Buzz : Customer Success

Billy Corgan creates Superbowl ad

TUnruh — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Check out the national ad for Hyundai that aired during the Superbowl. Credit goes to Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins who created the spot with Avid Media Composer (which is also featured in the commercial).

New Avid systems speed up reality for 10 Years Younger post production

TUnruh — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:10:00 GMT

Read about the transition to HD for TLC's 10 Years Younger show in TV Technology this month and learn the benefits of Avid DX systems, including performance that is '20 times faster than Adrenaline.'

"We have several layers of video going on: in the past we had to render them to see them. The ability of this system to play multiple layers without having to render is by far the biggest benefit." - Lori Szybist, Lead Editor

"Moreover, if you're in a screening and you want to change out an effect-a wipe, dissolve, whatever-it can be as simple as dragging the new effect on top of your clip and playing it right there." - Eric Rodriguez, Post Production Supervisor

Storage Video: Avid Unity - Working in the Real World

TUnruh — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:45:00 GMT

New video - Customers chime in about the benefits of Avid's shared storage solutions.

For more of the latest storage news, read: Broadcast Engineering 'Avid increases capacity of Unity ISIS system' and Sports Video Group 'Avid amps up Unity ISIS storage; supports up to 330 clients, 384TB of storage'.

WIRED Interview: DIY artists host student workshops; create viral Webisode content

TUnruh — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:20:00 GMT

WIRED spoke with Avid Editor Lenny Mesina about the Make Something! Webisodes which document a series of student filmmaking and artist workshops. You can read the article online - "Street artists launch DIY vid series"

Here is the full Q&A with Lenny Mesina (LM):

Did your students first go out and shoot the subject matter for their short films?

[LM] In keeping with the spirit of inspiration and true collaboration as seen in the film I edited Beautiful Losers, (which is how Make Something!! came about with Aaron Rose directing the film and then subsequently working with Nike Sportswear to create artist led D.I.Y. workshops for kids in NY, LA, SF, and Tokyo) the workshop I taught on editing was directly connected to three other workshops in NY and LA: (cinematographer of Beautiful Losers) Tobin Yelland's documentary interview workshop, (music composer of BL) Money Mark's class on creating musical scores for films, and (graphic designer for BL) Keith Scharwath's make merch workshop. Early on during the planning stages of the curriculums, Stefani Relles (our wonderful teacher who led the way for all of our classes), Aaron Rose, and I came up with the idea that it would be appropriate to incorporate Tobin's, Mark's, Keith's, and my workshops since we all worked together during the making of the film. What it basically came down to was; since Tobin was going to teach kids how to shoot doc style interviews, and Mark was going to teach his class how to create music for films, and Keith's class was about creating movie merchandise based on the subject matter from the interviews, why don't I use the end products from their respective classes to show my kids how it can all come together to create a sum bigger than it's parts. So the footage my kids ended up editing in Los Angeles was actually shot by kids on the streets of New York.

What kind of Avid equipment did they do the editing on?

[LM] Working closely with high school kids and teaching aspects of editing was definitely fun and ultra rewarding on a personal level, but I found that during the creation of the web series we really had a golden opportunity to inspire people on a much larger scale. And for me that started as the supervising editor of a team of up and coming editors. In working with Meg Decker, Siobhan Prior, and Sin-Halina Sy, we were able to speak the same language of editing using Avid Media Composer systems. Using Avid was really important to me because I wanted this team of editors to continue to work with the industry's leading tool, especially since the majority of professional work is still cut with Avid editing systems. I felt that the more time they had to work with a program as established as Avid, the better off they would be when they work on their own big jobs.

Why did you feel Avid systems were the best fit for this project?

[LM] First and foremost, the efficiency of Avid editing tools easily made it the system of choice. We had a constant flow of footage to bring in each time we wrapped a workshop shoot and we knew time was going to be a factor in the completion of this series. And since all of us were already fluent with Avid and its superior media management, it made no sense for us to use any other program, especially the clunkier ones that require multiple steps to do the simple tasks an Avid can do in one stroke. To me, efficiency is always the key to editing; the smoother the workflow the more time an editor has to concentrate on what's important and that's being a creative storyteller. And with the quick turnaround inherent in web-based projects, I knew using Avid systems would enable us to deliver the content Nike Sportswear expected and on deadline.

