SuperMag 2010 Issue 4

X OVER 300 PAGES OF MEDIA MADNESS!!!
The Secret to Visual Storytelling

Tips to Becoming a Great Editor
Shooting Stereoscopic 3D
Tim Dashwood Gives Us a Beginners Guide
Canon EOS DSLR Workow
From Syncing Audio to Editing Multicam
Becoming an Avid Final Cut Pro User
Survival Tips for Avid Editors in FCP
The Mundane & Magic Future of Metadata
Take the Tedium Out of Editing to Be Creative
Alpha Transitions in Final Cut Pro
Roll Your Own From Batman to Buddha
Think Dierent in Apple Color
Demystifying Apple's Powerful Grading App
Aperture 3 & Final Cut Server for Filmmakers
Get the RED Out!
Outputting RED 4K footage to DVD, YouTube & Vimeo
Self-Distributing Your Movie
Capture an Audience with the Power of the Web
...and much much more!
Final Cut Pro User Group Network
Issue N
o
4 Las Vegas April 2010
2009 Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon and EOS are registered trademarks of Canon Inc. in the United States. IMAGEANYWARE is a trademark of Canon. LCD image simulated. All rights reserved. 2008 Vincent Laforet, Canon Explorer of Light.
To see more HD videos, visit usa.canon.com/dlc
With 21.1 megapixels and Full HD video,
It`s tIme to thInk bIgger.
The Canon EOS 5D Mark . The worId`s onIy camera to combIne a
21.1 megapIxeI IuII-Irame CMOS sensor wIth FuII HD 1080p vIdeo. CIvIng you
the power to combIne breathtakIng stIIIs wIth revoIutIonary
vIdeo. The Industry has changed Iorever. nspIred. 8y Canon.
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CONTENTS PAGE
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Welcome to issue #4 of SuperMag. Why Digital?
Thats easy. We want to reduce the footprint of
waste by going Green and at the same time,
take full advantage of the interactive features
including video that our good friends at Adobe
are now making available via Acrobat.
DOWNLOAD ADOBE
ACROBAT READER
( MAC & PC)
If viewing SuperMag
on a Mac or PC, we
strongly recommend
that you view
SuperMag only using
the latest free
version of Adobe
Acrobat Reader (version 9 or above) for the best
experience. Its fast and easy to install on both Mac
and PC and its available for free download.
OPTIMIZED FOR THE iPAD
Beginning with this issue, SuperMag is now
optimized for the Apple iPad. We strongly believe
that the iPad will become the standard mobile
device for reading and viewing digital content. Call
us early adopters. In fact, as the famous saying
goes, Heres to the Crazy ones! The square pegs
LhaL6LinLoLheround
holes you all know
the rest. And heres
our disclaimer: there
may be a few links in
this issue that link to
websites that may
not presently be
compatible with
viewing on the iPad.
While we may not have any control in helping you
resolve any potential viewing issues with websites
that incorporate Flash, the other issues we see (at
time of writing) are that email links arent working
from GoodReaders built-in browser but will
be resolved shortly as we address this with
Good.iWare and continue to work within the
policies of Apples iPad Developer Program. The
iPad is a new platform and as new development
for it continues, we will continue to make
incremental SuperMag updates to guarantee the
best viewing experience and those updates will be
listed on the SuperMag website. Stay tuned!

GOODREADER FOR iPAD
Presently, for the best iPad viewing
experience, download GoodReader
for iPad on the link below:
www.goodiware.com/goodreader.html
Alternatively download GoodReader for iPad
from the App Store on your iPad. It costs only US
99 cents and is probably one of the best designed
and feature-rich apps presently available for the
iPad. Dont think, download it now!
Within moments of downloading GoodReader,
youll be transferring SuperMag directly from your
computer over a WiFi connection, from the
internet or from email attachments. It also easily
integrates with MobileMe iDisk, box.net,
MyDisk.se and other popular WebDAV servers,
and also with non-WebDAV services like
Google Docs and Dropbox.
Installing SuperMag onto your iPad is really EASY
and there are several options for doing so which
are outlined here:
www.goodreader.net/gr-man-howto.html
Important Information
For Best Viewing Results!
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CONTENTS PAGE
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TIPS FOR USING GOODREADER TO VIEW THE SUPERMAG
Quickly, a few tips on optimizing GoodReader for iPad.
|n"viewingPDP6les>SeLLings"
turn ON the following:
Swipe to turn pages
Show turn page buttons
Flip search string
Show link Bounds
(Optional, only if you want to see a thin line around PDF links)
Double-tap for zooming
Leave the following OFF:
Larger line spacing
PFD Link has priority
(Youll need to tap and hold on a link or advert for a sec or two for it to follow the link.
Otherwise, leave it ON to instantly follow a link after you tap it)
use Safari
(This way, PDF Internet Links will open without quitting GoodReader in a very simple
built-in web browser. Otherwise, leave it ON to quit GoodReader and go directly into
Safari when you tap on an external link).

More details on how to best optimize GoodReader for viewing SuperMag can be
found here: www.goodiware.com/gr-man.html and on the GoodReader
Facebook Page. Also, do check out the SuperMag website periodically for
updates on best SuperMag viewing practices.
STANDALONE APP FOR iPAD
We are also actively working on creating a standalone app for the iPad in
association with our friends over at Pureblend Software, which,
when available, will be distributed via iTunes.
Stay tuned for complete updated details at the SuperMag website.

If you experience any issue whatsoever in reading SuperMag or wish to provide
feedback, dont hesitate to contact us at dberube@bosfcpug.org. Well help
you get quickly set up for viewing it. Enjoy the SuperMag!
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Final Cut ProUser GroupNetwork
Issue No 4 Las Vegas April 2010
1heopinionsofourwriLersdonoLalwaysreecLLhoseofLhe
publisher and while we make every effort to be as accurate as
possible, we cannot and do not assume responsibility for
damages due to errors or omissions.
Articles are written for Final Cut Studio version 2.0 or later,
Adobe Creative Suite 4.0 Production Premium or later, and Avid
Media Composer 5.0 unless otherwise noted. SuperMag
MagazineisanindependenL|ournalnoLaf6liaLedwiLhApple
Inc., Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, and Macintosh are registered
trademarks of Apple Inc. All other trademarks are property of
their respective holders. Any trademarks mentioned in this
issue are for editorial purposes only.
LEGAL STATEMENT: All information in this magazine is offered
without guarantee as to its accuracy and applicability in all
circumstances. Use of the information in this magazine is not
intended to replace professional consultation. Use of this
information is at your own risk and we assume no liability
for its use.
Copyright 2010, SuperMag Magazine, a publication of the
FCPUG Network. All rights reserved.
PUBLISHERS
Daniel Berube
Michael Horton
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Daniel Berube
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Gary Adcock
Anthony Q. Artis
Daniel Berube
Zsolt Besden
David Bigelow
Philip Bloom
J.C. Bouvier
Rob Chinn
Erwan Le Cloirec
Tim Dashwood
Andrew Embury
Deb Eschweiler
SLeveGar6eld
Brian Gary
Taz Goldstein
Jeff Greenberg
Philip Hodgetts
Norman Hollyn
SLeveHull6sh
Isazaly Mohd Isa
Larry Jordan
Noah Kadner
Reina Monica

Jim Kanter
Stephen Kanter
Gyula Kazari
Barbara Keating
Ben King
Dalischa de Kok
Dmitry Larionov
Tina Lung
Steve Martin
Charlotte McCarthy
Josh Mellicker
Loren Miller
Rodney Mitchell
Kevin Monahan
Bruce Nazarian
Kevin Shea
Scott Simmons
Karl Soul
Cynthia Stein
Misha Tenenbaum
Diana Weynand
Michael Wohl
Michele Yamazaki
LAYOUT
Ben King
Charlotte McCarthy
DESIGN
Daniel Berube
Ben King
Charlotte McCarthy
COVER
Daniel Berube
Dalischa de Kok
Ben King
ADDITIONAL VIDEO
Philip Bloom
Chris Hurd
Rick Young
COPY EDITORS
Anna Antonyuk
Daniel Berube
Donald Berube
Katie Berube
Shirley Craig
Nik Jassmin Hew
Ben King
Victoria Litorina
Charlotte McCarthy
Neelam Singh
Davis Slater
Rick Young
CONTRIBUTING
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Michael Barnes
Daniel Berube
Michael Booth
J.C. Bouvier
Gizmo Crazy
Sam Keating
Dale Kennemer
Ben King
Rodney Mitchell
Tim Stargardter
Johnny Walton
A Publication of the FCPUG Network
MASCOT
Bruce The Wonder Yak
MAGAZINE ADVERTISING
Daniel Berube: dberube@bosfcpug.org
CONTACT US
dberube@bosfcpug.orgOf6ce/Pax:+1(617)938-3523
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PAGE 15 DANIEL BERUBE Letter From the Editor
PAGE 19 CYNTHIA STEIN SXSW SuperMeetup Report
PAGE 24 RODNEY MITCHELL The Secret to Visual Storytelling
PAGE 30 ANTHONY Q. ARTIS 20 Filmmaking Lessons
We Learned the Hard Way
PAGE 39 JIM KANTER 7 Steps to an Efcient NLE workow
PAGE 45 TINA LUNG The Ideal Editors Suite
PAGE 50 BEN KING Why Do I need a RAID and Should I Build My Own?
PAGE 58 STEPHEN KANTER Becoming an Avid Final Cut Pro User
PAGE 66 J.C. BOUVIER Documenting IFAWs Haiti
Earthquake Response
PAGE 72 DMITRY LARIONOV Dr. Deadline or How I Learned to
Stop Worrying and Love Final Cut Studio
PAGE 79 LOREN MILLER Automagic Transcription for Everybody
PAGE 85 MICHAEL WOHL The Keys to the Kingdom (keyboard shortcuts)
PAGE 103 DIANA WEYNAND The Montage Format Challenge
PAGE 107 BARBARA KEATING PING! Media Art Using Sonar & GPS Zoom Control
PAGE 113 TAZ GOLDSTEIN How the iPad Will Revolutionize Your Workow
PAGE 122 DAVID BIGELOW The Future of Post Production Editing
CONTENTS
PAGE N
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AUTHOR ARTICLE
Eliminate complicated manual video patching
forever! Broadcast Videohub is a powerful
broadcast grade routing switcher featuring a
massive 72 inputs, 144 outputs, 72 deck control
ports, auto switching SD, HD, and 3 Gb/s SDI, in a compact rack
mount chassis only a few inches thick.
Industrial Strength Routing Switcher
With 72 inputs and 144 outputs, Broadcast Videohub has enough
SDI connections for 72 edit systems or decks. With twice as many
SDI outputs, each user can have a completely independent SDI
output for monitoring. This means you can monitor direct from
any equipment in your building without effecting routing! 72 deck
control ports are also included for a complete routing solution.
Simultaneous SD, HD or 3 Gb/s Video
Broadcast Videohub handles mixed SD, HD and
3 Gb/s SDI connections all on the same router
at the same time. Broadcast Videohub detects
when an input changes, and automatically sets all the outputs
connected, to match the changed input. SDI re-clocking and
output SDI slew rates will also change automatically.
Worlds Highest Quality
With exciting new 3 Gb/s SDI connections built in, Broadcast
Videohub allows twice the SDI data rate than normal HD-SDI.
Use 3 Gb/s SDI for high resolution real time 2048 x 1556 feature
lm editing. 3 Gb/s SDI has full compatibility with SD, HD and 2K
in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 all with a single BNC cable.
Network Router Control
Broadcast Videohub uses software control panels that run on
Windows
and Mac OS X
for routing control right from your

editing system desktop! Broadcast Videohub connects to any
computer via USB and is then shared over your local network.
Router labels can be changed from any computer and are fully
unicode compatible for foreign language support.
Broadcast Videohub
$14,995
Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com
Introducing the worlds largest affordable
SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI router!
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RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE
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PAGE 126 DEB ESCHWEILER Remote Field Editing with AJA KiPro
PAGE 131 GARY ADCOCK What really goes into a Camera Test
PAGE 137 PHILIP BLOOM Canon EOS DSLR Workow
PAGE 143 GYULA KAZARI DSLR Audio Sync Issue Solved!
PAGE 148 SCOTT SIMMONS Editing a Canon 5D Mk II Multicam Concert Shoot
PAGE 157 MISHA TENENBAUM AVID AMA with XDCamHD and the Canon EOS 7D
PAGE 163 PHILIP HODGETTS The Mundane and Magic Future of Metadata
PAGE 174 KARL SOUL Using the Media Browser: 3 Different Ways this
Premiere Pro Panel Can Make You Money
PAGE 179 ROB CHINN Aperture 3 for Filmmakers
PAGE 188 TIM DASHWOOD Shooting Stereoscopic 3D A Beginners Guide
PAGE 198 MICHELE YAMAZAKI How to create realistic 3D camera controlled lens
& ANDREW EMBURY are with Knoll Light Factory
PAGE 203 MONICA REINA KADNER Educational iPod Media for Kids
PAGE 208 STEVE GARFIELD Making Video Without a Video Camera
PAGE 213 KEVIN SHEA Final Cut Server:
What have you done for me lately?
PAGE 217 NORMAN HOLLYN Stacking the Deck
CONTENTS cont.
PAGE N
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AUTHOR ARTICLE
Build your studio with the worlds most advanced converters. Only
Mini Converters include auto SD/HD switching, redundant input, AES/
EBU and analog audio on 1/4 inch jack connections, plus advanced
3 Gb/s SDI! There are 8 great models to choose from depending on
the conversion you need!
Auto Switching SD and HD
Mini Converters instantly switch between all SD
and HD formats, including NTSC, PAL, 1080i/59.94,
1080i/50, 1080PsF/23.98, 1080PsF/24, 720p/59.94,
720p/50. Updates can be loaded via USB.
Redundant SDI Input
Most Mini Converters feature a redundant input and loop through
SDI output. Connect a redundant SDI cable to the second input, and
if the main SDI input is lost, Mini Converters will automatically switch
over in an instant. Thats great for mission critical tasks such as live
events.
Pro Analog and AES/EBU Audio
Standard 1/4 inch jacks are built in to most Mini Converters for
professional balanced audio that switches between AES/EBU or
analog. Unlike other converters you dont need expensive custom
audio cables.
3 Gb/s SDI Technology
Mini Converters include the latest 3 Gb/s SDI
technology, so youre always future proofed! 3 Gb/s
SDI is also fully compatible with all your existing
standard denition and high denition SDI equipment.
Broadcast Quality
Mini Converters are built to the highest quality standards with low SDI
jitter, so you get the longest SDI cable lengths combined with ultra
low noise broadcast quality analog video and audio. Mini Converters
are the worlds rst converters to include 3 Gb/s SDI on all models!
Eight Exciting Models
Mini Converters include more new technologies than other
converters, while every model is an affordable $495. The Sync
Generator model is only $295!
SDI to HDMI
$495
SDI to Analog
$495
HDMI to SDI
$495
Analog to SDI
$495
Optical Fiber
$495
SDI to Audio
$495
Sync Generator
$295
Audio to SDI
$495
The most advanced 3 Gb/s converters for SD and HD
that include AES/EBU and analog audio!
Mini Converters
$495
Sync Generator
$295
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PAGE 221 STEVE MARTIN Segment Freeze Frames in Final Cut Pro 7
PAGE 224 KEVIN MONAHAN Using & Creating Alpha Transitions in FCP
PAGE 233 JEFF GREENBERG Soundtrack Pro in Your Workow
PAGE 244 STEVE HULLFISH Think Different in Apple Color
PAGE 250 LARRY JORDAN Making Video Look More Like Film
PAGE 239 ISAZALY MOHD ISA Managing Audio Layers in FCP for Final Mixing
PAGE 257 DMITRY LARIONOV &
ZSOLT BESDEN Smoke 2010 on Mac: First Impressions
PAGE 263 ERWAN LE CLOIREC Stereo Workow Between FCP & Smoke 2011
PAGE 272 BRIAN GARY DroboPro: SOHO Storage Made Easy
PAGE 279 NOAH KADNER Get the RED Out! RED 4K Export Workow for
DVD, YouTube & Vimeo
PAGE 287 BRUCE NAZARIAN New to Blu? AVCHD is for You!
PAGE 292 JOSH MELLICKER What Will Be the Biggest Change in Digital Video
Over the Next Two Years?
PAGE 299 NOAH KADNER Self-Distributing Your Movie
PAGE 306 CONTACTS FCP User Group Network
PAGE 312 CONTACTS Apple Authorized Training Centers
CONTENTS cont.
PAGE N
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AUTHOR ARTICLE
GLOBAL
FCPUGNET FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP NETWORK
Global
Website: http://www.supermeet.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=68115408487
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
groups?gid=1837004
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fcpugnetwork
Contacts
Michael Horton: michaelh@lafcpug.org
Claudia Crask: sfcuttster@gmail.com
USER GROUPS USA
BOSFCPUG BOSTON FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Boston, MA (including Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island)
Website: http://www.bosfcpug.org
php?gid=47330185802
groups?about=&gid=1205257
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bosfcpug
Contact
CONTINUED ON PAGE 306...
TM
M A K E A D A T E W I T H
www.arridigital.com
vi si t us on facebook
vi si t us on youtube
ALEXA The most advanced
digital camera system with the highest
dynamic range and sensitivity on
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Unsurpassed image quality and
ultra fast workflow. Higher quality.
Lower production cost. Be a part of
filmmakings exciting future today.
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Anthony Q ArtIs Dan 8erube DavId 8IgeIow
Deb EschweIIer
Erwan Le Cloirec
Cary Adcock
A to Z of Contributors
Touch any Author icon to link to their article
ZsoIt 8ezdan
PhIIIp 8Ioom ].C. 8ouvIer Rob ChInn Tim Dashwood
Andrew Embury Steve CareId Taz CoIdsteIn 8rIan Cary
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CyuIa (]uIIan) KazarI
sazaIy Mohd sa
]Im Kanter Larry ]ordan
Philip Hodgetts Norman HoIIyn Steve HuIIsh
Noah Kadner
& Monica Reina
Stephen Kanter
8arbara KeatIng 8en KIng DaIIscha de Kok DmItry LarIonov Tina Lung
]e Creenberg
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Rodney MItcheII
Scott Simmons
CharIotte McCarthy Josh Mellicker Loren Miller
KevIn Monahan 8ruce NazarIan KevIn Shea KarI SouIe
CynthIa SteIn MIsha Tenenbaum DIana Weynand Michael Wohl MIcheIe YamazakI
Steve Martin
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About the Cover
You might recognize bits of the artwork if you
were in Vegas one year ago...
Last year Dan Berube and Ben King asked me to
create the artwork for the SuperMag cover. I was
honored to create the 10th anniversary and loved
the whole Vegas theme. It was a fun global
progress and I was very pleased to be asked again
for this year. Dan asked me to make something
myLhicalbecauseforLhe6rsLLime,LheLhreeA's:
Apple, Adobe and Avid would be united at the Las
Vegas 2010 SuperMeet. Dan knew that people the
world over would read the SuperMag and wanted
iLscoverLoreecLauniversalLheme,LhaLofLhe
communal sharing of story within a circle
surrounded by ideas.
As a symbolic theme I wanted to do something
with three tribes. Like three chiefs sharing a peace
pipe together being united around one common
thing: Bruce the Yak which is the well known Easter
LggforPinalCuLPro.PirsLiLwasacamp6rewiLha
mythical yak creature coming out, but it wasnt
sci-6enough,especiallybecausewewanLedLo
addsome3Dreferences.SinceDanielwasvery
charmed by the Vegas Showgirls I made for last
yearscover,hede6niLelywanLedLoseeLheir
reLurn.|addedLhem,buLLhisLimewiLh3D
anaglyph glasses. I like how they integrate in the
mythical forest, they kind of look like maya tribe
girls dont you think?
There are some Easter Eggs on the cover: the iPad,
the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, the polar bear from last
years cover and some (hard to see) tree carvings.
The tools I used were the Wacom Graphire 4,
Photoshop CS4, awesome Photoshop brushes,
endless nights and lots of sweet massages, food
and drinks from my boyfriend. This is the result, I
really hope you like and, enjoy the SuperMag and
cheers for, once again, the opportunity to be part
of such an incredible team!

Lots of love,
Dalischa Daliciously de Kok
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CHARLOTTE MCCARTHY is a Freelance Graphic Designer and Photographic
DirecLorbasedin8risLol,UK.SheacLuallyaspiredLobea6ghLerpiloL,
archaeologist and a sports photojournalist, but realised that design and
graphic communication was her calling, so followed her path to study in the
UKs famous Falmouth College of Arts.
She moved to Bristol in 2002, after a brief placement at Enterprise IG (London),
she was snapped up by Oakwood Media Group, which became her home for
LhenexL6years,whereshebecameanawardwinningdesigner.WorkingwiLh
amazing clients such as BP, Land Rover, Mattel, BBC, Comet, Disney and Wella.
She expanded her talents not only in design, but in photographic art direction
too, where she had the pleasure to shoot a diverse range of products from
cars and room-sets to small electrical products and packaging.
In 2009 she made the scary leap to freelance; setting up her own business and
hasnt looked back. Charlottes talents dont end there; she is an Associate of
the London College of Music, with a Professional Teaching and Performing
quali6caLioninMusical1heaLre.
Part-time model, TV extra and Voice Over artist for clients such as Dr Pepper,
Comet, Hyundai, Tiger Aspects; she has had the pleasure of working with
some great photographers, such as David Partner who is famous for his
beautiful images of Members of Parliament, who has exhibited at the National
Portrait Gallery, London.
Charlotte is the main Mac Monkey behind the creation of this issue of the
SuperMag,workingLirelesslyLolayouLover300pagesofLhisUbervegas2010
LdiLionl|fshehadherwayiLwouldallbepinkwiLhoralpaLLerns...
charlottemccarthy.com
14
DALISCHA DE KOK a.k.a. Daliciously is a graduating advertising student at Willem
de Kooning Academy Rotterdam, living in Amsterdam The Netherlands.
1he6rsLdrawingDaliciouslyevermadewaswiLhhermom'slipsLickonher
bird-nest wallpaper and shes been drawing ever since.
Dalischa founded Cheesecake Studio in 2004, an amateur comic artist circle
that creates comics to learn, grow but overall have fun.
We are basically a young group of artists and writers who create their own
comics. We sell them at big comic conventions and online. Improving our art
and making attempts to get the deadline are our daily goals. All-nighters,
friendly competition with other circles, chaotic meetings and fun meals are all
part of it. After all these years I am really proud of every- onewe grew up as
6nearLisLsand|LhinkLhelabelamaLeurisnolongerneeded.|LisaLime
consuming hobby, but it is truly worth it!
daliciously.deviantart.com
cheesecake-studio
Monster Layout! Cover Artist
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DANIEL BERUBE AT THE A.C.E. EDDY AWARDS Photo credit: Michael Horton
Hello and welcome! Ready to improve your
FInaI Cut Pro workow and dIgItaI content
distribution? The FCPUG Network is pleased
to announce Issue #4 of SuperMag. This
Issue Is IIed wIth over 300 pages of tImeIy
productIon and post workow artIcIes wIth
IInked tutorIaI vIdeos from cIose to fty of
the best Digital Video minds in the world.
As editor-in-chief, I welcome you to be an
active part of this community!
Like our SuperMeets, SuperMag has always been
about bringing community together. Ive literally
shaken the FCPUG rug from around the world
for this issue to catch authors from Russia, France,
Mexico, London, Singapore and from all over the
US who are creative professionals and gurus.
Do you have some sort of creative block or
technical issue that you wish to get over? Read
SuperMag as we connect you with leaders in our
indusLryandLheirworkows.
SuperMag has grown out of one of my core beliefs:
collaboration. As a digital content creator, you
really need to collaborate, put egos aside and work
together with the right people to make a project
happen. In this economy, in these times, you really
needLohavea6rmgraspofhowLoworkLogeLher
as a team to share stories.
DANIEL BERUBE WITH SF CUTTER FOUNDER & SUPERMAG
AUTHOR KEVIN MONAHAN AT THE NINTH ANNUAL SAN
FRANCISCO SUPERMEET. MONAHAN STARTED THE FCPUG
MOVEMENT. Photo credit: Ben King
Letter from the Editor
Our World Is Now Bigger
D
A
N

B
E
R
U
B
E
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APPLE, ADOBE AND AVID SHARE THE STAGE TOGETHER AT THE
NINTH ANNUAL LAS VEGAS SUPERMEET. Photo credit: Ben King
Our world is now bigger. As a Final Cut Pro editor,
you may wonder: why is Adobe and Avid in a
magazine created by the Final Cut Pro User Group
Network? We are all working better with the tools
that we have with Final Cut. If you have FCP in your
hearts, after reading SuperMag you will see why
we assembled this issues cast and crew.
OurediLingworkowshavebecomemore
harmonious between NLEs. Filmmakers now
have options of editing and telling their stories
on the Mac with amazing tools that progressively
becomemorere6nedLosimplifyourworkows.
8arriersLhaLprohibiLcollaboraLive6lmmaking
are now being removed by the same forces
which created them. With SuperMag, we are
unifying those bringing the tools with digital
content creators together. Yes, in our world today,
inourcreaLivecommuniLy,inourworkows,iLcan
be said that the war is soon over.
Consider SuperMag as a time capsule of what is
happening now in our industry. It captures the
pulse, excitement and passion, professionalism
and creativity of people who continue to be
agents in their community to share stories.
SuperMag has it covered, be it simply from daily
life captured on iPhone video for children, from
how video plays an important role in social media
covering world events, to the latest integration of
3DsLereoworkowbeLweenPinalCuLProand
SmokeonLheMac.3DisLhehugebuzzwordof
2010 and in this issue we also focus on affordable
3DonLheMacforeveryone,LheLypeof3D
content creation you would want to create with
the gear that you already have.
AFFORDABLE 3D ON THE MAC WAS INTRODUCED AT THE NINTH
ANNUAL LAS VEGAS SUPERMEET. SUPERMEET ATTENDEES LISTEN
TO AND WATCH 3D FOOTAGE SHOT ON A STEREO CANON EOS 7D
DSLR SETUP BY STEREO CINEMATOGRAPHER TIM DASHWOOD.
Photo credit: Daniel Berube
Daniel Berube is founder of the Boston Final Cut
Pro User Group (BOSFCPUG) and Co-Founder of
the FCPUG Network, an active worldwide
communiLyofover60PinalCuLProandDigiLal
videoUserGroupsof6ciallyrecognizedbyApple.
Dan also co-produces the famous SuperMeets
and SuperMeetups in San Francisco, Austin,
Las Vegas, Boston, London and Amsterdam
with Michael Horton of the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group (LAFCPUG).
Dans editing roots began on a splicing block and a Steenbeck at Emerson
College, where he studied Film. As President of Emersons Experimental Film
andAnimaLionSocieLy(LLPAS),DanacLivelyfundedsLudenL6lmmakersand
showcased their work in the EEFAS Film Festivals and Emerson Film
Showcases,aforeshadowingofhisroleinLoday'sdigiLal6lmmaker
communiLy.SeveralyearslaLer,Dan's6rsLnonlinearexperiencehappenedon
Avid Media Composer while working with Emerson graduate friends.
|LwasnoLunLilAdobePremiere3.0crepLinLoDan'sPowerMac8500LhaLhe
goLhookedinLoMac-baseddigiLal6lmmaking.DancuLhalf-hourandhour-
long broadcast documentaries for years on the Media 100 until Final Cut Pro
arrived. 11 years later, Dan is quite happy now with Apple, Adobe and Avid
software as part of his editing palette. He is world traveled with more than two
decades of production and editing credits on public and network television.
When SuperMeets and the BOSFCPUG arent Dans focus, noisybrain.
Productions is his creative vehicle, a Boston-based collaborative in which
Dan is Producer, driven alongside with his brother and D.P. Donald Berube.
Dynamic thinking and collaboration are two elements that fuel Dans passion
indigiLal6lmmakingandinsharinglike-mindedvision.AnacLiveCanonLOS
5D Mark II shooter, Dan longs only for more creative time to turn his images
into paintings.
Start a conversation with Dan at dberube@bosfcpug.org
Follow BOSFCPUG on Facebook and Linkedin and Twitter
Follow FCPUG Network on Facebook and Linkedin andTwitter
1hereisade6niLearcinLhisissue:
workowLhaLLakesyoufrom
initial concept, from choices in
producLionandposL,Lo6nal
distribution. After reading through
SuperMag, youll gain a better
understanding of how to share
stories as one of todays digital
6lmmakers.
With issue #4 we continue to make
SuperMag more interactive. Not
only do we utilize interactive
features in Adobe Acrobat, this
issue of SuperMag is also
optimized for the Apple iPad. When I think of these new mobile digital
devices, I often hear myself humming that famous song by the Beatles, We
Can Work It Out. And that is exactly what needs to happen with the iPad
and other mobile devices that we continue to watch content on in the palm
of our hands. Theres no single right way to tell a story, so, for those creating
delivery for these devices, why not work together to make it all work?
Im very excited to hear your feedback on this issue. The mission of
SuperMag does not happen often in our industry, to bring together this
lifeblood of creativity and offer it for free. The cast and crew of SuperMag
look forward to discover what readers will get out of it, and I hope that this
issue helps change how we as digital content creators think moving
forward. Because its all about telling your story, and we do that very well
with Final Cut Pro or, for others, with Avid or Adobe and other tools. I liken
this to bringing a musician together with a painter and a spoken word artist
to see what they create together.
ComeLogeLherascreaLive6lmmakersandediLorsandcollaboraLe,puLour
differences aside and we come together as a community and show what
the power of the human spirit is in sharing story!

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DANIEL BERUBE BEHOLDS ISSUE #4 OF SUPERMAG
OPTIMIZED FOR THE iPAD AT THE NINTH ANNUAL
LAS VEGAS SUPERMEET.
Photo credit: Ben King
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\jgZ]dlidWZhiejiîidldg`[dgdjg^cXgZY^Wan
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For years Ive been attending the SXSW Film
Festival in Austin, Texas and during that time
Ive watched it really grow and yet its always
been disappointing to me that the festival
doesnt offer more for editors. During the 3 days
of Film panels there will usually be one mini
session in a very small room that seats maybe
15 people and I know more editors than that
are in attendance. Thats why several years ago
I began talking to Dan Berube and Michael
Horton about bringing a SuperMeet to Austin
during SXSW.
Fortunately Dan and Michael both agreed. Rather
than jumping into a full-blown SuperMeet they
decidedLo6rsLhaveaparLyLoinLroduceLhe
concept. Keep it organic was Dans motto.
This was a scouting mission, after all, for Dan
and Michael to explore how best a SuperMeet
could6LinLoSXSWLomeeLLheneedsofLhe
aLLending6lmmakers.AndLhaL'showLheSXSW
SuperMeetUp was born.
As the leader of the CUTS Austin Final Cut Pro User
Group and a regular attendee of the Vegas
SuperMeet every year, I was asked by Dan to be
the boots on the ground for the planning phase
to put together a social gathering that felt right
asparLofSXSW.1hefesLivalisacLuallybrokeninLo
three separate components: Film, Interactive and
Music.DuringLheLwoweeksLhaLSXSWLakes
place, there are literally hundreds of social
gaLheringsandof6cialparLiesLhaLLakeplace.
It was important to the three of us that our
SuperMeet presence be a natural extension of
LhefesLival,andDanLalkedaLlengLhwiLhSXSW
organizers leading to the decision to make the
SuperMeetup an ofhclcl"SXSWevenLonSaLurday
nighLofLhe6rsLweekendduringSXSWPilm.
For a venue we chose Maggie Maes on historic
LasL6LhsLreeL,righLinLhehearLofallLheSXSW
PilmevenLs.8yinvolvingLhevarious6lmcenLered
groups in town such as CUTS Austin, Reel Women,
The Austin Film Society and The Austin
Planting a SuperMeet Flag in Austin
South By Southwest Film Festival Super Meeting & Greeting
C
Y
N
T
H
I
A

S
T
E
I
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OVER 450 FILMMAKERS SOCIALIZED AT THE SXSW SUPERMEETUP Photo Credit: Dale Kennemer
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CINEMATOGRAPHER P.J. RAVEL (TROUBLE THE WATER &
TRINIDAD) AND SANDRA ADAIR (EDITOR OF 10 OF RICHARD
LINKLATERS FILMS). Photo credit: Michael Barnes
Film Meet we were easily able to spread the word
about the SuperMeetup and I must say, the
response was overwhelming.
Over 250 registered online in advance to attend.
There was a line down the stairs and out to East
6LhSLreeLforoveranhourandahalfLogeLin.
8yLheendofLhenighL,over450regisLeredSXSW
8adgeholdersandlocal6lmmakersneLworked
at the SuperMeetup. Local heroes such as Sandra
Adair(ediLorof10ofPichardLinklaLer's6lms),
Cinematographer P.J. Ravel (Trouble the Water
& Trinidad) and Sjon Ueckert (editor of the
documentary Happiness Is) were in attendance
along with members of the Austin Independent
PilmSceneandoLherSXSW6lmmakers.
video8loggerSLeveGar6eld,auLhorof"Get Seen:
Online Video Secrets (Wiley Press) produced a live
video stream during the SuperMeetup to interview
SXSW6lmmakersandshareLipsonLheuseof
sLreamingvideoLopromoLe6lmdisLribuLion.
AlsofeaLuredaLLheSXSWSuperMeeLupwasD.P./
Director and Canon EOS Filmmaker Philip Bloom,
who led a gathering of over twenty HD-DSLR
6lmmakersLoshooLamusicvideofeaLuring
CelesLeGrif6nof1heMonarchsonsLageaLLhe
SuperMeeLupandaroundSXSWLhaLday.8loom
VIDEO BLOGGER AND AUTHOR STEVE GARFIELD Photo credit: Daniel Berube
PHILIP BLOOM (RIGHT) TALKS WITH CELESTE (LEFT) OF THE
MONARCHS PRIOR TO FILMING CELESTE PERFORM MILES AWAY
ON STAGE Photo Credit: Daniel Berube
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shot the music video in 24P using the newly
6rmware-updaLedCanonLOS5DMark||DSLP.
Watch Celeste perfom Miles Away in Philips
music video here.
PHILIP BLOOM (RIGHT) ON STAGE WITH CELESTE GRIFFIN (LEFT) OF
THE MONARCHS PRIOR TO FILMING AT THE SUPERMEETUP.
Photo Credit: Daniel Berube
SupporLersforLheSXSWSuperMeeLupwere
Adobe, Avid, Blackmagic Design, Canon, Ikan,
Litepanels, and Vimeo.
OfcoursewealsohadarafeandwhileiLwasn'Las
famous as its counter part in Vegas, thanks to our
generous sponsors we were able to give away
over$13,000worLhof6lmmaker-relaLedprizes
andmakeadonaLionfromLherafeproceedsLo
The Austin Film Society.
Chris Hurd of DVInfo.net was there as well with the
DVi Crew and Chris captured a timelapse video of
LherafeexciLemenLwaLchiLhere:
DVInfo.net Timelapse Video
Not only have we planted the
seeds for a SuperMeet at next
years SXSW we have also sent
a loud message to SXSW that
Editors attend their festival too.
KYLE RITLAND, MANAGER OF ARTIST & CUSTOMER RELATIONS FOR AVID (MIDDLE) WITH SXSW SUPERMEETUP CO-PRODUCERS
MICHAEL HORTON (LEFT) & DANIEL BERUBE (RIGHT) AT MAGGIE MAES ON E. 6TH STREET IN AUSTIN. Photo Credit: Dale Kennemer
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TIMELAPSE VIDEO OF MIKE HORTON AND DAN BERUBE DURING
THE SXSW SUPERMEETUP RAFFLE AT MAGGIE MAES ON E. 6TH
STREET IN AUSTIN. Timelapse Video Credit: dvinfo.net
Not only have we planted the seeds for a
SuperMeeLaLnexLyear'sSXSWwehavealso
senLaloudmessageLoSXSWLhaLLdiLorsaLLend
their festival too. Id like to thank Dan and Michael
for making all this possible.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
The Story of the SuperMeet
Video Credit: Rick Young
Rick Youngs half hour documentary on the history
of how the SuperMeet phenomenom came into
being, the people behind it, the community that
supports and the two people at the center which
fuel it.

CYNTHIA STEIN is
a Freelance Editor
and Founder and
Leader of the
CUTS Austin Final Cut
Pro User Group in
Austin, Texas.
Last summer she
directed and edited
her6rsLshorL6lm"There Was a Crooked Road.
She is also an enthusiastic supporter of the
SuperMeets and is excited that a SuperMeet will
be coming to Austin for the South by South West
Film Festival in 2011.
Cynthias next documentary will focus on Austins
historic Paramount Theatre and its paranormal
activity. You can contact Cynthia at:
info.cutsaustin@gmail.com
DAN & MIKE WELCOME ANOTHER RAFFLE PRIZE WINNER TO THE STAGE
RICK YOUNG began his career in Australian
LelevisioninLhelaLe1980's.AfLermovingLo
London in the 90s he worked as a live TV Director
and editor for companies including the BBC, Sky,
ITN and Reuters. He is now a freelance Cameraman,
Director and Editor.
Rick is the author of The Easy Guide to Final Cut
Pro; The Easy Guide to Final Cut Express and
The Easy Guide to DVD Studio Pro, and the face
in front and the force behind MacVideo.TV
young.rick@virgin.net
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Michael Vitti was the passionate Founder and Leader of the Moving
Pictures Collective (Mopictive), the New York City Final Cut user group.
Mopictive is now establishing a scholarship fund to promote Michaels
love for educating people in the field of digital videography, editing
and storytelling. Although Michael has left us, we will celebrate his
life and keep his spirit alive through the establishment of the
Michael Vitti Digital Storytellers Memorial Scholarship Fund.
This fund will provide support for students and
professionals seeking to improve their skills in the
exciting, ever-changing field of digital storytelling.
Please support our effort to promote the educational advancement
of Digital Storytellers through a tax-deductible donation.
Visit www.theVittiFund.com
or contact: Patrick Inhofer, Treasurer at patrick@mopictive.org
in memory of a gifted digital storyteller and a great guy
Paid for by: Moving Pictures Collective
501c3 Educational Not-For-Profit a DBA of the NY Final Cut Users Group
MICHAEL VITTI
DIGITAL STORYTELLERS SCHOLARSHIP FUND
As a dedicated professional and teacher he was,
in his own words, a Photographer and video
editor bent on telling the perfect story to humans,
with humans and non humans alike.
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Theres a secret to becoming a great creative
editor. Do you know what it is?
It is at the heart of what humans have done since
the dawn of time. Now that I have you thinking,
lets look back to see why we have a responsibility
in the creative process to develop the secret that
we all know exist.
The art of visual storytelling has a unique power
over our imagination it captivates us. Storytelling
and our human ability to learn from those stories
set us apart from other species. So what makes us
so drawn toward stories? Is it in our genes? Is it
how our brain works?
One would think this theory has some merit if you
believeLhescienLi6cworkaLCornell.ScienLisLs
writing in Psychological Science
1
have recently
been using sophisticated tools of modern
percepLionresearchLodeconsLrucL70years
of6lm,shoLbyshoL.
What did they discover? The Cornell researchers
believe that successful blockbuster Hollywood
movies follow a particular mathematical pattern.
Now, I wont bore you with the details of their
analysis but its very plausible that this directly
correlates to the secret of becoming a great
creative editor.
Still want to know what the secret is, read on.
Storytelling has been around for a very long time.
Communication mediums
evolved from these three basic forms
of communication:
Verbal
Written
Visual
Editors deal with all forms of
communications and thats why its
important to understand each area.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
Verbal communications has been one
of our primary means for telling stories.
One only has to look back to the
Indigenous Aboriginal culture
2
in
Australia where people have been
aroundfor40,000+years,Lo6nd
verbal communication embedded in
their way of life. The Aboriginal culture
isLhe6rsLknownhumaninhabiLanLs
of the Australian continent and its
nearby islands.
They practice, still today, a form of
verbal storytelling, which is a key
transmission medium to pass down
their cultural history to future
generations. As you will see as the
secret is revealed, its not the tools
but the results that sells the story.
Apples FCP and the Art of Storytelling
The Secret to Visual Storytelling
R
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ARRERNTE CULTURE IN DREAMTIME Photo Credit: Arrernte Culture Centre
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STAND OF CUSTOM MADE DIDGERIDOOS AT A CULTURAL STORE IN THE AUSTRAILIAN OUTBACK Photo Credit: Rodney Mitchell
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Here is a photo I took of didgeridoos at a cultural store in the Australian
Outback. These instruments are used heavily in
Dreamtime storytelling and certainly represent
one of the worlds oldest musical instruments
The Didgeridoo.
LveninAmericanWesLernmovies,Lhecamp6rescene
was a central place to tell stories. Today, you can substitute
the local pub or kitchen table during dinner as that gathering
place to exchange stories. The secret exists here too.
With todays technology, weve just gotten more sophisticated in how we
transmit the verbal messages.
CLICK HERE TO
LISTEN NOW!
ABORIGINAL MALE PLAYING DIDGERIDOO Photo Credit: Gizmo Crazy
Be Creative in the Nations Capital!
Meet new colleagues, build your social network, be informed,
learn something new, meet industry pros, collaborate on gigs,
and support our ever expanding, sponsor supported,
DC Winners Circle raffle!

--Serving the Virginia, DC and Maryland region--
The Art of Better Storytelling
2010
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Some of those forms of verbal
communications are:
Speech
Song
Music
In 21st century terms, we transmit such verbal
messages via analog means such as radio and
digital means such as podcasts and musical
recordings on the Internet.
How did we ever manage things without
the Internet?
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
As verbal language matured, so did the ability to
write. With written communications, people use
writing to capture their thoughts and stories in
carvings, letters and books. Evidence of stories
encoded in rock formations can still be found in
rock faces in central Australia.
At Emilys Gap Nature Park
3
, an Australian Northern
1erriLoryGovernmenLPark,you'll6ndrock
paintings depicting stories told in the form of
symbols. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the
Caterpillar Dreaming rock painting that has
survived for thousands of years.
CATERPILLAR DREAMING ROCK PAINTING
Photo Credit: Rodney Mitchell
WIDE SHOT OF CATERPILLAR DREAMING ROCK
PAINTING IN EMILYS GAP NATURE PARK Photo Credit: Rodney Mitchell
CAMPFIRE GATHERING Photo Credit: Andreas Koberle
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Early storytellers understood how to get stories
communicated in the most compact form. There is
a lesson to be learned in using just enough of the
secret to achieve your intended goals.
VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
Storytelling eventually turns into an art form.
AnewapproachLolive/recordedperformanceis
developing to reach larger audiences. Three forms
of communications (verbal, written, and visual) are
intermingled in ways never imagined before in our
history. With the advent of the computer, we are
able to create, process and distribute mixed media
all on the same timeline. Every editor will need
to master the secret to become truly able to stand
above the crowd in the creative marketplace.
You are the secret sauce in this recipe.
This is so important that if you dont get it, your
projects will never reach the level of greatness they
deserve and you wont earn a fraction of the money
you would make otherwise.
5
Its the difference
between a movie audience being glued to their
seats for two or maybe three hours or the same
moviegoers becoming confused and annoyed,
leaving their seats empty, never to return again.
If you learn the secret and use it well, it is the
number one way to transform your projects.
It works the same whether you are working
on a home video or a multiple million-dollar
HollywoodfeaLure6lm.
Without the secret that all editors should know,
your work could possibly be labeled dull and
boring! It is virtually impossible to succeed as a
6lmmakerorvideographerwiLhouLLhesecreL.
SO WHATS THE SECRET?
The secret can be summed up in one single word
Editing.
The art of editing is getting beyond the Im a
button pushing, edit monkey phase. Getting past
this phase allows you to elevate your edit craft by
incorporating the three fundamental building
blocks. Its really not about the tools you use to
create your edited masterpiece they are all just
tools. I have my favorites (Apples Final Cut Pro,
Sony Vegas) but for me, its just a tool in my
personal toolbox. Ive learned this awareness
of the secret from a great producer and editor
in Hollywood Jeff Bartsch.
The right tools in the right talented hands make all
LhedifferenceinLhe6nishedproducL.|L'sequally
tough to do a good job with substandard tools or
have the best tools in the world in the hands of
someone that doesnt know what they are doing
with them.
Its your editing abilities that make your work
stand out from another editor using the exact
same tools. You need to know how and when to
use the right tools for the right reasons. Functions
of editing go far beyond just pressing buttons
on a computer. There is an active and completely
mental part of editing that completely takes over
which buttons you push and why you push them.
You begin to realize, editing, is much more than
button pushing.
Any trained monkey can push buttons;
it takes an artist to tell a story.
LeL'sLakepicLures(sLill/moLion)andbreakLhem
down into three fundamental building blocks.
1. Story Building blocks of plot, character
and dialogue
2. Sound Building blocks of dialogue,
sound effects and music
3.visuals-8asicvisualcomponenLsofspace,line,
shape, tone, color, movement, and rhythm
Understanding how to manipulate these building
blocksinyourediLworkowwillallowyouLorise
up and be recognized by the industry as you
demonstrate the masterful handling of the
fundamental building blocks. Audiences react
emotionally to what they see and hear.
You, as the editor are in the drivers seat,
making the edit decisions, arranging the shots
to create meaning (that may or may not have
existed), communicating moods and emotions
to the viewer.
The real power of editing
is in the mind not the ngers.
So now you have the secret to editing. Use it wisely
and editing will serve you well in your future
editing endeavors. In closing, I would like to thank
the members of the DC Final Cut Pro Users Group,
top ranked script consultant and friend, Jim
Mercurio,mulLi-LalenLed,HollywoodediLor/
producer, Jeff Bartsch; Larry Jordan, Digital
Production BuZZ; the FCPUG mentors in Los
Angeles,8osLonandSanPrancisco,and6nally,my
family for putting up with my long, arduous days
and nights putting the secret to work for my own
forthcoming editing projects.

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LINKS:
FCPUG Network & SuperMeets
www.supermeet.com
Jim Mercurio
www.jamespmercurio.com
a-listscreenwriting.com
Jeff Bartsch
www.resolveentertainment.com
www.editmentor.com
www.jeffbartsch.com
DC Final Cut Pro Users Group (DCFCPUG)
www.dcfcpug.org
www.apple.com
Twitter:
LwiLLer.com/mydcfcpug
Facebook:
www.facebook.com
LinkedIN:
www.linkedin.com
Rich-Media
www.rich-media.org
DVProductions
www.dvproductions.org
Mitchell-Enterprises (ME)
www.mitchell-enterprises.net
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.23Peb2010,NewsSLaff,"WhaLmakeA
Hollywood Blockbuster? Science has the Answer,
Source:ScienLi6c8logging-Science2.0,Web
Link: www.scienLi6cblogging.com/news_
arLicles/whaL_makes_hollywood_blockbusLer_
science_has_answer
2. Graphic, courtesy of Aboriginal Australia Art and
Culture Centre, Web Link:
www.aboriginalarL.com.au/culLure/
3.Link:NorLhern1erriLoryGovernmenLPark,Pock
Painting depicting Caterpillar Dreaming. Web
link: www.nL.gov.au/nreLa/parks/6nd/
emilyjessie.html

4. Sound of Starlight Theatre, Central Australia,
web link:
www.soundsofsLarlighL.com/index.hLml
5.1eff8arLsch,audioLrack,em_secreL2_lisLen6rsL.
mp3,weblink:www.jeffbartsch.com
6.Graphic:courLesyofGizmoCrazy,8risbane,
Australia (Flickr), Web link: www.ickr.com
7.Graphic:CourLesyofAndreasKoberle,8erlin,
Germany (Flickr), Web Link: www.ickr.com
8.Audio:CourLesyof8ungeroo1revorPeckham
of the Wiradjuri Tribe; Web link:
www.scienLi6cpsychic.com/alpha/music.hLml
RODNEY MITCHELL is the President and Apple
Ambassador of the District of Columbia Final Cut Pro
User Group (DCFCPUG) and a member of the FCPUG
Network, a worldwide community of over 50 Final
CuLProandDigiLalvideoUserGroupsof6cially
recognized by Apple.
Rod is a world traveled, technical systems engineer
with a penchant for the art of storytelling in the
edit bay. Adept at leveraging industry partners to
collaborate on joint activities such as working with
the Apple Stores creative leads to bring the
Secrets of Successful Storytelling in Hollywood Films
featuring a national top script consultant
Jim Mercurio to our largest Apple Store in the region
in 2009.
Current 2010 activities include growing the
DCFCPUG user community, collaborating on the
FCPUG network SuperMeets, working on the Digital
Production BuZZ production team at the National
Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas
and developing an edit contest concept with Jeff
Bartch, a top Hollywood editor and producer at
Resolve Entertainment and the founder of the
creative geniuses at EditMentor.com.
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When we say lessons learned the hard way,
we mean that we either made a huuuuuuuge
mistake... we spent money that we didnt have
on things we didnt need to do... OR devoted our
time and efforts in directions that were never
feasible approaches to begin with. Some might
argue that the lost money is the worst part, but on
every6lmseLoneofLhemanLrasis"time is money
and we truly believe the time we spent going
down one way streets in the wrong direction was
more debilitating than ill spent money. Most of us
indie6lmmakersarecreaLivehusLlers,sowecan
get the money back one way or another, but well
never be able to get the time back (not to mention
the wasted energy and project momentum lost to
bad decisions on set).
These lessons carved out from our various
experiencesinLhe6lmmakingLrenchesaremerely
the tip of the iceberg, but ask anybody on the
Titanic and theyll tell you its the tip of the iceberg
that sinks the ship. And its just as often the
menLallyunprepared6lmmakerLhaLkeepshim
or herself from reaching their goals.

THE WORST THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN
PICTURES HAPPEN PREVIOUS TO THE
FIRST DAY OF SHOOTING
Otls lerguson (1907-1943: ecrly hlm crltlc}
TOP TEN TIPS FOR PRODUCERS
BY Q. ARTIS
NUMBER 10
You need a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D and more!
Its vital that you create and think through
alternate budgets and schedules and always be
ready to turn on a dime. If you are shooting an
indie6lm,chancesareLhaLLhingswillnoLworkouL
as smoothly you envisioned beforehand. There will
be a non-stop stream of obstacles and set-backs.
This should be expected and planned for. Dont
make the novice mistake of counting on all the
piecesLo6LperfecLlyLogeLherandallyourlow-
budget solutions to work out, because often they
wont. Instead, make the veteran practice of
thinking through as many plausible alternatives as
possible to casting, locations, budgeting,
scheduling and everything else. You dont have to
tell anybody else at all, but you should be mentally
prepared to get creative and change course to do
whatever you gotta do to keep the production
movingforwardandcapLureLhaLvisionon6lm.
Be ready to roll with punches, duck and punch
back every single time.
NUMBER 9
Feed your crew good food every day. Keep the coffee,
ccffelne cnJ even snccks owlng ct cll tlmes.
Whether you like it or not, these are the fuel and
lubricants that keep the set moving. Much more
than you might think, good food has a tremendous
psychological value on your crew. What you serve
yourcrewisadirecLanddailyreecLionofLhe
value you place on their efforts. Even if you are on
a tight budget, with a little extra legwork and
creativity you can keep your crew well fed with
good food. In between meals, the Red Bull, Star
Bucks and Dunkin Donuts will help keep up
morale, energy and diffuse daily tension. This is
especially important on those really rough
production days.
20 Filmmaking Lessons
We Learned the Hard Way
A
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Q
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A
R
T
I
S

A
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P
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T
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A
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Click here to listen to the podcast
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NUMBER 8
Trust Your Gut.
This is a huge one. And unfortunately its one that usually only sinks in
the hard way. So many times we get into trouble, because we dont trust
our own instincts. If you have a gut feeling, a nagging voice or a twitch in
your eyebrow about a crew member, actor, deal or even the production
itself you should pay careful attention to it even if there is no hard
evidence to the contrary. There are almost always little warning signs
andredagsLhaLweshrugoffanddismiss.|fyoudon'LfeelrighLabouL
something, theres probably a reason. Always trust your own instincts.
The older you get the more accurate they will be.
NUMBER 7
Remember the person who will sit next to you if you
actually do win an Oscar.
In your obsessive rise to the top, dont forget to regularly make some
qualiLyLimeforyoursigni6canLoLher,friendsandfamily.1heseareLhe
only people that will still be there whether the audience cheers or boos
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at the end. Its so important to have people around
you that support you and know you, not just as a
6lmmaker,buLaperson.1heywillhelpkeepyour
feet on the ground and your head on straight no
matter what happens. As Billy Dee Williams said in
Mahogany, Success is nothing without someone you
love to share it with.
NUMBER 6
Dont mcncge cn lnclJent, Jont mcncge c hlm.
mcncge c hlmmcklng ccreer.
Even though it may seem like it in the moment,
rarelywillonebadincidenLor6lmmakeorbreak
your career. Keep the big picture in mind. This
business is all about who you know, and even
more important who knows about you. Your
reputation is more valuable than anything else you
bring on set. If its damaged in an incident of poor
|udgmenL,sel6shnessorLemporarymegalomania,
you may suffer the consequences long after the
premiereandDvDrelease,evenifLhe6lmdoes
well. (Just think Christian Bales recent Terminator
IV Tirade.) Make sure that when its over, people
still see you as someone theyd like to work with
and will call for the next project.
NUMBER 5
Always treat people the same way you want
to be treated.
You may be in a position of power, but the golden
rule still applies. Dont ask or expect anyone to do
anything that you wouldnt do under the same
circumsLancesforanoLher6lmmaker.8ehonesL
and fair with your demands of crew members time
and effort. Theres only so far people will go,
especially for someone they dont know well and
especially without pay. Be reasonable and stay
wiLhinLhesebounds(or6ndawayLopayLhem
some real money).
NUMBER 4
You are not curing cancer.
In the heat of the moment, we can take ourselves
and our projects so seriously that we sometimes
lose our grip on reality. No matter what happens or
how important it seems at the time, remember,
youareonlymakinga6lm.YouareonlyLelling
stories and creating brief entertainment for a
crowd in a theater. Whether its a low-budget indie
or a star-studded epic its not life or death if you
screw it up (even if it feels like it). Always tell
yourself, Its just a movie. Im not curing cancer.
NUMBER 3
The most important people on set are the director,
the talent and crew. Take care of them all
in that order.
Contrary to popular belief, your needs as the
producer take a backseat to everyone elses needs
on-set. As a producer, I think your number one
goal is to ensure that the director has all the right
resources and personnel they need to capture
their vision on camera. They are the dreamer,
but you are the realizer. Youve gotta struggle
Lo6ndawayLohelpLhemsLayasLrueaspossible
to their vision and still work within the limits of
your budget, schedule, experience and crew.
Everything you do is ultimately about helping
the director realize their creative vision.
Next up is the talent. Make your actors feel
respected and valued on set. They need to be
comfortable and taken care of at all times to best
of your ability. All any actor really wants is respect
and a little attention from their directors and
producer. Make them feel it every moment on-set
and in turn your audience will feel it on screen.
Protect them. Comfort them. Care for them and
they will consistently give you their best. And that
iswhaLwillgiveyour6lmLhebesLchancesof
succeeding on screen where it actually counts.
After the actors comes your team the builders,
experts and craftsmen that will make it happen
step-by-step. Make sure every department has the
basic tools and resources they need. Listen to their
concerns. Troubleshoot alternatives with them.
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Let them know they are appreciated every day. And never ever
underestimate the incredible power of a simple token gesture of
thanks and appreciation after a long hard day. (If youre over 21,
think an ice cold bottle of beer, if youre under 21 think about a hot
Mocha from Starbucks.)
NUMBER 2
Use honey to get what you want as often as possible, but when that doesnt
work, Jont be cfrclJ to breck out c blg stlck. ou wlll Jehnltely neeJ both.
Its always best to go the easy route of convincing and motivating people
Lhroughreason,aLLeryorhumor.AnycombinaLionofLheLhreewill
usually be more than enough to coax or cajole a problematic crew
member. However, as the producer, you may be tested by people who
will simply not respond to any of the above regardless of how nice you
are. They may be jealous, incompetent or just plain crazy... It doesnt
really matter. Dont fail this test. A crew member whose actions and
negative attitude you cannot control is a threat to the entire production
and must be dealt with seriously. At times it may be necessary to quickly
shut these people down or forcefully remind them of whos calling the
shoLsandwhyLheyareLhereinLhe6rsLplace.|fLheydon'LrespondLo
eiLherapproach,you'vegoLLa6reLhem.
NUMBER 1
The only thing that really matters in the end is whats on the screen.
AloLofLhingsmayhappeninLhecourseofproducingyour6rsLfeaLure.
Crew will be at each others throat. Locations will fall through at the last
minute. A key crew member may quit mid-shoot. A shot may be ruined by
the lab. However, as these issues mount up, just remember that the only
thing that really matters in the end is whether the director is ultimately
capturing her or his vision in that monitor. In the end, the number one
most important thing is whats gonna be up on the screen when the
lights go down. The script, the performances, the set, and the
cinematography all that behind the scenes drama is just fodder for the
cast party, but whats in the monitor is what you will ultimately be judged
on by the audience and history. Get that right and the rest will fade away
inLonosLalgic6lmmakingwarsLories(albeiLafLerafewyearsofLherapy).
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TOP TEN TIPS FOR DIRECTORS
BY PETE CHATMON
NUMBER 1
Timeline? What Timeline?
There are no mile markers in the career of a
6lmmaker.MosLofyourfriendshaveacerLain
understood progression that they comfortable
anticipate until Enron or Bear Stearns goes belly
up. Work 5 years, dont make mistakes, and
become a manager. 5 more years, a VP of
something. 10 more years, a divisional president.
10 more years, who know, CEO. They may not
become CEOs, but they will follow the map of
their profession. Well, WERE FILMMAKERS, and it
could take 5 years to write your script. It took me
6forPPLM|UM.|LLook4yearsLosecureLhe
6nancing-afewofLheseyearsdidoverlap.
AllofLhisefforLforwhaLwouldbea23dayshooL.
There is a tremendous amount of effort, focus,
and thought to get your project from script to
screen. There is no timeline there is nothing but
commitment to the process and your growth as an
artist and dare I say, a business person. While all
my friends were moving into apartments and
celebrating lifes progressions, I was sleeping in my
momma'shouse,runninganof6ceouLofmy
bedroom, running each mile one step at a time.
Id say it was worth it.
NUMBER 2
Remain a student in search of extra credit.
SomeofyouwillgoLo6lmschool,someofyou
wont. Thats not important. What is important is
that you remain a student of the craft, the
LechnologyANDLhebusinessof6lm.WaLchand
study Criterion Collection DVDs which are chock
full
of extras and
behind the scenes content. PA on
6lmsandoLherpro|ecLsinyourarea,whereveryou
live. Read book after book after book I provide
my clients with a Recommended Reading List and
those of you that join the DDFC will get to check
that out for free after the show. I will tell you one
right now, which is A CUT ABOVE: 50 Film Directors
Talk About Their Craft by Michael Singer and
Leonard Maltin. Subscribe to podcasts. Read the
trades. Join organizations. SHOOT FILM.
NUMBER 3
Self-Promotion: Allow me to reintroduce myself.
Unless youve written the next great American
screenplay, and unless you did that and happen to
haveGPLA1connecLions,makingyour6lmis
going to be the result of a marathon, like I
mentioned earlier. The difference here is that your
personalmaraLhonisnoLonN8ConLhe6rsL
Sunday of November. It may not even be in the
local newspaper. The training and progress of your
marathon will only be in the places where you
promote yourself. Your website, your blog, your
email blasts, your Facebook and myspace groups
and pages, etc. If people know you are running
they can be there to cheer you on when you hit
that wall and they can be there to give you water.
The reality of this analogy is that the people you
self-promote yourself to will be there to contribute
time and possibly money when the time comes
as long as youve shown that you are worthy of
boLh.1heresulLsofyourmaraLhon...your6nished
6lm...willbewhaLweall|udgeyouby,buLLhe
process will have been enjoyed by people
investing in your future. And oh, my website is
double76lm.com and I am available for production
consulting, for commercials and music videos,
markeLingcampaigns,andofcourse,feaLure6lms.
Im also looking for an agent so holla.
SELF-PROMOTE people!
NUMBER 4
Know your audience.
This point is all-inclusive. Executives at studios,
decision makers at production companies, actors,
crew, investors, and the folks who will ultimately
seeyour6lmAPLALLYOUPAUD|LNCL.Knowhow
to speak to each one of them. I am the same Pete
Chatmon in every situation, with every meeting...
my integrity never changes, nor do the things I am
willing to compromise on, BUT THE APPROACH
could leave some people wondering who was that
dude!YouhaveLo6ndyourownsLyle,andsome
may argue with me on this, but I know from
experience that being aware of your audiences
concerns, and acknowledging them in your
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conversation, goes a long way toward making
LhemfeelcomforLablewiLhyou.Makinga6lm,
depending on ones relationship to the project,
canbea2-3yearparLnership.PeoplewanLLo
know that you get it and it wont be a horrible
experience dealing with you for all that time. To be
speci6c,LheseareLheLhingsLokeepinmind:
Executives at studios + Decision makers at
production companies: companies have
mandaLesasLoLhespeci6cLypeofmaLerialLhey
are looking for. Know this.
Actors: what about your project would be
attractive to this actor.
Crew: perhaps someone has the experience but
has never been given the chance. A casting
assisLanLcouldverywellcasLyour6lm,forless
money than a casting director, and with more
conviction and heart. A line producer could help
produceyour6lmforproducercrediL.Acamera
operator may never have been given the chance
LoshooLa6lm.KnowLhis.
Investors: what about your project is attractive?
The fact that the entertainment industry is sexy?
Does your prospective investor have a big ego and
would love to show up his wealthy friends by
beinginvolvedinanexciLing6lm!|sLheira
mission statement or social initiative that might
attract investors? Is it because they knew you since
you were yay high?
FoIks who see your Im:iL'saheisL6lm...
what is the audience expecting to happen?
WhaLhadyoubesLnoLleaveouLinorderLoful6ll
their expectations.
ALL IM SAYING IS
:
EXPECTATIONS ARE
VERY IMPORTANT. YOU JUST NEED TO
KNOW WHEN YOURE NOT MEETING THEM
SO YOU DONT LOOK STUPID OR AMATEUR.
NUMBER 5
Understand the way a set works and the demands
of each position.
You are the captain of the ship. You will be blamed
for stuff that isnt your fault and applauded for
ideas you didnt conceive. Your actors and crew are
smarter at their job and better at what they do
than you will EVER be, but by knowing how a set
works and the demands of your crew, you can 1)
avoid looking stupid and 2) keep everyone happy
by not asking for ridiculous, or often impossible
things. I strongly recommend that all directors
take acting classes so you know what it feels like to
put your whole essence on display. You will quickly
realize just how much youd want to be in good
hands too.
NUMBER 6
What is the goal of your scene?
You will fall behind schedule during your shoot.
It is inevitable. If you are shooting a low budget
project, it is highly likely that you wont be able
to go into overtime too often, if at all, due to the
exorbitant costs. So what are you left with? You are
left with the demand of having to shoot most of
your scenes in the allotted time NO MATTER WHAT.
I ask what is the goal of your scene because if you
map this out for every single scene of every
project that you direct, you will ensure that when
time gets tight, you will at the very least put the
camera exactly where it needs to be to convey the
overall (and most important) message of the
scene. You will love yourself for this. You will love
me for having told you this. All the gravy shots and
camera moves that you want to show off will mean
nothing if theres no close-up on that key piece of
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evidence the detective in your story stumbles
across to push the story forward.
NUMBER 7
lnow when to hght.
Sometimes you will need to push yourself into
overtime... or make yourself fall behind schedule
because the importance of the scene demands it.
On Premium,ZoeSaldana's6rsLdaywasLhe3rd
dayofshooLing-whichwasalsoLhe3rdof5days
at the gas station location we had secured. I had
never met Zoe in person yet, we had just spend
abouL2hoursonLhephoneLalkingabouLLhe6lm
and the character, themes, etc. I believe she knew
Dorian Missick, but not very well and had never
workedwiLhhim.Well,Lhe6rsLsceneupforLhe
daywasLheir6naldialoguesceneinLhe6lm,aL
the gas station, one year after theyve gone
through a helluva tumultuous time none of
which had been rehearsed, shot, or broken down
outside of the work wed each prepared
individually. I took 10 hours to shoot this scene,
between every take telling my team that I know
were burnlng hlm... l know lm ushlng us behlnJ
schedule... I know tomorrows going to be a 10 page
day because I knew it had to be perfect. I feel that
we got it and if some of the earlier scenes suffered
for it, so be it I knew this was a moment that I
hadLo6ghLfor.KnowwhaLcounLsand6ghLfor
your moments too.
NUMBER 8
Be honest with your cast, crew and yourself.
I dont care how you live your life. When it comes
LimeLodoLheworkofyour6lmpro|ecL,honesLy
is your only commandment. If an actors
performance is off, and this actor has been on the
Wire and worked with Jonathan Demme and other
Oscarwinning6lmmakers-youaregoingLohave
to look that actor in the eye and say thats not
what Im looking for. Trust me, its tough, but just
likeyouhaveLoundersLandLhedynamicsofa6lm
set and everyones role, Frankie Faison knows that
a good director is only working to mold their
performance into what works for the project.
When I got over this apprehension, we began to
make beautiful music. This honesty policy also
extends to how you communicate with your crew
and everyone else on your team, but understand
that it all begins with YOU. If youre not honest
wiLhyourself,your6lmwillscreamandholleriL's
lack of authenticity and it will be less than paper
thin. Not a good look.
NUMBER 9
Give credit.
I already mentioned that your actors and crew are
waaaaaaay smarter at their job and better at what
they do than you will EVER be. For this very reason
youwill6ndLhaLLheywillresolveinsurmounLable
problems during every stage of the process pre-
production, production, and post making you
look really good in the process. You may be the
authority on the material, but trust that you are
not the sole owner of good ideas. Encourage
collaboration and give credit when it is due.
I give a shout out to Kevin Frakes for helping
with executing so many producing aspects of
Premiums production and editor K.A. Chisholm
forsavingLhe6lm(andme)fromascenewhere|
didnt get all the necessary details to push the
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ANTHONY Q. ARTISisa15-yearveLeranofLhe6lm
and TV industry and the author of The Shut Up
andShooLDocumenLaryGuide(PocalPress2007)
and co-host of The Double Down Film Show. His
features and shows have been screened at the
Tribeca Film Festival, the IFP Feature Market,
Slamdance, and on MTV. Most notably, Anthony
producedLhe2003|PPPeaLureMarkeLgrand
prize-winner, Shelter, Associate Produced the
IFP-produced feature documentary, Paper Chasers,
and served as a Segment Producer for the popular
MTV reality series Flipped. He has worked
professionally in positions as diverse as producer,
cinematographer, gaffer, special-fx make up, sound
mixer and location manager. He is presently an
administrator and adjunct professor at New York
Universitys Tisch School of the Arts. His blog is at
DownAndDirtyDV.blogspot.com.
PETE CHATMONisLhedirecLorofLhefeaLure6lms,
Premium and 761st. and the founder of the
Double78ouLiquemarkeLingandadAgency.
His blog is at Double7World.com.
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story along properly. Trust me when I tell you
Ive given 100s of thank yous and shout outs along
this journey.
NUMBER 10
Embrace the challenge.
Filmmaking is hard. Anything worth achieving or
accomplishingis.Whenyou6nishyour6lmand
haveLhaLpremierescreening,wheLheriL'saLa6lm
festival, Loews theater, in your living room, or at a
bar you have joined the ranks of an elite bunch.
1hefew,Lheproud,Lheaccomplished6lmmaker.
There are many who talk and say what they will do.
There are countless accomplished self-promoters
that lack follow through. There are innumerable
creative geniuses with a million ideas but none
that they have followed through to completion.
1hesepeoplearenoL6lmmakers.1hesepeople
have not embraced the challenge and obstacles
inherent in achieving their dreams. But you have.
You read this article through to the end, which
means you are already wired to succeed...
all you have to do is embrace the journey that lies
ahead and the challenges will simply be a part of
the process.

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There are a couple of things that are of critical
Importance to efcIency when edItIng.
First, realize that Time is Money and there is never
enough so dont waste any!
Second, always give everything a clear and obvious
name you dont want to waste time looking for
Lhings.|fyouneedLhaLcloseupofLhepisLol6ring,
whichismoreobviouslyiL,aclipnamed3C-5
orCUPisLolShooLs!Scene3C1ake5isusefulfor
script supervisors and production managers,
buLnoLef6cienLediLing(alLhoughyoushould
have it as part of the clips info).
Third, save your work early and often. I always save
afLerevery2or3changes,wheLheriL'smaking
edits, logging clips, or applying an effect, etc. I also
make it a point to save my work before rendering
or walking away from the machine. Theres nothing
worse when under a tight deadline than losing half
an hours work because the system locked up just
as you were about to save a lot of changes. I dont
like autosave functions because:
1. They lock you out of editing while theyre
backing up;
2. Many applications autosave function writes
over the previous good"versionofLhe6le
replacing it with the junk youve totally botched;
3.NoLallappshaveanauLosavefuncLionsodon'L
rely on it. Get in the habit of manually saving
your work on a regular basis.
GETTING STARTED
NowLhaLLhepro|ecLisready,Lhereare7
sLepsLoworkingmosLef6cienLly.AlLhough
the instructions that follow are for FCP,
youcanuseLhisworkowwiLhmosL
non-linear editing applications:
1. INPUT
2. ORGANIZE
3. FAST FIRST
4. FINE CUT
5. FINAL POLISH
6. RENDER
7. OUTPUT
1. INPUT
This is the step where you set up a project
and get the footage into it. When starting
anewpro|ecL,Lhe6rsLLwoLhingsLodo
before anything else are:
1.CreaLeaLogging8insoyoucan6ndLhe
new clips easily and prevent unnecessary
clutter in the project window;
7 Steps to an efcient
NLE workow
J
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2. Save the project with a meaningful name in an
easy-to-remember location.
Create a new bin and name it Logging Bin.
Right-click on its name and set it as the logging
bin. A small slate icon will appear to the left of the
bin name to indicate that it is the logging bin
(seePig.2).Anyclipsyoulogand/orcapLureor
transfer will be put into this bin.
Immediately saving the project with a name
prevents the confusion of Untitled Projects.
Which is clearer, Untitled Project 5 or
Safe Chemical Handling Project?
Once the project has been saved you will either
Log and Capture or Transfer, or Import Files or
Folder. If you recorded on tape you will log and
capture; if you shot with a tapeless system then
you will Log and Transfer. Logging is an important
step as it allows you to:
1. Review and select the best footage;
2. Assign meaningful information to the clips
before you bring them into the computer.
I prefer to log individual clips and then batch
capture them rather than capturing a whole tape
in one shot then breaking it down into separate
subclips. It may take more time up front, but it
saves a lot of time while editing. It also saves
Lheclipsinindividual6lesonyourharddrive
soyoucaneasily6ndLheshoLanduseiLin
another application.
|fLheclipsarePCP-ready6lesinLhecompuLer,
this step would consist of importing those clips.
If you plan on importing, its a good idea to name
Lhe6leswiLhLheclipnameyouwanLforeachand
move them into appropriate folders and
subfolders before importing. This allows you to
import a folder structure containing all the
individual6lesalreadyorganizedinLobins.
2. ORGANIZE
In this step you will rename clips as necessary and
moveLheminLobinsLomakeLhemeasyLo6nd.|L
is better to have a few clips in lots of bins than lots
of clips in a few bins. I create a master Video Bin
and a master Audio Bin. The Video Bin could
contain sub-bins such as Interviews Bin, B-Roll Bin,
Stock Footage Bin, Graphics Bin, Animations Bin,
etc. The Audio Bin could contain sub-bins such as
vObin,Music8in,SPXbin,eLc.PememberLo
always give everything a meaningful name so you
know exactly what it is by looking at its name.
One thing I always do is include bin as part of a
bin name (i.e. Video Bin, Sequences Bin, etc.,) and
always include seq as part of a sequence name
(i.e. Master Seq, First Seq, Titles Seq, Alt Master
Seq, etc.).
Figure 1 shows a disorganized project. By putting
everything in the Browser window and using
default names things get cluttered and confusing
very quickly. As you add more clips and sequences
it becomes a real time-wasting and frustrating
mess. Figure 2 shows an organized project.
FIG 2 GOOD ORGANIZATION FIG 1 POOR ORGANIZATION
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It is better to have a few clips in lots of bins than
lots of clips in a few bins. Notice also how each
the bins have been set up in an orderly hierarchy
and each item has been named so you know
exactly what it is. The open Animation Bin tab
is obvious, as are the project and effect tabs.
No confusion here.
3. FAST FIRST
1hisisLheiniLialassembly,Lhe6rsLcuL.1heLwo
important things about this step are that you
should do it AS FAST AS POSSIBLE and it should
be CUTS ONLY (no transitions, effects, color
correction, etc.)
You want to complete it as fast as possible so that
you dont waste time over-thinking how to
sequence everything. Its easy to get paralysis by
analysis, not getting anything done because
you'reLoobusyLryingLo6gureouLhowLodoiL.
You wont know how clips work in a sequence until
you lay them out on a timeline and watch them
together so do it FAST! Dont worry about which
shoLshouldgo6rsL,second,Lhird,eLc.orhowlong
they should be that all comes in the next step.
Just slap every video clip down on a timeline and
see what happens. Understand and accept that its
going to be terrible it will be disjointed, too long,
LooredundanL.1haL'sokay-iL's|usLa6rsLdrafL.
The purpose of this step is to give yourself a
starting point to begin editing. Watching several
takes one after the other will reveal the best parts
of each and suggest the best order.
YoucancreaLea10-second6rsLcuLquiLeeasily.
AsshowninPigure3,viewLheclipsinabinas
icons, arrange them in the order you want to try
6rsLgoingfromlefLLorighLandLopLoboLLom,
selecting them all, and dragging them either to
the Canvas or directly to the Timeline to put add
them to a sequence.
4. FINE CUT
This step is where you will spend most of your
time, arranging the shots into their most logical
sequencing and then trimming their lengths to
control pacing and rhythm. Like Fast First, this step
is CUTS ONLY! Not having fades, wipes or dissolves
allows you to gauge timing more accurately so you
have6nerconLroloverLhepacingandow
between shots.
1he6rsLgoalisLopresenLLheinformaLionina
sequence that allows the viewer to understand
whats going on. Here is where you concern
yourself with which shot should be the opening
shot, which goes second, third fourth, etc. Arrange
and rearrange individual shots and groups of clips,
adding, moving and deleting, and adding them
FIG 3 10-SECOND FIRST CUT
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JIM KANTER loves using technology to tell stories
and create art. He started making movies when he
was7andworkedasacinemaLographerand
ediLorafLergraduaLingfromLheUSC6lmschoolin
1979.|n1985hebeganusingcompuLersLocreaLe
graphics and animation, and jumped into the
desktop digital video world back in 1994. Along
LhewayhehaswonawardsasafeaLure6lmmaker
and as a broadcast journalist.
|n1997foundhimselfLeachingfull-LimehowLo
usecompuLersin6lmmakingandisconsidered
one of the top trainers in the industry. He has been
on the faculties of several universities and
currently runs the Digital Film Institute and his
production company, D-Film.
He has contributed to many publications, is active
in many on-line forums, and produces popular
video tutorials for several companies, including
MacProVideo.com and DesignProVideo.com.
Jim is also happily married, a SCUBA instructor,
private pilot, motorcyclist, plays clarinet and is
learning the saxophone. His wife and children
kinda remember what he looks like.
until the information is presented in the most
effective sequence to enlighten and entertain the
viewer. Get rid of any clip that is redundant or not
necessary. Theres an old saying in screenwriting
which applies equally to editing: If it doesnt move
the story forward, it holds the story back.
Once you have the clips in the best order, then you
go to work trimming them so that the material
owsbeLLer.1hisiswhenyousweaLoverwheLheriL
should be trimmed one or two frames later or
earlier. By keeping it cuts only you will be best able
Lo|udgeLheLimingandsmooLhnessofLheowof
material. Multi-frame transitions disguise bad
timing of cuts and you want to make the sequence
smooth and seamless. If you just cant make a cut
work, then in the next step you can cover it up with
a different transition.
5. FINAL POLISH
Onceyou'vemadeLhemaLerialowassmooLhlyas
you can through cuts, then its time to do all
Lhe6nalLweaking.1hisisLhesLagewhereyou
applyLransiLions,6lLersandvisualeffecLs,
color correction, audio sweetening, titles and
graphics, etc.
You should wait until you have the picture locked
before adding all these things so you dont waste
time cleaning up or applying effects to clips that
you end up not using. Even real-time effects take
time to set up. Also, adding transitions covers up
bad edits and affects the timing of clips, so wait
until youre done building your timelines before
adding the transitions.
6. RENDER
Once everything is to your (and the clients)
satisfaction, make sure that the render settings
for the sequences are correct, save the project,
then render (or re-render) EVERYTHING. Be sure
Losave6rsLasappsaremosLlikelyLocrash
while rendering.
7. OUTPUT
Once everything has successfully rendered, then
its time to output. You can either send the
sequencesbackouLLoLapeorLocompuLer6les
that can then be used by other apps (such as for
making DVDs or Blu-ray discs, using them as
content layers in motion graphics, or having the
program play on a web page).
The most important things to remember are that
you want to be well-organized before starting to
edit, and dont waste precious time doing things
you wont end up using or that interfere with being
productive. You cant edit material unless its in the
timeline, so get it there as quickly as possible and
LhencuLiLsoiLowswellandisclearand
entertaining before adding all the goodies.

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Charlotte McCarthy
Freel ance Graphi c Desi gner & Photographi c Art Di rector
+44 7967 147038 www.charlottemccarthy.com hello@charlottemccarthy.com
design & communication s marketing comms s art direction
set styling s corporate id s branding s literature s websites s packaging
point of sale s instore & retail communication s artwork
b2b & b2c advertising s direct mailing
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What Is the best way to set up your new ofce
space as the ideal editors suite? Follow the
steps below and you just might be able to
transform your blank slate to a room of all
editors envy. However, this is for the ideal
situation. Keep in mind your own restrictions
in resources, room size, room layout, etc.
SECTION 1: THE PREPARATION
Before you have anything settled into your new
room, paint it grey and do a little DIY project in
switching out regular light switches for dimmers
on daylight temperature lights and installing
curtains for blocking out the natural light from the
windows during viewing. These are often
overlooked when trying to achieve accurate color
correcLion.HardwoodorlaminaLeooringwould
be a good idea since you will probably be in a chair
on wheels rolling around. Lastly, install acoustic
foam insulation to keep your neighbours at bay.
SECTION 2.1: THE MAIN WORKING AREA
1he6rsLLhingisLo6ndLheperfecLdesk.
1hesuggesLedsizeshouldbearound60"by30"
in order to give yourself ample room for all the
equipment. If your desk does not come with the
option of having cable hooks installed underneath
the tabletop in the back, it is extremely easy to
install some small J-hooks to hold up all of your
cables instead of having them droop on the
ground tangled. Ergonomics is not something to
take lightly, especially when you are putting
together a work area where you know you are
going to be for extended amounts of time. A large
desktop is a necessity. The bonus is a desk with
raising legs.
DESK WITH RAISING LEGS (ERGOCONCEPTS.COM)
For any desk job, it is always a good idea to change
your working position between standing and
sitting. Academy Award-winning editor Walter
Murch edits standing up. Ponder that next time
yousiLdownandbeginediLing.Likea6newine
and chocolate, pairing is important. Of course, the
only chair to pair with that desk is an Aeron, the
most ergonomic brand of chair out there.
AERON CLASSIC CHAIR (AMAZON.COM)
Now that you have the absolute basics set, lets
start placing the items that need to be on and
around the desk. First up is the technology.
Two computer monitors need to be set up with
your desktop editing system since this allows more
screen real estate for having multiple windows
open at the same time. Studies have shown that
productivity is higher with two monitors instead
of one large one (research.microsoft.com). These
two monitors should be the central focal point of
the desk. The keyboard and mouse should be
placed in their standard location whichever is the
The Ideal Editors Suite
T
I
N
A

L
U
N
G
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most comfortable for you, either for a lefty or a righty. In addition to a
deskLopsysLem,alapLopisbene6cial.SinceiLissaferLokeepyourmain
work station, the desktop, disconnected from the Internet, a laptop
would be used to conduct day-to-day business like e-mail and other
sorts of communications, and of course, for editing while travelling.
While you are editing at your home base, your laptop should be placed
nexLLoLhemoniLorsaLa135-degreeangle.OnLheopposiLesideofLhe
monitors, mirror image or the laptop, should be your HD preview
monitor for image analysis.
UndersLandably,LhedeskisgeLLing6lleduppreLLyquickly,buLLhere
are a few additional things that should join the group. A place to jot
down a running list of to-dos and reminders would tremendously help
in keeping all your notes organized. This does not necessarily have to be
the traditional pen and paper. An open document on the laptop would
work|usL6ne.NexLLoLhelapLop,aspoLshouldbededicaLedLohavinga
referencemanualopen,sinceediLingdoesinvolveasigni6canLamounL
of troubleshooting. If the book is not too thick, propping the reference
manual on a cookbook stand is suggested, so the open pages of the
book can be readily available.
Tina Lung
tina@tinalung.com
www.typicallyatypical.org
www.tinalung.com/supermag
Photographer
Personal Organiser
Spatial Designer
DESK LAYOUT
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SECTION 2.2: THE GUTS OF THE OPERATION
Now that you have your desk area all set up,
where would you store all of your other video
and computer hardware? A rack would keep all
the video decks, scopes, patch bay, breakout box,
and RAID together and organized. It does not
matter how tall your rack is, the devices that need
the most accessibility should be located at or
nearest to shoulder height. The suggestion is for
your patch bay to be installed here since it will be
connected to all the other devices. The rest should
be ordered from needing the most accessibility to
least, starting from the slots next to the patch bay
and going away from it toward the top and the
bottom of the rack. If this is a knee-high rack, the
patch bay would be installed at the highest slot
and all others installed below it. Re-adjust this to
consider height of rack and user.

