Avid Community

Fast, Cheap Approval Copies

fcapria — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:08:00 GMT

My favorite new feature in Media Composer 3.0 isn't terribly sexy. It's the real-time timecode effect plug-in. Burn-in timecode isn't anyone's idea of a good time, but the ability to spit it out in real-time out of the NLE while striking approval dubs allows me to start the weekend just a little bit earlier.

Many edit suites have DVD recorders available for approval cuts. DVDs are fine, but often they can't get where they need to go quickly enough.

I've been playing with a nifty gadget that encodes an H.264 MPEG-4 file in real-time. Pinnacle's Video Transfer takes an NTSC or PAL signal and outputs a .mp4 file directly to a USB memory stick, iPod, or PlayStation Portable. (If you've been looking for a tax-deductible way to upgrade your iPod, here's your chance.) I've been feeding it with an older analog Mojo, but any video player with a composite or S-video output and RCA audio outs will work. Just plug in the Video Transfer, attach it to a video signal, insert a USB memory stick, and press record. That's it. When you're finished recording, pull the USB stick and send the file wherever it needs to go -- usually via FTP.

There's a small catch. Like many consumer video devices, Video Transfer assumes all NTSC or PAL video is 4:3. It only scales images to 320x240 or 640x480. (There is a full raster, dual field option as well, but for web delivery it's not very useful.) To get 16:9 video to display properly, you will need to open the file with Apple's QuickTime Pro. Select Show Movie Properties (control/command j), uncheck the maintain aspect ratio box, and change the display properties to either 320x180 or 640x360. Save the file, choosing the self-contained movie option.

Of course you can choose to export a QuickTime reference file from Media Composer and create a QuickTime, Flash Video, or Windows Media file in Sorenson Squeeze, but the process will take much longer than 1x real-time because effects, even real-time ones, will need to be rendered upon export.

For the adventurous

Since Video Transfer creates iPod-friendly files, it's easy to deliver your approval copies to your client via a podcast in iTunes. It's even possible to keep your files in a password-protected space online. Here's an article on how to create an RSS feed to deliver your MP4 files as podcasts.

Avid New Thinking ROCKS the Hard Rock!

JFeliceNY — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:12:00 GMT

The Seminole Hard Rock and Casino in Hollywood, Florida was the last stop of Avid's New Thinking tour for the summer.

On the evening of June 26th, 2008, digital media enthusiasts from all over the Greater Miami and Ft Lauderdale areas came out to witness, first-hand, Avid's hot, new editing line-up.

Greg Estes, Avid's Chief Marketing Officer, kicked off the meeting by explaining Avid's "thinking" behind "New Thinking: our commitment to quality, performance and value."

Avid Application Editors Bob Russo and Kevin Camoosa were on hand to demonstrate the new Avid Media Composer Nitris DX and Avid Symphony Nitris DX.

Avid Gold Premier Reseller, Virtual Media, was also present to answer any questions from the crowd.

We would like to thank all who participated in making this event a success. We would like to wish everyone a healthy and happy SUMMER, and we will see you all in the Fall in such cities as San Juan, PR; Baton Rouge, LA; and Dallas, TX!

Quickstart: Quality Avid Training Right out of the Box!

avid_a.k. — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the New Media Composer Quickstart!

Avid Training Services is proud to announce the release of Media Composer Quickstart — a high quality training DVD that will provide all users with a chance to build and expand their skill set. For beginners, this disc will be a great first step into the world of Avid editing. For advanced users, this disc will be an ideal way to learn some tips and techniques and refresh their skills.

Affordability

We are very excited to announce that this training is bundled free inside every Media Composer 3.0 box that is shipped. This is a great opportunity for Avid's award-winning training group to give users the ability to get up to speed on Avid very quickly, and to show the Avid community the type of product that we've been offering for years. Soon (hopefully very soon) we will be selling the Quickstart DVD separately for those who already have Media Composer. You can be sure that it will be at a very competitive price.

New Look and Feel

Probably one of the most exciting elements of this training project is the new interface and design. We made the decision early on that this project would have to be one of our most creative. The new interface is slick and easier to navigate. It provides you with a much improved user-experience.

Starting up the new interface

Even better is that this new interface is going to be integrated into all of our current ALEX courses online! We hope this means that navigating our extensive collection of ALEX courses will be simple and inviting (especially our Media Composer Complete Subscription).

Our goal is to get you to the lessons faster so that you can begin learning as quickly as possible.

New Interface Features:

Course Structure

Modules: Modules are the top level of the courses and are comprised of related lessons. Clicking on a Module icon will take you to the Module introduction page where you can choose a specific Lesson to launch.

Simply click on your desired module to view the related lessons

Lessons: Lessons are the individual topics that are contained within a Module. Clicking on a Lesson icon will launch the appropriate video. Upon the completion of a Lesson video, you return to the Module introduction page to begin the next Lesson.

Click on a Lesson to launch it and begin learning

Watching a lesson in the new course interface

Controlling Playback with the Lesson Title Bar

You can control the playback of the Lesson video by revealing the Lesson title bar. You do this by holding your mouse over the top edge of the video. The Lesson image and title will appear, along with the playback controller. This controller will allow you to pause, play, and restart the current Lesson.