What makes editing a webisode different than a feature length film?

[LM] One of the major differences between editing this web series and a feature length film was just knowing that the final destination for these pieces was going to be on the internet. Working closely with Arlo Rosner and Jon Barlow, the director and producer of the series respectively, we came up with a model of how we wanted the pieces to be presented as a whole before we even began shooting. Knowing that our audiences were going to be online viewers meant that we would be editing each piece down to approximately three to four minutes, in a form that would maximize impact and at the same time be easily digestible for internet audiences. In a film like Beautiful Losers, we had the luxury of allowing scenes to play out longer and had more freedom to explore the nuances of each character which inevitably made the film so personal and intimate. That isn't to say these webisodes lack any of that personal intimacy, in fact the film and the web series have much in common in the end, but rather the medium directly dictated the approach during the editing process. Using Avid systems made the technical side of things transparent, which let us dedicate our time to fully engage the creative process.

Are there plans to continue this workshop approach or is it a one-shot deal?

[LM] I really hope the Make Something!! workshops can continue to live on, grow larger, and travel to different parts of the country and the world with new and different artists attached along the way. I believe we've created a blue print which can easily be followed for future workshops to happen wherever there are kids who are willing to be inspired and be creative.

Tell me about some of the projects you've worked on yourself as an editor.

[LM] My editing background comes from the world of music videos and commercials during a time when music videos were thriving both creatively and in quality. Having the good fortune to have learned from some of my editing heroes like Fernando Villena and Chris Hafner, and then working with directors such as Francis Lawrence, Meiert Avis, and Motion Theory, I feel like I was already set up to follow a path that would lead to more unconventional collaborations. I eventually started to work with creatives whose backgrounds didn't necessarily originate as film directors. Editing with musicians like Kanye West (Common "The Corner") and Tom DeLonge of Blink 182 (Taking Back Sunday "This Photograph Is Proof"), photographers Estevan Oriol (Blink 182 "Down") and Nylon Magazine's Marvin Scott Jarrett (Good Charlotte "Fast Future Generation"), to even actors Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars "The Kill") and Joaquin Phoenix ("Lydia"), all led me to the film of a lifetime, Beautiful Losers directed by Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard. With Beautiful Losers not only did I get to edit a documentary that featured some of my favorite artists who I've looked up to over the years, but I was part of something that was much bigger than just a film. We were able to create something special that truly inspires people to go and make stuff, to go out and be inspired by the people you're with and your surroundings. And even in the way we made that movie was extremely special. We ended up renting a house out in Silver Lake and I had setup the Avid system in one little corner room and Money Mark setup shop in another room with his ProTools and all his instruments and keyboards, and we'd go back and forth working on scenes just handing off media to each other on a little zip drive or CD. Then I'd adjust the cuts to fit the new music and all of us, from directors and producers to our post coordinator from Brooklyn who lived in the house while we rented it, would just sit in the living room and watch what we came up with like a little family. The completion of the film and the successes we've shared from it eventually led to the Make Something!! workshops with Nike Sportswear, totally changing my way of thinking about how I can use editing as a tool for good. For example, I just recently cut a piece with local screen-printing shop Fresh Pressed prior to the election using Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech, Z-Trip's Obama mix, and Shepard Fairey's "Obama/Hope" wheat pasting to create a viral video which I did for free because I believed it to be for a good cause. Being able to inspire people on that level and to have a positive effect on people through editing, those are the things that made Beautiful Losers to me quite possibly the best project I've ever edited or maybe ever will edit.

Indie Filmmaker Q&A: Editor David Michael Maurer on Splinter

TUnruh — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Interesting MovieMaker Magazine Q&A with Emmy-nominated Editor David Michael Maurer. David discusses some of the editing tricks and creative decisions behind making the indie film - Splinter. He talks about his close collaboration with Director Toby Wilkins and how they tackled the unique post production needs to create the horror film.

