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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
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
Bob Zelin |
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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
Jim Harvey |
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AJA Kona - Mac
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
Bob Zelin |
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AJA Kona - Mac
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
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
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.
People / Interview
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
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
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
Walter Biscardi |
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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
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
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...
People / Interview
James Kelty |
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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
Rob Gregory-Browne |
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