Rolling over the top of the video will reveal the playback controller. You can also launch the lesson exercise or quiz (if available)

Navigating the Lesson Menu

While watching a Lesson video, you have the ability to navigate to any other Lesson, in any other Module, by clicking the Menu button located at the top of the interface. This will pause your current Lesson and open the menu. Simply roll-over the desired Module icon to reveal the Lesson submenu. If necessary, use the left and right arrows to find the Lesson you are looking for. Click the desired icon to launch it.

Opening this menu will pause your current lesson and allow you to launch to any other lesson in the course

Top Bar Features

Avid Training Services: Clicking on this logo will return you to the main page of the course
Documents: Downloads our course registration form for both classroom purchases and ALEX purchases.
E-Mail Us: Sends an email to ALEXsupport@avid.com for technical support.
Help: Opens the Help window to view more details about how to navigate the new interface.
Exit Course: Closes the course window. In ALEX, using this button will not affect your current status.

The top bar is always visible and provides you with easy access to common utilities and tasks

Tapeless Workflow - A few lessons so far

The Global Rivers Project — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:30:54 GMT

Our workflow had to change some from our original plans for this international collaborative documentary project. We intended to provide faculty/student teams in five different countries with Panasonic HD cameras. Throughout the year each team would shoot river footage and......(read more)

Codex Digital and Avid Present Production 2.0 in Los Angeles

jennrosen — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:16:00 GMT

Codex Digital presented Production 2.0, co-hosted by Avid Technology, FilmLight and Clairmont Camera, to a packed theatre at the Directors Guild of America on June 11. This event highlighted how digital workflows allow people to acquire, view, test, edit, conform and finish material all the way to projection, at cinema quality with a small amount of equipment. The stage presentation was a live demonstration of all these concepts showing the perspective of an entire production from acquisition to delivery. The goal of this presentation was to show the audience how the flow of information is fast, simple and interactive, how time and money can be saved and a great result is produced.

Avid New Thinking Atlanta: A Perfect TWELVE!

JFeliceNY — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:41:00 GMT

Like a well-oiled machine, the Avid New Thinking tour rolled into Atlanta's trendy Atlantic Station and took over the Ballroom at TWELVE for the night of June 18th, 2008. Temperatures soared, but the die-hard Avid aficionados came out to see the new Avid editing line-up.

Comprehensive Technical Group (CTG), Avid's Gold Premier reseller in Atlanta, greeted the crowd and set the stage for Avid's Chief Marketing Officer, Greg Estes. Greg took the stage and explained the "thinking" behind New Thinking: Avid's commitment to Q.P.V...

Q.P.V.?

Quality
Performance
Value

Q.P.V. was the focal point of Corey Tedrow's mainstage Media Composer Nitris DX demo... as was Bob Russo's demo of Symphony Nitris DX.

But don't take MY word for it... see for yourself at the next stop of our Tour: Hollywood, Florida, on June 26th.

Or, visit: www.avid.com/newthinking

The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo from Southern Texas/Northern Mexico

The Global Rivers Project — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:10:33 GMT

Melinda and I say hello from the southern part of the Rio Grande. As I type, I can look out the window to the river and see two international bridges, and Mexico's Nuevo Laredo on the other side. We began......(read more)

Sundance Directors Lab - Second Week Recap

moonmole — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 04:50:00 GMT

MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2008 - DAY 8

I rehearsed my first scene today. I was assigned to do it in the Screening Room Lobby, but because it was a nice day, I ended up bringing my two actors outside to rehearse at some picnic tables. Not long into my rehearsal session, my advisor Thomas Carter appeared and sat with us at the picnic tables. He watched as I lead my actors through repeated readings of my scene and offered useful suggestions on how to build performances. Before lunch, actress-director Christine Lahti also joined us at the picnic tables and offered some insightful comments and advice on guiding the rehearsal process and crafting performances. You would think that it would be annoying to have two people looking over your shoulder while you are rehearsing, but Thomas Carter and Christine Lahti were a joy to have "hanging around." By the time lunch was over, my crew had built my set in the Screening Room Lobby and I was able to get my actors in there, work out my blocking, find my camera set-ups, and create my shot list. The guidance of my advisor Thomas Carter at this stage of the game was invaluable; he walked me through every single shot and helped me construct and organize my list, discussing everything from the necessity of the shots to their meaning and aesthetic composition. All I know is: I never got this in film school.

TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008 - DAY 9

I shot my first scene today. It was great to get behind the camera again. We shot from about 9AM to 5:30PM, and even though we got to a little bit of a slow start, I pretty much got all of the shots I needed - all except for one or two of what I call "gravy shots." The actors were real troopers, as I expected, and the Blue Crew was incredible. My advisors Thomas Carter and Ira Sachs visited my set throughout the day and offered invaluable advice on everything from tweaking my shots and guiding performances, to communicating with my crew and managing my time on set. As far as learning experiences go, there is nothing like shooting a scene while two experienced directors observe and help you. At 6:15PM I met my editor in our edit bay trailer and we quickly went through our dailies until dinner at 7:00PM. At 8:30PM I went to the Wasatch Room to attended a cozy reading of John Magary's script BLOOD ABUNDANCE: OR THE HALF-LIFE OF ANTOINETTE. The audience seemed to really enjoy it. What I've come to realize, though, is that my mind inevitably tends to wander during script readings and I end up not being able to follow the story. Fillipe Barbosa suggested I read along next time like he did tonight. I think I will follow his advice.

