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Articles by Robert Shepherd
The waiting is the best thing about film photography – it's the analog antidote to a world full of instant gratification
Robert Shepherd Mon, November 2, 2026 at 4:05 AM EST 6 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Add Yahoo on Google When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Lomography Film photography is having another moment, but its appeal goes beyond nostalgia.
Smart Glasses: How the Technology Is Advancing in 2026
Smart glasses have gone from a curiosity to the tech industry’s most crowded battleground. In 2026, shipments are up 263 percent, privacy regulators are pushing back, and Apple is reportedly on the way. Why 2026 is the breakthrough year Three years after the first Ray-Ban Meta launched, the category has crossed from experiment to industry.
Production Profile / Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Inside Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, James Whitaker ASC reveals how LED volumes, VFX prep and precision lighting merged to build a reactive cinematic world. Before stepping onto set, James Whitaker ASC and the team spent months building the visual foundation in collaboration with VFX. The goal was to define not just how the world looked, but how it behaved as a light source. “We worked with VFX for months to develop the content for the LED wall,” he explains.
Production Profile / Toyota Commercial
Cinematographer Antonio Paladino offers insight into the creative and technical thinking behind a Toyota car commercial that embraced virtual production to bring greater control and flexibility to a complex shoot centred on performance inside a vehicle. The project began with a call from the late director James Rouse, who was developing a large-scale campaign. “Listen, I’m pitching on this big American car commercial,” Paladino recalls him saying. “It’s complicated.
IDBac: an open-access web platform to identify bacteria and analyze relationships in culture collections using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
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Abstract The identification and analysis of bacteria is central to the microbiological sciences. While gene sequencing methods have been the standard to achieve this, use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS), particularly in clinical microbiology, can provide high-throughput identification to the subspecies level.
By Michael Ströbel, Julia Saulog, Liana Zaroubi, Bruno S. Paulo, Douglas Braun, Gabrielle Mingolelli, Robert Shepherd, Abigail Scott, Claire H. Fergusson, Zachary Daniel, Sean B Romanowski, Antonio Hernandez, Antonio Hernández, Valentina Z. Petukhova, Chase Clark, Neha Garg, Paul Jensen, Adriana Blachowicz, Chelsi D. Cassilly, Lisa Guan, D. Cole Stevens, Jaclyn M. Winter, Shaun McKinnie, Barbara I. Adaikpoh, Skylar Carlson, Erin Mccauley, William W. Metcalf, Tim S. Bugni, Michael W. Mullowney, Eric G. Pamer, Matthew Henke, Hazel A. Barton, David Carter, Alessandra S Eustaquio, Roger G. Linington, Laura Sanchez, Laura Sánchez Verified, Mingxun Wang, Brian Murphy, Nyssa K. Krull, Mandisa Timba, Jessia Raherisoanjato, Carlo De Silva, Shailaja K. Pokharel, Mónica Monge-Loría, Claire E. Dylla, Manasi M. Natu
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BFI pledges £14.6m National Lottery funding for film education and skills development
The British Film Institute (BFI) has announced a major £14.64 million investment in film education and early skills development for young people across the UK, with funding awarded to Into Film and National Saturday Club over the next three years.
Zeiss intros Panoptes 65 Cinema lenses at Cine Gear Expo LA
Zeiss is set to launch its new Panoptes 65 prime lens series at Cine Gear Expo on 5 June 2026, where attendees will be able to handle and test the optics for the first time. Designed specifically for the 65mm format, the Panoptes 65 line comprises a comprehensive set of ten prime lenses, marking what zeiss describes as a definitive commitment to large-format cinematography.
Cannes honours the invisible artists
Cannes Film Festival (Credit: Mathilde Petit-Boh/FDC) The Commission Supérieure Technique de l’image et du son (CST) celebrated the craftspeople who shape cinema from the shadows on Saturday, naming two technical laureates whose work quietly defined some of this year’s most talked-about films on the Croisette. Nicolas Rumpl, head film editor of Notre Salut directed by Emmanuel Marre, took the CST Award for Best Artist-Technician.
Cannes Un Certain Regard Winners – Everytime wins top prize
Celebrating a cinema of discoveries and auteur films, the 2026 selection has included 19 feature films – 6 of which are first features also competing for the Caméra d’or. This year, the opening film was Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Chaired by the French actress Leïla Bekhti, the Jury included Senegalese producer and director Angèle Diabang, Lebanese composer Khaled Mouzanar, Italian director Laura Samani, and French filmmaker Thomas Cailley.
Cannes Film Festival: Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord wins Palme d’Or
The Jury of the 79th Festival de Cannes, chaired by South Korean director, screenwriter and producer Park Chan-wook, surrounded by American actress and producer Demi Moore, Irish-Ethiopian actress and producer Ruth Negga, Belgian director and screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chinese director and screenwriter Chloé Zhao, Chilean director and screenwriter Diego Céspedes, Ivorian-American actor Isaach De Bankolé, Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty , and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, presented its...
