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DaVinci - NEW ! | Blackmagic Design Buys the Power of daVinci: Part 2
In this article, Tim Wilson continues his series with his Part Two look at the big news leaking from IBC 2009. Blackmagic Design has acquired da Vinci Systems and with that acquisition comes what Tim refers to as The Power of da Vinci. And for the many that have used da Vinci over the years, they know full well the power of which Tim writes. And for those who might need an introduction to this power, Tim offers these words...
Editorial, Feature, People / Interview 09/08/2009
Author: Tim Wilson |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Film? Really? Yes, Really.
Even all-digital, file-based films are still shown mostly on film. That's why Mike Lehman is helping indie filmmakers get their work onto the worldwide standard for theatrical exhibition.
Editorial 08/19/2009
Author: Mike Lehman |
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Indie Film & Documentary | DreamSpeakers On Tour: Budding Aboriginal Filmmakers
In this article, VASST's Douglas Spotted Eagle, takes COW members inside the DreamSpeakers On Tour. DreamSpeakers is a three-weekend project where students meet with professionals in the film/video industry and learn their craft, beginning from the ground floor of film making. Budding Aboriginal filmmakers and Dreamspeakers work together to produce first films for youth, by youth, and the program has kicked off to a great start.
Feature, People / Interview 04/16/2009
Author: Douglas Spotted Eagle |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Running the Sahara
Running 4300 miles across the world's largest desert sounds impossible. But once Academy Award-winning director James Moll heard that three guys were going to try, he knew he had to hear - and tell - their story. In this Creative COW Magazine expanded interview, James talks about the incredible journey of both the runners and the filmmakers, while also offering insights into filmmaking, storytelling, and the frame.
Feature 03/25/2009
Author: James Moll |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Film Festival Magic
After 3 years working on their labor of love, Harry and his partners tasted the full range of film festival experiences, some more magical than others...
Feature 02/27/2009
Author: Harry Pallenberg |
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Stereoscopic 3D - NEW ! | Stereoscopic 3D
The tools for creating 3D stereoscopic movies are now amazingly affordable. A few challenges remain, but you can easily see the possibilities. In this Creative COW Magazine article Christopher Werronen takes you through the process of making a movie destined for Stereoscopic 3D.
Feature 02/26/2009
Author: Christopher Werronen |
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Broadcast Video | Improvising Visual Effects
On-set circumstances changing fast? Improvise! In this Creative COW Magazine article Mark Allen discusses how he overcame the complications in a recent short film production by improvising the visual effects.
Feature, People / Interview 12/03/2008
Author: Mark Allen |
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Art of the Edit | Fix it in Pre : Workflow Starts Before the Shooting Does
Looking for smooth shoots even on extreme locations? Want a pain-free post? 24P, film look, Depth of Field converter, advanced compositing and sound design -- its all here. In this Creative Cow Magazine extra from the Workflow 3.0 issue, Carl Larsen shows you how to avoid problems through planning, along with invaluable tips for cinematic storytelling on a tight schedule.
Feature 11/18/2008
Author: Carl Larsen |
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RED Camera | Under the Gun with RED One
Dylan Reeve and a small team of New Zealand filmmakers had 48 hours to get their assignment, write a script, direct, shoot and post their film, then hand in the finished show...oh yeah, and refine their RED shooting and editing skills under the gun while trying to beat out 230 other teams! Sound wild? You have no idea....
Feature 07/08/2008
Author: Dylan Reeve |
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Indie Film & Documentary | A Labor of Love
In this article from The Creative COW Magazine, Laurie Pepper discusses her adventures in the movie making industry and her late husband Art Pepper, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.
Feature, People / Interview 02/18/2008
Author: Laurie Pepper |
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Art of the Edit | The Sonnet D800 RAID: Speed and Safety
Jeremy Garchow's business is growing. So was his storage, and the potential for disaster. SATA array are less expensive, but were they safe, even with redundancy? With the Sonnet D800 he's got a terabyte of uncompressed HD, with full protection, for a great price. Read on to see the details of his set-up, and see if SATA and the Sonnet D800 will work as well for you as it has for Jeremy.