Interview snippets [from Maurer]:

"Splinter takes the audience on a roller coaster, exploiting a variety of situations that evoke fear. Wilkins and I tried to get inside the heads of the characters... I wanted the audience to feel part of the scene."

"...we evaluated whether to use Avid or Final Cut Pro, but Avid's software was the only reliable and cost-effective solution that could handle the complexity of this project, while providing multiple editing workstations-all on the independent film budget."

"The Avid systems handled the entire workload, including more than 250 digital enhancements, large and small, with an additional 250 optical shots by the end. Most importantly, the set-up enabled us to review all the material, edit scenes in the field and effectively communicate with the production team to request specific shots. With the film's fast-paced production, the ability to talk with the crew about incoming elements was critical."

Online Exclusive: Editors Guild Magazine features Avid DS 10

TUnruh — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:50:00 GMT

Latest Editors Guild Magazine feature names Avid DS 10 "one of the first tangible expressions of Avid's hyped 'new thinking' philosophy." The article covers Avid DS 10 news, including commentary from DS user Marc Fisher.

Here's an excerpt from the piece ("DS10: Avid's New High-Performance Platform") -

"The DS is powerful enough to handle any file format or frame size. You can go from an SD edit on Media Composer and then bring it in for an HD pass or a 2k pass...I was able to simply duplicate entire sequences into 2K--and all the effects that [the] editor cut in the composer translated 100 percent into HD and the 2K conform. It was phenomenal, and now it's become even more powerful. Avid has finally realized what a terrific product they have here, and a lot of other users feel the same way." - Marc Fisher (Editor)

Rapid Adoption of New Editing Solutions

TUnruh — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:15:00 GMT

This Fall, you'll be watching Avid's next-gen HD editing systems in action on shows such as: J.J. Abram's Fringe, LOST, TLC's 10 Years Younger, Fox's Family Court with Judge Penny, TBS' 10 Items or Less, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and many others.

The American Film Institute (AFI), Catalyst Post, CBS, Universal Studios, KFox Television, FOX Sports Network, No Doubt Productions, Raycom Sports, Rhythm and Hues, Telemundo, Wachovia Video Network and Vertical Interval Media are some of the first sites to purchase and deploy Avid's next-gen HD editing systems.

Here's what our customers are saying:

"Processes that used to take an hour are now done in minutes. We're also taking advantage of the Nitris DX hardware acceleration for HD projects. This is Avid's best product release to date and sets the new standard for edit workstations." - Darin Kerby (Catalyst Post Services)

"The editors [on LOST] wanted to work with the best quality media possible and Avid DNxHD allows them to do that. Combine that with the performance of the new systems and you have a fantastic workflow." - Jim Longeretta (Digital Vortechs)

"The new systems are very stable and responsive - I am never waiting for the machine to catch up to me." - Dan Schalk (Film editor)

"The new Symphony Nitris DX systems will enable the students to get exposure to working with things like tapeless workflows, editing real-time in HD, color correction and finishing. And, with the improved stability and performance these systems offer, our students are able to engage in the editorial process and excel at the art and craft of post production." - Phil Linson (The American FIlm Institute)

Emmy 2008 Award Season - Did you know...

TUnruh — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:05:00 GMT

The majority of post-production teams behind this year's Emmy nominated shows are using Avid solutions. Here's a quick rundown -

All of the nominees in the 'Outstanding Picture Editing' (reality programming) category used Avid-based workflows:

- The Amazing Race
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
- Project Runway
- Survivor
- Top Chef

And, more than 90% of the top TV shows for 'Outstanding Picture Editing' (drama or comedy series) use various Avid systems, including:

- Lost - Avid Unity MediaNetwork, DS Nitris and Symphony
- Heroes - Media Composer Adrenaline, Unity MediaNetwork, Symphony Nitris and DS Nitris
- Boston Legal - Media Compoer and Xpress Pro
- The Office - Media Composer Meridiens and Avid Unity
- Pushing Daisies - Avid Media Composer and ScriptSync

We congratulate all 2008 nominees. Tune in to see which shows snag TV's top awards on Sunday, September 21.

