Roses - Update

Editing and Pick-up Shoot

- - - short update from a project I was "on-set editor" for - - -

Our editors and director have been slaving away for hours and hours on the edit and it’s coming along quite nicely. We've already shown a rough draft to several people and have received very positive (and valuable) feedback.

A couple of Saturdays ago we recorded some pick-up shots, which are basically scenes that help the storyline flow better but that we didn't have time to film during the bulk of principal photography. We asked our friend Allison Kinningham to stand in as a body double for our lead actress and as you can see below she did a pretty good job.

Below are 2 frames from the movie that I was able to “liberate” from our editing team. ;) Click either photo for a larger image.

Scene with Rachel Hendrix shot in October

Scene with Allison Kinningham shot in January

RosesMovie.com

Shoot Like an Editor

I believe that both directors and camera operators would  benefit from learning to be great editors. If you don't know how it will fit together in the end, then how will you know what to film when you're under the daily pressure on set?

Here is a short video I ran across that shares a few tips!

Apple - Mac Pro

"A sneak peek at the future of the pro desktop."

When we began work on the next Mac Pro, we considered every element that defines a pro computer — graphics, storage, expansion, processing power, and memory. And we challenged ourselves to find the best, most forward-looking way possible to engineer each one of them. When we put it all together, the result was something entirely new. Something radically different from anything before it. Something that provides an extremely powerful argument against the status quo. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s next for the pro computer.

Even if you aren't interested in the Mac Pro, it's worth visiting the website (and scroll down) to experience the creative and amazing sneak peek they've put together!

Click Here to read more!

Beyond the Mask - First Draft

“Double-crossed and on the run, an assassin for the British East India Company seeks to redeem his past…”

Three years ago, Beyond the Mask was simply an idea. Now, after countless drafts of story outlines, treatments and scripts, months of development and preproduction planning, 54 grueling days (and nights!) of shooting, and four months of assembly editing…the semblance of a Christ-centered period action movie has begun to emerge.

Last week, members of the BTM creative team met at Postproduction Headquarters (Southern IL) to review the first rough-cut of the film. While thousands of hours of work still remain, we are very encouraged by the progress to date. Even at this early stage, we are especially excited about the performances of the leading and supporting cast.

On Thursday afternoon, we reviewed the edit with Stephen Kendrick (producer of Fireproof & Courageous). As we watched and discussed each sequence, Stephen shared ideas for trimming or stretching each scene to insure the audience can engage with the story threads as they converge towards the film’s climax.

Here are few still shots from the edit:

We are so grateful for how the Lord has moved and provided for this film production, in many cases through the encouragement and support of you guys! the Please continue to remember the team in prayer as we press forward with the edit, and continue making plans for pick-up shooting, soundtrack, visual effects, and the release. Also, pray that the story would powerfully impact a generation of young people with the hope of finding identity in Christ. Stay tuned!

BeyondTheMaskMovie.com

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Adobe Premiere CS6 - Reviews

Well, CS6 is here! As a former Final Cut user and a newcomer to the Adobe editing realm I've been curious to see how Adobe would handle their first major update since Final Cut X came out. As I was doing some research, I came across two very helpful articles. If you are curious about what is new in CS6 or a Final Cut user who is skeptical of switching...I highly encourage you to take a few moments to read through these in their entirety. Hope these are as helpful for you, as they were for me. In case you are wondering, I am planning to make the upgrade to CS6 very soon. Happy reading!

Philip Bloom tests Adobe Premiere Pro CS6

- original article posted on Pro Video Coalition

In his celebrated career as a filmmaker, Philip Bloom has worn many hats, including director of photography, editor, director, and everything in between. Over the past five years, he’s become an expert on budget film making, as well as a trusted resource for information on the latest gear for shooting and editing film projects. Recently, he talked with Adobe about his experience testing the latest version of Adobe Premiere Pro.

Adobe: When did you first start learning to edit video?

Bloom: I was trained to edit approximately 15 years ago using a tape-to-tape workflow. I initially learned how to use Avid at work, and became very familiar and fast with it. For personal work, when the first version of Final Cut Pro came out, I began using that because it was more affordable than Avid.

Adobe: Why did you start looking at Adobe Premiere Pro for editing?

Bloom: With the more recent Final Cut Pro releases, I felt the hardware wasn’t being utilized to its full potential and the software should have been faster. Time is important and doing things quickly is a huge benefit in my line of work. I started exploring alternatives and purchased Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.

