Notes On Video

Singular Software has launched the DualEyes for OS X public beta program. Winner of TV Technology's 2010 Mario Award for its breakthrough technology, DualEyes is a standalone application for the automatic synchronization of video and audio clips in dual-system audio production. Designed to work alongside any video editing application, DualEyes is streamlined to accomplish the task of replacing in-camera scratch audio with separately recorded high-quality audio. The DualEyes for OS X public beta program is available for Mac OS X 10.5 and later, and can be downloaded here: http://www.singularsoftware.com/downloads.html . My review of the PC version can be found here: DualEyes for Windows

Here's a follow on from the question earlier in the week dealing with Flip footage that was in a Final Cut Express sequence set to DV-NTSC 32 kHz Anamorphic (I suggested he change the sequence to Apple Intermediate Codec 720p 30)... I didn't know I could change existing sequence settings - huge revelation! Thank you. So I changed the settings to Apple Intermediate Codec 720p 30. Then my sequence, which had the video filling the frame, changed to look like this: So you can imagine I'm like, "Whu?" Maybe a different setting? Or...? A test export looks great, and is 1280 x 720! But I can't afford to start from scratch at this point. Recommendations? -CW I'm not sure if there's a quick way to change it (i.e. change everything with a click of a button.) I feel like someone once told me about doing that, but I can't remember how; though it might have been in Final Cut Pro ! The slightly easy way to do it is this in the sequence; double...

Aaron Williams , DI colorist, filmmaker, drummer and self-described "all around nerd" [ as if drummer wasn't bad enough ] says that "in order to be useful for once on Twitter" he plans to post daily tips on colorizing of the things he's learned over the years. Some examples: 1: Order of Operations 1. Match shots within scenes 2. Create your look 3. Use windows to fix specific problems & distractions. Stick with that order and you'll never leave a time limited session with an unfinished product/unhappy client 2: *always* watch the footage all the way through before coloring. then your looks will fit & change w/the mood of the film. You'll also be able to grade faster since you know what's coming up & will already know the problem shots/scenes Follow Aaron at: @videoaaron Home Page: AaronWilliams.tv

I've been playing with color correction in Final Cut Pr o using the Three-Way Color Corrector for some time now, and though I'm getting better at tweaking things the way I want them to be, I still have a long way to go to get really good at it. And never mind Apple Color ... Which makes the idea of a preset bunch of color correcting filters somewhat appealing. Phyxware has released the color filter set  PHYXware Color , which runs within Noise Industries FxFactory ( FxFactory is both a collection of video filters, as well as a filter engine that other developers can develop and sell their own filters for.) PHYXware Color consists of five filters: BleachBypass , Glow Dark , Selective Saturation , Shift Suppress and Techni2strip . The first two provide a wide range of general image manipulation, while Selective Saturation and Shift Suppression adjust a specific color range within the image. The Techni2strip film simulates the Technicolor 2-strip process first introdu...

Fixes a phenomenon in which captured images may become overexposed when using the camera’s built-in flash or an external Speedlite in combination with the lenses listed below: EF300/4 L IS USM EF28-135/3.5-5.6 IS USM EF75-300/4-5.6 IS USM EF100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Canon : Download page

2010 was an exciting and interesting year. The year where HDSLR's went from strange oddities to acceptance in television and film work. We saw many firsts, including the first TV episode shot on an HDSLR, the first consumer 3D video cameras, and the first iPads . Not all the action was in the budget and consumer end of things, with the arrival of products like the ARRI Alexa , Zeiss CP.2 lenses , and AutoDesk Smoke . But it wasn't all clear sailing for manufactures, with RED having problems trying to keep ahead of increasing competition, while several manufactures - Redrock and Tiffen to name two - announced products and then seemed unable to ship them. The consumer electronics industry wanted this to be the year of 3D, but it truly was the year of HDSLR video. And now with Panasonic and Sony poised to release new large sensor video cameras, we may be in for even more changes. An amazing year. Here are some of the highlights: January  Sony adds support for SD c...

