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Film History & Appreciation
Ray Harryhausen: Remembering the Genius
When Ray Harryhausen died May 7 at age 92, he was lauded by everyone from Steven Spielberg to George Lucas as an inspiration to fantasy and sci-fi filmmakers everywhere. But nowhere has Harryhausen made such a big impression as in the world of visual effects. Here, we take a closer look at some of the ways he impacted the world of feature film effects and inspired a generation of visual effects artists.
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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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: Adobe Introduces Adobe Anywhere
At NAB 2013, Adobe is introducing Adobe Anywhere, a collaborative workflow platform that centralizes projects and allows users to share and change project files. Also new are some powerful new features for Adobe Premiere Pro, including color grading and the ability to "link & locate" clips. A newly designed SpeedGrade also makes color grading tools more familiar to Adobe toolset users, and After Effects celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
Tips for Attending NAB 2013 From A Convention Veteran
Walter Biscardi tells us, "Once again, springtime is upon us, so of course, it's time for the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention. Last year y'all seemed to like the before you go tips, so may I present the 2013 edition of 'Tips from an NAB Veteran to make the best use of your time'."
Editorial, Feature
Walter Biscardi |
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Stereoscopic 3D
Tim Squyres Edits Life of Pi
Tim Squyres, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Life of Pi, got hooked on film when he took an introductory film course at Cornell University in upstate New York. Squyres talks to Creative COW about the challenges of editing Ang Lee's first digitally shot feature film, which was also a stereoscopic 3D release.
Feature, People / Interview
Tim Squyres |
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Business & Marketing
Suck It Up, Buttercup
The Best Excuses from New or Underemployed Filmmakers and Freelancers: "You've really really got to stop being lazy and making excuses for not getting what you want," says Creative COW Contributing Editor Kylee Wall. "Seriously. It's sad and it makes me sad for you. So sad in fact, that I've created this BEST OF compilation of stupid excuses. It's perhaps a little more brash than my usual fare. Don't mistake this for arrogance. I'm young and stupid too, but I'm still allowed to almost rant. Pseudo-rant. Pretend I made you cookies and you're eating them as you read this."
Editorial, Feature
Kylee Wall |
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Cinematography
The Hobbit & The Dawn of High Frame Rate Cinema
The technology wizards of the film/TV industry have been talking about High Frame Rate cinema for a long time; indeed, Douglas Trumbull's Showscan at 60 fps presaged the current interest over 30 years ago. But it took director Peter Jackson to take the plunge for mainstream cinema, declaring he would shoot The Hobbit in 48 fps to get momentum going. In about a year's time, manufacturers made the gear, theater exhibitors updated their movie theaters, and the studios prepared for one of the most audacious technology debuts that cinema has seen. Creative COW goes behind the scenes to see what it took for you to see The Hobbit in 48 fps.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview
Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography
Jacob Rosenberg Directs Waiting for Lightning
Waiting for Lightning is the tragic and triumphant story of legendary skateboarder Danny Way, following him from his chaotic childhood to his early talent with a skateboard through to his many professional successes. With a combination of archival footage, interviews and skateboard action, Waiting for Lightning also takes us on Danny's journey to China to jump the Great Wall on a skateboard.
Feature, People / Interview
Jacob Rosenberg |
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Adobe Premiere Pro
IBC 2012: Adobe Provides Broadcast & Media Solutions
Adobe came to IBC 2012 focused on the broadcast industry. The big reveal was its new Adobe Anywhere, a collaborative workflow platform that allows real-time collaboration for remote users of Premiere Pro, After Effects and Prelude. Adobe expanded its partnerships with broadcast solution companies, to over 200. At the show, Adobe also unveiled a new promotional offer for individuals and corporations interested in switching from Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer to Adobe Production Premium or Adobe Creative Cloud.
Editorial, Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Adobe Photoshop
THE ADAPTIVE WIDE ANGLE COMMAND
Play Video
Adobe Photoshop CS6 adds to an existing feature that you may not have even been using called Photomerge. Rich Harrington will show you the new Adaptive Wide Angle command to remove all of the lens and perspective distortion in merged photos. You will also learn how to use these exact techniques with video footage, too.
Tutorial, Video Tutorial
Richard Harrington |
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Cinematography
Behind the Lens: Paul Cameron ASC on Total Recall
Paul Cameron, ASC, just finished work on the remake of Total Recall, directed by Len Wiseman and starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel with Bill Nighy, Bryan Cranston, and John Cho. Cameron was last featured in Creative COW for his work on Henry's Crime. His previous credits include director Michael Mann's Collateral and Tony Scott's Man on Fire.
Feature
Paul Cameron, ASC |
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Film History & Appreciation
Method Studios: VFX for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Method Studios was approached by Fox's visual effects team to work on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and were offered some very tasty stuff to solve - a train sequence with burning bridges, full CG fire, all in stereo. As CG artists, this is the kind of meaty work you really want to go after. Randy Goux shared his experiences on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter with Creative COW.
Feature
Randy Goux |
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Film History & Appreciation
Depth of Field: Gregg Toland, Citizen Kane and Beyond
Whenever somebody equates "shallow depth of field" and "cinematic look," it's good to remember that the opposite is sometimes true. Gregg Toland, ASC was the first master of extreme depth of field, and movies like Citizen Kane and The Grapes of Wrath forever changed what it is possible for humans to do with cameras. Here's a look at what that means for YOUR shooting.
Editorial, Feature
Tim Wilson |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2012: Adobe CS6 Release
With the release of Adobe Creative Suite 6 Production Premium, Adobe's booth at NAB 2012 was packed every day of NAB 2012. Editors in particular came to check out all the dramatic changes made to Adobe Premiere Pro, including a redesigned interface that makes it friendly to users of other NLEs.
Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Digital Signage
Red Bull Mind Meld at the ULTRA Music Festival
Integrated Visions Productions and SenovvA teamed to produce a spectacular "Red Bull Mind Meld" visual experience at the Miami Ultra Music Festival by creating an immense video projection mapping. The team turned the 29-story InterContinental hotel's facade into a gyrating psychedelic mural that covered the building and throbbed with the music for 165,000 dancing fans.
Feature
Debra Kaufman |
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Adobe Photoshop
COACM: Plug In, Tune Out
Adobe created quite a stir when it recently announced a public beta for the next major update to Photoshop. Is this the result of some very smart marketing, or perhaps an act of desperation, due to the harsh economic realities facing most creatives these days? What is the future of this critical production tool?
Editorial
David Biedny |
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