Jarin Blaschke (D.P.) lines up a shot.

The Blue Crew in action.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008 - DAY 10

Robert Redford screened his film LIONS FOR LAMBS for us tonight. Afterwards he did a Q&A. It was actually pretty interesting seeing Redford's film because the scene I shot yesterday is was a job interview -- two people sitting across from each other at a desk talking. Redford's film was constituted largely of two-person conversations in offices so it was really instructive to see how he handled these scenes.

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008 - DAY 11

I screened my first scene for the Creative Advisors today. Afterwards there was a critique session at which the advisors gave me notes on the scene. I came away from the crit session reminded that the characters in a scene have to "vary there tactic" in there attempt to get what they want (the Scene Need, as it is sometimes called) and that these attempts - these actions - must escalate. I knew this before I arrived at the Sundance Directors Lab, but for some reason it seems I had forgotten this when I wrote the scene. It's funny because before the crit session, I wondered why Michelle Satter asked me to do this, my weakest (and what I thought to be my most boring) scene. I realized that that was exactly why she asked me to do it -- because not only would it be challenging to make a two-person conversation at a desk dramatic, but shooting the scene would help me see the weaknesses in its structure.

FRIDAY, JUNE 6 - SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008 - DAY 12 & 13

I shot my second scene today. By the time I screened dailies on Saturday evening, I was pretty pissed off. Both shoot days started off really well only to fall apart due to the actors not knowing their lines. I have to admit that they weren't entirely at fault; I incorporated quite a bit of dialogue into the script from the improvisations we ran with Christine Lahti on Thursday and gave them the "new script" the morning of the shoot. But I couldn't help but be pissed the scenes started out so great, only to devolve into mediocrity by the afternoon. I also didn't know what to do with the anger. I tried to keep the set light and not have my bad feelings taint the work to further bad effect, so I ended up bottling everything up and just stewing. Since I wear my heart on my sleeve, I ended up getting quite a few "sit downs" from the advisors about my obviously souring attitude. I guess you can't have a bad day at the Sundance Labs without the Dissatisfaction Red Alert Siren going off in the Creative Advisor camp. But maybe that's a good thing...I'm not sure yet.

Lara (the one-woman gaffer-grip super-being) and Carmen (Boom Operator) set up a Christmas Light rig.

Andy (A.C.) secures the camera to the top of a ladder for a high angle wide shot as Jarin Blaschke (D.P.) and Heather Askew (Script Supervisor) watch the monitor.

Creative Advisor and D.P. extraordinaire Vilmos Zsigmond (Academy Award Winner for Cinematography for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND) watches over our humble set. He was a pleasure to have around.

Actor Shawn T. Andrew prepares for the scene.

Actors E.J. Bonilla and Shawn T. Andrew prepare for the scene.

Actors Julian Joseph (left) and Anthony Gaskins (right) discuss the scene while the Blue Crew sets up lights.

Shooting the scene.

"Gumby" (Sound Mixer) helps build the set. Departmental distinctions don't stop the Blue Crew from helping each other in all aspects of production.

New Product Review for Motion Picture Editors Guild

jennrosen — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:15:49 GMT

Avid and Digidesign returned to the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) in Los Angeles on June 10 to present a New Product Review for the membership.

Michael Krulik, Avid Senior Applications Editor, walked the attendees through the new Avid editor product line and highlighted some features of the Media Composer v3.0 software. Scott Wood, Digidesign Systems Integration Consultant, discussed audio/video workflows from the new DX systems into Pro Tools/ICON with the new Video Satellite HD Option.

As usual,the room was was filled with an extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of editors, assistant editors and music/sound editors. Thank you to all who joined us for the seminar and we are looking forward to returning to MPEG soon.

Summer heat in Charlotte brings a crowd to Avid’s New Thinking Event

E.Selby — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 07:30:00 GMT

A mix of Avid enthusiasts and novices joined Chairman and CEO of Avid Technology, Inc., Gary Greenfield and Avid staff this past Thursday night at Avid’s New Thinking event, held at the Marriott City Center in downtown Charlotte. Traffic on the roadways was unusually light according to guests, which got them to the event well before the doors opened at 7:00pm.

Once the wait was over and the doors opened, guests were greeted by National Accounts Manager, Bill Barton, who gave a warm welcome and introduced Gary Greenfield to the stage. Gary shared with the audience the insight behind Avid’s New Thinking and what it means for our existing and soon-to-be customers. Next on stage was Bob Russo who is one of Avid’s Application Editors. Bob gave an exciting demonstration highlighting some of the newest features found in the new editing product lineup which was announced earlier this year and began shipping on June 9th.

