Video News

Workshop time is a fun time here at Videomaker. The local workshop crew beat the heat, and the court. In this basketball story (pictured above), workshop attendees learn the ins and outs of producing compelling video. Led by Jodie Sorenson, attendees use 1080i HDV camcorders, professional audio gear, and editing workstations to complete their project by weekends end.

Thanks to all for a great weekend!

Workshops at Videomaker headquarters include Basic Video Production, DVD Authoring, and Documentary Production.

Ahoy to all of our loyal viewers! We’ve got another show that packs a ton of good stuff into its 29:18 TRT. So let’s get into it!

Video Bits & Bytes with Derek and Mark:

• Derek’s excited about the Apple iPhone.
• Adobe Visual Communicator 3 is now available in beta at Adobe Labs.
• Vodpod is revisited briefly. The site allows you to aggregate other feeds into a custom feed for use in your blog.
• DigiEffects has acquired Buena Software, developer of handy plugins like Swatch Buckler.
• We’re giving Jaman’s blog a shoutout.
• Toon Boom has partnered with Fablevision, developer of educational software
• CEA says that US household HDTV penetration will continue to grow.

Tips and Tricks: John introduces a clip on compositing from our Advanced Editing DVD.

Take 20: Jennifer and I look at Truck-Lite 50th Anniversary by Steven Kehl of Erie, PA.

Hands On: Andrew shows us the Matthews M25 tripod.

Video editors everywhere have embraced the use of still photography within their projects. Adding movement to those photographs introduces a whole new element to storytelling. A recent article written by Regina Combs of Poynter Online talks with Ken Burns about the style he created. And along with some helpful guidelines from Burns, Combs’s enlightening article also includes a video example.

To learn more about using still photos, check out this Videomaker article.

[Link] via camcorder info

After the widely reported “incident” involving the legendary director Mike Figgs and Los Angeles International Airport security, it got us thinking about all the jargon we use on a daily basis. Being a video producer isn’t easy when it comes to vocabulary– there are literally thousands of terms that describe what we do. And others that do more. Although the vast majority seem to aid in communication between videographers, we may unknowingly be communicating the wrong message outside of our “video bubble”.
In a tribute to the Mike Figgs Airport Hoax, here’s our Top 5 Video Terms NOT to Say in an Airport:

1. “I’m here to shoot a pilot.”- Yes, this is what Mike was reported to say while traveling through the LAX Airport. Fake or not, this phrase meaning to “make a trial TV show” isn’t something we recommend yakking about while you look for the nearest airport Wi-Fi cafe.
2. “Hey, my shotgun fits in my carry-on!”- The shotgun microphone is a prize in many a videographers toolkit. None are a real threat to airport security and most are easily traveled with. They can even be placed in your camcorder bag that you bring onboard. You’re not putting it into checked luggage, are you?
3. “My asset to the project is my great parallel cutting ability.”- Parallel cutting may be a tried and true approach to editing simultaneous stories together, but you don’t want to leave anything to the imagination.

4. “Yeah, using the Blue Gun is always good.”- A useful feature found on a TV that allows for more accurate calibrating. The “blue gun” turns off all colors except for blue, which makes your TV easy to calibrate using  color bars (from your camcorder or PC).

5. “Certain times call for a Punch in.”- The technique of framing a wide shot, then zooming or “punching in” quickly to record a medium shot for high impact. It can be achieved with a standard zoom lens found on most camcorders, and is most effective when using a manual zoom ring. If you wanna “talk video” while waiting at your gate number, try talking about something warm and fuzzy like “soft focus” instead.

Apple Computer has released a Final Cut Studio 2.0.1 update to include fixes, more hardware support and AVCHD log and tansfer support. Early reports from the blogosphere, including professional video editors, have noted that the first shipping version Final Cut Studio 2 had a few issues. Most notably, stability issues pertaining to the new Apple Color application, which this update should help to improve.

We’re mostly excited, however, with the inclusion of AVCHD log and transfer support, which will give users more options with camcorder choices. We’re pleased to see Apple responding to their users and posting this update. We have yet to load this Final Cut Studio update on our system, but we’ll be doing so soon and finalizing our review. Below are the details from Apple regarding the Final Cut Studio 2.0.1 release:

New in Pro Applications Update 2007-01
• Includes fixes to underlying frameworks and shared components for the updated Final Cut Studio 2 applications. The Pro Applications update is required to be installed first before installing any of the Final Cut Studio 2.0.1 updates

New in Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 Update
• Improves overall stability, resolves issues with long filenames on non-HFS systems, includes improvements for both FxPlug plug-ins and master templates. Log and Transfer support for the AVCHD format.

New in Color 1.0.1 Update
• Improves overall stability, metadata support from Final Cut Pro and single-display mode. Supports floating-point processing on NVIDIA graphics cards and dissolves of 2K files during rendering.

New in Motion 3.0.1 Update
• Improves overall stability and Final Cut Pro integration. Addresses issues related to 32-bit float projects and rendering of intersecting 3D groups.

New in Soundtrack Pro 2.0.1 Update
• Improves overall stability and performance. Provides updates to audio effect plug-ins.

