Expert Connections : Education

Here Come the Trainers....

Avid Community Team — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:14:00 GMT

The catch phrase used to be "Change your mind without losing it" back in the day. That particular time was 1991, the year I first started with Avid as the 4th Customer Support Representative and then the first full time Instructor for Avid Technology. In that time I traveled the country and more than a dozen countries training editors on the Media Composer. In 1998, I went to IBM as a training manager giving me broader exposure to the education business and how it can be run on a large scale while still maintaining product quality and measured results.

Fast forward to 2008. Avid is enveloped in New Thinking, new management and unification across the corporate brands. We have harnessed the power of our counterparts around the globe and are working to bring modern training methods and concepts to Avid customers in a consistent and intelligent fashion. During this time of evolution and cohesion as a company, it makes perfect sense to align the training organization in the same way, and this will be the first time the company has had a truly worldwide training organization. Recently I was given the opportunity to return and I jumped at it, as I enjoy fostering the fire of education through new challenges and approaches. And what opportunity better than to return to the company I helped to grow globally and to take public, now with the largest and most talented customer base in the industry. Just look at those who walk away with recognition at each Clio, Emmy, Grammy and Academy Award presentation.

Our team is now aligned with Avid Worldwide Training on a cross-brand, One Avid organization led by Carolyn Lightner. As the Manager for the Americas Training Delivery Team, I work with driven individuals who collectively have an amazing amount of talent and industry knowledge that we would like to share, and this forum is one of many vehicles where we would like to offer some of our knowledge to you on a global basis. Collectively, our instructors have years of broadcast experience in various aspects of production, film and post-production experience, and are skilled in creative arts, technology and the sciences. My delivery management counterparts in APAC and EMEA, Anna Lockwood and Jason Plews respectively, will also bring their team's skills and experience to this forum for perspectives on training, equipment and methods from around the planet.

We hope that you enjoy and benefit from the entries that will be forth coming, and as always, thank you for your support as Avid customers and users!

Cheers,

AJ Steffenberg
Training Manager, Americas Services Group

Upcoming Certification Courses

Avid Community Team — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:47:00 GMT

If you are interested in obtaining Avid Certified Support Representative (ACSR) certification, please note the following dates for the pertinent offerings. Recertification dates are also included for those who already hold current certifications which are about to expire. To enroll, contact the Avid Training Coordinator at 800.867.2843 or at trainingservices@avid.com.

WG433 Avid Interplay ACSR Certification - April 6-10 - Tewksbury, MA
WG433 Avid Interplay ACSR Certification - May 18-22 - Tewksbury, MA

WG422 Avid Unity ISIS ACSR Certification - April 27-May 1 - Tewksbury, MA
UN442 Avid Unity ISIS ACSR Recertification - May 4-5 - Tewksbury, MA
UN442 Avid Unity ISIS ACSR Recertification - June 22-23 - Tewksbury, MA

UN402 Avid Unity MediaNetwork Certification - May 11-15 - Tewksbury, MA
UN412 Avid Unity MediaNetwork ACSR Recertification - May 7-8 - Tewksbury, MA
UN412 Avid Unity MediaNetwork ACSR Recertification - June 25-26 - Tewksbury, MA

400 WIN Avid Editor ACSR Certification - May 18-22 - Tewksbury, MA
410 WIN Avid Editor ACSR Recertification - May 6-7 - Tewksbury, MA
410 WIN Avid Editor ACSR Recertification - June 24-25 - Tewksbury, MA

Immerse Yourself: Get the Training. Get Media Composer.

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:06:00 GMT

Now is the best time to immerse yourself into the world of Avid Media Composer.

Experience a full-week course and receive your own copy of Media Composer in one special package! Two new classes added — one on each coast — for the end of the year.

MC 108 Media Composer Immersion

This course gives you a "total immersion" experience in Avid Media Composer, the nonlinear editing system used to create the large majority of today's professional films and videos. And at the end of the week, you'll take home your own copy of Avid Media Composer version 3.0 software. You'll learn how to edit, create effects, manage media, import and export media, and more! Session time is divided between demonstration and hands-on practice, with ample time for experimentation with sample documentary, dramatic, and graphic material. Enrollment is this course also includes ALEX online courses on Avid Marquee Title Tool and Input and Output Essentials.

