There is no denying that anamorphic has come back in a big way this year, and it is more accessible than ever. With the increase of anamorphic glass in the market and the 4:3 sensor of the ALEXA Plus 4:3, more filmmakers are able to find an affordable way to get the anamorphic look.

The Alexa XTand Alexa Classic with the XR recording module both have the ability to read ASC CDL (Color Decision List) LUT settings as they record.

The Arri ALEXA XT has starting shipping across the US, and we recently put our hands on one to see what it could do. The ALEXA XT features the XR, or extended recording, module that allows you to record in ARRIRAW, along with ProRes or DNxHD.

The new Arri ALEXA HD camera is designed for economical and efficient HD video workflow. It shares the same sensor, color processing, controls, and menus, as well as accessories and software license options as the rest of the ALEXA line.

On November 20, AbelCine held the first event in its new EXPO series: Filters for Digital Cinema. Tiffen, Schneider Optics, and Formatt participated and scores of clients attended or watched via Livestream. One of the more significant discussions was on the topic of IR pollution control.

At AbelCine, we offer a class on video formats that covers a variety of different terms and compression formats. One of the more common questions I'm asked is, "What's the difference between uncompressed video, Raw, and Log recording?" With so many cameras these days offering different recording options, combined with the popularity of external recorders, it's no wonder there are a lot of questions about this topic.

When Arri released the SUP 4.0 firmware for the ALEXA, they also added the ability to create color 'Looks' to load into the camera. These Look files are similar to scene files found in other cameras, but they aren't burned into the Log C recording of the camera. Instead, they can be used in post by converting them to LUTs using Arri's LUT Generator. These looks then travel as metadata with the clips recorded (through the XML file). Look files can be created by saving a still from the camera and loading it into the Arri Look Creator, which can then modify the still and output a look.

It's been another exciting year in our industry, with lots of evolutionary and revolutionary changes. Many of the trends we've seen coming for the past several years came to fruition in 2011, leaving some to wonder what comes next. Let's take a look back and see if it can help inform us a bit on what's to come in 2012.

ARRI has released their Anamorphic De-squeeze download license for purchase. This eagerly anticipated license for the ALEXA will correct the "squeeze" effect that occurs when shooting with anamorphic lenses. With the license installed, ALEXA and ALEXA Plus cameras with the Software Update Packet (SUP) 4.0 can now readily accept anamorphic lenses with 1.3x or 2x magnification.