April 2012 - Videomaker.com

Transcription

How to Make Money With Video
Dell recommends Windows 7 Professional.
®
pages 46 and 54
®
YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING AND PUBLISHING GREAT VIDEO APRIL 2012
In the CES Spotlight
Hottest
Imagine working as fast
as you think.
Gear
Dell Precision M4600 shown
above. Available with 2nd gen
Intel Core processors.
™
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this
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We can make better creative
‘‘decisions faster than ever before
with the Adobe Creative Suite 5.5
and Dell Precision Workstations.
’’
- Erik Horn, Creative Director at Arts+Labor
®
®
In creative fields like video production and animation, every
day is another deadline. You need software that works on a
professional level, and the hardware to run it. You need Dell
Precision Workstations.
Advanced Editing and Effects - Software Reviews
TM
Dell Precision Workstations feature Intel Core
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GenArts Sapphire Edge
Each one is certified for performance and peace of mind, and
or Intel Xeon processors.
features Intel Core or Intel Xeon processors, great rendering
speed and reduced production time, and a professional selection
of NVIDIA graphics cards. For creative solutions that work as
hard as you do, look no further than Dell Precision Workstations.
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Unleash your potential › dell.com/smb/imagine
or call 1-877-965-3355.
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Tiffen Dfx 3.0 Effects
Sony Vegas Pro 11
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Trademarks/Copyright Notices: Ultrabook, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom,
Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium
Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Master the Art of Making Music Videos that Rock!
videomaker.com/VideosThatRock
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What’s the
Best Video Format for
Online Distribution?
Video formatting is the key to sharing your videos and getting them online. Choosing the
right video format can be difficult, but it can mean a larger, more appreciative viewership.
www.videomaker.com
Features
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Free Training Resource
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APRIL 2012
38 Lens Filters and Adaptors
23 Seeing the Future
CES 2012 Showcases Technological Advances.
by Dave Sniadak
Buyer’s Guide
From diffusion to effects; from specialized color enhancement to lighting fixes, filters can make ordinary scenes look
extraordinary.
by Heath McKnight
31 Filters – Effects – Transitions
Plug-ins Buyer’s Guide
The true power of software like Adobe After Effects and most
editing programs are in the third party plug-ins.
by Peter John Ross
23
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Contents
On the Cover
• Tiffen Dfx 3.0 Effects
• GenArts Sapphire Edge
• Sony Vegas Pro 11
38
62 The History of Video
The World Gets Smaller Every Day, Thanks to Video.
by Jennifer O'Rourke
46
50
Columns
Departments
2 Viewfinder
43 Basic Training
Reviews
46 Editing
Marketing Your Editing Business
by Mark Montgomery
Get this exclusive report, free when you sign up for Videomaker’s Video Tip emails.
These tips are always free and you can choose to stop receiving them anytime!
Catching the Rim Shot with
Lighting
by Terry O’Rourke
54 Profit Making
Starting a Production Company
by Wolfgang Porter
58 Audio
Documentary Funding
Pro Camcorders Buyer’s Guide
Build a Home Studio
Directing a Video Village
On Sale April 24, 2012
Already a subscriber to Videomaker’s Video Tips? You can download all of the available Videomaker Free Reports by clicking
on the “Edit Profile” link at the bottom of any Video Tip message.
VI D EO MA K ER >>> A P RI L 20 12
Advanced Editing Software
by Doug Dixon
14 GenArts Sapphire Edge
Visual Effects Software
by Ben Balser
16 Tiffen Dfx 3.0
Visual Effects Software
by Ty Audronis
Workstation
by Lance Olinger
20 LEDZ Brute 3
64 New Titles
Make Your Videos Shine Online at: videomaker.com/formatting
Editing Software
by Mike Wilhelm
18 HP Z210 CMT
DIY Sci-Fi Sound Effects
by Hal Robertson
Media Reviews
by Trisha Coder
8 Avid Studio for iPad
10 Sony Vegas Pro 11
50 Lighting
Next Month Pro Producer’s Issue –
8
4 In Box
5 New Gear
7 Reader Profile
57 Ad Index
Make a Movie
by Matthew York
Slick Camera Shots
by Kyle Cassidy
At Videomaker we want to give you the knowledge you need to make great
videos and choose the best video formats for web distribution. This free report
can help you to create a better video when you have the right tools and knowledge. In the
beginning, all of us were new at video editing, and we understand how frustrating it can be
to have a desired look and lack the knowledge needed to create the desired result.
Volume 26 • Number 10
Portable LED Light
by Jackson Wong
New s
Date d
Adde
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Hands-on training is the best
way to master video production!
See page 6 for details
1
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VIEWFINDER
Videomaker empowers people to make video in a way
that inspires, encourages and equips for success. We
do this by building a community of readers, web visitors,
viewers, attendees and marketers.
by Matthew Y or k
Make a Movie
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Many beginners come to Videomaker
when they want to make a movie for
the first time. Kids, young people,
middle aged and retired folks who
have never used video gear but want
to know how to make a movie, pick up
our magazine or visit our website. Many
people are inspired after they watch a
great flick and believe that they should
be in the movie business. These people
all have to start somewhere and after
reaching for their camcorder they realize how much there is to learn.
Making good movies costs money.
Even short movies require many hours
of work and dedication, in addition to
the funds for equipment, travel, props
or manpower. Many of the least costly
films still have budgets exceeding
$10,000. A noteworthy example is The
Blair Witch Project produced in 1999
for $25,0001. And one of my favorite
ultra-low budget motion pictures had
a budget of just over $200. Tarnation is
a documentary film by Jonathan Caouette. He created it from nearly 20 years
of old Super 8 films, VHS videotape and
photographs, which represented the
story of his life. Tarnation’s, expenses
ultimately came in post-production. It
was initially made using a free video
editing package (iMovie), but was
reproduced at a cost of over $400,000.
Among many awards, the film won the
Best Documentary from the National
Society of Film Critics. At the other end
of the spectrum, with a budget of over
$300 million, Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World’s End is one of the most expensive motion pictures produced.
When people first consider how to
make a movie, most may not be ambitious enough to devote $25,000. Some
of these people new to the industry
are perhaps pursuing movie making
as a recreational project or simply as
a vehicle of self-expression. Those set
with their sights on a major Hollywood
1. According to imdb.com (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/
business) the budget is estimated at $60,000. According to wikipedia.
org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project) the budget
has been stated as being anywhere from $20,000 up to $750,000.
2
publisher/editor
associate publisher
blockbuster can easily produce a pilot
(or even a pre-pilot), so they can show
people their idea without being limited
to describing it orally, writing about it
and/or showing storyboards.
Filmmaking can be an enjoyable experience, even for those using the video
camera feature of their mobile phone
and a tablet for video editing. Along the
way, many people learn the basics of
storyboarding, scriptwriting, casting,
cinematography, editing, screening and
distribution. When they make a movie
with little or no budget, beginners will
get exposed to these phases of video
production, but many may not initially
recognize these important movie making tasks as phases of video making.
If you have been thinking about
making your first movie, now is the
time to start. It is affordable and achievable. If you don’t know many other
people skilled in making video you can
get your friends and family to help.
Even if the first screening of your flick
is only on the TV in your living room, it
is still worth doing. You may not win an
academy award, but you will have lots
of fun along the way.
Matthew York is Videomaker's Publisher/Editor.
For comments, email: [email protected],
use article #15375 in the subject line. You can
comment and rate this article by going online:
www.videomaker.com/article/15375
Matthew York
Patrice York
executive editor
managing editor
associate editor
associate editor
associate editor
Richard Ober
Jennifer O’Rourke
Dan Bruns
Mike Wilhelm
Jackson Wong
contributing editors
Kyle Cassidy
Earl Chessher
Mark Holder
Mark Montgomery
Hal Robertson
production director
art director/photographer
Melissa Hageman
Susan Schmierer
advertising director
advertising representatives
telephone (530) 891-8410
senior account executive
account executive
marketing director
marketing coordinator
marketing coordinator
Terra York
Isaac York
Tyler Kohfeld
Dawn Branthaver
Joseph Ayres
Mike Rosen-Molina
manager of
information systems
web developer
IT assistant
Andy Clark
director of finance
accounting assistant
customer service
fulfillment assistant
Stephen Awe
Sandra Wells
Tammy Lynn Hettrick
Bree Day
Tai Travis
Seth Hendricks
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P RINTED IN USA
V IDEOMAKER >>> A pRIl 2012
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In Box
readers' letters
Submissions to In Box become the property of Videomaker, and we hold the exclusive
right to publish them in print, on the web or any other medium. Submissions may be
edited for length, grammatical correction or technical clarity. Publication of In Box letters is at the discretion of the Videomaker Editorial staff and does not represent the
opinions of Videomaker, York Publishing nor any of its advertisers or representatives.
That Elusive Film Look
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The article Make Video Look Like Film
(www.videomaker.com/article/14562/),
was very interesting. But making even
low budget movies like the one you
mention, Open Water, is very expensive for the average videographer.
Let’s take for example the Open
Water movie budget. That movie
cost $130,000, and if we can add the
other accessories that you mention
in the article; like a 35mm adapter,
Tiffen film-look filters, glidecam
etc. You can closely end up with a
$136,000 budget.
It is true that film stock costs a lot
more when compared to video tapes,
but I was checking on the Internet and noticed that there is a new
interest in Super-8 film because you
can now have a lot more of different stocks to choose from. You can
buy film cameras for about $20.00
and many of them have 24fps, slow
motion effect, one frame at a time
for animation, and with really good
depth of field because it is film. If you
take care of the lighting, aperture,
and use a good tripod, you can make
a movie that can be compared with a
16mm or even a 35mm feature and
all of that with a fraction of what
it cost Open Water, if we take that
movie as an example. If you show it
on the big screen you are going to see
grain, but that, too, is changing with
new technology, which improves the
look of Super-8 on the big screen.
And most of today’s video producers
make their videos or films to show on
TV and not in theaters. Yes, one of the
major drawbacks in film is that you
can’t see right away what you shot,
but in most, if not all, major 35mm
features, there is a technician called
the Video Assist. This person’s job is
4
NEW GEAR
Address your letters to In Box, c/o Videomaker, P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927.
Videomaker is unable to process personal replies; however, questions of interest to
the Videomaker readership will appear in print. You can also submit In Box entries by
e-mail: [email protected].
to record what the camera sees and
tell the director if the shot is out of
focus, if there’s something going on
in the background, and any number
of things that would make the director want to re-shoot the scene.
Please don’t misunderstand me, I
use video a lot, but also film, and I
understand that Videomaker is a magazine for the video user. I just want to
give my opinion on this article. Thank
you and keep up the good work.
Cesar D. Diaz, Coki Film & Video
Caguas, Puerto Rico
You are correct, Cesar, and we’ve been
reading about a number of ‘retro’ film
clubs cropping up and people digging
out those old film projectors and perusing yard sales for old 8mm cameras.
— The Editors
Sony Vegas Pro 10
Just to let you know I enjoyed the welldone Sony Vegas Pro review (www.videomaker.com/article/15120/) and, like
it says in Brent Holland’s bio: I too am
obsessed with my Canon EOS 5D Mark
II ! What a wonderful object of love it
is! And how hugely happy I was when
I could easily drop my .MOV files in it
after upgrading from Vegas 9.0 to 10.0.
Kudos to Brent and to the whole staff.
Please do more articles on the Canon
EOS 5D Mark II and its video capabilities: they are so hard to fully explore
and exploit.
Stefano Guandalini, MD, Flossmoor, IL
Thanks for your enthusiasm, Stefano
we have many articles on HDSLR use
planned in the future. Like Mr. Diaz’
letter above, there’s a lot of stimulus in
the video producing field now that producers are finally able to handle depth
of field issues that standard camcorders
had some difficulty with. Our September edition was dedicated, in part, to
shooting with interchangeable lenses,
(www.videomaker.com/article/14948/),
the mechanics of interchangeable
lenses,(www.videomaker.com/article/14947) and HDSLRs buyer’s guide,
(www.videomaker.com/article/14953/)
among a few other tips.
— The Editors
Bookmarking Videomaker
I’ve been a subscriber for a couple
of years, so I have a nice little folder
full of PDFs on my laptop. Here’s a
quick system for accessing my favorite articles. Usually there are 4 or 5
features in each issue that I want to
“bookmark” to read again. I right-click
on the .pdf issue, and go to Properties.
The Summary tab allows me to make
notes on that issue and whenever I
hover over the file name, I see the
notes in that file’s pop-up box.
Ron Harper, Cincinnati, OH
Thanks for the Tips
Just writing to thank you for the
video editing tips you send to me on
a regular basis. They’ve enticed me to
explore the field of video editing even
more. I’ve been a casual editor, but
your easy-to-follow tips have encouraged my desire to advance my skills.
Thanks for you continued effort.
Thomas Huntington, Fresno, California
Thomas is referring to the tips we supply through our eNewsletter that are
part of the Learner Revenue line that
readers can sign up to receive. Due to
its popularity, we will be expanding our
eNews from a weekly newsletter to a
daily. Find out more by signing up to
receive the eNews edition.
—The Editors
hot off the presses
by J ennifer O ’ R ourk e
myFC
Ever go out in the wild on a shoot and discover you’ll be working much longer than
your batteries? And you can’t plug into a nearby tree, so what do you do? Using
water and the Sun, PowerTrekk by myFC converts hydrogen gas into electricity with
a USB portable fuel cell charger for mobile phones, digital cameras and GPS devices.
Unlike solar-powered devices, the fuel cell charger works instantly and doesn’t rely
on the weather. Delivering 2.5W at 5V, the PowerTrekk runs for more than two hours
and can be charged ahead of your shoot to save time.
www.powertrekk.com | MSRP: $230
Digital Juice's Toxic Type collections give you a variety of professional looking
templates for text animations with titles. Drop the template of your choice into After
Effects and you can then customize the effects to be yours and yours alone. The new
collections include themes for corporate and broadcast; perfect for the production
company that doesn’t have the time to create its own from scratch. The more than
65 unique projects include instant download templates, complete customization,
edit-friendly segments, and uses common formats in SD or HD formats.
Digital Juice
www.digitaljuice.com | MSRP: $100
AfterShokz
Usually, video producers want headphones that block out all ambient sound – but
there are occasions when you need to both hear what’s around you, as well as hear
the sound coming from your mic. Enter AfterShokz Sport ear-free headphones. AfterShokz Sport uses bone conduction technology that passes sound through the user’s
cheekbones rather than the ear canals. While designed for sports and outdoor users,
those of us working behind the camera have found these ‘phones to allow us to hear
the audio we’re recording but not block out the sounds of rushed outdoor activity or a
colleague talking.
www.aftershokz.com | MSRP: $60
From casual above to this: the Cadillac of sound gear - Sennheiser HD 700 high-end headphones.
These fully open dynamic stereo headphones have a full high-end sound. Designed like ears, the
earcups are comfortable to wear and bring sound in beautifully for natural listening, courtesy of
the open transparent transducer with a ventilated magnet system. The headband has a vibrationdampening frame, a detachable cable and spring-mounted earcups. The transducer sits in a stainless steel gauze encasement so that the headphone acoustics won't be diminished from vibrations.
Frequency response: 10-42,000Hz Nominal impedance: 150 ohms, Sound pressure level (SPL):
105 dB (1kHz, 1V) Total harmonic distortion (THD): < 0.03 % (1 kHz, 1 V), Jack: ¼-inch plug.
Sennheiser
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www.sennheiserusa.com | MSRP: $1,000
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VI D EO MA K ER >>> Ap RI l 20 12
5
Workshops
Get Real Experience
Behind the Camera
READER PROFILE
Behind the Lens - Russ Fairley
when you Attend a Videomaker Workshop
Video creation is sometimes a singular business, but video producers
are a social lot who work and play in many areas of video production
and love to share their stories. This column introduces you to your fellow
video producers.
CLASS SIZES ARE SMALL
SO SEATING IS LIMITED.
REGISTER TODAY!
Name: Russ Fairley
Cameras: Sony NEX-FS100U, Sony HXR-NX5U (2), Sony PMW-EX1, Canon
EOS Rebel T2i, - if we need more we rent them
Editing System: 12-core Mac Pro with (wait for it) 64GB of RAM (2), i7 MacBook Air, various MacBook Pros
Editing Programs: Adobe CS5.5 Master Collection, Avid Media Composer 6.
Lighting: Westcott Spiderlite TD5s, Kino Flo Diva-Lite 400 (2), some smaller
Lowels
Audio Gear: Sennheiser ew 100-ENG G3 lavaliers and e 835 among other
handheld mics, various booms
Support Gear: Manfrotto Fig Rig, tripods with 501HDV heads, and 701HDV
heads
Website: rfpvideo.com
NEWES
DAT ED
ADD EET
TO MAND!
DEM
The Basics of Video Production Learn video production from the ground up, getting
to know the equipment like the back of your hand. Get hands-on experience in the field; from planning and
shooting to lighting, audio and editing using equipment the pros use.
May 4-6, 2012 • June 1-3, 2012 • September 14-16, 2012 • October 12-14, 2012, December 7-9, 2012
Intensive Lighting Master the nuances of lighting. Get hands-on experience with lighting for
interviews, green screen, product shots, outdoor exteriors and more for professional level videos. Classes are
small, so you set up the lights yourself!
May 4-6, 2012 • Septemer 14-16, 2012
Advanced Shooting Go beyond the basic point-and-shoot, developing sophisticated techniques
with hands-on experience using a wide variety of professional level equipment including dollies, boom arms, car
mounts and helmet mounts.
October 12-14, 2012
Intensive Editing Good editing can turn lackluster footage into riveting video. We provide laptops
and Adobe professional editing software to students with a good grasp of the editing basics & help them hone
their speed and skills to a fine point!
June 1-3, 2012 • December 7-9, 2012
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TO REGISTER OR GET MORE INFORMATION
go to www.videomaker.com/workshops
or Call 800-284-3226
TO $40
SAVE UP U SIGN
WHEN YO RLY!
UP EA
Cancellations: Cancellations must be received in writing (faxes acceptable) to Videomaker Customer Service. Notification must be received at least 21 calendar days prior to the workshop start date to receive a full
refund (less $20 registration charge). A substitute workshop date may be requested in lieu of a refund. For cancellations received between 21 and 7 calendar days prior to the workshop start date, a 50% refund applies. No cancellations, refunds or substitution dates will be given after 7 calendar days prior to the workshop start date. Videomaker, Inc. reserves the right to cancel a workshop up to 1 month prior to the workshop
start date. Mail cancellation/refund requests to: Videomaker Customer Service (Workshop), P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927-4591. Fax: 530-891-8443, Attn Customer Service.
M
y start in video came as a
surprise to everybody, particularly me. I always loved video, even
as the kid who absconded with my
parents’ camera to shoot epic murder mysteries with some friends.
Unfortunately, the camera and tapes
were stolen so we never got to see
our masterpiece, but it was a great
future lesson about protecting gear
and client footage.
When it came time for me to
choose a career, video didn’t occur
to me. The tech bubble was inflating, so I became a Web developer,
and a decent one; I won awards, but
I wasn’t passionate about it. Luckily, the company I worked for in the
mid-2000s, a business-to-business
magazine, had a special assignment
for me: escort the senior editor to
a show in Kentucky and create two
six-minute videos, reporting on the
news of the show. Work was kind
enough to buy me a MacBook and
a JVC Everio GZ-HD7U a couple of
days before our trip and wished me
luck. I spent a day figuring out how
to get iMovie and the
Everio to get along, then
I had to figure out how
to edit, shoot, light, frame, and manage some audio. Needless to say, my
first attempt at professional video
consisted of an insane 44 straight
hours of totally inefficient shooting
and editing to post two rough sixminute videos.
Energized by this new-found skill,
I took on many new video projects. In an effort to improve these
projects I came across Adobe After
Effects. Impressed by it’s power
but in need of peers, I appealed to
Adobe to let me start After Effects
Toronto, my own motion graphics
user group. The group helped out
immensely, and now does the same
for others. The goal is for there to
be a resource for young editors and
motion graphic designers who were
in the same spot I was in.
Shortly after starting the user
group I began doing freelance motion graphics, but found more work
by embracing editing and shooting
as well. I used Videomaker magazine
to learn about new products, techniques to make my rough shots look
professional, and to help me feel
like I was doing the right thing at the
right time. Were it not for Videomaker, I would have had a very hard
time staying confident that video
was the way to go!
THE FREELANCE WORK
ALLOWED ME TO LEAVE
MY DAY JOB.
That freelance work finally allowed me to leave my day job
and run my production company
full-time, creating videos for the
medical, financial, real estate and
publishing industries, with new
clients from different industries
finding us all the time. Our attention
to detail, attitude and unique pricing
models help us hang on to them.
I never would have thought just a
few years ago that I would leave the
Web development world to run my
own successful company, and your
company gave me the confidence to
do it. I owe a lot to Videomaker!
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Russ Fairley – Quit My Day Job for Video!