RACK LAYOUT
All your external hard drives that are not part
of RAID, your reference materials, collections of
tapes and DVDs, and all other media and resources
need a home.
MEDIA STORAGE
(CRATEANDBARREL.COM)
A cabinet with drawers and
shelving would be a great
place to keep all these
things compartmentalized.
In addition to media, cables
are not going to be too far
way. Next to the cabinet,
mount a cable rack.
By hanging your cables,
they are readily accessible
and not webbed together.

CABLE RACK (MARKERTEK.COM)
Fun Option: If you happen to use a webcam for
collaboration, dont put your shelving behind you.
Put up fun backdrops on the wall, so when you
are communicating through the webcam, it will
look like you are working hard away at a tropical
paradise or dark mysterious cave. The options
are endless.
SECTION 3: THE COMFORTS
You know long hours are in store for you. Some
late nights or early mornings, it is always good to
have fresh coffee and snacks an arms length.
A micro fridge and a microwave are a must. If there
is a closet in the room, that would be the perfect
placeLoseLupyourmini-ef6ciency"kitchen/
pantry area. A nice cabinet like the one below
KITCHEN CABINET (CRATEANDBARREL.COM)
would bring the homey touch of a really cozy
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kitchen into your closet space. The cabinet does
not have to be big, but can also provide the
surface area for your coffee pot or espresso
machine. If you do not have a closet, fear not,
other options await you. You can dedicate a corner
of the room for this and keep it exposed or put up
curtains or room dividers, which serve both
decorative and sectional purposes.
SECTION 4: THE PREMIERE
Some great work has been made and you would
like to show it to your clients, and need to set up a
welcoming and comfortable area for you and your
clienLLowaLchiL.AaLscreen1visanecessiLyand
geLLhebiggesLoneyoucanLhaL6LsinLoyour
viewing area. A surround sound system needs to
match. You need seating, nothing fancy and glitzy,
but stylish and serving its purpose.
CLIENT SEATING (CRATEANDBARREL.COM)
A little table for your clients to put down their
notes, a cup of coffee, or tea would be nice. A mini
arearugwould|usLroundupLhe6nishingLouch.
SECTION 5: THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE
Heres a list of little things here and there that
wouldmakeLhings|usLabiLeasierandef6cienL.
Post-it Notes, all kinds of colors and shapes
Sharpies for notes, labels, and disc media;
get the pack with an array of colors
Cable tie wraps
YourfavouriLecoffee/Lea/soda/|uice
Water
Your favourite snacks
Popcorn for client screenings :o)
Label maker for tapes, cables, etc.
TV AND STORAGE CABINETS (CRATEANDBARREL.COM)
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FINAL LAYOUT FOR THE IDEAL SITUATION
The overall goal is to provide the editor a space
that balances functionality and aesthetics.
AowofspaceoffersorganizaLion,whichinLurn
increasesef6ciencyandcreaLiviLy,where
everything has its own designated location and
purpose. Of course a good editors suite may be
assembled with just the basic necessities. However,
the additional amenities like the sofa and
kitchenette show that the suite can be both
welcoming and operational.

TINA LUNG has been fascinated with photos since
she was a wee bit, thus becoming a photographer.
Early sections of her portfolio mainly composed
of stills and portraits. In recent times, she has
expanded into events, travel and food
photography. Several of her works have been
featured in magazines and have won local awards.
In the midst of endless creativity, Tina has also
carriedaninLeresLin6ndingorderamongsLchaos.
She believes organization calms the complexity
of life leaving us space to be even more creative.
Thus, she started Typically Aytpical Organisation.
You can reach Tina at tina@tinalung.com.
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So, youve bought a new Mac with Final Cut Pro,
or maybe youve got an old edit system
with single Hard Disk Drive (HDD) as your
media storage.
You havent had any real issue with digitising or
playback, so why do you need a RAID?
R.A.I.D is an acronym that stands for Redundant
Array of Inexpensive Disks or Redundant Array of
Independent Disks. These can be HDD or SSD,
and there are a number of reasons I think an edit
suite should be using a RAID as media storage.
REDUNDANCY
Personally I feel you should, at the very least; be
using RAID Level 1, which for those that arent
familiar with RAID types; this is a set of two HDDs
that are mirrored and a copy of the data is
written to both HDDs simultaneously.
Should one HDD malfunction (and believe me
HDDs do), then the other drive should still have
your data safe and sound.
More often we are using media that is captured
onto SSDs, memory cards, HDDs or optical disks,
these are quite commonly transferred to an HDD
and then wiped, leaving no backup. By using a
RAID 1 set, you instantly have 2 copies.
Of course you could simply backup your media
to a separate drive but why waste time?
SPEED
You can see how writing the data simultaneously
to 2 separate drives will at least save you the time
ofcopying6lesLoabackup.8uLLhereareoLher
RAID types that can increase speed and others that
increase speed and provide some level of
redundancy (not to be confused with backup!!!).
I feel you should, at the very least;
be using RAID Level 1...
RAID 0 is the fastest RAID level, it consists of two
or more disks striped together as 1 volume -
this means that you have almost twice the speed
of a single disk alone.
Why is this good? What will it mean to your edit
andyourworkow!
Faster disk access and data transfer will
mean many things:
A. lcster locJlng of hles
B. Faster scrubbing through media
C. More real-time tracks without rendering
D. Faster saves
E. Faster exporting
F. The ability to use less compressed CODECs
(such as ProRes 4444 or Uncompressed 10bit HD)
G. More bandwidth for rendering faster
(actual render speed depends on many factors
most notably CPU speed)
Why do I need a RAID?
And should I build my own?

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FEEL THE DIFFERENCE?
Anyone who (or knows someone who) worked on
a high-end Avid then moved to an FCP suite with
FireWire drive will remember the whining and
moaning about how slow FCP can be
well heres the reason. FCP was often run on
faster Macs than Avid, but there was one major
reason that even simple editing felt sluggish.
Before the software only Avid they always had
cerLi6edHDDsLhaLwereSLripedasPA|Darrays
with fast connections so that you had very fast
media access!
DO THE MATH!
So apart from the general improvement in speed
and responsiveness that a fast RAID array will give,
you can also tot up all the minutes that you will
save everyday. Extrapolate that over the
weeks and months and you will see
how much time you can save on
yourworkow.

I have a single HDD that does
about 50 MegaBytes per second
(MBps) sustained data-rate and I want
to exort c hle of croxlmctely 2 Glgc8ytes
(GB) from Final Cut Pro.
2G8is2048M8
MyHDDdoes50M8ps
2048M850M8ps=41seconds (approx.)

On the other hand I have an 8 disk RAID that does
about 650MBps

2048M8650M8ps=3.2seconds(approx.)
This is pretty consistent for writing to the disks
from another disk of equal speed or directly from
RAM. However it can take anywhere up to 25-50%
longer to read from and write to the same volume.
When you take this into account the times would
bemorelike50Lo60secondsLoreadfromand
write to the single HDD and 4 to 5 seconds for the
650M8psPA|Darray.
Still... thats pretty damn impressive!
When|builLmy6rsLPA|DiLwasmainlybecause|
did a lot of uncompressed video work and single

drives just didn't cut the mustard. Then I sat down
and worked out that by using a RAID that does
abouL650M8psoverasingleHDD,|savedabouL
20 minutes per day (at the very least) and
sometimes it saved as much as 2 hours.
Thats at least an hour per week, or almost a whole
working day in some cases! That's a day off or
more time to do a better job.
"...by using a RAID that does 650MBps
I saved about 20 minutes per day and
sometimes it saved as much as 2 hours!"
Mix this with the fact that you can work more
effecLivelywiLhlargeHD6lesanduncompressed
media and you can see how a fast RAID will pay
for itself (in time-saving) over a very short period.
Try the math yourself and see how much time
you could save.
LEFT: AS SSD TECHNOLOGY
BECOMES CHEAPER AND
MORE PREVALENT WE WILL
SEE MANY MORE SSD RAIDS
APPEARING ON THE MARKET
RIGHT: A TYPICAL SATAII
HDD FOUND IN MANY
RAID ARRAYS
HIGHER END AVID SUITES HAVE AL-
WAYS USED RAID ARRAYS FOR HIGH
PERFORMANCE
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FEEDING THE MONSTER
If you use a MacPro then you have a machine that
is capable of blisteringly fast processing and
capable of moving massive amounts of data
around extremely quickly. Using slow HDD storage
is like owning a super-car and driving it around
town in rush-hour!
There are a number of commonly used RAID types
whichareinuseLodayLheyare:PA|DLevel0,1,3,
4,5,6.WiLhlesscommonlevelswhichareknown
as hybrid-RAIDs where you mix RAID levels so you
geLPA|Dlevel10(1+0),30(3+0),50(5+0),60(6+0)
and so on.
But what type do you need? What can you afford?
On the following page there is a more detailed
explanation of eight of the most common RAID
levels that are in use today.
"There are a number of commonly used
RAID types which are in use today, they
are: RAID Level 0, 1, 3, 4, 5 & 6"
|fyouhaveonlyasmallbudgeLLhe6rsLLhingyou
should look at is a RAID 1.
A RAID 1 wont necessarily improve overall
performance, in some cases you will get a faster
read speed, but you can at least be sure that if one
drive should fail your work wont be affected.
Any RAID 1 based array could be considered as
having its own backup, but as a wise man once
said you dont have data until you have it thrice!
Many of the professionals I know, make provisions
for a secure back-up outside of their work RAID
and the ones that know anything about RAID
make two back-up copies!
You can create a RAID 1 set in the Mac OS as a
software RAID but I would highly recommend
getting an internal RAID controller card for internal
HDD RAID 1 or an external RAID 1 with built-in
hardware RAID controller.
The reason I suggest a hardware based RAID over
a software RAID; is that a your CPU will be freed-up
from managing the nitty gritty of the RAID control.
Depending on the setup you have, it could mean
asigni6canLporLionofyourCPUpowerisLhen
available to crunch through those renders!
It is VERY important to note that any other RAID (0,
3,4,5,6)shouldNO1bereplacemenLforbackup.
Now which RAID level you choose is going to
depend on how much redundancy you want or
need to have and what speed and performance
you want to achieve.
You will have to weigh up the pros & cons of
performance, capacity and cost.
There are trade-offs with all types of RAID.
My suggestion would be that if you need a lot of
storage space but a minimal amount of
redundancyLhengoforaPA|D5or6.Howeverif
you want more security and speed but are not so
bothered about capacity and cost, then go for a
PA|D10(akaPA|D1+0).
BYO VS OFF-THE-SHELF
So you have decided that Uncle Bens advice to get
RAIDed is a good one. Where do you buy? Why
would you want to Build Your Own (BYO) rather
than buying a ready built package?
Ive built my own RAID arrays for years, as well as
using off-the-shelf products from a variety of
manufacturers. It all boils down to cost and time.
If you choose to buy all the parts to make
your own, you can save thousands, but
answerLhesequesLions6rsL:
How much is your time worth?
Do you have the technical skills
to be able to put it together?
Can you guarantee that all the
parts will work or
indeed, work
together
properly?
Are you prepared
to thoroughly test
before you put
mission critical
data on it?
THE G-TECHNOLOGY G-RAID IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN EXTERNAL
HARDWARE RAID 1 WITH BUILT IN RAID CONTROLLER
THE APPLE INTERNAL RAID CARD FOR THE MACPRO RANGE
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RAID 0 (Striped disks)
Data is striped across all drives in the set but is technically not a RAID at all,
as it does not provide any data redundancy!
REDUNDANCY None
PERFORMANCE Very hIgh - SHCULD provIde the best performance + storage efcIency.
CAPACITY EFFICIENCY 100%
DRAWBACKS No Data Redundancy! If any of the drives fail - all data is lost!
RAID 0+1 (SLriped+Mirroreddisks)
A combination of RAID 0 sets which are then put into a RAID 1.
REDUNDANCY
More than one drive failure can be sustained as long as they are in the
same mirrored set. (The other disk will still have a copy of the data).
PERFORMANCE Very high.
CAPACITY EFFICIENCY 50% (or less if more disk are used in Mirrored sets).
DRAWBACKS You need at least twice as many disks as the storage capacity you require.
RAID 1+0 (Mirrored+SLripeddisks)
A combination of RAID 1 sets which are then put into a RAID 0
REDUNDANCY
Can sustain more than one drive failure as long
as no mirrored set loses all of its drives.
PERFORMANCE Very high.
CAPACITY EFFICIENCY 50% (or less if more disk are used in Mirrored sets).
DRAWBACKS You need at least twice as many disks as the storage capacity you require.
Data is striped across all drives in the set but is technically not a RAID at all,
as it does not provide any data redundancy!
REDUNDANCY None
PERFORMANCE Very hIgh - SHCULD provIde the best performance + storage efcIency.
CAPACITY EFFICIENCY 100%
DRAWBACKS No Data Redundancy! If any of the drives fail - all data is lost!
RAID 3 (SLripeddisks+DedicaLedPariLyandParallelAccess)
A RAID 0 style striped set but with one drive dedicated for parity.
REDUNDANCY 1 disk failure can be tolerated.
PERFORMANCE High performance.
CAPACITY EFFICIENCY Total number of disks minus 1 disk.
DRAWBACKS
Poor performance for multiple, simultaneous, and independent read/
write intensive applications due to dedicated parity drive.
A RAID 0 style striped set but with one drive dedicated for parity.
Data is accessed independently.
REDUNDANCY 1 disk failure can be tolerated.
PERFORMANCE High performance but with write bottleneck.
DRAWBACKS
Poor performance for multiple, simultaneous, and independent
read/write intensive applications due to dedicated parity drive.
RAID 5 (SLripeddiskswiLhDisLribuLed/|nLerleavePariLy)
Data is striped across the RAID set and Parity information is written to a
different disk in the array for each stripe.
REDUNDANCY
1 disk failure can be tolerated and you can continue to use the RAID but
data is vulnerable until rebuilt on a replacement disk.
PERFORMANCE
High performance in small record, multiprocessing environments.
Read/Write operations can be overlapped.
DRAWBACKS
Distributed parity causes overhead on write operations and when data is
changed, as parity information must be located and recalculated.
RAID 6 (SLripeddiskswiLhDualDisLribuLed/|nLerleavePariLy)
Data is striped across the RAID set and Parity information is written
to a different disk in the array for each stripe.
REDUNDANCY
Up to 2 disk failures can be tolerated and you can continue to use the
RAID but data is vulnerable until rebuilt on a replacement disk.
PERFORMANCE
High performance in small record, multiprocessing environments.
Read/Write operations can be overlapped.
CAPACITY EFFICIENCY Total number of disks minus 2 disks
DRAWBACKS
Distributed parity causes overhead on write operations and when data
is changed, as parity information must be located and recalculated.
C
O
M
M
O
N

R
A
I
D

L
E
V
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DESIGN - DIRECT - EDIT - FILM - TV - VIDEO - PRINT - WEB
www.loudandfast.co.uk
contact Ben King: info@loudandfast.co.uk +44 78 70 60 50 36
Before I put you off, it really isnt rocket science and a BYO RAID will
usually consist of:
A BRIEF STEP GUIDE TO MAKE THE RAID
1. Slot the disks in the case
2. 5lot the kAlD ccrJ ln your Mcc
3. Connect the cabling from the card to the RAID
4. Install the RAID card driver software and reboot
5. Format your RAID in the level you want
6. Pray you did it all correctly and your tests show that it all works perfectly!
Now I cant go into a full how-to in this article, but you can search the
web for more in depth recommendations and step-by-step articles if you
are interested in making your own RAID.
A HARDWARE RAID CONTROLLER CARD AN EXTERNAL CASE / RAID CHASSIS
A SET OF DISKS
(IDENTICAL IN MAKE, MODEL & CAPACITY)
CABLES
(WITH APPROPRIATE CONNECTORS)
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RECOMMENDATIONS
When deciding on components I suggest you start with the RAID card as
this will determine the connection type, achievable speed and RAID
levels supported.
There are many and varied connections from eSATA and SAS (Serial
Attached SCSI) to Fibre Channel and direct connection PCI Express bus
(See What is that connector? section for examples). You will need to
review cards to see what options they offer based on what RAID level you
want and what speed you are aiming at.
An important point to note is
that if you want to go for speed
and/orlargePA|Darraysof418
or more, then you should buy a
controller card with a large
cache memory or one that has
the option to expand it later.
To build my RAIDs I have used Hardware RAID controller cards from
Areca, ATTO and Highpoint and as long as you check that you have the
righL6rmwareanddrivers,Lhenyoushouldn'LhaveLoomanyproblems.
Most of the card manufacturers will list the cases and disks that they
have tested on their websites, so you can minimise the risk of choosing
the wrong case to a certain degree.
The case manufactures Ive used are
Enhance Technology, Netstor and
Promise. Depending on what
capacity RAID you want, get a case
to match. I will often allow for some
expansion by getting a case with
more slots than I need. Another
option is to buy components that
are compatible with expansion via extra daisy-chained chassis. If you are
noLgoingfora"super-fasL-speed-demon"PA|DandareelecLrically
power-conscious then look for chassis and disks that are low-power or
that intelligently vary the amount they draw, you might also want to get
a redundant PSU if there is the option.
ITS NOT JUST THE DISK REDUNDANCY YOU
NEED TO THINK ABOUT. POWER SUPPLY UNITS
CAN ALSO FAIL. SO GETTING A CASE WITH A
REDUNDANT PSU IS A GOOD IDEA.

www.raidon-usa.com (p) 323-803-8884 sales@raidon-usa.com
See us at Booth # SL8821
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As far as disks are concerned, I havent yet been
blessed with the funds or given the opportunity to
try SSDs in a RAID, so the only recommendations I
can make are for Hard Disks.
Generally I would recommend the use of
Enterprise class HDDs for RAID arrays that are
to be run for long periods of time and undergo
susLained|/OLransfers.8uLifyouarenoLdoingLhe
work of a facilities house, then the desktop drives
from Hitachi and Samsung have been my most
reliable and best performing of the non-enterprise
class drives.
The Hitachi Deskstar range is generally affordable
and extremely reliable, although the Ultrastar
Enterprise drives will guarantee you a little more
reliability for that extra piece of mind. Both models
go up to 2TB.
|haveover24SamsungSpinpoinLP1'sHD103U1in
RAID and as single drives for System Disks and
have been excellent so far. But If you want really
fast performance then you will want to look at the
10,000rpm or 15,000rpm drives from Hitachi,
Western Digital or Seagate.
Doubleredundancy-PA|D6orsimilar(where2
disks can fail and the RAID still rocks on) is a very
good idea and in larger RAID arrays a hot spare
(a formatted drive ready to automatically replace
a failed disk) is also a good idea. Especially in
systems that are not micromanaged or are need
a minimum of downtime for failures.
Now it is important to note at this point that you
should test each of the hard disks for any errors
andmismaLched6rmwarebeforeyoupuLLhemin
the RAID array and then test it thoroughly before
you put your faith in your creation.
You will almost certainly want to buy the
DiglloydTools Software Suite by Lloyd Chambers
to check all the disks and your RAID when you
have put it together.
This could take several hours or days to do
properly depending on the size of your RAID!
For instance, I spent nearly 4 days checking the last
set of HDDs for any errors and during that time I
foundworkingaliLLledif6culL,sobearLhisinmind
when thinking about BYORAID.
If you think of all this is a hassle, well it is. This is
why you pay more for a system that has been
tested and is guaranteed to work out of the box!
READY MEALS
When buying off-the-shelf RAIDs make sure you
get what you pay for, I recommend you buy from
a reputable company. Get on an FCPUG forum
and ask around for recommendations to meet
your requirements.
Like your BYORAIDs, there is a huge choice of
manufacturers with a variety of speeds, capacities,
connecLorsandcosLs.8uLyouraverage8disk
hardware RAID 5 connect via SAS should do
around400M8psLo800M8ps,wiLhcapaciLies
upLo1618.
If you are going to pay a considerable amount
more for your RAID, make sure that they have
6rsL-classcusLomerserviceandgoodwarranLy
coverage, check the small print carefully.
As I mentioned earlier, it can cost you a lot of time
What is that
connector?
RJ-45
Ethernet 10mb,
100Mb, 1GigE & 10GigE
Fibre Channel
LC connector
Fibre Channel
HSSDC connector
Fibre Channel
HSSDC2 connector
Fibre Channel
DB9 connector
SFP
SFF-8470
Inniband x4
PCIe x8
PCIe x16
SFF-8473
Inniband x12
SFF-8088
External mini-SAS
These are some of the
connectors you may
come across when
looking at RAIDs
[images not to scale]
***
WARNING
***
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BEN KING is a Graphic Designer, Motion Graphics
Artist and Editor from the UK who works in all
areas of the media: print, web, corporate, TV and
6lm.HeaLLendedLheUniversiLyofSurreywhere
he learned Compositing using Quantel Paintbox
and Adobe After Effects, editing using linear suites
controlled by the likes of the SONY BVE-9000 series
and Non-Linear edit suites such as LightWorks.

8oLhanOfineandOnlineLdiLor,8enhasbeen
using Avid Editor since 1994 and Final Cut Pro
sinceiLsvery6rsLreleasein1999.OverLheyears
he has worked with many companies and worked
his way up the ranks to become Design Director
for The Loop in Bristol, before going freelance.

He works across all genres from music videos and
promosLodocumenLariesandfeaLure6lms.He
regularly works on programmes for the big UK
broadcasLers88C,|1v,Channel4,6veandSky.

A long time guru and moderator on the LAFCPUG
Forums, he created the LAFCPUG FAQ-wiki with
Jude Cotter and Michael Horton.

Ben is a valued part of the FCPUG Network team
and is the Creative Director on the SuperMag.

You can reach Ben via the LAFCPUG or his website.
www.loudandfast.co.uk
and effort to; source, purchase, set up, test and test
again before you have a working RAID. So you
might want to factor in how much your time is
worth and how much risk you are willing to take
wiLh8YOandyoumighL6ndiLendsupbeing
cheaper to buy a complete set up that is
guaranteed to work out of the box.
SIZE REALLY DOES MATTER
When planning what size of RAID you need,
go for a minimum of double the amount of space
you need. This is partly because you always
underestimate exactly how much you use, people
often forget to account for renders and exports
which can quickly eat up your storage space.
Also the formatted capacity will be less than the
advertised capacity that REALLY annoying and
wrongfully legal practice that HDD manufacturers
are allowed to use decimal Bytes to describe
capacity when the drives are only able to be
formatted in binary!
It is also due to the fact that HDDs slow somewhat
asLhey6ll-upandyouroverallPA|Dperformance
candropconsiderably.SomePA|Dcon6guraLions
are particularly good at minimising this so, it is
something to check if you think you might tip over
50% full but still require a high performance.
Lastly, as I mentioned earlier; RAID arrays (that are
not based on RAID 1) should not be thought of as
having a back-up just because they have
redundancy. Make provisions to back-up the
important data to at least 1 or 2 other HDDs or
RAID 1 based array or LTO Tape if you need to be
covered for data loss by a Media Insurance. RAIDs
can fail spectacularly as can individual HDDs, so it
really is down to how you manage your paranoia
- will it be with back-ups or by chancing it?
FUTURAMA
So what does the future
hold for RAID?
Well the future is already here
in the form of the PamSan-6200
from TexasMemory Systems - a
10018SSDPA|DwiLha60G8
per second bandwidth!
That could supply
enough bandwidth for
4096x3112PG8A4:4:4:4
16biLperchannelaL588fpslll
James Camerons Avatar only
consumed seven or eight
gigabytes of data per second in processing!
Or to put it another way thats enough bandwidth
Lodo180simulLaneousreal-LimesLreamsof
1920x10804:2:2Uncompressed108iLvideoaL60p.
Now, if anyone wants to buy me one for my birthday.

PROS & CONS OF BYO
PROS
Considerably cheaper cost (in components)
More otlons ln seclhcctlon
Fun to build (if you like that sort of thing)
CONS
Separate warranties on components
Long testing times
No guarantees that it will work
No gucrcnteeJ certlhcctlon wlth other
hardware manufacturers
lcult hnJlng ccn be c clnful rocess
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Like a lot of the editors I help as a Final Cut
Studio Master Trainer and consultant, I started
cutting on Avid. Whenever I am tasked with
helpingAvidediLorslearnorworkmoreef6cienLly
in Final Cut Pro, as a means of putting them at
ease, I often introduce myself by saying Im Steve,
and Im a recovering Avid editor, as though we
were all in an AA meeting as opposed to a
classroom or edit bay. Like a lot of jokes, its funny
because its true; there is a psychological aspect
to switching to a new editing platform that is a lot
like breaking an addiction. Old habits die hard,
new patterns of behavior must be developed,
and to a certain extent, the more you accept the
things you cannot change, the happier youre
going to be.
That said, sometimes you just want Final Cut Pro
to behave like an Avid, and rather than teach
editors to ignore their sense memories and
instincts, here are numerous instances where I
encourage them to make Final Cut conform to
their techniques, rather than the other way
around. The techniques I will present in this article
are just a few of the many I share on my website,
www.editdog.net, in a Final Cut Tips for Avid
editors page I call Bleeding Purple after the term
I heard an Apple engineer use to refer to some
less than happy Avid editors. As Final Cut Pro
usually allows three or four different paths to the
same goal, these are simply the most Avid-like of
the paths.
BRINGING THINGS INTO FOCUS
WheniLcomesLo3-poinLediLing,Lhere's
practically no difference between Final Cut and
Avid. But once material is in the Timeline, editing
in Final Cut can seem as foreign to an Avid editor
driving in England is for an American. Its bad
enough that the controls are on the opposite side
of the car, but the road is on the opposite side of
the road!
Lets take zooming in the timeline as a practical
example. Even the zoom control, which has the
same location and function in the timeline as
Avids Scale Bar, is backwards; you have to drag left
to zoom into the playhead, whereas in Avid
dragging left zooms out. Zooming in and out
using keyboard shortcuts is almost the same; Final
Cuts shortcuts are simply one row up from Avids,
Command-(minus)or+(plus)insLeadof
Command [ or ]. However, there is one zooming
function unique to Avid, which is Focus.
Luckily, Final Cut does allow a few techniques
to mimic this.
1. Use Fit to window (Shift-Z) and Fit Selection
(Option-Shift-Z).
You probably already use Shift-Z to zoom the
timeline to show the entire sequence (Avids aptly
named Show Entire Sequence), but by selecting a
cliporgroupofclips,youcan6LLheselecLionLo
the timeline using Option-Shift-Z. To make this
even more Avid-like, you can map the shortcuts to
single keystrokes, one for Fit to Window, the other
for Fit Selection. True, it does require you to select
the clip or clips to focus on, but that very step
makes it more versatile than Avids preset focus
amount, as the amount of focus can be
deLerminedon-Lhe-ybasedonyourselecLion.
2. 0se Zoom level (200%} cnJ llt to wlnJow.
Using this combination, you dont have to select
anyLhing6rsL.ZoomLevel(200%)isLechnicallya
viewer/CanvasshorLcuL(inLheZoompop-up
menu), but you can also use it in the Timeline.
Since I never use the Hand tool, and Final Cut
doesnt map anything to the Y key, I map Fit to
Window to Y and Zoom Level (200%) to H, Avids
Focus keystroke. Try it, and youll see its virtually
identical, except that you have to use two
shortcuts instead of just H. If 200% zooms in too
much or too little, you can use any of the Zoom
Level percentages. For reference, heres how much
my timeline displays when I use the different zoom
levels, regardless of how long it timeline is (oddly
enough for a command based on percentage):
DURATIONS IN SECONDS AND FRAMES THAT FILL FCPS TIMELINE
BASED ON VARIOUS ZOOM LEVEL SHORTCUTS
Becoming an Avid Final Cut Pro User
Survival Tips for Avid Editors in FCP
S
T
E
P
H
E
N

K
A
N
T
E
R
Zoom Level Timeline Displays
100% 14:00
200% 7:15
400% 3:15
800% 1:15
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While youre in the Button list mapping Zoom
Level shortcuts, check out the other zoom
shortcuts you may have been unaware of, like the
ulLra-speci6cZoom|n/OuLonPlayheadin
Timeline, which centers the zoom on the playhead
regardless of whether something is selected in the
Timeline. Be careful, though. Theres a bug in Final
Cut that counts these shortcuts in your undo
queue, so if you extract a clip and zoom in or out
3x,you'llhaveLopressCommand-Z4xLogeLLhe
extract action to Undo.
ZOOM SHORTCUTS IN FINAL CUT PRO
TRIMMING
Trimming in Final Cut Pro is identical to trimming
in Avid. Okay, Ill wait just a moment for all of you
to come up with suitable expletives to describe
just how wrong that statement is. Now take a deep
breath, and lets focus on the fact that, when it
comes to single roller trims (what Final Cut calls
Ripple) and dual-roller trims (FCPs Roll) in the Trim
Edit Window, this statement is essentially true.
Lets review the similarities, as well as the close-
enough-to-deal with differences:
Of course, Slip and Slide edits are a different
matter entirely. Those wishing to slip or slide using
1KL/Peal-1imeLechniquesasopposedLodragging
clips in the timeline are out of luck in FCP, as is
anyone who likes using a 4-up display to compare
in and out points as they slip and slide. To be fair, I
think theres pretty much no denying that Avids
trim mode beats the Final Cut Pro equivalent when
it comes to slip and slide, but letting that be an
obstacle instead of a challenge to overcome is a
mistake I refuse to make. Thus, I take advantage of
an FCP exclusive feature to achieve the goal Im
after, which is to slip in real time. Heres how:
To Slip in Real-Time using FCPs Viewer:
Load the clip you want to slip into the viewer
Using1KL,play/shuLLleunLilyou6ndLhepoinL
you wish to be the new in point or out point,
and press K to pause
Shift-drag the In or Out point until it snaps
to the playhead
Since Avid only updates one frame of the 4-up
display in real-time anyway, youre usually spotting
a new in or out, never both at the same time.
So this technique just adds one step: dragging the
edit point you spotted for to the playhead
position. To make this easier, some people like
to add a marker to snap to, especially when the
clips are of long duration and the playhead is
very close to the In or out point.
To See a QuickTime demonstration of this
technique, click here or visit www.editdog.net.
The next slipping technique comes to us courtesy
of an ABC promo editor I was training who used to
slipusingLheLrimlefL/righLshorLcuLsandAvid's
4-up display.
For her, dragging was not a good substitute, and
lack of a 4-up made trimming using the keyboard
practically useless to her, as she only saw one
frame updating.
That night, I woke up at three in the morning with
this idea: modify the window arrangement meant
for Color Correction into a 4-up display.

To Slip in the Timeline using a 4-up Display:
ChooseWindow>Arrange>MulLipleLdiLs.
This opens two Frame Viewer windows and
Action Avid Final Cut Pro
LnLer1rimModew/buLLon
or shortcut
or U maporcommand7
Lasso edits to enter
Trim Mode
yes press G or click , then lasso
1rimLefL/PighL1frame
1rimLefL/PighL10frames
<or>
mor/
<or>
shifL<orshifL>
Toggle Edit Selection p, [ and ] U
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN AVIDS TRIM MODE & FCPS TRIM EDIT
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positions them to the right of a resized Viewer
and Canvas.
Swap the position of the Canvas and the
rightmost Tool bench so that the order,
from left to right, is Viewer, Frame Viewer 2,
Frame Viewer, Canvas.
Set both pop-up menus at the bottom of the left
Frame Viewer 2 to In Point, and both pop-ups for
the right Frame Viewer to Out Point.
Select the clip you want to slip and also mark it
usingMarkClip(X).
Position the playhead on the out point of the
previous clip (you can do this quickly by pressing
up arrow, then left arrow) and press F for Match
Frame to load the matching frame into the Viewer
Position the playhead on the In point of the next
clip(downarrow3x)
Press S to choose the Slip tool
UseLhe1rimPorward/8ackbuLLons(<and>)
to slip the selected clip
SLIP USING CUSTOM 4-UP WINDOW ARRANGEMENT IN FCP
As the middle two windows show the In and Out
frame as they update and the left and right
windows are showing the previous and next frame,
you are now slipping using a 4-up display.
By holding either trim button down, you can
approximate trimming in slow motion.
This may seem like a lot of steps to set up every
time you want to slip, but if you save the current
windowarrangemenL,sLeps1-3canbe
accomplished with a keystroke. All you have to do
is select the clip, load the windows with the
appropriate frames, press S and trim away. Is this
more steps than in Avid? No doubt. But until Apple
redesigns the software, this is as close to 4-up as
youre gonna get. To make this easier for you, the
window arrangements for 4-up Slip and 4-up Slide
can be downloaded can be downloaded to your
Mac Desktop (not to iPad) by clicking on this link
or by accessing my iDisk Public Folder, Editdog.
OTHER TRIMMING TIPS
OneLipLhaL|6ndisindispensableLoAvidediLors
is to constantly remind themselves of Apples basic
assumption about Final Cut Pro users: they have
no idea what theyre doing. Hence, there are all
sorts of safety features that prevent novice
editors from doing something disastrous by
accidenL,likebreakingaudio/videosync.8y
linking source audio and video together on ingest
and enabling Linked Selection in the Timeline by
default, Apple, by design, makes it almost
impossible for a novice editor to break sync. But
as an experienced editor, these safety features are
more like barriers, so you have to get around them
if you want to exercise the kind of control youre
used to.
Not selecting multiple Edits
First, turn off Linked Selection (Shift-L). This is the
#1 thing an Avid editor can do to make the FCP
Timeline more Avid-like. Second, make sure you,
or whomever ingests your material, captures audio
as discrete channels, and not as stereo pair.
FOR THE LOVE OF G*D, PLEASE DONT CAPTURE AUDIO AS A
STEREO PAIR ON INGEST
DONT
There is no way to avoid having audio and video
linked upon ingest, but thats okay. If audio is
discreet, simply toggling Linked Selection off will
allow discrete selection of audio and video tracks.
Just like Avid, you can add tracks to your selection
byholdingdownamodi6erkey(command,
instead of shift). If you want to quickly override the
Linked Selection setting, simply hold down option
and selecting any segment of a linked clip will
select the other linked tracks. If Linked Selection is
on, holding down option overrides that setting,
allowing you to option-click video or audio of a
linked clip to select the tracks discretely. My advice
to Avid editors, leave Linked Selection off most of
the time. Youll be happier.
Selecting Multiple Edits with Shift-Command-
click will choose edits in the opposite mode of
the selected tool. (i.e. if Roll tool is active, holding
down shift and command keys toggles roll tool
into ripple tool, so you can select just A or B side
of the edit (see next example).
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80G Allk7: when selectlng gcs wlth the klle tool, the tcll of the rlle
tool wlll NO7 l to olnt towcrJs the gc slJe of the eJlt, cs lt shoulJ, but
you CAN select the edit if the vertical line in the center of the tool is just
barely on the gap side of the edit (see below).
WHEN SELECTING MULTIPLE EDITS, HOLD DOWN SHIFT AND COMMAND TO TOGGLE ROLL INTO
RIPPLE SELECTION, OR VISA-VERSA.
NOTE: The Ripple tool will allow you to choose gaps, even though
the tcll wlll not l when you cre osltloneJ on the gc slJe of the eJlt.
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Sync Lock
Using sync lock"isdif6culLinPinalCuLPro,
because there is no sync lock. To be clear: FCP
actually makes the assumption that sync lock is on,
on all tracks, all the time (because, as per the
earlier rule, they assume you have no idea how to
maintain sync). However, once you assume sync
lock is on on all tracks, you can click the Track Lock
buttons for any track to turn sync lock off. It feels a
liLLlebackwardsaL6rsL,buLiLworks.
SELECT VS. AUTOSELECT
If theres one thing editors of all kinds fail to grasp
right off the bat, its the Auto Select buttons.
Luckily for Avid editors, theres a simple way to
de6neLhemLhaLallowsinsLanLmasLeryofLhese
oft-misunderstood little toggles. Basically, in Avid
track selection determines a great many things,
suchasLrackLargeLinginsource/recordediLing,
track targeting in Trim Mode, for Add Edit, Mark
Clip, Match Frame, Quick Transition, etc. In Final
Cut Pro, the Source and Destination Controls are
used for one thing and one thing only: targeting
source material tracks in the Viewer window to
timeline destination tracks. Thats it.
The Autoselect buttons target everything else.
If you have an instinct that makes you want to
turn on or off a track (i.e. make the track button
purple or gray in Avid), click the Autoselect
buttons instead.
Heres just some of the things you can do
using Autoselect:
Add Edit (Control-V). Adds to any autoselected
track at the playhead position, even when
playheadisinmoLion(on-Lhe-y).
Mark Clip When All autoselect buttons are on,
the lowest Video Track has priority. So Mark clip
targets V1, unless you toggle off autoselect for
V1, in which case V2 has priority. If all Video tracks
have autoselect toggled off, the highest audio
track has priority.
TIP: To quickly target a video or audio track,
option-click to solo it.
Match Frame As with Mark Clip above, V1 has
priority if all tracks are autoselected. To target a
track, either option-click the autoselect button for
the track, or select a clip with your pointer. As
with all autoselect functions, mouse-based
selection with the Selection Tool has higher
priority and overrides all autoselect functions.
Quick Transition"-NewLoPinalCuL7,using
either the Default Transition (Command-T) or one
of nine favorite transition shortcuts, transitions
will be applied to every edit between In and Out
points on all autoselected tracks. Make sure
nothing is selected with the Selection Tool,
however, or only the selected clip(s) will have
transitions applied to head and tail.
AudioGain/PanshorLcuLs-PerhapsmyfavoriLe
groupofshorLcuLsarefoundinLheModify>
AudioSubmenu.8yauLoselecLingSO1,SPXor
MUSIC tracks, I can play the sequence and nudge
the audio level for any clip at the playhead
posiLionupordownineiLher1or3d8
increments, including keyframes. The Pan
shortcuts will stop the playhead, but the Gain
shortcuts only pause it for a split-second, so
brieyLhaL|canusuallymakeon-Lhe-y
adjustments with a client in the room without
inLerrupLingLheowofascreening.
USE AUTOSELECT TO TARGET JUST MUSIC OR SOT
TRACKS FOR REAL-TIME GAIN ADJUSTMENTS, WHICH BOOST
OR ATTENUATE ALL LEVELS, INCLUDING KEYFRAMES, BY A
RELATIVE AMOUNT.
Copy/CuL/PippleCuLandPasLe/PasLe|nserL-
For any Avid editor who ever complained that
they couldnt load a sequence into the Viewer
and then toggle the timeline view (and that
would be, roughly, all of you), might I humbly
suggest an alternative? It also uses the autoselect
buttons, as you will see.
AUTOSELECT DETERMINES TRACK TARGETING FOR FUNCTIONS
LIKE ADD EDIT, MATCH FRAME, AND EVERYTHING BUT SOURCE/
RECORD EDITS.
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SEQUENCE TO SEQUENCE EDITING
Heres two ways to accomplish this objective, the
number one most complained about impossible
task for Avid editors in FCP.
Sequence to Sequence editing using
copy and paste/paste Insert:
LoadyourdesLinaLion/LargeLsequenceinLo
the timeline.
Load your source sequence into the Timeline.
If needed, drag the Source sequence tab to the left
so that it is positioned to the left of the destination
sequence to mimic left to right source-record order.
Click the Source Sequence tab in the timeline
(equivalent to toggling a source sequence into the
Avid timeline).
Mark source sequence in and out points as you
would in Avid, only look at the Canvas as youre
doing so.
Copy (Command-C), enabling autoselect for all
tracks you wish to be copied between In and Out.
Toggle to the destination sequence using one of
the following techniques:
Click the destination sequence tab in the
timeline (like toggling back to the Record
sequence in the Timeline).
Use Shift-Command-[ or ] to choose the Previous
or Next tab. You can also map these functions to
your Timeline button bar.
Position your playhead in the destination
sequence, just as you would in Avid.
Paste or Paste Insert
To original tracks - Do nothing. FCP default is to
target all paste commands to same tracks the
source was copied from.
FIG. 10 JUST LOAD YOUR SOURCE AND RECORD SEQUENCES INTO THE TIMELINE
AND USE THE TABS OR TAB SHORTCUTS TO TOGGLE BETWEEN THEM
TO TARGET NEW BASE VIDEO AND AUDIO TRACKS IN FCP, JUST OPTION-CLICK TO SOLO AUTOSELECT THE DESTINATION TRACKS IN THE
TIMELINE. ALL OTHER TRACKS WILL MAINTAIN THEIR RELATIVE POSITION ABOVE THE BASE VIDEO AND BELOW THE BASE AUDIO TRACK
To new destination tracks Option-click (to solo) the new base (lowest) Video track and option-click the
new base (highest) audio track. All other tracks will be pasted above the base video track and below the
base audio track so that they maintain the same relative position as in the source sequence.
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Sequence to Sequence editing from the Viewer
to the Timeline (sans nesting):
PirsLloadLhesourcesequenceinLoLhe1imeline/
Canvas to view and mark your in and outs. Sorry
kids, there is no workaround for this if you want
to see the source timeline.
Drag the sequence icon from the Browser into
the Viewer. Dont be alarmed when its Timeline
disappears from the Timeline. The sequence
cannot be loaded into both the source and
sequence windows at the same time.
Target tracks as you would in Avid.
To get the sequence material into the destination
sequence without nesting:
Command-drag to the Overlays in the Canvas.
Command-drag directly to the timeline. Track
targeting will determine target baseline tracks,
but you can override this. While the command
key is held down, you will see outlines of all
your source sequence video and audio tracks.
Press Command-F9 or Command-F10, the
Insert and Overwrite Sequence Content
Commands. In fact, one of the top Apple
Trainers I know, Estelle McGechie, turned me
on to the fact that you can remap these
commands to F9 and F10, and theyll
dynamically adjust to function just like Insert
and Overwrite when theres a clip in the viewer,
but will un-nest sequence content when a
sequence is in the Viewer.
SHARING PROJECTS
In the last NAB SuperMag, I introduced Final Cut
Synergy, a project sharing solution that allows
PinalCuLediLorsonXsan,UniLyandoLhershared
storage networks to share projects almost exactly
like they do on Avid Unity. Since then, Ive made
enough improvements so that its even more
almost exactly like sharing on Avid.
Click here to link to the original article, and here to
seeLheupdaLedauLomaLionsLhaLwillde6niLely
be music to your ears if you want to share projects
in FCP.
BUT WAIT, THERES MORE
But not in this article. You can always check in with
my website for more FCP Tips for Avid Editors at
Bleeding Purple, or to submit requests for FCP
work-arounds for your favorite missing Avid
features, contact me at steve@editdog.net.
Whatever you do, just dont give up. Every
perceived limitation has a creative solution, and
who knows, you might even like the workaround
better than what you were doing on Avid. If not,
for the love of G*d, stop bitching about it!
And take it one day at a time. :)

STEPHEN KANTER isanAvidandAppleCerLi6ed
editor who has cut features, documentaries and
television on both Avid and Final Cut systems for
over 15 years. A Final Cut Studio Master Trainer
andCerLi6edXsanAdminisLraLor,hehelped
developLheApplecerLi6edcurriculumasa
Technical Editor and contributing writer for the
Apple Pro Training Series, including Final Cut Pro
for Avid Editors, Advanced Editing and Finishing
Techniques in Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro and
Soundtrack Pro.
As a freelance trainer he has taught classes for
Apple and for Apple Authorized Training centers
like UCLA, Moviola, Weynand Training, Ripple
Training, and more. He has served as a trainer and
on-site consultant for studios and networks such
asN8C/Universal,Warner8ros.,A8C,C8S,POX,
and Reelz Channel, on shows like Ellen, In Plain
Sight and Access Hollywood.
Recently he developed Final Cut Synergy, a low-
cost project sharing solution that allows Final Cut
editors to share projects exactly like sharing on
Avid Unity.
Steve can be reached at steve@editdog.net, or
visit his website at www.editdog.net for sample
reels and his resum.
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Our work in Haiti was some of the most
exciting in recent memory, and we
learned a lot about disaster documentary
workow, social media, and other
aspects of visual communication from
the eld.
Do you want to go to Haiti? asked my friend an
co-worker, we need someone who can keep their
head in the game on the ground and back up our
comms ofhcer w/the ress/vlJeo/hotos/blogglng
and such... interested? You need to leave in about
twenty-four hours.
THE ANIMAL RELIEF COALITION FOR HAITI (ARCH) TEAM
RETURNS TO PORT-AU-PRINCE WITH NEW SUPPLIES AND
RESOURCES TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK IN HAITI AFTER THE
DEVASTATING JAN 12 EARTHQUAKE.
THE ARCH-FUNDED TEAM ON THE GROUND HAS CONTINUED
TO TREAT ANIMALS WITH VITAMINS, DE-WORMING
MEDICATION, ANTI-BACTERIALS AND OTHER FIRST AID FOR
INJURY AND DISEASE.
Copyright: IFAW-WSPA/M. Booth
Queries like that are just one of the many reasons
why I love my job... on this particular instance, I got
on the horn, called my wife to let her know this was
on the table... and then immediately called our man
who was already on the ground and whom I would
be partnered with, Michael Booth, to get a better
idea of the logistics involved in documenting our
efforts on behalf of the people and animals of Haiti.
My next step was to have a conversation with our
MediaAsseLsManagerandourProducLion/PosL
Production lead about how I might travel.
1akeaquicksLepback...in2008Lhe|nLernaLional
Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) decided (with
some gentle prodding from yours truly) to move
our library from our London based contractors
basement to our new Leed rated facility, and to hire
LheaforemenLionedproducLion/posLproducLion
staffer. Around this effort we built a state of the art
digital asset management (DAM) system based on
LheOpen1exLArLesia6.8plaLform...andwe
incorporated Telestreams FlipFactory as our
conversion tool... this system enables us to upload
video,audioandsLillimage6lesfromLhe6eldvia
FTP and then ls them into the system as an
asset with a proxy. The proxy allows for preview of
Lhe6lepriorLodownload,andLheasseL6lealso
contains the relevant metadata... one of the nicest
features of our current system is that it can deliver
anediLable6leinSD/HDPALorN1SCH.2646le
within moments of being ingested into the system.
Documenting IFAWs Haiti Earthquake Response
J
.
C
.

B
O
U
V
I
E
R
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THE WSPA-IFAW LEAD ANIMAL RELIEF COALITION FOR HAITI
(ARCH) DO THEIR FIRST, ON THE GROUND INSPECTION, IN THE
DOWNTOWN SECTION OF EARTHQUAKE RAVAGED PORT AU
PRINCE, SATURDAY JANUARY 23, 2010.
Copyright: WSPA/IFAW/T. Stargardter]
Middle of last year, I acquired a Canon 5D Mark II
DSLR and had hoped to shoot supplemental
footage with this unit while in Port-au-Prince, as it
turned out, with the enormity of the situation and
mycommunicaLionsof6ceralreadyequippedon
the ground with a Sony Z1U camcorder, we opted
to divide and conquer, and I shot stills while he
shot video.
IFAW-WPSA LED ANIMAL RELIEF COALITION FOR HAITI (ARCH) IS
ON THE GROUND IN HAITI CONDUCTING ASSESSMENTS OF
ANIMAL NEEDS IN THE HAITIAN CAPITAL OF PORT-AU-PRINCE
Copyright: IFAW-WSPA/M. Booth]
While on the ground helping animals, I was able to
break out the iPhone and shoot some one offs and
use Tweetdeck to ping our twitter followers and
Pacebookfans...aLacosLofroughly$1/M8.My
200MB allotment actually held me pretty well for
the week I was in country, with my using about
90MB of the space under fairly heavy conditions.
My teammate, Michael Booth and I opted to
provide stills and blog posts, all of which I would
write and edit on the laptop... I would then hand
the low res versions to Michael who would upload
via FTP to the DAM over laptop EDGE card and I
would sync the post to my iPhone and then post
the blog via my iPhone to Typepad (not my fave,
but the tool we currently use) and then tweak
oncehisuploadwas6nished.
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Earthquakes. Fires.
Floods. Hurricanes. When
disasters strike, we
mobilize to save animals.
Like this puppy found in the
rubble after the earthquake
in Haiti.
IFAW works around the
globe to save dogs, cats
and wildlife from cruelty
and crisis.
We cant do it alone. We
need your help. Learn more
at: www.ifaw.org
When
Disasters
Strike,
IFAW
is There
CHILDREN FROM LILAVOIS 39, IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF PORT AU PRINCE, WAIT WITH THEIR PETS
TO SEE A VET. THE ARCH (ANIMAL RELIEF COLLATION FOR HAITI) TEAM TREATED ABOUT 200
ANIMALS INCLUDING DOGS, PIGS, CHICKENS, CATS, TURKEYS, HORSES AND CATTLE.
Copyright: WSPA/IFAW/T. Stargardter
MichaelwasingesLinghisfooLageinLoanoldversion5.7.7ofAvid
XpressPro,whichasweallknow,nolongerexisLs,andhewould
assemble rough sequences and then review and make a shot list in his
head of the parts he was missing for the next days shoot... and I would
playabiLofLhe6eldproducerrole,LalkingLhroughsLoryideas,helping
him to look for shot opportunities, guiding him over tough terrain
during tracking shots, et cetera.
JAN 31, 2010 - ARCH (ANIMAL RELIEF COALITION FOR HAITI)
RESPONDERS TREATED 64 DOGS, CATS AND PIGS IN A DAYS
WORK IN PORT-AU-PRINCE, AFTER THE DEVASTATING JAN 12,
2010 EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI.
Copyright: IFAW-WSPA/J.C. Bouvier
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PLAY
COPYRIGHT: IFAW-WSPA/J.C. BOUVIER
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FINAL PRODUCT
B-roll of the footage shot was also uploaded
to the DAM via FTP, for use by media around
the world. Our asset management system
(www.ifawimages.com) allows anyone to sign
up for access and preview, but requires approval
for downloads, in this way, we can manage how
our assets are being used by broadcast, print
and other journalists and also provide a window
into our archive for those who be interested
in licensing or incorporating our footage
into other productions.
J.C. BOUVIER is the Social Media Marketing Lead
for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Heholdsa6lmdegreefromLhefamed
communications program at Fitchburg State
College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts and has
worked in various capacities for renowned for
pro6Landnon-pro6LouL6LsalikeincludingLhe
Sundance Film Festival and Avid Technology.
He currently lives on Cape Cod with his wife and
two children, he can be contacted via his website
jcbouvier.com
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While|didshooLsomeHDfooLagew/Lhe
Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, they were just a
few pieces of back up coverage as were
sLillre6ningourDSLPworkow...asmany
of you know its functionally different than
shooLingw/aLypicalvideoseLup.
Our work in Haiti was some of the most
exciting in recent memory, and we
learned a lot about disaster documentary
workow,socialmedia,andoLheraspecLs
ofvisualcommunicaLionfromLhe6eld.
For more video documenting IFAWs
mission, link to youtube.com

AFTER THE DEVASTATING JAN 12, 2010
EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI A RESPONDER FROM
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SPCA, SODOPRECA,
GIVE AN INJURED DOG VETERINARY ATTENTION.
Copyright: IFAW-WSPA/J.C. Bouvier
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While working on my recent project I found
myself put in very strict conditions. Because of
severe nancIaI IImItatIons the onIy software
that I could use to do the job was Final Cut
Studio. Only. Well, that could be a nice challenge,
I told myself and jumped in.
PART 1. HEY DUDE, WHERES MY... BAG? CORRECTING
PRODUCTION MISTAKES WITH MOTION
First part of the job, ingesting footage from P2
cards was just an easy pieces. But at some moment
the Director looked at the screen and said, Wait,
whats that? I liked that particular shot and Id like to
use it, but theres a camera bag right in the middle
of it. Its not in the middle. To be honest, I think
nobody will notice it, I said. No, if I noticed it,
everyone will. Can you do something with it?
Like what? Like removing it from the shot, she
said. Ive heard that in Final Cut Studio one can do
it, she added. Yeah, but we have our deadline, and
not so much time, I protested. So that means
you should stop worrying and do something.
So I selected that clip in Final Cut Pro timeline and
senLiLLoMoLion(Pile->SendLo->MoLion
Project).
First of all, I needed to make a patch of clean
ground and then Match Move it over the bag. I
duplicated a video layer (that will be my patch
source) and drew a shape using Bezier Tool. Then I
applied a Mask Layer to my top video layer (Object
->Add|mageMask)andselecLedmyshapeasa
mask source.
SHAPE AS A MASK SOURCE
8yLheway,Lherearenobene6Lsofusing8ezier
Tool and then applying it as mask source over
dedicated Mask Tool, thats only my preferred way
of working. There is a small trick here: to draw a
mask and properly align it over the source layer I
colored shape and changed its blend mode to
Multiply. That allowed me to tweak the shape and
clearly see the background layer. It also could be
Dr. Deadline
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Final Cut Studio
D
M
I
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R
Y

L
A
R
I
O
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O
V
STUPID BAG
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done with lowering the opacity of the Shape, its
just the matter of preference, I personally dont like
the washed-out look of the lowered opacity.
Then I moved my top patch layer slightly to the
left and up, covering the bag in the bottom layer
with the empty region of the ground next to it.
It worked!
Now, because there was a motion in that shot
(camera was tilting down), I needed to Match
Move my patch group to my original footage. I
used a Match Move behavior to do that (Add
8ehavior->MoLion1racking->MaLchMovefrom
the toolbar). Beware, because theres a catch here!
It is important to apply Match Move not to a video
layer itself, but to the group that contains that
layer and a patch layer, so that they could be
Match Moved together.
CORRECT POSITION OF MATCH MOVE BEHAVIOR MATTERS
Its time to track now. Although a lantern in the
background seems to be a nice tracking target at
6rsL,iL'snoLreallyso.8ecauseofLheparallaxshifLs,
it moves slower than a bag in the foreground does,
thus making my path slightly drifting away. So it
lookslike|needLo6ndsomeLhinglocaLedcloser
to the object Im trying to cover.
Side note on parallax shifts. Youre observing
parallax shifts every day in your life when riding in
your car: the trees closer to you move faster, than
the trees in the back do.
The joint on the rail will probably do a better job as
a track target. At some point in time the rail went
off-screen, so I needed to track backwards, from
the end of the clip, where I still saw the bag to the
sLarL.MidwayLhrough,Lherail6nallywenLoff-
screen, but the bag had gone off-screen before

it, so anyway I didnt need to track it any longer.
Suddenly a problem arose. Because of the camera
movement, at some point in time the rail appeared
andslowlyewfromLopLoboLLominsidemy
newly created patch. Ive noticed that the rail did
not appeared in the patch in the last few frames,
so|appliedHoldPramebehavior(Add8ehavior->
Pe-Liming->HoldPramefromLheLoolbar)Lomy
path video layer and scrubbed with Offset
parameter till I found a clean frame, without a rail
in it. Voila!
RIGHT WRONG
WITHOUT HOLDFRAME WE HAVE A UNWELCOME
GUESTS IN OUR PATCH
WITHOUT HOLDFRAME
WITH HOLDFRAME
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Well, thats it. I round-tripped the shot back to Final
Cut Pro, simply by closing it in Motion. Even
though that patch wasnt the best patch in this
world, it did its job perfectly and nobody ever
noticed that damn bag in the shot. Bottom line:
measure your efforts according to the task. Touch-
ups should remain touch-ups. Especially in tough
time limits.
PART 2. ERASING LISA. VANISHING FOOTSTEPS
ON THE SAND
Along dealing with technical problems, like
removing objects that didnt belong to the shot,
we also had to hang onto the creative side of the
editing. To underline the transiency of anything in
this world (in my world that usually applies to
money only) the Director wanted to vanish the
footsteps of the main character, while she was
walking down the beach in melancholy. So, can
we do it? she asked me. No problem, I replied.
FINAL RESULT
The technique itself is pretty straightforward. I just
needed to create as many masks, as many
footsteps I had in the shot, maybe excluding the
last couple of them in the background, when they
werent really visible enough to deal with
separately. Also, masks need not be exact shape,
they could be pretty much approximated, with
their edges softened, to integrate better with the
base layer.
So, I created a mask for every single step the talent
made in the shot. I ended up with 21 shape layers.
It was very convenient to have a mask for every
single step, because I needed to adjust shape
Feather independently for each shape. But
because I wanted to apply them all at once, I
grouped them together and renamed the group
to MASKS. I prefer to use all caps for the names
of the complex objects and lower case for the
regular layers.
MASKS FOR FOOTSTEPS
Side note on importance of giving proper names
to your layers. In my case, searching for, say, step
19 was pretty much easy. Imagine if I had to
scramble through layers named 5hce 3 coy 12,
Shape 1 copy 7 and so on. Big difference.
It requires a little time initially and save enormous
amounts of time later.
Then I renamed my base layer to Stencil and
applied an Image Mask to it, selecting my MASKS
group as a mask source. That cut a hole in my
footage, in which I later clone some footage
with clear sand.
1henexLsLepisLocreaLea6llerforLheholes|
made. To save the structure of the sand, I created
several copies of the base layer and renamed them
accordingly, patch for step 1, ctch for stes 2-3,
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etc. Then I positioned those layers so that they
covered the black holes introduced by the masks
and matched the waves and pattern of the
surrounding sand. Again, theres no need for the
sand inside patches to match exactly in color and
structure to the surrounding sound, because were
going to animate their appearance, and that will
cover any imperfections.
CLEAN SAND (EXCLUDING CIGARETTE BUTTS
Its very important to adjust timings of each mask.
If masks contents are visible when talents foot is
making a step, you will see the foots copy inside
the mask, doing that step. Mask should begin in
timeline only after a footstep is produced and the
foot leaves that area.
STEP MASKS WITH THEIR TIMINGS ADJUSTED
And6nalLouches.MasksnowpopupabrupLly,
andiL'snoLveryconvincing.ApplyingaPade|n/
PadeOuLbehavior(Add8ehavior->8asicMoLion
->Pade|n/PadeOuL)Loeachshapeinside
MASKS group will help smooth its appearance.
That simple.
PART 3. ACID EROSION FROM SCRATCH
We also needed to animate the opening title
for the movie. The Director wanted something
modest but at the same time with a twist in it.
ShewaspreLLymuchsaLis6edwiLhLheoriginal
logo of the project, but wanted to add a tiny bit
of a motion to it. We also started to worry about
Lheloomingdeadline,socomplicaLed3D
experiments were not an option. After playing
with a couple of ideas, we decided that adding
some acidic erosion to the way the title would
appear on the screen, would be exactly what
we were looking for.
First thing that comes to mind in that case is
particles. But do I really need to use a steam
hammer to crack nuts?
Well, not necessary. Because what I needed was
just a simple two-dimensional effect, I could do it
with a simple animated noise. Basically, all I need is
aCloudsGeneraLor(PCPviewerWindow->Pender
->Clouds)andLhemereLumaKey6lLer.So|Lhrew
Clouds Generator on the timeline and applied a
LumaKey,LheninsideLumaKey6lLer|swiLched
View mode to Matte and set Tolerance to zero.
After that I just animated Threshold parameter
from -100 in the beginnings of the clip, to 100 in
the end. And voila! I ended up with an
animated erosion matte. The only thing I needed
to do was to add a little bit of Gaussian Blur after
Luma Key, just to soften jaggy edges of the matte.
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STEP MASKS WITH THEIR TIMINGS ADJUSTED.
Unfortunately, Motion cannot read Final Cut Pro
Generators, so I had to render my matte to the
QuickTime movie and import it in Motion by hand.
No big deal. The only thing I needed to do was to
create an image mask for my text and apply my
erode matte as Luma source. Thats it!
FINAL ANIMATION
PART 4. CONSTRUCTION OF 3D GALLERY. WHEN OLDIES
ARE GOODIES
To illustrate some ideas in our movie we had a
bunch of JPEGs, which we needed to present
somehow to the audience. Good old slideshow
with Ken Burns effect applied? We were looking for
something else. Why not to make it a gallery and
invite an audience to visit it? I said. Good idea
in general, but the only thing we have is Final Cut
Studio and the only thing that we dont have is
time, the Director said (We had also ran out of
beer, but I decided not to mention it!). And we
haveLwenLyorLhirLyphoLos,ormore.1haL3D
gallery probably will take ages to render, she
added. Not necessary, I said. We have Motion.
So I launched Motion and imported all the photos.
My6rsLinLenLionwasLousenewLoMoLion4
feaLures,likeshadowsandreecLions,buLLhen|
realizedLhaLall|'vegoLwasMoLion3.Noshadows,
noreecLions.|neededLocreaLeLhemmanually.
And do it quick!
KeypoinLwasLocreaLeLhe6rsL"painLing"inour
virtual exposition, and then simply duplicate it
and replace the footage in all other copies.
PirsLofall,fakereecLions.|decidedLouseaclone
layer, in that case I could only replace original
phoLolaLerandLhereecLionwouldauLomaLically
updaLe.|usedPlop6lLer(AddPilLer->DisLorLion->
Flop from the toolbar ) just because I preferred to
see all the transformations I was making to the
layers in the layers stack, graphically. A little bit
Shake-LypeapproachLoLhelayer-baseworkow.
1hen|neededLofademyreecLiongradually.|
used a shape with Grayscale Gradient applied to it
asa6ll,again,correcLnamingofLhelayersisviLal.
So|renamediLfrom"PecLangle"Lo"reecLion
mask SRC, then applied an Image Mask to my
clonelayer(myreecLion,basically)andseLLhe
mask source channel from Alpha to Luminosity.
Then, if I ever need to control the opacity of my
reecLion,LheonlyLhing|'llneedLoad|usLwillbe
LhebrighLnessofmy"reecLionmaskSPC"layer.
SETTING UP REFLECTION MASK
The next step was to add Spot light source facing
LhepicLure(Ob|ecL->NewLighL).LverypicLure
was gonna have its own light. To make them more
pronounced, I added a global Ambient light and
seLiLsinLensiLyLo30%.1he6nishingLouchwasLo
create a fake volumetric top light shining down
the picture as well as a spot from in on the
imaginary"oor."
I started with fake volumetric and drew an ellipse
right above the picture. Because I already had a
real light shining on the objects, it made my white
ellipse look gray. I needed to tell Motion Lightings
System that this ellipse shouldnt be affected by
any light source, so I set the Shading parameter in
the Lighting group in the Inspector from the
Inherited to Off.
FAKE VOLUMETRIC SOURCE.
Then I switched to the point mode and deleted
bottom point of the four point making up a circle,
resulting in a shape, similar to the one on the
6gurebelow.
FAKE VOLUMETRIC SOURCE
Then I decreased Feather parameter greatly, about
-350orevenlower.ALiLLlecaLchhere:HUD
doesnt allow decreasing Feather below -100, so
one has to use Inspector window. To get rid of the
harsh spikes in the center, I applied Gaussian Blur
with something around 50 amount of blurriness
and,6nally,decreasedopaciLyLo30%.
FAKE VOLUMETRIC FINAL
1ocreaLeaspoLonLhe"oor"fromLhe"LoplighL"
over the picture I simply draw an ellipse, rotated it
90 degree, put it below the picture and adjusted
opacity to make it very subtle. Once again, its
necessary to turn Shading off.
1haL'siL,my6rsLpicLurewasready.1hen|merely
duplicaLediLandplacedalloverMoLion's3D
space.1he6nishingsLepwasLoanimaLeLhe
camera, using either keyframes or behaviors. I
prefer behavior over keyframes, but thats a matter
of personal preference only.
I didnt realize at that time that I was lucky to have
the old version of Motion and not the new one.
Despite the fact that one can easily add true
reecLionsandshadows(whicharereallycool-
looking), when it comes to playing with REALLY
big3DspaceswiLhloLsofpicLuresandlighLs,
Motion 4 becomes very unresponsive. Thats the
situation when oldies are goodies. Its not a big
dealforMoLion3Lo|ugglewiLhLwenLyormore
picLureswiLhallfakereecLions,lighLsandcamera
animation. Bottom line: its not always necessary to
have the latest and coolest version of your favorite
software, sometimes it is still possible to drive the
old car and get things done faster than with the
new one!

DMITRY LARIONOV
To read Dimitrys biography click here
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GALLERY FINAL
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Indulge me for a few minutes for the back story,
as I wax nostalgically on the value of transcripts
and share some specIc technIques for effectIve
Paper Cuts. When Im cutting drama without my
director present, Im guided by a lined script
and directors notes. When Im cutting
documentary longform, I usually rely on
transcripts to build a Paper Cut with the director
which when done looks suspiciously like a
master scene script!
Transcripts are amazing construction tools when
used properly. Newcomers often perceive them as
just a pile of interview speech tracks to be plowed
through, picking out some good parts. Still true,
but it becomes a valuable planning tool when
properly marked up, and it amazed me how much
could be done before ever touching a splicer.
My6rsLencounLercamefrompurepracLicalneed.
AL8osLonUniversiLy's6lmschoolinLhe70's,|was
cuLLingKUDZU,abouLa1apanesevine6rsL
imporLedinLhelaLe1800'sandlaLerplanLedinLhe
south to combat soil erosion. In the last few
decades its become sort of an environmental
disaster; the vine gets out of control.
With poet James Dickey (remember
DELIVERANCE?) as our Olympian spokesman, a raft
of regular southern folks, a few experts in southern
agriculture and the like, this show would become
anamusing16mmshorLdocumenLaryabouLLhe
plant that ate the South, by student director Marjie
Short editing on student time. Which means:
three days a week, 4 hours a shot at the Steenbeck
aLbedLable,plusanyoLherLimewecouldhusLle
and that wasnt much. Strictly old school,
medievalLoolsandworkow.
RISING ABOVE THE TYRANNY OF THE RUSHES
So we had to get organized and have a real story
plan to make good use of machine time. It turned
out that, if I had visual and aural transcription of
the rushes we might be able to plan a rough cut as
abaLLleplan-wellawayfromLhebaLLle6eld.|
spent the time and sketched a representative
frame for every usable piece of footage and
arrangedLheseliLLle4"x3"posL-iLsizedcardsin
a slatted wooden board (way before I ever heard
of Walter Murch and his walls of frame!).
For interviews I made audio cassettes of
everything and on my own time transcribed it all
over a few weeks using an electric typewriter,
down to every um, ah, and duplicate utterance.
Dickey also read his poem Kudzu on wild track
so I transcribed that as well, and poetry excerpts
would prove very evocative. Start, stop, rewind,
play, stop, play, rewind agh, what fun. I am not
aLypisL,evenLoday,|useonlyfour6ngers.
The transcripts were most valuable with
annotation, what we would today call a metadata
layer. We threaded up the dailies and viewed
them while I annotated each page with timing
dots I kid you not a little dot every ten seconds
during a subjects interview as a pacing aid.
Along the left margin I annotated all camera
compositions, moves, zooms, starts and stops
we would know instantly what was on camera
and what continued wild track as we extracted
good material.
1henLhehoursofsynched,uncuL6lmweresLored
in the directors locker and we went to work.
Most all the good content, story associations
and the way the show built to a climax was all
discovered, selected, arranged and even paced
during this phase and it was pretty exciting.
Once we got used to the idea that we could
assailandnailLheideasandsLrucLuralowand
not be seduced by the reality nay, the tyranny
ofLhe6lmfooLage,LheLranscripLsbecameLhe
thought thresher and shot strainer and
promoted the overview required. It was one
ofLhemosLinLellecLualexercisesin6lmmaking
Id ever experienced.
PAPER CUTS FILM
It was literally a rough cut on paper. Although it
took another several weeks, it was probably the
6nesLroughcuLever.1herewerenoLexLediLors,
nocompuLers,folks.(PadioShack1PS80's,Kaypro
and Vic Commodores were just emerging as
barely affordable possibilities). Cut and paste was
analog, scissors and glue stick, and highlighter
Automagic Transcription for Everybody
Value & XML Workow from Adobe CS4 (and CS5) speech-to-text to
Word, Excel or Final Cut Pro via Intelligent Assistances Transcriptize tool
L
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color-codingalsobecameasigni6canLorganizingLoolrepresenLing
various ideas in our case history, present, future, agriculture, social
impact, cultural impact all interviews given a story value. All thanks to
LranscripLediLingbeforeweeverLouchedafooLof6lmwiLhasplicer.
When we agreed we had a structure we liked, I typed it up like a
seamless master scene screenplay, tweaking transitions here and there.
On-camera, voice-over, B-roll, stills for rostrum photo-motion, optical
work, all timed down to split-seconds we knew exactly what track
would be placed over them.
We began to conform the cut to the paper cut; going directly
to material in the dailies reels and extracting only what the paper cut
indicated. Wed already been there on paper, we knew where everything
went. The essential structure came together in a few more weeks on
6lm,wiLhslugleaderLoLimeouLallLhemissingelemenLs.1heremainder
of time still quite a bit was spent doing insert shooting, rostrum
camerawork, optical printer work, titles, etc.
We were ready to adapt to interesting opportunities which supported
the story idea because we had a story idea, what I call today a parti
(from architecture, French meaning basic scheme or concept).
GET CARTER
1hebesLexampleofopporLuniLycamefromaneedLomakeaninaLed
brouhaha about tax incentives to destroy kudzu, which by now has
become a pest. As the paper cut constantly reminded us, we needed a
government representative as an authoritive voice to weigh in.
1976wasanelecLionyear.|nAprilwhenweheard1immyCarLer
(remember the president, peanut farmer, now home-builder and world
peace activist?) would be coming to town, the director tried to arrange a
suitably staid hotel room interview. When I heard Carter would be doing
a photo opportunity meet-and-greet with ordinary folks through
Bostons Haymarket district I said, Lets get him!
It was a classic Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney lets-put-on-a-show
moment. Within a couple hours, we had a jeep with driver, a cameraman,
myself on sound, we dressed Marjie in a journalists trenchcoat and went
into that famous fruit and vegetable venue like a football wedge. I still
For other KeyGuides

visit
www.bosfcpug.org
www.lafcpug.org
or
www.neotrondesign.com
K E E P I NG F I NGE R S S NA P P Y S I NCE 19 9 9
Final Cut Pro 7 KeyGuide
special edition now available

from Focal Press
at Amazon
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cannot believe the Secret Service let us get
away with it. We nailed Jimmy, twice along the
route! And he cooperated beautifully, with just
the right tone.
WeaddediLLo6llLhe"government hole in
the rough cut and it went in like butter. And it
helpedmakeaveryLighLliLLle17-minuLe6lm
some big history because, upon its release
about nine months after transcription began,
it was nominated for an Oscar in the Live Action
Short Subject category and got a distributor in
short order.
And thats why I like transcripts.
ADOBE AND TRANSCRIPTIZE TO THE RESCUE
Even today they cost time and money. Normally,
you either transcribe yourself its still such fun or
farm it out to a service bureau even to typists in
India, as Ive heard. Or, leverage your new computer
with new tools. There are several packages out
there, but slim pickings for reliable, mostly
functional software for Macintosh, where we work
and live. Dragon Systems Naturally Speaking is a
Windows product, MacSpeech Dictate and IBM
viavoiceareprimarilydicLaLion/voicecommand
tools, and I dont use open source tools on mission
critical work.
With CS4 (and CS5) from Adobe comes the explicit
ability to create text from speech sound tracks,
speci6callyineiLherPremiereProorSoundbooLh,
aninLeresLingworkow,ifyouhaveCS4(orCS5)
available to you on a reasonably powerful Mac.
Adobe developed the feature primarily as a way to
navigate an interview clip by selecting text. Its
redolent of ScriptSync in AVID after a script (or
transcript) is analyzed, you click a word, it cues you
right to the actual spoken word in the clip.
IF YOU CAN IGNORE THE CLUTTERED INTERFACE OF PREMIERE PRO
(IN FAIRNESS, REARRANGED TO FOCUS ON THE METADATA TAB)
YOU CAN LEVERAGE ITS TRANSCRIBE TOOL.
Whether or not you do any editing in Premiere Pro
is secondary to its ability to recognize and create a
text document from your interview tracks. I tested
the Transcribe function in Premiere Pro, but since
only Soundbooth appears to allow export, youd
actually be better off loading your QuickTime or
AIFF into Soundbooth; the added advantage is the
set of noise cleanup tools similar to those in
Soundtrack Pro, which enhance recognition
accuracy. You load a QuickTime movie or AIFF
audio6leinLoandLhengeneraLeLheLranscripLion
as metadata.
The speed of recognition varies, related as much to
track quality and speaker clarity as to hardware.
The Adobe suite is multiprocessor aware (although
noL64-biLearlierLhanCS5)whichaidsinspeed.
WiLhanidealLrackonan8-coreLoweryoucan
expect processing speed of roughly double to
three times the duration of the track.
You may elect to edit the resulting transcript in
Soundbooth or Premiere Pro clip metadata
window, for the inevitable errors which crop up,
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and theyre much more lively than ordinary spell-
check errors. For the line who disturbs the
nightingale I got years that disturbs the night in
jail thats an order of magnitude better than the
wildest magnetic poetry I can whip up.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SPEECH TRANSCRIPT PANE AFTER CLIP
ANALYSIS. EDITING & CORRECTION TOOLS ARE QUITE LIMITED.
THIS PANE IS PRIMARILY DESIGNED FOR CLIP NAVIGATION.
But editing functions are limited to insert, delete
and merge. Theres no spell-checking here.
|advisegeLLingLheraw6lecompleLelyouLof
Adobe and edit the transcript in Word, Pages,
or TextEdit, while listening to the original to
annotate the transcript with your own metadata.
For that, as far as I can see, Soundbooth is the only
XMLexporLgaLewayouLofAdobe.You'llseeLhis
underPile>LxporL>Speech1ranscripLion.
THE TRANSCRIPTION EXPORT PATH FROM SOUNDBOOTH, BEST
DONE AFTER CLEANING OUT BACKGROUND NOISE, NORMALIZING
VOICE SIGNAL, ETC.
Choose that option and a small dialog comes up
allowingyouLonameLheXML6leandsaveiL.
1haL'siLforLheAdobeparLofyourworkow.

THE GATEWAY DIALOG OUT OF ADOBE-LAND:
NAME & EXPORT THE XML FILE.
To use the text out of the Adobe world youll need
a critical piece of midware from Intelligent
Assistance called Transcriptize, which extracts a
meLadaLa6leexporLedfromSoundbooLhinLoa
Word6le,anLxcel6le,orinLoaPinalCuLPro
timeline at Markers, and the rest of this article
conveys my adventure testing this path.
TRANSCRIPTIZE AND CHOICE
Transcriptize is from Intelligent Assistance ( www.
intelligentassistance.com),Lhenowlegendary6rm
ofLos-Angeles-basedXMLwizardswhomake
usefulLoolsforbig-ironsLudioworkowsandneaL
utilities for the rest of us too. Transcriptize is
offered for US $149.00.
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THE GATEWAY INTO PRACTICAL USE OF THE XML FILE:
TRANSCRIPTIZE IS A SINGLE SIMPLE DIALOG OFFERING ALL THE
CHOICES YOU NEED. IDENTIFY SPEAKERS BY NAME FOR ANY
EXPORT CHOICE; DETERMINE HOW LONG A LINE OF TEXT WILL BE
IN SPREADSHEET OR FINAL CUT PRO XML FORMATS.
Youll boot Transcriptize and the fun begins.
You have three choices from here.
1)aLexL6le,whichgivesyouparagraphs,andyou
can optionally identify Speaker 0, Speaker 1, etc
by actual name.
2)anLxcelspreadsheeL6le,andyoucanchoose
how many words per row you get- useful for
subLiLleplanning(generallynomoreLhan6-8
words per line).
3)YoucanbringLheXMLinLoPinalCuLProLo
generaLeanaLiveXML6le,whichyouLhen
re-import into FCP to create a timeline of
markers with transcription text in the comments
6eld,likeasubLiLlereel.
Here|concenLraLeonLexLandspreasdsheeL6les,
which relate to transcripts you can use as Ive
described above. (I have yet to fully test the Final
Cut Pro marker merge.) If like me you need pure
transcription, choose Text File and identify all
speakersandgeneraLeLhe.LxL6le.1ranscripLizeis
simple to operate.
PinallyyouloadLheLexL6leinLoWordLoreview
against your rushes, correcting mis-recognized
phrases here and there as you annotate other
meLadaLainLoLhe6le.
THE TRANSCRIPTION TEXT EXPORT IN WORD, READY TO BE SPELL-
CHECKED AND ANNOTATED ANY WAY DESIRED. START TIME IN
TIMECODE FOR EACH LINE IN A WORD GROUP (IF SPECIFIED) CAN
BE ADDED.
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LOREN MILLER edits longform and serves clients
coast to coast. He is also developer of KeyGuide

professionalplacemaLs.1hePinalCuLPro7
KeyGuide is now available through Focal Press on
Amazon. Other KeyGuides are available through
www.neotrondesign.com, www.bosfcpug.org
or www.lafacpug.org.
Reach Loren anytime at
neotron@mindspring.com.
THE SPREADSHEET EXPORT IN EXCEL; NOTE TIME START AND END,
AND THE GROUPING OF WORDS PER ROW.
1hisworkowismuchfasLerLhaneiLherLypingLhe
whole thing, or sending it out and paying for it.
Transcripts also gives you additional early
exposure to your material to kick-start your ability
to organize and connect disparate parts into a
cohesive whole.
Give them a try. See you at the Oscars!

