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Magic

WORKFLOW
14.875 in.
9
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15.5 in.
1
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16.5 in.
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Introducing Adobe Production Studio. Like everything else in the Adobe Creative Suite
family, its indispensable software completely upgraded, integrated and built to work
together as one. It combines Adobe After Effects 7.0 Professional, Premiere Pro 2.0,
Photoshop CS2, Audition 2.0, Encore DVD 2.0 and Illustrator CS2 with a new work-flow
feature named Dynamic Link to boost productivity. And its all here to help you save the day.
Better by Adobe.
The real heroes of the film arent in the film.
adobe.com/thehero
2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, After Effects, Audition, Better by Adobe, Encore, Illustrator, Photoshop
and Premiere are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
Creative Dir. Rich Silverstein
Art Director: Mark Sikes
Copy Writer: Mike Sweeny
Print Prod.: Jenny Taich
DA / PM: Rob Cribley / Gigi Maaliki
Act. Man/ AAM.: Mike Barbeau / Nathan Shamban
Pubs: Govt. Video, VIdeo Systems, Videography
Studio Monthly, DV Magazine, Videomaker
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. 2005 720 California St., SF, CA 415-392-0669
Client: ADOBE
Job # ADBE-178
Title: The Real Heros
Unit: Spread A

Bleed: 16.5 x 11.125
Trim: 15.5 x 10.5
Live: 14.875 x 9.875
APPROVAL INITIALS DATE
Creative Director
Art Director
Copywriter
Proofreader
Account Magr.
Production Magr.
Project Magr.
Client
12.05.05
A - MAN
168018
168018_A
Goodby
02.15.06
1
Je
INDESIGN CS
PRO. YEL PRO. MAG PRO. CYAN PRO.
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine
XDCAM HD makes me
a better cameraman.
Mark Falstad
Jody Eldred came to a similar conclusion. Im very impressed with the skin tone, the way the reds work,
the good detail in the darks and the highlights. I have
$
160,000 invested in my F900 HDCAM

package. But
the F350 really deserves to wear its CineAlta

badge. In fact, its way too good for a camera at this price.
Astonishing HD picture quality and an incredible toolset at an
affordable price... thats the new Betacam.
2006 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Sony, CineAlta, HDCAM, Betacam and XDCAMare trademarks of Sony. The New Way of Business is a service mark of Sony. Iditarod is a registered trademark of the Iditarod Trail Committee.
Its way too good.
Jody Eldred
The image that the PDW-F350 puts out is absolutely stunning, says director/cameraman Jody Eldred.
XDCAM

HD is the new Betacam

.
Eldred and Mark Falstad, both Emmy Award winners, took PDW-F350 camcorders to the ends of the
earth. Eldred went to Israel to shoot 1080/24P. Falstad went to Alaska to shoot the legendary Iditarod

sled dog race in both news-style 60i and documentary-style 24P. Featured on Sonys XDCAM HD Disc
Set, the results speak for themselves.
Falstad says, We shot pictures that I never dreamed possible. For instance, in the middle of the night
with only a hazy moon and no chance of making a picture, I simply turned on the Slow Shutter at 64
frame accumulation and we got the classic shot of a glowy tent in the mountains. And absolutely no
noise because I wasn't boosting gain. It was stunning!
To do time lapse, I put the camera on my tripod, easily set up the frame count on the LCD display and hit
the trigger. It was that fast. Overcranking at 60 frames per second, you can see slow motion of the dogs
paws kicking up snowand the ears and tongues flying. And you can play it back immediately in the camera.
The PDW-F350 gives me a toolset that I never imagined having, especially at a price of
$
25,800 [MSRP].
See Jody and Marks dramatic footage. Register to get your
XDCAM HD Disc Set at www.sony.com/XDCAM
XDCAM HD is The New Betacam
Client Sony
Description XDCAM HD Spread Ad
Publication AmericanCinem, BroadEng, FilmMaker, ICG, Videography, CreativeCow, SocOpCameramen, DGAMonthly, MovieMaker
Specs 14 x 9.75 LIVE, 15.75 x 10.75 TRIM, 17.25 x 11.25 BLEED
Job Number SONY # 2458
Art Director Anthony Bagliani / Christiana Mavromatis
Creation Date 6/18/06
Revision v4
Proof generated by Earth Color. Any
questions, please contact Production
Department at 212-564-2500.
E# 54214_XDCAMSpreadAd_V2_JA
Ad
Client: RDA Date: 06/26/06
54214_XDCAMSpreadAd_V2 6/26/06 4:25 PM Page 1
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine
H
ere we are again, the new issue of Creative COW Magazine. Yes, its
late as many things happened along the way. Those who know me,
know that I never like losing sight of goals I have set, so I searched for options to
help avoid delays in the future and a great one came our way....
The phone rang one day and it was Tim Wilson, who spent the last three
years at AVID Technology where he has been their Senior Product Marketing
Director. Tim asked if we had any interest in having him join the Cow Team? As
one of the smartest people we have ever worked with; one whose knowledge
of this industry, its people and its tools, makes him one of the shining stars in
the industry skies our answer was Are you ready to start today? He wasnt,
but it never hurts to ask.
Tims full-time help will surface in the next issue but he did make some
signifcant contributions to this issue and I held back the magazine, in part, to
give Tim a chance to introduce himself to our audience. You will fnd two articles
by Tim in this issue and watch for even more stuf from Tim in the days ahead.
Tim takes his bow here in this issues article on the workfow and tools used
by the Food Networks Good Eats program. He also penned the one entitled
Workfow: Table for One.In Table...Tim rates all the various suite packages for
what they have and what they dont. His insights and rankings may surprise
you.
Kathlyn and I couldnt be happier about the chance to reunite with Tim
Wilson. Tim is an old friend whom we used to work with and who grew from his
years as one of our forum leaders and writers, into his leadership roles at Boris
FX and later, AVID. Tim proves that when your focus is helping people and you
are willing to share what you know with others, great things happen.
This issues focus is workfow, the domain of maximizing existing resources
to enhance a companys abilities. Those abilities are found in people, not
hardware, except as an assist. Having Tim back on the team has allowed us to
kick around ideas and consider things that will enhance the COW to the beneft
of our members. There are many things on the drawing board, a few already
well underway of which some will be introduced in the next issue. We will
announce some of them in Decembers issue. Yes, December, as Tims already
fercely writing and wants to hit a December target. Did I mention that I love
working with Tim?
I sometimes joke that when you cast your bread out on the waters, it often
comes back as sandwiches. Tim has proved it in his own career and his return
brings some hearty eating for COW members in the days ahead.
Thanks, Tim, for the years of friendship and for believing in the Creative
COW philosophy and focus, one where its about people and helping them
become better at what they do. It is an honor to have you here along for the
adventure and to have you as a part of the COWs executive team.
Kindest regards,
Ron & Kathlyn Lindeboom
CreativeCOW.net
Ron Lindeboom
Publisher,
Creative COW Magazine
FINDING YOUR WORKFLOW: Its All About People
TIM WILSON LEAVES AVID TO JOIN CREATIVE COW AND HELP DIRECT THE SITE AND THE MAGAZINE...
Tim Wilson
Associate Publisher
Creative COW Magazine
JUMBOshrimp Advertising, Inc.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
ART DIRECTOR
COPYWRITER
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
DIGITAL ARTIST
PRINT PRODUCER
BRYAN BIRCH
BRYAN BIRCH
JJ
ROBERT AHEARN
STEVE SANTAMARIA
BARBARA TAKEUCHI
DATE & TIME
FILE NAME
FONTS
APRIL 19, 2006
AJA004A_DESKTOPAD_PG4CB.INDD
DIN, TRADE GOTHIC BC 20
UNIT
BLEED
TRIM
LIVE
SCALE
PUBLICATION/ISSUE
Page, 4/C Bleed
8.5 x 11.125
7.75 x 10.5, 7.875 x 10.75
7 x 10
100% OF ACTUAL SIZE
Broadcast Engineering May/June 2006
Computer Graphics World May/June 2006
Digital Content Producer May 2006
Videography - May 2006
INDESIGN CS
169149
169149_A
JSA
04.26.06
2
Rw
PRO. YEL PRO. MAG PRO. CYAN PRO. BLACK
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
WORK AND WORK OF ART
2006 AJA Video Systems
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE OUR
DESKTOP VIDEO SOLUTIONS CAN MAKE,
VISIT US AT WWW.AJA.COM.
AS PASSIONATE AS YOU ARE
VIDEO SYSTEMS
Attend NAB New York and access the latest
content creation technologies, the most cutting-
edge training in production and post-production,
and the biggest names in the industry.
Mark your calendars now.
Javits Convention Center
New York, New York
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I
n an industry that has often been
known for lavish helpings of eye
candy, its odd that its Next BigThing
would seem more the heart-throb
of accountants, than of artists and
editors. But the democratization of
video that exploded in popularity
with the advent of Firewire, is taking
another major step today; a step
likely to have a bigger impact than
anything that has come before.
In this article well look at some
of the players and some of the
changes they are bringing to the
production landscape.
Unlike some writers, I never
claim to have all the answers and
do not mind learning publicly.
What I have are many friends that I
can call on to help me ft the puzzle
together. And while there may
be a select few that already know
everything in this article, I am not
writing for a handful of pioneers.
Instead, I am writing for those trying
to make sense of all that is changing
so rapidly. To that end, I have drawn
upon some highly knowledgeable
people to help make sense of the
changing production landscape.
DEMOCRATIZATIONMULTIPLIED
In a nutshell, these new changes
are designed to remove the barriers
between individuals and their
content, between workgroups and
the content shared between them;
even between people that are
working together from half a world
away in realtime. Its one thing
to have realtime efects but when
the power of realtime meets the
production workfow, the big magic
can really start to happen.
Engineers have been hard
at work streamlining production
processes and crafting solutions
that overcome many long-
accepted production bottlenecks.
In systems like Avid Interplay, even
billing/tracking functions between
accounting and production are
supported. A big move for larger
facilities.
DV camcorders and Firewire
drives opened the doors of
production to a myriad of people
in the late 1990s. Like DV, todays
new productivity tools, media and
project management, tapeless
acquisition, DDRs, next generation
networks and other new tools , are
harbingers of a technological shift
that will redefne production, yet
again.
Whereas the DV Revolution
was about empowering the
individual, this revolution is about
bringing individuals together in
ways previously unimagined by all
but the dreamers among us who
will not take No for an answer.
The exciting part of this
revolution is that its a revolution
an order of magnitude greater than
its predecessors; this, as it draws
its power from the imaginations
of many, enabled to freely work
together. Sorta like the Cow, you
say? I couldnt agree more. n
Ron Lindeboom
Cambria, California USA
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 12 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 13
T
o begin to get the big picture of changing workfows and the ways in
which walls and limits can be overcome in workgroup settings, lets
look at the latest ofering from Avid, who introduced Avid Interplay
during NAB 2006. With Interplay, you fnd the king-of-the-mountain
ofering and the one with the most full-featured feature-set.
Arguably, Avids greatest strength as a company lies in their
oft-venerated powers in media management and their support for
workgroups. Interplay takes that heritage and moves it well beyond
anything that the company has done before. Avids President/CEO,
David Krall, rolled out Interplay during NAB 2006 and to say that it was
impressive would be an understatement. Why?
MANAGEMENT & SECURITY
This is a system that brings it all together: Interplay tracks, routes and
manages acquisition, fle management, raw and subsequent fle versions
and revisions, which programs were used and which people in the
hierarchy are authorized to make decisions and at what level. It gives
appropriate access to workgroup fles using passwords to insure that fles
cannot be accessed, deleted or modifed by your entry-level employees
or part-timers. It builds walls that keep processes allocated to those whom
you want accessing them and it denies them to anyone else. It can also
work with fles from applications like Microsoft Ofce and Filemaker, et al,
AVID INTERPLAY
www.avid.com/products/interplay
Pros: Incredible width and depth.
