lower thirds

Tempo: A Red Giant, Seth Worley Production...Epic!!

Tutorial: Aligning Camera for mocha Hitfilm Users

Ryan Connolly of Film Riot talked about Hitfilm Ultimate 2 in his 2012 Filmmakers' Christmas List episode yesterday (awesome episode, btw) and since he spoke so highly of it, I thought it'd be worth sharing this well-done tutorial. It's done by Imagineer's own Martin Brennand and goes into some nice detail.

So if you're a mocha fan, and a Hitfilm Ultimate fan, check this out:

 

 

Quick Shots: Aligning Camera for mocha HitFilm Users. from Imagineer Systems on Vimeo.

Red Giant Presents: Tempo (The Trailer)

From the minds of Red Giant, and Seth Worley: Tempo

Coming soon!

 

 

Tempo - Trailer from Red Giant on Vimeo.

Red Giant PluralEyes 3.1: The Fast and the Furious..

Well, let's just say...fast! Really fast!

Today Red Giant released a new version of its 'blazingly fast' PluralEyes audio/video syncing software. Purchased from Singular Software over the summer, Red Giant has quickly reached some impressive milestones with this time-saving (and many filmmakers might call it, life-saving) piece of software.

Since acquiring the product line from Singular, Red Giant has released a version 3 for Mac which jacked up the sync speed by a factor of 20x over version 2; they're now coming out with 3.1 upgrade that adds MXF support and timeline sync for Avid Media Composer. This will make a lot of editors happy (happier). And a Windows version is in development - coming soon, as they say.

The press release is copied below, but you can also get more info (and purchase) here.

It's worth noting, when Red Giant launched PluralEyes 3 for Mac, they tapped into the talented and very funny (and Webby Award-winning) filmmaker, Seth Worley, to create a new short film in support of the launch called Form 17. True to Seth's sense of humor, the film follows a father/daughter team during a 'take your daughter to work' day for a school project. Thing is, the girls father works for the Bomb Squad defusing bombs!

 

Form 17 from Red Giant on Vimeo.

You can also watch the 'making of' Form 17 here. In this film, you see just how Seth takes advantage of PluralEyes to sync multiple tracks of audio and video from multiple sources, incuding an iPhone. So you get to see first hand just how this thing works, and how it fits into your workflow.

So defintely check out this amazing piece of software from Red Giant! 

 

Official Press Release:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Red Giant Ships PluralEyes 3.1 with Expanded Support for Professional Workflows

PluralEyes 3.1 Adds Timeline Sync and Native MXF Support for Avid Media Composer for Mac

Portland, OR (November 27, 2012) – Red Giant today announced the release of PluralEyes® 3.1 for Mac OS X, a new upgrade to the industry’s most trusted audio/video syncing software. With PluralEyes 3.1, Red Giant adds support for Avid Media Composer for Mac, MXF support for a more professional camera workflows, and a new time-saving workflow feature called “Do It For Me.”

PluralEyes 3.1 automates audio/video synchronization in seconds, giving videographers and filmmakers edit-ready footage without clappers or timecode, and with blazing speed and accuracy. The new release of PluralEyes 3.1 now offers:

• Support for Avid Media Composer: PluralEyes 3.1 now imports and exports its synced timeline directly to Avid Media Composer on Mac, along with Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro;
• MXF Support: PluralEyes 3.1 supports more professional workflows, adding native MXF support for Media Composer and Premiere Pro;

• “Do It For Me” Workflow: A new set of features quickly imports and organizes your clips. You drag-and-drop the clips as ‘Takes,’ hit Sync, and PluralEyes figures out their relationship.

“PluralEyes joined the Red Giant product family this summer, and we are still feeling the excitement from our customers,” said Drew Little, president and co-founder of Red Giant. “This software is an innovative solution that takes a very big issue for our customers — syncing audio and video — and automates it in seconds. That alone has a tremendous impact on the time and budget of every editor and producer. And now with PluralEyes 3.1, released just two months later, we’re bringing this benefit to an even broader base of filmmakers and editors.”


About PluralEyes 3: Revolutionizing the Audio Sync
PluralEyes revolutionized the post-production pipeline for audio and video syncing, allowing editors to finish their sync in seconds, rather than hours or days. Now, PluralEyes 3.1 is blazingly fast, getting the sync done up to 20x faster than PluralEyes 2. Other features include:

Sync features all in one place. Red Giant’s integration of DualEyes features has created a standalone PluralEyes application, taking audio/video syncing out of the NLEs and into its own work environment.  

