lower thirds

Hello, SkaterGirl!

Recently, we were introduced to Digieffects customer, Julian Bleecker; photographer, digital media artist and founder of Hello, Skater Girl. We were so mesmerized by the imagery he created, capturing women skaters competing in the gritty backdrop of skate parks all over the US; we wanted to meet him and learn more about him and how he creates his art.

 

Digieffects (DE): Can you tell us a little about HelloSkaterGirl, and about yourself?

 

Julian Bleecker (JB): I moved to Venice Beach California awhile ago and wanted to get to know the history and culture of where I was living. I'm an over-enthusiastic amateur photographer. A camera and a lens provides a decent way for me to ask questions about where I am and who I'm around in an indirect way, which is comfortable for me. I stared shooting in the Venice Beach Skatepark because I knew that place was a dog-eared page of the story that is this beach town — the history of this place passes straight through surf-skate life and culture. It was an amazing visual-anthropology to shoot there and get to know all the wonderful and curious people and their stories about skating and the Westside — Dogtown, Santa Monica, Venice, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey. I became a bit obsessed with capturing as many facets of the life as possible. Almost by accident, I found myself traveling to shoot with skaters and at competitions all around the country.

 

I got to shoot at X-Games 16, which was amazing and daunting to be up close to incredible skaters. Towards the end of a long, hot, sweaty day of shooting and lugging around gear and being humbled by the other professional photographers, I went into the air conditioned Nokia Theater to cool down. The Women's Vert Ramp Competition was on. I hadn't even thought once about shooting any of the women's events. Why not? It's not an excuse, but I can only surmise that the bias of a year of shooting men unconsciously led me to ignore women skaters. Not shooting with women wasn't a choice so much as a result of the familiar systemic issue that skateboarding is for guys.

That day was an eye opener. The women were bringing heat. This was real competition. Plenty of thrills. Lots of air. They were 110% sporty. Competitive while also encouraging and supporting one another. 

That event was the start of this project. Through the Hello, Skater Girl project I hoped to distinguish what these sportswomen are doing without fetishizing the fact that they are women in a sportsman's game. Rather that they are women skating like women. I hope that these images in the book show a bit of that and their spirit and personalities.

But, I don't do this full-time, although sometimes it seems so. I'm normally a designer and technology guy. I work in the Advanced Design studio for Nokia here in Los Angeles and I run a design and innovation studio called The Near Future Laboratory where we figure out what could be, even if it's really weird.

 

DE: What camera equipment and software was used?

JB: I'm a Nikon boy by birth. I have a bunch of bodies from a D3S to an N90S. The lenses run the gamut, but mostly I shoot with the wider ones — 14mm/2.8, 16mm/2.8, 20mm/2.8, 24mm/1.4, but I usually keep my old trusty 85mm/1.8 handy. My go-to lens for the skateboard work has been the 24mm/1.4. I've been trying to perfect shooting it nearly wide open with an nearly black-out neutral density filter to let me keep it open in bright sun. The bokeh you can get with these conditions and a bit of luck makes the photography more portrait-like, which is an aesthetic I've been going for. The hyperfocal on wider lenses or slower lenses makes the images lack depth and look quite flat, in my opinion.

On the software side, I use ImageIngester and Photo Mechanic for the ingestion and pre-processing and then Adobe Lightroom and a big RAID array for cataloging and managing photos. The workflow feels medieval. Someone is really going to put sort this digital asset management thing and make it all work nicely. Right now it's harder than it needs to be. All the VFX work is done in AfterEffects and Final Cut.

 

DE: How much time is spent in post and VFX?

JB: I tend not to fuss too much with the images, although the spontaneity of the subject and the fact that its not studio photography means that the light isn't always spot-on. You're basically trying to take photos of very excited squirrels running all over the place and so you never really know what the light is going to do to you — clouds move, the sun moves, sometimes you shoot into it, sometimes its oblique to you. So it helps to capture images with lots of latitude for some corrections between very dark darks and very bright brights. 

