Category Archives: Video Processing

CGI, X'Y'Z' to P3, there are so many things going on. Here's the news.

Nice Stories About Hugo

It is nice to see people saying nice things about well done 3D. Obviously the corner has been turned on the production and post-production side. Whether the exhibition side will continue with low light levels and splotchy screens…well, that’s a commersial issue – nothing to do with standards. 


Scorsese’s spectacular 3-D “Hugo” – Movies – Salon.com

Hugo :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews

Will Scorsese’s “Hugo” redeem the 3-D fiasco? – Movies – Salon.com

Watch: James Cameron Discusses 3D in ‘Hugo’ with Martin Scorsese | FirstShowing.net

Review: ‘Hugo’ is an Impassioned Work of Art By a Master Filmmaker | FirstShowing.net

Review: ‘Hugo’ is an Impassioned Work of Art By a Master Filmmaker | FirstShowing.net

 

Final Cut Pro X-Apple Training Series

Final Cut Pro X-Apple Training Series

by Diana Weynand 
www.peachpit.com – $54.99

Review by Steve Douglas

Final Cut Pro X-Apple Training Series at Ken Stone’s Site

For those wanting to get in on the ground floor of the new editing application that is Final Cut Pro X, Peachpit Press and Diana Weynand continue their long standing history of providing supplemental training via their Apple Pro Training Series of tutorial books. For those seeking certification in any of Apple’s applications, it is these ‘Training Series’ line of books that one needs to use to prepare for the Apple certifications.

When reviewing Ms. Weynand’s last two books covering Final Cut Pro 6 and 7 within Final Cut Studio 2 and 3, I was critical of the fact that new features had not been addressed within revisions of the books but, instead, readers were requested to go on line for supplemental reading regarding new features. With Final Cut Pro X being as new as it is, happily, there is none of that found in this, her latest and first book on Final Cut Pro X.

Read more with pictures and arrows…

Final Cut Pro X-Apple Training Series at Ken Stone’s Site

Apres IBC 2011

IBC was conferences for your editor, with only a few minutes on the floor. We were really only there for digital cinema oriented things, and since we were at the RAI just a few months previously at CineEurope, the conferences and the data available was all pushed together. 

There were two excellent presentations on the science of the eye to kick off the DCinema conferences, again excellently organized by David Monk and John Graham for the EDCF.

See Yasmin Hashmi’s page for some interesting 3D info. 

See the Creative Cow wrap up, which has its usual good coverage.

See the following attachment, which was my presentation on the doings of the ISDCF in 2011 – actually a follow-up since the last report in 2010. 

New Pro Polaroid 3D Glasses [Updated]

These are the questions asked, and now answered during an email coorespondance:

Given that darkness is the main issue with 3d and typically glasses contribute to that darkness by some varying degree… How good can polaroid get with circular polarization – We have a transmittance of 42-44% which is as high as one can get without loosing polarizer efficiency. We are looking at AR coating to further improve this value.

What is the light transmission spec for the specs? – 42-44%. More importantly is the transmittance of the polarized light, which in our case can reach as high as 84 to 88%.

What is the polarization efficiency? – It needs to be 99.9% in order to maximise the 3D effect.

Are the lenses matched left and right- tests have shown that this is a common problem with those glasses – From a transmittance point of view, yes.


[It is obvious that there a lot to learn if we’re going to ask the proper questions. Back to the original article.] 

Are the lenses matched left and right – tests have shown that this is a common problem with some glasses.

Is there an AR coating on the inside? Does this reduce transmission more than it helps internal face glare?

Part of the problem that “Pros” face is that they have to look up at 3D screens while they have to look down at computer keys and editing levers and knobs in 2D. They need a dual lens solution, maybe even the ability to have their doctor etch their prescription into the bottom of the lens. Has Polaroid accommodated for this?

Is this line being sold direct through Polaroid?

We wrote an article last year whenn Polaroid announced a line of 3D glasses for consumers. Wonder how that went. RealD and Polaroid — Possible Promise PR.

Here is the new press release:

Polaroid Eyewear Launches Professional Range of 3D Glasses

Zurich, Switzerland, 9 September 2011 – Polaroid Eyewear today announced the launch of the first two styles in its Professional 3D Eyewear Collection.

The Polaroid Professional 3D Collection, which uses passive circular polarization, has been specifically created for 3D professionals and producers of 3D content. These first two styles both have interchangeable lenses, meaning that after work, professionals can simply change the lenses and use them as stylish sunglasses.

The frames are produced using premium quality materials and precision, making them both lightweight and robust. The lenses are produced using ThermofusionTM technology, which is exclusive to Polaroid Eyewear and ensures distortion-free vision.

Polaroid Eyewear already has a wide range of consumer 3D glasses on the market place, which offer high quality and comfortable viewing, and can be used with passive 3D systems, such as RealD and masterImage, as well as a number of passive 3DTVs.