Following the presentation guests had the opportunity to get up close and demo of the new editors. Avid Application Editors and Avid Systems Engineers were available onsite for product and workflow questions.

We appreciate the support from our current customers who attended this event and look forward to developing stronger relationships with those who want to learn more about Avid.

Next stop on the Avid road show….Atlanta, GA!

Media Composer 202: The Documentary -- This July!

avid_a.k. — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:28:00 GMT

Media Composer 202: The Documentary

Come join us, and delve into the world of documentary workflow.

Documentary filmmaking takes passion. It also takes proficiency with the industry-standard tools that enable you to transform your vision into reality. MC 202: The Documentary – the first in the new series of Avid Training Services workshops – will help you achieve your professional ambitions. Whether you’re an independent filmmaker, a journalist, an educator, or an assistant editor, this hands-on, roles-based training will get you up to speed and on the road to success.

Day one is an instructional experience that includes topics such as the documentary post process, advanced bin organization, script transcription methods, scene construction techniques, and useful “invisible” effects for documentary editing. You will be working with raw documentary footage to practice these techniques.

On the second day, we will screen and analyze excerpts from several films in different documentary genres in the morning, and hear in-depth workflow talks from guest speakers in the afternoon. Q & A with these industry professionals will accompany the talks.

___________________________________________________________________________________

What: New Class – MC202: The Documentary
When: July 30 and 31
Where: Avid Corporate Headquarters, Tewksbury, MA (One Park West, Tewksbury, MA 01876)
How to Enroll: Register here, or contact trainingservices@avid.com (978-275-2071)
Cost: $800 for 2-day MC 202 only
$1280 (20% off) for 4-day MC 201 and MC 202 combo
___________________________________________________________________________________

Steve Audette, senior editor for PBS Frontline, will be the keynote guest speaker at July’s class. Mr. Audette received rave reviews when he spoke at a MC 202 course last year. Join us again to experience one of the industry’s most interesting presenters share his documentary workflow tips with you!

Enroll now and save!
Enroll in both MC 202 and MC 201 (the Advanced Techniques for Avid Media Composer class that immediately precedes MC 202 on July 28 and 29) and get a 20% savings for all four days!

The MC 201 is a perfect compliment to the MC 202, because it emphasizes efficient editing, a detailed look into project and media management, and lots of advanced techniques using the Avid Media Composer – all skills that are essential for documentary workflow.

Reactions from the course’s debut at Avid Technology in Tewksbury, MA (Sept. ’07):

“The small class size and workshop format allowed us to share our reactions to the samples that the instructors and guest editors showed us. For me, a documentary producer and editor, that was a rare opportunity to see creative decisions and their effects through the eyes of editors and filmmakers very different from myself.”
-Jaysari Hart, Independent Documentary Filmmaker, Los Angeles

“…it's nice to see the tips and tricks of experienced and, most importantly, SUCCESSFUL documentary editors. It's a great experience to have them show us their timelines, bins, project settings and talk us through some of their favorite tricks. This class was one of the best values we've invested in.”
-Jim Hart, PAO-HQUSAREUR, U.S. Army, Europe

"I thoroughly enjoyed the MC202 Avid Workshop Series: Documentary Editing course. I enjoyed the fact that the format of the class was structured loosely enough to allow a little bit of free form discussion and variance from the class outline. We could cover as little or as much as the individual class members desired. The guest speakers were also a nice departure from the typical Avid class. New perspectives and different workflow techniques helped provide a balance to what could have been a more one-dimensional approach."
-Breann Neal, Senior Producer/Editor, State Farm Creative Services

Rio Grande

The Global Rivers Project — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:15:19 GMT

The camera and I went from the Danube straight to Taos, New Mexico and the Rio Grande River where Melinda and I filmed snow runoff and adventure rafting. Establishing shot from bridge: the camera, luckily, stayed dry through the rapids.......(read more)

Avid Joins Television Academy Editors Peer Group for Summer Mixer

jennrosen — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:36:53 GMT

Avid had the pleasure of sponsoring the annual membership mixer which is hosted by the Television Academy Editors Peer Group Executive Committee. This year’s event was held poolside at the fabulous Angeleno Hotel in Los Angeles. The evening was a terrific success with over 100 editors and asst. editors in attendance.

This event provided an opportunity for the peer group members to mingle with colleagues and introduce potential new members to the group. We were able to demo the new DX editor product line and Michael Krulik, Senior Applications Editor, discussed the new features of Avid® Media Composer® v3.0 with many interested and enthusiastic attendees. It was a great chance for us to speak directly with a number of our clients and we appreciate the opportunity to be included in the event.