I use Nik Software's tools to help with that sort of thing, especially their Viveza tool. When I find an image I want to use, I tend to spend a bit of time with it. And, if I'm using it for one of still life with motion animations, I'll spend anywhere from an hour to a couple of days working with it. Mechanically the DigiEffects Camera Mapper effect makes it easy to setup the animation. Actually getting an animation and camera move that's satisfying can take as long as you want.

 

DE: There are some really nice color and VFX treatments to your work. Which Digieffects products do you use and how did they assist the process?

JB: I used Camera Mapper for all the animations. That was the core tool for the animations. The Buena Depth Cue suite is great to work with. Although most of the depth effects I created in camera, things like the Depth tool allowed me to enhance the aesthetic I was looking in a couple of the animations with very few hassles.

 

DE: What features of the products did you most take advantage of?

JB: Camera Mapper makes it relatively easy to get a great alternative to the tired Ken Burns pan-and-zoom for still images. I mean — I'm trying to use still images in a very time-based media world. It was a challenge to figure out what to do and once I saw that sort of effect in films like The Kid Stays in the Picture and Riding Giants. Camera Mapper and animating camera moves that reveal parallax is a really exciting alternative to 3D that is more authentic to photography in a video format.

 

DE: Can you talk about any particular challenge or frustration that Digieffects helped with?

JB: It took me several tries to figure out how to make Camera Mapper work. I think I wasn't thinking visually and just following the steps as I understood them in the tutorials. I think I'll do my own tutorial. The moves I'm doing are quite simple visually so I think a tutorial would explain the basic principles simply. Camera Mapper set me up to focus on what and how I wanted to animate stills. After doing it many, many times I can imagine how I could do it without the plug-in — but it greatly simplifies the workflow.

 

You can see more of Julian’s work on his web site here: http://helloskatergirl.com Or check out his Vimeo page here to see more stunning videos created with Digieffects: http://vimeo.com/helloskatergirl

 

Julian is also working on a new book; a limited edition collection of photography and the stories behind the Hello, Skatergirl photos. He’s using Kickstarter as a way to get the book into people’s hands. To support this effort, please visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/221647184/hello-skater-girl. 

 

 

 

Universities, Film Schools Nationwide Embrace Digieffects VFX Plug-Ins

digieffects - Damage V2 from digieffects on Vimeo.

 

Film schools and universities around the country are embracing Digieffects, their academic-friendly policies, and their commitment to providing extremely high quality VFX plug-ins at affordable prices. As faculties and school administrators continue to grapple with dwindling budgets themselves, they're also seeing an opportunity to also teach their students another reality of the profession - doing more, faster and with less.

"Our VFX suites and a la carte plug-ins are affordable by design," says Robert Sharp, president of Digieffects. "And for the academic community, who are traditionally shackled by small budgets, the challenge of enabling and teaching their students based on the most cutting-edge post production technology on the market today is that much greater. So we sought to change all that."

And schools nationwide are responding.

"We've seen significant growth among our academic customers, and I'm personally pleased with this trend. A big part of why I do what I do is my desire to give back and remember all those who helped me get where I am today - I am indebted. And what's professionally gratifying for me is when I look across the extensive list of film schools and universities who have integrated our software into their curriculums. And the growth in academia is not soley due to affordablity; students today are not only learning how to use Digieffects to add smoke to a shot, or glow or muzzle flashes, they're also learning the importance of workflow integration, performance and working under real-world constraints. And they'll take that valuable experience with them as they enter this competitive market."

And if you take a look at just a sub-set of the film schools and universities that have fully embraced Digieffects, you see an impressive who's who in academia. Just some of the schools that have integrated Digieffects into their post production and VFX workflow curriculums include:

Angelo State University

Arizona State University 

Auckland University

Carnegie Mellon University

Claremont Graduate University

College of William and Mary

Columbia College Hollywood

Emerson College

Full Sail University

Gainesville State College

Hicksville Public Schools

Illinois State University

Lee University

Loyola Marymount

Miami University

Mt. San Antonio College

National University

New York Chiropractic College

New York Institute of Technology

New York University

Nile C Kinnick High School

Pikesville High School

Portland State University 

Raritan Valley Community College

RMIT University

Salt Lake Community College

Savannah College of Art and Design

Skyline College

Space Telescope Science Institute

St. Michaels College

State University of New York

Strate College Designers

Temple

Texas A&M

The DAVE School

The Grady College/University of Georgia

The Juilliard School

UC Berkley

UC Irvine

UCLA

UNCW

University of Cincinnati

University of Florida

University of Glamorgan

University of Michigan 

University of Missouri-Kansas City

University of Vermont

UW Tacoma

 