Adobe: What did you think when you first started using Adobe Premiere Pro?

Bloom: In all honesty, I thought it was ugly and not very intuitive. Avid was good but it lacked integration with third-party plug-ins. When Final Cut Pro X was released, it became even more difficult to do what I wanted to do. I was a bit stuck, but then I upgraded to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and felt it was much better than the previous version. Still, I kept going back and forth between Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5.

Adobe: What finally convinced you to switch to Adobe Premiere Pro?

...click here to read the full article!

Premiere Pro CS 6.0: First Impressions

- original article posted on Creative Cow

Like many of you, I've been itching to get my hands on Adobe Premiere Pro CS 6.0 ever since Adobe's official announcement and demo videos. As a long-time Final Cut Pro user, NLE change has been a given ever since the Final Cut Studio EOL last June. The big question has been "change to what?"

I've written extensively about the Final Cut Pro X timeline and why it's not right for my style of editing. Since FCPX isn't an option for me, I've spent all year watching and waiting to see what other NLE vendors might come up with.

The buzz on Premiere Pro 6 was growing months leading up to NAB. Conan O'Brien's boys stoked the fires with a viral promo teasing a fresh new interface, solid professional workflow, and easy Final Cut Pro transition. When Adobe finally showed their cards at NAB, I felt comfortable enough to tell my partners to pull the trigger on a couple Master Collection upgrades. I bought a new Production Bundle seat for myself as well.

We could have waited since FCP7 still works for us. But Adobe's upgrade prices were great and we knew we'd want CS6 anyway. Besides, sooner or later FCP7 was bound to break, so I figured it would be good to start transition as soon as practical and get it over with. And the signs were good - it looked like Adobe had addressed the complaints many folks had with Premiere Pro 5.5. But hype and flashy demos aside, this was still a leap of faith. As a Final Cut Pro user, I really didn't know what to expect.

So when word went out of a leaked CS6 trial release available from a secret Adobe URL, I jumped at the chance to take Premiere Pro 6 for a spin. Would it live up to the hype? More importantly, would it live up to my particular workflow expectations and needs? - The short answer is yes. Yes it would indeed.

...He goes on to cover the following areas:
- Formats
- XML Transfers
- Overall UI Design
- Project Panel
- Timeline
- Timeline Key framing
- Trim Tools
- Audio
- Built in Effects and Titling
- Performance

...click here to read the full review!

5D Leaks

This is the introduction from a very good article from Phillip Bloom's website by James Miller about an interesting technique called "Lens Whacking." If you don't want to bother with creating the technique in-camera, he has a set of post productions presets...that are on sale this week! Details at end of post.

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James Miller is a talented guy. Apart from designing a lot of my graphics and the background for this site he has been my right hand man on many of my UK shoots. Having a talented shooter as your right hand man makes your life so much easier. He has become synonymous with “lens whacking” which he explains about here. You can see more of James’ work on his vimeo page here. One bit of advice. This is a great and cool effect. But like all effects use them in moderation for the most impact! - Phillip Bloom

Lens Whacking, whats its all about then?

When a cameras lens is fixed firmly to a camera the only light falling on the sensor is through the lens. Thats great most of the time and when you want something different you can either add effects, layers, overlays in post. Or you can remove your entire lens.

- Read the Full Article Here -

Here are a couple of examples of James' work and what the effect looks like when done with a camera.

James also sells a set of presets that he calls "5DLeaks" that can be added in post.

20% off code for 1 week only with code philipbloom at checkout expires on 8th February 2012

- Visit the 5DLeaks website -

The Editing & Post Production of “Courageous”

Here are a couple of articles that I found to be very insightful and that I highly recommend especially for filmmakers! I really enjoyed the info about the post production process from editing to film prints! Both articles are very in depth and instead of re-posting them here in their entirety I have instead included links for you to check out. To get you started, here is a short excerpt:

Articles By: Steve Hullfish

"This article and the follow up will discuss the entire workflow of getting the R3D files from the camera, archiving them, transcoding them, organizing the files, making editing decisions with the director, and eventually, delivering the edit and raw files to PostWorks in NY and following the entire on-line post-production workflow getting the RED files and a Final Cut Pro 7 sequence up on the big screen in over 1,200 theaters nationwide.