A FINAL CUT PRO CLIP WITH MARKERS CONTAINING THE
TRANSCRIBED TEXT.
84
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What makes an editor a power user? Its not
just about memorizing the ins and outs of the
software - It's about usIng It efcIentIy and
effectively. An editor must operate the tool as a
virtuoso pianist wields her baby grand; she
doesn't conscIousIy thInk about whIch ngers
go on which keys, or even about what order to
play the notes and chords. She simply hears the
song in her head and her body interacts with
the machIne In an organIc and uId dance.
The music emerges fully formed.
Editing a movie isnt exactly akin to performing
music, but to excel at either requires a deep
intuitive connection between the artist and the
instrument. With software, that means mastering
the available input devices to increase speed and
ef6ciency.LikeLhepianisL,youcan'LbedisLracLed
worrying about mechanics; which controls to click
when, and where a certain button or menu item
is located.
The best way to bring your editing skills to this
level is to forgo using the mouse and keep your
hands on the keyboard as much as humanly
possible. I know this is hard for many people.
The mouse is a brilliant device. Nothing is more
intuitive than simply pointing at the thing you
want to affect. But the mouse has many drawbacks
and until Oblongs G-speak (aka Minority Report)
becomes more widespread, the keyboard is the
best thing weve got as an alternative. Heres why:
1. KEYBOARDS ARE ERGONOMIC
|puLLhis6rsL,becauseifyou
damage your wrists, its going to
ruin a lot more than just the movies
youre cutting. Editing requires long
hours at the computer. Using the
mousemeansusing6ne-moLorskillsandpuLLing
intense pressure on the tiny bones and tendons in
your arm and wrist.
Final Cut Pro is especially egregious because so
many of the on-screen controls are so tiny. While
excessive typing with poor keyboard placement
can cause RSI too, with a tool like Final Cut Pro, its
the mouse thats going to be far more dangerous.
2. KEYBOARDS ARE MORE EFFICIENT
Using the keyboard you can perform hundreds
of different tasks immediately. Pressing a key
combination (even a complex one) takes a fraction
of a second.
Compare that to the time it takes to move the
mouseLoaspeci6clocaLiononLhescreenand
click, or dragging and dropping, or walking
LhroughmenusLo6ndaspeci6ccommand.Never
mindLhaLofLenyou6rsLmusLensureyouhaveLhe
right tool selected, or that some controls are far
across the screen requiring long drags.
With the keyboard, all those keys are there all
the time, in the same place. They never move.
Once you are familiar with the basic layout you
dont even need to look down. Plus, with your ten
6ngersyoucanconceivablydoLenLhingsaLonce,
or at least in very quick succession.
3. KEYBOARDS KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON THE CONTENT
|ncreasedspeedisonlyparLofLhebene6L.Oneof
the best advantages of mastering the keyboard is
that it allows you to keep your eyes where they
belong: on the video monitor showing the content
of your program.
Every time your eyes stray over to the actual
software interface, your focus moves (literally)
from the movie to the tool.
When youre driving, how often do you look at the
steering wheel or the gauges or the gear shifter?
Certainly you look sometimes, but the vast
majority of the time, your eyes are on the road
(or on your iPhone, but thats a different issue
entirely). Ideally you want to operate your
software as adeptly as you drive your car.
By keeping your eyes on the video (ideally on
a separate program monitor), you keep your
brain on the story and on the content issues
where it belongs.
THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
M
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W
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4. KEYBOARDS EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY
By having hundreds of commands at your
6ngerLips,you'remorelikelyLoLakeadvanLageof
the full breadth of the program. As you learn more
shortcuts, you increase your vocabulary; allowing
you to come up with more varied, more nuanced,
and more appropriate approaches for each unique
creative challenge you face.

5. KEYBOARDS CONFOUND THE CLIENT
I included this as a sort of a joke, but theres more
than a grain of truth to it. We really dont want our
clients to understand exactly how we do what we
do. And not just for job security; presumably,
youll live or die more on the results you produce
than the methods you use to achieve them. But it
sure helps when what you do seems like magic.
Any editor whos worked with a client over her
shoulder knows how annoying it can be when that
client begins cheerfully offering suggestions on
how to edit. The more they watch you mouse
around the screen and see the name of the
commands you choose in the menus, the more
theyre going to think they can do this job without
you. Operating primarily from the keyboard
completely alleviates that inconvenience. That
way theyll keep their eyes where they belong:
on their Blackberry. At least until you want them
to watch the cut.
So given all of this, it behooves you to master
the Final Cut Pro keyboard. But with more than
6vehundredcommandsLolearn,iL'shardLoknow
which ones are worth memorizing. What follows
is my personal guide to the most useful, essential,
and underutilized shortcuts. Not only will this
enable you to work almost entirely without a
mouse, but it will improve your overall versatility
and skill as an editor.
Of course, Final Cut Pros keyboard is entirely
customizable, so you should feel free to change
the actual shortcuts if there are ones you would
prefer, although for the most part there is logic
to the default set. And where that logic fails, I have
created my own custom set which is described
herein and is available free for you to download
and load into your own Final Cut Pro system.
Throughout this article, Ill be using the traditional
icons associated with the various keyboard
modi6erkeys.
= ShifL
= OpLion
= ConLrol
= Command
These are the same symbols youll see in the
menus, tooltips, and anywhere else standard
Macintosh keyboard commands are described.
You can make up your own names for them
(command is often called ower and I like
to cal the Option symbol the escalator) but
get familiar with them and how to use em.
Itll change your life.
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NAVIGATING THE INTERFACE
If your goal is to avoid using the mouse whenever
possible (and if youve been paying attention,
LhaLshouldbeyourgoal),Lhe6rsLLhingyou've
got to master is getting around the interface.
Final Cut Pro makes this extremely easy once
you learn just a few commands. You can quickly
navigate between the four main windows using
the very easy-to-remember Command
() shortcuts:
Show Viewer 1
Show Canvas 2
Show Timeline 3
Show Browser 4

If the window is currently active, pressing the
shortcut will hide that window. Press it again,
and the window will come back into view.
Also, since we bounce so frequently back and forth
between the Viewer and the Canvas (where you
can perform any sequence-related shortcut) there
is a dedicated key that simply toggles focus back
and forth between those two windows.

SwiLchbeLweenviewer/Canvas Q

If you have been bad, and have used your mouse
to drag your various windows all over the screen
you can quickly return them to a nice, tidy layout
using one of the saved window arrangements.

Standard Window Arrangement U

Custom saved Window Layouts can also be
assigned to a shortcut key. As you save them, they
are added to the menu below the built-in presets.
1he6rsL6veLhaLappearinLhemenuauLomaLically
take on the shortcuts as illustrated here.
BEFORE (MESSY WINDOWS) & AFTER ARRANGING (NEAT, TIDY & CLEAR)
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In the Browser you can use Arrow keys to walk
through the selection of clips just like you would
in the Finder, including stepping into and out of
nested bins.

Select Previous Clip (Up Arrow)
Select Next Clip (Down Arrow)
Open Selected Bin (Right Arrow)
Close Selected Bin (Left Arrow)
Open selected Item (PeLurn/LnLer)
You can toggle between the different views (list,
small icon, large icon, etc.) in the Browser too.
1oggle|con/LisLview(in8rowser) H

In any window you can navigate between
individualdaLaenLry6eldsusingLhe1abkey(or
Shift-Tab to go in reverse). You can also navigate
between the tabs at the top of each window.
This way you can switch from the Video tab to
the Audio, Filters, or Motion tab in the Viewer,
or switch between open sequences in the
Canvas or Timeline.
Move from Field to Field or
Previous Tab [
Next Tab ]

In the Timeline, you can change the track height
from the keyboard. This can be very helpful
especially when you want to view an audio tracks
waveform display or if youre going to be using the
clip overlays to manipulate a clips opacity or audio
levels (though, that will mostly have to be done
using the mouse).
Adjust Timeline Track Height T
Show Audio Waveforms W
Show Clip Overlays W
TOGGLE TRACK HEIGHT: SHIFT-T
SHOW CLIP OVERLAYS: OPTION-W
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One of my very favorite Timeline shortcuts
(though it can actually be used in the Viewer
or Canvas too) is the Zoom to Fit command.
This will automatically zoom in or out to ensure
that all your clips are visible in the current
Timeline view.
Zoom to Fit Z
When applied in the Viewer or Canvas,
iLensuresLhaLyourclip6llsLheframewiLhouL
any scrolling required.
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TWO DOZEN WAYS TO PLAY
In keeping with the idea described earlier that you
want to be watching your video play as often as
possible, Final Cut Pro offers no fewer than 20 ways
to control playback (technically there are more
Lhan30,buLmanyareredundanL).
While the most common of these methods can be
performed by clicking interface controls, most of
them are only available using the keyboard.
NOTE: By default the Mac system commandeers the
F-keys to control iTunes playback and other system-
level functions. To use them as regular function keys
available to the current program, check the Use all
l1, l2, etc. keys cs stcnJcrJ functlon keys checkbox
in the Keyboard pane of the System Preferences.
BASIC PLAYBACK
Nearly all editors utilize the most powerful of Final
Cut Pros keyboard controls, the J-K-L keys, but not
everyone realizes the full extent of their power.
There are seven playback speeds for both
forward and reverse play. These can be accessed
bypressingLhe1orLkeysrepeaLedly,and/orby
pressing the Control () key and one of the
Function keys at the top of the keyboard.
However,1-K-LcanonlygeLyouLo800%.(Pressing
the key more than four times doesnt actually have
any effect, though I admit I still enjoy doing it.)
However, using the F-keys, you can get all the way
Lo3200%speed.
33% (slow motion) Forward K+L(hold both)
100% Forward L or P7or Space
200% Forward LL or P8
400% Forward LLL or F9
800%Forward LLLL or F10
1600%Forward F11
3200%Forward F12
Stop All Playback K or Space
Furthermore, once you are playing at a high speed,
you can slow down without stopping by pressing J
or L. For example, if you are playing forward at
1600%speed,ifyoupress1once,youwillslow
downLo800%.Press1again,andyou'llslowdown
to 400%. Once you get to 100%, the next time you
press J, youll move to 100% backwards.
33%(slow motion) Backward 1+K(hold both)
100% Backward J or P6or Space
200% Backward JJ or F5
400% Backward JJJ or F4
800%Backward JJJJ or P3
1600%Backward F2
3200%Backward F1
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OTHER WAYS TO PLAY
There are quite a few other playback options, each
with its own value. After marking a range of a clip
using the In and Out markers, its almost always a
good idea to watch the marked region using the
Play In to Out command. If youre working with a
longer clip, and you just want to watch how the
marked section ends, you can cue the playhead a
few seconds before the out point and use Play to
Out. You can even automatically back the
playhead up 1 second at a time, or by the value set
in the Preview Pre-roll in the Editing tab of the
User Preferences.
Play In to Out \
Play to Out P
Go backward Preroll Space
Go Backward one second
Go Forward one second

If you use markers as subclips (something I
frequently do) you can also employ special
playback commands just for markers. You can
either Play to Next Marker, or if youve assigned
a duration to a marker, you can play the marker
as if it was its own subclip using the Play Current
Marker command. These work both in the Viewer
and in sequences.

Play to Next Marker 1
Play Current Marker 6

When editing in the Timeline, you may frequently
wanLLowaLchLheregionrighLaroundaspeci6c
edit, or watch an area that hasnt been rendered
yet using Play Every Frame. This may mean slower
playback, but it guarantees you can see exactly
how an effect will look without waiting for the
render to complete.

Play Around Edit \
Play Every Frame P

And dont forget about the convenience of looping
playback.|6ndLhaLlikeSnapping,LhisisaseLLing
that seems to always be on when I want it off, and
off when I want it on. Thats why its good to
memorize the shortcut to toggle the state. Its also
one of the very few buttons I add to my button bar
(in the Timeline) so I can see at a glance which
state is current active.
Loop Playback
*
L

*
This is one of the few commands that I remapped
in the custom keyboard layout set included with this
article. My remapped shortcut for Loop playback is
Command-/ (backslash).
NAVIGATING EDIT-BY-EDIT
When working in a sequence, you will frequently
want to move around shot-by-shot, jumping back
to the beginning of the shot youre parked on,
or navigating downstream to a few shots later.
Navigating this way ensures that whenever you
start playing, you are beginning right at an edit
point. It also helps when trimming or otherwise
manipulating clips edges. You can skip around
one edit at a time, or two at a time.
LOOP PLAYBACK BUTTON
NOTE: To play a clip marker in a sequence, the clip must be selected.
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Previous Edit 7or ; or
Next Edit 8or or
Go Back 2 edits 6
Go Forward 2 edits 9
These controls will stop at any edit on an auto-
selected track, so if you want to restrict your
movemenLLocuLsonaspeci6cLrack,Lurnoff
auto-select for all the other tracks. You could do
this for track V1 by pressing Command-0 to turn
off auto-select for all video tracks, then Option-0
to turn it off for all audio tracks, then Command-1
to turn it back on for track V1.
Toggle Auto-Select (All Video Tracks) 0
Toggle Auto-Select (All Video Tracks) 0
Toggle Auto-Select (Video tracks) 1 (or
plus any track number)
Toggle Auto-Select (Audio tracks) 1
(or plus any track number)
EDIT ON THE FLY
Anyone whos ever taken a class with me knows
how adamant I am that as much as possible you
shouldbedoingyourediLingon-Lhe-y,bywhich
I mean making your timing decisions while the
video is playing back. This only makes sense since
your viewers will never see your video one-frame-
at-a-time. They are always watching it at full
speed, and so you should be working in a way that
allows you to feel the timing of your cuts as they
will feel them.
Final Cut Pro was designed
veryspeci6cally
to accommodate this (and
trust me that wasnt easy to
accomplish, either technically
or politically). But I fully
believe that this is one of
those aspects that elevates Final Cut Pro to the
realm of software that is not only useful,
but is fun to use. I also think it helps you make
better movies. There are only a small set of
features that work while the video is playing,
but they generally provide everything you need
LoLakefulladvanLageofLheuid,dynamic
editing style that is the hallmark of the
professional experience.
THE BASIC MARKS
If you arent already tapping I and O to set your In
Point and Out Point while playing, then the good
news is that youre about to entirely transform
the way you edit. The bad news is that Im going
to make fun of you for the rest of the article.
YoucanalsoGo1o|nandGo1oOuLon-Lhe-y,
automatically jumping your playhead right to
those frames where it will continue playing from
that point. This is a super-cool way to watch a
marked clip while the video plays without having
to stop, back-up, or manually navigate the
playhead in any way.

Mark In I
Mark Out O
Go To In I
Go To Out O
MARKERS
Similarly, youre hopefully adding markers the
sameway,(on-Lhe-ywhileLhevideoisplaying).
PinalCuLPro7inLroducedallLhosenewmarker
colors, and each one has its own shortcut key.
But what fewer people are aware of is that you
seLLheMarkerOuLpoinLon-Lhe-yLoo.

Add Marker
*
~
Extend Marker (marker end point) ~
Reposition Marker ~

*

By default, the M key also adds a marker. In the
Maxwhirl set (as described below) this has been
remapped to the new Add and Edit Marker
command. Also, Final Cut Pro 7 includes many more
default shortcuts to add markers of different colors.
AUDIO
Nothing could be better suited for adjusting-
while-playing than audio levels. If you have to stop
playback to boost or attenuate a clips volume,
byde6niLion,youwon'Lknowifyourad|usLmenL
worked until you once again start playback.
And with something as subtle as a 1 or 2dB
adjustment, that moment of silence while youre
making your adjustment undermines your ability
to compare their effect. For this reason, I strongly
MARKER START MARKER END
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recommend using the audio level adjustment shortcuts while the
clips are playing. Use the Auto Select controls to limit which tracks
are affected.
-1dB
+1d8 +
-3d8 [
+3d8 ]
TRIMMING
Your trimming prowess is dramatically improved by doing as much
aspossiblewiLhLhekeyboardon-Lhe-y.1obehonesL,|wishLhe
shortcuts that worked in the Trim Edit window also worked in
the Timeline (most importantly Dynamic Trimming), but regardless,
you can still live-trim in the Timeline while playing by selecting the edit
type and tapping the Trim keys (either set of brackets) or entering
numerical edits. Each time you make a trim, playback starts over again
from the edit point.
Select Nearest Edit V
Toggle Edit Type U
(Ripple Out, Roll, Ripple In)
Trim Back 1 Frame [ or <
Trim Forward 1 Frame ] or>
Trim back Many
*
Frames [ or <
Trim Forward Many
*
Frames ] or >

* The number of frames is determined by the setting in the Multi-Frame Trim
5lze helJ ln the lJltlng tcb of the 0ser Preferences.
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To perform trims numerically, you just start
typing numbers
As soon as you do, a little box will appear
identifying the type of trim based on the current
selection. If you have an edit selected as a ripple,
youll perform a Ripple.
If you have a clip selected and the Arrow tool is
active, youll perform a Move (as long as no other
clips are in the way).
If you have a clip selected and either the Slip or the
Slide tool is active, youll perform that kind of trim.
Positive numbers trim to the right, negative
numbers trim to the left.
And dont forget about Extend Edit, which will roll
a selected edit to the current playhead position.

Extend Edit E
While this forces playback to stop, it is still best
employed while the sequence is playing.
Select the edit, navigate using J-K-L and just as
the playhead reaches the desired spot, press E.
If you dont like the result, just do it again until
it feels right.
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ADVANCED TRIMMING
In the Trim Edit window, enable Dynamic
Trimming, and simply use J-K-L to move the edit
point to a new position. Select the edit as a Ripple
or Roll, and press J or L to begin playback. Every
time you press K to stop playback, the edit is
automatically trimmed to that precise frame.

Trim Edit Window 7
Enable Dynamic Trimming D

If you are frequently working in the Trim Edit
window, you may want to monitor the source clips
audio tracks. At any time, you can choose whether
to Trim with Sequence Audio or Trim with Edit
Selection Audio. You can set these controls in the
Editing tab of the User Preferences window, or you
can use the following handy shortcuts.

Trim with Sequence Audio A
Trim with Edit Selection Audio Z
ENABLE DYNAMIC TRIMMING
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EDITING
There are quite a few shortcut keys that can
help speed your basic editing tasks. The most
obvious are the edit commands themselves.
If youve followed basic three-point editing rules,
you can easily edit the clip from the Viewer into
the sequence using a keyboard shortcut and
youll get exactly what you expect. No pesky
drag-and-drop required.

Insert Edit F9
Overwrite Edit F10
Replace Edit F11
Fit to Fill Edit F11
Superimpose Edit F12
Insert with Transition F9
Overwrite with Transition F10

If you begin editing using the keyboard, youre
going to also have to set the timeline track targets
that way.
Im talking about the little patch-panel on the
left side of the Timeline that controls whether
you get video only, audio only, or some other
combination of tracks when the clips are adding
to the sequence.
NO MORE NEED FOR DRAG & DROP EDITING
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RIGHT: TO DISABLE THE VIDEO TARGET ENTIRELY
YOU PRESS SHIFT F6 & SO ON
SeLvideoDesLinaLion P6
(then enter track number)
SeLAudioDesLinaLion1 P7
SeLAudioDesLinaLion2 P8
Disable Video Destination P6
Disable Audio Destination 1 P7
Disable Audio Destination 2 P8

Once you get the hang of it, you can target your
tracks quickly and intuitively.
FOR EXAMPLE, TO SET THE SOURCE VIDEO TO TRACK V2, YOU WOULD PRESS F6, THEN PRESS 2.
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COPY, PASTE, DELETE
In addition to adding clips to your sequence,
plenty of editing involves removing content too.
Final Cut Pro has two main ways of removing
elements from a sequence. You can Delete (or Lift)
the content, leaving a gap where it used to be, or
you can Ripple Delete, closing the gap whenever
possible. You can do a Ripple Cut, which is the
same as a Ripple Delete, but copies the clip to the
clipboard so it can be pasted later and you can
Paste normally (as an Overwrite) or you can Paste
Insert to ripple the existing clips out of the way.

Delete (Lift)
Ripple Delete or
Cut X
Ripple Cut X
Paste V
Paste Insert V

To make the best use of these commands,
its helpful to master some of the selection
controls that enable you to select objects,
ranges of time, and even the range of a marker
under the playhead.

MarkClip X
Clear In and Out X
Mark Selection A
Select In to Out A
Mark to Markers A
COMPOSITING
Of course, Final Cut Pro isnt just an editing tool.
Its also capable of a wide range of compositing
tasks, and just like editing; there are many essential
keyboard shortcuts that can improve your game
(and a few others that are just fun to use).
|LallsLarLsbyswiLchinginLo|mage+Wireframe
mode, at which point you can move clips directly
in the Canvas.
|mage,|mage+Wireframe,Wireframeonly W
(toggles the three states)
Once youve begun moving clips around, you may
want to nudge them; moving them tiny amounts
to achieve precise placement. If you try this using
the arrow keys (like you would in Photoshop or
manyoLherprograms)you'daL6rsLbe
disappoinLed,becauseunmodi6ed,Lhosekeys
moveLheplayhead.8uLaddafewmodi6ersand
you'llbepleasedLo6ndLhaLPinalCuLProacLually
has three levels of nudging: basic 1-pixel nudging,
ten-pixel nudging and sub-pixel nudging

1-Pixel nudge or
Many-pixel nudge or
Sub-pixel nudge or
TIMELINE CLIP MANIPULATION
Furthermore, when you get into working with a
lot of tracks in Final Cut Pros Timeline, you may
want to move clips from one track to another
fromLhekeyboard.1hishasLheaddedbene6Lof
automatically constraining the clips movement
in time. Once a clip is selected in the Timeline,
pressingOpLion+UporDownArrowkeyswill
move the clip up or down by a track.
NOTE: This requires that there are no other
clips in the way.
OpLion+LefLorPighLArrowswillmoveLheclip
one frame to the left or right. Add Shift to the
combo to move by multiple frames at a time.

Move Clip
(From one track to another)
(left & right nudging 1 frame)
(left & right nudging multi-frame)
NOTE: These are exactly the same shortcuts as just
described to nudge clips in the Canvas when
in Wireframe mode. Its essential to have the
correct window (Canvas or Timeline) active
in order to get the desired results.
IMAGE ONLY IMAGE + WIREFRAME WIREFRAME ONLY
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TITLING TOOLS
Another nifty feature that few people use are the
instant titling shortcuts: One automatically opens
the Final Cut Text tool generator into the Viewer,
the other opens the built-in Boris Text generator.

Text Generator X
Boris Text Generator X

THE MAXWHIRL KEYBOARD LAYOUT SET
Over the years Ive accumulated my own custom
shorLcuLlisL,andnowforLhe6rsLLime|'msharing
LhaLulLra-secreL,uber-power-user,highlyclassi6ed,
maximum-bene6L,mega-superlaLiveshorLcuLlisL
with you.
The Maxwhirl set is very similar to the default set.
Whenever possible, Ive left the original shortcut
intact, but added additional aliases to improve the
overall experience. For example, Apple generally
usesLheCommand-Z/ShifL-Command-Z
convenLionforUndo/Pedo.However,MicrosofL,
andmanyAdobeproducLsuseCommand-Z/
Command-Y instead. Switching back and forth
between the programs can make you crazy, so I
added Command-Y to the Final Cut Pro set for
Redo. Shift-Command-Z still works, so no matter
which convention you follow, youll get the
expected result.
In other cases, Ive added shortcuts for commands
that I use frequently that didnt have one by
default. In some cases this meant displacing some
less common or less useful ones, and occasionally
Ive remapped a shortcut entirely just for fun.
All of it is explained in full detail below.
You can manually add the ones you like to your
owncusLomkeyboardlayouLseLLing6le,oryou
can install my set.
To add the Maxwhirl keyboard
layout to your system, download
the Maxwhirl.fcmap6lehere>>>>>
to your Mac Desktop to your Mac
Desktop (not to iPad) and then copy it
to the following directory on your Mac:
Home > Library > Preferences > Final Cut Pro
User Data > Keyboard Layouts
1hen,resLarLPinalCuLProandchoose1ools>
KeyboardLayouL>MaxwhirlLoassignLhe
shortcuts to your keyboard.
HOW TO USE THE MAXWHIRL SET
Starting with some basics for working in the
Timeline, nothing makes me more frustrated than
zoominginorouLonlyLo6ndLhaLsomeclip|'ve
left selected controls the focus instead of the
playhead (Im sure you know what I mean).
8ydefaulL,OpLion+(plus)andOpLion-(minus)
automatically zoom the Timeline in and out
(regardless of which window has focus) but those
commands zoom around whatever is selected, and
only zoom around the playhead if there is nothing
selected. For years, I just did the double-shortcut:
ShifL-Command-A(DeselecLAll),LhenOpLion+
(plus) to Zoom In.
But this was cumbersome and sometimes I would
forgeLLhe6rsLparL.So|'vererouLedOpLion+and
Option to Zoom In and Out on the Playhead. If
you want the old behavior (to Zoom In or Out
aroundaselecLedclip),pressCommand+or
Command instead. (Just be sure to make the
1imelinewindowacLive6rsL.)
Zoom In on Playhead +
Zoom Out on Playhead

Theres also an unmapped command that will
automatically scroll the timeline to the playhead
Ive mapped this command to the Forward Slash
(/)key.1hisisanoLherwayofsolvingLhesame
problem:|fyou6ndyourselfzoomedinandyou
don'LseeLheplayhead,pressPorwardSlash(/).
Your Timeline will automatically scroll to center
the playhead. Frustration alleviated.

ScrollLoPlayhead /

Deselect All is useful for more than just zooming in
Lhe1imeline.Applying6lLers,deleLingaplay
range, and many other functions are all affected by
a selection in the Timeline. Because of this
Deselect All is a very common command.
Personally,|6ndLhedefaulLShifL-Command-A
shorLcuLadif6culLoneLoperform(Lhekeysareall
so close together, I almost always have to stop and
lift my hand to look at the keys before I press
them). Additionally, if youre a Photoshop,
Illustrator, or After Effects user, you may be used to
a different shortcut for the same task: Command-D.
I am, and so I remapped that shortcut to also do
the same thing in Final Cut Pro. Now, Ive got two
different ways to do this common task.

Deselect All A or D

I added some other keys to accommodate familiar
shortcuts from other programs: In the Mac Finder,
youhaveLopressCommand-DeleLeLodeleLea6le,
and it always makes me frustrated that it doesnt
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work in Final Cut Pro. Also, Redo (as described
earlier) uses a different shortcut in Microsoft and
Adobe apps. Both of these can still be performed
using their default shortcuts.

Delete or
Ripple Delete or
Undo Z
Redo Z or Y

Earlier in the article I described all the different
speeds of playback you can employ. But if you
recall, you cant get to the maximum fast-forward
or rewind speeds using J-K-L. While I could have
forced myself to remember that maximum rewind
is Control-F1 and maximum f ast-forward is
Control-F12, those shortcuts are non-intuitive
to me, so also Ive mapped those high-speed
transport settings to Control-J and Control-L.

Max Speed Fast Forward L or F12
Max Speed Rewind J or F1

This required me to remap the Loop Playback
shortcut (which by default is Control-L).
I remapped it to Command-\ (backslash).
This makes sense to me since I mostly turn looping
on and off in conjunction with Play Around ( \ )
or Play In to Out (Shift-\ ), both of which are
mapped to that key.

Loop Playback (remapped from L) \

Earlier I mentioned the shortcut to display audio
waveforms in the Timeline (Option-Command-W).
UnforLunaLely,ofLenLhenameofLheaudio6le
covers up part of the waveform that youre trying
to examine.
Because of this, Ive added a shortcut to turn those
audio clip names on and off.
Toggle Audio Clip Names W
Speaking of audio, earlier I told you about the
shortcuts you can use to change audio levels
on-Lhe-y.1hoseareincrediblyuseful,buLPinal
Cut Pro can do even more audio adjustments from
the keyboard, the commands just arent mapped
by default.
You can add a new audio level keyframe at the
current playhead position by pressing Command-
Option-K. (You can control the tracks affected by
this command using the Auto-Select controls
described earlier.)
But unfortunately, even when parked on that
keyframe, the Audio Gain shortcuts will always
change the level of the entire clip as
illustrated below.
However, there is an additional set of controls
unavailable anywhere else in the program called
Audio Gain (Adjust). Ive mapped those into use
in the Maxwhirl set. These controls will change
Lhelevelofaspeci6ckeyframewhenLheplayhead
is parked on it.
This means that you can now add audio keyframes
and adjust them all directly from the keyboard!
This adds a whole new level of functionality to the
software that most users are hardly aware of.
NOTE: For claritys sake, Im relisting the default audio
gain shortcuts here. Only the last four are unique to
the Maxwhirl keyboard layout set.
Add Level Keyframe K
-1dB
+1d8 +
-3d8 [
+3d8 ]
-1dB (Adjust)
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+1d8(Ad|usL) +
-3d8(Ad|usL) [
+3d8(Ad|usL) ]

One change I made to the Maxwhirl layout when
PinalCuLPro7cameouLwasLoaddashorLcuLfor
the awesome new Add and Edit Marker command.
This command allows you to add a marker,
and edit the text in the Edit Marker dialog while
the video continues to play! This is great for
transcriptions, logging footage, and anytime
youre adding markers to longer clips. In the
Maxwhirl set, I remap the M key so instead of
just adding a marker (which the ~ tilde key
alreadydoes|usL6ne)MnowperformsLhis
useful new task.
Add & Edit Marker M

For some reason, there is no shortcut key to Make
Multiclip. While I dont do multiclip projects all the
time, when I do, theres no reason I should have to
grab my mouse to perform such a simple task. In
order to keep the shortcut easy to remember (but
without making me remap the various Marker
shortcuts associated with the M key), I chose Shift-
Command-M. I also assigned shortcuts to Collapse
Multiclip and Uncollapse Multiclip.

Make Multiclip M
Collapse Multiclip M
Uncollapse Multiclip M

|don'LknowabouLyou,buL|frequenLlymove6les
between the different applications in the Final Cut
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MICHAEL WOHLisanaward-winning6lmmaker,
editor, and author of eleven books on editing,
color correction, motion graphics, and storytelling
using Final Cut Studio. He currently teaches
editing at UCLA and has also taught and designed
curricula at AFI and San Francisco State University.
MichaelhasLaughLmoreLhan300seminarsand
sessionsaL6lmfesLivalsandLradeshowsincluding
Sundance,SXSW,DvLxpo,NA8,CinequesL,USC,
IBC and many others.
As a member of the original Final Cut Pro
development team, Michael worked alongside the
engineering team providing the perspective of the
real-worldediLor,focusingonworkow,usabiliLy
and interaction design.
His most recent books are Final Cut Pro 7
Advanced Editing, Color Correction in Final
Cut Studio and The Craft of Editing with Final
Cut Pro.
SLudio.MosLspeci6cally,|sendaloLofaudio
clips to Soundtrack Pro (whenever I want to
remove background noise, or equalize, or any
other audio processing).
|alsooccasionallysend6lesLoMoLion(mainlyLo
usemaLLes,opLicalowspeedprocessing,orLo
add pixie dust). Both of these Send To commands
are buried in submenus, which makes them
especially annoying to access. After doing that a
few times, I assigned the following shortcuts and
now my life is vastly improved.
Send to Soundtrack Pro S
Send to Motion S
Some other commands that I use frequently in my
work are Apply Normalization Gain, Change Speed
SegmenLandPlayPullScreen(of6ciallyknownas
view>LxLernalvideo>AllPrames).|nLhe
Maxwhirl set, these commands are mapped thus:

Apply Normalization Gain N
Change Speed Segment J
Full Screen F
(to match QuickTime Player)

In Final Cut Pro, Command-F is mapped by default
to Find. I do use the Find command fairly
frequenLly,buL|6ndLhaLpersonally,|usefull-
screen more (especially when editing on a laptop).
To accommodate my Full Screen shortcut, Ive
remapped Find to Shift-Command-F.

Find F

Finally, if you are nervous about adding all
these new shortcuts to your workstation,
Ive added a couple more shortcuts designed
to soften the blow:

Default Keyboard Layout K
Change Keyboard Layout K

So it is as simple as pressing Control-Command-K
to return to the default FCP keyboard layout.
NOTE: This assumes that you havent added any of
your own custom keyboard layouts that appear
alphabetically before the Default Layout US
menu ltem. 7he shortcut ls csslgneJ to the hrst
custom keyboard layout in the list.
Change Keyboard Layout opens the keyboard
customization window. For some reason this is
defaulLedLoLheshorLcuLOpLion-H,which|6nd
very non-intuitive. Instead I remapped it to the
more obvious Command-K. That command was
previously used by the Run command which is
onlyusedbyprogrammerscreaLingnew6lLersand
LransiLionsinLhebuilL-inPXScripLediLor.|know,
you didnt even know such a thing existed. Thats
why you wont miss the fact that Run no longer
has a shortcut associated with it.
Naturally, if you dont like some of my remaps, or
you want to make additional changes on your
own, simply make your own custom keyboard set.
Nothing propels you to power-user status faster
than having your own custom keyboard layout.
Just be sure not to share it with your clients!

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In storytelling, the montage can be an editors
best friend. Using different video and audio
combinaLions,youcanuseamonLageLo6llin
gaps bringing a sequence to a desired length.
YoucanalsouseiLLofurLherde6neacharacLeror
location or to simply move the story forward.
However, if your montage consists of still images
cut to a music track, which is frequently the case,
you could get yourself into format trouble if you
dont take certain precautions.
First, lets prep the montage. If youre a project
organization geek (pog) like I am, you might
choose to create a new sequence just for the
montage. This allows you to work on the montage
separately from your master story sequence
which could include an assortment of interviews
or possibly dramatic scenes. Having the montage
stand alone in this way creates elbow room and
allows you to experiment with length and other
opLionsbeforecommiLLingiLLoLhe6nalsequence.
Soifyour6rsLsLepisLocreaLeanewsequenceLo
edit the montage, whats your next step? You
might suggest editing the music track into the
Timeline or perhaps the still images you want to
cut to the music. Heres where the format
challenge comes into play. The default Final Cut
Pro sequence settings are DV-NTSC (or PAL). But
music tracks and still images will not by
themselves trigger FCP to convert the current
sequence settings. The only thing that will do
that is a video clip.
Lets say your story footage was shot on some type
ofHD16:9fooLage.|fyoulookaLLheCanvasimage
of the new montage sequence, you notice the
imageareaisaboxy4:3.|fyou'recuLLingDv
footage to begin with, youre good to go.
CANVAS IMAGE 4:3 ASPECT RATIO
But since your primary video footage is HD with a
16:9aspecLraLio,andmanyofyourimagesare
probably closer to widescreen, youre not so good
after all. And if you want to edit this new montage
into the master story sequence, which of course
you do, youll want to match the settings of that
The Montage Format Challenge
D
I
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W
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N
A
N
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SAMPLE MONTAGE SEQUENCE
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sequenceoryou'llendupwiLhsLillimagesshrunkdownLo6Linsidea
4:3imageareainleLLerboxsLyle.YucklNoLwhaLyouwanLl(|nfacL,ifyou
eversLarLasequenceLhaLuLilizes16:9fooLageandiLlookslikeLhe
following Canvas image, then STOP and re-read this article.)

STILL IMAGE EDITED INTO 4:3 SEQUENCE
This creates three problems. One problem is the still image (of the bear)
isreducedinsizeLo6LLhedefaulL4:3aspecLraLioimagearea.Sonow
youve got the letterbox black bars at the top and the bottom. Another
problem is that you dont get to see the still image in its fullest possible
size utilizing the entire frame. The third problem is that when you get
ready to edit this montage sequence together with your original
footage, the sequence settings wont match.
So,youneedawayLo6rsLconverLyourmonLagesequenceseLLings
before you begin editing your stills or music. Those of you who are
already familiar with this process might ask, What happened to that
question Do you want me to change your sequence settings?
that usually pops up?
CHANGE SEQUENCE SETTINGS DIALOG
:PVSQFSTPOBMTIPSUDVUBTTJTUBOU
4IPSUDVUTBOEEFGJOJUJPOTJOUIFQBMNPGZPVSIBOE
BWBJMBCMFOPXPOUIFJ5VOFT"QQ4UPSF
EFTJHOFECZXFZOBOEDPN
J,FZT5P(P
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DIANA WEYNAND is an award winning editor,
producer, and director who enjoys telling stories
with words and pictures. She is the author of the
ApplePro1rainingSeries:PinalCuLPro7(Lhe
of6cialworldwidecurriculumforPCP7),PinalCuL
Pro for Avid Editors, Final Cut Pro Express, How
Video Works, and The Secret of Video Blogging.
Before co-founding Weynand Training
International, a Gold Level Apple Authorized
Training Center based in Los Angeles, Diana was
the supervising videotape editor for the series of
8arbaraWalLersSpecials,andproducer/ediLoron
the PBS series, A Cinematic Eye which was
nominated for a Television Emmy.
Now, through Weynand Training, Diana teaches
LhecerLi6edPinalCuLPro7courseinLosAngeles
and around the world. In addition, Diana is
currenLlyinvolvedindeveloping3D1echnology
training for the entertainment industry.
For more information, check out her website,
www.weynand.com, or email her at
weynand@mac.com
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Well, guess what? That question doesnt come up
when you edit a still image into an empty
sequence because a still image is not an accurate
representation of your footage. The way that Final
Cut Pro deals with still images is to conform the
still images to the settings of the current sequence.
So heres what you do to avoid this problem. Open
yournewmonLagesequence,LheonewiLha4:3
aspect ratio image area. Then, from your bin of
video source material, open a video clip into the
Viewer. Edit that video clip into the montage
sequence6rsL.1hisvideoclipbringsupLhe
question you want Final Cut Pro to ask Change
sequence settings to the match the clip settings?
Andofcourseyouwouldde6niLelyclick"Yes.
Final Cut Pro changes the montage sequence
seLLingsLoLhecorrecL16:9aspecLraLiowhichwill
match your master story sequence settings. Now
you can go back to your still image folder and edit
that .JPG or .TIFF image back into the sequence.
You'llnoLiceyou'vegoLa16:9aspecLraLioofLhe
still image, which is exactly what you want. Such a
beautiful thing! No black letterbox bars and the
sLillimage6llsLheframe.
RIPPLE DELETE VIDEO SOURCE CLIP
With the sequence settings correct, all you have to
do is click on the video clip and choose Sequence
>PippleDeleLeLopulliLouLofLhemonLage.
Continue building your montage by editing
other still images and music and maybe even
some sound effects to give the stills some added
depth. You can feel safe knowing that you have
a sequence that will match and play quite
nicely with your other story segments or
master sequence.

CANVAS IMAGE 16:9 ASPECT RATIO
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This work will be an interactive, touring
installation. The collaborators are Barbara
Keating and Sam Keating, with Red One
footage from James MacAleer.
It is set on the River Tyne in the North East of the
UK.Weare6lmingseveral|ourneysenLeringand
exiting the river, using GPS and adapted software
to control camera zoom. Imagery created from
sonar scans of the riverbed, historical paintings
and video footage will make up the visual display,
which is controlled by another piece of adapted
software. History and geography are being tied in
with contemporary media. The work is designed to
be customised for other river locations and be
available for hire later on this year.

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION
Participants will use a multi-touch surface to
navigate journeys along the River Tyne, displayed
on the interactive screen will be images of the
riverbed and GPS tracks from various boat trips,
superimposed on the riverbed image. As they
scroll and cross a GPS track participants will trigger
corresponding videos, recorded at the same time
as the GPS tracks. The videos are graded in Final
Cut Studios Color, to look like historical paintings
of the area. These will be projected to a second
screen. There is usually a sculptural element to the
screen I make, so that they effectively perform
another edit by playing with perspective.
The work will initially be shown around the Tyne,
at the Marine Technical College, on board the
Nexus Ferry, and on the Spillers building. It will be
scaled to suit each venue. Later we hope to display
it on the Amsterdam ferry.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
I began to think about how to mix historical
traditions with contemporary media. In the UK it is
noLpossibleLobemoreLhan75miles(120km)
from the coast, so navigation on water has been
central to the nations history. The sea was its only
trade route for centuries. The sea was its only
trade route for centuries. Early 19th century
paintings of the British coastline tended to depict
the savagery of the sea, and the ruthlessness of
wreckers; who lured ships onto rocks. They
plundered the wreckage and often ignored the
drowning cries of sailors on board.
April1866sawLhe6rsLsea-rescueinLheworldby
a volunteer Life Brigade at South Shields, which is
on the Southern shore of the Tyne. Around this
time the emphasis in paintings shifts from
depicting disaster to showing heroic rescues and a
belief that the soul of the rescuer was also saved.
An artists colony was established at Cullercoats, a
6shingvillageacoupleofmilesNorLhofLhe1yne,
whereiLbecamefashionableLopainLLhe6shing
communities and the seaside as a place of leisure
for the growing industrial urban population.
Incidentally, amongst then was American artist
called Winslow Homer from Boston
(whitemountainart.com).
Mapping is both an art and a science. Maps take us
fromA-8,buLLhe6rsLonesweredesignedfor
collecting taxes, then navigation for trade and war.
|nLhe15Lh-16LhcenLuries,Lheybecamevery
beautiful, painterly and realistic in depicting
buildings and land. The earliest depictions of
coastlines were Portolan charts (wikipedia.org).
In an age where European countries were
exploring and colonizing the globe, these charts
were considered to be state secrets, because they
contained lists of port names as a reminder to
mariners of the layout of the coast.
PING!
A New Media Arts Project Using Sonar Scan
Imagery Inspires GPS Zoom Control Software
B
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PHOTOS BY SAM KEATING
DAWN SHOOT HERD GROYNE NEW YEAR 2010
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www.portoftyne.co.uk has a corporate video
which shows the location where we are working.
Once known as the Coaly Tyne, one of our most
polluted industrial rivers, it has become one of the
cleanest, and there are even salmon here again.
Whilst on a pleasure cruise, I began think about
how our location has affected our history, and our
art. I discovered that Port of Tyne had done a
survey of the riverbed using sideways sonar
scanning. This was the most real representation
of the river that could be made and the challenge
was to extend its meaning as an artform.
WHY DEVICE CONTROL FOR FILMING?
DuringLhepiloLsLageof6lmingmyaimwasLo
keep the piers at the entrance to the river in the
centre of the frame (both vertically and
horizontally). In order to give a feeling of a
suspended moment in time, as much like a
painting as possible I began to try zooming back
as the boat moved forward. This entailed a lot of
panning and tilting because the channel is not
straight, the vessels are different sizes and move
at different speeds and the water is sometimes
rough. This posed many technical problems with
panning, zooming, tilting, focus.
The videos also play with the idea of ancient
systems of navigation (wikipedia.org). In effect
if you hold a course dead ahead you will be lead
in a spiral around the globe.
My colleague Sam Keating, realized he could write
a piece of software to enable a GPS to control
camera zoom to solve this problem, whilst creating
a track of the journey which will also correspond
with the sonar scanned image of the riverbed.
1he6rsLcomponenLinLheseLupisLheGPS
receiver. This sends the speed and location of the
boat to the computer running some custom
software. The computer then performs some
calculations on the incoming data and outputs a
signal controlling the zoom on the camera.
The GPS unit is connected to the computer via a
serial interface. Communications are carried out
over the NMEA protocol, which is a common
feature of GPS units. The NMEA data is very
detailed and provides information such as latitude,
longitude, speed, altitude, location accuracy,
number of satellites in use and time.
1he6rsLLaskofLhesofLwareisLosLripouLLhe
required information, which in this case is the
speed and location. The current speed is the
main variable in this setup. It is used to control the
rate of zoom on the camera. Knowing the distance
between the start and end points of the journey
and the range of the zoom on the camera, we can
work out average speed we should be zooming
at in advance.
However, the boat doesnt move at a constant
speed, so we use the current speed of the boat
to calculate rate at which the camera should be
zooming at any particular moment.
Once the rate of zoom has been calculated it is
sent out to an Arduino board, again, via a serial
connection. The Arduino board interprets the
commands from the computer and outputs a
signal to the LANC interface on the camera.
The LANC protocol is common to many video
cameras and well documented. It is generally
intended to be used for things such as tripod-
mounted remotes, but makes a quite good
system for interfacing with a computer.
TESTING WITH CANON XL1 & GARMIN GPS
CODE ON SCREEN
PHOTOS BY SAM KEATING

1hevesselsweare6lmingfromareDPDS
Seaways ferries, that cruise daily to Amsterdam,
a popular weekend choice for Geordies (Natives
of Newcastle). Party cruises on River Escapes, go
down from Newcastle to the mouth of the Tyne
and back and by the mouth of the river, is a small
foot-passenger ferry between North and South
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The first choice of professional editors worldwide, the all new Final
Cut Pro 7 delivers high-performance digital non-linear editing, native
support for virtually any video format, and facility-class extensibility
and interoperability. Its workflow extends through the other Final Cut
Studio applications and Final Cut Server for even more power.
Northern School of Sound
Call 0191 438 1121
or 0800 111 4423
www.northernschoolofsound.com
Final Cut and Logic Studio
Apple Authorised Training
in North East England
The first choice of professional editors worldwide, the all new Final
Cut Pro 7 delivers high-performance digital non-linear editing, native
support for virtually any video format, and facility-class extensibility
and interoperability. Its workflow extends through the other Final Cut
Studio applications and Final Cut Server for even more power.
Northern School of Sound
Call 0191 438 1121
or 0800 111 4423
0800 111 4423
northernschoolofsound.com
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Shields that crosses the river every ten minutes.
Port of Tynes pilot boat guides the big cargo ships
in and out and its dredger, the Hedwin are on the
river on a daily basis.
THE RIVERBED SONAR SCAN IMAGERY
Port of Tyne has completed a sideways sonar scan
of the river from just outside the harbour bar to a
point upriver of Newcastle city. They use these
scans to keep an eye on where the river might
need dredging.
The sonar scan of the riverbed is created using a
device that sends fan-shaped pulses down to the
riverbed across a wide angle perpendicular to the
path of the sensor through the water, The intensity
ofLheacousLicreecLionsfromLheseaoorofLhis
fan-shaped beam is recorded in a series of cross-
track slices. The slices form an image of the sea
bottom within the swath (coverage width) of the
beam which are immensely detailed!
WEST QUAY
This is the kind of image that will be on the multi-
touch display. We can colour it as we wish, and
choose mesh or put a skin on it.
These are sample images from the survey.
The section we are using in the project is from
the international ferry terminal to just beyond
the harbour bar.
TOP VIEW GRID
TOP VIEW WITH SKIN
NAVIGATION OF THE INSTALLATION
Below is an example of how the image might look
with the GPS tracks on it. Participants scroll along
until they hit an intersection on the GPS tracks.
They then choose whether or not to follow a
different journey. Because of the different heights
of boats and different states of tides you may of
may or may not be able to jump or fade from
one journey to another even though you can hear
the audio from it.
IMAGINED GPS TRACKS ON SURVEY IMAGE
1ourneysarebeing6lmedboLhdayandnighL,
so participants might navigate from a bright
sunnydayLoadarkscenewiLhonlyafewashes
of illumination from the lighthouses.
THE VIDEOS
At present we are shooting Red One for shots from
land, and Canon HDV for shots from vessels.
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THE RED FOOTAGE.
1hereare6PedCamerashoLsfromLheLhree
lighthouses at the rivermouth. Filming is
dependent on wind direction. The rule is that If
the green is coming over the wall we cant get along
the piers. It is very, very cold at dawn !
BARBARA KEATING AND JAMES MACALEER
JAMES MACALEER. HERD GROYNE LIGHT.
PHOTO JONNY WALTON
SomefooLagehashada6rsLgradeappliedby
James MacAleer, before ingestion into FCP in
Apple ProRes 4:4:4 and Apple ProRes HQ.
JAMES DOES A FIRST GRADE USING RED ALERT
LachsegmenLof6lmisbeLween5and20minuLes
long, and some footage has been ingested
as shot, which is chosen in the preferences
drop down tab in the Ingest window in FCP.
A separate sequence is created for each shot
then sent to Color.
Below are just some tests in Color, done very
quickly to give a rough idea of the process
involved in matching the exaggerated colours
of the original paintings.
At present I cant show the original paintings,
but they will appear on my website as soon as
we can get permission.
Example 1. www.twmuseums.org.uk
The original painting has a violet sky, whilst the
vessels are golden.
The Primary Room is used to adjust overall
contrast. To make the white of the DFDS Ferry a
little more golden I create a custom shape vignette
in the secondaries room.
In the geometry room I
draw around the boat
and apply tracking so
that the shape travels
with the boat.
Keyframes are set to
change the shape to
match the boat as it
moves towards forward
on the river. I can then
control the colour on
the inside of the shape
and shift the highlights
and mids to a more golden hue.
BEFORE & AFTER IN FCP
In this second example the original painting has
very green water. The Secondaries room in Color is
used to draw a simple user shape around the
water. The mids and shadows controllers are
dragged towards green.
USING A SHAPE VIGNETTE...
...AND THEN TRACKING THE
FERRY IN APPLE COLOR
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COLOUR GRADE 02 SHORT (FROM COLOR)
GREEN RIVER VIGNETTE
Weare6lminginApril2010onLhePiverLscapes
ferries, so check back on my website to see how
we are progressing with the project.
We then need to build the interactive screen and
test it out at South Tyneside Marine Technical
College where they train navigators from around
the world, but they also have an art school next to
them, so both the technical and aesthetic aspects
of the project will be put to the test!
Any adaptations to enhance the participants
experience will be worked at this stage. Then the
show goes on tour.
We warmly welcome feedback and collaboration.

If you want to try the GPS software, or indeed,
adapt it; get in touch and you can play with us!
Barbara Keating
www.eclips-training.com
pmnogue@eclips-training.com
Sam Keating
www.midibounce.net
We are extremely grateful to the following for all
their support:
James MacAleer (Red Camera)
www.steadi-red.com
Arts Council of England (Financial support)
www.artscouncil.org.uk
Port of Tyne Authority
(Data, access to properties and much more)
www.portoftyne.co.uk

DFDS Seaways (Filming on the Amsterdam Ferry)
www.dfdsseaways.co.uk

River Escapes (Filming on their cruises)
www.riverescapes.co.uk

Nexus(sponsoring6lmingonLhecross-1yneferry)
www.nexus.org.uk

WOW
(Advising on touch screens and marketing)
www.wowdigitalmedia.tv

Northern School of Sound AATC
(Equipment, audio & general encouragement)

BARBARA KEATINGisanAppleCerLi6ed1rainer
and a digital artist with over 20 years experience
in the UK and overseas. She provides bespoke
training for media professionals, creatives and
educational institutions.
As a consultant to the Open University of Tanzania;
she has been authorised to set up an Apple
Training Centre for Education. Over the next
few years she will train local media professionals
to take over.
In her artwork, she uses a wide range of capture
methods to create interactive, innovative work
forperformancesandsiLespeci6cinsLallaLions.
Barbara has a 1
st
Degree in Textile Design and a
Masters in Fine Art. When cutting a pattern for a
full body suit, a tutor muttered something about
making it in blue and chroma keying. She didnt
know what he was talking about at the time, and
so made the leap to video by accident, with a blue
screen performance to camera.
1he6nishedvideogoLsuchaposiLiveresponse
that she was encouraged to continue. Two more
videos were made, and for this she received a
Distinction for her Masters.
AshorL6lm&LelevisioncoursefollowedandnoL
long after that Final Cut appeared, which was
quickly adopted by artists (including Barbara)
as an accessible and low-cost tool.
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On January 9th, 2007, Steve Jobs announced a
revoIutIonary new product, Intended specIcaIIy
for Im and vIdeo makers. It was a pInt-sIzed
production powerhouse that would help us
conceptualize, pre-visualize, digitize, and
distribute our latest productions. And, from
what I understand, it makes phone calls, too.
STEVE JOBS STARTS A FILMMAKING REVOLUTION
Of course, Im referring to the Apple iPhone.
And while Im exaggerating the devices intended
purpose, the iPhone has demonstrated an
unparalleled ability to aid in nearly every aspect
of6lmandvideoproducLion.1ohelpspread
the word, I launched a new website called
HandHeldHollywood.com (HHH for short).
Just when I was convinced that the iPhone was the
greaLesL6lmmakingLooleverconceived,Apple
changedLhegameagain.On1anuary27Lh,2010,
Jobs introduced the iPad. And this time, Im
CLP1A|NiLwasinLended|usLfor6lmandvideo
makers. Dont believe me? Allow me to prove it.
THE PITCH
As a Director, Im in a lot of pitch meetings.
SomeLimes|'mLryingLosecure6nancingfroman
independent investor. Other times Im attempting
to lure an actor into a project. And on occasion, Im
working hard to convince Mildred Blanston to let
me shoot in her back yard for free. In all of those
circumstances, my iPad will help close the deal.
AL6rsL,simplyhavinganiPadonhandwillcause
the person on the other side of the desk to say,
oooooooo. That trick will last about a month.
shortly after, the iPad will have to prove itself in
other ways.
How the iPad Will Revolutionize Your Workow
T
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G
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T
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,

F
O
U
N
D
E
R

O
F

H
A
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D

H
E
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H
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STEVE JOBS STARTS ANOTHER FILMMAKING REVOLUTION
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The most obvious use will be as a portable video
player. Ive been in countless meetings where an
exec has no idea how to switch the input on his
$10,000 plasma to simply view a DVD. From now
on, Ill be able to hand an exec his own portable
theater. And it will be especially useful during all
those unexpected meetings in elevators, hallways,
and in line at Starbucks. The only times I will NOT
use the iPad in this way is when Im pitching a
comedy. Jokes play better in front of a group, so its
usuallyworLhwaiLingforanexecuLiveLo6gureouL
his TVs remote control.
THE IPADS 1024X768 DISPLAY IS NEARLY HD
When Im pitching to actors (often in hotel
resLauranLs,forsomereason),|6ndiLhelpfulLo
bring sketches, storyboards, wardrobe photos,
screengrabsfromoLher6lms,andanyLhingelse
that effectively presents my vision, and helps me
earn an actors trust. Furthermore, I can keep ALL of
my projects imagery on my iPad, and quickly
create a Keynote presentation (using Apples $10
Keynote app, custom tailored for any given actor,
all while Im waiting in the hotel bar. Now THATs
star power!
Best of all, if the person Im pitching is hooked,
andwanLscopiesofLhe6les|'vebeenpresenLing,
I can shoot them over with the iPads built-in
email application.
WRITING THE SCRIPT
Currently, there are a few screenwriting apps for
the iPhone. Weve covered most of them on HHH.
But despite their clever interfaces, and good
intentions, they still reside on a screen thats simply
too small to be a primary writing environment.
The iPad removes that limitation.
Existing iPhone screenwriting apps will likely be
updated for the Pad, but they will soon have stiff
competition. Final Draft, the well known
MAKE PORTABLE
PITCHES WITH KEYNOTE
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screenwriting application for Mac and PC, will soon be premiering on the
iPad. Its still in development, but has already generated tremendous
excitement. I was lucky enough to take part in a Final Draft for iPad focus
group.8asedonLhaLexperience,|'mcon6denLL.A.coffeeshopswillsoon
be littered with iPad toting screenwriters.

Another important aspect of Screenwriting is the collection and
structuring of creative fragments sometimes called mind-mapping.
In the past, this was done with a cork-board and index cards. Typically,
eachcardwouldrepresenLascene.1hecardswouldbeshufedaround
the board until the story made sense. Now, imagine the ability to do
all that on the iPad. Picture an endless virtual cork-board, where digital
cards could be grouped, scaled, locked, colored, and easily thrown
around. And, why stop there? Imagine being able to add photos, videos,
and web clippings. The iPad instantly becomes a boundless playroom,
where structure is built from wisps of brilliance.
FINAL DRAFT IS
COMING TO THE IPAD
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO
FINAL DRAFT WEBSITE
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Will there be such mind-mapping apps available on the iPad?
Abso-freakin-lutely. In fact, the groundwork is already being laid by
companies like Omnigroup, who recently announced plans to bring their
fantastic OmniGrafe to the iPad. Existing iPhone apps, like iThoughts,
will also be ported to the new device. Of course, these apps will need to
play nice with screenwriting software, allowing you to export your cards
as a structured outline.
One6nalLhoughL.
Since reading scripts
is just as important as
writing them, we can
all look forward to
some very capable
screenplay readers.
Youll be able to
annotate scripts by
typing, swiping, or
tapping.
Im guessing there will even be ways to write your notes directly on the
pageusingyour6ngeroranexLernalsLylus,likeLheTen One Designs
Pogo. Your notes will be saved within the script, and will be readable by
the screenwriter who will, of course, totally disagree with you. Perhaps if
yougivehim/heraniPad,Lhey'llbeginLoseeLhingsyourway.
MAC APPLICATION OMNIGRAFFLE IS COMING TO THE IPAD
The Best of the Mac Community
MacVoices
The
Group
MacVoices
Chuck Joiner
with
The Talk of the Mac Community
TV
Chuck Joiner
with
The Talk of the Mac Community
MacVoices
The MacJury
Truth, Justice
and The Macintosh Way
MacNotables
The Mac Experts
You Want To Hear From
The
MacVoices
iPhone App
Get it in iTunes
The Best of the
Mac Community
in your pocket!
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PRE-PRODUCTION
While planning shots, I use an amazing iPhone app
called Cinemek Storyboard Composer. If you ever
need to convince a skeptical friend that the iPhone
isapowerful6lmmakingLool,showhim
Storyboard Composer. Its that good! In fact, it
inspired me to create HandHeldHollywood.com in
Lhe6rsLplace.|menLioniLherebecauseCinemek
was able to create a revolutionary app using just
3.5"ofscreenspace.WiLhLheiPad,Applehasgiven
Lheirdeveloperssigni6canLlymorecanvas.
Dont the prospects just give you goose bumps?
CINEMEKS STORYBOARD COMPOSER
|expecLLoseeiPadsineveryof6cel1hearL
department will be using them to sketch out and
present their latest designs. Casting agents will use
them to review headshots. Production Managers
will gaze down at emailed contracts. Producers
will track expenses in Numbers. The camera
department will record their rentals in Bento.
The hair and makeup crew will use a custom app to
pre-visualize looks before calling in actors. P.A.s will
useLheMapsappLo6ndLhenearesLdonuLshop.
And studio execs will use their iPads to give script
notes (not all uses are good uses).
CRUNCH YOUR BUDGET IN APPLES NUMBERS
PRODUCTION
OmniGrafe, the app I mentioned earlier, will be
great for on-set camera blocking. I often rely on
paper and pencil when discussing complex
choreography with my Cinematographer. With
OmniGrafe,wecanadragandposiLionavirLual
camera over a digitized blueprint. Wont it be nice
Loknowifadollywill6LLhroughahallway(wiLhouL
removing a wall) before you start laying track?
The iPad will soon be the ultimate Clapboard,
courtesy of PureBlend Softwares MovieSlateHD.
Not only will this virtual clapper automatically sync
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with your cameras timecode, but it will also
generate shot logs that can then be handed off to
your editor for quick and easy batch digitizing.
Can your wooden slate do that?
MOVIESLATEHD TURNS YOUR IPAD INTO THE ULTIMATE CLAPPER
There are several companies working hard to turn
the iPad into a portable video tap! No more video
village, which sort of sucks since thats where the
best snacks are usually stashed. Not only would the
director be able to move around the set while
holding his own personal video feed, but he might
also be able to use the on-screen controls to review
shots, and mark his favorites.
If youre an HHH reader, you already know we love
using the iPhone as a teleprompter. The only
limitation is the screen size. With the iPad, portable
prompLinghasevolvedsigni6canLly.8yLheLime
you read this, Bodelin should be shipping a
professional, through-the-lens teleprompting
solution for iPad called the ProPrompter HD-i,
and it looks pretty sweet. And get this... using their
ProPrompter app you can even use an iPhone
(or iPod Touch) to remotely control the iPads text
scrolling speed. How sick is that?!
PROPROMPTER HD-I TURNS YOUR IPAD INTO A PORTABLE
TELEPROMPTER
If that werent enough, the iPad would make an
amazing wireless remote for gear all over the set.
Imagine being able to tweak your cameras settings
whileiL'ssiLLingonLopofa30fooLcrane.PicLurea
virtual lighting control board that could not only
command your lighting grid, but could also
perform macros and other neat stuff I know
nothing about. Naturally, these examples would
require equipment manufacturers to build in
wireless functionality. But as the iPads popularity
grows, I think its only a matter of time before other
companies step up. Case in point, PLC Electronic
Solutions, a Vancouver based company, has already
released a lens remote control called fStopWireless.
It lets you use your iPhone to wirelessly control
your focus, zoom, or aperture. In cases like this, if
the iPhone can do it, the iPad can do it better.
But all that is thinking too small.
POST-PRODUCTION
Theres plenty of obvious uses for an iPad in Post.
A composer can tap out a scratch track while shes
away from her studio. An visual effects supervisor
can keep track of (and review) all the shots being
generated by his artists. An assistant editor can
read the script supervisors log (that she made on
her own iPad).
WIRELESSLY CONTROL YOUR LENS
FROM AN IPHONE WITH FSTOPWIRELESS
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Theres a bigger, more interesting concept worth
considering: the iPad as control surface. Imagine
replacing terribly expensive hardware control
surfaces with virtual versions of the same gear.
Youd simply launch the appropriate app, and
position your iPad next to your computers
keyboard. Youd still carry out the primary work on
your computer, but the iPad is now acting as a very
speci6cpieceofexLernalgearLhaLcanhelpyou
complete complex tasks.
Porexample,onhisLerri6cblogProLost, Stu
Maschwitz proposed the idea of a virtual control
surface for his plug-in, Magic Bullet Looks. It would
essentially present three virtual track-balls, along
with other controls. If you were to purchase a
physical track-ball color-correction control surface,
you could easily spend thousands of dollars. How
much would such an app cost? No idea. At $50,
Id take two.
TURN YOUR IPAD INTO A VIRTUAL CONTROL SURFACE
There will likely be an app for Final Cut Pro users
that turns your iPad into a virtual transport,
mirroringLhefuncLionsof1LCooper's$750Media
ConLrolSLaLion3. There are already lots of control
surface apps for iPhone. For example, ProRemote

will let users wirelessly
command ProTools with virtual
faders and knobs.
And once developers are done re-
creating of all the control surfaces
youve always wanted but could never
afford, theyll move on to create
customizable, context sensitive control
surfaces. Wouldnt it be nice to have a virtual
mixing board in Soundtrack Pro, that suddenly
LransformedinLo3DaudioconLrollerLhemomenL
you needed it? In a perfect world, developers of
desktop apps would be developing iPad
counterparts at the same time. Are you listening
Apple? Hello? Is this thing on? And once
developers have created context sensitive surfaces,
Lheycan6nallymoveonLoLhebusinessofgiving
me the Minority Report interface Ive been waiting
for so patiently.
L COOPERS VENERABLE
MEDIA CONTROL STATION 3
DISTRIBUTION
I love it when my work is seen in a movie theater.
But you know what I love more? When my work
is seen at all! For me, any device that pulls
eyeballs away from Facebook, and puts them
back on narrative storytelling, is a miraculous
device indeed.
As iPads take over the planet, people will be more
likely to download and view your content. They can
buyyour6lmsfromLhei1unessLore,ordownload
your webisodes directly from your site. Sure, we
can currently do this on our iPhones, but how many
iPhone users do you know who actually enjoy
waLchingvideosonLhe3.5"display.|knowexacLly
none. People will enjoy watching their iPads.
THATS A WRAP
So, there you have it. Some of what Ive talked
about is based in fact, and some is speculation.
One thing I can say for sure is there will soon be a
Lidalwaveof6lmandvideoLoolsoodingLheApp
Store. I have no doubt that the iPad will quickly
become a vital part of every mediamakers toolkit,
righLnexLLoLhegaffer'sLapeandC47's.
Since the iPads release, HandHeldHollywood.com
has expanded its focus to include this incredible
new device. I invite you to visit us online, and join
the conversation.

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TAZ GOLDSTEIN (www.TazGoldstein.com) is a Los
Angeles based Director who launched Hand Held
Hollywood (www.HandHeldHollywood.com) to
saLisfyhisown6lmmakingandgadgeLaddicLions.
With 20 years directing experience, Goldsteins
work has spanned nearly every medium. His award
winning6lmshavebeenshowcasedaLfesLivals
from Savannah to Singapore.
His commercial directing garnered the Radius
Award at the Cannes International Advertising
Festival. And his television work has been seen by
moreLhan30millionviewers(H8ONeLworks,Pox
1elevisionSLudios,PoodNeLwork,M1v,PXandLhe
Prime Time Emmy Awards).
Goldstein enjoys nothing more than sharing what
hes learned. He has lectured at numerous industry
events including NAB, Macworld, SuperMeet, and
the DV Expo. He has served as a Digital Media Net
(DMN) forum leader, hosted the After Effects Boot
Camp training series, and was a former faculty
member at the American Film Institute.
EVERYTHING A FILMMAKER NEEDS
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What does the television and cinema Post
Production facility of the future look like?
How is it different from the way we work today?
At Gray Matter Entertainment (www.gmatter.tv),
weve begun to build a blueprint for the post
production facility of the future. Some of these
ideas are based on existing technologies weve
learned are already out there, but are not in
common use right now.
It looks something like this.
Lets say youre an experienced post producer in
the middle of a big television project.
You walk through the front door of GMatter
Studio and your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is
immediately connected to the internal wireless
network. Your iCal is updated with the latest
schedule revisions to the project, and a new sound
mixer just hired is added to your address book on
your iPhone automatically. An alert tells you that
there are new editor cuts you need to review, and
they are added to a Podcast subscription you are
sent by the editor. Your iPad also has the active
Podcast feed and is automatically downloading
LhelaLesLHDediLsLowaLchin720p.
You meet your client at the reception area.
Theyd like to review the edits with you.
YouboLhheadoffLoa15X20screeningroom
wiLhaDLP1080pPro|ecLorreadyonLheceiling.
YouriPad/iPhone/iPod1ouchisdeLecLedinLhe
room by the Bluetooth connection, and a menu
pops up giving you the choice to take over the
controls of the projector, along with a playlist of
video6lesmadespeci6callyforyouLhaLresideon
LhefaciliLySANcenLralsLorage.You6ndyourlaLesL
cut of llsoJe 2"andLriggerplaybackonLoLhe7
fooLscreen.You'rewaLchingafull1080pvideoin
Pro Res 444 with surround mix and true color
calibration for critical image analysis.
The Future of Post Production Editing
D
A
V
I
D

B
I
G
E
L
O
W
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Your client loves most of what he sees, but stops
you during playback.
Can you chose the close up over-the-shoulder shot
here instead of this wide shot?
Sure you say, and you make a note onto the video
with your iPad. The touch sensitive keyboard pops
upandyouannoLaLeLexLLoaspeci6cLimecode
location. This comment, and any others, are saved
right away and then sent as metadata annotations
to their projects. The editor responsible for making
the change receives a screen grab with comments
and timecode info on his systems down the hall.
You part company with your client and leave the
screening room. You want to talk about the
changesbrieywiLhLheediLor.
|nLdiLbay7,youenLerLo6ndLheediLoracLively
editing the project...

... only hes standing in the center of a mostly
empty room with a single table in front of him.
Three walls surrounding the room have large
projected images of timelines, bins and clips.
Using only his gloved hands, he
gestures a movement that scrubs the
footage in 6X speed forward.

He spots the moment in the shot he wants and
puts his right hand up in a Stop pose... the
fooLagefreezes...hespinshis6ngerinLheairina
little counter clockwise circle and the footage
backs up a frame at a time. He points at the screen
wiLhhislefLhand-|nPoinLseLlYou6ndamomenL
to interrupt the editor, and discuss the shot
change the client wants. The editor calls up on
screen the forwarded clip annotation you made in
the screening room. He points to the timecode in
the screen grab and it instantly advances his
project timeline to the shot in question.
NowLo6ndLhecloseupLoreplaceLhewideshoL
youre looking at. The editor speaks calmly at a
moderate volume Bin Search: Scene 114, Close Ups.
The front screen transforms into a wall of video
images, and all the ones meeting your announced
criLeriayforwardinLoasmallsub-groupin
the foreground.
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The editor says, Selects Only. We only want to view circled takes. Eight
shots immediately fall back from the foreground into the collective wall
of shots, and youre left with two takes. The editor tosses these two
LhumbnailsbywavingwiLhboLhhandsLoLhelefL...LheyyfromLhe
center screen to the left wall screen. The timeline re-appears up front.
YouheadoffdownLhehallLooneofLhe3DComproomsrunningSmoke
onaMac.1heediLyou'reworkingonhasa3Dversion(OfcourseiLdoes...
iL'sLhefuLureafLerall).|nasimilarseLupLoLheediLroom,adigiLal3D
arLisLisusinghishandsLoworkonLhe3DseLLingsoneachshoL.Pushing
his hands closer together brings the convergence settings closer - pulling
his hands apart, the opposite. Things are in control here... you head off.
In the next room, assistant editors are
working with the latest footage shot on
seLyesLerday.1he4KdigiLalmedia6les
are being processed in the background
LobeLranscodedforofineediLing,buL
they need their metadata to be added to
become really useful. One of the
assistants circles a face in an interview
shot with his gloves, and calls out This is
Michael Horton. The system processes
the visual recognition of Michaels image
and then scans the rest of the media for
where it sees his face...
DAVID BIGELOW is an award winning editor with
crediLsinfeaLure6lms,Lelevision,commercials
and live music visual entertainment. Recent music
clients include James Taylor and Carole King for
their upcoming Troubadour Tour, as well as
Guns N Roses, Van Halen, Elton John
and Billy Bob Thornton.
Since 2001 he has been working with the Boston
and New York advertising agencies as editor of
many commercial campaigns. Hasbro has hired
David and many others from Gray Matter
Entertainment for a large part of its editorial
LalenLsinofineandonlineediLing,aswellascolor
grading and mastering. Broadcast commercial
campaigns for Star Wars, Marvel, Transformers, GI
Joe, Playdoh and Parker Brothers games. Davids
particular role at Hasbros Cakemix Studios is in
support of improving technical standards and
ef6cienciesLhaLarekeyLoLhesmooLhrunning
of a large commercial facility.
David is also a Post-Production Supervisor with a
national reputation for designing and engineering
HDposL-producLionworkows.Davehasbeena
featured speaker at the National Association of
Broadcasters annual convention in Las Vegas (NAB)
for the past six years. Dave was the supervising
ediLoronLhe6rsLfullseasonofCooks Country, an
HD, multi-camera cooking series from the creators
of Americas Test Kitchen.
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And all those shots are given metadata with
Michaels name. Some of his interview shots are
from outdoors, some indoors. The systems are able
LoLellLhedifferenceandannoLaLeLhe|N1/LX1
metadata settings correctly.
AllseemsLobein6neshape...soyouheadouLLo
get a coffee at the local Starbucks (Yes, they are
still very present, if not more so, in the future).
Standing in line for a soy chai mocha demi latte,
your iPhone buzzes at your hip. A message
indicates the latest edit is ready for shipping and
FTP upload to the network servers.
You view the changed shots that were left to do on
LheiPhone...andcon6denLLhaLLheediLisnow
readyfor6naldisLribuLion,you"push the episode
onto the cable network servers complete with
automated slate information and split track audio
with a GMatter iPhone App.
Now doesnt this fantasy of our professional world
sound great?
Why cant it be this way?
All that stands in the way of this exciting
revolution is our willingness to craft a system
around it... to re-train our brains and hands to
think about losing the mouse and keyboard
and get rid of that damned carpal-tunnel
syndrome once and for all. Were not saying it will
be easy, or not fraught with technical glitches
and compatibility issues.
MosLrevoluLionsLakesacri6ce.
Today, we stand at a moment of great opportunity.
The desktop landscape is changing overnight.
We now have major workstation class tools like
Autodesk Smoke (www.autodesk.com) coming to
the Mac, that operate at blazingly fast speeds.
Companies like Oblong (www.oblong.com)
are paving the way with Minority Report style
interface design and are getting it ready
for the market.
Developers for the iPhone and the iPad are
building tools like those described above.
People such as Taz Goldstein from Handheld
Hollywood (www.handheldhollywood.com) are
bringing the community of developers for the
iPhone/iPad/iPodinLofocusforusconLenL
creators, giving us the skinny on the best tools
out there that we can use as quickly as an
App Store download.
We all know the level of talented people using the
Desktop Mac platform today is abundant and very
strong and I am honored to know and work with
so many of you.
We have the talent.

We have the tools.
We have a vision.
Its time to step boldly into the next evolution of
Post-Production.
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INTRODUCTION
As an editor, I spend a great deal of time of my
days in front of a computer. Editing is an activity
thats usually a one-on-one scenario. One
computer, one editor, one location.
This was an experiment, a proof-of-concept, as it
were. Could it really be done? Could I really edit on
PinalCuLPro6.0.6viaiChaL'sShareScreenopLion
on a system that is 1500 miles away?
THE PROBLEM
Im the editor. Hes the live events guy. He has a
backgroundinA/vandknowsquiLeabiLmore
about computers than the average cube-dweller.
While he can do a great many things, he is not an
editor. He knows his way enough around the Final
Cut Suite, using the various programs to take care
of whatever basic needs he may encounter.
However, when it comes right down to it, hes not
all that comfortable with the Slide Edit Tool and is
unfamiliar with the All Tracks Forward Tool
(keyboard shortcut tttt, a personal favorite), in
other words, drilling down into the depths of what
Final Cut can offer.
My counterpart (henceforth known as Chris) has
traveled to the event location in Atlanta. The event
hes working on will have the daily program feed
acquired on an AJA Ki Pro. He needs to supply
them with simple auto-play SD DVDs each day of
the general session the next morning. Very basic.
Nothing too complicated. In the immortal words
of Dr. Leonard Hofstadter, Easy peasy.
Recording the footage and authoring the DVDs is
something Chris knows well. It was the bit in the
middle, the editing, that he was concerned about.
So he and I spent a little time in my studio, walking
him through some of the basic editing features
and getting him familiar with the most commonly
used tools an editor might need for trimming
heads and tails.
The most obvious question came up: what
happens if he gets stuck?
Sometimes the best answers are the simplest.
We considered VNC, Skype and iChat, all programs
offer the ability to see a remote computers
desktop. Since every Mac comes with iChat pre-
installed, we guessed that it would probably work
|usL6newhenPinalCuLProwasrunning.
Just to be clear: were not talking about using
iChat Theater and the collaboration option found
inPinalCuLPro7.1hisisusingPCP6.0.6on
Leopard. The possibility to try this has been
available for years. However, we didnt want to
leavesuccessLochanceand6redupiChaLfora
test. On our LAN, I was able to share his screen
through iChat and view a sample Final Cut Pro
timeline with little lag.
Before we move forward, a caveat. If youre going
to try this, you really have to be able to trust the
person on-site to be your hands on the hardware.
Remote editing has the potential to go down in
amesinabadwayifLhepersononLheoLherend
isnt up for the task. If you have hardware
problems, as we did, the person on the other end
has to have presence of mind enough and the
skillsLo6xiL.|fLhaLpersoncan'LhandleLhe
technical end, it could mean that you miss your
deadline. It could mean that you really upset
your client.
Its not a solution that would allow a producer to
just send a PA, or heaven forbid, an intern, with a
bag of gear because shes cheaper than the editor.
Stop reading this right now if that popped into
your head. You will only hurt good people with
this knowledge.
Remote Field Editing
with AJA KiPro
D
E
B

E
S
C
H
W
E
I
L
E
R
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THE GEAR
So with a bit of training and a back-up plan in
place, Chris got on an airplane and headed off to
hisshow.|nhiscompuLerbagwasa15"Mac8ook
Procirca2008andanexLernalharddrive.
When he got on-site, he set up two of AJAs Ki Pros.
1heseareA1A'scompacL6eldrecordersLhaLrecord
your choice of Apple ProRes to an ejectable hard
drive. The Ki Pros are pretty neat little devices
which can be networked either over CAT 5 or
wirelessly. Yes, wirelessly. The means that setting
up and monitoring a record is easily accomplished
through a browser window without the need for a
rouLer.AllLheparameLerscanbecon6gured
through a beautifully simple series of web pages
occupied with a plentiful selection drop-down lists
andLexL6elds.1hebrowserinLerfaceevenhasa
familiar set of transport controls.
THE PROCESS
OnceLhe6rsLday'sevenLwasrecorded,Chris
immediately created a back-up of his media.
Ejecting the Ki Pros top-mounted hard drive, he
connecLedaPirewire800cablebeLweeniLandhis
MacBook Pro and transferred the recording to his
client-supplied USB drive.
With copies on the USB drive, he went to his room
and transferred the media to a 2TB G-Drive from
G-Technologies connected via Firewire. Doing this
second transfer allowed the edits to be done on a
Firewire drive which would help speed things up
wheniLcameLimeLoexporL.m2v6lesforLheDvD.
WiLhasseLsinplace,Chris6redupPinalCuLSLudio.
He opened the project we created during our tests
and,wiLh6ngerscrossed,launchediChaLLosLarL
our6rsLremoLesession.
One very real possibility wed considered was that
the Internet connection in the hotel might not
allow us to connect at even the most basic text-
based chat level. Thankfully, a fairly speedy
connection to be established almost instantly.
With a click of the mouse, Chris shared his screen
with me and I was looking at the familiar FCP
inLerface1500milesaway.1he6rsLhurdleofLhis
little experiment had been cleared.
The next task was to see if I could accomplish
somebasicediLingLasks.1he6rsLwasLoimporL
the media into the project.
OneofLhebigbene6LsofusingadevicelikeLheKi
Pro is that you can forgo the usual Log & Transfer
sLepandimporLLhe6ledirecLly.Nore-wrapping,
noconverLing.1usLcopyLhe6lefromhereLoLhere
and get to work. I right-clicked in the Bin, chose
|mporL,choseLhe.MOv6lehe'dLransferredLohis
G-Drive. I told Chris to drop the clip onto his
timeline and could see the media appear on the
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timeline instantly with no red or even green
render me indicators. The simplicity and
elegance of this step actually made me say Whee!
out loud.
|waLchedasChrismadeLhe6rsLfewediLs-
trimming a couple of minutes of pre-show off the
beginning of the sequence, a little post-show off
the back, and adding a copy of the PowerPoint
theme graphic as a slate at the beginning of the
timeline.
Through his onboard microphone, I could hear
him type on the keyboard and select things using
the trackpad. These sounds were perfectly in sync
with the image of the shared screen I was seeing.
What really surprised me was the fact that Chris
also experienced this sync when I was in control,
watching his screen and hearing my clicks through
the speakers, especially since the Internet
connection I was using at the time was DSL.
The performance was quite good.
DuringLhe6rsLday,LherewasanaudiogliLchin
the room during the recorded event. For about a
minute, one of the presenters microphones wasnt
recorded. This left a rather large unusable section
of the program. Since Chris wasnt sure just how to
proceed, I took control of the mouse and began to
make the glitch disappear.
I really did have near immediate control over his
mouse. Things I typed on the keyboard showed up
immediately on my screen. There was some
pixelation where the CTI moved, and when I was
using the cursor. The area around the pointer or
tool would chunk up, but it remained legible, and
de6niLelyuseable.PorLhemosLparL,myconLrol
over his computer was nearly indistinguishable
from a computer that is in the same room with me.
The visuals were the problems lay.
The biggest drawback was the occasional
bandwidth limitation that showed up in my screen
refresh that often left me waiting to see where the
cursor was on the screen now. Id click somewhere,
and it would take several seconds before my
screen displayed what Chris screen was showing.
I moved the cursor on his end. It just took a little
bit of waiting before my screen popped to
showing what he was seeing.
When Chris would preview his work, the canvas
woulddisplayabouL5,maybe8fps.1hiswasmore
than when I took the reigns. It dropped to about 2
when I interacted with the system. It would kick
backupLo5-8wiLhinseveralsecondsafLer|
stopped clicking on things. Reviewing an edit was
a challenge. I really had to rely on his eyes and ears
LoLellmeifLheediLlookedand/orsoundedOK.
I needed his eyes and ears on the other end to
tell me how things looked and sounded. I certainly
couldnt do any sort of Quality Control in
this setup.
THE SUCCESSES
Overall, the experiment
was a complete success.
While it wasnt a seamless
remote editing experience, it
wasde6niLelypossibleLoediLa
project on a distant computer as long as I had
someone in the room who could be my critical
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eyes and ears. You wouldnt want to cut a feature
through iChat, but the basic functionality allowed
usLoexpandLhede6niLionof"collaborative
project just a little bit more.
AnoLheraddedbene6LwasLhaLChriswasableLo
get some real world experience editing video
while I watched over his shoulder from across the
country. When he had a question, I was right there
and could see exactly what he was trying to do.
And when I wanted to highlight something, I could
use the mouse to highlight, select and
demonstrate just as if I was sitting next to him.
On this project, one of the biggest stars was the
A1AKiPro.8eingableLorecordProPes6lesand
use them to edit without re-wrapping, converting,
or rendering. For the needs of this project, this
workowhadahugeadvanLageoveraLape-based
soluLion,wiLhouLneeding|/OorproprieLarycard-
based solutions.
THE FAILURES
So what didnt work? Well, the audio and video
playback on my end was just not fast enough to
make speedy, accurate edits possible. I was able to
work around this by stepping through frame by
frame, but on a time constrained project this
would be impractical.
Another drawback was the occasional bandwidth
limitation that showed up in my screen refresh
that often left me waiting to see where the cursor
was on the screen now. Id click somewhere, and
sometimes it would take several seconds before
my screen displayed what Chris screen was
showing. I moved the cursor on his end. It just took
a little bit of waiting before my screen popped to
showing what he was seeing. This wasnt constant,
but it happened enough that it dragged our
progress down a bit.
One potential point of failure is, most prominently,
the Internet connection itself. iChat isnt supported
in every hotel, and being a free service is
occasionally fraught with service gremlins of its
own. But most important is knowing when the
Internet access in your room expires. Its not
beyond the realm of possibility to be in the middle
of a tricky edit and your metaphorical meter
expires, disconnecting you from your project.
THE OUTCOME
In the end, this project was a success. Setup was
painless, the connection was simple and
surprisingly usable, and the client ended up with
nearly seven hours of footage on DVD before
leaving the venue.
Many thanks to Tom Grotting and
www.digitalpictures.com for their assistance.