Review, Feature 10/17/2007
Author: Jeremy Garchow |
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Panasonic HVX - HPX (P2) | Making History with Panasonic P2 and the HVX200
In this reprint from Creative COW Magazine, Creative Cow leader and broadcast editor Shane Ross uses his work for The History Channel to illustrate end-to-end workflow using P2 media and the Panasonic HVX200: from a multi-camera shoot in the middle of blazing gunfire, all the way to your living room.
Feature 09/24/2007
Author: Shane Ross |
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Indie Film & Documentary | The Making of Kenya, the documentary film
In 2000, a team from Steven Galvano's organization (RCCM) traveled to Zambia and the over 20 hours of video he captured there turned into a short documentary film. Now, 6 years and three documentary films later, documenting these trips have become a central part of what he does. In this article, Steven describes his recent documentary: Kenya, The Documentary Film.
Tutorial, Feature 09/17/2007
Author: Steven Galvano |
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Windows Hardware & Software | Evoluent Vertical Mouse
It starts as a slight twinge in the shoulder, or a prickle in the wrist, a dime-sized knot in the forearm or a tingling somewhere up and down the arm. Whatever the symptoms, the cause is usually the same - RSI or repetitive strain injury or its widely publicized brother, carpal tunnel syndrome. In this article, John David Hutton takes a look at the new Evoluent Vertical Mouse. It could be the answer to protecting yourself from carpal tunnel and other strains.
Review 08/28/2007
Author: John David Hutton |
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Digital Photography | Dean Collins On Lighting
CreativeCOW leader, Mike Gondek examines Dean Collins On Lighting: Live at Brooks Institute of Photography 1991 and published by Software Cinema. Although, this was presented in 1991, Mike believes the content is timeless material.
Review 08/25/2007
Author: Mike Gondek |
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Adobe After Effects | Andrew Kramer's Riot Gear
In this article, CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Jim Harvey takes a look at Andrew Kramer's latest offering: Riot Gear. Riot Gear is a collection of 150+ visual elements including paint, ink, grunge , tv noise, and much more.
Review 07/30/2007
Author: Jim Harvey |
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particle Illusion | Professional Emitter Libraries: Pyro and Hearts
In this article, CreativeCOW's Bill O'Neil takes a look at the new wondertouch Professional Emitter Libraries. In this set are two Pyro libraries and one Heart set which is a collection of beautiful heart themed designs and backgrounds.
Review 07/28/2007
Author: Bill O'Neil |
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HDV Format | Demystifying HDV Workflows
Creative COW Leader Tim Kolb uses his HDV expertise to explore the technology behind HDV, and show how it applies inside Final Cut Pro and other NLEs, with a special focus on longer projects. As Tim notes, this is a modified version of a post he made in the HDV forum responding to a question about FCP, but anyone who wants to know about editing HDV needs to check this out.
Tutorial, Feature 07/28/2007
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Apple Final Cut Pro | SAS RAID from Dulce Systems
Creative COW Contributing Editor Bob Zelin talks about the latest step in the Serial Attached Storage revolution: full RAID 5 protection with read speeds over 350 mb/sec. from Dulce Systems. At least that's what Dulce claimed. When he heard the rest of what Dulce had to say, Bob simply didn't believe them. When he put those claims to the test, he got a lot more than he bargained for. Will you?
Review 07/19/2007
Author: Bob Zelin |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Film Festival Success
In this article from The Creative COW Magazine, J.C. Bouvier give five tips for getting your film into a film festival.
Feature, People / Interview 06/27/2007
Author: J.C. Bouvier |
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Indie Film & Documentary | A Tale of Cows, People, Passion and High Tech
After we remarked in the January/February 2007 issue that this would be the year of the COW, Barbara Summer Burstyn wrote to tell us about the film she and her husband Tom had made, with cows playing a central role in its theme. Its a fascinating story that sheds light on the challenges of documentary filmmaking.
Feature 06/17/2007
Author: Barbara Summer Burstyn |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Making a Movie - Building a Universe
In this Creative COW Magazine article independent filmmaker Bryan Kinnaird takes you on a journey through the production process of the Villikon Chronicles and shares what it has taken for him to become the filmmaker he is today.
Feature 06/17/2007
Author: Bryan Kinnaird |
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Cinematography | The Easy Slate System
In this article, CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Jim Harvey takes a look at the Easy Slate Professional Slating System. Jim likes the way it looks, and thinks that it makes him more attentive to the small details that he used to let slip past. It's a simple idea with a clever implementation.