To request more information or register, please contact Avid Training Services at trainingservices@avid.com or 1-800-867-AVID.

Topics Include:

Preparing for editing
Working with bins
Basic editing techniques with sync and non-sync material
Fine tuning (Trimming)
Customizing your workspace
Trimming with sync material
Creating titles with Avid Marquee
Working in the Timeline
Working with audio
Performing Media Management tasks
Creating vertical and horizontal effects
Creating motion effects
Nesting effects
Importing and exporting
Working with SD, HD, HDV, P2, and HDCAM material

___________________________________________________________________

Contact:
Avid Training Services
1-800-867-AVID
trainingservices@avid.com

Instructor:
Ashley Kennedy

Course Details:

Avid Technology in Burbank, CA:
October 13 - October 17, 2008
Avid Technology in Tewksbury, MA:
December 1 - December 5, 2008

Registration fee:
$2495 includes Media Composer software or $2295 for Media Composer upgrade from Avid Xpress Pro v5.5

___________________________________________________________________

Avid Technology at the 2008 University Film and Video Association Conference

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:21:00 GMT

Avid Technology played a major role at the 2008 UFVA Conference, held August 12-16, 2008 at Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO.

About the University Film/Video Association
Founded in 1947 as the University Film Producers Association, the UFVA has developed into an organization of approximately 800 professionals and institutions involved in the production and study of film, video, and other media arts. UFVA is an international organization where media production and writing meets the history, theory and criticism of the media. UFVA members are image-makers and artists, teachers and students, archivists and distributors, college departments, libraries, and manufacturers.

Comments from UFVA Officers and Avid Education

A message from UFVA president (until the conference close) Melinda Levin:
“Avid Technology, a long-time, premiere level sustaining member of UFVA, officially opened this academic gathering with the annual Avid Reception. Avid's key partnership with UFVA individual and institutional members has evolved over the past decade to include not only this elegant event, but also an opening session with editors. Avid serves as an anchor in the sustainer's floor area, and takes part in multiple sessions throughout the 5-day event, including multiple hands-on sessions for attendees.

“When I introduced Jeremy Silver [General Manager of Avid Education worldwide] at the opening night reception, I emphasized the key role that Avid's dedicated team plays in supporting the goals and future of the organization. Each year, we can see Avid’s commitment to education grow, from “owning” the opening night reception and presentation to offering workshops and panels, and simply by sending knowledgeable and enthusiastic people who can answer questions and talk about using Avids in the classroom. I hope that Avid will maintain its partnership with UFVA in the years to come.”

A message from current UFVA president Diane Carson:
"Avid Technology’s long-time support extends from our classrooms to our conference, from superb software to its revitalizing reception that kicks off the UFVA conference with stimulating interaction and superb food.

"For the panels, the workshops, the one-on-one, the enthusiasm and the patience with a multitude of our questions, we UFVA members are immensely grateful. What is exceptional is that Avid addresses all stages of editing: how to teach editing, how to think creatively about it, how to illustrate its range and how to clarify its possibilities—culminating in the application of creative ideas smoothly and efficiently.

"For never treating any question as a foolish one, for illuminating ways to integrate the most unusual combination of source material and lab configuration, for explaining how to apply the most complicated effects—Avid representatives make us the beneficiaries of extraordinary expertise and dynamic assistance.

"Avid provides the software and the breadth and depth of the support crucial to digital production endeavors of all types."

From Jeremy Silver, GM Avid Education:
“Our commitment to Education is about helping educators to graduate successful media creatives who will become the next generation of Avid users. It’s not just about teaching people how to use our applications, it’s about enabling our colleagues in Education and students themselves to be successful in their creative projects using our industry leading solutions – that’s a really critical distinction.”

From George Klippel, Educational Sales Manager, North US Region, Avid Technology:
“The show was great! Being involved with the UFVA is important for Avid and our educational initiative. It is one event that really allows us to engage with our customers and talk through the issues they are experiencing today, and how they plan to move forward in the future. This show also gives us the opportunity to understand and discuss the pedagogical issues that faculty experience which can, at times, be overshadowed by technology discussions.”

