Category: Technology

We are living in a golden age of indie filmmaking where anyone, anywhere in the world can upload a short that they shot over a weekend and it can be seen by thousands, if not millions of people.

Never before has there been this level of accessibility in art—particularly in filmmaking—where venues like theaters are nearly, sadly, being rendered obsolete. It is truly a fortunate time to be a movie enthusiast or aspiring filmmaker. Once you’ve got the story, the only real questions that remain are in regards to the tools one uses to tell that story. For some, those tools are all about preference. For most, though, the tools chosen come down to money. A studio can afford to shoot Thor 8: Tho-reckoning in front of a greenscreen on a big stack of ARRI Alexas, but you and your mates probably can’t even make rent. With that in mind, here are five of the best camera and kit options around $1000 (recommended buying used where possible) for the hard-budget independent filmmaker, advised as with much difficulty, by filmmakers who were once on a hard budget.

Blackmagic Pocket 4K

The best all-around choice on this list is the Black Magic Pocket 4K. It shoots in 4K (and everyone seems to give a shit about that now for some reason), is lightweight, compact, has decent internal storage, shoots multiple formats for workflow and ease of editing/color grading, has a very simple and intuitive interface , and works great with adapter rigs which provides an enormous range of cheap lens options. I’m hard pressed to find a major fault with this camera, but using it, I did notice that its lightweight build makes it very easy to break. Especially when attached to something like a large antique zoom lens, the body is susceptible to bend and break unless supported with some sort of rod rig or the hands of a willing AC. Even that, though, is hardly a fault. I dropped it on its ass and it was fine.

Nikon D780

For a DSLR option, the Nikon D780 is getting a lot of praise lately. It is a full-frame camera, which shoots great 4K and 1080. The autofocus system is also getting a lot of attention, it being applied from one of Nikon’s mirrorless systems and allowing quicker, more accurate coverage, particularly for moving subjects. One complaint about this camera is that it has poor internal stabilization which also requires a crop. Another is that if you’re shooting in 4K, it can only shoot up to 30fps, which is great if you’re shooting a narrative feature, but maybe less great if you’re Ty Evans and are in love with smooth, drawn- out, slo-mo sequences. But then, it can shoot 1080 at up to 120 fps, and Ty was shooting slo-mo on a VX, so whatever.

Canon C300

The Canon C300 is a great choice for a semi-compact workhorse of a cinema camera with a beautiful Super 35mm Dual Gain Output and an EF lens mount, which means it can take a wide array of Canon lenses, which are very cheap and common, cutting down on your budget. That being said, Canon accessories are generally pretty cheap, so that probably won’t be much of an issue. Another worthwhile feature of this camera is the long list of workflow simplification features such as the proxy recording option, which is becoming more commonplace in prosumer cinema cameras, but where those functions have been buggy in other options, the workflow of the Canon C300 is done well. A couple of faults: they aren’t built very tough—or at least, they don’t feel very tough. One filmmaker explained that they are susceptible to even the lightest taps and impacts, which makes it a bit less trustworthy when shooting handheld or in diverse settings.

Panasonic Lumix GH5 Mirrorless

The GH5 is a great option for getting the job done cheaply, quickly, and discreetly. With the GH5, one can shoot professional-looking video in diverse workable formats without drawing attention, which is a major appeal for many documentarians, lifestyle shooters and creeps. This camera is also able to shoot 4K at a higher fps than the Nikon D780, and without cropping the image. While this camera has popular complaints about workflow issues when inputting into a viewer or editor program (as well as the battery life not being exceptionally long), when in use, those complaints are largely outweighed by the number of features and options they’ve crammed into the camera. Despite its flaws and ugliness, for the price point, it is probably the most versatile and dependable camera on this list.

Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Camera

Currently listed brand new at under $1000, the Blackmagic Micro Cinema is a solid, if limited option. The camera has an excellent Super 16mm sensor and supports 1080 video up to 60 fps, which ain’t too bad. The cam is able to record in Cinema DNG Raw for heavy lifting in post-production, or a more compacted codec like ProRes, and is compact enough to throw on a rig for POV or car mounted shooting. Some downsides: it doesn’t shoot 4K, it doesn’t have as many features built-in as the other options on the list, and it has a reputation among our surveyed filmmakers for being a bit of a problem child in terms of factory quality control. More than one has experienced the camera breaking down, or even arriving malfunctioning, which is no fun. If you get your hands on one that actually works, it’s a good option for straightforward, no-frills, professional shooting.

