Studio Monthly articles from March 2006

Studio Monthly archives from March 2006

HD and how.(editor's note)
March 1, 2006... I can't get over the sheer amount--and range--of the first-person production, post and display advice we've packed into this particular issue. A good chunk of those tips appear in "Hands-On HD," the third installment of our special section...

What's my flow?(quick cuts)
March 1, 2006... ERIC HANSON CEO of Spy Post WHAT WE DID Transfer HD to data for use during the creative editorial process on an indie feature, Valley of the Heart's Delight, without going to tape HOW WE DID IT "The production company...

What I'm using now: Apple Shake.(quick cuts)
March 1, 2006... AJ KOCH Video Editor Base2 Studios Denver, CO FAVORITE GEAR: Apple Shake LIST: $2,399 to $4,422 WHY I LOVE IT: The thing I love most about Shake is that there are hundreds of ways to get your desired effect. It's a...

Project your best.(gear up)
March 1, 2006... JVC's DLA-HD10K projector for post-production studios, the custom installation market and high-end home theater enthusiasts, features the company's proprietary 3-chip Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier technology as well as an advanced form of...

Furnace Shake up.(gear up)
March 1, 2006... Furnace 3 for Shake, now available from The Foundry, includes some 11 image processing plug-ins, many of which automate time-consuming processes in the creation of digital visual effects. The new plug-ins include a sophisticated DeBlur...

In sequence.(gear up)
March 1, 2006... Iridas has just released SequencePublisher 2006, the new version of its batch-processing and file conversion software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The command-line-based application lets you automate batch processing so that file...

The real story.(gear up)
March 1, 2006... RealViz is now shipping version 2 of its 3D previz and story-boarding software, StoryViz, which lets you set up, in real time, each sequence of a shot-or long-form project. Based on a powerful 3D rendering engine and a complete set of nonlinear...

Got a light?(gear up)
March 1, 2006... Litepanels' new 1x1 LED lighting system, which combines ultra-efficient LED technology with a slim design, is now available in 5600 degree K flood or spot, and 3200 degree K flood models. An integrated control knob on the back lets you dim the...

Auditory import.(gear up)
March 1, 2006... Audio-Technica has introduced its Import Series headphones. Made up of 15 different models specifically designed for sound mixers/engineers, DJs, portable listening applications or audiophiles, each model features the updated transducer...

Unplugged and underscored.(SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC LIBRARIES)
March 1, 2006... FirstCom has just released 20 of more than 100 new releases it has planned for 2006. Among these are several in the popular Acoustic Underscore categories of the EVO, Gotham and widely acclaimed Chappell libraries, including CHAP 315 Acoustic...

Super Bad Ass.(SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC LIBRARIES)(Sound recording review)
March 1, 2006... Network Music, a unit of BMG, is shipping a range of new collections from heart-pounding Slam music to calm, atmospheric piano melodies. Urban Chill features a contemporary beats groove under bubbling atmospherics, lyrical guitar lines and...

Drama kings.(SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC LIBRARIES)
March 1, 2006... The four latest releases from Westar Music, a division of Sound Ideas, are all in the Drama/Film Scores genre. With scores composed by William Pearson, the Drama titles include tracks for nearly every emotional tonality. The titles include...

Hungry like deWolfe.(SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC LIBRARIES)(Sound recording review)
March 1, 2006... DeWolfe Music's new releases range from techno-jazz fusion and alternative rock to club music. The Alternative Rock CD mixes discoera drums with stabbing guitar melodies and ground-shaking bass lines. These contemporary sounds bring to mind new...

Twisted deal.(SPOTLIGHT ON MUSIC LIBRARIES)
March 1, 2006... Twistedtracks.com has just released 24 new genre-based individual volumes ($149 each on CD-ROM, or $129 for a downloadable version), three new multi-volume collections and upgraded its flagship offering, the Twisted|Collection, to include 64...

JVC GY-HD100U Camcorder: A 3-CHIP, PROGRESSIVE-SCAN CAMERA FOR FILM-LOOK VIDEO AND MORE.
March 1, 2006... If you're going to use video but want a film look, the GY-HD100U may very well be the most affordable and best-suited piece of equipment for that task available today. JVC introduced this camera at last year's NAB in Las Vegas. At the time, the...

Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Video: A STANDARD RETURNS WITH LOTS OF UPGRADES.
March 1, 2006... Photoshop is already the single most ubiquitous tool in digital video. If you're not using Adobe's PS version CS2, it's definitely time to upgrade. The DV presets alone will make your life a lot easier. With this new version, you'll be able to...

Sony Anycast Station: A LEAN, WELL-BALANCED SWITCHER, BUT LITTLE PHAT.
March 1, 2006... The Sony AWS-G500 Anycast Station is a self-contained, 17-pound, 6-channel location-video switcher with integrated audio mixing and TCP / IP digital video streaming, all packaged in an enclosure about the size of a portable electric typewriter....

Panasonic BT-LH1700W LCD Monitor: BUILT FOR THE ROAD.
March 1, 2006... With a nearly-hermetic die-cast metal chassis and a 12-volt XLR power input backing up the traditional line-voltage connector, it was clear that Panasonic's $3,400, WXGA-resolution BT-LH1700W monitor was built for the road. Even the 17-inch...

Animate props with naturalmotion's endorphin 2.5 and autodesk Maya 7.(how)
March 1, 2006... STEP 1 Create your prop model Using Maya, create a barstool made of nine separate polygon cylinders: one seat, four legs and four leg braces. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] STEP 2 Create the barstool joint 'rig' and export to FBX...

Speed up your color matching with Avid DS Nitris 7.6.(how)
March 1, 2006... STEP 1 Match your colors Apply your color-correction effect and look for the color chips below the three-pane correction window. The two swatches are used to perform lightning-fast color matching. The left side is used to pick the...

Export Flash Video from After Effects 7.0.(train up)
March 1, 2006... STEP 1 Create a comp Start by creating a comp, which you'll animate and link to a company's homepage as a Web advertisement. In After Effects, choose File > New > New Project, and import a vector logo. Choose Composition > New Composition,...

Hands-on HD: first-person advice.
March 1, 2006... Okay, you've got the gear. (Or at least your favorite dealer lets you play with his stock.) And you understand the technology. (Or at least you figure it can't possibly be that much different from what you already know.) And maybe the doors are...

The real challenge of Web video: getting someone to click a link is the easy part.(issues)
March 1, 2006... I have on my desk the remains of a V-Lite VHS videocassette. It was sent to my wife a few years ago, a promotional piece encouraging people to raise money for and run in a charity marathon. It was a cause my wife and I both support. I was...

Going wide: HD widescreen vs. superwidescreen: which one is right for your next live event?(Technology)
March 1, 2006... WHEN STAGING A LIVE EVENT, THE TYPE OF SCREEN YOU CHOOSE IS critical: the wrong one can turn a thrilling presentation into a disaster of epic proportions. In particular, there's still a lot of confusion out there about when to use a...

Editing HDV for TV: using Avid Xpress Pro HD on a laptop--plus an off-the-shelf USB 2.0 storage drive--a veteran field producer readies HDV footage for prime time.(TECHNIQUE)
March 1, 2006... Art Donahue, a veteran field producer and photographer at WCVB-TV, the ABC affiliate in Boston, is well known throughout the New England production community for his 18 years of documentary-style TV reporting and his use of new technology to...

Zoic's golden age.(hot house)
March 1, 2006... WHAT'S THEIR GIG? "The word Zoic comes from the Greek--it's suffix that means 'of life, or being,'" explains Loni Peristere, co-founder, CEO and creative director of Zoic Studios. In English (at least for the "mediarati"), Zoic means...

Ultimate kit.(GETTING IT TOGETHER)
March 1, 2006... Where would your production, live or taped, be without a switcher? These three kits, built around the Ross Video Synergy 100 switcher by Bryan Nelson of the Minnesota dealer, Alpha Video & Audio, Inc., are aimed at a variety of applications...

Dealing with overachievers.(snafu u.)(Cartoon)
March 1, 2006... WOW GUYS... I'M GETTING SOME GREAT SHOTS...!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SHOOTING IN HD ON A DIVE!! GREAT, BOB. THE COLORS... THE SCENERY... THIS WILL BE A FANTASTIC DOCUMENTARY! TRY TO GET SOME BIG FISH IN THE FRAME, BOB. ...