New in Compressor 3.0.1 Update
• Improves overall stability and performance. Provides compatibility updates for Apple Devices.

To find out more visit Final Cut Studio 2 support or download the update

reprinted from a Movavi press release:

Movavi launches free online video conversion service

Movavi Online supports Apple’s new iPhone

Web-based service lets users convert videos to run on cellphones, iPods, websites, vlogs; bloggers, designers can plug converter into any Web site, social networking pages

NOVOSIBIRSK, RUSSIA, JUNE 27, 2007 - Movavi today launched Movavi Online, a web-based service that enables users to convert video from one format to another - for sharing, podcasting, cellphones, iPods, and more - for free.

Movavi Online supports the advanced H.264 format used by Apple’s new iPhone.

The new service, available at http://online.movavi.com, generates video files specifically tuned for viewing in email, on mobile devices, for video blogging (vlogging) and video podcasting, and more.

From a companion site, http://online.movavi.com/tools.html, Movavi also offers at no charge six different widgets with which bloggers, designers, developers, individuals and companies may embed a line of code in order to offer video conversion services from their own Web sites, blogs and social networking pages.

As an online service, there is no software for users to install at the desktop. Instead, as webware, the service converts video uploaded from any Windows, Mac or Linux-based PC with access to the Internet via a Web browser. Users simply upload a file, choose the desired output format, and provide an email address. When the conversion is complete, Movavi uses the email address to notify users when and where they can download their converted files. The process usually takes less than a day, and users may convert up to five 10-minute, 100MB clips during one session.

The service supports a broad range of popular video formats, including AVI, MP4, MPEG 2 (PAL and NTSC), MPEG 4, iPod at 320×240, iPod 5G at 640×480, PSP, 3gp and 3gp2 for cellphones, MOV for podcasting, and FLV Flash video.

For users who want to do more with video, Movavi offers Movavi Video Converter, a $29.95 downloadable product that adds a range of additional conversion formats and lets users merge multiple video files into a single movie, rip DVDs, and extract soundtracks from video files. Movavi VideoSuite, the company’s comprehensive video processing package, priced at $59.95, converts video clips and movies from one format to another; saves video and DVD files to iPod, PSP, PDA and cell phones; splits and splices video files; adds filters and special effects; fixes videos that are too light or too dark; updates old movies with professional filters; rips, backs up and copies DVDs; and burns data, audio and video files to DVD, VCD and SVCD.

“Desktop software is overkill for most users. They want something simpler, something to convert smaller clips for watching on cellphones and other mobile devices,” said Natalie Khudyakova, managing director of Movavi, a leading developer of video processing tools for home and educational use. “Although we do, of course, hope that some people will be impressed enough with the online service that they’ll want to take control of the process themselves and purchase our VideoSuite.”

Whenever a very large company buys a small company, there’s reason to fear. In the case of Adobe buying Serious Magic, we worried that something would be lost in translation. Our conversations with Michelle Gallina, a long time marketer for Serious Magic, have confirmed otherwise. Last week, Michelle walked us through the latest Adobe Visual Communicator 3 software. We’re excited to see that Adobe has let the ol’ Serious Magic team continue to work their magic with exciting video-centric applications. In fact, we think that this acquisition has been a very good thing. Let’s take a closer look at Adobe Visual Communicator 3.

Visual Communicator 3 will benefit video bloggers, producers of closed circuit broadcasts (e.g., school broadcasts) and video professionals who need a quick and dirty way to mix live video for the web. It’s interface looks easy enough for beginners and more advanced users can quickly create professional looking webcasts with little effort. Visual Communicator 3 can mix up to three live camcorders, key backgrounds, superimpose animated graphics, cue video and audio on the fly and it does so in synchronization with your dialog/script much like a teleprompter. That’s a lot of heavy lifting for such a simple looking software package. It doesn’t stop here, however, as Visual Communicator 3 exports in a variety of formats, most notably Adobe Flash for live video Internet broadcasting. Of course, you’ll need a relatively expensive Flash server to stream live video, but at least it’s a possibility. For the majority of us, we’ll just take the Flash file at the end of the “broadcast” and host it somewhere.

With this latest version we’re very pleased to see a run-time clock (see image). Everyone will benefit from this, including your viewers. We also found the non-traditional, vertical scrolling “timeline” to be a very functional and innovative idea. This is an especially helpful feature as it doubles as a teleprompter. We can’t wait to dive into this application a little more. Keep an eye out for our review and in the meantime you can download a preview of the software from Adobe Labs. Visual Communicator 3 will be available in the Fall for $399 or upgrade for $149. Qualifying educators can purchase VC 3 for $169.

reprinted from an Adobe press release:

New Video Software Lets Students and Educators Create TV-quality Broadcasts

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 25, 2007 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Visual Communicator® 3 software, which enables educators and students to easily create scripted, television-quality broadcasts. Designed for those new to video, the software is ideal for project-based learning, distance learning courses and campus-wide newscasts. With this new version, simplified templates and wizards give even inexperienced users the ability to create professional video presentations that can be streamed live over the Internet in the FLV format using Adobe Flash® Media Server software, or output to a projector, television, or Channel One Closed-Circuit System.

