Design Lab

• The key word for this lab was layer modes.  The speaker, Barton Damer went through, step by step, the process of creating the echo logo.  There were three programs used in the creation of the software: Photoshop, Illustrator, and Cinema 4D.
• One great tip for photoshop was to combine your layers aesthetically by creating a solid color layer and then blending it over the image to create a congruent feel across the image.  (simple I know.  so why have I not thought of this?)
• In illustrator click opt+shift to scale an object from the center

Compositing Lab

• This lab was not quite as helpful for me because it was all about After Effects.  The instructor, Trent Armstrong, was very knowledgeable about After Effects and Final Cut.  The problem: I use Motion.
• Trent went through the creation of the videos found on the echo blog.  Good stuff but still, I don't have After Effects.

Editing

• My favorite of all the labs.
• Also taught by Trent and dealt with advanced editing techniques and green screening in After Effects and Final Cut.  The main point about green screening was to evenly light your green screen.  Also watch for highlights on the screen (Check the zebra stripes.)
• He went through all of the sound effects used in the creation of the promo videos.  The moral of the story: you already have all the effects you could need in garage band and soundtrack.

Over all impressions thus far:

• Watermark is a great church aesthetically.  They are building a new addition which should be really nice when finished.
• Cool people have Macs.
• Echo is cool.
• The question most heard at the conference, "so, how big is your church?"  Really!?  Come on people.  That's a little too personal.  After all, we just met.

KEY CODE MEDIA invites you to join us on Thursday, August 28, 2008 to visit our 3 demonstration pods featuring portable desktop solutions for your Final Cut Pro workstation including demonstrations from Apple, AJA, and Sonnet Technologies.

      *Hands-on demos and individual Q&A available*

Space is VERY limited and RSVP is on a first-come, first-served basis. Send your RSVP to rsvp@keycodemedia.com

WHEN Thursday August 28, 2008 @ 6pm-9pm   

WHERE Key Code Media 1004 Santa Monica Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90401 (between 9th and 10th). There will be free parking across the street at Santa Monica Community College Madison Theater on Santa Monica Blvd. (Limited parking--arrive early to ensure a spot!)

QUESTIONS? Call: 818.303.3900

www.keycodemedia.com

 Join our growing network today, join us on facebook: http://profile.to/keycodemedia/

Get updated news and information at: http://keycodemedia.wordpress.com

The Noise.io Iphone Ipod touch  synthesizer Application available in  the  App Store on 8.25.08, for $6.99. The Noise.io offers Enhanced Subspace Frequency Modulation synthesis  or EMSFM for short that is capable of producing all kinds of sounds & effects. For users of this application creating new sounds are very easy all you gotta do is slides your fingers in an X - Y form to produce changes in real time.. almost like a korg pocket kaos pad if you ask me but still for 7 bucks. it will be on my iPhone when it's available. It also comes with 81 presets, a chorus,flanger delay and a present editor that allows saving your created presets so you can go back and use that sound when making loops.

For more information, visit their web site at noise.io.

Published by http://Soundtrackloops.com

Apple has released recently a new piece of server software that can be run from a Mac Pro to allow organization of tens of thousands of video clips and thousands of video projects: Final Cut Server. Check out the Final Cut Server review by Mike Curtis (of hdforindies) at MacWorld, where he gives it 3 out of 5 mice:

Pros
Powerful automation flexibility; powerful catalog and search; useful version control capabilities, check-in/check-out user control, review, and approval tools; stable; cross-platform.
Cons
Incomplete/difficult search capabilities, advanced features require user supplied scripts or scripting capability; complex to alter from defaults.

(update)

Yeah so it turns out I just had compressor save the files to a different directory. Crisis diverted.

For the redesign, I was thinking class, and targeted it for connoisseurs. I wanted some way to make the Albertsons brand stand out among its competitors (the olive oil market is pretty cutthroat.)  I chose to go pretty simple. When researching the product, I found that much of the time, a simple design can be just, if not more so, effective in connoting refinement. A good example of this would be Godiva chocolates.