Sherwood Pictures’ last theatrical release was the number one independent movie of 2008, “Fireproof,” which beat out “Slumdog Millionaire” for the honor. That film focused on a firefighter struggling with his heroic image at the firehouse compared to the image his wife had of him at home. At its heart, it was a movie about saving a marriage. For “Courageous”, the heroes are cops who are courageous on the streets, but need to show that honor begins at home, as they struggle with their roles as fathers when their beat is done.

My role started after principal photography had been completed. Director Alex Kendrick had planned on editing the feature himself, along with the help of on-set editor, Bill Ebel, who was also an editor on “Fireproof.” However, the previous Sherwood Pictures releases had been edited from approximately 40 hours of footage each, but when the final day of shooting on “Courageous” was done,  there were over 130 hours of raw footage coming from multiple RED cameras. (The production took place in the spring and summer of 2010, so it was shot Red One, pre-MX.) Getting through 130 hours of footage to deliver a first cut in just a couple months would be impossible for one or two people. Just watching 130 hours of footage would take a month..."

PART 1 - PART 2

Final Cut Pro X Coming in June!

My first reaction is WOW!! They've really put some thought into streamlining an editors job. While I am impressed I do have more questions that I hope will be answered in the coming days.

In the meantime you can watch most of the presentation via the videos below or just skim back through the live blog from the event.

Info right now is that Final Cut Pro X will be available through the Mac App Store for $299 in June.

FCP Tip: Window Layouts

Article by Walter Biscardi

Well the honest truth is, there is no ONE layout that is the most efficient for FCP.  In my case, I use up to a dozen different interfaces depending on the task at hand.  I’ll literally switch layouts over the course of the day depending on what I’m doing.

Here’s a few examples to get you guys started thinking on using your layouts more efficiently…..

Now first off, I’m on a 27″ iMac for these images since it’s useless to try to grab screen grabs of dual monitors, but you get the gist.  So here’s your Standard View.  Not bad but gives you too much room for everything.

Now here’s what I call Full Screen Timeline.  Typically the Viewer / Canvas and Browser is on my left screen and the entire right screen is only the timeline.  Notice how large I can make the timeline and how easy it is to go in and tweak edit points, transitions, audio fades, etc…..  I use this layout a lot after I’ve done the rough cut and I’m starting to massage the timeline.  I also use this for all final mastering working before it goes to tape or digital file.

Now here’s my Color Correction layout. I have my three primary scopes up and at the ready, Waveform, Vectorscope and Parade.  I have a smaller timeline since I’m only working with one shot at a time, so I don’t need to see the entire timeline, just the shot I’m working with.  The Canvas is extremely tiny because I don’t care about that, I’m looking at my Flanders Scientific reference monitor.  The real key to this layout is the elongated Viewer that fills the screen vertically.  Notice how I have access to every single control of the FCP 3 Way CC tool without even having to scroll?  It’s the same with Colorista.  When I’m color correcting what I NEED to see are the scopes and CC tools.   So by laying out the windows this way, it makes for a very efficient color correction session if I’m doing the work in FCP.

This is my Rough Cut layout. Maximum space for the bins and thumbnails where I want them.  Tiny timeline because for the most part I’m just straight cutting and putting in dissolves with little or no attention to audio.   I use this layout so I can see as much of my raw footage at a time and quick drop shots into the timeline for flow and timing.  Typically my viewer / canvas are on the opposite screen since I’m not really referring to them much at this point, I’m looking off at my FSI monitor.

And finally here’s my Audio Mixing layout. It’s a variant on Apple’s own layout.  Now on my dual monitor layout, the timeline is actually full screen with the audio meters on the other screen.  Again, makes it easier to control the audio tracks by enlarging them in a full screen layout.  I make the viewer wider to give me more control up there if I need to do some fine tuning of fades and pans.

So there’s a few of my layouts, hope that’s helpful to some of you.  Stop trying to find that “one perfectly efficient window layout” because it doesn’t exist.  Set yourself up multiple layouts and simply switch between them as you’re working.
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Written by Walter Biscardi

FCP Tip: A Better Text Tool

The basic Text Tool in Final Cut Pro is very weak so why limit yourself to that one tool?

In this quick Final Cut Pro tip, Walter Biscardi, Jr shows you where to find a much better font tool.

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Source Article
by Walter Biscardi