Sundance Directors Lab - First Week Recap

moonmole — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:14:00 GMT

MONDAY, MAY 26, 2008 - DAY 1

Since I decided to temporarily move out of Manhattan the weekend right before the Monday I had to leave for the 2008 Sundance June Directors Lab and planned to store all of my stuff at my mom's house in New Jersey, I booked my flight to Utah out of Newark International Airport. After a sleepless night of lugging boxes and packing for my trip, I arrived at Newark Airport at around 6:00AM. Once I was through the belt-less sock-hop ritual at the metal detectors, I was surprised to find Fillipe Barbosa (director of the Sundance short films LA MUERTE ES PEQUEÑA and SALT KISS) waiting at the gate. A fellow New Yorker and Columbia Film School classmate, Fillipe apparently asked to be flown out of Newark instead JFK in order to have the company of a fellow Sundance Labber on the flight (meaning me). I don't know why, though, considering the guy finds it so easy to fall asleep in the sky that he pretty much passed out as soon as the plane's wheels left the tarmac and remained thoroughly unconscious until about 10 minutes before landing. It was a pretty smooth flight and I actually caught some winks myself, which is unusual no matter how long I'm awake before flying.

A driver met us at Baggage Claim when we got off of the airplane. The Tombstone Deep Dish Pizza vending machine at the Salt Lake City International Airport was pretty scary -- so scary I couldn't look away -- so scary, in fact, that I had to take a photo. I didn't see anyone actually attempt to use it, though. I think I would've had to shot some video footage of that...if it happened. Once the fellows Dan Casey and Liza Johnson got off thier respective airplanes, the driver took us to the Sundance Resort.

Sitting down to lunch in the giant white Meal Tent, what I immediately noticed was the number of people who are gathered here just to help us Directing Fellows shoot scenes from our feature screenplays. And they all seemed to know each other. As I at my lunch, I suddenly felt that particular brand of anxiety I call "the new kid at school."

A month or so before the Directors Lab, all of the fellows were told to find two film scenes to break down into storyboards for discussion in the "Camera to Tell Story Workshop." I wanted to do scene from JESUS' SON -- the one where Jack Black and Billy Cruddup wander into an abandoned drive-in movie theater and think it's a cemetery because they're high on drugs -- and a scene from OLD BOY -- where Dae-su eats the live octopus. Since I ended up doing neither of these scenes while back in New York, I pumped one out -- the OLDBOY scene -- that first night before going to bed.

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008 - DAY 2

Most of the day was spent presenting and analyzing the film scenes we were supposed to prepare before arriving on "The Mountain" -- which is what the regulars call the Sundance Resort. It's aptly nicknamed considering the resort is located...well...on a big mountain.

The film director Gyula Gazdag presided over the event. At first, the whole thing felt like a rehash of some cutesy film school class, but after we got back from lunch, I began to enjoy the whole thing. We got through all of the fellows' first scene presentations before lunch. After lunch some of the fellows presented their second scenes, but we ran out of time before I had to a do a second one.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 - DAY 3

We spent the whole day doing a "Cinematography for Directors Workshop" taught by Steven Poster (d.p. DONNIE DARKO). It was fun. Of course we didn't learn how to shoot a movie in one day, but I'm a sucker for any kind of cinematography instruction, no matter how remedial or rudimentary. It's probably because I'm a wannabe D.P.

Steven Poster (white T-shirt) and Gyula Gazdag (green sweater & beige jacket) preside over the Cinematography for Directors Workshop.

THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2008 - DAY 4

I awoke at the usual 6:30AM, showered, and headed down the mountain to grab breakfast before heading to the sound stage to begin shooting the infamous OSSO BUCO exercise. When I arrived at Rehearsal Hall 2, I quickly realized that I didn't want use the set that was built there and had the crew tear it down - well, not exactly "tear" - they just had remove the flats that constituted the walls of what looked like tacky, circa 1970's, Southwestern American den (complete with Bob Ross style oil painting of some dusty Nevada landscape). My crew - the Blue Crew - made quick work of it, though, and the whole thing disappeared in a matter of minutes. The shooting of the scene went fairly well. We got off to a slow start, which is to be expected with a crew that is working together for the first time, but everyone was amazing and I "made my day"...no problem.

Actors James and Dixie on the set of OSSO BUCO.

Jarin Blaschke (Director of Photography) sets up the shot behind Dixie and James

Actor J.J. (white shirt) prepares for his role. Script Supervisor Heather scribbles in the foreground.

FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008 - DAY 5

Today we edited the OSSO BUCO exercise scenes. We had fours hours, so needless to say it was pretty hectic. Especial considering the OSSO BUCO exercise I shot was largely an editing experiment reminiscent of the conversation scenes in THE LIMEY in which people speak in linear, sequential dialogue as there images cycle nonlinearly through different parts of the conversation. The great thing is that the experiment actually worked. The bad this is that my editor were thrown out of our edit bay before we got a chance to change the images to black & white. What I ended up with was a short video exercise that employed an interesting editing technique, but which looked kind of strange because it was shot for black & white but was shown in color.

SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008 - DAY 6

Today we attend the "Acting Workshop" with Joan Scheckel. I had no idea an acting workshop would incorporate so much running - literally three hours of it before lunch - and a good hour or so after. After dinner, the OSSO BUCO exercise scenes and the CREW SHORT were screened for everyone in the Screening Room. The CREW SHORT, the film made by the various Sundance Directors Lab film crews in order to test out the equipment before the fellows arrive was a spoof on Indiana Jones. It was hilarious!