Cooke Optics names Johan Meunier as head of sales, Europe
Cooke Optics has appointed Johan Meunier as head of sales, Europe, in a move designed to strengthen its commercial leadership across the region. Meunier joins the company after more than 15 years with ARRI, where he gained extensive experience across the cinematography, film and broadcast industries.
Design event Set & Scene sells out London debut
A new one-day event bringing together designers, makers and technologists from film, theatre and live events sold out its inaugural edition at Central Saint Martins in London on Saturday, drawing more than 800 attendees.
RTS appoints Sophie Jones as new CEO
The Royal Television Society (RTS), Britain’s leading forum for television and media, has appointed BPI’s Sophie Jones as the society’s new CEO. Jones is currently the BPI’s chief strategy officer, having joined the music trade association, and home of the BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize, in 2020 as director of public affairs. As chief strategy officer she oversees public affairs, communications, music exports, member services and innovation as well as Insights.
Leitz Cine adds Fujifilm G Mount to HEKTOR lens line
German optical manufacturer Leitz Cine GmbH has announced a new interchangeable G mount for its HEKTOR line of prime lenses, bringing the cine and photo-oriented glass into the Fujifilm ecosystem for the first time. The addition means the HEKTOR lenses can now be used with Fujifilm’s GFX Eterna 55 extra large format cine camera as well as the GFX100 series of medium format mirrorless stills cameras.
Sheffield DocFest selects 50 projects for 2026
(Credit: Courtesy of Sheffield DocFest) Sheffield DocFest has unveiled 50 documentary projects for its 2026 MeetMarket, with filmmakers from 42 countries selected from a record-breaking 600-plus submissions. The projects — spanning works in progress at various stages — will be presented at the industry-facing market during Sheffield DocFest, one of the world’s leading documentary showcases.
BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2026: Kernaghan and Bryon win
(Credit: Courtesy of BAFTA) Ryan Kernaghan ISC and filmmaker Jordan Bryon led a night of standout first-time wins at the 2026 BAFTA Television Craft Awards, as behind-the-scenes talent took centre stage in London on Sunday.
How loud is too loud? A look at fitness classes and your hearing
If you’ve ever been in a group fitness class, you know the energy that comes with it—the music is loud, the instructor is motivating, and the whole room feeds off that momentum. It’s part of what makes those classes fun. But recently, there’s been some attention on just how loud that music can get—and what it might mean for your hearing. A new study published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery found that music in group fitness classes can reach levels as high as 108 decibels.
Sensor fusion of touch & vision in soft manipulators for fruit picking
Abstract Modern agricultural robotic systems are constrained by limited sensing and manipulation capabilities, particularly in fruit harvesting, where variability in color, size, and firmness poses significant challenges. Existing solutions, often reliant on rigid grippers and single-modality sensors, frequently cause fruit bruising and substantial postharvest losses.
A high-throughput biocatalytic platform for screening isomeric kainoid natural products
Keywords MALDI high throughput screening ion mobility assay kainoid synthases mutagenesis protein engineering enzymology Introduction Random mutagenesis techniques have significantly enhanced our ability to rapidly generate large libraries with unprecedented genetic diversity.1,2 For example, directed evolution of heme proteins has produced enzymes capable of catalyzing complex, new-to-Nature chemistries such as C–H amination and the formation of chiral organoboranes.3,4 However, random...
Controlling Convection in Volumetric Additive Manufacturing for Large Volume Structures at Extreme Throughput
Conflicts of Interest C.D-B., Y.P., and R.F.S. are inventors of a U.S. patent application related to this work (application no. 63/694,611; filed 13 September 2024). The authors declare no other competing interests. Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Supporting Information Filename Description adfm73647-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx13.8 MB Supporting File 1: adfm73647-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx.
BAFTA albert launches Accelerate 2025 - a landmark new report and path to net zero
BAFTA albert, the screen industry body for environmental sustainability, has issued a stark warning to film and television producers, calling for sweeping changes in how productions are powered, travelled and supplied. Its new report, Accelerate 2025, published today, sets out a practical roadmap for reducing the industry’s carbon footprint over the next year.
HollyShorts London 2025: A global celebration of film, music and culture
The second edition of HollyShorts London will run from 13–16 November 2025, bringing four days of screenings, panels and events that blur the lines between film, music and creative culture. Modelled on its Los Angeles counterpart, the festival focuses on diverse and cross-cultural storytelling and aims to strengthen creative links between the UK and the US.