The font I chose has slanted baselines, which makes me think of Greek and in general the Mediterranean region. As for, the other elements, I went with a simple illustration of an olive branch. I completely redesigned the container as well. I chose to mimic wine labeling, since only classy people drink wine. Ha. Joking aside, I put the product in an actual wine bottle. So as not to confuse the consumer into thinking that it is spirits, I chose an olive colored ink for the print. Also, I went without a label; choosing instead to print directly onto the bottle.

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with the end result and I think it could stand on its own if it were a real product.

I also made a little video showcasing the product. Keep in mind that I've had very little actual training in 3D.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1435540&w=425&h=350&fv=clip_id%3D1438758%26server%3Dwww.vimeo.com%26autoplay%3D0%26fullscreen%3D1%26md5%3D%26show_portrait%3D0%26show_title%3D0%26show_byline%3D0%26context%3D%26context_id%3D]

Made with Photoshop & Illustrator CS3, Maya 2008, and Final Cut Pro.

        The film is very high octane and accomplishes a whole lot within 2 and a half hours, like any Nolan film you have to either view it a few times or pay close attention to follow the whole of the plot, I did the later and it held up extremely well.  On top of everything, I was happy to see they delved deeper into many of the themes found in the comic and came out with a truly remarkable story.  By the end, you find yourself wishing it was longer, longing to see more of Ledger and Bale as Bruce Wayan. 

        The whole cast adds a lot and in the end you wind up with a dark, hard PG-13 film, with enough violence, romance, dark comedy, suspense, shocks and drama to appeal to a wide audience.  I went into the film expecting it to be the hype it was given, sadly I wouldn’t call it the greatest film ever made, but I would say it’s the greatest film I’ve seen all year and while it may not have the cultural impact of something like the Godfather or Schindler’s List, it does so much to keep you enthralled, entertained and above all smiling from the edge of your seat.  With some highly memorable lines, a deep satisfying ending and an awe inducing performance led by Ledger the film will likely be the best you’ve seen in a while.  So smile, Why so Serious?   

Overall: 5/5

See it, maybe even twice, buy it when it comes out

If the silver screen is calling your name louder that the LCD's or CRT's beckon, find out more about this new round of editing competition here: OpenCut


Also, I you install Azureus, a free, BitTorrent application, and search among their offerings you can view and/or download the just completed group of entries to the first OpenCut competition. I've also added a link to a variety of tests and interviews that were shot with the RED camera.


Link:Azureus
Link:OpenCut 1.0: Susannah
Link:Vuze:RED Camera

So, I end up with the video below.  I kinda like it as a good test of slowing down video and freeze-framing in Final Cut.

            The film is about an accountant whose life is going nowhere.  Soon he finds out that his dad used to be the head of an organization of assassins, known as the fraternity.  The fraternity then proceeds to recruit him and save his life from the man who murdered his father.  They then train him so he can personally avenge his father by curving bullets and flipping cars.

Danny Elfman provided an excellent adrenaline fueled soundtrack which really added to the pacing of the movie. The film for the most part was extremely fast paced and action packed with fewer then 10 minutes in between a bullet or a fist hitting someone in the head for the duration of the hour and 45 minute running time. 

Anyone can see this is a popcorn flick and generally requires your brain to relax and not take it entirely serious.  For all the ridiculousness of the film it was infinitely better then Shoot-em-up which features a similar style of action. I’d definitely give it a watch

Overall: 3.5/5

This movie wonderfully accomplishes Science Fiction, dazzling visual animation, social satire and at its heart is a tale of pure love.  The characters of Wall-E and Eve are the 2 most sympathetic robots I've seen in cinema with just a smidgeon more dialogue than R2-D2.  Yes, Wall-E reminds me and many others of Johnny 5, which makes him just a hair more awesome. 

The score and minimalistic voice-work is excellent and compliments the visuals.  The movie delivers a nostalgic flair, as you watch Wall-E learn how to be human using all the crap we left behind, from a Rubik’s cube to Pong.  In general a fantastic film that appeals to all audiences, sweet and endearing, it may just surprise you.