Both the professional and consumer ranges have curved lenses, which wrap around the sides of your face and therefore block out any excess light, providing high contrast vision right across the lens.

“Polaroid Eyewear’s entire range of 3D glasses combines stylish design and expert technology to deliver great quality passive circular-polarized 3D glasses.”, commented Eva Dudek, Marketing Project Manager, Polaroid Eyewear. “With the Professional Range we have taken that one step further to give professionals extra comfort for long viewing periods, as well as a picture-perfect 3D viewing experience.”

The collection is due to be expanded shortly and will offer a choice of exclusive high quality styles.

About Polaroid Eyewear

Polaroid Eyewear is a world leader in optics and lens technology and a global eyewear manufacturer and distributor. Polaroid invented the first man-made polarizer for commercial use in 1929 and has been a pioneer and expert in polarizing lens technology ever since. Polaroid Eyewear remains a market leader in manufacturing high quality polarizing lenses and distributing fashionable polarized sunglasses around the world. Demand for polarizing eyewear is rising steadily as more and more consumers come to realize the benefits of glare-free vision.

Polaroid Eyewear is part of the global StyleMark group and has offices in the UK, Switzerland, the US, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands, China and Russia as well as a comprehensive network of distribution partners around the globe.

DCP Creation, August 2011

Folloqing is a press release from one group who have chosen the Qube route.

Silverlake-based Fancy Film is using QubeMaster Xport to generate DCI-compliant Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) for filmmakers. QubeMaster Xport is a plug-in which works within Apple Compressor, simplifying the process of mastering digital cinema content. Thanks to QubeMaster Xport, Fancy Film is able to provide high quality digital cinema at affordable rates for documentary makers and independent film companies.

“We’ve been getting more and more inquiries about DCP mastering,” said Bill Macomber, principal and founder of Fancy Film Post Services. “It used to be that the only people who wanted digital cinema were the big Hollywood films who were releasing to at least 500 or 1,000 screens,” he added. “Now we’re getting calls from people who want to release on just 10 screens, or even just for one film festival. Those filmmakers need a cost-effective solution.”

Bill Macomber started out as a documentary editor in 2000. In 2001 he founded Fancy Film. The facility provides complete postproduction services, including grading, assembly and output, along with editing, and caters to the growing market of independent filmmakers and television production companies.

“We don’t compete with the people who edit their movies in their own garage, but there is a lot of demand for finishing to the correct specs for the various distribution formats,” said Macomber. “There’s no room for error in this business: the deliverables have to work perfectly wherever they are sent.”

“Finishing is a very technical task, and you have to stay in close contact with the different networks and distributors, so that you alway know exactly what they need,” explained Macomber. “I like the engineering side, so this kind of perfectionism appeals to me.”

Reel 2011 from Fancy Film on Vimeo.

Most of Fancy Film’s clients have been doing their films with the facility for years. “It’s about building long-term relationships,” noted Macomber. Recent projects include America’s Wildest Refuge,Underwater Universe for the History Channel, the documentaryUndefeated, as well as Part-Time Fabulous, an independent film, for which Fancy Film did the color grading, laid-off to tape, and the DCP mastering with QubeMaster Xport.

QubeMaster Pro Packager
As the demand for DCPs grows, Fancy Film is now also looking to add QubeMaster Pro Packager, a Windows application which provides quality control, as well as the ability to create alternate versions of a DCP without having to re-encode the whole file. “It will be the last step in our pipeline, said Macomber. “Along with QC, Packager allows us to offer encryption, as well as the ability to add new soundtracks and subtitle options. It’s a complete DCP workflow.”

“The Qube software is rock solid and the algorithm they use to generate JPEG 2000s is very powerful,” commented Macomber. “We’re very happy with the output from QubeMaster Xport and our customers have been delighted.”

“The world of theatrical distribution will evolve radically over the next few years,” said Eric Bergez, Qube Cinema director of sales & marketing for the Americas. “Qube is helping to drive the change by making digital cinema a lot simpler for everyone.”

QubeMaster Xport runs on Mac OS X and is Lion compatible. QubeMaster Xport requires Compressor 3.5, part of the Final Cut Pro Suite, or Compressor 4, which is available as a stand-alone application. For more information visithttp://www.qubecinema.com/products/xport.

Information about the QubeMaster Pro Packager application is available athttp://www.qubecinema.com/products/QubeMasterPro_Packager.

Visitors to the IBC exhibition in Amsterdam, September 9 through 13, can see QubeMaster Xport and QubeMaster Pro Packager in action at Qube Cinema in Hall 7 – booth 7.F45.

