Notes On Video

A look at AVID media composer 6 | Tej Bebra | Philip Bloom A sort-of follow-up to the earlier article on Philip's site with editors discussing FCPX : Avid opening up to third party support really means they are going aggressively after editors and post production houses that are not happy about the state of current affairs with Apple FCPx. Now combine that with Avid Media Composer’s 6 new support of Apple Pro Res capture and encode, and you can really begin to see how much this means to the industry and how devotedly Avid has re-structured itself towards the editor. It really was not that difficult for me to transfer my Final Cut Pro projects over to Avid Media Composer 6, and continue using my BlackMagic Design UltraStudio, AJA , or even my Matrox MXO2. How to export chapter markers from Final Cut Pro X | Digital Rebellion A work around using Pro Media Tools : There are several workarounds, such as adding chapter markers in Compressor, but these can be quite tedious as you...

I posted about the Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle Thuderbolt [$227] and the Intensity Extreme [$284] the other day, and I wanted to find out more about them. Here's what I have found out so far. Intensity Extreme My sources tell me that the Intensity Extreme should be shipping VERY soon. Officially it's supposed to be out Q1, but it may start shipping as early as this month. The Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt will be later, probably more like early Q2. As I had surmised, the Intensity Extreme is essentially a more rugged (aircraft grade aluminum casing), portable, and Thunderbolt version of the Intensity Pro  [$189] card, while the Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt is the desktop version. One downside is the Intensity Extreme  doesn’t do 1080p60/50. The Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt (the original Intensity Shuttle  [$189] is a USB 3.0 product) will do up to 1080p60/50, but it's larger, not as rugged, and you'll have to wait for it. Blackmagic tells me that cu...

How to Import C300 Footage in Avid, FCP X and Premiere | Andy Shipsides | CineTechnica Explains the software you need, and how to work with C300 footage: Canon provides a piece of software called the Canon XF utility, which is used to playback and download clips off their original media. It also has the ability to view clip metadata, mark timecode, and even apply a LUT to Canon Log footage for viewing. The XF Utility is hard to find on the internet, so here is the latest version (also including Log & Transfer and AMA plugins). The C300 records to Compact Flash cards, so a simple CF card reader is all that is needed to attach C300 media to your computer. Launching the XF Utility gives you the window below: MATH THE BAND "Four To Six" music video | Jonathan Yi | Vimeo Jon shot one of the early promo videos for the C300 (which Canon didn't actually show at their announcement event) and now he's back with a music video shot with the camera: Shot on a protot...

7 professional editors share their FCPX experiences | Philip Bloom | Blog Seven editors provide very detailed explanations of their views on FCPX : If you think this sounds like flowery hyperbole, you may be right. It’s hard to think of ways to convey feelings about software. So, I am merely trying to express the small sense of elation that I felt when I realized the upside of losing my trusted track framework. I felt encouraged to experiment more. I felt slightly liberated in my timeline edits. For someone who grinds away in editing interfaces day after day, year after year, for more than a decade, this was a notable change. There is something new here; a different way to edit. Final Cut Pro X named PCMag's Editors Choice for high-end video editing | Daniel Eran Dilger | AppleInsider Interesting award, though I wonder if architects look to PCMag for software recommendations? After its third minor update, Final Cut Pro X has been awarded "Editors Choice" ...

I didn't go to last years, and I probably won't be going to this years, but this day long conference organized by Hill Holliday could be interesting: With over 25 speakers, TVnext is organized into three segments: INTEGRATION presents social TV case studies from some of the leading television networks. INSIGHTS dives into the research and learnings from the millions of social impressions we create while watching TV. And INTERACTION features the latest innovations of interactive TV on both the primary and second screens. Date: February 27, 2012 Time: 8:30am – 5:30pm (EST) Location: The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston Tickets: $450 Contact Us: tvnext@hhcc.com Website:  http://tvnext.hhcc.com/

Last week I went to an event at Rule Boston Camera given by Sennheiser’s David Missall. He provided a lot of tips, including this one on reducing handling and cable noise on lavaliere mics (especially cardiod mics - which are more susceptible - though omnidirectional's can suffer from it too.) Just below the mic, loop the cable a couple of times and then tape it together (David uses surgical tape , which he says is also really useful for taping mics and wires to people's bodies!) As I understand it, the loop cancels out a lot of the noise that can travel up the cable (and can also absorb some of the tension if the cable gets pulled.) Mic handling seems to be a bit art-and-science, for more, see also: Sounds Of New Mexico : LAVALIERS: AN OVERVIEW [PDF] DVInfo : How to use a Tie Microphone (Lav)

Canon announces Canon EF 24-70 F/2.8L II USM, plus EF 24mm F/2.8 and the EF 28mm F/2.8 Yesterday morning I posted a link to a rumor about the new Canon EF 24-70, and then Canon goes and actually announces it that day, along with a 24mm F/2.8 IS USM and a 28mm F/2.8 IS USM. The latter two include IS which, according to Canon, "combats motion blur by four stops." In addition to a redesigned optical system - and it does have an 82mm filter thread - the mechanical structure of the 24-70 lens has been improved to offer enhanced zoom durability and greater shake and shock resistance. This is an interesting change, as according to an article I read about lens reliability, the current 24-70 was susceptible to early wear and tear compared to other Canon lenses. B & H is already taking preorders at $2,299 , which makes the current model $1,000 cheaper . I really wonder if the EF 24-70 F/2.8L II is worth that $1,000. Pop Photo : New Gear: Canon EF 24-70 F/2.8L II USM and Two...