Overall: 5/5

Hellboy 2 is very different from the first. The setting and plot gave Del Toro more imaginative freedom to create the dark fairy tale creatures he enjoys.  Because of this, the sequel is full of these imaginative creatures more-so then human beings.  This changes the entire ambience of the film.  However, the humor, the one-liners and the action remain relatively unchanged in style. 

Ron Perlman delivers an awesome performance and you can tell he really enjoys playing the character.  Seth MacFarlane, of Family Guy fame, even has an important voice role, which is odd, considering he's pretty much just doing a modified version of the fish from American Dad.  Selma Blair passes off as neurotic, pyrokinetic Liz. While not really shining in her role, she does serve as an excellent foil to Hellboy and his rascally behavior.

The film delivers in many aspects and manages to outshine the first.  You’ll find yourself awed at the visual effects or laughing at a certain scene featuring a Barry Manilow song.  Aside from pacing issues and a little heavy-handed foreshadowing that leads to a lot of expected twists, I'd still recommend you treat yourself to an awesome fantasy/action/comedy that seems to bridge the gap between dark fairy tale and comic action wonderfully.

Overall: 4.5/5

   Well, they are my general interest and because of that I bring you this very blog, within it will be posts corresponding to each subject and discussing them with great detail.

-Final Cut- Reviews of movies that are currently in theatres

-DVDo’s and Don’ts- Reviews of movies that recently came out on DVD/Blu-ray

-Recommendation Theatre- Recommendations of Old or obscure Films

-To Play or Not To Play- Reviews of newly released games

-Retro-gamer Revolution- Reviews of older games

-Image Zone – Any image/animation I have created, could range from a flash movie to a webcomic

-Otaku Street- Recommendations for Anime and Manga

-Obscurities- Anything else I feel the need to write about

-Street Philosophy- my opinion on things philosophical

I guess since this is the first entry in my new Blog, I should tell you a bit about me...

My name is Joseph and I am a husband, a dad, a brother, an uncle, a godfather and a digital video producer. 4 years ago I made the jump from full time employee for "The Man" with an education in Digital Media Technical Production and an idea, to a full time "video guy". It wasn't easy and it was definitely scary, but it was strategized. I knew that as planned a move as it was, any entrepreneurial venture can fail for any number of reasons. Small business equipment failure and minimal funds to replace gear, low season or too much business without time management skills and a million other reasons. It was bold, but I had too clear of a vision and a plan, so we did it. Well I did it, but I say we because Lex (Alexiis...my wife), and I would both experience a roller coaster of low seasons and high season, new gear and broken equipment, canvasing for business and getting "that phone call". This occurred over the first couple of years, and still does in some regards. It's strengthening sometimes, to say the least.

I run a wedding video production company that includes me, a couple of really good videographers and my buddy's photo studio (I'll explain that last part another time). A Day To Remember (herein known as ADTR) has been in operation for 7 years (first 5 years as Mista Media) and I'm doing well with this business. Weddings are a good core staple in my multi-stream income, which is what I think all successful entrepreneurs and business owners need to look for...multiple streams of income. Anyways, weddings are really cool. I love the food! I'll be doing some destination weddings next year! I'll keep you posted.

I also run a corporate video production company called JS Digital. I've got some good accounts with JS Digital, one in particular is Cara Operations...you know, Harvey's, Swiss Chalet. Milestones, Montana's and Kelsey's. This account has been great, as well I've got Club Intrawest and Blue Mountain as a new account to do some production with. I'm dealing with the Pita Pit and some other really big restaurants there as well as art gallery's and clothing stores. It's all pretty amazing.

Another one of my multiple streams is from teaching. I have been teaching at the post secondary level for the past 5 years. I teach in the field of communications, specifically digital video production and post production. I was teaching at Seneca College - York Campus and am now at the Toronto Media and Film College. Cool gig! I love teaching and the job is 5hrs a day, 2 days a week for 7 weeks at a time. they have even asked me to go to China to teach for 1 month...twice! The last time was just before the weekend. I'll keep you posted on that too.