Manhattan Edit Fest Wrap

Thanks to my trusty side-kick the “Padcaster” – a home-made iPad shoulder rig – we were able to capture all the behind-the-scenes action of the event – from the cocktail party Friday night through to the Closing Night Feature Editor Panel. Here are just a few clips:

  • Listen to Documentary Film Editor Robin Hessman & Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship recipient (aka schmellow) Erin Casper comment on the importance of the EditFest community: >>http://vimeo.com/25088026
  • Hear Author and Editor Bobbie O’Steen & Pixar Editor Ken Schretzmann discuss the importance of learning from your peers at EditFest: >>http://vimeo.com/24965304
  • Ben Frazer, editor of Say Yes to the Dress and TLC reality shows, joins his fellow “un-sung” heros of film and TV at EditFest NY: >>http://vimeo.com/24949075

Check out all the candid padumentary videos from EditFest NY 2011 here: >>http://bit.ly/lsEXr3.

Great Movies You Never Saw – Before Now!

One of the favorite panels of the entire event was “Great Movies You Never Saw” – moderated by >>Jeffrey Wolf (Billy Madison, The Longshots) and featured panelists Peter Frank (Dirty Dancing, The Verdict), >>Malcolm Jamieson (Down to the Bone, Mad Men), >>Keith Reamer (The Art of Love, I Shot Andy Warhol), and >>David Zieff (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster). These masterminds took the EditFest audience on a journey through some of the most artistically and technically thrilling films ever made (yet not widely seen) – including AmreekaCadillac Records, Down to the Bone, and more. If you weren’t able to attend EditFest NY, now’s the time to get your Netflix lists ready – we put together a few short highlight reels from the panel, giving you a sneak peak at the juicy details of some of the greatest movies you’ve never seen. Watch them all here: >>http://vimeo.com/26082200;>>http://vimeo.com/26082713>>http://vimeo.com/26081491>>http://vimeo.com/26081846.

Thanks to everyone who made this year’s EditFest NY such a blast, and we hope to see you next year at EditFest NY 2012!

On behalf of the Mewshop Team,

Josh Apter

Owner and Founder

Manhattan Edit Workshop

Final Cut Pro X Released – Some Articles

Steve says:

“Final Cut Pro X is here. The speculation, the rumors, the misinformation and the hand-wringing can now mercifully stop. The hype machine is now inert and we can all get back to work. As is my custom each time a new version of Final Cut Pro is released I set about writing an article for Ken explaining what the new features mean to the rank and file editor who will be cutting with it in their day to day operation. Therefore, this article’s primary focus will be to address how FCP X’s new editing paradigms are most likely to impact your workflow.”

Ken says:
I have also created an iPad ePub version for those of you who would like to take it with you. The link to the iPad version is at the article.

Creative Cow says:
Gary Adcock has been using Final Cut from the very beginning and he’s been a fierce FCP advocate for just as long. So, when Apple pulled back a bit of the secrecy surrounding FCP X, Gary Adcock was the perfect member of the COW to dig deep into the workings of FCP X. Want proof? He has years of experience as a deadline-driven editor dealing with massive amounts of footage and was one of the first editors to master tapeless workflows, so much so that he began teaching and training tapeless production for Local 600, as well as assisting Dave Stump A.S.C on the Camera and Metadata subcommittees of the ASC’s Technology committee. Gary has also been the Tech Chair for NAB’s Director of Photography Conference. From this background, Gary seems the perfect guy to dig into an app that aspires to meet the needs and demands of the highest-end pros.

Or does it? What if Apple told you that FCP X wasn’t meant for you?

Gary goes beyond his own knee-jerk reaction to this latest release of Final Cut, to get under the hood of FCP X, and he likes a lot of what he sees.

Larry Jordan says: 

With this release, Apple made four significant changes in direction:

* For the first time, two different versions of FCP can coexist on the same system. I’ve been running FCP 7 and FCP X on the same system for months.
* Maxing out performance to take full advantage of current hardware
* Almost exclusive support for tapeless workflows
* Distribution via the App Store

FINAL CUT PRO 7 IS NOT DEAD

To me, this is one of the highlights!”

[Update] Final Cut Pro X Stories

AppleInsider has new shots, including Motion: AppleInsider | Images claim to show Apple’s Motion 5, Final Cut Pro X

Richard Taylor has an excellent new rundown on Ken Stone’s site: Final Cut Pro X Rundown


FCP X, the next version of Final Cut Pro will be released in June. It was shown at the SuperMeet during NAB. But the version was the same that was shown 6 weeks previous to a limited set of experts.

The following links speak to a number of issues that are interesting and provocative to other experts: What is coming and will it really be the next great thing…or will it be iMovie Plus. (Apple asserts that it will be the next great thing for post-produciton. The big news is that it is 64 bit, 4k media, background rendering, will use all the cores you can throw at it, gets rid of QuickTime as the base code – substituting AVFoundation – and $299.)