Want to know the stats from 2007?

Student to Pro (POST Magazine)

TUnruh — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:45:00 GMT

POST Magazine has an interesting article that profiles five post production professionals about their transition from student life to an 8-to-5 work schedule. These young professionals discuss landing their current jobs, reflect on the adjustments they made, and the steps they walked to get there - from networking in Hollywood to the value of internships, people skills and luck.

Of those profiled, Adam Greenberg shares his account of how he worked his way up from summer intern to his current position at New York City's Post Factory.

In addition, Chad Galster lends a fresh perspective on editing today and how he's applying what he learned at USC's Avid lab to editing the second season of MTV's reality series, The Hills. On why he still uses Avid's Media Composer software:

"The reason being it's [Media Composer] a workhorse - it's incredibly stable. We're tied into a Unity system with between eight and 10 of us editing the series at any given time."

Top 28 Highest-Grossing Summer Blockbusters Created by Avid Customers

TUnruh — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:20:00 GMT

The top 28 highest-grossing movies this summer were created by Avid customers using systems from at least one Avid brand (generating a combined revenue of more than $3.68 billion at the U.S. box office!). Also worth noting is that the long list includes The Dark Knight, which is the second film in history to top the half-billion dollar mark.

Creative teams behind the majority of these films used workflows with a variety of Avid solutions, such as: Avid Media Composer systems, Avid DNxHD 36 codec and Avid Unity MediaNetwork for video editing and shared storage; Digidesign Pro Tools for editing and mixing sound; Sibelius 5 for music composition and scoring; and Softimage|XSI for 3D animation, 3D design and visual effects.

If you missed out on some of these summer flicks, catch up with the latest customer stories:

Get Smart
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Sex & the City: The Movie

How to Use ScriptSync

TUnruh — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:32:00 GMT

Harry B. Miller III, A.C.E. has posted a piece on 'How to use ScriptSync' (ACE Tech Blog). He surveyed a handful of A.C.E. editors and assistant editors for their thoughts on using the feature. Here is some feedback:

"I figure ScriptSync takes 3 hours off my day." - Stuart Bass, A.C.E.

"The most important use of ScriptSync, and the biggest time saver, is when producers want to check performances during their cut. I have found that once producers realize that this process goes so much quicker because of ScriptSync, they will insist that all editors they work with use it, and will not work with Final Cut because it doesn't have it." - Richard Candib, A.C.E.

Check out the fuil article for tips on best practices and how to maximize the benefits of ScriptSync.

Exclusive: CBS using new Avid systems for National Convention coverage

TUnruh — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:50:00 GMT

In TV Technology's article 'Avid Accelerates CBS' Convention Coverage,' Walt Leiding (technical supervisor and editor for CBS News) briefly describes the workflow, which includes Avid NewsCutter Nitris DX and Avid VideoRAID storage systems with the Avid DNxHD 145 codec.

"Leiding said the Avid Nitris gave him 'unprecedented' abilities for controlling source and sequence."

"He [Leiding] added, 'Organization is the key to editing, in general, and the ability to cherry pick HD shots that I know will sync up in one of the best parts of the Avid systems. It's like driving a really responsive German sport car. The system goes wherever I point it, and it can stop on a dime. It's a dream."

For more information, check out the Avid news 'CBS Relies on New HD Avid Solutions for National Convention Coverage.'

Film & Video Feature: 2K Red and HDV Footage in Avid DS Workflow

TUnruh — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:47:00 GMT

Film & Video Magazine has posted feature coverage on Avid DS Artist Igor Ridanovic (Kappa Studios) discussing the Avid DS workflow on his latest RED project (an extended trailer for the documentary film - ‘The Wordz from the Street’). In the Q&A with Igor, he discusses his experience with the RED|Avid DS workflow and what was unique about the post production process for this piece.