Recently, Digieffects formally announced a new program exclusively for academia. The Digieffects Academic Discount Program enables individual students and teachers to purchase any of the Company’s plug-in packages or a la carte offerings at a 50% discount. The program also offers discounts up to 50%, site licenses and preferred technical support to educational institutions. For more information on the Digieffects Academic Discount Program, please visit http://digieffects.com/buy/discounts.

Digieffects: Accessible Innovation

Digieffects' announcement today hones in on some very impressive technology innovation under the hood in their families of VFX plug-ins; Delirium v2 and Damage v2.  While Digieffects has amassed a significant fan base over the years due to their very high quality VFX at accessible price points (their plug-ins make your shots look incredibly high end, and their pricing makes it a no-brainer, must-have in your tool kit), one point that's been overlooked is their attention to workflow efficiencies. Bottom line is, for editors and VFX artists, it's not only about making your stuff look good, it's about taking the tedium out of the workflow too. And that's exactly what Digieffects AutoAnimate technology does.

DC Shoes used Damage to create a 70's look to their stop motion short, featuring surfing sensation Clay Marzon. Check out the short here...

 

Here's today's announcement:  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

Digieffects Integrates Sophisticated, Workflow-Enhancing Innovations into Delirium and Damage Family of VFX Plug-Ins

 

Digieffects’ Delirium v2 and Damage v2 Builds In AutoAnimate Capability Into Select Plug-Ins; Advanced Features, Technology Typical in High End VFX Systems Enables Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro Editors to Instantly Visualize Effects on the Timeline in Real Time

 

 

Wilmington, NC (May 24, 2011) – Digieffects® (www.digieffects.com) announced today it has integrated powerful, innovative workflow-enhancing technology into its family of Delirium v2 and Damage v2 VFX plug-ins, significantly accelerating the editing and VFX workflow for Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro artists. By integrating powerful AutoAnimate capabilities into several of its plug-ins, Digieffects is enabling editors and VFX artists to seamlessly drop an effect on any clip in a Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro timeline and instantly see animated results, in real time with no rendering. 

 

Typically available in high end VFX solutions not accessible to independents, smaller boutique agencies and students, Digieffects AutoAnimate capability significantly accelerates the editing and VFX workflow and eliminates the tedium of manually animating parameters of the effects to test their viability in the shot, which is typically an extremely time consuming and impractical process for editors and VFX artists on a deadline.  There is no need to keyframe any of the controls unless users want to adjust a certain parameter over the course of time.

 

“Digieffects’ AutoAnimate innovation is another example of how we’re empowering everyone in the market with very sophisticated workflow solutions at price points that fit today’s constricted budgets,” said Robert Sharp, president of Digieffects. “We have an extremely talented team of developers here at Digieffects that implicitly understand that VFX solutions are not simply about delivering visually stunning results. It’s also about delivering workflow efficiencies and eliminating the obstacles that slow our customers down. And we’re doing it all at a price point that enables our customers to deliver high value results without draining their budget.”

 

Digieffects AutoAnimate: How it Works

Digieffects AutoAnimate technology enables Delirium v2 and Damage v2 users to easily drop an effect onto a clip in the editing timeline and see the animated results in real time.  This significant workflow enhancing capability eliminates the need for artists to manually animate the different parameters of the plug-in to test the viability of the look in each shot. The manual key framing process is extremely slow and tedious and often takes valuable time away from the edit and slows down the post-production process. When the user selects the Delirium or Damage plug-in that works for the shot, they can simply adjust the controls within the settings and that effect will be AutoAnimated.  