New interface with visual feedback. A brand new interface offers more confidence with a timeline and visual feedback. Users can identify sync problems and monitor the sync in real time.

Bring quality control to the edit. New “test & tweak” features offer important quality control options like Two-Up View and Snap to Sync for finished footage that’s ready for creative editing.

Pays for itself in minutes. PluralEyes pays for itself in saved time on the first project, and is backed by Red Giant’s Red Pledge guarantee, giving support for all editing applications for one price.


Pricing and Availability
PluralEyes 3.1 for Mac is available immediately and priced at $199.00 for new customers, and as a $79.00 upgrade for Plural Eyes 2 and DualEyes customers.

For added convenience, PluralEyes 3.1 also includes a copy of PluralEyes 2 and DualEyes, which provide support for Mac, Windows and all NLEs. For new customers, these tools give instant access to syncing on every platform and OS until the free PluralEyes 3.1 for Windows update is available.

PluralEyes 3.1 customers will receive a free update to the Windows version when it becomes available, along with an update for Media Composer support on the Mac.

For sales and product information, go to http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/pluraleyes. For more details about platforms and OSs, go to https://www.redgiantsoftware.com/news/featured/pluraleyes-3-faq/.

The Red Pledge
Red Pledge is Red Giant’s commitment to customer happiness, with no purchasing hassles. Learn about the Red Pledge guarantee at www.redgiantsoftware.com/redpledge/.

About Red Giant
Founded in 2002, Red Giant (www.redgiant.com) creates an ever-expanding universe of effects tools ranging from plug-in suites, applications and mobile apps to Guru Presets, free products and sharing communities. We provide software for motion design, photography and color correction that is used for everything from major motion pictures to worldwide television programming to web production. Red Giant offers the industry-leading Trapcode tools for broadcast design; Magic Bullet Suite for color correction; and over 60 products that run in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, Avid, Vegas, Nuke, and Avid Studio. Our effects have enhanced dozens of feature films such as Angels & Demons and The Social Network, and added sparkle to networks like NBC Universal, ESPN, Disney, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV, and TNT. Join us on Facebook (RedGiantSoftware), follow us on Twitter (@RedGiantNews) and get free content at Redgiantpeople.com.

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It Actually is Easy Being Green...with doddlePRO

 

It's one thing when a company develops a product that has positive implications on the environmement. It's another thing when a Hollywood mogul steps up and not only talks about the environment, but actually does something about it.

I'm talking about Gale Ann Hurd.

The Hollywood Reporter's Etan Vlessing spoke with Gale about the importance of green technology on the set of her work (The Walking Dead, The Hulk). Here are a couple of excerpts:

In 2007, Hurd and her production team made The Incredible Hulk movie shoot in Toronto a green standard-bearer for Hollywood.

Actors were driven round in hybrid vehicles, set builders used sustainably harvested wood, and Hurd gave everyone a stainless steel mug to replace plastic water bottles and disposable coffee containers.

“We had a green department head meeting, and before the meeting we asked people to come with suggestions from their department,” she recalled.

Read the story in its entirety here.

The technology highlighted - doddlePRO. If you have anything to do with production, you should pay attention to these guys. Even if green tech isn't something high on your priority list (perhaps saving time and money, managing resources, people, logistics and keeping your tight, fleeting budget in tact are high on that list), the doddle Platform is an impressive one. Here's a snapshot:

doddle is based on a powerful platform developed by Mobile Imagination to create collaborative, mobile and cloud-based efficiency tools for businesses and creative professionals. 

 Today, the Company provides four primary offerings for the professional production community: 

 

• The doddle Directory for the iPhone: doddle is the first entirely free interactive, digital mobile production resource guide for the film and video industry. doddle is designed for anyone involved in the production process and provides easy access to key resources and information to help find anything and anyone required for a shoot - from producers, directors, photographers, grips, gaffers, sound and talent to information about hotels, restaurants, catering, transportation, even the local weather forecast.

 

• doddlePRO is a mobile, collaborative call sheets and productions planning efficiency tool optimized for the desktop/browser, iPhone and iPad.

 

• doddlePRO Online is a browser based version of the Company’s collaborative call sheets and planning tool, ideal for larger productions and teams coordinating efforts from a central location and communicating to its people in the field. doddlePRO Online automatically synchs with iOs devices and provides a powerful hub of logistical operations for the crew.

 

• doddleNEWS is a free online news service with daily industry news for the production community, reported by creative production professionals. It includes industry news for pros, reported by pros with the primary goal of delivering credible, valuable and relevant content for the community. 

