty & Carly & go into the draw to win a $5000 prize pack. Support fellow South Aussies & vote here

July 8, 2010 - Join the ASC [SA] Committee to an exclusive screening of Animal Kingdom followed by a Q&A with Aussie DoP Adam Arkapaw. When > Monday July 26, 2010 - film starts @ 6:30pm sharp! Where > Palace Nova - Cinema 9, South Side Rundle Street, Adelaide Cost > Free to ACS Members who show their membership cards RSVP > July 24, 2010 to Ernie Clark ernie@ernieclarkfilms.com ACS [SA] Branch ASC [SA] Animal Kingdom Flyer

July 6, 2010 - Acceptances for the ACS [SA] HDSLR Trade Night are now closed. The ASC [SA] Committee would like to thank those who have chosen to attend the evening on July 8th, & are apologetic to those who have been turned away. There are more ACS Trade Nights planned so please stay in touch. ACS [SA] Branch

June 17, 2010 - ACS [SA] HDSLR Trade Night July 8, 2010 @ 6:30pm. Test & discuss the latest HDSLR cameras from Canon thanks to ACS sponsors Picture Hire Australia, Kojo Pictures & AV Central. On show will be Canon's EOS 1DMKIV, 5DMKII, & 7D DSLR Cameras, HDSLR Rigs from Hot Rod, Zacuto, Redrock Micro & Cavision, EF & PL Lenses from Canon, Cooke & Zeiss. If you're not an ACS member but would like to join prior to attending the Trade Night download an application form here. Picture Hire's Pete Hall will gladly nominate you. Please RSVP by July 4, 2010 to Ernie Clark ACS ernie@ernieclarkfilms.com ACS Trade Night - Moving Stills Flyer ACS Membership Application Form

June 16, 2010 - Doritos are at it again with their 'Make an Ad, Make a Fortune' competition, & this time they've cranked up the prize money to a maximum $50,000! Picture Hire is offering 50% discount on F800, EX3 & 1DMKIV camera kits for any crews attempting to win the cash! Once the offical winner has been announced all entries shot with Picture Hire's gear will be uploaded to our Vimeo site vimeo.com/picturehire. Deadline is July 26, 2010 @ 5:00pm AEST For full competition details visit doritos.com.au &/or download terms & conditions here. Doritos 2010 Competition Flyer

June 1, 2010 - This June receive 10% discount of Sony PDW-F800 XDCAM HD Camcorder, Canon 2/3" HD Lenses, Panasonic 17" LCD HD Monitors & AJA's brilliant Ki Pro. And for any hire of $100.00 & over take home a Steeple Jack Merlot!

May 31, 2010 - Zacuto's 'The Great Camera Shootout 2010' Episode 3 is now online. For those who are not familiar with Zacuto they are an innovative company specializing in accessories for Film, HD Video & HDSLR cameras. In this three part web series we see gunslinging HD DSLRs face-off against legendary 35mm Film. The webisodic series showcases the top performing hybrid HD DSLR cameras; Canon EOS 1DMKIV, 5DMKII, 7D, 60D & 550D/T2i Rebel, Nikon D3s, Panasonic GH1 & compares the image quality of these cameras against the gold standard of 35mm film. And don't forget Picture Hire Australia is an authorised Zacuto dealer. http://www.zacuto.com/shootout

May 27, 2010 - Reduction of daily rates on Sony HDW-F900R HDCAM, Sony DVW-970P Digital Betacam, Sony PMW-EX3 XDCAM EX, Canon 2/3" HD Lenses (Standard & Wide Angle) & Sony Recording Media.

May 22, 2010 - Follow us on Twitter! Today we launched our Twitter site. Join Twitter & 'follow us' & keep up with weekly news, changes to our website & products, promotions & links to industry news that will increase your knowledge base. If you feel you should learn a little more about Twitter before joining, feel free to visit About Twitter for a full explanation. We hope to see you as a follower soon.