Honorable Mentions

1.The iPhone 13
2.Any GoPro
3.Canon Rebel EOS SL3
4. Canon GL2 (with a fisheye)
5. Sony HVR-HD1000U

The success of Guilty Gear Strike relies heavily on its community, as it is an online fighting game. Unfortunately, if there aren’t enough players on the servers, you might be forced to wait for a player to join your match. The game is relatively new and has faced competition from Nickelodeon All Stars and Multi Versus.

Furthermore, the only reliable number for a player base comes months after a game is released. In the beginning, every game will have a huge high, but after the first month, that number usually falls. Several factors other than how fun a game is will contribute to the fail. Some players join the game because of the hype, others just try it out, and many more decide they don’t like it. After the first month, games usually experience dramatic drops.

Initially, Guilty Gear Strike saw tens of thousands of players, peaking at almost 31,000. Since then, the number of active players has steadily declined.

How many people play Guilty Gear Strike?

According to SteamCount and SteamCharts, the average number of players per day is 1,822.

According to steamspy, 500,000 to 1,000,000 players own Guilty Gear Strike, but their peak is similar to the average of SteamCount and SteamCharts at 1,862 a day. Considering how many likely own the game on steam, that’s a pretty low number, but the consoles seem to be doing worse.

Console manufacturers keep that kind of information secret, so it’s harder to tell how many players are active. According to Eventhubs, YouTuber Rooflemonger calculated the most popular characters on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 and inadvertently revealed fewer console players than PC players.

Will Guilty Gear Strike increase your player count?

Guilty Gear Strike is actually doing a lot to help increase its popularity. Some updates solve problems and balance the issues, as well as promises for future features. One very important feature that is coming soon is cross-play.

Cross-play has been a huge ask by the community and would most likely be a great way to bring players back. This is because cross-play gives more opportunities for gamers to play with friends on other devices. This will increase the chances that someone will play Guilty Gear Strike with friends and possibly give the game a second wind.

Related: Does Guilty Gear Strike have cross play?

Soon, MultiVersus plans to release ranked play, driving players away from Guilty Gear Strike. Companies can’t know exactly how to attract players, but as long as the player count is low, they normally do whatever they can to attract new players.

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The winners are in! I must say it was such a joy to see all of your creations. There were so many great ones to choose from but an esteemed judging panel made up of Press Start and PLAION (formerly Koch) members have chosen the below three who have each won a Saints Row Boss Factory edition ahead of launch on August 23rd. We’ll have more opportunities to win copies of Saints Row in the coming weeks.

Thanks to Koch Media we’ve got three Saints Row: Notorious Editions to give away to celebrate the launch of Saints Row Boss Factory, the free Saints Row character creator. Each Saints Row: Notorious Edition includes:

• Exclusive SteelBook with game disc
• Expansion Pass
• double-sided poster
• mini art book
• 4 Holy Unharmed postcards
• 4 character art cards

HOW TO ENTER

1. Download the free Saints Row Boss Factory character creator on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or PC right HERE (or directly on your console/PC)
2. Send us a photo or screenshot of your best Boss Factory character creation on any of the below social platforms:
   • TWITTER: Reply to this Tweet with your creation
   • FACEBOOK: Comment on this Facebook post with your creation
   • INSTAGRAM: Post your creation on Instagram and tag @PressStartAU
3. Sit back and get ready to pull your character across to Saints Row on launch day on August 23rd

This competition will end on July 3rd at 11;59PM AEST.

You can get some local inspiration from some creators below:

@loserfruit

#ad when you meet your character IRL ? #BeYourOwnBoss #BossFactory #SaintsRow

? original sound – Loserfruit

@f.ukuro

I quite literally became my own boss using Saints Row’s Boss Factory! ?? #ad #saintsrow #bossfactory #beyourownboss

? original sound – Dr.Civi

@kamuicosplay

ad | SaintsRow challenged me with a One Day Cosplay Build! ? How do you rate my look? Download the Boss Factory for free on Epic, Playstation and Xbox! Link in my bio! #SaintsRow #BeYourOwnBoss #Selfmade #cosplay #diycrafts #fyp #tutorial #closetcosplay @kochmedia

? Originalton–Kamui??