RTS Northern Ireland announces 225 winners
Northern Ireland’s television industry was celebrated at the Royal Television Society’s 10th annual RTS NI Awards at Titanic Belfast on Tuesday 11 November 2025. The ceremony, hosted by Christine Lampard and sponsored by Ka-Boom, recognised talent across drama, comedy, factual and news. Producer and writer Louise Gallagher received the Brian Waddell Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry.
Indigenous Administrative Reform: Exploring Complexity in Local Ways
SETTING THE TONE OF REFORM The Treaty relationship is the starting point to understand the complex nature of Indigenous community and organizational relationships. As noted by former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Perry Bellegarde (2025a), “the Crown is not merely symbolic. It is central to the Treaty relationship that founded Canada.” The Crown in Canada enforces treaties in part through Section 35 of the Constitution Act 1982.
BAFTA Awards Over £277,000 in scholarships and bursaries
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the recipients of its 2025 Scholarship Programmes and the prestigious Prince William BAFTA Bursary, awarding more than £277,000 in financial support to 86 emerging creatives across the UK and North America. This year marks a significant expansion of the bursary scheme, with a record number of recipients benefiting from BAFTA’s continued commitment to breaking down financial barriers in the screen industries.
BFI unveils £150m National Lottery funding plan
The British Film Institute (BFI) has unveiled its £150 million National Lottery funding plan for 2026–2029, outlining a major investment to support UK screen culture across audiences, talent, skills and innovation. Spanning six key areas, the plan allocates around £50 million per year — a 10% increase from the previous cycle.
Jewish Film Festival to open with Johansson debut
The UK Jewish Film Festival (UKJFF) has announced that it will open the 29th edition of its festival with Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut. The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is due for release in the UK through Sony Pictures. The UKJFF special preview screening will take place at the Curzon Mayfair cinema on Thursday 6 November 2025.
PMG presents second MacGuffin Awards
The Property Masters Guild (PMG) presented the second MacGuffin Awards in a ceremony at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood. For the Feature Film award categories, Dean Goodine won the Contemporary Feature Film award for Heretic, Michael Jortner took home the Period Feature Film award for A Complete Unknown, and Douglas Harlocker won the Fantasy/Science Fiction Feature Film award for Dune: Part Two.
Davies and Roberts honoured by BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru has revealed the Special Awards recipients for this year’s BAFTA Cymru Awards. The BAFTA Cymru Outstanding Contribution to Television Award will be presented to Russell T Davies, who, for the last two decades, has been a trailblazer within LGBTQIA+ drama, while also leading BBC hit Doctor Who, as showrunner.
GOING DUTCH - British Cinematographer
Amsterdam buzzed with IBC 2025’s tech showcases, from Fujifilm’s GFX Eterna 55 to Nikon’s ZR cinema camera. Plus, new gear from AJA, Atomos, Hollyland and more. Amsterdam in September blooms like a field of tulips and during this time, a certain annual trade show took centre stage from 12–15 September, transforming the RAI into a carnival of moving images.
BAFTA announces 2026 Film Awards process
BAFTA has today announced the categories, eligibility rules, voting process and key dates for the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards, with entries now officially open. The ceremony, one of the most anticipated nights in the global film calendar, will take place on Sunday 22 February 2026. Earlier this year, three million viewers tuned in to BBC One to watch the event, with a further 64 million video views across BAFTA’s social channels.
IPDW: Celebrating the Art of Production Design
The Production Designers Collective has announced the 2025 edition of its global production design festival, set to take place from 17–26 October. Renowned filmmakers from around the world will take part in the programme. Following the inaugural International Production Design Week (IPDW) in 2023, the Production Designers Collective (PDC) returns with a new edition of the worldwide celebration dedicated to the craft and its practitioners in film and television.
Karloff Vary Film Festival review - British Cinematographer
By Madelyn Most Madelyn Most rounds up some of the highlights from the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival which took place from 4-12 July. Karlovy Vary or Karlsbad is a fairytale-like picturesque spa town tucked in the densely forested mountains of western Bohemia, in what is today the Czech Republic.
Masterclass: Nobody 2
By Callan Green ACS NZCS When my wife confessed she’d never seen Breaking Bad, I knew that had to be fixed. A few binge-filled weeks later, just as we were nearing the final episodes — my phone rang. It was my agent, sounding upbeat — always a good sign. She’d sent my reel to Universal, who were prepping the sequel to Nobody, and they wanted to set up a call with director Timo Tjahjanto and the producers. A day later, I was on the call — slightly nervous, as usual, but trying to play it cool.
Fashion in Film Festival returns with environmental showcase
The Fashion in Film Festival, the UAL Central Saint Martins-based non-profit, is back with its 2025 edition, Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature, supported by the BFI. The programme explores fashion’s complex relationship with the natural world and addresses pressing ecological crises through cinema.