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2008 - DAY 7

It was a pretty light day today. Most of the fellows and crew members slept in, skipping breakfast, coming down The Mountain for lunch instead. The actors and advisors were scheduled to arrive today and most of them arrived during lunch. After lunch we had Orientation, which consisted of all of the fellows, actors and crew members gathering in the Screening Room Lobby, standing up, and one by one, introducing themselves and their projects. Afterwards everyone drove up The Mountain to a parking lot, then hiked the rest of the way up to the Elk Meadows to watch the release of a rehabilitated Golden Eagle and get a blessing from a Native American (Ute Tribe) shaman.

Sundancers gather at the Elk Meadow for the Ute Blessing.

The Sundancers stand in a circle as the shaman begins the blessing in the center.

Sundance crew members drive back down The Mountain after the blessing.

Pretty Suite Story

fcapria — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:08:00 GMT

A somewhat overlooked piece of the Media Composer 3.0 story is that the current bundle gives customers a complete suite of tools - something many have been clamoring for. Avid FX for compositing and motion graphics, Squeeze for compression and transcoding, Sonicfire Pro for music scoring, and Avid DVD by Sonic rounds out a complete package that includes the full Boris Continuum Complete filter set. It's a very solid package.

Yes, Avid has a suite. Every copy of Media Composer 3.0 is a complete suite. It's that simple. The applications are tightly integrated with the host NLE. Avid FX is an AVX plug-in. Add the effect on any clip in the timeline, and you're ready to go. No "sending" the clip to a companion application is required. The base layer of the composition is already in place. Avid FX is the full version of Boris Red, available within Media Composer. No heavy lifting required. (And fully documented within the Avid help system, so there's no reason not to give it a try.)

For years Avid editors have complained of Title Tool's anemic toolset and Marquee's complex UI. Avid FX can now be their titler of choice. Admittedly, using Avid's Pan and Zoom tool for stills animation is a bit like trying to paint with a fork, but Avid FX makes quick work of stills animation. Just give it a try and you'll never go back.

Sorenson Squeeze is the best compression and transcoding tool available in any NLE bundle. Fully featured, with a plethora of presets and codecs, it's available directly from the Media Composer menu.

The Avid suite has a nifty advantage over competing solutions. Unlike the Apple and Adobe suites, the complete Avid suite doesn't have to be loaded onto a single machine. For example, Squeeze can be installed on a separate Mac or PC. Avid FX can be used as a standalone application on a separate machine as well. The NLE need not be tied up as graphics are being composited or files transcoded.

Certainly many customers will continue using tools outside the bundle. It's impossible to overlook the popularity of Adobe's After Effects for motion graphics work. But that's exactly where the discussion gets interesting. The integrated suites offer the compelling story of being a full post production studio in a box, but upon closer examination very few editors and video designers end up using only one solution.

If every editor and every facility has its own needs, why offer the bundle? They are going to shop a la carte anyway. Because even to the customer who buys additional tools, the suite offers value. Many customers will only need one additional application outside the suite. To those users, the suite still saves money and streamlines the workflow. I may need a very specialized, high performance third party compression tool for web video, but I can make do with a variety of compositing and DVD authoring solutions. A suite still would save me from purchasing those useful, but less than mission critical applications. In a multi-seat environment, those costs can add up quickly.

Now that Avid has offers a suite with every Media Composer, editors can rely on these tools being available as long as they are running the current release.

Government Video Doesn't Always Have To Be Serious

ejose — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:37:00 GMT

A team of Avid customers at the Idaho State Police have been working with Avid systems since the mid 1990s. They have the ability to take the most mundane subjects (vehicle inspections and the handling of hazardous materials) and turn them into very entertaining videos. They spoof Jerry Springer, home shopping channels, red carpet interviews and more. You can see a highlight reel from the Idaho State Police Multimedia Group on their website. Today, the Idaho State Police work on 2 Macintosh-based Media Composers with a Unity MediaNetwork providing the shared storage.

Avid New Thinking Hits DC Like a… STORM!

JFeliceNY — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:26:00 GMT

Rain clouds moved in… Lightning struck... Tornadoes touched down…

Was it a thunder storm? Were people scaling tall buildings in NYC? Was the Democratic Nomination contest finally over?

YES to all of the above, but more importantly, it was the Avid New Thinking tour in Washington, DC on June 4th!

Despite the threatening weather, die-hard digital media enthusiasts came out to witness first-hand the new Avid editing line-up at the Rotunda Room in the Ronald Reagan Building.

VP of America’s Sales, Rich Griffin, kicked off the event and set the stage for CEO and Chairman Gary Greenfield’s presentation. Gary gave a “state of the Nation” address on the latest and greatest of Avid’s line-up, with a focus on the future of the company.

Corey Tedrow and Ian Marge were at the helm of Media Composer Nitris DX while Bob Russo and Allen Hansel drove the Symphony Nitris DX system.