State-of-the-art capabilities.
Platform agnostic, works with
most all tools and systems.
Cons: Capabilities come with a
high cost that may be outside
the reach of many smaller or
independent studios.
Alternatives: None, though a
fewfeatures are found in syncVUE.
The monitor at left shows Avid
Interplay with areas of the screen
devoted to fle viewing, hierarchy,
access and information.
so there is a lot more going on
here than just tracking creative
assets from your Avid Suite,
Photoshop, Maya, etc.
One of the real secrets
about Interplay is that it is
application agnostic, so it will
work with any Final Cut Pro and
Adobe stations in your company.
Work with Quantel or Discreet?
It works with them, as well.
Interplay comes with a
healthy price tag, targeting
larger companies where this
kind of capacity costs them
less than the wages of a single
employee, in many cases. And
Avid Interplay administrative engine, where work begins
Avid Interplay, continued from previous page
14
can be taught to recognize others
which the system does not yet
support.
Once one of these fles is
added to the Interplay system, it
tracks every revision of a fle within
a project. The Interplay system can
alert you regarding non-completed
fles so that when theyre needed
at delivery time, they are ready, not
suddenly a crunch-time item.
One of the nicest features
of the Interplay system is that as
teams or individuals complete
their respective assets used in
the production, these assets are
automatically updated anywhere
the asset is used. While this kind
of functionality is seen in tools like
the Adobe Production Suite, e.g.,
it is taken to a whole new level in
Interplay.
Many functions of the
Interplay system work without the
user having to do much, beyond
importing fles into the system. For
those needing custom tracking to
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine
for what it does, I personally have
yet to meet the single person who
could do all that this system can do,
at the speeds in which it can do it.
It justifes its starter price of around
$18k for an entry system.
THE INTERPLAY STRUCTURE
While Interplay is broad in its
abilities, it is relatively easy to use.
It makes sense and the pieces are
where youd expect them to be.
It uses a module-based system
with optional modules that can be
added to enhance your system to
target specifc needs based on your
companys workfow.
The system is made up of the
following modules:
STANDARD MODULE
Interplay Access
OPTIONAL MODULES
Interplay Assist
Interplay LowRes Encode
Interplay Transfer
Interplay Archive
While the depth and range
of features will take some time to
memorize, the interface itself is
easily recognized and understood
by anyone with an understanding
of the fundamentals of computer-
based hierarchal navigation.
By using these navigation and
interface fundamentals, users can
access what Avid CEO, David Krall
describes as: ...tools for searching,
archiving, viewing, logging, auto-
matic transcoding, dual-resolution
encoding, and intelligent tracking
of multi-resolution proxy fles, all
of which streamline collaboration
between people and eliminate time-
consuming production tasks. In
addition, the Avid Interplay system
is open to any media production
environment accommodating
more than 100 diferent media and
non-media fle types and can link
to production tools from virtually any
other company. It does elegantly.
Interplay not only tracks over
100 types of fles and assets but it
Interplay Access, where fles are assigned, accessed, settings are made, and user access is controlled.
Interplay Assist, where fles are tracked and Metadata is controlled.
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 15
facilitate the needs of their studio
or a particular job, Interplay allows
users to add custom metadata
using the Interplay Assist module.
In Interplay Assist, administrators
can add metadata that expands the
project management functions.
Using Avid Interplay LowRes
Encode, users can perform functions
such as setting varying levels of
display resolutions for users. Key
editors and others who need to work
with the full high-resolution HD
fles, for example, can use full 10bit
HD 1080 fles. Those whose duties
do not require full access to the
high res fles, can be set to use 8bit
SD resolutions like DV or other less
resource taxing formats. This helps
studios maximize productivity on
their Avid Unity or other network.
One nicety of LowRes Encode
is that while users may be seeing
diferent resolutions, each user
calls the same fle in the folder.
There are not a bunch of diferent
fles in folders for each varying
resolution. The varying resolutions
are handled invisibly by Interplay.
Avid users expect Avid to
have strong media management
functions. Interplay Archive func-
tionality leverages large content
resources that many flm studios,
broadcast operations and other
studios have. Interplay Archive can
access both current and archived
fles across the system backbone.
The overall fow of the
Interplay system draws on Avids
fuid interface design, married
to its long-venerated media
management strengths. The system
does most of the work but also
allows administrators to expand
the system to support the design,
editing and other tools in use.
While some will point to Avids
AlienBrain acquisition as the source
of all this power, the truth is, its only
part of the picture. Added to the
feature set acquired with AlienBrain,
Avid has added the kind of features
and support that can only come
from a company that has made an
art of supporting workgroups.
As of this magazines printing,
this is as good as workfow tools get
and it has the pricetag to match.
n
C
reated by an editor for editors,
syncVUE is a workfow support
tool to assist reviewing video fles
via the internet, synchronizing
Quicktime movie playback and
viewing across multiple locations.
Introducing syncVUE
Imagine this: Your client is sitting
in their ofce, on the road or
elsewhere, and you are also sitting
in your ofce, at home, on the road,
wherever. Both of you are viewing
the same video in perfect sync
shuttle, jog, pause and youre
both looking at the same frame.
How nice would that be? syncVUE
goes well beyond being merely a
video player.
Connecting Through Skype
Before starting with syncVUE,
you must frst set up a Skype.com
account. Skype is a free voice-
over-IP / live chat tool. Your Skype
account name will be your license
name with syncVUE, so you will
need this information when you
register your syncVUE license.
Licensing &Transfers
One of the clever features brought to
syncVUE is the ability to extend and
retract licenses. So instead of asking
your client to purchase a license to
use this tool, or purchasing a lot of
licenses for a lot of clients, you can
purchase a few yourself and extend
them to clients as necessary.
In my case, Ive purchased
three licenses. One is permanently
assigned to me, tied to my personal
Skype ID. I also have two others,
bcmclient1 and bcmclient2, that
I can assign and move based on
an end date I have assigned each
license. At any time, I can clear out
a license and assign it to someone
else, by rotating the Skype name
to the correct client at the time of
a scheduled review. So all my client
has to do is download the syncVUE
player and log in.
Since the syncVUE license is
tied to your Skype account, you
can install syncVUE on as many
computers as you see ft. I have it
on my G5, Powerbook and Mac Mini
so I can use whichever computer is
most convenient. Windows users,
dont worry about me referring to
Apple products, as syncVUE works
just as easily with Windows.
Distributing Your Video File
First, everyone must download the
same Quicktime fle. The video fle
actually plays of the users own
computer, with syncVUE providing
synchronization. syncVUE works
with any Quicktime format, so the
choice of codec, frame rate and size
is up to you. Just keep in mind the
amount of time it will take to get
your fle to the client. Reviewing
an uncompressed 10bit HD fle in
perfect sync would be cool, but do
you have a week to upload it?
Walter Biscardi
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Synchronizing Client/Editor/Team Remote Video File Viewing
Intelligent Gadgets syncVUE
www.syncvue.com
Pros: Simple, powerful, low cost,
fexible licensing program, easy to
move licenses as jobs, contributors
or viewers need to change.
Cons: Supports only Quicktime, no
support for Windows Media fles.
Platforms: Macintosh OSX,
Windows XP.
License costs: $189, one; $179 for
2-4; $152 for 5-8; $113 for 20-25;
WORKFLOW, continued
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 16
Viewing Multiple Files
You can review multiple videos in a
single syncVUE session. Just place
the videos into a folder and have
your client do the same. How many?
As many as you want. Now go into
the syncVUE Preferences and use
the Browse button to fnd your
video folder. Remember to tell your
client to do the same thing.
As you send new fles to your
client, have them also put them
into their local folder which is using
the same hierarchal structure and
naming as your local folders. If you
and your client keep the media fles
in the same folder structure using
the same names, you can review
multiple video fles with your client
as easily as viewing raw clips in your
editing system.
The syncVUE Interface
syncVUEs interface is simple and
straightforward. It uses the same
basic VTR controls that users are
accustomed to: play, pause, stop,
backward. It also has a volume
control and time display. A side
drawer contains the participants.
There is also space for Locators and
Notes.
Inviting the client, or clients,
to join the review session is quite
easy. Once you add your client to
your Contacts list in Skype, syncVUE
refers to this list and then sends
a note to your client. Ive actually
gone ahead and created some client
accounts so they dont even have to
create a Skype account if they dont
want to.
After you set up licenses and assign them to Skype accounts that you
can move and reassign as necessary, you then invite these users to
participate in sessions.
You can have voice conver-
sations and if your computers and
connections are fast enough, it
works very well. Generally, you only
want one person to control video
playback but you can actually go
into a free for all mode where
everybody has control of playback
though that will cause issues if
you both hit something at the same
time.
Look Ma! No Hands!
Loading video is easy once you
have the Asset Folder set in your
Preferences. Once you select a
Quicktime fle from within your
Assets Folder, this will not only load
up the fle on your system, but also
on your clients computer at the
same frame. This is usually the frst
Wow! moment for clients. Hey
the video just popped up on my
screen. Cool!
The name of the fle appears
in the upper right of the player
window so you can verify that youre
both watching the correct video.
The timecode display also shows,
though you can switch that to a
regular Counter if youd like. Total
runtime for the fle is displayed next
to the timecode along with elapsed
time.
As you play the video, either
viewer you or the client can
place Locators in the timeline by
simply hitting the Tab key. You can
add a note to each locator as you go
along, or come back and add the
notes after youre done.
In the image on the following
page, you can see the locators on
the timeline and if you look at the
Locators window to the left, you
can see who added what. This is
great because I may see something
technical in the video, so Ill just
place a locator for one reason,
The syncVUE interface is intuitive and uncluttered.
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October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 1
Menu > Export Locators.
if multiple people must review
the same clip, have one person
review it, export the Locators to
person two, and so on. Then the last
person sends you the fnal export
with everybodys notes.
Final Cut Pro editors can
bring the locators directly into
their projects where they appear
as Markers. When you use the FCP
Export youre creating an XML fle.
Now make sure that the same clip
your client viewed is on your FCP
system. From within Final Cut Pro,
go to the File Menu > Import >
XML.
Youll get a video clip with the
locators converted to Markers. The
syncVUE notes are there and it tells
you who created the note. Again,
this is huge if multiple people are
involved in the review process.
The Verdict
This is the most impressive tool I
have ever seen for helping creative
professionals be more productive.
Its not a fashy plug-in or a super
computer or a multi-million dollar
suite but it is a tool that easily allows
for collaboration of people and
that collaboration is often the key to
a great project. Developer Michael
Buday understands that and now,
whether youre across town or across
the globe, there is now a simple tool
that truly fosters collaboration on a
grand scale.
Im giving this 5 out of 5 Cows,
the highest ranking we have. If we
had a Cow of the Year award, Id
put in my vote for syncVUE.
For more information, visit
syncVUE.com and skype.com
n
Walter Biscardi operates Biscardi Creative Media
in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He has 13 Emmy
Awards to his credit and is also the HD editor for
the Food Networks popular Good Eats show.
Walter is a longtime Creative Cow leader and
friend who can be found in our FCP, AJA, Silicon
Color and other forums.
while the client may see something
related to the content to review.
In the Notes window you can see
the note I added to verify the shot
used.
Youre free to scrub, rewind,
fast-forward, whatever you would
normally do when viewing videos
and syncVUE will keep all the players
synced to the same picture. There
might be a slight lag of a few frames
during playback depending on
fle size, computer and connection
speed, but whenever playback is
stopped, they all stop on the same
frame. You collaborate rather than
waste time asking are you looking
at the same frame I am?
Cant seem to set up the time
for everyone to get together? Or
maybe your deadline is just so tight
you cant spare those 20 minutes to
stop editing and review the video
with the client? No problem, your
client can review the video(s) on
their own, export their locators and
email them to you using the File
Locators are found on the timeline beneath the image window. Notes can be assigned to each Locator.
Special thanks to the Gwinnett County Communications Ofce for permission to use images in this article.