 

Delirium v2 includes 45 effects in 5 categories, such as Phenomena, Color, Patterns & Distortions, Mood, and Compositing Tools. Additionally, the Delirium v2 family of VFX plug-ins are available for purchase individually as part of the Company’s a la carte offerings. Delirium v2 plug-ins enabled with AutoAnimate include:

• Bubbles
• Crazy Stripes
• Electrical Arcs
• Fairy Dust
• Fire
• Fireworks
• FogFactory
• Muzzle Flash
• Nexus
• Rainfall
• Smoke
• Snowstorm
• Sparks
• Stargate

 

Damage V2 includes 7 effects to artistically degrade footage, including Aged Film, Archive, Blockade, Destabilizer, Interference, Overexpose and Skew, and are all enabled with AutoAnimate capability.

 

Pricing and Availability

Digieffects’ entire family of VFX plug-ins are available immediately and are priced as follows:

 

• Delirium V2: $299.00
• Damage V2: $99.00
• Buena Depth Cue V2: $199.00

 

For more information and pricing on Digieffects a la carte options, please visit www.digieffects.com.

 

About Digieffects

Founded in 1996, Digieffects is a developer of visual effects software. Our software functions as "plug-ins" and work in conjunction with Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Boris RED and Grass Valley Edius.  We have customers all around the world including many of the best known brands in the media and entertainment industry.  We service a variety of other markets including corporations, government agencies, universities, non-profit institutions, independent freelancers and hobbyists.  Digieffects has also licensed its plugins to Adobe and Roxio for inclusion in their video software applications.

 

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Digieffects Helps DC Shoes with a Whole New "Look"

 

DC Shoes is one of the most recognized, skate driven action sports apparel brands in the world. Recently, the marketing and production crew at DC Shoes was challenged to come up with new, fresh ideas to reach these consumers. We spoke with Ross Haines, Justin Smith, and Dino Manuel who shared with us some of the details of their newest stop action short, featuring the likeness of pro surfer Clay Marzo. Here's what they told us:

After a series of focus groups with kids, surfers, skateboarders, and people in the industry, we learned they wanted something new and different, something they'd never seen before. So we got together to brainstorm some ideas and came up with the idea for a series of stop motion shorts, but with a fun twist, and one that captured the kitschy look and feel of old time monster movies.

We didn't know what we were doing, but we poured our heart and soul into it; inspired by Wes Anderson and his work on Roal Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox, and even the funky kung fu flix from the 70s, we had the most freedom we've ever had to do something weird and fun.

So when we were done, we had some really clean footage of a fun, unique stop motion flick. But it was missing something. It was missing that roughed up look. We wanted to make it look as close to an old school, vintage, scratched up film, but without looking obvious, cheap or cheezy.

And that's where Digieffects came through as the hero at the 11th hour! Digieffects did an amazing job giving the film the exact look and feel we were going for. This film was such a success, we're now working on series of 4 more shorts; and Digieffects will definitely play a huge role in giving us those classic looks that simply complete the look and feel of the movies. And our fans love them too; our FaceBook page is approaching 5 million fans and our YouTube Channel is the second most viewed and subscribed to in all action sports. So check out our latest flick complete with the help of Digieffects Damage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rEAgude9T8

Digieffects Boosts Support for Universities, Film Schools, Students

Digieffects today spread some good news among academia; this new discount program should make it a lot easier for schools and students to steep themselves in these powerful plug ins. Here's the press release: 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Digieffects Launches New Academic Discount Program with Special Pricing for Educators, Students & Schools

 

Digieffects Further Strengthens its Commitment to Supporting Academia, Making Entire Family of VFX Plug-Ins More Accessible for Students, Teachers

 

 

Wilmington, NC (February XX, 2011) – Digieffects® (www.digieffects.com), a developer of popular visual effects software plug-ins, announced today that it has formally launched the Digieffects Academic Discount Program, offering special pricing for educational institutions, film and design schools, students and teachers. Bolstering its commitment to academia, this new program is designed to make it easier for students and the academic community to invest in, and learn the valuable skills of visual effects design and their increasingly ubiquitous role in the post production workflow. 

 

With this announcement, qualifying schools, students and teachers will receive significant discounts on the entire Digieffects family of VFX plug ins, including Delirium v2, Buena Depth Cue v2, Damage v2 and the entire range of a la carte offerings.