“That’s why this workflow is interesting...some of the visual effects we had to do would be difficult, if not impossible, to do in Final Cut.”

“You can do those quick fixes in [Avid] DS really fast. You might be working on color, but you can stop and just do a quick comp and take something out or add something in, track a logo out of the shot or replace something.”

"The whole process took just minutes in the [Avid] DS, and the result really helped the story.”

Check out the full article in Film & Video: '2K Red and HDV Footage in an Avid DS Workflow'

Buzzworthy "It was Done on Avid" projects

APeterson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:41:00 GMT

There are a lot of film/tv projects in the works using Avid workflows.

JJ Abrams latest project "Fringe" premieres the week of Sept 9 and they are working on Media Composer/ProTools for the sound/picture edits. We've also learned that LOST has transitioned over to the new Avid Media Composer Nitris DX systems for the forthcoming season.

The editors of "Gossip Girl" are using Media Composer systems on Unity and taking advantage of ScriptSync to make life easier when lining up the various takes to lines in the script - saving a ton of time in the editing room.

Oscar Winning Editor Chris Rouse (Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) is currently on location in the UK working on Paul Greengrass' latest film "Green Zone" where several editors are working on Media Composer systems on Unity.

Quantum of Solace is also shooting in the UK and Editors Rick Pearson and Matt Chesse are cutting the film on Media Composer systems on Unity.

Gus Van Sant's next project "Milk" is wrapping post and Editor Elliot Graham (21) cut a good portion of the film on his laptop with Media Composer software. In total, the production had three Media Composer systems.

Newly launched Avid DS 10 is a fast, flexible and effective solution designed to handle FX-online, compositing and graphics, and hi-res conform

TUnruh — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:01:00 GMT

Exciting news from Avid this week. The Avid DS family is alive and kicking -- and better than ever with new features and lower pricing...

This week marks the launch of the newest version of the product: Avid DS 10 - a solution designed to save customers time and money by delivering advanced finishing tools within one application. Avid DS customers will be able to more effectively manage their project pipeline, take on a wider variety of projects, work with the highest quality images and continue to deliver the best end product to their customers.

Check out the recent customer story 'Ironik and Bluefoot Entertainment Team Up for Marquis Programming on ESPN' to learn about the Avid DS 10 system in action -

"The new DS really flies with eight processors churning away. There are lots of real-time effects, and the real-time secondary color correction - the same as in Symphony, makes the whole color experience much more complete and far easier." - Sean Stall (Ironik Design and Post)

What the industry is saying -

"[Avid DS 10 is a] very interactive and very intuitive system to use..." - Declan MacErlane (Piranha Bar, Ireland). In a recent Digital Production Buzz podcast interview, MacErlane dives into a discussion on the new features and flexibility of the Avid DS 10 system.

"...Avid DS is a superior choice for cross platform finishing as well. Access to fast and sophisticated effects is invaluable for feature film HD conforms and DIs. Any shows that require extensive visual effects work such as commercials, promos or music videos can be finished with ease on Avid DS regardless of the offline platform." - Igor Ridanovic, Kappa Studios (HD Head, 'Avid Announces the Release of DS v10')

"This latest DS showed very impressive performance and does it at a much lower price point than before. Avid is reaching out to customers in a way that most of its competitors cannot, and it's offering a complete turnkey system with comprehensive support." - Steve Cohen (Splice Here, 'DSv10')

"Avid DS supports such key functions as conform and color correction. Version 10 includes a new stereoscopic container as well as a redesigned color management tool interface and support for Avid's infrastructure products." - (The Hollywood Reporter, 'Avid advances in the art of 3-D')

"So much of sports content these days is footage shot in competition situations that then needs to be packaged or dressed up for show opens or montages. The broad image-processing toolset within DS version 10, as well as its ability to handle a variety of file-based formats, means that it's a tool that our customers can use to create all of this compelling content right away." - Angus Mackay, product marketing manager for editing products at Avid, in an interview with Sports Video Group, 'Avid's New DS 10 Speeds Hi-Res Online Creative'