&/2-%2,9
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 20 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 21
WORKFLOW: TABLE FOR ONE?
S
o anyway, Ive been thinking
about workfow. Good thing,
since weve devoted a whole issue to
it. We see it applying best to teams,
smoothly accomplishing their goals.
Some of the software we discuss in
these pages can help.
Integration can be easier to
talk about than workfow because
it speaks to us as individuals. At its
best, it relieves the stress of too
many applications and too little
time, on every single job.
Think of integration as work-
fow for one, with each of the
integrated applications serving as
the members of your team. You can
feel integration. You work less. You
fnish faster.
Note that I did not say inte-
gration frees you to be more
creative. Ive used those very words
before, but the more I think about
it, the less I believe it. The most
that software can ofer creativity is
staying out of its way. Dont think
I take that lightly, though. Most of
us would give our gold teeth for
software that stays out of our way.
At least some of our gold teeth,
anyway.
The dedicated, talented, and
good-looking folks who make up
corporate life know you want it.
Theyve remade their products,
and in some cases their companies
themselves, to bring you better
integration. Integration may be
the only thing that excites them as
much as it engages you. Another
thing not to take at all lightly.
Today On The View
Like you, I have a perspective on
integration as a paying customer.
I was one of the owners of a small
production company for a decade.
Ive also worked for companies that
make and sell integration, giving
me a view from inside the belly of
the beast. Part of my jobs included
evaluating the competitions inte-
gration, with two goals: seeing if
there was anything worth swiping
(there usually is), and fnding
weaknesses to exploit (there usually
are).
Before I begin, note that this
isnt a comprehensive, objective
review of the major features in each
suite. This is my view of the lay of
the land.
Im not in any way speaking
for any companies I used to work
for, of course. Dont assume that my
opinions are held by even one other
person inside those companies,
because theyre largely not. But
one of the reasons why you visit
the Creative COW website and read
the COW Magazine is for strong
opinions. Here are some of mine.
Get yer score cards! Cant tell
the players without a scorecard!
Its not my opinion that there
are three major players in the
integration game. There are, and
thats all there is to it. All have some
form of integration among their
software applications, which is part
of what makes them major players.
Theyve all got diferent favors
of integration, however, based
solely on one thing: what theyve
got and others dont. If they dont
have integrated 3D, then you dont
need integrated 3D. If they dont
have integration via XML, then you
dont need XML. If they dont have
Adobe After Efects...well, you know
you need After Efects, so feel free
ignore the rest of their pitch.
Accordingly, part of every-
bodys grade is determined by
how well they integrate with After
Efects. Another part of the score
is how well they integrate with
third-parties. And of course, how
well a manufacturers products
integrate with each other. There are
a few extra credit points to sprinkle
around, too. There is no curve.
Neatness counts.
ADOBE
An automatic A since they have
After Efects, right? Yes, but thats
only one part of the grade. They have
a chance to lose points elsewhere.
Except they dont.
Heres one of my favorite
examples of integration. All DVD
authoring applications worth their
salt use layered Photoshop fles to
build menus. Adobe Encore takes
this to another level, as changes in
Photoshop automatically update in
Encore.
Its a simple example, but a
reminder of how many of their
applications we all use, tied together
exceptionally well. Photoshop and
Illustrator. Illustrator and After
Efects. After Efects and Flash. And
round and round they go.
Dont count Premiere out.
As Ive traveled across This Great
Planet of Ours, Im convinced that
its bigger than all other NLEs
combined. So what if many Premiere
users are professionals using video,
rather than video professionals?
Adobe still gets to count the money.
Premiere is also many peoples
entry into Adobe suites, and they
feel very, very strongly about it.
I also think having the former
Macromedia inside Adobe truly
represents the tip of an iceberg
about to scrape everybody elses
hull. Ill talk much more about it
in the next issue, but Flash on the
web is bigger than QuickTime and
Windows Media combined. Now
think bigger. Much bigger.
One reason everybody has
integrated suites is that Adobe
made such a big bang when they
introduced both of theirs. They
didnt have to. We were already
buying most of it at full price.
But Adobe even further assured
our loyalty, and vastly expanded its
already massive customer base by
thinking like customers, fnessing
the integration among their
products wed been reaching for, at
a truly compelling price. They set a
standard that will likely never even
be approached. You know its true.
Did I mention they have After
Efects?
ADOBE SCORE:
After Efects integration:
As we say in Boston, out the
wazoo.
Extra credit: Inventing
integrated suites
More credit: Inventing two
integrated suites
Even more extra credit:
Theyre both really, really good
suites
Extra, extra, extra credit:
The familiar Adobe interface.
What? More extra credit?
Getting taken over by
Macromedia. I mean, buying
Macromedia.
Final grade: On a scale of A
(abs of steel) to F (fabs of veal),
Adobe goes to 11.
My fondest wish for the
future: That the peeps learn to
spell After Efects (not After FX)
and Photoshop (not PhotoShop).
APPLE
Apple earns a full letter grade for
acknowledging that After Efects
exists, with some mild integration
between it and Motion. However,
read Wes Plates take on it in Great
Workfow for Good Eats elsewhere
in this issue for the rest of the story.
For editable elements passing
between them both? Automatic
Duck to the rescue.
From there, youd better like
how Apple apps integrate: its about
all youre going to get. As a Mac
lover, it saddens me to see the Mac
landscape become more barren
as Apple chases more application
developers from the platform.
Fortunately, each of the ap-
plications in Apples suite is strong
especially Final Cut Pro and
DVD Studio Pro and theyre well
integrated with each other.
Silicon Colors Final Touch
ofers the only signifcant native
third-party software integration,
but its exciting.
Things will get interesting
fast when Final Cut Pro fnishes
becoming a real Mac app. Adding
the FX Plug technology currently
found in Motion potentially super-
charges it.
Of course, it may also place
Motion frmly beside the point,
if theres anyone for whom After
Efects hasnt already done so.
The future has clouds on
the horizon. I fnd the long-term
prospect for professional video
hardware chilling. Matrox, Apples
frst real-time video card? Digital
Voodoo, roaring out of the gate
with 10-bit SDI? Cinewave, both
accelerated and making Apple
credible in HD? All you kids: out of
the pool!
Still, Ill never forget the thrill
I felt when I frst saw Macromedia
Final Cut doing dual-stream video
with nothing more than a Targa
2000RTX card inside a Windows
box. It was the frst time I had the
answer to the question whether
editing and compositing could be
integrated in a single application:
a resounding Yes! This is Apples
ball to fumble.
Tim Wilson
Boston, Massachusetts USA
Continued on page 39
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 22
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ditShare is not a SAN (Storage
Area Network). EditShare
uses a NAS (Network Attached
Storage) design that works with
standard Gigabit Ethernet for its
connectivity something you can
fnd on virtually any modern laptop
or desktop computer. Right out of
the gate, this is a marked diference
from SANs which require expensive
Fibre Channel cards and switches.
SDOPTIONS:
Contrary to popular belief, Gigabit
Ethernet, coupled with EditShares
RAID storage, is capable of even
uncompressed SD resolutions. In
fact, FCP users can play and edit up
to four streams of uncompressed
SD on a single Final Cut Pro
workstation,
running in realtime
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being modifed by another, and
also provides a simple mechanism
for transferring bin ownership from
one editor to another.
Version 4 shipped in
July 2006
and added a new system
design that allows customers to
install multiple EditShare Servers
on their network and manage
If you have been looking at networking your studio but arent sure about how youll
handle some of the complexities of SAN adminstration, then EditShare may be for you.
EditShare puts multiple Giga-
bit ports on its servers, so each
workstation can have its own
dedicated Gigabit connection if
needed.
HDOPTIONS:
For customers whose
projects require working with
HD, EditShare has systems that
use higher-throughput 10 Gigabit
Ethernet, with either long-range
Fibre connectors or short range
Copper Cx4 connectors.
SYSTEMFEATURES:
EditShare is the only non-Avid
storage solution supporting true
Continued on page 44
WORKFLOW, continued
Networked File Sharing Without the Complexities of SAN Administration
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 2 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 25
B
elieve it or not, you have
the ability to shoot flm-
resolution 2K fles, 1080 HD, 720
HD and standard defnition video
with any of-the-shelf digital SLR
(DSLR) camera. For under $2000
or less., thats a lot of capability at
a great price-point. So whats the
catch? Youre limited to time-lapse
photography and stop motion
techniques, but the results are
nothing short of amazing. Ill leave
stop motion to other articles on the
subject and well explore time lapse
techniques in this outing. With
some experience, you can shoot
time-lapse without it even looking
like time-lapse. When it comes to
this style of shooting, you can throw
your video camera out the window.
After reading this article, youll
see why DSLR technology can be
superior in every way imaginable.
Resolution
When it comes to time-lapse
photography (AKA, interval
shooting), there isnt a true HD
video camera on the planet thatll
out-perform the resolution, quality
and control of your standard DSLR.
The best HD video cameras only go
up to 1080 HD (which by the way
equates to only 2.1 mega-pixels)
and the media is fairly compressed
in most cases. With a DSLR, not
only can you achieve 1080 HD
resolution, you can even surpass
2K flm resolution with little efort.
With some professional high-
end professional DSLRs on the
market, you can even surpass 4K
flm resolution while paying only
a minute fraction of what a Grass
Valley Viper or Sony CineAlta rig
would cost.
Its not just a matter of frame
size that makes DSLRs so much
better than HD video cameras for
time-lapse, its also a matter of
image formats.
With a high quality DSLR, you
can shoot in RAW mode, which is
basically the raw data taken by the
image sensor (CMOS or CCD). What
this brings to you is much greater
fexibility in the post-production
process. White balance of? No
problem. Exposure slightly low? No
problem. With RAW images, you
can adjust image settings based on
the raw data instead of adjusting
the image based on an image that
has already been processed, like
JPEG. By doing this, you can adjust
your image with much less noise
as a result. Its kind of like working
with negative flm and adjusting the
levels before you create a print out
of it. But like anything that delivers
greater quality, a RAW image will
be larger in fle size than its JPEG
counterpart. But believe me, its
worth every extra byte.
Flexibility
Another great beneft to shooting
with a DSLR camera is glass. Nothing
beats picking your lens of choice
for a specifc shot in mind. With a
quality fast lens, the large DSLRs
image sensor can obtain narrower
DOF (Depth of Field); something a
DV camera can only dream of.
Another interesting aspect
of using DSLR versus any video
camera is size. Obviously DSLR
Using a DSLR Camera to
Create Time-Lapse Video
cameras are small when compared
to quality video cameras, especially
a broadcast SD or HD camera. I have
a photography backpack that holds
the camera, fve lenses, a large
selection of flters, fash, a nifty
notebook computer compartment
and miscellaneous items like
batteries, CF cards, cords, etc. All of
this is smaller than a CineAlta HD
camera itself.
Control
There are several ways to control
your DSLR. Canon has a nifty digital
shutter release controller (Model
TC-80N3) that works perfectly with
my Canon 20D. With it, you can set
interval times (minimum of one
second intervals) and the remote
will accurately snap away as if it
were you physically hitting the
shutter release button.
Another useful way to shoot
time-lapse is by tethering your
DSLR to a computer via USB or
Firewire. Canon ofers free software
to its DSLR users which controls
every function of the camera from
the software, including time-lapse
recording. You can even shoot your
images directly to the computer or
the camera or both!
If you anticipate shooting
frames over an extended period
of time, then saving your images
direct to a notebook computer (or
even to an external FireWire drive
for even more space) is a powerful
option. With memory cards at the
current capacity of 8 GB with 16 and
32 GB on the way, external storage
may not be required. As a point of
reference, I can currently get about
20 seconds worth of 24p footage on
a 4 GB CF card running in RAW mode
at full 8.2 mega-pixel resolution.
Speaking of control, Id like
to emphasize the use of shooting in
manual mode, in both the cameras
shooting mode and the focus mode.