An interesting set of Learning Labs this month at Rule Boston Camera : FEB 8 10am to 12noon SHOOTING AND SWITCHING WITH PANASONIC FEB 15 10am to 12noon WHAT'S NEW WITH AVID'S MC6 FEB 22 10am to 12noon INTERVIEW LIGHTING 101 FEB 29 10am to 12noon 2D ANIMATION FOR FILM & TELEVISION RSVP : events@rule.com

The Boston Creative Pro User Group is bringing Vincent to Boston at the end of the month: Spend an evening in screenings and conversation with DGA director and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent LaForet! This is a rare opportunity to connect with Vincent in person - Vincent will screen and discuss various works that he has created in the intimate and state of the art Bright Family Screening Room. Vincent will talk about his transition from shooting with HDSLR cameras to his present work with large sensor cameras like the RED Epic, Phantom and his latest work shooting with the new Canon Cinema EOS C300 Digital Cinema camera. In an engaging message, Vincent will share how, while technology, from Canon cameras to Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, has changed the way in which Vincent today creates as a filmmaker, the importance of Story is top priority fueling Vincent's passion for Cinema and Visual Storytelling. BOSCPUG: VISUAL STORYTELLERS: AN EVENING WITH VINCENT LAFO...

Review of the RED Scarlet-X | Philip Bloom | Blog Philip risks the wrath of RED fanboys by reviewing the Scarlet . He says it's mostly positive: Unfortunately the cool feature from the Epic, that is HDR-X, the ability to capture two streams of information at a different exposure simultaneously to create a much higher dynamic range, is missing in 4k. It only appears at 3k and even then only for 24p, not 25p. The camera shoots up to 5k and when it does that the part of the sensor used is larger than super 35mm. More like APS-H. Unfortunately it is useful for nothing more than stills or timelapse as its fastest frame rate is 12FPS. Although you can get away with a little video with it if you need it as you can see in my test video. Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II | CanonRumors Rumors of a new 24-70 lens from Canon have been circulating for as long as the rumors of a 5D Mark III , and many think it will be available as a kit with the 5D III too. If it has an 82mm filter, then that...

I previously wrote about a test shoot I attended with the Canon C300 a couple of weeks ago. To recap; Daniel Bérubé of the Boston Creative Pro Users Group (formerly the Boston Final Cut Pro Users Group ) arranged for the location, and the use of an  EF mount Canon C300 . Also present were Don Bérubé (who helped configure the camera and shot a lot of stills of the event), Baylee Ricci who graciously acted as a model, while DP's and shooters who got to play with the camera included  Rick Macomber , Chris Loughran , Benjamin Eckstein and Norman Lang , with several others dropping in. Apart from Don and Dan, no one had used the camera prior to the event. Here's the video I shot "behind the scenes" of the evening. There's also interviews with Dan, Rick, Chris and Ben. I'm told that the actual video shot with the C300 will be posted online sometime soon. Special thanks to Dan, Rick, Chris and Ben for letting me shoot them learning to use the camera and als...

At today's Boston Media Makers meeting, Steve Garfield brought along a Blackmagic Design UltraStudio 3D [$945] to demo. He explained that if you want to stream video live from a video camera, it is getting increasingly hard to find cameras with Firewire ports - the way most people have been doing it for the last ten years. Now most of the video cameras output only an HDMI signal. UltraStudio 3D The UltraStudio 3D  is one solution that lets you connect to an HDMI source, and then connect the UltraStudio to a recent Mac via Thunderbolt . Steve said that it worked well, though the UltraStudio 3D costs almost $1,000. For those on a budget, Blackmagic has two other devices; the Intensity Shuttle Thuderbolt [$227] and the Intensity Extreme [$284] It doesn't appear that either are shipping just yet, and I believe the primary difference between the two models is that the Intensity Extreme is smaller and more rugged, making it more suitable for use in the field. Intens...

ARRI Lighting on WARHORSE | ARRI Interview with gaffer Eddie Knight about working on Stephen Spielberg's Warhorse : AN: How about the battle sequences that take place at night? EK: David Devlin, the lighting director Janusz brought over with him, really likes to use a lot of light and he came up with the idea for a massive lighting bank that we then constructed, with something like 26 Dino pods, two 250 Lightning Strikes and an 18K ARRIMAX. It went back to a dimmer operator and all the pods could flash on cue, in time with the explosions. We had two of those, 120-foot up on cranes, and then other smaller units around with ARRIMAX 18Ks and Dinos flashing. They even put in a CableCam rig with flares on; there were four huge cranes with all these wires and it took them days to rig it. Then when they let off the first flare it scared the horse and Spielberg told them not to use it again! 7 Things You Should Never Say To Filmmakers | Elliot Grove | Raindance Personally, I don...