Saints Row launches on August 23rd for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. The prize will be distributed upon launch.

Wind Waker is, I am very proud to say, my favorite video game of all time. I’ve played through it so many times that I like to think I’ve seen every line of dialogue the game has to offer. So I’m very excited to try this mod out that takes every one of those lines of dialogue Nintendo put in the game and throws them all out the window.

Via Kotaku AU, The Wind Waker Rewritten is a project by aproxm that adds a few textures and changes a few cinematics, but does most of its work on the game’s script, adding over 10,000 lines of dialogue that completely reimagine every single one of the game’s characters, all in the name of comedy .

Some of these will work better for you than others — depending on how you read them in your head, anyway — but even if they don’t, you can maybe still appreciate the King of Red Lions being a cowboy, or Beedle getting dialogue more befitting of his visual design.

The 4:20 trailer below will give you an idea of ​​what kind of changes have been made, exactly, which in addition to just the raw number of dialogue changes also shows how every cutscene has had to have its context changed, and how every single NPC in the game has now been “re-characterized”.

The official pitch reads:

Experience the Great Sea in an entirely new and unprecedented way with The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker Rewritten, a romhack that takes the dialogue from the original Gamecube classic and rewrites it from front to back to tell an entirely different, unique story within the same framework of the game you know and love.

This romhack does not change any models, levels, islands, characters, ai, music, sfx, or any sort of gameplay whatsoever. Instead, the Wind Waker Rewrite features:

– Over 10,000+ new lines of dialogue

– Reimagined cutscenes and characterizations

– New video files

– A handful of texture edits

Welcome to newcomers and series veterans alike, the Wind Waker Rewritten is the perfect way to either replay this fan favorite or step foot in its world for the very first time. Playing this romhack couldn’t be easier, too–simply download one of two Patch Files and use “xDelta UI” to apply either patch to your original Wind Waker .iso or .nkit. And then you’re good to go!

If you want to try it out, you can download the mod here.

If you’re someone who struggles with decision-making (me), you may find applying a little bit of logic is helpful in getting you to your final destination – the best possible choice. Cognitive and Computer Scientist Tom Griffiths spoke about the power of applying computer science to decision-making in his 2017 TED Talk, and it’s kind of mind-blowing.

If you haven’t heard his talk before, you can do that below. But we’ve also pulled out the key learnings from it for you.

How to become better at making decisions

In his talk, Griffiths chatted about a handful of practical algorithms that make decision-making a little more straightforward. In it, he shared that while you’re not guaranteed the perfect outcome, using computer science gives you the best chance of making a good choice.

These were his best-loved strategies.

The 37 per cent decision-making rule

Speaking about choosing a home specifically, Griffiths shared that once you’ve seen 37 per cent of options, you’re ready to make a choice. This theory is actually often applied in dating as well.

Essentially, once you’ve seen 37 per cent of the available options, you will know what kind of home (or partner) is best suited to you. So, the next time you like something as much or more than the option you liked most in the first 37 per cent of options, commit.

“If you want to maximize the probability that you find the very best place, you should look at 37 per cent of what’s on the market and then make an offer on the next place you see which is better than anything that you’ve seen so far,” Griffiths said.

“Or if you’re looking for a month, take 37 per cent of that time, 11 days, to set a standard, and then you’re ready to act.”

Essentially, I have explained that this choice is an example of what scientists call an ‘optimal stopping problem’, which applies an algorithm to certain decisions and gives you the best likelihood of getting an optimal result.

“There’s no way that you can consider all of the options, so you have to take a chance,” Griffiths later expanded.

The explore/exploit trade-off

On the topic of decisions like choosing where to have dinner over the weekend, Griffiths referenced something called the explore/exploit trade-off.

Basically, this refers to our desire (or ability) to either explore new things and choose from that group of options or exploit the knowledge we’ve already built and revisit a restaurant we enjoy.