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contents
7
reviews
reviews
Avid Studio for iPad
Avid Studio
for iPad
Editing Software
TeCH sPeCs
Hardware Requirement: iPad or iPad 2
Operating System Requirement: iOS
5 or later
Application Size: 30.7MB
Version Reviewed: 1.0
numerically at the bottom right of
each thumbnail, and each thumbnail
is connected graphically to the clip it’s
associated with on the timeline, where
actual timing edits are made.
Big Name... Small Screen
b y M ik e W i l hel m
A
vid is a highly respected name
in the professional video-editing
world. With the release of Avid Studio for iPad, the company is entering
the mobile editing market and leaning on its reputation as an industry
leader in video. While Avid Studio
for iPad is a far cry from Avid’s highend professional nonlinear editors,
it looks to be a must-have app for
any home video enthusiast. Avid
Studio for iPad is designed to work
with the Studio for PC version, and
users can begin projects remotely
and then export them to the desktop
program for more in-depth editing.
For the current price of $5 (soon to
Avid Technology, inc.
www.avid.com
sTrengThs
• Low price
• Easy to use interface
• Three audio tracks
• Good selection of presets and sound
effects
weAknesses
• No voice-over recording
• Titles only cover one clip
• Limited to iPad video formats
• Only two transitions
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$5
8
Features
be bumped to $8), there aren’t many
reasons to pass it up.
The Interface
The touch interface is very simple and
intuitive. Tap clips to activate them
and make edits. Tap and hold to grab
clips to move around the interface.
Double tap to access clip settings such
as volume, title text, or audio fades.
The video bin will self populate with
all the video clips currently on your
iPad, as will the photo and music bins.
To the right of the bins is the preview
window. Unlike professional editing
software with two windows, there is
only one viewer. By default, this screen
shows whatever
frame the playhead Avid Studio interface
is currently on in
the timeline. However, tapping a clip
in the video bin
will bring it up in
the viewer where
in and out points
can be defined.
The timeline includes one video
track and three
audio tracks.
Video clips with
an audio track
don’t use one of
the three audio
tracks. In fact,
V IDEOMAKER >>> A p RIl 2012
audio tracks attached to video won’t
visually appear at all on the timeline
as a waveform. To make adjustments
to audio attached to video, simply
double tap on the video clip to access
audio controls. The downside to this is
that making edits based on audio cues
in a video track can be difficult, as
there is no visual representation of the
accompanying audio.
Above the timeline is the storyboard.
For users that aren’t planning on trimming clips or adding audio tracks, the
storyboard may be all that’s needed.
Here you see a thumbnail of each clip
on the timeline and transitions between them. The duration is depicted
Avid Studio for iPad includes some
pre-made resources to liven up your
video. The most interesting are several
basic and ambient sound effects, including rain, birds chirping and more
aggressive sounds like crashing metal.
Title presets are numerous but
limited in their function. While many
of the animations look great, changing
text color can be fickle. For example,
you may be able to change the fill
color of a title but not the stroke color.
Additionally, timing is very ridged.
You can only place titles as effects on
individual movie clips. That means
the title will last as long as the clip
itself, with no variation. Unfortunately
this means titles can’t spread across
multiple movie clips.
Transitions are well done, but I’d
like to have seen more variety. Avid
Studio for iPad only includes two:
cross dissolve and dip to black. Changing the timing of transitions is, however, very simple and intuitive: simply
drag the edges of the transition like
you would in most editing programs.
Avid has included several preset
animations which they call montages.
If you’ve ever used Apple's iDVD or
Motion presets, you’ll know exactly
how these work. There are drop zones
in pre-made animations that you
simply drag and drop movie clips into
and they will be incorporated into the
animation itself. Avid includes several
complex montages, like a virtual photo
album, as well as simple montages that
are not much more
than picture-inpicture presets.
Avid Studio video album
Acquiring
Video
Since Avid Studio
for iPad is an iOS
application, it has
to follow specific
rules about where
it can get video.
As a result, it
only pulls video
from your iPad’s
camera roll. How
you get it there
is up to you. Avid
lets you shoot
from right inside the app, which is
great if you’re willing to shoot with the
built-in camera. Additionally, you can
use Apple’s Camera Connection Kit
(sold separately), to plug your camera
directly into the iPad via USB, or use an
Apple SD card reader (also sold separately). This will work great, assuming
you are shooting photos or video that
fit Apple’s standards (JPEG and RAW
for photos, and H.264 and MPEG-4
for video). Finally, you can use your
computer to sync video to your iPad
via iTunes. Again, the video must fit
iPad standards, but iTunes has a built
in conversion tool, which will make
video iPad-ready before syncing, if it’s
not already in a format iPad can use.
Performance
Doing basic edits is fast and easy. Clips
on the timeline play instantly and the
render times for transitions are short.
We did encounter a couple of crashes
while working with titles. Fortunately,
our progress was saved. Render times
can get long when using the preset
montages and title animations, sometimes taking several minutes per montage. It’s worth noting that we tested
Avid Studio for iPad on an iPad 2, and
while performance was generally
good, others using a first generation
iPad have reported frequent crashing.
VI D EO MA K ER >>> A p RI l 20 12
A Short Wish List
Avid Studio for iPad is a lot of fun to
play with, and it definitely takes editing
on such a mobile platform as the iPad
to the next level. Still, there are a few
features we’d love to see. The first is a
way to record voice-overs. Currently
the only way to record a voice over is
to do it outside of Avid Studio with a
voice recorder app, then import it, but
it’d be nice to be able to record voice
from inside Avid, similar to how video
recording currently works. Secondly, it
would be nice to have a second video
track, even if it were limited to only being used for titles. The limitation of titles
only being able to be used over a single
movie clip feels unnecessary.
sUMMArY
With the ability to make simple edits
and share them over the Web, its
applications range from making videos of your kids at the park to viewing and making preliminary edits of
dailies on a movie set. Currently, for
the price, Avid Studio for iPad can’t
be beat.
Mike Wilhelm is an associate editor for Videomaker.
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9
reviews
reviews
Sony Vegas Pro 11
Sony
Vegas Pro 11
Advanced
Editing
Software
What Happens in Vegas…
b y D o u g D i xon
S
ome software upgrades are about
flashy new interfaces and sexy
new features, and others have more
to do with supercharging the engine
under the hood in order to boost the
overall performance. This past year,
video editing tools have been working on the flashy side with support
for working with 3D video, but the
real focus has continued to be on the
machinery — taking advantage of
today’s 64-bit architectures to work
efficiently with large clips in memory, combined with GPU (graphics
processing unit) hardware to significantly speed up video processing.
We’ve seen this trend in Adobe
Premiere Pro CS5, with the GPUaccelerated Mercury Playback Engine
introduced last year, and with the
application available only for 64-bit
systems. Similarly, Vegas Pro 10 from
sony Creative software
www.sonycreativesoftware.com
strengths
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• Classic tool with enhanced editing
workflow, including sync link and
advanced video stabilization
• Deep support for professional editing,
including pro import and export formats
• Broader GPU acceleration support
across video processing, effects, and
rendering, on both NVIDIA and AMD
• Broader support for 3D editing,
including stereoscopic alignment and
depth adjustment of clips and effects
weaknesses
• Plug-in architecture can cause
components to be too loosely
integrated, as with multiple different
titlers
• No integrated batch / background
rendering for exporting in multiple
formats (but has scripting)
• Missing updates for included
programs
$680 (packaged) $600 (download) $190 upgrade from other Vegas pro version
10
V IDEOMAKER >>> ApRIl 2012
Sony Creative Software was released
last year with both 32-bit and 64-bit
versions, and with GPU acceleration
for rendering to AVC format.
Now Sony has released Vegas Pro
11, with full-up GPU acceleration for
video processing, effects, and rendering, for speed ups across editing,
playback, and output. Besides the
under-the-hood improvements, the
new Vegas also enhances editing with
features including sync link, adds new
technology including advanced video
stabilization, and provides deeper support for editing 3D material including
3D Titler Pro.
of graphics cards, taking advantage
of the CUDA programming interface.
With Vegas Pro 11, Sony has taken
the approach of using the OpenCL
(Open Computing Language) standard
for parallel programming, to support a variety of GPU cards from both
NVIDIA and AMD, with at least 512 MB
of GPU memory. Sony’s benchmarks
show three to four times improvement in playback performance on
mixed-format projects during editing
compared to Vegas 10, and two to four
times improvement in rendering the
final output.
For video editing and playback,
Sony reports that the Vegas 11
overhaul accelerates a substantial
chunk of the built-in video processing, including crossfades, fades, alpha
compositing, framerate resampling,
time remapping, interlace processing, pan/crop, track motion, opacity, fade-to-color, and multicamera
display. Plus it accelerates over 45
VEGAS 11 ACCELERATES A
SUBSTANTIAL CHUNk OF
THE VIDEO PROCESSING.
effects, transitions, generators and
compositors — with effects including
gaussian blur, black and white, cookie
cutter, bump map, mask generator,
sepia, lens flare and chromakeyer,
plus transitions such as cross effect,
iris, and clock wipe.
GPU Acceleration
Plug-Ins / Stabilization
Integrating GPU acceleration into
video editing software involves several
trade-offs: balancing the number of
video processing operations that are
accelerated, the level of optimization for each effect, and the range of
GPU processors and board hardware
versions supported — all across different manufacturers, widely varying
numbers of processors and associated
on-board memory, and different functions available for acceleration.
Adobe’s answer for Premiere Pro
was to optimize for the NVIDIA line
Another aspect of the Vegas Pro 11
retrofit was rebuilding the underlying architecture for video effects
plug-ins based on the Open Effects
Association platform. This new
suspension provides an enhanced
interface to allow third-party developers to more easily develop cool
new Vegas plug-ins to better smooth
your ride.
Sony also uses this platform for
built-in tools, including the new
advanced video stabilization plug-in,
with high-performance shocks to re-
TeCH sPeCs
Trial Version Available: Yes No Limitations
Operating System: Windows Vista or
Windows 7, 32-bit or 64-bit
Minimum CPU: 2 GHz processor (multicore or multiprocessor CPU recommended for HD or stereoscopic 3D)
Minimum RAM: 2 GB (4 GB recommended)
Minimum Hard Drive Space for
Installation: 500 MB
Capture Formats: (DV25, DV50,
Analog Capture Cards, MicroMV, DVD
Camcorders, HD Ready)
Batch Capture: Yes
Automatic Scene Detection: Yes
User Interface: Customizable, via
dockable windows
Number of Video/Audio Tracks:
Unlimited
Nesting Tracks: Yes
Audio/Video Level Envelopes: Yes.
Volume/Pan/FX
Audio Scrub: Yes
Keyframe Animation: Yes
Number of Video Transitions: More
than 200
Number of Video Filters: 58, plus nine
via the inclusion of the NewBlue Titler Pro
software; More than 390 effects
Background Rendering: Available
via multiple instances of Vegas Pro 11
running simultaneously
Realtime Software Previews: Yes
Optimized for Dual Processor/HyperThreading: Yes
Third-party Plug-in Support: OpenFXbased plug-ins [GenArts, Boris FX, Red
Giant, NewBlue FX, Imagineer Systems,
Re:Vision, and more
Batch Render: Yes, via custom
scripting or the Production Assistant
2.0 companion software
DVD Authoring Software Included:
Yes, DVD Architect Pro 5.2
System Requirements: OHCIcompatible IEEE-1394DV card (for DV
and HDV capture and print-to-tape),
USB 2.0 connection (for importing from
AVCHD, XDCAM EX, NXCAM, or DVD
camcorders), Windows-compatible
sound card, DVD-ROM drive (for installation from a DVD only), Supported
CD-recordable drive (for CD burning
only), Supported DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW
(for DVD burning only), Supported
BD-R/-RE drive (for Blu-ray Disc burning only), Microsoft .NET Framework
3.5 SP1 (included on application disc),
Apple QuickTime 7.1.6 or later for reading and writing QuickTime files, Internet
Connection (for Gracenote MusicID
Service), Supported NVIDIA or ATI cards
for GPU-acceleration
NVIDIA: Requires a CUDA-enabled GPU
and driver 270.xx or later with a GeForce
GTX 4xx Series or higher GPU (or driver
285.62 or later with a GeForce GT 2xx
Series or higher GPU).
AMD/ATI: Requires an OpenCL-enabled
GPU and Catalyst driver 11.7 or later
with a Radeon HD 57xx or higher GPU.
If using a FirePro GPU, FirePro unified
driver 8.85 or later is required.
SUPPORTED FILE FORMATS
DVD encoding, Video: NTSC 4:3, NTSC
Widescreen, PAL 4:3, PAL Widescreen
DVD encoding, Audio: AC-3 5.1 or
stereo, PCM
BD encoding, Video: MPEG-2 or AVC,
1080-60i, 1080-50i and 1080-24p
BD encoding, Audio: AC-3 5.1 or
stereo, PCM
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11
ReviewS
Webinars
Sony Vegas Pro 11
Learn From the Video Experts in the
Comfort of Your Home or Office.
Videomaker Webinars
you still can edit and adjust the child
events independently.
3D Styling
3D is the flashy new feature for this
year’s generation of video tools, like
a rear spoiler designed to add dimension to the car. Vegas Pro 11 has
deepened its support for working
with 3D material with stereoscopic 3D
alignment and depth adjustment tools,
floating window controls, and horizontal offset controls for 2D effects
and transitions to adjust the perceived
duce the jittery or shaky video caused
by handheld recorders. The plug-in
analyzes the motion within a clip on
all three camera axes, so you can build
on the presets to independently control the precision for pan smoothing
(left/right), tilt (up/down) and zoom. It
also provides rolling-shutter correction
for the JELL-O/skew/wobble effects
caused by some CMOS camcorders.
Sync Link
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Within the passenger compartment,
Vegas Pro 11 includes other enhancements for a more comfortable ride in
your editing workflow, including adding a search box to effects windows
(including a new compositors window)
along with folders so you can more
easily find and group plug-ins, and
per-parameter keyframing for some
effects and transitions. For audio, Sony
also cleaned up the mixing console
and simplified the master bus window.
But the major new editing feature
in Vegas Pro 11 is sync link, a mechanism for keeping events aligned and
synchronized across multiple tracks.
Sometimes layered tracks are relatively independent, as with picture-inpicture, but other times you need to
have secondary audio and B-roll video
clips and titles that are tightly matched
to the main track. With sync link, you
can manually link one or more events
on child tracks so that they automatically move together with the main
event on the timeline. Meanwhile,
12
VeGAS Pro 11 ADDS NewBLUe TITLer Pro For
creATING STereoScoPIc
3D TITLeS.
depth of effects. And Vegas Pro 11
supports NVIDIA 3D vision hardware
to allow editing on single-display 3D
computers, including Sony 3D desktops and laptops.
Then to detail your 3D production,
Vegas Pro 11 also adds NewBlue Titler
Pro for creating stereoscopic 3D titles
with animations, professional-style
templates, and effects, controlling text
down to character level and on the X,
Y, and Z axes.
Titlers
To further enhance your production
vehicle, Vegas now supports a total
of four different text titling plug-ins.
You can use the basic text plug-in for
simple text overlays, or move up to
the new titles and text plug-in to create 2D animated effects. The improved
ProType Titler provides more sophisticated animations, including scrolling
and crawling credits, splined curves,
and per-word and per-character
animation. And there’s NewBlue Titler
Pro for 3D animated titles.
Rendering
When your trip is done and you are
ready to render your project, Vegas
Pro 11 has cleaned up the Render As
dialog to provide more efficient selection of output format templates, based
on the project settings, your favorites,
or your own customized settings.
Vegas Pro 11 helps with the profusion of formats by marking formats
that match your project, providing
text search options to match specific
devices, and providing more filtering
options to match specific video or
audio attributes. Plus, you can now
upload directly to YouTube.
The render formats now also
include AVC/MP4 for Internet distribution, with support for progressive
download from streaming servers.
And Vegas Pro 11 also adds native
import and editing of RAW photo files
with the Microsoft Camera Codec
Pack for Windows 7 and Windows
Vista.
…Stays in Vegas
Sony Vegas Pro 11 is a classic and
comfortable vehicle for video editing.
Version 11 adds some nice refinements with the same comfortable feel,
but the real action is under the hood
with a significant turbo-boost from
GPU acceleration that makes this a
welcome upgrade. So download the
trial version to kick the tires, and even
download Sony’s benchmark projects
to see how they perform on your own
system. Then put the pedal to the
metal, or the mouse to the track.
SUMMARY
Vegas Pro 11 is a welcome upgrade
with GPU acceleration that supports
both NVIDIA and AMD hardware,
workflow improvements including
Sync Link, and advanced stabilization
for all three axes of camera motion.
Doug Dixon covers digital media at Manifest-Tech.com.
provide the information you need
quickly and effectively. These one
hour classes explain and demonstrate
essential techniques with an
opportunity for our experts to address
your individual questions. With several
classes to choose from, Videomaker
provides you with the perfect occasion
to improve in the areas where you
need it the most!
$29.95 per one hour session
All attendees receive a bonus report
crammed full of additional tips we
can't fit into the presentation!
Basic Video Production
Whether you're interested in video
production for new business ventures
or simply picking it up as hobby, this
will teach you the techniques needed
to make better video. Learn shot
composition, camera moves, lighting
and audio.
Basic Editing
There is much more to editing video
than just cutting and pasting. Effective
editing requires a firm grasp of basic
editing techniques. Learn the tools of
the trade, such as pacing, continuity,
transitions, and titling, as well as how
to avoid common mistakes.
Intermediate Editing
Webinars
• Basic Shooting Techniques
• Mic and Audio Techniques
• Mic Pickup Patterns
• Lighting Techniques
• Light Setups
• Indoor/Outdoor Lighting
• Computer hardware considerations
• Editing software considerations
• Common keyboard shortcuts
• Transition types and purpose
• Editing Theory and Techniques
• Good Habits of Effective Editing
One of the best parts of editing video is getting to
see the pieces of your story come together in a way
that enhances the moment you're trying to capture.
This overview introduces advanced techniques
such as keyframing, compositing, multi-camera
editing and more.
Green Screen & Special Effects
Contrary to popular belief, most special
effects are affordable and easy to
duplicate. Learn how to make the most
of green screen and illusion techniques even on a limited budget.
The Art of Titles & Graphics
Great titles and graphics can add a
professional element to your video
production, poorly done they are a
tell-tale sign of an amateur. Learn what
to do and what to avoid while creating
great-looking titles and graphics.
• Filters and Color Effects
• Compositing
• Multi-Camera Editing
• Keyframing
• Audio Editing
• Design Tips
• Title Positioning
• Editing Software
• Text Effects
• Choosing and Using Fonts
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To see current updated schedules, visit our Webinars page often!
• Green Screen Setup
• Shooting with Green Screens
• Green Screen Lighting
• Green Screen Editing
• Clone Effect
• Flying Effect
www.videomaker.com/webinar
reviews
reviews
Genarts Sapphire Edge
GenArts
Sapphire Edge
Visual Effects
Software
System Requirements: OS X 10.5 or greater on PPC or
Intel CPU, Windows XP with SP2/Vista/7 32/64-bit
Graphics Card: NVIDIA CUDA family (recommended)
you’re looking for, you can continue
to tweak that filter or transition in
the filter tab even more. The controls
supplied in the filter tab are extensive and give you some really great
control over a lot of parameters, all of
which can be keyframed, giving you
even more possibilities. The variety
of specific looks you can achieve are
Get an Edge on the
Competition
b y Be n B al s er
G
enArts Sapphire Edge delivers a
suite of plug-ins and presets that
offer a variety of film, television, and
lens-flare styled looks. Its preview
engine lets editors audition presets for
fast, easy workflow without rendering.
Sapphire Edge is a totally reworked
collection of filter and transition
plug-ins for Apple's Final Cut Pro 7.0
GenArts
www.genarts.com
strenGths
• 64-bit processing
• Real time preview engine
• Large quantity of presets
• Excellent image quality
• Free one year FX Central subscription
weAknesses
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• NVIDIA CUDA GPU support not
compatible for Apple-based editing
• Limited to only four base filters
• Can’t save custom user presets
• No Adobe or Avid compatibility
$299
14
Adjust special effect parameters
TeCH sPeCs
and greater, Final Cut Express 4.0
and greater, Motion 3.0.2 and greater,
and Sony's Vegas Pro 10.0e and Vegas
Movie Studio HD 11. Apple Final Cut
Pro X also supports Sapphire Edge.
Testing Platform
We tested Sapphire Edge on a QuadCore 3.2 GHz Xeon Mac Pro running
OS X Lion 10.7.2, 16GB RAM, and an
ATI Radeon HD 4810 graphics card,
with Final Cut Pro 7 on DVCPRO HD
720p 30fps footage. If you are run-
GENARts PROVIDEs MORE
tHAN 350 tOtAL PREsEts.
ning an NVIDIA CUDA, GeForce GTX
400/500, or Quadro FX 4000, 5000, or
6000 series graphics card, you’ll get
much better performance. Our system did take longer than most other
third party plug-ins to render, but we
weren’t using their recommended
graphics card. GenArts says they may
consider adding OpenCL to their
render engine in the future if there is
enough demand for it.