 

“Digital media artists today are becoming more sophisticated, weaving complex visual effects into their day to day work. So the demand on schools, students and teachers to be on top of the latest, most advanced tools is steadily increasing,” said Robert Sharp, president of Digieffects. “While we’ve always been committed to academia, we decided the time was right to make it even easier for schools and students to invest in and steep themselves in our plug-ins. We also understand that the academic community doesn’t always have the resources to acquire the industry’s latest or most advanced tools. Our goal is to ensure that schools are well equipped to help students enter this competitive marketplace with highly valuable, marketable skills.” 

 

Transforming Curriculums, Preparing Students at SCAD

The Savanna College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia is one of the top schools for the fine arts, film and new media in the country.  The core of the school’s graphic design curriculum revolves around design thinking. This exploratory process encourages students to see differently, shift focus, look from multiple perspectives, and realize how perception influences meaning. At SCAD, graphic design is about more than problem-solving, as students take on the creative challenge of defining what the problems are, and what opportunities exist for new solutions. It is for these reasons the school has invested in Digieffects throughout multiple departments within the school, as the power, flexibility and versatility of Digieffects plug ins mesh seamlessly with the school’s core mission.

 

Professor TJ O’Donnell from SCAD comments on the versatility of Digieffects plug ins across the various departments within the school;

 

“Digieffects plays a significant role in the curriculum here at SCAD as we realized early on its value in preparing our student for when they enter the competitive world of the digital media arts. We use Digieffects plug ins not only for motion media projects, but to achieve results for print projects as well; effects and techniques that are far too complicated to achieve through normal channels in software programs like Photoshop.  We can then take these results and produce them through multiple medias - print, video, online. Our partnership with Digieffects has been invaluable, and their Academic Discount Program has made it that much easier to invest in our students’ future.”

 

The Digieffects Academic Discount Program enables individual students and teachers to purchase any of the Company’s plug-in packages or a la carte offerings at a 50% discount. The program also offers discounts up to 50%, site licenses and preferred technical support to educational institutions. For more information on the Digieffects Academic Discount Program, please visit http://digieffects.com/buy/discounts.

 

About Digieffects

Founded in 1996, Digieffects is a developer of visual effects software. Our software functions as "plugins" and work in conjunction with Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Autodesk Combustion, Boris RED and Grass Valley Edius.  We have customers all around the world including many of the best known brands in the media and entertainment industry.  We service a variety of other markets including corporations, government agencies, universities, non-profit institutions, independent freelancers and hobbyists.  Digieffects has also licensed its plugins to Adobe and Roxio for inclusion in their video software applications.

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Digieffects Launches Buena Depth Cue V2

Buena Depth Cue Marketing Video from digieffects on Vimeo.

 

This is a pretty big announcement from Digieffects today; it's been nearly 5 years since the launch of Buena Depth Cue and the team at Digieffects has been working hard to really amp up this version with some extremely high quality effects, 64-bit performance.  A free trial download is available here so be sure to check this out.

Here's the press release:

 

 

Media Contact:
Kevin M. Bourke, BourkePR
Phone: (508) 259-6018
Email: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Digieffects Streamlines, Strengthens VFX Plug-In Product Line with Launch of Buena Depth Cue V2

Digieffects Bolsters Buena Depth Cue V2 with 64 Bit Performance; Powerful Tools for Adding Realistic Depth-Related Effects to 3D Layers in After Effects

Wilmington, NC (December 10, 2010) – Digieffects® (www.digieffects.com), a developer of popular visual effects software plug-ins, announced today it is continuing its strategy of streamlining and strengthening its family of VFX plug-ins with the launch of Buena Depth Cue V2. Buena Depth Cue receives its first significant upgrade since its original launch approximately 5 years ago, adding 64-bit performance enhancements and providing After Effects artists with a sophisticated, powerful set of tools to add realistic 3D layers to their compositions.

Similar to the launch of Delirium V2 last month, Digieffects is bolstering Buena Depth Cue V2 with an updated 64-bit compatible code base, significant speed and performance enhancements, and a number of powerful plug-ins that enable After Effects artists to add sophisticated 3D layers with stunning image quality. New 64-bit compatibility also means that Buena Depth Cue V2 is optimized for Adobe Creative Suite 5.