We would like to thank all attendees from all business sectors – Post, Broadcast and Government – who joined us to get a first hand look at Avid New Thinking platform and discover that Avid really is the RIGHT solution for all your digital workflow needs.

As RIGHT as, well... Rain!

Avid's New Thinking Rolls into Beantown

E.Selby — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:19:00 GMT

On Wednesday, May 28th Avid’s New Thinking road show went to Boston. With a full crowd at Parris (2nd floor of Quincy Market), the evening began with a presentation from Kirk Arnold, Avid Video’s General Manager, where she discussed Avid’s most recent and product and service announcements. The presentation also included a product demonstration on the Media Composer Nitris DX System, given by Avid Product Specialist Corey Tedrow. Following the main presentation attendees had the opportunity to get a closer look at the new editors and speak with Avid staff and product engineers. In addition to the Media Composer Nitris DX System there was also the Symphony Nitris DX System onsite.

Thank you to all of the customers and friends that came out for this great evening and took the time to chat with us onsite.

Here are a few photos from the event.

Join us at Avid's DC Roadshow

ejose — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:02:00 GMT

Avid is hosting its New Thinking Road Show in Washington, DC on Wednesday, June 4th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. This is a great chance to get an up-close look at Avid's new Media Composer 3.0 software and the new Mojo DX and Nitris DX hardware. The Avid Government Solutions team will be there and we look forward to meeting you.

When:
Wednesday, June 4th
6:30pm to 9:30pm

Where:
The Ronald Reagan Building Rotunda Room
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC.

You can reserve your seat for Avid's DC Roadshow by clicking here.

Hope to see you there!

Episode 021 - Jeff Roth: Focus Features – Standardizing HD Workflows for Studios

Avid Community Evangelist — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:12:00 GMT

Jeff Roth, senior vice president of post production for Focus Features and Rogue Pictures, shares insight into why studios are taking productions in-house and what should be considered when adopting HD workflows. Jeff discusses the factors that drove Focus Features and Rogue Pictures to standardize workflows on Avid DNxHD.

More from Serbia

The Global Rivers Project — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:29:31 GMT

The Beograd team of faculty and students in Serbia on the Danube packed every moment of every day with great shooting- from the 4 am sunrise to ships passing in the night. For the last 4 days we were in......(read more)

How To Change the Frame Rate of a P2 clip

BobRusso — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:21:00 GMT

Maximize your P2-workflow knowledge! In this video, learn how to change the frame rate of a P2 clip using DVFilm's MXFX, and edit with it in Avid Media Composer.

Video Text:

I’m Bob Russo with Avid Technology. Today I’m going to talk about how to change the frame rate and frame size of P2 clips using DVFilm’s MX – FX for use in the Media Composer.

In this example I’m working in a 1080i – 59.94 project and have a virtual P2 card with clips that were shot using a variable frame rate.

I can import the P2 clips into a bin but when I try to play the clip, I receive an error message that the frame rate doesn’t match the projects frame rate.

To change the frame rate and frame size of the clip to match my project I’ll use MX-FX.

Select Options, the options box opens. Since my clip is 23.976, I need to add 3:2 pulldown, change the frame rate to 29.97, and convert the frame size to 1920X1080.
Select OK.

I’ll drop the clip from my virtual P2 card into the window and select start.
MX – FX will create a new virtual P2 card that will retain the meta data from the original card.
Depending on the host computer and exactly what process is being performed, this could take two to four times the length of the clip.

Once it’s done I’ll go back to the Media Composer an import the clip from the new virtual P2 card MX – FX just created.

The clip imports and can play in my project 1080i – 59.94 project with the variable frame rate intact.

And that’s how to change the frame rate of a P2 clip for use in the Avid Media Composer.

On an farm on a Danube Island

The Global Rivers Project — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:02:16 GMT

I am continually amazed at how BIG the Danube is- so big that there are islands in which traditional Serbian families farm and raise animals. We ate goulash cooked over a fire, rode wild horses, and of course, filmed it......(read more)

New Trim Technique: Two Tails or Two Heads

GregStaten — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:04:40 GMT

This post is the second in a series of articles about some of the smaller features and changes in version 3.0 of Media Composer and Symphony.

Here's a fairly common scenario.

You are well into the edit and need to shorten clip B/2X in the above sequence. Unfortunately, the duration of the scene is already locked. What are your options? Well, you could use a dual roller trim at the edit point between B/2-X and B/1-A, but that would change the head frame edit on B/1-A, which is undesirable. Alternatively you could slide B/1-A, but that would change the head frame edit on BA/3-X, which is also undesirable.

Since neither single trim approach really works for you, you'll likely do an A-side trim on the tail of B/2-X, write the number of frames trimmed on a piece of paper, then find the tail of another shot in the scene that you could extend. It works, but hopefully you won't get distracted by a panicked producer while you're searching for that other clip.

In Media Composer version 3.0 we've provided a new trimming technique that not only solves this problem, but many other similar problems. Indeed, I may never do another slide trim again. You can now select two A-sides (tails) or two B-sides (heads) anywhere in the timeline and perform an asynchronous trim on those two edits!