DEB ESCHWEILERisanediLorbasedinMinneapolis/
Saint Paul. Facility, Avid and Final Cut Pro trained,
she worked on staff at a post house until 1999
when she decided to strike out on her own and
founded her editing business.
In 2000, she worked on one of the early traveling
Final Cut Pro 1.5 systems. Shes a moderator on the
2-pop forum and frequent contributor on others.
Her website is www.debe-media.com and she can
be reached at info@debe-media.com
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From first shoot to final cut.
Connect with AJA.
On set, Ki Pro lets you to shoot on the same
codec that you edit with - Apple ProRes 422.
With extensive analog and digital connectivity,
virtually any video and audio source can be fed
into Ki Pro, which uses AJAs powerful 10-bit
realtime up/down/cross conversion,
to enable instant recording of SD or
HD from any camera format.
Back in the edit suite, KONA capture cards are the
professionals choice, chosen for their outstanding
performance and unparalleled reliability. Now fully
cross-platform compatible, KONA cards give you the
freedom to work with any formats - in the software of
your choice.
Ki
On the set On the desktop
www.aja.com
B e c a u s e i t m a t t e r s .
#26799 - Rsz Kona Ki Pro FCPUG:Layout 23/03/2010 14:46 Page 1
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As much as I am around new technology all the
time, it still surprises me that many people think
miracle happens here is an expected part of
theIr productIon and post workow. So I
thought I would give a little behind-the-scenes
look at what it takes to properly create and
deliver a realistic and unbiased test of new
camera technology.
I got a call from Scott Lynch, producer at Zacuto
USA, asking if I would be available to participate in
a test of the top-of-the-line DSLR cameras that
have become all the rage for video production.
These are hybrid versions of digital still cameras
with limited HD capture capabilities that vary from
camera to camera and between manufacturers.
Our task was to show them in a series of simple
unbiasedLesLsLhaLwouldreecLanaccuraLe
comparison between the different cameras
themselves, but also how they compare against
LhegoldsLandardofproducLion,35mm6lmsLock.
Needless to say I jumped at the chance to assist my
friends, if nothing more than payback, for I have
been bailed out by Zacutos incredible staff more
than once in the last couple of years.
Little did I know what I had gotten myself into. I
thought I was going to guide some of the data
wrangling and maybe get a chance to pitch in a
little. Arriving at Resolution Digital Studios, the
most modern sound stage in Chicago, with my
normal complement of laptop, a Cine-Tal

Cinemage8230producLionmoniLor,aKiProanda
boxofHDM|>HDSD|converLers,andacoupleof
other cases of gear, I was prepared to pitch in
wherever I was needed.
Much to my surprise I was greeted by my old
friend Bob Primes A.S.C., a very well know DP and
digiLalevangelisLLhaL|6rsLmeLwhen|wasLhe
Post Instructor for the Panasonic Varicamp. We
have nearly a decade of experience working with
each other and with the vast amount of work at

hand; Bob passed the mechanical testing matters
to me, allowing him and UK DP Phillip Bloom to
focus their talent on the more elaborate sets.
However, before a single frame was exposed there
werecalibraLionsLobedeLermined,workowand
6lenamingguidelinesLobeesLablished,noLLo
mention introductions for the over 20 assorted
assistants, PAs, gaffers, grips, Canons Tim King and
Ed Catamult involved with the shoot, plus the stills
and documentary crew recording the event for
What really goes into a Camera Test
G
A
R
Y

A
D
C
O
C
K
Photos Courtesy Zacuto USA.
BOB & MYSELF CALIBRATING A SCOPE
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release on the Zacuto website.
Bob and I spent a good deal of time discussing the calibration of
monitors and meters so that the content he and I were producing would
be setup using the same baseline measurement to determine white,
black and neutral grays. While this sounds easy, note that Bob is
renowned for his ability to set up a test like this that pushes the imagery
to the edges of what can be recorded in any media. So the plan is to do a
latitude test, the lightbulb test, a match test and the bench tests of a
backliL13-sLepgreyscalecharL,andlaLer,aDSCChromaDuMonde+28
camera chart.
BOB & MYSELF DISCUSSING THE LATITUDE SET
The Latitude test consisted of a bathroom set with our model in the tub.
The main light source was behind the glass block seen in the shot.
1herewasonlyoneaddiLionalbouncelighLLo6llonLhemodelsfaceand
provideareecLionforLhechromefauceLsonLheLub.1hisLypeofimage
allows us to look at how well the cameras hold both the highlights and
shadows while maintaining pleasant skin tones. All of these samples
were matched in the grading suite to keep the tone of the models face
as clean as possible.
Workow Consultations
for Production and Post
OnSet Data Management
3Ds / Stereoscopic Acquisition
2K / 4K Digital Workows
Technology Development
Gary Adcock
info@Studio37.com
312-243-3244
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Also done on this set was a resolution test.
We included a magazine in the background, open
to a page that included both text and graphics and
used that part of the image for checking the actual
usable resolution recorded by each camera and 2
35mm6lmemulsions,Kodak5217aL|SO200and
Pu|i's8553raLedaL|SO250buLshoLaL200Lo
maLch.ScansfromLhe35mmnegaLiveweredone
with both Spirit 2K and Arri scan 4K resolutions so
that there would be no questions later.
JENS, BOB & I DISCUSS THE LIGHTBULB SCENE SETUP
The Lightbulb test, made famous by Bob as his
parLofLheASC/PGACameraAssessmenLSeries
shot in early 2009, uses the exact same bare
lightbulb to examine how cameras handle extreme
ranges of exposure. A candle and an un-frosted
150 watt bulb were used to light the shot with
both of them being practical sources (sources that
light the set and are still seen on camera). This test
is great at showing compression artifacts within
the imaging systems and differences between how
each manufacturer handles extreme exposure and
contrast ranges. The most interesting part of this
test was the differing ways that the lightbulb itself
wasrendered-evenbeLweenLhe3CanonDLSPs
originally tested.
THE MATCH TEST
The Match test, in our case was a plain Bic
lighter held at arms length and ignited. Effectively
we have a starting light level at foot-candle
whenLheameisanarm'slengLhawayfromLhe
actors face. The image here was a screen capture I
LookfromLheNikonD3fooLage,LrusLmewhen|
say of all the tests, this was more than enlightening
when it came to understanding what these camera
can do in terms of low light capabilities. I get to
see a great deal of technology, I never expected to
be able to talk publicly about cameras being able
to record useable images at ISO 25,000!
LYNCH & SKUBAL IN THE VIDEO VILLAGE
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With all the cameras being tested, it was
imperative that we keep a very close eye on how
LhedaLawashandledandidenLi6ed.WiLhover20
people on set and the sheer amount of data we
were working with it was required. We shot with
Canon's1Dmark|v,7Dand5DMark||models(and
laLerLhe12i),LheNikonD3andLhePanasonic
LumixGH-1,plusanArri435/CookeLenscombo
using2Kodakand2Pu|i35mm6lmemulsions.
So with different size sensors, recording media
types, differing compression algorithms had to be
taken into consideration as we went forward. Add
to that the varied HDMI monitoring issues that
plague the DSLRs also frustrated all of us with
video production backgrounds. I cannot begin to
explain how annoying it is when you are used to
having a continuous, live video while shooting and
the second you trigger the camera to begin
shooting, the video screen goes blank.
DISCUSSING WORKFLOW: JENS, BOB, TIM & I WORK OUT AN ISSUE
One of the other issues was the sheer size of the
crew. Many people reading this have never been
involved in production with a crew of over 20
people. Even in the productions I do, it is fairly rare
unless I am working in Episodic TV or a feature
6lm.CoordinaLion,LiminganddelegaLionarea
necessity. Communication, without a doubt, is the
most important issue, so that everyone knows
when to show up, where the model is, whether the
cameras are ready to shoot with and which camera
are we switching to next? What card? What
camera!WhichLesLisNLX1!Can|eraseiL!APL
YOU SURE? Remember that we are talking about 5
DSLPcameras,26lmcameras,3DPsshooLingplus
16lmassisLanL,andLheyallhadLobeonevery
one of the 4 sets, thankfully not at the same time.
Then there is the feeding and watering a herd of
this size, for example, I drink water, averaging a
bottle every 45 minutes all day. Do the math for a
crew of 20 people we are talking around 15 cases
of water and soft drinks, 12 gallons of coffee,
gallon of coffee creamer and a huge amount of
trash. All for this one day. This does not even count
Lhe3daysofseLup,seLconsLrucLion,lighLingand
tear-down. Want to talk about Lunch?
FILMWORKERS COLORIST RYAN EMERSON IN THE
DAVINCI RESOLVE DI SUITE
A MIRACLE HAPPENS
1henexLdaywereconveneaLLheD|/GradingSuiLe
aLAsLro/PilmworkersfaciliLyindownLownChicago
to start evaluating the images shot the previous
day. Filmworkers graciously granted us access to
their 2K DaVinci Resolve and DI Suite for color
gradingandevaluaLionofour6les.PyanLmerson,
ColorisL,assembledour6les,handlingLhe6lm
masLers6rsL,wiLh8obLakingleadaLLhegrading
session so that we would maintain his visuals to
what he expected on screen.
PHILLIP BLOOM & BOB CHECK PLAYBACK ON A MONITOR
To keep everything fair and honest, it was decided
that Ryan would only do overall corrections to the
images no custom curves, no power windows,
just simple one light correction to balance the
images, using our model skin tone as the basis,
letting whites and blacks fall where they may.
This went well until we got to the shots of the
bench test charts. Then we ran into brick wall.
The processed digital images did not always look
righL,mosLnoLablyLheCanoncamera6les.1he
Canon images were darker and more contrasty
LhanexpecLed,whileLheLumixandD36les
looked6ne.WewerescraLchingourheadsLhaL
onlyLheCanon's6leswereaffecLed.WespenL
the better part of 2 hours working on these
images when
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OMFG!!

OK, I cannot believe that I had not seen it earlier
since it was my job to make sure the these tests
were as true and accurate as possible. It had to be
the QuickTime Gamma bug the one we all have
seen. The one that screws with your color and
contrast every time you use legacy software.
Yet, why are only the Canon images effected?
Why do the Lumix and Nikon images not show
the same issue?
WelliLallgeLsdownLoworkow.Wehadagreed
LhaLPilmworkerswouldhandleLhe6lesandlike

wiLhanyfaciliLy,Lhe6rsLLhingLheydidwasLake
Lhe6lesinLoCompressorandouLpuLLhemasfull
sizeDPXframes.WhyhadsomeofLhe6les
converted correctly and why do only the Canon
images have errors? The Canons images are
recordedasH.264,likeLheLumix,buLLheNikon
uses the older M-jpeg compression?
After asking question after question, after question
|6gurediLouL.1heCanon6leswereallgivenLo
PyanasH.264LobeconverLedinLoUncompressed
andDPXframeswhileLheNikonandLumiximages

had been pre-processed into Apple ProRes
before handing them off to Filmworkers.
1hisonemis-sLepinourworkowalmosLnegaLed
the entire test.
1heprocessofconverLingLhePG8H.2646les
within Apples Compressor to YCbCr encoded
DPX6leshadLriggeredLheQ1Gamma8ug.Since
onlyLheCanon6leswereprocesseddirecLfrom
LheH.264sLheywereLheonly6lesaffecLed.1he
guys at Zacuto have a great piece of video of me
aLLheexacLmomenL|6gureiLouL.
One thing to note is that DI Systems (like the
DaVinci Resolve we were working on) do not
always understand the myriad of modern codecs
we use on our desktops and are engineered to
handleuncompressedvideoandDPX6lesinLhe
same way we use ProRes. These systems are
designedLohandle6lesinaclosedloop.OneLhaL
is tested on a daily basis using processed motion
picLure6lmasLhesLandard.|canassureyouLhaLa
company like Filmworkers offers their clients the
highest level of capabilities and professionalism
available and the addition of one Mac into their
exisLingworkowpipelineLhaLgummedupLhe
whole thing. I would not have been able to correct
the problem as quick as we did if it had not been
for the prior relationship I have with them.
DAN SKUBAL & I DISCUSS THE DATA WORKFLOW
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GARY ADCOCKisLheprincipalaLSLudio37,Chicago,
IL, USA, where he spends his time consulting on
ProducLionandPosLworkowsfordigiLaland6lm
pro|ecLsaswellasworkingasa|/A600D|1and
Data handler.
Knowledgeable on all things HD, Gary has been
Technical Chairman for NABs Director of
PhoLographyconferencesince2007inaddiLionLo
speaking on HD and Digital Technology around
the world for the last 10 years. Gary writes
regularly for Macworld LLC and as a moderator
and blogger on CreativeCow.net.
Garys client list includes: Adobe, AJA, Sony,
Panasonic, JVC, NASA, CNN, Discovery Networks,
MTV, McDonalds Inc., HBO, MLB, NBA
LnLerLainmenL,POXandNaLionalGeographic
and the Nat Geo Networks worldwide.
He is currently working with Rich Harrington
and Rhed Pixel on an extended update to his
acclaimed article ProRes: a Closer Look, which
is due to come out later this summer.
Gary can be reached at info@studio37.com
BOB PRIMES ASC
So while the camera test info is all up on the
Zacuto Website, take one thing away from all of
this. If you are planning on using the latest,
greaLesLnewcameraknowLhaLyourworkow,
process and hardware need to be as new as every
other tool you are working with. This is the same
wheLheryouworkinAvC-|nLra,ProPes,P3D6les
andnowLheH.264sLhaLareinvadingourworld.
To make any of these codecs work properly the
6rsLLime,youhaveLomoveforwardLomakesure
that all of the content is handled in a manner
consistent with the camera technology that you
are shooting with, so getting a New Camera means
geLLingaNewWorkow.
My thanks go out to Tim Smith and Ed Catamult
from Canon, Jens Bogehegn, Steve Weiss and Scott
Lynch from Zacuto USA, Phillip Bloom, Bob Primes
ASC, Ryan Emerson, Todd Fresse and Manuela
HungfromAsLro/Pilmworkers,Schumacher
Camera and a special thanks to my friends Larry
Whitlow and Megan Ross from Resolution Digital
Studios in Chicago where all of this started.

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Shooting HD Video on DSLRs snuck up on us in
late 2008, but it wasnt until 2009 that I
ventured into it myself.
It wasnt until summer 2009 that we were able to
use the Canons in full manual mode in video. Until
then operating them was a massive pain the a**!
Actually to be honest, it still is, due to ergonomics
and hardware limitations. But, the problems dont
endLhere.Workowisama|orissueandrecenLly
we have been blessed with a solution to make our
importing much simpler. Not just that but I want
LoLalkabouLLhebesLpluginforDSLP6lmmaking
that makes recording dual system sound and
syncing them up a breeze.
I have completely fallen in love with shooting with
these cameras, their images, size and affordability
makeLhemunbeaLable.6monLhsago|shoL25%
ofmyworkonLhem,nowiL'swellover60%and
increasing. They have limitations and are
frustrating at times but both hardware and
software manufacturers have plugged in holes to
makeboLhshooLingandworkowwiLhLhema
breeze now!
When you get one of the Canon DSLRs (from now
on I will just refer to them as DSLRs as I only use
the Canon ones) you will immediately think,
excellenLiLrecordsin.mov6les.UnforLunaLely
Lhese.mov6lesareencodedinH264.AgreaL
6nishingformaLbuLahorribleediLingformaL.Only
the most powerful of macs can handle playing
backfullscreenLhese6leswiLhinPinalCuLProand
even then, try and do anything fancy and forget it!
Until recently I imported everything using a free
3rdparLyapplicaLioncalledMPLGsLreamclip.|L
converLedmyH264.mov6lesinLoediLfriendlyPro
PesL1(availableonlyPCP7).1hisissLillagreaLway
of doing things but with the recent introduction of
the Canon E1 plug in we can now import directly
into FCP using good old log and transfer, just like
as if we were using P2, SxS or RED. This makes
things nice and easy. Simply select the format you
want from the Pro Res options. My colourist will
always recommend using Pro Res HQ but as I edit
mosLlyonLheroadusingmy17"M8PLhese6les
are way to big for me. I love LT, its a great new
formaL,ef6cienLasiLkeepsLhe6lesize
manageable.|L'ssLillbiggerLhanLheh2646le
which is around 45 mbps. ProRes LT is 102Mbps.
If you are really tight on HD space there is always
ProRes Proxy at 45Mbps.
Canon EOS DSLR Workow
Workow solutions when shooting video with Canon DSLRs
P
H
I
L
I
P

B
L
O
O
M

W
W
W
.
P
H
I
L
I
P
B
L
O
O
M
.
N
E
T
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As anyone knows who has used log and transfer,
the joy of it is you dont have to import the whole
lot. You can select individual clips and even
sections of clips by marking ins and outs. This will
save a lot of time if you know a lot of your stuff you
wont use.
MypersonalworkowisLhis:|useaLexarPirewire
800CPreaderandusing|maginesofLware's
ShoLPuLPro|ofoadLo3harddrives
simulLaneously.|alwaysmake3backupsasweare
in the realm of tapeless and hard drives are cheap,
reshoots are not! Shotput Pro is great as it copies
LhedirecLorysLrucLureinLacLandveri6esLhe
contents as it writes. Its fast and painless.
For E1 to work you need to have the directory
structure intact. That is why I always recommend
ofoadingLoharddrives6rsLandLhenaddingLhe
folder with custom path of log and transfer and
convert that way. Plugging in your camera via usb
will not work with E1, directly converting using a
CF reader will work but I believe it is very
imporLanLLokeepyouroriginal6lesincaseyou
need to use them with a different editing system
or someone comes up with a better system that
ProPesinLhefuLureforconverLingH264Loo.
Again, hard drives are cheap. Dont be cheap by
noLkeepingyouroriginal6les.
One of the biggest plusses of this plug in is not
seamless integration but the fact it will give you
timecode based upon the time of day you shot
each clip. Utterly invaluable as no other method
gives you this.
This plug in is going to make everyones
workowforLheDSLPssomucheasierandmore
streamlined. Having to use an extra piece of
software to convert was always clunky. To be
able to do it all within Final Cut is what we have
been needing for some time. You can download
it from here.
The other piece of software that make editing with
DSLRs and also anything that uses dual system
sound is Singluar Softwares PluralEyes.
First off what is dual system sound and why do we
use it? Well, almost all narrative work is done using
dual system sound. The camera records the images
and a separate sound recording device records
sound and this is synced up in post. Traditionally
we did this using clapper board or sync claps, now
we can do away with this using this software.
Part of the main issue is that Canon EOS DLSRs
record sound quite badly, actually its more like its
hard to record good sound with them. First off,
only the 5DmkII has manual audio level controls
and these are hidden away in a menu and are not
accessible whilst recording. Secondly, we have no
meters whilst recording, no headphone jack and
all the other cameras are auto levels only. So I
advocate recording sound separately.
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Now the joy of PluralEyes is it does the syncing for you automatically as
long as your camera records reference audio simply by using the inbuilt
mono mic of the camera. What you simply do then is open up a new
sequence called Pluraleyes, put all your video and camera audio on the
timeline, stick the separate audio on a different audio track and click sync
on PluralEyes and away it goes, analysing the waveforms of both audios
and then creating new sequences from the synced audio.
Master the Possibilities
ELEMENTS
Modular. Customizable. Affordable.
www.ikancorp.com 713-272-8822
Designed with your needs in mind, the Elements
line is ikans system of camera support that
allows you to customize your camera rig exactly
the way you want it. The Elements are simple
pieces that allow you to mount your monitor,
microphone, light, power supply or whatever
else you can think of to your camera set up. You
have the freedom to buy only the pieces you
need, or get one of the Elements Fly congura-
tions for a lightweight and stable handheld setup.
So how does this work in a real life situation? I will give you
two examples.
1he6rsLisforacommercial|shoLin|ndiaforGreenpeace.AlLhoughiL
was a commercial it was shot like a documentary with the interviews
done long form. Traditionally with dual system sound you would slate at
the beginning of the interview to get a sync point, problem is these
cameras can only record 12 minutes at a time before you need to stop
recording and start again. This causes issues. Do you re-slate every 12
minuLescompleLelyruiningLheowofLheinLerview!|deallynoL...LhaLis
why I use Pluraleyes. For this job I simply told the director I would tap her
onLheshoulderaLaround10minuLesinLoleLherknowLopausebriey
at the next opportunity so I could hit stop and start, but leave the audio
recording.1hisgavemeonelongaudio6leandloLsofvideoclipswhich
all synced together perfectly.
The other way I do it is when I had to shoot a documentary in Dubai.
The director didnt need his questions, so when it got to around
10 minutes and he asked a question, I would simply stop and start,
creaLingnodisrupLioninow.
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PHILIP BLOOM has been working in Television and
morerecenLly6lmproducLionforover20years.
Philipisa6rsLclassDirecLorofPhoLographyand
Director, with a career that has taken him all over
the world. Philip has worked on everything from
covering war; to shooting documentaries,
commercials, movies and more.
PhilipisapassionaLeadvocaLeforlow-budgeL6lm
making and is always at the forefront of new
technology. He has become known as a trailblazer
ofLhenewbreedofDSLPs6lm-making,boLhwiLh
his hugely popular blog, philipbloom.co.uk to his
two training DVDs which cover both shooting and
workowwiLhLhesenewcameras.
You can also use multicam with this software,
simplyLurnLheaudioonly6leinLoavideo6lewiLh
audio and away you go. Simple.
Also make sure your capture preset settings match
your sequence settings, otherwise you will get
audio sync drift. Best to avoid that!
Shooting with DSLRs is here to stay for the
foreseeable future and with these three key
piecesofsofLwareyouwill6ndyourworkow
streamlined, solid and (using dual sound) almost
as easy as recording in-camera. Each one is
essenLialinmyworkowandwiLhouLLhemmy
time in front of a computer editing; would be
dramatically increased.

www. o mn i - t r a c k e r . c o m
Bottom line, the Omni-Trackers unique design and small size creates high-end shots at minimal nancial cost...
you are free to go where no dolly could go before. -Jeanne Rawlings / Videomaker Magazine / October 2009
Omni-Tracker Slim-Line Pro Portable Camera Dolly
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Those who are working with DSLR cameras are
well aware of their sound problems. Well, lets
not call them problems, rather inconvenient
factors to be dealt with in future. Canon listens
to Its users so future rmware updates shouId
have better quality sound.

Porexample,LhelaLesLCanon5DMark||6rmware
incorporates many requested improvements,
including adding manual volume control.
However, the main problem (inconvenience factor)
remains: we cannot turn off the AGC or Automatic
Gain Control. As nice as AGC is, in most situations,
we would rather be in charge of volume for
instance, if a bus is riding behind our interviewee
we dont want the sound focused on the bus.
If this sound issue is remedied in future updates,
Lhesecameraswill6ndLheirplaceamongLhe"big
guys such as RED, Arri, and Panavision, at least as
B-cameras. There are still smaller issues such as
rolling shutter, noise, etc. We will not
discuss those here because we want to
talk about a great application that
solves the sound problem mentioned
above.

PLURALEYES
This software was a highlight at NAB 2009
and its fame continues in 2010.
As we use more and more DSLRs
with accompanying sound quality problems this
application has become increasingly popular. In
fact, I can say that the
best solution for replacing the DSLRs original
sound with a separately recorded acceptable
quality sound is PluralEyes.
Yes! You can do this manually by checking the
sound waves in FCP, zooming in and syncing the
sound to the video. PluralEyes automatically
analyzes the wave forms to compare and align the
reference camera audio against the separate audio
6les.1heprocessLakesonemouseclickandiLis
frame-accurate even when audio quality is not
good. It doesnt matter whether the cameras were
turned on or off (breaking Timecode) or what
codecs were used.
After a few minutes of processing, PluralEyes
automatically creates a series of new FCP
sequences; one for each sync take. The audio is
nowalignedsoLhaLLhedouble-sysLemsound6les
are perfectly in sync
with the camera audio.
The program is so easy to
use that well spend no more time
talking about it: instead, here is an interview with
the man behind PluralEyes, CEO of Singular
Software, Bruce Sharpe. For those too curious
about how this software
works, we are inserting
a few words about it
within the interview text,
more than enough to
teach you to use it.
And now readers, meet the
man behind PluralEyes.
Hello, I am Bruce Sharpe,
founder and CEO of
Singular Software.
My educational background
is in mathematics and physics and I have long been
lnteresteJ ln hlm, sounJ, cnJ vlJeo roJuctlon.
Before starting Singular Software, I worked as a
development manager and executive in various
software companies developing business software.
DSLR Audio Sync Issue Solved!
And The Man Behind PluralEyes
G
Y
U
L
A

(
J
U
L
I
A
N
)

K
A
Z
R
I
BRUCE SHARPE
Click here to watch the video
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Q: HOW DID YOU CREATE SUCH A TRULY SINGULAR
PROGRAM AS PLURALEYES?
A: My wife and I were doing a lot of event
videography, starting with student performances
but growing quickly to include conferences and
corporate videos. I became frustrated with using a
single camera and dual-system audio. Then I
became further frustrated with how hard it was to
sync everything up. Because of my mathematics
and software background, I decided to see if the
computer could do the work for me.
Q: OK, WHAT DOES THE SOFTWARE DO AND IN WHAT
KINDS OF SITUATIONS WILL SOMEONE WANT TO
APPLY IT?
A: First, PluralEyes analyzes the audio sound content
and video clips to determine how to synchronize
them. Its able to sync automatically without the
need for time codes, clappers, or any special
preparation. This results in fast and painless
synchronization of multi-camera work, dual
system audio techniques, or multi-take shoots in,
for example,music shoots.
Lets illustrate what Bruce has been explaining.
Lets open a project in FCP, then name the
sequence PluralEyes, and drag all the video and
audio6lesinLoLhebrowser.OK,saveLhispro|ecL,
youre almost done.
PLURALEYES
DRAG THE ORIGINAL VIDEO/AUDIO TO THE FIRST TRACK AND THE
SEPARATE AUDIO TO THE SECOND TRACK
SAVE THE PROJECT
Q: IS THERE AT THIS TIME ANY OTHER METHOD, ANY
COMPETITION ON THE MARKET, THAT WILL ALSO
SOLVE THIS KIND OF SYNCHING CHALLENGE?
A: High-end studios have used time-code and jam-
sync techniques in the past. Without time-code,
the only alternative until PluralEyes was to sync
mcnuclly. lf you were sufhclently orgcnlzeJ, you
coulJ use c clcer or set off c ccmerc csh or Jo
something else to provide a good sync reference.
But these techniques were easily derailed by any
number of things and are really just a big pain.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS? ON
YOUR SITE WE SAW PLURALEYES WORKING ONLY WITH
FCP AND VEGAS. WHAT ABOUT OTHER APPLICATIONS
SUCH AS ADOBE PREMIERE AND AVID?
A: PluralEyes also works with Final Cut Pro and we
have a beta version for Vegas Pro that will be
shipping soon. Premiere Pro and Avid Media
Composer are on the roadmap but we havent yet
announced any release date. We often get requests
for PluralEyes and if people will send us a note with
their contact information, well inform them when
there is news.
Q: DSLR CINEMATOGRAPHERS CAN ENJOY THE GREATEST
BENEFIT FROM PLURALEYES SINCE THE NEW DSLRS
ARE NOT YET RECORDING GOOD SOUND. WHO ELSE
CAN BENEFIT FROM YOUR SOFTWARE, FOR EXAMPLE,
STUDIOS EMPLOYING MULTIPLE CAMERA MODES?
A: Creating good audio for DSLR videos has certainly
become a very popular application. But this is
actually a fairly recent development and when we
began work on PluralEyes about 5 years ago, DSLR
didnt even exist. We saw the big market for
PluralEyes as the independent video professional
the videographers who do weddings, corporate
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HDSLR FILMING & EDITING
LONDON / ANTWERP
HDSLR FILMING & EDITING
REDMOONRECORD.CO.UK
RECORDING / EDITING / GRADING / GRAPHICAL WORKS & PHOTO
REDMOONRECORD.CO.UK
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events, concerts, music videos, etc. We want to help
them offer their clients better quality products
using multiple cameras and separate audio. This is
a major part of out market. However, we are also
hecrlng from mcny stuJlo eole, lnJle hlm
mckers, cnJ Jocumentcry hlm mckers who wcnt
less expensive, simpler, and top quality syncing.
Although PluralEyes behaves much like a plug-in,
it actually runs as a standalone application and is
installed in the Application Folder. OK, here comes
the famous One Click on the Sync button. Voila!
You are done!
SIMPLE INTERFACE OF PLURALEYES
THE PROGRAM IS ANALYZING AND ALIGNING WAVEFORMS
Q: THERES A GLUE TOOLS APPLICATION COMING OUT
SOON WHICH WILL BE A CANON PLUG-IN THAT
INTEGRATES WITH FINAL CUT LOG AND TRANSFER
WINDOW AND GENERATES TIME-CODES FOR THE
IMPORTED CLIPS. WILL WE BE ABLE TO USE
PLURALEYES WITH THE GLUE TOOLS PLUG-IN?
A: PluralEyes can work with any format that Final Cut
supports. Clips transferred in with Glue Tools will
work hne, even though the tlme-coJe thct Glue
Tools creates is based on the time clock in the
camera, which has some drawbacks. It requires
all cameras to have their clocks well synced and
doesnt help with an external audio recorder, such
as the popular Zoom H4n. But PluralEyes solves
all these problems.
PluralEyes analyzed the sound forms. A new
sequence appears in the browser. It is all synced
now and we can delete the original sound from
the camera, leaving only good quality sound!
A NEW SEQUENCE IS CREATED
ORIGINAL AUDIO CAN BE DELETED FROM THE SEQUENCE NOW.
VIDEO AND SEPARATELY RECORDED SOUND ARE NOW IN SYNC
Q: OR PLURALEYES YOU OFFER A 30 DAY TRIAL PLUS A
SAMPLE PROJECT. HOW MUCH DOES PLURALEYES
COST AND PLEASE EXPLAIN THE SAMPLE PROJECT.
A: PluralEyes costs $149 USD. The sample project
is a small program that illustrates how to use
PluralEyes; its useful if you dont have any
suitable data handy or if you just want to get
c llttle conhJence before trylng Plurcllyes
on your own projects.
Q: WHAT ELSE DOES SINGULAR SOFTWARE DO BESIDES
PROGRAMMING PLURALEYES? AND HOW MANY
PEOPLE ARE WORKING FOR SINGULAR?
A: Developing software products is our main activity,
but we also do some contract programming and
video production work. I also do many volunteer
video projects that are posted on my personal
blog at brucesharpe.com
Were a small company and I am the chief architect
and business CEO. We work with several developers
and designers from around the world and we bring
ln for seclhc rojects. we work cs much cs
possible with talented separate partners who can
add essential resources as we grow.
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Q: WEVE READ ABOUT THE LEVELATOR THAT IS A FREE
AND VERY INTERESTING APPLICATION FROM
SINGULAR. TELL US ABOUT IT; WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT
DO AND WHO CAN USE IT?
A: The Levelator was developed by us in partnership
with the Conversations Network, one of the oldest
and largest podcast sites in existence. The focus is
to help podcasters produce higher quality sound.
The Levelator automatically evens out the levels in
sound recordings. For example, if you record an
interview where one person speaks quietly and
another person speaks more loudly, the Levelator
brings all voices to the same volume. Its a free
download that was originally intended for the
amateur podcaster but we have found that many
audio professionals have found it useful enough to
add to their tool kits! We use it ourselves for pretty
much every audio or video production we do.
Q: ANY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? ANY NEW VERSIONS OF
PLURALEYES? ANY NEW APPLICATIONS COMING
SINGULAR SOFTWARE?
A: 7here wlll Jehnltely be new verslons of Plurcllyes,
both to support more NLEs and to add new
features. Weve been given great enhancement
ideas from our customers and were working hard
on some of those.
We are also working on other applications. I cant
say too much about these right now. However, as
you can see from our history with The Levelator
and PluralEyes we like to get rid of lengthy and
boring post-production tasks and replace them
with unique automated solutions. We want to get
our customers to the creative editing phase as
quickly as possible. So, we do have some very cool
things in the works!
Q: THANKS, BRUCE SHARPE OF SINGULAR SOFTWARE FOR
THIS INTERVIEW!
A: Thank you very much. We appreciate your interest
in Singular Software and in PluralEyes.

GYULA KAZARI is from Hungary but he is living and
working in Antwerp, Belgium. He started up as a
freelance IT Consultant and Graphic Designer by
launchingLhe6rsLpublicCyberCafeinHungary
back in 1995.
Today he works as an DSLR cinematographer and
AppleCerLi6edProediLorinLondon/AnLwerp
(redmoonrecord.co.uk)
HeisLheco-wriLerofLhe6rsLPinalCuLProbook
to be published in Hungarian language which was
released this year.
Gyula is also one of the founders members
of FCPUG Hungary.
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It was our rst true muItIcam show wIth the 5D
Mark IIs and the results were nice
Its no secret that Canon 5D Mark IIs are
everywhere.1hey'veshoLmusicvideos,shorL6lms,
commercials and more Vimeo videos than anyone
can imagine. One place where I havent heard
about a lot of usage (as of yet anyway) is in
multicamera concert production. Theres very real
reasons why you wouldnt want to use any small-
form-factor DSLRs (with no gen lock, timecode
input or external monitoring) in a multicam
production. But that doesnt mean that they cant
get the job done.
A FRAME GRAB OF THE FULL STAGE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN
CHICAGO
I recently had the pleasure of editing a 5D-shot
multicamera concert. While I had worked with a lot
of 5D footage in a lot of different projects this was
Lhe6rsLLruemulLicamshowusingLhe5Ds.
Multicam can mean a lot of things these days but
to me its a live concert or show type environment
where the cameras are all jam synced together
receiving a common timecode. Theres usually a
director in the truck calling the shots, all of the
camera operators have headsets to communicate
with the director, all cameras are recorded
remotely and theres some kind of line cut on tape
at the end. Thats not the kind of multicam show
we did with the 5Ds.
The show was a live concert at the House of Blues
in Chicago. The artist was Gary Allan, a great live
performer whos a bit more on the rocking side of
country music so we knew it would be a fun and
energetic show. The destination was an hour long
concert program for Great American County to
coincide with the release of Garys new album Get
Off On the Pain. The production company was
Taillight TV, a veteran of live concert multicam
television. The director was Stephen Shepherd,
oneofLhe6rsLpeopleLhaL|knowLhaLsLarLed
using the Canon 5D in video production.
Post-Production would be handled at the facility
where I work, Filmworkers Nashville.
There were several factors that played into the
directors decision to shoot 5D. As a very early
adopter of the camera, he and the shows director
of photography, Rhet Bear, shot what I believe was
oneofLhe6rsLmusicvideosonLhecamera,KaLie
Armiger, Trail of Lies. We all knew the capabilities
of the camera itself to capture an amazing image
but there was the question of how it would
perform in a live concert situation. But Shepherd
explains that his experience with the format as
wellasaspeci6csLylehewaslookingformadeLhe
Canon DSLRs an obvious choice:
Ive worked with Gary for over a decade
now, so Im pretty familiar with the look
and the vibe he expects from his video
projects. The loose, hand-held feel of the
Canon 5D Mark II was perfect to capture
the energy of his live show. Weve used
the 5Ds for many music videos in the
past year, so the post process didnt
scare me. Its different, but not really any
harder than a traditional shoot. If this
was 5 years ago, we would have shot the
whole show on bolexs and handheld lm
cameras. Thankfully, the new DSLR
technology allows us to simulate that
feel, in HD, without loading 100 daylight
spools every 4 minutes!
Editing a Canon 5D Mark II Multicam Concert Shoot

S
C
O
T
T

S
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CONSIDERATIONS
1he6rsLconsideraLionwasprobablybudgeLary.
Live concert production can be expensive.
Traditionally you have quite a large crew with a
production truck thats the central hub where all
of the feeds from the cameras are recorded to
tape. The director, technical director and a number
of other crew members live and breathe in that
truck for quite a while during rehearsals and as the
show goes to tape. Obviously, if you are shooting a
concert or multicam show live to air you have no
choice but a concert like the Gary Allan show
would get a proper post production schedule with
plenty of time to edit, make changes and color
correct. Cut all of that expensive overhead out and
youve got a bunch of camera guys stationed
around a venue, ready to shoot a show. But those
cameras are all self-contained units with no link to
the other cameras.
That brought up the second consideration: there
was no way to jamsync timecode to all of the
cameras or to remotely record the output. This
wasnt necessarily a problem as Ive worked with
Stephen on a number of these types of shoots
over the years. All the cameras would record
locallyLocompacLashcardsandallofLhecamera
ops would shoot for more of a zone type of
coverage so, in theory, you dont have everyone
recording the same thing all at once and be left
with no choices in the edit. Live shows can be very
unpredictable so theres always a safety camera or
two positioned around a venue recording a master
shot or two thats the fail-safe if no zone camera is
usable. Of course the more zone cameras you add
to the mix the more chance of always having a
usable angle. A line cut was not needed either as
the show was to be cut from scratch. Ive always
felt a line cut was a bit limiting as an editor anyway
since, time and budget permitting, I like to study
allLheanglesand6ndLhebesLsLuff.
The third consideration was more the cool-factor
of the cameras and the knowledge that if shot
right they could record a great image. I dont mean
greaLfromLhesLandpoinLLhaLiLisa1920x1080
progressive image but more that the 5Ds image
sensor could bring an aesthetic to the image and
the entire shoot you might not get from smaller
chip cameras traditionally used for multicamera
concerts. There were the obvious things like the
5D'sshallowdepLhof6eldLhaLweknewcouldbe
achieved without the need to be on a long lens as
wellasanoverallmore6lmiclookLoLhe5DLhaL
made using these cameras quite exciting. But I
think there were less obvious things that we saw
as we got into post. The low light capabilities of
the camera meant the stage lighting was more
traditional for a concert performance and less for a
television shoot. And just the way the camera
captured cones of light above and around the
stage felt unique.
I REALLY LIKE HOW THE 5DS CAPTURED THE STAGE LIGHTING
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Of course there were the potential downsides as
well.WouldLheH.264compressionwreakhavoc
on the image in wide shots and the more busy
onstage images? Would the cameras small size
and weight cause problems with the handheld
nature of the shoot and make the viewer sea sick?
Would the rolling shutter cause too much jello-
cam and render a lot of footage unusable? Would
the image from the different camera bodies match
enough that they could be color corrected into a
coherent look without falling apart? Would be
camera ops be able to focus properly considering
the cameras form factor and the constant
movement on the stage?
PRODUCTION
1heshowiLselfwasshoLwiLh75Ds.3were
stationary cameras capturing a wider shot of the
stage. The other 4 were handheld: 2 in front of the
stage and 2 on either side that could move behind
as well. The handheld and focus questions were
two that were answered early on. Being this was
more of a rock n roll style show it was decided that
handheld-type movement was something we
could embrace. Add to that the shallow depth of
6eldandrackfocusingcapabiliLiesandyouhavea
large part of the style of the show. There was also
one RED camera used that experienced some
technical problems and didnt record the entire
show. To make up for that missing angle a single
5D recorded a different show on a different night.
Add to all this the bands short rehearsal that was
coveredwiLh6camerasand|had15anglesaLLhe
most to choose from at any given time in the
show,7aLLheleasL.1heDPhadacusLomseLLing
for all the 5Ds that gave maximum range for color
correction, which basically lowers the contrast and
turns off the sharpness. Even though the camera
shooLsLoahighlycompressedH.2646leweknew
from other 5D work that there would probably be
enough latitude to, at the very least, color correct
LomaLchLhecameras.WiLhLwo16gigCPcards
and an extra battery in hand per camera, the show
went off without a hitch. This was one pass
through the entire show. No stopping the concert
for camera problems, no repeating of songs for
more angles. As Gary says himself, there are no
do-overs in a live show.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE QUICKTIME OF ONE
OF MY FAVORITE SOUND BITES FROM GARY
WITH AN EXAMPLE OF THE BEFORE AND
AFTER COLOR GRADING
As for the single RED camera used, DP Rhet Bear
explains why that decision was made: At the last
minute we decided to add a RED ONE for our hero
closeup, a decision I now regret, since we werent
staffed to support the camera. The camera had
someissuesduringLhe6rsLcouplesongsand
ended up only covering a portion of the show. We
had added the RED partly because we were trying
something new shooting an entire show on the
Canon 5Ds and we felt the RED would be easier for
focus and monitoring for our closeup. But after
seeingLheshow6nishedwewouldn'LmakeLhe
same choice again. Instead we would have placed
a5Dor7DwiLha70-200or400mmLocapLureLhaL
angle which is basically what we did the following
night in Houston when I re-shot what the RED
camera had missed. The Canons performed
beautifully, especially since we were in a controlled
environment, and gave us the freedom to
have more cameras with more energy for less
money than if we had shot with a standard
HDypackage."
Im not sure if the malfunctioning RED was the
Canon gods looking unfavorably upon the use of
the single RED or the RED gods making a
statement against the Canons. With the pickup
shooLinHousLon,LhebandworeLhesameouL6Ls
and performed a similar show. Lighting ended up
being a bit different but our colorist was able to
match it pretty well. If you look closely your may
see a little continuity mismatch in sweat on some
of the bands clothing.
The other great angles the camera crew captured
were during the rehearsal for the show. They were
able to get up on the stage and grab some nice
closeups of the entire band. Time was limited so
they only shot a verse and chorus of each song but
the rehearsal footage is featured prominently
through the whole show. It was a real lifesaver.
TRANSCODING THE FOOTAGE FOR EDIT
WiLhover20hoursofH.264clipsiLwasquiLea
daunting task to convert the footage to Apple
ProRes for editing. Two Mac Pros, running
Compressor, working over a weekend were able to
get the job done. I was able to use the VNC
protocol to keep tabs on the batches that were
running on my machine at work as well as
transcode on my Mac Pro at home. This is the place
where a ProRes hardware accelerator card would
have been very welcome, if such a card existed. All
the footage was converted to Apple ProRes 422
and the show cut at full resolution so there was
not traditional online stage at the end. With these
compressedcodecsLheofineL/onlineworldis
blurred these days. Right after the ProRes
conversion and before we began the actual
edit, two complete backups were made of the
edit footage and kept at different locations
for safekeeping.
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EDITING
Since the show was heading to air on Great
AmericanCounLry,a29.97sLandardde6niLion
delivery, the decision was made to conform the
30pclipsLo29.97.|wascuLLingLhe6rsLpassofLhe
show to an audio feed recorded directly out of the
mixing board at the event. The multitrack
recordings went back to Digital Audio Post here in
Nashvillefor6nalmixingofLheconcerLaswellas
6nalmixingofLheshowiLself.PluralLyeswasused
for syncing since the production didnt shoot
slates or any common sync point. The slight speed
changeofgoingLo29.97didcausesomesync
drifL.|wassurprisedLo6ndLhaLiLwasn'L
consistent from camera to camera and often from
clip to clip. Since there is a 12 minute limit to the
recording time on the 5D there were many clips
per camera. Often a chunk would remain in sync
the entire time and the next one would drift. My
guess is that since the cameras themselves dont
have any kind of sync reference like a true high
end video camera would get in a multicam
situation then this might be par for the course. But
I have done some interviews shot in long takes on
a single 5D and didnt see the same type of issue.
Go6gure.8uLLomeLhesyncdrifLwasanon-issue.
If you cut enough multicam shows then syncing
for lip sync becomes just a way of life. We were
using footage from a rehearsal as well as one
camera angle shot at a different show so there can
always be syncing issues when that happens.
Often bands perform live to a reference track in
their monitors that does an amazing job of
keeping their pace consistent from show to show
but sometimes it just isnt. Garys band did do a
great job of keeping things consistent during the
show (as well as rehearsal) so it was easy to
intercut the different performances. Is there some
inconsistency from show to show to rehearsal?
Sure. Can you see continuity issues from shot to
shot if you look closely? You betcha. But IMHO its
like continuity in a motion picture; unless its just
blatantly glaring most people wont notice.
One exception to this rule was with the song
Today. We learned early into the edit that this
song was to be released as a music video. This was
not known during the production of the show. If it
had been then production could have possibly
shot the song several times to give us more
footage to work with. A music video might be seen
many times by fans both on the Internet and on
television but the live show will probably be
watched by most people only once. To make
matters worse we were short one camera during
the performance of Today due to the RED being
down. The decision was made to really toss
continuity out the window and just grab the best
of everything. After a couple of initial passes
through the song I passed that edit off to the
director to dig a bit deeper as I continued on with
the edit of the show. In the end the video was
approved, color graded and began climbing the
charts of both GAC and CMT.
Once clips were all converted the entire show was
built into a sync map and off I went to editing.
By building a sync map its easy to subclip out a
single song to cut. You often dont cut or even
6nishLheshowwiLhsongsinLheorderLheywere
performed and this show was no exception.
The entire concert didnt go into the GAC show
(the broadcast is only one hour) so by taking the
time to build the sync map itll be easy to go back
into the show at a later date and pull songs (or the
entire show) if the label wants to edit the entire
concert.
While the show is more about the music there are
several interview pieces that bookend some
segments. Gary doesnt really do a lot of interviews
so the director wanted to place him in a
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comfortable environment. A tattoo artist was coming by to touch up
Garys ink so they decided to shoot the interview during this session.
My initial reaction was horror when I saw the footage since the sound of
the tattoo gun is so loud and so prominent. But this decision really put
the artist in a comfortable position and he opened up well during the
interview. I was letting the technical editor inside of me trump the
content editor. The audio mix toned down the sound of the tattoo gun
just a bit. In the end I think the tattoo interview adds a lot to the overall
vibe of the show.
Once we were rolling on the edit it went off without a hitch. Audio was
continuing to mix throughout the edit. When they would complete a
mix they would send a song or two at a time to cut into the show. While
LheboardmixwasaccepLableforLheofineiLreallylendsadifferenL
feel to the show when you get a good mix and it caused me to change
LheediL|usLabiL.AfLerpicLurelock,OMP6lesweremadeandDigiLal
AudioPosLLhenmixedLheenLireshowandsenL48KWave6lesfor
6nallayback.
COLOR GRADING
A BEFORE AND AFTER IMAGE OF THE COLOR GRADING
After picture lock the edit was laid to HDCAM SR. Next we went to color
grading on our DaVinci 2K Plus. Filmworkers Nashville colorist Rodney
Williams drew upon his years of experience grading multicam shows to
tackle this new format.
"|wasexciLedLoworkononeofLhevery6rsLDSLPmulLi-camera
concerts. However, I was initially concerned about some inherent
challenges of the format in this environment, such as its narrow
exposure range and heavy compression. When acquiring images
fiImworkers.com
FiIm / RED / DSLRs / beyond
WorId cIass post-production
or anywhere you happen to be
214-754-9333 DALLAS
312-664-9333 CHlCAGO
615-322-9337 NASHvl LLE
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digitally, you generally want to expose for the
highlights, being sure not to over expose the
image and lose detail in the brighter areas. At the
same time you want to maintain detail in the
shadows. I think of the contrast ratio of the 5D as
similarLoreversal6lmsLock"explainedPodney
whohasmillionsoffeeLof6lmcolorgrading
under hit belt.
A balanced lighting setup makes all the difference
with this format. Unfortunately you do not have
that luxury when lighting for a live concert. Your
lighting ratios are usually extremely dynamic from
the brightest to the darkest of the image area. To
balance out the lighting ratios, they used smoke
throughout the concert. The smoke disburses light
inLoLhedarkerareas,creaLingamoreaLand
balanced exposure. We went for a look that had a
slightly de-saturated, cool, steel blue wash, while
mainLainingeshLonesandrichconLrasL.ALLimes
the smoke became heavy (this is always the case
when using smoke) which leaves the picture
washed out. When the atmosphere became too
heavyandaL,|creaLedaluminancekeychannel
to effect only the darkest portions of the frame,
allowing me to keep contrast in the blacks and
maintain detail in the shadows. With many
compressed digital formats this technique can
create noise and grain if applied too heavy. The 5D
images held up better than I ever expected.
Overall I was very impressed with the format and
6nalresulL."
With color grading done and the audio mix
complete I reinjested the show in standard
de6niLionforaudiolaybackandapplicaLionofLhe
graphics package. We chose to keep the graphics
Loaminimum.|felLaliLLlesadLo6nishLheGAC
showinsLandardde6niLionwhenweknewwehad
such a good looking HD image but thats what
delivery required. I hope the broadcast
compression wont wreak too much havoc on the
6nalimage.Ofcoursewedidkeepa6nal,cleanHD
master of the show.
ISSUES
Its hard to point out any limitations or issues that
cropped up as a result of shooting 5Ds as opposed
to a higher end camera system when we were so
happywiLhLhe6nalproducL."Higher end is such a
relative term because if you look at some of the
images captured during this show I would argue
that they are quite unique and stand with a lot of
other live shows. There arent sweeping boom
shoLsoaLingacrossLhecrowdorsuper-smooLh
Steadicam or dolly shots that run the length of the
stage but thats not the feel the director was going
for according to Shepherd.
A BEFORE AND AFTER STILL OF ONE OF THE RED SHOTS. THE RED
FILES WERE PROCESSED WITH VERY FLAT SETTINGS TO ALLOW THE
MOST LATITUDE IN COLOR GRADING
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Ive been working with Gary for over 10
years, and I wanted a different look, I
wanted this show to be raw, sexy and
portray Gary, his band and most
importantly the music, accurately.
While the House of Blues in Chicago is a good sized
venue for a club-type atmosphere, to me the show
feels more gritty and energetic than many live
concerts Ive seen. More importantly it feels quite
intimate which is not always the easiest thing to
achieve with a live concert in a venue of any real
size. Due to the nature of the camera ops working
on their own without the director calling the shots,
there are a few times where I had to default to a
wide shot when I would have preferred a tighter
shot of something happening on-stage, but I would
say that was rare.
Rolling shutter wasnt much of an issue with
motion. I can think of only a few shots that I wanted
to use but chose not to due to the skewing in the
image. The place where rolling shutter did show its
facewasinLhesLillcameraashescomingfromLhe
audience. They are everywhere and instead of
capLuringafullframebrighLwhiLeashlikeLhe
viewer is used to it captures an odd half frame of
white or occasional light streak:
A STILL CAMERA FLASH ENDS UP IN ONLY PART OF THE FRAME
Heres hoping that some over zealous quality
control engineer doesnt decide this is
unacceptable for broadcast at the last minute
(they didnt). We did have a dub house send a
master back on another 5D job claiming hits
throughout the program on a live music video.
Sorry, until someone creates the rolling shutter
cameraash-6xerplug-iniL'seiLherlivewiLhiLor
spendaloLofLimeinAfLerLffecLs6xingiLframe
by frame.
One other problem that I had to deal with were
the beer can logos that would often pop up in the
crowd. Since this show was going to broadcast
these logos had to be blurred out. And since the
crowd was often dancing and moving their hands
Lhelogosdidn'LsLaysLill.ALypicalregionblur6lLer
in FCP would have require some extensive
keyframing to follow the motion so it was the
perfect place for Imagineer Systems mocha for
Final Cut. mocha is a planar motion tracking
application, meaning it doesnt track a single point
like a point tracker but rather entire planes in the
frame. IAs someone who doesnt do a lot of visual
effects its pretty cool to see it work.
The process involved exporting a shot, opening it
inmocha,de6ningLheareaLhaLneededblurring
and letting mocha track that motion. I then
exported the data using mocha shape. mocha
shape is a plug-in for FCP that provides the ability
to directly import rotoscoping or shape data from
mocha into its own FCP sequence. This was done
on a per shot basis so then it was a matter of
blurring the roto that was imported from mocha,
which was just beer logo. From there I feathered
the edges a bit and ended up with a nice, and
more importantly unobtrusive, blur.
THESE WERE TWO NEARLY CONSECUTIVE FRAMES WHEN TWO
CAMERAS WENT OFF VERY CLOSE TOGETHER.
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At the end of the post-production we all sat back,
watched the show and really liked what we saw.
|'mnoLsureofLhe6nalbudgeLbuLyoucanbeLiL
was considerably less than a traditional multicam
show. Tom Forrest, executive producer, president
of Taillight TV and a veteran of many live concerts
and television programs summed it up well
when discussing this type of new technology:
Its important for Taillight to stay up with the
technological advancements as they happen and
is not afraid to work in new formats. The Canon 5D
has allowed us to deliver better looking projects
faster and cheaper.
CLICK HERE TO SE A BEFORE AND AFTER EXAMPLE
OF ONE OF THE BEER CAN LOGO BLURS
DuringLheediL|mosLlyen|oyed6ndingsome
unique angles, looks and framings. Ive posted stills
throughout the article of some of my favorites. As
camera technology continues to advance it will be
possible to do more with even less. Canon has
announced a March delivery date for the long
rumored6rmwareupdaLeLoLhe5DLhaLwill6nally
allowframeraLesoLherLhan30p.1heyalsohave
deliveredLhe7DandLhenewDigiLalPebel21iLhaL
promises decent DSLR video at an even more
affordable price. Maybe someday Nikon and Sony
will catch up with good video in their DSLRs. And
theres always REDs Scarlet waiting in the wings
that might deliver everything in one package. As
an editor, I really dont care what the production is
shot on as long as its appropriate for the story that
is trying to be told and can actually be posted in a
proper way.

SCOTT SIMMONS was born in rural West Tennessee
and didnt really realize that movies and tv had to
be made by actual people until he went to college.
After getting degrees in both Television
Production and Graphic Design he was in one of
the early graduating classes at the Watkins Film
School in Nashville, Tennessee.
During that time at Watkins he discovered editing.
WhilemosLofhisclassmaLesin6lmschoolwanLed
to be directors, Scott saw real career opportunities
in post production and took a job as an assistant
ediLorafLercompleLing6lmschool.
In 1999, Scott took the leap into freelancing
andin2007accepLedaposiLionasanediLor
at Filmworkers - Nashville.
In 2005 Scott created The Editblog a website
dedicated to all things editing and
post-production which is now housed
at Pro Video Coalition.
Someday he hopes to edit on a beach with a
touch screen device, a wireless hard drive and
a Red Stripe.
Avid Media Composer
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systems to help them create the most watched, most loved media
With prices starting at just $2,295, Media Composer has never offered so much for so little.*
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* For special student and educator pricing, visit www.avid.com/edu
I havent heard of anyone cutting a $200 million dollar movie that isnt using a Media Composer system. At that level, where theres so much at stake, it has to
be bulletproof.
Roger Barton, editor, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
In comedy, you are always looking for jokes to work, for funny reactions. Its a line-by-line thing. One take is not going to do it. With ScriptSync, we could see all the
versions we had I cant think of any scene in the movie that doesnt have Robins [Williams] best take ScriptSync was a lifesaver.
Jason Stewart, editor, Worlds Greatest Dad
Avid systems are really affordable now for all kinds of lms, and they are just as portable as Final Cut Pro. You can use [Media Composer] software on a big-budget movie or
on a really small-budget lm at a reasonable price.
Elliot Graham, editor, Milk
2010 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Promotions and discounts are subject to availability and change without notice. Product features, specications, systemrequirements and availability are subject to change with out notice. All prices are USMSRP for the U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice.
Contact your local Avid ofce or reseller for prices outside the U.S. and Canada. Avid, the Avid logo, Media Composer and ScriptSync are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Final Cut Pro, Mac and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
mc_ad_nonMac_supermag.indd 1 3/24/10 9:53 AM
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Its hard to imagine that only a couple of years ago,
production and postproduction were considered
two separate realms. While an editor would begin
cuLLingduringproducLion,iLwasrareLhaLhe/she
was ever on the set. Editors didnt really have much
to do during production because dailies needed
capLuring,6lesLranscoding,andpro|ecLs
organizing. However, with the digital revolution
and tapeless cameras, editors have an increasingly
important role in production.
As tapeless cameras emerged on the market, and
demandincreasedforHDqualiLyofine
workows,dozensofnew"HDcodecavors"were
introduced. While these new codec varieties
appeared promising, several issues needed to be
resolved. First, there was no standard codec
makingiLdif6culLforNLL'sLofocusLheirresearch
and development. Second, because most of the
new formats developed, (except HDV) were not
tape based, they could not be captured through
traditional means. In fact, many solid state camera
formats were virtually un-editable.
But necessity is indeed the mother of all
inventions. Two huge innovations enabled NLE
systems to respond to the challenges mentioned
above: Editing codecs like DNxHD and Prores, and
6leLransfermeLhodslikeAMAandLogand
Transfer, which depend on a computers
processing power. As a result, dailies can now be
viewed at their highest resolution natively and
instantly, and organized or edited directly on
the set.

XDCAMHD CONNECTED VIA AMA, BEING USED IN ITS
NATIVE CODEC
This article is written from my point of view as an
editor on the set of a television pilot called
Handicapped John (HCJ) using both Sony
XDCamHDandLheCanon7DwiLhanAlpha
version of Media Composer 5.0s AMA plug-in.
Lets face it, movies are expensive to make, even
the short ones. So whenever new technologies
offer an alternative to using the words post
house, were happy to use them.
THE BEEHIVE OF PRODUCTION
Like a swarm of honey bees, workers begin arriving
on the set in the wee hours of the morning. We
had been preparing for these two precious
shooting days for over a month, longer if you
count writing the script. At this point, I had already
spent every dollar and favor I had in the world.
Still, we were only at the beginning.
Each day on HCJ, we aimed to shoot 11 pages of
script, encompassing 25 camera setups in 12
hours.1hismeanLanewcameraseLupevery28
minutes for 12 hours, which includes time spent
for lights, blocking the scene, and then actually
acting it out... several times.
So how is it possible to shoot at such a frenetic
pace? Well, for one thing, you shoot with two
cameras. As brilliant and forward thinking
producers (or was it just based on what was
available to us? I cant remember), we elected to
shooLusingLheSonyP-800onLoXDCamdisc,
AVID AMA with XDCamHD and the Canon EOS 7D
Production from an editors point of view: a guide for the Weekend Warrior
M
I
S
H
A

T
E
N
E
N
B
A
U
M
SONY F-800 NEXT TO CANON 7D
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andwiLhLheCanon7D,aDSLPshooLingLo
compacLashcards.1hedifferenceinLhe
appearance of the two cameras is laughable.
However,Lhe7DhadonehugeadvanLage:iL'sLinyl
More on that camera later though.
Now remember, this article is written from the
point of view of an editor, so let me clarify what
those two cameras mean to me. From the Sony
camerawearecapLuringLhe"XDCamHDcodec,
inanMXPconLainer."WiLhLheCanon7Dwewere
shooLingLo"Quick1imewrapped,H.264codec"
media. Yes, we mixed codecs knowingly. Dun dun
daaaa... To clarify, a wrapper or container is a
delivery method of playing any number of
codecs. The word codec stands for compression
- decompression and literally refers to how the
footage was stored on the disc.
Examples of codecs include DVCProHD, DNxHD,
AppleProPes,H.264andMPLG-2.Whena
producer asks for a QuickTime movie, my head
spins for a moment. Why? Because no one type
of QuickTime movie works everywhere yet.
The conversation typically goes like this:
Me - Do you want a DVD or a QuickTime?
PRODUCER - A QUICKTIME IS FINE.
Me - Any particular kind of QuickTime?
There are lots.
PRODUCER - A .MOV IS FINE.
Me - Theyre all .movs.
PRODUCER - JUST A REGULAR ONE THEN. NOTHING
FANCY.
Erg..... Ive learned to ask better questions. Now I say
it like this:
ME: DO YOU WANT A DVD LIKE THE ONES NETFLIX SENDS
YOU OR DO YOU WANT TO PLAY IT ON YOUR COMPUTER?
ProJucer: "Netlx lecse. Ccn you hcve thct for me ln
15 minutes?
TIP: Typically if you do not have the correct codec
installed, your QuickTime player will be either all
white or all green.
DP CHRIS FREILICH SETS UP THE CANON 7D IN A TIGHT
BATHROOM LOCATION.
POV SHOT FROM 7D
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Handicapped John Become a fan of on
THE TV PILOT THE TV PILOT
Everyone needs a release. Everyone needs a release.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT
www.MishaPost.com
POST TOOLS DURING PRODUCTION!?
Avid Media Access (AMA) is a plug-in that allows Avid Media Composer
LolookaLavideo6leiniLsnaLivecodecandwrapperdirecLly,wiLhouL
needing to import or capture anything. This circumvents the classical
import into the OMFI or Avid Media Files Folder, and represents a huge
break from past Avid interaction with media. But this feature is already a
whopping year old, so why bother talking about it? Because it keeps
getting better!
With the newest release of Media Composer 5.0, Avid is able to connect
via AMA to any clip that plays in QuickTime on your computer. Since
AMA uses plug-in architecture, tomorrows un-editable codec
nightmares can be avoided by camera manufacturers who now work
directly with the Avid programming code.
At the time of my testing this feature, AMA worked brilliantly with some
codecslikeXDCamHDbuLhadnoLyeLgainedLheabiliLyLodoH.264.
HoweversinceLhen,supporLforH.264hasbeenadded.
AMA & XDCAMHD
Back to the set of, Handicapped John."1he6rsLXDCamdiscofLheday
poppedouLofLhecameralikeawarmapplesLrudelaL3pmonSaLurday
afternoon. I had six hours remaining with which to make myself useful
(on Sunday I could be useful all day since I had yesterdays footage too).
Here are the seven steps I used to view, backup and even create an
assembly edit while the dailies were still on set.
SLep1)|nsLallLheXDCamcodecfromSony'swebsiLebeforeyoubegin
it with your computer.
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The codecs can be found here: www.sony.com/
xdcamhd. The downloads are free to use.
Download6le,PDW-U1XDCAMDriveSofLware
(VFAM) version, whichever is newest.
SLep2)ConnecLeiLheryourXDCamCameraoran
XDCamplayerLoyourcompuLerviaiLink(6rewire)
or USB. Youll know if you have downloaded the
codecbecauseLheXDCamdiscwillmounLlikea
hard drive volume.
7lP: 7o hnJ out whlch coJecs wlll work wlth your
version of MC, open the console: Tools> Console or
Command 6. Type in: AMA_Listplugins
ONSOLE AMA PLUG-IN
SLep3-A)CopyallofLheconLenLsonLheXDCam
disc to an external hard drive. Essentially, you are
creating virtual volumes, which Avid can access
through AMA. Avid can access the discs via AMA
without doing this, but this step is important for
backup of your media if your hard drive crashes.
Be organized here, do not be lazy!
SLep3-8)DosLep3-AagainonLoasecondhard
drive for backup. At this point, eject the HDCam
disc and store it for safety.
Step 4) Launch Avid MC and create a new project.
|nmycase,usingXDCamHD,Lhepro|ecLwas
1080p,23.98fps.
Go to your project settings and open up AMA.
By default AMA is already active. In the bins tab,
select, create new bin by volume name. This
meansLhaLyoucanloadallyourXDCamdiscsaL
once, and that for each volume (or tape) linked,
a new bin will be created with the same name.
SLep5)Click6le:Pile>LinkLoAMAvolume.
1hevolumecanbeLheacLualXDCamdiscorLhe
newly created virtual disc. I prefer the virtual
method because your hard drives spin faster than
the real disc, making real time access a little faster.
YourclipswilllighLupyellowand6llyourbins.
At this point you can already view, and edit your
XDCamHDfooLagelYoushouldnoLeLhaLLhere
is no way to delete your original media from a disc
or virtual volume while using AMA.
SLep6)PorXDcamHD,ConsolidaLesimplymeans
to copy. Highlight all the clips you wish to edit
with and consolidate them to a hard drive by
clicking:Clip>ConsolidaLe/1ranscode.SelecLLhe
hard drive you wish to copy to and click, OK. Yet
another copy of your footage is made, only this
time it goes into the more traditional Avid Media
Files folder. You should do this for long projects.
AMA CONSOLIDATE
ConsolidaLingmeansLhe6lewillhaveiLswrapper
changedLoamoreAvidfriendlyLypeofMXP
conLainer(yesLherearemanyLypesofMXP).
The consolidation process should move rapidly, as
you are not changing the codec or re-compressing
ORGANIZED XDCAM MEDIA
AMA SETTINGS
BIN TAB
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anything. On my laptop, this process moved
slightly faster than real time.
After consolidating, edit as you normally would.
STEP 7-10 DSLR AND THE CANON 7D
1heCanon7DhasLhreehugeadvanLages.
Its small, cheap to buy or rent, and has the ability
Lo6LmosLofCanons'fanLasLicphoLolenses.
However,LhecodeciLuses,H.264,isaLongGOP
compressedandisLhusadif6culLcodecLoediL
with. This is mainly because only two real frames
are recorded per second (subject of another
article). Furthermore, the camera is shooting at the
extremely high bit rate of almost 50Mbps. By
comparison,asLandardde6niLionDvDhasamax
biLraLeof9Mbps.ALLheLimeofLhiswriLing,H.264
is not a supported codec for AMA. Accordingly, the
6lemusLbeLradiLionallyimporLed.
However, if your goal is simply to view the footage,
openiLfromLhe6nderlevelandhiLplayl
INSTANT DAILIES DSLR
Be diligent in how you organize this media and
make sure to copy it to a second hard drive!
7lP: l.264 tckes c ton of rocesslng ower to lcy
back in QuickTime by itself, regardless of what
editing system you are using. Most times
shrinking the image size will get rid of the
stuttering playback in QT.
ORGANIZED 7D MEDIA
7D SET UP ON SANDBAG
7D CLOSE UP ON SANDBAG
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SLep7)|mporLingQ16lesouLofLhe'DC|M'isnow
assimpleasPile>LinkLoAMAPile(s)
Note: When dealing with many cards, I recommend
using AMA and then consolidating to DNxHD 110 (or
higher) so that you can use this high quality import
as your online media later for color correction.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For those editors who wish to make just a few
quick cuts, use AMA to edit directly without
bothering to consolidate. There is no problem if
youaredealingwiLh2-3cardsworLhoffooLage.
8ycomparison,onefeaLureLhaL|ediLedused293,
P2 loads worth of footage. Consolidating takes
time, AMA doesnt.
1hehugeadvanLageofLheXDCamisLhaLyouwill
have a disc to walk away with, which offers great
peace of mind. The discs are relatively cheap at
$25 for a 45 minute load.
SkipLheofine-onlineworkowifyoucan.LdiLin
native high resolution material and output to QT
6les.OnlygoLoLapeifyougeLdisLribuLionand
need it.
Once you get to post and time is a little more
relaxed, its worth spending some time script
syncing your dailies, especially on long projects.
On Handicapped John, we didnt have a script
supervisor, so having a record of the coverage is
invaluable. Besides its cool. Ive included a picture
just to show it off.
Good luck and have fun shooting!
We love this job!