Product Tour
So what exactly is Sapphire Edge?
It's a collection of filters and transitions with an extensive collection of
presets. It includes a preview engine
that allows you to test out all the
presets you want without waiting for
render times. Once installed we had
14 transitions and four filters. There
are dozens of presets for each of the
filters and transitions and the capabilities these presets provide are pretty
impressive. GenArts provides more
than 350 total presets.
When you open a filter or transition in the Final Cut Pro’s viewer and
go to the filters tab, you’ll find the
preset button. That button launches
an interface that lists all of the presets
for that filter or transition. Clicking on
each one runs the actual footage you
have it applied to into a short loop so
you can get an accurate preview right
away. There’s no need to keep applying them, waiting for it to render, play
it, remove it, try another. This is a very
wonderful feature, considering the
number of presets Sapphire supplies.
Once you find a preset that suits
you, or is somewhat close to what
is where you can
continue to download new presets as GenArts
reviews and clears
them, meaning
you can be assured there won’t
be anything too
horrible or cheesy
posted. Over time,
that is a potentially nice addition to Sapphire Edge.
IF YOU DO A LOT OF FILM, TV,
AND LENS FLARE EFFECTS,
IT IS WORTH THE $299.
The Down Side
amazing. The filters deliver top level
visual quality, too. The filters act as
floating points to help deliver better and faster quality, which shows.
There is also a help button in the filter
tab that launches your web browser
taking you to a page describing all the
controls for that plug-in. This is a very
pleasant feature to have.
The Good Stuff
The best part of Sapphire Edge is
the preview window. It’s easy to race
through all of the presets without any
rendering and see them actually applied to your specific footage, much
like Final Cut Pro X does. We've all
been stuck working on those middle-of-the-night projects, speeding
towards a hard deadline, well Sapphire Edge makes working against a
deadline a bit more comfortable. The
visual quality and sharpness of the
effects and transitions are absolutely
professional.
GenArts is also offering a free oneyear subscription to its FX Central
service with the purchase of Sapphire Edge, a $99 value. FX Central
The down side to this great product?
Well, we wouldn’t say a down side,
but we do have a wish list. It would be
nice if some of these packages came
down in price. Yes, it has 350 presets,
but for only four plug-ins and 14 transitions. You’re doing film looks, worn
film looks, TV looks, and lens flares. If
you do a lot of film, TV, and lens flare
effects, it is worth the $299, but that’s
pushing it. Presets are not filters, let’s
be clear about that.
The other issue is that it’s geared
specifically toward CUDA graphic
cards, and not OpenCL cards compatible with Apple laptops, iMacs, and
stock Mac Pros, and not at all with Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5. The good
news is that GenArts is considering
adding OpenCL support. We were
very disappointed that they don’t let
users save their own custom presets,
however, when asked, GenArts said if
there is enough demand for it, they’ll
consider it. That reply was surprising considering how vital saving your
custom presets is to editors doing
serious stylized looks, trying to be
consistent throughout a project, or
across related projects.
Conclusion
All in all, we are impressed with what
Sapphire Edge does. It has a niche for
the film, television, and lens flare stylized effects it does. Being able to get
real time previews of presets is a huge
time saver. We’d love to be able to save
our own custom presets especially
considering how much time you realistically could spend tweaking things
to your own specific needs, but we'd
easily invest in this program if we
needed these effects and transitions.
If you want fast renders, you’ll have
to invest in a pricey CUDA card, too.
Yet for what they do, they’re the best
there is on the market at this time.
sUMMArY
The sheer number of presets for
effects, image quality and preview
engine are impressive. The price
pushes the envelope a bit and getting
a fast workflow requires investing in
an NVIDIA CUDA card for FCP users.
Ben Balser is an Apple Certified Master Trainer,
producer, consultant and creates training for
macProVideo.com and FilmmakingWebinars.com.
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reviews
Tiffen DFX 3.0 Bundle
Tiffen
Dfx 3.0
Bundle Visual
Effects Software
TeCH sPeCs
Layered effects
Software Packages in Suite:
Standalone, Photoshop Plug-In,
Avid/FinalCut/After Effects/Premiere
Pro Plug-ins
Platforms Supported: Windows
(XP/Vista/7), Mac OS X v10.6 – 10.7
Film Lab in a Box
b y T y A udroni s
T
iffen is world famous for lens
filters, and Steadicam products.
How does the latest package of software filters and effects produced by
this world-famous company stack up?
Tiffen Filters
If you’ve seen movies, you’ve seen
Tiffen products in use. From the Steadicam moves in The Shining to color
filters in cinema; cinematographers
worth their salt know what Tiffen is.
Now, with the digital world of cinema,
television, and even the web, Tiffen
offers a lower-cost post production solution to get all the great cinema looks
on all size screens.
New Features
This third-generation of the Tiffen
Dfx filter set offers loads of new
features. Too many in fact, to mention in this review, so here are a few
highlights.
Color-matching allows you to match
color curves of several different shots
from different cameras into one cogent look. Want a more juicy look in
that prison shot? Rays will create the
illusion of volumetric lighting. And
no... it’s not cheesy. Great special effects artists the world over will tell you
the same thing: the best compliment
anyone can give you is “what special
Tiffen Dfx interface
The Tiffen Company
effects?” If nobody notices the effect,
you did your job well. And quite a few
of these new features help you blend,
correct, and dimensionalize your footage to a whole new degree (and faster
than ever).
Remember Digieffects CineLook?
Back in the early part of the 2000s,
CineLook was the Holy Grail of After
Effects plug-ins to make those awful
Mini DV shots look like they were
done with film. CineLook to Dfx is like
an AMC Pacer to a Ferrari 458 Italia.
With 113 built-in film stocks in Dfx,
your footage can have an amazing
professional look in no time. Or, if
you’re going for more of a damaged
look... try an old film stock, and add
plenty of grain, and “wiggle”(an overexposed effect). Wiggle is a technique
in aftereffects (using a tool called the
Wiggler) that lets you parametrically
adjust an animatable parameter (for
example, applying a wiggle to the
position of a video clip will give you
an illusion of camera shake... or in this
case, applying a wiggle to the exposure will create the film projector look
of oscillating brightness).
Want an ethereal look, but you’re
tired of the bloom effect? “Glow
Darks” gives a really interesting effect
by glowing and growing dark areas of
your image.
Color Shadow, Double Fog, Deblocking (mud-removal), DeNoise,
RAW support, and tons of new invis-
ible features really will have you saying “wow” within the first 10 minutes
of using this package.
Nothing is all Good Nor all Evil
This package comes with interfaces
for all the major packages. First, it is a
standalone package for tweaking photos and video. Next, it’s a Photoshop
plug-in. And finally, it’s good to go for
After Effects, Media Composer, Final
Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro.
Photoshop has a feature called
Smart Objects and when Smart Filter
enabled plug-ins like Dfx are applied
to a Smart Object, the application of
the filter is non-destructive. The Smart
Object allows you to go into Dfx at any
time and change the settings.
In Avid Media Composer, you must
render the effect, and it’s not for the
Premiere Pro Interface
sUMMArY
www.tiffensoftware.com
Any post production house is far
stronger with this software than the
price tag would lead you to believe.
Tiffen’s Dfx v3 is worth every penny,
and far more.
sTrengThs
• Speedy and intelligent interface
• Extreme versatility across different
software packages
• Non-destructive video filtering
• Extremely realistic film stock emulation
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Ty Audronis is a “Digital Alchemist” with nearly two
decades of professional animation experience. Ty also
teaches computer animation, motion graphics, editing,
videography, and web development.
weaknesses
• Increases render times
contents
$790
16
feint of heart. If you are color-correcting an entire film... plan on sitting
back for a good long render time.
In Premiere it seems a bit quicker,
and Final Cut 7 is somewhere in the
middle.
At first blush, a color-correction
artist, or motion graphics artist may
look at these effects as a cheat, or
simply repackaging things you can
already do in any of the packages it
plugs into. And they might be right,
except that’s what makes it awesome, too. No longer will you have
to stack up eight effects and several
masks and adjustment layers to get
that crazy color tweak, vignette, and
film grain. Choose a film stock, and
tweak it like crazy. Although there are
hundreds and hundreds of presets
in Dfx, there are even more controls
for all the presets to customize, save
your own presets, and go crazy. And
oh-wow, the time it will save you. So,
cheat away! There’s no doubt that
these tools will help any cinematographer achieve the look and feel they
want in a fraction of the time they’re
used to. This is whole-heartedly a
must-buy.
17
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reviews
reviews
HP Z210 CMT
HP
Z210 CMT
Workstation
BENCHMARKS
Experience Index Model
3DMarkVantage
Hard Working
b y L a n ce O l i nger
SpecViewPerf11
1280 X 1024
T
he HP Z200 line of computers has
recently been replaced with the
Z210 line. This line comes in two flavors: minitower and small form factor.
The minitower is actually the size of
a standard computer case but smaller
and lighter than the Z400, Z600, and
Z800 lines. The Z210 CMT Workstation has a price range of $700-$2,100.
There are currently 13 preconfigured
models. For the avid video editor the
configurable models can help one find
the perfect fit for their needs.
What’s it Made of?
Unlike the Z200, Z600 and Z800
series, the Z210CMT uses a more generic style computer case. The system
comes with a single case fan, and
because of this, produces very little
Hewlett-Packard
www.hp.com
strengtHs
• Fast & Reliable
contents
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weaknesses
• Lacks USB 3.0, eSATA, memory card
reader, and Blu-ray.
$4,030 (as configured)
18
noise. The hard drives and removable
cards conveniently snap into place
while the DVD bays require the use of
screws. The case weighs in at 23lbs.
and has the physical dimensions of
17.6-in x 7-in x 17.9-in. The biggest
drawback to this case design is having
only two available internal HDD bays.
Unlike the other Z computer
lines HP offers, the Z210 CMT is the
only one that can come with the
new Intel Xeon E3 CPU. The new
Xeon E3 CPU offers a more affordable alternative to the often bloated
prices of the Xeon lineup. Though
the CPU can still be beat by some
of the six-core Xeon’s it comes in a
close second. Our particular model
is equipped with a hyperthreaded
Quad Core Xeon E3-1280 which
clocks in at 3.5GHz and is capable of
3.9GHz with turbo boost.
The NVIDIA Quadro 2000 graphics
card is the second most expensive
component in this computer. The
card has two DisplayPorts and a Dual
Link DVI-I for connecting your monitors. The card supports a maximum
resolution of 2560x1600 and has 1GB
of video memory. If you are using any
3D modeling programs, this is a great
card. If you just plan on editing video,
some of the cheaper ATI FireGL cards
may be a better alternative.
Our review model came equipped
with a Western Digital VelociRaptor
300GB 10K RPM drive. The drive is actually a 2.5-in laptop hard drive with
a 3.5-in heatsink adapter. Considering
the speed of this drive, you can barely
hear it running. To top it off, the
teCH sPeCs
HDD: WD VelociRaptor 300GB
HDD Avg. Read/Write Speed:
120/119 MB/s
Network: 1 Gigabit (125MB/s)
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1280 (4 X 3.5GHz)
Memory: 16GB DDR3 1333MHz
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-Bit
Video: NVIDIA Quadro 2000 (1GB)
Audio: Onboard 3 Channel
Motherboard: Custom HP
Warranty: limited 3-years, parts/labor/
online service
DVD: 16x SuperMulti DVD +/- Writer
Front I/O: USB 2.0 (3), FireWire 1394a
(optional), Headphone, Microphone
Rear I/O: DVI, DisplayPort, 6 USB 2.0,
2 PS/2, 3 Audio Line In/Out/Microphone, RJ-45 (NIC)
Processor Memory
Graphics
Hard Disk
HP Z400
HP Z200
HP Z210CTM
HP XW6600
DV Apprentice
ADK i7-DVC
HP Elitebook 8760W
7.7
7.3
7.5
7.7
7.5
7.7
7.5
6.9
5.9
7
6.9
7
7.9
7.5
5.9
5.9
5.9
5.8
5.9
7.8
5.9
Model
Total Score CPU Score Primary HDD Model
7108
23766
AVG Speed HP Z400
7.8
5.9
7.6
7.7
7.5
7.8
7.6
Read
Write
HP Z400
HP Z200
HP Z210CTM
HP XW6600
DV Apprentice
ADK i7-DVC
HP Elitebook 8760W
1130
7777
7197
7391
23530
12080
12856
18619
23039
19841
30173
20457
Model
Catia-03
Ensight-04 Lightwave-01 Maya-03
Proe-05
Sw-02
Tcvis-02 Snx-01
HP Z400
HP Z200
HP Z210CTM
HP XW6600
DV Apprentice
ADK i7-DVC
HP Elitebook
8760W
22.99
7.15
30.92
10.65
26.92
6.31
12.89
5.37
21.19
11.68
20.81
36.63
53.4
12.32
39.27
14.98
37.45
15.3
17.81
5.68
18.71
8.09
15.1
10.85
9.47
7.57
10.23
3.99
7.54
1.72
41.28
8.77
33.45
12.77
33.37
9.06
17.31
5.6
26.87
15.19
26.13
0.98
17.29
7.06
22.59
16.6
22.21
3.31
37.51
38.21
37.86
50.56
8.71
38.34
39.08
35.83
computer comes with an IEEE 1394a
FireWire 400 card and a DVD burner
with LightScribe.
Performance
For video editors the hard drive can be
a big bottleneck for rendering video
files. The primary hard drive attained
120 Mbps read and 119 Mbps write
speeds. With those speeds this is a
great drive for the operating system
and video editing. For increased performance HP offers several SSD drives,
but they come at a heavy price that
may not be worth the performance
boost. If 300GB isn’t enough for your
video project, you might want to pair
this computer with a large capacity
external RAID or add in an extra one
terabyte hard drive.
In 3D modeling benchmarks this
computer beat out all previously
reviewed computers except the HP
Elitebook 8760w Mobile Workstation. More scores can be found at
106.4 MB/s
HP Z200
74.5 MB/s
HP Z210CTM
119.3 MB/s
HP XW6600
60.9 MB/s
DV Apprentice
213.3 MB/s
ADK i7-DVC
190.6 MB/s
HP Elitebook 8760W 73.2 MB/s
www.spec.org and other scores at
www.3dmark.com. The Windows Experience Index places this computer
on par with the Elitebook 8760W
with the only difference being the
graphics card.
To test the video editing performance of this computer a video was
encoded in Adobe Media Encoder
CS5. The video took 160 seconds to
complete on the Z210 CMT and 159
seconds to complete on the Elitebook 8760w. As shown here, a more
expensive computer does not always
lead to a huge performance boost
when encoding video. The best way
to improve encoding speed is to get
an Adobe-certified graphics card so
the Mercury Playback Engine can be
enabled.
In short, although it's not the fastest
computer available, this computer
can get the job done. The best part is,
this computer is cheaper than most
previously reviewed computers while
76.7 MB/s
66.6 MB/s
120.6 MB/s
50.8 MB/s
212.9 MB/s
207.9 MB/s
66.6 MB/s
performing just as well or in some
cases better!
Should I Buy This?
This workstation makes for a good base
model. With the addition of a Blu-ray
drive, eSATA, and a 22-in-1 memory
card reader this computer would have
everything a video editor would need.
With a base cost of $700 and many
different configurations, this is the most
affordable workstation line reviewed by
Videomaker yet. On top of great pricing,
this system is also a great performer.
sUMMArY
The HP Z210CMT is a good base
model computer for the everyday
video editor.
Lance Olinger is an IT Professional and Web Developer.
19
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reviews
LEDZ Brute 3
LEDZ Brute 3
Portable LED
Light
TeCH sPeCs
Bulb Types: LED
Watts: 9
Carrying Case: no
Accessory Mount: yes, one handle
and one mount adapter
Spot/Flood Adjustable: no
Gels: no, optional
Total Weight of Kit: 13.5oz
Let Brute 3 Lead
b y J a ck s on W ong
L
EDZ continues to push its culture
of being economically friendly, and
upon receiving the LEDZ Brute 3, this
became clear. The wrapping paper
felt “recycled”. Inside, however, is a
light that is anything but disposable.
The light is fun-sized at just under a
pound and a little wider than one’s
hand. It is incredibly simple to use
with one jack for AC and one dial that
dims and powers it on or off. There
are two 1/4-inch threads for mounting
to a tripod or an included handle. A
mount adapter, AC power adapter and
a 12-foot extension cable fill out two
pieces of soft foam and a single piece
of cardboard folded into a box.
LeDZ
www.led-z.com
strengths
• Light output is exceptional
• Durable and easy to handle
• Dimmer dial provides versatility
weaknesses
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• Multiple shadows
• Requires AC connection, and jack is
susceptible to damage
• Battery, gels and other attachments
not included
$399
20
Compact
3 makes an excellent fill light particularly with the dimming dial.
Small and portable lights are often the
staple of a beginning videographer’s
Power
pre-shoot checklist, and this one is
The Brute 3 does a good job of putting
no exception. Ease of handling allows
out light, but be careful not to bump
the Brute 3 to be operated by nearly
the dial since there are no clicks or
anyone, even for crews of little or no
notches to signify whether the light is
experience. For those who have been
on, off, or what brightness it has been
shooting for a while, the combination
set to. One more item to be cautious
of a powerful light that dims and the
about is the power jack, which leaves
lack of a power cable with the optionthe AC plug sticking out from the
al battery may reduce the number of
body - leaving ample opportunity for
lights and amount of set up necessary
damage from either dislodging or forcfor a shoot.
ing the AC jack. Both cause damage
When we first pulled the Brute 3
from being exposed during operation.
out, it felt good to hold, and we were
It’s also good to be aware that a small
quickly illuminating all sort of objects
phenomenon occurs when the AC
with a brilliant white-blue light. Replug is already connected to the light
gardless of its color temperature, the
three circles of light make up a
Metal backing and dimmer dial
highly mobile source of light
for use, even in small spaces.
The three spots of light do
not form an oval-shaped light
spread, but instead bring
out triangular flares from a
circular spot, similar to those
of a cartoon sun. The LEDs in
the Brute 3 keep it energy efficient, but do not make for a
great spotlight since it casts a
triple shadow. Very little heat
comes off the light, making it
quite suitable for hand holding and adjusting. The Brute
and the AC adapter is then connected
to a socket: all three lights flash.
However this can be avoided if the AC
adapter is already plugged in.
The back side of the Brute 3 looks
like a strong metal comb, and while
tempting to affix a tripod to anywhere along the comb-like surface,
the finish could be chipped making
the hold less secure. In addition,
mounting the light may be an issue
since there is no separate plate, forcing you to spin the body of the fixture
against a 1/4-inch thread.
Versatile
Versatility is still a central concept
exemplified by the Brute 3. It is small
and easy to pack into a bag you plan
to carry on your shoot, but when
packing, be sure to protect the left and
right sides of the light. A large part of
versatility will come with the optional
battery pack. We didn't get to test
this model, but it looks to be a great
feature. Otherwise, the form is very
smooth, flush on the top and front,
with a face-plate for optional gels.
Simply looking at size and power,
many will be happy to have the Brute
3 in their highly mobile shooting
packs. An optional battery can help
the LEDZ become even more mobile.
Being compact, energy efficient and
time efficient are welcome attributes
of the Brute 3. Of course it doesn’t
hurt that they’re also fun to operate.
For all of these reasons the Brute 3
shows up as a very good option for
almost any videographer.
sUMMArY
The Brute 3 is a versatile light that
is capable of great contributions to
beginning and intermediate level videographers as well as reporters and
others working on quick productions.
Its size makes it fun to use, and convenient for travel.
Jackson Wong is an Associate Editor for Videomaker.
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21
3/3/2011 2:21:14 PM
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Learn even more about video editing and production! Go to www.videoguys.com to check out these great new articles and guides...
Videoguys’ Guide to DSLR
Videoguys’ Guide to Thunderbolt
System recommendations, tips
and tricks for editing highdefinition tapeless workflows from
popular new DSLR cameras
Find out everything you need to know about the
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Videoguys’ System
Recommendations & DIY
Our techs offer detailed system
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including the new Sandy Bridge-E
contents
Now is your chance to borrow our eyes, ears and feet to find out what
went on in Las Vegas and what to look for in 2012.
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23
CES 2012 Showcases Technological Advancements
Every year, nearly 150,000 people
from all around the world venture to
Las Vegas to collectively peer into the
technology crystal ball known as the
Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Billed as one of the world’s largest
trade shows, CES seldom disappoints
those scouring the halls of the Las
Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and
the surrounding hotels for cutting
edge technology. Whether you’re on
the hunt for camcorders or car accessories, manufacturers big and small
use the 2012 International CES as not
only a showplace for their existing
products, but also as a launching pad
for new ones.