“For tomorrow’s broadcast professionals, Visual Communicator delivers a fast-track to the quality of results seen every night on television news reports,” said Mark Randall, chief strategist, Dynamic Media at Adobe.

Adobe Visual Communicator 3 eliminates traditional timelines, making video production faster and easier. Enhancements include new set-up wizards, drag-and-drop animated templates and an interactive “Coach” that gets users up and running quickly. Similar to a professional television studio, users can preview up to three cameras at once while recording or presenting live with the mini-switcher feature to create interview-style videos in real time. In addition, a full-screen teleprompter allows the presenter to read scripts from a distance.

“Visual Communicator 3 allows me to teach students as young as 10-years-old how to independently create video presentations within minutes,” said Rob Zdrojewski, technology educator at Amherst Middle School in Buffalo, NY and director for Amherst Tech TV. “The new templates and wizards in Visual Communicator 3 will enable students to get up-to-speed even faster and with less initial instruction. With the increased use of technology in today’s schools, Visual Communicator 3 is also a great way to make static classroom presentations more visually appealing and engaging.”

Broadcast-Quality Results

Adobe Visual Communicator 3 provides everything a student or educator needs to create a television-quality news broadcast. Users can create a video presentation, set it to music, and enhance it with an entire library of newscast-style graphics, effects, and titles. This version offers an enhanced keyer that allows users to replace a solid green or blue background with an image, video or graphic background and now includes stronger FLV support and enables users to produce live video content streamed using Adobe Flash technology. Additionally, Adobe Visual Communicator 3 can be used to narrate digital photo collections or video created with Adobe Photoshop® or Adobe Premiere® Pro software. Finished projects can then be exported to Adobe Encore® or Adobe Premiere Elements software and burned to a DVD.

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Visual Communicator 3 for Microsoft® Windows® is expected to be available in an English language version at www.adobe.com in fall 2007. The full version of Adobe Visual Communicator 3 will be available for an estimated street price of US$399, and registered users of qualifying earlier versions of Visual Communicator can upgrade to Visual Communicator 3 for the estimated street price of US$149. Qualifying education customers can purchase the software for the estimated street price of US$169. To download a preview version of Visual Communicator 3, visit Adobe Labs at http://labs.adobe.com/.

More information on Visual Communicator can be found at www.adobe.com/go/vc3.

reprinted from a Digieffects press release:

San Francisco, CA – June 25, 2007 – Digieffects LLC, a developer of popular software plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Apple Final Cut Pro, announced today the purchase of Buena Software from Toolfarm, further adding to its arsenal of tools for creative professionals.

The Buena Software plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro were developed as effective processing tools to pick up on what the prominent software manufacturers overlooked. The plug-ins range from creative image processing and color manipulation to 3D depth effects:

• Au Naturel (SRP $149): work on your footage in a 32-bit per channel floating point linear RGB color space for more natural looking results when compositing, blurring, or correcting your footage

• Depth Cue (SRP $199): adds realistic depth effects to 3D layers

• Swatch Buckler (SRP $49): adds a floating color palette to After Effects’ user interface

• Effect Essentials (SRP $249): 10 video effect plug-ins providing essential tools for productivity and creativity

As part of this acquisition, Digieffects will streamline the product line-up and offer new, lower prices effective immediately. The new lineup is as follows:

• Effect Essentials and Au Naturel will be combined into one package called the Buena Effects Pack. The suggested retail price of this new package is $199 (formerly $249 and $149 respectively).

• Depth Cue will remain a standalone plug-in with the same suggested retail price of $199. Depth Cue users can also download, for FREE, OpenEXR, a plug-in developed by Industrial Light & Magic. OpenEXR reads depth and other channels from an EXR into After Effects and Depth Cue and is a valuable tool for Digieffects customers.

• Swatch Buckler is now available as a free download from www.digieffects.com (formerly $49).

“Buena’s tools are a perfect fit for our product line-up. Video editors and FX artists can create even more unique effects,” said Robert Sharp, president of Digieffects. Sharp continued, “With this acquisition, Digieffects can expand on the needs and requests of our customers.”

reprinted from a Toon Boom press release:

Toon Boom and FableVision Announce Strategic Partnership for Development of Creativity Learning Tools for School and Home

Montreal (June 22, 2007) – Emmy award-winning Toon Boom Animation Inc.
today announced its partnership with FableVision, the award-winning educational media and interactive developer and publisher, to jointly develop educational solutions for K-12 and consumer markets. This partnership builds upon Toon Boom’s extensive expertise in animation technology and FableVision’s deep understanding of learners, educational technology and constructivist learning tools.

“Toon Boom is fully committed to the educational market and our close collaboration with FableVision reinforces our intention to develop easy-to-use, educative and fun applications for students and schools”
stated Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom.

Paul Reynolds, FableVision’s President comments, “The creative software products we are now co-developing with Toon Boom perfectly capture our mission to foster creativity and self-expression and adds to our growing line of products from FableVision that puts the learner in the driver’s seat for creation and sharing.”