A recent question arrived about how to burn video captured on a Flip to a DVD. You'd think it would be pretty straight forward, but... Earlier this year I got a Flip. I tend to use it for family videos. I'll take bits of footage and edit it together in Final Cut Express , and then export little 400 x 225 movies via the QuickTime Conversion / MPEG-4 export option (H.264). Then I email those mp4 files to grandparents, etc. The files are nice and small, look good, and everyone (Mac and PC users) can see them - works out great! So my problem: It's the time of year where I make DVDs to give to family members. In the past, it's been 640 x 480 video and I've used iMovie and there have been no problems. This year I'll be exporting 1280 x 720 sequences, via Final Cut Express . I'm wondering if you can recommend a formula for exporting from Final Cut Express so the video will look good on DVD? I've been trying Quicktime Conversion / MPEG-4 / H.264 and, even ...

In the early rounds it looked like Adobe Premiere CS5 had scored a knock-out blow with it's ability to easily edit H.264 files without need for transcoding. Though you can edit H.264 files from DSLRs in Final Cut without transcoding to ProRes first, it can get tedious as  the program constantly wants to Render the content before playing. I admit to being biased; as a long time Premiere user who switched to Final Cut when Adobe stopped Mac support a few years back, I've been loath to jump back, but I kept hearing these good things about Premiere CS5 . Another important detail; I'd heard some time ago people saying that you shouldn't edit natively in Final Cut because of issues with decompression/recompression, and I had wondered whether Premiere had any of the same problems. But when I didn't hear anyone mention it, I assumed not... So at the risk of being too easily lead by my own prejudices, I am intrigued by this article from Paul Joy where he tries expor...

You can pre-order it with the 14-42mm lens for $998.19, but no firm delivery date: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 16.05 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 3-inch Free-Angle Touch Screen LCD and 14-42mm Hybrid Lens (Black)

Red Giant Software is having a one day 40% off Secret Sale today, and you can get the discount prices at  AV3 Software  ( this site is an AV3 affiliate .) Sale is today only . AV3 Software : Red Giant Software 40% off

Noise Industries and NewMediaWebinars.com present a 90-minute FREE webinar on FxFactory plug-ins tomorrow, Tuesday, December 14th at 10:00 AM PST Hosted by VFX artist and guru Ben Brownlee , attendees will be guided through the more than 160 visual effects plug-ins of FxFactory Pro , from motion tracking, to creating 3D splines, stunning lighting effects, unique 3D filters and transitions, and more. Tune-in live on Tuesday, December 14th at 10:00 AM PST to NewMediaWebinars.com to catch the free FxFactory plug-ins webinar. The webinar will be placed on-demand shortly thereafter, free to all viewers. NOTE: two attendees will win a full copy of the Noise Industries FxFactory Pro application.

The Tiffen Smoothee , the Steadicam for iPhone 's and Flip cameras, is still not available, though a recent email from Tiffen says that "The first Steadicam Smoothee unit will be available for the Apple 3Gs iPHONE camera very shortly. Really!" The Smoothee will cost $199.95, which includes the Smoothee , Camera Mount Device, Carry Bag and Quick Start Guide. In January they will have the Smoothee for the iPhone4 , new iTouch and Flip Mino . The mount is interchangeable, and according to Tiffen will be available separately for $24.95 (so you could use your iPhone and your Flip with the same Smoothee .) You can sign up to be notified when it's available at this page: Tiffen : Reservation For Steadicam Smoothee

Hands on with the PMW-F3 Models Shot with the new Sony F3, Sony 35,50,85 mm lenses, Cooke S4 21,50,100 lenses Models - Sony F3 from Nigel Akam on Vimeo . Bonhomme From Sony, shot with the PMW-F3

Panasonic has released a 16-page PDF brochure on the upcoming AG-AF100 : Panasonic :  Panasonic AG-AF100 PDF

Last night was the latest Boston DSLR Meetup at E.P. Levine in Waltham. A capacity crowd turned up and filled the studio to hear Rich Harrington, a video editor, producer and co-author of multiple books, including From Still to Motion [ Amazon $31.49 ]. I've seen Rich speak before, and he certainly believes in packing in the information. I suspect he drinks three or four cups of coffee before he begins, and once he starts, he doesn't stop - and only takes questions in 30 second breaks along the way. Pizza and socializing before the meeting starts He's a man of strong opinions too, quite happy to tell people when they are wrong. Noting the variety of people in the audience - from still photographers to videographers, producers and editors - and the need to cover many different topics, he suggested that if you found yourself bored during the talk, just wait two minutes. Rich Harrington getting ready while Dan Bérubé stands in for the screen There was a lot ...