Exhilarating Exhaustion
CES has always been an event that
draws attendees of all types - retail
buyers, factory representatives, industry analysts and journalists from every
inch of the globe. Videomaker once
again had a strong presence at CES,
covering a huge patch of the 1.86-million square feet of trade show space.
What is CES?
The Consumer Electronics Show,
produced by the Consumer Electronics
Association celebrated 44 years of
innovation to record crowds last Jan.
More than 3,100 exhibitors showed off
their products to more than 153,000
attendees and 5,000 journalists, all
who call 152 different countries home.
Exhibitors ranged from automobile
manufactures you’ve heard of - like
Ford, Kia and Hyundai - as well as
those you might not of - Tesla and
Fisker - all the way to renewable energy
products, cell phone accessories and
even yard care products. If a product
features an innovative electronic
component, there’s a good chance
you’ll find it at CES.
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24
For the first-timer, CES can truly be
overwhelming. Without the basics like
a backpack and a portable charger for
your cell phone, there’s a very good
chance CES will have you scrambling
after just a few hours.
If innovation is what you came
to see, Tara Dunion says, “there was
plenty of that this year at the show.”
“The best part of CES for me and my
team was seeing the some 20,000 new
products on the CES show floor,” said
Dunion, Senior Director, CES Communications. “Sometimes it takes until
the fourth day to truly see all that this
show has to offer.”
For seasoned vets like Jennifer
O’Rourke, Managing Editor of Videomaker Magazine, having a game plan
in place of what you want to see - and
some comfy shoes - is the best approach before even setting foot inside
the exhibit halls.
“Although the show runs a full week,
we were onsite for only three days,”
said O’Rourke. “We hit the ground
running as soon as we got off the plane.
With sneakers and a pedometer, I personally logged 25.16 km, which is more
than 15 miles!” Tabulate the footwork
of seven total Videomaker staffers and
three writers in attendance, this crew
clocked more than 150 miles scouring
the show floor to find the latest and
greatest products for video producers
of every skill set.
Notable Names Debut Promising
Products
While the CES tends to feature all the
major players in the electronics industry (a walk through the Central Hall
of the LVCC alone is like a tech geek
walking through Christmas morning
gifts on steroids), the North and South
Halls feature up and coming products
that could be the next gadget that
everyone wants to get.
On the video production front, CES
tends to skew more towards the average consumer, so expansive professional gear options can be hard to
find. However, several companies, like
JVC and Sony, launched some very
exciting products that stand to serve
both pro and amateur video enthusiasts alike.
JVC, showcased the first-ever 4K
compact camcorder. JVC’s GY-HMQ10
takes high definition video to a whole
new level, and even received a Videomaker Best of CES 2012 Award for
Best Camcorder. Dave Walton, an
Assistant Vice President at JVC, was
honored by the nod and mentioned
to Videomaker’s Associate Editor, Mike
Wilhelm, that putting the power of
4K into the hands of video producers means the overall quality of video
stands to raise the bar significantly
higher.
“Dave told me this camera really
has many possible uses outside the
professional level,” Wilhelm said. “It
would make a great camera for shooting sports. And with a price just under
$5,000, that’s just remarkable given the
camera’s 4K capabilities.”
Another camcorder caught the eye
of Videomaker staffers. Sony’s new
Handycam HDR-PJ760V is a hybrid
camcorder/projector which features
a beefy 96GB internal memory, a
remarkable 24.1MP photo option,
and perhaps the coolest part, a high
contrast projector that offers vast improvements over 2011’s model.
“Not only will you be able to capture
your family’s memories to share as
they get older,” said Dan Bruns, a
Videomaker Associate Editor. “you’ll be
able to show these memories anywhere
you are.”
Canon’s been going strong with
it’s popular VIXIA HF lineup and this
year’s models M50 and R30 have improved CMOS sensor, a 3-inch touchscreen, MP4 recording, DLNA and a
Wi-Fi module so producers can share
content. They both record to 8GB
flash memory and provide better low
light capabilities. Throw in dual codec
recording and several stabilization
modes and the new VIXIA makes for
a great consumer camera with some
features that only pro cams carry.
Products Providing Productivity
Videomaker’s goal is to tell you about
equipment that not only makes your
productions look good, but also seamlessly flows from start to finish. Our
team of ten each had specific products
they were looking for, and each company welcomed us into their booths
to show what makes their products
unique:
Buffalo’s AirStation WZR-1750H
If wireless routing is something your
business or production suite needs,
Buffalo’s blazing fast AirStation
WZR-1750H allows you to transfer
enormous files at blistering speeds.
Jackson Wong, who was taking in
his first CES, met with the folks from
Buffalo and was really impressed with
this product.
“This technology allows for nearly
800 Mbps wireless data movement,”
said Wong, who serves as an associate
editor for Videomaker. “Though their
setup used a cable like an antenna, the
speeds read greater than 750 Mbps
while we were at their booth. Keep in
mind, wireless signals at CES had a
hard time getting anywhere near the
show floor.” Considering more than
150,000 people attended the show
and nearly all of them had mobile devices drawing on limited bandwidth,
for Buffalo to be able to demonstrate
that kind of potential is a major coup
- imagine what it can do in your office.
Audio-Technica
ATH-PRO700MKZANV
When you’re producing a video, having
a good read on what the piece sounds
like is critical to saving time and energy
in the edit suite. While a surround
sound stereo system is great for playback, a lot of editors prefer to plug in
a pair of high quality headphones and
keep close tabs on their output.
Leave it to Audio-Technica to
roll out a collectible pair of stereo
headphones that offer practicality and
proficiency for post-production performance. The ATH-PRO700MKZANV
are ideal for studio monitoring, and
with its detachable cable, you’ll have
safety knowing the cable is easier to
replace than the headphones. These
headphones retail for around $300
and could be a worthwhile investment
if you set up and tear down your edit
suite a lot.
THE AZDEN
105 DSLR SERIES
COMPACT,
AFFORDABLE
PERFORMER
Tiffen Dfx v3
We can all attest to how difficult it is to
fix bad video. Whether you neglected
to white balance in studio, or the
clouds rolled in while you were rolling
on a nature shot that suddenly went
dark, having the right filter to fix bad
visuals can be hard to come by. Tiffen
has a new suite of plug-in filters that
can correct almost any problem, and
even add some beautiful effects at the
same time.
Tiffen’s Dfx v3 is like a still photographer’s filter case on steroids. Forget
carrying glass filters to screw onto
your lens whenever you want a different look, just scroll through the 10 filters, 113 film stocks, and plenty more
options this software package offers.
“The digital filters are made to simulate Tiffen’s glass filters, so forget trying
to find the one that will fit your lens,”
said Bruns. “The effects are easy to apply, fun to use, and give a high quality,
professional feel to your videos.”
Mighty Mountable Technology
We’ve seen the extreme video production product world grow exponentially at CES over the past three years.
What started as a fad is becoming a
viable solution for producers looking
to take their work to the edge... and
then over it.
GoPro is one of the more recognizable mountable camcorder products
on the market. Their HD Hero2 camera
line features simple to use accessories
that seemingly meet any need imagVI D EO MA K ER >>> Ap RI l 20 12
All you want in a high performance
wireless microphone, the Azden 105
Series includes:
• 92 User selectable UHF frequencies
(566.25-589.75MHz)
• Compact receiver with shoe-mount
• Pivoting high gain antenna
• 3.5mm DSLR microphone cable
• Headphone output with volume control
Available system combinations include:
105LT, 105LH, 105LX, 105HT, 105XT
Visit the Azden website for
system details.
contents
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www.azdencorp.com
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25
PLUS
Exclusive access to
100s of online training videos!
CES 2012 Showcases Technological Advancements
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inable. From the new GoPro Battery
BacPac, which offers nearly double
the record time, to the Wi-Fi BacPac,
which enables wireless connectivity to
monitor your footage, to a multitude
of new mounts, this company really
‘gets’ what their consumers want and
delivers unique results, no matter the
use.
In the same breath, companies like
Contour are working hard to take a
slice of GoPro’s market share. Wilhelm
spoke with the folks from Contour
about their Contour+ POV cam,
which has a GPS location feature that
can be controlled and monitored via
Bluetooth technology.
“The Contour team showed us how
they’ve teamed up with Cerevo to pair
the Contour+ with LiveShell to allow
live streaming of their cameras on UStream,” Wilhelm explained. “However,
you do need a Wi-Fi connection, which
may be difficult to come by on locations
where the camera’s footage would be
the most interesting.”
celebrating the advancements the D4
has made to the video world, still photographers are only mildly embracing
the video function.
DSLR Rapidly Expanding
Memories
Nikon, which has historically been
a still photography brand, is moving aggressively into the DSLR video
world. And by aggressively, we mean
the company’s new D4 camera is
exceptional. Scott Diussa, a Nikon rep,
visited with Videomaker and wanted to
showcase what the D4 can do on the
video front.
“They had the D4 set up with an
external mini-shotgun mic attached to
show just how much flexibility users
have with their audio,” recalled Rich
Ober, Videomaker’s Content Director.
“The D4 includes manual audio gain
control, live audio monitoring, uncompressed video output via an HDMI
cable, and a new feature which does a
1920x1080 crop, increasing the lens’
focal length by 2.7x.”
The D4, fittingly enough, was given
the Videomaker Best of Show award
for the game-changing features this
camera hosts. Yet while video pros are
26
Sticks and Stones
Vanguard made a splash onto the
photo and video scene back in 1986
and has been introducing innovative stability and transit products
ever since. The company’s latest line
of tripod and camera mounts offer
flexibility and conformability, giving
producers a wide range of options out
in the field.
The Abeo tripod by Vanguard is an
amazing set of sticks that can handle
a multitude of shooting scenarios from formal studio settings, to rocky
terrain in the backwoods. The lightweight, magnesium die cast construction is durable and easy to operate,
and the legs adjust all the way to
80-degrees for those low-profile
shots. These sticks are a run-and-gun
shooter’s dream.
We haven’t seen any new tape-based
camcorders released in a few years,
and recently Sony told us they won’t
be manufacturing the popular tapebased models anymore. Most new
cameras now shoot to memory cards,
and between HD and 3D footage, a
small 8GB card can’t cut itanymore.
We spoke with both SanDisk and Lexar about their newest cards and they
certainly can hold their own. Not only
do the cards hold more footage, their
transfer speed is much faster, making for less drop-frame errors during
transfers. With these new tools, speed
is the name of the game.
The SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC
and SDXC for 64GB UHS-I memory
cards aren’t your usual off-the-shelf
point-n-shoot camera cards. They
have a capacity to shoot full HD video
or RAW photos and can shoot up to
up to 95 Mbps.
Lexar showed off the Lexar ProfesV IDEOMAKER >>> A pRIl 2012
sional 1000x CompactFlash card, the
first card to carry this much weight
with a minimum sustained read speed
of 150Mbps and it comes with Lexar’s
Video Performance Guarantee support
and image recovery software. Lexar
also showed us the new Professional
USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader and JumpDrive Triton USB 3.0.
What Happens In Vegas...
Word travels fast about the happenings at CES. Innovation often generates a lot of buzz, but the reality
of seeing the cool new products in
stores near you, sometimes takes a
while.
Our team of ten came, saw and
conquered much of the 1.86-million square feet of show floor space.
The experience is always memorable
and leaves us hungry for what next
year has in store. However, whatever
happens while we’re in Vegas during
CES always helps us appreciate the
technology we have at hand.
Sure, it’s cool to think of having
robots doing our laundry and sweeping the floor, but until the technology
proves its worth to regular consumers,
it’s all just a conceptual fantasy. Same
goes for much of the video production
equipment we see every year at CES.
In time, a 4K camera will be in everyone’s hands, and video filter software
will make everyone’s home movies
rival the imagery we’re accustomed to
seeing at the cinema.
Until then, it’s nice to know that
Videomaker Magazine will continue
to log the miles to uncover the ‘next
best thing’ in video, and that you’re
assured to hear about it here first.
Dave Sniadak is an annual CES attendee. He is an
award-winning video producer whose clients include
several Fortune 500 companies, professional sports
franchises and small businesses.
!
Best
it, more
a
of
W ’s
re Videomaker’s coverage of the
e
h
t
Best of CES 2012 Awards
continued on page 28
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Videomaker Best of CES 2012 Awards
Domke
Best
of
CES
Buffalo
2012
GoPro
Videomaker’s Best of CES awards were created to
help you find products that were especially innovative,
affordable, dependable, easy-to-use, and most of all,
products which empower each of you to make better video.
BY DAN BRUNS
Best of Show: Nikon’s D4 DSLR
It’s no surprise that our biggest award of
the show went to Nikon’s newest DSLR,
the D4. With features like an ISO range
of 50 to 204,800, 1080p video with an
uncompressed HDMI output, and an FXformat (1.4” x .9”) sensor, this DSLR has
many features that videographers have
been wanting in a DSLR for years. An
interesting new feature is the camera’s
ability to use a new 2.7x crop mode to
zoom into an image on a sensor without
losing any of the 1920×1080 quality
of the picture. This means that you can
easily turn a 35mm lens into a virtual
telephoto lens instead. The camera also
has on-screen audio indicators and a 20
step audio adjustment making this a real
force to contend with in the DSLR world.
Best Camcorder: JVC’s GY-HMQ10
4K Camcorder
The GY-HMQ10 4K camcorder can
record at a resolution of 3,840x2,160
pixels using its Falconbird processor
and 1/2-inch sensor, it records to four
SD cards, and has two phantom powered XLR ports. Though it has a fixed
lens for now, we’ve heard rumors of an
interchangeable lens camcorder coming
soon – but that’s our little secret.
Best Microphone: Blue
Microphones’ Spark Digital
The Spark Digital is a cardioid condenser microphone that provides two
different usage modes at the touch of
a button: the normal mode which is
supposed to provide increased low frequency for those times when you need
to sound like Don LaFontaine, and a
focus mode which changes the microphone’s frequency response in order to
pick up more clarity and detail. The newest part about the Spark Digital is that it
offers both USB and iPad connectivity.
Best Editing Software: Corel’s
VideoStudio Pro X4
VideoStudio Pro X4 offers great support
for beginners by offering the Corel Guide
– a useful repository for video training,
customer support, and user forums. The
software also offers dual screen support
(something most introductory editing
software leave to the pros) and an easy
stop motion video creator.
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28
Blue Mics
V IDEOMAKER >>> APRIL 2012
Best Computer: Lenovo’s IdeaPad
Y580 Notebook
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y580 has JBL speakers, an optional Blu-ray burner and Intel’s
Wireless Display technology. You can
also get a Core i7 processor in this beast
to boot. As for the display, the Y580
sports a 1920x1080p screen and has a
2GB GTX660M card to drive it. Not bad
for a laptop that starts at $899.
Best Storage Device: LaCie’s 2big
RAID Drive with Thunderbolt
LaCie introduced a new version of their
popular 2big that now has the power
of Thunderbolt which gives the drive
speeds up to 327 Mbps. The 2big also
conveniently adds RAID technology to
protect all of your valuable footage and is
hot-pluggable so there’s never any need
to reboot the system when swapping
devices.
Best Support: iOmounts’ iOstand
and iOmini
iOmounts stood out for its innovative
mounting idea for iPad and iPod-like
devices. Their mounting device allows
a free and unobstructed rotation of any
device by using a ferro-magnetic sphere
and a specially engineered magnetic
carrier.
Best Bag/Case: Tiffen’s Domke
RuggedWear Camera Bags
Tiffen released a new line of Domke
RuggedWear camera bags meant for
Panasonic
almost any situation
you might find yourself
in. Each Domke bag is made of
weather-tough and durable cotton canvas along with a strap made of durable
cotton webbing and a steel snap hook
so they’re built to last.
Best Accessory: GoPro’s Wi-Fi
BacPac
GoPro’s Wi-Fi BacPac gives GoPro’s
popular HD HERO and HD HERO2
cameras the ability to transmit live video
streams to a smart device such as a
tablet, smartphone, or computer while
at the same time being able to control a
bevy of video options as well. As a result
of using Wi-Fi, this remote can travel
over an incredibly long distance without
losing signal.
Tiffen
Nikon
JVC
Though there’s no price information on
this big boy yet, we’re excited about it’s
potential.
Spotlight Award: Sony’s Handycam
HDR-PJ760V Camcorder/Projector
Many companies are beginning to blur
the line between professional and consumer camcorders and Sony joins ranks
with its newest camcorder and projector,
the HDR-PJ760V. The camcorder comes
with 96GB of internal storage space, an
incredible 24.1 MP still image capture
option, image stabilization, and of all
things, a high contrast projector said to
be twice as bright as Sony’s offering last
year.
Best Lighting: Sunpak’s LED
Video Lights
We’ve seen lights like these before but
never in such quantities and interesting
designs. Sunpak showed five LED products ranging from their DSLR67 ring
light (that attaches directly to a DSLR
lens) all the way up to their LED 96,
which sports 96 high powered LEDs.
Best of all, almost all of their lineup runs
off of easy-to-find AA or AAA batteries
and can be attached on any camera’s
hot shoe mount.
Spotlight Award: Buffalo’s
AirStation WZR-1750H Router
We were specifically impressed by
the AirStation’s wireless speed with
802.11ac, which Buffalo claimed could
hit 1,300 Mbps, approximately three
times faster than 802.11n. What’s
amazing is that just a few short years
ago, standard Ethernet cable used to
have a hard time getting speeds up to
1300 Mbps and now wireless routers
are doing it in spades. Not to be left
out, the router will also have a 2.4 GHz
3×3 802.11n radio inside so that it
can be backward compatible with the
802.11a/b/g/and n standards.
Spotlight Award: Panasonic’s
4K x 2K Monitor concept
This is a product that we’ve been waiting for a long time to get: a 20-inch field
monitor that packs a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. That means shooters everywhere
will be able to see the full glory of their
4K footage from cameras like RED’s
EPIC or JVC’s newest GY-HMQ10.
Spotlight Award: Tiffen’s Dfx v3
Plug-in Software
Tiffen Dfx is a plug-in filter that in many
ways mimics the screw-on glass lens filters that professional photographers use,
but it’s like having a filter on steroids. Version three has added even more filters
for optical effects along with interface
improvements and host support. The digVI D EO MA K ER >>> A P RI L 20 12
ital filters can take your videos from good
to outstanding in a very professional way.
Spotlight Award: Satarii’s Swivl
Accessory
Asking someone to snap a photo can be
a stretch and asking them to do camera
movements is crazy unless you plan to
hire a camera person. The Swivl is your
answer in such times. By using a marker,
the Swivl keeps you or your subject in a
user-defined frame and has the capacity
to record audio via an iPhone app. The
360 degrees panning capability is paired
with a 25 degree vertical axis to capture
a lot of action. The base and marker
take AA and AAA batteries respectively,
which provide for about four or ten hours
of recording depending on whether you
opted for the wall charger or the battery
life of your pocket camera.
Dan Bruns is an Associate Editor for Videomaker.
contents
29
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MAKING MUSIC
VIDEOS
n today’s post-production, customizing footage requires more than the
vast settings and filters that are included with your editing or compositing
software. Programs like Adobe After
Effects have built-in filters that might
seem vast, but Adobe allowed other
companies to develop plug-ins and
filters to add near limitless function-
ality to their software. Whether you
want more in-depth color grading,
turning your footage into a cartoon,
or creating particles, plug-ins can help
customize your projects.
After Effects is probably the most
common program for adding effects
and filters, but many plug-ins can
be added directly into Final Cut Pro,
The true
power of
software like
Adobe After
Effects and
most editing
programs
are in the
third-party
plug-ins.
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31
Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Sony
Vegas Pro, and others. Even though all of these
programs have a number of effects and transitions, the third-party plug-ins add customization that enhance your video well beyond the
program’s presets.
32-bit vs. 64-bit Plug-ins
One thing to be wary of today is that most
plug-ins in the past were written for the 32-bit
versions of the software and many have not
yet been updated for 64-bit editing and effects
software. So those of you with Premiere Pro CS5
or above, Media Composer 6 or Final Cut Pro X,
make sure that the plug-ins are 64-bit compatible, otherwise they will not work.
Plug-ins are also affected by your RAM and CPU
speed. If the plug-in is complex or requires a lot of
calculation, it will take more computer power to
render it faster. The new 64-bit operating systems
and multithreading CPUs with matching software
will render a lot quicker than the older 32-bit
systems. As with most processes relating to video,
you can never have too much memory, so buy as
much RAM as your machine can handle.
Color Grading
Color correction is a bit of a misnomer since
color grading exists inside most editing and effects programs. But, plug-ins for color correction/
grading do add potent and specific controls. Red
Giant’s Magic Bullet Suite software offers presets
as well as much more in-depth control over the
image. Being able to control the highlights, the
blacks, and the mid tones individually provides
precision you don’t get from the built-in filters.
Presets of commonly used “looks”, like the blue
tint of TV commercials to the green hues of movies like The Matrix, automate color correction by
having easy to apply effects. Usually presets are
still just a starting point as everyone’s footage
is different. Red Giant also develops the Trapcode plug-ins collection. The Trapcode suite can
generate particles with Particular, which is where
the plug-in creates objects, sometimes a series
of objects that react to settings, like rain or snow,
or anything you can imagine. Particles can be
simple sprites or you can attach text or video to
them for interesting effects. Trapcode also has
lighting effects, stroke effects, and other plug-ins
that can jazz up your projects.
