video production
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Apple brings ProRes RAW support to Windows video editors
Thanks to a combination of more affordable cinema cameras and increasingly powerful software, professional video producers are able to net some impressive results. One major part of the equation for achieving high-quality footage is shooting in a RAW codec, which creates lossless files that are suitable for color correction and other enhancements. Apple's ProRes RAW codec isn't a very popular choice among shooters, but that may change now that the format isn't exclusive to Apple's computers. The company released beta software that lets Windows editors work with ProRes RAW files in Adobe's Premiere Pro, After Effects and Media Encoder. This means they won't have to devote time or computing power to transcoding the files -- they can simply load them into their editing suite and get to work.
In The Mix has wild effects for playful video editors
In The Mix lets anyone create videos with stunning visual effects or full films using multiple video clips. Add in music from your iTunes library, record a few video clips, then browse a long list of unique effects to layer on top of the video. With minimal experience, In The Mix's set of features is capable of producing a movie with plenty of flair and creativity. The app is free for iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 7.0 or newer. Make a video, watch a video or create a feature film - those are your three menu options. This threw me off guard for a moment, though. By "Watch A VIdeo" I thought the app implied I could watch user-uploaded creations from others who downloaded the app, but alas this is just to watch one of your own videos in-app. (That's not a terrible idea for the future though, developers.) Since I didn't have any videos to watch, I came to the brilliant conclusion that I should try making one. Here you either need to add a profile or a video. A profile is just a description of people involved, somewhat like the ending credits. Fill in your name, director, producer, actors and optionally upload a profile icon. Now it's time to add some footage. Tap "Add Video" to first choose the audio: music from your library, music plus a microphone recording or just the microphone only. I do wish In the Mix came with a small catalog of royalty-free music to use, but I have an extensive library of music so I can't complain. The app lets you adjust the speed of the music or crop it to a specific part to play in the film. Then tap "Start Recording." The effects are easily the best part of In The Mix. They're ridiculously fun to play around with. Everything from bubbles to palm trees to rainbows to iPhone borders with random sunflowers flying everywhere. I have no clue why anyone would need the latter but who cares? It's there just in case. The best part is, once you press the Record button, the effects change live as you press them so you don't just need to stick with a single effect per clip. In The Mix reminds me a bit of Video Star, an app geared a bit more specifically toward making playful music videos. The former does offer a more extensive set of features though; the ability to combine multiple clips to create a "feature film" is handy and transitions and timing are thrown in, too. Be warned: the app isn't all that stable. It crashed on me a couple of times and it's a bit buggy at times. I can't pinpoint exact issues because they're sporadic. Also, if you care about design aesthetics like I do, the app is just plain ugly. Everything is too shiny and glossy even by pre-iOS 7 standards. Buttons are sometimes poorly aligned and the color scheme is highly flamboyant. Issues aside, In The Mix isn't bad. It's entertaining to mix and match video clips with music, plus the video effects are alluring. With no in-app purchases, you get the entire package in a single download, too. The app does need some polish and a serious paint job, but it's good enough for what it is. Download In The Mix free for iOS.