Iris adapter for Canon lenses on 4/3rds mount Thinking of getting a Panasonic GH2 or a Panasonic AG-AF100 , but already have Canon EF lenses? A mount from Kipon in Hong Kong provides a manual 14-blade iris (there's also a US manufacturer developing an adapter for Canon to the 4/3 mount, but there's no information available about it yet.) EOSHD : Canon-Micro 4/3rds lens adapter with mechanical aperture control Large Sensor Cameras High Definition magazine features an article about the new large sensor cameras from Panasonic and Sony (you can read it in a flashy online viewer.) HighDefinition : Digital Issue 45 Createasphere Webcasts Createasphere has a series of webcasts coming up featuring creative teams from the TV series GLEE , Dexter and Boardwalk Empire discussing the challenges they face. Createasphere: The Best of TV Webcasts Canon 7D used to shoot Community stop-motion episode NBC used a 7D for an upcoming Christmas episode of “ Community ”. Broadc...

Learning Lab Series December 15, 2010 Arri’s Alexa: Compact and Affordable Digital (35mm Film-Style) Camera December 15, 2010 Join Arri’s Technical Sales Rep, Guenter Noesner, for an inside look at the new Alexa – an affordable alternative to film with superior image quality, portability, direct-to-edit workflows and much more. RSVP to: events@rule.com 10am to 12noon December 15, 2010 Rule : Events Page

Sony PMW-F3 Target Release Date Sony hopes to release the PMW-F3 on Feb 1st. "Pre-orders will have priority" Zeiss CP2 Review Matthew Duclos got his hands on a set of Zeiss CP.2 lenses, and he thinks they are worth the wait. These lenses have very similar optics to the ZF (ZE Canon) series, but the focus throw is extended to about 300 degrees, there's an interchangeable mount, and they have uniform housing dimensions. But if you're on a budget, and the $3,900 (or more) price is too much, consider getting a ZF lens instead... MatthewDuclos : Zeiss CP.2 Arrives, Worth The Wait? B & H : Zeiss Compact Prime CP.2 28mm/T2.1 Cine Lens (EF Mount) [$3,900] B & H : Zeiss 28mm f/2.0 Distagon T* Lens with ZE Mount for Canon EF Mount SLRs [$1,283] Webcast: Shane Hurlbut, ASC and Jacob Rosenberg discuss how their movie Act of Valor was shot using Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR cameras Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 12:00 PM EST Due to its small, unintimidating...

The Filmmakers Collaborative is offering a workshop on film pitching this February 12th from 9:30 am - 12:20 noon at the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston MA. Speakers : Sonia Feigenbaum – Program Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities Beth Hoppe – Executive Producer, “ Frontier House ” (PBS); “ Curiosity ” (Discovery Channel) Joseph Tovares – Senior Vice President, Corporation for Public Broadcasting Julian Hobbs – Executive Producer, History Channel Pitching your film project effectively is one of the most important elements in helping with outreach, collaboration and fundraising. Join us for this exciting pitch panel with selected experts, who will help deconstruct your pitch and teach you how to be successful in pitching your film projects. If you would like to pitch your film or work in progress, please submit a short description of the project and a link to a video sample to jen[at]filmmakerscollab.org by Friday January 14th. $40 regular registration...

When : Thursday, December 9, 2010 6:30 PM Where : EP Levine, 219 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, MA 02451 Network & socialize with fellow DSLR filmmakers for our Holiday gathering of the Boston DSLR Meetup and Boston Final Cut Pro User Group ! Plan to have a great time to screen your shorts and meet some great DSLR shooters, filmmakers and digital storytellers and talk about movie making! COLLABORATE & START A PROJECT And, for December, we will begin our mission goal to get members involved to collaborate together in crews to start a project - Stay Tuned for updated details! DSLR Workflows – From Pre-Production to Post Richard Harrington , Rhed Pixel Join Richard Harrington, a Director and Editor as he shares practical workflows for DSLR projects. Learn essential planning techniques including planning for storage, synchronization, and gear selection. Rich will also demystify post production with a particular emphasis on native editing. Learn how to transcode less and edi...