Also in Red Giant’s arsenal are tools that
can make your footage look like a cartoon or a
sketch, create automated text animations, and
so on. Red Giant has been buying up several
smaller companies’ plug-ins and updating them.
Boris has been providing one of the most versatile collections of plug-ins with the Continuum
Complete set. From film scratches and damage
to keying to color, Continuum Complete is an allin-one package of effects. There are more than
50 individual plug-ins with this set.
GenArts has an incredible collection of plugins that deal with light, color, and stylizing. The
lighting plug-ins have some amazing light streak
effects, and a variety of glows that you can overlay on footage to emulate different filters or ap-
ply to various layers. The render plug-ins create
some interesting patterns of their own.
Tiffen, the maker of filters for the actual
lenses on cameras, has dabbled into some really
in-depth color grading filters as plug-ins. The
Dfx v3 plug-in allows you to emulate the looks
of thousands of Tiffen’s lens filters. It also includes grain emulation and even video distortion
clean up tools. Of particular note is the Key Light
filter which subtly takes the select parts of the
frame and brightens them up to accent.
Digieffects has updated its Delirium plug-in
set to operate with 64-bit processing and included a “best of” collection of plug-ins. Of note, the
Newsprint plug-in takes footage and transforms
the frames to that of newspaper, meaning simple
dots or lines in monotone. Specular Lighting
takes your footage and makes it look like it is a
reflective, watery surface with depth, which can
Manufacturer Listing for Plug-ins & Filters
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32
2Dmedia
www.downloops.com
Corel Corporation
www.corel.com
GeeThree Software, LLC
www.geethree.com
Red Giant Software
www.redgiantsoftware.com
3Prong
www.3prong.com
CoreMelt Pty Ltd
www.coremelt.com
GenArts, Inc.
www.genarts.com
RE:Vision Effects, Inc.
www.revisionfx.com
ABSoft
www.neatvideo.com
Dashwood Cinema Solutions
www.dashwoodcinemasolutions.com
Grass Valley USA, LLC.
www.grassvalley.com
Singular Software Inc.
www.singularsoftware.com
Alien Skin Software
www.alienskin.com
Digieffects
www.digieffects.com
MotionDSP, Inc.
www.motiondsp.com
StageTools LLC
www.stagetools.com
AlphaPlugins LLC
www.alphaplugins.com
Digital Anarchy
www.digitalanarchy.com
NewBlue Inc.
www.newblueinc.com
The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd.
www.thefoundry.co.uk
Auto FX Software
www.autofx.com/
Digital Film Tools, LLC.
www.digitalfilmtools.com
Noise Industries
www.noiseindustries.com
Video Copilot
www.videocopilot.net
Avid Technology, Inc.
www.avid.com
Digital Light & Color
www.dl-c.com
Pixel Tools Corporation
http://pixeltools.com
Avidion Media
www.avidionmedia.com
Eastman Kodak Company
www.asf.com
Pixelan Software
http://pixelan.com
Boris FX, Inc.
www.borisfx.com
eyeon Software Inc.
www.eyeonline.com
proDAD Inc.
www.prodad.com
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33
1500
Digital Anarchy
www.digitalanarchy.com
Synthetic Aperture
www.synthetic-ap.com
Corel Corporation
www.corel.com
make an interesting background for a title. An
automated muzzle flash plug-in can create amazing and random gunfire, complete with angle
controls and several types of weapons like pistol,
rifle, or shotgun. Additional compositing tools
add even more power to this set.
The Foundry has a series of plug-ins that fill
voids many of the other companies don’t. The
CAMERATRACKER plug-in for After Effects tracks
your footage in 3D space, allowing for amazing
graphics being placed inside handheld shots or
other clips. Given how common these effects are
becoming in commercial work, learning the basics and using a plug-in like this that automates
so much of the process, is very handy.
Another plug-in from The Foundry of note
is ROLLINGSHUTTER. For those shooters using
DSLRs like the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, you must
have noticed the rolling shutter effect, in which
walls and other vertical lines look like jelly when
panning left or right. This is because the DSLR’s
image sensors scan from top to bottom. The
ROLLINGSHUTTER plug-in will analyze the footage and auto-correct for this.
The final plug-in from The Foundry I looked at
was OCULA, a stereoscopic workflow plug-in for
effects in stereo 3D. The OCULA plug-in makes
full screen
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34
HD Flash Memory Camcorder
• 170°/125° wide-angle lens
• 1920 x 1080/30p HD video
• Rotating Sensor for Versatile Mounting
• MicroSD card slot
• 5MP CMOS sensor
• HDMI output
• Shot framing via Bluetooth & Smart Phone
• Water-resistant aluminum shell
• Storytelling editing software (Mac & PC)
• 1920 x 1080 60p HD recording
• 1/2.88” back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor
• Built-in projector (Up to a 100” Diag.)
• Internal 96GB flash memory
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot • 3.0” LCD
• 10x optical & 17x extended zoom
• Optical image stabilization
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens
• Geotagging though GPS & NAVTEQ maps
• Microphone & headphone inputs
5
Mega
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#COCPHC
effects work from one frame intended for one
eye to easily translate to the same frame for the
other eye, so it maximizes your efforts.
Video Copilot has entered the plug-in arena
with a few incredibly handy plug-ins like Twitch,
a plug-in that can be used as either a transition or an effect. Twitch, as the name implies,
can shake the footage like an earthquake, split
the RGB channels, and create lens blur or make
brightness flashes, and all of that randomly. The
set also includes bonus royalty free sound FX and
tutorials. Their other plug-in set is the Optical
Flares sets that you have probably been seeing
quite a bit in recent movies like Transformers and
Star Trek. Optical Flares are very realistic lens
flares that work in 3D space within After Effects.
Again, the tutorials by Andrew Kramer of Video
Copilot on how to use the Optical Flares add so
much more value to these plug-ins.
Most of these plug-ins are available as downloads, since fewer and fewer companies are
offering these products on CDs or DVDs. The file
size of most plug-ins is surprisingly small, so the
downloads are fast and easy.
With virtually all of these plug-ins, installation
can be either automatic or you can drag them
into the plug-ins folder for your software. Then,
in most programs, all you have to do is open the
program and the new plug-ins appear automatically in the effects windows in their own folder.
Drag and drop the effect onto your footage and
you can begin to experiment with the effects.
Every piece of footage is different and requires
some degree of tweaking when applying effects.
Making adjustments from the preset settings is
always a good idea. Some plug-ins have three
to four controls, others can have more than 40,
depending on the complexity of the plug-in itself.
Most plug-ins work with sliders and numerical controls. I usually start by making radical
changes to see how it changes the effect and
then make a subtle change to match what I want.
Plug-ins add variety and extend the power of
your NLE and effects software, so give ‘em a try!
Peter John Ross is an award-winning filmmaker and author of Tales
from the Front Line of Indie Filmmaking.
For comments, email: [email protected], use article
#15332 in the subject line. You can comment and rate this
article by going online: www.videomaker.com/article/15332
NEW
24
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#SOHDRPJ760VB
HDC-HS900
®
Grass Valley USA, LLC.
www.grassvalley.com
contents
HDR-PJ760V
Contour+ Helmet Camcorder
3 MOS HD Hard Drive Camcorder
HD HERO2 / 3D Kit
• Records 1080p, 960p, 720p HD Video
• SD/SDHC up to 32GB
• 1/2.3", 11Mp CMOS sensor
• 2X sharper pro glass lens
• f/2.8 Fixed Focus
• 170º wide, 127º medium FOV
(including 1080p)
• 90º narrow FOV • Microphone input
GoPro 3D kit - 3D waterproof housing
for (2) 1080p HD HERO cameras, with 3D editing software
MHS-TS55/S
Bloggie Live HD Camcorder
• Records 1080p HD video • Live WiFi streaming
• Wirelessly upload videos to internet
• Internal 8GB flash memory (shoot Up to 3 Hrs)
• Captures 12.8 Mp still images
• 1/2.5” Exmor CMOS sensor
• 3.0” touch screen LCD screen
• SteadyShot image stabilization
• 4x digital zoom
• LED light for low-light filming
• Flip-out USB arm • Mac & PC compatible
#SOMHSTS55S
HX-WA2
Waterproof HD Dual Camcorder
• Capture 1920 x 1080 HD video
• Record onto SD/SDHC/SDXC media cards
• Waterproof up to 9.8 feet (3 meters)
• 5x optical, 12x wide-range,
and 15x intelligent zoom
• 1/2.33” MOS Sensor • Electric image stabilization
• 285-degree rotating 2.6” wide LCD screen
• Panorama shooting mode • Face detection mode
• High-speed consecutive shooting mode
• Includes software for easy web uploading
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• Dual 1/4" 4.2MP "Exmor R" CMOS sensors
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• HD 1920 x 1080/60p HD 3D
video recording
• Dual G-Lenses (f/1.8 - 3.4),
up to 10x optical zoom
• 1080p HD recording, 60 and 24 fps
• Optical SteadyShot stabilization with Active Mode
• Stills 7.1MP in 4:3, and 5.3MP in 16:9
• Microphone input • Retagging with GPS
• Dual 1/4" Exmor R CMOS sensors
• Two Sony G lenses (10x optical in 3D)
• 96 GB internal memory
• One SD or Memory Stick card slot
• 3.5" LCD (view 3D glasses-free)
• Full 1920 x 1080 in 3D and 2D
• 3D modes: 60i, 50i, 24p (28 Mb/s)
• 2D modes: 60p, 50p, 60i, 50i, 24p, 25p
• Active SteadyShot in 3D
• Dual XLR inputs (line / Mic / Mic+48V selectable)
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VIXIA HF M52
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DEV-5
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• Shoot full HD 3D in 1920 x 1080 60p/24p
• Dual 1/4.0” back-illuminated Exmor
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• Optical 10x & 17x extended zoom
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• Internal 32GB flash memory • SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
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• 1080/60p recording at a 28-Mbps bit rate
• Leica Dicomar 12x optical,
23x inteligent zoom lens
• 3.5” wide angle 3D LCD screen
• Pre-record function
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• Internal 220GB hard disk drive
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• 3 x 3.05MP 1/4.1” 3MOS sensors
• 1080/60p recording capability
• Leica Dicomar Lens
• 3.5” widescreen LCD
• Manual ring over focus, zoom or exposure settings
• 3D recording with optional VW-CLT1 3D lens
• Relay and time lapse recording
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Twin-Lens 2D/3D Camcorder
• Canon 1/3” HD 2.37Mp CMOS pro image sensor
• 1920 x 1080 recording on to SD/SDHC/SDXC media
• Internal 32GB flash memory
• HD 10x optical zoom lens
• 3.0” widescreen LCD
• Cinematic Features
• 24p cinema & 30p progressive modes
• Built-In WiFi
• Two independent 3MOS sensors
• HD Stereoscopic 3D recording
• Dual Integrated 10x Lenses
(12x in 2D)
• Triple manual rings: focus, zoom and iris
• Multi View Coding (MVC)
Recording in 3D 1080p60
• 3.5" 3D compatible LCD
• Dual XLR Inputs
• 2D/3D Still Image Recording
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#PAHDCZ10000
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VIXIA HV40
• 1/ 2.7”, 2.96MP HD CMOS sensor
with RGB primary color filter
• Frame rates: 60i, native 24p (records
at 24p), 24p cinema, and 30p (at 60i)
• DIGIC DV II image processor
• Canon HD 10x optical video lens
• Instant Aufo Focus w/ext. sensor
• SuperRange optical stabilization
• 2.7” widescreen LCD screen • External mic input
• Smooth variable zoom with 3 fixed zoom speeds
• Supports 1920/1440 x 1080, 1280 x 720
HD formats in 35, 25, and 19Mb/ps
with variable frame rates
• Dual SDHC card slots
(loop, pre-record)
• Captures native QuickTime files
• Fujinon 10x HD lens
• Dual XLR audio, with phantom
• Color viewfinder and large LCD monitor
• Record real time 4K imagery (3,840 x 2,160) at
24p, 50p and 60p • 1/2.3” back-illuminated CMOS
sensor with 8.3 million active pixels (3840 x 2160)
• SDHC/SDXC media card slot
• Ultra high resolution F2.8 10X Zoom Lens
(F2.8 to 4,5 — f=6.7-67 mm)
(35 mm conversion: 42.5 to 425 mm)
• 3.5” high resolution touch panel LCD screen
• 0.24” Lcos 260,000 pixel viewfinder • Optical image stabilization
• Interval (time lapse) recording in both 4K and HD modes
• Exmor APS-size HD CMOS 16.1 Mp sensor
• Records 1920 x 1080 @ 24p, 60i, 60p
• Memory Stick PRO Duo/SD/SDHC/
SDXC card slot
• Sony NEX E series lens mount
(A series option)
• 24 Mb/s AVCHD MPEG-4 AAC-LC
• 3.0" LCD and CVF
• Quad-capsule microphone & 5.1 Sound
• Cinematone Gamma / Color • Manual audio control
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HDR-CX760V
Corner of 34th Street
New York, N.Y. 10001
3
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NEW
Professional Memory Card Camcorder
• 1920 x 1080 60p HD recording • 1/2.88” back-illuminated Exmor R
CMOS sensor • Internal 96GB flash memory
• SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
• 3.0” LCD screen & color viewfinder
• 10x optical & 17x extended zoom
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens
• Geotagging though GPS & NAVTEQ maps
24 Mega
Pixels
• CinemaTone presets & 24p recording
• 1080 and 720 HD resolution
recording on SDHC cards
• 3 1/4” 3-MP CMOS
HD image sensors
• AVCHD MPEG-4
AVC/H.264 encoding
• 10.6-megapixel still capability
• 12x optical zoom
• 2.7-inch LCD monitor
• XLR audio input, HDMI output, USB 2.0
• Three 1/3” CMOS Exmor sensors
• Records to Memory Stick PRO Duo,
SD/SDHC Cards (Dual media slots)
• 1080/60i, and 24p/30p AVCHD recording
• 20x zoom G-Lens (29.5mm wide)
• Zoom, focus, and iris rings
• Dual XLR inputs • 3.2” Xtra Fine LCD
• Low-light (1.5 LUX) capabilities
• CinemaTone Gamma and CinemaTone
Color control
• Large 4/3-type MOS sensor
• Micro four thirds lens mount
• Uses still & cinema lenses
• Two SDHC/SDXC memory card slots
(Relay Recording)
• AVCCAM Recording 1080i/p,
720p variable frame rates
• Optical low-pass filter
• HD-SDI, HDMI output, Dual XLR
#SOHDRCX760VB
#PAAGHMC40
#SOHDRAX2000H
#PAAGAF100
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Over 300,000 products,
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BandH.com/VMK
Lens Optional
NEX-FS100UK
HXR-NX5U
Super 35mm Sensor HD Camcorder with Lens
• 1920 x 1080 HD resolution
• 1/2.88" back-illuminated Exmor R
CMOS sensor
• 64GB internal memory
• Memory Stick / SD/SDHC media card slot
• 10x wide G series lens
• Assignable manual dial controls
• 3.5" wide LCD
• Geotagging with built-In GPS
• 1/4" 4.2Mp, ClearVid Exmor R CMOS sensor
• Built-in 64GB hard drive
• SD/SDHC/SDXC & Memory Stick slot
• 1920 x 1080i AVCHD (24Mbps)
• MPEG-2 SD Mode (9Mbps)
• 12x wide angle Sony G lens
• Optical SteadyShot stabilizer
• 2.7" ClearPhoto LCD
• Manual lens ring with assignable
parameters
• Three 1/3” Exmor CMOS sensors, with a ClearVid array
• Capture uses Memory Stick PRO
Duo / SDHC Cards, with relay
record capability (optional HXRFMU128 flash memory unit)
• 20x wide G series lens
• HD-SDI & HDMI output, SMPTE
Time Code in/out, Dual XLR inputs
• Built-in GPS system
• 3.2” Xtra Fine LCD
• Exmor Super 35mm CMOS image sensor
• Includes 18-200mm
Zoom Lens
• E-mount interchangeable lens mount system
• HDMI 4:2:2 uncompressed
• 1920 x 1080p 28Mbps recording
• 3.5" XtraFine LCD screen
• 1920 x 1080p slow & quick motion
• Record onto SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory
Stick cards, or Sony HXR-FMU128 (optional) • HD MPEG-4 AVCHD format
#SOHXRNX5U
#SONEXFS100UK ...................................................... $5,599.00
12
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Pixels
4
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#SOHXRMC2000U
AG-HPX170
AG-HMC80
PMW-EX3
3-CMOS Pro HD Solid State Camcorder
P2HD Pro Solid-State Camcorder
3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder
• 1920 x 1080 HD Recording
• 32GB internal flash memory
• Two SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots
• 1/3" 2.37Mp HD CMOS pro sensor
• 3.5" LCD & Color viewfinder
• Genuine Canon 10x HD Video Lens
• SuperRange optical stabilization
• Custom cinema-Look filters
• Professional shooting assist functions
• 3 1/4.1 CMOS sensors
• 1080 or 720 HD recording
• SD/SDHC media card slot
• 12X optical smooth zoom lens
• High-definition and standarddefinition recording
• Pre-record & interval recording
• Dual XLR/3.5mm mic-in inputs
• HDMI, USB, DV, Component terminals
• Two P2 card slots recording HD
(1080i and 720p) and SD (480i) f
• 20 variable frame rates
• 3 1/3” progressive CCD sensors
• HD/SD-SDI output
• 13X Leica Dicomar
wide zoom lens
• Enhanced metadata management
• Optical Image Stabilization • Dual XLR inputs • 3.5” LCD monitor
• In-camera Waveform monitor Vectorscope and two Focus assist
• Interchangeable 1/2” bayonet lens
mount, incl. Fujinon 14x5.8 lens
• 3 1/2” Exmor CMOS image
sensors that shoot full raster
1920x1080 hi-def imagery
• Recording on removable
SxS flash memory cards
• 1080 and 720 shooting modes with
selectable bit rates in both PAL and NTSC standards
• Hi-res 3.5” LCD monitor • 8-Pin remote studio connectivity
#CAHFG10
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#SOPMWEX3Q .......................................................... $8,320.00
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XF300 / XF305
AG-AC130 / AG-AC160
3-MOS HD Handheld Camcorders
3 CMOS Solid State HD Camcorder
3-CMOS Pro Solid State Camcorder
• 64GB Internal and Dual SDHC/SDXC
card slots with relay recording
• 1920 x 1080 CMOS Image Sensor
• Canon 10x HD Video Lens
• 8-Blade Iris and Manual Focus Ring
• DIGIC DV III Image Processor
• 24Mbps Recording (AVCHD)
• 3.5" High-resolution touch panel
LCD and EVF
• Dual XLR terminals
• 3x 1/3”, 2.2 Mp CMOS sensor - 18-bit dsp
• 22x optical zoom lens
• 1080p 1080i 60/p30/p24 & 720p60
• Three rings; Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris
• Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots
• AVCHD & DV recording (SD) modes
AG-AC160 Step-up Features:
• HD-SDI & LPCM audio recording
• 59.94 Hz / 50 Hz switchable
• Slow/quick motion recording mode
• Record HD 1080/720 onto
Compact Flash cards
• 50Mbps MPEG-2 4:2:2 recording
• 3 1/3" 2.37Mp CMOS sensors
• 18x Canon HD L series lens
• DIGIC DV III image processor
• 4" 1.23 Mp LCD monitor
• 1.55 Mp Color EVF
• Over and under crank
XF305 Step-up: HD-SDI Output, Genlock & SMPTE Time Code
• 10-bit, 4:2:2, native 1080 and 720p
HD resolution in variable frame rates
• AVC-Intra 100 and 50 codecs
• Two P2 card slots (hot swapping,
loop, pre-record)
• 3 advanced 1/3”, 2.2 MP
CMOS sensors • HD-SDI output
• 20-bit digital signal processor
• 17x Fujinon HD lens • Built-in scan reverse mode
• Waveform and vector scope display
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AG-HPX250
3-MOS HD Handheld Camcorders
• 1/3" CMOS 1920 x 1080 CMOS sensor
• Dual CF card slots
• 50Mbps MPEG-2 recording
• Canon's MPEG-2 4:2:2 color sampling
• 60p/60i, 30p, 24p MXF File Format
• 10x HD zoom lens
• 3.5" 920K dot LCD monitor
• Stereoscopic 3-D recording capabilities
• Dual XLR inputs • Waveform Monitor
XF105 Step-up: HD/SD-SDI, SMPTE Time Code, Genlock
• 3x 1/3”, 2.2 Mp CMOS sensor 18-bit dsp
• 22x optical zoom lens
• 1080p 1080i 60/p30/p24
& 720p60
• Three rings; Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris
• HD-SDI & HDMI output
• 59.94 Hz / 50 Hz switchable
• Slow/quick motion recording mode
• P2 card and DVCPRO mode recording
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AG-AC160
730
$
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& 64GB P2 Card (Exp. 3-31-12)
Prices, specifications, and images are subject to change without notice. Manufacturer rebates are subject to the terms and conditions (including expiration dates) printed on the manufacturers’ rebate forms. Not responsible for typographical or illustrative errors. © 2000-2012 B & H Foto & Electronics Corp.
