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Cinematography
Behind the Lens: The Kings of Summer with Ross Riege
Ross Riege just finished shooting his first feature film, The Kings of Summer. Currently working on a feature-length documentary with director Greg Kohs, Ross took some time out of his busy schedule to talk with Creative COW about his career path as a young cinematographer and his experiences shooting Kings of Summer.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Ross Riege |
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Film History & Appreciation
VFX Titans Remember Ray Harryhausen
"When we grieve Ray Harryhausen's passing, we are at least in part grieving perhaps the last living link to the earliest days of movie visual effects," says Creative COW's Debra Kaufman. She spoke to many of today's VFX giants who were inspired by Ray, including Phil Tippett, Richard Edlund, Jeffrey A. Okun and ILM Animation Director Hal Hickel, who says, "Ray Harryhausen's impact on an entire generation (several actually) of filmmakers cannot be overstated, each of them trying again and again to reproduce the wonder they first felt as a child watching Jason fight those skeletons."
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Debra Kaufman |
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Autodesk 3ds Max
Creating Animation for PBS - in High School
Lanier High School students work with 3D Studio Max creating a real world project thanks to a collaboration between Biscardi Creative Media Principal Walter Biscardi, Jr. and CDAT teacher Mike Reilly. Instead of just working on a class assignment, these students are creating something that will be part of a PBS documentary due to air in Fall 2013.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Michael Reilly |
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Apple FCPX Techniques
FCPX For Broadcast News
Michael Garber has spent hundreds of hours learning the ins and outs of editing broadcast news features with Final Cut Pro X. He describes a workflow that takes advantage of the best that FCPX's new approaches have to offer, while being honest about its limitations. Every editor already working with FCPX, or still just considering it, will benefit from Michael's experience.
Editorial, Tutorial, Feature
Michael Garber |
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Film History & Appreciation
Iron Man 3, Marvel & The Future of the Superhero
Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios Executive Vice President of Visual Effects and Post Production, began her career in the early days of the digital visual effects industry. We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Victoria about the Iron Man movies, post production's evolution, remote dailies and coloring on set, 4K & HFR, and keeping the modern superhero movie fresh.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Debra Kaufman |
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MAYA
Iron Man 3: The Trixters Behind Tony Stark's Shiny New Armor
Seventy artists from Trixter worked an entire year to create a formidable 208 VFX shots for Marvel's Iron Man 3. Each new episode in the Iron Man saga details a slick new technology created by the ingenious Tony Stark, and the new installment does not disappoint! Combining the hard surface geometry of the Iron Man suit auto-assembly with the flexibility of the human body was one of the challenges that Trixter brought from previs to believable screen reality.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Alessandro Cioffi |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part FOUR: When to Use Previs
In this fourth chapter of Gare Cline's tutorial series on Previsualization, we focus on when is the best time to hire a previsualization artist. We begin by looking at the various stages of filmmaking and then concluding with making the decision as when is the best time to hire a previs artist.
Editorial, Feature
Gare Cline |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part THREE: How Previs Works
In this chapter of Gare Cline's series on previsualization, the art form for conceptualizing a project, we focus on how the process of previsualization works. We begin by finding the look for the picture, and then proceed through blocking, coverage and finally end with determining the time and cost expenditure.
Editorial, Feature
Gare Cline |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part TWO: Why Previs?
In part two of Gare Cline's ongoing series on Previsualization, readers are transported to examples of cinematic genius such as George Lucas and Alfred Hitchcock to truly understand the compelling reasons as to why previs is crucial to conceptualizing and demonstrating your storyline.
Editorial, Feature
Gare Cline |
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Sony Vegas
NAB 2013: Sony Creative Software
Sony Creative Software offered some important updates with its Vegas Pro 12 software. Chief among the upgrades was native support for 4K and support for Panasonic's P2 cameras. Sony Creative Software also highlighted SpectraLayers Pro and Sound Forge Pro Mac, which were shown as a technology demonstration at last year's NAB but are now shipping. With a range of in-depth presentations by Sony Creative Software users, a visit to this company's booth was an education in the various creative ways that the software can be used successfully.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Matrox Video Systems
NAB 2013: Matrox Video Systems
At NAB 2013, Matrox Graphics' new Mojito 4K is a quad 3G-SDI 4K video monitoring card aimed at Adobe professional editing on the Windows platform. Also new is Matrox Monarch HD, an under-$1,000 compact video streaming/ recording appliance designed for users who need to simultaneously stream a live event and record a Blu-ray quality version for post-event editing. The company also debuted Matrox Avio F125, fiber-optic KVM extenders that separate dual HD video, keyboard, mouse, stereo analog audio and USB 2.0 devices from a workstation and plays back HD, 2K and 4K video without dropped frames at maximum distances of 4 km. KVM extenders are also now compatible with APCON IntellaPatch Series 3000 XE network switches.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: JMR Electronics
Chatsworth, California-based JMR Electronics came to NAB with an expanded suite of SilverStor Desktop products, a cloud-ready SAS/SATA/SSD RAID solution, server and workstation. Starting at $5,000, the SilverStor family now includes SilverStor's 4-Bay and 8-Bay SAS/SATA JBOD/RAID systems, 3-slot and 5-slot PCIe systems, and latest ATX and Desktop/Rackmount Workstations. Also showcased in the JMR booth was The Creative-Cartel's Joust, which collects metadata and offers tools to streamline reviews, bid packages, watermarking, vendor submissions, plate pulls and transcoding.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: JB&A, SNS, Square Box, Telestream
