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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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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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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: Blackmagic Design Debuts an UltraHD Workflow
At the Blackmagic Design, UltraHD/4K reigned supreme. The company not only introduced a 4K camera, the Blackmagic Production Camera, but a range of products that create an entire UltraHD workflow. Blackmagic Design has been focusing on 6G-SDI technology for multiple products including the ATEM Production Studio 4K live production studio, Blackmagic Audio Monitor and ATEM Studio Converter 2, all of which support UltraHD resolution. In addition, Blackmagic introduced its Pocket Cinema Camera, a compact Super 16 digital cinema camera with 13 stops of dynamic range, and DaVinci Resolve 10, both priced under $1,000.
Editorial, Feature Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2013: Day Four With Ryan Salazar
Only Ryan's own words suffice, "WOW! Has this been a SPECTACULAR Show or what?!?! It was intense... I interviewed Vince Pace of the Cameron | Pace Group and Marc Hamaker of Autodesk, among many others during the Show! I feasted my eyes upon so many wonderful innovations that I can't wait for them to be released throughout the coming year! I had my own TV Crew, courtesy of NAB LIVE! 2013, and I came face-to-face with a shark! It was all I had hoped for and definitely MORE!"
Editorial, Feature Ryan Salazar |
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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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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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Art of the Edit
Parenthood in Post Production Part TWO: Modern Director Mom
In Kylee's exploration of having a family in the video industry, she wondered what parenthood looked like to a director. For Kate Chaplin, a writer/director, it turns out that question is just the opposite as it turns from "How do kids fit into my world? to "How have children inspired me to pursue my dreams?". Read Part TWO of this heart-felt series.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Kylee Wall |
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DaVinci Resolve
Grading Frankenweenie at Company 3
Colorist Rob Pizzey just finished the DI for Tim Burton's latest film, Frankenweenie, a 3D stop-motion animated tale of a boy and his deceased dog, brought back to life with the power of science. Creative COW spoke with Company 3 colorist Rob Pizzey in London about the tricks of grading a B&W movie that's also stop-motion and in 3D.
Feature Debra Kaufman |
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Broadcasting
Rewiring, Automating and Scaling Up for Broadcast Post
How do 34 staffers produce 1,850+ Television spots & 600+ Radio spots...every month? Automation. Ryan Salazar also rewired studioZ's entire facility top to bottom for digital workflows that can still accommodate the HDCAM some of their clients still require. Combine that with a new machine room, 40 servers, eight Pro Tools suites, triple-redundant archive backups, and you'll find a facility that constantly rebuilds itself for the future.
Editorial, Feature Ryan Salazar |
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Cinematography
Setting Standards for High Frame Rate Digital Cinema
Dave Stump, ASC, is a co-chair of the SMPTE Working Group on High Frame Rate Cinema. The upcoming releases of The Hobbit and Avatar 2 have highlighted a number of issues that the entire filmmaking community is going to have deal with, including exhibitors. A winner of an Academy Award for Technical Achievement as well as a cinematographer, Dave speaks from a variety of perspectives as he describes the early days of progress towards standards for High Frame Rate cinema.
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview Dave Stump, ASC |
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Blackmagic Design
MTV Trials 3D for Video Music Awards
MTV took a step towards 3D broadcasts at its annual Video Music Awards, feeding a 3D signal into the Regal Theatre adjacent to the event's downtown Los Angeles venue. That 3D signal was a real-time 2D-to-3D conversion thanks to Blackmagic Design's new Teranex 3D processor, which was shown at NAB 2012. Priced at $3,995, the Teranex 3D processor provides a 3D exemplified by depth of field and no artifacts. For MTV, the 3D broadcast is yet another step in experimenting with the right technology for the right event.
Feature Debra Kaufman |
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Blackmagic Design
IBC 2012: Blackmagic Design Releases
Blackmagic Design used IBC to debut seven products, including a second version of its camera, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT. The UltraStudio 4K, UltraStudio Mini Monitor and Mini Recorder, and DeckLink 4K Extreme, as well as Mini Converter 4K and Videohub Master Control emphasized the company's focus on 4K and Thunderbolt-enabled products. The company also added support for the ExFAT file system, for Windows users.
Editorial, Feature Debra Kaufman |
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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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Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design President Dan May on Cintel Acquisition
On July 24th, Blackmagic Design announced its acquisition of long-time film/TV telecine, film scanner, and post production technology leader, Cintel International. Blackmagic Design President Dan May spoke with Creative COW's Debra Kaufman about what this means for the company's product line up as well as for the endurance of Cintel's R&D and the future of film.
Feature, People / Interview Debra Kaufman |
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Broadcasting
Live TV: On a Budget
Dylan Reeve and a small group of no-budget podcaster friends decided to embark upon the challenge of broadcasting live election coverage of the New Zealand General Election online in HD. Live trainwreck or success?
Feature Dylan Reeve |
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Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design's Grant Petty: We Want to Blow Your Mind
Blackmagic Design Founder and CEO Grant Petty has earned a reputation as one of the industry's straightest shooters, leading one of the industry's consistently disruptive companies. While he doesn't shy away from controversy, what shines through Grant's conversation is his love for this industry, and, as he puts it, his goal of "blowing people's minds." We're pleased to let him tell you about it in his own words in this energetic recorded interview.
Feature Grant Petty |
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NAB Expo
NAB 2012: Blackmagic Design's Dan May Talks about The Camera
While at NAB 2012, Debra Kaufman sat down with Blackmagic Design President Dan May to talk about the Blackmagic Cinema Camera as well as other news from the company, including Teranex 2D and Teranex 3D Processors, a new family of high-end broadcast standards converter processors, and a release of the Desktop Video 9.5 software update with support for Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 video software using Blackmagic Design's DeckLink, UltraStudio and Intensity capture.
Feature Debra Kaufman |
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