PMW-EX1R
3-CMOS XDCAM EX Camcorder
• SxS Memory Card Recording
w/800Mb/ps Data Transfer
• DVCam Recording
• Cache Recording
• Image inversion function
• 1/2-inch Exmor 3 CMOS Sensors
• 1080P/1080i/720p Switchable
• Multiple-frame recording
• 14x HD Fujinon Lens • 3.5” LCD monitor
• Full Manual Focus Ring • Over- and Under-cranking
#SOPMWEX1RQ ........................................................ $6,299.00
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AG-HPX370
Professional HD Solid State Camcorder
XF100 / XF105
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3-CMOS NXCAM Flash Memory Camcorder
HD Professional CF Camcorders
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500
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compatibility
• 10-bit 4:2:2 HD-SDI
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#SOPMWF3K .......................................................... $19,890.00
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Buyer’s Guide
Lens Filters
and
Adaptors
BY HEATH McKNIGHT
Lens Filters (Hardware)
Manufacturer Listing
AbelCine
www.abelcine.com
Cavision Enterprises Ltd.
www.cavision.com
Cokin
www.cokin.co.uk
Demon Fisheye Lens
www.demonfisheyelens.com
Hama GmbH & Co KG
www.hama.de
Filters, matte boxes, controllers and adapters
- there’s a bevy of accessories to place in front
of your lens to help you create a better picture.
From diffusion to effects; from specialized color
enhancement to lighting fixes, filters can make
ordinary scenes look extraordinary.
Hasselblad USA Inc
www.hasselbladusa.com
Heliopan Lichtfilter-Technik
Summer GmbH & Co KG
www.heliopan.de
Hoya
www.hoyafilter.com
Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd
www.kenkoglobal.com
LDP LLC
www.maxmax.com
Lee Filters USA
www.leefiltersusa.com
ProMaster
www.promaster.com
Raynox
(Yoshida Industry Co., Ltd.)
http://raynox.co.jp
Rosco Laboratories
www.rosco.com
Schneider Optics
(Century Precision Optics)
www.schneideroptics.com
F
ilmmakers and camera operators can take advantage of a wide
variety of filters that attach to their
cameras, which can be used to help
balance the color in a shot, or protect
the lens from scratches. Special effects
filters can also be used creatively, to
help set a mood or create a unique
look for a video project.
Filters
The most common filters everyone should use are designed to protect your lens
from scratches and daily
wear-and-tear, such as UV
and clear options. These
filters can be either glass
or plastic, though using glass
is highly recommended with any high
definition camera, as plastic filters
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38
can show scratches and nicks in your
footage. There are two basic ways for
a filter to attach to your camera: the
lens screws on directly or is placed in
a matte box or holder. Both types can
span the gamut of what they can do,
be it protection, balancing color, managing light or for creative use. Manufacturers include names like Tiffen,
B+W, Hakuba, Promaster, Formatt,
Sunpak and others.
Color Balance
There are several varieties of color
balance filters, including those that
are true color temperature blue or
orange (CTB and CTO), rated at 5600
kelvin (k) and 3200k, respectively.
Both film and digital cinematographers often use these filters in place
of electronic white balance. For exVI D EO MA K ER >>> A P RI L 20 12
Sigma
www.sigma-photo.com
Singh-Ray Filters
www.singh-ray.com
Sony Electronics Division Inc.
www.sony.com
Studio 1 Productions, Inc
www.studio1productions.com
THK Photo Products, Inc.
www.thkphoto.com
Tiffen
www.tiffen.com
ToCad America Inc.
www.tocad.com
contents
Zacuto
full screen
www.zacuto.com
Compiled by Jackson Wong
print
39
Lens Filters and Adaptors Buyer’s Guide
Lens Controllers
• Lens controllers are designed to
control the speed of the zoom, iris
and focus on a camera’s lens, and
they do so smoothly, along with
controlling the record start and
stop. They can also switch focus
and iris to auto or manual.
• The advantage of using a lens
controller is to avoid camera
shake when you perform those
functions, and they help to get
professional results.
• The lens controller may attach to
the arm of a tripod, and connect
to the camera. You easily control
the zoom, focus, iris and record
start/stop on the unit.
• Lens controller manufacturers
include VariZoom, Manfrotto,
and Sign Video. Many others are
geared toward specific cameras,
such as the Sony PMWEX1R.
• Zoom Commander Pro by Sign
Video costs $180, and is an excellent addition to any camera operator and independent filmmaker’s
toolbox.
Virtual Filters
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Tiffen, among a few other
companies, offer virtual lenses
that you “apply” to your scene
in post production. The Tiffen
Dfx digital video filter products
have many special filters and
you can test the effects online.
You’ll find virtual filters from
black and white to fog, ice,
streaks, depth of field, noise
reduction and sunset/twilight
filters among many others.
Their latest version, Dfx v3,
reviewed in this issue, (page
16) has a key light filter that
will gently highlight a particular spot in your scene, seeming to make the subject stand
out from the rest. Check it out.
40
ample, if you’re shooting outside, the
light’s color temperature is normally
5600k, so you’d use a CTO filter rated
at 3200k. There are also variations to
the blue and orange color balance filters, for different color temperatures.
Neutral Density
While most cameras include built-in
neutral density (ND) filters, there are
ND filters that come in a variety of
light-to-dark options that go beyond
just the standard two or three step
POLARIZERS HAVE TWO
MAIN FUNCTIONS: CUT
DOWN GLARE AND
ELIMINATE REFLECTIONS.
internal filters found in some cameras. They can be stacked to add even
more options, which helps with your
shutter control for better depth of
field difference.
Polarizers can also be used in
conjunction with ND filters to cut
light further, so you’re not adjusting
the aperture or shutter, unless you
choose to. Polarizers have two main
functions: to cut down glare and to
eliminate reflections in windows or
water, allowing you to shoot clearly
through to the subject you’re trying to capture. They have an outer
ring that turns, and depending on
the angle where the glare or reflection comes from, if you turned the
free ring 90 degrees one direction, it
blocks out all vertical light and spinning the other direction blocks out
the horizontal light. Polarizers will
also take a dull gray sky and brighten
it up giving you the true blue you’re
looking for. B+W sells some nice
polarizers and ND filters in various
sizes, with prices around $50 to $100.
Special Effects
If you want to get creative, there
are all sorts of special effect filters
available, allowing you to subtly or
radically change the color, lighting,
add a soft focus, or create a vignette
in your shot, giving it a classic look
with a soft shadow in the corner. Star
filters can make light sources appear
as stars, while a center spot will put
your subject in focus in the center,
while diffusing the area around it.
Many Hollywood blockbusters use
color special effects filters to help
create specific moods or atmosphere.
You’ve probably seen the films that
rely on blue filters, like Terminator
2: Judgment Day, or tobacco filters to
give the film a golden look. Regardless of it’s name, a tobacco filter
isn’t meant to give a smoky look, it’s
brownish color will give your video
or film a golden look and is great for
bringing out the colors of a sunset.
Both practical and special effects filters are available as graduated filters,
Tiffen
www.tiffen.com
Heliopan Lichtfilter-Technik
Summer GmbH & Co KG
www.heliopan.de
or grads. A grad tobacco filter, for
example, will have the golden color
at the top, then gradually move to
clear either midway or near the bottom of the filter. This helps to create
a specific look, or block light via ND,
of the sky, while keeping the ground
clear. Grad filters can also be 50/50,
solid and clear.
If you’re shooting for glamour, you
may want to consider a Pro-Mist filter,
which helps create a nice soft, diffused look. You can choose Pro-Mist
filters that are light or heavy on the
diffusion, plus warm and black to
change the color and blacks slightly,
too. Tiffen offers a variety of Pro-Mist
filters, starting around $100.
Adaptors, Matte Boxes and Step
Up/ Step Down Rings
Adaptors are used to attach filters to
your camera’s lens, and they range
from small and affordable filter-holder
systems, such as those from Cokin,
Pentax, OP/TECH USA and others, to
YOU CAN USE SEVERAL
FILTERS AT ONCE, KNOWN
AS STACKING.
the larger and more expensive matte
boxes from Cokin, Schneider Optics, and others. Matte boxes range
in prices from around $300 into the
thousands, while simple adapters can
cost as little as $15, not including the
filters, and go up to hundreds of dollars, depending on their use.
Matte boxes are used to help cut
down on the Sun or any light source
that can cause an unwanted glare into
the camera’s lens. While director J.J.
Abrams loves to include lens flares
in his films, filmmakers and camera
operators probably prefer not to. The
matte box is bigger than a standard
lens hood found on many video
cameras, and uses removable flags, or
wings, to block the light. These flags
vary in size, which is advantageous
if you can’t move the camera too far
from a positioned light that is giving
you glare problems.
A matte box can hold square
filters, such as those measuring 4x4
or 3x3-inches, or larger. You place it
into a filter holder and slide it into
place in front of the lens, but behind
the matte box. You can use several
filters at once, known as stacking,
such as a polarizer and a special effect filter, but watch out for vignetting (distorted edges) and light getting
cut down unintentionally.
Step-up and step-down rings allow you to use certain round filters
that don’t fit your lens. If you have
a larger filter, say a 72mm, and your
lens is smaller, you can use a stepup ring to fit the filter. A step-down
ring is used if your lens is larger
than the filter. Be careful, because an
unwanted vignette may occur with
thicker filters. Heliopan carries a line
of step-up, step-down rings, in addition to filters.
Conclusion
Camera filters are a good investment
for any camera operator or filmmaker who is serious about capturing
unique and cool looks with a special
effect filter, balance color temperature, or to protect their lens with a UV
filter. In addition, there are also adaptors and matte boxes that go along
with using filters and offer protection
from glare.
Heath McKnight is Senior Writer at TopTenREVIEWS.
com and a filmmaker. He co- wrote VASST’s two bestselling books on HD production.
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Slick Camera Shots
Just three lights
used right can
put an audience
at ease or ratchet
up the tension.
The possibilities
are endless.
Good video producers have more
than a few camera angles up
their sleeves. From trick angles to
smooth operation, here are some
tips for some slick camera shots.
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The Path to Heroic Video Production
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by K yle C as s idy
Like a good lighting arrangement, almost everything about video is
simple when you know what you’re doing. Find the simple, elegant
solutions you need for every video situation. From coaching actors
to post-production editing, no other resource gives you the tools to
handle every step of the video production process like Videomaker.
Understand all aspects of video, so that your video creations will
bear the mark of a professional. With Videomaker, you can conduct
yourself like a video hero.
videomaker.com/VideoHero
Understanding camera angles - meaning the placement and view of the
camera - is something that is critically
important to directors and directors
of photography. A vivid understanding will ensure that your videos are
vibrant and engaging.
Chances are, your eyes are somewhere between five and six feet off
the ground. We’re used to seeing the
world from this height – so much so,
that we often forget that the camera
can go anywhere else. Sometimes a
different perspective, one not shot
from eye level, is what your production calls for to make things interesting or to better tell your story.
Today we’re going to look at some
different camera angles examples that
can liven up your video and bring
your work to the next level.
The Basics
The shots you see the most are the
old standards, the wide shots, the
medium shot, the closeup and variations of those, these are the bread and
butter of movie making and most of
the time, these are the shots you’ll be
using. There are other types of shots,
more difficult to execute and that require more creativity to come up with,
that are the spices that make the final
product interesting and gripping.
and windows are in fixed positions,
but both cranes and booms can be
rented from film and video supply
houses and placed anywhere to get
your camera into the sky. They also
allow you to move the camera from
one elevation to another, such as an
establishing shot from high up that
follows a car down a road and slowly
descends to be level with the car door
when it opens.
Small cameras are a relatively
recent invention. When Orson Welles
wanted to get a shot from the floor
for his 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane
he had to take picks and axes to the
floor, chopping a hole in the stage big
enough to fit a camera, tripod, and
operator. Today, it requires no effort
to put a modern camcorder at shoe
level, not just to show grand figures
like Charles Foster Kane, but to show
children or the family dog from their
own eye level.
Go Even Lower
When director of photography Peter
Sinclair and director David Mallet
were looking to make the best concert
film they could out of AC/DC’s 1992
gig at Castle Donington, UK, shoe level
wasn’t good enough – they employed
26 different cameras, including one
in a helicopter and another beneath
Getting up close
and personal is an
advantage of video.
As long as you have
the access, give
your audience front
row seats - or put
them beneath a glass
floor.
Go High, Go Low
The obvious choices for trying out
different camera angles are high
and low. A high camera angle can be
from the vantage point from a ladder,
tree, window, crane or boom – trees
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43
basic training
basic training
april 2012
april 2012
SubScriber
Alert!
Perspective is
a powerful tool,
especially when
you let the audience have a child's
view. Consider the
simple sense of most
subjects being taller
than you and an
unsettling feeling is
likely to follow.
contents
a glass floor, providing an angle from directly
underneath the soles of the shoes and all.
Go Low and Move
When Stanley Kubrick sought to unnerve the
audience in his 1980 film The Shining, not only
did he put his camera at Big Wheel level to
show six-year-old Danny Torrence (very capably
played by Danny Lloyd) playing in the deserted
hotel, he made it into a moving shot, pushing
Steadicam operator Garrett Brown around in a
wheelchair to provide a dog's-eye-view in one
of the most technically memorable scenes in
modern cinema.
Sometimes what moves and what stays still
makes all the difference. In the 1951 musical
Royal Wedding, written by Alan Jay Lerner, camera
angles get up-ended in a big way when choreographer Stanley Donen has Fred Astaire dance up
the walls and across the ceiling of his room while
singing You’re All the World to Me. To achieve the
effect, which came from an idea by Astaire himself, Donen built a room inside a giant drum, like
a clothes dryer, and it was rotated by electronic
motors (also not unlike a clothes dryer). The camera, mounted on the “floor”, rotated with the set,
maintaining its single perspective as the set rolled
over, making it seem as though Astaire was running up and down walls. The heavy-metal band
Metallica reportedly spent nearly half a million
dollars recreating a more industrial version this
effect for the video for their 1997 duet with chanteuse Marianne Faithfull, The Memory Remains,
the difference in this version had the band on
steady platform which the room revolved around.
Move Sideways
full screen
A “dolly” is, apart from something you may buy
your kids, a device for moving a camera (and
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44
very often the camera operator, a focus puller
and a heavy tripod) smoothly along the ground.
Dollies are traditionally very heavy devices
which need to move along pre-laid tracks like
a miniature railroad. This sometimes required
dozens of off-camera crewmembers dismantling
the dolly tracks as they went, passing the pieces
out of the way so that they didn’t end up in the
footage.
Dolly shots used to be the only way to track
people who were moving but that’s changed
lately with the invention of camera steadying
mounts. One of the most conspicuous, and best
uses, of stabilized cameras to follow moving
people is in the NBC TV show The West Wing
which ran from 1999 to 2006. Detailing the lives
of White House staffers, the show made excellent use of a labyrinthine set to let a camera
operator precede rapidly between walking and
talking cast members who seemed to spend
most of their time bustling between offices being witty. The use of the Steadicam allowed the
cast to roam freely without setting up a complex
series of dolly tracks.
Go Where the Action is
Hollywood is no stranger to mounting cameras
on the hoods of cars to capture the action of
people conversing inside, but producer Stephen
J. Cannell, the brains behind the TV show The
A-Team was famous for mounting a camera right
behind the wheel of a car which brought the
audience right to the screeching tire action of
the car chase. While anybody could have done
this, Cannell’s development of the technique and
frequent use of it make his works distinctive.
Use Crazy Things We Haven’t Talked About
Do you have access to a fiber optic camera? Or a
helmet cam? With changes in video technology,
it’s very easy to get cameras in places that was
once very difficult. Not only could you attach a
camera to a skateboard, you could attach one to
the skateboarder’s foot. Or to a football.
One of my favorite uses of consumer equipment to produce unusual camera angles is
the so-called Brooklyn Space Program, which
consisted of two young boys and their father
who put an HD camcorder in an insulated box,
attached it to a weather balloon and sent it up to
the edge of space where the balloon burst and
their camera parachuted back to Earth, 30 miles
from where it had launched and they located it
by using the GPS in an old iPhone.
Ever imagine why the A-Team is
more exciting than COPS? Having
a closeup of the driver, bumpers
and tires during a car chase is
more engaging than a single
helicopter tracking shot.
Meanings of Camera Angles
Some camera angles bring with them
subtle meanings that we might not
consciously be thinking of but that
convey things to us nonetheless. Low
angles shooting up at people convey
a sense of power, inversely, shots that
look down on people make them appear less powerful. Crane shots are
very often used at the beginning or
conclusion of a story, to bring people
in and then take them out again.
These sweeping aerial perspectives
give a sense of the all-knowing. You
find out about this story, get pulled
into it and then come out knowing
how it all resolves.
Putting it All Together: An Exercise
in Thinking
Let’s imagine a simple scene from a
script: mom yells out the window for
her son who is leaving for a baseball
game, but has forgotten his glove. He
runs to the house, and she hands it to
him. This could be very easily done
with a series of medium shots, but
let’s utilize some of what we’d talked
about today and imagine a shot of
mom from the perspective outside a
third floor window with the camera on
a boom. She calls out “Jimmy!” – then
a shot down at Jimmy from the third
floor window, he’s tiny, half a block
away. Then a low shot of Jimmy, from
curb level, the camera dolly’s with
him as he runs down the sidewalk, a
small dog runs along side him. Outside
the house, a crane shot shows mom
turning from the third floor window,
it catches her again as she passes the
second floor landing, finally coming to
rest on the kitchen door as she opens
it. She hands Jimmy his glove. He
says “thanks mom!” and runs off – a
stabilized camera following as he runs
down the block to the baseball field.
Your Mission, Should you Choose
to Accept it
Unlike art historians or geologists who
must travel to the far-reaches of the
earth to see the greatest specimens
of the work that they study, you get
to see all of the best examples of film
and TV right on your home screen in
the popcorn-riddled comfort of your
own home. Next time you’re watching TV pay close attention to camera
angles and shot types - are shot types
in film different than camera shot
types used in TV shows? What types
of cinema have the most ordinary
and the most extraordinary camera
angles? How often are cranes and
dollys used? How often is the camera
high above the action, or close to the
ground? Make note of these and add
them to your visual vocabulary so that
you can incorporate them into your
own storytelling.
Contributing editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who
writes extensively about technology.
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45
subALERT.indd 1
9/19/2011 8:24:27 AM
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Editing
Editing
april 2012
b y M a r k Mo n t g o m e r y
Marketing Your Editing Business
using your editing skills? First
ing new opportunities much quicker than others.
Your newness to the market and your agility can
be a great competitive advantage. With the right
market research you can find a wedge and get
your business up and running.
you’ll need to market those valu-
Market Research for Video Companies
Ready to start making money
Market research sounds complicated, but the
truth is, it’s not. It does take a bit of time and
forethought, though. Once you’ve identified
what kind of video editing company you want
to run, it’s time to start focusing on your target
audience. Marketing is all about creating leads.
Leads that you can sell your video editing services to.
The goal of market research is to try to identify the people who would benefit from your
services. These people are your target market.
Sales is a different aspect altogether. Your sales
will come after you’ve identified your leads and
you have set up deals that have you actually selling to these folks.
able skills, then you need to find
the customers. Here are some tips
to guide on your way to making
money doing what you love.
The democratization of video editing has been great for our modern
civilization. Where would we be
without YouTube? But this advancement has added many more video
editing companies and with them
come greater competition within the
marketplace. You’ve got to learn to
cut through the noise to be found by
clients. We can take a look at how
to gain a competitive edge and find
quality leads to grow your video
editing business.
Video Editing Companies
If you’re thinking about jumping into
the market, the first thing you want
to do is focus on what kind of video
editing company you’ll be starting.
Hone in on the type of videos you’ll
be cutting. The list is long: narrative
films, wedding videos, music videos,
graduation videos, commercials,
corporate video, and many more
custom video production types. You
don’t have to choose just one, you
can sprinkle in a few areas of interest if you desire. But by focusing on
a niche area, you’ll be able to pay
closer attention to the needs of the
customers in that specific field. That
will help you get your feet firmly on
the ground.
Choose wisely. Some editors only
want to do music videos, but they get
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4:56 PM
Page 1
MaRketing is all about
cReating leads.
want to be in, otherwise you’ll find
yourself looking at starting over again
and again.