“Digieffects has always been enthusiastically dedicated to creating the best VFX plug-ins for the creative community, and this is evident in the launch of Buena Depth Cue V2,” said Robert Sharp, president of Digieffects. “But we’re also fiercely dedicated to creating the best experience for our customers. Which is why you’re beginning to see a new Digieffects presence emerging – one that is more streamlined, focused and that better supports our loyal customers. We’re not only strengthening our product lines, we’re also streamlining access to them, making it even easier for users to understand which tools best fit their workflow and budget. Looking ahead to 2011, our customers will see continued effort on our part to make Digieffects plug-ins as accessible and affordable as they are powerful.”

Buena Depth Cue V2: Innovative Approaches for Creating Visual Depth
Buena Depth Cue V2 provides After Effects artists with an innovative workflow for creating visual depth in their projects. Using composition-based effects, such as Rack Focus, Falloff Lighting or Atmosphere, digital media artists can mimic Z depth in a unique way that cannot be replicated using practical depth of field. Buena Depth Cue V2 includes 6 powerful plug-ins for creating depth, including:

• Depth: Displays the depth of each layer in grayscale for use as a gradient map with other plug-ins or applications;
• Falloff Lighting: Adds realistic lighting effects to layers;
• Atmosphere: Shrouds layers in a light haze or a deep, murky mist;
• Rack Focus: Produces realistic depth of field effects and focus pulls, including simulating boke and anamorphic lens effects;
• Camera Mapper: Turns 2D stills and footage into 3D scenes directly in After Effects;
• Flipside: Maps one layer onto the backside of another layer, enabling artists to flip front layers over to reveal back layers.

Pricing and Availability
Buena Depth Cue V2 is available immediately and is priced at $199 for new users, and as a $99 upgrade for existing customers. For more information or to purchase Buena Depth Cue V2, please visit www.digieffects.com.

About Digieffects
Founded in 1996, Digieffects is a developer of visual effects software. Our software functions as “plugins” and work in conjunction with Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Autodesk Combustion, Boris RED and Grass Valley Edius. We have customers all around the world including many of the best known brands in the media and entertainment industry. We also service a variety of other markets including corporations, government agencies, universities, non-profit institutions, independent freelancers and hobbyists.

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Warm Up By the Fire: Delirium Project Files

Delirium Fire Samples from digieffects on Vimeo.

Digieffects' Delirium V2 Tutorial

Kevin P. McAuliffe recently completed a very comprehensive tutorial on Delirium V2 and the Lightwrap plug-in.  Kevin is one of the best in the industry, and comes at this one from a very practical, real-world-workflow point of view, so this is definitely worth watching.

If you haven't tried Delirium V2 and are even curious, you can download a free trial here.  So check it out!

 

 

DE LightWrap Tutorial from digieffects on Vimeo.

UPDATE: 2010 Cucalorus Film Festival

UPDATE: I failed to mention in yesterday's post that Digieffects is not only a sponsor of the event, they will also be holding a Visual Effects Workshop on Friday, November 12 at 12:30 pm at the Screen Gems Studio.  Details are here.  Renowned VFX artist, Mark Christiansen will join Digieffects' Robert Sharp in this workshop...so check it out!

 

The 2010 Cucalorus Film Festival kicks off this week in the port city of Wilmington, NC - opening on November 11th through the 14th.  Hailed by MovieMaker magazine as one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the country, the festival will include screenings of over 150 independent and international films.  The festival's hub will return this year to the majestic and recently restored Thulan Hall, with additional events held at City Stage Theater, Jengo's Playhouse and other venues around town.

 

From "Dolphin Glide," one of the 2010 entrants.

Complete details on the festival are available here, as well, you can follow the events on FaceBook and Twitter, or on the festival's official blog.

A scene from "Mars"

Digieffects, the creators of  dozens of industry-popular visual effects plug ins for filmmakers, is headquartered in Wilmington and is a major sponsor of the Cucalorus Film Festival.  As active participants in the local film community, this festival holds a special place for Digieffects president, Robert Sharp.