Review 06/15/2007
Author: Jim Harvey |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Independent Film Productions - Through the Swamps
Navigating the challenges of independent productions. Low budgets don't have to mean low quality. They do mean that you'll have to work harder, longer, and smarter. What you lack in money and crew, you have to make up with hard work and passion.
People / Interview 06/10/2007
Author: Mark Maness |
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AJA Kona | Cal Digit S2VRHD
CreativeCOW's Bob Zelin tests a Cal Digit S2VRHD with a host card for a PCI-X computer, and a PCI-E computer. He used the incredible AJA Kona System Test, to evaluate the drive speeds. He was determined to 'break it.' Did he? No. He determined that...''If you want to do uncompressed HD, for a fraction of the price of an Apple Xserve RAID, or other hi end SCSI or Fibre Channel drive arrays, THIS IS YOUR BOX.'' Read the rest to find out why.
Review 01/16/2007
Author: Bob Zelin |
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AJA Kona | AJA HD10AVA Converter
CreativeCOW's Bob Zelin discusses how to turn your HDV VTR into a professional product using the amazing AJA HD10AVA converter. It takes the analog component HD signal from your Sony or JVC HDV VTR, and converts it to an HD-SDI signal that can go right into the HD-SDI input of your capture card.
Review 12/19/06
Author: Bob Zelin |
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Corporate Video | MediaFiler 2.0
MediaFiler 2.0 is a professional database software designed for the video production industry. It's an easy way to catalog, track, label, and organize your whole library of tapes and disks. In this article, Creative Cow Leader Aanarav Sareen takes a look at the software for use in his own production environment and determines that it is everything they say it is.
Review 07/18/2006
Author: Aanarav Sareen |
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Adobe After Effects | NAB Post Plus NY Review
In this combination podcast and video report, Aharon Rabinowitz takes Creativecow members on a tour of last week's NAB Post + Show in New York City, where he presents both an inside look at the latest industry technologies and in-depth interviews with 2 of the experts featured at the show. Download the podcast and listen to his report, then watch the movies and take note of the show notes if you want to follow up on anything he said.
11/21/2005
Author: Aharon Rabinowitz |
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Adobe ULTRA | Serious Magic's Ultra2
CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Joaquin 'Kino' Gil writes a review on Serious Magic's ULTRA 2 Professional Keying Software with Vector Keying Technology and tells readers, ''[Before ULTRA2] each matte had to be calibrated separately and the values adjusted almost on a frame by frame basis in order to get details like loose strands of hair, bluish shadows and reflections, grains of sand and other minutiae. Yes, it took forever [and] no motion tracking software, either. All of that effort, [and hours of work] very seriously done, is made moot today with this software tool from Serious Magic. ... The key is perfect to the extreme of perfectly keyed fine strands of hair, transparency and translucency.''
Review 09/30/2005
Author: Joaquin Gil |
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HDV Format | High Definition for the Road
Thanks to formats like DVCPro HD and HDV, High Definition can now be edited pretty much anywhere on just about any computer. Yeah, this is cool and you can really make your friends jealous just cutting away with your super slick laptop. But you know what's really slick? Editing Uncompressed High Definition anywhere. How about an Uncompressed editing workstation in a 25'' square box? No way? Way! Read on to find out about Wally's Traveling Box of Mystery and Intrigue...
Tutorial, Feature 07/29/2005
Author: Walter Biscardi |
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Cinematography | First Look: AspectCorrect(TM)
We've all done this at least once in our careers. You're shooting with a standard camera but you know you're going to letterbox later so you tape two pieces of paper to 'crop' the field monitor. Or you're trying to make sure an element in the shot is in safe title, so you use a grease pencil and approximate where safe title will be. You do what you have to do when you're out in the field, but of course you're never quite sure if it's accurate until you get back into the edit suite. In this article, Creativecow leader Walter Biscardi takes a first look at a handy 'widget' developed by Cinematographer and fellow COW leader, Clay Walker called AspectCorrect and determines that ''...This is just one of those cool little things that should make camera operators lives easier.''