I also have a 1-2 day a week part time job at Vistek. I really got this job out of selfishness...I wanted to be able to play with the cameras, get good rates on rentals and employee discounts. Why not?! It will help me to do what I love on a new level because of my access to equipment, I stay on the cutting edge, I get to teach and when I have a low period in my main business, I up my hours with Vistek. Again...it's a beautiful thing.

Now, I am not by any stretch of the mind the be-all-end-all with video, but I figured that it might be interesting to someone who wants to hear the good the bad and the ugly from a real nose to the grindstone video producer. I test cameras, I edit and shoot almost every day, I've made alot of videos, have some good accounts and made alot of mistakes along the way. So far, it's been really interesting.

I look forward to what every day has to offer because everyday is different than the one before. Happy planning, shooting, directing, producing, editing and delivering.

talk to you tomorow

You can watch below, or click here to watch it larger and in HD.

That puts him in some incredible company, by the way. I learned an amazing amount from a three day workshop that Diana Weynand taught a year or so back. And her books, along with Michael Wohl's, are an invaluable addition to my library.

But Larry is amazing. Check out his tip from a recent posting on "Larry Jordan's Tip of the Day" from his engaging web site. It gives a great way to repatch the track assignments from the Patch Panel at the left of the timeline (see the image at the right).

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8510748876310097541&hl=en"%2Fvideodownload%3Fversion%3D0% 26secureurl%3DjQAAAI2D-oeokHvEtP4vUMF6XpEPkLnk1CzCPWh_ceWkgqteIts5AhlVKPfw7OTKxfMTnFueC7owITuZG8Bgbq4EjeChTgoTU__CTEDXJH_pKnb-5HC2YGPArZRmloEk3bAoAvK5__9X1oW8dq0mZ-xFB1-6xdVitpR-FnidBC0Gpx0gTQjijrq7vrNfCh-mkLIP2g%26sigh%3Dr8uwuHM27caxFbz2AvH3PHkAUpg%26begin%3D0%26len%3D21366%26docid%3D3728266100951844857&thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer%3Fcontentid%3D7d3c304a1b09e543%26second%3D5%26itag%3Dw320%26urlcreated%3D1138895377%26sigh%3D7g3V08dj4BKPsDXSwXhOmNiY2fQ&playerId=3728266100951844857&playerMode=embedded]

You decide what you think the truth is.

Ciao Baby...

This may be a missive in the school of 'Painfully and Slowly Working Out the Patently Obvious', but in the face of a sudden delay in the start of an edit, I decided to splash out on something to cheer me up until the tapes arrive (four to six hour delay). And being a bit of a sad git at heart, what do I choose? To cuddle up to an Iain M. Banks? To go for a long cycle ride in the balmy summer air?

No, I'm watching training material.

There's a lot of really great training material out there on very exciting subjects. And I'm surfacing from a long dip in Ripple Training's Compressor 3. Yes, the thought of ploughing through a few hour's worth of Compressor training is hardly going to make a spike on most people's Richter scale, but it pays off.

The first comment I'd make to any new investor in any of the many of the downloadable training programmes from the likes of Ripple Training, Lynda.com and Total Training, is to watch EVERYTHING, don't skip the first few chapters even if you're drumming your fingers through it thinking that this is all in the manual. I suddenly discovered the 'Upload via FTP' destination and the 'FLV' encoding elements in my Compressor that I didn't know I had. Soon you'll be into deep dive stuff, inserting chapter markers, hooking cheap hardware to accelerate your H.264 Compressor encodes, optimising your WMV encodes, learning how not to reduce your Mac to an unresponsive jelloid mass by not switching on unnecessary options and using job chaining, how to avoid unnecessary key frames cluttering up your natural stuff, and making very nice video for distribution and optimal use within Final Cut Pro. And on and on.

