Studio Monthly articles from August 2005

Studio Monthly archives from August 2005

Target apps.(editor's note)
August 1, 2005... We all know that rating systems are never completely objective. But it's human nature to want to know what others think about something before we buy it, especially if it's an expensive piece of gear. That's why most people, when asked, say...

What they're using now.(feedback)
August 1, 2005... Thanks for Jim Feeley's "Ultimate Audio Kit" column in the May issue. I'd like to know what other gear, including makes and models, that pros are using and how it works for them, especially for audio, video, film-style shoots and multi-camera...

Burns effect?(feedback)
August 1, 2005... In the April issue of Studio/monthly, Beth Marchant has a great article on archival footage that credits Ken Burns' brother Ric Burns with "pioneering the moving still image." This is a common misnomer. (The effect is even called "The Ken...

Intel inside ... a Mac?!(quick cuts)
August 1, 2005... Apple opened its Worldwide Developer Conference on June 6 with news that it planned to begin shipping Macs in 2006 with Intel microprocessors at their cores. Citing Intel's stronger "processor roadmap," Apple CEO Steve Jobs added that by the...

NAB post + production show heading to NYC this fall.(quick cuts)
August 1, 2005... Tired of wrestling the masses just to get into the South Hall? A leaner, more focused version of NAB for the post and production crowd will come to New York's Javits Center on November 15-17. Created in collaboration with Future Media Concepts,...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... In the Hot House on page 47 of the July 2005 issue of Studio/monthly, the correct titles for Paul Riggio and Robert Smith of Sugarbox are Paul Riggio, Composer/Sound Designer and Robert Smith, Engineer/Partner.

What I'm using now: Trapcode Particular plug-in.(quick cuts)
August 1, 2005... COLIN HESS [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designer, UV/PHACTORY, New York Favorite gear: Trapcode Particular, an After Effects plug-in List: $299 Why I love it: It's so much quicker and easier to manipulate particle systems using...

A star is born.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... Hitachi Software's latest StarBoard BT-1 System for classroom and corporate presentations combines a wireless BT-1 Bluetooth Freedom Tablet with StarBoard Software suite of presentation and collaboration software. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Once, twice, three times a recorder.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... JVC is combining MiniDV, DVD and Hard Disk recording in its new 3-in-1 video recorder/player, the SR-DVM70US compact deck. The SR-DVM70US, which is also DVCAM compatible, can store up to 160 GB and features long recording times with selectable...

The long and short of it.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... It may look odd, but NEC's WT610 enhanced mirrored reflection projector can turn any office into a theater. The WT610 features NEC's patented lensless mirror design to produce one of the shortest throw distances in a front projector. Put this...

Expand your toolkit.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... Digital Juice's Editor's Toolkit suites of animated graphic elements for television and video projects are now available in three new packages: Editor's Toolkit 4: High Tech; Editor's Toolkit 5: Soft & Subtle; and Editor's Toolkit 6: Corporate...

Open wide.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... PESA's Cheetah V5 family of video transmitter and receiver modules, which distribute high-resolution computer video and audio signals over a single fiber or coax cable, now support widescreen in computer resolutions up to W-UXGA (1920 X 1200)....

Workflow upgrade for KONA 2.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... AJA Video has upgraded its KONA 2 capture card with new software, version 1.1. Added benefits include 10-bit hardware upconversion, so you can convert SD video to HD in a complete capture-to-disk-to-playback workflow, as well as Dual Link...

Clean up da' noiz.(DETAILING YOUR STUDIO)
August 1, 2005... Ever wonder why you always have to spend so much time cleaning up signal noise in your video projects? It may be time to go directly to the source and condition the power coming out of your wall socket--before its snakes, hiss and all, through...

Adobe Audition 1.5: make serious waves with this stable audio staple.(ROI reviews)
August 1, 2005... I've worked in recording studios, and as a broadcast engineer. As a kid I even remember editing sound with a razor blade. Audition 1.5 has power beyond anything I could have imagined only a few years ago. It is also more stable than this...

Automatic Duck Pro Import AE 3.0: for when you've got to move it, move it.(ROI reviews)
August 1, 2005... Automatic Duck Pro Import AE 3.0 is a plug-in for Adobe After Effects (Mac or Windows) that lets users import sequences from Avid or Apple Final Cut Pro editing systems or from Apple's Motion with complete translation of effects and layers into...