"When Digieffects set up shop in Wilmington, the filmmaking community - and the community at large - welcomed us and made us feel at home, like we were part of something bigger.  So it's hard not to get caught up in the spirit of this event, to participate in any way we can, and in a way, give back to the community that's helped make Wilmington our home.  I'm excited about  this year's festival; the line up of films is impressive, the talent is amazing, and it'll be tremendous fun.  We're proud to be a part of it!"

 

cuc•a•lor•us n., [orig. Gk. kukaloris, the dance of the shadows.]1. a film set apparatus placed in front of a light source to create a dappled lighting effect on a subject or background. also cookie, UK. gobo. 2. a film festival in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Cucalorus was founded in 1994 by a filmmaking collective called TwinkleDoon. At the inaugural event, crowds wrapped around the block to see 16 local films screening at a restaurant by the Cape Fear River. These days Cucalorus Film Festival takes place every November in historic Wilmington, NC.  In 2009 the Brooks Institute also recognized it as one of the "Top Ten Film Festivals."

Digieffects is a developer of popular software visual effects plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Autodesk Combustion, Grass Valley Edius and Boris RED. The company has been in the business since the beginning of the “plugin revolution” which dates back to 1996. Over the years, Digieffects has had great success with software products like Cinelook and Delirium and is proud to call thousands of film and video producers all around the world its customers and friends.

 

 

 

NEWS UPDATE: Digieffects Announces Highly-Anticipated Delirium V2

Delirium version 2.0 Overview from digieffects on Vimeo.

It's here and it's available now from Digieffects!

Delirium V2 Delivers 45 VFX Plug-Ins In a Single Package; V2 is 64-Bit Compatible and Optimized for High Performance

 

 Wilmington, NC (October 22, 2010) – Digieffects® (www.digieffects.com), a developer of popular visual effects software plug-ins, announced today the highly anticipated launch of Delirium V2, a comprehensive suite of 45 VFX plug-ins designed for visual effects and digital media artists looking to add high quality, affordable and visually stunning VFX to their digital media projects.

 After nearly 10 years and tens of thousands of active users since the original Delirium was released to the marketplace, Digieffects is bolstering Delirium V2 with an updated 64-bit compatible code base, significant speed and performance enhancements, and a number of new capabilities, including select effects from Berserk and Walker Effects. Additionally, with new 64-bit compatibility, Delirium V2 is now optimized for many of today’s most popular editing and effects platforms, such as Adobe Creative Suite 5.

 Delirium V2: What’s New

 As well as adding select effects from Berserk and Walker Effects, and 32-bits per channel performance, Delirium V2 also delivers 45 VFX plug-ins in a single package that cover six different categories of effects, including: 

• Natural Forces
• Special Effect Elements
• Color & Style Filters
• Patterns & Distortions
• Lighting & Glow Effects
• Compositing Tools

Mark Christiansen, industry renowned digital media artist and author of the book CS5 Studio Techniques is a long time Delirium user, and has been testing Delirium V2. Mark had this to say about the new release:

"Those of us who've worked with After Effects for years vividly remember the Delirium plug-ins, which were the pinnacle of the original Digieffects offering. Today they are back and I'm happy to report they're better than ever, adding many nifty functions; a few of which you might have been missing all this time."

“Delirium V2 is the result of an energized team here at Digieffects who have been listening closely to the thousands of loyal and enthusiastic Delirium customers,” said Robert Sharp, president of Digieffects. “There’s so much to this new release - a powerful, fast new code base compatible with all the current editing and VFX platforms, as well as a slew of new VFX plug-ins - I think our customers will be excited as we are for Delirium V2!”

Pricing and Availability

Delirium V2 is available immediately and is priced at $299 for new users, and as a $99 upgrade for existing customers. For more information or to purchase Delirium V2, please visit www.digieffects.com.

About Digieffects

Digieffects is a developer of popular software visual effects plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Autodesk Combustion, Grass Valley Edius and Boris RED. The company has been in the business since the beginning of the “plugin revolution” which dates back to 1996. Over the years, Digieffects has had great success with software products like Cinelook and Delirium and is proud to call thousands of film and video producers all around the world its customers and friends.

 

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