Scola joins ASC fold
Pat Scola has officially joined the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), cementing his status as one of the rising talents in contemporary cinematography. The New York-born cinematographer earned the ASC Spotlight Award in 2021 for Pig and received a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination last year for We Grown Now. His feature credits include Lurker, A Quiet Place: Day One, Sing Sing, And Then I Go, and Monsters and Men.
Locarno Open Doors announces winners 2025
The Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors initiative has announced the winners of its 2025 co-production platform and talent development programme, spotlighting filmmakers from equity-seeking communities and regions where artistic expression is at risk. Now in its 23rd edition, Open Doors focused on 42 African nations.
Panalux: Miller named Manchester manager
Panalux, a rental provider of lighting and power solutions for the motion-picture industry and part of the Panavision group, has appointed Julia Miller as branch Mmanager of Panalux Manchester. Miller previously worked as sales manager with Panalux and started with the Panavision family as Branch Manager for the Manchester office of Direct Digital, the group’s division specialising in camera, lighting, and grip equipment rental for moving-image and still photography.
Colour grading Black Mirror: Eulogy
Season seven of Black Mirror, released on 8 April, continues the series’ tradition of exploring the dark intersections of technology and human nature. Each episode delves into unique dystopian narratives that challenge viewers’ perceptions of reality and innovation, exploring themes from the consequences of digital immortality to the ethical dilemmas of advanced surveillance technologies.
BAFTA albert and S.E.A. launch emissions tracking guidance for productions
BAFTA albert and the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance (S.E.A.) have launched a global guide to help the screen industries define and track Scope 1 and 2 emissions on set. This follows S.E.A.’s 2024 guidance on Scope 3 emissions, together providing a full framework aligned with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. The GHG Protocol divides emissions into three categories—Scope 1, 2, and 3—to help organisations measure and reduce their carbon impact.
ACES joins Academy Software Foundation
In a significant move that signals the continued evolution of color science in filmmaking, the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) — long considered the global standard for color management in motion pictures — is joining the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), an open-source hub dedicated to supporting critical software tools in the entertainment industry.
ASC Awards ceremony celebrates 40 years
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is set to celebrate a major milestone in 2025, marking 40 years of recognising outstanding achievements in cinematography. The 40th Annual ASC Awards will take place on 8 March 2025 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, and will be streamed live to a global audience.
Reframing disability
Based on true life, Truckload was the winner of the inaugural Primetime Empower Fund and stars Evie Jones (EJ) Jodie Whittaker, Joe Dempsie, Cathay Tyson, Lara McDonnell and Adam Ali. Written by and starring Jones, who is a longtime close family friend of director Aella Jordan-Edge (AJE), the film is produced by Arpita Ashok (AA) and Victoria Emslie (VE) with the cinematography by Essi Hyrkki (EH).
Nanlite’s new ‘Wand’ light offers power and portability
Nanlite has unveiled a new addition to its LED lighting lineup with the release of the Wand, a lightweight, full-colour fixture aimed at mobile filmmakers, content creators, and on-the-go crews. Weighing just 420 grams and featuring the company’s advanced Nebula C4 Light Engine, the Wand combines high output with colour versatility and intuitive control.
Women in Media presents Reel/Forward conference
Women in Media presents the Reel/Forward in-person conference – a two-day event that features panels and workshops on funding, finding collaborators and eco-friendly practices in film, TV and new media. Producers, creatives, and crew are invited to explore vendors, watch calling card short projects, attend speed pitching, and build relationships in the dealmakers’ lounge. Reel/Forward is open to all industry professionals.
Van Sant to receive 2025 Campari Passion for Film Award
American director Gus Van Sant, known for iconic films like Good Will Hunting and My Own Private Idaho, will receive the Campari Passion for Film Award at this year’s 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The announcement came today ahead of the festival, which runs from August 27th to September 6th, 2025.
Howell Taylor named Academy president
Lynette Howell Taylor has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organisation’s Board of Governors. A producer with more than two decades of experience and over 25 film credits, Howell Taylor is best known for A Star Is Born, which earned eight Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. This marks her first term as Academy president, though she is currently in her second term as a governor representing the Producers Branch.
ARRI unveils Alexa 35 Xtreme with faster frame rates
ARRI has announced the launch of the Alexa 35 Xtreme, a major upgrade to its flagship Alexa 35 that introduces a suite of significant performance improvements aimed squarely at professional filmmakers. The camera, which replaces the original model as the new standard in ARRI’s lineup, promises to streamline workflows while delivering the same renowned image quality.
Park Chan-wook’s film to open BIFF
Renowned South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will open the 30th edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) with the world premiere of No Other Choice, his first feature since the Cannes-winning Decision to Leave (2022). The highly anticipated drama stars Lee Byung Hun and Son Yejin as a married couple whose seemingly stable life is thrown into crisis after a sudden job loss.
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