The benefit for any UK based Final Cut Pro editors is that the dollar is so Euro amp; Pound friendly that good training is an absolute bargain. Lynda.com and Pixel Corps offer very very broad ranges of materials (The Corps has a more cliquey follow-on meet-your-tutor, discuss-with-peers feel, Lynda has oodles of everything to watch and learn, but doesn't follow on - take your pick). Ripple Training is focussed on the Final Cut Pro niche, and if you 'dress to the Adobe', Total Training makes training you want to watch. Beyond that, many kind and talented souls have made screencast tutorials and all of them have much to offer.

Okay. Now and again, there's the occasional dog. A 'what a waste of everything' moment. But at least by churning through the tutorials and the training, you're able to discern, and that means you're learning. Learning and training leads to doing better, doing it faster. Increasingly effective earning power. And now, with any luck, that bike with the tape hasn't left yet, so I can take another sneak peek at Ripple Training's Motion 3 Deep Dive.

I speak of Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro.  I use both at work.  I'm more familiar with Adobe, and Final Cut does some very good things with graphics.  I'd like to be monagimous to one, but I can't seem to find one decent "answers to my strange questions" site for either.

Anyone know of any site that can help me out?

Honestamente, não notei tanta diferença assim pro outro que eu tinha. Essa versão não tem o voice-over do Harrison Ford, e tem o sonho com o unicórnio.

"Terrible thing living in fear, isn't it?"

This was my first shoot a few weeks ago with the HVX200a. I just got around to editing it this week.

My workflow was ingest into FCP6 with log and transfer. I renamed and trimmed my clips at this point. The edit was done in FCP. Sometimes when I edit I feel like I'm cooking. I piece of this here, a shot of this there. This edit felt more like chiseling a sculpture our of stone. I started out with 30 minutes of usable footage that I chiseled away to 2 minutes. Remove this here, remove some more here. And then lets find a story to be told. Guess that's what documentary film making is all about.

Once I had a locked down edit in FCP I sweetened the audio in ProTools. I also did the voice over there with a Shure SM7B. In case you're wondering some of my favorite ProTools Plug-Ins are Smack as my compressor (gives me a nice full sound with little artifacts) and Pultic 1A EQ (It's almost magical in the way that you can boost and cut the same frequency, example: cut the boomy sound but still have a full sound) . Sometimes I'll add Maxim on my main bus but I didn't on this.

From there I did basic color correction in FCP using Colorista. I just picked up this plug-in and have to say I really like it! The workflow and results just puts FCP 3-Way Color Corrector to shame. In the past I've been using Color Finesse in AE. Truth be told I'm on a color grading kick, I'm looking to learn as much as I can so I'm going through some videos and books. I'm going to check out Color. But I did the basic color correction to maximize the shot in FCP because I like to see scopes. FCP has scopes, AE doesn't.

Next I used Automatic Duck to get the project into After Effects. Can I just say Automatic Duck is the bomb! It's almost magic in it's simplicity and power. The Magic Bullet effects (Looks and Colorista) are translated by Automatic Duck from FCP to AE. I like working in AE b/c I find the tools easier to use and more powerful than in FCP. Even the same plugin like Colorista, just works better in AE. But AE doesn't have scopes I've only found a histogram in the levels effect.

Once in AE I applied Magic Bullet looks to an adjustment layer to cover then entire footage. This gave my footage a look or style for the project. I tweaked the 3.5 Black Diffuse look. It then made my grade a tad dark. So I applied another instance of Colorista on each clip, used the spotlight preset which gave me a feathered mask I could move to the area I wanted highlighted. I chose the face of each person.

A workflow tip I learned. AE is going to try to create a composition with the anamorphic pixel aspect ration, as this is what DVCProHD from the HVX200 has, but when you export QuickTime was not correctly displaying the footage. Since QuickTime wasn't displaying the footage correctly I didn't know how ProPresenter would show it. So I made a render comp in AE that was proper 720p/24.

Here's the video. I'm not thrilled about the concept or the edits.