At JB&A's annual Pre-NAB Special Event, the media management company brought together a range of companies representing the entire production/post pipeline, to show off a range of workflow solutions. Some of those companies included Christie, which showcased its new Phoenix content management system; Square Box, which unveiled Version 10.0 of its CatDV Digital Asset Management software; Studio Network Solutions (SNS), which debuted EVO v5, major hardware and OS upgrade to its EVO shared storage server; and Telestream, which introduced new products and capabilities for its Vantge video transcoding and workflow orchestration products.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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AJA Ki Pro
NAB 2013: AJA Video Systems
AJA Video Systems debuted its Ki Pro Quad solid-state portable video recorder for 4K camera-to-editorial workflows with Apple ProRes and RAW data. The new Ki Pro Quad supports 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 recording at HD and 2K resolution and real-time scaling from 4K/Quad HD to 2K/HD among its many other features. AJA also introduced its Hi5-4K Mini-Converter, which offers a monitoring connection from professional 4K devices to consumer 4K displays, and its Region of Interest Mini-Converter, which enables conversion and real-time scaling of computer DVI-D and HDMI outputs to baseband video over SDI. AJA also came to the show with lots of partnership news from Adobe, Avid and FilmLight as well as Quantel is now using AJA's Corvid Ultra OEM cards to power its Pablo RIO.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: ATTO Technology
ATTO Technology celebrates its 25-year anniversary at NAB 2013, and showcased its portfolio of products, including its latest 16Gb/s Fibre Channel products such as the Celerity Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs). Also on show were the FastFrame line of Network Interface Cards (NICs) and Converged Network Adapters (CNAs); and Thunderbolt Desklink devices, ThunderLink and ThunderStream among others. With regard to its 64 partners, ATTO also had news: JMR Electronics selected ATTO Technology for storage for its latest SilverStor desktop SAS/SATA RAID storage solution and SGO added ATTO Technology products for its Mistika creative toolset.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Cut the Cord with Wireless HD
Recent wireless HD systems have gotten way better and much cheaper. DP/cameraman Helmut Kobler takes a look at two systems from Teradek and Paralinx that show just how impressive these units have become.
Review, Editorial, Feature
Helmut Kobler |
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Cinematography
PREVISUALIZATION Part ONE: What is Previs?
Previs. You may or may not have heard of it. If you have, you may have heard conflicting or more often muddled definitions. Many assumptions have developed around this often misunderstood word. Join Gare Cline, Previsualization Storyboard Artist, in this series of articles as he defines what previs is and isn't, what it can do for you, why you should use it, and how it works.
Editorial, Feature
Gare Cline |
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NewTek TriCaster
NAB 2013: NewTek
At NAB 2013, NewTek unveiled 3Play 4800, a multi-camera server for live sports production that features real-time uses, redundant capture, high-end visual effects and slo-mo, as well as live replay switching and social media publishing. 3Play 4800 is the latest in the 3Play series of replay server technology and intended to provide affordable access to more sports broadcasters. NewTek also showcased the latest products benefitting the TriCaster 8000 from companies in the NewTek Developer Network, in categories ranging from content to controllers.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: Panasonic
Panasonic used NAB 2013 to unveil a number of new products and technologies. Chief among them was the third generation VariCam, the first to incorporate Panasonic's new AVC-ULTRA video codec for native 1080/60p operation. The company also unveiled the AJ-PD500, its first P2 HD recorder with native AVC-ULTRA recording and built-in microP2 card slots - and the first to record in full-resolution, 10-bit 1080/60p (in AVC-Intra Class100). Also new from Panasonic was the the BT-4LH310, a 31-inch 4096 x 2160 resolution LCD monitor, an important piece in the move to UltraHD/4K production and post.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Archiving and Back-Up
NAB 2013: Bob Zelin: The Evolution & Revolution
Calling Bob Zelin one of the industry's most respected voices of engineering and systems experience is an understatement. (We might also have to add "most feared.") For over 20 years, he has been at the leading edge of building next-generation post houses and broadcast facilities using the latest, greatest, and most affordable new technology. He's also been around long enough to have seen through an awful lot of hype, so when Bob drops the "R" word, it's because he really believes it's revolutionary himself. His coverage of the 2013 NAB Show is once again don't-miss reading.
Editorial, Feature
Bob Zelin |
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Cinematography
NAB 2013: Anton/Bauer
Anton/Bauer came to NAB 2013 to celebrate its Scientific and Engineering Award from AMPAS earlier in the year...and to introduce three new products: the Anton/Bauer Gold Spectrum Wireless Series, the result of a collaboration with sister Vitec company Integrated Microwave Technologies; the DIONIC HD battery, aimed at use with some of today's high-end digital cameras; and the PowerCharger 3000 Series of three new chargers.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Canon Cameras
NAB 2013: Canon Demonstrates 4K Workflow, Intros New Cameras
Canon highlighted an end-to-end 4K workflow at NAB 2013, showing a digital intermediate suite and a live 4K broadcast with "Ultra-Zoom" applications. The company also debuted two new, entry-level professionals video cameras, the XA25 and XA20. The cameras feature Canon's first-ever Organic LED (OLED) touch panels, weigh 2.6 pounds and are priced at under $3,000. Canon also announced that it's begun development on a new 35mm prime lens for large-format single-sensor cameras employing Super 35mm, full-frame 35mm, and APS-C size imagers.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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