I have explained:

“The explore, exploit trade-off shows up anytime you have to choose between trying something new and going with something that you already know is pretty good. Whether it’s listening to music or trying to decide you’re going to spend time with…”

It’s a tricky problem, but technology companies have had some useful learnings over the years that can be applied here. The best way to simplify this choice is by looking at time.

The first question you should ask yourself is how much longer you’re going to be in town,” Griffiths said.

“If you’re just going to be there for a short time, then you should exploit. There’s no point gathering information. Just go to a place you already know is good. But if you’re going to be there for a longer time, explore. Try something new because the information you get is something that can improve your choices in the future.”

The ‘most recently used’ rule for decision-making

When it comes to deciding to keep or get rid of items (like clothing), computer science teaches us that the rule of disposing of the least recently used item works best.

“Your wardrobe is just like the computer’s memory. You have limited capacity, and you need to try and get in there the things that you want or that you’re most likely to need. So you can get to them as quickly as possible,” I explained.

So when deciding to cut down on clothing items, he suggests thinking about the last time you wore each item and considering that in your decision-making process. In short: that shirt you haven’t worn for five years can be donated.

These three strategies have the ability to reduce the stress associated with day-to-day decision-making and simplify the whole process. That’s more than worth a shot if you ask me.

If you’d like to see the full TED Talk video, you can do that here.

Fans of nicely colored phones are in luck: Samsung has announced the Galaxy 22 will soon come in Bora Purple, along with a bonus for those who pre-order the new style.

Named after the Korean word for purple, the Bora Purple Galaxy 22’s color is somewhere between a shade of lilac and lavender. In fact, previous purple-shaded Samsung gadgets include an Orchid Gray Galaxy S8, Lilac Purple Galaxy S9, Violet S22 series, and the Lavender Z Flip 3.

Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 range locally in March 2022, consisting of the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra devices. As was confirmed at the Samsung Unpacked event earlier in the year, the Galaxy S22 Ultra replaced the phone-tablet hybrid Galaxy Note model. For now, only the base model Galaxy S22 will receive Bora Purple as a new color option, with pre-orders open from now until 10 August. Pre-orders include a pair of purple Galaxy Buds2 – valued by Samsung at $219 – at no extra cost. The Bora Purple S22 range will then go on sale on 11 August.

Bora Purple adds to the Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold colors available for the Samsung Galaxy S22. Although only currently announced for the standard model, Sonia Chang – VP of Global Brand Marketing Group, MX Business at Samsung Electronics – indicated the color will come to more devices in the future.

“Whether you’re a K-pop star or a lifelong purple lover, the Galaxy S22 Bora Purple was made for you,” Chang said. “We are excited to introduce Bora Purple, first for the S22 but also for exciting new Galaxy devices later this year.”

Samsung Galaxy S22 range price and specifications

This announcement from Samsung seems to be a small tease ahead of the company’s next Samsung Unpacked event which will take place on 10 August. GadgetGuy will share the latest reveals from the event as they happen, so keep your eyes peeled.

Read more Samsung news on GadgetGuy

slime rancher is a game that has lived in my Steam wishlist for 5 years. A game that I have had my eye on since it was released, and yet a game that I did not touch until this year.

I know, I know, I am a fool. Please take this opportunity to point and laugh at me, the Court Jester that has fallen ass-first into a freshly-baked pie. My silly jester’s cap jingles with embarrassment. I am, unforgivably, the village idiot.

Alright, stop now. It’s hurting my feelings.

when Slime Rancher showed up on the PlayStation Plus games catalogue, I knew this was it. It was finally time for me to get slimy (sorry). So I downloaded it, opened it up, and haven’t been able to put it down since. It is pure, unadulterated joy.

I’m sure that in the 5 years that this game has existed, there have been people like me that have had this game sitting in their Steam wishlist or simply on their ‘I’ll get to that’ list. In saying this, considering the game is on both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Extra, here’s your nudge to get it and play it.

As well as that, I’d love to talk a little bit about what I’m hoping for in Slime Rancher 2which is scheduled to hit Early Access in the Spring of this year (so in the next few months!).

My experience as a Slime Rancher

I wake up in a world I am not familiar with. I’ve got a handheld vacuum that looks like that MFin’ thang I keep on me. I live in a desert igloo. It’s slime time, baby.