MISHA TENENBAUM isa6lmandLelevisionediLor
living and working in Los Angeles. He is currently
editing the pilot for a new television series called,
Handicapped John. In addition, he trains and
consulting on both Avid and Final Cut Pro.
Recently Misha edited the romantic comedy
Immigration Tango, which is set to premiere at
the Boston International Film Festival this April.
A transplant from Boston himself, Misha moved to
LAin2006andhassincebecomeanApple
CerLi6edPinalCuLPro|nsLrucLor,aswellasanAvid
CerLi6edUser.HewasonlyLhe14LhpersonnaLion
wideLobecomeacerLi6eduserofAvid'sMedia
Composer software. He has also been featured at
the LA, FCP User Group community during a
segment called, stump the gurus where he
answers audience questions.
In the recent past, Misha edited various TV shows
including Off-Road Adventures airing on the
Outdoor Channel and Super Bikes! airing on
the Speed Channel. He also edited news footage
ofLheG8summiLandLhe7/7Londonbombings
for Bright Entertainment Network in London,
England. He worked as an S&P editor Technicolor
Creative Services.
AVID SCRIPT SYNC
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When I rst started In vIdeo productIon - cIose
to a thousand years ago (well, close enough to
30 to not make much difference) it was well
before non-linear editing. It was the era of "
porta-packs for eId productIon and more "
decks for mastering. The one thing I very
quickly learnt was to log my tapes. It was a real
chore to have to load up a tape, shuttle forward
and try to nd a shot. Days and weeks wouId be
lost without good log notes, so the lesson came
home early.
I would assiduously log every shot with the type
of shot, any zoom, what was in the shot, start
Timecode and a ranking of the shots quality.
1haLway|'dknowwhichshoLsLouse6rsLand
which shots werent up to quality, unless
absolutely required. Since these log notes took
some time to generate, they were very valuable
asset for the production. Eventually I developed
a system to store the log notes with the source
tapes so they were kept together (in large zip
lock document packages). I think this was my
6rsLuseofa"slJeccr hle to store metadata!
My sidecar pages of notes was always kept
with the tape it logged.
NO EDIT EVER STARTED WITHOUT COMPREHENSIVE LOG NOTES
(MY ACTUAL EDIT BAY FROM MID 1983!)
At that time I didnt realize I was creating metadata
wiLhmylognoLes,buL30yearslaLer|realizeLhaL
Ive been a metadata fan for just about all of my
production life. Unlike most people in the world, I
like to think about metadata. A lot. To the extent
that Ive been described as a one man metadata
think tank probably because there isnt a second
person willing to join the think tank!
Like me, youve been using metadata all your
production career even if you may not have used
that term to describe it! If youve ever slid a sheet
of paper with some notes on it into a tape case,
or named a reel in an edit system or relied on
Timecode, you already know the importance of
(LhaL)meLadaLainposLproducLionworkow.
|fyou'veenLereddescripLions,idenLi6edpeople's
names in a clip note or entered any other logging
information, youve worked with metadata.
If youve worked with any form of transcription,
again youve worked with metadata.
|fyou'veusedPinalCuLPro'sSLarL/SLopdeLecLion
you'veusedameLadaLa-basedauLomaLicworkow
becauseDvSLarL/SLopdeLecLionusesLhe(hidden)
time-of-day Timecode to determine where the
camera started and stopped.
DV START/STOP DETECTION USES HIDDEN TIME-OF-DAY TIMECODE
TO BREAK A DV CLIP INTO SEGMENTS
MeLadaLa-daLaabouLLheacLualmedia6le-is
useful.WiLhLheadvenLofnon-Lapeworkowsand
more inherent metadata tracked from the source,
metadata is becoming more powerful.
But powerful for what?
The most obvious uses of metadata are the
mundane: logging tapes; tracking usage; ensuring
audio and video stay in sync; tracking versions;
generating reports; etc. Its not hard to predict this
future for metadata as most of it is already being
done in production.
What is much more exciting is the magic future
for metadata. The right metadata with the right
The Mundane and Magic Future of Metadata
Take the Tedium Out of Editing to Be Creative
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algorithms will speed the work of post-production,
reduce the mundane components and allow
skilled editors to concentrate on polishing and
improving the edit. In our company we call this
Assisted Editing. The computer is assisting in the
editing process in ways it hasnt done previously.
1hisisLhe6rsLrealinnovaLioninediLing
LechnologysinceLhereleaseofLhe6rsLmass-
market Non-Linear Editor around 20 years ago
with Avids introduction of Media Composer
version 1.
AnyoneapproachingLhaL6rsLversionofMedia
Composer,wiLh4biL(16gray)'color'ona160x
120 screen would have to have wondered what
the fuss was all about. Non-Linear certainly didnt
seem to be set to replace the existing paradigm of
the day. Now, 20 years later, we routinely edit HD
on laptops with portable storage with amazing
amounLsofexibiliLyandpoweraLour6ngerLips.
ConsiderLhenLoday's6rsLdabblinginmeLadaLa-
managedworkows-suchasourPirsLCuLsSLudio
software as being that early indicator of the
potential: as Media Composer 1 was to Non-Linear
Editing First Cuts is to Assisted Editing.
Imagine dailies coming from a set that where
auLo-ediLedinLoa6rsLassemblebasedonLakes
that were being marked good"inLhe6eld.
Alternate takes could be carried in Multiclips,
much the way they are now with ScriptSync in
Media Composer 4. If we could combine the
transcription capability of Adobes CS4 apps (with
improved accuracy in the future) with Avids
ScripLSyncandLaggedLakes,6rsLassemblywould
take minutes and be done without human action.
With appropriately tagged material you can
already explore long-form documentary material
as fully edited stories (with B-roll and lower thirds)
insLeadofworkingclipbyclipLo6ndLhesLories
available in the source. Right now much of that
metadata has to be entered manually, but imagine
a few years down the track when theres
automatic transcription; keyword generation;
image recognition (at least of people); location
tracking via GPS, and its entirely reasonable
LoconsiderLhe6rsLviewingofLhesourceas
rough edited sequences. (First Cuts produces
technically competent stories but even I would
admit that they lack the soul and heart that a
true editor brings.)
In talking about how they manage metadata
Adobe refers to adding intelligence to media,
but they really mean maintaining metadata
because data is not intelligence. Metadata is an
input to intelligent algorithms that manipulate the
data in useful ways. It is the generation of those
algorithms that will see the greatest development
in the near future as most routine editing and
pre-editing preparation becomes automated
with new software tools.
In the rest of this article I want to explore how
metadata is tracked in the tools we use and to
explore the six distinct types of metadata Ive
idenLi6ed,andexplainhowLheywillbeusedLo
transform post-production.
STORING AND MAINTAINING METADATA
AAF and MXF are about metadata more
than media.
One of the things that distinguished Avids Open
Media Framework OMF from AVI and
Quick1ime6leswasLhaLiLconLainedmeLadaLa
andcarriediLwiLhinLhe6le.WhenAvidfelLLhaL
OMPwasapproachingLheendofiLsof6ciallife,
they started a process within SMPTE for a more
advanced format. The result was AAF the
Advanced Authoring Format.
AAF is designed to comprehensively track all
meLadaLaandusageforanyspeci6cmedia6le.
|nAAPparlanceamedia6le(beiL6lm,daLaor
videotape) is called essence to distinguish it
fromLhemeLadaLa.|nLheory,anAAP6lecanbe
completely independent of the essence as long
asLheAAP6leknowswhereLheessenceresides.
All changes to, and use of, the essence is tracked
inLheAAP6le.
Despite wide support for the new standard within
the organizing body and its participating
members, AAF has not become the ubiquitous
exchange format it was designed to be.
However a spin-off subset actually of the AAF
formaLisLhemorecommonMXPorMaLerial
eXchangePormaL.MXPcarriesasubseLofLheAAP
metadata, technically known as the Zero
Divergence Directive but thats not important
right now. (While it sounds like an episode of The
Big Bang Theory, all it really means is that
manufacturers cant deviate from the standard,
which is a good thing.) What is important is that it
gives the industry a standard format for media and
metadata together. Panasonics P2 Media (DVCPRO
HDandAvC-|)andSony'sXDCAMLXsLoremedia
andmeLadaLainLheMXPformaL.
MXF IS THE MEDIA-CENTRIC SUBSET OF AAF
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AvidalsoadopLedMXPasLheirnaLive"HD media
format to replace the less capable OMF format.
(Ironically, the OMF format has been much more
widely supported and popular since its been
of6cially"dead than it was as an Avid media
formaL.)SinceMXPisanaLiveAvidformaLiL'snoL
entirely surprising that the latest versions of Media
ComposersupporLMXPmediadirecLlyfromLhe
source via the Avid Media Architecture AMA.
Avid and Premiere Pro support project interchange
via AAF and Premiere Pro also works natively with
MXPmedia.UnforLunaLelyAdobeLookadifferenL
path to managing metadata throughout its
producLlinebycreaLingLheXMP"format."XMP
embedsLhemeLadaLainLhe6leifiLcan.NoLall
media6leformaLsareexLensiblesoforLhose
formaLsLhemeLadaLaiscarriedinaseparaLe6le
known as a slJeccr hle because it resides in the
samefolderasLhemedia6le,wiLhLhesamename
but a different extension (Remember my sealed
wallet with tape and log notes stored together?
This is the same idea in digital form.).
Sadly, the nice thing about standards is that there
aresomanyofLhem.AswellasAAP,MXPandXMP
we have QuickTime Metadata.
QUICKTIME METADATA
Apple added support for QuickTime Metadata in
my all-time favorite Final Cut Pro release: 5.1.2!
Yes, this dot dot release added an extraordinary
number of major new features for such an
undersold release: QT Metadata, Apple Event
support (used, for example, in PluralEyes) and
more. Core to this article is the introduction of
QuickTime Metadata, which allows Metadata to
becarriedwiLhinLhemedia6le.
Apple now retain all the source metadata from
non-LapeformaLslikeP2,XDCAM-LXandPLD
when imported via Log and Transfer. This source
meLadaLaissLoredinLhePinalCuLProPro|ecL6le
andexporLedinLoLheXMLwhenXMLisexporLed.
The only thing you cant do with QuickTime
metadata is to view it inside Final Cut Pro! (That is,
without a tool like our miniME.) One has to
presume that Apple have future plans to expose
this metadata inside Final Cut Pro, but there have
been no announced plans.
EACH FORMAT HAS ITS OWN QUICKTIME METADATA,
DISPLAYED HERE IN MINIME
There is an amazing amount of metadata stored
from P2 Media (DVCPRO HD, AVC-I), and much the
same from their AVCCAM media on SD card;
XDCAMLXprovidesrelaLivelyliLLlemeLadaLa.
From the RED camera we are richly blessed with
almosLeverymeLadaLa6eldyoucouldimagine.
NoLallmeLadaLa6eldsare6lledfromLhecameras
yet. Panasonic have slots for Latitude and
Longitude in DVCPRO HD, AVC-I and AVCCAM
formats but only one high end camera records that
data at this point.
You can explore this metadata in Log and Transfer
by right-clicking on the column headers and
selecting Show All Columns. After Log and
1ransferyoucanexporLLheXMLforLheclips
from Final Cut Pro and use miniME to export the
QuickTime metadata to an Excel spreadsheet
(free in the demo version).
FINAL CUT PRO IMPORTS AND STORES METADATA FROM CAMERAS
VIA LOG AND TRANSFER
So, all major media wrappers in professional video
use carry metadata, but what types of metadata
are there and how might they be used?
THE SIX TYPES OF METADATA
In May 2009 I experienced an iPhoto disaster. One
day I opened my iPhoto library and it was empty.
Gone. None of the repair routines worked at all.
The good news is that all my images were intact.
The bad news was that all the metadata not stored
in digital images was gone. I had been scanning in
thousands of slides, negatives and prints from my
and my familys archive. All date, name, event,
place and comment notation was gone.
I had all my data but without the metadata it was
almost useless. Some data came from the source
when the images were digital: for those I had date
information, from which event information could
be derived.
What I learnt from the incident was yet another
lesson on the value of metadata (and backing up!)
It also set me thinking about the types of
metadata I was entering. I guess 90 hours of
sorting thousands of images into some cohesive
form gave me some focus.
Id already been exposed to the concept of
Implicit and Explicit metadata: these are common
terms when discussing metadata on the Internet.
Explicit metadata in that context is derived from
an action by the user that creates an immediately
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idenLi6ablepieceofmeLadaLa.|fyoudo
things like:
Rate a video on YouTube (you generate
rating metadata);
Rate a song in your music player library (you
generate a metadata rating in your library);
Add a vote for a site on Digg (Vote count
metadata); or
Enter log notes for a clip (Logging metadata),
Then youre generating Explicit metadata.
Implicit metadata is derived when you do
something that doesnt seem like its generating
metadata, such as:
Watching a video on YouTube (view count
metadata);
Buying a product on Amazon (sales and
popularity metadata);
Skipping past a song on a music player because
you dont want to hear it (like metadata); or
Using a Clip in a Sequence (Clip usage metadata).
As I thought about how I needed to categorize my
iPhoto library and thinking about metadata at the
same time, I realized that, while implicit and
explicit were useful when examining how
metadata might be acquired, it really didnt help
describe what type of metadata we have available.
Despite that, implicit metadata indeed kicks
explicits *ss. Explicit metadata takes work.
Explicit metadata requires observation and
analysis: stuff computers are good at that bores
humans interested in emotion and story.
One of the greatest thing about digital (a.k.a.
Lapeless)workowsisLhaLwesLarLedLogeLmore
metadata from the cameras right from the
source. Just how much and exactly what
metadata depends on the camera manufacturer.
There are more types of metadata than just what
the camera provides and what an editor or
assistant enters. Instead I think were better served
dividing metadata into six distinct types: Source,
Added, Derived, Inferred, Analytical and Transform.
1he6rsLfourareLhemosLusefulforposL-
producLionworkows.
SOURCE
SourceMeLadaLaissLoredinLhe6lefromLhe
outset by the camera or capture software. It is
usually immutable you cant change it (and you
shouldn'L).WhenyouuseDvSLarL/SLopdeLecLion
or its equivalent on other platforms, youre using
SourcemeLadaLa:inLhiscaseSLarL/SLopdeLecLion
is sensing breaks in the time-of-day Timecode
track thats generally hidden and adding
Markers when there is a discontinuity in that
Timecode track.
Other examples of type of Source metadata:
Timecode and timebase;
Date;
Reel name;
Codec;
File name;
Duration;
GPS data (latitude and longitude);
Focal length, aperture, exposure; and
White balance setting.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FORMAT IS SOURCE METADATA
By itself this metadata isnt terribly useful. Its what
is done with it thats important. Consider it a raw
data input that can be then used to generate
Inferred or Derived metadata. The raw data can
also be an input for a smart algorithm to automate
synchronizing of dual system audio and video,
such as Avids AutoSync and our Sync-N-Link for
PCP,orPinalCuLPro'sSLarL/SLopdeLecLion.
Because its important source metadata needs
to be preserved throughout the process. Apple
achieve this by writing the source metadata into
Quick1imeMeLadaLainLhemedia6legeneraLed
by Log and Transfer.
Source metadata is not exclusively electronic.
|n6lmLheorderofimagesalonganegaLivesLrip
is a form of source metadata that cant be altered.
ADDED
Added Metadata is information that we just cant
get from the camera or capture software and has
to come from a human. It can be added by a
person on-set (e.g. Adobe OnLocation) or during
the logging process. Examples:
Keywords or tags;
Comments or Log Notes;
Event name;
Persons name;
Mark good;
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Apply a label;
Enter an auxiliary timecode or copy it from
somewhere else;
Manually transcribe speech (not done
by software).
LOG NOTES NETERED IN THE NLE IS ADDED METADATA
One of the most exciting things I see in the future
use of metadata in post production is that the
amount of Added Metadata will be reduced and
replaced with Derived and Inferred Metadata.
Instead of a human needing to transcribe the
speechfromLhemedia6les,improvedsofLware
will create a transcription as Derived metadata
(Speech transcription technology will improve to
the point where its possible to rely on it: its just
not there yet.).
Facial recognition technology is also in its infancy.
When fully matured we will be able to identify
people or characters once and have them
recognized and tagged across the entirety of the
project. Like speech recognition, its not quite
there yet.
Over time the amount of Added Metadata thats
required will be reduced, reducing the need for
manual logging of clips.
Even the application of labels could be automated
based on some Source parameter. A clip tagged as
good"inproducLioncouldhaveaspeci6ccolor
label applied to quickly identify it as a good take.
Neither Source nor Added Metadata are
particularly new: they are the current state of the
art. From here I start to focus more on the
potential future use of metadata beyond where
we are now.
In attempting to reconstruct my iPhoto library
from a total loss of metadata last year, I found
another valuable source of Added metadata: the
notes people made on slides or on the back of
prints. Kodak Australia for long periods of time
printed the month and year of processing on the
back, which was also a form of added (but source)
metadata of the era.
In production terms, these are the script notes
ascripLsupervisororon-seL/locaLionlogger
will provide.
DERIVED
Derived Metadata is calculated using a non-human
external information source. It takes the Source
metadata (preferably) or Added metadata and
uses software algorithms or web APIs (Application
Programming Interface a way of accessing a web
application from another application) to take the
basic facts and generate useful information.
Examples:
Speech recognition software can produce
a transcription;
A language algorithm can derive keywords from
a transcription;
Locations can be derived from GPS data using
mapping data (e.g. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France)
or even identifying whether somewhere is in
a city or the country;
Facial recognition (with the limitation that the
same face may be recognized, but at least one
time the name will have to be provided as Added
metadata entered by a person);
Recalculation of duration when video and audio
have different timebases;
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) of text
within a shot.
TODAY GOOGLES MAPPING API CAN TAKE LATITUDE AND LONGI-
TUDE INFORMATION AND GIVE US STREET ADDRESS AND IDENTIFY
THE LOCATION AS A CHURCH
One excellent use of Derived metadata is Singular
Softwares PluralEyes, which examines the audio
waveforms from multiple sources and derives
synchronization metadata from the waveform
data. PluralEyes uses this metadata to synchronize
multiple cameras or make multiclips from the
synchronized cameras, thanks to skillful
interpretation of source metadata: the waveforms
in this example.
In reconstructing my iPhoto library I upgraded to
iPhoto 09 predominantly on the promise of facial
recogniLion.HavingidenLi6edallmyfamilyand
friends once in comments I was hoping to
reduce the workload the second time round. Thats
how I learnt that these type of technologically
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derived pieces of metadata are still in the earliest
stages, but the potential is obvious.
While neither speech recognition nor facial
recognition technologies are quite there yet
for production purposes, GPS to location and OCR
technologies are well proven and ready to be
applied to production software. As the tools for
deriving metadata get better, there is huge
poLenLialLoauLomaLeposLproducLionworkows.
As we get more tools for deriving the metadata we
get more options for building on the basic Source
metadata and make it more valuable.
INFERRED
Inferred Metadata is metadata that can be
assumed from other metadata without an external
information source. It may be used to help derive
what would otherwise have to be Added
metadata. Examples:
By examining both time of day of the shots and
GPSdaLa,sofLwarecangroup6lesLhaLwereshoL
at the same location during a similar time period
to make an event (If this event is given a name,
the name is Added metadata, but with software
assisted editing it only needs to be added once
for the event, not to each clip.).
WITH THE CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART IPHOTO NEEDS HELP IDEN-
TIFYING WHAT IS AN EVENT
If the time of day timecode for a series of shots is
within a relatively continuous period, but over
closely spaced locations, and then there is a big
gap until the next time of day timecode, it can be
assumed that those shots were made together at a
series of related events (and if they are named, this
would Added metadata).
|faGPSco-ordinaLeisidenLi6edasachurchand
its a weekend afternoon, we can infer that the
event is likely a wedding (See a more detailed
example of how inferred metadata would more
accurately identify a wedding a little further on in
the article.).
One way that Intelligent Assistance uses Inferred
metadata is in our Sync-N-Link software, which
batch merges dual system audio and video using
matching Timecode. However free run Timecode
(a.k.a. Time of Day Timecode) comes around
every day, making it harder to determine which
audio clip goes with the matching video for a
multi-day shoot. Sync-N-Link uses the Bin structure
and the relative proximity of video and audio clips
to infer which audio and video clips match.
Inferred metadata requires some computation
smarts but essentially applies high quality rules
of thumb to the construction of meaning from
source or derived metadata.
BRINGING IT TOGETHER
With just these four types of metadata, imagine
LhisscenarioforadocumenLaryworkow:
All interviews are transcribed by speech
recognition software;
The transcriptions are analyzed and divided into
logical takes an answer to a question or one
of the paragraphs of the answer.
From the transcription we can infer (see next
section) that the person (voice) with the least
amount of transcription is asking the questions
and the voice with the greater amount of
transcription is answering.
Using facial recognition software the person
is matched to all other interviews or shots with
that person. All that is required from a human is
the one-off input of the persons name, which
will provide us with the information we need
to automatically generate lower third
idenLi6caLionLiLles.
UsingLheparagraph/speakerbreaksLhe
source could be broken into subclips, dropping
the speaker with the least contribution to
the transcription.
For each subclip now created Keyword Extraction
technology derives story keywords to summarize
the content into something more useful for an
editing algorithm (Keyword extraction technology
is already well proven in the knowledge
managemenL/libraryindusLries).
Locations are all generated from the GPS data
stored by the camera. There are several GPS to
sLreeLaddress/locaLionAP|salreadyavailableon
the internet.
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Googles location API also reports businesses or points of interest at a
particular location, so instead of street address, the GPS data can be used
to derive the business at a location. This then can be used to infer the
purpose of the video (If the inferred event was in a Church and it was a
weekend afternoon, it would be reasonable to infer that this would be a
wedding. Additional GPS and time data that places the most recent
event at a residential address, and a subsequent event at a reception
venue or hotel and the inference of a wedding is complete.). This type of
derived and inferred knowledge would then be used to choose the most
appropriate editing algorithm for this type of edit.
Location information would also be useful in identifying appropriate
B-roll for interview shots, that is based on location proximity (Not all
B-roll is location based, but some is.).
All this data could be fed into an improved version of our First Cuts for
FCP algorithm to generate edits that have story arc, B-roll and lower
LhirdidenLi6caLions.
Similarly,imagineascripLedpro|ecL-6lmorLelevision:
GoodLakesareLaggedinLhe6eldwiLha"good"meLadaLaLag.
The shots are transcribed and matched with the script
(similar to Avids ScriptSync).
All takes of a section of script are built into multiclips, with the marked
good takes the active clip in the multiclip (or if there is more than one
good"Lake,asLhe6rsL1,2or3anglesinLhemulLiclip).1akesnoL
marked good could be optionally included in the multiclip.
Based on the script and the marked good takes the multiclips are
assembledinLoa6rsLassembly.
1henLheediLorLakesLhe6rsLassemblyandworksLheirmagiconiL.
Taking the raw stone and polishing it into a sparkling gem.
These two scenarios are just a hint of what could be achieved with good
metadata source, added, derived and inferred and some smart
algorithms. Pre-edit postproduction will be revolutionized.
But these four are not the only types of metadata available to us.
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ANALYTICAL METADATA
When working out what to name this next type of
metadata I considered Visually Obvious Invisible
Metadata, but really! So this next type of
metadata Ill call Analytical Metadata because it
requires intelligent analysis of the images or clips
Lo6ndLhemeLadaLa.
Analytical metadata is encoded information in the
picture about the picture: probably mostly related
to people, places and context. The most obvious
example is a series of photos without any event
information, time or location metadata. By
analyzing who was wearing what clothes and
correlating between shots, the images related to
an event can be grouped together even without
an overall group shot. There may be only one shot
LhaLclearlyidenLi6eslocaLion,buLLhaLinformaLion
can be cross-correlated to the other pictures in the
group by clothing.
Similarly a painting, picture, decoration or
architectural element that appears in more than
one shot can be used to identify the location for all
the shots at that event. Ive even used hair styles as
a general time-period indicator, but thats not a
very6ne-grainedLoollHeck,evenLhepresenceor
absence of someone in a picture can identify a
time period: if that partner is in the picture so it
musLbebeLween1982and1987l
AnalyLicalmeLadaLaisde6niLelyLhemosL
challenging to automate with a computer.
Full, detailed visual recognition and the
interpretive skills that go with it are still in its
infancy. Scientists are working to teach computers
How to recognize objects but I doubt these
functions will be automated in my life.
TRANSFORM METADATA
There was one other metadata breakthrough that
came from my big iPhoto disaster of 09. It led to
LheidenLi6caLionofasixLhLypeofmeLadaLa:
Transform metadata.
Let me back up a minute and explain the
inspiration. In earlier versions (before iPhoto 09 I
think) corrections to images made in iPhoto
created an updated copy, which became the
source for the next round of corrections. There has
always been the option to revert to the original
image, but that would be starting over.
In iPhoto 09, if all corrections are done within
iPhoto its tracked as live metadata. Crop an image
and the original is always available to be
uncropped. Ditto rotation and all image correction.
Instead of starting over, youre always working
from the source, plus Transform metadata.
(PorspeedofdisplayiPhoLosLoresaaLLened
version of each photo, as well as all the
modi6caLionsaslivemeLadaLa.)
This set me thinking. The image was being stored
as the original and then the display metadata is
applied. Then it struck me that this was exactly
whaLhappenswiLhraw6les(likeLhosefrommosL
digital still cameras and the digital cinema RED
camera). Raw images really need a Color Lookup
Table (CLUT) before theyre viewable at all. An
unprocessedPaw6leisveryunappealingLoview.
1hisisadifferenLLypeofmeLadaLaLhanLhe6ve
oLherLypesofmeLadaLa.My6rsLinsLincLwasLo
call this Presentation Metadata information on
how to present the raw image. Greg (my partner)
argued strongly that it should be Aesthetic
IT TAKES PROCESSING OF GAMMA AND MATRIX TO GET THE SPECTACULAR RESULTS WERE USED TO
FROM RED RAW. (THANKS TO GRAEME NATTRESS OF RED DIGITAL CINEMA FOR THE IMAGE.)
NATIVELY RAW FILES ARE AESTHETICALLY UNPLEASING.
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Metadata because decisions on how to present an
image or clip or scene are mostly aesthetic. I was
uncomfortable with that term because there are
instances of this type of metadata that are
compulsory, rather than aesthetic.
Poraraw6leaCLU1iscompulsorynoLaesLheLic.|L
can(andshould)beaesLheLicLoo,buLLheraw6le
without one is aesthetically unpleasing. Since not
all of this type of metadata is aesthetic I didnt feel
LheLiLlewasagood6L.
Ultimately, after some discussion yes, we really
spend our evenings discussing metadata while the
TV program we were nominally watching was in
pause we thought that Transform Metadata was
the right name.
Speci6callynoL"Transformative Metadata, which
would appear to be more grammatically correct,
because Transformative has, to me, a connotation
of the transform being completed, like when
a color look is baked"inLoLhe6les,sayafLer
processing in Apples Color or out of Avid
Symphony. Transform Metadata does not
change the essence or create new essence media:
the original is untouched and Transformed
on presentation.
Right now were a long way from being able
to do all color correction, re-framing and digital
processing in real time as metadata on moving
images, but in a very real sense an editing Project
6leisreally1ransformMeLadaLaLobeappliedLo
the source media (a.k.a. essence).
This is very true in the case of Apples Motion.
AMoLionpro|ecLissimplya6lewiLhmeLadaLaas
to how the images should be processed. The
pro|ecL6leiLselfissimplyanXML6le8uLLhere's
something magic going on because, if you take
LhaLpro|ecL6leandchangeLhesuf6xLo.mov,iL
will open and play in any application that plays
Quick1imemovies(1hisishowLhePro|ecL6legeLs
used in FCP as a Clip). The QuickTime engine does
iLsbesLLoinLerpreLLhepro|ecL6leandrenderiLon
playback.AMoLionPro|ecL6leisLherefore
Transform metadata (FWIW there is a Motion
QuickTime Component installed that does the
work of interpreting the Motion Project as a
movie.). Likewise a LiveType QuickTime
Component does the same for that applications
1ransformmeLadaLa,a.k.a.pro|ecL6lel
This is a current application of Transform metadata
every bit as useful as iPhotos metadata-based
image processing.
AL6rsLexaminaLion,meLadaLaseemslikeafairly
dry subject something that only geeks like me
would be interested in. It turns out that it may be
the most radical change to postproduction
workowssinceLheadvenLofLheNLL20years
ago. Its time for the next phase beyond non-linear
editing to Assisted Editing: let the metadata do the
routine, leaving the editor free to focuses on the
story, emotion and polish.

PHILIP HODGETTS is an expert and consultant in
digiLalproducLion,posL-producLionworkows
and metadata-assisted editing. He is also a
specialist in encoding, web applications, digital
delivery and technology innovation. He is the
President and CEO of Open Television Network:
a service that makes it easy to sell direct to iTunes
without Apple.
He remains President of Intelligent Assistance,
Inc - a systems and technology developer - and
one of the Big Brains of Big Brains for Rent
consultancy. He is an experienced trainer and has
written extensively online across a range of topics.
He is the co-creator of Assisted Editing
and an expert on metadata-based post
producLionworkows.
Philip is the author of The HD Survival
Handbook; Awesome Titles with FCS and
The New Now: How to grow your production
or post-production business in a changed and
changing world.
He has presented at many conferences and
seminars including Keynote addresses for the New
York DV Show; Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences'NLX11vsymposiumin2006,andLhe
2007PodcasLSummiLaLNA8aswellaspresenLed
at Streaming Media East and West; NAB
Post|Production, Seybold among others.
Superrmeet_Family_ad_final_0310.pdf 1 2010-04-01 11:38:22
Learn more at www.nvidia.com/builtIoradobepros
2010 NVDA 0orporation. All rights reserved. NVDA, the NVDA logo, NVDA 0uadro, and 0UDA are trademarks and/or registered trademarks oI NVDA 0orporation. All company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks oI the respective
owners with which they are associated.
Youre a creative genius. 5o let your ideas ow.
Unlock the power oI Adobe
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proIessional graphics solutions. Whether you are editing ultra high-resolution video, creating stunning visual eIIects,
or building complex 3D animation, 0uadro provides blazing-Iast perIormance and uid interactivity.
Upgrade today to a 0uadro solution and start to accelerate your Iull workow and inIuse your pro|ect with creative inspiration.
Visit us at NAB booth # 5L52.
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A00ELERATED WTH NVDA
0PUs
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Whether youre working with footage from a
DSLR camera, footage from the RED One
camera, or any tapeless camera in between,
the Media Browser inside Premiere Pro is an
extremely versatile tool for any editor. Most
NLEs on the market today require transcoding
tapeless media, or at least copying it to a hard
drive before beginning the editing process.
However, Premiere Pro is different.
It works with most media formats natively, and can
even edit footage right on a media card in a time
crunch.|nLhisarLicle,we'regoingLoexplore3
ways that Premiere Pro can save you time, and
even make you money, as a tool in your arsenal.
PirsL,herearesomespeci6csabouLusingLhe
Media Browser. This is, of course, a panel within
Premiere Pro, so if youre not a regular user of
Premiere Pro, youll need to go through a series
ofsLepsLoopenupapro|ecL.Whenyou6rsLuse
Premiere, it asks you to set up a project. This is the
6rsLpanelyou'llsee:
PREMIERE NEW PROJECT PANEL. NOTE HOW IM USING A SEPARATE
FOLDER FOR THIS PROJECT
Go ahead and accept the defaults in this panel
just about everything can be changed later.
Its recommended to save your project in a new
folder on your media drive. Premiere will create
a series of subfolders, so by saving your project
in a new folder, itll keep all the pieces of the
project in one location.
The next panel asks to pick a timeline sequence
format. Heres the thing to remember Premiere
Pro can work with many different timelines in
PREMIERE NEW SEQUENCE PANEL. IN THIS EXAMPLE, IVE
SELECTED A 1080P/24 TIMELINE PRESET FOR CANON DSLR
CAMERA FOOTAGE
many different formats, all within the same project,
and you dont need to pick a format now. If you
know exactly what format youre working with,
go ahead and pick a timeline preset that matches.
If not, just hit the Cancel button. Premiere Pro
will open, and you can pick your timeline
format(s) later.
Once you have your project open, you may want
to move the location of the Media Browser. I prefer
to leave the Media Browser down in the lower left
Using the Media Browser
3 Different Ways this Premiere Pro panel can Make You Money
K
A
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L

S
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corner, but its very easy to reorder panels within
Premiere Pro. To pick up the panel and move it,
Look for the 10 dots in the upper left part of the
panel tab, and drag the panel from there to the
new desired location. If you want to nest tabs,
drop the panel into the center of another panel.
If you want to create a new panel area, drag the
panel to the left, right, top, or bottom part of an
existing panel, and the panel will shrink to make
room for the new panel. You can reset the layout
at anytime by going to Window Workspace
Reset Current Workspace.
MOVING THE MEDIA BROWSER IN THE LAYOUT. DRAG FROM THE 10
DOTS IN THE CORNER OF THE TAB AS SHOWN TO MOVE THE PANEL
The Media Browser is used similarly to a Finder
window or an Explorer window. The drives
connected to the system appear on the left, and
Lhe6lesinLheselecLedlocaLionappearonLhe
righL.|fyouclickLheyouLmenuinLheupper
right of the panel, you can access the columns
shownwhenaccessing6les.
Okay, now that Premiere Pro is open, when would I
want to use the Media Browser?
SCENARIO 1: ON-SET MONITORING
AND SHOT CHECKING
The Media Browser can play
back clips directly from a media
card. Insert the media card into
a card reader, and youll be able
to browse the card directly.
The Media Browser will
automatically cut out all the
extra folders on several types
of tapeless media. For example,
LheXDCAM-LXformaLpuLseach
video clip in its own folder,
making traditional browsing
very time consuming. The Media
Browser will just show a list of all
the available clips.
DOUBLE-CLICKING ON A CLIP IN
THE BROWSER LOADS IT INTO THE
SOURCE MONITOR
CHANGING THE VISIBLE COLUMNS IN THE MEDIA BROWSER. THIS EXAMPLE SHOWS CHANGING THE VISIBLE COLUMNS FOR PANASONIC P2 MEDIA
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Once youve loaded a clip in the Source Monitor,
youll probably want to see it full screen on your
monitor. Theres a keyboard shortcut to do this
Press the key that has the characters ` and ~ on it
its usually in the upper left part of the keyboard,
above the TAB button, next to the number 1. This
will toggle the Source monitor into full-screen
mode. Tap it again to return to the regular layout.
If youre having trouble directing an actor, or your
interview subject keeps scratching her nose funny,
you can quickly provide them feedback by playing
backLhefooLagewiLhouLhavingLocopyiL6rsL.
NOTE: If playback isnt smooth, due to an older
laptop, or very high-res footage (like 4k footage
from a RED camera) you can limit the resolution of
the footage by right-clicking on the source monitor,
and choosing a different Playback Resolution.
This setting may also be to blame if the footage
looks low-res just make sure the Playback
resolution is set to full for footage like DVCPROHD.
Theres a shortcut to switch back to any clip youve
already loaded into the Source monitor click on
the name of the clip in the tab at the top of the
panel, and youll see a list of all the clips that
were loaded into the Source monitor during this
session. Just select a different clip to jump to
that clip.
SCENARIO 2: ROUGH-CUTTING ON-SET.
Taking this one step further, Premiere Pro can be a
wonderful tool to rough-cut a scene on-set. Some
Premiere Pro customers charge their clients for this
capability it becomes an optional line-item on
their rate card!
Using the same project, after checking a shot in
LheMedia8rowser,youcanmarkin/ouLpoinLs,
and drag right to the timeline. Just drag from the
center of the source monitor to the timeline, and
your clip will appear on the timeline. If you have
6nishedshooLinganenLirescene,youcanvery
quickly assemble a rough cut of your footage right
offLhecard,andcheckhowLheshoLs6LLogeLher.
Sometimes, this can really save time reshooting,
and clients love the immediacy of being able to
feel how a piece is going to look. With the
performance available in the new Mercury
Playback Engine in CS5, its even possible to do a
quick color grade using tools like the Fast Color
CHOOSING A PREVIOUSLY-LOADED CLIP IN THE SOURCE MONITOR
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KARL SOUL Technical Evangelist, Digital Video
& Audio. Adobe Systems Incorporated.
As a Technical Evangelist for Adobe Systems,
Karl Soul promotes the use of Adobes video
and audio tools to creative professionals, schools,
andbusinessesinNorLhAmerica.You'll6ndKarl
on AdobeTV in the show Short & Suite, and at
blogs.adobe.com/VideoRoad. Karl has recently
sLarLedexploringDSLP6lmmaking,andhasa
separate blog at www.rebelshooters.com to
discuss the Canon Rebel T2i and similar cameras.
CorrecLororLhe3-WayColorCorrecLor.
NOTE: While Premiere Pro can edit footage right on a
card, youll probably want to copy footage off the
card and onto a hard drive at some point. Premiere
doesnt manage this function for you you will want
to do this using your operating system. The Media
Browser works the same with clips on a card or a
hard drive.
SCENARIO 3: FILLING A DONUT.
In my experience as an editor, Ive worked on a
number of very time-sensitive pieces, where a
camerapersonisouLshooLingLhe6nalscenesas
Im editing together earlier segments. Theres
nothing worse than that painful wait for copying
or transcoding media from a card when your
deadline is inching closer.
NOTE: Even if you edit normally using an Apple or
Avid project, Premiere can import FCP and Media
Comoser rojects uslng elther XMl or AAl hles. 7hls
process takes seconds Premiere Pro will work
directly with the source media from either system.
To make this work, simply edit normally around
the hole in the middle, or use nested sequences,
editing the intro in one timeline sequence, the
ending in another timeline sequence, and putting
boLhsequencesinLoa3rd"Master sequence.
When the source footage arrives, just slap the card
into a reader, use the media browser to import the
clip(s) onto the timeline, and chop it all together.
Premiere will work seamlessly with media from
both a card and hard drive sources simultaneously.
Finish up the edit, render the timeline to the
necessaryouLpuL6le,andyou'redonel
Using these last 2 techniques obviously doesnt
address long-term archival of the project you will
at some point (when time isnt critical) want to
copyLhemediaLoadrivesomewhere.1haL's6ne
youll be able to re-link your edited media in the
Limeline,providedyoukeepLhesame6lenames
when you copy them to a new location.
WRAP-UP
These are just a few uses of the Premiere Pro Media
Browser when working with Tapeless Media. If you
are interested in more uses, or general information
about Premiere Pro, dont forget to check out
AdobeTV for more information.

e wait is over.
Experience breakthrough performance with the all-new
Mercury Playback Engine in Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.
www.adobe.com/go/productionpremium
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This article provides you with an overview of
how you can use Aperture 3 In your workow.
The Indy FCPUG website has a series of seven
articles starting here [bit.ly/cXzLpc] with more
detail and step-by-step instructions that will be
helpful if youre not familiar with Aperture.
Final Cut Pro users have been asking for a video
asset management tool for years. Apple gave us
Final Cut Server, a solution that isnt in the budget
of many and a complicated tool that requires a
thorough knowledge of managing databases.
A lot of users have resorted to creating their own
solution using Filemaker Pro and several
companies have stepped in with solutions.
|nPebruaryApplereleasedAperLure3
(www.apple.com), the latest version of their
professional photo editing and management
software. The update added over 200 new
feaLures,buLbyaddingsupporLforvideo6les,
created a tool that gets us close to what weve
been looking for. Its not a perfect solution, but for
under$200wegeLaexible,easy-Lo-use
application that doesnt require the skills of a
database admin (plus an awesome photo app).
Aperture is a no-brainer for those with DSLR
cameras that need to manage photos and video
coming from a single device, but it can also be an
effective management tool for everyone else. It
canbeusefulinLwodifferenLways:6rsLasapre-
editing management tool - getting all of our assets
Aperture 3 for Filmmakers
Video Asset Management
R
O
B

C
H
I
N
N
APERTURE 3 ADDS SUPPORT FOR VIDEO FILES
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LogeLher,viewingLhem,6guringouLwhaLwewanL
to include and leave out, and keeping track of the
information that goes with each shoot, series of
shots, or individual clips; second as a post-editing
management and catalog tool keeping track of
several different versions of our work, different
edits for different audiences, or various formats for
the ever increasing places people can view our
work.KnowingwhereLo6ndLhewebformaLLed,
secondversionof6ve6nishedediLsforclienL8,
if youre not organized, can be a real time killer.
8eforeyouimporLany6lesinLoAperLure,you
need to make a decision about how you want
AperLureLohandleLhe6les.YoucanhaveAperLure
manageLhe6lesbysLoringLheminiL'sLibrary
daLabase6le(aManagedLibrary),oryoucan
manageLhe6lesmanuallyandhaveAperLurepoinL
LoLheoriginal6leswhereLheysiLinyour6le
system (a Referenced Library). You dont have to
stick with one method you can mix and match
within a library if you choose. The main thing to
rememberisLhaLifyoumovea6leinLheOSLhaLis
in a Referenced Library, youre going to have to do
some work to re-link the Aperture thumbnail back
LoLheoriginal6le.
On the other hand, there is always a chance that
LheLibrarydaLabase6lecouldbecomecorrupL,
makingiLexLremelydif6culLLogeLyour6lesouL.|f
youhaveanesLablishedworkowandgoodfolder
sLrucLureforallyourpro|ecLs,oryour6lesresideon
an external hard drive or server, a Referenced
Library may be the way to go. In the past Ive used
the Managed Library method and have never had a
problem. The safest path is a combination of the
two. I run Aperture with a Managed Library, but
always have a copy of everything on my Drobo
(www.drobo.com) as an archive.
1hisgivesmeLwocopiesofeach6leso|canresLa
bit easier at night.
Aperture has a built-in backup system called Vaults
LhaLyoushouldde6niLelyLakeadvanLageof.You
canalsocopyaLibrary6leLoduplicaLeiLorLopass
it to another person to work with.
METADATA
Adding metadata is the step that is going to make
yourasseLsquickandeasyLo6ndandorganize.|f
youre not careful though, it can easily overwhelm
you and absorb all the time you were going to save
andLhensome.1hekeyisseLLingupaworkow,
using just the metadata you actually need, and
doing the process every time you import. That last
step is always the hardest, but if you dont do it
the searches and some of the organization youll
want to do wont include everything that should
be there.
So what metadata should you use? The answer is
going to vary from person to person, and may even
varywiLhinyourownworkowfrompro|ecLLo
pro|ecL.AperLurehasaloLofmeLadaLa6eldsready
to go, some of which are not available to assign to
yourvideo6les(LX|P|nfoforexample).1hankfully
Aperture lets you view only the metadata that
matters to you. The Metadata Views pulldown
menuconLrolswhich6eldsofmeLadaLayouseeaL
any one time. You can quickly limit your view to
only what you need to edit or see. You can create
yourownviewswiLh6eldsAperLureprovidesor
6eldsyoucreaLeLo6Lyourpro|ecLs.Pemember-
going too far will kill the productivity gains you
receivefromdoingallLhisinLhe6rsLplace.1haL
said,addingvideospeci6c6elds,suchasdirecLor,
LalenL,exL/inL,day/nighL,shoL,scene,Lake,eLc.
could be essential information.

THE METADATA INSPECTOR FOR A VIDEO FILE
At the top of the Metadata Inspector tab youll see
somecamerainformaLion.Porvideo6les,wesee
LhaLiLis,indeed,avideo6le,iL'sresoluLion,clip
length, and frame rate. The small bar just below
provides quick access to add a colored label,
sLarraLings,andag(allofwhich,likemosL
everything in Aperture, have a re-programmable
keyboard shortcut).
The majority of the time youll probably at least
useLhekeyword6eld.8eforeyouspendaloLof
LimecreaLingcusLom6elds,youmaywanLLoLhink
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about adding that information as keywords
instead. There are a number of ways to work
with keywords in Aperture entering them in
Lhe6elddirecLly(assisLedbyauLo-compleLe),
dragging them from the Keyword HUD, or using
the Keyword Control Bar by clicking on a button
or using keyboard shortcuts. A quick tip if you
areLypingdirecLlyinaninspecLor6eld:holding
the command key while pressing the right
arrowwiLhinanymeLadaLa6eldwill|umpLo
the next video, and keep your cursor active in
Lhesame6eld.
AsyouaddmeLadaLaLoyour6les,you'llnoLice
that Aperture adds small icons to the thumbnails
in the Browser and the image in the Viewer. You
canLurnLheseoffifLheyboLheryou,buL|6nd
them a great visual to help me see what has
keywords assigned and what they are, which take
is the good take (I use the star ratings for this), or
if there is something I need to do to a clip or one
that needs to be re-shot (highlighted either
usingLhecolorlabelsorag).
1omovefrom6leLo6leLoaddmeLadaLa,Lhereare
several different views available to make it easy for
you: the Browser (lots of thumbnails), Split View
(row of thumbnails, with larger view of selected
item), and the Viewer (shows only the selected
6le).YoucanLogglebeLweenLheseLhreemain
views using the V key. There are two others Faces
and Places. These work like their corresponding
features in iPhoto for the most part. Unfortunately
Faces does not work with video clips. If you are
managing a video only catalog or dont see the
need for Faces, you can turn it off in the
preferences to save some processing power.
For still photos however, it could be a useful tool
to keep track of talent or crew.
The Places feature is a view that groups your shots
by location using GPS data, which is available for
video6les.GPSdaLaisaddedviaGooglemapsby
searching for a location and selecting a match.
Once selected, a pin is placed on the map and is
assignedLoLhe6le.|fyou'renoLcompleLely
saLis6edwiLhwhereLhepinisplaced,youcan
modify the location by moving it. You can also
import track data from a dedicated GPS unit or use
the GPS data from your iPhone if you take photos
as you shoot or if you use a GPS tracking app.
GPS makes a lot of sense if you do a lot of stock,
landscape, or wildlife work. If you use your iPhone
to scout locations, youll have the GPS coordinates
pinnedonamapreadyforyouLoeasily6ndlaLer.
More than likely youre going to have several video
clips shot at any single location. Rather than
6ndingeachoneonLhemapyoucancopyand
paste the GPS data to the other clips. Thankfully
AperLurehasareallycoolandef6cienLwayof
doing this, and its called Lift & Stamp. Lift takes
the metadata youve assigned to an image, and
Stamp adds it to other selected images. After
LifLing,aLifL&SLampHUDlisLsallofLhe6eldswiLh
assigned metadata. This allows you to select which
6eldsofmeLadaLaLoSLampusingcheckboxes.
ORGANIZATION
The time spent adding metadata is regained
anyLimeyouwonder,"Whereis_____!"Organizing
your projects can be a tedious process if done
manually or outside of Aperture using something
like the Finder or a folder structure youve set up.
In an Aperture Library there are several different
containers available. At the top level are Projects
and Folders. At a secondary level, you have Folders,
Albums, and Smart Albums. There are several
more,buLonlyLhesefourcanconLainvideo6les.
How you use them is totally up to you. Whether
using a Folder for each client, or creating a Library
foreachone,AperLureisexibleandwon'Lpunish
youshouldyouchangeyourmindlaLer.|fyou6nd
yourselfcreaLingLhesamehierarchyofPro|ecL/
Polders/Albums,AperLuremakesiLeasyLoLake
your layout and reuse it with the Duplicate Project
Structure command.
THE LIFT & STAMP HUD MAKES IT EASY TO ASSIGN SPECIFIC
METADATA FROM ONE SHOT TO OTHERS
PLACES GROUPS YOUR SHOTS BY LOCATION
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Think of Albums and Smart Albums as the same as
playlists and smart playlists in iTunes. When you
create a new Album in a Project (or Folder), you
add items to that Album by manually dragging its
thumbnail from the Browser to the Album.
If youve taken some time to assign metadata
Loyourvideo6lesyoushouldbeLakingadvanLage
of that time spent by using Smart Albums.
After creating a Smart Album, a HUD appears that
leL'syouselecLLhecriLeriafor6lesbeingadded
automatically to this album. You can use any piece
of metadata available to you in Aperture. This
makesiLsimpleLocreaLeanalbumof6lesyou
ranked with three stars or higher, or only three
sLars,oranalbumwiLhaspeci6ckeyword,color
label,ag,andanycombinaLionofLhoseoroLher
metadata. It can search through the Project that it
is in, but also across your entire Library. Aperture
alsohasasLrong6lLerfeaLureLhaLworks|usLlike
smart albums, without saving the results as a
container in your library.
Inside of any of the containers we can do even
more to keep things tidy, arranged like we want, or
simpli6ed.YoucanrearrangeLheLhumbnailsinLhe
Browser view by simply by dragging them around,
giving you the ability layout a shot-by-shot
preview of your edit.
If your work involves a large number of takes,
wouldnt it be nice to hide the non-select takes so
they werent cluttering up the project, but were
still available in case you needed to use part of
one? Aperture has a solution for that called Stacks.
|LworkslikeiL'sname-youcreaLeasLackof6les,
wiLhLheLop6le,Lheoneyousee,beingLhePick.
You can close the Stack and only see the Pick.
Aperture gives you a visual clue as to how many
items are in the stack by displaying a small icon in
the upper left corner of the thumbnail.
When you open the Stack, all of the thumbnails are
visible, but surrounds them with a different shade
of gray so that you know they go together. Stacks
are a great way to organize your projects in a lot of
different ways. You could stack together all the
b-roll clips from a particular location, all the takes
ofascene,allLheversionsofa6nishedvideo
(different resolutions, formats, compression), or
combine the page of the script (you can import
pdf6les,buLonlyLhe6rsLpageshows),Lheclips,a
lighting diagram, and on set notes in one Stack.
CLOSED STACK
OPEN STACK
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VIDEO
LeL's|usLsayLhisandgeLiLouL-AperLure3isnoLavideoediLor,
even though you can do some with Slideshows. The big win here for
videographersisLhefacLLhaLiLaccepLsvideo6lesaLall.PorshooLers
wiLhDSLPcameras,Lhebene6Lsareobvious.WhenLheyofoadLhesLill
imagesoffLheircamera,Lhevideo6lescanbedoneaLLhesameLime,
and organized with the still images that undoubtedly go with them.
PorshooLersusingregularvideocameras,Lhebene6Lsaren'Lasobvious.
If youre shooting with a video camera that records to a non-Quicktime
formaL,suchasPanasonic'sP2basedcamerasorSony'sXDCAM,
Lheworkowisn'LassLraighLforward.YoushouldcapLureLhevideo
from these cameras as you probably do now using the Log and Capture
feature in Final Cut Pro, and then import them in to Aperture.
On projects that tend to use assets from previous shoots or jobs,
you'llsLarLLoseeLhebene6LofbeingableLoquickly6ndaclipwiLh
a particular person or thing in it. Trying to do this in Final Cut Pro if
everyLhingisn'LinasinglePinalCuLPropro|ecL6le(andsomeLimes
evenifiLis)isdif6culLandLimeconsuming.
With a video clip opened in the Viewer youll see a small playback control
window hovering over the video centered near the bottom. The time is
displayed in min:sec. There is no real time code or a way to view in
frames. You can use the play button to play the video, obviously, and the
spacebar still toggles that control just like Final Cut Pro.
The gear shaped action pop-up menu offers a few more controls to work
with the video: setting the poster frame, creating a new jpg from the
current frame, and trimming your video clip.
When you select Trim,
a strip of frames acting as
a timeline is displayed with
a yellow box surrounding
it, representing what will
be kept, and is exactly like
editing video on your
iPhoneorinQuick1imeX.
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You adjust the in and out points of your clip by dragging the handles at
either end of the yellow box. As you start dragging one end, a time code
pop-updisplayappears,whichaL6rsLwouldseemveryhelpfulsinceiL
displays min:sec:frames, until you realize that it is impossible to hit a
speci6cframe.YoucandragiLasslowasyouwanL,buLiLwill
maddeningly|umpfrom2:03Lo2:05,wiLhouLbeingableLolandon2:04.
If you ever change your mind about your trimming, no worries its non
destructive and can easily be reset or changed. If you need more than
one section of an individual clip, duplicate the clip for the number
of subclips you need.
What use does the trimming feature have if it is not frame-by frame
controllable? It would be a problem if we didnt have another editing
tool available, but we all have (or should have) Final Cut
Pro. For DSLR shooters that convert their video to another format,
such as ProRes, trimming in Aperture before converting is a great idea.
ConverLingLoProPes,dependingonLheavoryouuse,canmoreLhan
doubleLhe6lesizeofyourclips.UseLheLrimmingfeaLureLoremove
parts of the clip you absolutely know you wont need. Then you can
export it and convert just what you need to ProRes, saving conversion
time and hard drive space.
AperLure3canimporLanyvideoformaLLhaLQuick1imecanplayback.
Ive successfully used ProRes, DVCProHD (although the anamorphic
format isnt displayed correctly), Windows Media Video with the
1elesLreamPlip4Macplug-in,MPLG2,Plash.v6les,andalargenumber
ofvarious.movformaLs.1hisexibiliLymakesiLanexcellenLcaLalogLool
foryour6nishedpro|ecLs.
TRIMMING VIDEO IN APERTURE 3
www.promediaacademy.com
why enroll?
Top |eve| tra|n|ng from authors and experts.
Thorough preparat|on to become Oert|f|ed.
P|acement poss|b|||t|es w|th our Med|a c||ents.
Oourses and cert|f|cat|on exams offered on s|te.
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State of the art fac|||ty and equ|pment.
Near OO a|rport and lrv|ne Spectrum.
Authorized
Training Center
Gold Level
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EXPORTING
AperLure3willexporLvideoLoLhesameformaLas
was imported. It doesnt do any conversion or
compression what you put in is what youll get
out. This is true no matter what export option you
use Export, Email, or MobileMe. If youre working
wiLhvideo6lesLhaLneedLobeconverLedLoa
morefriendlyediLingformaL(suchasH.264clips
from Canon DSLR cameras), you can set up a watch
folder and destination folder, create a droplet in
Compressor for the settings youd like to use,
and assign a folder action to the watch folder.
Compressor will then convert any item that you
export from Aperture in to that folder. This is a
reallygreaLworkowLhaLhasbeenworking
really well for me. If youd like the details in how
to do this, there are step-by-step directions
on our website.

Once youve completed your projects in Final Cut
and have created the different formats your
project required, you can store those in Aperture
Loquickly6ndwhaLformaLsyou'vealready
created, where they were published, how they
were used, or to which end-audience they were
meant for. If a client needs the .wmv version again,
rather than trying to track it down, you can just
export it from Aperture and send it to them. I like
to have all the formats of a particular edit in a
Stack, with the high-res version as the Album Pick.
More than likely at some point youre going to
post a version of the video to a website in order for
a client or colleague to review it. Apple has built
MobileMe galleries in to Aperture to do just that.
To use this feature you need a subscription to
Apples MobileMe service. If you dont already
know what it is, read more about it on
Apples MobileMe website (www.apple.com).
The Apple price is $99, but you can get it here
(www.amazon.com)for|usL$70.
One really cool feature of using MobileMe is that it
is incredibly easy to limit access to the album or
video.Youcande6newheLher"Everyone is able
to view the video or create names and passwords
to specify who can have access to it.
APERTURE CREATED EMAIL USING TELL A FRIEND FEATURE WITH
A MOBILEME GALLERY
Under the Browser with a MobileMe gallery
selecLedinLheLibrary,you'll6ndaMobileMe
pulldown menu. From this menu you can change
the settings, go directly to the MobileMe Album
in a web browser, or send an email with a link
to the Album.
That last item doesnt sound like a big deal, but it is
a time saver you dont have to copy and paste
some huge link that may or may not display right
in someone elses email software, let alone
STACKING DIFFERENT FORMATS OF AN EDIT IN MY CATALOG LIBRARY
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ROB CHINN is a freelance digital media creator and
the Founder & Leader of the Indianapolis Final Cut
Pro User Group.
He is a husband, a dad, and a huge Chicago Bears
fan that loves creating content that pulls a reaction
out of someone, whether it is from shooting and
ediLingvideo,creaLing3Dscenes,orLaking
pictures with his trusty Nikon (while begging them
to add better video features).
Rob established the Indy FCPUGin2003soLhere
would be a place for people in central Indiana to
share experiences and learn more about digital
media.
For individuals or companies that need a more
focused program, he offers training and consulting
to get them up to speed quickly on Final Cut Pro,
Motion, Compressor, Aperture, and Macs or by
solving the problems and issues that stop them
from completing projects and making money.
You can contact Rob via his website
www.robchinn.com
creating a web page and checking to make sure it
works. It creates a nice looking html based email
with a preview of the Album icon and a button
that takes them right to the Album online. If it is a
password protected album the username and
password is displayed automatically.
Remember that even when going to MobileMe,
the clips are not downsized or compressed.
1hiscouldresulLin6llingupyourMobileMe
accounLquicklyifyou'reposLing1920x1080video
6lesfreshoffLhecamera,andclienLsmaycomplain
the clips are never available to view (due to their
size they could take a while to download before
playing). This is another opportunity to use the
auLomaLedworkowLoconverLLhevideo
mentioned previously.
It would be really great if we could export all of
that metadata we entered and have it travel with
the video clips to Final Cut Pro, wouldnt it? I agree,
but unfortunately, right now there are a couple
pieces that are missing to make it happen. You can
exporLLhemeLadaLafromAperLureasaLexL6le,
but getting it in to Final Cut isnt worth the time or
Lrouble.|Lhink/hopeLhaLsomeonesoonwillcome
up with a plug-in for Aperture that will export your
videoclipsouLasaPinalCuLXML6le,andmap
cerLain6eldsofmeLadaLaLocorrespondingor
chosen columns in the Final Cut Pro Browser.
Until that day comes, do as much organizing in
AperLureaspossible,andexporLyour6lessmarLly,
possibly in multiple steps, and create a
complimentary structure in your Final Cut project
folder and in the Final Cut Browser. Hopefully a
plug-in or future updates to Aperture and Final
Cut will add this functionality.
In my opinion, there isnt any other software
available that will let you add metadata, organize,
6nd,sorL,view,Lrim,andsharevideo6lesLhis
easily and quickly. You dont have to take my word
for it though. Download the free, fully functional
30-dayLrial(www.apple.com) and see for yourself.
If youve never used Aperture before, the step-by-
step version of this article may be helpful and can
be found at the Indianapolis Final Cut Pro User
Group website.

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Its 2010 and 3D back in style, again, for the
fourth time in 150 years. Will its popularity last
this time? If the actions of TV manufacturers like
JVC, Sony, Panasonic and Samsung are any
indication the answer is a resounding yes!
Obviously Hollywood has also jumped on the
bandwagon and the overwhelming success of
recenL3D6lmslikeAvaLarhaveproven3Disa
money-maker.
So how can you get involved by shooting your
own3DconLenL!|L'sacLuallyquiLeeasyLogeL
sLarLedandlearnLhebasicsofsLereoscopic3D
photography. You wont be able to sell yourself as
a Stereographer after reading this beginners
guide (it literally takes years to learn all the aspects
of shooting and build the experience to shoot
goodsLereoscopic3D)buL|guaranLeeyouwill
have some fun and impress your friends.
The basic principle behind shooting stereoscopic
3DisLocapLureandLhenpresenLLwoslighLly
different points of view and let the viewers brain
determine stereoscopic depth. It sounds simple
enoughbuLLhe6rsLLhinganybudding
Stereographer should learn is some basic
stereoscopic terminology. These few terms may
seemdaunLingaL6rsLbuLLheywillformLhebasis
of your stereoscopic knowledge.
TERMINOLOGY
STEREOSCOPIC 3D A.K.A. STEREO3D, S-3D, OR S3D
"3D"meansdifferenLLhingsLodifferenLpeople.
In the world of visual effects it primarily refers to
CG|modeling.Porexample,everyPixar6lmever
madewascreaLedLhroughLheuseof"3D"
animation techniques, but only Up and the
re-releases of Toy Story 1&2 were also presented
insLereoscopic3D.
This is why Stereographers refer to the craft
speci6callyas"stereoscopic 3D"orsimply"S3D'
-LodifferenLiaLeiLfrom3DCG|.
INTERAXIAL (A.K.A. STEREO BASE ) & INTEROCULAR
(A.K.A. I.O. ) SEPARATION
The interocular separation technically refers to the
distance between the centers of the human eyes.
This distance is typically accepted to be an average
of65mmorroughly2.5inches.|nLeraxial
separation is the distance between the centers
of two camera lenses. The human interocular
separation is an important constant
Stereographers use to make calculations
for interaxial separation.
Beware that Interaxial separation is often
incorrectly referred to as Interocular and
vise-versa. In the professional world of
stereoscopic cinema it has become the norm
to refer to interaxial separation as i.o.
THE AVERAGE HUMAN INTEROCULAR SEPARATION IS 2.5 INCHES
STEREO WINDOW AND SCREEN PLANE
Simply put, the Stereo Window refers to the
physical display surface. You will be able to
visualize the concept if you think of the HD
screen as a real window that allows you to view
the outside world. Objects in your stereoscopic
scene can be behind the window, at the window
(the Screen Plane,) or in front of the window.
MosLofLheS3DinAvaLarhappenedbehindor
on the stereo window and there were only a few
off-screen gags.
CONVERGENCE ,DIVERGENCE & BINOCULAR VISION
Binocular Vision simply means that two eyes are
used in the vision system. Binocular Vision and
Convergence are the primary tools mammals use
LoperceivedepLhaLcloserange(upLo300feeLfor
humans.) The wider an animals eyes are apart (its
Shooting Stereoscopic 3D A Beginners Guide
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interocular distance) the deeper its binocular
depth perception or depth range.
At greater distances we start to use monocular
depth cues like perspective, relative size, occlusion,
shadows and relation to horizon to perceive how
far away objects are from us.
Heres an example of how your binocular vision
works. Hold a pen about one foot in front of your
face and look at it. You will feel your eyes both
angle towards the pen in order to converge on it,
creating a single image of the pen. What you may
not notice is that everything behind the pen
appears as a double image (diverged.) Now look at
the wall straight ahead and the pen will appear as
two pens because your eyes are no longer
converged on it. This double-image is known as a
retinal disparity and it is the distance between
these two images (horizontal parallax) that helps
our brain determine how far away an object is.
In terms of stereoscopic projection when we
converge on an object (either through angling
the cameras towards the object or shifting the two
images in post) that object appears to sit on the
screen plane. Any double-images resulting from
unconverged areas of the scene are perceived to
be at a different distance (in front or behind) than
the converged object.
This is the basic principle behind stereoscopic
shooting and emulating human binocular vision
with two cameras. However, be aware that a
large percentage of the population (some
estimates are 15%) suffer from stereo-blindness
and cannot perceive depth through strictly
horizontal parallax cues.
NORMAL COMFORTABLE CONVERGENCE
EXCESSIVE CONVERGENCE IS OK FOR QUICK OFF-SCREEN
3D GAGS
EXCESSIVE DIVERGENCE IN THE BACKGROUND
SHOULD BE AVOIDED
See the note on Native Pixel Parallax in the post section
DISPARITY
Disparity is a dirty word for Stereographers.
In fact the only good"LypeofdispariLyinS3D
s horizontal disparity between the left and right
eye images. As mentioned before this is known
as horizontal parallax.
Any other type of disparity in your image (vertical,
rotational, zoom, keystone or temporal) will cause
the viewers eyes to strain to accommodate.
1hiscanbreakLhe3DeffecLandcausemuscular
pain in the viewers eyes. Every Stereographer will
strive to avoid these disparities on set or use
special software in post-production to correct it.
ROTATIONAL AND VERTICAL DISPARITIES IN SOURCE FOOTAGE
DISPARITIES CORRECTED SO ALL STRAIGHT LINES ARE PARALLEL
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ORTHO-STEREO, HYPER-STEREO & HYPO-STEREO
|alreadymenLionedLhaLLheaverageinLerocularofhumansis65mm
(2.5 inches.) When this same distance is used as the interaxial distance
between two shooting cameras then the resulting stereoscopic effect is
known as Ortho-stereo."ManySLereographerschoose2.5"asasLereo-
base for this reason. If the interaxial distance used to shoot is smaller
than 2.5 inches then you are shooting Hypo-stereo. This technique is
commonforLheaLricallyreleased6lmsLoaccommodaLeLheeffecLsof
the big screen. It is also used for macro stereoscopic photography.
HYPO-STEREO & GIGANTISM: IMAGINE HOW OBJECTS LOOK FROM THE P.O.V. OF A MOUSE
Photo courtesy photos8.com
Lastly, Hyper-stereo refers to interaxial distances greater than 2.5 inches.
As I mentioned earlier the greater the interaxial separation, the greater
the depth effect. An elephant can perceive much more depth than a
human, and a human can perceive more depth than a mouse. However,
using this same analogy, the mouse can get close and peer inside the
peLalsofaowerwiLhverygooddepLhpercepLion,andLhehumanwill
just go cross-eyed. Therefore decreasing the interaxial separation
beLweenLwocamerasLo1"orlesswillallowyouLoshooLamazing
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Betacam, Betacam SP, HDV cameras, big-screen TVs and more.
Hardware Down Conversion
If youve ever wanted to monitor in both HD and SD while
you work, then youll love the built in high quality down
converter. Use the Dual Link SDI outputs as a simultaneous
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macro stereo-photos and separating the cameras to several feet apart
will allow great depth on mountain ranges, city skylines and other vistas.
The trouble with using hyper-stereo is that scenes with gigantic objects
in real-life may appear as small models. This phenomenon is known as
dwar6sm.1heopposiLehappenswiLhhypo-sLereo,wherenormalsized
objects appear gigantic (gigantism). For the rest of this beginners guide
wewillignoreLheeffecLsofdwar6smandgiganLismandinsLeadfocus
on|usLcreaLing3DdepLh.
HYPER-STEREO & DWARFISM: IMAGINE HOW OBJECTS LOOK FROM THE P.O.V. OF AN ELEPHANT
Photo courtesy photos8.com
PASSIVE POLARIZATION, ACTIVE SHUTTER GLASSES, ANAGLYPH & AUTOSTEREO
There are three basic types of glasses used for presenting stereoscopic
3DmaLerial.|nmosLofLhePeal-Dand|maxLheaLresinNorLhAmerica
the common method is passive polarized glasses with either circular
orlinearpolarizers.MosLofLheconsumer3D1vsonLhemarkeLuse
someformofacLiveshuLLerglassesLoickerLhelefLandrighLimages
on and off at 120Hz. Autostereoscopic displays use lenticular lenses or
parallel barrier technologies to present stereoscopic material without
the use of glasses.
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DeckLink Studio includes 10 bit SD/
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Anaglyph glasses will work with almost any display
buLusecolor6lLersLoseparaLeLhelefLandrighL
images.1hemosLcommoncon6guraLionsare
red/cyan,blue/amber,andgreen/magenLa.
Now that you are familiar with some of the basic
stereoscopic terminology its time to select
your gear.
GEAR
CAMERA AND STEREO RIG SELECTION
In order to create a stereoscopic image we will
need to photograph two images from slightly
different perspectives. We can use a single camera
for still-life stereo-photography or two cameras for
motion-picture stereo-cinema. The simplest way
to mount one or two cameras is with a slider bar.
For example a single camera can take one photo
for the left eye perspective, and then simply be slid
down the bar to take a photo from the right eye
perspective. When shooting with two cameras
they can be mounted side by side.
Interaxial separation is an important factor
whenshooLingS3DsoLhereforeLhewidLhof
your two cameras will determine the minimum
interaxial separation.
If your cameras are too wide and a smaller
interaxial separation is required then a beam-
splitter rig can be employed. Beam-splitters use
a50/50mirror(similarLoLeleprompLerglass)LhaL
allows one camera to shoot through the glass and
LhenoLherLoshooLLhereecLion.1heinLeraxial
can be brought down to as little as 0mm with
beamsplitter rigs.
Beamsplitter rigs are expensive, and since most
beginner Stereographers will be working with a
limited budget and a slider bar, selection of thin
cameraswillbene6LLheabiliLyLoachievesmall
interaxial separation.
INEXPENSIVE SLIDER BAR
ADJUSTABLE SIDE BY SIDE RIG

BEAM-SPLITTER RIGS ALLOW FOR VERY SMALL INTERAXIAL
SEPARATION
SPECIAL STEREOSCOPIC LENSES
There are special stereoscopic lenses on the
market designed for various digital SLR cameras.
These lenses will work with a single camera but
capture a left and right point of view in the same
frame. The concept is intriguing but the lenses are
veryslow(P/11-P/22)andLheaspecLraLiois
vertically oriented.
LOREO3D ATTACHMENT FOR DSLR CAMERAS
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PURPOSE-BUILT STEREOSCOPIC CAMERAS
SLereoscopic6lmcamerashaveexisLedfordecades.|personallyowna
KodakSLereocamerafromLheearly50'sLhaL|'veshoLhundredsof3D
slideswiLh.PecenLlymanufacLurerslikePu|i6lmandPanasonichave
recognized the demand for digital versions of these cameras and
released new products to market.
FUJIFILMS W1 S3D CAMERA
PANASONICS AG-3DA1 S3D CAMCORDER
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GENLOCK CAPABILITY
If you plan to shoot stereoscopic video with any
acLionLheniLwillbebene6cialLouseLwocameras
that can be genlocked together. Cameras that
cannot be genlocked will have some degree of
temporal disparity. However using the highest
frameraLeavailable(720p60forexample)will
reduce the chance of detrimental temporal
disparity. There are also some devices capable of
synchronizing cameras that use LANC controllers.
LEDAMETRIXS LANC SHEPHERD
INTERLACE Vs PROGRESSIVE
Every frame of interlaced video inheritably will
have some degree of temporal disparity between
Lhe6elds.|LisrecommendedLoshooLwiLh
progressive formats whenever possible.
LENS SELECTION
Wider lenses will be easier to shoot with for
the beginner and will also lend more
dimensionality to your subjects. Telephoto
lenseswillcompressyoursub|ecLsaLsoLhey
appear as cardboard cutouts. Stay away from
hsheye lenses because the distortion will
cause many geometrical disparities.
THIS ROUND STUMP APPEARS AS FLAT AS CARDBOARD BECAUSE
IT WAS SHOT WITH TELEPHOTO LENSES
OK, so youve learned your terminology and
selected your gear. Now what? Its time to get
out there and shoot. We havent discussed the
variouscalculaLionsorLherulesofS3DbuL|
encourage you to shoot now so you can learn
from your mistakes.
THE MATH & THE RULES
Over the years Ive read and re-read every book I
could6ndonsLereoscopicphoLography.
Within those books I have found and attempted to
understand a myriad of different stereoscopic
equations created by really smart people with
names like Bercovitz, Davis, Lipton, Levonian,
MacAdam, Wattie, DiMarzio, Boltjanski, Komar and
Ovsjannikova. Please feel free to Google them.
Im not even going to attempt to explain all the
intricacies of the various algebraic equations
available to calculate things like depth range and
depth budget and instead introduce you to the
only calculation beginners should concern
LhemselveswiLh:Lhe1/30rule.
THE 1/30 RULE
1he1/30rulerefersLoacommonlyaccepLedrule
used by hobbyist Stereographers around the
world. It basically says that the interaxial
separaLion(sLereo-base)shouldonlybe1/30Lh
of the distance from your camera to the closest
subject. In the case of ortho-stereoscopic shooting
LhaLwouldmeanyourcamerasshouldonlybe2.5"
apart and your closest subject should never be any
closerLhan75inches(abouL6feeL)away.
Interaxial x 30 = minimum object distance
or
Minimum object distance 30 = Interaxial
|fyouareusingacoupleDSLPcamerasLhaLare6
incheswideLhecalculaLionwouldlooklike:6x30
=180inchesor15feeL.1haL'srighL.15feeL.
DON T BREAK THE STEREO WINDOW
WediscussedbrieyhowLhedisplayscreen
represents a window and objects can be behind,
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at or in front of the window. If you want an object
to appear in front of the window it cannot touch
the edge of the frame. If it does the viewers brain
wont understand how the parallax is suggesting
the object is in front of the screen, but at the same
time it is being occluded by the edge of the
screen. When this contradiction happens it is
referred to as a window violation and it should be
avoided. Professional Stereographers have a few
Lricksfor6xingwindowviolaLionswiLhlighLingor
soft masks but it is best for beginners to simply
obey this rule.
TURN OFF IMAGE STABILIZATION
If you are using video cameras with image
stabilization you must turn the feature off or the
cameras optical axis will move independent
of each other in unpredictable ways.
USE IDENTICAL SETTINGS ON BOTH CAMERAS
It is very important to use the same type of
camera, same type of lens and exactly the same
camera settings (white balance, shutter speed,
aperture, frame rate, resolution, zoom, codec, etc.)
on both cameras. Any differences will cause a
disparity. It is also a good idea to use manual
focus and set it to the hyperfocal distance or a
suiLabledisLancewiLhadeepdepLhof6eld.
As you can imagine this will make it impossible
to tune out disparities.
USE A CLAPPER OR SYNCHRONIZE TIMECODE
If your cameras are capable of genlock and TC
slave then by all means use those features to
maintain synchronization. If you are using
consumer level cameras it will be up to you to
synchronize the shots in post. In either case you
should use a slate with a clapper to identify the
shoL/LakesandeasilysynchLhem.
|fyourcamerashavean|PremoLesLarL/sLopiLis
handy to use one remote to roll & cut both
cameras simultaneously. If you are shooting
stills with DSLRs there are ways to connect the
cameras with an electronic cable release for
synchronized shutters.
SLOW DOWN YOUR PANS
However fast you are used to panning in 2D, cut the
speedinhalffor3D.|fyouareshooLingininLerlace
then cut the speed in half again. Better yet, avoid
pans altogether unless your cameras are genlocked.
Whip pans should be OK with genlocked cameras.
LABEL YOUR MEDIA LEFT AND RIGHT
This might seem like a simple rule to remember
but the truth is that most instances of inverted
3DisaresulLofamislabeledLapeorclip.Good
logging and management of clips is essential
with stereoscopic post production.
TO CONVERGE OR NOT CONVERGE
THAT IS THE QUESTION.
One of the most debated topics among
Stereographers is whether to toe-in the cameras
to converge on your subject or simply mount the
cameras perfectly parallel and set convergence in
post-production. Converging while shooting
requires more time during production but one
would hope less time in production. However
toeing-in can also create keystoning issues that
need to be repaired later. My personal mantra is to
always shoot perfectly parallel and I recommend
the same for the budding Stereographer.
POST
So youve shot your footage and now you want
to edit and watch it. For Final Cut Studio there
are basically two options for editing and
masLering:Cineform'sNeo3DandDashwood's
SLereo3D1oolbox.
NEO3D
1ouseNeo3D6rsLLranscodeallyourfooLage
LoLheCineformcodec.1henuseNeo3DLomix
yourlefLandrighLclipsinLonewCineform3D
quicktimes. The in points of each clip and be
adjusted by up to 15 frames to synchronize the left
andrighLeyesperfecLly.|nNeo3DseLyourscreen
LypeLomaLchyour3Ddisplay.|fyoudon'Lhavea
3DdisplayLhenuseananaglyphmodewiLh
anaglyphglassesandad|usLLheconLrolsLo6xany
disparities introduced while shooting. When your
clips are ready you can start editing in FCP.
STEREO3D TOOLBOX
Bring your clips into Final Cut Pro and create a new
sequence for each pair of clips. If your clips dont
already start at the same frame it is a good idea to
subclip them to the clapper. You can stack the left
clip on V2 on top of the right clip on V1 and apply
LheSLereo3D1oolbox6lLerLo|usLLhelefLclipand
double-clickorhiLPeLurnLoopeniLinLhe6lLers
tab. Then just drag the right clip into the right
image well. Set your output mode to match your
3DdisplayoruseAnaglyph.PepeaLLheprocessfor
each pair and then you can edit in a new sequence
with these paired sequences as clips.
FIXING DISPARITY AND SETTING CONVERGENCE
8oLhNeo3DandSLereo3D1oolboxhaveslidersLo
adjust vertical, rotational, zoom, color & keystone
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disparities. Fixing these disparities requires skill
and practice but my recommendation is to start
with rotation and make sure any straight lines are
parallel to each other and then adjust zoom to
make sure objects are the same apparent size.
Next adjust the vertical disparity control make sure
all objects next to each other. Finally adjust the
horizontal convergence to perfectly align the
object you wanted to be on the stereo window.
STEREO3D TOOLBOX INTERFACE
NEO3D INTERFACE
NATIVE PIXEL PARALLAX
There is one last thing you should check after
aligning each shot. You must make sure that your
background doesnt exceed the Native Pixel
Parallax of your display screen or your audiences
eyes will diverge (which is bad.)
You can determine the Native Pixel Parallax (a.k.a.
NPP) by dividing 2.5 inches by the display screens
width and then multiply the result by the amount
ofhorizonLalpixels(i.e.1920for1080por1280
for720p.)
|presenLmyS3DmaLerialon1vC's46"3D1v.
It is 42 inches wide and 1920 pixels wide so the
calculaLionis2.5/42x1920=114pixels1hismeans
that the parallax of the background should not
exceed 114 pixels.
|nSLereo3D1oolboxyoucanenLeryourscreen
widLhandLhe6lLerwillauLomaLicallycalculaLe
NPP and display a grid. If the parallax in your
background does exceed this limit then adjust
your convergence to move the depth range back
away from the viewer.
SHARE YOUR S3D MASTERPIECE ON YOUTUBE WITH THE
YT3D TAG
NowLhaLyouhave6nishedediLingandmasLering
yourS3DmovieiLisLimeLoshareiLwiLhLheworld.
YouTube added the capability to dynamically
presenLS3DconLenLinanyanaglyphformaL.
AllyouhaveLodoisexporLyourmovie6leas
side by side squeezed"andencodeiLasH264wiLh
Compressor.|recommendusing1280x720pfor
S3DconLenLonYou1ubebuLnoL1080p.
The workload of rendering the anaglyph result
ishandledbyLheviewer'scompuLerso1080p
will decrease the frame rate on most laptops.
Uploadyourmovie6leLoYou1ubeandLhenadd
LheLag"yL3d:enable=Lrue"LoenableYou1ube3D
mode.|fyourfooLageis16x9aspecLraLioalsoadd
LheLag"yL3d:aspecL=16:9".You1ube3DexpecLed
crossview formatted side by side so if you
exported as side by side parallel instead of
crossview you will need to add the tag
"yL3d:swap=Lrue"LoensureLhelefLandrighLeyes
are presented correctly.
OUTPUT AS SIDE BY SIDE SQUEEZE
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ADD YOUTUBE 3D TAGS
YOUTUBE 3D DISPLAY MODES
ANAGLYPH DISPLAY OF FINISHED MOVIE
I think Ive covered the basics of shooting and
posiLioningsLereoscopic3DbuLwe'vereally
just scratched the surface of what a professional
Stereographer needs to know. If you want to
continue your education in this area I recommend
youpickup8ernardMendiburu's3DMovie
Making or search your library for the bible
ofsLereoscopic3D,LennyLipLon'sclassic
Foundations of the StereoScopic Cinema.
A Study in Depth.
TIM DASHWOOD can be best described as a Jack of
All Trades, constantly swapping hats as Director,
Cinematographer, Editor and Stereographer.
HeisLhecreaLorofLheacclaimedSLereo3D
Toolbox suite of stereoscopic post-production
tools for Final Cut Studio and After Effects and
alsomoderaLesLheSLereoscopic3DPorumon
DV Info Net.
As a director of photography Dashwood has
phoLographed6vefeaLure6lms,LwelveshorL6lms,
and countless music videos. His editing credits
include national commercials for Ford, Leons,
Labatt, Macys, Max Factor, Pantene, Toyota and
MicrosofL,aswellas6vefeaLure6lms,LheWarChild
documentary ROCKED:Sum41 in the Congo, many
Canadian broadcast TV series, and two Gemini
award winning seasons of the CBCs
UndercurrenLs.HismosLrecenLSLereo3Dpro|ecLs
include music videos for recording artist
ArianGillisandLhe20103Dfashionshowfor
NADA Designs.
Dashwood founded Dashwood Cinema Solutions
in 2009 as a research, development & consultancy
division of his Toronto-based stereoscopic
producLioncompanySLereo3DUnlimiLed|nc.
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This article was originally created for a book
proposal for Focal Press about Adobe After
Effects, co-authored by Andrew Embury and me.
The day after the proposal was submitted,
Video Copilots Optical Flares came out. That
same day, I ran into Sean Safreed of Red Giant
Software and he talked about the future of
Knoll Light Factory. As it always goes, plug-ins
change quickly, so we thought we should make
some use of thIs ne tutorIaI before a new
version of Knoll Light Factory is released! Enjoy!
TUTORIAL
Streaks, glares, and polys... what else does a lens
areconsisLof!LookaLareferenceimageorvideo
ofaLruelensareandyouwillseeLhaLLheremay
be a very subtle star effect, just a slight dispersion
ofLhelighL.|Lmaybedif6culLLopickupLhe
subLleLiesaL6rsL,solookclosely.SLudyiL.
You may be able to pick up those subtle and
amazingLricksoflighLreecLionandrefracLion.
Now lets recreate this ourselves! Did you see the
newSLar1rek6lm!WewanLLomakea"Star Trek
look with a streak and stretching lights in Adobe
After Effects, using the Knoll Light Factory (KLF)
plug-in from Red Giant Software.
Our reference can be found here:
claudiomiranda.com/lensLesL/index.hLml
Makeyourcomp1920x1080and24framesper
second(fps).Makeanewsolid(Layer>New>
Solid). Name it KLF, as this is the layer that Knoll
Light Factory will be applied to. Make the layer a
solid black, a complete 0, 0, 0 for RGB. Why black?
If we want to bloom out our footage, we can easily
set our blending mode to Add. It works similarly to
a luma key, but the transition between the light
and black will be smooth. The black will not show
up on the footage behind it but the lightness will.
For a less strong effect we could easily switch over
to Screen mode. Screen mode looks at each
channels color information and multiplies the
lightness of the colors. Again, compositing with
black produces a transparent composite.
Lets talk about our light source. For our light
source,leL'sapplyaLPDisc(LffecL>KnollLighL
PacLory>LPDisc)Looursolid.WewanLLocreaLe
an anamorphic look. KLF does most of the guess
work for us. Just click on the Anamorphic check
box in the effects settings. Select the color and
oLheraLLribuLesofLheare.We'remakingLhis
arewhiLe.
How to create a realistic 3D camera
controlled lens are with Knoll Light Factory
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APPLY KNOLL LIGHT FACTORY LF DISC PLUG-IN AND CHOOSE THE
COLOR OF YOUR FLARE.
Before we go any further, lets add a Null object to
this composition, to make our life easier down the
road.1oaddaNullob|ecL,goLoLayer>New>
Null Object. A blank layer will appear in your
Timeline. We want to link our Light Source
Location to this Nulls Position. We will be linking
severalinsLancesoflensares'LighLSource
Locations to a single Null Object, allowing us to
control them all at one time. To link the two
properties, select the Null object and tap the P key
to bring up the Position property. Select the KLF
layer and tap the E key to bring up the effect.
Find the Light Source Location and hold down the
option key on Mac or Alt key on Windows while
you click the stopwatch for the Light Source
Location property. This adds an Expression to that
property. Drag the Pickwhip to the Nulls Position
property. You will be repeating this process for
each instance of KLF you add to the layer.
Lets add another LF Disc in order to sell the effect
a bit more. You can just duplicate the effect in the
Effect Controls window and modify the settings a
bit so they are not exactly the same.
1imeforanoLherare.AddanLPSLripeLoLheNull
and link the Position as weve done previously,
seLupLhelookofLheareanywayyoulike,
then duplicate that LF Stripe. Duplicate it and
adjust it as much as you feel is necessary.
WHY ARE WE DUPLICATING THE LF STRIPE? TO CREATE THAT
FILMIC, ANAMORPHIC LOOK TO HELP INVOKE A FEELING OF A
GRAND, EPIC SCALE. LETS MAKE IT COMPLEX AND BEAUTIFUL!
3DLensPlareLxpressions1ip:You'llseeLhaLwe've
acLuallycreaLeda3Dlensarebyaddinga
.toComp([0,0,0]); expression to the Light Source
LocaLionformyNull.A3Dareinyourscenehasa
multitude of advantages. One key one is the
inLeracLionwiLhyourcameraand"3D"scene.1his
expressionwas6rsLmadeavailablebyDanLbberLs
and has been made popular by Harry J Frank of
Graymachine (graymachine.com). This allows for a
2DeffecLLobehavein3DspacelHowgreaLisLhaL!
|nLhiscase,makeLheNulla3Dob|ecLbyclicking
the isometric square in the timeline on the Null
layer. Select the KLF layer, then press U (also
known as the ber key). Youll notice that
everything that has an attached expression to it is
now displaying those expressions. Youll see that
this expression thisComp.layer(Null 1).transform.
position shows up. To make our 2D link to behave
in3Dspace,wesimplyreplace"LhisComp.
layer(Null 1).transform.position with thisComp.
layer(Null 1).toComp([0,0,0]);. A simple way to
remember where the toComp([0,0,0]); goes is to
delete up to the t in transform and replace with
the toComp expression.
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USE THE EXPRESSION .TOCOMP([0,0,0]); TO CREATE A 3D FLARE.
So, weve got the streaks, weve got the glares, what are we missing?
Looking back at our reference, we are missing that very subtle star
effect, just a slight dispersion of the light.
For this star effect, were going to add a LF Star Filter. Go through the
same process of linking the Light Source Location to the Nulls Position
property. Tweak it to match your reference material or just to create an
arLisLiclensare.
For a bit more drama, add an instance of LF Sparkle, which adds a nice
liLLledispersionLoourlensare.
To achieve this last level of light and glare dispersion, Ive turned to LF
Poly Spikeball. It offers a nice soft touch and breaks up the sparkle a bit.
The sparkle alone was a bit over powering and we want to blend the
effects together to have one seamless light source. Within the LF Poly
Spikeball, adjust the random seed, as well as the brightness and scale.
To get that custom look and truly pull yourself apart from the rest of the
crowd,youreallydohaveLodelvedeeperinLoLhe6nerdeLails.
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KEEP LAYERING ON THE FLARES UNTIL YOU HAVE A RICH,
BEAUTIFUL FLARE. KEEP LINKING THEM TO THE NULL TO CONTROL
THEM TOGETHER.
1heareissLarLingLolookbelievableandexciLing.
We have a strong light source, a little dispersion
from it, but we could use some polys. For my
polys, we felt that the light source was so strong
LhaLLhereecLionwouldbeweakfromLhepoly's.
We could play with the brightness and disregard
the random color seed and brightness seed, as we
know the camera look we are trying to achieve and
how many blades the aperture has. We are trying
LosimulaLeananamorphiccameralensaL32mm.
To add more realism to our depth of light source
andreecLionofourlens,weneedanellipLical
caustic. Add a LF Star Caustic, which will play a
pivotal role of coloring our footage and giving it a
lookofslighLdegradaLionofLhe6lm.|fyouwere
actually shooting, this could be due to poor
planning during shooting or maybe it is done
purposefully to strengthen the mood of the shot.
Since we are adding this during our post
production process, we have complete control.
PlayaroundwiLhLheeffecL,feeliLouL,6ndwhere
youwanLyourreecLionLooccur.
Within the LF Star Caustic, be aware of the Position
Offset, which can cause a fading effect. This can be
easily bi-passed by throwing the offset either far
away or close to the glare. Color your caustic as
neededand6ndacolorLhaLcomplimenLsand
boosts your original glare and polys. We chose a
desaLuraLedpurpleLocomplimenLLheblueare.
Pinally,LhelasLLouchLoLhebuildofourlensare:
the Chroma Hoop. Remember, we are adding this
to recreate a real world light source that our digital
lens is picking up and separating the color wave
lengths. Adjust the Arc Completeness, the Softness
and the Offset to achieve that realism.
At this point, you could easily have 12 effects or
more on the stack and adjusting each individual
brightness level is tedious. Lets make things easier
byaddingaSlider(LffecLs>LxpressionConLrol>
Slider Control) to the Null so we can adjust them
all in one fell swoop.
GoLoLheLPDiskeffecLonyourKLPlayer.OpLion/
Alt click its Global Brightness Setting to apply an
Expression. The expression that is automatically
generated is effect(ll Dlsc 2)(1). This can be
simpli6edsoLhaLwe|usLuse"value",whichwill
maintain the value we have given it. A handy way
to control all of our Global Brightnesses on our
lensareelemenLswhilsLmainLainingouroriginal
settings is to replace the expression on the Global
Brightness parameter on all instances of the KLF
effect to read value+thisComp.layer(Null 1).
effect(Slider Control)(Slider);. This is keeping the
original value of the Global Brightness and adding
the slider value to it.
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Add a camera and move it around.
ADD AN EXPRESSION SLIDER TO CONTROL THE GLOBAL
BRIGHTNESS OF ALL OF THE FLARES AT ONCE.
SoLhereyouhaveiL,ourveryown3Dcamera-
conLrolledlensarewiLhLhebrighLnessoperaLed
by a slider! Its a thing of beauty.