Its very important to set everything
to manual or your frames may have
sporadic exposure levels, white
balance levels and so on. Dont use a
single auto-function on the camera
at all! This means setting your ISO,
your white balance, your F-stop,
your shutter speed and of course,
your focus setting. If you dont
know how to use those functions
individually, this is the perfect time
to learn (get out the manual!).
Format Options
So now that youve got a ton of time-
lapse photos taking up gigs of space,
what do you do with them? For me,
I throw the image sequence into
Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 25
This comparison shows the amount of picture information in each of the relative formats presented.
NTSC DV
720 HD
1080 HD
2K CINEMA
4.3 MP DSLR
D16 VIDEO
8.2 MP DSLR
CINEON/DPX
12.7 MP DSLR
4K CINEMA
16.7 MP DSLR
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 2
Continued on page 38
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 26 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 27
CONVERGENT DESIGN
4465 Northpark Dr., Suite 201, Colorado Springs, CO 80907 (720) 221-3861
www.convergent-design.com
Now, you can wear your super hero costume.
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 2 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 29
Great Workfow for Good Eats
N
o matter what a television
series is about, producing a
series is all about workfow. The
credits at the end of an episode list
who did a particular task, but how
they all work together is a story in
itself. For a small part of that story
on one show, meet Good Eats, the
top-rated Food Network series.
GOODEATS
Good Eats has been a favorite
show of mine and my wife, Rebecca,
pretty much since it debuted, says
Walter Biscardi, principal at Atlantas
Biscardi Creative Media. Walter is
also now an editor and animator on
Good Eats.
A large part of the shows
appeal is its host, Alton Brown,
aka AB. Because of his humorous
approach to the science of cooking,
Alton has been compared to Bill
Nye the Science Guy; and because
he builds many of his own kitchen
tools, to Mr. Wizard.
But hes doing more than
a comparison to either of those
suggests. He leads a highly irregular,
if recurring, cast of characters
in a wide variety of locations,
taking us all beyond science and
gadgetry to felds including history,
anthropology, pop culture, politics...
and cleverly-presented cooking
that also happens to be good eats.
With its extreme-angled steadicam
shots moving as quickly as ABs
patter, theres never been a cooking
show with style or content quite like
Good Eats.
Alton Brown: Pizza dough gets
its rise from the gas produced by
billions and billions of unicellular
fungi called yeast that chomp
down on the sugar in four-based
doughs. Have a look. [Shot of yeast
puppets loudly gorging.] Theyre
real pigs. And once their little
feeding frenzy is over ...
Yeast: [belching sounds]
AB: ... thats right. Yeast belch
makes bread rise.
The goal of Good Eats isnt
just to provide recipes although AB
does. Its mission as a cooking show
is to help viewers understand the
underlying principles of cooking,
giving them the confdence to tweak
any recipe theyre provided, and to
create new ones of their own.
As a television show, its explicit
mission is to entertain.
(Disclosure: my wife and I are
major fans of Good Eats. Its been
on Both First Run and Repeats/
Keep Until I Delete status on all
three of the family DVRs for years.
Wouldnt want to miss an episode in
any room. And despite a childhood
phobia of sweet potatoes that hes
never quite gotten over, ABs Sweet
Potato Wafes recipe is a miracle.
You can fnd it at www.foodnetwork.
com. Try adding pecans.)
Ingredients: Start with one Avid
Media Composer Adrenaline
Avid has been a staple of Good
Eats from the beginning, AB having
gotten familiar with the companys
NLEs during his years in commercial
production. Ginger Cassell is the
shows Avid editor, and the post-
production process begins as tapes
come out of the camera to her.
The HD footage for Good
Eats is shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
However, The Food Network prefers
that SD versions of shows fll the
frame. So while Media Composer
ofers a number of real-time tools
for aspect ratio manangement,
Ginger and company use their
decks down-conversion to capture
a center punch to uncompressed SD
over SDI.
With ABs input, Ginger
completes a rough cut of each
episode, which is then sent to the
network for review. Once her SD edit
locks picture, she sends it to audio
post for both music and efects.
After editing in the fnished audio,
her master becomes the version
that airs on The Food Networks
standard def feed. It also becomes
the basis of the HD version that
Walter creates.
Keep Things Fresh with Liberal
Amounts of Audio Tools
While grudgingly acknowledging
the usefulness of an olive pitter,
Alton Brown famously has no use
for kitchen unitaskers.
Patrick Beldens multi-tasking
toolset for audio post starts with
Digidesign Pro Tools. I have serial
number 6, he laughs. Ive been
using Pro Tools for a looooong time.
Thats for mixing and sound design.
But for music creation, I use Apple
Logic. And at Belden Music and
Sound, Patrick creates a lot of music
for Good Eats, playing all the
instruments himself nearly 100
diferent instruments so far.
He starts with a QuickTime
movie and an OMF fle of the
episode that Ginger sends him. The
Open Media Framework (OMF) was
created because, even after evolving
through a number of formats, the
edit decision list (EDL) provides
too little information to be useful
in most contemporary production.
An OMF fle (usually called simply
an OMF in conversation) describes
everything about an entire show,
including video formats, many
efects, audio, and more.
The OMF Patrick gets from
Ginger gives him the information he
needs to supplement the reference
QuickTime for adding sound efects
and writing each episodes original
music.
One of the most distinctive
elements of Good Eats is the
tidbits, bits of trivia or technical
information that serve as bump-
outs to commercial and sometimes
it back to the Good Eats server.
Ginger fnishes her 4-channel mix
for the network by laying down
Patricks stereo mix on channels 1
and 2, with a split mix (one channel
for voice, the other for music and
efects) on channels 3 and 4.
Add Apple Final Cut Pro for HD
The OMF technology that connects
Gingers Media Composer with
Patricks Pro Tools and Logic systems
also connects the SD master to
Walters HD post in Final Cut Pro.
With Avid playing such a central
role in the SD production of Good
Eats, a frequent question is why
they didnt upgrade their Media
Composers to HD. The short answer
is Walter. I already had the HD
editing and color correction gear.
And I also developed the entire HD
post process so it was easy enough
to just let me handle the actual HD
post for the show.
The hand-of between systems
is handled by software from
Automatic Duck Inc., which Walter
uses to convert an Avid timeline to
a Final Cut Pro timeline. OMF allows
Automatic Duck software to provide
information about the edits, but also
titles, a variety of efects, keyframes
for both video and audio, and more.
This let Walter recapture Gingers SD
edit from Avid as HD in Final Cut Pro
in about an hour, with perfect sync.
Automatic Duck makes that part
of the process easy, although Walter
admits that they started down the
old-school path of passing cutlists.
I hate EDLs, he says. Theyre more
trouble than theyre worth, and I can
work faster with a simple printout
of the In/Out points. Not as fast
as with Automatic Duck, of course.
(See sidebar, Enabling workfow
with Automatic Duck.)
To get good eats, you have to
experiment
Wed heard rumors that
HD might be coming [to The
Food Network], so we decided
to start moving production in
that direction, recalls the shows
producer Dana Popof. By the time
the network came to us to talk about
HD, we were ready.
Getting ready took time. One
of the frst challenges Dana noted
as transitions between scenes.
Patricks music for these is based
on the shows ten-note opening
theme.
In the frst season, we used
the same music for all of them, and
it drove us all crazy. Each season
is divided into three sections, and
for each of those segments, Patrick
creates 8 or 9 new variations on the
shows theme. I have over 600 of
them, he laughs again, although
to be honest, I lost count a long
time ago. Theyre in the bump-outs
and tidbits, in the Muzak as Alton
wanders around diferent locations,
and all kinds of other places.
For an episode on peaches,
theres a bit where Alton plays
a character in China, with the
appropriate costume. Hes holding
a peach, then tosses it to himself
playing a costumed character in
Persia and so on. I created original
music for each of the nations, then
blended them with the shows
theme music, he says. The peach
ends up in the South, where I
combined the show theme with The
Battle Hymn of The Republic.
Sometimes, entirely original
compositions are the only way to
go. For the same peach episode, I
needed to create an opera. I had a
few vocal samples, but no music,
so I had to write that from scratch.
Other uses of original music include
themes for each recurring character
and the animations used on many
episodes.
After doing every Good Eats
episodes since the pilot, I have
ten seasons of elements that Ive
written available to me, but at least
2 or 3 episodes a season, I try to use
nothing but original music to keep
things fresh.
A fnal musical note: more than
a few people have noticed ABs
uncanny resemblance to musician
Thomas Dolby. Alton occasionally
refers to being blinded by science,
and Patrick admits to sneaking a
few notes from that song into the
mix now and again.
Having now done this for a
while, Patrick can generally turn
around his fnished mix balanced
audio, original music and sound
efects -- in 3-4 days, when he posts
Walter Biscardis HD studio set-up where he works on Good Eats.
Tim Wilson
Boston, Massachusetts USA
GOOD EATS:
Exploring the workfow of the Food Networks popular program
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 30
was the aspect ratio itself. We use
a lot of extreme angles and a lot
of movement with our Steadicams
on Good Eats. Shooting 16:9 was
a little limiting at frst because you
could see past the edge of the sets.
She also notes that HD production
required diferent lighting, among
other reasons to account for
the diferent color space of HD
compared to DV, their previous
format.
Steep the HD Footage in the
Panasonic Varicam
What about the cameras used?
In 2004, there was already a buzz
building around Panasonic Varicam.
It allows DVCPRO HD to be captured
at 720p with a framerate anywhere
between 4 and 60 fps, for flm-style
shooting fexibility at a lower price
than had been seen before. The
problem was that only a handful of
people were actually using it then.
The frst thing we found is
that theres a lot of misinformation
about HD. Many of those who think
they know everything there is to
know about HD, dont, says Walter.
The only way to ensure that what
youre doing is going to work for
your client, especially when youre
dealing with a broadcast network,
is to test, test and then test some
more.
Although the frst tests and the
frst handful of HD episodes were
shot in 24p, Good Eats director of
photography Marion Laney, Alton
and the network all agreed that 24p
with flm gamma was too soft. As
Marion continued to experiment,
he found the right balance of frame
rates, shutter speeds, flters and
other secret sauce to maintain a flm
look, only sharper. They settled on
720/30p acquisition in DVCPRO HD,
setting up output to 59.94 HDCAM.
Walters quest for a production
format needed its own series of
experiments. With HDCAM specifed
for fnal delivery, he was encouraged
to work in uncompressed for
maximum quality. However, after
adding transitions, color correction
and graphic overlays to his edit,
Walter found that even close
examination on HD scopes showed
only minimal diferences between
uncompressed HD and DVCPRO HD
certainly not anything that would
still be visible by the time it reached
viewers. Dana came in and saw the
same thing, he says.
Another beneft of the choice
to go with DVCPRO HD is that Walter
can keep half a season on his drives
at once, a major workfow boost.
Season to taste using Adobe
Photoshop and After Efects
In addition to editing, Walter spices
up Good Eats with graphics and
titles, and, for many episodes, Monty
Python-inspired animations.
(Good Eats devotees will tell
you that while herbs come strictly
from the leaves of plants, spices
come from other parts of the plant,
including seeds, roots, and bark.
Theyll tell you even if you dont
ask.)
Something as simple as a
static on-screen super may not be
as simple as it appears, says Walter.
The show uses a funky font with
a simple black glow around the
edges of the text for the lower
thirds, and a white glow for the full
screen graphics. I had problems
with both the Text and the Boris
Text 3D generators in Final Cut Pro:
neither one likes the i in that font.
The glow around that letter just
wouldnt take at all. It looked like we
hadnt applied anything to it.
We ended up creating all the
graphics in Photoshop instead,
which also wound up helping our
workfow. We now create all the
graphics typically 30-50 for each
episode -- in one Photoshop fle, in
order of appearance. Then I simply
import that Photoshop fle as a
timeline in Final Cut Pro.
Also smoothing workfow is
that all graphics work is done on a
separate workstation while Walter
edits. Likewise, he doesnt overthink
integration between his NLE and
After Efects. Rather than sending
full sequences back and forth, he
most often uses After Efects in
conjunction with Photoshop for
animations, without touching the
edit at all.