Peripheral Vision 014: Will Bates on how a viral William Shatner mashup helped kickstart a film scoring career
"When I was 6 years old," Will Bates begins, with a touch of nostalgia, "I sang the whole score of Star Wars to my parents. From then on, they figured out that I was going to go in this direction." We're sitting in a dimly lit studio at Fall on Your Sword's Williamsburg, Brooklyn office. And while the film and commercial scoring company certainly marks a fulfillment of the musician's childhood, John Williams-fueled dreams, such career paths are rarely so straightforward. "Fall on Your Sword began as a video art project and a band," says Bates. "It really became an umbrella for all of the different projects I found myself involved in: scoring movies, scoring commercials, short form stuff and viral videos. The idea of the company was to have a home for all of these different facets of music production and allow them to cross-pollinate." Fall on Your Sword, the band, garnered a fair bit of notice online when it began translating its live multimedia performances into web videos, going viral with remixes of celebrities like William Shatner and Michael Caine. "It's done us really well in the end, because, in terms of notoriety, that's how things really kicked off. The 'Shatner on the Mount' video went crazy. Suddenly I'm playing at science fiction conventions and film festivals. All the sudden we're starting to score commercials based on the fact that some creator fell in love with that video. "
Google shows off Creator Space in London, hopes to foster more professional YouTube videos
Google confirmed a few months back that it was looking to build some studios in at least a few cities to give YouTube video makers a more professional workspace, and we now have our first good look at exactly what it's had in mind. The company's today released a video showcasing its new London-based Creator Space, which is said to be opening its doors in the "next few weeks" in Google's own Soho office. While there's no word on the costs involved just yet, the space does certainly look to be well-equipped, boasting a range of DSLRs and professional video cameras, a green screen room, lighting rigs, editing suites, and audio booths -- not to mention lectures and workshops to help folks get the most out of all that gear. No further word on those other studios just yet, but you can get a glimpse of this one after the break.
New RED Scarlet to be announced November 3rd
Well, it looks like Canon won't be the only company making a big camera announcement on November 3rd. RED CEO Jim Jannard has now confirmed that it will also be officially announcing its "new" RED Scarlet camera on the very same day (no coincidence, it seems), at which point it will detail "all the changes" the company has made to it. Unfortunately, that's about all the company is saying right now, although Jannard promises that "when we announce the changes, we will be ready to ship." [Thanks, Lucario]
Marshall Electronics outs glasses-free Orchid 3D monitor for pro filmmakers
If you're trying to turn your next film into a three dimensional cinematic masterpiece, having a quality camera to record things is a necessity. But, prudence demands that would-be James Camerons film with a first-rate monitor to view all that video as well. Good thing Marshall Electronics has made the Orchid OR-70-3D monitor to meet all your moviemaking needs. It's got a 7.2-inch, 1600 x 600 glasses-free 3D display that works using parallax barrier and lenticular hybrid technology -- all in a package that weighs just under three pounds. In order to let you fine tune things in all three dimensions, there's real-time waveform and color vectorscope monitoring along with a suite of other 3D tuning tools. The cost for such prodigious production value? $7,899, which sounds like a lot, but if it helps you make the next Avatar you'll have no problems recouping your investment. PR's after the break.
Pico Dolly replaces homemade roller skate tripods for smaller camera productions (video)
Instead of precariously perching your DSLR on a skateboard in the name of film, perhaps it's time to invest in something a little more stable -- like the extremely affordable Pico Dolly. Machined from aluminum, this 3.5-inch, three pound dolly has wheels akin to those found on Rollerblades, plus three screw mounts to attach the optional 11-inch friction arm. The contraption can glide straight or shoot in circles while taking up minimal room -- something that videographers using cameras like the A77 and E-P3 (or even the iPhone) can surely appreciate. Unlike its conceptual twin, which currently costs $150 and isn't scheduled to ship until October, the Pico Dolly can be had for $65 (or $90 if you want the friction arm included) and is scheduled to ship by September 12th. Check out the cinematic assistant in action after the break.
Next New Networks purchased by yesterday's old YouTube, more custom content on the way
Tired of the unprofessional, poorly-lit, generally unfunny clips that get uploaded to YouTube by the thousands every day? How about some rather more professional looking but still potentially unfunny content? Welcome to YouTube Next. That's what Next Now Networks is calling its new focus, "supercharging content creator development on YouTube" after being bought by that company, which itself is still a fairly recent Google acquisition. The Next New Networks goal was to work with independent "talent" to develop their online following, helping them find "paths to revenue." Along the way that company found itself somewhere south of $50 million dollars, according to The New York Times, and has lost its CEO in the progress. What's next for the two? More YouTube superstars, naturally.