MICHELE YAMAZAKI is VP Marketing and Web
Development Czarina for Toolfarm.com,
a value-added reseller and distributor of third
party plug-ins for Adobe After Effects & Premiere
Pro, Apple Final Cut Studio, Avid, Sony Vegas
among others. Need plug-ins? Talk to Michele.
michele@toolfarm.com
ANDREW EMBURY is a freelance Motion Designer
from the Great White North (aka Canada). He was
DirecLor/CreaLiveProduceraLPaLkaLAnimaLion
Studios, Atlantic Canadas largest animation house,
working on contracts for CBC, BBC, YTV,
Nickelodeon, Pepsi Co., Toyota, Microsoft and
many others.
aembury@gmail.com
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Most of us are Final Cut Pro editors by trade and
we focus on the technology as a tool to get
creative work done. But some of us are parents
too and this same technology can be used to
make a positive difference in our kids lives.
We discovered one such possibility completely
by accident, when our son Max grabbed my
iPhone when he was just 6 months old.
He started playing with the menus and navigating
aroundusinghis6ngers,LhoughaLLheLimehe
wasnt even talking yet. We realized we could
maybe turn this piece of gear into a learning tool.
It ultimately worked out so well for Max that I
would like to share some of our experiences...
Because we wanted to dedicate a piece of gear
speci6callyforhisuseandreallycusLomizeiLfor
him,wedecidedLogeLaniPodLouch.We6gured
he probably wouldnt need to be making phone
calls for at least a few more years anyway. Max is 2
and1/2nowandLheiPodhasmadeareally
noticeable difference in his development. With our
experiencesinmind|wanLLoquicklymenLion3
iPodusesLhaLwefoundespeciallybene6cialand
then expand on them later in this article:
iPHOTO
Photos can be used as a great tool for learning;
we put in images of the whole extended family like
grandparents, uncles, and close friends so that he
starts to identify who is who. We also added
images of favorite animals and other images
of course related to the stage of development of
the kid. For example when theyre younger you
can show them simple colors and shapes.
Educational iPod Media for Kids
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iTUNES MUSIC AND VIDEOS
Music for children is great because you can load
songs that they love and which can help them
learn different words and languages. There are so
many available learning songs, story songs; theres
really|usLin6niLechildrenrelaLedmediaouLLhere.
Theres also all kinds of video content you can load
onto an iPod anything from existing kids
educational shows to videos you shoot using your
own digital camera. This really helps a lot as Max
relaLesLorelivingevenLslikeLhe6rsLLimehe
climbed up a set of stairs or went swimming at
the beach.
APPS
A third iPod educational use for children is
probably the most obvious because there are
literally hundreds of educational Apps out there
on the iTunes Store.
A QUICK DISCLAIMER
I think its very important to mention that for us,
the iPod is just another learning tool and one of
many approaches we use with Max. For starters we
dont have cable or over the air TV at home, so hes
not exposed to commercial advertising, which is
typically really bad for kids. We do watch movies,
TV series and kids shows at home but from the
iTunes Store or from DVDs.
Much like any other activity in a toddlers life,
anyLhingLhaLlasLsmoreLhan30minuLesLoan
hour can be too much of a good thing. He might
want to keep using the iPod longer but we put him
onto something different like coloring, reading
books, going to the park, taking a walk, going for a
drive, etc. This helps make the iPod just one more
tool in our arsenal. With that caveat, lets look at
each of the three areas I mentioned earlier in
more detail.
iPHOTO
Even though I work as a professional
photographer, Im a big fan of iPhoto and always
have been because its so easy to do things with it.
You can plug in just about any digital camera,
quickly import your photos and powerfully sort
them into albums, events, people, locations, etc.
So for the iPod, I start by creating a new album
named after a particular activity, like say a trip to
the beach. Then you choose some pictures that
will help a child recognize this is a beach, ocean,
sand, this is me building a castle, Im with my mom,
my grandpa, etc. Ive read a bunch of books about
how to motivate children toward expanding their
perception and they recommend this approach.
The fun part is when you connect the iPod you just
choose the albums that you want to sync using
i1unes.So|'mableseLupalbumsspeci6callyfor
Max while still organizing my own photo albums.
Thats very important because we all have photos
and movies and TV shows that are just not good
for kids.
Another tip is to go on the internet and Google
Image search for basic images such as animals,
colors and recognizable household items, and
then use them to create thematic albums.
This is totally free and highly educational for
the little ones.
LOADING WEB IMAGES INTO AN ALBUM.
Something I havent had enough time to do much
of is scan favorite books and have them as images
on the iPhone. This is really practical when youre
traveling because you dont have to break your
back carrying a million books but you could still
have a whole library for your child to read.
This idea is sure to become a lot more exciting
with the iPad.
iTUNES MUSIC AND MOVIES
Children are like sponges and the younger they
are the more readily they learn new things.
Because Im Mexican, my husband is from the U.S.
and we have family in France Max is learning
Spanish, English and French. Hearing the same
phrases over and over in different languages is
critical to learning. What ultimately happens inside
the brain is that instead of seeing each language
as distinct you see one giant language with a huge
vocabulary. The different languages just become
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synonyms for the same ideas. You can really
stimulate that learning with the audio-visual
media you sync over with iTunes.
On the audio side of things you can also have a lot
of fun. You have songs and albums in different
languages, not to mention all the oral educational
content thats been released over the years. You
can also record family members reading stories so
that your child gets used to hearing stories and
also becomes more familiar with family who live
far away.
Finally, you can use sounds from the royalty-free
sound effects library in Soundtrack Pro. Its full
of sounds effects like animals and musical
instruments you can put into audio tracks.
Kids laugh a lot and learn from this; so if you
have Final Cut you have this already for free.
For every audio track you should also attach an
image that relates to the content, using the
arLwork6eldini1unes.SoundandpicLurearen'L
always relatable to kids at a younger age. You can
show a movie without the sound to child up a
certain age because the kid doesnt have that
connection made. Once they hit 4 or 5, then you
need to play the sync sound or they wonder whats
wrong. So you can start helping them make that
associative link in their brain.
When it comes to movies on the iPod you have
some different options. You can purchase and
download movies from iTunes Movie store. We got
a bunch of the Pixar movies this way like Up, Wall-E
and Finding Nemo.
We also found this TV series such as WordWorld,
which features characters shaped out of the words
theyre spelling. For example when theres a shark-
the shark is formed by the letters S-H-A-R-K- So far
they only have it in English but its great.
You can also convert movies from DVDs you own,
because theres a lot of great DVD content out
there for kids that hasnt gone onto iTunes yet.
(Now of course you should do this only with your
own DVDs and only for your own iPod, otherwise
its stealing.)
LOADING MOVIES VIA ITUNES
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We use Handbrake (handbrake.fr) to convert from
DvDLoLhem4v6leformaLLheiPodusers.
APPS
1hereareanamazingnumberofappsspeci6cally
directed at children and some apps not necessarily
intended for them but still appropriate.
LOADING A SCREEN FULL OF EDUCATIONAL APPS
For example there are lots of musical instrument
apps like Pianist, iShred for guitar, Drumkit and
Ocarina. Playing music is something that fascinates
children and its an easy, early foundation for
learning real musical instruments in the future.
Many of these apps offer a free of charge lite
version, which is great for gauging the kids
interest. I recommend upgrading to the full
version as soon as you can tell its a hit. Many of
the free versions have a series of pop-up screens
for the upgrade that can make them harder to
follow for kids and are more distracting.
Theres a series of apps called Toddler Teasers that I
love because they teach different sets of
vocabulary. Its very interactive, showing a group
of items and asking the child verbally to touch one
speci6ciLemlike,"touch the red car. When the
right item gets touched the, app applauds- its
positive reinforcement. Max has learned shapes,
colors and animals that way and its helped him to
recognize things in English he already knew in
Spanish.|L'salsoreallycuLe,afLerevery3quesLions
they get an on-screen sticker.
Theres also another series from Sesame Street
which includes Elmos Monster Maker and
Grovers Number Special. Monster Maker is a fun
one where kids learn about the parts of the face
while creating their own cute monster. In Grovers
Number Special they learn to make little recipes
for things like salads, pizza and sandwiches.
Its mostly healthy things so again, a great
multi-part lesson.
TODDLER TEASERS HELP KIDS LEARN SHAPES, NUMBERS AND MORE
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you take the time to set up appropriate
educational content on the iPod for your child,
youll get fantastic results. And a side bonus you
dont have to stay at home every night you can
go out. Some our friends with children never go
out because theyre afraid of the kids making a
scene at a restaurant or elsewhere. Kids can get
bored before the food comes but we go out
without fear with Max on occasion, because we
know we can keep him busy with something
reasonably educational.
The secret is to really get engaged and do this with
apurpose,andnoLLo|usL6llupempLyhours.
The iPod should be just one of many ways to
stimulate a kids mind. Ive noticed something
very interesting ever since our son got the iPod
touch. His way of wanting to watch something
has become very non-linear, now hell want to
rewind and review certain scenes in a movie rather
LhansimplywaLchingpassivelyfromsLarLLo6nish.
Just like an editor...
Max is now 2 and speaks English and Spanish
interchangeably with a good smattering of French.
When I was a kid his age I was playing with very
analog things like rattle and teddy bears.
Im looking forward to seeing what this new
technology is going to do for the little ones
seeing how much Max has already learned.
This can only be a good thing.
HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL APPS WE RECOMMEND
Animals Sound Machine and
Vehicle Sound Machine are very basic sound
generators but great for really young children.
Bubble is a very fun and simple application
for very young ones as well.
I Hear Ewe and I See Ewe. You see an animal,
then you hear its name and the sound it makes
because it comes in multiple languages like
English, Spanish, German and Chinese.
Koi Pond is meant for adults but its also fun
and calming for the little ones.
ABC Animals teaches kids how to form letters
and how to spell.
Scribble is a great drawing app that also helps
teach colors.
Bumblebee Touchbook reads a book along with
the child and highlights each word as its spoken.
Learn to Talk this has different categories of
ashcardsformaLchingwordsandimages.|L
teaches both individual words and concepts.

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LEARN TO TALKS LITE VERSION THAT YOU CAN TRY FREE
FIG. 6 - ANIMALS SOUND MACHINE APP
MNICA REINA was born and raised in Mexico City
where she runs the Mexico Final Cut Pro Users
Group(MLX|PUG).ShegraduaLedwiLhaMasLer's
Degree in Cinematography from The University
Center of Film Studies (CUEC). After graduation,
Mnica spent ten years as director of Latin
American6lmforLheNanLesPilmPesLivalinPrance
andproducesseveralindependenL6lmpro|ecLs
each year.
|n2006sheexecuLive-producedMezcal,an
independent feature, which went on to win several
festival awards and six Arieles (the Mexican
Oscars). Mnica also co-sponsors and provides
LechnicalsupporLLoleadingMexican6lmfesLivals,
including FICCO (International Contemporary Film
Festival) and the Acapulco and Guanajuato
International Film Festivals.
Mnica is also the founder and CEO of
Simplemente, one of Mexico Citys premier digital
cinema centers. Simplementes clients include a
wide variety of Mexicos working independent and
sLudio6lmmakersand1elevisa,Lheworld'slargesL
Spanish-language broadcaster.
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FIGURE 3.1 SCREENR SCREENCAST
1
MAKE A SCREENCAST
Hey wait a minute, you dont even need a
camera to make video for the Internet.
You can record whats on your screen.
Lets say you want to make a video of some activity
on your computer. The easy way to do that is to
make a screencast (see Figure 3.1), a recording of
your computer screen.
A screencast lets you record what happens on
your computer screen, computer audio, and
microphone at the same time. Optionally you
could also record from a video camera, but
that would defeat the purpose of the title of
this section. Hmm, maybe I need to re-title
this section?
Lets take a look at making a video using a free
online screencast tool as well as a few other
methods for including photo slideshows.
Learn how to have animated characters do
your talking for you!
JING
A nice tool you can use to create a screencast is a
web application called Jing.
2
You dont even have
to download or purchase Jing to get started.
All you have to do is visit www.jingproject.com.
With Jing, you start it up, press record, and then
anything that you display on your computer
screenisrecorded,allaudio,Loo,forupLo6ve
minutes. Theres also a Pro version of Jing
3
that
supporLsMPLG-4/H.264andYou1ubeuploads.
1hefreeversionrecordsSWPvideo6leswhich
can be played by Adobe Flash player...
FOUR STEPS
Step 1: Start up Jing. Click the crosshairs to select
what you want to record. You can place your
cursor in the window you want to record and click
to select it.
Step 2: In the menu at the bottom of the screen,
Click Capture a Video. A countdown starts and
then you start recording.
Step 3: When you are done, Click the STOP button.
Step 4: You can click Play to check your recording.
Then Click Screencast.com to upload the video.
When you are done recording your screencast, you
have the option to save it, or to upload it for free to
screeencast.com. Hosting on screencast.com is
also free for 2GB of storage space, and 2GB of
monthly bandwidth. You can upgrade screencast.
com hosting to a Pro version.
4
The Pro version
allows 25GB of storage space and 200GB of
monthly bandwidth. The Pro version also lets you
customize what appears to viewers.
I recorded an example screencast
5
of all the web
sites I posted to my Twitter stream one day.
So if you dont want to be on camera, but still want
to make web video, a screencast is a great way to
be creative, and stay behind the scenes.
OTHER WEB-BASED SCREENCAST OPTIONS
Screenjelly
6
is a web site that allows you to
record whats on your screen and add voice.
The Screenjelly site allows you to make up to a
three-minute recording. A drop-down menu
allows you to choose which microphone to use,
or to not record video at all.
Another web-based screencast application is
Screenr.
7
I guess I could call it a ScreencastTwitter
but that might be somewhat ridiculous, although
you sign into this web-based screen casting
application via Twitter. Record your screencast,
then you can optionally send out a link to
your screencast to Twitter. You can also publish
to YouTube or embed the screencast on
your own site.
Making Videos Without a Video Camera
S
T
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V
E

G
A
R
F
I
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L
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SCREENCAST SOFTWARE OPTIONS
QuickTime X, included with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard,
now includes a screen capture feature.
Other Mac screen recording applications include SnapZ Pro X
,8

ScreenFlow
,9
and iShowU HD and HD Pro
.10
PC screen recording applications include Camtasia Studio
11
,
which also works on the Mac, and Adobe Captivate.
12
MAKE A VIDEO SLIDE SHOW WITH IPHOTO
This is for Mac users. iPhoto has a feature that lets you create a movie out
of your photos. You click the Slideshow button and choose how you
want your slide show to look. You can modify how the slide show looks
by clicking the Gear icon on the running slide shows pop-up menu.
The options you can control are Theme, Music, and Settings.
Then export the slide show to disk.
FIVE STEPS
Step 1: Put the photos you want to use in a Photo Album. To do this,
select the photos and choose File, Make new folder from selection.
Step 2: Select that Photo Album and choose File, Export.
Step 3: Click Slideshow. Choose the size in the Export Photos Dialog Box.
Uncheck Automatically send slideshow to iTunes if you dont want the
exported video in iTunes. Click Export.
Step 4: Choose where you want to save it. The default location is the
iPhoto Slideshows folder. Click OK.
Step 5: Upload the slide show to the Web. See the How to Upload a
Video to YouTube and How to Upload a Video to Facebook sections in
ChapLer6.
Heres a sample video slide show I made of my neighborhoods First
Thursday Kickoff 2009 using photos, music and iPhoto.
13
MAKE A PHOTO SLIDESHOW WITH ANIMOTO
Animoto rocks! Its so easy to make a slide show with it. You can make
30-seconds-longslideshowsseLLomusicwiLhAnimoLo,
14
and there is no
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cosL.Pull-lengLhvideocosLs$3andcanbe
downloaded.AnAll-AccesspasscosLs$30Lomake
and download unlimited videos. Use Animoto Pro
for commercial use.
SEVEN STEPS
Step 1: Click Create Video.
Step 2: Choose your video type: Animoto Short
or Full-Length.
Step 3: Get your images. Upload from your
computer, Retrieve from another site, or select
from their collection.
Step 4:AddLexL,roLaLeand/orspoLlighLimages.
Click Continue.
Step 5: Get your music. Select from their collection
or Upload from your computer. Save and Continue.
Step 6: Customize the video length, image pacing,
and video cover screen. Click Continue.
Step 7: Click Create Video.
Once created, your options are to Remix, Email,
Post online, Download, Send to YouTube, or
upgrade to DVD quality.
Heres a sample video I made with three photos
and three pieces of text.
15

INTERVIEW: PHOTOGRAPHYWILLIAM MARK SALSBURY
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW WILLIAM MARK SALSBURY
WilliamMarkSalsbury6guredouLhowLomake
videos from his photographs without knowing
how to edit video. He uses Animoto.
Salsbury is a producer, director, and event
photographer as well as media correspondent and
consultant. Salsbury writes articles on events and
helps to set up interviews and stories for
TechZulu.
16
Salsbury is on the Web on Tumblr,
wmmarc.tumblr.com,
19
Facebook, and Flickr, and
his Twitter name is the same thing, wmmarc.
STEVE GARFIELD: HOW DO YOU USE VIDEO IN YOUR
PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS?
William Marc Salsbury: Theres a company called
Animoto.
17
It takes your photographs and puts them
all together and basically creates a music video with
all sorts of animation and it just looks amazing. It
takes my photographs that I think, quite frankly Ive
been told, they look really good, and make them look
spectacular, but as a medium, video has a much
better ability to share with people. So, whenever I
have my iPhone, I go and I whip it out. I just take it
out and I show them a video
18
of what it is that I do.
5o, lnstecJ of belng cble to hcve them l through
one or two pictures at a time, I will click the video on
and then they can see it and this is what Animoto
does. It takes these pictures and puts something into
a platform and a medium that is just so much easier
to digest. So, as far as video goes, I think that any
photographer really has that in mind.
MAKE ROBOTS DO YOUR BIDDING AND TALK FOR YOU
FIGURE 3.2 TALKING ROBOTS: TURN TEXT INTO MOVIE
Another cool way to make videos without a
camera is with the web site xtranormal.
20

XLranormal(see llgure 3.2) is a web site that makes
talking animations based on your text.
All you do is type in text and drag in camera
directions, and xtranormal makes a video for you
using animation.
Heres one I made to promote my friend John
Hermans video blog, Strange Deaths.
21

The free account is lots of fun. Upgrade to a
premium account and you can make longer
movies with no post-roll advertisements.
You also get high-quality downloads.
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STEVE GARFIELD is author of the book Get Seen:
Online Video Secrets for Building your business
and is founder of Boston Media Makers.
Gar6eldworkswiLhandadvisesPorLune500
brands such as AT&T, Kodak, Nokia, and Panasonic,
and media outlets including CBS, NBC and PBS.
NaLionallyfeaLuredonCNN,Gar6eldisLhe
Boston correspondent for the pioneering video
podcast Rocketboom and a longtime video
blogging expert.
He lectures on new media at Boston University,
NorLheasLernandLmersonCollege.Gar6eldalso
serves as an advisor to many of the Webs early
video startups.
REMIX, REUSE, RECYCLE
WGBH has a wealth of videos that theyve made
public for you to use in your own projects.
22
You can download these clips and use them in
your own projects as long as you attribute the
work to The WGBH Educational Foundation and
provide a link to the Creative Commons license.
The Internet Archive
23
isalsoagoodsiLeLo6nd
videos that you can use in your own projects.
Share your own videos there for others to use too.
Excerpted with permission from the publisher,
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., from Get Seen: Online
Video Secrets to Building Your Business, by Steve
Gar6eld.CopyrighL2010bySLeveGar6eld.

CHAPTER 3 MAKING VIDEOS WITHOUT A VIDEO CAMERA
1. screenr.com
2. www.jingproject.com
5. screencast.com
6. www.screenjelly.com
7. screenr.com
8. www.ambrosiasw.com
9. www.telestream.net
10. store.shinywhitebox.com
11. www.techsmith.com
12. tryit.adobe.com
13. www.youtube.com
14. hLLp://animoLo.com
15. animoto.com
16. Lechzulu.com/
17. hLLp://animoLo.com
18. animoto.com
19. wmmarc.tumblr.com
20 www.xLranormal.com/
21. biL.ly/811|H
22. lab.wgbh.org
23. www.archive.org
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What is Final Cut Server to me?
The concept of Final Cut Server is a simple one.
If you do a little research and ponder the
possibilities, you should come to the realization
that Final Cut Server [FCSVR] can be just about
anything to anyone. However, I have spoken to
many people that think the idea of FCSVR is great,
but dont see how it applies to them. I have even
met people that bought FCSVR and never even
opened the box simply because they couldnt
6gureouLwhaLiLcouldreallydoforLhem.
So what is FCSVR to you? Well that depends on
who you are and what you require in your post-
producLionworkow.SinceweareallbeauLiful
snowakes,noLoneofusLhesame,Lhedemands
placed on FCSVR to be everything to all of us are
vast. FCSVR starts with a base that is rooted in that
whichweallneed:6lemanagemenL,Lask
management and, most importantly,
con6gurabiliLy.1haLlasLpoinLisprobablymosL
imporLanLasiLisupLoyouLomakePCSvP6L
seamlesslyinLoyourworkow.AllLheLoolsare
there to make this a reality.
NOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT FCSVR IS TO YOU?
Probably not.
Go toapple.com/6nalcuLserverand you will see
there is actually a page named What is Final Cut
Server? This page offers a six-part answer:
Easy Asset Cataloging
Blazing-Fast Searches
Point-and-Click Automation
Seamless Collaboration
Multi-format Delivery
PlexibleCon6guraLion
According to this, FCSVR is nothing more than a
exiblecon6guraLionofdaLabase,searchengine,
automation server and collaborative and delivery
depots. Any or all of these features can exist in any
givenworkow.|LisLheamounLofuLilizaLionof
eachfeaLureLhaLde6nesPCSvPforeachofus.
IS THAT THE DEFINITION OF FCSVR?
Hardly.
PCSvPismoreLhan|usLcon6guredsofLware.
It is really an environment of clients and servers
working collaboratively. Considerations need to
bemadeforhardwareaswellasworkow.Luckily,
FCSVR has a price tag that meets even meager
producLionbudgeLsandisscalableLo6Lvarying
hardware environments. Price will generally
dictate the scope of your hardware environment
which, in turn, will determine the capabilities of
FCSVR. FCSVR can run on anything from a fully-
loadedXserveLoaMac8ookPro(likeLheone|am
typing this article on, which has FCSVR installed on
it.) FCSVR can utilize storage that is spread across a
LAN or direct-attached via Firewire or eSATA.
PCSvPcanalsoleverageLhepowerofa6ber-
attached SAN.
WHICH HARDWARE ENVIRONMENT IS OPTIMAL?
whlchever hts your neeJs.
Now we know that FCSVR has a bunch of features
that we can employ to multiple degrees in a
hardwareenvironmenLLhaLcanscaleLo6Luser
and6nancialneeds.SuchavaguecommenLcould
beconsideredLheopposiLeofLhe6rsLsLaLemenL
ofLhisarLicle.HowcansuchavasLlycon6gurable
product exist as a simple concept? I defer to my
similarly vague answer that FCSVR can be anything
Loanyone.1hebesLwayLode6nePCSvPisLo
take a look at how several types of users might
deploy it.
Final Cut Server
What have you done for me lately?
K
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S
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E
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Snow 100: AN lntro to MacOS v10.6
Snow 101: Mac OS Support Essent|a|s
Snow 201: Mac OS Server Essent|a|s
Snow 301: MacOS D|rectory Serv|ces
Snow 302: Mac OS Dep|oyment
Snow 303: MacOS Secur|ty and
Mob|||ty Aperture 100 An Overv|ew of
101 An lntroduct|on to Oo|or OM 101 An
lntroduct|on to Oo|or Management DvDSP
101 An lntroduct|on to DvD Stud|o Pro FOE
101 An lntroduct|on to F|na| Out Express
HD FOP 100 An Overv|ew of F|na| Out Pro
FOP 101 An lntruct|on to F|na| Out Pro 6
FOP 200 A Oomprehens|ve Study of F|na| Out
Pro FOP 300 Advanced Ed|t|ngTechn|ques
|n F|na| Out ProFOP 400 Opt|m|z|ng Your
F|na| Out Pro System FOS 101 Mot|on
Graph|cs and Effects |n F|na| Out Stud|o
|og|c 101 An lntroduct|on to |og|c Express
7 and |og|c Pro 7 |og|c 301 Advanced
Techn|ques |n |og|c Pro 7 Mot|on 101 A
Oomprehens|ve Study of Mot|on 3 Mot|on
200: A Oomprehens|ve Study of Mot|on 2
Shake 200 A Oomprehens|ve Study of Shake
4 san 410 san for Pro v|deo STP 101 An
lntroduct|on to Soundtrack Pro 2
Get a Mac. Get Trained. Get Certified.
MACSPECIALIST
234 West Roosevelt Road | villa Park, lL 60181 | P: 630.858.0000
^^^ THJZWLJP HS P Z[ JVT [ Y HP UP UN
AsaconsulLanL,|haveLomakerecommendaLionsLhaL6LaclienL'sneeds
and capabilities. Using models of several client types, the following
scenarios will outline what I would take into consideration when placing
PCSvPinaworkowandwhaLsoluLion|wouldrecommendLo
get there.
MODEL #1: THE START-UP
Lets start small. An adventurous young editor decides to take it
upon themselves to become a master of their profession, both
aesthetically and technologically. This bright young mind is going
LodobigLhingsoneday.8uL6rsL,Lhereisasmallproblemof6nances
and lack of support.
This user is working as often as possible, sometimes on multiple jobs
at once and sometimes on no jobs at all. Our user has a workstation
LhaL6LsLhebudgeLanddoesLhe|ob,buLiLdoesnoLhaveexpansion
capability. There is an opportunity to make the existing jobs more
pro6LableifLhisusercould|usL6ndawayLodecreaseLheamounL
of labor necessary to complete each job. But fancy new equipment
or an assistant isnt in the cards for now.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A POTENTIAL FCSVR USER?
Of course.
PCSvPhasasmallpriceLag.AndiLwillrunonMacOSXclienL.AllLhis
user needs is a dedicated machine to run the software and possibly
some additional storage. Mac Mini or Mac Mini Server should be able
to run a simple implementation of FCSVR.
I would have FCSVR act as a catalog for assets. Order and organization
can save small amounts of time in each project. Small increments of
LimesavedcanaddupLosigni6canLincreasesinpro6LabiliLyoverLime.
FCSVR will also be serving up automation to make each job more
streamlined. Every project eventually reaches a stage that calls for
deliveryofa6nalproducLorproducLs.1heprocessofencoding,
managing and transferring those deliverables in a single workstation
environment can slow or halt production while you watch a progress
bar slowly crawl across the screen. By pushing the jobs off to a separate
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workstation that can take its time executing
several standardized encoding tasks, our bright
young editor is freed up to move on to the next
project or possibly even to market his or her
services to attain more work.
Finally, the FCSVR catalog will be managed over
time with automations that tell our young editor
when it is time to archive or purge old assets.
Since price was an initial issue, our user will
appreciaLeaworkowLhaLhelpsLomainLain
ef6cienLuseofexisLingsLorage.
MODEL #2: THE THRIVING MEDIA BOUTIQUE
Our next case study is a journeyman editor
working as part of a very talented team of editors
and motion designers with a few interns sprinkled
in for good measure. This team stays pretty busy.
Each team member has a dedicated workstation.
Each team member has dedicated storage. Sharing
media involves transferring it to hard drives that
oaLfromdeskLodesk.1heLeamwouldloveLo
haveawayLosharemoreef6cienLlyandeven
move away from handling multiple storage
devices.1hereismoneyLoinvesL,buLanXsanis
out of the question.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A POTENTIAL FCSVR USER?
You bet.
This environment should be designed with growth
in mind. Having a roadmap for your companys
future helps to plan hardware purchases,
deLermine6nancingopLionsLhaL6Lyourpro|ecLed
income and harbor a feeling of security knowing
that you will be in business at least until the end
of that timeline.
Centralizing asset storage and managing it with
FCSVR will help this team continue to grow. I will
recommend6berconnecLionsLoLhesLorageasiL
provides a major component for growth into a
fuLureXsanimplemenLaLion.Xservesarede6niLely
the way to go here, especially if you plan on
expanding now to facilitate future growth.
One server for FCSVR and one server to manage
neLworkingandLAN6le-sharingisrecommended.
Ensure that your LAN can manage editors and
other staff that may need access to FCSVR, based
onboLhcurrenLandpro|ecLedsLaf6ngnumbers.
1hisPCSvPworkowwillemphasizecollaboraLion.
Collaboration is facilitated in several ways
including standardized metadata structures.
Having a set of metadata that all users share makes
iLeasierLo6ndyourasseLsinalargepoolof
current and expired assets. Expansion will apply to
sLaf6ngoneday.|fyoudevelopanddocumenL
your metadata structure now, your new staff will
be able to settle right in to your methods with
lower training requirements.
Permissions sets will be applied to allow necessary
access while maintaining appropriate levels of
autonomy. Your interns may be great and helpful
workers. However, all it takes is one inexperienced
hand to start touching assets and several projects
may experience a loss of productivity.
Automations will be put in place to utilize an
assets status in order to help increase
communication within your production team.
Have you ever had to deal with a producer
bugging you about the status of those changes
that were requested? Or have you ever been
waiting for a group of assets to be made available
onlyLo6ndouLLheyhavebeenonaharddrive
inLheof6cenexLdoorforLhepasLLhreehours!
Rest assured, this will be a thing of the past.
MODEL #3: THE FULLY-LOADED MEDIA FACILITY
Finally we make it to the cutting-edge, top-of-the-
line, industry-leading media production facility.
These users work in an environment with no
restrictions. Investment into new technology is
constantly available to this user. State-of-the-art
is the name of the game.
This user will be working on a decked-out
worksLaLionLhaLis6ber-aLLachedLoanXsan
wiLhmulLipleXservemeLadaLaconLrollers,
havemulLipleXservesmanagingPCSvPand
distributed processing for Compressor, and
large RAIDs backed up to industry-standard tape
libraries. This user wont be slowed down by lack
of capabilities.
Shared SAN storage will turn FCSVR into a Media
Browser for all users. Drag-and-drop interaction
will increase the productivity of creatives
accessing the vast library of assets.
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FCSVR should be managing loads of assets from
production to nearline to archive. All of these
assets will be maintained with strict metadata
guidelines so that sales personnel, art directors
and creatives can scan through the companys
entire portfolio.
Automations will be set up to keep a constant
sLreamofcommunicaLionowingbeLweenall
levels of production and approval. Every asset
and project will be labeled with a status that tells
iLsexacLspoLinLheoverallworkow.Lmails
are generated based on status changes and
other activity.
Most likely there is a graphics departments that has
adopted a digital asset manager [DAM] solution for
managing and delivering assets in print and new
medias. As the video or rich media department
may need to retrieve assets from or send
deliverables to the DAM, custom automations and
scripting will integrate the two systems seamlessly.
THE WRAP-UP
What is FCSVR to you? Well, that depends a lot on
who you are and what you want to accomplish.
If you have been nervous or dismissive about
PCSvP,assumingiLwon'L6Lyourneeds,pleasedo
more research. This software is very young and has
so much potential. Start small and grow your
FCSVR as you become more comfortable with it.
I feel the biggest selling point of this software is
the fact that it is new and exciting. FCSVR is going
places while, at the same time, still very
manageable. If you take the steps to integrate
PCSvPnow,yourworkowwillmaLureasLhe
software matures.
The investments you expend now and integrating
and maintaining for the future could be drastically
less than the costs of integrating from scratch later.
Also,youwillalways6ndyourselfonLhecuLLing
edge of our profession.

KEVIN SHEA is the Training Manager and an Apple
CerLi6ed1rainerwiLhMacSpecialisL,anApple
Authorized Training Center based in Chicago, IL. He
has been working in the media production industry
in the Chicago area for nearly 5 years. Kevin is a
volunteer board member for the Chicago Final Cut
Pro User Group. Kevin has been teaching Final Cut
SLudioforover3yearshaswriLLenseveralarLicles
for Larry Jordans Edit Well newsletter.
Kevin Shea
1rainingManager&CerLi6ed1rainer|MacSpecialisL
kevins@macspecialist.com
www.macspecialist.com | LinkedIn
234WesLPoosevelL|villaPark,|L60181
1:630.858.0000x821|C:630.706.1986
P:630.559.0186
500NorLhWells|Chicago,|L60610
1:312.755.0000|P:312.410.9011
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Its pretty seductive having all of those tracks in
Final Cut Pro, isnt it? Youve heard Walter Murch
talk about using 99 audio tracks, and youve
seen the demos of editors who cut visual effects
with their timelines stacked to the skies with
video tracks.
Its pretty cool, isnt it? But there are times to use all
of those tracks and times that you shouldnt.
|runLheediLingdeparLmenLaLLhe6lmschoolaL
the University of Southern California. That means
that Im partly responsible for guiding the learning
experience of the hundreds of students who are
ediLingLheirshorL6lmseverysemesLer(|LhinkLhaL
they have the lions share of that responsibility).
Part of that teaching involves the aesthetics of
editing, but another increasingly important subject
is the all important aspect of organization how to
think ahead and to create systems that will prevent
needless work later in the process.
One thing that I see rampant among editors who
have taught themselves how to edit is something
that I also see many of the editors at USC do all the
time editing with multiple video tracks. Its a habit
that is sometimes useful but is rarely used by
experienced editors, except in key situations.
Lets examine the ways that using multiple tracks
can be used for bad and for good.
USING MULTIPLE TRACKS FOR EDITING BADLY
LeL'ssayLhaLyou'recuLLingscene56foryourlaLesL
6lm.You'vegoLanicewideshoLLhaLseemsLoseL
LhepaceforLhescene,slaLed56-3(whichmeans
LheLhirdLakeofLhe6rsLseL-upshoLforscene56),
so you begin with that on track V1. Then you start
to look at the close-ups for one of the characters
and decide that you like his performance from take
56D-2A(LhismeansLhesecondLakefromLhe"A"
cameraofLhe6fLhseLuponscene56)andwanLLo
cut to that.
So you select the take and drop it onto V2 at
LhepoinLwhereyou'dlikeiLLocuLouLof56-3.
Because it comes on a higher track, it will take
precedence over the wide shot and, upon playback,
you'llsee56-3cuLLo56D-2A,exacLlyaLLheframe
that youd like.
And every time you want to cut away from that
master shot, you put the piece of coverage on a
higher track. Pretty soon youve got a timeline that
looks like Figure 1. That sounds pretty easy, right?
Wrong. This is the sloppiest way of performing an
edit and can lead you into many problems down
Lheline,especiallyifyouareusinganonline/ofine
workowwhereyouneedLogobackandconform
a higher resolution video (such as the Red 2K or 4K
6les)LoyourlowerresoluLion/proxyediL.AlmosLno
professional editor who I know works in that way.
Instead, it is much better if you put all of your edits
onto a single track in your timeline (see Figure 2).
If youre not sure which frame youd like to edit on,
make your edit and then use the Slide Tool, or
Dynamic1rimming,Lo6ndLheexacLframe.
But keep all of your edits on one video track,
typically V1.
There are several reasons for this approach, but a
ma|oroneisLhaL6nishingapro|ecLinmosL
external programs (such as Flame or Color) require
you to work off of a single track in your timeline.
MosLofLhese6nishingprogramscanonlywork
with one track at a time, especially if you are
6nishinginanonlinesuiLewiLhexporLedLdiL
Stacking The Deck
N
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H
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L
L
Y
N
FIG. 2
FIG. 1
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Decision Lists (EDLs). If youve got material sitting
on video tracks that you dont really need, youre
going to have to conform one track at a time. As a
result, you will be conforming extra material that
you dont need, getting charged for expensive time
that you dont need, and creating complications in
the conform.
Okay, you say. But why cant I edit with multiple
tracks and then drag everything to a single track
righLbefore|goLo6nish!
Well, of course you can. However, complications are
Lheenemyofef6ciency.|fyou'reneedLomakea
ten frame adjustment on V2, but youve got sync
dialogueLracksonv1andv3,you'regoingLohave
to make sure that all of your tracks are highlighted,
check that your Auto-Select controls are properly
lit, and verify that the tracks are correctly locked or
unlocked. Depending on how many video tracks
youre using, the chances of you throwing your
carefully crafted musical cue, or a complicated
visual effect, out of sync can be quite high.
And that can be quite embarrassing when youve
got a director or a client in the room with you,
watching you and the clock with large amounts
of anxiety.
USING MULTIPLE TRACKS FOR EDITING INTELLIGENTLY
There are, of course, times when youll need to
stack multiple tracks and most of these have to do
when you need to create an image from two or
more pieces of original material.
|nLheexampleinPigure3,Lakenfrommybook
The Film Editing Room Handbook, 4th Edition
(except here you get to see it in color), there was a
take of a piece of paper on a table which was shot
before the production knew what buildings photo
was going to be on the paper. Later on in the
production, it was decided to put a church exterior
on the paper. It was also decided to add a pen
onto the desk next to the paper.
This required combining three shots a
phoLographofLhechurch(85L-6),LheoriginalshoL
ofLheblankpaperonLheLable(85-5)andasLill
shot of a pen. Since elements of all three of these
images need to be on screen, the images need to
be stacked and manipulated using Final Cuts
Motion tabs.
The same is true for split screens, titles over picture
and most matte work.
In this case, stacking multiple tracks is, obviously,
necessary. There is no way that you can create this
effect without them, and pretty much every editor
uses tracks like this.
USING MULTIPLE TRACKS FOR ORGANIZATION
But there is one type of track stacking that most
self-taught editors never think about, and it is used
frequenLlyin6lmswiLhvisualeffecLs-which
means that it used almost all of the time.
Even simple visual effects shots often go through
several iterations before they are accepted by the
producers, directors and editors for their projects.
Keeping track of all of the versions, and making
sureLhaLonlyLheapprovedand6nalversionends
up in your completed project is not a simple task,
especially if youre continuing to edit all the way
until the projects deadline. Using tracks can help
simplify that.
In the example in Figure 4, our editor has created
a template for an explosion effect that is created
usingacombinaLionof56D-18andavisualeffecLs
plaLe,namedvPX56C-3A(onv1andv2).1hose
shots, along with an absurd amount of paperwork,
then went to the visual effects house so they
could begin creating the shot, combining it with
acomplicaLed3DexplosioneffecLLhaLwas
created there.
WhenLhe6rsLmock-upofLheshoLcamebackfrom
LhaLvPXhouseiLwasnamed056LXPLO_315_v01.
mov because it was a QuickTime movie for scene
56,designedforvisualeffecLsshoLnumber315by
the editor. Every editor has their own numbering
system. For this one, the editor estimated a number
for each shot that was planned before shooting,
beginning with shot 50 and going through the
enLire6lmsequenLially,skippingaliberalnumber
of shot numbers in case new shots were added
during production or post-production.
The editor cut that QuickTime movie in right over
the shots that he or she had stacked on V1 and V2,
inserLingiLonLoLrackv3.1hedirecLor,ediLorand
vPXsupervisormeLanddecidedhowLoimprove
LheshoL,soLhevPXhousecreaLedasecond
version, then a third version, and then a fourth,
FIG. 3
FIG. 4
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until they arrived at a composite that included all of the elements.
They then began tweaking the timing and sizing of all of those elements,
creaLingversions6ve,sixandseven,whichwasLheversionLhaLwas
6nallyapprovedbyeveryone.1hesecomposiLeshoLswereLiLledwiLhLhe
added designation comp to differentiate them from earlier versions of
the shot, which would not have had all of the pieces.
Here is where the use of multiple tracks came in handy. As each new
QuickTime version of the effect came in the editor cut it on to successively
higher track numbers so that the director would see the latest version as
the timeline was played. However, it was easy for the editor to switch off
the track visibility lights when the director asked Can I see the last version
and compare? or Can I see the version from last week?
You could stack every version of the effect so you had every possible
variation for the director. However, it is cumbersome to work with too
many video tracks, so many editors keep no more than three versions of
vPXshoLssLacked.1heyroLaLeLheshoLssoLhelaLesLLhreearealways
stacked (previous versions are always available on earlier versions of the
timeline) and the latest is always on top. Some editors prefer to keep the
latest version on the bottom, but the concept is the same stack the
effects so multiple versions of the shot can be easily accessed, as well as
the original material.
|alsolikeLocolorcodeLhefooLagesoLhaLLheapproved,6nalshoLis
given a green label, while earlier non-approved versions are labeled in red
(think of the red and green colors on a stop signal for stop and go).
OriginalvPXmaLerialisofLengivenanoLhercolor-inLhiscase,amber.
There is another way in which I like to use stacked tracks, and that is when
|amhandingLhesequenceoverLomyonlinehousefor6nishing-
compositing, color correction, and compositing.
As Ive said earlier, online houses can normally handle only one video
track at a time. For that reason, they like to have all of the original material
separaLedfromLhevisualeffecLsshoLsLhaLLhevPXhousedeliversLoyou,
as well as the simple opticals (such as green screen or speed effects).
In that way, they can handle each one differently from each other as they
assemble and color correct the project.
I like to organize my timeline so that every shot that comes from the
The Lean Forward Moment: Create Compelling
Stories for Film, TV, and the Web
(ISBN 0-321-58545-3)
Norman Hollyns The Lean Forward Moment
speaks volumes about the art and craft of
lmmaking. His elegant explanations of editorial
choices and creative decisions tell the full story. It
is a serious work and it will be a resource for every
emerging lmmaker
IAN CALDERON, Director of Digital Initiatives,
Sundance Institute.
The Film Editing Room Handbook:
How to Tame the Chaos of the Editing Room,
Fourth Edition
(ISBN 0-321-67952-0)
This is a wonderful book that explains the
complexities of the editing room assistants job
with clarity and wit.
ALAN HEIM, A.C.E, Oscar-winning editor and
former president of American Cinema Editors
Stay on the cutting edge _Q\PM[[MV\QITTUJWWS[NZWUNorman Hollyn,
About the author
Norman Hollyn (normanhollyn.com) is an Associate Professor and Head of
the Editing Track at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern
California, regarded as one of the top lm schools in the world. As a picture
editor and music editor, Norman has worked on a range of projects in lm and
television, and with lmmaking greats such as Alan J. Pakula, Sidney Lumet, and
Francis Ford Coppola. He is an Expert Witness for court cases involving media,
entertainment, and technology; speaks and leads panels at conferences throughout the world;
and judges at lm festivals. Norman is also a post-production and educational consultant, as
well as co-host with Larry Jordan of the videocast 2 Reel Guys www.2reelguys.com
Norman can be reached at 323-275-1869
About the author
norman.hollyn@gmail.com
editor, professor and education
and post-production consultant
HollynAd.indd 1 3/12/10 2:12:14 PM
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NORMAN HOLLYN is an editor, writer and consultant
who is an Associate Professor and Editing Track
Head at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His last
two books are The Lean Forward Moment
(onbeLLersLoryLellingin6lm,Lelevisionandweb
projects) and the fourth edition of The Film
Editing Room Handbook (on modern editing
room techniques). He has taught and spoken at
conferences and workshops around the world,
and has consulted for companies as varied as
Dreamworks and Pixar Animation on storytelling
and editing. He can be reached at
norman.hollyn@gmail.com,323-275-1869,
or on Twitter at schnittman.
Norman Hollyn
Associate Professor, Editing Track Head
School of Cinematic Arts
University of Southern California
900WesL34LhSLreeL,SCA428
LosAngeles,CA90089-2211
323/275-1869off
original photography is on V1, every shot that
needs optical work (such as simple compositing) is
onv2,andeveryLhingbeingshippedfromLhevPX
houseisoniLsownLrack-v3(seePigure5).|would
then remove all of the rejected (red) versions of the
effecLsdeliveredfromLhevPXhouse,leavingonly
Lhegreen/approvedversionofshoL316onv3.
AshoLLhaLisbeingcomposiLed(56P-8P)isonv2,
and all of the original photographed footage is
on V1.
ITS EASIER THAN IT LOOKS!
The bottom line here is that stacking layers should
only be used when it is necessary to either create
an effect that requires multiple layers, or to help
organizelargeamounLsofvPXmaLerialLhaLcould
quickly get confusing for both you and your
6nishinghouse.
Stacking tracks is not always a bad idea just when
youre using it as lazy editing.

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In Final Cut Pro version 6 and earlier, if you
wanted to create a freeze frame, you would park
your playhead over the frame you wanted to
freeze, press Shift-N to create the freeze, set the
duration in the Viewer, then insert edit the
freeze into the timeline at the playhead location.
The problem with this method is that if there were
any audio tracks directly below the inserted clip,
they would be split and moved later in time to
accommodate the freeze.
UsingPinalCuLPro7'snewSpeedSegmenL
dialogue, creating freezes is simple and your audio
is never affected. In order to see whats going on
with the clips speed, I recommend turning on the
keyframe overlay.
The vertical lines below the clip are called speed
ticks and are very helpful for evaluating how your
speed effects are being applied and distributed
throughout the clip.
To create the freeze, make sure your playhead is
parked over the frame you want to freeze. Move
you mouse pointer into the speed tick zone your
pointer will become a pen icon. Click once to set a
speed keyframe.
Lets say you wanted to create a 1 second freeze
frame. Press the shift key and tap your right arrow
to move the playhead one second later. Create
another speed keyframe at the playhead location
with the pen tool.
Speed segment are created by pairs of speed
keyframes.1he6rsLsegmenLfallsbeLweenLhe
6rsLandsecondkeyframe,LhesecondsegmenL
between the second and third keyframe,
and the third segment between the third and
forth keyframe.
Segment Freeze Frames in Final Cut Pro 7
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v
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With segments you can control the speed of a
particular segment as if it was its own separate clip.
Right-click between the second and third keyframe
(segment 2), and choose change speed segment.
The Change Speed Segment window will appear.
|nLheraLe6eld,enLerazeropercenLagevalue
and press return.
In the timeline a single elongated tick appears
between segment 2 that indicates a freeze.
The speed of segment 1 is still at 100% speed,
buLsegmenL3,wasspedupabiLasindicaLed
by the ticks that are closer together.
Here'swhyLhisoccurred:clipsalwayshavea6xed
duraLionwiLha6xednumberofframes.LeLssayfor
argumenLsake,LhaLyouhadaclipLhaLwas300
frameslong(10secondsaL30fps).|fyouseLyour
freezeaLframe275andheldLhaLframefor1
second,Lhenframes276Lo300wouldneedLobe
compressed or sped up in order to ht"all300
frames within the 10 second duration. Because the
clip is divided into segments, each one can be
treated like a separate clip. Therefore, returning the
last segment to 100% is a simple matter. Right click
inLhespeedLicksinsegmenL3,andchoose
Change Speed Segment.
As you can see in the image below, the speed
percentage is rather high. Enter 100 into the rate
6eldandpressreLurn.
If you look at the ticks before and after the freeze,
LheyareevenlyspacedreecLing100%speed
before and after the freeze. And the best part is,
the audio is not affected at all.

222
STEVE MARTIN is the president and founder
of Ripple Training.SLevehasover18yearsof
experience as an editor, producer and trainer.
He has taught workshops at NAB, Macworld,
DV Expo, QuickTime Live and the American Film
Institute. He is currently a lead instructor for
Apple'sCerLi6edProLrainingprogram.
Master Plnal Cut Studlo
www.rippIetraining.com
P0 ox 12171
Prescott, AZ. 86304
928-541-0202
Use this code when ordering online before April 30th
and get 15% off your purchase: nabsupermeet
Worldwide, Ripple Training`s tutorials are considered the
most comprehensive and to-the-point tutorials on the
market. We create tutorials covering all aspects of Final
Cut Studio, from beginning to advanced, and all our train-
ing is available in either DVD-ROM or iTunes Editions.
Features FS-H200 FS-H200 Pro
Support for popular DTE formats (see focusinfo.com for a list) t t
Silent, fanless operation t t
Timelapse and single frame recording (DV only) t t
Polymer dust cover for shock and moisture protection t t
Large le-size support with UDF disk format on CF cards t t
Removable compact ash media; Type 1, 266x CF cards t t
Fast USB 2.0 interface to Mac or Windows-based NLE systems t t
Removable 3-hour (record time) Li-Ion battery pack t t
12V power input and supplied AC adapter t t
Color back-lit LCD for menu navigation and status t t
Thumbnails and details of recorded content on the LCD t
MXF HDV support t
Playback recorded content on the color LCD t
Dynamically log metadata wirelessly during recording t
Web interface t
Retro-disk recording t
Powerful, Flexible, and Easy to Use
The Focus FS-H200 Pro adds popular advanced features
such as video playback on the units color LCD, MPEG-4
proxy generation, wireless metadata logging, MXF HDV
support (for Avid users) and much more. FS-H200 Pro is de-
signed to be used with professional DV and HDV cameras
and features a single card slot for easy swap out of industry
standard Compact Flash (CF) solid-state media.
Seamless Direct To Edit Workow
Once recorded, user supplied CF cards can be easily mounted
to both Windows and Mac systems either via USB 2.0 from
the FS-H200 Pro itself or via standard memory card read-
ers for Direct To Edit workow with popular NLE systems.
Designed for use in the most extreme conditions including
high temperatures (up to 50C / 122F), high altitudes, and
extreme shock environments, the FS-H200 Pro performance
is outstanding. Also available as non-Pro model.
VISIT FOCUS AT NAB 2010 (BOOTH #SL1705)
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2010 Focus Enhancements, Inc. Specications are subject to change.
FS-H200 Pro
PORTABLE COMPACT FLASH DTE RECORDER
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As a member of Apples Internal Editor team
prior to the release of Final Cut Studio 09,
I had the privilege of testing and developing
Alpha Transitions early on. I hope the
InformatIon you nd In thIs artIcIe Is heIpfuI
for understanding how to use and create your
own Alpha Transitions.
THE BATWIPE
Remember Batman? Im talking about the cheesy
60'sshow.|lovedLhecoolwayLheyusedLowipe
from scene to scene. This is where an out going cut
blurs and rotates while a graphic of a bat scales up
LoLhepoinLwhereiL6llsLhescreen.1heincoming
cut is revealed as the bat graphic recedes. In TV
terms, we call this an object transition. This is where
an object, like a clip or graphic, swoops through
the frame to reveal a new cut. The sneaky part of
the technique is that hidden beneath the clip or
graphic lies a transition (usually a travel matte or
soft edged wipe) that does all the hard work.
The Batwipe is a totally cool effect, however, it is
quite a chore to set up and adjust.
If you read my book, Motion Graphics and Effects in
Final Cut Pro, I included a technique for creating an
object transition I called, the Gold Lady Wipe
(Fig. 1). It was just like the Batwipe, but I used an
image of a statue from Bangkoks Grand Palace in
place of a bat graphic.
FIG. 1 - THE GOLD LADY WIPE FROM MOTION GRAPHICS AND
EFFECTS IN FINAL CUT PRO
FINAL CUT PRO 7S NEW ALPHA TRANSITIONS FEATURE
PorLunaLely,wiLhLhereleaseofPinalCuLPro7,
Apple has given us a new way to make object
transitions. These are called Alpha Transitions.
Alpha Transitions are object transitions. That is,
they use clips or graphics to reveal an incoming clip
as a transition. An Alpha Transition can be used and
adjusted just like any other FCP transition.
Our friends in my hometown of Cupertino also
created nine created nine sample Apple-designed
Alpha Transitions for your consumption,
completely free of charge (Fig. 2-5, Fig. 9).
This lengthy link will lead you there:
hLLp://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/
applicaLion_updaLes/alphaLransiLions.hLml
Using and Creating Alpha Transitions for Final Cut Pro
K
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FIG. 2 - APPLES LENS FLARE ALPHA TRANSITION
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OK, Ill say it right here. Alpha Transitions are one
ofmyfavoriLenewfeaLuresofPinalCuLPro7.
As I have explained, it was absolutely possible to
creaLeLhiseffecLbeforePinalCuLPro7buLiLisa
whole lot easier now with Alpha Transitions!
The bonuses over my ancient technique is that
youcanmove,copy/pasLeandreposiLionAlpha
Transitions much more easily, just as you would
with any other transition.
FIGURE 3 - APPLES GRAPH PAPER ALPHA TRANSITION
Before you go crazy on using these Alpha
Transitions, you should know that each stock
Alpha Transition is actually constructed from
three different clips. These clips are known as
Alpha Transition assets.
The Clip: the Clip that is the main element that
iesacrossLhescreen.|nmycase,aPG8graphic
of the head of a statue.
The Clip Alpha Matte: the Clip Alpha Matte is the
clip that provides transparency for the Clip. Its a
black and white representation of the Clip.
The Wipe Matte: the clip that provides the actual
underlying wipe for the Clip. Its a black and
white clip too. White represents the out going
clip and black for the incoming clip.
ALPHA TRANSITIONS AS CONTENT
An important thing to know about the Alpha
Transitions you just downloaded is that they are
content. That is, they are merely clips you use to
create the appearance of the transition, not plug-
ins themselves. Therefore, they should be stored in
the same place you put the other content (stock
footage, rendered graphics) you use to do your job.
In other words, keep this matriel on your favorite
high-speed drive. Got it?
Got your Alpha Transitions all downloaded and
copied to a fast drive? Cool. Were almost ready to
go. Keep in mind that there are Alpha Transitions
for SD and HDTV, so be sure to choose the
appropriate one for your footage as you follow
along.1heseAlpha1ransiLionsarespeci6cally
designedforPinalCuLPro7.|fyouhavePinalCuL
Pro6orearlier,LhefollowingLechniqueswillnoL
work for you (Google is your friend though, there
are still ways to use this material). So, nows the
time. Let us take the time to delve into the drag
dropgoodnessofyour6rsLAlpha1ransiLion.
FIGURE 4 - APPLES CIRCLE ALPHA TRANSITION
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FIGURE 5 - APPLES LEAVES ALPHA TRANSITION
HOW TO USE ALPHA TRANSITIONS
Now that youve hungrily downloaded these little gems, you may be
thinking, Just how do I use these bad boys? You are familiar with dragging
and dropping, arent you? Well, its just that simple my friends.
Import the Alpha Transition(s) into your Final Cut Pro Browser. Use File
>|mporL>Polderasyou'llneedLogeLallLhreeclipsassociaLedwiLh
the Alpha Transition.
Edit any clips you like into the timeline. Ensure that you have handle
on both sides of the edit, just as you would with any other transition.
FIG. 6 - THE ALPHA TRANSITION IS ADDED TO THE EDIT POINT
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ApplyLheAlpha1ransiLionby6rsLselecLingLhe
ediLpoinLofyourclips,LhengoingLoLffecLs>
video1ransiLions>Wipe>Alpha1ransiLionorby
dragging and dropping it to your edit point from
LheLffecLs1ab>video1ransiLions>Wipe>
Alpha Transition.
The Alpha Transition is added to the edit
poinL(Pig.6).
Load the Alpha Transition into the Viewer by
double clicking on it or selecting it in the timeline
and typing return. You can also right click and
choose>OpenfromLheshorLcuLmenuorgoLo
view>1ransiLioninLdiLor.
FIG. 7 - NOTE THE THREE CLIP WELLS AND OTHER PARAMETERS OF
ALPHA TRANSITIONS WITHIN THE TRANSITION EDITOR
The Alpha Transition will now appear in the
Transition Editor located in the Viewer. Note the
three drop wells here for each element of the
Alpha Transition.
Drag and drop the appropriate clip from the
Browser into the appropriate clip well in the
Transition Editor. Each clip and clip well is
clearly marked.
a. Clip clip well: Drag and drop the main Clip
clip here, its the top most one.
b. Clip Alpha Matte clip well: Drag and drop the
Clip Alpha Matte clip here. Its the clip well in
the middle.
c. Wipe Matte clip well: Drag and drop the Wipe
Matte clip here, its on the bottom.
Make any adjustments, if you like, with the
following parameters. You usually wont need to
change anything here, but check it out, if you like:
a. Scale Transition Asset Durations: By default, the
Alpha Transition will change its duration to the
length you desire in your transition. You want
this. However, this may slightly degrade your
effect as an under the hood speed change
must be applied to the clips. I usually leave
this checked.
b. Reverse Transition Assets: Youll have to check
LhisboxifyouwanLLoreverseLhisavorof
transition. You see, the transition assets are
actual clips that need to play in reverse. Dont
use the standard Reverse Transition button.
c. Opacity: This sets the opacity level of the Clip
clip. Rarely, if at all, would I ever adjust this.
Go ahead if you need to.
d. Mid-point Offset: You may need to adjust your
mid-point offset if the Wipe Matte does not
precisely line up with the timing of the Clip
clip. You can also use it in place of a Clip Alpha
Matte with Alpha Transitions that momentarily
obscure the screen, such as a Lens Flare.
See the manual for more on that.
Voil mes amis! Youve got your Alpha Transition in
place. Render and playback at your leisure. How do
you like Alpha Transitions now?
FIG. 8 - APPLES MIST ALPHA TRANSITION
HOW TO MAKE ALPHA TRANSITIONS
You already know that you can use the stock Alpha
Transitions that you just downloaded from Apple
forever and royalty-free. Did you know you can also
make your own? Imagine your clients corporate
logo wiping across the screen as a transition and
youve got the right idea. Once you create Alpha
Transitions, you can use them over and over again
too. Corporate clients and broadcast entities love
this. Pretty cool, no?
Now there are a number of techniques you can use
to create Alpha Transitions, however, Ill have to
keep it simple since this is only an article and not a
book.LeLmesLarLby6llingyouinonLhebasicsof
Alpha Transition creation.
YoucanmakeanAlpha1ransiLionwiLh3clips,
as Apple did for you. These Alpha Transitions
conLain3clips:aClip,aClipAlphaMaLLeanda
Wipe Matte. This method ensures the best results
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with Alpha Transitions and is endorsed by my
colleagues at Apple.
If your main Clip graphic already has an
embedded alpha channel, you dont have to
create a Clip Alpha Matte. Note that you will still
need a clip to use for your Wipe Matte. Its not
recommended by the powers that be to go this
route but it usually works. If it doesnt, now you
know why.
A single clip can work as an Alpha Transition.
You can use a simple grayscale animation for use
in the Wipe Matte clip well to create a stylish
gradient wipe. Remember that white represents
the out going clip and black the incoming clip.
Theres tons of info about Alpha Transitions in the
Manual. If you are interested, youll want to check
that out.
Well create a standard three clip Alpha Transition.
Why not try an updated version of the Gold Lady
Wipe? It will start as a still graphic of the head of a
statue (in this case, Daibutsu of Kamakura, Japan)
and end as a really sweet Alpha Transition. Along
the way, Ill need to use Adobe Photoshop for
preparing the still graphics and Apple Motion to
animate those graphics. By the way, I think its
useful to learn this technique as its how Id make
any basic Alpha Transition that wipes across the
screen, just like your favorite clients logo.
First, I will adjust my graphic in Photoshop to create
my Clip, I will also create my Clip Alpha Matte in
Photoshop. Lets start with processing a still
graphic to be used as the Clip.
1. Launch Adobe Photoshop.
2CreaLeanewdocumenLbygoingLoPile>New
DocumenLorbyLypingCommand+N.CreaLea
document that is the frame size of your
intended Alpha Transition. Ill use the preset for
HD1vaL1920x1080wiLhsquarepixels(Pig.9).
FIG. 9 - USE THE HDTV PRESET TO ASSURE YOULL HAVE THE
PROPER FRAME SIZE FOR THE COMPOSITION
3.GoLoPile>PlaceandnavigaLeLoyourgraphic.
4.Pe-sizeLhegraphicifneeded.|6lledLhescreen
with the statues head (Fig. 10)
5.GoLoPile>SaveAsandsaveLheiLemasaPNG.
You do not want to save the graphic with layers
like a PSD. You also do not want to save the
graphic with an alpha channel.
FIG. 10 - OPTIMIZE THE IMAGE TO BE 1920 X 1080 FOR AN ALPHA
TRANSITION IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
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Your Clip is now prepared. You need to create the
Clip Alpha Matte now. In my case, it will be a black
and white representation of the clip. Since black is
transparent and white is considered opaque in a
Clip Alpha Matte, Ill make Daibutsu white and the
sky black. Heres how to make a Clip Alpha Matte
for a still graphic:
1.OpenLhePNG6leyou|usLcreaLed
in Photoshop.
2. If the bottom layer is locked, duplicate
the layer and work on the duplicate layer.
3.CreaLeaselecLionaroundyoursub|ecLusing
the tool of your choice. Ill use the Magic Wand.
4.GoLoLdiL>Pillandchoose8lackfromLhe
ConLenLs>UsemenuinLhePilldialogbox.
Click OK. The sky becomes black (Fig. 11).
FIG. 11 - USE THE SELECTION TOOLS IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP TO
KNOCK OUT THE BACKGROUND AND FILL IT WITH BLACK
5.1ypeShifL>Command>|LoinverL
the selection.
6.GoLoLdiL>PillandchooseWhiLefromLhe
ConLenLs>UsemenuinLhePilldialogbox.
Click OK. Daibutsu becomes white (Fig. 12).
FIG. 12 - REVERSE THE SELECTION YOU MADE AND FILL IT WITH
WHITE. YOU NOW HAVE A PROPER CLIP ALPHA MATTE
7.GoLoPile>SaveAsandsaveLheiLemasaPNG.
8.CloseLheoriginalPNGaswell.WhenLheSave
dialog launches, click Dont Save. The graphic
will then close.
The Clip Alpha Matte is now ready.
Next, its time to create the Wipe Matte and
animate the whole shebang to create our three
golden clips. Well move on to Apple Motion for
these tasks. First, lets make the Wipe Matte. All we
are going to create is a black and white edge wipe
moving from left to right. White will represent the
out going clip and black will represent the
incoming clip.
1. Launch Apple Motion
2. Create a new composition by going to
Custom in the preset menu of the
Select Project Preset dialog. Its all the way
at the bottom.
FIG. 13 - USE THE CUSTOM PRESET FOR YOUR PROJECT
PROPERTIES SO THAT YOU CAN ENSURE THE PROPER DURATION,
FRAME SIZE AND FRAME RATE.
3.LnLerinLhefollowingseLLingsinLhePro|ecL
ProperLiesdialogbox(Pig.13):
c. lnter 1920 x 1080 for wlJth cnJ helght.
b. Set Bit Depth to 16 bit (Float).
c. Use Square pixels for Pixel Aspect Ratio.
d. Since we are in a progressive format, set the Field
Order to None.
e. Set the frame rate to 59.94 fps. This is the ideal
frame size and frame rate to use for Alpha
Transitions destined for HDTV content.
f. Set the duration of the composition to be one
second using Timecode.
g. You can ignore the other settings.
h. Save the Motion Project and name it appropriately.
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4.GoLoLheLibrary1ab>GeneraLorsLhenlocaLe
and select the Color Solid Generator (Fig. 14).
FIG. 14 SELECT THE
COLOR SOLID GENERATOR
IN THE LIBRARY TO PROVIDE
MATERIAL FOR YOUR
WIPE MATTE.
5. Click the Import button to place the Color Solid
Generator in the center of the Canvas.
6.LaunchLheHUDbypressingP7orbyclicking
on the HUD icon in the toolbar.
7.ClickonLhecolorchipandchooseLhecolor
white in the Apple Color Picker.
8.DuplicaLeLheLayerbyLypingCommand+D.
9. In the HUD, click on the color chip and choose
the color black in the Apple Color Picker.
10. Locate the Clip Alpha Matte graphic in the
File Browser and select it and then click the
Import button.
11. Locate the Clip graphic in the File Browser
and select it. Click the Import button.
12. Shrink the Canvas to 25% size. Use the
Hand tool to place the Canvas more to the
right. Youll need plenty of room in the
offstage area.
13.PressP5LoopenLheLayersPane.
14. In the Canvas, reposition the right edge of
the Black Color Solids wireframe to the
middle of Daibutsus head (or that corporate
logo). Do this to guide you as to where you
want to position the edge wipe (Fig. 15).
15. In the Layers Pane, select all the layers except
the White Color Solid by clicking on them
with the command key held down.
16.|nLheCanvas,clickandshifL+dragLhe
selected layers off-screen to the left.
17.ClickLhePecordbuLLon.
18.|nLheProperLies1abofLhe|nspecLor,
opLion+clickonLheKeyframebuLLonfor
the Position property. All the layers get a
start keyframe.
19. Move the playhead to the end of
the composition.
20. Click and drag the selected layers across
the screen until the layers are to the right
of the Canvas.
21. Playback the composition by typing
the space bar.
22. At around 40 frames, you should see the
WhiLeColorSolidreappear(Pigure16).You
dont want this. To trim the layer, select it in
the Layers Pane and the type O.
FIG. 16 - SELECT THE IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS AROUND FRAME
40. TRIM THE WHITE COLOR SOLID BY SELECTING IT AND THEN
PRESSING O
23.PlaybackLhecomposiLiononcemore,iL
should display a white screen, then the
animation featuring Daibutsu, followed by a
black screen.
FIG. 15 - REPOSITION THE WIREFRAME OF THE BLACK COLOR SOLID SO THAT THE EDGE OF THE BLACK COLOR SOLID STRADDLES THE CENTER
OF THE DAIBUTSU GRAPHIC
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FIG. 17 - THE FINISHED RESULT: AN ALL-NEW ALPHA TRANSITION BASED ON THE BATWIPE
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Well now need to export each movie as ProRes.
ProRes LT is also acceptable. Heres how to do that.
1. Click on the Visibility button for every layer but
the Clip, our friend Daibutsu.
2.GoLoPile>LxporL.1heLxporLOpLionsDialog
will launch.
3.MakesureLheseLLingsareasfollows:
a. Export should be set to > QuickTime Movie.
b. Set the Use menu to > ProRes or ProRes (LT).
If either of these codecs is not available, click on
the Options button to reveal advanced settings.
Then, click on the Compressor menu and choose >
Apple ProRes or Apple ProRes (LT).
c. The Include menu should be set to > Video Only.
d. Set the After Export menu to > Do Nothing.
e. Leave the Use Play Range button unchecked.
f. Choose c Destlnctlon folJer for the vlJeo hles,
then click the Export button.
g. After the movie is exported, repeat the process for
the Clip Alpha Matte by turning on that layer and
turning off the Clip layer in the Layers Pane.
h. lor the hncl move, turn on the bottom two lcyers
that make up the Wipe Matte and then export it
using the same process as you did with the other
two movies.
Congratulations! You know have three movies you
can use as an Alpha Transition. Lets see how this
looks as an all-new Alpha Transition. Lets call it the
Buddha Wipe.
If youd like a little more coaching,
Ive created a video tutorial to
compliment this tutorial and you
can watch it here
Not bad, eh? You can see that creating your own
Alpha Transitions is pretty darn cool and not too
dif6culLLopulloff.Sodon'L|usLuseApple'sAlpha
Transitions. Sure, theyre nice but soon theyll be
overused. It might be time to make some of your
own. I will give you a little tip. Look for inspiration
from the Apple Alpha Transitions, check some of
them out on TV (object transitions are everywhere)
and you will begin to get your own ideas.
Now youve learned a ton about Alpha Transitions,
my friend. I hope that you can now run wild with
Alpha Transitions as the possibilities for them are
literally endless. Have fun!
Like Alpha Transitions? Kevin is offering show
specials for his all-new Lens Flare Alpha
Transitions, as well as his Blu-ray Templates and
other cool freebies on a special NAB 2010 Page.
Visit this link for special access:
www.fcpworld.com/nab2010

KEVIN MONAHAN is an Editor, Motion Graphics Artist
and Colorist. He is an enterprise level consultant
and advanced Trainer of Apple Final Cut Pro
and Apple Motion. He is the author of the well-
respected book Motion Graphics and Effects in
Final Cut Pro. He has also written numerous
articles and has contributed to books about
Final Cut Studio over the past ten years.
Currently residing in San Francisco, CA, Kevin
is the co-founder of SF Cutters, the San Francisco
PinalCuLProUsersGroup,Lhe6rsLofiLskind
inLheworld.HehasbeenananimaLoron6lms
like"PindingNemo"and"WALLL"andhasworked
with clients such as Death Cab For Cutie, Ne-Yo,
Melissa Etheridge, Cheap Trick, as well as
companies like Apple, Pixar, Nissan, Yahoo!,
Electronic Arts and more.
|n2009,hewasoneofonly3"|nLernalLdiLors"
workinginsideAppleLesLingandre6ningPinal
Cut Studio 2009. Recently, he has released new
content for Final Cut Studio Users: FCP World
Blu-ray Templates and FCP World Lens Flare
Alpha Transitions.
For contacts, bookings or more info about Kevin
Monahan, check out his website:
www.fcpworld.com
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Look, I get it. Youre doing just great with FCP.
You have a grasp on sound, but STP really feels
like a hassle. You can do most of what you need
to do in FCP. Plus, STP is just going to slow you
down, right?
Nope. Not in the least. And before you think Im a
sound guy... Im not. Im pretty much like you:
Im an editor, who gets asked to do so many things
more than just edit. Im not sure I can just call
myself an editor anymore. If you really want to
know about me, see my bio. Otherwise, lets just
say,Lheday|"goL"S1P,|decided|'dnever6nish
audio ever again without it.
Before youre done reading this, Im going to show
you how you can perform noise reduction on one
cliporLwenLy.You'lllearnhowLo6xcommon
sound problems. And best of all, Ill get you able to
quickly wrap your head around STP. Oh yeah, how
does400+freemusicbedssound!Peadon.
NOISE REDUCTION.
If you have a constant type a noise in the
backgroundyoucanre-move/reduceiL.
HOW TO GET YOUR AUDIO TO STP.
Right click on a clip (even a clip in your browser!)
and choose Sent to Soundtrack Pro Audio File.
1hedefaulLsare6ne-|usLhiLokay.
Just use the defaults (except be smart pick where
your FCP project is for the STP project.).
Soundtrack Pro opens up. Youre editing a single
6le.S1PalsohasLheabiliLyLoediLmulLipleLracks
what you normally do in FCP) but here were
just working with one.
Critical basic keys you
need to know
CMD+-(zoomin/ouL
just like fcp)
Shift Z (Zoom to see all,
just like fcp.)
J-K-L (yah, you guessed
it... just like fcp)
How were going to reduce noise:
Select some level of silence and play it back to
measureLhesoundoor
*
Set that area as a noise print.
Set Reduce noise around the level of the noise
oorandbackoffLhere-ducLion.
YUP. Thats all. Three steps to removing noise.
Lets do them together.
Selecting some noise
is just dragging your
mouse along some of
the waveform of the
noise area. I suggest
at least a second of
audio more if you
can. For this clip, I hit
Shift Z so I could see
all the audio.
OK, now go to the
Processmenu>
NoisePeducLion>
Set Noise Print.
Hit Play Look at the meters (its on the right pane.)
Notice the level. I saw it at around -40 db thats
Soundtrack Pro in Your Workow
J
E
F
F

G
R
E
E
N
B
E
R
G
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the oor of where noise is. Youll need this for
the next step.
Deselect your waveform by either clicking in the
waveformorgoingLoLheLdiLMenu>DeselecLall.
OK,nowgoLoLheProcessmenu>
NoisePeducLion>PeduceNoise.
SeLLhenoiseLhresholdLoLheoorvaluefromLhe
prior step. Press the play button in the bottom
left corner. Now, this should pretty much remove
Lhenoise.|6ndLhaLiLdoesLendLocausesome
clipping of the dialog of what people are saying.
Back off the Reduction value until the person
sounds better - this is variable for any given clip.
Save and your audio has been updated in FCP!
This method works with two exceptions... people
in the background (often called walla-walla
sounds)andanecho.|L'sdif6culLLoremove
sounds that are like the human voice (which both
of these have.)
NOISE REDUCTION AUTOMATED.
We can redo this noise reduction on other clips
quickly, but this trick only works under ONE
condition, that youre essentially working from the
same audio setup. If you changed your
microphone setup or youre working from a
different mike, you have to go back and do the
noise reduction manually.
But, if its the same interview or people from the
sameseLup!-you're6nel
Here we go:
If you take a look at the last tip, we did noise
reduction. If you look at the Actions tab on
the left side youll see reduce noise. We can
automate this (and apply it to as many clips in
FCP as you like.).
See how the only choice is reduce noise?
We can get Soundtrack
Pro to automate this
exact noise reduction.
Go to the File menu,
choose Save as
Applescript...
Choose a name you
think will help you
remind yourself of the
shoL/seLupLhaLLhis
Noise reduction is
meant for.
Optional Quit STP.
Back in FCP, pick another similar shot, right click
onasimilarclipandchooseSendLo>
Soundtrack Pro Script...
And itll all magically work, as it applies the same
noise reduction to another clip.
FIXING BASIC SOUND PROBLEMS
Pops are the easiest to understand, so Ill give you
the example for this... and below Ill mention what
the other adjustments solve.
Fixing a Pop: Send a clip to STP as in the earlier tips
(PighLclickonsomebadaudio-senLLoS1P>
Audio File Project NOT multitrack audio)
Your clip shows up in STP.
Go to the analysis tab on the left hand side of the
screen. Click the checkbox for Clicks and Pops.
Roll down the choices, and adjust the threshold
LhefurLheriLgoesLoLherighLresulLsinlessclicks/
pops being detected.
Press the analyze button.
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You'llgeLalisLofpossiblePops/clicks.Poreach
one, click on the entry and choose zoom to
selection (the little dot) If you see a pop or click,
pressLhe6xbuLLon.|fyou'relazychose6xall.
|Lshould6xanyclicks,alLhoughifiL6xes
something you dont want it to, go to the actions
tab and remove that item.
S1PisnonlinearandnondesLrucLive,soyour6x
canbeundone,evendays/weekslaLer.
Aquickde6niLionofLheresLofLhe"6xes":
Power line hum detects any electrical interference
aL50or60hz.
Phase issues if you record with stereo
microphones, they may have a problem where
LhelefL/righLcanpossiblycanceleachoLherouL
(meaning theyre out of phase).
Clipped signal. One where the signal is blown
out you may be able to soften the nature of
the truncation.
Silence detest the parts that are silent.
SendiLLoS1P,analyzeand6xLheproblems.
When you save, the work is updated into FCP.
HOW TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND STP
It works pretty much exactly like FCP.
Read that again, and relax.
Heres the process:
Send your timeline to STP.
Mix your sound.
Export a stereo mix (also called a stereo bounce)
back to FCP
Why do you want to edit your audio in STP?
STP has better keyboard shortcuts for audio.
1hemixerisfarmoreexible.
Its ridiculously easy to add extra sounds
including a bucket of free music (see last tip).
You can name your tracks (believe me in a
complicated timeline it helps to have your audio
tracks named.).
In fact, there are loads more reasons way better
effects, better fades, time stretching (think about
that person who just speaks a little slow or fast),
music re-timing... and Im just scratching the
surface. You really didnt think I could write an
article that had ALL of what STP could do, did you?
Go from this:
To this:
HOW TO GET YOUR TIMELINE TO STP
Select your sequence in your browser and choose:
Send to Soundtrack Pro Multitrack Project. Say yes
to the defaults.
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HOW TO DEAL WITH CLUTTER
1oomanypanesopeninS1P!|6ndmyselfofLen
closing ones I dont use. CTRL A-S-D closes the Left,
bottom, right.
ENVELOPES
=
LEVELS. NODES
=
KEYFRAMES
On the bottom is a mixer. The tracks have the same
exact controls as the mixer does for volume levels.
Except were going to call the overlay line that
youre used to in FCP an envelope and were
going to call the keyframes nodes.
Uh-Oh. Where are those lines that we use in FCP?
Yeah,you'llhaLeLhis...aL6rsL.Look,|geLiL-
anything different is bad. When you had your PC,
the Macintosh was bad. When you edited on tape,
Nonlinear was bad. When your mom asked you to
stop eating fruit loops and have a healthy
breakfast, that was bad too.
Be patient and try mixing a show in STP!
So, all we really need to see is how to see the
keyframes nodes, and how to mix with them.
Main Keys to know:
Pick a track: T - Mute Y - Solo
CMD+-Zoom
Shift Z - Shift your Zoom to see all
CMD6789-1rackheighLs
A - Arrow B Blade (just like FCP!)
HOW TO ADJUST THE LEVELS
Your audio meters are on the right.
Reveal the Volume Envelop. Optionally hide
the Pan Envelope.
You can always just double click the Volume
envelope (no pen tool needed!!!!).
There are two ways to adjust levels on the whole
clip or with keyframes nodes like FCP.
Whole clip - Select the clip.
ProcessMenu>Ad|usLAmpliLude.
Know whats cool about this? If you used the same
piece of audio in your timeline (like using a series
of interview soundbites), you can right click on the
audio in the timeline and select all instances of
that audio clip.
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HOW TO USE NODES - PLAY THE FOOTAGE
You can use the sliders on the track or the sliders
on the mixer. Theres just one thing you must, must,
must do6rsL.
Change the Automation Mode to Latch or Touch
Normally, the Automation mode is set to READ the
nodes. You need to tell it to LATCH change it to
where you put it and leave it there when you let
go or set it to TOUCH to change the levels to
where you put them and then go back to where
they were.
1hegeneralideaisLhaLLhe6rsLLimemixinga
timeline youd do LATCH... but if you have to remix
something youd pick TOUCH.
Remember: You can always just double click the
Volume envelope (no pen tool needed!!!!)
HOW TO GET YOUR AUDIO BACK TO FCP
Now that youre done mixing:
PileMenu>LxporL:
Make sure you set it to the Master Mix
(all your tracks).
A|PP,16biL,48.
Thats the preset.
You should change the
After Export to Send to
Final Cut Pro Sequence.
Back in FCP youll get this
dialog box. Just say OK
Youll get a brand new sequence that has your new
audio at the top and everything else muted out.
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JEFF GREENBERG speaksaLover6fLyseminar
sessions a year at various conferences and is
consistently rated as one of the best presenters.
Hes often involved in the design of the
conferences as well as the marketing.
The Editors Retreat (a yearly exotic getaway,
focusing on editing both aesthetics and
technology) is his favorite where in addition
to speaking, hes the host and Program Manager.
His work has been shown in festivals,
DVD and on television from Industrial
documentary, commercial and Film,
he has a love of the visual medium.
Teaching internationally for Future Media
Concepts, he specializes in Post Production.
Clients include all four major networks, Letterman,
Conan OBrien, ESPN, This Old House, all four
branches of the military and many Fortune 500
clienLs.He'scerLi6edLoLeachsoluLionsbyAdobe,
Apple, Avid, and Autodesk. Dont ask him to
choose which he likes best.
Jeff has performed tech editing on a number
of books books and has written technical articles
for TidBITS, Macworld and Post Magazine.
DVDs by Jeff:
From Vasst.com:
Avid Media Composer
Avid Marquee
Apple Color (intro)
Apple Color (Advanced)
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NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE AFTER YOUR FINAL MIX?
All you have to do is send your changes from your
changed (original) sequence to STP and choose
PileMenu>ConformPro|ecLs...
TONS OF FREE MUSIC
Possibly my favorite feature of Soundtrack Pro
is hidden in the bottom right corner.
On the right pane theres a tab named search.
This is where Soundtrack Pro keeps all of its audio
content. If you click the drop down menu at the
top it shows you all sorts of cool free things are
built into Soundtrack Pro like sound effects.
But thats not where the hidden secret is.
In the upper left of this window is a button
that allows you to switch from column view,
to the button view.
Suddenly you now have at the bottom hundreds
of music beds (see how the drop down now says
Music Beds?).
Bonus: T ry picking a category or using CMD
Click to combine two categories
(Mixed + something else).
HOW TO GET ONE OF THESE TO FCP
Create a new project in STP.
Drag your choice of music into Track 1.
LxporLLheMasLerMixasanA|PP6le,16biL,48khz.
Import your music bed into FCP!
Now go out and mix better audio!

From Lynda.com
Compressor3.5
EssentialsApple Color
(Advanced)
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DOES THIS SCREENSHOT LOOK VERY FAMILIAR TO YOU?
TIMELINE FULL VIEW OF AN 80MINS TELEVISION PROJECT.
Dont judge a book by its cover. But that is partly
true in this case. You can actually tell the level
of an editor, just by looking at his or her timeline!
Just in case you are wondering why I (an editor)
am discussing about managing audio layers, let
me enlighten you. In Malaysia (also in Singapore
and some parts of Asia), where I am based, editors
aremosLlikelyresponsibleforLhe6nalsound
mix of a project, especially when the project is
for television.
An untrained editor with no basic understanding
of audio mixes, would probably have a timeline
that looks like this. (close up view):
CLOSE-VIEW OF THE PREVIOUS SCREEN-SHOT. NOTICE THAT THE
AUDIO LAYERS ARE ALL OVER!
If you can tell the difference between an ambience
layer, an effects layer and a music layer on this
timeline, then you probably have super-
phonographic-powers!
Imagine you are the Editor and the Director has
joined your editing session and tells you this,
Can you switch off the music, so I can listen to the
rest of the sound design? You are either doomed at
this point or you are probably smart enough to do
this Right-click on every single music track on the
timeline that you can spot and disable the
Clip Enable selection. If you do that, then your
timeline will now look like this:
THE AUDIO CLIPS IN DARK GREEN ARE DISABLED.
LeLsdiverLLoLheolddaysofediLing6lmonLhe
SLeenbeck-aaLbedediLingsuiLe,eiLherona
16mmora35mmcelluloid.8ackinLhedaywhen|
was a student at the Malaysian Film Academy, we
wererequiredLocompleLeour16mmshorL6lms
onLheaLbedmachine.WehadLoliLerallycuLand
paste both the positive prints (dailies) and the
magneLicsound6lms(originaloxideLapeswere
Managing Audio Layers in FCP for Final Mixing
I
S
A
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A
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M
O
H
D

I
S
A
Screenshots used with the permission of
Kus Semangat Aktor Sdn Bhd, a production company in Malaysia.
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used to record direct sound on a Nagra -inch
recorder and then later transferred to a perforated
magneLic6lmforediLingandsyncingpurposes).
It was a long and tedious process.
AcompleLedshorL6lmediLedona16mm,
can be represented like this:
A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF A COMPLETED AUDIO
LAYERING IN A 16MM FILM PROJECT. THIS IS JUST ONE LAYER FOR
EVERY AMBIENCE/EFFECTS/MUSIC. IF THERE ARE MORE THAN
ONE LAYER (EG. SOUND EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE GUNSHOTS FROM 3
DIFFERENT GUNS), THEN MORE LAYERS CAN BE ADDED
|f|wereLowriLeLhiswhole6lmaudiomixing
process in detail, it will probably take half of this
SuperMag pages to explain. This is only to give you
a rough idea of how it was done in the past and to
demonstrate that the moral of the story in both
scenarios basically boils down to two points -
MANAGEMENT & ACCESSIBILITY.
And these two points actually apply to everything
you do in Final Cut Pro. Without proper
managemenLof6lesorevenfolders(evenwiLhin
the Browser), youll probably end up searching for
a needle in a haystack.
This is the key to being an FCP power-user.
And these next few steps can help you achieve a
timeline that is manageable and accessible for the
6nalmixingsLage:

LABELING LAYERS IN YOUR TIMELINE CAN ASSIST EDITORS TO SEE
THE BIGGER PICTURE AND TO SPOT THEM WITH EASE
LETS GET STARTED.
STEP 1
Create a SLUG from your Video Generator
in the Viewer.
STEP 2
8y Jefcult, lt wlll crecte c 5l0G wlth Jurctlon of 2
minutes. This is useful to note, other than becoming
your audio layer label, you can SET the duration to
mctch your lntenJeJ hncl Jurctlon of the roject, so:
You will know where you are on the timeline.
You will also know if the project be OVER
orUNDLPLhe6nalduraLion.
For this tutorial, I will set my duration to 1 hour
and20minuLes(80minuLes)equivalenLLoLhe6nal
pro|ecL'sduraLionoryourinLended6nalduraLion
for the project.
Type 1200000 in the duration window in the
Viewer. (Note: you can drop the colons : and type
just the numbers.)
Hit the TAB key. Now, the Viewer will show the
duration typed in a timecode format and also
has extended the SLUG to 1hr and 20 minutes
in total duration.
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Drag the SLUG into the browser.
Rename it to AMBIENCE.
Then, highlight the AMBIENCE"SLUGandgoLoLhemenu"Modify>
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www.kino-i.com info@kino-i.com
widescreen-revolutions.com
www.av8.com.sg
www.myfcpug.org
DRAG
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Duplicate as New Master Clip. Repeat this process
until you achieve the required number of labels for
your audio tracks.
For the purpose of this project, I will only need
AMBIENCE, SOUND EFFECTS and MUSIC &
SOUNDTRACK for this project. You can also add
some colors to it, for easy reference.
STEP 3
If you have not prepared the number of Audio Tracks
layer needed, you can add these now by going to
Sequence > Insert Tracks ...
Here, you can insert
multiple layers of Audio
Track. I like to work in
multiple of fours,
although two is
suf6cienL.|LacLually
depends
on your
needs. In
this case, I need a total of 24 audio layers as my
basic audio layers.
STEP 4
All you need to do is to place the 3 labeled SLUG
respectively, either by dragging and dropping it into
the timeline, or by using the target tracks to perform
the Overwrite or Insert edits. You can now LOCK the
tracks and also toggle the Audible button to OFF
mode (green speaker button).
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Now you are ready to start your edit, with your
audio layers prepared in advance.
The rule of thumb for this project will now be:
Sound On Tape (SOT or direct sound on camera)
to be placed on Tracks A1-A4 (not labeled).
Ambience'soundLobeplacedon1racksA7-A10.
Sound Effects sound bytes to be placed on Tracks
A13-A16.
Music & Soundtrack to be placed on Tracks
A19-A24.
By doing this you can now easily spot the audio
layersLoplaceLhespeci6caudio6les,aswellas
monitor each track at ease, to either be MUTED or
SOLO via the Audio Controls button:
So, the next time your Director wants to listen to a
speci6caudioLrackonLheLimeline,youknowLhe
drill! Good luck and have fun organizing with your
6nalaudiomix.