From the get-go, Slime Rancher is smooth as hell. At first, getting money is a slow process, as I simply have to get all my shit together. But once I’ve set up a little farm on the side and a few slime enclosures, it’s easy breezy.

I love this game. I love video games, and this one is a video game that I love. Plain and simple. The directions are clear, the slimes are cute, and the plorts are plentiful. Every new slime I’ve discovered has become a new friend, even though sometimes they hurt me.

The gameplay is incredibly easy to pick up, and the graphics are the perfect marriage of detailed and stylized. You’re constantly being given new opportunities to do new things in the game, and just when you think you’re plateauing, something new comes up.

The genius decision I made at one point was unlocking The Grotto, planting nothing but Cuberry trees in it, and collecting a bajillion Phosphor slimes and chucking them in there. My life has not known peace since this day, but I’m rolling in plorts.

Slime Rancher has very quickly become a favorite game for me, easily being one of the most unique farming games I’ve ever played, so here’s what I’m hoping for in Slime Rancher 2.

My hopes and dreams for the sequel

Straight off the bat, the trailer already nails the first thing I’m hoping for: more slimes.

You got the bunny slimes, the angler slimes, the butterfly slimes, and the bat slimes. Of course, these are only the new slimes we see in the trailer. I’m sure there’s plenty more slime where they came from. I’m hooked. Plug me in. I’m ready to go.

Honestly, it’s really difficult to think of what could be improved on from Slime Rancher. In my opinion, it’s a pretty perfect game. I’d love it if the new game includes more biomes than the first, but even then the biomes provided in Slime Rancher are great.

Maybe this would make it a bit too easy, but I think it would also benefit from having a bit more variety in terms of where slimes are found. I found myself only mainly being able to find Pink, Tabby, and Rock slimes wherever I went, with the odd rarer slime becoming a Pink Slime hybrid if I weren’t quick enough to suck it up before it gobbled a pink plort up.

I’d also say allowing for a bit more flexibility with where the farming plots can be placed in the game would be great, but I also really love the look of the greenhouse shown in the Slime Rancher 2 trailer.

That all being said, this is major nitpicking considering it’s hard to build on something so perfect. At the end of the day, we just want more slime. More slime. More slime!

I can’t wait to see what Monomi Park has in store for Slime Rancher 2and I highly recommend revisiting Slime Rancher if you haven’t yet. I was a fool, but now my eyes are open, and all they can see are slimes.

Samsung expands its 2022 home entertainment portfolio with Samsung OLED, complementing its audio-visual range by offering a screen for every experience, passion and lifestyle.

Samsung OLED 65-inch TV

Samsung Electronics Australia has expanded its market-leading TV portfolio with the launch of its Samsung OLED range, available in 55-inch (RRP $4,079) and 65-inch (RRP $5,249) screen sizes. Consumers in Australia can order the Samsung OLED from August 8, 2022.

Unveiled globally at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year,

Samsung OLED TVs feature over 8 million self-lit pixels partnered with Quantum Dot Technology that can deliver brighter, more accurate highlights and realistic colors.

“This new TV range from Samsung goes beyond the typical panel technology to provide remarkable entertainment experiences due to true RGB sub-pixels and HDR10+ technology,” said Jeremy Senior, Vice President, Consumer Electronics, Samsung Electronics Australia. “Samsung OLED TVs offer the amazing picture quality, incredible color, and dazzling brightness that Samsung TVs are renowned for.”

Samsung OLED TVs deliver the intelligent Smart TV experience of the Tizen platform with the incredible sound quality of Samsung Object Tracking Sound and Q-Symphony with Dolby Atmos, all wrapped up in a LaserSlim design.

Samsung OLED TVs round-out Samsung’s market-leading TV range, which includes its flagship 2022 Neo QLED 8K and 4K series in addition to Samsung’s Lifestyle TV range which features The Frame, The Sero, The Serif, and The Terrace, and projectors, The Premiere and The Freestyle.

“Samsung OLED represents the very cutting-edge in TV technology, while complementing our 2022 range of home entertainment products,” said Senior. “The launch of Samsung OLED reinforces our commitment to delivering the best entertainment experience without compromise for our customers in Australia.”

For more information regarding Samsung OLED, stockists and Samsung’s TV portfolio, visit Samsung.com.au.