Buzz : Post Production Facility

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'.

New Functionality: What You're Missing In Meridien

TUnruh — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:20:00 GMT

For folks who are wondering why they should upgrade to new Avid Media Composer versions, Steve Cohen (Splice Here) has summarized the latest features. Here's an overview (versions 3.0.5 and beyond):

16 tracks of playable audio.
Realtime audio dissolves.
Multiple tracks of realtime visual effects.
Select everything to the right.
Realtime timecode burnin.
Spectramatte.
Faster waveform display
Faster saves, even with big bins.
Timeline responsiveness.
Overall responsiveness.
Stability.
Scroll Wheel support.
OS X Leopard.
Improved locators.
Additional improvements to segment and trim modes.
High Def.

For Steve's full post, check out: Time to Upgrade (Splice Here).

Avid demonstrates support for RED camera at LA event

TUnruh — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:45:00 GMT

Here's a quick review from Igor Ridanovic, co-founder of the LA-based RED User Group, who attended one of the Avid+RED sessions in LA this week. Learn more about the existing RED workflow and what's new - from Media Composer to Avid DS.

"The Media Composer's unmatched ability to track all kinds of metadata and it's connectivity with Avid DS via Avid's AFE file format is a step ahead from the typical EDL based transfer between offline edit systems and DI workstations. This will allow facilities to work faster having to rebuild fewer effects and timeline tracks." - Igor Ridanovic (Kappa Studios)

Studio Monthly Q&A: Avid Storage

TUnruh — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:40:00 GMT

Avid's Doug Hynes recently spoke with Studio Monthly about all things storage The interview is available online and presents readers with a high-level snapshot of Avid's product line, storage philosophy and some of the key factors worth considering when evaluating storage solutions.

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)

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."

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'

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'