While the animations
intentionally look simple, they most
defnitely are not. Even working
with Atlanta-based graphic artist
Brian Mead, these animations can
take the better part of a month to
create. One of the most difcult
animations came in the Raising
the Bar episode last year which
featured The History of Cocktails
in 60 seconds, says Walter. It was
a whirlwind tour from colonial days
to today and had well over 400
elements.
The secret ingredient for many
of these animations? Cast photos.
Walter points out that every
member of the crew is expected to
appear on the show in some form.
But there are certain folks who
cant appear [on camera] because
Walter Biscardi, Dana Popof, and a friend on the set of Good Eats
...continued on page 40
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 32 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 33
W
hen HDV appeared, the
market was overjoyed at the
thought of shooting and editing
in HD with cameras that cost less
than a new Mercedes Benz. Down-
conversion of HDV to DV is an
available option with the cameras
as well. HDV cameras can record
DV25, and many of them can down-
convert HDV recordings to DV
during playback. It can be beautiful
DV as well, easing the transition to
HD with the format.
WHAT IS HDV?
HDV is an MPEG-2 recording format.
Only a few of the frames that are in
the recording actually contain all
the information about each pixel
in it. For example, if you shoot with
Sonys HDV cameras in the 1080i
format only 1 in 15 frames actually
contain all of the data that builds an
entire frame. In fact, Final Cut Pro
can only deal with this particular
favor of HDV, called a long GOP
(Group of Pictures) structure. This
situation exists in all HDV recordings
regardless of format, including
formats that require transcoding.
JVC and Canon cameras require
Lumiere HD to work in their 24 frame
formats, which use a shorter GOP
structure, and FCP cant work with
this media directly. This condition
creates processor intensive over-
head and possible transcoding
procedures through a third-party
application, thus rendering and
set-up times might be longer, and
extra disk space is required. But, the
faster the Mac, the less painful the
rendering time is and scratch disks
are less expensive all the time.
CAPTURING
There are two ways to handle
HDV-acquired footage: one, in the
native format; the other, by down-
converting your footage to the DV
format. For DV, all you do is set-up
your computer to capture DV, and
set your camera or deck to down-
convert the HDV tapes playback on
the fy to DV. Piece of cake.
To set-up your computer to
capture and edit HDV natively, its
as easy as selecting the HDV easy
set-up from the Final Cut Pro menu.
See Figure 1.
When you want to capture, a
specially designed Log and Capture
window will open. See Figure 2.
Note the frame jog is gone, and
while in the Clip Settings tab, youll
fnd that you cannot monitor audio
using computer speakers during
your log and capture process.
When you need to do this, youll
need to monitor audio externally
though self-powered or amplifed
speakers. Headphones also work by
connecting them to the cameras
headphone jack during playback
and capture. The other diference
between this Log & Capture (L&C)
window and the standard one is
that you cannot change the capture
presets in the Capture settings
window. This L&C window is
exclusive for HDV native captures.
RENDERINGEFFECTS
Rendering efects in the native
format requires patience. There are
more pixels that have to be read
and the computer has to fgure out
just what each frame is supposed
to contain, so rendering requires a
lot of extra computing cycles and
time adds up. How does it work?
The computer has to regenerate its
GOP (Group of Pictures) structure
to render efects, record HDV
back to tape, export a QuickTime
movie, or burn a DVD. FCP calls it
Conforming. This conforming can
take a very long time for a Mac to
perform.
In my tests with a 5-minute
sequence containing one Motion
clip, and 6 simple 10-second titles,
a little color correction on each
of the clips, a rendering of those
elements took 34 minutes to
Conform. Then, when I selected
Print to Tape, another 9 minutes of
conforming took place. (Total 43
minutes for a render and record set-
up for a 5-minute simple program).
Ill compare this same timing with
identical sequences with other
codecs later in this article. Edit to
Tape isnt supported in HDV, you
must use Print to Video.
DVDSTUDIO PRO/COMPRESSOR
DVD Studio Pro 4 will not import
a reference movie of a native HDV
sequence to create an HD or SD
DVD. However, Compressor 2 will
import a reference HDV movie,
and exporting directly from FCP
to Compressor 2 is also supported.
You can export it as a self-contained
HDV QuickTime movie frst, then
import that larger fle as an asset
for your DVD in DVD Studio Pro 4.
Of course, included in export time is
the conforming process.
Its common to have to encode
the HDV to MPEG-2 for the delivery
of an SD DVD. On my test machine
(dual 2Ghz G5), this took about 37
minutes for a fve minute sequence
exported directly to Compressor 2
from Final Cut Pro 5.0.4, using a one
pass CBR encode preset. In DV, the
job would have been done in about
one third the time.
If you had a long form project,
and were using a run-of-the-mill
dual G5, you might as well take a
mini-vacation while you wait for a
dual-pass VBR process to complete,
were talking days here.
A 2.7 dual G5 machine running
FCP 5.1.1 did considerably better
with this. It took just about 4.5
minutes per-fnished-minute of
program to perform the encoding.
On the same 2Ghz G5 it would
have been a touch slower due to
CPU performance diferences. I
can say that Apples improvement
with the Universal version of FCP
5 is defnitely welcome. However
it still renders slower than other
more efcient codecs. But if you are
considering working in native HDV,
the crossgrade to the Universal
version of FCP is a must. Its just
about twice as fast conforming
HDV.
An ofine/online process is
successful if you plan to fnish in
another format. The timecode
on the tapes is preserved with
the native format in the event of
recapture.
A bright side to HDV is that the
fle sizes are small, they dont require
an expensive disk array to playback
the fles, and there is no loss of
picture quality involved editing
natively. But in a world of time is
money, this situation simply may
not work well for a professional.
Tying up a computer for long
rendering chores is a proft killer.
APPLES INTERMEDIATE CODEC
Apples Intermediate Codec is an
alternative codec used to turn the
MPEG into a friendlier format.
Jerry Hofmann
Denver, Colorado USA
Working with HDV in Final Cut Pro
You can work successfully with HDV in Final Cut Pro, provided you know the secrets and the limits...
Figure 1 Easy setup for Native HDV 1080i60
Figure 2 HDV Native Log and Capture Window
A MAC HDV PROBLEM &
MATROXS MXO SOLUTION
Monitoring HDV between a Mac and
a video monitor using an HDV deck
or camera cannot be done at the
time of this writing. In order to view
HDV externally, one must invest in a
capture card or a converter box to
be able to perform any meaningful
compositing or color correction.
Computer LCD displays are
progressive scan devices, and dont
handle interlaced video well and
you cannot access color accurately.
So using one as your external video
display is dicey without help...
There is a solution that wont
cost you an arm and leg to help you
handle this problem.
A great solution for monitoring
native HDV externally (as well as any
other favor of HD) is Matroxs MXO.
This nifty device was shown for the
frst time at NAB 06. The MXO will
allow you to get more accurate color
from your Cinema Display, as well
as take care of the aliasing youll see
without it, essentially turning it into
an interlaced display. It loops the
DVI signal from your display card on
through to your Cinema Display.
When FCP isnt using the MXO,
your monitor(s) work(s) just as if it
wasnt there. It also has an output,
which is uncompressed HD or can
become a down-converted SD
signal - SDI, S, or component analog.
This means you could accurately
look at color on the standard
defnition monitor you probably
already own. Or if you have an HD
monitor, it will send an HDV signal
to it as uncompressed HD via an
SDI connection. At less than $1,000
list, it does a lot, and could get you
in the game without spending the
money it would take to buy a true
broadcast quality HD CRT.
The MXO is the only way, as
of this writing, that you can view
HDV externally from Mac laptops.
So it defnitely has its place in many
workfows. The test unit I received
for this article worked right out
of the box even with very early
software drivers. Using it is as easy
as selecting it as your external
monitoring device from the Video
Playback menu in the View Menu.
Matrox has a winner here. n
Jerry Hofmann would like to thank the Colorado Film School for their help in making this
article possible. Check out this super flm school out at www.coloradoflmschool.net
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 3
Setting up and using the AIC is as
easy as HDV native, just select Easy
Set-ups from the FCP menu and
select the Intermediate codec set-
up which matches the frame rate
you recorded. You may have to click
on the show all button, which
allows you to see the intermediate
codec Easy Set-ups.
LOGGINGLIMITATIONS
Once you select Log and Capture,
no Log and capture window opens.
The system simply starts capturing
the video. There is no way to log
material frst with this codec, and
timecode is reassigned to each clip.
RELINKINGMEDIA, NOT!
Happily at each camera cut, the
system creates a new master clip,
but unhappily, they all start with
zero hour timecode. Woe be to
those who fnish an edit, then
somehow lose the source media. It
would be unsuitable for an ofine
process because the timecode in the
clips isnt what is on the source tape.
You cannot recapture this material
referencing the tapes timecode.
ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES
During capture, the AIC codec
encodes the MPEG stream to an
all I frame format, so you end
up with an HD QuickTime movie
that contains all the information
contained in each frame of video.
Gone are the long rendering and
conforming times, however there
are costs involved. Its scratch disk
storage space, and the timecode
assigned to these clips isnt whats
on the tape.
In my tests with a side-by-side
comparison between the native
codec and the AIC, I could see a
bit more noise in the Intermediate
codecs playback especially if there
was noise in the original HDV
recording. Apple admits to this
slight loss of picture quality.
STORAGE CONSIDERATIONS
Following, is a comparison of the
storage space used for native HDV
and Apples Intermediate codec:
MPEG-2 HDV
720p30 = 2.5 MB/sec. (9 GB/hr.)
MPEG-2 HDV
1080i60/50 = 3.3 MB/sec. (12 GB/hr.)
Apple Intermediate Codec
HDV 720p30 = approximately 7
MB/sec. (25 GB/hr.)
Apple Intermediate Codec
HDV 1080i50 = approximately 12
MB/sec. (42 GB/hr.)
Apple Intermediate Codec
HDV 1080i60 = approximately 14
MB/sec. (49 GB/hr.)
AIC fles are 3 to 4 times the size
of the native media fles. Yet they are
not so large as to require faster drives
other than an internal ATA, SATA, or
even a fast FireWire connected drive
on my dual 2gig machine. Render
times are a lot faster, it only took
10 minutes to render the same fve
minute sequence.
When youre fnished editing
however, the AIC needs to transcode
back to HDV native in order to
print to video. On my dual 2Ghz
machine, this took 38 minutes with
my fve minute test sequence. Edit
to Tape isnt supported, but Print to
Video is. Of course, you may not be
delivering an HDV tape to anyone
anyway, just depends on your
workfow. You might want one for a
back-up though.
HDVTO DVCPROHD
Converting HDV to Panasonics
DVCPROHD format is a valid alter-
native. The fle sizes are roughly
the same as Apples Intermediate
Codec and they are compatible with
Panasonics P2, and Varicam HD
format, and so mixing the footage
with these other sources should be
a breeze if the need arises.
You can convert HDV to
DVCPROHD with Compressor 2
or with a simple batch export.
If you do this, you need to keep
the same frame rate and size you
shot your source footage with. In
Compressor 2, youll fnd the presets
for DVCPROHD in the Advanced
Format Conversions sub-menu.
There are presets for 1080i as well
as 720p.
The downside to this is the
double duty spent in software
compression after capture, as well
as consuming more disk space. This,
because you end up with the HDV
fles which Id not delete until Im
done as well as the converted
DVCPROHD fles on your machine.
An added pleasure of working
in DVCPROHD is the fact that its a
4:2:2 color space. This is positive
from the point of view that your
graphics should look better, and
the render times are a lot faster.
With my 5-minute sequence, the
render time (including the real
time color correction) took 10
minutes (notably the same time
as the Intermediate codec took).