Digital Content Producer: FCPX: What It Might Mean

The Sound of 1,700 Jaws Dropping: Larry’s Blog

Terence & Philip Show: Episode 25: NAB and Final Cut Pro X

Phillip Hodgetts: What are my thoughts on Final Cut Pro X? – FilmmakingWebinars.com

Larry Jordan & Michael Kammes on FCPX | 2011 NAB SHOW BUZZ

NAB11 FCP X Sneak Peek at FreshDV

AppleInsider | Apple previews new $299 64-bit Final Cut Pro X to arrive in June

PhotographBay: Final Cut Pro User Group Supermeet – LiveBlog (Updated: Final Cut Pro X Officially Unveiled)

Apple announces Final Cut Pro X | Apple Talk – CNET News

For those of you that missed the FCP X Intro at the SuperMeet | LinkedIn

Bonus: Digital Content Producer: Encoding for the Apple iPad, Part 1

More on DCP Creation – Qube

Qube has a new DCP creator that works as a plug-in for Final Cut Compressor. There are 4 versions that range from generic to 3D/4K packages and from $800 (570€) to nearly $2,800 (2,000€).The title is QubeMaster Xport.

Qube Online Store Product Catalog

Qube is also announcing that in June they will have a KDM key generation service for QubeMaster Xport users to add security to the DCPs.

QubeMaster Xport enables Final Cut Pro users to save pre-defined settings as Compressor Droplets and simply drag-and-drop files to create DCI-compliant masters. All of the file formats supported in Final Cut Studio can be output to 2K and 4K, and the software can handle XYZ color space conversions, or apply custom 3D LUTs to source files while encoding.

“With major film festivals like Cannes and Venice now endorsing DCPs as their preferred delivery format, we’re seeing a surge of interest from independent filmmakers looking for better ways to master and deliver their films,” explained Eric Bergez, director of sales and marketing at Qube Cinema. “This new website gives them access to all the tools they need for generating DCP masters without the expense and complication of going to a major facility.”

Bergez pointed out that QubeMaster Xport also opens the door to the growing digital cinema market for boutique post houses and pre-show content creators. “It’s about putting distribution capabilities into the hands of those who create the content,” he added.

Stone Review: Eizo CG245W Self-Calibrating Computer Monitor

The Eizo ColorEdge CG245W is a 24.1″ monitor aimed for use by editing and graphics professionals working with both still or moving images. It is designed and constructed solely by Eizo and nothing is outsourced so that all quality control and testing is done ‘in house’.

The CG245W monitor weighs in at a not too heavy 22.3 lb. including the stand. It was delivered in a well packaged box constructed and designed to protect from any shipping drops. I have been amazed at some of the poor shipping practices by some companies but that is not the case here. Opening the main container you have a long, flat box containing the instructions, a disc with the manual and software and the sections of the shading hood for either horizontal or vertical monitor setup. A monitor cleaning kit is also included. Lift that box out of the main container and the monitor was well cushioned by fitted Styrofoam protectors.

I was impressed by the circular base of the stand which functions in the same way that a ‘lazy Susan’ might. You can easily swivel the monitor either left or right, raise or lower the stand or tilt the monitor to your preferences. At the same time, the outer portion of the stand has a hard rubber ring which prevents the monitor and stand from sliding on your editing bay desktop. There is a solid stability to it. The vertical section of the stand is what enables you to slide the monitor up or down and while it works just fine, there is a cheapness to the plastic that is used. One small part of the lower tilt section in the back of the monitor popped off. I was able to ascertain that this was no high grade plastic. After fumbling with it a few times I was able to insert it back in place and have had no problems since. The stand also provides a cable protection and confining box which really is quite useful. Just thread your cable into the opening of the box and things look neat and straight. A lot better than the spider network of cables I usually have had to look at.


The review continues and gets nicely detailed by Steve Douglas at: Eizo CG245W Self-Calibrating Computer Monitor

Steve Douglas is a certified Apple Pro for Final Cut Pro 7 and underwater videographer. A winner of the 1999 Pacific Coast Underwater Film Competition, 2003 IVIE competition, 2004 Los Angeles Underwater Photographic competition, and the prestigious 2005 International Beneath the Sea Film Competition, where he also won the Stan Waterman Award for Excellence in Underwater Videography and ‘Diver of the Year’, Steve was a safety diver on the feature film “The Deep Blue Sea”, contributed footage to the Seaworld Park’s Atlantis production, and productions for National Geographic and the History channels. Steve was a feature writer for Asian Diver Magazine and is one of the founding organizers of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition. He is available for both private and group seminars for Final Cut Pro and leads underwater filming expeditions and African safaris with upcoming excursions to the Cocos Islands, Costa Rica, Lembeh Straits, Indonesia, and Wakatobi. Feel free to contact him if you are interested in joining Steve on any of these exciting trips. His site is at: www.worldfilmsandtravel.com