Dig this: researchers at Harvard have given flight to the world’s smallest aerial drone. Now we just need to figure out how to cut the cord and put a camera on it. Imagine the possibilities…

UPDATE: Canon have now officially posted the new firmware, version 1.2.1. You can grab it here.

Canon’s long-anticipated firmware update to the 5dmkiii was leaked yesterday, and I couldn’t resist trying it out. The video isn’t any better as far as my eye can see. But there is one sweet thing that it does: it allows you to record the sensor crop image (in 4:3 aspect ratio) without any overlays, which you can activate by pressing the magnify button. The first one magnifies 5x, second push is 10x.

Here’s what that looks like with a 300mm lens. I’m filming from Gas Works Park, for a little perspective.

5dmkiii 1.2.1 firmware focus magnification shooting with 300mm lens.

In post, you have to enlarge these clips 119 percent to fill the frame. I’m definitely seeing the green shift in the externally recorded footage that people are talking about. Although my clips are even greener than would otherwise be the case, because I was shooting through a Tiffen .6 IR ND, which itself leaves a slight green cast on my 5dmkiii’s sensor.

In my view the 5x is definitely useable, but 10x the image starts to break down pretty badly. There’s also quite a bit of noise that appears in the crop mode. In the graded version above, I’ve applied Neat Video denoiser in FCPX, which cleans it up pretty well.

Canon has three options for HDMI ouput: auto, 24p, and 60i. First I tried the 24p mode. My footage showed a noticeable judder when played back. Definitely not very filmic. Then I tried 60i and auto (selecting auto outputs 60i also). And then I used Compressor to remove the pulldown. But the judder remains. Will have to investigate whether it’s possible to remove that with Compressor using other settings. But if the juddering playback is something we’re stuck with, then it’s a dealbreaker for me.

News flash: word on the street is that some of the lucky people who have tickets to the STIFF screening of Beyond Naked will be attending in costume. This guy is one of them:

I just might have to come up with something special myself. I can’t let The Joker outdo the director of the film, now can I?

What will you be wearing – or not wearing? There’s still a few tickets left to the second screening on May 8!

Warren Etheredge of The High Bar is doing it again. He’s hosting another one of his The Art of the Interview workshops on April 29.

If you’re thinking about making a documentary, you’d be crazy not to stop whatever you’re doing and go. I went twice. And Warren’s advice and examples carried me all the way through my first feature-length doc. You’ll learn answers to questions like: should I prepare questions in advance? How to keep the conversation moving? Should I interrupt? How?

UPDATE: Warren says mention that you’re a “friend of Dan” to get the $125 rate.

Here’s the full description:

In five words or fewer, you can broker a peace, inspire a book, embark on a life-long relationship. How can I be so sure? Because I have done so. Conversation is the greatest gift and the most powerful tool , but only when handled with care and tact and class.

In this unorthodox workshop, I’ll teach you how to get the most out of every interview, every conversation whether chatting with an A-list guest, a potential employer or your mom. You’ll discover why my PBS series, The High Bar (http://thehighabr.tv), has been nominated for its first Emmy® and why the BBC invited me to address students at ther College of Journalism. You’ll learn why best-seller Steven Johnson credits me for his latest “Future Perfect” and why Lewis Black still speaks to me after greeting him in a leopard-print bathrobe. You’ll discover how I put Oscar®-winner Jodie Foster at ease and how I got critically-beloved author Andre Dubus III to put up his dukes. You’ll learn why Al Gore’s speechwriter recognizes me as one of the three best interviewers in the country and why Cornel West may still be laughing *with* me and Woody Allen, well, not so much.

The first screening of Beyond Naked sold out in 48 hours! That could have been bad news for everyone who missed getting tickets, but happily STIFF has responded by adding a second screening. And this one is in the evening, at 8pm on May 6.

>> Get Tickets

I’m thrilled today to announce that Beyond Naked, the feature-length documentary that I made with Lisa Cooper, will premiere in Seattle on May 4 at STIFF. Get your tickets quick before it sells out! **Update 4/16 5pm: Just heard from STIFF that event is already more than half sold out! Hurry!

The film will screen on Saturday afternoon from 2-4pm, a time slot we think is pretty sweet. Join us if you can! Where else can you have this much fun on a Saturday afternoon with your clothes on?

I felt like a kid at Christmas opening my email this morning to find this:

Thank you, Vimeo. And thank you Andy Cooperman for bringing so much of yourself to this piece. It’s a honor to be able to tell stories like these.

Can’t wait to get my hands on this thing. And it’s made by a Seattle company, Freefly Cinema. We hired Freefly’s Tabb Firchau to shoot the aerial scenes in my forthcoming documentary.

All I can say is, I hope Freefly has an easier time launching this product than Black Magic has had launching their Cinema Camera. People are going to want a LOT of these.

This is a sweet deal: For 24 hours, you can get 40 percent off your entire order of Final Cut Pro X plugins at Crumplepop. They make good stuff.