But this included the Full RT color
correction, which in the AIC or native
codec, had to be rendered because
they werent Full quality RT. This
format handles a lot more real time
efects than Native HDV. The fle
sizes are roughly the same as those
for Apples Intermediate codec. If it
had been a real world job and the
delivery was a tape, I wouldnt have
had to render the color correction,
and would have saved 5 minutes of
the 10 used.
I really liked what I saw with
the DVCPROHD codec. I sure didnt
see any discernable loss converting
the HDV to it, and it doesnt require
those fast disk arrays to play. This
could be a much better workfow
to those without fast disk arrays
and capture cards. In order to print
back to HDV tape in the end, youd
need to conform your sequence to
native HDV. (About 38 minutes on
my machine for our 5- minute test
sequence).
REALTIME CAPTURING & CONVERSIONS
By now youre guessing that Id
prefer another format than HDV
for editing, and youd be correct.
I just cant abide the long renders
involved in Native HDV. So heres
my preferred method of working
with HDV shot material. Capture
cards: not only will they convert
the HDV native to another HD or SD
format, they allow you to monitor
it externally as SD or HD and those
of you who composite, understand
the advantages of the 4:2:2
colorspace. Ive long been an AJA
user and ardent fan, so Ill talk about
Continued on page 37
Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 37
Worlds Largest
Plasma Unveiled...
P
anasonic has unveiled their much-anticipated
103-inch diagonal high defnition TH-103PF9UK
monitor with an industry-leading three-year
warranty and a suggested list price of $69,999.95.
This 103 plasma display provides widescreen
progressive display at a full HD pixel resolution of
1,920 horizontal x 1,080 vertical, and a contrast ratio
of 4,000:1, with 4,096 equivalent steps of gradation.
Its efective display area is approximately 89 wide
by 50 high and is equivalent in size to four 50-inch
Panasonic plasma displays.
The development of this stunning, record-
breaking fat panel display is a technical feat of
incredible magnitude, said Robert Harris, Vice
President of Marketing, Panasonic Broadcast.
This super-large display will become the ultimate
centerpieceof any facility. From thelobby or conference
room of a corporate headquarters to the focal point
of a trade show exhibit, the TH-103PF9UK is a show
stopper for a wide range of professional applications
includingvideoproduction and screenings, liveevents,
and control and command centers.
With 16-bit color, the TH-103PF9UK is
designed to produce breathtaking-quality images
and features a Super Cinema Mode and new image-enhancing
technologies to reproduce crisp, flm-like motion and still images
in native 1920 x 1080 progressive resolution. It produces high-
contrast and rich, deep blacks resulting in an impressively high
contrast level (4000:1). Included in its outstanding features are a
Contrast Management system that optimizes the contrast for each
individual portion of the image displayed and a high-precision
Motion Pattern Noise Reduction circuit that adjusts the image
to optimize picture quality by detecting motion patterns that
generate noise.
For more, visit: www.panasonic.com/proplasma
those cards, however Decklink and
Convergent Design have solutions
for this, as well.
AJAs LH series cards will
capture the component analog HD
signal from your camera or deck
and transcode it to any favor of HD
as you capture it in real time. You
could capture the HDV signal all the
way up to Uncompressed 8- or 10-
bit HD.
AJAs Kona 3 will do the same
with an additional component
analog to HD SDI converter (AJAs
HD10A). The Kona 3 card is capable
of cross conversions, so you can
mix and match HD source material
all you want capturing it to the
same codec no matter what it was
originally, as long as the frame
rates are the same. What you do is
run the signal from your camera or
decks component analog outputs
to the HD10A, then from there via
SDI to the card and convert this
uncompressed HD signal to the HD
format of your choice, as you capture
it. The LH series cards already have
component analog inputs, so theyre
ready to go. Both cards will down-
convert to an SD signal and allow
you to use a standard defnition
monitor externally, as well as send
out a full uncompressed HD signal
to an HD monitor.
You can preserve the original
timecode using Kona and other
capture cards. For feedback on the
latest list, visit the Cows FCP forum.
Youll use Apples HDV device
control setting for your Sony camera
or deck for control and capture
timecode through FireWire, or if
you are using JVCs deck, you can
use the 9 Pin remote control, and
get the timecode that way.
Now were getting places!
Faster renders, no conforming,
correct timecode, no 3rd party
software needed, and better video
formats. If you add to this mix a fast
disk array, you could actually capture
uncompressed HD from your HDV
camera or deck. As a side note,
Canons new HD camera is capable
of recording uncompressed HD
during the shoot via its HD SDI port.
Cool But with all uncompressed
HD, youll need some pretty beefy
drives to play back the media fles.
Huge Systems (now Ciprico) 4gig
fbre channel arrays would be where
Id be looking. Speed to spare
My take on HDV is that it can
shoot wonderful pictures but it
leaves a bit to be desired in post, if
you edit it natively. Of course if all
you have is time, its not an issue.
Using the AIC codec saves time,
but is dicey because it reassigns
timecode. However, converting it
to DVCPROHD or Uncompressed
HD not only preserves the timecode
and picture quality, it will speed
your render times and from a
pros point of view, time is money.
n
Jerry Hofmann is an Apple Certifed Expert
in FCP, authored a book on FCP for New
Riders and is a Creative COW FCP leader.
HDV in Final Cut Pro, continued frompage 34
LACIE RUGGED HARD DRIVE : DESI GN BY NEI L POULTON
High design. High performance.
RUGGED GOOD LOOKS.
Neil Poultons inspiration for the Rugged design came from a Sci-Fi TV show about a hero named
Captain Scarlet who drove the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle. This futuristic 10-wheel drive, high-speed
tank had a front bumper wrapped around its nose. It was tough, rugged and indestructible.
With its internal hard disk mounted on four independent suspensions and its protective external
bumper, the LaCie Rugged is the high-speed pursuit tank of hard drives. www.lacie.com
2006 LaCie. All Rights Reserved. The LaCie logo is a trademark of LaCie. Captain Scarlet MMI Carlton International Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved. *Total accessible capacity varies depending upon operating environment (typically 510% less).
THE DESIGNERS : #3
USB & FIREWIRE | 80GB 120GB*
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 3 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 39 October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 3
Time-Lapse Video Using Still Cameras, continued frompage 25
Adobe After Efects. Its simple; you
literally drag the folder containing
the images right into After Efects
and it knows that its an image
sequence. If its an image sequence
based of RAW images, then a pop-
up window will ask you for image
setting options. At this point, you
have to know what frame-rate you
want the sequence to be in. I prefer
24, but you can work in 25 for PAL
or 29.97 for NTSC. By default, After
Efects will conform the image
sequence to 30 FPS, so change it to
suit your own preference.
Next, which resolution do you
want to work in? Obviously you can
make a comp running at 2K if you
have the hardware to play it back,
but for this example, Ill talk about
1080 HD.
Since I like working in 24p, I
make a new comp at 1080p24. You
can just as well make a 1080p30
or 1080i60 comp, if you so desire.
If you want to work in a true 60i
format, youll need to change your
image sequence (the time-lapse
photos) to 60 FPS. Why? So that
each interlaced feld gets its own
temporal data. If you dont, then
you will have a 1080p30 clip even
though you think youre working
in 1080i60. Obviously making your
clip run at 60 FPS will increase the
time-lapse speed two-fold, so keep
that in mind. Confused? If so, dont
worry about it and work in 1080p30
or even better, 1080p24.
Heres something amazing...
When you drop the image sequence
into the new comps timeline, youll
quickly see that the frame size of the
images is quite larger that the 1080
HD frame size, at least with my 8.2
mega-pixel camera it is. I literally
have to scale my images down to
55% to work in 1080 HD. Let me say
that one more time: I have to scale
down my images to 55% for 1080
HD!
Part of the beauty of scaling
down the image is that you have
two powerful options at this stage
of the game: For one, you can crop
the image sequence into the 1080
HD frame exactly how you want
it (sometimes you just cant frame
the shot perfectly at the location,
ya know?); Secondly, by having a
larger source image than that of the
sequence format, you can pan-and-
scan the source in the HD frame.
Imagine that, pan-and-scanning
for HD! With this, you can digitally
pan the frame across (faking a nice
and perfectly controlled pan) or you
can zoom into the shot while never
going above the sources 100%
zoom level.
Once you fnish your sequence
with the right framing and any
potential keyframing of pan or
zoom, youre ready to output to your
favorite codec of choice for your
NLE. But before you do, make sure
your time-lapse footage looks good
on a video monitor. I do a quick
RAM preview and output it through
my AJA hardware, a waveform
vectorscope and to up to three HD
monitors including CRT, plasma
and LCD. This combined output
exam quickly gives me feedback
on image quality, dynamic range,
broadcast legality and so on.
Selling Your Craft
You mean I can make money of
this stuf? Heck yeah! A favorite
online spot of mine is Revolution
Stock Media, Revostock for short
(revostock.com). There you can
sell stock footage in a completely
automated fashion. Ive uploaded
some clips of my own (look for
OneRiver Media under producers),
which includes time-lapse footage
shot with my Canon 20D and various
lenses.
Getting Advanced
If you really want your footage
to stand out, use camera motion
control to physically pan, tilt, truck
or dolly the camera for a truly
compelling efect. Even though you
can pan-and-scan a lock-down shot
in post, that does have its limits and
it wont have the same dynamic
perspective that a moving camera
has. Using a motorized camera
tripod mount, you can achieve this
slow and steady motion control.
Youll need a device that works
at a whopping .1 per second like
the Hutech AZM-100 motorized
tripod mount. Its an alt-az (altitude-
azimuth) astronomy mount and
serves my needs for such tasks.
By using a motorized mount
like this, and panning across any
static subject like a clear mountain
vista or a city skyscraper, will make it
appear that its not even time-lapse
in the frst place making people
wonder, how did they aford to
shoot this super-high resolution
footage?
Your secret is good with me.
n
Marco Solorio is a multi-award-winning
creative media developer. He owns
OneRiver Media (www.onerivermedia.
com), a video and audio postproduction
facility located in the San Francisco Bay
Area. Marco is a longtime Creative Cow
leader and contributing editor. You can
fnd him online in our Final Cut Pro and
many other forums.
APPLE SCORE:
Plays nicely with others: What others?
Playing with themselves: A++
Extra credit: Acknowledging After Efects.
More extra credit for anyone using Automatic Duck.
Even more extra credit: Stickingtheconceptual landingon thecombination
of compositing and editing with Final Cut Pro.
Final grade: If you care, MAC RULES!!! WINDOWS SUCKS!!! If not, whatever.
My fondest wish for the future: I still use Macs, but...whatever.
AVID
Here are the notes I scribbled when I was outlining this section: Astonishing
to me that nobody else ofers 3D and hardware. Unfortunate that some
software components are outside the Avid family. More unfortunate that the
two key apps might as well be.
Its not that Pro Tools and Avid editors dont work together. Its one of
the industrys most frmly established connections. But to the extent that
integration is for individuals? On Windows, not bad. On Mac? Not at all.
Hey! Wheres the surround mixing?
Still, I cant believe that anybody sells an audio app without a dedicated
control surface, because a mouse is not an audio tool. The indispensable
Digi 002 and Command|8 audio interfaces keep adding features in the video
editing apps, too.
The growth of Avid 3D is another bright spot. Video passes easily
over, and rendered animations with alpha channels play in real time when
composited over live video back in the editor. Nice! You might think that Avid
3D is Softimage XSI Lite, but especially in the latest version, simply untrue.
Overall, Avids Studio oferings can feel a little wobbly. Also, the full suite
is missing Media Compose software, whose video (not flm) feature set lines
up most closely (for better and worse) with Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro
(yes, really).
Avid ofers another approach to integration with Avid Liquid: everything
in one application, featuring some of the companys most advanced
technology. Just three examples: background ingest (!!!), integrated 5.1
surround mixing, and not just Avids most advanced but the industrys most
advanced GPU acceleration.
For After Efects integration, Wes Plate once again rides Automatic Duck
to the rescue.
Can it really be that Media Composer is the only fully-fedged (alas, Xpress
doesnt have all its feathers yet) dual-platform editor? Yep.