Apple Logic Pro 7: a logical yet impressive upgrade to a powerful piece of DAW software.(ROI reviews)
August 1, 2005... About half the video editors I know are musicians or former musicians. The percentage gets even higher in audio post. Apple's Garage Band and Soundtrack programs have really captured a lot of attention lately in the community of editors, post...

Creative PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS notebook card: high-end notebook audio meets low-end pricing.(ROI reviews)
August 1, 2005... Do you know the audio specs for your notebook computer? I don't, and I suspect you don't either. You can usually find the technical details of the processor, screen, hard drive and memory, but just try and dig up anything about the audio...

Develop animated characters in Autodesk 3ds Max.(how)
August 1, 2005... STEP 1 Record your voiceovers first Record voiceovers as early as possible in the production schedule, ideally with the animation director at the recording session. Often ideas will present themselves during recording that will involve...

Animate 2D camera moves in After Effects.(how)
August 1, 2005... STEP 1 Import files to your project Import your image or image collage into After Effects. We will use this file as a landscape and create an aerial camera that will fly over it. Drag the file into your timeline. [ILLUSTRATION...

Create variable transparency matte keys in Avid with Digital Juice media.(PRODUCT MANAGER TUTORIAL)
August 1, 2005... STEP 1 Drop the media onto the timeline Start by dropping your source video into V1, in this case a piece of stock footage from Digital Juice's VideoTraxx 3 library. Next, drop an animated background (from Jump Backs volume 21) into V2....

Affordable & extreme performance: you don't have to choose between the two!(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2005... Hewlett-Packard's Intel workstations promise extreme performance at an affordable price, giving digital content creators powerful platforms for animation and video editing. To gain those benefits, major animation production studios have...

Totems and tools: Apple's decision to think similar shows that everything is expendable.(issues)
August 1, 2005... Apple will jilt the PowerPC for what Steve Jobs claims will be a long-term commitment to Intel CPUs. With the talk I hear from many Mac faithful, you'd think that my conjugal metaphor is more than metaphorical. I know several video...

Playing it safe: manufacturers move away from touting technology and instead push channel strategies and street prices.(issues)
August 1, 2005... For me, InfoComm is traditionally the end of my trade show "silly season." But InfoComm is not just another show for me, what with all of the display and interface manufacturers in attendance and the seminars and workshops I teach at the show...

Multicam shoot out: now that multi-camera editing has gone native on the desktop, mixing sources on the fly has never been easier. With a tight focus on both Apple Final Cut Pro 5 and Avid Xpress Pro HD, Erik Holsinger puts his source clips to the timeline test.(Technology)(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... Whether you are cutting together a reality show, sporting event or live performance, multi-camera editing is a hot commodity these days. During live events, where you don't have the luxury of multiple takes, multiple camera shoots can be your...

Value central.
August 1, 2005... AG-DVC30 Multi-Style Mini-DV Camcorder Hurry! $200 rebate available until Sept. 30, 2005 From now thru Sept. 30, 2005, Panasonic is offering a $200 rebate on the purchase of an AG-DVC30 from any authorized Panasonic pro video dealer or...

How to get your footage in the stock library door: want to sell your clips and tracks to stock houses? These tips from insiders will help you take your project shots to a much wider audience.(@work: Stock Footage)
August 1, 2005... Have you recently hovered in a chopper just feet above an erupting volcano in order to capture some amazing high definition footage for a project you were working on? Perhaps you've composed a great score for a long-form project and have a few...

AlphaDogs brings post power to the people.(STUDIOS ON THE RISE)
August 1, 2005... WHAT'S THEIR GIG? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Kinko's for the post world? That's the idea behind the new Digital Service Station media transfer division of AlphaDogs, a post-production facility in Burbank, CA. "It saves time and money...

Getting it together.(ultimate kit)
August 1, 2005... A camera like Sony's PDW-530 XDCAM is designed to go from the field to the studio, and these three kits offer lots of options. Add in a bunch of cine extras, and this 24p SD camera is ready for film-style shoots. kit 1 Basic ENG-Style...

Dealing with an indecisive client.(WEIRD BUT TRUE TALES FROM THE STUDIO)(Cartoon)
August 1, 2005... Tom Beland is a cartoonist based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is also the creator of the Eisner Comic Industry Award-nominated series, True Story: Swear to God, published by AiT/Planet Lar, www.ait-planetlar.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...