A New Pipeline

nextLAB and ALT Systems deliver postproduction solutions to your file-based production

By Clint Milby

In the past few years, the motion picture industry has been thrust into a state of flux like never before, which was due in large part to file-based camera systems replacing film cameras. Over the past 12 months, there have been roughly 10 new camera systems introduced to the market that are actively being used for digital film production. And in today’s... Read more

Grading To Extremes

Hollywood DI puts the finishing touches on two indies

By Neil Smith

Gangsters and horses don’t typically go hand in hand, but at Hollywood DI, you can never be sure of what a day’s work will entail. Our West Hollywood-based post house recently completed color correction on two independent feature films, the newly released And They’re Off, and Guido, which will be appearing in select theatres soon.... Read more

Place Your Bets!

Sony Vegas Pro 11 offers GPU-accelerated performance, as well as stereoscopic 3D tools

By George Avgerakis

In testing Sony Creative Software’s Vegas Pro 11, I took advantage of the recent arrival of a loaner HP EliteBook 8560w laptop computer, as well as the HP Z800 Workstation (dual hexacore, 3.47 GHz CPUs, 18 GB, NVIDIA Quadro 5000). The EliteBook sports an Intel Core i7, 2.30 GHz, 64-bit, quad-core CPU with 16 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended), installed... Read more

EZFX

Create stunning visuals with affordable visual-effects software

By George Avgerakis

There’s a recurring trend in technology’s relationship with its users. First, it’s very complicated, with dedicated users learning the complications, fixing them and then employing the technology. Then it seems to get very simple, with less dedicated users jumping in and popularizing the technology. Eventually, everybody gets tired... Read more

Introducing Final Cut Pro X

Apple’s controversial makeover of its landmark NLE system

By Neil Matsumoto

The dust has settled, and you’ve now probably read all the reviews on various filmmaking websites and blogs, as well as viewed the infamous Conan O’Brien sketch (www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxKYuF9pENQ). Apple’s Final Cut Pro X has been out for a couple of months, and in all of the years I’ve been covering production and postproduction... Read more

Ahead In The Cloud

How cloud computing is being integrated into the production and postproduction worlds

By George Avgerakis

Cloud computing is a new application of data-storage technology that provides off-site data storage (“the cloud”) to high-volume users. In addition to simple data storage, complete computing—editing, compositing, massive rendering, high-res archiving and even consumer distribution—can be accessed from the cloud. You can rent services... Read more

Data Wranglers

With an abundance of new workflow solutions, the gateway between production and post is looking like the Wild West

By Skip Ferderber

Welcome to workflow 2011. Some wags are calling it Deadwood, while others are referring to it as High Noon. But there are few, if any, bad guys here, simply a production picture that has become excessively fragmented and in need of a new sheriff—a plan to bring some order to the wide and wild variety of workflow solutions. Over the last decade,... Read more

The Z-Finder EVF

Zacuto releases an essential HD DSLR tool

By Neil Matsumoto

We’re all aware of the various work-arounds associated with HD DSLRs. Although most HD DSLR users consider sound to be the biggest problem, I’ve actually found monitoring to be the system’s Achilles’ heel when capturing professional-quality video. One of the main problems working with most HD DSLRs is that while in video mode,... Read more

Preserving History Film

Blackmagic Design’s tools help revive both old and new films

By George Avgerakis

I would have thought that all of the films that needed repair or restoration would have been repaired or restored by now. The three people who changed my mind about this are Kevin Brownlow, Gary Adams and Sean McKee. Brownlow recently won an honorary Academy Award® at the 2010 Governors Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts... Read more

Accelerated Editing

Taking advantage of new features in Avid’s Media Composer 5.5 and Pro Tools 9

By Mel Lambert

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Or, more prosaically, we often can extend our creative skills through access to slightly more advanced tools than those with which we’re currently familiar. Video-editing software falls comfortably into this category, especially if we have aspirations to move into more sophisticated productions,... Read more

Noise Annoys

Cinnafilm’s Dark Energy creates a cleaner and more filmic look out of video

By Iain Blair

While physicists still wrestle with fundamental questions about the nature and role of dark energy in the universe—What is it? How does it work?—filmmakers and postproduction crews have no such problem, thanks to Cinnafilm’s new Dark Energy image-processing modular software. Available as a standalone system and as a plug-in for leading software... Read more

Fix It In Post, Part One

Utilizing the audio tools bundled in your NLE system

By Dan Brockett

Q I’m editing a couple of interviews, and there are some issues with air-conditioning noise and clothing noise due to a poor job in rigging a lavaliere mic. What audio tools do you recommend to fix the sound issues? Roy V. Via e-mail “Fixing it in post” is an idiom that’s often mentioned on a set when sound or picture problems... Read more