No matter what you choose,
remember you’re walking into a competitive market. You’ll need tenacity
to make it. If you’re not focused on
serving your customers the best you
can, you won’t be around long. Video
editing companies aren’t overnight
successes, you’ve got chip away at it
for awhile. Don’t be discouraged, but
be realistic. It’s hard work to start up
a business. The good news is that you
should feel a lot of excitement. At this
stage you can be flexible when attack-
Listen to the potential
customers in your field
and note their needs.
Be excited that starting
a new business allows
you to adjust to the
opportunities that you
come across.
46
into wedding videos to try to prop up
their business. Two years later they’re
doing 35 weddings a year and two
music videos and they are hating it.
Some folks don’t mine this way of
working. To them a job is a job. But if
you’re like most creative types, you
need to have your creative output. Do
your best at the onset to set yourself
up to be successful in the industry you
In 2004 I was considering starting a wedding
videography business. I had a lot of the equipment needed, had the skills, and enough friends
within the field of videography that I thought
I could make it happen. I started my market
research with an email to my immediate friends
and family asking them for names and phone
numbers of anyone in the area that they knew
were getting married. A day later I had five
brides to call. Let the market research begin!
I called each bride and explained to them that
I was considering starting a wedding videography business and wanted to talk to them about
their thoughts on the matter for a half-hour
or so. Each bride willingly agreed. With my
notebook handy, I jotted down their answers to
various questions:
• How important was a wedding video to them.
• Had they talked to any videographers yet or
when did they plan to do so.
• What interested them most about having a
wedding video.
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47
editing
editing
april 2012
Photo courtesy of Jenn Martin Photography
market was the local bridal show. When I chatted
on the phone with these ladies, none of them
had made a choice about videographers because
they were all waiting for the show to narrow
their sights. That was their point of entry. If you
can find the point of entry of your market, then
you have a better shot at competing. Better yet,
if you can beat your competition to that point of
entry, than you’ll have a jump start and potentially steal away a good chunk of business from
your competitors.
Your Unique Value Proposition
Bridal and other tradeshows are great places to showcase your skills. Make sure you
have demo reels that show your best work and your unique strengths.
• Was there something specifically they looked
for in a custom video production.
• Had they seen a friend’s wedding video that
might have caught their eye.
• Did they have a specific budget for video.
I was jotting down their answers, coming up
with follow-up questions and trying to draw any
patterns between these potential customers.
What I discovered was that many brides
really didn’t know what they wanted yet. It became very clear to me that a demo reel would
be absolutely necessary. That’s a no brainer,
but it’s good to know why it’s important. It also
became clear to me that a website would be a
great lead generation tool. Anything that could
inform a potential customer of the services
and type of video they could have might help
them choose the right videographer. I also
quickly discovered that most of the brides were
attending a bridal show the following month,
so, I made a point to go myself. That was the
most important decision for me. At the show I
was able to take a good look at the competition
- seven videography companies - a very small
market. Uh oh. This was not looking as good as
I’d hoped.
Point Of Entry
contents
One of the more important things you can do
in your market research is identify the point of
entry for you potential customers. In this case,
the point of entry for most brides-to-be in my
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48
As I walked the crowded showroom floor looking
over the pamphlets and watching laptop monitors cycle through demo reels, I looked to see if
I could find how these video editing companies
were being positioned. It was more market research for me. I was analyzing the competition.
One company clearly labeled itself as the price
leader. Their prices were nearly half of what
THEIR PRICES WERE NEARLY HALF OF
WHAT EVERYONE ELSE WAS CHARGING. BAD IDEA IN THIS BUSINESS.
everyone else was charging. Bad idea in this
business. If you can’t mass produce your product
and sell it at a super-high volume, then leading
in cost is the quickest way to fail. A good video
business differentiates not by price, but by some
unique value it provides to its customers. That’s
your unique value proposition and it should
separate you from the competition.
A unique value proposition has to be clear
to your target market. A lot of video editing
companies were heavily promoting their HD
video capabilities, a technology still trickling
down this marketplace at that point of time.
It’s easy for us video geeks to focus on our
technology features as that unique value, but
be cautious with this, too. It’s a hard territory
to defend, as technology always changes and
nearly anyone can match you in this category. If
you are the first to offer 3D videos, for instance,
it might be cool to you but does the client even
care? Think about what makes your creative
style unique and focus on that quality and how
it can potentially bring value to the customer.
For example, if you’re a special effects guru,
how can you put that to use in you wedding
videography business, or music video
business, or whatever custom video
production you’ll be doing. If you’re
great with motion graphics, typography, and that sort of thing, that
could give you an edge in a particular
corporate video. This can be really
challenging at first, but if you take
the time to identify what it is that you
can do that others might not be able
to duplicate easily, you’ll have a clear
competitive advantage. Just make
sure it’s clear how you deliver that
value to your customers.
Put it to the Test
Once you’ve identified your unique
value proposition it’s a good idea to
go back to your potential market and
give it a test run. Even though we’re
still doing market research, we’ll get
on our sales hat to put it all to the
test. Call those leads you’ve found
and give them your pitch. Listen to
what their needs are, make an honest
appraisal, whether or not they’d be
a good fit for you, and then let them
know what you offer. Put that unique
value proposition to use. See if they
bite. If not, throw out a few “what ifs”.
There might be more than one way
to provide unique value using your
talents, so if your potential customer
doesn’t take on the first pitch ask
politely why not. Then ask “what if...”
and change the proposition to see if
there’s a better fit with a few tweaks
to your proposition. You might find a
hidden treasure in there somewhere.
More importantly, you’ll get better insight into the needs and wants of your
customers. There’s a good chance
you’ll need to tweak your proposition
until you find one that really works
with your target market so keep notes
as you call on these leads. All this
feedback will inform how you will
actually market your business. Once
you find that winning value proposition, you can duplicate it in all your
marketing materials, your website,
your demo reel, etc. You’ll be well on
your way to making sales and growing
your business.
market place
april 2012
Get in the Game
All great video editing companies start
from the beginning. Thoughtful analysis of your target market can reveal
needs or patterns that other businesses are missing. Learn everything you
can from your potential market. Try
take time to identiFY
what it is that You can
do that others might
not be doing.
to find the point of entry and exploit
it if you can. Build your unique value
proposition through solid testing with
potential customers similar to the following list.
Unique Value Proposition Tip Sheet
1. List the things you do best.
2. List the potential customer’s needs.
Wherever the things you do best
intersect with the needs of the potential customer is an opportunity to
build a unique value proposition for
your company.
Remember, that this process
is critical for a good start in any
market, but it’s equally important
to maintain throughout the life of
your business. Industries change.
Competition changes. Customers
change. You’ll need to stay abreast of
what’s happening in your industry
and market and be able to respond
appropriately and stay a few steps
ahead.
For tips on getting your business
started, check out our associated
story in this issue on page 54 or at
this link: www.videomaker.com/
article/15423.
1.800.399.5994
www.eartec.com
Videomaker
Complete Book of Forms
11/8/2011 8:06:52 AM
92 forms help you
manage all the details so
you can focus on making
Learn more at:
videomaker.com/BOF the best possible video.
Videomaker
Book of Essential Forms for
Wedding Viderographers
Contributing columnist Mark Montgomery is a web
content specialist and produces instructional videos for
a leading web application developer.
contents
Over 25 pages of often
overlooked forms that all
wedding videographers
Learn more at:
need to succeed. videomaker.com/WBOF
49
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Lighting
Lighting
april 2012
b y T e r r y O’ R o u r k e
Catching the Rim
rim Shot with Lighting
lighting
Traditional lighting using the key
light as your main light isn't always
the most interesting design. Try
making your rim light the brightest
and see how your design sings.
full screen
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It Takes a Little Planning
Rim lighting, one of the most overlooked and least understood lighting
50
Photo by Terry O'Rourke
contents
When you view captured images such
as photographs or video you are really
viewing what the camera saw: light.
Just like a camcorder sees light, an
artist sees light and interprets it into
a painting. Digital imaging software
such as RenderMan, which is what
Pixar uses to make its films, incorporates lighting tools in image rendering.
Lighting is an essential part of expressing an image to the viewer and the
effective use of lighting can greatly
improve the overall look of an image.
An artist can choose from a variety of looks to create an image. For
example, simple flat lighting such as
what you would encounter when recording outdoors at twilight just after
sunset has a low contrast look where
everything is bathed in the same, even
light. Wait just a few minutes for the
Sun to completely set and you have
too little light to record. Move your set
under a street lamp and suddenly you
have contrasty light that renders the
shadows in complete darkness while
revealing each and every detail of the
highlights. We’ve all done this with
similar results; strong light on the
subject’s hair with a little dabbles of
light on their forehead, nose and chin.
Great fun for Halloween but it’s pretty
useless for anything else. There is no
right or wrong way to light a scene
but there are ways to improve your
lighting to express your interpretation
of any given scene.
techniques is also one of the more
difficult techniques to set up, because,
in order to be effective the “rim light”
itself must overpower all the other
lights and it must be placed correctly.
The subject must also be brighter than
the background. In the night scene
described above, the street lamp easily
overpowers the night sky and creates
a great rim light and if we recorded
this scene while the sun was still setting we could have enough details in
our subject to render a useful scene
but we would be at the mercy of
nature because the Sun sets pretty fast
and if we have to re-record we’ll probably miss the light.
In the situation above we had
plenty of intensity in our rim lighting
but little control over placement of the
rim light and no control over the fill
light provided by the setting Sun, but
we achieved dramatic results when
the subject clearly stood out from
the background and that’s the point
of a rim light. This is similar to a hair
light in classic portrait lighting which
is used to make the subject stand out
from the background, but unlike portrait lighting, in which you are lighting
the subject with subtle lighting. Rim
lighting technique is all about dramat-
ic, powerful lighting designed to evoke
emotions. Rim lighting, like portrait
lighting, is all about three-point lighting, where you have a key light, fill
light and a hair light; except instead
of a subtle hair light we increase the
power and place it in such way that
it creates a brightly lit rim around the
subject.
Day or Night It’s Your Choice
You don’t need a full light truss or
extreme studio lighting techniques to
utilize good rim light techniques. The
classic image of a detective standing
in a dark alley, smoking a cigarette
while looking disheveled in his fedora,
basking in the light of a distant street
lamp isn’t the only way to make effective use of rim light. You can also
go for a little upbeat lighting such as a
musician in his studio. Or how about
taking advantage of a beautiful sunrise
streaming through the trees. Any one
of these styles is easy to create if you
understand a few basic concepts and
they all have one thing in common:
unlike portrait lighting or the street
scene discussed at the beginning
of this story where the back light is
above the set, rim lighting places the
light at the same level and slightly
behind the subject where it paints a rim around
the subject.
This detective scene (photo A) is created
without the aid of a fill light but utilizes one
large, hard light such as a Tota-light (Lowel Tota
Light, T1-10 $185) mounted with a silver umbrella. The umbrella gives a nice, specular quality of light while providing enough coverage to
light the scene and the profile of the figures, as
well as their clothing. It is placed to the side of
the subject and moved around until the effect
is exactly right. There is a second directional,
hard light on the other side of the set which is
placed behind and above the subject to light
the back of the set and just a bit of their faces
as well as their coats. This classic application of
noir lighting has been around for decades. The
key to this and most rim lighting is using hard,
directional lights to create clean, crisp well
defined lighting edges.
The guitarist (photo B) is lit with a similar
technique as the detective photo where once
Photo A
Hard Light
without umbrella
Hard lights can be a good imitation
of realistic light sources, representing street lamps or headlights. The
umbrella allows for one light to
cover the majority of the set without
compromising the rim light.
Too many beginners think that
a documentary is easier to
make than a fiction film.
Don't make the common
mistake of thinking you
can point a camera at the
street and by pure luck
the next "King of Kong"
or "Thin Blue Line" will
unfold right before your
eyes. The truth is that
great documentaries
don't just happen; they're
meticulously crafted.
Find your story and your
documentary will fall into
place; Videomaker’s
Documentary Storytelling DVD will help.
SynthEyes
3-D Match-Moving and Stabilization
Amazing New
Texture Extractor
“A high-end tracker for a
price even us little guys can afford”
Please come visit our website at ssontech.com to learn
how SynthEyes can help make your next project even
more amazing. Watch our many video tutorials, and try our
shots and yours using the free SynthEyes demo.
Applications: virtual (green-screen) sets, set
reconstruction and extension, stabilization, CG character
insertion, product placement, face & body capture, head
replacement, talking animals.
Recent credits: Avatar, Game of Thrones, Hugo,
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Terra Nova,
The Muppets, Water for Elephants, We Bought a Zoo
Learn more at:
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Andersson Technologies LLC
Doc-Storytelling_DVD_square.indd 1
contents
Runs on PC & Mac. 32 & 64 bit versions available.
videomaker.com/story
Hard Light with
umbrella
11/18/2011 9:39:53 AM
51
Lighting
Merchandise
april 2012
Look Professional While in the Field!
Musical Instruments
Photo B
Scrims
Silver Umbrella
Raw Light
Shooting
Through Scrims
Scrim
Raw Light
Shooting
Through Scrim
Scrims serve to diffuse light, allowing the
strength of the rim light to highlight edges
and create shadows.
again, a hard, directional light is used
for the rim, except that this photo
includes a large, soft fill light from
behind the camera to reveal his face
and details of the rest of the set. The
rim is placed about 20 feet away and
to the side of the set where it lights his
face, his arm, the book and the pencil,
providing crisp edge definition. If you
try to do this with a soft light such as
a large soft box, the light will wrap
around the subject and diminish that
crisp, rim light effect.
There is a second large light source
shooting through several eight-foot
scrims lighting the guitars on the
wall, the back of his neck and the
room. These are placed to the right
of the set and provide no lighting to
the front of the set. Scrims were used
here to soften the light but some of
the raw flash “leaks” past to provide
some speculars on the amp. This was
accomplished by placing the scrims
Photo C
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contents
With sunlight behind the orange creating a
bright outline, a mirror reflects enough light to
bring out the glint of the water droplets.
52
a few feet apart and shooting between them so some of the raw light
leaks past them. The fill light for the
set was lit with a 10 x 10 foot scrim
directly behind the camera providing
nice fill for the face and nice smooth
reflections for the blue guitar. This fill
light is a bit dark but that accentuates the rim lighting and gives some
drama to the set. A slight variation
of this lighting is used in the orange
photo (photo C) where the primary
rim light just to the left of the set is
the rising sun. An artificial light is
placed exactly behind the set giving
transparency to the leaves. The fill
is provided by a soft box behind the
camera and is brought to enough
power to reveal proper exposure on
the fruit. There is a small mirror,
which creates a hard-edged rim light
for the “glint” in the water droplets.
Windows
Another way to create rim lighting on
location is to use an existing window
as your rim light and a reflector as
your main light. The twist here is the
window light is bright enough to allow
you to use a reflector to catch the window light and bounce it back to your
subject for a nice fill light. There’s
something romantic about only using a window and reflector but it can
take a few tries to perfect. You will
need to place your subject next to the
window. The farther from the window
you bring the subject, the thinner the
rim light will be. Then you put a large
reflector opposite the window and
right next to the subject to create a fill.
Don’t be afraid to move the reflectors
as close as necessary because the soft
window light diffuses quite rapidly
and you lose “reflecting power” with a
diffused light source.
You might try a more efficient silver
or gold reflector. You can rotate the
reflector around the front of your subject for more fill or rotate it behind the
subject for less fill. You can also add
another reflector opposite the window
but completely behind the subject
to create a smaller rim light on the
subject opposite the window. Or try
raising that reflector to create a hair
light. This will really separate the subject from the background for a very
nice lighting effect. Whenever I set up
for this kind of lighting I always set up
an artificial light with a large soft box
or scrim. I do this in advance just in
case I can’t get enough “power” from
the reflectors for enough fill. That way
if things go wrong I can just power up
the light and get on with the shoot.
You can easily mix window lighting with your light for more flexibility and even use the color balance
difference for additional effects. Try a
tungsten light as your fill, opposite of
the window fill for a nice warm light.
Throw a warming gel on it and have
someone gently flutter a flag in front
of it for a romantic fireplace effect.
Whether you work with existing window light and bring in your
own kit as a supplement, mix and
match your lighting with the sun or
create dramatic studio lighting techniques from scratch, you can control
exactly how to express the lighting
you want as long as you follow a few
simple steps, plan ahead and allow
your own creativity to command the
video shoot.
Terry O'Rourke specializes in retail advertising photography and videography for clients worldwide.
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contents
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PROFIT MAKING
PROFIT MAKING
april 2012
b y H. Wo l f g a n g P o r t e r
Starting a Production Company
Starting a video production business
requires more than just composition
and framing skills or a large bank
account. It require thick skin and a
plan to fulfill your vision.
Starting a production company,
whether video editing or full video
production, is not for the weak or
faint of heart. You’ll need to do
research first... lots of it. Then you’ll
have to take into consideration things
like: How knowledgeable are you
about production? How will running
a company affect your family? Where
will your company’s physical location
be? Will you have to quit your job?
How will you support yourself until
you turn a profit?
Business First
Before you think up company names
and logo designs know this; startingup a production company means
starting a business. Running a production company is providing a professional service. How well you perform
your company’s tasks will decide its
success. The tool which outlines your
company is a business plan. Building
your plan starts with research.
Start out by contacting the U.S.
Small Business Administration. The
SBA can walk you through the process
of starting your production company.
They don’t do research or write business plans, but they’ll give you the
guidelines for what’s needed.
Other sources of information are
business and industry periodicals.
Magazines and websites can provide
specific information concerning business and industry trends related to
your company. There are also books
like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to
Taxes and Other Fun Stuff
Once you have basic information about the process of starting a
business, decide on a business tax
structure. The type of tax structure
ANYONE STILL IN BUSINESS
AFTER THEIR FIRST YEAR
HAS BEATEN THE ODDS.
will determine financial and legal
protections your company will have
in the event of litigation. Business tax
structures run from Sole-Proprietorship to C Corporation. Knowing what
type of structure suits your company
is a major factor in running it.
The outlook for startup company
success is somewhat bleak. According to the SBA approximately 627,200
new businesses started-up in 2008. By
the end of the year, 595,600 of them
shut down. Anyone still in business after their first year has beaten the odds.
We spoke with two independent
professionals who have beaten the
Starting a business
and profit for video
literature can be solid
places to start. These
two are relatively
cheap, and could
mean a lot for your
production company.
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54
Starting Your Own Business and The
Independent Video Producer: Establishing a Profitable Video Business.
Creative Director
R. Bruce Perry
odds. Creative Director R. Bruce Perry along
with Media Concepts Provider Hisani P. Dubose
sat down with us to show you the sweet and
the sour of starting a production company:
Videomaker: What inspired you to start your own
production companies?
R. Bruce Perry: I was inspired to start Intermix Design after ten years working in production. Working in broadcast production taught
me how the technical side operated. The corporation I worked with went bankrupt, so I was
faced with either getting another job or take
what I knew to start my own company. In 2001,
I dove into several years of poverty and all that
comes with starting a business!
Hisani P. Dubose: I didn’t want to wait to be
discovered. I am first and foremost a screenwriter. Sending scripts to Hollywood companies was
a waste of time because they wouldn’t respond.
Not to be discouraged, I took a digital video
course when [digital video] emerged. The course
went in depth about the process of filmmaking
and I saw I would fare better making my own
films instead of waiting to be discovered.
Videomaker: Was it difficult to get started and if
so, how creative did you have to be?
Dubose: Yes, because I wasn’t capitalized like
I should have been. I didn’t have the money
to do what I wanted, but I was determined. I
asked myself, “what was the smallest level I
could work at that would take me the farthest?”
I started making short films to get used to the
filmmaking process. I thought I had a handle
on things and then had to learn how to raise
money! I found quickly that if you don’t learn
the business of production, you won’t survive
and thrive.
Perry: Starting a production company is difficult. You’re going to need a lot of resources.
Most important, you must tackle the day-to-day
realities of paying the rent. We operate in an
industry where the technology changes rapidly!
Every day there is new equipment, software
and techniques. You must stay close to the
leading edge in order to be ready when a client
calls. So acquire what you can and focus on the
areas of production you can accomplish.
Judge Gunn. It’s
a documentary style show
which goes
into the lives
of people who
have gotten into
serious trouble
and been arrested.
Instead of a judge
sitting in a courtroom
passing judgment, the
show investigates how their troubles began and
how Judge Mary Ann Gunn may find potential
solutions beyond incarceration.
Dubose: We started off with shorts and then
in 2005, we produced The Vanishing Black Male
which won some awards and screened in a number of film festivals. Now my company focuses
on making feature films and book trailers.
Videomaker: How tough was getting the opportunity to make those productions?
Perry: I went from zero to where I am today;
being ready to take on projects. All clients care
about is, can you deliver what they need? It’s
about having the knowledge, experience and
technical expertise so when someone asks, “can
you do this?” I can say “yes.” Most companies,
including my own thrive on referrals. Referrals
come from your company’s reputation as one
that gets stuff done.
Dubose: It’s tough for independent producers
because everything is stacked against you. Professional filmmaking involves a small network of
people who bring people in on their projects. It’s
Media Concepts Provider
Hisani P. Dubose
contents
Videomaker: What types of productions do your
companies produce?