AVID SCORE:
Integrates 3D and hardware: A-ish.
Pro Tools: The real deal, but no surround? De rigeur in this category. On a
scale of 1 to 5.1, PT gets a 2 -- one for each stereo channel.
Pro Tools integration: B, as in Barely B if Ive had asnack after naptime, C if I
havent. Dont ask me what the grade is if I miss both a nap and a snack.
After Efects integration: God bless Wes Plate and his Duck.
Bonus points: Its an Avid. It really is and it really matters.
More bonus points: Media Composer software, even as part of an
incomplete suite.
Degree of difculty for supporting two platforms: Gazillion.
Overall grade: Still trying to corral all the pieces of the suite to give them a
single grade.
My fondest wish for the future: Avid acting like one company. Howcool
would that be? So Avid, pretty please?
Workfow: Table For One, continued frompage 21
FORMAT SIZES & MEGAPIXELS AT A GLANCE:
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 0 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 1
Opinions are like armpits.
Everybodys got more than one,
and theyre covered with hair.
As promised, no objectivity in
sight, although there was a whif
of balance: the body of each suites
evaluation weighs in at precisely
300 words. Its my own form of
haiku.
Theres obviously much more
I could have said about each of
these suites and integration. My
point is that integration should
be the place where our collegial
disagreements are most clearly and
loudly expressed. Forget platform
wars. You choose a platform a
couple of times in a career, but you
live with integration and the lack
thereof every day. Theres no excuse
for not letting manufacturers hear
from you more about this than
anything else.
Be nice, though. As I said
earlier, they genuinely want better
integration every bit as much as you
do.
My fondest wish for this article
is that it inspires you to think again
about integration, then as a frst
step from there, to share with the
rest of the class. I know you know
where to chime in. Please do.
n
Tim Wilson is the Associate Publisher of
Creative COW Magazine and spent the
last three years as the Senior Product
Marketing Director at AVID. Before that,
he was the Product Manager in charge
of Boris RED while at Boris FX. Tim was an
alpha tester for FCP and is also a longtime
Adobe user. He owned a Media 100 for
years. His opinions are his own but are well
crafted from years of experience. Oh, and
hes just as good on a Mac or Windows.
Good Eats, continued frompage 30
Workfow: Table For One, continued frompage 39
of what theyre doing during a
take, he says. So I have about 600
head shots of just about every crew
member so I can place their heads
on the animated characters.
(Missing from his headshot
collection is Dana Popof. Although
she has appeared on the show in
Strawberry Sky and a handful of
other episodes when absolutely
nobody else was available, she
draws the line at animation. I just
dont trust Walter, she laughs.)
Above, is a shot of Walter, cast by
Alton Brown into the role of Spanish
explorer Hernan Cortez, for an
episode called TORT(illa) Reform.
AFinal Touch with Silicon Color
The last step in the creative process
is color correcting every shot with
Final Touch HD from Silicon Color.
Walter frst exports an XML fle from
Final Cut Pro. Similarly to OMF, fles
written in XML, or eXtended Markup
Language, provide a rich set of data
describing the entire show. This
means that a tiny text fle is the only
thing moving between Final Cut
Pro and Final Touch HD for an entire
episode, with XML written into that
tiny text fle pointing to the original
media fles.
In addition to a hardware
control surface. Final Touch HDs
software toolset is highly advanced.
For example, soft-feathered masks
on primary and secondary color
corrections can be motion-tracked
with gaussian blur in real time.
Rendering fnished output at 8-
12 frames per second is fast, and
the XML return voyage to Final
Cut Pro is even faster. I open that
XML in Final Cut Pro, and instantly
get a brand new, color corrected
timeline, says Walter.
This is absolutely awesome
because its completely non-
destructive. I have my original,
non-color-corrected timeline and a
brand new color-corrected timeline
with all the clips where they belong.
Its not like After Efects, where I get
a single QuickTime movie back from
my efects work. I get all new clips
from Final Touch HD.
For Dessert:
How to Land Your DreamJob
Walter gets to work on one of his
favorite shows, a dream come true
for somebody whos made video
production his sole living for the
past 15 years. You want to know the
coolest thing about it? asks Walter.
It was all because of Creative Cow!
Marion posted a request in The
COWs AJA Kona forum asking for
someone in the Atlanta area to come
take a look at his editing system
because he was having problems.
I volunteered. When he arrived at
their house, Walter mentioned that
Marion and Danas kitchen (theyre
married) looked just like the one on
his favorite show, Good Eats. The
conversation took of from there.
(I designed the kitchen with
Good Eats in mind, says Dana.
It had to be more than an area
for food preparation. We needed
room for the camera to move,
lights, monitors, and a crew of 14.
Their kitchen was actually used
Enabling Workfow with Automatic Duck
Wes Plate had a problem. He needed a way to get projects from his Avid
editing environment into Adobe After Efects, sending Avid sequences to
After Efects as projects, complete with clip lengths, handles, and rough
efects work that might already be in place. When we started the engineering
6 years ago, OMF was the way to go, because its a super EDL with media,
says Wes. We knew that everything we needed to send projects between
Avid and After Efects was in the OMF, even if we had to go looking for it.
After packaging this technology and founding Automatic Duck Inc.,
Wes was immediately fooded with requests to do the same thing for Final
Cut Pro. So we kind of looked at it, talked to the Apple guys, and we went
that direction. Plus we realized that the Final Cut Pro market was going to be
pretty big. OMF is robust enough that the trip from Final Cut Pro to After
Efects began by exporting the Final Cut Pro timeline as an OMF fle to be
imported into After Efects.
Since then, the ways of describing projects has grown to include AAF
(Advanced Authoring Format) and Final Cut Pro XML and others. We just try
to show users that they can get from here to there, and tell them not to worry
about how, Wes laughs.
Automatic Duck has created options for Motion users, as well as one that
allows Adobe Premiere Pro projects to be opened in Autodesk Combustion.
We had enough customer demand that we just did it, says Wes. Were
working on a point release to export Premiere Pro project fles to Final Cut
Pro. It will mean that you can take the Premiere Pro project fle of the PC, and
bring it into Final Cut Pro on Mac. www.automaticduck.com
onscreen for seasons fve and six,
but recreating it on a soundstage
has allowed easier incorporation
of Altons tongue-in-cheek science
presentations, as well as shots from
inside the oven, refrigerator and
cabinets, as well as other angles that
would be impossible to accomplish
in an actual house.)
Two months after Walter got
Marions AJA Kona/Final Cut Pro
system running well, Marion asked
Walter to meet with AB to discuss
creating animation similar to the
childrens animations on Walters
reel. The next day Im meeting
Alton on the set, and two or three
weeks later delivering a full set
of animations for Sprung a Leek.
Thats how I got started with the
show and thats all I thought I would
ever do.
It wasnt long before Marion
called again, this time asking Walter
to help the show develop an HD
workfow. They wanted to do it
without disrupting production,
so Marion shot the last episode of
season 8, A Taproot Orange, using
the Panasonic Varicam. The episode
would never air in HD, but it gave
everyone the time they needed to
experiment.
I guess they were really happy
with the work I did, because they
asked if I would just go ahead and
handle all the HD post, says Walter.
Great Workfow
Now in season 10, such episodes as
Okraphobia and Squid Pro Quo
are the benefciaries of the great
workfow at Good Eats.
Walter is quick to point out that
whats described here is only one
of several possible workfows, even
for others who aspire to create their
own 30-minute cooking shows. I
see a lot of articles and online posts
that make it sound like youre stupid
if you dont do things their way, says
Walter. Weve built some efciency
into the way were doing it, but
there are at least a dozen other ways
we could have gone that might have
worked out just as well.
The goal in the end is workfow
that works. The lessons learned from
Good Eats apply to both cooking
and video production. You know the
ingredients before you begin, but
an understanding of the underlying
science will give you the confdence
to experiment while creating your
own recipe.
n
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 2 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 3
Kathlyn Lindeboom
Cambria, California USA
Droidmaker
George Lucas and the Digital Revolution
B
efore I begin my review of
Michael Rubins book, I have
a confession to make: I think that
Michael is not only one of the most
knowledgeable people in this
industry but hes one of the sweetest
people in it, as well. So its always
nice when someone you like hits a
home run and Michael has indeed
done just that with this book.
In its 487 pages, Michael has
captured the real story of George
Lucas and his place as not only a
gifted flmmaker but also one of
the true pioneers that forged a
technological revolution. Michael
outlines areas of the story that few
know and the billions of dollars
that his ideas generated. Quite an
accomplishment for a guy who
doesnt really like technology and
who doesnt even web surf or play
the very Star Wars games that his
company sells.
When it comes to the story of
George Lucas and the changes he
brought to this industry, Michael is
qualifed to tell the story. In 1985, he
joined The Droid Works at Lucasflm
and over the course of the next few
years, he helped introduce new
technologies at the Droid Works.
What marks this book is not
only Michaels technological and
logistical understanding of the
time, the people and the processes
that comprise the story, but he is
also frst and foremost, a fan. He is
not afraid to take you into his own
imagination and share the personal
impact that George Lucas and his
stories have had on his own life. It
makes for a fun read, as his passion
for his subject is quite apparent and
contagious.
Droidmaker unlocks the psyche
of George Lucas and gives readers
a look into the reasons behind his
love of privacy and his near-sibling
relationship with fellow flmmaker
Francis Ford Coppola. In its pages,
the reader fnds the friendship and
competition between two industry
giants: one, a passionate and intense
outgoing director with a focus on
the story and the actors; the other, a
quiet, methodical builder who looks
at the process and the tools while
both work hard to eschew the studio
system and its constraints.
Readers will also enjoy the
look at the USC Film School years,
where George Lucas bucked the
rules and set his focus on becoming
a flm editor. George liked the focus
editing gave him and was not one
fond of the activity that directors
were prone to. As I read this, it
helped me understand why Lucas
quickly turned over the directorial
reins to the likes of Irvin Kershner
and Richard Marquand for The
Empire Strikes Back and Return of the
Jedi, respectively.
Michael tells the story of a man
whose own fortunes were tied to the
failing American Zoetrope and who
was let go on the companys Black
Tuesday. Failure came again when
his bid to acquire the rights to Flash
Gordon, one of Lucas favorites as a
child, also failed to materialize. Into
this, Lucas began to form his own
story and characters characters
that would need the tools of a new
industry to truly tell their story.
To birth his ideas, Lucas would
drive technology as far as it was
able birthing an industry in
the process. Michael Rubin takes
readers through so many facets of
the birth of modern flm technology
that it is clear that, as Michael says:
Only a success on the magnitude
of Star Wars itself could eclipse what
are likely Lucas most signifcant
cultural contributions.
Droidmaker is a fun book but
also one which pulls back the veil
from a man whose unassuming
manner belies a remarkable life; one
which has been at the forefront of
this industry for three decades and
shows no sign of letting up.
Just how good is it? To quote
Pixar co-founder, Alvy Ray Smith:
Im pleased tofnally read abook that
gets it right. Michael not only gets the
gist of the story correctly told but he
excels in the details. In his book I can
celebrate a wonderful time in my life
and recall exactly what George Lucas,
Steve Jobs and Francis Ford Coppola
contributed to our part of the digital
revolution.
Highly recommended. Five
Cows without a doubt. n
Read a Good Book Lately?
Michael Rubins newbook has drawn high praise from industry pioneers like Pixar
co-founder, Alvy Ray Smith. Seems the Droidmeisters story has fnally been told right.
2006 Triad Publishing Company, ISBN: 13:978-0-937404-67-6
D
uring NAB, I had the chance
to sit down with some folks
at Sony and get a frst look at Sony
Cinescore; a program designed
to quickly and easily create a
professional soundtrack for audio or
video. It looked pretty intuitive, not
to mention fun, so I decided to give
it a try it myself in my own studio.
I have to admit, Im extremely
wary of any software product that
claims to do a lot of the work for
you, because it usually means that
there is a lack of fexibility. But while
Cinescore is not a perfect program,
its very fexible in most situations,
and really does do the majority of
the work for you.