For more information, visit http://doddleme.com. 

 

 

 

Facebook, in a Word... Meh

 

Is Facebook finally collapsing under its own weight? It it time to say goodbye?

Lately, I've been feeling it's time. I'm done. Maybe I am getting bored with it - I'm not too sure.

Then there was this announcement: Facebook is now charging big dollars if you want your posts to actually reach your 'friends.'

I tolerated the Farmville onslaughts, survived the 2012 (and 2008) elections, and the friend requests from people from my distant past, who let's just say, are in the distant past for a reason (no offense to nobody!).

But this seems to have done it for me. I thought about it, wrestled with it for a long time - 'it's the biggest social media movement ever! I have to be a part of it! What about all those connections, interactions? Can I just walk away?'

The more I thought about it, how I actually use Facebook - and more importantly - how my 'friends' were using it, the decision become easier. For me, social media is about connecting and engaging with people - mostly people in the industry. I want to share with them what's going on with me, my clients and general happenings in the industry. While I enjoy the sneak peaks into peoples' daily lives, it is really just that - sneak peaks and passing glances. There is no interaction, no dialogue. There was plenty of dialogue about Mitt Romney, Barack Obama - with colorful details and insights into peoples' political expertise and their solutions for what's ailing this country. Sorry. Ain't interested. In fact, I found it disturbing. I had to look away.

And I've been doing that a lot more lately. Looking away.

But what about interacting and sharing useful, interesting information in social media circles?

In a word - Twitter.

I joined Twitter when it launched, not sure what to make of it. In fact, I thought it was kind of goofy. But I gave it a try. I waded into the waters. Not too committal, just....observing, listening and watching.

And over time, I observed something really interesting. I watched as the post production/production industry embraced it. They were talking to eachother! Actual dialogues between people who shared the same passions and visions, and who were willing to help solve problems. Hashtag groups started to emerge. And not just the #OMGicantbelieveiatethewholepizza kind of hashtags. Meaningful, useful ones. Groups that started 'meeting' once a week to talk about any given topic, or to host a special guest. It was great! It IS great! And it continues to get better.

To date, Twitter isn't packaged, marketed and overly contrived - at least not in these circles of filmmakers, cinematographers, editors and VFX artists.

Hanging out with Stu Maschwitz a few weeks ago, he described Twitter as like going to a cocktail party, filled with interesting groups of people talking about interesting things. "I can wander from group to group, topic to topic, and just pop in to a conversation for a bit to see what's going on. I love that about Twitter!"

That conversation really got me thinking.

I'm spending a lot more time on Twitter these days, and less on Facebook. In fact, I've even been experimenting with Google+ as a possible replacement to Facebook - but that's another conversation.

But what do you think? As filmmakers/editors/VFX artists/cinematographers - are you feeling the same way? 

Tell me what you think...

 

VFX Artist, Sasa Jokic on mocha Pro

 

Sasa Jokic, New York City-based editor and VFX artist is a long-time Imagineer Systems customer and fan of mocha. Sasa recently launched a new post production collaborative called MASSIVE Workshop, Inc, and shared with us his background, his experience in post production,  and what inspires him. Sasa also shared some feedback with us on mocha and the new v3 release of mocha Pro.

 

On Sasa Jokic

My name is Sasa Jokic and I am creative video editor and VFX artist based in New York City. Even though I am a classically trained editor (I hold Master of Arts in Film and Video Editing from University of Art in Belgrade), I have always been interested in learning and using new editing and VFX tools.  As a freelancer in New York, it is essential to keep current with all post-production software developments. Because you never know where are you going to get your next job and what tools the new company is using, I have learned to work on all editorial systems, including AVID, Final Cut Pro, Premiere, Media 100, to name a few, as well as most VFX tools on the market. 

 

One of my favorite tools is Imagineer Systems’ mocha. It saved me so much time on so many projects and literally saved my job on some. I came to New York 1996 and did my fair share of work on low budget independent feature and documentary films. About 9 years ago, I decided to focus more on advertising, so I start working with many ad agencies as their on site editor and VFX artist. At the same time I started developing my relationships with the feature film world and working on visual effects for films. 

 

A few months ago I created my new company called MASSIVE Workshop, Inc. We are a collaborative collective of best-in-the-business post production talent - producers, editors, motion designers, VFX and 3D artists. The idea is to provide an ad agency with a full range of post-production services directly and on many operational levels. I am confident that our approach will change the way ad agencies conduct post-production business. That will be MASSIVE’s main orientation, but we will continue to provide superb VFX work to our feature films clients.