Perry: Right now my company is working
on a reality-based show called, Last Shot with
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55
profit making
profit making
april 2012
april 2012
advertising index
Acebil |__________________________ 47
Adorama |________________________ 03
Videomaker: Do you employ friends or family? If so,
what are the advantages?
Dubose: Yes, my son and daughter are talented
artists and I’ve used them in many of my projects
since they were teenagers. They’ve been critical in
helping me understand how to incorporate design
elements and even dance into my films. When they
became adults the issue of payment came up. They
both said, I had children because I wanted staff!
Perry: I also work with friends. You must have
alliances and collaborations when working in the
production industry. Rarely can you do everything
alone. Most of my friends are in the business and
if they weren’t around, I wouldn’t make it. Working with friends makes it easy when time comes
for signing checks and deciding who buys beer
for the wrap party!
Videomaker: What are the work expectations for a
startup production company?
Dubose: Learn the legal side of running your
company. Sit down with an attorney for a couple
of hours to talk about your plans. It’ll cost some
money, but it’s well spent. Also get someone
who does public relations work. If you can’t
afford it, form an alliance with someone starting out until you can afford to pay a publicist.
Publicity is important because once the work is
done, people need to know it.
Perry: There is an expectation you’ll be
working eight hours a day, five days a week due
to your talent and the glamour of being you.
Wrong! You’ll get out there and beat the street
for new business seven days a week. Others who
had their own companies warned my 9-to-5
business model would go out the window. They
also warned to be prepared to devote the time I
woke until I went to bed on keeping the business
going. Everything I was warned about came true!
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Tip: Don't begin with "Start-up" but prepare your startup company with the above steps. If you've got connections, seek them out while you are
consulting others; your network can be a strong basis for your company, and they may also be your first clients.
56
Videomaker: Describe some of the financial challenges your startup company
faced?
Perry: Overhead. You don’t have to
have a full-blown production company in a nice building with a receptionist starting out. I learned fast you don’t
need a company car or office. The
way to survive is keep your overhead
low. You can work out of your garage.
Just do what’s necessary to cover operating costs.
Dubose: When you’re under capitalized, you won’t hire all the people
you need. Even cutting costs by
doing everything yourself, financial
issues still surface. You need equipment, technicians, and don’t forget
office supplies! What about stamps
and shipping costs? Where is your
office going to be? If it’s in your
home, how will you set up workspace? It’s a challenge you seriously
have to consider.
Videomaker: What advice would you give
those interested in starting their own
production company?
Dubose: Be aware you are starting a
business. Take time to learn what you
are doing. Stay on top of your game
concerning the technical side because
that’s how you make your money.
Don’t ignore potential sources of income when it comes to your films.
Think of all the money George
Lucas made off toys, lunchboxes, and
games [from the Star Wars franchise].
When courting investors, you can
show them potential income streams
attached to the project. Keep good
records and take stock of what your
business has done. If the IRS comes
after you, you’ll need that information
to cover your back. Surround yourself
with people who understand what you
do and develop a thick skin. Lastly,
take care of yourself.
Perry: We are evolving into a
YouTube world. Cheap cameras have
reached a pretty good level of quality and the technology is available to
everyone. Now anyone can claim [to
be] a filmmaker and think they can do
projects for $300! Those are hobbyists.
Hobbyists make videos for fun and
that’s fine, but they are not professionals. If you’re serious about having a
thriving business, arm yourself with
the skills, knowledge and experience
to charge fees [that] are competitive
in the market. Don’t take shortcuts.
You’ll find yourself unable to handle
larger more lucrative projects because
you don’t have the knowledge and
skills required. What you know makes
you a professional.
Conclusion
Starting a production company is not
for the weak or faint of heart. You’ll
need to be knowledgeable about the
service you intend to provide, the
production industry and the day-today running of your company. To
surmount any lack of funding, you
BeYond the moneY and
hard work lies the joY
oF doing what You love.
must be resourceful, keep overhead
low and build alliances with other
professionals. Regular research will
be required for you to keep up with
both industry and business trends.
Make use of resources like the SBA,
periodicals and books. Your breadth
of knowledge will be what helps keep
you in, if not ahead of the game. Lastly, remember that you are starting a
business... your business. Beyond the
money and hard work lies the joy of
doing what you love, because you
love doing it.
For tips on market research for
your editing business, check out our
associated story in this issue on page
46 or at this link: www.videomaker.
com/article/15367
Writer-producer-director H. Wolfgang Porter is a former
U.S. Naval Combat Cameraman who now produces
independent film and published works.
Adorama |________________________ C3
Andersson Technologies LLC |______ 51
Azden Corp. |_____________________ 25
B&H Photo/Video & Pro Audio |__ 35-37
Dell Computer Corporation |________ C4
GlideCam Industries Inc. |__________ 21
Kino Flo |_________________________ 33
LCD4Video |______________________ 41
Video Guys |______________________ 22
Videssence |_______________________ 47
Videomaker Free Report |___________ C2
Videomaker Instructional DVDs |_____ 61
Videomaker Membership |__________ 27
Videomaker Merchandise |__________ 53
Videomaker Documentary
Storytelling DVD |__________________ 51
Videomaker Subscribe |____________ 42
Videomaker Subscription Alert |_____ 45
Videomaker Tips and Tricks DVD |__ 30
Videomaker Webinar |_____________ 13
Videomaker Workshop |___________ 06
the
hard to get in. We hear “digital levels the playing
field” and that was true... a while ago. Whenever
a new technology breaks open, you have a very
short window before the big guys get in. Now the
big players are involved in digital so again it’s a
fight to get in. But you have to use your head and
squeeze yourself into a niche as not to compete on
their level.
marketplace
Eartec |__________________________ 49
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57
AUDIO
Audio
APRIL 2012
b y Ha l R o b e r t so n
DIY Sci-Fi Sound Effects
Whether for Star Trek, Star Wars,
or others from the movies and on
TV, making sci-fi sound effects is a
fun, creative process that everyone
should try at least once.
Spaceships shoot through the inky
blackness, blasting each other with
powerful lasers. Inside the mothership,
other battles take place with guards
and intruders exchanging laserfire.
In a lonely hallway, a master and his
apprentice fight their final battle with
elegant swords made of light. You
know what movie we’re talking about.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope forever changed the way we think about
sci-fi sound effects. The sounds were
so perfectly suited to the action, it was
easy to forget that none of this really
happened. There are no laser cannons,
blasters or lightsabers in the real world
and each of these sound effects had to
be created from items found here on
planet Earth. The neat thing is that you
can make them, too, plus many others
for your next sci-fi fan film.
Sound Psychology
There are two basic schools of thought
contents
in sci-fi sound effects. First is the
mindset used for the Star Trek franchise sound effects. Here, we’re talking old-school, original TV series Star
Trek sound effects. The thinking at the
time was that this was futuristic space
and science. Since music synthesizers were still new and unusual, many
sound effects were generated inside
these devices. They were quirky, weird
and certainly had an out-of-this-world
vibe. This mindset was used in many
science fiction films in the 50s and
60s. Synthesizers sound like space.
Pick your app, just
make sure you record
as high a quality as
possible, since your
recording will need to
match or exceed the
quality of your video.
A recording-enabled
mobile device can
imitate many pieces
of equipment.
The result was weird, sometimes
sterile sound effects that could be
achieved no other way.
The second school of thought
is that embraced by the Star Wars
franchise. Although synthesizers were
used for many droid sounds, Star
Wars sound effects designer Ben Burtt
chose a more organic approach for
the majority of his recordings, from
the most basic whoosh sound effect
to Star Destroyers jumping to hyperspace and everything in between. This
involved taking ordinary, everyday
things and re-purposing them to fit
into a new world. This mindset has
two benefits. First, recording things
that already exist is certainly more
practical than building something just
to record it. Second, because these are
things people have already heard, the
familiarity connects with the listener
on a gut level. Done properly, these
organic recordings just sound right.
This is the approach we’re taking.
Get Out There
Many, if not all of the sound effects
you’ll record are away from the safe
world of your editing setup. That
means you’ll need a way to record
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58
audio in the wild. We won’t spend a lot of time
on this, but if your recording device runs on
batteries and has a microphone or mic input,
it’s a candidate. At the top of the list would be
a pocket audio recorder from Zoom, TASCAM,
Sony and many others. They’re great, portable
audio recording options for sound effects gathering and can serve double-duty recording during
a normal shoot. Next on the list is a laptop or
netbook. Loaded with audio recording software
and a USB-powered audio interface, this is another great location recording option. There are
also audio recording apps for the iPod, iPhone
and iPad. Used in conjunction with something
like the Blue Microphone’s Mikey Digital or Alesis iO Dock, you’ve just found another use for a
device that’s with you most of the time.
Finally, you can use your video camera to
record audio. It already runs on batteries and,
with a mic input and external microphone, it
should do a serviceable job as a location audio
recorder. You’ll have to separate the audio from
the video in post, but you also gain the added
benefit of a visual slate of what you’re recording. This can really help you on the path to
keeping your sound effects organized. However
you do it, get the recording gear together and
start listening.
Found Sounds
Let’s start with the venerable laser blast. We
could record the raw sound for this many ways,
but we’ll show you three approaches. Legend
has it that Ben Burtt’s version of a laser blast
was created by placing a small lavalier mic on
the guy wire of a transmitter tower and smacking the wire with something hard. Frankly, we
can’t imagine getting away with this technique
today, but if you know someone that can get
you access to a radio or TV tower, go for it.
Another approach is using a Slinky toy. Make
sure it’s a steel Slinky, not one of the newer plastic
versions. Suspend the Slinky from a light stand or
Tube It!
Striking objects is a
great way to create
sounds. Be sure to
vary the materials
and lengths, since
each can affect tone
quality and frequency.
something similar and stretch it till it just reaches
the floor. Place a microphone inside the coil somewhere near the middle and tap the Slinky with
something hard, like a butter knife. Instant laser
blast. Changing the mic position and striking object
will provide variations on the sound.
For a unique twist on this sound, look for a local stadium with aluminum bench seating. These
seats are usually a single extrusion 20 feet or more
in length. As a test, smack a bench with your open
hand, as flat and sharp as possible. You’ll hear
something that sounds a lot like a sci-fi laser blast.
By playing with mic position and strike material,
you can get some very interesting sounds.
If you’ve recorded much audio outdoors, you
know you’re always fighting the wind. Windscreens help a lot, but what if you deliberately
recorded the wind noise? This could work as an
earthquake, the aftermath of an explosion or the
sound of a passing starship. No wind handy? Use
a fan or gently blow across or into the unprotected microphone. Depending on your sci-fi,
try making unique sounds by mixing organic
and metallic objects. Remember our approach
that sounds add realism, well, the right ambient sound can literally create the world that
surrounds your story. Consider sound in the
sequence that includes a POV from inside a box
getting air mailed 3,000 miles across the country - lid closes to black, engines roar on take off
Digital processing is an amazing tool for any audio editor, but sometimes, there is no substitute for
some old-school brute force sound alteration. Try this: use your portable recorder and an external
mic, record some traffic at a busy intersection. Now, place the mic inside a tube and record the same
sound. The tube could be anything - PVC pipe, a carpet roll tube or even an empty roll from some
wrapping paper. With the mic inside the tube, the sound takes on a hollow, phasey sound. In addition,
you’ve also narrowed the pickup pattern. The narrow audio port captures only a fraction of what it did
before for some very interesting audio options.
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59
audio
A common and simple way to clean
up audio is to use a high or low-pass
filter. Applying a low-pass cutoff at a
frequency of 12,700Hz stops any sounds
above that frequency.
and landing, lid opens to a brand new location.
Pulling this off without access to a plane will be
difficult, but you get the idea - sound can move
your plot forward.
Engines and electric motors are also favorite
sources of sci-fi sound effects. Here’s an easy
example. Garage door openers have several
sounds going on when activated. First, there is
the sound of the motor itself. Then, there is the
chain or screw drive that opens the door. And
don’t forget the track, wheels and creaky springs
and hinges. All are potential audio sources that
might be just a few feet outside your door. Using a shotgun mic to isolate each sound should
yield some interesting stuff. Many sound effects start with the Foley artist and the human
body. Let's say the USS Enterprise just entered
a never-before seen nebula - the accompanying
sound effect exists only in the imagination, so
you could make it by gliding your hand around
in a bathtub of water. Just remember to protect
your equipment from yourself, water, glass and
whatever else is creating a sound you're trying
to capture. In this case, you become a performer
and your audience is the microphone.
Post Manipulation
Now, we move your recordings into an audio
editor. We don’t have the space for a full postprocessing audio tutorial, but that’s just as well.
A few fundamentals should get you headed in
the right direction. Your own experiments will
provide sounds that are uniquely yours. The
first tools in a sound designer's toolbox are
probably pitch and speed control. In a digital
audio workstation, or DAW, we can alter each
independently. Remember that sound that
didn’t have the “umph!” you imagined? Try
lowering the pitch to give it some extra heft.
In the same way, changing the speed of a clip
can transform a motorcycle drive-by into the
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60
ON
april 2012
scream of a passing star fighter. Experiment
with changes in both pitch and speed. Some
may only need subtle changes while others
can’t get enough.
Tone control - in the form of filters or equalizers - is another powerful audio processing
tool. Normally, when we’re discussing this type
of alteration, less is more. But in sound design,
those rules don’t apply. By adding or subtracting
sections of the tonal structure of your recordings, you can completely change one sound into
another. The simplest tone controls are high and
low-pass filters. With these, you simply set a cutoff frequency and the filter eliminates everything
below or above the setting. An equalizer can
boost or cut multiple areas of the sound spectrum. If you’re experimenting with one of these
tools, go crazy - you can’t hurt anything and it’s
easy to fix with one click of the undo button.
Time domain effects like reverb and delay help
place your new sound in a simulated space. Since
the recording was likely done in a different environment, you need these types of tools to put the
sound in the proper acoustic setting. Digital reverb
can simulate just about any space from a shower
stall to a racquetball court. Your ears will tell you
how much to use, but if the reverb has settings
that emulate physical dimensions, start there first.
Delay and echo effects are best used subtly, but
one of these feeding back into itself can create
some interesting effects. We could go on and on,
but you get the idea. This is the one time when
anything goes and you don’t have conform to
standards. Enjoy the creative vacation.
Your Sounds, Your Choice
Let your imagination loose and think of all the
familiar sounds you’ve passed by or even tried
to eliminate from your recordings. As you record
and process, develop a workflow for archiving
both the original and tweaked sounds. As you
build your library over time, you’ll come back to
favorites again and again, but you’ll also discover
new uses for other effects you didn’t like before.
With a portable recorder and some creativity,
you can do some pretty amazing things, so give
it a shot. There could be a new sci-fi sound effect
waiting to be discovered.
Contributing Editor Hal Robertson is a digital media producer and
technology consultant.
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THE HISTORY OF VIDEO
The World Gets Smaller
Every Day, Thanks to Video
b y J e nn i f e r O’ R o u r k e
As a tool for a television broadcaster or a well-moneyed consumer, the craft of video production was an elitist’s profession or hobby in the early days. Not only did you need to have the means, but the creative gift and the technical skills to
produce video. The first Home Movies were made using film - celluloid, and the consumer film camera only came out for
very special occasions. Many times one roll of film that would cover an entire year’s worth of events. When video arrived,
it was still a costly hobby or business; the average camcorders ranged from $1,500-$2,300 and their footage was horribly lacking in quality. From poor low-light abilities to limited color saturation and bland contrast, film was still preferred
by professional and serious users. But video has evolved tremendously from its cumbersome and expensive beginnings.
From huge shoulder-mounted camcorders to smartphones; from mega tape-to-tape editing suites to simple computer
editing; from VHS distribution to the internet; from streaming video to instant uploading, video has come a long way!
Timeline of Video Production Milestones
1964 –Videocassette for consumers idea developed by Koichi Tsunoda, a Sony engineer
1968 – Sony Portapak introduced as first consumer two-piece video recorder
1969 – Bell Labs develops the first Charged Couple Device (CCD)
1975 – Sony introduces Betamax decks
1976 – JVC brings VHS decks to market
1980 – Sony and JVC concurrently bring first consumer camcorders to market
1981 – IBM introduces the PC
1984 – Apple introduces the Macintosh
1985 – Sony introduces Video8 format (some sources say Kodak did this in 1984)
1985 – VHS-C developed
1986 – Videomaker’s first issue launched in June
1987 – S-VHS introduced
1988 – Hi8 introduced
1989 – “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, debuts
1990 – Newtek introduces the Video Toaster Flyer, considered the first non-linear editing system
1991 – First CD-burner
1992 – Sharp introduces first LCD screen for camcorder
1992 – First smartphone – the IBM Simon
1995 – Mini DV introduced by Panasonic
1996 – First DVD-ROM players
1997 – D-VHS introduced
1999 – Blair Witch Project FullPageAD_NEWTemplate.indd
– first successful movie48made with consumer RCA Hi8 camcorder.
1999 – Digital8 introduced
1999 – iMac DV One of the first consumer NLEs introduced (iMac DV)
2000 – Hitachi introduces first DVD-RAM camcorder
2001 – First DVD burner
2003 – Major camcorder manufactures standardize high definition video (HDV) format
2003 – JVC announces first HDV camcorder, the GR-HD
2004 – Panasonic and Sanyo release first flash memory camcorders
2005 – Samsung introduces the DuoCam – a still camera and video camera in one
2007 – Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone – one million units sold in first 74 days
2008 – Nikon releases D90 – First DSLR to shoot video
2009 – Motorola Droid released – 1.05 units sold in first 74 days
2010 – Apple releases iPad
2011 – iPad 2 released, with live TV abilities
2011 – Canon announces first 4K camcorder in its consumer lineup
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Jennifer O’Rourke is Videomaker’s managing editor.
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new titles
media reviews
by T ri s ha Co d e r
Video Production Handbook, Fifth Edition
Jim Owens and
Gerald Millerson
Focal Press, $50
416 pp. Paperback
I wonder where Video Production Handbook,
Fifth Edition by Jim Owens and Gerald Millerson,
has been all my life. I could have saved a lot of
money in college and a lot of stress on my back
from carrying hoards of books, if I’d just had a
copy of this one book. The authors’ goal is to provide an easily digested presentation on the basics
of video production. They certainly did just that.
This book walks the reader through every step of
producing, shooting, editing and distributing video. It speaks not only to the budding video producer who may be picking up a camera for the
first time, but to those who have completed their
projects and don’t yet know how to market them.
It’s easy to read, yet very thorough with beautifully illustrated pictures and diagrams depicting
everything from standard camera features to more
complicated instructions like the rule of thirds. The
authors add a nice touch including brief interviews
at the end of every chapter with industry experts
like writers, camera persons and audio experts. Too
bad it’s not pocket size. It’s a valuable resource to
keep close by. 5
5
Shooting Movies without Shooting Yourself in the Foot: Becoming a Cinematographer
Jack Anderson
Focal Press, $30
368 pp. Paperback
Anyone who’s spent years in the entertainment
industry will tell you there are several things
you should have. They include thick skin, a
can-do attitude and a mentor. Jack Anderson,
author of Shooting Movies without Shooting
Yourself in the Foot: Becoming a Cinematographer, fulfills that role. Anderson provides some
humorous anecdotes in the first few chapters
about how he broke into the biz and then
delves right into instruction mode. Readers will
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and tripod to what type of film to use. These days
it seems everyone is looking to save a buck and
Anderson tells you how to do it when purchasing
equipment and film stock. The book does get a
little technical after chapter 24 when topics like
exposure and lenses are discussed. But, don’t
stop reading. Even the appendices include important tips and checklists all should read before
they shoot. 4
Cinematography Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors, Second Edition
Blain Brown
Focal Press, $50
384 pp. Paperback
contents
Being a cinematographer entails much more
than just pointing a camera and capturing pretty
pictures. It’s a blending of color, motion, storytelling and mind reading. A good cinematographer has to know the thoughts and ideas of the
director, sometimes even before he/she knows
them. Blain Brown, author of Cinematography
Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors, Second Edition, uses
his extensive experience as a cinematographer,
writer and director to illustrate how to produce
a quality product. The reader is provided with
vivid pictures through Brown’s language and
brilliant illustrations of the perfect shot. He
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5 Excellent
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64
4 Very Good
3 Good
2 Not so Good
1 Poor
goes far beyond the typical camera movements,
showing the reader how to capture nearly every
shot, including those needing things like crash
cams and splash boxes. Blain shows that lighting
isn’t just about shadows and exposure as he dissects light and color even down to the tristimulus
theory, pertaining to the physiology of the eye.
The DVD included with the book is a great visual
aid including how to tie specific knots to secure
your equipment or how a waveform monitor actually functions. 4
Trisha Coder is an Emmy award-winning writer and television producer
with 20 years of experience in the television and radio broadcast industry.
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April 2012 - Videomaker.com

Transcription

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