Opening Night Avid Reception and Presentation

Avid has been hosting an opening night reception for the past several years. It’s grown quite popular and is an expected part of the conference. We invited Allan Holzman, A.C.E., to give a presentation following the reception.

Allan chose the theme: "Creating Media to Teach Media." He discussed, using his own films as illustration, ways that educators can create films to teach students about all stages of the filmmaking process, from scripting through post.

Allan has enjoyed success in both the feature and documentary arenas as both director and editor. He has won numerous awards, including two Emmys, an ACE Eddie, and a Peabody. Allan teaches editing at the University of Southern California, and served for seven years on the American Cinema Editors (ACE) Board of Directors.

During his presentation, Allan showed clips from several of his films: the annual IA/VA series (videos of panel discussions of Academy-Award nominated/winning editors), Walt's Table: A Tribute to Disney's Nine Old Men ( “Nine Old Men” refers to the first generation Disney animators) and his award-winning film, Survivors of the Holocaust, produced by Steven Spielberg.

Panels & Workshops

AVID DOCUMENTARY EDITING WORKSHOP by Ashley Kennedy, Principal Instructor and Avid Certified Instructor Program Manager, Avid Technology

This two-hour workshop covered tips and techniques on editing documentaries, including Advanced Bin Organization, Documentary Effects, and ScriptSync. The workshop used Footage from the popular series, Deadliest Catch.

PANEL: “Beyond Odessa Steps: Editing instructors discuss great editing scenes and how to teach them”

Panelists:
B.J. Sears, A.C.E., Professor, Savannah College of Art and Design
Norman Hollyn, Associate Professor, Editing Track Head, University of Southern California
Eric Scholl, Faculty, Columbia College, Chicago
Moderator: Ellen Feldman, Principal Course Developer, Avid Technology, and film scholar

Every year at the conference we host an “art of editing” panel. Last year we invited several editors to cut and then discuss the same scene from Lost. This year we focused on film scenes instructors use to teach editing. The scenes ranged from Don’t Look Now, The Limey, and of course, the “Odessa Steps” sequence from Potemkin.

Three editors/editing instructors talked about how they approach the teaching of the art and practice of editing using various scenes from different films. After their presentations there was some time for audience members to discuss how they teach these and other scenes in their classes.

From Norman Hollyn, panelist:
“The thing I really appreciate about the UFVA Conference, and this came out strongly during our panel, was how much there is to learn from other film teachers — from all sizes of schools. The panelists were able to discuss real practical techniques to teach editing, but this was then strengthened by the audience’s description of their own.

“Teaching film at a large university can sometimes be a lonely experience — it isn’t always easy to convince traditional academics that how we teach in and out of the classroom, and what we do outside of the university, is as valid as the traditional modes. The UFVA Conference is a great resource for me to discover the ways that other teachers have dealt with those same issues. It’s a family.”

From Eric Scholl, panelist:
"I greatly enjoyed being on this panel. It allowed me to look back over my career as an editing teacher and find sequences that influenced me as an editor, which I now share with my students. Plus, I learned as much from the other panelists as I did from researching my own presentation. The audience was informed and engaged, and many put forward their own favorite scenes. This is the third time I have been on a UFVA panel organized by Ellen Feldman and Avid, and each time we were given total freedom to address the art of editing & education, with no hint of sales pitch. Avid is committed to education, and it comes across in these panels. The panels are invariably entertaining - always welcome at an academic conference."

PANEL: “Cutting High Definition and High Resolution File-Based Workflows Down to Size”

Panelists:
Robert Racine, Assistant Professor, University of New Orleans
Henry Griffin, Artist in Residence (Screenwriting and Directing), University of New Orleans
Hamp Overton, Assistant Professor, University of New Orleans

This presentation covered problems and solutions presented by two common production scenarios
using the Panasonic HVX200 P2 camcorder, Avid® Media Composer® 2.8 and 3.0, Lanshare, and
Avid Unity ISIS®.

Scenario 1 – Feature length film shot by students over spring break in 9 days utilizing 5 camera crews
and posted using Media Composer and Lanshare EX shared storage.
Scenario 2 – Workflow issues and solutions surrounding the transition of UNO’s production and postproduction classes from 16mm and DV to DVCPRO HD.

Join us next year at University of New Orleans for the 2009 University Film and Video Association Conference!