Review 07/04/2005
Author: Walter Biscardi |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Dramatica: Software for Dramatic Fiction Writing
CreativeCOW.net contributing editor Joaquin Gil writes, ''Dramatica is a computer tool for something nobody realized you could do, computer or not. ... it is one of the most powerful tools available today for the serious fiction writer.'' Read on to see Kino's further insights into this amazing program.
Review 06/09/2005
Author: Joaquin Gil |
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HDV Format | HDV vs HD: A Primer
Emmy Award winner, Tim Kolb discusses HDV and its place in the greater scope of HD production formats. Since the inception of the HDV format, we have seen many responces regarding the HDV format and how it fits alongside HDCam, DVCProHD, XDCam and other formats in the greater scope of the HD picture. In this article (which is taken from an HDV Format forum responce), Creative Cow's Tim Kolb gives what we feel is an exemplary job of dissecting the subject and clarifying the many components of the HD universe, HDV being one of those parts....
Tutorial, Feature 06/06/2005
Author: Tim Kolb |
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Indie Film & Documentary | INDY FILMMAKER, Noah Kadner SHOOTS FORMOSA, VINTAGE 1950
Director Noah Kadner recently shot his debut feature, Formosa, a period comedy about a hapless group of social guidance filmmakers, with Panasonic's AJ-SDX900 DVCPRO Cinema camcorder. An independent project from High Road Productions (Los Angeles, CA), with Anita M. Cal producer, Formosa will go out to potential distributors and have a limited festival run beginning later this year.
People / Interview 02/05/2004
Author: Noah Kadner |
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Indie Film & Documentary | James Kelty: Indie & Documentary Filmmaker
James Kelty has always considered himself more of a writer-director than an editor. But in today's ever changing production world, Jim recently found himself without the editor with whom he'd worked for years. It was at this point that he began calling longtime friend and Creative Cow co-founder, Ron Lindeboom, asking which way should he go to remain competitive. Ron encouraged Jim that he was a great storyteller and that editing would come natural to him using today's tools. Jim, as a writer-director whose past projects have included "mega-wall" three big-screen spreads for the California State Museum in Sacramento and whose recent projects have included documentaries with Danny Glover narrating, found that editing has come naturally thanks to his friends at the Cow. Today, Jim participates in a wide range of Cow forums and helps lead in our Indie Film & Documentaries forum. Here is his story...
Interview 10/07/2003
Author: James Kelty |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Des Owen reviews: Practical DV Filmmaking by Russell Evans
Des Owen takes a thorough look at a new book called, Practical DV Filmmaking by Russell Evans and published by Focal Press and determines that this is the sort of book you want to read from cover to cover and then dip into from time to time for reference.
Review 12/21/2002
Author: Des Owen |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Screenwriter Caroline Thompson recalls Edward Scissorhands
Screenwriter Robert Olague interviews screenwriter Caroline Thompson about her screenplay for Edward Scissorhands, working with Tim Burton, and how she got started in Hollywood. Today, following the interview, she has gone on to direct, produce and write for her own films like Hallmarks Snow White: The Fairest of Them All.
People / Interview 06/14/2002
Author: Robert Olague |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Building Your House: A lesson in building a script
Noted screenwriter, Rob Gregory-Browne compares writing a screenplay to building a house. ''You can't build a house without a solid foundation and you can't build a solid foundation without a foolproof set of plans.'' In this article, Rob gives CreativeCOW members tips on building your screenplay.
Tutorial 04/29/2002
Author: Rob Gregory-Browne |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Anatomy of a Logline
Noted screenwriter, Rob Gregory-Browne gives CreativeCOW members tips for creating a logline for your freshly written script. Learn how to 'sell' that script and how to submit it. This is the second in a Screenwriters series here at the Cow and is offered as part of our new Screenwriters forum here at the COW.
Tutorial 03/18/2002
Author: Rob Gregory-Browne |
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Indie Film & Documentary | Creating Characters that Jump off the Page
Noted screenwriter, Rob Gregory-Browne gives CreativeCOW members tips for creating characters that live to an audience. Rob discusses ways to make your characters believable. This is the first in a Screenwriters series here at the Cow and is offered as part of our new Screenwriters forum here at the COW.
Tutorial 03/07/2002
Author: Rob Gregory-Browne |
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