May 7, 2010 - The Media Resource Centre [MRC] launched a new production initiative today & on offer is $25,000. 'Next Step' aims to assist an establishing filmmaking team to develop & produce an engaging short film in any genre for festival entry. The MRC will shortlist three projects for intensive development after which one will be green-lit for production investment. Picture Hire Australia is proud to be associated with such an initiative & has put up $5,000.00 in equipment hire. Download the Guidelines & Application Form, & start a dialogue with the MRC development team about your project.

May 3, 2010 - Picture Hire Australia is extremely pleased to announce they are the sole supplier of Zacuto products in South Australia. Zacuto is an innovative company specializing in accessories for Film, HD Video & HD DSLR cameras. If you're looking at 'cinematizing' your Canon 1DMKIV, 5DMKII, 7D, Panasonic GH1 or Nikon D3s DSLR camera/s look no further than Zacuto. In the coming days we'll be uploading info & stills to the website, but in the meantime feel free to contact Picture Hire's office for a quote or more information.

May 1, 2010 - This month we're bringing down the daily rate of AJA's brilliant Ki PRO from $200.00 to $150.00. The AJA Ki PPO is a tapeless video recording device that records Apple ProRes 422 HQ files up to 220Mbps. Because the Ki PRO features SD/HD-SDI, HDMI, & analogue inputs, you can interface with virtually any type of camera. The Ki PRO is excellent for green screen or compositing work, can be used as a video split on a film set, or a playback device for films or AV presentations. And thank you to all those who hired from us last month. For every single hire Picture Hire Australia donated $5.00 to Sight For All. Over $300.00 was raised & sent to a very worthy cause.

March 15, 2010 - At Picture Hire Australia we feel privileged to work with a visual artists the world over who bring us unbelievable imagery. Sometimes we simply cannot believe our eyes. From now until April 15, 2010 we'll donate $5.00 for every hire to Sight for All. In doing this we will all play a role in restoring eyesight to the many million people worldwide who are in need. With 45 million people blind worldwide, & nearly half of these residing in our Asia-Pacific neighbours, the founders of Sight For All have developed a strong moral commitment to fighting avoidable blindness in the developing world. Cataract blindness is the biggest culprit, & so the majority of Sight For All’s activities is directed toward enhancing the cataract surgery rate in our partner countries through infrastructure support & health promotion.

February 3, 2010 - Just before Christmas Picture Hire acquired an AJA Ki PRO. It's a tapeless video recording device that taps into direct uncompressed camera outputs. The Ki PRO records high quality 10-bit Apple ProRes 422 HQ files @ 220 Mb/second. The media is ready for immediate use within Final Cut Pro. Because the Ki PRO features SD/HD-SDI, HDMI & Analogue Component (3 x BNCs) inputs you can interface with virtually any type of camera. It's a multi purpose device that's used to record high-end results, recording at 10-bit @ 220 Mb-second is perfect for green screen or compositing work, is used as a video spilt, & is an excellent playback machine Films & AV presentations. Don't hesitate to call the office to arrange a demo on 8364 2411. AJA Ki PRO Website AJA Ki PRO Official Product Brochure (8.52MB)

January 1, 2010 - Picture Hire Australia is pleased to offer Dave Gregan a Full-time position in its camera department. Dave brings with him an impressive string of credits including various roles in no less than eight feature films, Boys Are Back, Broken Hill, Beautiful, Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger, just to name a few. Dave studied at MAPS in 2006/2007 & in 2008 he quickly established himself by winning a Silver ACS Award in the Student Cinematography category for Chambers. Dave continued with his good form in July 2009 by winning first prize in the National Pro Bono Resource Centre's Short Film Festival with Stan Spade. Dave's goal for 2010 is to further enhance his skills as a Cinematographer, but is more than happy to Camera Assist. Continuing with his long form work as a 3rd or 4th Electric is also very important to Dave. Dave's first hand experience makes him a valuable member of any crew. To view Dave's CV &/or to book him please call the office on (08) 8364 2411 or dave@picturehire.com