WHAT IS IT?
To be clear, Cinescore is not a
looping program or an audio editor.
Its a completely diferent animal.
In Cinescore, you defne a length of
time, the style, etc., and the program
does its best to create a melody that
spans that length of time.
THEMES
Cinescore employs the concept of
themes in musical creation, with the
ability to change the style, intensity
and mood over time. You direct
Cinescore to change these aspects
as the song progresses and
the transition between mood and
intensity is always nice and smooth,
unless you dont want it to be.
Cinescore comes with 20
themes, ranging from Electronica
and Rock, to Klezmer and Polka. One
of their themes, for example, called
The Monaco Diamond has so
many possible variations and styles,
you can use it in anything from a
romance scene to a high-tension,
action-adventure chase scene its
really that fexible. Oh, and did I
mention, easy?
On their own, the themes
may not always give you the hit
you need at a given point in time.
In those cases, Cinescore provides
an extra track for adding in audio
transitions and hits, as well as a ton
of sound and musical efects to get
the job done. Also, Cinescore utilizes
a simple visual system for cross-
fading music and sound efects.
Overlapping audio automatically
creates a smooth transition, which
can then be altered in a number of
ways. Again, the name of the game
here is smooth and fexible.
WORKFLOW
Also crucial is that you can import
and watch your video playback
along with your audio, placing it on
the timeline, and marking points
where you want certain audio events
to take place. This is extremely
helpful in the scoring workfow. And
it doesnt hurt that the interface is
clean, straightforward and easy to
use, as well.
VERY STRONGBUT NOT PERFECT
Now theres a lot of good here, but I
do want to mention some of the bad.
For starters, the time slider is not
as responsive as Id like. Dragging
it along is a bit of a pain but, of
course, you can always just jump to
any point in time by just clicking on
it. Also I wouldnt mind the ability to
add in an extra audio track or two, so
that I could have a little more room
to play.
Finally, some of the themes,
especially the more orchestral
ones, arent as precise as some
other themes. Tempos, moods, and
intensity cant be changed until the
musical section is complete, and on
longer sections this could create
some complications.
THE COST
Cinescore costs a measly $175. Ive
spent more on just a few pieces
of non-customizable royalty-free
music, so when you get down to it,
the program pays for itself almost
immediately.
THEME PACKS
Cinescore may not come with the
kind of music you need for a given
project. If that happens, Sony ofers
theme packs that include new pieces
of music to add to Cinescores already
robust collection. The newest theme
packs (priced at $99.95 each) include
a wedding-themed collection called
Pass the Ring and a cinematic pack
called Incredible Vistas. Both are
quite impressive and full of great
musical options and styles that will
add depth to most any project.
CONCLUSION
Over the last few months Ive used
Cinescore in a variety of situations,
from pitching an idea to clients to
scoring a fnal animation. While
it may not be the perfect tool in
every situation, its been absolutely
invaluable in presenting my ideas
and completing my work on-time
and under-budget. I recommend
Sony Cinescore for anyone who
needs a quick and inexpensive
solution for professionally scoring
their projects. I give it 4-1/2 Cows.
n
Aharon Rabinowitz heads the Creative
CowPodcast series and is the Creative
Director of the Creative CowMaster
Series of DVDtraining tools. He is a noted
animator whose work appears on many
major networks and cable channels. He
hosts in a number of forums in the Cow,
most notably, Adobe After Efects.
Cinescore 1
Aharon Rabinowitz
New York City, New York USA
SONY RELEASES A SOUNDTRACK CREATION TOOL AND ITS A WINNER
Cinescore just began shipping in the last fewmonths and the program is a newkind of audio tool for Sony. It is not
a loops program like Sony Acid, but is clearly targeted to compete against tools like Smartsounds Sonicfre Pro.
Available for Windows Only
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 5
them all and connect to them
from one simple Administration
and User interface. Now EditShare
customers can scale storage from a
few terabytes, up to hundreds.
Supporting uncompressed
HD over 10-Gigabit Ethernet, the
EditShare system can fnish HD
shows at highest possible quality
settings using storage previously
purchased for lower resolution
editing projects.
EditShares storage is 100%
RAID-5 protected, providing
redundancy in the event of a
drive failure. Using RAID-5, you
sacrifce between 6 to 12 percent
of total storage in order to achieve
redundancy, much less than the 50
percent lost using systems that rely
on full mirroring.
NEWLOG-INCLIENT
Users now connect to EditShare
systems via a simple client called
EditShare Connect. It lists
all network volumes a user has
permission to see, and remembers
which volumes were mounted
last time the user logged on. This
makes reconnecting to EditShare or
moving to a diferent workstation a
breeze.
NATIVE TCP/IP SUPPORT
With its native TCP/IP connectivity,
all users in an organization have the
potential to connect to EditShare
even via the Internet, if so desired.
Using this native TCP/IP
backbone, graphics and other
personnel located across the street
or across the country, can easily
connect to other EditShare systems.
SUMMARY
Based on native TCP/IP connectivity,
using conventional RAID-5 arrays,
networked by either Gigabit or
10-Gigabit Ethernet, EditShare
is a solution that will appeal to
users seeking both networking
power and simplicity of set-up
and administration. Avid users will
like the true Avid Project Sharing
support, allowing networked users
to access bins and fles without the
overwrite fears in some systems.
n
E.L. Gibbor is a computer consultant
living in Cypress, California. He
specializes in high-end networked
systems for demanding clients.
EditShare, continued from page 22
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 44
Data Animator
easily create animated charts & graphs
Data Animator is the newest way to visualize data
for your video or animation. Start out by importing
a tab-delimited text le. Then customize the look
and behavior of your chart using sliders. Change
the data source and your animation rebuilds!
ReSizer 2.0
upscale from SD to HD & beyond
ReSizer 2.0 intelligently scales footage and
images up to 800%. and upconverts from
Standard Denition to High Denition. Get the
power to produce high quality upconversions
while staying on time and within budget.
Premiere Pro
scaled with host app
Final Cut Pro After Eects Mac or Win
scaled with ReSizer 2.0
Learn more about Data Animator at: www.digitalanarchy.com
Try free demos. Watch tutorials. Read manuals. Buy cool stu.
- 7 dierent chart types
- 2D, 2.5D, or 3D charts
- Built-in 3D controls or
use the AE Camera
- Dynamically load data
- Use for various data,
including stock market
- Control the animation
of each chart element
- Flexible labeling and
font control
cool features
- Two algorithms for
scaling with a softer
or sharper method
- Use resolution presets
- Scale by percentage or
width/height
- Built-in deinterlacer
cool features
Questions? Need help ordering? Call (415) 586-8434 or email us at info@digitalanarchy.com
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine 6 Creative Cow Magazine October 2006 7
Ron Lindeboom
Cambria, California USA
AMD acquires ATI: What Does It Herald?
I
n a move that surprised many,
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
(AMD) announced recently their
ofer to acquire ATi for 5.4 billion
dollars. For a number of years now,
AMD has been the performance
leader with frst-to-market oferings
like its 64-bit architecture and dual-
core processors. Its Opteron series
has attained near-legendary status
among many media professionals.
What many readers do not know, is
that when Compaq acquired Digital
Equipment Corp., makers of the once
legendary Alpha processors, some
of the acquisition-orphaned Alpha
team found their home at AMD and
helped design the Opteron. But
Intels new oferings are gunning for
AMDs performance edge. Because
of this, some see AMDs acquisition
of ATi as a move into consumer-
driven, larger scale markets. What
does this mean for media pros? We
asked AMDs Charlie Boswell and
Scott Carroll...
Cow: What do you see as AMDs
greatest strength and how does an
ATi acquisition play into this in the
future?
Charlie Boswell: To date, our
real strength has been our high-end
and nearly all multi-core processors
are created to address graphics
pros. When we set out to create
multi-core, that was our target.
Scott Carroll: One of the
biggest changes for us was our
success with the Opteron in the
server market. In three years, we
went from no Opteron presence, to
about 25% of the server market.
Charlie: The real advantage
of the PC is its open architecture,
but the disadvantage has been
that no one takes responsibility.
Our purchase of ATi is a move
towards more commitment and
responsibility. ATis acquisition
would allow us to develop shorter
wait times in developing the right
tools in each market. Of the $30
billion microprocessor market,
$17 billion is mobile and client
computing for commercial business.
With ATi, we are excited about the
many possibilities this creates,
such as enabling the power of a
workstation in a mobile platform.
Scott: OEMs that serve the
mobile and commercial client
markets have asked for platforms
that meet their needs. The ATi
acquisition would enable us to
confgure multiple CPU and/or
GPU cores into a single solution to
address specifc market segments
whether they be high-end video-
editing systems or entry-level
desktops and notebooks.
Cow: Where does nVidia ft in
this new landscape?
Scott: OEMs and system
builders serving the high-end of the
pro graphics markets often combine
nVidia with AMD processors. We
will continue to encourage system
builders to use the best graphics
solution, particularly at the
professional level whether those
solutions be nVidia, ATi, or someone
else.
Charlie: Back in late 1999, I was
on Good MorningAmericadiscussing
a flm score I had done for an indie
flm and our then-new president,
Hector Ruiz was watching. He called
me in to meet with him and we
discussed ways in which we could
make technology get out of the way,
becoming invisible to users. What if
we could get the tech out of the way
and get users working at the speed
of thought? Testing our ideas with
pros tests the mental aesthetic
and if it will work easily with far
less demanding users. Consumers
are often less passionate and
demanding than users at the Cow.
We feel communities like the Cow
test our abilities. The fact that many
of your members now use AMD tells
us that we have been meeting many
of our goals.
For more information about AMD, please
visit www.amd.com/live n
With Intels new CPUs and Apple as Intels new customer,
what does AMD see in its latest counter-strike move?
Scott
Carroll
Charlie
Boswell
While giant Intel counters AMDs long-standing performance edge, one of AMDs counter-
strikes addresses new capabilities brought about with its July 24th ATi acquisition. AMDs
Scott Carroll and Charlie Boswell are longtime AMD employees and share their thoughts.
T H E B A C K F O R T Y
IB_CC_final_0june0.pdf /0/?00 4.4.4I PM
October 2006 Creative Cow Magazine
No other compact HD camera gives you the full 100 Mbps image
quality and creative freedom of the AG-HVX200. The HVX200
delivers DVCPRO HD and 4:2:2 color sampling twice the chroma
resolution of MPEG-2, resulting in clean green screen work and
lossless compositing. The HVX200 captures images in discrete
progressive frames, so it simplifies editing and offers faster
workflow. SD today, HD tomorrow, this camera has you covered.
when affordable
HD production
quality counts.
AG-HVX200 DVCPRO HD
AG-HVX200 DVCPRO HD
Camcorder
The perfect hand-held complement
to full-size cameras (like the
Panasonic AJ-HDC27 VariCam)
used by movie crews, TV programs,
TV stations and many more. Ultra
versatile with the capability to record
in 21 different modes.
Go everywhere, shoot anything -
The 5 lb. HVX200 goes wherever
your story takes you from the
highest mountain to the deepest
ocean giving you the portability
and flexibility to capture whatever
shot is required, in 720p or 1080i.
Filmmaking independence
Shoot in 1080p/24 and 720p/24 for
the most dramatic, film-like images
that result in higher quality film-outs
or digital projections. Outfit the
HVX200 with your favorite matte
boxes, filters and other accessories
for cine-style shooting.
Overcrank or undercrank just like film
cameras to create mind-boggling
fast- or slow-motion effects without
the artifacts you get with highly
compressed formats. When shooting
in 720p, choose one of 11 variable
frame rates between 12fps and 60fps
including 24fps and 30fps.
For more information visit www.panasonic.com/hvx200 or call 1.800.528.8601
2006 Panasonic Broadcast
PBTS-012_HVX200_1pg_CCW.qxp 6/26/06 4:03 PM Page 1

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