SOLO TRACKS
MUTED TRACKS
AUDIO CONTROLS
LOCK LABEL TRACKS
TOGGLE AUDIBLE TO OFF
ISAZALY ZALEE MOHD ISA began his journey into
6lmmakingaLLheLenderageof10,pracLically
growing up on the production sets of Singapore
as a child actor. After studying Product & Graphic
Design, he moved to Malaysia to pursue his
6lmmakingdreams.HegraduaLedfromLhe
MalaysianPilmAcademyin1998andhisshorL6lm
was awarded the Best Film Project for the KODAK
Worldwide Student Program of Malaysia.
HefreelancedforawhileLhenseLupa6lmand
television production company (with two of his
friends) based in Kuala Lumpur called Kino-i
www.kino-i.com
After being selected for the Berlinale Talent
Campus he focused his career in post-production
and his micro-movie was selected as one of the
Lop126nalisLsfor'SL.Kilda'sPilmPesLival'.
Zalee has edited, directed, graded and worked on
visualPXformusicvideosLofeaLure6lms.He'san
AppleCerLi6ed1rainerforPCPandconducLs
courses, workshops and seminars for organizations
and companies in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
He provides professional consultation to other
companiesand6lmmakerswiLhinLheregion.
Zalee is the founder of the Malaysia Final Cut Pro
User Group and can be contact and follow him on:
Email: zalee@kino-i.com
Blog: The Celluloid Closet at isazaly.com
Twitter: twitter.com/isazaly
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For many, trying to use Apple Color seems a little
daunting. It has the feel of UNIX and lots of
controls that look and act differently than
anything youve seen on a Mac, but the program
is actually very easy to use. But even those who
have spent quite a bit of time using Color may
not have found the tip Im about to reveal that is
based on a technique I learned from Hollywoods
top gun colorists.
When it comes to hidden tricks for color correction
in Apple Color, one of my favorites is using the
Geometry room to color balance shots. Thats
probablynoLLhe6rsLplaceyouLhinkofwhen
trying to make sure that your blacks and whites
are free of any strange color shifts, but believe me,
it works.
Lets take two shots that Im trying to match in my
timeline. Its a close up of a piano player shot with
two different white balances. One is cool and the
other is somewhere between balanced and slightly
warm. If that terminology isnt working for you,
then, one is bluish and one is slightly reddish
yellow. Lets pretend that your client HAS to use
these two shots cut directly one from the other,
so they have to match.
This is where we turn to the trusty Geometry Room.
There are actually about a dozen ways to get this
match accomplished, but were going to use the
Geometry Room, the RGB Parade Waveform
monitor and the Curves in the Primary In Room.
So6rsL,leL'smakesureLhaLLheslighLlywarmshoL
isbalanced6rsL.1odoLhis,weneedLomakesure
that the blacks, middle grays and the whites are all
balanced. What does balanced mean? It means
that they are truly black, neutral gray and white
with no color cast to them. To tell if they are
balanced, we can use several monitoring devices,
including what our eyes tell us from looking at the
image, the RGB Parade Waveform, the Vectorscope
or even Histograms, a Overlay Waveform monitor,
orLheliLLlecolorpickerswaLchesinLhe3D
Vectorscope Display.
For the purposes of this tutorial, were going to
only use one of those methods the RGB Parade
WaveformmoniLor-andwe'regoingLore6ne
the method and make it much simpler to
understand, by using it in conjunction with
the Geometry Room.
1o6gureouLifourblacksarereallyblack,
Im going to click on the Geometry Room tab and
grab the little square handle at the top left of the
screen and drag it down so that the square only
covers the small area of black keys at the bottom
right corner of the screen. You will notice that this
zooms in the monitor to the center of the screen
and, if youre watching the scopes, youll see that
they change while youre dragging and end up
only monitoring the area inside the square.
When you drag the handles, the image zooms in to
the center of the image, moving all handles in by
the same amount. Ive zoomed in to just the pinkie
knuckle of the pianist. To get slightly off topic for a
moment, lets look at the vectorscope. Notice that
the trace of the vectorscope (the trace is the fuzzy
blobby part of the vectorscope that represents the
video signal) aligns itself very nicely with the I line
that runs from about the 10 oclock position down
to about the 4 oclock position.
Think Different in Apple Color
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Many people call the top part of this line the flesh
tone line. Thats not what its actually for, but it
serves this purpose very well just the same. You
can see from where the pinkie trace on my
vecLorscopelinesupLhaLmyeshLonesmaybea
little on the red side (red is at about 11 oclock on
the vectorscope and yellow is at about 9 oclock on
the vectorscope.). Flesh tones are usually in the
mid-range, so this gives an indication that my
mid-tones or gamma may be a little too red.
But lets get back to the real tutorial.
Were trying to determine if our blacks have some
kind of unwanted color cast to them, so instead of
dragging the little square in the Geometry Room
to the pinkie of the hand, we want to drag it to the
little patch of black keys in the bottom right
corner. So, Ill click in the middle of the red-
outlined square and drag it to the bottom right.
If you make the square too small, attempting to
click in it may result in accidentally rotating it.
To get more control, you can actually zoom in on
the entire canvas so you can see what youre doing
better. To do this: right-click on your mouse or
trackball and drag. Notice that this is different than
dragging the box on the image. Moving the box
also changes what is displayed in the video
moniLor.ZoomingwiLhLherighL-click/drag
method only zooms the image in the Geometry
Room canvas. Then, if you want to move the area
that the Canvas is displaying, you can hold down
the center button of the mouse (like the little
middle button of a Magic Mouse) and drag around
the image, kind of like the hand tool in many
applications. So now I will drag the box down
to the bottom right corner and re-size it again,
if necessary, to only show black from the keys
inside the red-bordered box.
If you dont have an RGB Parade Waveform monitor
as one of the monitoring options, right-click on
one of your monitors or scopes. This will reveal a
contextual menu that gives you options to display
Waveform,vecLorscope,3DColorSpace,
Histogram, or Reset.
I chose Waveform monitor. Then at the top of the
Waveform display is a list of choices reading:
Parade, Overlay, Red, Green, Blue, Luma, Chroma,
YCbCr, IRE and mV. Click on the Parade button and
if its not already chosen the IRE button.
What you get is a waveform display, in a little
parade from left to right, showing you the red,
green and blue channels of your image. In order to
make sure the image is balanced perfectly black
the waveform displays for each color channel
need to be even. The reason they have to be even
is that white is created by having red, green and
blue pixels in equal strength at pretty much full
level."|n8biLcolorspace,invideo,Lhismeans
LhaLred,greenandbluewouldallbeaLabouL235
on a scale from 0-255. Black is also created by
having red, green and blue pixels in equal
strength, but with almost no level. And a neutral
gray has red, green and blue levels also at equal
strength at some middle luminance level.
In the case of this image, our blacks are pretty
close, but the red channel especially the top side
of the trace in the red waveform is higher than
the other two. It also shows you that the blacks are
slightly milky. All three channels should be all the
way down to the 0 line on the waveform display.
Bringing them all down to the 0 line will give us a
darker, richer black.
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There are a number of ways to accomplish this.
Were going to use the Curves tool in the Primary
in Room. So Ill click on the Primary In Room tab
and grab the bottom of the Red Curve, because
that bottom left corner represents the black level
of the red channel. It probably makes sense that if I
drag that point upwards, Ill raise the amount of
red in the blacks. But I want to lower it. I cant drag
that point any lower than it already is, so Ill drag it
to the right very slowly.
Its already close to the right place. I dont want to
drag it so that the trace (the fuzzy line
represenLingLhevideo)LoLallyaLLensouLalong
the bottom or goes below the 0 line (Which you
can do if youve turned off Broadcast Safe in your
seLLings).|wanLLheLraceLohavesomede6niLion
a little raggedy edge along the bottom. That
means that I havent totally crushed all of the detail
out of the shadow. Compare the level of the red
channel now to the RGB levels under the previous
screengrab of the Scope contextual menu. The red
channel is now lower than it was.
Now I want to grab that same bottom left point on
the blue and green channels and pull it down so
that it matches the way the red channel looks in
the RGB Parade Waveform monitor.
So the black levels look pretty even, except that
the line of trace representing the red channel (to
the left) looks thicker than the others. They all sit
right on the 0 line, which is a good thing, but the
top of the trace of the red channel is higher. That
is because the gamma, or mid-tones are slightly
too red. And if you remember the little tangent
we took to discuss the esh tone llne of
the vectorscope, that gave us the exact
same indication.
1o6xLhaL,|'mgoingLoclickonaspoLonLhered
curve just about in the middle of the line thats
where our red gamma is controlled and pull it
down just a little bit until the three lines of the
trace in the RGB Parade Waveform look more even.
So now the blacks are evenly balanced. They dont
have any hint of another color.
Now its time to see if the whites are balanced.
To do that, were going to switch back to our
Geometry Room and move the red-bordered box
to the white keys. Notice that the RGB Parade
Waveform image changes.
Now switch back to the Primary In Room and grab
the top right corner of the red Curve. If the white
keys were really lit brightly, wed want the levels in
the RGB Parade Waveform to go all the way up to
the top of the waveform to 100 IRE, but that
would be too bright for this image, because the
front of the keys appear slightly shaded and
bringing them up that high will make the image
seem unnatural.
Im going to move the top of the red Curve to the
left (because I cant actually drag it up any higher
than it already is) until the top pointy part of the
red channel of the RGB Parade Waveform hits the
70|PLline.
Then Im going to drag the top right corner of both
the green Curve and the blue Curve back towards
the left until the highest peak in those two
channels of the RGB Parade Waveform monitor are
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alsoaL70.1hislookslikeapreLLywellbalancedimage.|fyoulookaLLhe
bottoms of the red and green channels in the RGB Parade Waveform,
they look slightly higher than the bottom of the blue channel. This
indicates that there may be a slight yellow cast in the blacks. Were just
going to leave this for now.
NowleL'smaLchLhecolorcorrecLionwehaveofour6rsLimageLoLhe
second image in the timeline which is much more blue in color. Well go
LhroughLheexacLsamesLepsLhaLweusedLobalanceLhe6rsLimage.
Zooming in to the black keys of this image shows this in the RGB Parade
Waveform monitor. The levels are fairly close, but the blue channel (the
one on the right) shows higher levels than the other two. So Ill go
through the same steps back in the Primary in Room to correct this,
dragging the lower left corner of each color Curve to the right.
Then Ill go back to the Geometry Room and reposition the box to the
white keys.
Then return to the Primary In Room and manipulate the top right corner
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of each Curve so that the tops of each trace in the
RGB Parade Waveform are even. We also want
LhemLomaLchLhaLsame70|PLlevelwehadinLhe
other image. So this is what I end up with:
Notice that even though the very tops of all three
channels are aligned in the RGB Parade Waveform,
that the majority of the rest of the trace still isnt
aligned. The blue channel is higher than the green
channel, which is higher than the red channel. We
were also kind of seeing this at the top of the trace
when we were looking at the black levels. The
bottoms of all of the traces were the same, but not
the top. Both of these things are indicating the
same thing: our gammas or mid-tones are also out
ofwhack.1heyareLoobluishgreen.1o6xLhaL,
well click on a point in the middle of our red curve
and pull it UP slightly to match the green channel
and well put a point in the middle of the blue
Curve and pull it DOWN slightly so that it also
matches the green channel in the RGB Parade
Waveform. Why match both of them to the green
channel? Because the green channel is essentially
what the luminance of the video signal is keyed to,
so if we lowered the blue and green channel to the
red channel, the whole image would darken
considerably, and if we raised the red and green
channel to match the blue channel, the image
would lighten. If I felt that the image was too dark,
I might actually have chosen to raise the red and
green channels, but I want to maintain the image
brightness. I could have also done this when I
raised the top end of the three color Curves. But I
chose to brighten the image just a bit there. I also
needed to adjust the top end of each Curve after I
moved the middle point because the middle
affected the top. Eventually I had moved the
Curves to the following positions and got the
following RGB Parade trace, indicating a pretty
good balance.
Then I returned to the Geometry Room and reset
the Geometry for both scenes.
To check the match between the two shots, I
movedLheLimelineindicaLoroverLhe6rsLshoL
and hit control-I to save a still of it, then moved the
timeline indicator over the second shot and hit
control-U to create a split screen between them.
You can change the position and rotation of this
split screen with controls in the Still Store Room,
but I left them at their defaults.
YoucanseeLhespliLofaSLillSLoreofLhe6rsLshoL
color corrected on the left and the second shot
color corrected on the right. To give you some
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perspective of where we came from there is also a split of the two shots before color correction.Hopefully
this gives you one more tool in your color correction arsenal and shows you how well you can correct a
poorly white balanced shot.

STEPHEN HULLFISH is the author of The Art and
Technique of Digital Color Correction and
Color Correction for Video (Focal Press). He also
recently completed a comprehensive training DVD
for Apple Color with Bob Sliga, who was part of the
Apple Color team. The two DVD set beginner and
advanced is available from Class on Demand.
Hull6shisaveLeranediLorandcolorisLwiLhclienLs
including Universal Studios, NBC TV, The Oprah
WInfrey Show, Turner Networks, and Jim Henson
Home Entertainment.
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The email started simply enough:
Im about to output my nished Final Cut
project and submit it to the festival.
What can I do to make this look more
like lm?
Or, its close cousin:
I shot my video at 24 frames per
second. Why doesnt it look more
like lm?
NoLhingsLarLsabar6ghLfasLerLhanexpressing
anopinionabouLhowLomakevideolooklike6lm.
But, I recently presented this topic at the
Broadcast Video Expo in London to three
sLanding-roomonlycrowds.So,|6gureLhere
is some interest in this topic. Allow me to share
my thoughts.
QUESTION: WHAT IS THE FILM LOOK?
|nspiLeofwhaLyoumayread,Lhe6lmlookisNO1
24 frames per second. In fact, it is my contention
that the frame rate is the least important aspect
ofmakingvideolooklike6lm.
|nLheolddays,6lmwasrecordedaL18framesper
second.|nfacL,inLheverybeginningof6lm,all
cameras were hand-cranked, which created the
original variable-speed clip. Today, sports footage
isofLenshoLaL32framespersecond,someisshoL
evenfasLer.WhenyouwaLch6lmon1vorDvD
youareviewingiLaL25or30fps.OnlyinaLheaLer
doyousee6lmrunningaL24fps.No,iLisn'LLhe
frameraLeLhaLmakes6lmlooklike6lm.
Its something else.
PurisLswouldargueLhaL6lmlookslike6lm
because it records light using a photochemical
process, while video cameras use electronic
sensors. I dont disagree. But we are not trying to
makeourvideolookexacLlylike6lm,raLherweare
trying to make it look more hlm-llke. So, until
they start making photochemical sensors for video
cameras, lets see what we can do in video that will
emulaLeLheresulLswegeLfrom6lm.
Making Video Look More Like Film
L
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16:9 WIDESCREEN
CINEMASCOPE
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Rule 1: Creating a Film-Look Starts in
Pre-Production
Think about the professional productions youve
watched or heard of. How many of them just
grabbed a camera and starting shooting? Right.
None of them. Every single production started off
planning what they were going to shoot and how
they were going to shoot it.
Planning is not very sexy or exciting or, sometimes
even, fun. But it is essential. Good planning doesnt
cost a lot of money most times it just costs time
but it makes all the difference between an image
looking cheap or a project that looks like every
dollar was put on the screen.
Questions that affect the look that you need to
ask include:
Where will this project be distributed?
Wide-screen projection has different
requirements than video for broadcast
or video for the web.
Are you able to control the lighting on set?
This is THE key question. The more you control
lighting, the better your project will look.
Can you use cameras that allow you to use
interchangeable lenses, add matte boxes,
orhold6lLers!NoLeveryLhingshouldbeshoL
on a wide-angle lens.
Is there enough room on the location for all
your gear? The worst situation to be in, from
a production point of view, is a small room with
no space for the camera and lights.
Can you schedule production so that there is
enough time to light the scene? Sure, its great
to waltz in and start shooting two minutes after
arrival. But your video will also LOOK like you
starting shooting two minutes after plugging in;
which is not what we are talking about here.
Planning during pre-production is all about
6guringouLwhaLyouwanLyoursLoryLobe,how
you want it to look, and what you need to do to
get it to look that way. The better your planning,
LhebeLLeryour6nalresulLswilllook.
RuIe 2: It Is FAR easIer to create a Im Iook In
production than in post.
Heres something else to think about. When was
LhelasLLimeyousawareasonablyhigh-end6lm
or television production start shooting without
6rsLLakingLimeLolighL!PighLagain.Never.
The best thing you can do to make your video look
morelike6lmisLolighLiLproperly.8ooksare
written about three-point lighting and I wont
regurgiLaLeLhemhere.Suf6ceiLLosayLhaLLhere's
areasonprofessionalsLhink:keylighL,6lllighL,
back light, and set light because it works.
It works really well. And its worth emulating in
your productions.
NOTHING SAYS QUALITY MORE THAN GREAT LIGHTING.
Note: Cameras are getting more sensitive and able
to make pictures using low lighting levels. However,
you still need to light. Theres a great demo shot of
Leonardo DiCaprio lit by the light from a match.
Which shows amazing low light sensitivity in the
camera. However, hes also silhouetted in front of a
glowing window lit with a set light and theres also
some backlight adding some hair detail as well. So,
while the key light comes from a match, the rest of
the scene is very artfully lit. This illustrates the
benehts of low llght sensltlvlty comblneJ wlth
great lighting.
The next thing you can do is back the camera away
from your talent and replace your wide angle lens
with a longer lens. The longer the lens, the tighter
LheshoLandLheshorLeryourdepLhof6eld.
(DepLhof6eldisLhaLparLofLheimageLhaLis
in focus.)
Your goal, in general, is to have everything in your
image slightly out of focus except the talent you
want your audience to watch. Yes, this requires
GOOD LIGHTING
BAD LIGHTING
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muchmoreaLLenLionLoyourfocus,whichiswhy6lmsalwayshave
someone dedicated to the task of adjusting the focus of the lens.
But this is an important visual indicator of a quality production.
Note: One of the things I frequently do is watch TV with the sound off.
This forces me to ignore the story-line and characters and watch the
hlmmcklng technlques. oull be cmczeJ ct whct you ccn Jlscover cbout
lighting, camera angles, talent movement, and overall production
techniques by watching programs silently.
SeveralLechniquesexisLLodecreaseyourdepLhof6eld(remember
the less you have in focus, the better the shot looks):
Use longer lenses, or zoom in.
Reduce the amount of light hitting the camera. This allows you to open
Lheiris,whichreducesLhedepLhof6eld.1helowerLhef/sLopnumber,
LheshallowerLhedepLhof6eld.f/2.8isbeLLerLhanf/4.f/4isbeLLerLhan
f/5.6.f/5.6isbeLLerLhanf/8,andsoon.
Zoom less during a scene. Changing the zoom setting changes the
depLhof6eld-Lhewideryourlens,LhedeeperLhedepLhof6eld.
LONG DEPTH OF FIELD
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RuIe 7hree: Use camera Iters to controI the
look of what you are recording
Camera6lLersperformLhreebasicLasks:
1. Control the amount of light hitting the sensor,
which allows you to better control your depth of
6eld.
2. Manipulate the image you are recording,
generally
to enhance skin tones.
3.CreaLespecialeffecLsLhaLarehardLocreaLe
later in post.
1hebigdifferencebeLween6lmandvideoishow
each handles high white levels. A very simple
technique you can use for your video is to slightly
underexpose your image. Close the iris so that
your maximum white level is around 90%.
This allows you to capture plenty of detail in
your highlights.
1haL'swhereanND(neuLraldensiLy)6lLercomes
in. It reduces the light coming in from the lens,
wiLhouLchangingLhecolorofLhelighL.ND6lLers
are often built into the camera, however you can
purchaseaddiLional6lLerswiLhmore,orless,
density to allow you more control.
OneofLhebene6LsofslighLlyunderexposingyour
video is that you can always raise the white level in
post. This means that you dont lose highlight
detail and your video doesnt look blown out. Keep
inmindLhaLLhereisnowayLo6xhighlighLsLhaL
are so white that the detail is lost; what I call
blown-out whites.
However, to be able to control your exposure, you
need to be in a location where you can control
your lighting. Remember that discussion we had
earlier about pre-production planning? Well, this is
where that pays off. The more you avoid blown-
ouLwhiLesandhoLspeculars(reecLionsoffshiny
objects) the better.
AnoLhergroupof6lLersLhaLareessenLialinmany
forms of production are called Pro-Mist"6lLers.
These soften skin texture without losing too much
edge detail while still keeping black levels nice and
dark.1hereareLwovarieLiesofLhis6lLer:ProMisL
andwarmPro-MisL.WarmPro-MisL6lLersboLh
soften skin texture and add additional warmth to
skin color. Generally, start with a or warm
blackPro-MisL6lLer.1heseareavailablefrom
companies such as Tiffen and Schnieder,
among others.
Note: AnJ remember the beneht of mckeu.
The more time you spend making images looking
good in front of the camera, the less time and money
you neeJ to senJ lcter ln eJltlng hxlng lt.
ALhirdcaLegoryof6lLersallowsyouLomanipulaLe
focus, enhance sky detail, or create special lens
effecLs.1hebene6LsLousinglens6lLersisLhaL
your image is recorded with the effect, which
means no rendering later. Also, it is much easier to
play with the selective focus of an image before it
is recorded than to do so later in post.
Rule Four: Control Where the Eye Looks
1hemarkofgreaL6lmmakersisLhaLLheyconLrol
where the viewers eye looks during a scene. You
can do this by controlling where you place your
talent and what you have them do.
1heeyelooks6rsLaLpeopleorob|ecLsLhaLare:
Moving
Bigger
Brighter
In-focus
Off-center
Take a stroll through a museum of classical art or
study painters like Vermeer and the Dutch painters
ofLhe17Lhand18LhcenLury,or8oLLicelli,Davinci,
and|LalianpainLersofLhe15-17LhcenLury.LookaL
how they place their subjects. Look at how they
use eye-lines (where the eye of their subject looks)
SHORT DEPTH OF FIELD
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to direct the viewers eye. Look at how they use
lighting and, more importantly, shadow, to control
how their subject looks.
Now, switch to a prime-time network show. Watch
how they leverage these eye-control techniques to
make sure you are looking at the main subject of
each shot. Notice how hard it is to look away from
whereLhe6lmmakerwanLsyouLolook.
This idea of creating compelling content for the
eye to look at is critical in visual storytelling.
Rule Five: Shoot the Right Video Format
Yes the world has gone HD. But theres HD and
then theres HD. If you want your video to look
6lm-likeconsiderLhefollowing.
A progressive image (a video format that ends
with the letter p) will always look better than an
interlaced format. Always shoot progressive video.
Film shoots the entire frame at once. So does
progressive video. For the web or digital
projection, progressive is your only option.
Research has shown that the average viewer can
noLLellLhedifferencebeLween720pand1080ion
any1vseL50"acrossorsmaller.
Interlacing is not your friend. Avoid it.
Avoid excessive motion blur. Shoot at the fastest
shutter rate your lighting will support. And if your
camera allows you to change the shutter angle,
shooLusinga180-degreeshuLLer.
You can always add motion blur in post. Yes, it
takes a while to render, but it is far easier to add
motion blur than to take it out!
For all the projects I work on, I always shoot
720p60(if|wasinLurope,|'dshooL720p50).
Rule Six: Post-Production is the Final Stage to
Create a Film Look, not the First.
Now that everything is properly planned, staged,
lit, and shot, its time to move into post-
production. Notice, that this is the last step,
noLLhe6rsLoneonLheroadLomakingvideo
look6lm-like.
If your lighting is bad, your focus is soft, or your
talent is blocked by a plant, there is almost
noLhingyoucandoinposLLo6xiLexcepLLopray
that you have another shot you can use in its place.
The basic rule of thumb is get all your editing done
so that your story-telling is complete. Then, as the
lasLsLepbefore6nalsoundmixandouLpuL,
create the look that you want. Theres no sense
wasting time creating a look for a scene if you
decide later that you dont need that scene in
your6nalversion.
Note: There are two videos, featuring Francis Ford
Coppola and Walter Murch that also speak to this
process. Check them out at: www.apple.com/pro/
pro6les/coppola_murch and www.youLube.com/
waLch!v=8CekY111e5A
However, before you start adding effects, take the
time to be sure your exposures are set properly.
|nPinalCuL,useLheColorCorrecLor3-way6lLerLo
set Black levels to 0, while White levels should not
exceed100%(|LendLoseLminearound97%).
Once you get everything looking consistently
good, then you can spend the time tweaking.
1hereareawidevarieLyof6lLersyoucanusein
Final Cut Pro to add a hlm-look to your projects.
These include:
Nattress Film Effects www.nattress.com.
ProbablyLhegranddaddyofPinalCuL6lmeffecLs.
Everything from scratches and burn-outs to leader
and6lmgrain.
Digital Anarchy Beauty Box
www.digitalanarchy.com. This does a very
nice job of smoothing skin tones without losing
edge detail.
BAD FRAMING
GOOD FRAMING
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LARRY JORDAN is a producer, director, editor, writer,
andAppleCerLi6ed1rainerinDigiLalMediawiLh
moreLhan30year'sexperienceasaLelevision
producer, director, and editor with national
broadcast and corporate credits. Based in Los
Angeles, hes a member of both the Directors Guild
of America and the Producers Guild of America.
Recognized as one of the Top Corporate Producers
inAmerica,hehasalsowriLLen6vebooksonPinal
Cut Studio, created hundreds of hours of on-line
training, and is the executive producer and host
of Digital Production BuZZ, a podcast devoted
to digital video production and post. Visit his
websites at www.larryjordan.biz and
www.digitalproductionbuzz.com.
ShefeId Softworks VIbrance
www.shef6eldsofLworks.com. This adds life to
color and makes shadow detail come alive.
Red Giant Software Looks
www.redgiantsoftware.com. A vast array of visual
looks that cover everything from simple diffusion
LomusicvideosLohorror6lms.Also,checkouL
Quick Looks for a less expensive way to get started.
ManyoLher6lLersareavailable,evenenLire
applications like Apple Color, that allow you
to get just the look you want.
However,geLLingyourvideoLolooklike6lmisnoL
some magic button you push at the end of your
project. Its a way of thinking about your images
during every step of your production to make sure
you are capturing the best images possible.
Because, at the end, as the audience
is watching your work, you want them to say:
Wow, that looks great!
Special Note: Take a look at a new website Ive
created: www.2reelguys.com. Here, Norman Hollyn
and I take a look at the creative side of storytelling.
It builds on a lot of the concepts I talked
about here.

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A week ago our 30-day trial license for
Autodesks new Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X
ended. Here's our rst ImpressIons from pIayIng
around with it from the point of view of FCP/
Avid editors who also do some compositing
from time to time. We think there also should be
a dedicated article from the Final Cut trainers
point of view. Well write it soon.
First of all its necessary to point out what level
Smoke 2010 occupies in the existing Final Cut Pro
or Avid Media Composer ecosystem. As we were
told on training session, this is not a replacement
ofLhecurrenLPCP/Avidworkows,buLLheir
expansion. Thats why the slogan for Smoke on
Mac is Dont Just Edit. Finish.
Currently, what are the weak points of the existing
systems? Lets take FCP. One has to admit that
there are some Figaro here, Figaro there style of
work inside Final Cut Studio. For example, if you
want to track your footage, you have to send it to
Motion, track it there and roundtrip it to Final Cut
Pro. If you need to change something in it later,
you have to open it in Motion again, re-track your
footage and save it. Way too long.
Its the same thing with keying. Sure, you could
youusePCPbuilL-inkeying6lLers,buLformoreor
less decent results you may want to pull several
keys with different settings and then combine
them in one nice matte, then work on your matte
edges and apply this to green screen footage and
6ne-LuneedgeblendingofkeyedPGfooLage.|L's
an almost impossible situation for Final Cut Pro
without reaching for third-party plug-ins and a
piece of cake for Smoke.
When it comes to color correction, theres
absolutely the same story. From time to time
almosLeveryPCPediLor6ndshimselfinasiLuaLion
whenhemusLmakeadecision:shouldhebriey
LouchupcolorsusingColorCorrecLor3-WayrighL
now, or leave it for now and do it later in Apple
Color. Sure, to do it later in Color is a more
consisLenLworkow,buLwhaLifLheclienLsiLLing
next to you insists on here and now? Again, no
problem for a Smoke user. If you need to correct it
right here, right now you can do it right here, right
now. And keep working on the next shots along
the road.
HARDWARE
Smokes appetites for hardware are really
asLonishing.|Lrequires8-coreMacProwiLh8G8
ofPAMminimum,NvidiaQuadroPX4800graphics
cardandA1AKona3board.Plus,onehasLo
updaLehis/herOSLoSnowLeopard(because
SmokeisaLrue64-biLapp)andiLshouldbeaL
leasLversion10.6.2.Plus,iL'srecommendedLo
have a Wacom tablet (fortunately, optional).
Really beefy system.
It turned out that Wacom tablet was there for a
particular reason: surely you can use a mouse
inside Smoke, but its more convenient to work
with a tablet. Though Autodesk recommends
devices only of Wacom Intuos family, we had no
problemswiLhmodesLGraphire3LhingandiLwas
hard to tell the difference between it and more
expensive Wacom toys. Maybe, the difference
could be more obvious in Paint module, but we
didnt have time to explore it .
In spite of minimum system requirements for
NvidiaQuadroPX4800,SmokewasableLorunon
regularA1|Padeon2600HDandwasalso
attempting to play footage. But almost every
gesture puts Smoke into a very deep thinking,
and its quite impossible to do any real stuff on
default MacPro graphics card. Conclusion #1: No
Martini no party, meaning no Quadro no fun.
SpeakingabouLA1AKona3.8esidesiL'sobvious
role as a video handling board and VTR-controller,
Autodesk Smoke 2010 for Mac OS X
rst impressions
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its main responsibility inside Smoke is sound
input-output. At the moment it is the only
supported sound card on Smoke system (oopsies,
no Core Audio!). Conclusion #2: Wanna hear
timeline sounds? You have to dig up enough
doughforKona3.
TOOLS
To be honest, every subject below deserves its
ownarLicle,buLwe'llLryLocapLureour6rsL
impressions here and save details for later.
COLOR CORRECTOR
First thing that got Zsolt and I hooked on Smoke;
was its built-in timeline color corrector. And saying
built-in we mean it. You dont have to go
somewhere in the menu, or Effects bin, or else. Its
always here at your service on the left-hand side of
the timeline. Very convenient. And its not some
unpreLenLious6lLerwiLhlimiLedfeaLures,no,iL'sa
fully functional Color Corrector module with
vector masks (vignettes in Color speak), color
curves, histograms, blacks/mids/whites tonal
ranges setup and so on. A little bit aside but still at
hand located tools for secondary color corrections.
In short, its like having complete Apple Color
integrated into the timeline.
MASKS
Especially good news for Apple Color users. First
and foremost, you CAN add points to the vector
mask anywhere along mask and not only at the end.
Second, mask softness could be controlled either
using a simple Softness mode, or a more
sophisticated Advanced Gradient feature, with a
separate set of controls for inner and outer
softness that operates in a more convenient way
than does Color. Extending our metaphor from the
previous paragraph, its like having Apple Motion
integrated into timeline.
KEYING
The amount of built-in keyers is more than enough
for almost any keying task one may encounter.
Even after using default Master Keyer you might
ask yourself, Do I REALLY need something else,
beyond all that? Well, maybe some node-based
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keyer will be very welcome too. No problem! For
hardcore Shake or Nuke veterans Smokes Modular
Keyer will quickly become a second nature. (You
shouldseeZsolL'sfacewhenhe6rsLdiscoverediL,
it was like Christmas happened right now). Nice,
handy nodes right inside Smoke! Sweeeet!
TRACKING
One-, two- and three-point tracker, plus the ability
for any point of vector mask has its own tracker
attached. Unfortunately, no planar tracker (yet?),
but let us remind you that were still in the editing
software, not a dedicated compositing or tracking
system. Fair enough, lets leave some market spot
for third-party trackers, their developers have to
pay their bills too.
ANIMATION AND EXPRESSIONS
Fully supported expression language for
animating things and parameters linking.
Again, inside the timeline. And you can cut and
paste keyframes, the long-awaited feature for
Final Cut Pro users. Moreover, different
interpolation types of animation curve and
scaling animation in time are also supported.
That makes things even more fruity!
BILINEAR & BICUBIC
Well, Bilinear is just a new name for the old Distort
tool in Final Cut Pro. But Bicubic is a quite different
thing. One could think of it as the Mesh Warp
distortion tool from After Effects, but way more
sophisticated and with a cool feature its a true
3Dmesh.AndiLevensupporLslighLsandshadows.
SCHEMATIC
|fyouever6ndyourselfsearchingforananswerLo
the question what is Schematic, in short? we
probably would describe it as a cross between
layers and nodes. And thats a very important thing
Lorealize,becauseLhaLwasLhe6rsLmisLakeLhaL
wemadewhenwesawiLforLhe6rsLLime.1hisis
not really a straight-forward logic, but when you
get used to it, this could be very handy. Just stick a
post-it note in front of your display saying
Schematic is NOT nodes (even thought it looks like
nodes).
PRORES 422 & DNXHD SUPPORT
Thats the key thing that makes difference
between Smoke on Mac and Smoke Advanced on
Linux (not to mention the price tag). The system
can read and do hard or soft import of those two
ma|orcodecsincurrenLworkows.1haLmeans
youdon'LneedLoconverLyoursequenceLoDPX,
you|usLopenyour6nalediLinSmokeand
reconnect your clips back to the original media
6les.SimpleasLhaLl
And speaking about bringing your edited
programinLoSmoke,youcoulduseXML,
AAF or EDL formats.
INTERFACE
WehaveLoadmiLLhaLwhenwe6rsLsawSmoke's
interface we got quite confused and even scared.
After such familiar FCP and Avid windows even
Apple Colors interface was something that looked
like nuclear submarine control panel. And when
it comes to Smoke, its interface resembles a
UFO benchboard.
The whole logic behind the interface is built on
entirely different principles of interacting with
user.1here'snoseparaLeoaLingwindows,no
arrow pointer, no dialog windows and even oh
my goodness! no main menu, like every Mac app
should have. Nothing! Thats a disaster! Im not
gonna work on THAT THING.
But after playing with Smoke just for two hours, a
doubt appeared in our minds do we really need
all that standard interface elements to which we all
got used to? And after two more hours we started
to think, how come that 99% of traditional user-
friendly elements of modern OS werent that
friendly at all, compared to Smokes interface? How
come that this dull gray bricky-buttoned interface
could be easier and more convenient than typical
OS menus and buttons? Miracle.
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But its true. Totally oriented on working with a
tablet, Smokes interface gives you the
unprecedented tactile feeling from editing.
AlmosLlikeyou'reLouchingLhereal6lmsLrips.
Its like editing on a real edit bench, where you
could organize your footage in a human-like
manner (Those clips gonna lie on the left of my desk
and this bunch of slices are on the right.). Funny,
familiar, forgotten feelings.
Smokes keyboard shortcuts deserve a separate
article. In short, theres absolutely different way of
mapping functions to the keyboard, e.g. in order
LoundosomeLhingyouwon'LpressCmd+Z,buL
Delete (Backspace in PC world) button on your
keyboardinsLead.AL6rsLLhaLreallypissedusoff,
but now we have to admit that all the shortcuts
are really conveniently placed, even if they are not
aligning with traditional ways of mapping.
For example, you are setting your In and Out point
by pressing Option and Control buttons
respectively on the right side of the keyboard. And
instead of J-K-L for playback, you gonna use C-V
keys for play forward-backward and Spacebar to
stop. But, as wed said before, we found it very
convenient too, you have much more Pros than
Cons here, especially when it comes to trimming.
Trimming in Smoke is also something poetic.
Besides usual for Avid editors commands Trim
Head/1rim1ail,whichallowyouLocuL-and-deleLe
from playhead position to the previous or next
edit respectively, you can trim head and tail of the
clip using keyboard short cuts without even
leaving you current position on the timeline.
The fact that Smoke also shows how many frames
are available for trimming in clip handles, right on
the clip in the timeline, made us give Smoke a
20-minute standing ovation. No more guessing
How long can I trim this clip up?
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DMITRY LARIONOVisanAppleCerLi6edMasLer
Trainer on Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server,
CerLi6edProonAppleShakeandanAvid
CerLi6edUser.
Dmitry majored in Film Editing and after
graduating from the Russian Cinema University,
he worked as an editor for more than seven years
andediLedLhreefeaLure6lms(35mm),oneof
LhemforSonyPicLures,onefeaLure-lengLh3D
animation, as well as a number of trailers,
commercialsandshorL6lms.AsaMoLionGraphics
Artist he did projects for Danone, Shell and Pepsi.
8eforeenLering6lm/videoworldhehadworked
asGraphicsDesignersince1996.
Now he is a trainer in editing and motion graphics
in ProVideo Systems, an Apple Authorized
Training Center in Moscow, Russia. He taught Final
Cut Pro for major Russian TV channels, including
the 1st Channel and the Russia Channel.
ZSOLT BEZDAN isanAppleCerLi6edMasLer1rainer
inPinalCuLSLudio,AppleCerLi6edMedia
AdminisLraLorandAppleCerLi6edProonShake.
Zsolt has worked on Final Cut Pro since 2000 for
many different TV channels. Since 2005 he has
worked for UMP, Lean-M and Sony Pictures
common projects.
During this period Zsolt trained as a Shake
and Nuke compositor and soon became a fan
of node-based interfaces.
|n2009ZsolLbecameoneofLheAppleCerLi6ed
Trainers at Provis AATC in Moscow; training
people on the Apple ProApps.
Zsolt is also the Co-Founder and Ambassador
of FCPUG Hungary.
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FINALLY
OneLhingiscerLain-Smoke2010forMacOSXis
a very impressive system. Yes, one has to learn
absolutely new interface with nothing similar to
what every Mac user got used to. On the other
hand, it wont take long and it is possible to master
the logic behind it in two or three days. Moreover,
wiLhLheuni6edlogicofSmokeinLerfaceonemay
be pretty much sure that if he learned some tricks
in one part of Smoke, those tricks could be applied
in almost every other part of it.
Anddon'LforgeLLhaLSmokeisLheonlyLrue64-biL
editing package currently available on Mac.
It means almost indecent amounts of memory are
available to the program. Plus, the ability to work
with uncompressed RGB footage and support for
Proxy6les,SofL/HardimporL-allLhaLmakesiL
really beefy piece of software.
The only down side is the price. But to be honest,
we personally think that those amounts of
functionality and versatility built into Smoke could
possibly shift the feeling about the system from
Why so freakin pricey to Really need to consider
looking deeper. Functionality matters.
So, these are our combined feelings about Smoke
onMacOSXafLer30daysofplayingwiLhLheLrial
version. Were pretty sure that this is only the
above-the-water part of Autodesk Smoke
iceberg that were now willing to get to know a
little bit better.

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d.larionov@yahoo.com
Dmitry Larionov
is an Apple Certied Master Trainer on
Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Server,
Certied Pro on Apple Shake and an
Avid Certied User.
After graduating from (the) Russian
Cinema University (major in Film
Editing), he has worked as an editor for
more than seven years and edited three
feature lms (35 mm), one of them for
Sony Pictures, one feature-length 3D
animation, as well as a number of
trailers, commercials and short lms. As
a Motion Graphics Artist he did projects
for Danone, Shell and Pepsi.
Dmitry has worked as a Graphics
Designer since 1996, before venturing
into the world of lm and video.
Now he is a trainer in editing and
motion graphics in ProVideo Systems, an
Apple Authorized Training Center in
Moscow, Russia. He taught Final Cut Pro
to major Russian TV channels, including
the 1st Channel and the Russia Channel.
LARIONOV
Dmitry
bezdan@yandex.ru
Zsolt Bezdan
is an Apple Certied Master
Trainer on Final Cut Studio,
Apple Certied Media
Administrator, Apple Certied
Pro on Shake.
He works with Final Cut Pro since
2000 for dierent TV channels.
Since 2005 he worked for UMP,
Lean-M and Sony Pictures
common projects.
During this period Zsolt became
the Shake and Nuke composer
and fan of node-based systems.
Since 2009th Zsolt teachs Pro
Apps classes as the Apple
Certied Trainer at Provis AATC
(Moscow).
He is also FCPUG Hungary
Co-Founder and Ambassador.
BEZDAN
Zsolt
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INTRODUCTION
Smoke is an all in one solution for Editorial
Finishing. In December 2009, Autodesk
released Smoke on the Mac. At NAB a few
months later, Autodesk launched Smoke 2011
with lots of new features and with a new
seamIess coIIaboratIve workow wIth
Final Cut Pro.
Smoke 2011 has several new features, one of them
isSLereoscopicworkow.|nLhisarLicle,|willshow
you how to manage stereo footage in FCP and
send them to Smoke 2011 in order to create a
stereo project, along with some examples of
stereo-effects you can create with Smoke 2011.
Note: lor ecch crts you wlll hnJ c vlJeo llnk to
wctch ln orJer to see the workow ln context.
EDITING A STEREOSCOPIC SEQUENCE IN FCP
AND EXPORTING TO SMOKE
There are many ways to manage stereo content in
Final Cut Pro, you can edit one eye (left or right)
and then do the conform on the other.
OryoucanalsochooseLoworkwiLhspeci6c
CODEC such as CineformNeo3D which allows you
to multiplex both eyes (left and right) in the same
Quick1ime6le.1hismeansyoucanviewyour
sequence in anaglyph mode or side by side directly
in your broadcast monitor for example.
Ive chosen a simple solution that everybody
can replicate at home; editing the right eye on
track 1, then Ive conformed the left eye on track 2.
It is better to get the identical timecode on both
eyes, so during the shoot dont forget to
synchronize the two cameras!
With this method it is easy to check if there are any
time offsets between the two eyes, Final Cut Pro is
the best place to adjust everything before doing
any effects, grading or motion graphics.
Note : Dont hesitate in the Bin to label the reel name
for each clips, it will be easier for the conformation.
For example Left for all the left shot and right for all
the right shots.
Stereo Workow Between FCP & Smoke 2011
Stereo Footage courtesy of Autodesk
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When your editing is done, you just have to export
yoursequenceasaXML6le.1odoiL,|usLselecL
your sequence, then go to:
Pile>LxporL>XML
SmokesupporLsversion5AppleXMLinLerchange
format for import.
NO7l : 5moke 2011 on Mcc recognlzes cll the
installed fonts on your Mac system during the XML
conform, so you shouldnt have to double-check all
the text layers!
1hebesLplaceLosaveyourXML6le,isinLhesame
folderasyourmedia6les.|nLhiswaySmokewillbe
ableLo6ndyourmedia6lesfasLerinLheconform,
especiallywhenyouhavemany6les.Whenyou've
exporLLhe6le,youcanexiLPinalCuLPro.
CREATING A SMOKE PROJECT AND USER.
The big difference from Final Cut Pro is that when
you login, you create a Project and User. So, it is
imporLanLLocorrecLlyde6neboLh.|nLhePro|ecL
Panelyoucande6neLhepro|ecL'sresoluLion,Lhe
bit depth, aspect ratio, etc. You can choose to
generate proxies, in case you are working with
large6leslike2Kor4Kimages.Smokecanuse
Apple ProRes (as I have used in my footage), so no
need to use the Proxy Generator. In the Proxy
option you can also choose to do background
rendering. In the User Panel there is a new popup
menu where you can load Final Cut Pro Hotkey
Presets which is a very useful option for FCP users.
IMPORTING FCP XML USING THE NEW GATEWAY IMPORT.
1heworkowbeLweenPinalCuLProandSmoke
2011 has been greatly improved. Using the new
GaLewayyoucanimporLyourXMLPCPpro|ecLinLo
your library using drag and drop. To access to your
media on your local system or network, you have to
open the network panel in the library giving you
access to the Gateway. To setup the Gateway, you
browse the system and select the disk or the folder
you want to access. When your folder or disks are
highlighted you simply exit the network panel.
TOP: LOGIN DIALOG
ABOVE: PROJECT PANEL
LEFT: USER PANEL
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In the library, you can use the Dual View mode, it is
the simplest way to do drag and drop. So, on the
top left of the library, select Dual View in the blue
pop up menu. Then in one of the two views select
yourgaLeway,andnavigaLeLoyourxml6le.
In the other view you are in a default library.
To create a new library, just click on the blue popup
menu and select create new library, type the
name and press enter.
So, you are ready to import your timeline into
Smoke,allyoudois|usLdraganddropyourXML
6leLoLhenewlibraryyou've|usLcreaLed.1oaccess
LheXMLopLion,|usLdoubleclickoniL.
NOTE : FCP XML always defaults to an 8bit color
space even if it is 10 bit (like Apple ProRes). To avoid
any pointless rendering, (before you drag and drop)
Jouble cllck on the xml hle, go to the metcJctc
options>clip resolution and click on From File to
switch to Selection Resolution, check that the
resolution is set to 10 bit. Then drag and drop your
xml to the library.
Smoke will automatically reconnect all the media
on the sequence. You can preview the timeline
inside the library by dragging inside the clip
sequence or by swiping your cursor to the right.
The player will appear, in which you can play your
timeline or any other selected clip.
To see all the clips video and audio used in your
sequence, double click on ][ icon at the bottom
right of the thumbnail. In order to load your
sequence to the desktop, just select it and click on
the load button on the bottom left of the library.
LOADING THE TIMELINE & CREATING A STEREOTRACK
The sequence is now on the desktop, you have to
drag and drop the sequence source to the
bottom dark grey area in order to see all the tracks.
By default, Smoke shows you the Head & Tails
timeline view, press F5 to see the Multitrack view.
You can press Esc to switch between the desktop
andLheplayer,andifyouwanLLogeLLheSource/
Pecordmode(likePCP),|usLpressShifL+Lsc.
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We want to convert our 2 independent video tracks
to one stereo video track, to do this you select both
video tracks by using the track selection button on
the left part of the timeline panel (if you hold the
shift key you can select both tracks). When the two
tracks are selected, go to the blue popup menu
which display Hard Commit and select the
Stereo Merge feature. When youve done this,
your two tracks should now be synchronised and
Smoke sees this as one stereo video track.
DISPLAYING STEREO MODES & MODIFY CONVERGENCE
Smoke 2011 can display the stereo image directly
inside the player. Press Esc to switch to the player,
then click on the view button to display the
view options.
With the new FCP Hotkeys Preset you can navigate the Timeline (almost) like FCP using J,K,L, Spacebar, etc.
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Own the creative. The Autodesk
Smoke
all-in-one editorial nishing toolset helps

you save time while expanding your creative
capabilities. With the nishing tools in Smoke,
build on your existing creative cut workows
and unleash your creative potential.
Learn more at autodesk.com/smokeonmac
Try Smoke now, visit autodesk.com/smoke-trial
Autodesk Smoke software
For Mac OS
X
DONT JUST EDIT. FINISH.
Autodesk and Smoke are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or aliates in the USA and/or other countries. Mac OS is a trademark
of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter
product and services oerings, and specications and pricing at anytime without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
You have to select stereo mode and then choose which mode you want
to display. Smoke 2011 can display 5 different stereo modes :
Anaglyph Dubois mode
Mono mode
Blend mode
Diff mode
Diff Clamped mode
AllLhesemodesareveryusefulLoseeLhe3DeffecL(ifyouareusing
Ped/8lueglasses,youwillhaveLochooseAnaglyphDuboismode).|fyou
want to modify the depth of certain shots; you can do this by adjusting
the convergence.
With Smoke you can adjust the convergence directly from the timeline.
Select the shot you want to modify (both left and right eyes) then add a
soft axis. Click on the left part of the timeline on the axis button. Options
appear on the top of the timeline. Switch the parameter surface to
stereo in the blue popup menu. Now you can modify the convergence
parameter. To get the best experience, you should display the full-screen
modebypressingCLrl+Lsc,inLhefull-screenmodeyoucansLillaccessLhe
convergence parameters. The focus point of your screen is where the left
and right eye detail converge (objects without any color offset), by
moving the convergence you can push the objects deeper into the
scene or pull them towards the viewer.
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CREATING STEREOSCOPIC EFFECTS & COMPOSITIONS
In Smoke 2011, stereoscopy goes beyond the stereo-display and the
modi6caLionofLheconvergenceparameLers.YoucancomposiLe
sLereoscopic3DfooLageand2DfooLageinLhesame3DenvironmenL
byusingLheSmoke3DcomposiLingmodulecalled"AcLion."Youcanalso
apply a multitude of effects directly to the timeline such as Color
Correction for example.
COLOR CORRECTION
As weve seen before, when you create a stereo video track in the timeline,
the two video layers or eyes are synchronised. If you select one of the
two eyes and apply a color correction effect on it, Smoke will
automatically apply a second color corrector to the other eye and any
changes to one will affect the other.
In most cases this is useful, but if
you need to correct one eye due to
a color mismatch; you simply click
on the link icon on the left of the
track and do your color correction
on the selected eye.
When the two eyes match, you can
re-link them and Smoke will keep
IMPROVE YOUR FRENCH
with Bruce The Yak
Join the French Final Cut Studio Users Group
http://www.yakyakyak.fr
-Daily News
-Free video Podcasts
-3000+ members on the forum
-Interviews, Tests and Special Events
Bruce is your friend
Bruce on your iPhone/iPad
YAK YAK YAK.FR
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the color offset youve just created, so if you then
add another color corrector it will apply to both
eyes and you dont have to keep repeating the
effects on each layer.
STEREO COMPOSITING IN A 3D ENVIRONMENT
Note: You will need 3D glasses
SmokeisagreaL6nishingediLorialLool,buLalso
Smoke has very powerful compositing tools
inheriLedfromPlame.As|menLionedbrieybefore
one of these tools is called Action.
AcLionisa3DcomposiLingLoolLhaLhasallLhe
features you need to do keying, masking, tracking
buLalsoaLrue3DspacewhereyoucanimporL3D
ob|ecLandcreaLe3D1exL.
The cool thing with Smoke 2011 is it enables you to
mixsLereo3DfooLagewiLh2DfooLage.
First we have to select a stereo shot in our timeline
andsendiLLoAcLion.1hiswillcreaLea3Dcamera,
anP8Xcamera.1hiscameraworkslikearealworld
sLereo3Dcamerarig,composedofLwocameras.|n
action, the schematic view is a very useful way to
quickly select the right object, or to create links
between different objects.
You can choose to see
either the left eye or
the right eye but also
both simultaneously
using the stereo view
(third camera) and like
the timeline, you can
see the result in any of
the difference modes.
This is an incredibly
powerful feature,
because it means that
any of the elements you bring into action will be
seen by the stereoscopic camera based on your
stereo footage. So you can bring text animations or
particles that youve done in Apple Motion for
example and you will see them in stereo!
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ERWAN LE CLOIREC began in Post Production
immediately after Film school in Paris.
Starting at Discreet Logic as an Application
Engineer on Flame, then on Combustion & Edit.
After 4 years, he joined the french company
PealvizLopromoLeLhe2D-3DsoluLionsinAsia
and Europe.
Erwan founded the Paris Digital Flipbook , a
consulting company for the professional video
markeL.CerLi6ed1rainerandmenLoronShake,
Motion, Color and FCP, he worked with Apple to
evangelizeLheProAppsoverLhelasL7years.He
has also worked on many projects as an editor,
compositor and colorist.
|nSepLember2008,wiLhOliviervigneron,he
founded YAKYAKYAK.fr, a French online users
group dedicated to Final Cut Studio and
associated systems.
Today Erwan is at Autodesk Montreal as consultant
and Product Designer for Smoke on Mac.
In the example above I used text because you can
exLrudeiLasaLrue3Dob|ecLbyad|usLingLhe
depth parameter. To pull the text out from the
screen,youcanuseLhenew3DPaLhLool,which
works exactly like the text path from Motion, I
accentuated the pop up effect by curving the text
towards the viewer and by using lights you can
reallyaddLoLheperspecLiveeffecLonLhe3DLexL.
As you can see the stereo effect automatically
applied to the text and yet we keep the same
interactivity manipulating the footage layers
orLhe3Dob|ecLs.
CONCLUSION
Smoke 2011 has a full set of stereoscopic tools,
totally integrated for compositing and for motion
graphics.1hefacLLhaLyoucanmixsLereo3D
footage and 2D footage in the same composition
ona6nishingsuiLeisunique.
AsPinalCuLProuser,LheworkowbeLweenLhe
two applications is very simple using the new
Gateway import.
The new FCP Hotkeys Preset means that switching
between the two applications is much easier and
you can focus on the work instead of looking up
which key you need to press, although you will still
need time to master all the different modules.
Having Final Cut Studio and Smoke on the same
system is a killer solution for most of the
productions you will encounter.
There are many new features in Smoke 2011 that I
havent covered here. Check out the Autodesk
website or the Smoke on Mac page for video
tutorials and more information.

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Data storage is now a paramount issue
especially for video professionals. As quickly as
the cost-per-gigabyte of hard drives has fallen
the online capacity requirements have risen as
sharpIy. Add to the mIx Ie-based acquIsItIon
formats that have no tape (or analog) master
sitting on a shelf somewhere and the concept of
redundancy surfaces right alongside capacity as
an equal concern.
This creates a fundamental problem outside of
large post-houses: editors must now become their
own IT departments. Managing large amounts of
online, near-line and archived media is fast
becoming a requisite skill, vis--vis the hardware
resources required to handle professional work.
Even writing the word professional in that last
sentence gives me pause, because outside of the
HDV format, very few current prosumer and
consumer cameras (and practically no audio gear)
records to tape anymore. So that means all levels
ofediLorsandprediLors(producer/ediLors)will
need to manage an ever-increasing mass of ones
and zeros that have no tape corollary.
Here are some concrete examples: SpeedFreaks is
one of the shows I produce and edit for television
(www.speedfreaks.tv) and every six episodes
requires a minimum of two terabytes of online
storage which consist of HDV, AVCHD, AVCIntra,
PlipHDvideo,PLD,CanonH.264(7D&5DMark||),
moLiongraphics,render6leseLc.eLc.eLc.1usL
recently we did another network pilot that
consumed over one terabyte just for a single
half-hour episode. The vast majority of this type of
mediaderivesfrom6le-based,andnoLLape
formats. That results in three core issues to tackle:
Creating enough online storage and by online
I mean storage you can comfortably edit from.
Creating relatively safe storage, meaning
a storage plan that includes a level of
redundancy so in the event of hardware failure
media isnt lost.
Creating an archive strategy for the media when
it no longer has to reside online.
DroboPro:
SOHO Storage Made Easy
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THE FALLACY OF THE SOLE HARD DRIVE
Digital professionals (across many disciplines) have
been lured into the false sense of security that
arises from data residing one a single hard drive
thats sitting on the shelf present company
included. The old IT adage, You only have data if
you have data twice, is still germane today and
probably even more so with the proliferation of
Lapelessmediaworkows.Harddrivesfail,eiLher
from a data integrity standpoint or mechanical
malfunction, they all have a potential to fail. Hard
drives also like to spin, and the longer a drive sits
inactive, the greater the chance it wont work
when next connected.
RAID systems (Redundant Array of Independent
Disks) address the issue of total data loss from
drive failure by intelligently spanning the data
across a set of drives. The compromise or
exchange for this protection is a reduction in total
capacity. A very common application is RAID-5,
whereforexample,youhave6veLoLaldrivesLhaL
yield the usable capacity of four drives, but you
couldsufferLhelossofanyoneofLhose6vedrives
and not loose any data.
In the past Ive built my own RAID systems usually
combining a RocketRAID (hptmac.com) card with a
third party case and a set of drives. Firstly, you
have to ensure that all components will work well
with each other. Then, its very important to have
all the same capacity drives, from the same
manufacturer, and ideally from the same lot
(factory run). Size is very important, because a
traditional RAIDs common denominator will be
the size of the smallest drive. For example if you
haveLhree118drivesandone750G8drive,Lhen
your RAID card will treat the RAID set as if you
wereusingfour750G8drives(Lhebaseline
capacity of the smallest drive in the set). For more
information about Build Your Own or BYO RAID;
read Ben Kings article Why do I Need a RAID?
Drobo (www.drobo.com) has introduced a line of
RAID-like devices that offer redundancy and of
equal importance, ease of use. The technology
doesnt really fall into any of the existing RAID
categories, but does offer the protection against
the failure of up to two drives while maintaining
data integrity. One of the major issues with
building your own RAIDs even a simple system
from OWC (eshop.macsales.com) thats basically
plug-and-playis management. You have to have
some IT acumen to deal with the vagaries of
traditional multi-hard drive based storage systems
that fall into any of the RAID categories (RAID 0, 1,
5,6,10,eLc.).1haL'swhy|wanLedLoLryLhe
DroboPro (www.drobo.com).
I wanted to see if you really could have redundant
storage that was easy to setup and use, but didnt
compromise on speed and security.
Out of the box it was very easy to setup:
Install the software. The box included a CD-ROM,
but check the website for the latest version
(www.drobo.com).
Insert bare drives into the chassis (I started with
6ve118drives).
Plug in the unit and connect it to you computer.
The DroboPro has multiple connection options on
the back of the device including: USB 2.0, FireWire
800andiSCS|.
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For the initial setup and connection tests, I chose
USB 2.0 because I wanted to see how the slowest
option would perform.
The Drobo Dashboard software sensed the
connection and presented this screen:
Since this unit was connected to a MacPro I chose
HSP+andLhensLarLedLheprocessofcreaLingLhe
storage volume.
This screen is very interesting because its allowing
you to establish the outer size limit of the
DroboPro, meaning how big it could ultimately
become. Now, this departs from other
implementations of redundant storage where you
can only work with the amount of capacity you
currently have installed, not what you may install
in the future.
I ran some speed tests with the Drobo empty using
AJAs System Test tool:
USB CONNECTION
Formatting the volume took just a couple of minutes, compared to six hours the last time I formatted a 4TB
PA|D-5usingaPockeLPA|D2322card.AfLerformaLLing,Lhe6ve118drivesyielded|usLover3.518ofusable
space with the internal breakdown as follows:
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iSCSI is a gigabit Ethernet connection and so its
potentially the fastest connection the unit has to
offer. Since the MacPro has two ports it was easy to
directly connect the DroboPro via this protocol.
AsasidenoLe,|diduseafullyraLedCA16(GigL)
cable. Check the DroboPro documentation if

Heres a tip...
lt ls very common to see c slgnlhccnt erformcnce hlt
wlth cny storcge system when uscge exceeJs 80-85%
of capacity, so try to never let a box get that full!
USING THIS BENCHMARK, MULTIPLE STREAMS OF 1080i PRORES
COULD BE ACHIEVED WITH THE DROBOPRO OVER HALF FULL
youre going to connect via a router because you may have to manually assign the unit an IP address,
buLforadirecLconnecLionnosofLwarecon6guraLionwasrequired.
As a connected volume the DroboPro behaves like any other mounted storage device with the added
bene6LLhaLLheenclosureisveryquieL,unlikeoneofmyoLherPA|DboxesLhaLcangeLpreLLyloudwhen
the fans ramp up.
LdiLinginPinalCuLProwas6neand|wasableLoworkwiLhmulLiclipsandmulLiplesLreamsofProPes
wiLhouLanynoLiceableissues.|6lledLheuniLwiLhdaLaoverLhe60%capaciLymarkandwassLillachieving
decenLread/wriLespeedsviaiSCS|.
iSCSI BANDWIDTH TEST WITH DROBOPRO OVER 60% FULL iSCSI BANDWIDTH TEST WITH DROBOPRO EMPTY
USB 2.0 BANDWIDTH TEST WITH DROBOPRO EMPTY
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The DroboPro was easy to setup and manage, but
heres where the technology becomes really quite
interesting expansion. In a normal RAID setup to
increase capacity, youd have to move all the data
off the RAID, add a new set of higher capacity
drives, reformat, and then copy all the data back
not fun, believe me I know.
In my initial setup of the DroboPro I left three bays
empty, so with the unit connected and running, I
added another 1TB drive into one of the empty
slots. Now, this wasnt just another spare from my
initial batch of 1TB drives, this was a hard drive
from an entirely different manufacturer.
After about a minute, the total storage capacity
updated and the new space was ready to use.
Then I decided to perform an even worse RAID
taboo than simply mixing brands, I mixed drive
sizes as well (see pictures above).
Again, the unit was connected to the MacPro and
operating during the proceedure. With each disk
insertion the DroboPro processed the new asset
for about a minute and then the added capacity
went online.
The setup of a DroboPro is about as simple as you
can get and its easy to manage, especially in terms
of expansion.
It also performed well as storage for a basic
FCP pipeline using ProRes HD content. If youre
working with multiple streams of 10-bit
UncompressedHD,Lhenyou'llneedLo6nd
another solution iSCSI is just not fast enough
for that.
In closing, Id like to return to the earlier point
regarding archive strategies. No RAID system, no
matter what brand or technology, can protect your
daLaagainsLcaLasLrophicloss:6re,LhefL,
earthquake, hurricane etc. The only thing that can
save you in those situations is an offsite copy.
Cloud-based options are good for backing up the
50gigs or so of irreplaceable content on my laptop,
but theyre still not practical or viable for archiving
terabytes of video.
The DroboPro, on the other hand does have an
interesting application in terms of off-site backups.
Since the unit has an easily accessible and open
chassis you can slide sets of drives in and out of
the machine (its best practice to shutdown the
unit before a wholesale swap out).
For example, you could archive a project onto two
separaLeseLsof6ve118drives.PuLLhe6rsLseLinLo
the DroboPro, copy over the media and then
repeat with the second set of drives.
You could store one set locally and the other set in
a vault off-site. In Los Angeles, I use PacIc 7ItIe
Archives www.paci6cLiLlearchives.com, check your
area for a similar service. The critical step, though
and it is a manual one is that you have to keep
the drives sets together as a pack, they are NOT
interchangeable, even though they contain
copies of the same data.
...AND THEN ADDED A 1.5TB DRIVE
FIRST ADDED A 750GB DRIVE...
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BRIAN GARY is CEO of Flying Chaucer Films
andanaward-winning6lmmaker(direcLor,
producer, editor). His three part mini-series,
Jefferson Davis, An American President (PBS)
has garnered multiple 2009
Best Documentary of the year awards.
Currently, Brian Gary is an Executive
Producer on the upcoming Stephen King
mini-series 8agof8ones (A8C),co-prodcuer
ofLhefeaLure6lmClandesLine (1amesLllroy'sprequelLo L.A.
Con6denLial ),andco-producerofLhelimiLedseriesLeMans(wiLh
WolfgangPeLerson&PonShelLon), hehasalsodirecLed,producedand
ediLedawardwinningindependenL6lms,workedexLensivelyin
television, most recently directing and editing the series SpeedFreaks
(ESPN and MavTV) and executive producing the series Yoga Madness
(Fall 2010); and as a commercial and video director Brian Gary has crafted
campaignsforclienLssuchas:Dow/1onesPacLiva,verizonWireless,
andLucky8rand1eans.
Brian Gary is also a world-class compressionist, providing services for all
the major studios and production houses for Blu-ray Discs, DVDs and
Digital Encoding via his digital provisioning company Encoderama LLC.
As a sought after consultant and technologist, he provides insight and
guidance to the New Media, Digital Distribution and Internet platforms.
As a published author, Brian Gary has multiple titles on encoding,
editing, and Apple Inc.s pro-application line of software.
Wranglingherdsofmedia6leshasbecomecommonplaceinposL-
production: for large houses, small shops, or even the single editor. You
may6ndyourself|ugglingLerabyLesofdaLaacrossmulLiplepro|ecLsall
LhewhileconsLrainedby6niLeamounLsofsLorage.|naddiLionLobeing
easy anyone with a modicum of computer skills can set one up the
thing I like best about the Drobo line of storage devices is the ease of
expansion.8ecauseoneLhingisforsure,wewillalwayshavesLuffLo6ll
up the all the free space especially with the need for all those backup
copies. Twice is nice, but thrice is on the road to priceless.

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Plpple Alpha Transltlons are a collectlon of 36 professlonally-deslgned transltlons
that can be used royalty free ln any Plnal Cut Pro 7 pro[ect. Lach of our alpha
transltlons were deslgned ln l920xl080 and output uslng Apple's ProPes codec.
They can be used ln any HD or SD wldescreen sequence. we also lnclude a
tutorlal that explalns how to work wlth and modlfy them ln Plnal Cut Pro 7.
PIease visit www.rippIetraining.com to order.
AIpha Transltlons
36 ye-Popping 7ranstions for FinaI Cut Pro 7
www.rippIetraining.com
P0 ox 12171
Prescott, AZ. 86304
928-541-0202
The Drobo product family provides congurations ideal for editing, or for storing your
video assets for fast access. Stop hunting for content on DVDs or hard drives. All Drobos protect
your data from hard drive failure, and are built on the award-winning BeyondRAID technology
which dramatically reduces storage costs. Even better, they manage themselves so you can afford to
keep all your video assets online. Now, you can create a Drobo online storage system that costs less
than Blu-ray disks on a cost-per-GB basis.
Theres a perfect Drobo for your video workow.
le|ec o| ed||u couueced o a
single system
Couuecs .|a e'/!/ o| f||ew||e 800
Capac||es up o 10!8, starting at $1,799
le|ec o| ed||u couueced o a s|u|e
system, or for creating a near line bulk
storage array for storing video assets
Couuecs .|a C|ab| E|e|ue us|u |'C'l,
o| f||ew||e 800
Capac||es up o 1o!8, starting at $3,499.
le|ec o| so||u |ue arouus o .|deo
!a|e |uo |e e|d aud use | o |ause| |e
daa |or ,ou| l2 o| '' ca|ds
Capac||es up o 8!8, starting at $1,399
le|ec o| ru||ed| ba, eu.||oureus
Vu||p|e ed|o|s cau access p|ojecs
0ua|C|ab| E|e|ue us|u |'C'l
Capac||es up o 1o!8, sa||u a $5,899
At RHED Pixel we use a
DroboElite for editing. I
have three editors each
doing 3-camera multicam
projects in Final Cut. They
pound on the DroboElite
every day.
Rich Harrington,
Founder & CEO RHED Pixel
Cop,||| 2010 0aa Robo|cs, luc. 0aa Robo|cs, 0|oboE||e, 0|obol|o, 0|obo, 0|obo'|a|e, 8e,oudR/l0, aud 'ra|
vo|ures a|e |adera||s o 0aa Robo|cs, luc., w||c| ra, be |e|se|ed |u sore ju||sd|c|ous. /|| o|e| |adera||s
used a|e owued b, |e|| |espec|.e owue|s. /|| |||s |ese|.ed. 'pec|ca|ous subjec o c|aue w||ou uo|ce.
Do these storage headaches sound familiar?
I am ALWAYS runni ng out of space.
Dri ves crash and I lose Data, TI ME AND MONEY.
Storage COSTS are breaki ng my budget.
DroboElite
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Learn more about using Drobo in your video ow, and

the Super Deals available only to SuperMeet attendees
www.drobo.com/supermeet
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The RED ONE camera has been out for a couple of
years now, so by this point many folks reading this
article have probably at least gotten their hands on
some RED footage if not the camera itself. You
probably know that the RED shoots 4K footage, i.e.
wiLharesoluLionof4096horizonLalby2304
vertical pixels. Thats pretty big next to say high-
de6niLion'smaximumresoluLionof1920x1080and
downright massive compared to NTSCs standard
de6niLionaL720x480.
|fyou'reworkingLowarda35mm6lmprinL,LhaL4K
resolution is really going to come in handy
becauseiLwillenableyouLodelivera6nalouLpuL
wiLhplenLyofimagesharpness.8uLa35mm6lm
print is also fairly unusual; most of us are working
wiLhpro|ecLsdesLinedformoremodesL6nal
formats. Two of the most common destinations are
sLandardde6niLionDvDandonlinevideosiLes,
such as YouTube and Vimeo. In this article well
look at how to prepare RED 4K footage for DVD
and online output.
To begin with, we need to have our project
completed. I put it this way because there are a
number of different ways to ingest and edit RED
footage using Final Cut Pro. For example, you can
converLLheP3DPAWnaLivecameraformaLLosay
ProPes1080porLoaspecialQuick1ime-naLive
format; both methods use the FCP Log and
Transfer tool.
You can also read the FCP Chapter in my book,
RED: The Ultimate Guide to
Using the Revolutionary
Camera,whichyou'll6ndan
excerpt from here.
Using the proxy or QuickTime
native methods are useful if you
plan to color grade using the
original4KPAWP3Dcamera6les.1his
essentially means more image control
and greater potential quality but at a
cost of a bit more work because you have
to make sure all of the original footage
stays together and available on your hard drive to
complete a project. If you go with the ProRes
workow,youendupwiLh|usLLheProPes6les,so
youre trading off some control and quality for
simpliciLy.Also,you'll6ndingeneralLhaLLhe
ProPes6lesarealoLmoreresponsiveinPCPand
makerenderingvisualeffecLsand6lLersaloLfasLer.
|fyouknowyourpro|ecLissLayinginLheHDand/
or SD world and you plan to keep your color
grading pretty close to the look the footage was
shoLwiLh,LheProPesworkowisa6nechoice.
Otherwise, stick with the camera originals. Now I
dont want to sound like Im glossing over these
poinLs,buLLhePLDposLworkowupLoLhissLage
is really thoroughly explained in the FCS White
Paper and in my book, not to mention all over the
web. So lets get onto the new stuff!
PorboLhDvDandforYou1ube/vimeo,|'dsuggesL
aProPesHQ1080pmasLerasasLarLingpoinL.
This gives you plenty of resolution for a standard
de6niLionDvDmasLerandwilllookgreaLasLhe
basisforYou1ube/vimeouploads-whichare
nowpossibleaLupLo1080presoluLion.Moreon
that later.
WORKFLOW FOR DVD
LeL'ssLarLwiLhabasicworkowforcreaLingaDvD
fromPLDfooLage.1ypicallyyou'llbe6nishingup
your6nalgradeinColorcomingeiLherfrom4K
P3D6lesorfrom1080por2KProPes6les.When
you'redonewiLhallyourcolorcorrecLions,6rsLgo
Get the RED Out!
RED 4K Export Workow for DVD,
YouTube & Vimeo
N
O
A
H

K
A
D
N
E
R
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inLoLheseLuproomandcon6rmLhaLyourpro|ecL
isseLLo1920x1080resoluLionandProPesHQfor
the QuickTime Export codec.
Switch to the Render Room and click Start Render.
When the process completes youll be returned to
PCPwiLhabrandnew1080p/ProPesHQLimeline
readyLoroll.(PormysLandardde6niLionexamples
|'mgoingLouseN1SC16:924pbuLLheworkowis
the same basic idea in PAL, just use the equivalent
frameraLes/resoluLions.)
1ogeLasLandardde6niLionDvDwe'llneedan
N1SCsLandardde6niLionversionofourpro|ecL.
Now you can do this by simply sending your
LimelinedirecLlyLoCompressorwiLhLhePile>Send
LoCompressorcommand.However,|suggesL6rsL
exporLingfromLhe1080HDProPesHQLoa
sLandardde6niLionN1SC720x48016:9
anamorphicProPesHQ6le,mosLlybecause
simultaneous down-conversion and MPEG-2
encoding in Compressor seem to take forever.
Also you may need a nice SD version of your RED
project as a source for SD online or even going
out to tape formats like BetaSP or Digibeta (say for
6lmfesLivalscreeners).SoiL'sagoodideaLohave
a ProRes SD master. In order to do this, make
sure you have the entire timeline selected and
then select:

File>Export>Using QuickTime Conversion
Choose ProRes HQ as the codec, Current Frame
Rate, and NTSC 720x480 16:9 for Size; sound
settings are typically 16 or 24-bit with 48 KHz
sampling; Linear PCM Then hit OK.
When the export completes, launch Compressor
anddragLhedown-converLed6leinLoLhesource
window. Next, choose a DVD preset that matches
your total amount of planned video on the DVD.
For example if youre going to have 90 minutes or
less on your DVD, pick the DVD: Best Quality 90
minutes preset.

You can just drag the entire preset folder
wiLhiLsMPLG-2andAC3seLLingsdirecLly
onto your source.
COLOR EXPORT SETTINGS
FINAL CUT PRO EXPORT SETTINGS
COMPRESSOR EXPORT SETTINGS FOR MPEG-2 & AC3
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Click the MPEG-2 preset on the source window
andLhenpressLheinspecLorbuLLonLocon6rmLhe
settings. If all goes well it should automatically
have selected NTSC, 23.98, 16:9, Progressive
for the settings.
RESOLUTION SETTINGS IN COMPRESSOR
If this doesnt happen, go back a step and make
sure that you output an NTSC 720x480 16:9
6lefromyourLimeline.1haL'sbasicallyiLfor
Compressor, press the submit button and wait.
NoLeinPCS3youcanalsomakeafairlysimple
8lu-raywiLhLheShare1ool.Personally,|6ndLhaL
clients rarely request this option. Standard
De6niLionDvDsaresLillLhemuchmoreuniversal
format at this moment, so well stick with them
for now.
Launch DVD Studio Pro with a new project. Make
sure the disc is set for SD DVD and NTSC.

BASIC SETTINGS FOR SD DVD IN DVDSP
You may be tempted to use the HD-DVD settings
but those are practically irrelevant. HD DVD was a
format that once competed with Blu-ray but was
ultimately completely abandoned. In other words
you would be making a disc that almost no one
has a player for anymore. Also without a dedicated
HD DVD burner you can only make an HD DVD
that will play on Macs. So stick with the far more
compaLiblesLandardde6niLionDvD.
Drag the two assets you made in Compressor,
LheMPLG-2videoandAC3audio,direcLlyonLo
the Track 1 container in DVD Studio Pros
graphical view.
TRACK CONTAINER IN DVD STUDIO PRO
Click on the track and look at the inspector.
Youshouldhavea16:9LeLLerboxLrack.
ON THE TRACK INSPECTOR DISPLAY THE MODE SHOULD
BE SET TO 16:9 LETTERBOX
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Thats basically it as far as getting RED footage
froma6nishedediLLoaDvD.1heresLissLandard
issue DVD authoring in DVD Studio Pro.
If you need a refresher, try this basic tutorial:
www.kenstone.net
WORKFLOW FOR YOUTUBE/VIMEO
SonowLhaLwehaveLhebasicDvDworkow
down, lets move onto getting footage from RED to
online video sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
These are great places to promote your reel or
show off something youve just shot and want to
get comments on. Something to keep in mind with
most video sharing sites is that no matter which
format you upload, the site will generally re-
encode the video to its native streaming format.
It used to be that those results were often painfully
degraded compared to the original source,
but now both YouTube and Vimeo support high
de6niLion.1hisisgreaLnoLonlyforLhequaliLy
but also because you can upload one single HD
version and the sites will automatically create
high-qualiLysLandardde6niLionversionsyoucan
swiLchLoonLheyduringplayback.You1ube
supporLsupLo1080pHDforallusers,vimeo
currently requires the purchase of a Vimeo Plus
accounLinorderLouploadmoreLhanasingle6le
aweekas720pHD(CheckwiLhboLhsiLesforLheir
laLesLspeci6caLions.).
While we used Compressor for making our DVD
asseLs,inLhisworkowwe'regoingLouseMPEG
Streamclip (www.squared5.com) instead. This is a
very intuitive and powerful encoding tool with a
more straightforward approach to exporting
video. Its also available free of charge, so that
seals the deal.
YOUTUBE HD VIDEO
For YouTube (www.youtube.com), lets start with
a1080pvideo,asLhaLrepresenLsLhecurrenLsLaLe
of the art of web video sharing. Another reason
|choseMPLGSLreamclipisLhaLiLoffers6ner
control over MPEG-4 encoding, which is the
preferred format for YouTube and Vimeo.
Compressor can encode MPEG-4 as well, but its
morefocusedonsupporLingspeci6cApple
devices like the iPhone and Apple TV. In MPEG
Streamclip the controls are clearer and more like
whaLyou'reusedLoinQuick1imePlayer7andPCP.

Fire up MPEG Streamclip and drag your
1920x1080ProPesHQmasLerinLoiLsmain
window to get started .
Next, select File>Export to MPEG-4 to access the
encoding options.
ChooseLhefollowingopLionsLogeLa1080pvideo
optimized for YouTube:

Compression- H.264
Quality- 100%; Check Multipass and B-Frames;
Sound- MPEG-4 AAC, Stereo, 44.1, 256bps.
Basically match what you see in this screenshot.
THE MPEG STREAMCLIP MAIN WINDOW
YOUTUBE EXPORT SETTINGS IN MPEG STREAMCLIP
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Next, hit the Make MP4 button. Then sit back as
this can take some time, depending on the speed
of your Mac and the length of the program. When
LheencodingcompleLes,you'llhaveanmp46le
sitting on your hard drive. Take a second to
examine it, with luck it should look almost exactly
like the ProRes HQ source, but at a small fraction of
iLs6lesize.NowkeepinmindLhaLLhe6lemaysLill
be too large for you to practically upload to
You1ube.AlsorememberLhaL6lesizelimiLsexisL,
as of the moment thats 2GB along with a 10
minute maximum length.
You should try to get as close to the limit as you
can, assuming you have the bandwidth to handle a
large6leupload.1hegoodnewsisyouonlyhave
to do this once if you do it right. So it might be
worth the time an overnight upload takes for
maximum image quality. If you do need to reduce
Lhe6lesize,experimenLwiLhLhequaliLysliderand
Limit Data Rate option in MPEG Streamclip. Once
you6ndyourpreferredLrade-offbeLweenqualiLy
and6lesize,clickLhePreseLsbuLLonLosaveyour
seLLingsforuseonfuLureYou1ube6leuploads.
Start your favorite web browser and go to
YouTube.com to begin the upload process. Youll
need a YouTube account, but this is free so dont
hesitate. Once youre signed into your account,
click the yellow Upload button at the top right of
your screen. Youll then go to a screen with
another Upload button
ClickLhaL,navigaLeLoLhemp46leonyourhard
driveandselecLiL.You'llnexLseea6leupload
progress bar and get options to name the clip and
give a description.
THE UPLOAD SCREEN FOR YOUTUBE
FILE NAME & DESCRIPTION ARE IMPORTANT ON YOUTUBE
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Depending on which purpose you have in mind
for your video, the description can be very
important. Google owns YouTube, so whatever
information you put in there will be automatically
indexedLohelppeople6ndyourconLenL.|fyou're
using YouTube for self-promotion this can be
highly useful.
Uploading can take a little or a long time
dependingonLhesizeofyour6leandhowfasL
your uplink speed is. Also keep in mind that once
the video is done uploading, there will be a delay
as YouTube does its internal encoding. So youll
wanLLocomebackLoyourvideo30minuLesLoan
hourafLeruploadingLoseeLhe6nalqualiLy.

THE FINAL RESULT- HD VIDEO IN YOUTUBE
You can also embed YouTube content on other
sites once its uploaded by simply grabbing the
Lmbedcodeyou'll6ndLoLherighLofavideo
on YouTube. I use this to host all the sample
videos on my training courses over at Call Box
(www.callboxlive.com) and it really comes in
handy. Not only do I get great looking video and
noLhaveLopayfor6lehosLing,buLpeopleofLen
chance upon my video samples on YouTube and
then go on to my site. Those are
the basics for YouTube, now lets
move onto Vimeo.

VIMEO HD VIDEO
Vimeo (www.vimeo.com) takes a
different approach to video from
YouTube. Its meant to be a
somewhat more professional
website, in that people arent
allowed to upload content that
they didnt have some hand in
making. So instead of the endless
goofy stuff like keyboard kittens
andlighLsaberkidsyou'll6ndon
YouTube, Vimeo is typically
comprised more of videographer
reels, indie movie trailers, music
videos and the like.
vimeoalsohasanad-supporLed/
paid account business model. You can get a free
account which limits you to one HD video and
500MB of uploading per week with ads and no HD
embedding. Also encoding is time-limited,
meaning the site will queue your video upload for
upLo30minuLesorlongerbeforesLarLingLo
encode.AvimeoPlusaccounLcosLs$59.95/year
andgivesyoubeLLerimagequaliLyand5G8/week
of upload space with no waiting on uploads. I
personally use only the basic Vimeo account, but if
you'reapoweruser60bucksayearisn'LLhaLbad.
An interesting aspect of Vimeo is that even
though its limited to a maximum playback size
of1280x720(or720p)iLwon'LprohibiLyou
fromuploadingafull1080pclip.vimeowill
automatically scale the streaming version down
Lo720pbuLiLalsosLoresLheoriginal1080pmp4
6leyouuploaded.SoiL'sonewayyoucangive
folksa720pHDpreviewofyourworkandamuch
higherqualiLy1080pmp4-allfromLhesame
central server.
So with that in mind Im going to say lets just use
the same encode we made for YouTube and
uploadLhaLLovimeo.Asbefore,youneedLo6rsL
have an account and then click on the Upload link
at the top of the page. Youll then be able to
upload your video but take note of Vimeos more
restrictive terms
Videos are peer-reviewed by site moderators and
they dont hesitate over pulling down footage that
they decide violates the rules. So when in doubt,
ask before uploading.
READ THE VIMEO GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE UPLOADING VIDEO
NowleL'ssayyoudowishLouploada720pspeci6c
version perhaps because youre bandwidth limited
or you dont like the internal scaling Vimeo does.
So, follow all the instructions above for the
YouTube video up until the output settings for
MPEG Streamclip. The main differences will be the
following:changeLhePrameSizeLo1280x720.
VIMEO-SPECIFIC SETTINGS IN STREAMCLIP
Then continue on with the same steps as before.
And thats Vimeo in a nutshell!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope you enjoyed this little look into an aspect of
LhePLDworkowLhaLisaloLmorecommonand
requested than you might think. A lot of folks still
askLheobviousquesLion:whyshooL4KinLhe6rsL
placeifLhe6nalversionisgoingLobeahighly
compressed,sLreaming720por1080pclip
anyway? The answer is quite simple, you get an
image with much higher apparent sharpness at a
given down-converted frame size.
In other words, the more resolution you begin
with, the better any down-conversions will look,
which is common sense. If you started with
640x480iPhonevideoandLriedLoscaleiLupLo
720por1080p,LheresulLsaregoingLolookreally
soft. It will seem almost out of focus and just in
general poor quality, even with the best software
or hardware up-conversion algorithms. The reverse
is also true and going from so much excess
resoluLionas4KdownLo1080p/720pandeven
480pDvDmeansyourworkonlineandondiscwill
have far greater apparent resolution than you
thought possible. So you have to start big to
6nish'small'inLhebesLpossibleway.

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NOAH KADNER
To read Noahs biography click here
THE COMPLETED HD VIDEO IN VIMEO
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There has been a lot of confusion about the
Blu-ray format, and no factor of confusion has
been greater than the mistaken impression that
you need expensive Blu-ray burners and Blu-ray
media in order to create a playable Blu-ray disc.
In fact, there is a VERY simple way to make Blu-ray
Discs and its been included in Apples latest
releaseofPinalCuLSLudio-PCP7l
AVCHD, A/ K/A BLU-RAY ON DVD!
The BD spec allows for the creation of BD Video
Discs on recordable media, and they do NOT
require an AACS content protection license! Many,
if not most, of todays Blu-ray Disc players can play
Blu-ray discs burned onto DVD-R media, meaning
simple (short) high-def projects can be created
and distributed on inexpensive DVD-R media.
Given the very low cost of DVD recordable
media, quantity duplication of these short
AVCHD (BD on DVD) projects might well be
the way to satisfy a market that wants
high-def optical discs created on a
shoestring budget.
If you have been thinking about making
Blu-ray Discs, but havent yet invested in
expensive Blu-ray Disc authoring software,
or even a Blu-ray Disc burner, creating AVCHD
discsonDvD-PusingPinalCuLPro7isagreaLway
to begin!
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
To create an AVCHD Blu-ray Disc on
DVD-R you will need:
Somehigh-de6niLionfooLage
-eiLher720or1080
PinalCuLPro7(oLher8lu-rayapps
[Toast 10] can also do this)
Some recordable optical disc media (DVD-R)
A DVD burner to begin with, Blu-ray
burner later on
You can always upgrade your system to include a
Blu-ray Disc burner, if you want to graduate to
full-length Blu-ray Disc projects using BD-R or
BD-RE media.
A QUICK OVERVIEW
Fans and users of Apples
DVD Studio Pro have long
complained about being shut
out from the Blu-ray action,
but recent changes in Final
CuLSLudio3havesolved
that to a limited extent.
Sadly, none of these
updates have added
Blu-ray authoring to DVD
Studio Pro 4.
FINAL CUT PRO SHARE COMMAND
The new Share command in Final Cut Studio is
the secret weapon that will open the path to
AVCHD discs Blu-ray on DVD. Share allows you to
create an AVCHD (or Blu-ray) Disc directly from the
Final Cut Pro timeline!
New to Blu? AVCHD is for you!
B
R
U
C
E

N
A
Z
A
R
I
A
N
THE NEW SHARE COMMAND IN FINAL CUT PRO 7
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www.TheDigitalGuy.com
visit
Making this? Making this? Making this?
Youll really want this:
Share is designed to get you quickly from your current sequence to an
AVCJD or Blu-ray Disc, for the purposes of creating a quickie screener.
While it does this nicely, its NOT designed to replace a full-featured BD
authoring program like Toast 10, or Adobe Encore CS4. Nevertheless,
iL'sgreaLLo6nallyhaveSOML8lu-raycapabiliLyincludedinLhe
Final Cut Studio Suite.
THE SHARE WINDOW
When the Share window opens, you will notice that it is a process list
window, just like Compressor. Different export jobs can be processed
at one time, by specifying the desired jobs, and adjusting the settings
accordingly (Your Share window may look differently from mine,
since the default job list only shows one job).
THE SHARE SETUP WINDOW IN FINAL CUT PRO 7
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USING THE DETAILS PANEL
In the window shown below, weve selected the
Blu-ray setting from the job list (and made sure to
check the Create Blu-ray Disc option), and the
details panel has opened up to give us access to
Lhespeci6cseLLingsLhaLwecanuseLocusLomize
our simple disc. Note that to create an AVCHD disc,
you follow the same steps as you would to create a
Blu-ray Disc, but will specify a different burner.
THE SHARE BLU-RAY SETUP WINDOW WITH DETAILS PANEL OPEN
SELECTING THE OUTPUT DEVICE
( IN THIS CASE, THE DVD BURNER)
At the top of the
details panel is
the Output
Device popup,
which allows you
LoselecLaspeci6c
optical disc
burner from
among those
installed in or
connected to
your system.
In my system, it shows the internal Optiarc DVD
burner, as well as the external Digistor BD burner
connected by USB 2.
Selecting a DVD burner will create an AVCHD disc
on DVD Media (a BD-5, or BD-9, depending on the
DVD disc size). Either size disc will play on a Blu-ray
player (but not on your Mac).
SELECTING A DISC TEMPLATE
Just below the Output Device selector is the
Template Selector, which allows you to choose a
graphical theme from among the many supplied
by Apple.
1hereare6veLemplaLesLoselecLfromina
sLockPCP7insLall,eachofwhichisagorgeous
motion menu.
The button layout is automatic, being based
on the template, and the few choices selected
in the customize options.
There are many templates now available from
3rdparLysuppliers,likeKevinMonahan'snew
templates which can be found here:
www.fcpworld.com/fcp-blu-ray-LemplaLes.60
additional template designs are available from
Kevins website.
NAMING THE DISC
The Title 6eldiswhereyoucancusLomizeLhe
default disc name created by Final Cut. As with any
MacinLoshLexL6eld,|usLselecLeneryLhingand
replace the text, or edit it as you know how to do.
CUSTOMIZING THE DISC
:
STARTUP ACTION AND MORE
Additional controls allow you to select how the
disc will behave during playback.
First under the Customize Your Disc options is an
important one: what your disc does when it loads.
If you want a menu to display, you can select
Show Menu. If you just want the movie to play,
select Play Movie.
You can also create Subtitles for your disc by using
Final Cut Pros Markers to embed text. Selecting
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the Markers checkbox will tell FCP to render the
Marker text as Subtitles for your Blu-ray Disc.
The Loop: button, when selected, adds a Loop Movie
buLLonLoLhe6nisheddiscmenu,whichcancomein
handy of you are showing off the disc in an
unattended setting, or want to create a trade
show loop.
Additional functions allow you to import a graphic
to provide a custom Background image, Logo
Graphic,or1iLleGraphic.ConsulLLhePinalCuLPro7
documentation for details of how to do this.
If your movie has Chapters, you can see what the
Chapter Menu will look like by selecting the Chapter
Menu button at the bottom of the details panel.
While the Blu-ray implementation in Final Cut Pro
is simple, it is thorough in terms of the options
available for customizing the disc.
BURNING THE AVCHD DISC
Once you have the customization you desire,
clicking Export begins the process of encoding,
building, and burning the disc.
This is identical to what DVD Studio Pro does when
you click the Burn button.
AN AVCHD DISC EXPORT IN PROGRESS
YOU DO NEED A BLU-RAY PLAYER TO PLAY THESE DISCS
SONY8lu-rayplayer-S350-APro6le1.1player,
upgradeableLoPro6le2.0.
There currently is NO Mac-based software solution
for playing Blu-ray or AVCHD discs, so you will
need a Blu-ray player to play them back. My Blu-ray
player(LheSONY8DP-S350)hassuccessfully
played discs burned on DVD-R media, as well as
8lu-raypro|ecLsburnedon8D-P/PLmedia,boLhof
whichPinalCuLSLudio3cancreaLelCompaLibiliLy
forAvCHDonLhePS3seemLobebasedon
6rmwareversions,socheckouLAvCHDplayabiliLy
6rsLbefore youbuyaPS3.
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AACS LICENSING AND FEES
The Blu-ray Disc format has some other differences
from the DVD format as well content protection
licensing! These licenses, and the fees they
command, have also been the source of much
confusion among Blu-ray authors.
RECORDABLE BLU-RAY (AND AVCHD) ARE EXEMPT!
If you are only creating Blu-ray Discs using BD or
DVD recordable media, there are NO licensing
requirements! BD projects created on recordable
media are exempt from AACS licensing
requirements and fees!
SUMMARY: MAKING AN AVCHD BLU-RAY DISC
IN FINAL CUT PRO 7
Final Cut Pros new Share function provides the
editor with a relatively low-stress method for
exporting a movie to an AVCHD (Blu-ray) Disc
(on DVD media) without having to launch a
separate authoring application, and exiting
LheediLworkow.
WhileLheseLLingsaresomewhaLsimpli6ed,
the net effect is a very streamlined method to get
from editing to a Blu-ray compatible disc with a
minimum of fuss and bother.
OnesmalldisadvanLageofLhissimpli6edworkow
is that there is no control over the encode rate for
the video it is calculated based on the length of
the sequence being exported, and the size of the
disc selected. Since Share can export a Blu-ray Disc
to either a Blu-ray or DVD burner (DVD media
becomes a BD5 or BD9, depending on size), the
encode rate could possibly nosedive if a long
program is exported to DVD media. Its good to
limiLLhelengLhofanAvCHD-boundpro|ecLLo30
(60minuLesaL8LS1).1heAvCcodecwilldoa
good job of encoding good looking video, but
shorLerprogramsgeLLhebene6Lofahigher
encode rate!
All in all, this is a very impressive implementation,
and a good balance of capability, simplicity,
and usability.
Much of the information in this article comes from
my book Fast Path to Blu-ray for Mac, which is
available as a PDF e-book from my website
www.TheDigtalGuy.com. If you are interested in
learning more about your authoring options for
Blu-ray Disc on a Mac, I welcome you to check
out the book.

BRUCE NAZARIAN the Digital Guy, is an award-
winning DVD Producer, Author and current
President of the IDMA, the International Digital
Media Alliance (formerly DVDA The DVD
Association ). He specializes in consulting and
digital media production for Video, Audio, DVD,
Blu-ray Disc and the Web.
CEO of Digital Media Consulting Group Inc. and
webmaster of both his own digital media info site
www.TheDigitalGuy.comandLhe|DMA/DvDA
website www.IDMADVDA.org. He is also a forum
guide for the 2-pop.com DVD Studio Pro forum,
where he helps solve DVD and Blu-ray
authoring problems. An active digital media and
technology evangelist, Bruce is always in-demand
and has toured the world as speaker, demonstrator
and instructor for DVD authoring tools including
DVD Studio Pro and Sonic Solutions; where he was
LhefacLory-cerLi6edLrainerforaLime.
Author of Fast Path to Blu-ray for Mac, two
editions of DVD Studio Pro the Complete
Guide for Authoring with Macintosh. and creator
of Digital Guy Pro-Pack
products, used by DVD

authors world-wide.
In his spare time, hes a music producer,
recording artist and even radio show host!
You can check out his new radio show at
TheDigitalGuy.com/radio
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Ive been fortunate to be at the forefront of the
major digital media revolutions, from desktop
publishing and digital audio to web publishing
and digital video. Im fascinated with trends,
tipping points, and quantum leaps in media
technology that pave the way for changes
across the entire spectrum of human life; from
business and economics to art and culture.
Now, lets peer into the digital video crystal ball.
Imagine yourself in 2012, looking back over the
last 24 months. What will be the biggest change in
the digital video landscape? What are we on the
verge of?
TO SEE VIDEOS FUTURE, STUDY AUDIOS PAST
One way to predict the future of video is to study
past trends in audio. Radio came decades before
TV. Affordable digital audio multitrack recording
led affordable digital video capture and editing by
a decade. Widespread adoption of the audio CD
predated the digital video DVD by a decade.
Video trends follow years behind audio, because
video media itself is more demanding- on
bandwidth, circuitry, computer processors and
RAM, hard drive space, and internet speed.
|sLarLedaudioengineeringin1976,movingover
the years from 4 track to 24 track analog reel-to-
reel studios, helping musicians create masters for
vinyl and cassette duplication, and later, CD.
Then the digital audio revolution exploded,
affordable digital multitrack recording hit and the
world changed forever, much in the way video
editing changed a decade later with Firewire
cameras and editing systems.
Since then, the internet has transformed music
disLribuLion,6rsLillegallywiLhNapsLerandP2P
networks, then legally, when, even after a century
of people shopping for their favorite artists at the
local record store, a fruit-named computer
company came out with the killer app for legal
music sales, iTunes, and became the worlds
biggest music retailer in just 5 years, while Tower
PecordsandoLhers6ledforbankrupLcy.
When I was asked to help Apple launch Final Cut
Pro, and in doing consultation with Intel, Lowel,
Canon and many other companies on the
emerging digital video market, people were
amazed at how accurately my predictions about
the digital video revolution played out over the
ensuing years. I wish I could claim brilliance or at
least psychic ability, but the truth was that since I
had just been right in the middle of the digital
audio revolution, the digital video revolution was
just dj vu.
There will be several big changes in digital video in
the next 24 months, but the one were going to
focus on here is the biggest, and it has to do with
video media and distribution.
1oreview,leL'sbrieylookaLLhehisLoryofmoving
picture media, and I think youll quickly see where
were going with this.
THE HISTORY OF MOVING PICTURE MEDIA
LATE 1800S: FILM
PilmwasLhe6rsLwidespreadmovingpicLure
medium, and is still being used more than a
century later, but the high cost of acquisition and
processing has made it prohibitive for all but a few.
AsadisLribuLionmedium,6lmbecameasLandard
in movie theaters, and for a time, schools, but
never in businesses or homes.
1930S: BROADCAST
Broadcast television made its debut in the 1940s,
with three networks ruling the airwaves for
decades. Then cable and satellite TV brought
hundreds of other channels. But except for rarely-
watched public cable access stations, a small
handful of powerful executives made all the
decisions about what programs would be
available to viewers.
1980S: VHS
|nLheearly1980's,LheemergenceofvHSLapeas
LhewinnerofLhevHS/8eLamaxwarwasaLoLal
breakthrough, revolutionizing video delivery.
PorLhe6rsLLimeinhisLory,videoproducershada
viable medium on which to deliver video programs
What Will Be the Biggest Change in
Digital Video Over the Next Two Years?
J
O
S
H

M
E
L
L
I
C
K
E
R
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to homes and businesses.
VHS distribution was affordable, within the reach
of almost anyone. Despite the hassle and
generational loss of analog editing, widespread
adoption of the VHS format paved the way for tens
of thousands of independent producers to self-
publish instructional videos spanning every
conceivable topic for both consumers and
businesses, as well as independent documentaries
and6lms.PorLhe6rsLLime,videoproducerswiLh
good content not just multimillion dollar
corporations found they could actually support
themselves publishing video.
The independent video publishing revolution
had begun.
1997: DVD
DVDs were an incremental improvement over VHS,
offering better videos and audio quality, lighter
shipping weight, random access and some
primitive interactivity. Since DVDs can also be
played in suitable computer optical drives, a lot of
viewers, such as corporate employees, students,
travelers and others could watch DVDs on their
laptops or desktop computers, expanding
playback options.
2006: BLU-RAY DISC
After two years slugging it out with Toshibas
HD-DVD, Blu-ray won a Pyrrhic victory as a
sLandardHDdiscformaLin2008,buLLhehigh
cost of authoring, AACS licensing fees and
replication stopped most video publishers
outside the Hollywood movie industry from
migrating to it. Steve Jobs has famously called
Blu-ray a big bag of hurt.
AdopLionhasbeenslow,wiLhonlyabouL7%ofUS
households owning a Blu-ray player and the rest
saying they have no plans to buy one, even four
years after the formats introduction. Its becoming
clearer every day Blu-ray will be a short-lived
format, since like VHS and DVD it still has all the
limitations of physical media, and other
alternatives are advancing too quickly.
1990S - FOREVER: WEB VIDEO
In the mid 90s, some folks from MTV brought
some S-VHS tapes with music videos to my
studio, and paid me to capture and compress
LhemLoLheCinepakcodecinQuick1imeaL160x
120anduploadLhemLoM1vOnlinewiLhmy28k
modem, and free video on the internet was born.
For a decade afterward, my company,
DVcreators.net, trained tens of thousands of
companies, networks and cable channels,
universities, movie studios, newspaper websites
and independent producers how to encode and
posLLheir6rsLwebvideo.
Free video on the web proliferated, leading to the
YouTube phenomenon, and videos on hundreds
of thousands of websites, allowing almost anyone
to become a video publisher with a potential
audience of hundreds of millions of viewers.
Video on the web is a great way to easily and
quickly present a free video to anyone with a
broadband connection, whether the video is for
marketing, training, news, information, or your cat
playing piano. One interesting and undeniable
thing about web video is that, like web pages,
and unlike VHS, DVD
and Blu-ray,
few will
pay for
it.
THE BLU-RAY DISC COULD BE ONE
OF THE SHORTEST LIVED VIDEO
DISTRIBUTION STANDARDS.
THE VHS TAPE, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, PROVIDED
INDEPENDENT VIDEO PUBLISHERS WITH A COST-EFFECTIVE,
STANDARD MEDIUM TO SELL TO CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES.
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With rare exceptions, all attempts to charge viewers money to watch
video on the web have failed. The history of trying to sell browser-based
video, from the best-known brands down to the smallest companies,
is a litany of epic failures, with the few survivors falling back on
advertising revenue to try to cover their costs.
Why wont people pay for web video? There are many reasons.
PirsL,iLisLooephemeral,LooeeLing.Youneverreallyfeellikeyou
own it. Also, the web is free, and everyone knows it. Attempts to
charge consumers to read newspapers or magazines online have
also failed miserably.
2000S: PAID VIDEO DOWNLOADS
There are many websites that allow publishers to charge for downloads,
including movies. There are also script packages available, or custom scripts
that can be developed. But, again with rare exceptions, this has not worked
YOUTUBE HAS CONDITIONED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE TO BELIEVE WEB VIDEO SHOULD BE FREE.
0ROFESSIONAL WEB VIDEO PUBLISHING JUST GOT TASTY
Arycre v|c |as spert t|ne 0s|rg prcfess|cra| erccc|rg prcc0cts
s0c| as C|earer, S0eeze, cr Ccnpresscr v||| |ave |rvar|aL|y vcrcerec
v|et|er prcfess|cra| erccc|rg cc0|c Le Lct| eas|er arc c|eaper. "
DV Kitchen comoines an arra] of powerful, professional media puolishing features into
one eas]-to-use, elegant, streamlined software program.
%VERYTHING YOU NEED ALL IN ONE KITCHEN
"
- |acOser rev|ev, 4 c0t cf 6
OV K|tc|er |s prccf t|at |t car Le.
$OWNL OAD THE FUL L Y
FUNCTI ONAL DAY
FREE TRIAL HERE
http.//dvcreators.net/dv-kitchen/
s 3PECTACULAR QUALITY VIDEO ENCODING
s 3AMPLE,AB
s 4IME&REEZER
s "ITRATE "UDGET #ALCULATOR
s )NTEGRATED &40 5PLOADING
s 3TILL IMAGES TOO
s !UDIO ENCODING AND PUBLISHING
s -EDIA 0UBLISHING
/.,9

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either, whether a small video publisher or a giant
company like Amazon.
Buying a movie as a raw download has always
been an incredibly poor-quality customer
experience. The purchasing and viewing
experience is unwieldy and clumsy. The customer
usually must leave your website to purchase.
The product usually consists of one long movie,
where the entire product must download before
viewing. The product often lacks extras that might
be on the DVD. Sometimes the customer needs to
6llinanacLivaLioncodefromanemail,aconfusing
process. There is no way to update the product.
Theres no way to remind the customer of other
products, or give them an easy way to make more
purchases. The player is not publisher-branded.
People seldom buy video downloads, and those
that do hardly ever repeat the experience.
No brand-conscious DVD publisher is going to
subject their customers to such treatment.
SO WHAT IS THE IDEAL DISTRIBUTION MEDIUM FOR A
VIDEO PRODUCT?
In a nutshell, if you are delivering video at no
charge to the viewer, the web is the obvious
answer. Video websites, like YouTube, Vimeo or
Facebook, and powerful, dedicated web video
publishing tools like DV Kitchen, have made
putting video on the web cheap and easy.
But if you are selling a video product, its a tough
and confusing choice. You know you cant sell
video on the web. Downloads are a hassle and
sales are rare. Blu-ray is too expensive. DVDs are
standard, but, being physical media, they have
many problems.
WHATS WRONG WITH DVDS?
DVD problems include the costs of replication,
packaging, warehousing, shipping, receiving and
inventory, shipping materials and equipment,
replication delays, packaging misprints, lost
shipments, defective discs, and personnel time
spent dealing with these problems.
International deliveries require extra paperwork,
duties, plus shipping costs often double the end
user price, and shipments take weeks. Thats why
few international customers order DVDs, meaning
video publishers lose out on a huge market.
Selling DVDs through mail-order and retail
distribution adds an additional layer of
warehousing, shipping & receiving, inventories,
stock balancing and personnel time. Sales are lost
due to being out of stock on a title.
Moreover, DVD publishers are stuck in the
sLandardde6niLionage.OverLhelasLfewyears,
people have purchased HDTVs, watched HD
broadcasts, and become used to the sharper,
crisper image of HD video. Many independent
DVD publishers started shooting in HD years ago,
but because of the exorbitant costs of publishing
on Blu-ray, and the low adoption rate of Blu-ray
players, most publishers have stuck with standard
de6niLionbuLaresearchingforawayLodeliverHD
that is reliable, high quality and cost-effective.
Theres a lot of friction in the DVD buying process.
Customers surf websites to order online, having to
type all their information into multiple websites, or
call a phone number and wait on hold, as well as
days for shipping. Or they can drive to a store that
may or may not have what theyre looking for.
When they want to view a DVD, customers must
6rsLsearchforadisc,whichcouldhavebecome
scratched, dirty, or lost.
When buying music, a growing number of people
are used to instant delivery, and instant access to
what theyve purchased without the hassle of
discs. Moving forward, consumers will increasingly
demand the same convenience when it comes to
video purchases. Physical DVD sales will continue
to decline, faster and faster.
SO NOW WHAT?
As you can tell, Ive been thinking about this a long
time. Seeing the fate of the audio CD, years ago,
its obvious the DVD is on its way out. Its clear
Blu-ray is not the answer. But where iTunes was
the killer app for replacing audio CDs, the
equivalent killer app for replacing DVDs and
Blu-ray discs has not existed.
Until now.
I am excited to reveal, here in this SuperMag, the
existence of a new platform that could
revolutionize the future of video distribution.
This new platform is called MOD Machine.
The MOD Machine system is an elegantly
designed, enterprise-class, white label,
integrated video distribution solution consisting
of content and database servers, along with a
downloadable software client environment that
provides a peerless quality customer experience,
integrating catalog browsing, secure e-commerce,
instant product delivery via download and a
powerful,in6niLelyexibleinLeracLivevideoand
rich media viewer.
You could think of MOD Machine as the ultimate
virtual DVD vending machine. (MOD stands for
Media On Demand.)
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Unlike physical media, MOD Machine can
easily adapt to any future development in video
or network connectivity and so can never
become obsolete.
Over 15,000 products have been sold and
delivered through MOD Machine to Mac and
Windows customers around the globe with
very few problems far less than DVDs.
Weve found selling video products through MOD
Machine increases DVD publishers sales
dramatically, especially repeat sales and
international sales, and lowers costs appreciably.
From our experience so far, it is apparent that
MOD Machine has succeeded where web video
and cruder download systems have failed: in
providingrealvalueLocusLomers,who6ndiLeasy
to spend $50, $100 or more on a video download,
and often make additional purchases in the next
few weeks or even days. Perhaps this is due in part
to our perfectionist-level dedication to quality in
every facet of the MOD Machine user experience,
or the fact that, unlike a disc, a MOD Machine
product is not vulnerable to becoming scratched,
dirty or lost.
Here is a brief rundown of
MODMachine'sbene6Ls:
capable of Blu-ray video and audio quality
no cost for replication, packaging,
warehousing or shipping
deliverable within minutes of purchase
all over the globe
no work needed each time a sale is made
high perceived product value
convenient for the customer viewable instantly
without hassling with discs
viewable whether connected to the internet
or not
protected against piracy
immune to damage or loss
capable of advanced interactivity
fricLion-freesyndicaLionLoaneLworkofaf6liaLes
eco-friendly
ESTABLISHING MOD MACHINE AS THE NEXT STANDARD
We quietly launched a major publisher of music
insLrucLionalvideo1une3,2009.SinceLhen,we
have signed all 10 other major publishers in this
vertical market as a result. In a few months, MOD
Machine became the standard for delivering music
instruction video via the internet, just as DVD is
established as the physical media standard.
We are currently replicating this domino effect
success across multiple vertical markets. Once we
sign a couple of the major publishers in any
vertical market, their competitors follow suit
quickly. Smart DVD publishers understand that
rather than another costly, confusing Betamax vs.
VHS or HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray battle when it comes to
avideodownloadplaLform,Lherearesigni6canL
A MOD MACHINE CATALOG CUSTOMIZED FOR HUDSON MUSIC, A PUBLISHER OF INSTRUCTIONAL DRUM DVDS
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JOSH MELLICKER has been recognized as one of
the foremost experts, pioneers, trainers and
consultants in the digital video industry for over 15
years, helping guide companies like Apple, Canon,
Intel and countless others through the brave new
world of digital media.
Josh was instrumental in helping Apple launch
Final Cut Pro with consulting, free seminar tours,
interactive CD projects, and training support on
disc and around the world. Josh co-founded
DVcreators.net, one the worlds best and best-
known resources for digital video creators, helping
millions of video producers around the world
improveLhequaliLyofLheirpro|ecLsandworkow.
Josh designed the DV Revolution Workshop
-Lheworld'smosLsuccessful3-daydigiLalvideo
producLionworkshop,heldinover60ciLiesin5
countries with tens of thousands of attendees. He
created and implemented the biggest digital video
free seminar tour in the history of the industry.
Josh was chosen for the prestigious Production
Conference Chair at NAB. He designed and created
DV Kitchen web video publishing software and
currently, the revolutionary MOD Machine
enterprise-class video delivery system.
bene6LsLoagreeingonasLandard,|usLasLhey
agreed on DVD.
PREMIUM VIDEO CONTENT SYNDICATION
MOD Machine was designed from the ground up
for video publishers to sell and deliver premium
video content both directly to end users, and also
LhroughasyndicaLedaf6liaLeneLwork.
Along with Google Adwords and Amazon stores,
MOD Machine will start to become another way
forpopularwebsiLesLomoneLizeLheirLraf6c-
by selling high quality video products relevant
LoLhesiLe'sfocus.Unlikesomeaf6liaLeprograms
that require extensive website implementation,
becomingaMODMachineaf6liaLeLakes
just minutes.
This means that as MOD Machines content library
grows,andmoreandmoreaf6liaLessignup,a
premium video content network will form, with
shoppers being able to easily buy products from
multiple publishers right within the MOD Machine
environment, and being able to view any program
they own with a click or two. Like an app store for
video but much more.
THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITLESS
MOD Machine is not only a breakthrough in its
design,power,exibiliLyandqualiLy.|L'salsoa
breakthrough because it presents so many
opportunities for you.
Are you a video producer? A subject matter
expert? Do you publish DVDs for sale? Are you
connecLedLoahighLraf6cwebsiLe!Haveyou
workedforaDvD/8lu-raydiscreplicaLion
company? Have you done production or post-
production work for major DVD publishers?
If any of the above are true, MOD Machine could
be a powerful catalyst in helping you capitalize on
assets you already have. For more information
about the opportunities MOD Machine offers you,
see the Leaping Brain Labs website.
CONCLUSION
My prediction is that the usage of DVDs and
Blu-ray discs for distribution is currently peaking,
andwilldeclinesigni6canLlyoverLhenexL24
months, and this will be the biggest upcoming
change in the digital video landscape.

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High performance Fibre
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Learn how to maximize
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FORMOSAS MOVIE POSTER
A lot of folks reading this article would probably
like to make a movie someday or if theyre lucky
theyve made one already. Many of us use Final Cut
to make a living cutting corporate videos or
musicvideos,makingwedding/evenLvideos,or
maybe cutting other peoples movies. But deep
down a lot of us want to make a movie of our own
sometime. I managed to pull it off.
DIRECTOR NOAH KADNER (ROGHT) WITH ACTOR GEOFFREY LEWIS
I ultimately discovered that making a movie is only
the beginning of the process. To be really
consideredasuccessLhaL6lmneedsLobe
distributed in movie theaters, TV, DVD or online.
The goal of making a movie should be to have an
audience (hopefully a paying one) see your work.
Thats the best way to get a career going and move
beyondbeinga6rsLLimedirecLor.
Sobackin2003orso|decidedLoLakeLheplunge.
Id always had a fascination with social guidance
movies-shorL10minuLeblackandwhiLe6lms|
saw in grade school on subjects ranging from sex
ed. to social manners to personal hygiene. Most of
Lhese6lmsweremadeinLhe'50sandLoa
"modern"kidgrowingupinLhe'70-80sLhey
couldnt have been more square. I envisioned a
comedyabouLa6lmcrewmakingLhosesocial
guidance6lmsinLhe'50sandLheideafor
Formosa was born.
Jamie Stern, an actor and my neighbor in L.A.,
wrote the script in MS-Word and later Final Draft.
Jamie also acted as Clay, the mysterious young
drifter who comes into the lives of this group of
socialguidance6lmmakers.HislawlesspasL
would be the perfect impetus to making their
6lmsmoreedgyandrelevanL-wellmoresoLo
kids of 1951 anyways.
Our6rsLchallengewas6ndingagoodcasLof
actors for the rest of the parts, which I quickly
discovered was an indie Catch-22. You need to
have some recognizable name actors in your
movie in order to guarantee some studio interest
in distribution. But with the more well-known
actors agents and managers looking out for their
6nder'sfees,youaren'LlikelyLogeLanyofLhose
names without a pile of cash upfront. In the end,
we did get a cast of faces youd recognize from
smaller roles in movies and TV.
For example, Steve Gilborn was on TVs Ellen and
The Wonder Years; Jessica Kiper would later be
known as Sugar on Survivor.
Self-Distributing Your Movie
Noah Kadner shares tips and tricks on getting distribution
for your indie movie from his 7 year experience with his movie, Formosa.

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All the actors totally rocked in their roles and
were a joy to direct.
ACTORS STEVEN GILBORN, JAMIESON STERN & JESSICA KIPER
We shot Formosa in Albuquerque, New Mexico in
LhePallof2003.WechoseAlbuquerquebecause
its where I grew up and New Mexico has a tax
incenLiveprogramfor6lmmakers.|knewwecould
get many locations for little or no money and we
also hooked up with local playhouses for period
cosLumesandPouLe66carclubsforvinLage
1950s vehicles.

CAR DRIVING SHOT COMPOSITED IN ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS;
GREEN SCREEN MADE TO LOOK LIKE REAR-PROJECTION
We wanted to shoot 24p but at the time the only
professional 24p camera within reach was the
PanasonicSDX900-ashoulder-mounLed,LNG
camera that accepted interchangeable lenses.
PANASONIC SDX900 IN ACTION AT THE DINER
|managedLoconvincePanasonic'sSDX900
product manager, Jan Crittenden to loan me two
cameras. They were literally brand new at the time
and shot an amazing picture onto Panasonics
DVCPRO50 tape format. Production was a real
challengeboLh6nanciallyandcreaLively,buLwe
managed to get it all in the can in 19 days.

OUR GREEN SCREEN SETUP FOR DRIVING SHOTS
We came back to L.A. with a case of DVCPRO50
tapes and proceeded to edit in Final Cut Studio.
My good friend, Tirsa Hackshaw edited; shed later
go on to edit shows like Dirt, Dirty Sexy Money
and Drop Dead Diva. Post was fun because we just
worked out of our houses and took our time to
really put the movie together the way we wanted
to. We also incorporated footage from vintage,
publicdomainsocialguidance6lmswefoundover
at the Prelinger Archive (www.archive.org). They
functioned as a kind of goofy Greek chorus on the
action, along with our own recreations of this
moviemaking style.
SOCIAL GUIDANCE 16MM FILM RECREATION WITH DESATURATION
& GRAIN EFFECTS CREATED IN FINAL CUT PRO
We showed a series of cuts to friends and
incorporated their suggestions and ideas
wherever we could. Its amazing how much you
can do in post to change the meaning of a scene
or its context in the story. When post was
complete, we made our own DVDs in DVD Studio
Pro and also mastered to Digibeta tape from FCP
for festivals (remember this was 2004-5 when
most indie projects were still completed in
sLandardde6niLion.).
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Our initial distribution plan was to apply to a wide
varieLyof6lmfesLivalsandhopefullygainsome
attention. The big ones shut us out like Sundance,
Telluride, Toronto but we played well and won
awards at regional festivals like Tahoe, Big Bear
and Garden State. I found in general you either
need some big indie names, studio money behind
you or a movie thats totally edgy and out there
subject-wise to get into the big time fests.
JAMIESON STERN, NOAH KADNER & DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
TYLER OLIVER; AT THE TAHOE FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING
UlLimaLelywegoLa6rmofferfromacompany
calledKoanLohandleLhe6lm'sforeign
distribution. Koan was a decent, honest company
that managed to get Formosa onto cable TV
outlets like HBO Europe and all over South
America.Go6gure-iL'samovieLhaL'sfullof'50s
Americana but no ones seen it in the U.S. The
downside was that at least according to Koan, the
monies they received for those deals was offset by
LheirowninLernalmarkeLingandof6cecosLs.So
basically we only got back a little bit of revenue-
disappointing but reality.
We were also approached by a number of
producers representatives. Basically these are like
agenLsLhaLgoouLonbehalfofyour6lmand
attempt to arrange distribution deals. My feelings
on reps are mixed. It comes down to the following
observation, if a rep wants a a large sum up front
its probably not worth signing. Theyre typically in
the job for a percentage and if they really believe
inyour6lmLheyoughLnoLLorequireanyfee.
For the next few years Formosa was playing here
and there but we werent really seeing much
income. Flash forward to 2010, and suddenly a
new distributor came along that was interested in
disLribuLingLhe6lmdomesLically.|LalkedLoLhem
on the phone and found out they really wanted to
doonlydirecLdigiLaldownloadsofLhe6lm
through the web. They told me that because the
6lmhadbeenaroundforabiLLhaLmosLreLailDvD
outlets such as Walmart and Blockbuster wouldnt
touch it.
This really got me thinking though in 2010 why
do I need someone else to put my movie online for
sale? Im a reasonably web-savvy guy, not a
developer by any means but I can make my own
website and I know how to encode video. Was
having someone else do that for me really worth
nearly50%ofLhepoLenLialpro6Ls!|didn'LLhink
so, so I decided to say no thanks and do it myself.
The simplest way to self-distribute Formosa would
be to create my own website and offer the movie
as a direct digital download. I knew this was
possible because Ive been doing the same thing
with my Call Box (www.callboxlive.com) training
videos for years . We started as a website selling
training DVDs that were shipped through a fairly
pricey warehouse service. One day I decided to
stop selling discs and convert everything to digital
downloadable6lesyoucouldplayinQuick1imeor
on an iPhone. It worked out great and did away
with all those warehousing and shipping costs, it
also meant customers would get their videos
immediately and there wouldnt be any more lost
or stolen shipments.
I found a wonderful service called Shopify
(www.shopify.com) which lets you create and
manage your own online store. They offer a set of
templates you can customize to your liking just
add your logo or do a total makeover. From there
you just need a Paypal account and of course a
product and you can start selling online. Its
worked great with my Call Box store so I thought
|'dcreaLeanewsLorespeci6callyforPormosa.
Here it is: www.watchformosa.com
THE OFFICIAL DIRECT DOWNLOADS WEBSITE
WWW.WATCHFORMOSA.COM
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Shopify handles the storefront and the shopping
cart and then another very easy to use site called
Fetch (www.fetchapp.com) does the storage and
delivery of digital goods. Fetch is already
integrated with Shopify so orders of digital goods
are securely delivered through Fetch. Mike Larkin,
the designer of Fetch is a very helpful and cool guy
to work with.
|6guredLhebesLwayLocreaLeawarenessabouL
the actual movie, instead of a conventional trailer
wouldbeLosLreamouLLheopening7orso
minutes for free on YouTube. This is great because
YouTubes quality has never been better.
To create my Youtube version, I started with the
uncompressed 24p master I got back from the
6lm'scolorgradingsessionandLrimmedoff
abouLLhe6rsL7minuLesorsosLarLing|usLafLer
the opening credits. Then I exported to a
reasonablyhighbiLraLe720x48016:9H.2646le,
the result was about 200MB. It took a while to
uploadLhe6leLoYou1ubebuLwhenallwas
said and done it looked great. You can see the
result here: www.youtube.com
Im also pursuing distribution deals with other
video on demand sites like Amazon Amazon
Unbox,You1uberenLals,NeLix,1unecorefor
iTunes and more. We promote the direct sales site
through social networking sites like Facebook,
Twitter. Many of the actors also have their own
of6cialwebsiLesaswell.HereisLhemovie's
Facebook page: www.facebook.com
The bottom line is that as of this moment, theres
nothing stopping you from selling your movie as a
direct download or video on demand. Its never
been easier to create a high quality movie. You can
shoot on something as inexpensive as a DSLR
cameralikeaCanon12iwiLhLhoselovely35mm
Canon still lenses and achieve a look that rivals
anything Hollywood makes.
But thats just the beginning, its a long and
windingroadgeLLingyour6lmLoanaudience.
Heres some parting distribution tips gleaned from
mynow7+yearsexperiencewiLhPormosa:

1. CASTING
Get at least one name actor in your cast and make
sure its a name that almost everyone recognizes.
Even if the actor only works one day as a cameo
Lhiswillhelpimmeasurablyinmakingyour6lm
sellable. If you go with total unknowns you can
pretty much kiss a lot of potential distribution
deals good-bye right out of the gate. Unless you
win Sundance that is, and even then youll stay be
facing some iffy historical odds. Stack the decks
and get at least one name.

2. SOUND
Get great production sound. If youre not
recording usable dialogue in a scene its almost
not worth shooting. ADR (dialogue re-recorded in
posL)ofLensoundsarLi6cialandsomeLimesan
actor will have a tough time matching themselves.
Bottom line is a distributor will not take on a movie
with sub-standard audio. So do your absolute best
to get great sound as youre shooting.
WHATS A 50S MOVIE WITHOUT AN ATOMIC BLAST?
NOAH KADNER runs High Road Productions a New
Mexico-based production company with feature,
TV, industrial and corporate credits. He spent a
year working at Apple, testing future versions of
Final Cut Studio as part of a special internal
production team.
He hosts and produces Call Box a series of HD
and24pdigiLal6lmmakerLrainingcoursesonDvD.
Noah also works as a forum administrator for
2-pop.com, CreativeCow.com, DVXuser.com
andisanAppleCerLi6ed1rainer.
Noah writes for technical publications like
3DWorld,HDvideoPro,LdiLWellandAmerican
Cinematographer. He wrote the cover articles for
American Cinematographer for Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, X-Men Origins:
Wolverine and Nine.
Noah also wrote RED: The Ultimate Guide to
Using the Revolutionary Camera, the industrys
6rsLbookonLhePLDONL4KCamera.
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3. FESTIVALS
8erealisLicabouLa6lm'sfesLivalchances.NoL
every6lmgoesLoSundanceandofLenLheone's
that do dont even go anywhere. Research festivals
and look for those that accept the genre of movie
youve made. Dont rush your movies post
schedule just to make a festival deadline. It will
come around again in a year and you only get one
shot to make an impression with the programmers,
sodoiLwiLhapolished6lm.
4. OFFERS
If you get a distribution offer, scrutinize it carefully.
Avoid anything that requires you to pay big money
upfront and dont give away too much of a
percentage share to the distributor. 15-25% is a fair
amonLLogiveLhedisLribuLor,35%-noLsomuch.
Be wary of open-ended potential accounting
chargesagainsLyourmovie'spro6Lslikegeneral
of6ceandpromoLionalexpenses.1hesecanbe
inaLedLomakeiLlooklikeanymoviehasn'L
generaLedapro6Lshare.1ryLokeepLhenon-
exclusive rights to sell your movie online. Watch
out for long term contracts if a distributor is
askingforlongerLhan3years,makesureLheycan
really deliver on their promises to get your movie
out there. Otherwise it might be tied up in
obscurity forever.
5. FIND THE AUDIENCE
Finally, visualize the completion of your movie as
the beginning of a process rather than the end.
1hesedaysiL'ssoeasyLocompleLeafeaLure6lm
everyone is doing it. Try to think ahead toward
your marketing and festival push. Getting a movie
completed is a very worthy accomplishment but
you still have the rest of your work cut out for you.
Get it to an audience by any means necessary.

CHARACTERS SID & ANNE-MARIE INTRODUCE CLAY AT THE DINER...
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FCP User Group Network cont. from page 6
LAFCPUG - LOS ANGELES FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Los Angeles, CA
Website: http://www.lafcpug.org
php?gid=31558115727
groups?gid=1017657
Contact
Michael Horton: michaelh@lafcpug.org
SF CUTTERS SAN FRANCISCO
Website: http://www.sfcutters.org
Contact
Claudia Crask: sfcuttster@gmail.com
CUTS AUSTIN
Austin, TX
Website: http://www.cutsaustin.com
Contact
Cynthia Stein: info.cutsaustin@gmail.com
ARIZONA FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Phoenix, AZ
Website: http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/
new_view_posts.cgi?forumid=186
Contact
Scott Anderson: azscott@gmail.com
CAROLINA FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Cary, NC
Website: http://www.carolinafcpug.org/
Contact
Francis Shepherd:shepherd@carolinafcpug.org
CLTFCPUG CHARLOTTE FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Charlotte, NC
Website: http://www.cltfcpug.org/
Contact
Chris Yountz: editor@cltfcpug.org/
CHIFCPUG CHICAGO FINAL CUT PRO USERS GROUP
Chicago, IL
Website: http://www.chifcpug.org
Contacts
Jeff Evenson: jeff@chifcpug.org
Sue Lawson: sue@chifcpug.org
Fred Pfeifer: fred@chifcpug.org
Keith Dadey: keith@chifcpug.org
Steve Eisen: sbeisen@chifcpug.org
Pat DeFilippo: pat@chifcpug.org
Tom Foss: tom@chifcpug.org
DALLAS FCPUG
Dallas, TX
Website: http://www.dallasfcpug.org/
Contact
Leland Johnson: majorlytton@mac.com
DCFCPUG - WASHINGTON DC USER GROUP
Washington, DC
Website: http://www.dcfcpug.org/
Contact
Rodney Mitchell: rodney@dcfcpug.org
DFCPUG - DENVER FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Denver, CO
Website: http://www.dfcpug.org/
Contact
Jerry Hofmann: jlhofmann@mac.com
DIGITAL CONNTENT CREATORS
Connecticut
Website: http://www.digitalct.org
Contact
Keith Larsen: info@digitalct.org
TM
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DIGITAL VIDEO DETROIT
Detroit, MI
Website: http://www.digitalvideodetroit.com/
Contact
Michele Kotlarsky
HAWAII FCPUG
Honolulu, HI
Website: http://www.hawaiifcpug.org/
Contact
Steve Szabo: steve@digitaledgehawaii.com
INDYFCPUG - INDIANAPOLIS FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Indianapolis, IN
Website: http://www.indy-fcpug.org/
Contact
Rob Chinn: chinnr@mac.com
MACFILMMAKERS
Website: http://macImmakers.bIogspot.com/
Contact
Kevin Johonson: bosskev@pacbell.net
THE MOVING PICTURES COLLECTIVE OF NYC
New York, NY
Website: http://www.mopictive.org
Contact
Jamey C. Shafer: jamey@mopictive.org
NAPROVIG - NASHVILLE APPLE PRO VIDEO GROUP
Nashville, TN
Website: http://www.naprovig.org/
Contact
John Foley: john@naprovig.org
NJFCPUG NEW JERSEY FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Mahwah, NJ
Website: http://www.njfcpug.org/NJFCPUG/
Welcome.html
Contact
Art Aldrich: admin@njfcpug.org
OKCFCPUG OKLAHOMA CITY FINAL CUT PRO
USER GROUP
Oklahoma City, OK
Website: http://www.okcfcpug.com
Contacts
Gregory Kuhn: gkuhn@iphc.org
Darrin Hill: darrinhill@gmail.com
Jody Wickersham: jodywickersham@mac.com
PHILADELPHIA FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Philadelphia, PA
Website: http://www.naIcutpronews.com/
Contact
Jeff Greenberg: jeffgreenberg@philafcpug.org
PORTLAND FCPUG
Portland, Oregon
Wesbite: http://www.pdxfcpug.com/
Contacts
AJ VanWolfe: info@pdxfcpug.com
Rebecca
Gerendasy: rebecca@potter-productions.com
SACRAMENTO VIDEO INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
SACRAMENTO FCPUG
Sacramento, CA
Website: www.sacramentofcpug.com
Contact
Karen Olson: karen.olson@calrecycle.ca.gov
SAN DIEGO FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
San Diego, CA
Website: http://www.sdmug.org/sigs/fcpug.php
Contact
Tim Griffen: fcpug@cox.net
TM
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SBFINALCUT THE SANTA BARBARA FINAL CUT
USER GROUP
Santa Barbara, CA
Website: http://www.sbnaIcut.org/
Contact
Jeffery Morse: jmorsedeepeId.net
SEAFCPUG - SEATTLE FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Seattle, WA
Website: http://www.seafcpug.org/
Contacts
Gordon Modin: info@seafcpug.org
Ed McNichol: info@seafcpug.org
SOFLAFCPUG SOUTH FLORIDA FINAL CUT PRO
USER GROUP
Miami/Fort Lauderdale FL
Website: http://groups.google.com/group/
SoFlaFCPUG
Contacts
PRESIDENT
Marlene Lopez: goodbog2@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Nicole Martinez: giantsteps@bellsouth.net
SLFCPUG SOUTH LOUISIANA FINAL CUT PRO
USER GROUPS
New Orleans and Lafayette, South Louisiana
Website: http://www.slfcpug.org
Contact
Ben Balser: admin@slfcpug.org
TUCFCPUG TUCSON FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Tucson, AZ
Website: http://www.tucfcpug.org/
Contact
Sarah Sher: sarahbsher@mac.com
TULFCPUG TULSA FINAL CUT PRO USERS GROUP
Tulsa, OK
Website: http://www.tulfcpug.com/
Contacts
Bob Vest: bobvest@mac.com
Steve Becker: sbecker@teleiospictures.com
INTERNATIONAL
FINAL BUG FINAL ( CUT) BERLIN USER GROUP
Berlin, Germany
Website: http://www.berlinfcp.de/BLOG/?p=113
Contacts
Paul Murray: paul@paurray.com
FINALCUTBR FINAL CUT BRAZIL
Brazil
Website: http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/
naIcutbr/
Contacts
Alfredo Barros
Cesar Hashimoto
CHINAFCP - CHINA FINAL CUT USER GROUP
Beijing, China
Website: http://www.naIcut.cn/maIn/
Contact
Huang Liang: huangliang@mac.com
TM
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CALGARY FINAL CUT PRO USERS GROUP
Calgary, Canada
Website: http://www.calgaryfcpug.com/
Contact
Duane E. Martin: calfcpug@calgaryfcpug.com
DUBLIN FCPUG
Website: http://www.dublinfcpug.com/
index.htm
Contacts
Alessandro Molatore
Francis Cheer
Luke Mc Manus
Email: info@dublinfcpug.com
FCPUG ITALIA
Italy
Website: http://www.fcpug.it/
Contact
Alessia Attolini: info@fcpug.it
FINAL CUT MTL THE MONTREAL FINAL CUT
USERS GROUP
Montreal, Canada
Website: http://www.naIcutmtI.org/
Contact
ranois Dumoulin: francoIsnaIcutmtI.org

GAPRUG GAUTENG APPLE PRO USER GROUP
Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa
Website: http://www.videotech.co.za/
Contact
Richard Simmonds: richard@videotech.co.za
HKFCPUG HONG KONG FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Hong Kong, China
Website: http://www.hkfcpug.ning.com/
Contact
Samantha Goh: hkfcpug@mac.com

FCPUG.HU HUNGARY FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Hungary
Website: http://fcpug.hu/
Contact
VICE PRESIDENT
Gyula Kazari: gyula.kazari@gmail.com
Email: fcpug@fcpug.hu
FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP JAPAN
Website: http://ug.naIcutpro.jp
LFCPUG - LONDON FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Website: http://www.lfcpug.org
Contact
Jonathan
Eric Tyrrell: jonathan.eric@me.com
MYFCPUG - MALAYSIA FCPUG
Malaysia (Singapore, Brunei & Indonesia)
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/
Malaysia-Final-Cut-Pro-Usergroup-
MYFCPUG/12259881340?ref=mf
Contact
Isazaly Isa: zalee@kino-i.com
MLFCPUG - MIDLANDS FINAL CUT USER GROUP
Birmingham, England
Website: http://www.mfcug.org.uk/
Email: mfcug@mac.com
MEXIPUG - MEXICO FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Mexico City, D.F.
Website: http://www.simplemente.net/
MexiPUG
Contact
Monica
Reina-Kadner: monica@simplemente.net
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YAKYAKYAK PARIS FINAL CUT USER GROUP
Paris, France
Webiste: http://yakyakyak.fr/
Contact
Erwan Le Cloirec: bruce@yakyakyak.fr
RUFCPUG FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP RUSSIA
Moscow, RU
Website: http://community.livejournal.com/
ru_naIcutpro
Contact
Zanudov: zanudov@mac.com
SWISSFCPUG FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP SWEDEN
Stockholm, Sweeden
Website: http://www.fcpug.se/
Contact
Eric Lindahl: info@fcpug.se
SYDNEY FINAL CUT PRO
Sydney, New South Wales (Australia)
Website: http://www.sydneyfcp.info/
Contact
Doug Suiter: doug@bigspace.tv
TOFCPUG TORONTO FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Toronto, Canada
Website: http://www.tofcpug.com/
Contact
David Battistella, Tim Martin, David Slater
Email: tofcpug@tofcpug.com
FCP UG TOKYO TOKYO FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Tokyo, Japan (Ginza)
Website: http://naIcutpro.jp/
Website: http://www.macdtv.com/
UKFCPUG UNITED KINGDOM FINAL CUT PRO
USER GROUP
United Kingdom
Website: http://www.macworld.co.uk/ukfcug
Contact
Rick Young: young.rick@virgin.net
VCFCPUG VANCOUVER FINAL CUT PRO USER GROUP
Vancouver, Canada
Website: http://www.vfcpug.org/
Contact
Jonathan
Eric Tyrrell: jtyrrell@eciad.ca
Christine Stewart: http://www.vfcpug.org/contact.php
WEFCPUG WEST OF ENGLAND FINAL CUT PRO
USER GROUP
Bristol, England
Website: http://www.wefcpug.org.uk/
Contact
Phil Ashby: philament@gmail.com
Richard Atherton: info@wefcpug.org.uk
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For a current list of Apple Authorized Training Centers, visit training.apple.com/locations.
For a class schedule, visit training.apple.com/schedule.
Alabama
Mac Resource
6485 University Dr
Huntsville, AL, 35806
Phone: 261-721-1700
Arizona
ExitCertified -
Phoenix
101 N 1st Ave
Ste 1875
Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Phone: 613-232-3948
Arkansas
The Field Shop, Inc.
5507 Geyer Springs Rd
Little Rock, AR, 72209
Phone: 501-565-9673
California
All4DVD
9160 Irvine Center Dr
Irvine, CA, 92618
Phone: 949-215-0111
Apple - Cupertino
18880 Homestead
Cupertino, CA, 95014
Phone: 408-996-1010
California (cont.)
Bay Area Video
Coalition
2727 Mariposa St
2nd Fl
San Francisco, CA,
94110
Phone: 415-861-3282
Cosumnes River
College/Los Rios
Community
8401 Center Parkway
Sacramento, CA, 95823
Phone: 916-691-7301
Creative Resources
1506 Brookhollow Dr
Ste 122
Santa Ana, CA, 92705
Phone: 877-622-7911
Crywolf Training -
San Diego
7634 Clairemont Mesa
Blvd
San Diego, CA, 92111
Phone: 858-277-9653
Digital Media
Academy - Stanford
University
615 Crothers Way
123 Encina Commons
Stanford, CA, 94305
Phone: 866-656-3342
California (cont.)
Digital Media
Academy -
University of
California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Dr
La Jolla, CA, 92093
Phone: 866-656-3342
Expression College
for Digital Arts
6601 Shellmound St
Emeryville, CA, 94608
Phone: 877-833-8800
Logic Pro Help
1727 N Vermont Ave
Ste 209
Los Angeles, CA, 90027
Phone: 818-205-3222
Moviola Education
Center
1135 N Mansfield Ave
Phone: 323-467-1116
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
San Diego
3636 Camino Del Rio N
Ste 101
Phone: 877-819-2665
California (cont.)
Weynand Training
International
16430 Ventura Blvd
Ste 200
Encino, CA, 91436
Phone: 818-995-1719
v.2 Consulting - San
Francisco
115 Sansome St
Ste 112
San Francisco, CA,
94104
Phone: 415-989-9889
Jose
2025 Gateway Pl
Ste 345
San Jose, CA, 95110
Phone: 415-989-9889
v.2 Consulting -
Sherman Oaks
15125 Ventura Blvd
Ste 203
Sherman Oaks, CA,
91403
Phone: 415-989-9889
Colorado
The Art Institute of
Colorado
1200 Lincoln St
Denver, CO, 80203
Phone: 303-824-4737
Connecticut
InstructUs Training
Centers - Hartford
Metro, CT
900 Day Hill Rd
Windsor, CT, 06095
Phone: 203-791-8181
University of New
Haven
300 Boston Post Rd
West Haven, CT, 06516
Phone: 203-932-7000
District Of
Columbia
Apple - FMC
Washington, DC
1627 K St. NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC, 20006
Phone: 202-429-9700
Center for Digital
Imaging Arts (CDIA)
- Washington DC
1055 Thomas Jefferson
St NW
Foundry Building
Phone: 202-625-1110
Future Media
Concepts -
Washington DC
1627 K St NW
Ste 900
Phone: 202-429-9700
Apple Authorized Training Centers in US Apple Authorized Training Centers in US
District Of
Columbia (cont.)
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
Washington DC
1712 I St NW
Ste LL100
Phone: 770-414-5007
x101
Florida
Caerian Inc. -
Florida
1459 S University Dr
Plantation, FL, 33323
Phone: 888-292-4648
Florida State College
at Jacksonville
9911 Old Baymeadows
Rd
Jacksonville, FL, 32256
Phone: 904-997-2636
Future Media
Concepts - Orlando
6675 Westwood Blvd
Ste 145
Orlando, FL, 32821
Phone: 407-354-4866
Go4Cast, Inc
8452 South Federal Hwy
Port Saint Lucie, FL,
34952
Phone: 888-247-1616
Florida (cont.)
InVision Digital and
Media Arts
2000 Universal Studios
Plaza
Ste 602
Orlando, FL, 32819
Phone: 407-970-0776
InstructUs Training
Centers - Tampa, FL
5110 Eisenhower Blvd
Ste 300
Tampa, FL, 33634
Phone: 203-791-8181
Georgia
ComputerTree -
Atlanta Metro
Sugarloaf Center
2180 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA, 30097-4927
Phone: 800-467-9820
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
Atlanta
2200 Northlake Pkwy
Ste 275
Tucker, GA, 30084
Phone: 770-414-5007
Hawaii
Pacific New Media -
University of Hawaii
at Manoa Outreach
College
2530 Dole St
Sakamaki C-104
Honolulu, HI, 96822
Phone: 808-956-5666
Illinois
Digital Media
Academy -
University of
Chicago
5801 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60637
Phone: 866-656-3342
Future Media
Concepts - Chicago
200 S Michigan Ave
Ste 910
Chicago, IL, 60604
Phone: 312-566-0400
MacSpecialist -
Downtown Chicago
500 N Wells St
Chicago, IL, 60610
Phone: 312-755-0000
MacSpecialist - Villa
Park
234 W Roosevelt Rd
Villa Park, IL, 60181
Phone: 630-858-0000
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
Chicago
1440 Renaissance Dr
Ste 110
Park Ridge, IL, 60068
Phone: 877-819-2665
Indiana
Ball State University
- Indianapolis
50 S Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN, 46204
Phone: 765-285-3060
- Muncie
2000 W. University Ave.
Emerging Media
Powerhouse
Muncie, IN, 47306
Phone: 765-285-3060
Kansas
Johnson County
Community College
12345 College Blvd
Overland Park, KS,
66210
Phone: 913-469-3891
Louisiana
MacTEK Training &
Consulting - Baton
Rouge
8568 Goodwood Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA, 70806
Phone: 702-396-0697
New Orleans Video
Access Center
(NOVAC)
532 Louisa St
New Orleans, LA, 70117
Phone: 504-940-5780
Maryland
Chesapeake
Systems Inc.
3000 Chestnut Ave
Ste 117
Baltimore, MD, 21211
Phone: 410-243-1023
Prince George's
Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo, MD, 20774-2199
Phone: 301-322-0794
Tech 2000 Inc. -
Baltimore
7150 Riverwood Dr.
Ste J
Columbia, MD, 21046
Phone: 800-433-1482
Massachusetts
Apple - Boston
111 Huntington Ave.
Fifth Floor
Boston, MA, 02119
Phone: 408-996-1010
Center for Digital
Imaging Arts (CDIA)
- Boston University
282 Moody St
Waltham, MA, 02453
Phone: 781-209-1700
Massachusetts
Digital Media
Academy - Harvard
University
Massachusetts Hall
Cambridge, MA, 02138
Phone: 866-656-3342
Future Media
Concepts - Boston
One Kendall Square
Bldg 300, 2nd Fl
Phone: 617-621-1155
Michigan
Macprofessionals
25775 Meadowbrook Rd
Novi, MI, 48375
Phone: 248-893-0738
Minnesota
FirstTech
2640 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis, MN, 55408
Phone: 612-374-8600
Missouri
Digital Partners Inc
(DPI)
8008 Carondelet Blvd
St. Louis, MO, 63105
Phone: 314-863-8008
Nebraska
Creighton University
Journalism and Mass
Comm
Creighton College of
Arts and Science
Omaha, NE, 68178
Phone: 402-280-4060
Nevada
MacTEK Training &
Consulting - Las
Vegas
3081 South Valley View
Blvd
Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Phone: 702-396-0697
New Jersey
MacTEK Training &
Consulting -
Philadelphia Metro
113 White Horse Rd W
Ste 6
Voorhees, NJ, 08043
Phone: 856-243-0150
New Mexico
University of New
Mexico Continuing
Education
1634 University Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87102
Phone: 505-925-9562
New York
Apple - FMC New
York
99 Broadway
Ste 1510
New York, NY, 10007
Phone: 212-604-9999
New York (cont.)
Business Rules
10 Shatzell Ave
PO Box 245
Rhinecliff, NY, 12572
Phone: 888-424-9759
Future Media
Concepts - New
York
299 Broadway
Ste 1510
New York , NY, 10007
Phone: 212-233-3500
Mac Audio Trainers
13 W 36th St
Ste 800
New York, NY, 10016
Phone: 845-255-7260
Manhattan Edit
Workshop
80 5th Ave
Ste 1501
New York, NY, 10011
Phone: 212-414-9570
Novaworks
71 Greene St
Ste 3
New York, NY, 10012
Phone: 212-604-9999
New York (cont.)
Soho Editors, New
York
32 W 39th St
Phone: 212-253-7776
The Edit Center
150 W 22nd St
7th Fl
New York, NY, 10011
Phone: 212-691-2370
North Carolina
ComputerTree -
Winston-Salem
1760 Jonestown Rd
Ste 200
Winston-Salem, NC,
27103
Phone: 800-467-9820
Ohio
Tarny Network
Consulting &
Training
2331 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH, 45206
Phone: 513-314-3715
Oklahoma
Metro Technology
Centers (dba Metro
Tech)
Economic Development
Center
1700 Springlake Dr
Oklahoma City, OK,
73111
Phone: 405-605-4782
Oregon
Crywolf Training -
Portland
700 NE Multnomah St
Portland, OR, 97232
Phone: 888-427-9965
Pennsylvania
Digital Media
Academy -
University of
Pennsylvania
73702 Spruce St
Philadelphia, PA,
19104-6027
Phone: 866-656-3342
Future Media
Concepts -
Philadelphia
325 Chestnut St
Ste 220
Philadelphia, PA, 19106
Phone: 215-922-2500
Montgomery County
Community College
340 DeKalb Pike
Blue Bell, PA, 19422
Phone: 215-641-6397
Tech 2000 Inc. -
Pittsburgh
425 Sixth Ave
Ste 1500
Pittsburgh, PA, 15219
Phone: 800-433-1482
Rhode Island
Digital Media
Academy - Brown
University
Brown University
Providence, RI, 02912
Phone: 866-656-3342
Tennessee
MacAuthority
2018 Lindell Ave
Nashville, TN, 37203
Phone: 615-577-4312
Tech 2000 Inc.
-Nashville
216 Centerview Dr
Bldg Seven, Ste 250
Brentwood, TN, 37027
Phone: 800-433-1482
Texas
Birdville ISD Media
Technology
Department
7020 MidCities Blvd.
North Richland Hills, TX,
76180
Phone: 817-547-3845
Caerian Inc. - Austin
200 E 6th St
Ste 203
Austin, TX, 78701
Phone: 512-308-6221
Texas (cont.)
Digital Media
Academy -
University of Texas
2247 Guadalupe St
Austin, TX, 78713
Phone: 866-656-3342
Digital Training &
Designs
16200 Addison Rd
Ste 200
Addison, TX, 75001
Phone: 972-407-9303
Education Service
Center Region 20
1314 Hines Ave
San Antonio , TX, 78208
Phone: 210-370-5634
MacAmerica -
Dallas/Ft. Worth
2300 Valley View Ln
Ste 205
Irving, TX, 75062
Phone: 972-823-4000
Texas (cont.)
MacAmerica -
Houston
7026 Old Katy Rd
Ste 221
Houston, TX, 77024
Phone: 713-365-3105
University of
Houston
Jack J. Valenti School of
Communication
Communication
Technology Center
Houston, TX,
77204-3002
Phone: 713-743-5328
Utah
University of Utah
1901 E South Campus
Dr
Rm 2167
Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
Phone: 801-581-6061
Virginia
ComputerTree -
Richmond
8030 W Broad St
Richmond, VA, 23294
Phone: 336-768-9820
Virginia (cont.)
MacTEK Training &
Consulting -
Washington DC
Metro
5440 Cherokee Ave
Ste 210
Alexandria, VA, 22312
Phone: 703-236-5800
Tech 2000 Inc. -
Virginia
459 Herndon Parkway
Ste 8
Herndon, VA, 20170
Phone: 703-467-8606
University of Virginia
1001 N Emmet St
Carruthers Hall
Charlottesville, VA,
22903
Phone: 434-982-2231
Washington
Crywolf Training -
Seattle
815 NE 45th St
Seattle, WA, 98105
Phone: 888-427-9965
Washington (cont.)
Discovery Tools
520 Westlake Ave N
Seattle, WA, 98109
Phone: 888-325-4600
Wisconsin
College of
Menominee Nation
N 172 S.T.H. 47/55
PO Box 1179
Keshena, WI, 54135
Phone: 715-799-5600
MC Services
N27 W23921 Paul Rd
Ste A
Pewaukee, WI, 53072
Phone: 262-522-6950
Northeast Wisconsin
Technical College
P.O. Box 19042
2740 West Mason St
Green Bay, WI,
54307-9042
Phone:
1-800-422-NWTC
Apple Training and Certification
Contact an AATC to discuss a training plan thats right for you, and purchase training in the form of individual seats or an onsite course delivered at your
location. Learn more about Apples curriculum at training.apple.com. Apple offers comprehensive certification programs for Mac OS X, hardware, Xsan,
and Pro Apps. Learn more at training.apple.com/certification.
TRAINING
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Alabama
Mac Resource
6485 University Dr
Huntsville, AL, 35806
Phone: 261-721-1700
Arizona
ExitCertified -
Phoenix
101 N 1st Ave
Ste 1875
Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Phone: 613-232-3948
Arkansas
The Field Shop, Inc.
5507 Geyer Springs Rd
Little Rock, AR, 72209
Phone: 501-565-9673
California
All4DVD
9160 Irvine Center Dr
Irvine, CA, 92618
Phone: 949-215-0111
Apple - Cupertino
18880 Homestead
Cupertino, CA, 95014
Phone: 408-996-1010
California (cont.)
Bay Area Video
Coalition
2727 Mariposa St
2nd Fl
San Francisco, CA,
94110
Phone: 415-861-3282
Cosumnes River
College/Los Rios
Community
8401 Center Parkway
Sacramento, CA, 95823
Phone: 916-691-7301
Creative Resources
1506 Brookhollow Dr
Ste 122
Santa Ana, CA, 92705
Phone: 877-622-7911
Crywolf Training -
San Diego
7634 Clairemont Mesa
Blvd
Phone: 858-277-9653
Digital Media
Academy - Stanford
University
615 Crothers Way
123 Encina Commons
Stanford, CA, 94305
Phone: 866-656-3342
California (cont.)
Digital Media
Academy -
University of
California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Dr
La Jolla, CA, 92093
Phone: 866-656-3342
Expression College
for Digital Arts
6601 Shellmound St
Emeryville, CA, 94608
Phone: 877-833-8800
Logic Pro Help
1727 N Vermont Ave
Ste 209
Phone: 818-205-3222
Moviola Education
Center
1135 N Mansfield Ave
Phone: 323-467-1116
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
San Diego
3636 Camino Del Rio N
Ste 101
Phone: 877-819-2665
California (cont.)
Weynand Training
International
16430 Ventura Blvd
Ste 200
Encino, CA, 91436
Phone: 818-995-1719
Francisco
115 Sansome St
Ste 112
San Francisco, CA,
94104
Phone: 415-989-9889
Jose
2025 Gateway Pl
Ste 345
San Jose, CA, 95110
Phone: 415-989-9889
v.2 Consulting -
Sherman Oaks
15125 Ventura Blvd
Ste 203
Sherman Oaks, CA,
91403
Phone: 415-989-9889
Colorado
The Art Institute of
Colorado
1200 Lincoln St
Denver, CO, 80203
Phone: 303-824-4737
Connecticut
InstructUs Training
Centers - Hartford
Metro, CT
900 Day Hill Rd
Windsor, CT, 06095
Phone: 203-791-8181
University of New
Haven
300 Boston Post Rd
West Haven, CT, 06516
Phone: 203-932-7000
District Of
Columbia
Apple - FMC
Washington, DC
1627 K St. NW
Suite 900
Phone: 202-429-9700
Center for Digital
Imaging Arts (CDIA)
- Washington DC
1055 Thomas Jefferson
St NW
Foundry Building
Phone: 202-625-1110
Future Media
Concepts -
Washington DC
1627 K St NW
Ste 900
Phone: 202-429-9700
Apple Authorized Training Centers in US Apple Authorized Training Centers in US
District Of
Columbia (cont.)
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
Washington DC
1712 I St NW
Ste LL100
Phone: 770-414-5007
x101
Florida
Caerian Inc. -
Florida
1459 S University Dr
Plantation, FL, 33323
Phone: 888-292-4648
Florida State College
at Jacksonville
9911 Old Baymeadows
Rd
Jacksonville, FL, 32256
Phone: 904-997-2636
Future Media
Concepts - Orlando
6675 Westwood Blvd
Ste 145
Orlando, FL, 32821
Phone: 407-354-4866
Go4Cast, Inc
8452 South Federal Hwy
Port Saint Lucie, FL,
34952
Phone: 888-247-1616
Florida (cont.)
InVision Digital and
Media Arts
2000 Universal Studios
Plaza
Ste 602
Orlando, FL, 32819
Phone: 407-970-0776
InstructUs Training
Centers - Tampa, FL
5110 Eisenhower Blvd
Ste 300
Tampa, FL, 33634
Phone: 203-791-8181
Georgia
ComputerTree -
Atlanta Metro
Sugarloaf Center
2180 Satellite Blvd
Duluth, GA, 30097-4927
Phone: 800-467-9820
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
Atlanta
2200 Northlake Pkwy
Ste 275
Tucker, GA, 30084
Phone: 770-414-5007
Hawaii
Pacific New Media -
University of Hawaii
at Manoa Outreach
College
2530 Dole St
Sakamaki C-104
Honolulu, HI, 96822
Phone: 808-956-5666
Illinois
Digital Media
Academy -
University of
Chicago
5801 South Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL, 60637
Phone: 866-656-3342
Future Media
Concepts - Chicago
200 S Michigan Ave
Ste 910
Chicago, IL, 60604
Phone: 312-566-0400
MacSpecialist -
Downtown Chicago
500 N Wells St
Chicago, IL, 60610
Phone: 312-755-0000
MacSpecialist - Villa
Park
234 W Roosevelt Rd
Villa Park, IL, 60181
Phone: 630-858-0000
Sterling Ledet &
Associates, Inc. -
Chicago
1440 Renaissance Dr
Ste 110
Park Ridge, IL, 60068
Phone: 877-819-2665
Indiana
- Indianapolis
50 S Meridian St
Indianapolis, IN, 46204
Phone: 765-285-3060
- Muncie
2000 W. University Ave.
Emerging Media
Powerhouse
Muncie, IN, 47306
Phone: 765-285-3060
Kansas
Johnson County
Community College
12345 College Blvd
Overland Park, KS,
66210
Phone: 913-469-3891
Louisiana
MacTEK Training &
Consulting - Baton
Rouge
8568 Goodwood Blvd
Baton Rouge, LA, 70806
Phone: 702-396-0697
New Orleans Video
Access Center
(NOVAC)
532 Louisa St
New Orleans, LA, 70117
Phone: 504-940-5780
Maryland
Chesapeake
Systems Inc.
3000 Chestnut Ave
Ste 117
Baltimore, MD, 21211
Phone: 410-243-1023
Prince George's
Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo, MD, 20774-2199
Phone: 301-322-0794
Tech 2000 Inc. -
Baltimore
7150 Riverwood Dr.
Ste J
Columbia, MD, 21046
Phone: 800-433-1482
Massachusetts
Apple - Boston
111 Huntington Ave.
Fifth Floor
Boston, MA, 02119
Phone: 408-996-1010
Center for Digital
Imaging Arts (CDIA)
- Boston University
282 Moody St
Waltham, MA, 02453
Phone: 781-209-1700
Massachusetts
Digital Media
Academy - Harvard
University
Massachusetts Hall
Phone: 866-656-3342
Future Media
Concepts - Boston
One Kendall Square
Bldg 300, 2nd Fl
Phone: 617-621-1155
Michigan
Macprofessionals
25775 Meadowbrook Rd
Novi, MI, 48375
Phone: 248-893-0738
Minnesota
FirstTech
2640 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis, MN, 55408
Phone: 612-374-8600
Missouri
Digital Partners Inc
(DPI)
8008 Carondelet Blvd
St. Louis, MO, 63105
Phone: 314-863-8008
Nebraska
Creighton University
Journalism and Mass
Comm
Creighton College of
Arts and Science
Omaha, NE, 68178
Phone: 402-280-4060
Nevada
MacTEK Training &
Consulting - Las
Vegas
3081 South Valley View
Blvd
Las Vegas, NV, 89102
Phone: 702-396-0697
New Jersey
MacTEK Training &
Consulting -
Philadelphia Metro
113 White Horse Rd W
Ste 6
Voorhees, NJ, 08043
Phone: 856-243-0150
New Mexico
University of New
Mexico Continuing
Education
1634 University Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM, 87102
Phone: 505-925-9562
New York
Apple - FMC New
York
99 Broadway
Ste 1510
New York, NY, 10007
Phone: 212-604-9999
New York (cont.)
Business Rules
10 Shatzell Ave
PO Box 245
Rhinecliff, NY, 12572
Phone: 888-424-9759
Future Media
Concepts - New
York
299 Broadway
Ste 1510
Phone: 212-233-3500
Mac Audio Trainers
13 W 36th St
Ste 800
New York, NY, 10016
Phone: 845-255-7260
Manhattan Edit
Workshop
80 5th Ave
Ste 1501
New York, NY, 10011
Phone: 212-414-9570
Novaworks
71 Greene St
Ste 3
New York, NY, 10012
Phone: 212-604-9999
New York (cont.)
Soho Editors, New
York
32 W 39th St
Phone: 212-253-7776
The Edit Center
150 W 22nd St
7th Fl
New York, NY, 10011
Phone: 212-691-2370
North Carolina
ComputerTree -
Winston-Salem
1760 Jonestown Rd
Ste 200
Winston-Salem, NC,
27103
Phone: 800-467-9820
Ohio
Tarny Network
Consulting &
Training
2331 Victory Parkway
Cincinnati, OH, 45206
Phone: 513-314-3715
Oklahoma
Metro Technology
Centers (dba Metro
Tech)
Economic Development
Center
1700 Springlake Dr
Oklahoma City, OK,
73111
Phone: 405-605-4782
Oregon
Crywolf Training -
Portland
700 NE Multnomah St
Portland, OR, 97232
Phone: 888-427-9965
Pennsylvania
Digital Media
Academy -
University of
Pennsylvania
73702 Spruce St
Philadelphia, PA,
19104-6027
Phone: 866-656-3342
Future Media
Concepts -
Philadelphia
325 Chestnut St
Ste 220
Philadelphia, PA, 19106
Phone: 215-922-2500
Montgomery County
Community College
340 DeKalb Pike
Blue Bell, PA, 19422
Phone: 215-641-6397
Tech 2000 Inc. -
Pittsburgh
425 Sixth Ave
Ste 1500
Pittsburgh, PA, 15219
Phone: 800-433-1482
Rhode Island
Digital Media
Academy - Brown
University
Brown University
Providence, RI, 02912
Phone: 866-656-3342
Tennessee
MacAuthority
2018 Lindell Ave
Nashville, TN, 37203
Phone: 615-577-4312
Tech 2000 Inc.
-Nashville
216 Centerview Dr
Bldg Seven, Ste 250
Brentwood, TN, 37027
Phone: 800-433-1482
Texas
Birdville ISD Media
Technology
Department
7020 MidCities Blvd.
North Richland Hills, TX,
76180
Phone: 817-547-3845
Caerian Inc. - Austin
200 E 6th St
Ste 203
Austin, TX, 78701
Phone: 512-308-6221
Texas (cont.)
Digital Media
Academy -
University of Texas
2247 Guadalupe St
Austin, TX, 78713
Phone: 866-656-3342
Digital Training &
Designs
16200 Addison Rd
Ste 200
Addison, TX, 75001
Phone: 972-407-9303
Education Service
Center Region 20
1314 Hines Ave
San Antonio , TX, 78208
Phone: 210-370-5634
MacAmerica -
Dallas/Ft. Worth
2300 Valley View Ln
Ste 205
Irving, TX, 75062
Phone: 972-823-4000
Texas (cont.)
MacAmerica -
Houston
7026 Old Katy Rd
Ste 221
Houston, TX, 77024
Phone: 713-365-3105
University of
Houston
Jack J. Valenti School of
Communication
Communication
Technology Center
Houston, TX,
77204-3002
Phone: 713-743-5328
Utah
University of Utah
1901 E South Campus
Dr
Rm 2167
Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
Phone: 801-581-6061
Virginia
ComputerTree -
Richmond
8030 W Broad St
Richmond, VA, 23294
Phone: 336-768-9820
Virginia (cont.)
MacTEK Training &
Consulting -
Washington DC
Metro
5440 Cherokee Ave
Ste 210
Alexandria, VA, 22312
Phone: 703-236-5800
Tech 2000 Inc. -
Virginia
459 Herndon Parkway
Ste 8
Herndon, VA, 20170
Phone: 703-467-8606
University of Virginia
1001 N Emmet St
Carruthers Hall
Charlottesville, VA,
22903
Phone: 434-982-2231
Washington
Crywolf Training -
Seattle
815 NE 45th St
Seattle, WA, 98105
Phone: 888-427-9965
Washington (cont.)
Discovery Tools
520 Westlake Ave N
Seattle, WA, 98109
Phone: 888-325-4600
Wisconsin
College of
Menominee Nation
N 172 S.T.H. 47/55
PO Box 1179
Keshena, WI, 54135
Phone: 715-799-5600
MC Services
N27 W23921 Paul Rd
Ste A
Pewaukee, WI, 53072
Phone: 262-522-6950
Northeast Wisconsin
Technical College
P.O. Box 19042
2740 West Mason St
Green Bay, WI,
54307-9042
Phone:
1-800-422-NWTC
Apple Training and Certification
Contact an AATC to discuss a training plan thats right for you, and purchase training in the form of individual seats or an onsite course delivered at your
location. Learn more about Apples curriculum at training.apple.com. Apple offers comprehensive certification programs for Mac OS X, hardware, Xsan,
and Pro Apps. Learn more at training.apple.com/certification.
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The Ninth Annual Las Vegas SuperMeet
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ROYALTYFREEMUSICLIBRARY.com

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