In this scenario I'll select the tail of B/2-X and BA/3-X, as seen in the timeline below:

Note the trim rollers. To make the above selection I lassoed the edit between B/2-X and B/1-A, switched to an A-side trim, Shift+clicked on the other two rollers. Once selected you can use any trim technique you desire (drag, J-K-L, on-the-fly, etc). After trimming the tail of B/2-X, the timeline looks like the following:

Notice that the position of shot B/1-B (and everything afterward) has not changed. You made your adjustment in one interactive trim without changing the duration of the scene.

Give it a try when you get version 3.0. I think you'll like it!

-greg

What I've Learned My First Month at Avid

fcapria — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:58:00 GMT

It's hard to believe I've been at Avid a month already.

When I was a kid my dream job was to be a major league center fielder. Like the rookie being called up from the minors, coming on board here at Avid has triggered a range of emotions. First there's the adrenaline rush of the initial call up, quickly followed by the realization that this is the big leagues and they throw 97 mph and the curves fall off the table. It's been humbling. There are a lot of big brains here. A lot of stuff goes by me at 97 mph.

For those who don't know me... Most of my professional life has been spent in television post production, as an editor and a post production director at WGBH in Boston, and a freelance motion graphics artist. I also have a business background - working as a creative director in a large professional services firm, and as a founding partner of two smaller firms.

Perhaps I'm best known in this space as longtime contributor to DV Magazine and prolific blogger. Over the years I've written a lot about Avid, some of it positive and some less so. That experience led me to believe that I had a pretty good understanding of Avid - the challenges it faces and what it needs to do. Now on the inside, I realize how much I didn't know.

One month in, some of my most closely held beliefs about Avid have been disproved. We can call these personal Avid Urban Legends.

Urban Legend #1

Frank was hired because Avid realizes its editing tools needs to move in a new direction, and Frank will shake things up.

Like many urban legends, this is partially true. Avid does need to move in new directions, but it was committed to doing that before I was brought on board. I'm here to support and complement my team's efforts in bringing new capabilities to a venerable line of editors. I'm not here as a revolutionary leader, just a member of the movement.

Urban Legend #2

Avid product designers, engineers, and marketers live in an ivory tower, oblivious to market realities and the competitive landscape.

Right up until the day I started in Tewksbury, I was making a living using a variety of tools - including Adobe's CS3 suite and Apple's Final Cut Studio. Though I may be among the more experienced FCP jockeys at Avid, I'm far from the only one. I've been pleasantly surprised at the depth of knowledge of competing tool and the acknowledgment that the competition is does a lot of things well.

We take pride in what we do and the value we deliver to our customers, but the antipathy to solutions "not invented here" that is so prevalent throughout the high tech sector is not evident at Avid.

Urban Legend #3

Avid is slow and lethargic, lacking in energy and direction.

Anyone who has spent even an hour in the office here would be struck by the palpable sense of urgency on the team. Avid's a big company. From a distance a change in direction may appear slow, but once momentum is built it is unmistakable. Avid's change in direction will be apparent in the coming weeks - first with the release of the 3.0 editors, then with subsequent announcements and releases.

Urban Legend #4

Current customers are frustrated with the pace of Avid development, and are looking for reasons to switch to the competition.

Customers have been frustrated, but I've been blown away by how much customers want Avid to succeed. They are not looking for a reason to jump to another NLE so much as a reason to stick with Avid. While we think the next release goes a long way towards reassuring customers that Avid is serious about remaining the gold standard of editors, we also know that we need to keep moving forward. Avid has committed the resources to the editors group to keep the momentum going. Avid's current customer base is its greatest resource.

Urban Legend #5

Avid is ready to acknowledge the NLE is a commodity product.

A few variations on this theme are in circulation. One of my favorite bloggers and a close personal friend has declared, "Avid will be a server company in two years." (You know who you are.)

In its simplest form, as a stand alone application working in isolation, one NLE can be very much like every other - a commodity. But for the vast majority of our customers, the NLE is the nerve center of a complex, collaborative creative environment that can't be commoditized. Not every editor needs ScriptSync, Animatte, or asynchronous head and tail trimming, but those who do definitely don't consider the NLE a commodity.

While I'm quite obviously not at liberty to divulge everything we're working on to maintain Avid's leadership position in NLE market, suffice it to say that if I wasn't convinced that Avid is committed to future NLE development I just made among the stupidest career moves imaginable.

Avid's Biggest Problem

It's been an interesting month. I've been able to meet scores of customers at NAB, at user group meetings, and one on one on-site meetings. Editors and facilities managers present us with their needs. Perhaps the my most surprising discovery is that quite often the software already can do what they need it to do. They just didn't know the feature was there.

It's painfully clear that we sometimes do a pretty poor job of making the case for Avid to our existing customers. This blog is part of the solution to that problem. Face time with customers, participation in online forums and user groups, and availability to users, customers, and editors will help too. This is not marketing's problem. It's a shared responsibility.

At the end of the day, it comes down to establishing trust. If customers believe that we understand their needs, then they will assume we're addressing those needs. Right now, for too many customers, the assumption is we're not doing that. That's going to change.