 

 

 

On Recent Work

Just last week I finished two commercials for Purina Cat Chow and Tidy Cats. I used mocha on a few shots for Cat Chow, and on all shots for Tidy Cats; shots that needed to be stabilized and tracked because cats were shot separately from actors. Here’s a clip:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxe5xLi2crc

 

mocha on Feature Films

Six months ago I finished VFX work for the feature film “Silent House,” directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, shot by Igor Martinovic and starring Elisabeth Olsen. It premiered in more than 2000 theaters last March in United States, and it is just about to start screening throughout Europe. It was a very interesting project from technical stand point because the whole movie is one continuos shot. As a result, there were many small imperfections which we needed to fix. Sometimes the light would be seen on the celling, or cameraman’s hand would slide into the shot; some shots had unwanted lens flares, or surrounding houses would be seen through the forest, which did not sit well because it is a horror film our hero house needed to be isolated!

So I had to do a lot of object removals and clean ups. Some shots had to stabilized, because everything was shot with a handheld. mocha Pro was an essential tool in my workflow and we used it in every single part of the shot I was working on. There were more than 150 instances where mocha Pro came into play. Footage was dark, shaky and in some cases, had lots of motion blur and noise (it was shot on Canon 5D), but mocha Pro did not have a problem with any of that. Planar Tracking was flawless, and new stabilization module in mocha Pro v3 helped to smooth some parts of the shot and still keep that handheld camera feeling.

 

On the Workflow and Integration with Other Tools

I used After Effects CS5 for compositing, and with Mathias Mohl’s After Effects script mochaImport. It was a great workflow because After Effects was able to import not just mocha tracking data, but mocha shapes as well, which are essential for rotoscoping. mochaImport with option to create stabilized precomp helped me tremendously, especially when I needed to remove many stuck/hot pixels which is a known issue with DSLR cameras.

 

mocha Pro: Solving Problems, Saving Time

I do not think that I would have accepted the offer to work on this project if I did not have mocha Pro at my disposal -- it is hard for me to imagine any other way. Tracking handheld footage, shot in low light conditions where most of the objects we had to work on are coming in and out of the frame, would be impossible without mocha and its Planar Tracker. With so much material to work with and on such tight deadlines, you need to focus on compositing and solving shot problems. So just knowing that you do not need to worry about tracking is absolutely irreplaceable.

 

mocha Pro v3: Workflow Improvements and Integration with CS6

My only challenge with older versions of mocha really came when I was in a big rush, and I did not have much time to export files from After Effects and than import them into mocha. At the time, I thought that was the biggest problem in my mocha - AE workflow. But now with CS6, where you can open a clip directly from After Effects in mocha without first exporting it - well this improvement made mocha 100% perfect. In addition to this, the new mochaImport script also has an option to send clips, including masks, in- and out points from After Effects to mocha – with just one click, so even without CS6, your mocha AE workflow is significantly improved. 

 

I am just about to start work on the movie “Red Knot” directed by Scott Cohen and starring Vincent Kartheiser and Olivia Thirlby.  All these improvements in mocha v3, and additions like 3D camera solving, will streamline my workflow even more and make mocha absolutely one of the most valuable tools in my workflow.

 

Evolve IMG on mocha Pro: Powerful Tools to Tell a Powerful Story

Joel and Jesse Edwards of Evolve IMG talk about the power of mocha Pro to help tell a moving, difficult story.

 

 

 

How mocha Thinks

Imagineer Systems' product specialist, Mary Poplin, posted some very interesting perspectives on the Imagineer blog yesterday. She's well traveled, meets a lot of customers and prospective customers, and what she learns on the road is just as valuable as what she's teaching on the road.

Here's an excerpt:

Every time I meet artists in person, I get these ‘epiphany moments’ from our users - some of whom have been using mocha for years - about how our software works. And what I realized is that many people don’t fully understand how mocha’s Planar Tracker actually thinks. Some don’t quite jive with the spline-to-track relationship, and none of these artists realize that all of these issues can be fixed with a simple visit.

I thought to myself, “how do I get this message out to as many people as possible?” So I decided to make an in-depth tutorial on it with lots of visual aids and clear explanations. And so I am in that process. The tutorial is in the works and being polished as we speak, but I couldn’t hold back anymore and wanted to tide you over with a much needed blog update that covers off some of the common questions I run into and attempts to breakdown some of the answers. So here goes!

Read the entire post here.

Red Giant Denoiser II Summed Up in 54 Seconds

If you had any question about the power of Denoiser II: