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January 2005the print and online resource for the video production professional

▼▼PRODUCTIONThe Ballad of

Jack and RoseDigital

ProjectionPrimer

Aliens of theDeep

Tips to ClipGwen Stefani

VideoThumbsucker

▼▼EDITINGCloser

TheAssassination

of RichardNixon

AdvancedCompression

ToolsTimeline

IntegrationPost on DIG!

Ulead DVDWorkshop 2

Hotel Rwanda

➤➤ VIDEOGRAPHY.COM: THE NEW DIGITAL DOCUMENTARIES

HD Production in the Real World24P

HOW TO SHOOT

HD Production in the Real World24P

HOW TO SHOOT

➤➤ ONLY INVIDEOGRAPHY:

Mark SchubinDiscloses What

Makes theDifference

© 2004 Panasonic Broadcast

shoulders above

You shoot like a professional, so you want to look like a professional.Panasonic’s new AG-DVC60 shoulder-mount Mini-DV camera delivers.Its wide-angle, 16X optical lens allows dramatic zoom effects. Its top-quality audio capabilities include XLR mic/line inputs and twomanual level controls. With rock-solid, shoulder-mount stability, anadjustable viewfinder, 18 shutter speeds and exceptional imagequality, this camera lets you take your career to new heights. To findout more, including the location of your nearest authorized reseller,visit www.panasonic.com/dvproline or call 1-800-528-8601.

1.05VDY 1/13/05 10:45 AM Page 3

videographyJanuary 2005

volume 30, number 1

➤➤headlinesIndustry: Lennon Educational Bus Hits the Road,Independent Spirit Award Nominations Announced,Fauer’s ARRICAM Available, Scientific and TechnicalAchievements Honored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Projects: Martin Scorsese Tours New York for AmEx,CafeFX Flies High for The Aviator, Cinesite ConstructsChocolate Factory, Peter Care Creates R.E.M.’s“Aftermath” Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10People: Sam Jones, Bennett Lieber, Kim Libreri, JennyFulle, Paul Crowder, Jill Walters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

➤➤video gearToolkit: Avid Xpress Pro HD, Leitch VelocityQ, JVC GY-DV5100U Camcorder, Aurora Video Systems IgniterXDriver, Tiger Technology MetaSAN 2.0, Apple Xsan . . 14

➤➤ featureHow to Shoot 24p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

➤➤productionEllen Kuras Shoots The Ballad of Jack and Rose . . . . . 28Everything You Need to Know About Digital Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Tips to Clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Cinevative Produces Aida Commercial . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Shooting HD in 3D: Aliens of the Deep . . . . . . . . . . . 36Through the Camera Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

➤➤editingIn the Cutting Room: The Assassination of Richard Nixon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Post Gets Closer with Avid Unity LANshare EX . . . . . . 44Advanced Compression Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Inside FOX’s House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Chace Audio Mixes DIG! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Advances in Timeline Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50DVD Authoring with Ulead DVD Workshop 2. . . . . . . 56Post Logic Finishes Hotel Rwanda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Is Casablanca the Beginning of a Beautiful NLEFriendship? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Company Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

➤➤columnsthe thing is: . . . . .4

Cristina Clapp:

Video Resolution

research and developments: . .18

Mark Schubin:

More Than Just Numbers

final word: . . . .82Mike Mills:

Thumbsucker

inside

Photo by Jon Silberg

➤➤ onlineReports from the Sundance,Slamdance and NoDance FilmFestivalswww.2-pop.com

Lighting on CSI: NY, CSI: Miamiand CSI: Crime Scene Investigationwww.videography.com

Behind the Scenes on HBO’sUnscriptedwww.videography.com

Cinematography on The Aviatorwww.cinematographer.com

The Futurists: At the HPATechnology Retreat www.videography.com

➤➤on the cover . . . . . . . . . . . . 22How to Shoot 24p

HD Production in the Real World: ABC’s 8 Simple Rules andShowtime’s The L Word

January 2005 www.videography.com videography 3

1.05VDY 1/13/05 10:45 AM Page 4

So here’s my proclamation: 2005 is going tobe the best year ever. I started making a list ofwhy. And just to show you how determined Iam to realize best-year-ever-ness: I startedmaking this list on the backof a parking ticket, receivedexactly four hours into thenew year. (I had to make an“emergency” stop in front ofthe bakery.)1. Terence Malick—just the greatest director,that’s who—has a new film, The New World,which will be released in August. If youhaven’t already seen his other films—Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin RedLine—they’re perfect and excellent: beautiful-ly written, shot, edited and scored. 2. The HDV format: So far it’s yielded cam-eras, editing software and plug-ins. Who

could have imagined that a $3,000 cameracould shoot high definition? (And on a $4tape?) This is the year we see how it all comestogether.

3. My iPod shuffle. The shuffleis Apple’s new, tiny 512MBiPod (there’s also a 1GB version)that’s about the size andweight of (an empty, headless)Pez dispenser. Here’s how I

rationalized the purchase: I’m going to use itfor fitness and vigor—music for working outand hiking. Number of times I’ve used it forhiking: zero. Number of times I’ve used it onthe very short walk to the gelato place up thestreet: 12 and counting. (The nocciola [hazel-nut] gelato is the best flavor, you might beinterested to learn.)4. A new Star Wars film: HD production takes

another step forward with Star Wars: EpisodeIII—Revenge of the Sith, captured with Sony’s4:4:4 RGB 24p CineAlta camera on HDCAM

SR tape.5. You, my amazing andinspiring readers. Yourideas and interests are whatfuel the magazine, so,please, tell me what you’dlike to be reading andlearning. And then we canmake you the best maga-zine ever, too.

thething is cristinaclapp

editorial staffeditorial director Cristina Clapp323 634 3401, cclapp@cmpinformation.com

managing editor Katie Makal

technical editor Mark Schubin

senior contributing editor Peter Caranicas212 378 0464, pcaranicas@cmpinformation.com

senior editor Alicia Zappier

contributing editors Wayne Cole, Catherine Feeny,Chuck Gloman, Michael Grotticelli, Matt Hurwitz,Ed Heede, Larry Jordan, Oliver Peters, Dick Reizner,Sarah Stanfield, Elina Shatkin, Ned Soltz, RobertTakata, Andrew Takeuchi, An Tran

contributing photographer Jon Silberg

advertisinggroup publisher Herb Schiffhschiff@cmpinformation.com

publishing manager Heather O’Connor212 378 0406, hoconnor@cmpinformation.com

national sales manager David J. Miller212 378 0464, damiller@cmpinformation.com

west coast sales manager, video divisionToby Sali 310 396 9554, tsali@cmpinformation.com

mid west & canadian sales manager, video divisionMichael Valinsky 212 378 0408, mvalinsky@cmpinformation.com

classified sales, video division Chris Owen212 378 0443, cowen@cmpinformation.com

art & productionsenior art director Nicole Cobban

art directors Gregory Gennaro,Annmarie LaScala

graphic artists Shari Forst, Jen Gilbert,Brian Jackson, Neel Patil

production manager Fred Vega212 378 0445, fvega@cmpinformation.com

production assistant Ariel Steinberg212 378 0474, asteinberg@cmpinformation.com

circulationcirculation manager Annette Gollop212 378 0400, agollop@cmpinformation.com

Mail Subscriptions:Videography, P.O. Box 0513, Baldwin, NY 11510Email Subscriptions: circulation@cmpinformation.comOnline Subscriptions: www.videography.com

reprint and permissions Cindy Zauss909 698 1780, czauss@cmp.com

interneteditor, creative planet Cristina Clapp

web administrator Christine Tornabene

entertainment technology groupMartin Porter, Publishing Director

cmp information, inc.Tony Keefe, Executive DirectorMartin Porter, Senior Vice PresidentAdam Goldstein, Group Publishing DirectorChristina Condos, Events DirectorDoug Krainman, ControllerTony Savona,Director of Editorial, Marketing and Creative DevelopmentCristina Ernst, Director of Operations

Videography is published by CMP Information, Inc.460 Park Avenue South, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10016T 212 378 0400 F 212 378 0460 W www.cmpinformation.com

VIDEOGRAPHY (ISSN 0363-1001) is published monthly by UnitedEntertainment Media, Inc., a CMP Information Company, 460 ParkAvenue South, 9th Floor, New York NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid atNew York NY and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to VIDEOGRAPHY, P.O. Box 0513, Baldwin NY 11510-9830. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S.: $72 for 1 year, $133 for 2 years; Canada: $120 for1 year, $229 for 2 years, other countries: $171 for 1 year, $331 for 2years; back issues $6. © Copyright 2005 by United Entertainment Media, Inc. Printed in the U.S.A.

Video Resolution▼▼ editor’scorner

4 videography www.videography.com January 2005

http://www.uemedia.net/cgi-bin/clickcount.pl?url=http://www.leitch.com

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Fauer’s ARRICAM AvailableThe second edition of ARRI-CAM (book and DVD) fromCinematographer Jon Fauer,ASC, will be available thismonth. Fauer has complete-ly updated and revised thebook to reflect currenttrends, and the DVD is newto this edition. The DVD features interviewswith cinematographers on film origination, dig-ital intermediates, scanning, color manage-ment and film recording. It also includes 60minutes of how-to tips and techniques on cam-era prep, setup, loading, wireless lens controls,lens data systems, speed ramps and more. American Society of Cinematographers,www.theasc.com

Lennon Educational Tour Bus Hits the RoadThe John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a non-profit mobile recording and multimedia studio,started its country-wide tour with a stop this month at the Macworld Conference in SanFrancisco. The bus was constructed to provide free workshops for school-age children and teensand to introduce them to opportunities in the audio and video industries.

The front and rear studios each feature Apple dual-processor (2.5GHz) Power Mac G5desktops, 17-, 15- and 12-inch PowerBook G4 notebooks, 23-inch Apple Cinema HDDisplays, Yamaha guitars and keyboards, Audio-Technica microphones, JVC Professionalvideo cameras, Digidesign Pro Tools|HD 3 Accel, Aphex mic preamps, Neutrik connectors andpatch panels, Furman Sound headphone systems, DiscMakers ReflexPro7 DVD-R replicators,Stanton Final Scratch and a complete line of Planet Waves instrument and patch cables.

The bus will visit Apple retail stores in Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Las Vegas, Tucson, NewYork City, Boston, Chicago and Minneapolis, as well as numerous events, conferences andconcerts. John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, www.jlsc.com

industry

QuStream Acquires PESA Switching SystemsPrivate equity group QuStream Corp. acquiredPESA Switching Systems.

“QuStream has been seeking the rightorganization with the right product line to serveas the cornerstone of a larger industry groupthat will address the needs of video profession-als,” says CEO Fred Godard. “The industry is ina period of rapid change, and with PESA’s solidproduct line, reputation for technology leader-ship, well tuned sales organization and atten-

tion to customer support, the company has anestablished position in today’s market.”

PESA’s main development and manufactur-ing operation will remain in Huntsville, Ala., andthe sales and marketing operation will remainin Melville, N.Y., headed by Bob McAlpine.

“This is the opportunity we at PESA havebeen waiting for,” says McAlpine. “With theresources of QuStream behind us—as well asthe extensive experience of their managementteam—we are poised to take the company toa new level.”PESA, www.pesa.com

headlinesheadlines

Independent Spirit AwardNominations AnnouncedThe Independent Feature Project announcedits nominations for the 2005 IndependentSpirit Awards.

Celebrating achievements in independ-ent film, the awards will be held Feb. 26 inLos Angeles. The ceremony will air on theIndependent Film Channel at 5 p.m. ESTand on Bravo at 10 p.m. EST/PST.

The nominees for Best Feature includeBaadasssss!, produced by Mario VanPeebles, Kinsey, produced by Gail Mutrux,Maria Full of Grace, produced by PaulMezey, Primer, produced by Shane Carruth,and Sideways, produced by Michael London.

Nominees for the Best First Feature cate-gory are Brother to Brother, directed byRodney Evans, Garden State, directed byZach Braff, Napoleon Dynamite (pictured),directed by Jared Hess, Saints and Soldiers,directed by Ryan Little, and The Woodsman,directed by Nicole Kassell.

Nominees for the John Cassavetes

Award, which is presented for the best fea-ture produced for under $500,000, areDown to the Bone, directed by DebraGranik, Mean Creek, directed by JacobAaron Estes, On the Outs, directed by LoriSilverbush and Michael Skolnik, RobbingPeter, directed by Mario F. de la Vega, andUnknown Solider, directed by Ferenc Toth.

Directors nominated in the Best Directorcategory are Shane Carruth for Primer,Joshua Marston for Maria Full of Grace,Alexander Payne for Sideways, Walter Sallesfor The Motorcycle Diaries and Mario VanPeebles for Baadasssss!

A complete list of nominees can befound on www.videography.com.Independent Feature Project, www.ifp.org

6 videography www.videography.com January 2005

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Scientific and TechnicalAchievements Honored The Academy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences announced the recipients of itsannual Scientific and Technical Awards.

Horst Burbulla will receive an Oscar for thecreation and development of theTechnocrane telescoping camera crane. Oscarstatuettes will also be presented to Jean-Marie Lavalou, Alain Masseron and DavidSamuelson for engineering and developingthe Louma Camera Crane and RemoteSystem for motion picture production.

The Gordon E. Sawyer Award will begiven to Panavision’s Takuo Miyagishima (seepage 12). An Award of Commendation willbe given to Arthur Widmer for his lifetimeachievement in image compositing formotion pictures.

Scientific and Engineering Awards will bepresented to Gyula Mester and KeithEdwards for their contributions to and con-tinuing development of the Technocrane tele-scoping camera crane; and to Lindsay Arnold,Guy Griffiths, David Hodson, CharlieLawrence and David Mann for their develop-ment of the Cineon Digital Film Workstation.

Technical Achievement Awards will go toGreg Cannom and Wesley Wofford for thedevelopment of modified silicone material formakeup applications used in motion pictures;Jerry Cotts for the original concept anddesign and Anthony Seaman for the engi-neering of the Satellight-X HMI Softlight;Steven E. Boze for the design and implemen-tation of the DNF 001 Multi-Band DigitalAudio Noise Suppressor; Dr. ChristopherHicks and Dave Betts for the design of theCedar DNS 1000 Multi-Band Digital NoiseSuppressor; Nelson Tyler for the developmentof the Tyler Gyroplatform boat mount stabi-lizing device for motion picture photography;Dr. Julian Morris, Michael Birch, Dr. PaulSmyth and Paul Tate for the development ofthe Vicon motion capture technology; Dr.John O. B. Greaves, Ned Phipps, Antonie J.van den Bogert and William Hayes for thedevelopment of the Motion Analysis motioncapture technology; Dr. Nels Madsen,Vaughn Cato, Matthew Madden and BillLorton for the development of the GiantStudios motion capture technology; and toAlan Kapler for the design and developmentof Storm, software for control of volumetriceffects. AMPAS, www.ampas.org

Band Pro to Carry AccuScene HD ToolsBurbank’s Band Pro Film and Digital now sells AccuScene’s range of HD eyepiece viewfinderproducts and accessories. A full-color high-definition eyepiece system, the AccuScene providesan advanced viewfinder with integral exposure monitoring and focus assist systems. TheAccuScene can be used to replace a full-screen color monitor.

“We are pleased to make this cutting-edge display technology available to enhance high-definition production,” says Michael Bravin, Band Pro’s chief technology officer.Band Pro, www.bandpro.com

Rhythm & Hues Builds Digital PipelineRhythm & Hues Studios in LosAngeles standardized its digitalproduction pipeline using NvidiaQuadro FX products. More than500 workstations at R&H havealready been equipped with NvidiaQuadro FX boards.

Mark Brown, vice president oftechnology for Rhythm & Hues, citescost and performance as factors inthis decision, as well as the Nvidiaunified driver architecture.

“The Nvidia unified drivers arealways right there, right on andsupporting the latest, greatest fea-tures,” Brown explains. “Rhythm &Hues’” recent projects includeElektra and The Ring 2.Rhythm & Hues, www.rhythm.com

▼ headlines industry

8 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Sonic Opens Hollywood OfficeSonic Solutions opened a new facility in Burbank. Theoffice’s location allows Sonic to provide its customers,channel partners and the InterActual developer com-munity with a convenient location to experience thelatest DVD trends and technologies.

“High-definition formats for next-generationDVD production are being developed at a rapidpace,” says Rolf Hartley, senior vice president andgeneral manager of Sonic’s professional productsdivision, “and Sonic’s Hollywood operations willallow us to collaborate more closely with key indus-try and technology partners. The new facilities willalso provide InterActual’s expanding developer com-munity with closer ties to engineering and the first-of-kind ROM technology required for cutting-edgeDVD releases.” Sonic, www.sonic.com

© 2004 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Features and specifications subject to change without notice. Sony, HDCAM, Like No Other, MPEG IMX and Xpri are trademarks of Sony.

®

All in real time.Sony’s Xpri® version 7 NLE can do it all. Fast, flexible HD/SD cutting and finishing made affordable and efficient.

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uncompressed HD or SD storage when your project demands it. Powerful multi-cam operation, 100+ high-end,

real-time effects, plus background network rendering. Programmable tactile controllers, Xpri Net true Storage

Area Networking, and an industry-standard user interface just like the one

you’re probably using now. In HD or SD… all in real time.

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Two simultaneous streams with primary and secondary color correctionand color matching with 3D transitions in HD or SD.

1.05VDY 1/13/05 10:47 AM Page 10

➤➤ people> Commercial pro-duction companyTool of NorthAmerica announcedthe addition of pho-tographer, filmmakerand commercial

director Sam Jones to its roster. AtSanta Monica’s Fusion Films, Jonesdirected spots for Borges, Common-wealth Edison, Heal the Bay, Safecoand Union Bank of California. He alsodirected the Wilco documentary I AmTrying to Break Your Heart.

> New York-based SideshowCreative hired Senior ProducerBennett Lieber. He will produce bothcommercial and broadcast designprojects. Before joining Sideshow,Lieber was a CG producer at Charlex.

> Zach Freyer, a recent graduate ofthe Art Center College of Design inPasadena, joined the roster of direc-tors at Pogo Pictures in Atlanta.Freyer most recently directed a musicvideo, “Not Even Jail,” for the indieband Interpol.

> Kim Libreri joinedthe team of visualeffects supervisors atIndustrial Light +Magic in San Rafael,Calif. Libreri’s creditsas a visual effects

supervisor include The MatrixReloaded, The Matrix Revolutions andCatwoman. “The work that comesfrom the facility is always amazing,”says Libreri, “and I am thrilled to be apart of the team of artists and technol-ogists here.”

> Sony Pictures Imageworks pro-moted Jenny Fulle to executive vicepresident of production. She’ll con-tinue to serve as an executive pro-ducer on projects handled by thevisual effects and character anima-tion company, alongside ExecutiveProducer Debbie Denise. Fulle’srecent credits include The Aviatorand Spider-Man 2.

▼ headlines

CafeFX Flies High for The AviatorCafeFX of Santa Maria, Calif., re-createdHoward Hughes’ record-setting 1935 H-1flight for a sequence in The Aviator(Miramax).

“Our CG effects for Hughes’ H-1 racersequence are integrated with live-actionfootage, a radio-controlled miniature and aset piece of the plane,” explains CafeFX pro-ducer Jonathan Stone. CafeFX is a division ofthe ComputerCafe Group that specializes increating digital effects for feature films, com-mercials and music videos.

CafeFX built several CG versions of the H-1: one for close-ups in which only the glasscockpit was visible, one for medium shots,which was also used by the studio’s visualeffects department, and one for the take-off,which shows the plane’s then-uniqueretractable landing gear. Luke McDonald cre-ated the H-1 model using NewTekLightWave, and the CG H-1 racer was com-posited into the environment with eyeonDigital Fusion. CafeFX, www.cafefx.com

10 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Cinesite Constructs Chocolate FactoryCinesite’s model unit constructed miniaturesfor Director Tim Burton’s Charlie & theChocolate Factory (Warner Bros.).The project, supervised by ProductionDesigner Alex McDowell, included the cre-

ation of extensive cityscapes and model exteriors based closely on detailed artwork supplied bythe production team. Cinesite, www.cinesite.com

Martin Scorsese Tours New York for AmExDirector Martin Scorsese and Cinematographer Robert Richardson, ASC, visited New York tofilm “Robert De Niro,” American Express’ spot featuring Robert De Niro. Produced by Tool ofNorth America and edited by Hark Corwin of Lost Planet, the commercial was shot in 35mmand finished in HD.

Postproduction was completed at The Mill in London. The team at The Mill, led by ProducerVerity Grantham and VFX supervisors and lead flame artists Gavin Welsman and Jamie Scott,developed the transitions between images and graded footage from the Tribeca Film Festival tolook more “filmic.”The Mill, www.mill.co.uk

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Peter Care Creates R.E.M.’s “Aftermath” VideoDirector Peter Care collaborated with Editor Angus Wall and visual effects house A52 forR.E.M.’s new video, “Aftermath.” “The main idea was to have [the band] walk throughLondon, with [lead singer] Michael Stipe lip-syncing the song as he walks,” explains Care.“Because R.E.M. is on tour in the United States, we decided to use composites of the bandshot against a greenscreen with views of London as backplates.”

The cityscape footage was shot by 26 videographers using Mini DV camcorders in glass ele-vators in cities throughout the world. “We felt that shooting on DV was very appropriate,”Care says. “We wanted the video to feel unforced, effortless, fun.”

Care and Wall asked A52 visual effects artist Westley Sarokin to “make some parts of thevideo look like they’re breaking up,” Care explains, “as if the ‘live television feed’ were beingintermittently disrupted.” Sarokin created a satellite interference effect of random mosaic colorswaths and monochrome and saturated color treatments. The effect—in which sections of thepicture stutter and break up—involved several techniques. To generate the mosaic graphics,Sarokin used a mathematical expression in Discreet flame that randomized the blocks’ colorsand their placement in the video. A52, www.a52.com

➤➤ people> Editor/director Paul Crowder joinedNonfiction Spots in Los Angeles.Crowder’s recent projects include thedocumentaries Riding Giants andDogtown and Z Boys.

> Quartz Electronicsexpanded its salesefforts in the Mid-Atlantic area, appoint-ing Jill Walters to thenew position ofSoutheast regionalmanager. Walters waspreviously involvedwith sales of automa-

tion systems for Crispin and Florical.

> Nice Shoes promoted two assistantcolorists, Gene Curley and Ron Sudul,to night colorist positions. Both havebeen with the New York facility since1997. Curley and Sudul will be handlingindependent films, broadcast promo-tions and commercials.

projects

January 2005 www.videography.com videography 11

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PostWorks Delivers Phish PBS Special New York’s PostWorks finished both an Aug. 2 PBS broadcast special and subsequent two-discDVD release for the band Phish. Shot in high definition, the 90-minute broadcast special andDVD chronicle the band’s two-day “IT” festival in Limestone, Maine.

Offline editing was handled by editors Thom Zimny and Alex Hall in one of PostWorks’ AvidSymphony suites; the offline team incorporated source footage from formats including HDCAM1080i, DVCAM and HDCAM 23.98. PostWorks’ online editorial team of Ben Murray andGeorge Bunce then incorporated the main title sequence, created by freelance designer DavidMcElwaine, and additional titles created by Murray in the company’s Avid DS Nitris suite.

Murray and Bounce performed the HD conform in the iQ suite. The footage was color cor-rected in the da Vinci suite by Colorist Eric Alvarado.

Music producer and engineer Elliot Scheiner provided the 5.1 and stereo music mixes toPostWorks, where Re-Recording Mixer Matt Foglia blended them with dialogue, sound effectsand sweetening to create the final surround and stereo mixes in his Dolby 5.1 mixing studio.The final product, encoded in Dolby E for 5.1 broadcast, was mastered to HDCAM 1080i/59.94iand delivered to WGBH. PostWorks, www.pwny.com

“Bubble,” a Baileys commercialdirected by Kathryn Bigelow andphotographed by Janusz Kaminski,ASC, follows the progress of a bubbleformed in a glass of Baileys IrishCream as it floats up and across acrowded bar, eventually escaping outinto the streets.

The shoot in Montreal was super-vised for Framestore in New York byMaryanne Lauric, who then complet-ed approximately two weeks of postcompositing in Discreet inferno. Shewas assisted in one shot by CG LeadDavid Hulin, who created the 3Dbubble.

Framestore, www.framestore.co.uk

Framestore Floats for Baileys

▼ headlines

➤➤ people> Tony Morelli joined Harris Corp.’sBroadcast Communications Divisionas senior manager, TV business pro-grams. Morelli will create businessdevelopment and growth opportuni-ties within the Television BroadcastSystems business unit, utilizing hisskills in program and financial man-agement. Morelli most recentlyserved as a program manager forGlobespan Virata’s Prism Wirelessbusiness unit.

> iO Film of NorthHollywood promot-ed Evan Edelistto the new positionof general manag-er/ executive vicepresident. Pre-viously, Edelist

was senior vice president/develop-ment. Edelist is now responsiblefor day-to-day facility operations.

> Takuo Miyagishima, a designengineer for Panavision, will receivethe Gordon E. Sawyer Award fromthe Board of Governors of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences. “Tak has been and contin-ues to be a leading design engi-neer,” says Richard Edlund, chair ofthe Scientific and Technical AwardsCommittee. “His work withPanavision, particularly the technolo-gies he has created, revolutionizedthe industry.”

> Perception inNew York namedAdam Schloss-berg its director ofbusiness develop-ment. Schlossbergmost recentlyworked for VOOM,the HD cable net-

work launched by Cablevision/Rainbow DBS. Prior to that, he waspart of the team that founded designhouse Freestyle Collective.

12 videography www.videography.com January 2005

1.05VDY 1/13/05 10:48 AM Page 13

STEELE VFX Styles Usher’s “My Boo”STEELE VFX retouched virtually every framein “My Boo,” an Usher music video featur-ing Alicia Keys. STEELE artists Jerry Steele,Monique Eissing and Dave Neubergerapplied subtle effects to the video, remov-ing flaws from the imagery such as wrinklesin the singers’ costumes, uneven lighting and unwanted shadows. “Our job is to make theartists look beautiful,” says Steele.

HSI director Chris Robinson wanted to capture a dewy look, where skin glows as if it werecovered with a thin layer of moisture, for the two performers. “It’s a beautiful look, but one thattends to exaggerate flaws,” Steele explains. “Our role was to maintain the soft, reflective lookwhile removing imperfections that normally would have been covered with makeup.”

STEELE VFX, www.steelevfx.com

➤➤ people> Crush Editorial inLos Angeles namedMike Hackett staffeditor. Hackett hasedited more than 200commercials andmusic videos. He

also served as the assistant editor for22 episodes of Babylon 5.

> Gregory S. Smith joined Accomas the broadcast products marketingmanager focusing on the Abekas6000 video production server. Smithwill manage Accom’s worldwide mar-keting efforts of its broadcast prod-ucts, including product development,branding, business development,research and product testing.

> Pixel Power appointed James C.Lien as its national sales manager inthe United States. Lien has worked forLeitch, Snell & Wilcox, Videotek andTektronix/Grass Valley.

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1.05VDY 1/12/05 12:41 PM Page 14

Tiger TechnologyMetaSAN 2.0

Tiger Technology’s MetaSAN 2.0, the lat-est version of the company’s file sharingsoftware line for Windows, Linux and MacOS X, offers cross-platform operating sys-tem support, per-node bandwidth alloca-tion, Avid Unity MediaNet storage virtual-

ization, native OS file system and rightsmanagement.

The new version includes a multi-pointgateway for integration between the SANand LANs, as well as centralized manage-ment of SAN definitions and soft-zoningto enable the shared storage to be parti-tioned in a number of zones for compart-mentalization of data.

MetaSAN 2.0 is compatible with stan-dard applications such as the AdobeDigital Video Collection and Apple FinalCut Pro. MetaSAN also supports vendorsof SAN technology including ATTO, IBM,Emulex, LSI, Qlogic and Seagate.

MetaSAN 2.0 licenses are priced at$995.Tiger Technology, www.tiger-technology.com

LeitchVelocityQ

Leitch introduced a system for multi-cameraediting based on the VelocityQ nonlinearediting tool. VelocityQ’s “Live NonlinearMulti-Camera” system allows multi-cameraprograms to be edited “interactively” fromthe live input feeds, which are also recorded separately to disk. The editor can then makefurther edits and refinements to the program, including moving and changing edit pointsbetween camera angles, after the initial “live” edit is completed.

Each live input source is captured by a dedicated ingest station. These ingest stations, run-ning Leitch QIngest software on the Quattrus hardware used by VelocityQ, record the live feedsto a shared SAN. A complete VelocityQ editing system, utilizing the same shared storage, canbegin editing these sources immediately, even as they are still being recorded. Using VelocityQ’smulti-camera editing functionality, up to four sources can be “switched” interactively as theyare viewed simultaneously in real time. Once recording is complete, edit points can be changedor refined before being applied to VelocityQ’s timeline with cuts or transitions. Since ingest andediting can be done at full quality, no re-capturing is necessary after editing, and the pro-gram is available immediately for final output. Leitch, www.leitch.com

JVCGY-DV5100U CamcorderJVC’s 12-bit ADC professional DV camcorder,the GY-DV5100U, utilizes a 24-bit digital signalprocessor that produces higher resolutionimages with dramatically less visible noise thanprevious models. Its 12-bit analog-to-digitalconverter allows the camera to provide colordetails throughout its 400 percent dynamicrange.

The GY-DV5100U is integrated with the DR-DV5000U, JVC’s Direct-to-Edit (DTE) discrecording module. The optional DR-DV5000Uattaches to the rear of the camera withoutcables via a built-in 52-pin connector and worksin conjunction with the camera’s CPU.

JVC has added a 16:9 mode and a “Hi ResFrame Mode” for increased vertical resolution.Audio capabilities have also been expanded,with three built-in XLR microphone connectors. JVC, http://pro.jvc.com

Aurora Video Systems IgniterX Driver

Aurora’s Aurora’s new driver for its IgniterX andIgniterX Lite video capture and editing cards isdesigned to provide Mac users more postpro-duction options when working with 24fpsmaterial. This latest driver release offers supportfor the Advanced Mode on Panasonic decks.Film support has been extended, giving users achoice between standard 2:3:2:3 pull-downand 2:3:3:2 pull-down in projects using NTSC24fps content.

The new driver exports images using theIgniterX 10-bit eXtreme codec and gives usersthe ability to capture PAL DV content directly toany of Apple’s DV codecs using the lower fieldfirst.Aurora Video, www.auroravideosys.com

AvidXpress Pro HD

Avid Xpress Pro HD software, aportable HD version of the compa-ny’s nonlinear digital editing soft-ware, provides support for nativePanasonic DVCPRO HD acquisitionand editing, Avid DNxHD editingand rendering, and real-time multi-camera functionality. Avid Xpress Pro HD customers will receive native HDV support as partof a free software update later this year.

Avid Xpress Pro HD allows editors to work with DV, SD, HD and film media in a singlesequence. The software also offers DV50 capture and output over IEEE 1394, 24p and videoeffects output over IEEE 1394, and expanded film support.

Footage captured on Media Composer Adrenaline HD and Avid DS Nitris systems in AvidDNxHD can be transferred to an Avid Xpress Pro HD system using shared storage or localstorage. Conform capabilities across the Avid product line allow editors to start projects onany Avid system and continue working on the media in the portable Avid Xpress Pro HD sys-tem before sending the work back to other Avid systems for finishing.

Avid Xpress Pro HD is priced at $1,695 ($49.95 to upgrade). Avid Xpress Pro HD soft-ware will initially be available for Windows systems; a Mac version is expected to be avail-able in 2005. Avid, www.avid.com

14 videography www.videography.com January 2005

videogearvideogear

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:14 PM Page 15

PanasonicPT-DW7000U Projector

A native 16:9, three-chip large venue DLPprojector, the Panasonic PT-DW7000U com-bines 6,000 lumens of brightness withWXGA resolution (1366x768) and 4000:1contrast ratio. XGA graphics and high-defi-nition video can be combined on onescreen.

The PT-DW7000U is equipped with threeDLP chips within a sealed, dust-proof, fluid-cooled optical system. It contains high-

speed digital signal processing and progres-sive cinema scan (3:2 pull-down) capabili-ties. The projector offers built-in multiscreencolor matching and edge blending. Up to100 PT-DW7000Us can be edge-blended atone time using the projector’s built-inprocessor.

The 16:9 HDTV unit can automaticallysynchronize to display 1080/24p,1080/24sF, 1080/30p, 1080/25p, 1080/60i-50i, 1035/60i, 720p, 480p and 480/576ivideo in the conventional 4:3 aspect ratio. Itcan project on screens from 70 inches to600 inches. Other features include RS-232C/RS-422 I/O control, mechanical shut-ter, 96 user memories and selectable seven-language on-screen menu.

Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris technology fine-tunes the lamp output. The Dynamic Iris alsoteams with Dynamic Gamma correction toincrease a picture’s highlights so that theblacks are blacker and the bright areasremain bright. The projector’s DynamicSharpness control increases image sharp-ness without adding noise.

The PT-DW7000U weighs 48 lb. andmeasures 20.88 x 7.88 x 22.41 inches(WHD). The projector is available at the sug-gested list price of $25,000.Panasonic, www.panasonic.com/projectors

AppleXsan Storage AreaNetwork File SystemApple has begun shipping Xsan, its StorageArea Network (SAN) file system. Xsan is a 64-bit cluster file system for Mac OS X that enablesorganizations to consolidate storage resourcesand provide multiple computers with concur-rent file-level read/write access to shared vol-umes over Fibre Channel.

Up to 64 video professionals can simulta-neously access a single storage volume that

supports multiple high-bandwidth video streams. Features include metadata controllerfailover and Fibre Channel multipathing, file-level locking so multiple systems can readand write concurrently, and sophisticated volume management.

Setup, administration and monitoring is built into the Xsan administration software,which provides volume management, SAN filesystem configuration and remote monitoringin one application.

Xsan is interoperable with ADIC’s StorNextFile System, so it can be used in heteroge-neous environments including Windows,UNIX and Linux operating system platforms.

Xsan is available for a suggested retail priceof $999 per client and per server. Apple, www.apple.com

Red Giant Software Film FixFilm Fix for Windows XP/2000 versions ofAfter Effects and Digital Fusion is nowshipping. Film Fix is a set of plug-insdesigned for documentary filmmakersand postproduction studios needing filmand video restoration tools. Using Film Fix,After Effects and Digital Fusion users canrestore tears, remove dust and dirt parti-cles, and stabilize footage originated onfilm and video-resolution material trans-ferred from film.

Users are able to repair seams with anautomated tear-repair tool, stabilizefootage with software-based 2D transla-tion, automatically eliminate severe nonlin-ear interframe brightness fluctuations,remove dust and sparkle defects usingmotion detection information, and render across a set of networked computers.

Film Fix utilizes a motion estimation system that processes pixel-accurate image data atdifferent scales similar to the way the human eye absorbs information. These algorithmsallow the software to identify problems such as dust, dirt and tearing despite complexmotion in the footage.

Film Fix includes full support for unlimited multiclient rendering through an After Effectsrender farm. Red Giant Software, www.redgiantsoftware.com

January 2005 www.videography.com videography 15

toolkit

1.05VDY 1/12/05 1:01 PM Page 16

PanasonicAJ-SD965 VTRThe AJ-SD965 is a 50Mb/s DVCPRO50studio VTR with built-in color LCDmonitor that utilizes the DVCPRO XLcassette. The cassette allows two hours ofrecording in 4:2:2 50Mb/s DVCPRO50 with four-channel 48kHz 16-bit digital audio,or four hours in 4:1:1 25Mb/s DVCPRO with two-channel digital audio.

The 4RU-size VTR features playback of DVCPRO50, DVCPRO, DVCAM and DV formatrecordings, although a cassette adapter is required for Mini DV cassette playback. Anoptional IEEE 1394 digital interface board (AJ-YAD955G) is available to integrate 50Mb/sdigital component video into PC- or Mac-based nonlinear editing systems.

With an illuminated jog/shuttle search dial, the AJ-SD965 performs frame-accurate edit-ing with capabilities including auto, assemble, insert and manual editing, as well as preview,review and trim capabilities. The VTR also offers UMID data recording/playback.

The AJ-SD965 is equipped with standard SDI and AES/EBU I/O, as well as standard ana-log video outputs, analog audio I/O, and RS422A and RS232C remote terminals. Analogvideo input is available with the optional AJ-YA931G (525) or AJ-YA932G (625) boards.

The AJ-SD965 is available for $22,000. Panasonic, www.panasonic.com/broadcast

Schneider Optics Century DivisionND Dual Grad FilterSchneider Optics’ new filter for motion pictureand digital cinematography, the ND Dual Grad fil-ter, is designed to control exposure and depth offield for two different areas of frame.

The Schneider Dual Grad provides two grad-uated ND attenuator sections. One, covering 2/3of the glass, graduates from four stops to thecentral clear, while the smaller, 1/3 section goesfrom two stops at the outer edge of the glass tothe clear section (ND 1.2 up/.6 down). TheSchneider ND Dual Grad is used to diminish dis-tracting backgrounds and foregrounds. It is avail-able in a 6.6 x 6.6-inch size. Schneider Optics Century Division, www.centuryoptics.com

Eyeheightenigma Data TranscoderEyeheight’s new data transcoder, enigma, allows metadataand machine-control information to be transportedthrough an SDI channel. Data is encoded by enigma ontothree user-selectable lines within the program blankinginterval. These are decoded back to RS232 serial signal for-

mat, creating a transparent data link. The encoded signal can be stored on videotape ordisc with the source content.

Up to six enigma units can be housed in an Eyeheight 1U Maxi-Box and operated underremote or local control. Rear chassis inputs and outputs are provided for SDI and RS232.Eyeheight, www.eyeheight.com

Media 100 Media 100 HD for the MacMedia 100 HD for the Mac is now shipping. The 10-bit uncompressed SD and HD editingsystem allows editors to mix media—SD and HD, 4:3 and 16:9, compressed and uncom-pressed, analog and digital—in the same timeline. It also enables the mixing of M-JPEG, DV,animation and other QuickTime codecs in the same timeline and allows a user to view SDand HD output simultaneously, regardless of source material.

Media 100 HD ships with Media 100 Version 10 software, which features an extensibletimeline with up to 99 video tracks; a software codec with support for real-time, full-motionalpha channels; keyframeable, clip-based opacity controls directly in the timeline; real-timeRGB color correction; and an advanced RGB, YUV and HSL real-time keyer with softness andoffset controls. Media 100, www.media100.com

16 videography www.videography.com January 2005

▼ videogear toolkit

CanopusEdius NX for HDVCanopus’ Edius NX for HDV is an integratedsoftware and hardware product for real-timeHD and SD editing, effects and compositing.

Based on Edius Pro 3 nonlinear editingsoftware, Edius NX for HDV providesnative editing and real-time processing ofHDV, DV, uncompressed SD, MPEG-2 andMPEG-1 formats. Edius Pro features real-time, multi-track, mixed-format HD/SDediting, compositing, chroma keying,titling and timeline output capabilities,and supports real-time output of multiplevideo tracks, effects, and graphics andtitle layers. Edius Pro 3 also supportsdirect-to-DVD timeline export.

In addition to support for native editingof HDV clips in their original MPEG-2 for-mat, Edius NX for HDV allows users to editwith Canopus’ variable bit rate HQ codec.Edius NX for HDV can also capture SD ana-log footage to uncompressed, lossless andDV formats.

The Edius NX for HDV hardware fea-tures editing acceleration and connectivityto HDV camcorders and decks from Sonyand JVC. Edius NX for HDV also delivershardware line-scaling to expand the editedHDV 1440 samples per line to 1080i’s 1920resolution for output. Canopus, www.canopus.us

1.05VDY 1/12/05 12:53 PM Page 18

If you work in videography, you’ve proba-bly pondered the question of which HDTVformat to choose: 1080i or 720p. Fiftyyears ago, a delegation of representatives

from the U.S. television industry had no suchfigures with which to contend. But they didhave a problem.

The delegation was evaluating television inBritain and comparing it to the American ver-sion. They concluded that—just from an imagequality standpoint—what they’d come to seelooked better than what they had at home.

A modern videographer might assumethat the delegation’s findings were a foregoneconclusion. After all, British television has 625total scanning lines per frame (about 576“active,” or picture carrying, lines). U.S. televi-sion has 525 total (about 480 active).Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case 50 yearsago. The U.S. still had 525-line television backthen, but Britain had 405-line signals. U.S. tel-evision had FM sound; British television hadAM. We had (and have) about 30 frames per

second; they had (and have) 25. Our 4.2MHzvideo bandwidth far exceeded their 3MHz.Americans had color; Brits were stuck withblack and white.

By every measure, the American televisionstandard, NTSC (National Television SystemCommittee), was numerically superior to theold British standard (now called System A), butthe delegation of Americans concluded thatthe British pictures looked better. To this day noone is certain why, but there were many theo-ries at the time. The British maintained theirequipment better. Their cameras were of a bet-ter design. They cleaned their lenses moreoften. They used better lenses. They used moreartistic lighting. The cameras were adjustedbetter. And there were yet other suggestions.

About a quarter of a century later, aBrit had reason to question Yank video-graphers’ preoccupation with technicalnumbers. He was in a manufacturer’straining class being taught about avideo signal processor.

When the NTSC standard was firstapproved by the Federal CommunicationsCommission, in 1941, the FCC rules includedmaximum widths of the horizontal and verti-cal blanking intervals, the black borders of theframe that contain synchronizing signals. Themaxima were intended to prevent the edgesof the picture from being seen on home TVset picture tubes.

Broadcasters abided by those FCC rulesuntil the introduction of color videotaperecording. Then they couldn’t.

The early NTSC color standard didn’trequire a fixed relationship between the phaseof the color subcarrier and the start of the hor-izontal synchronizing pulse. On playback, therecorded signals would be adjusted so the

color subcarrier phase matched that

➤ Mark Schubin is a multiple EmmyAward-winner and a Fellow of theSociety of Motion Picture andTelevision Engineers. He sometimeswears pants and shoes.

18 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Which of these your pictures look like can depend on whether pedestal was properly applied.

▼ research&developments

More Than Just Numbers

1.05VDY 1/13/05 10:49 AM Page 19

of the facility at that moment. If such a matchmade the edge of the picture shift slightly, thehorizontal blanking interval grew.

With multigenerational editing, the blank-ing interval sometimes grew beyond theallowed maximum, but the FCC ignored theissue because it couldn’t be helped. Then dig-ital video effects processors with picture-expansion capability were introduced.

Briefly, the FCC began re-enforcing itsblanking width rule. Image sequences withexcessive blanking interval widths were blownup until they complied with the maximum.Unfortunately, the processing usually madepictures look worse. Sharp edges becameblurry and framing was thrown off.

That was when the Brit encountered theYanks in his training class asking questionsover and over about the blanking intervals. Hedecided to offer some cross-cultural under-standing. “Where I come from,” he said,“we’re more concerned about the part of thesignal you can see than the part you can’t.”

Shortly thereafter, the FCC stoppedenforcing the rule again. And an industry-wide definition of subcarrier phase relative tohorizontal sync (SCH) soon eliminated theproblem (see “The Standard That NeverWas,” page 20).

In the digital video era, blanking is nolonger an issue, but numbers still seem tohave an attraction to videographers. That’swhy there are arguments about 1080i (1080active scanning lines interlaced) and 720p(720 active scanning lines progressive). It’s alsowhy manufacturers of high-end digital cine-matography cameras—like marketers of con-sumer point-and-shoot digital still cameras—discuss megapixels (millions of picture ele-ments per frame). ARRI has pointed out the six

megapixels in its D20 camera. Dalsa celebrat-ed the eight megapixels in its Origin. AndPanavision’s Genesis is the one said to havemore than 12 megapixels.

HDTV cameras of the 1080-line varietyhave two megapixels—twice as many asthose of the 720-line variety. Nevertheless,some cinematographers and videographershave intentionally chosen to shoot in the latterstandard.

Engineering proponents of 720p mightpoint to its progressive scanning nature rela-tive to the interlace of 1080i as a reason whythe lower number could provide better look-

videography 19

In a very short time Azden's 100LT system (100UPR receiverand 10BT bodypack transmitter) has established itself as theleader in low-cost, high-quality UHF wireless.

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Lighting has a greater effect on image quality than camera type.

1.05VDY 1/12/05 12:58 PM Page 20

ing pictures. But then there’sthat delegation a half-centuryago.

The 1955 American andBritish systems both had inter-laced pictures. Can it be that, allelse being equal, lower resolu-tion looks better? That seemsunlikely. A better explanation isthat all else is rarely equal.

Consider lenses, for example. To a cine-matographer, a camera is something to hangon the back of a lens. To a videographer,unfortunately, a lens is more often somethingthat simply sticks on the front of a camera.The choice of lens can easily makemore difference to picture quality thanthe selected image format.

Then there’s optical filtering. A filteralways removes something from animage—sharpness, contrast, certainreflections, certain colors—so somemay consider it an image degrader. Butphotographers have used optical filterssince before there was such a thing as a videocamera.

A good editor can improve a writer’s workby removing some of it. Why not believe thatan appropriate filter can improve an image byremoving some objectionable characteristic ofit? And there’s more than just lenses and filters.

Take the best camera, lens and filters intoa pitch-black room and nothing good willcome of them. Lighting can have a hugeeffect on image quality.

As with optical filtering, proper lightingcan mean a reduction in light level. A gel onthe outside of a window can make its lightlook more natural than nuclear. A “butterfly”

overhead can “soften” sunlight.When CBS began dabbling in television in

1928, they knew the new medium wouldneed a full lighting crew—as well as theatricalstagehands and a stage manager. They simplyadded mysterious “birdiemen” (as in “Watchthe birdie!”) to operate the cameras.

Of course, CBS also had a full sound crew.Television has been called “radio with pic-tures,” and, for many shows, that seems likean accurate description. The sound of the 60Minutes television show is carried, without

modification, as a veryeffective radio program.

Sound may notseem to have anythingto do with picture qual-ity, but don’t be too

hasty to come to that conclusion. LincolnCenter for the Performing Arts conductedexperiments in the 1970s in which focusgroups that heard stereo sound with certainprograms rated the picture quality higher thangroups who saw the same programs withoutstereo sound.

There are many other factors—aside froma videographer’s handling of a camera—thataffect a viewer’s appreciation of videography:costumes, sets, makeup, writing, acting, direc-tion, etc. And then there are technical consid-erations.

A video operator (sometimes called a“shader,” “painter” or, in some countries,“vision controller”) can make adjustmentsbefore and during shooting that cannot bedone after production. Consider a scene thatmoves between very dark and very brightareas. A fixed lens-iris setting might causeunsalvageable overexposure in the bright areasand images so dim in the dark areas that theybecome very noisy (grainy) when adjusted inpost. An automatic iris control can eliminatethose problems at the expense of inartisticadjustments. A human video operator can dealwith the demands of both art and technology.

Then there’s the long process that followsshooting. Will colors, contrast and framing bechanged undesirably in editing? How about indistribution?

NTSC has a characteristic called“pedestal,” an elevation of the minimumblack level above the level in the blankingintervals. Pedestal was intended to preventanything from being seen on a picture tube asthe electron beam “retraced” its way from theright side of the picture to the left or from the

Check the specifications of almost any piece of NTSC color television production orpostproduction equipment and you’ll likely see the following words (or somethingsimilar): “Complies with EIA-170A.” Sometimes it’s “RS-170A” instead. But it’salmost invariable that there will be some reference to “170A.”

There’s only one problem: There’s no such standard and there never hasbeen.

There was an RS-170. It was the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) rec-ommended standard for black-and-white television, and it was never updatedfor color, causing the SCH phase problem.

In 1977, the EIA published an SCH-defining version of RS-170. Normally, thatwould have been called RS-170A. But U.S. television networks were in a quandary.They wanted a new standard to eliminate the problem, but they didn’t want theFCC pointing to the new standard to declare existing equipment and archived pro-gramming in violation of it. As a result, the EIA published its first (and only) indus-trial electronics tentative standard, IETS-1.

Few people have ever heard of IETS-1. Everyone knows EIA-170A. The former exists;the latter doesn’t. Fortunately, television is an industry based largely on make-believe.Th

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D20, Origin,Genesis: Sixmegapixels, eightmegapixels, twelvemegapixels... thelenses are moreimportant.

20 videography www.videography.com January 2005

▼ research&developments

1.05VDY 1/12/05 12:59 PM Page 21

bottom to the top.As TV set technology improved, pedestal

became less necessary, so more modern tel-evision standards—even the NTSC near-clone used in Japan—don’t have it. ButNTSC still does.

If the presence or absence of pedestal isnot taken into consideration when reformat-ting video signals, pictures can look washedout (pedestal when it shouldn’t be there) orlose shadow detail (no pedestal when itshould be there). Yet few videographers fol-low projects through to the distribution point.

Cinematographers have traditionally fol-

lowed projects down the line, often workingwith film processing laboratories to ensuredesired results. As cinematographers workwith digital equipment more often, they arepointing out areas in which standard proce-dures are needed.

One session at this month’s TechnologyRetreat of the Hollywood Post Alliance, forexample, is dedicated to how image displaysneed to be optimized for viewing digital dailies.After all, if the image monitoring system usedin production is misadjusted, then lighting,camera settings and lens filtering may be mis-used to try to compensate for a non-problem.

It’s not that videography has never consid-ered these issues. The most rememberedphrase of FCC head Newton Minnow’s 1961

speech to the National Association ofBroadcasters is his reference to television as “avast wasteland.” But the same speech alsoincluded this line: “When television is good,nothing—not the theater, not the magazinesor newspapers—nothing is better.”

The CBS 1928 crew lists indicate that, evenback then, sufficient concern was placed onsuch artistic aspects of videography as light-ing, sound, sets and stage management. But,at some point, much of the emphasis seemsto have shifted to the technology, perhapsbecause it promised cost savings.

A wide dynamic range camcorder seemsto allow the reduction of the large crew toone person. Add a computer and the sameperson can also deal with the entire postpro-duction process.

Of course, there has been a long history ofone person being responsible for movingimage productions. But, as Martin Scorsese’srecently released The Aviator shows, besidesthe script, there can be a financial factorinvolved, as well as a possibly dementedgenius. After all, in The Aviator, it’s not justhow words use available technology butHoward Hughes, of ailed/able tech knowl-edge. Gee! ▼

Howard Hughes waited to the point ofbankruptcy to get the clouds he needed toconvey motion properly.

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:17 PM Page 22

HOW TO SHOOT

1.05VDY 1/10/05 2:40 PM Page 23

HD Production in the Real World

24P

1.05VDY 1/10/05 3:58 PM Page 24

Bruce Finn, 8 Simple RulesBruce Finn, the winner of the 2004Primetime Emmy Award for OutstandingCinematography for a Multi-CameraSeries, has shot 75 half-hour networkshows on 24p and is currently in hisfourth season using HD. An innova-tor and inventor, Finn uses his posi-tion as a working DP to find ways toimprove on existing lighting equip-ment. His inventions (which havebeen awarded three U.S. patents)include several units designed tocreate a soft, deeply projected lightwhile providing greater control ofthe quality of light produced. Finn’s“Toplight” (the original PAR 64 overhead unitcontaining multiple diffusion frames andenclosed in aluminized Nomex) was recog-nized at the 2004 Primetime EmmyEngineering Awards with a Certificate ofAchievement.

I’m very proud of the look we’ve beenable to attain on 8 Simple Rules and want toshare some of the techniques and tools we

use to create it.In an episode this season called “School

Nurse,” Kerry (played by Amy Davidson)learns that her most closely guarded secret,

the loss of her virginity, has beenannounced over her high school’s loud-speaker system. Seeking refuge from herpeers under the school bleachers, she con-templates her predicament. When I read thescript, I visualized her in a quiet, protectedplace. I saw darkness, but with bright bandsof light filtering through the slats in thebleachers. I felt this look would support theheartfelt moments she shares with her

Bob Aschmann, The L WordCinematographer Bob Aschmann is the first

one to admit he doesn’t watch much televi-

sion, but he was excited about the prospect

of shooting The L Word because of the way

the episodic drama treats issues of relation-

ships and sexuality. “I liked all the dramatic

elements of the show,” says Aschmann. “I

thought it was really dealing with some

issues that hadn’t been seen on TV.”

When The L Word producers Rose Lam

and Ilene Chaiken (also the show’s co-cre-

ator) contacted Aschmann, the pilot had

already been shot. After seeing it, he

offered some suggestions about the cre-

ative direction the cinematography could

take for the rest of the season.

“I thought it should have a stronger

sense of naturalism and realism. A lot of

that comes down to camera and lighting

choices,” says Aschmann. “I strive for the

lighting to feel natural.”

Though The L Word is set in Los

Angeles, the show is shot in Vancouver.

Each one-hour episode takes eight days to

shoot (plus whatever additional time is

needed for second unit photography). The

bulk of production (60 to 65 percent,

according to Aschmann) occurs on a pair of

soundstages run by Coast Mountain Film.

The soundstages contain the homes of the

major characters on the show as well as

The Planet café, the center of the show’s

intricate social web.

One way Aschmann tries to achieve a

naturalistic lighting style is by keeping ceil-

ing flats on all of these sets—something

not commonly done in television. “We

light them like you would if you were light-

ing a real location. We don’t light from a

grid, which is a challenge,” he says.

Aschmann also takes care to emulate

the look of sunny Southern California,

which is one of the reasons why he plays

his lights extremely soft. “Part of that was

my observation that the light is always

quite soft in Los Angeles. The sun never

gets as hard and crisp as it does here in

Vancouver.” The happy side effect is the

way the light flatters the show’s primarily

female cast. Aschmann has taken the dif-

fused lighting look and, in his own words,

“run with it in other situations.”

24 videography www.videography.com January 2005

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1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:19 PM Page 26

sister, Bridget (played by Kaley Cuoco), andwith Kyle (played by Billy Aaron Brown).

The set was placed with the prosceniumparallel to the camera aisle. Cascading down-ward and upstage was the backside of the“bleachers.” This configuration formed sort ofa cave-shaped set that eliminated most placeswhere one would traditionally hang lights(upstage key) on a sitcom. Amy sits on theconcrete floor in the back of this “cave,” fac-ing the camera aisle. My first inclination wasto hang a 20K for the sun at such an anglethat the light could project through theslats and give me those beautiful bands oflight I had envisioned playing on theactress, but physical reality and physicssometimes get in the way of achievingthe desired cinematic

effect. I hate that. The bleachers and the angleof the slats would allow for the 20K to workonly from upstage. The resulting backlight,while interesting on the horizontal bleacherseats, wasn’t what I had envisioned. The lightI wanted would need to project steeply fromthe camera aisle to get into the actresses eyesas I had imagined. The set lighting crew, head-ed by Chief Lighting Technician Gary Palmer(who is also an accomplished DP), rigged a 50-degree Source Four light with a pattern (Gam,Stripes) on a rolling stand so we could wheel

it around until just

the right size and shape of the stripes could beaccomplished to “sell” as if they were creatednaturally from the slats in the bleachers. Weused one of our stand-ins to see how the lightwould play on a person’s face and to choosethe intensity and focus of the instrument. Wewent for a 6-inch band of light that beautiful-ly striped the actress’ eyes and body. TheMaxilight delivered an additional soft project-ed key to reflect in her eyes and subtly beau-ty-light her face.

Loaded with two Gam 10/90 frames, thismultiple PAR-based unit (4K) allows for very

soft projectedlight in a compactunit. It’s only 24

For nighttime scenes, he generally uses

numerous chimeras because they can be

controlled easily and are quick to set up and

move; they provide the soft source he’s look-

ing for. “With a chimera, I might use just

two flags instead of four,” says Aschmann.

During the second season, which wrapped

shooting at the end of December,

he started using more soft and hard

crates on the lights. “It’s even more

efficient. It makes the light more

directional, more specific, and it saves

me setting a couple of flags.”

For light that comes in through win-

dows, he’ll generally use several 10Ks

diffused through light gridcloth, some-

times using several layers of the stuff. “I

do a fair bit of bouncing,” says

Aschmann. “I’ll often bounce a couple

of 10Ks into a 12-by ultra bounce if I

want it to look even softer. Ideally, I’d

bounce it all the time, but there’s usu-

ally not enough power in those lights

and I don’t have enough room to do that, so I go

though diffusion.” To create highlights,

Aschmann uses direct 10Ks as well as 5Ks and

Source 4s.

Another reason for the prevalence of dif-

fused light is the show’s format. The L Word is

shot in high definition with the Sony HDW-F900.

Aschmann makes sure there’s always some kind

of diffusion on the lens, generally soft-contrast

filters or classic softs. “I always have some type

of diffusion on the camera because I’m shooting

in HD. I actually feel like I don’t have to do much

diffusion for the actors. I use diffusion on the

lens whether I’m shooting a close-up or not.”

In addition,

Aschmann often uses some color on the lens,

though this requirement varies greatly from set

to set. Aschmann carries half a dozen colors that

he uses consistently: a couple of blues, a couple

of sepias, a gold and an 812. He doesn’t rely on

a specific formula or location to determine what

filter he’ll use, though he says that in Tim and

Jenny’s house he generally uses the sepia filter.

“It’s more of an intuitive process than a hard and

fast rule. It depends on what colors are in the

set, what mood I’m after and what colors I’m

trying to highlight.”

Aschmann also tries to maintain a naturalis-

tic feel when it comes to camera movement. He

thinks of the camera as a non-obtrusive observ-

er and prefers not to move it unless it’s absolute-

ly necessary. That being said, The L Word does

incorporate a fair amount of camera movement.

“We bring in directors who have their own

style, and I try to create room for them to apply

their style. My personal guidelines are to move

the camera only when it’s really motivated by the

action or when it’s used as an expressive tool for

the content of the scene. When you really want

to express something with a camera move—like

a push-in or a push-out—if the camera’s moving

all the time, it takes away from those moments.”

From the first

to the second sea-

son, Aschmann

has made a few

subtle adjustments

in his lighting tech-

niques. He has start-

ed using a ring light,

a 10-inch wide, dim-

mable LED light that’s

affixed to the camera

around the lens. “It’s a very flattering light

because it hides crevices and shadows in faces,”

says Aschmann. “But at the same time, it can

potentially flatten things, so it has to be used

carefully.”The Swiss-born Aschmann initially wanted to

be a commercial photographer and had been

training for that career back in Zurich. But he

began to drift away from photography because

of the technical aspects of the craft. He had dual

citizenship in Switzerland and Canada because

his mother is Canadian, so he moved to

Vancouver to attend film school at Simon Fraser

University. “I’m not really technically inclined,”

Aschmann admits, “which is why I surround

myself with very skilled and technical people.”

The crew of The L Word includes Camera

Operator Neil Seale, 1st AC Andrew Coppin,

Gaffer Scotty Clark and Key Grip Gary Brooks,

all of whom Aschmann praises for their skill

and professionalism. Aschmann also has kind

words for the creative freedom he’s been given

by the network. “I feel grateful to Showtime

because they’ve given me a lot of freedom.

I’ve been on other sets enough that I don’t

take this for granted.” ▼

26 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Bob A

schma

nn, Th

e L Wo

rd

1.05VDY 1/10/05 4:02 PM Page 27

January 2005 www.videography.com videography 27

inches deep, and the 24x30-inch fabric front takes stan-dard-size hard and softgrids. Outfitted with the 30-degree hard (honeycomb)grid, the light is soft, nar-rowly snooted, and proj-ects deeply. This combina-tion of qualities is uniqueand quite valuable in manyapplications. With more output than a10K fresnel with a fabric front, this light-weight unit is the fabric-fronted instru-ment redesigned from the ground up. Itoffers individual lamp switches for inten-sity control, customizable diffusionframes to use any gel/fabric, and side-load capability like a matte box.Incorporating the powerful, efficient andlong-life PAR lamps in a fully enclosedlightweight housing, the Maxilight is aprecision instrument with the speed, effi-ciency, control and softness ideal for therigors of modern HD, video and film orig-ination.

Soft projected fill and contrast control iscreated with the Topbox Lightweight, hungfrom the camera aisle corners of the set.Measuring 40x60 inches with a 2-foot deepaluminized Nomex shell and a light-mount-ing pipe spanning the box another 12 inchesaway, it is the modern Coffin Box. Designedto accept up to 10 PAR cans, this lightweightunit (24 lb., which is less than a Fome-Corand strapping box) collapses flat and assem-bles with captive speed pins in seconds. Twodiffusion frames are customizable and allowfor very soft light, if desired. Rated hardwarethat includes tapped eyebolts in all eight cor-ners allows this unit to be rigged at virtuallyany angle as front, back, side or top light. Thetalented grip crew, headed by CollinEdwards, puts these things up in minutes. Inthis application, they were used as front-pro-jected fill at a 45-degree angle in the frontcorners with two wide PARs in the bottomhalf and two medium PARs in the upper half,thus creating a very consistent and deeplyprojected light from upstage to downstage.Light grid in both frames made for a nice,soft quality of light.

I also use these boxes in the standing setsfrom above. Three PAR lamps (wide snubby)in each box with a 20-inch strip of 1/2 BlueGel in the center gives a nice base light as day

with thetwo outside lamps at full. Dusk isachieved with them at half, and night isachieved by burning the center lampfocused through the blue gel. OneSocapex feed, six inexpensive PAR cansand two inexpensive boxes make a nicetop base light for all three looks in agood-sized standing set. Safety isimproved as these boxes are built fromwelded aluminum and fire-retardant alu-minized Nomex, making them muchsafer in proximity to hot lights than hand-made boxes constructed with com-bustible materials such as show card,

Fome-Cor or wood.The upstage portion of the set as seen

through the bleacher slats needed to be illu-minated brightly for day. Two Toplights hungas skylight did the trick. Daisy-chained togeth-er to use only one Socapex feed meant lesscable and fewer dimmers. The Toplight is alightweight 6K multiple PAR unit that hangshorizontally with two 36x56-inch diffusionframes suspended beneath; it is fully enclosedwith aluminized Nomex fabric. A 1-foot skirt isincluded and can be folded up or down. Thismodern overhead fixture outperforms chickencoops or Spacelights in many applications.

When used in this case as a “skylight,”just two instruments were required, sincethe output is five times that of a Spacelightat an equal height (25 ft. = 50fc vs. 10fc).The quality of light can be customized to bemuch softer and the footprint is larger. Thislight has been used in quantity on manylarge features due to the tremendous sav-ings on lighting units, dimmers, cable, elec-tricity, air conditioning, rigging time, etc.Better quality light faster, safer and moreefficiently is a good thing.

I love what I do and feel fortunate to beable to use my art to help make millions ofpeople laugh, and to further the craft in myown way. ▼

Bruce

Finn,

8 Sim

ple Ru

les

1.05VDY 1/12/05 3:52 PM Page 28

While organizations such as theDigital Cinema Initiative (DCI)—the consortium made up primari-ly of the major studios and man-

ufacturers—and SMPTE’s DC28 TechnologyCommittee for Digital Cinema are hammeringout digital cinema standards, equipment man-ufacturers continue to improve their offerings.

Because prices for most projectors thatcan meet or exceed DCI’s standards for the-atrical presentations currently hover between$80,000 and $100,000, it may be a whilebefore we see thousands digital projectors inmultiplexes, but work is still being done to laya foundation so that such a transformation isat least technically possible.

The high-end digital projectors aimed atthe theatrical market today are all built aroundTexas Instruments’ DLP imager, which hasbeen available in a 2K resolution (2048x1080)for just under a year. DLP (digital light pro-cessing) is based on the concept of creatingan image by reflecting light off an array ofmovable, pixel-sized micromirrors. The posi-tion of each mirror relative to the light source

then determines the color and intensity of eachparticular pixel.

There are other technologies nipping at DLP’sheels, but most high-end projectors installed todayuse DLP technology. Other systems, based onLCOS (liquid crystal on silicon), such as JVC’s D-ILAchip, also use reflected light, as opposed to a tra-ditional LCD imager, but from pixel-sized siliconchips rather than micromirrors. Eastman Kodakhas embraced D-ILA as a basis for its digital cine-ma projector and Sony is about to release its ownprojector based on LCOS technology, but themajority of theater-grade projectors in use todayare based on the DLP chip.

Christie Digital Systems is one of the manu-

Ellen Kuras, ASC,Shoots The Balladof Jack and RoseThe Ballad of Jack and Rosemarks the third collaborationof Ellen Kuras, ASC, andwriter-director Rebecca Miller.(Their first two films wereAngela in 1995 and PersonalVelocity in 2002.)

“Rebecca and I have a verysymbiotic relationship and acommon way of seeingthings,” Kuras says. “We hadcountless conversations abouthow to shoot this story. Wealso looked at films and stillphotography together.”

Kuras decided to shoot inSuper 16mm, explaining thatthe drama called for thetonality of the more dream-like texture of film. The proj-

ect also required the use ofmobile cameras for manylong, handheld shots, oftenin tight spaces.

“We wanted to use hand-held cameras for a sense ofpresence and immediacy,which helps to pull theaudience deeper into thestory,” she says.

Kuras’ camera packageconsisted of two ARRI 16SR3swith a set of zooms and aCanon wide-angle lens. Kurasrecorded images on KodakVision2 7218 film, a 500-speed, low-grain emulsionthat gave her the freedom toshoot in low light.

“We had sparse, stylized

productionproductionEverything You Need to Know About…

DigitalProjection

The Terms and Technologies

28 videography www.videography.com January 2005

1.05VDY 1/12/05 7:03 PM Page 29

facturers using DLP at the heart of its cine-ma-grade projector. Product Manager BrianClaypool believes that DLP Cinema “is byfar the best performing technology avail-able. It is not susceptible to damage by heatthe way some other technologies are. Thereis more lifetime data available than there isfor other [systems].

“DLP technology goes all the way back tothe late 1970s,” he adds. “Granted, it was ata very limited resolution then, but the chipconfiguration is that old, so it’s a proven dis-play technology. For contrast, wide dynamicrange, color gamut and lifetime reliability, wefeel that DLP is the best way to go.”

Of course, there is more to any digital

projector than just theimaging device. A projec-tor has to handle light,power and heat, and eachDLP OEM approaches

these issues a bit differ-ently. Christie, which

has been makingfilm projectors for 75 years,

stresses its cinema pedigree. “We’re theonly OEM in digital cinema with expertise incinema,” Claypool says. “We know how tointegrate our systems with theater automa-tion and with legacy 35mm equipment. Weunderstand the clients who will be usingthese projectors.”

Equipment from DigitalProjection International (DPI),another leading manufacturermaking use of TI’s 2K DLPchip, is now being soldthrough NEC. That companyhas been looking to makeinroads into the world ofdigital cinema as a marketfor projection equipment as

well as the accompanying server and net-working technology, the kind of equipmentthat has been an NEC core competency.NEC’s top-of-the-line projectors—the iS8and iS15, designed for 8- and 15-foot widescreens, respectively—could be used forsmaller cinemas. NEC is also offering lower-end projectors and peripheral equipment totheater circuits to use for advertising in cine-mas that project features in 35mm.

Server technology has been a key com-

1.05VDY 1/12/05 1:16 PM Page 30

▼ production

lighting and situations withextreme contrast,” she says.“I had used this film in com-mercials [in 35mm format],so I knew highlights weren’tgoing to blossom. There wasjust a slight halation, whichgives the film kind of arounded feeling. I like theway it reproduces colors, andthe combination of speed

and low grain was ideal for adigital intermediate finishresulting in 35mm blowups.”

Kuras continues, “Wewere usually shooting atT2.8, which was wide openon the zoom. I lit interiorsthrough windows with a littlehelp from Chinese lanterns,practicals and a few smalllamps. The film held details inscenes where we had bothdeep shadows and brighthighlights, and sometimes Ipushed it a stop withoutobjectionable grain.”

The exposed negative wasshipped to Deluxe Labs inToronto, which provided DVDdailies. Kuras knew that shewanted to do the DI at EFILMin Los Angeles based on herpositive experiences on bothPersonal Velocity and EternalSunshine of the Spotless Mind.The facility also has an alliancewith Deluxe, which did thefront-end lab work and wasslated to make the releaseprint for Sundance.

“I didn’t really change thebasic look [in DI],” she says.“We shot The Ballad of Jackand Rose in continuity, oftenwith two cameras. The digi-tal intermediate processenabled me to shape thelight for continuity.”

30 videography www.videography.com January 2005

ponent of NEC’s growth over the years, and thecompany is working on new efficiencies in thatarena for in-theater use. Any company that wantsto conform to DCI standards has to make surethat its projector and peripheral technology iscompatible with every other company’s, says KurtSchwenk, director of media solutions for NECSolutions, America. NEC understands the impor-tance of standards and interoperability and isworking on servers that will cooperate with com-petitor’s projectors.

Still, it can’t hurt to be able to offer the fullcomplement of digital cinema products and serv-ices to the exhibition industry. “We have 3,000server technicians in the U.S.,” Schwenk explains.“That’s a bigger deal than it sounds. Our nextclosest competitor has 65 technicians across theUnited States. We’re leveraging all the NEC sup-port and services for digital cinema, and that’ssomething the other companies can’t say.”

Barco has also been out front in its use of DLPCinema technology in its projectors and has beeninstalling Barco’s D-Cine Premiere DP100 2Kunits in postproduction facilities in need of theatri-cal-grade digital projection for digital intermediate

creation. AtShowEast 2004 in lateOctober, Barco executives finalized anagreement to build projectors for European manu-facturer Cinemeccanica (Milan, Italy). The agree-ment marks Cinemeccanica’s entry into the digitalcinema market following a long history as aprovider of 35mm film projectors. TheCinemeccanica CMC D2 Digital Projector, expectedto be available in January 2005, will be co-brandedwith Barco.

Sony has announced but not yet shipped itsSRX-R105 50,000, a high-end cinema projectorbased on LCOS imaging technology. The advantageof Sony’s LCOS over Texas Instruments’ top-of-the-line DLP imager, says Andrew Stucker, Sony’s gener-al manager of digital projection systems, is that itcan deliver 4K resolution images.

“All due respect to Texas Instruments and DLP,”he says, “but our engineers determined that thistechnology is the most cost-effective method toachieve 4K, which was our goal [for entering intothe digital cinema projection business]. We are notsacrificing any image quality to deliver the 4Kimage, either. We can’t afford to. DCI is very specif-ic, and our projector will meet or exceed all of itsrequirements.

“We developed our new projector according toDCI recommendations and by working closely withstudios and theater chains,” he adds, noting that hecan name neither the studios nor the theater chainsat the moment. Sony’s projector, he adds, will befully compatible with components from other man-ufacturers, as per DCI’s specs. “Our projector is stillin prototype right now, but it will be a finished prod-uct in February. At that point it will be available fortheaters, post houses, screening rooms, conventionsand other large venues.”

Stucker believes that 4K is the only way to go ifdigital cinema is to take off, and this, he adds, givesSony’s projectors a leg up over projection equip-ment based on 2K DLP technology. “The goal,” hesays about digital cinema, “was to match or exceedwhat could be done with 35mm projectors, andthat’s why we’re entering this business at 4K. Theindustry will decide whether or not 2K is goodenough.

“I don’t want to sound cute,” he concludes,“but we sell a 2K projector for the home market,and it looks terrific in the home. We believe theaterswant 4K resolution to distinguish their quality fromwhat you can get in the home.” ▼

ADVANCES in Other Markets Digital projection for home theaters and industrialuses continues to improve. Panasonic is using DLPtechnology for its new projector that offers WXGAresolution in a native 720p format. Designed forconference rooms and home theater enthusiasts,the projector includes Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris fea-ture, which factors in the contrast of a scene and

automatically increases ordecreases light output to opti-mize contrast.

Canon’s Realis SX50Multimedia Projector is a com-pact LCOS projector withSXGA+ resolution. Canon

boasts that its AISYS (Aspectual Illumination System)technology helps this projector deliver exceptionallyhigh brightness and high contrast for a unit weighing 8.6 lb.

http://www.uemedia.net/cgi-bin/clickcount.pl?url=http://www.auroraawards.com

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:24 PM Page 32

▼ production

Missing Mic ClipsTo misquote an old adage, “There are two types ofpeople who use lavaliere microphones on a regu-lar basis: those who have lost the clip and thosewho will.” It’s only a matter of time until we all jointhe latter group.

Fortunately, Mark Suszko of Trans-LightTeleprompting in Springfield, Ill., has discoveredthat Radio Shack has replacement lav mic clipscleverly disguised as retention clips for cordlessphone headsets. Mark says to look in the phoneaccessories section for clips that will fit variouswire sizes.

Friendly Flip ChartFlip charts, found in many of our shooting venues,can be turned into multipurpose gadgets. JohnNulsen of Manchester, Mo., uses them as an emer-gency bounce surface. Just set it up next to yoursubject, bounce a light off the white paper and

you have an instant soft light. I carry a single, folded sheet of white flip chart

paper in my kit. It’s used for white balancing thecamera when the subject’s position is too far awayfor a conventional chart. Flip chart paper can alsobe spread on a dark colored table or lectern top tobounce some available light into your subject’sface. You can even jot some prompt notes on itand tape it to a light stand or wall.

Microphone Roll OffThe roll off problems San Francisco audio techni-cian Tom Adams was having with his handheldwireless microphones had nothing to do with fre-quency response. The mics were literally rolling offthe backstage setup table. The problem was solvedby taping used batteries to the table as guards.

It’s an old adage that pre-show planning is thebest way to avoid panic and mistakes during theperformance, so the table has been divided intolabeled squares to keep track of the multiplemicrophone setups. If a mic must be moved fromperson to person, it’s also a good idea to write therecipient’s name in the square.

But Which Mic Is It?Audio confusion can reign when several handheldmicrophones are being used during a group dis-cussion or to pick up questions from an audience.You’ll make it easier for the operator to see which

CinevativeProduces AidaCommercialDirector Mark Ciglar andCinematographer ChrisTelford of CinevativeProductions created a CGIcommercial for Elton Johnand Tim Rice’s touring pro-duction of Aida in theUnited States. The commer-cial, produced by CarrieDobro of Cinevative, mapsperformers to pyramids andother ancient Egyptianarchitecture to reflect thelove triangle that is centralto the show.

For the project, theCinevative team shot 12actors and dancers on BetaSP against greenscreen. Theyused Adobe After Effects tocomposite the footage withsets built in Maxon’s Cinema4D. Elements were also cre-ated in Adobe Photoshopand Illustrator. Using TheOrphanage’s Magic BulletSuite, Cinevative added a“film-like” look to the com-mercial.

All postproduction wascompleted at Cinevative’sfacilities using two MacintoshG4s with Blackmagic Design’sDeckLink Pro cards.

Tips to Clip

32 videography www.videography.com January 2005

➤➤Share your ideasSend your ideas and questions to:Dick Reizner, Reizner & Reizner Film & Video7179 Via Maria, San Jose, CA 95139Or e-mail to: Tips@Reizner.comAll submissions become the property of Reizner & Reizner. None can be returned.

1.05VDY 1/10/05 4:03 PM Page 33

mic to make hot if you put color-coded popscreens or tape on each microphone andmatch them with colored tape on the audioboard.

I recently worked a large show where thequestion mic runners were given numberedpaddles. When the speaker was ready to takea question, he could call on “Microphonenumber two” rather than just saying, “Wehave a question up there in the back.”

Black Out TheftsThieves normally can’t steal what they can’tsee. That is why Andrew Jones of Manteca,Calif., covers the equipment in the back ofhis production van with a black cloth.Looking in through the tinted windows, itappears that the van is empty. The ideaworks equally well for station wagons.

The large piece of black cloth can alsoserve many purposes during the shoot.

Filler PhotosWe frequently supply single camera, largescreen support for meetings. The timebetween speakers used to be deadly until Istarted using my digital still camera as a sortof still store to give myself something to puton the screen during the gaps. First I photo-graph the company or meeting logo from asign, program or piece of stationary. Then,with the camera in “view” mode, I exportthe image through the camera’s video portto the projector.

My camera has a battery saver functionthat shuts it down after four minutes of inac-tion and cannot be defeated even if the unitis operating on the AC power supply. To getaround this problem, I make sure the logo isthe only picture stored in the camera, thenperiodically press the “next picture” button.Nothing happens, but it fools the camerainto not going to sleep.

What’s Your Idea?Now it’s your turn to share your favoriteshooting or production tips and questions.Just drop me a letter or e-mail. We love closeup pictures, but they are not necessary. ▼

videography 33

by Dick Reizner

➤Dick Reizner is a freelancecameraman, consultant, andCertified Legal VideoSpecialist with more than 38years experience in both filmand video. His work has wonan Emmy, an ITVA Award ofExcellence, a CINE Golden

Eagle and many other awards.

Get your FREE DVD on the XDCAM system at www.sony.com/XDCAM© 2005 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, i.LINK,Like No Other, Professional Disc, and XDCAM are trademarks of Sony. *i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a product contains an IEEE 1394 connector. All products with an i.LINKconnector may not communicate with each other. Please confirm interoperability with third party manufacturers. For more information, contact Sony at 1-800-686-7669.

As the industry leaders migrate to tapeless, they’re utilizing Sony’s XDCAM™ Professional Disc™ system. After all,

Professional Disc media is the only nonlinear media you can afford to use in acquisition, postproduction,

program exchange and archiving. The XDCAM system also has proven interoperability with all the popular

NLEs and servers, plus proven appeal with over 3,500 XDCAM products already delivered worldwide.

And now Sony offers the new 24PsF progressive scan option card, plus we will soon deliver the PDW-D1

XDCAM drive, which plugs directly into your compatible PC via the i.LINK® interface.

So make the move to the XDCAM Professional Disc system.

And find yourself in very good company.

XDCAMThe

System:

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CompanyVery Goodin

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:25 PM Page 36

Matt Hurwitz

Deep beneath the sea, a ghostly-whitegiant octopus clings to the sphericalglobe of a submarine carrying scien-tists. A huge, majestic jellyfish-like

creature swims past. Thousands of tiny shrimp,surviving inexplicably around thermal vents hotenough to melt the submarine itself, play in thebackground. Indeed, these are creatures onemight expect to see in a James Cameron film,except this is reality—at thousands of feetbelow the surface of the ocean.

“It’s not a location—it’s a world,” saysDirector of Photography Vince Pace of the sitesvisited in Cameron’s new 3D IMAX film, Aliensof the Deep (Buena Vista). The movie takesaudiences to thermal vents beneath theAtlantic and Pacific oceans, where the oddestand most rarely seen animals thrive. Sea crea-tures here have no skin pigmentation becauseno light ever penetrates these depths.

For both Aliens of the Deep and Cameron’sprevious IMAX film, Ghosts of the Abyss, the

director captured images of the underwaterworld in 3D with custom-built HD cameras. HisReality Camera System (RCS-1) was designed ina joint venture with Pace using pairs of special-ly modified Sony HDW-F950 CineAlta cameras.

The idea for Aliens of the Deep came aboutwhile Cameron and Pace were filming anotherproject in May 2002, Expedition Bismarck forThe Discovery Channel. (Though Bismarck pre-miered before Ghosts, Bismarck was actuallyfilmed after that project.) The team wasaccompanying a Russian crew that, afterexploring the Bismarck wreck, was to make fur-ther visits to the mid-Atlantic ridge, after drop-ping off Cameron’s gang. “We were supposedto all get off in the Azores, but I asked Vinceand one of our engineers, Ronnie Alum, to stayon board for a month at one of these sites,”the director says. Adds Pace, “When Jim askedif I’d like to shoot the thermal vents, I said,‘Man, now there’s a 3D subject for you.’”

The pair made four or five dives and cap-tured about 11 minutes of spectacular footage

using the 3D RCS-1 camera system. “Eventhough Bismarck was a 2D show, we shot theunderwater sequences in 3D,” Pace explains.On Ghosts of the Abyss, the camera’s lensesand optical blocks were set in a specially builtwaterproof housing (designed by Cameron’sbrother, Mike) attached to the exterior of theRussian Mir submersible; the system used ahigh-pressure penetrator to connect to theprocessor and recorder in the sub’s interior. ForAliens, the new RCS-1 system placed eachprocessor in a separate high-pressure housingon the exterior of the sub.

As mentioned, the camera system is basedon a pair of modified Sony F950 HD cameras,which capture information at 4:2:2 HDCAM.There are two adjustable parameters for 3Dcinematography: convergence angle (the anglebetween the axes of the two lenses) and inte-rocular distance (the lateral distance betweenthe two lens axes). “Sony made us a repack-aged optical block, which was shaved down toallow the narrow interocular required for good

▼ production

36 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Shooting HD in 3D

Experimentson the

Production of

Aliens of the Deep

http://www.uemedia.net/cgi-bin/clickcount.pl?url=http://www.digitaljuice.com

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:26 PM Page 38

3D,” explains Pace. On RCS-1, the interoculardistance is fixed at 2.5 inches, the distancebetween the average pair of human eyes.

While on Ghosts, the system utilized a spe-cially designed matched pair of PanavisionPrimo Digital 7mm lenses, Cameron went witha different lens system for Aliens. “We wantedmacro capability. We wanted to be able tozoom in on interesting animals,” he says. “Weasked Canon, Angenieux and Fujinon to buildspecial lenses for us that could use that narrowinterocular distance, because off-the-shelf lens-es wouldn’t work,” explains Pace. Ultimately, itwas Fujinon that provided pairs of 5.5mm-55mm, 10:1 zoom lenses, specially designed toallow for the close interocular requirement.Pace then developed a synchronized zoom,focus and iris control, which adjusts the lenssettings using the lenses’ individual controls

together, as opposed to a master/slave system,notes Pace.

The team began using the new lens systemon the Bismarck expedition, but they sooncame upon a peculiarity that required addition-al fine-tuning. “The problem is that these cam-eras are placed in the underwater housing,shooting through a dome optical port made of3.5-inch optical acrylic,” explains Cameron.“That’s the kind of stuff that drives cinematog-raphers crazy. It’s like a big fat plastic lens, whichtends to introduce issues of chromatic aberra-tion at the edges of the field, barrel distortionand spherical distortion. The reason is that youdon’t have a single lens aimed through the cen-ter axis of the dome—each lens is aimed slight-ly to the left or right of center.”

The solution lay in a special diopter con-ceived by Cameron and Pace (prototyped atPace Technologies) that was placed betweenthe lenses and the dome port. “We actually dis-

covered that issue in 2001, and Vince spent sixmonths developing this adaptive optic,” saysCameron. “We then found that the prime lenssolution didn’t work with macro and zoomlenses, so the diopter had to be re-created, re-ground to integrate the Fujinon lenses.” Thefinished diopter was shipped to the team at theAzores, after the Bismarck mission, and incor-porated into the camera system. It was testedin the plunge pool aboard the Russian ship. “It’swhere their crew relaxes—it’s 40 degrees! It’svery hearty and Russian.”

About a year later, Cameron picked up thereins again on the project, deciding to return tothe Atlantic Ocean sites as well as additionalsites in the Pacific. “He said, ‘We’re shaping ashow around this footage we shot. Do youwant to head out there and do this right?’”recalls Pace. “We revisited all of the same sites.

Jim could have cut the production cost in halfby assuming the viewer wouldn’t know the dif-ference, but he wanted to be thorough.”

Besides his camera crew (co-directed byCinematographer Steve Quale, who hadworked with Cameron on second unit onTitanic), Cameron invited members of the sci-entific community to join the expedition.“Usually it’s the film crew that’s tagging alongon a scientific expedition,” notes the director.“This time, we set up the trip and invited mem-bers of the National Science Foundation andU.C. Santa Barbara, as well as astrobiologistsfrom the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and theJohnson Space Center to join us. That was real-ly the heart and soul of the expedition.”

For the new expeditions, Cameron returnedwith a pair of Russian Mir subs, which coulddive to a depth of 6,000 meters, as well as apair of acrylic-domed “rovers.” Those rovers,while smaller—accommodating a crew of just

two and capable of dives only as deep as 1,000meters—allowed a maneuverability not possi-ble with the large Mir submersibles. “The Mirsare so massive and sluggish in their move-ment,” says Pace. “The rover is very quick andarticulate, and it can fly anywhere it wants. Therover also offers a tremendous field of view.”The Mir, because of its higher pressure depthrating, has only a seven-inch window (four-inchwindow for the passengers and camera, and aseven-inch window for the pilot).

Five RCS-1 camera systems were broughton the mission, though the usual dive setup,with two Mirs and two rovers, called for onecamera system mounted on each. (For divesdeeper than 1,000 meters, of course, only apair of Mirs was used.) “One of the pair, con-taining a pilot and one of the scientists, wouldact as a ‘picture ship,’ while the other, with apilot and Jim or myself operating the camera,would be the ‘camera ship.’” The systemenabled Cameron to capture reactions by thescientists within their ship or film the ship inter-acting with the underwater environment.

The cameras, as mentioned, were placedinside housings built to withstand the highwater pressure. “Our housings are designed for6,000 meters, which has an ambient pressureof around 8,000 psi, or about four tons persquare inch,” says Cameron. Pace explains,“The reason they’re designed for that depth isthat there’s a real chance of the housingsimploding, and the force of that implosioncould compromise the submersible it’s attachedto. So we treat the package that’s holding thecamera as if it were holding a human life.”

Mike Cameron and Ron Allum designed aspecialized pan/tilt system to operate the cam-eras. “Deep ocean pan-and-tilt systems don’treally exist,” says Cameron. “They have onesfor scientific photography, but they’re incrediblyjerky. They have no ramping, no ability to deft-ly perform the move. They just kind of jerk fromposition to position. We decided to build a sys-tem that’s essentially an underwater motioncontrol system.” The pan/tilt system also inte-grated the lighting system, which comprisedabout 22 1,200 watt HMI instruments fromDeep Sea Power and Light.

“The camera pans and the light goes withit. One of the big problems with a camera pan-ning all over the place in a dark environment [islighting]. It required a whole second operator tokeep the light moving with it. The Mirs, thedeep rovers, didn’t have a seat available for thatsecond operator, so we made it an automatedsystem,” which was designed by Ron Alum.

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“The lighting to enable Jim to capture thefootage in a very cinematic style is a criticalthing here,” notes Pace. “Jim’s trying to chore-ograph both the sub position and the angle ofthe lighting, and I’m trying to fill light his frontalview or key light the scene, depending whichsub I am in.”

Additional photography was captured by aRemote Operated Vehicle (ROV), a small, robot-ic camera vehicle. A pair of the diminutiveROVs, dubbed “Jake” and Ellwood,” designedby Mike Cameron, were used on Ghosts of theAbyss to penetrate wreckage inaccessible tolarger submersibles; only Jake came along forAliens, piloted by either of the Cameron broth-ers. “It sends a single NTSC signal [i.e., only sin-gle camera] back to the submersible through afiber optic line, where it’s recorded on aDVCAM recorder,” describes Pace.

In one scene in the film, Jake is envelopedby a school of deep ocean shrimp. “TheRussians were always bringing up scientificsamples of various sea life, and they brought upsome of those shrimp,” Pace recalls. “Theyactually cooked some of them up and asked ifI wanted to try one.” And how did they taste?“Like a mouthful of metal shavings.”

Though it was possible, in some instances,to capture the scientists at depth using camerason adjacent subs, some of the reaction shotshad to be re-created later in the studio. “Weactually placed two or three Toshiba three-chiplipstick cameras in each submersible to act aswitness cameras,” says Cameron. The lipstickcameras recorded to DVCAM decks inside thesubs. The resultant footage was not used in thefinished film; rather, it was used to show the sci-entists their live reactions during the filming ofthe re-creations in sub mock-ups at Panavision’sWoodland Hills stage or onboard a parked Mir.

“We took that lipstick camera footage, edit-ed it down and created a narrative spine. Then,when we’d re-create those moments with theactual scientists, we’d show them the video. Ina sense, it’s not really acting, like doing linesfrom a script; it’s just re-creating something theyalready did. Some people would say [that re-creation] crosses the line in a documentary, butIMAX films, historically, inhabit a strange area inthe documentary field.”

In addition to the 3D cinematography shotusing the Cameron/Pace camera system, thefilm contains some fine 3D stop-motion scenerythat was photographed under the supervisionof Co-Director Steve Quale. “We actually hadtwo camera systems for the stop-motion work,”Quale explains. “One system featured a pair of

Canon PowerShot S400 Digital ELPH still cam-eras—one of the cameras was mounted upsidedown to help us reduce the interocular distance.The shutters were hard wired together, allowingfor simultaneous release. The drawback to thatsystem was that the cameras don’t have manu-al exposure controls, so we had to put ridiculousamounts of ND filters in front of the lenses toallow the camera to shoot long exposures andget motion blur.” That system was used by LarryHerbst to shoot footage of New York City.

A second, more advanced digital stereocamera system that consisted of two NikonD100 cameras was used for much of theremainder of time-lapse footage. “Those cam-eras were so large that we had to use a custom-built beam-splitter rig,” Quale explains. A beamsplitter uses a half-silvered mirror to transmithalf of the light data through the mirror andreflect the other half to another camera. Thisprocess allows light to be sent to two differentcameras that may be too large to sit closetogether in the same 3D rig. “The Nikon rigallowed us total manual control, interchange-able lenses and the ability to shoot at a fasterframe rate of two seconds per frame.”

The underwater 3D footage was treated toone last step before the film was completed.“We found that the tremendous electronicfields that were generated by equipment in thesubmersibles introduced a great deal ofnoise in the images as they were beingrecorded,” says Pace. “We’d have a fan-tastic dive, with crystal clear images, andthen we’d find the footage was compro-mised with signal noise. It was like a grem-lin that wouldn’t go away.”

Cameron decided to allow Burbank-based Lowry Digital (see “Restoring the Star

Wars Trilogy,” Videography, September 2004)to attempt cleanup. “We sent them a fewshots with some interference and said, ‘Let’s seeif these guys can smooth that out,’” recallsCameron. “We were so impressed by theresults, we eventually had them process theentire movie. We did a complete, end-to-endtest, and filmed it out to IMAX. Their systemessentially doubled our resolution.” Adds Pace,“Their system was even able to tell the differ-ence between digital noise and heat shimmerfrom the underwater vents.”

Cameron and Pace intend to continue theirdigital 3D adventures with a new feature filmand a new camera system. Currently in devel-opment for Cameron’s Battle Angel, based onJapanese manga graphic novels, is the RCS-2camera system. Incorporating Sony HDW-F950CineAlta cameras with 4:4:4 resolution, the sys-tem will offer improvements such as adjustableinterocular distance, fiber optic recording andcontrol, and a shorter zoom lens system, againdesigned by Fujinon. The RCS-2 will also comein a beam-splitter version to enable both hyper-stereo and macro shots.

Cameron adds, “Filmmaking is not aboutfilm, it’s not about sprockets. It’s about ideas, it’sabout images, it’s about imagination We’re innew territory, but I like new territory. New terri-tory is the most fun place to be.” ▼

40 videography www.videography.com January 2005

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➤Matt Hurwitz is a frequent con-tributor to Videography. He alsowrites for other production andentertainment publications, includ-ing DGA magazine, ICG magazine,Emmy, American Cinematographer,

The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

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An Tran

As lead singer for the band No Doubt, GwenStefani has already made a name for her-self as a pop music icon. When the singerdecided to release a solo album, Love.

Angel. Music. Baby., she chose Director FrancisLawrence for the video of her first single, “WhatYou Waiting For?” Inspired by lyrics describing theurgency of time, Lawrence fashioned a video filledwith Alice in Wonderland imagery. He enlistedDirector of Photography Jeff Cutter, a frequent col-laborator.

“We wanted to create two distinct worlds,”explains Cutter. “One is the ‘real’ world, whereGwen sits in the studio trying to write her song. Itlooks very natural and vérité. We used lightingthat would be flattering for Gwen but also moti-vated and rooted in reality. The other world hap-pens once Gwen falls down the rabbit hole. It hasa fashion photography vibe that is hyper-real andstylized.”

For the spectacular exterior fantasy sequencesshot on location at a Pasadena estate, Cutterdevised a special look for the lighting. Large silkswere used to take the sunlight off the artist whileshe was illuminated with HMIs. He says, “We wereshooting in full sunlight, but we wanted to have asource on Gwen that was as bright as the sun, inessence. The effect was quite surreal because Gwenwas at the same exposure as the background andwe used a very soft, side-lit source. There weretimes where we’d be looking at a setup through thelens and it looked like it was on a stage, eventhough we were outside. It didn’t look quite nor-mal, but that was what we were going for.”

Like the character in the Lewis Carroll story,Stefani grows dramatically in size. These visualswere created through a combination of props, in-camera effects and greenscreen work. For one shot,a miniature house was built that could fit Stefani’shead and body inside, while her limbs stuck out.Cutter had to find a way to throw light onto herface, which was tightly framed behind a window.“We put Kino Micro-Flos on the inside of thehouse,” he notes. “One light was positioned rightabove and the other one was right below the win-dow that Gwen was looking through.”

In a scene in which Stefani sits inside a crampedglass dome, the crew shot the singer against agreenscreen and later placed a CG dome aroundher. In terms of lighting, large silks were placedabove, to the sides and in front of the artist. “It waslike she was sitting on a white surface in a cube—with the exception of the back wall, which wasgreenscreen,” Cutter says. “We bounced 18Ks intothe silks, creating a giant, wrappy source. SinceGwen is supposed to be inside this dome, there’s nodirection to the light—it’s very soft, flat and ambi-ent. You can’t really tell where the light is comingfrom, and I like that.”

Cutter credits Lawrence with providing him theingredients required to shoot a successful video.“Francis understands what makes good pictures,”he says, “and he gives you the tools and the meansto do your work.” ▼

Bexel Stocks Up for Reality TV ProductionVideo rental equipmenthouse Bexel, based in Bur-bank, purchased 60 Canonlenses for use in reality TVproduction. The lenses arecurrently being used onshows including Survivor andThe Apprentice (pictured).

“Reality shows are largeproductions,” Tom Dickinson,managing director of Bexel,explains. “We basically needabout 40 cameras on anygiven day just to handle theseshows, in addition to our nor-mal business. And each cam-era needs two lenses.”

Dickinson notes, “Canonlenses have become the stan-dard among reality produc-ers, especially the 11-by-4.5[J11ex4.5B] wide angle. Wideangles are used most of thetime for indoor shooting insmall, confined areas, butreality shows also need the22-by [J22ex7.6B] when theygo out on the street to shootexteriors. The advantage tohaving two lenses is that thecameraperson can just swaplenses whenever they want,depending on what theyneed to shoot.”

Through the Camera Glass

➤ An Tran is a frequent contributor to Videography, aswell as the editor of www.cine-matographer.com

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Elina Shatkin

Editor Jay Lash Cassidy has cut all of SeanPenn’s directorial efforts—1991’s The IndianRunner, 1995’s The Crossing Guard, 2001’sThe Pledge and, most recently, the American

segment of the omnibus film 11’09”01 - September11—but it wasn’t until The Assassination of RichardNixon that he got to edit a film starring the actor.Based on a true story, the film is set in 1974 and starsPenn as Samuel Bicke, a disaffected office furnituresalesman who attempts to hijack a plane and crash itinto the White House.

With a plot like that, it’s not surprising the projecttook six years to complete. Funding for TheAssassination of Richard Nixon fell apart several times;the film was eventually financed with the help of somehigh-powered Hollywood names such as LeonardoDiCaprio, Alexander Payne and Alfonso Cuarón, all ofwhom are credited as executive producers.

The film was directed by first-timer NielsMueller, who met Cassidy while he was editingPenn’s 9/11 short. After financing was secured,Nixon began shooting in the California Bay Area inMay 2003, though Cassidy kept the editing room

in Los Angeles, down the block from LaserPacific,where the telecine was done.

Cassidy began cutting in Avid Meridien on aApple dual-processor G4; the G4’s operating systemwas upgraded to OS X approximately a month intoproduction. Immediately after the upgrade, Cassidynoticed several improvements. Cassidy and his editingteam switched to Avid Xpress Pro a month or twointo postproduction because of the file portability itallowed. “With Xpress Pro, we could take our 24frame project from the Meridien, copy the project andthe files to Xpress Pro, play back the same files thatwe were using on the big system and pass sequencesback and forth,” says Cassidy.

This process was especially helpful considering theworking style Cassidy has developed with Penn overthe years. “Sean has always been of the school thatyou bring in the key collaborators and let them dotheir version. Then Sean comes back and sees it andtakes what he wants from it. We did this with JackNicholson on The Crossing Guard and The Pledge.Being a director as well as an actor, Jack had a veryinteresting perspective. For Nixon, I brought the ideaup with Niels, and I’m sure Sean did separately.”

In the Cutting Room:

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

Post Gets Closerwith Avid UnityLANshare EXPostproduction on DirectorMike Nichols’ new feature,Closer, was completed usingAvid’s Unity LANshare EX sys-tem. Orbit Digital in NewYork and Los Angeles creatednetworked environmentswith multiple Media Com-poser and Film Composer sys-tems for Closer, transportingmobile editorial solutionsbetween locations.

Paul Levin, the film’s postsupervisor, explains, “Sharingmedia lets our editorial teamsload new footage, prepfootage for dailies screenings,edit with the director, createtitles or effects, and output

versions of the film to tapeusing multiple Film Composerworkstations simultaneously.The media assets are at thefingertips of everyone on ourpostproduction team.”

Adds Pete Conlin, a part-ner at Orbit Digital, “As filmproductions spread outacross the globe and morepeople contribute to thecreative process, portablestorage and workgroupsolutions are playing anincreasingly important rolein postproduction.”

44 videography www.videography.com January 2005

editingediting

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There was a point when Cassidy andMueller had a cut of the movie and wanted toshow it to Penn, who lives in NorthernCalifornia. The two of them jumped on a planewith the entire movie on a G4 laptop and twoFireWire drives (a 200GB and a 120GB). Whenthey got to the Bay Area, they worked withPenn, making changes to the cut in AvidXpress Pro. “We did that locally on other occa-sions, too,” says Cassidy, “like when we got tothe dubbing stage.”

The assembly of The Assassination ofRichard Nixon was completed a week or twoafter shooting and postproduction paused fortwo weeks while additional shooting tookplace in Omaha. After 10 weeks of workingwith Mueller, Cassidy had completed a cutand postproduction went on a brief hiatus forthe winter holiday season. They picked upagain at the beginning of 2004 and workedthrough the end of February, premiering thefilm in May at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon wasshot on 3-perf 35mm in an aspect ratio of1.85, a format Cassidy and Director ofPhotography Emmanuel Lubezki both advo-cated. With 3-perf 35mm, the image

invades the soundtrack area of the negative,so it’s larger than a 1.85 image in 4-perf.What made this procedure possible was thedigital intermediate process, which wasdone at EFILM.

“The scanner doesn’t care if it’s 3-perf or4-perf,” says Cassidy. “Television’s done thisfor years. Some films, too.” One advantage of3-perf is that it allows longer runs in the filmmagazine, which actors generally appreciatebecause it allows the production team to doresets without stopping the camera. They keptthe camera running quite a bit on Nixon, andPenn encouraged it for his own process.

One benefit of the digital intermediateprocess was that Cassidy had an excellenttelecine of the dailies, so the image on hisAvid was, in his own words, “breathtaking.”The quality was good enough that theywere able to output straight from the Avidfor small screenings.

The 3-perf process came with some addi-tional challenges, however, and requiredthat the negative cutter take extra care dur-ing the negative cutting stage. Because 3-perf 35mm uses so much real estate on thefilm itself, if you cut the negative exactly to

the frame, you can get registration bumpswhen the film goes through the scanner.These little pulls and distortions occur some-times because the splice pulls the imagewhile it’s in the gate of the scanner.Anamorphic and 3-perf films are especiallysusceptible to these distortions, though it’s aproblem that affects 4-perf film as well.

Working with Kevin Dillon at EFILM, theproduction team devised a workaround. Thenegative was cut into rolls with 8-frame han-dles around each cut. In the assembly, 16frames were thrown out with every splice.EFILM was pleased because it meant theywould have a cleaner scan in the end. One ofthe major tasks of a DI is dust-busting, anddust levels are usually higher close to a splicebecause the negative cutter has handled it. Abenefit of this workaround was that the han-dled section of negative did not have to bedust-busted. ▼

➤ Elina Shatkin is the editorof www.2-pop.com and a fre-quent contributor toVideography.

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Sapphire Plug-InsIlluminate “IBelieve in You”For Australian singer KylieMinogue’s new video, “IBelieve in You,” The Mill inLondon utilized GenArtsSapphire plug-ins for Discreetflame to manipulate lightingand glow effects. The videofeatures Minogue singing anddancing inside a sphericalneon cage. With each verse, anew light cage appears androtates around the singer.

“I made extensive use ofthe Sapphire Glow and Glinteffects to enhance the light ofeach bar on the cages andcreate this sexy, neon, fluores-cent look,” explains flameArtist Adam Grint. “We also

used the Glow effect to addradiance to the skin tones.While Glow was used verymuch to enhance the look ofa shot, Glint was more of adesign tool. On the cage, forinstance, I used the Glinteffect vertically to give moresheen, which helped fill theframe and give it more struc-ture.”

46 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Oliver Peters

Many an editorhas uttered thewords, “I’m aneditor, not a

compressionist!” The factof the matter is thattoday’s video productions are delivered in a widerange of media formats, from tapes to DVDs toWeb files. Any editor who doesn’t know how to runthe most basic compression and encoding tools isrisking obsolescence in the rapidly evolving postpro-duction marketplace. If nothing else, standard pro-cedure for many clients is to receive “review and ap-proval” copies of commercials and corporate videosas multimedia files, downloaded from the post facil-ity’s FTP site. For this reason alone, the basicmechanics of creating a small QuickTime orWindows Media fileshould be in the reper-toire of most editors.

Modern nonlinearedit systems or com-positing applications letyou export a version ofyour sequence or com-position in a variety of media formats, sizes, bit ratesand frame rates; however, these internal tools fre-quently don’t give you the best quality or the mostefficient workflow. You typically work with limitedpresets that don’t provide the ability to tweak yoursettings with more advanced parameters. That’s whenit’s time to move over to more specialized tools. Formany years those tools have consisted of AppleQuickTime Pro, Discreet cleaner and format-specificencoders such as those from Microsoft and Real. Butnow there’s a strong new player on the block:Sorenson Media.

Sorenson Squeeze 4 Compression SuiteSorenson Media started out as a company thatmade a great video codec for QuickTime. In fact,most of the QuickTime-based movie trailers on theWeb have been encoded with one of the Sorenson

codecs. The version ofthe codec that is includ-ed with QuickTime Prooffers basic encodingpresets, plus the abilityto control and adjust

more of the codec’s parameters if you purchase anadvanced upgrade from Sorenson. In recent years,Sorenson has branched out to develop othercodecs, such as for Flash, as well as to develop acomprehensive encoding suite for the whole rangeof media formats. The current version of Sorenson’ssuite is Squeeze 4, available for both Mac OS X andWindows 2000/XP. The two versions are slightly dif-ferent based on the different ways Microsoft andApple support certain formats.

A standard version of Squeeze has been bun-dled with some NLEs,such as Avid’s XpressPro. I’ve used this basicversion on a PC to com-press video from AdobePremiere Pro and AvidXpress Pro, but this timearound I used the

Squeeze 4 suite on a Mac. The first thing you’llnotice with an upgrade to Squeeze 4 is the moreprofessional user interface. Previous versions ofSqueeze sported a somewhat cartoonish interfacethat didn’t do the software justice.

Sorenson Squeeze 4 is designed to let you workwith individual media files or several at once in anefficient and streamlined batch process. Video canbe imported (drag-and-drop is supported) or cap-tured from a DV camera or VCR. The applicationalso supports watch folders. This means that if youhave a “job” set up, Squeeze will immediately startprocessing any file that is exported to the designat-ed watch folder. A job document allows you tospecify any number of target formats—completewith applied filters—to be created from the filesthat have been directly imported or sent to the

Sorenson Squeeze 4Compression Suite and

Telestream Flip4Mac

AdvancedCompressionTools

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watch folder from anotherapplication. For instance,your document could specifythat any incoming file beturned into a QuickTime,RealMedia and MPEG-4 file.Simply export the finalsequence from your favoriteapplication to the specifiedwatch folder and Squeezebegins compressing andencoding these three files.

Squeeze 4, which beganshipping in late August,incorporates high-definition encoding for avariety of video formats, including MPEG-1,MPEG-2, MPEG-4, QuickTime andRealMedia, as well as the Sorenson AVC Procodec (also known as H.264). The Windowsversion of the suite includes HD encodingoptions for Windows Media 9—WM9 sup-port becomes part of the Mac package, too,if you purchase Telestream’s Flip4Mac WMVExport Component, which is available now.Encoding and compression options inSqueeze 4 are highly configurable, allowing auser to create custom settings for nearly anymultimedia, NTSC, PAL, DVD and HD stan-

dard—the presets that come standard withSqueeze 4 are also quite comprehensive.

Hands-On EncodingI was curious to see how Sorenson Squeeze 4would work as an MPEG-2 encoder for creat-ing DVD files. I wanted to compare it to suchsolid applications as Apple’s Compressor orInnobits’ BitVice, since Squeeze uses thehighly regarded Main Concept compressionengine to create MPEG-2 files. My firstattempt seemed to be pretty dismal until I fig-ured out some non-standard software designissues with Squeeze. The cause of my prob-lems turned out to be the fact that the

default option in Squeeze isto “Auto Deinterlace” allinput video—which makessense for Web files but notDVDs. Sorenson Media isworking on a free point-release update with specialDVD filter settings in whichthe deinterlacing default isset to OFF; for now, though,you have to apply a filter anddisable Auto Deinterlacing.Another thing I’ve started todo is to apply a manual crop

(two on the top and four on the bottom)when going from uncompressed SD video(486 pixels) to MPEG-2 (480 pixels). Together,these settings—plus setting the proper fieldorder—gives me a crisp DVD-compliant filewithout any interlacing issues.

Be careful with video levels. SorensonSqueeze works in YUV video levels, not RGBvalues. With YUV (used in Avid systems), thevideo range from maximum black to maxi-mum white is set at 16-235. Final Cut Prouses RGB values, where the range is set to 0-255. But forget the numbers. What this dis-tinction means is that a sequence exported

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from Avid Xpress Pro on a Mac looks right afterSqueeze has applied MPEG-2 encoding. The samefile exported from Final Cut Pro will have more con-trast and might be clipped in the shadows or high-lights of the image. I found that applying a filter andsetting the contrast to -15 worked pretty well forFinal Cut Pro sequences. Sorenson is aware of thisdiscrepancy, of course, and has plans to address it. Ididn’t run into this issue with a PC, but, admittedly,my testing with Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid andVegas software has been limited in conjunction withSqueeze.

After I figured this all out, I found Squeeze 4 tomake some of the cleanest looking MPEG-2 files ofthe bunch. The encoding times are in the middle ofthe range. Even without applying extra noise reduc-tion, MPEG-2 files are free of a lot of the macroblock artifacts typical of many encoders. Motionholds up well, too. I also tried doing a SorensonAVC Pro file. The render is fine but, for right now,the standard media players can’t play it.

Another inviting format is RealMedia, with itsnew codecs. Real, once a staple of Web video, tendsto be overlooked these days because the bad repu-tation earned by its older video codecs, which some-times looked terrible. Real files encoded today, withthe newest codecs, look quite favorable comparedto other choices, such as MPEG-4. For some reason,though, Squeeze sometimes acts as if it is writing aReal file to the hard drive, but nothing’s there. Thisseems to be an intermittent Mac-only bug, oftenrelated to the use of external drives. Generally,Squeeze 4 worked well and produced high quality,cross-platform multimedia movies that played easilyin any of the free Real Player applications.Telestream Flip4Mac WMV Export ComponentSupport has been lacking if you need to encodeWindows Media files on a Mac. Discreet cleanersupported versions up to Windows Media codec 7,but nothing as current as you get for the PC.Telestream—best known for its FlipFactory andClipMail product lines and services—jumped intothe business of adding Windows Media export andimport capabilities to the Mac platform with a prod-uct called Flip4Mac. Released in early December2004, the Flip4Mac WMV Export Component appli-cation comes in a standard and professional/HD ver-sion and adds Windows Media Video codec 9export support to many QuickTime-based applica-tions. (A Flip4Mac Import Component should beavailable in Q1 2005.) After installation, QuickTimePro, Final Cut Pro, cleaner and other Mac applica-tions will show Windows Media as one of theoptions in the export dialog box. Upon choosingWindows Media as the export selection, click on“options” to select rates, sizes, constant or variablebit rate encoding and so forth. The standard version

gives you Windows Media 9 support with one-passconstant or variable bit rate encoding. The profes-sional version adds HD support, two-pass encoding,surround sound and higher audio sampling rates.

Working with Windows Media on a Mac is a bitof a mixed bag. Actual playback of higher bit rateWMV files still isn’t as smooth as it is on PCs. WMVHD files will play nicely on a fairly fast PC, yet they’llgrind to a halt on all but the fastest Macs. On theother hand, QuickTime DVCPRO HD files at a muchhigher bit rate will play well on a Mac. This differen-tial is an issue of how Microsoft and Apple decide tooptimize their players and shouldn’t detract fromusers’ peceptions of Flip4Mac’s powerful capabilities.

I tried out these new export capabilities in num-ber of applications and was really impressed. Incomparing files using WM7 (via cleaner’s built-incodec) and WM9 (via Flip4Mac WMV Export) atsimilar quality levels, the WM9 files were quite a bitsmaller in size. Selecting the WM9 Standard settingsgives you the best results. Encoding isn’t too slowand the quality is right. When I selected the WM9Advanced setting, the encoding was terribly slowand the resulting file wouldn’t play on my Mac. Ipresume this is due to the fact that Microsoft hasyet to release an updated player that supports thiscodec on the Mac.

The Sorenson Squeeze 4 Compression Suite givesany media specialist—regardless of his operating sys-tem—a new encoding toolset that is ready for thenewest standards, ranging from the Web to HD.Adding Telestream Flip4Mac is the icing on the cakefor the Mac professional who needs to includeadvanced Windows Media tools to the workshop. ▼

Inside FOX’s HouseWith a title like House, youmight be expecting anotherhome improvement show. Infact, it’s FOX’s new medicaldrama, and the title refers tothe show’s central character,Dr. Greg House, played byBritish actor Hugh Laurie.The show has a veteran staffof two assistants and editorsChristopher Nelson, BillJohnson and Sue Blainey.

Shot on 35mm, House iscut on an older version ofAvid (7.2, to be precise) dueto budgetary constraints. “Itslows us down in someways,” says Blainey, “but wetry to make up for it.”

The show has an eight-day shooting schedule; theeditor receives the final

dailies on the ninth day andthen has two days to puttogether an assembly thatcontains every scene thatwas shot and scripted. Theeditor works with the direc-tor for another four days towhittle down the time andfinesse the episode before itgoes to the producers, thestudio and, eventually, thenetwork. Because of thethree-editor rotation, Blaineyis working on episodes 2, 5,8 and 11.

Compared to some of theother shows she’s workedon—such as Boomtown, withits fractured storylines, con-stantly shifting point of viewand numerous jump cuts—House is a straightforwardaffair: a traditional, character-driven medical drama thatcalls for traditional editing.

48 videography www.videography.com January 2005

➤ Oliver Peters is an Orlando-based postproduction consultantspecializing in editing and interac-tive media. He may be reached atwww.oliverpeters.com.

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:51 PM Page 50

▼ editing

Oliver Peters

Since the birth of the 30-year-old CMX editdecision list standard, editors have wishedfor a better solution. EDLs were fine fortransferring timecode-based information

but not effects metadata. Nonlinear editing com-pounded this problem. An editor can move projectfiles between applications within one manufactur-er’s family of products, but the fall-back for getting from system A tosystem B has frequently been thesame old CMX EDL. Attempts toeliminate this bottleneck beganwith the introduction of Avid’s OMFformat (version 1.0 was published inNovember 1993). Other solutionsinclude the more ecumenicalAdvanced Authoring Format (AAF), which wasintroduced in March 1998. Both OMF and AAF arefile “wrapper” formats that can be used to movemetadata as well as actual media between systemsof the same or different manufacturers.

The problem with both AAF and OMF has beenand continues to be the amount of informationeach vendor may keep “dark.” Dark metadata, por-tions of the code that are allowed to stay propri-etary, provides a way for manufacturers to protecttheir intellectual assets while still participating in an

open standard for media and metadata exchange.Finding a Niche

A few years ago, when it still seemed pretty hopelessthat any of these systems would ever truly talk toeach other, Wes Plate, an experienced Avid editorwho regularly used Adobe After Effects for hisadvanced effects works, founded Automatic Duck.Partnering with his father, who also happens to be a

computer programmer, Plate decid-ed to tackle an issue that had eitherfallen below the radar or somehoweluded far larger companies. Using aname inspired by an 18th centurymechanical invention (in 1739, dur-ing an “automata” craze, Frenchengineer/inventor Jaques deVaucanson unveiled to great acclaim

a mechanical duck that could quack, swim and flapits wings), Automatic Duck has emerged as the lead-ing timeline translation company for the postproduc-tion industry. When trying to move information fromone system to another, you frequently hear themantra, “You’ve got to get the Duck.”

Plate’s goal was to create a solution that wouldprovide seamless translation of timeline informationbetween Avid NLEs and Adobe After Effects. Thisproblem had not yet been addressed—R&D amongNLE developers had to that point been spent devel-

Chace Audio Mixes DIG!Culled from 1,500 hours offootage, Director OndiTimoner’s documentary DIG!charts the rock-and-roll roller-coaster between fame andobscurity by focusing on TheBrian Jonestown Massacreand their musical rivals, TheDandy Warhols. For the film’stheatrical release last month,Chace Audio delivered a 5.1multichannel digital mix thatshows the style of eachband’s music.

Elements were brought tothe facility as OMF (OpenMedia Framework) audio filesderived directly from theAvid-edited version of thefilm. Most of the audio fileswere already in stereo,although a portion was alsodelivered in mono.

“The most challengingthing about preparing theaudio elements for a 5.1 mixwas the diverse way in whichthis content was recorded,”explains Denise Eckstrom,assistant general manager forChace Audio.

Restoration and MasteringEngineer Noa Lazerus usedCube-Tec’s AudioCube 5 (AC-5) audio workstation to cleanup portions of the soundtrackthat were muffled or inaudibleand to re-master the entiremusical film soundtrack. TheAC-5 system uses software-based Virtual PrecisionInstruments (VPI) that can belayered or cascaded to allowfor multiple processing pass-es as a single real-timeprocess.

Advances in

Timeline Integration

AutomaticDuck

Pro ImportAE 3.0

50 videography www.videography.com January 2005

1.05VDY 1/10/05 4:10 PM Page 51

oping interfaces between different NLEs, noton providing connectivity between NLEs andother software applications, such as effectscompositors. Since Avid’s OMF architectureincluded a provision to store information aboutclips, timecode, timeline track position, speedchanges and effects—and since OMF wasmore or less on open standard with a develop-er’s toolkit available—Plate and the AutomaticDuck team were able to write an application totranslate OMF files into After Effects composi-tions. Thus, Pro Import AE was born andAutomatic Duck took flight.

Pro Import AE: The Start of it AllIn its original form, Pro Import AE was quiteimpressive. For instance, if your Avid mediawas available to the computer running AfterEffects, then OMFs could be exported as com-position-only files (without embedding theactual media). Pro Import AE also translatedlinked Avid media into media that wouldappear on the After Effects timeline withoutthe need for time-consuming renders orexports just to change the media from one fileformat into another. The beauty of this ProImport AE process is that all the original mediastill existed, including the extra handles notvisible on the timeline, so the After Effects

designer could still trim or slip clips as needed. Since Avid effects information was never

fully implemented in the OMF format, anyeffects applied by the editor did not necessari-ly translate directly in the After Effects compo-sition; however, Automatic Duck generallyapplied the closest approximation to the cor-rect effect with a default value. For example, ifyou applied a 2D scaling move on the MediaComposer timeline, the imported clip wouldshow up in After Effects with a scale applied,but at a default size of 50 percent. From what

I witnessed, the original versions of Pro ImportAE seemed to exhibit a far better translation ofOMF than Avid had done internally whenusing this same approach to move files intotheir own compositor of that time, the AvidMedia Illusion. In fairness to Avid, currenttranslation between Media Composers andAvid DS has been greatly improved.

Fast-forward a few years and AutomaticDuck has blossomed into a whole family oftranslation products. Part of this growth hasbeen fueled by the Final Cut Pro phenome-non, as well as Apple’s use of the XML formatfor file exchange. For now, XML is a far moreopen, rich and pliable standard for metadatatranslation than the current iterations of AAF.If you start in an XML-based NLE, such asApple’s Final Cut Pro, it is a lot easier to moveinformation into other applications. Usingeither OMF, AAF or XML translations,Automatic Duck now offers products that letyou share data in various directions amongApple Final Cut Pro, Avid editors, AdobePremiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Boris Red,Discreet combustion, Apple Motion andQuantel products. Some Automatic Duckproducts specialize in moving edit databetween NLEs, while others offer timeline

January 2005 www.videography.com videography 51

1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:52 PM Page 52

translation from one or two NLEsinto a specific compositing applica-tion. Different products are tailoredfor specific translation solutions. Ofcourse, the various Automatic Duckproducts are cross-platform, thoughMac and Windows versions haveslightly different features in somecases.

The Next GenerationRecently, Automatic Duckannounced Pro Import AE 3.0, thenext generation of its original trans-lation product. I had the opportunityto use a beta version of Pro ImportAE 3.0 on my PowerBook G4 run-ning Mac OS X (10.3.6 “Panther”),where I tested its abilities using AvidXpress Pro 4.6, Apple Final Cut ProHD, Apple Motion 1.0 and AdobeAfter Effects 6.5. During installation,Pro Import AE adds the “AutomaticDuck XML Export” selection to FinalCut’s file export options. With Avid,you simply export an OMF 2.0 file, sono additional export options areadded. In the case of Motion, nospecial export is required either, sinceAutomatic Duck can natively readMotion project files. Simply makesure you save the Motion project.

Last month I reviewed Motion,the newest Apple pro application and asuperb motion graphics creation tooldesigned to be easy to learn and operate. Yet,as with any application, editors and designersmay still feel the need to go beyond its rich setof effects, so compositors such as AfterEffects, Boris Red and Discreet combustion willcontinue to find frequent use. AutomaticDuck makes it possible to do a lot of thedesign in Motion and then move to one of theother applications if the project dictates theiradditional features. Some strengths of Motionare its real-time design engine and Behaviors,its powerful physics simulation feature.Behaviors don’t have keyframes, so they areuseful only within Motion. In order to workwith a Behavior in After Effects, an editorshould apply the “convert to keyframes”function from the Motion object menu beforesaving the project and moving into AfterEffects.

Another cool Motion feature is particlegeneration. Any object can be turned into aparticle emitter, but only within Motion. Ifyou intend to use one of these particle emit-

ters, the layer will need to be rendered outwith an alpha channel for use inside AfterEffects. Automatic Duck’s user guide does agood job of explaining these functions foranyone new to the process.

If you are moving from an Avid timelineinto After Effects using Pro Import AE 3.0,there are some important things to remem-ber. Media must be captured in Avid’s OMFformat, not the MXF format available on thenewer units. Avid’s OMF file format containsno pixel aspect ratio flags to differentiate 16:9SD video from regular 4:3, since both use thesame frame size. Again, Automatic Duck’suser guide explains this and offers aworkaround so that the After Effects compo-sition opens in the correct aspect ratio. UsingApple’s sample DVCPRO HD (720p/24fps)media clips, I found that the most seamlesstranslation between apps came from anexport from Final Cut to After Effects,because of the proper interpretation offrame rate and pixel aspect ratio. Granted,that’s a bit of a worst-case scenario. Mosteditors will hardly need to touch the settings

if they are working with good old4:3 NTSC or PAL media.

New FeaturesPro Import AE 3.0 supports drag-and-drop functionality. After youexport or save your file, simply dragthat file into After Effects’ projectwindow; Automatic Duck will kickin immediately to handle importand conversion. If you exportedwith the media linked and are onthe same computer, After Effectswill be able to read the media filesdirectly, as long as you don’t inad-vertently delete the NLE’s associat-ed media files. On the other hand,if you exported with the mediaembedded, then that file will beself-contained. This also makes itpossible to move an Avid sequenceas an OMF 2.0 file onto a differentgraphics workstation and be ableto read the proprietary mediafiles, even if Avid software isn’tinstalled on that computer. Plus, iteven works across platforms—allcourtesy of Automatic Duck.

Since there are still no univer-sal and totally open protocolsamong manufacturers for effectsdata, the specific effects transla-tion supported by Automatic

Duck will vary depending on the applicationyou are using. Fortunately, the documenta-tion offers a good guide as to which effectsare supported and to what extent. With 3.0,third-party plug-ins are also supported as partof the translated file. If you are using an AfterEffects-compatible plug-in inside Final CutPro or Motion, the effects data will be trans-lated correctly. Again, consult the user guidefor a list and www.automaticduck.com forupdated information.

Automatic Duck’s Pro Import 3.0 is oneof those near-perfect applications that youjust install and forget that it’s there. Usingit becomes such a natural part of yourworkflow that it’s hard to imagine not hav-ing it. It is certainly a “must” for editors/designers and content creation profession-als of all types. ▼

➤ Oliver Peters is an Orlando-based postproduction consultantspecializing in editing and interac-tive media. He may be reached atwww.oliverpeters.com.

52 videography www.videography.com January 2005

▼ editing

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1.05VDY 1/12/05 6:56 PM Page 56

▼ editing

Wayne Cole

At a time when many videogra-phers were struggling with theDVD learning curve, Uleadreleased DVD Workshop ver-

sion 1. It was a Windows product thatwalked videographers through theauthoring process with context-sensi-tive controls that made DVD productionalmost foolproof. DVD Workshop ver-sion 2 adds significant capability whilemaintaining the same ease-of-usethrough context-sensitive guidance.

Upon starting DVD Workshop 2, theauthor is still greeted by a simpletabbed screen, a small number of iconsand a large central Preview Window.The tabs across the top of the screencorrespond to the phases of a DVDproject. Each tab displays different sets ofcontext-sensitive controls in the Options Panel onthe left side of the screen. The Start tab providescontrols for defining a new project or opening anexisting one. Capture provides controls for acquir-ing media through IEEE 1394 (FireWire) or analogcapture devices that adhere to Microsoft WDM orVFW conventions. When the Edit tab is active,authors can trim “titles” (DVD speak forvideo/graphic clips), add up to eight audio tracksper title, and create, input or export as many as 32subtitle tracks. The Menu tab provides the interfacefor creating DVD menus from supplied templates,helpful wizards or from scratch. The Finish tab con-sists of a DVD player emulation with extra buttonsfor burning discs, creating disc image files and DVDfolder sets, or outputting the project to DLT.

Right below the main screen tabs, DVDWorkshop displays a row of icons that are visible(but not always active) in all tabs except Finish. TheSettings icon, when clicked, invokes a menu thatprovides access to global settings, project prefer-ences, a Disc Template Manager, an Asset LibraryManager, local help files and online resources.

Getting StartedThe first two tabs on the main DVD Workshopscreen reflect the initial stages of DVD authoring:deciding what kind of disc you are going to makeand capturing assets that may not already be acces-sible through DVD Workshop’s Asset Library. It isalso where the project file directories are set, which

should be in a location with enough disk space toaccommodate two to three times as much data asthe finished project will need when burned to disc.

The Capture tab can be used to grab materialfrom tape with a simple Capture Video/StopCapture toggle button. An Options control allowsthe author to capture to DirectShow (AVI Type 2wrapper), Windows Media Format, DSW andMicroMV MPEG. During capture operations, a pre-view of the incoming video appears in the largePreview Window in the center of DVD Workshop’sscreen. Stills can also be grabbed from a videoinput. Once any “offline” assets have been cap-tured, the user simply clicks the Edit tab to start thenext phase of authoring. If you have no active cap-ture devices connected to the system, DVDWorkshop will automatically activate the Edit tabafter you create a project from the Start tab.

Assembling the PiecesThe Library Window is located on the bottom rightportion of the DVD Workshop screen. When themain Edit tab is active, the context-sensitive Librarypull-down tab allows access to video, image andaudio assets as well as the Library Manager. Thelibrary management hierarchy supports one layer offolders under each major asset type.

Below the large Preview Window is the ContentWindow. When the main Edit tab is active, this win-dow displays the Title List, which is where the authordefines which clips will appear on the finished disc

Lemony SnicketMoves ThroughMedia.netThe visual effects team forLemony Snicket’s A Series ofUnfortunate Events usedMedia.net’s Live VideoCollaboration and VideoConferencing services to facil-itate effects creation betweenlocations in Santa Monica, SanRafael and Martha’s Vineyard.

When San Rafael-basedIndustrial Light + Magic wasworking on visual effects,Director Brad Silberling wasworking on the edit onMartha’s Vineyard in

Massachusetts. To enable ILMto hold review sessions withSilberling, Media.net installeda solution that included satel-lite transmission to deliver itsLive Video Collaboration serv-ice at the temporary cuttingroom. With this service,Silberling and ILM were ableto view the same live video,simultaneously at both loca-tions, and interact in real time.

The same Media.net LiveVideo Collaboration servicewas installed at the film’sSanta Monica cutting room,along with Media.net’s VideoConferencing system, soSilberling was able to reviewsessions in real time.

Tom Peitzman, LemonySnicket’s visual effects pro-ducer, says, “We could all seeeach other and annotate thevideo on screen. The best partwas that we could just jumpon it any time without havingto schedule it or pay for timewe didn’t need.”

56 videography www.videography.com January 2005

DVD Authoring Made EasierWill Ulead DVD Workshop 2 Work For You?

1.05VDY 1/10/05 4:11 PM Page 57

by dragging video or imageassets from the Library anddropping them on a blankplaceholder clip.

A unique placeholder,“First-play,” is a potent ease-of-use feature. Many newauthors had trouble with thenavigational necessity of set-ting a “first-play movie”pointer in some of the earlyauthoring packages. Thefirst-play placeholder is typi-cally used for features suchas the FBI warnings or a pro-ducer’s plug. DVD Workshop even provides asimple check box that allows the author to seta flag that prevents viewers from skippingover the first-play movie.

Editing the Assets When an asset from the library is loaded intothe Preview Window, it can be played backand trimmed (in- and out-points set). Whenpreviewing a video clip, the jog controls canbe set to move the current frame indicator(CFI) either frame-by-frame or between suc-cessive I-frames. The CFI can also be draggeddirectly or positioned by making manual

entries in the timecode viewer at the bottomright of the Preview Window. The PreviewWindow can be set to display in either 4:3 or16:9 aspect ratio.

Ulead provides a tabbed set of editingcontrols in the Options Panel whenever anasset is active in the Preview Window. Thesecontrols differ depending on the type ofasset. For a video asset, the editing controltabs display Video, Audio and Subtitle. TheVideo editing tab displays the selected clip’sduration and in- and out-points. When theCFI is at an I-frame, options become active to

set a chapter mark or cutthe title at the displayedframe. At all points in theclip, the video tab optionsto “Auto Add Chapters” or“Add Current Frame toLibrary” can be used.

Auto chapter addition isaccomplished through theScene dialog, which is alsoavailable by right-clicking athumbnail in the Library.This dialog can be used toscan a clip and identify“scenes” within the clip by

either DV timecode breaks or by frame con-tent differences with user-settable differencesensitivity. When activated from the Library,this dialog will allow the author to split a longclip into a collection of shorter clips. Once thescan completes, a list of detected scenes des-ignated by start time and duration will appearin the dialog. By using the dialog’s Join andSplit buttons, an author can easily makeadjustments to change the scenes in the list.

The Audio editing tab provides slots for upto eight audio tracks for the selected clip.These tracks can be used for alternate lan-

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guage dubs, director’s commen-tary or alternate music tracks.Controls on this tab also allowthe author to adjust a track’saudio level, beginning and/orending fades, and whether theaudio should be looped.Surround Sound Emulation canalso be selected in the Audioediting tab.

Building MenusOne of the most trying tasks forvideographers venturing intoDVD production involves discnavigation and menu creation.With DVD Workshop’s new playlist feature,this aspect of disc authoring is as easy as everand still provides significant power and flexi-bility. There are three ways to create menus inDVD Workshop. The author can create themfrom scratch, use a template or invoke a step-by-step wizard.

When the Menu tab is active, the ContentList adds a “Menu List” while maintainingsingle-click access to the Title List with a smalltab at the list’s left edge. The first menuplaced in the Menu List functions as the disc’stop menu and will play right after the first-

play movie. The Menu editing controls areorganized on three tabbed panes in theOptions Panel. These tabs—Menu, Buttonand Text—provide all the controls necessaryto build or modify a menu. The Menu editingtab, for example, allows the author to selecta background music clip, to set its loop count(up to “infinite”), to set the music level and tofade the music in and out. Other controlsallow the author to set the menu’s play dura-tion and to choose the action that will be per-formed when the menu times out.

The Button Editing tab includes controls

for mapping button high-light colors and choosingframes that will hold imageor full-motion videothumbnails. To set the but-ton link, the author simplyneeds to drag and drop atitle onto the menu or but-ton frame. The most pow-erful feature in the ButtonEditing tab is the playlistpanel, where the authorcan designate any clipsfrom the Title List to play inany order as a response to

the button’s activation. This means that youdo not have to create unique “combination”clips if you want to allow the disc viewer toplay multiple clips from a single button. Theplaylist’s default end-action is to return to thecurrent menu, but DVD Workshop allows theauthor to specify an alternate return location,and even what button on the destinationmenu to highlight upon return.

Easy Slide ShowsAuthors can create a complete slide showsimply by dropping a selection of stills onto anempty title placeholder in the Title List. All the

▼ editing

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1.05VDY 1/10/05 1:54 PM Page 60

Post Logic FinishesHotel RwandaPost Logic Studios completedthe digital intermediate (DI)for Hotel Rwanda, directedby Terry George. Thoughcontracted to produce thehome video master for HotelRwanda, Post Logic was soontasked by the filmmakers tocreate a new color-timed filminternegative based on theimpressive results achieveddigitally with the HD transfer.The new internegative wasused for the movie’s theatri-cal rollout, festival engage-ments and awards screenersin lieu of the one initially cre-ated in the lab.

Whereas work done toresize the Super 35 elementto Cinemascope optically was

introducing undesirableamounts of film grain, thePost Logic DI process alloweda clean look to be achievedfor both the theatrical andDVD/home video release.Post Logic Studios scannedthe 35mm IP, stored it onservers in HD, color-correctedit and recorded it back to cel-luloid using one of the com-pany’s film recorders.

Using this process,explains Post Logic Studioscolorist Michael Underwood,“the filmmakers had a DI pre-miere print with the preciselook they wanted in a littleover a week.”

60 videography www.videography.com January 2005

stills show up in the scrollable Chapter List at the rightside of the screen. By selecting a still from this list, theImage Editing tabs (Image, Audio and Subtitle)appear in the Options panel. With these controls, theauthor can set the length of time that each or allimages will play and can select from an extensiveassortment of 2D and 3D transitions between slides.

The Audio Editing tab allows up to eight audiotracks to be defined, just as for video clips. Uleadalso provides a single check-box control that can beused to adjust the slide show to cover the durationof the selected audio track.

Working with SubtitlesWhen the main screen’s Edit tab is active, one of theOption Panel tabs is Subtitle. This tab contains a sin-gle icon for accessing DVD Workshop’s new SubtitleEditor. This feature makes inclusion of subtitlesstraightforward. It provides a table in which each rowconsists of a subtitle display start time, end time andsubtitle text. There are also controls to select subtitlefonts, styles, colors, justification and screen position.To aid in subtitle placement, the editor panel has asmaller version of the Preview Window on which thesubtitle can be typed, viewed and moved. Ulead alsosupplies controls for language settings for eachdefined subtitle track (up to the DVD standard limitof 32) and templates for subtitle styles, includingdirector’s comments and closed captions.

You cannot use the main DVD Workshop win-dow until the Subtitle Editor dialog has been dis-missed. Considering this and the advantage forworking with subtitles that the larger PreviewWindow would have, one wonders why the Subtitle

Editor was not implemented on the main screeninstead of on a smaller, dedicated modal window.

Setting the start and end times for a subtitle is abit more complex than necessary. The default dura-tion for a subtitle is two seconds. Once you movethe preview display CFI outside the default range,the buttons to set start/end time become inactive.You then have to set the times by manually replicat-ing the timecode in the subtitle table for the desiredpoints. Since Ulead already supplies an “overlappingtitles” indicator, it seems the set start- and end-timebuttons should remain active all the time.

What’s MissingDVD Workshop is a wonderful package, but it is notperfect. While you can select what frame to use asthe thumbnail for a title in the Title List or for a but-ton, you cannot set the thumbnail for clips in theLibrary. The clip’s first frame will always be used togenerate its thumbnail. If you import clips that startwith a fade-up from black, the clips’ thumbnails willall appear as black in the Library.

The Library Manager should allow a hierarchy offolders more than one level deep, which wouldmake organization of assets for complex titles easi-er to manage. I would also like to see the LibraryManager offer an option to archive the project andall of its assets to a single restorable folder, and tobe able to easily remove all the “custom” assetsadded in the course of building a project.

While the alignment grid feature supplied to aidwith menu layouts works well, I would like to see ahorizontal and vertical centerline differentiation onthe grid or with the title-safe grid. And Ulead should

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1.05VDY 1/10/05 4:14 PM Page 61

provide information in the printed docu-mentation that will guide experiencedgraphics designers in creating menu,button and frame templates inPhotoshop or similar packages for importinto DVD Workshop’s libraries.

Perhaps my biggest wish is that thesoftware would allow the author to con-trol the program’s response to certainDVD player remote/front panel controlkeys. The most obvious situation wherethis would be handy is for setting the“tabbing order” for menu button selec-tion in response to arrow keys. DVDWorkshop currently provides the authorno control over this function, some-times leading to menus where a “wrap-around” action for rows or columns ofbuttons is unavailable.

Is DVD Workshop 2 for You?The unique interface design approachtaken by Ulead coupled with DVDWorkshop’s robust feature set makes ita potent tool for the novice or the DVDexpert. With support for DVD-5, VCD,SVCD output, and DLT output for DVD-5 or DVD-9 replication, language set-tings, region coding and CSS or

Macrovision copy protection, DVDWorkshop is suitable for one-offs,duplication and replication master proj-ects. Whether or not a program can beauthored in DVD Workshop comesdown to complexity of navigation andcontrol over DVD player key responses.Multiple camera angles support is theonly major feature of the DVD specifi-cation for which DVD Workshop hasno provision.

The bottom line is that there arevery few projects that could not beauthored in DVD Workshop 2. Usingall custom assets or relying heavily onthe quality clip-media provided byUlead, DVD Workshop 2 allowsauthors to create great looking pro-grams quickly and easily. ▼

➤Wayne M. Cole, CCV, CLVI,and member of the AGCVBoard of Advisors, is also theowner of IHP, a video produc-tion company located SantaBarbara, CA. Contact him at

wcole@cmpinformation.com.

January 2005 www.videography.com videography 61

1.05VDY 1/12/05 1:17 PM Page 64

LoyalkasparLaunches VOOM’sEquator HDLed by Creative DirectorStephanie Long, executives atRainbow Media’s VOOM HDnetwork called on New Yorkdesign boutique Loyalkasparto devise an on-air brandingand launch package for trav-el channel Equator HD. “Theclient came to us with thetagline ‘See The World,’ andthe rest was up to us,” saysLoyalkaspar director and co-founder David Herbruck.“Our idea was to create anentirely new environmentsomewhere between realityand fantasy.”

“We strove for a look thathad a certain artistry to it,almost like it was hand-paint-ed, which, when coupledwith a slow and deliberatecamera move, makes viewersfeel like they’re being drawninto the picture,” says

Loyalkaspar director and co-founder Beat Baudenbacher.

Loyalkaspar photograph-ed people against green-screen using a digital still cam-era shooting 8-10 frames persecond. After removing spe-cific facial characteristics, thesubjects were compositedinto backgrounds consistingof 2D and 3D animation andstill photography.

64 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Chuck Gloman

The Casablanca Solitaire Smart Edit 4 fromMacroSystem Digital Video is one attractiveediting system. A large, heavy Plexiglas cubehouses the brain of the complete system. A

neon blue glow emanates from the front panel ofthe cube the moment you press the power switcharea on the lower right front, gently alerting you towhat is going on with the system. Instead of a pushbutton or toggle switch, a touch-sensitive icon reg-isters your finger’s pressure and activates the unit.

A system as futuristic as this belongs in an editingroom. Everything that should be accessible is cleverlyhidden behind secret compartments or doors.Pressing the sensor to the left of the power switchgently lowers the front access compartment thathouses the SmartMedia card reader, RCA video andaudio inputs, microphone, and S-VHS and IEEE 1394inputs. I’m not a big fan of front inputs that clutterthe desktop—I prefer using the rear inputs that bet-ter hide the cabling—but this system has both.

Inside the BoxDirectly above the access door are two large, remov-able hard drives, 160GB or 300GB, which will handlemost projects. Because the operating computer ishoused internally, you don’t have to deal with normalNLE functions if you aren’t a “computer” person. Thesoftware allows you to edit without all of the nastycomputer interface problems (more on that later).

The 3.2GHz internal processor is fast by today’s

standards, and the 512MB of RAM can be upgrad-ed to 1GB. (I’m not sure exactly what my reviewsystem had; since it’s “not computer-like,” I had noway of determining the exact specifications withoutcracking it open.) Finally, a DVD-RW drive, completewith dual-layer capabilities, lives behind anothersecret door.

The back of the unit has more inputs, includingRCA, S-VHS, DV, VGA, SCSI and three USB ports.Looking like something from The Jetsons, themouse has a large red trackball that allows accessto anything on the screen.

Once the 30 lb. cube is connected to externalmonitors, the software may be loaded from the sup-plied SmartMedia card. This where I encountered myfirst problem. It took six attempts before the softwareloaded correctly without crashing. This could havebeen me, something could have occurred duringshipment, or it could have been a bug in my soft-ware, but it was frustrating at the beginning.

Once the software is up and running, the aver-age non-computer person can master this system inno time at all. Obviously, basic editing skills are nec-essary, but if you can operate any other NLE system,Smart Edit 4 is much easier. Setup on the screen isin menu form, so click on the option you want, setthe parameters and begin editing. It’s as simple asthat. I don’t recall any other editing system I’ve everused that was so quickly set up and operationalright out of the box.

Is Casablanca the Beginning of a Beautiful NLE Friendship?

▼ editing

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1.05VDY 1/12/05 1:19 PM Page 70

Testing to see if I was just easily amused, Iasked one of my students to get familiar withthe system and edit a 30-second commercial.In less than one hour he had learned the sys-tem, digitized the video footage and editedthe spot. Just in case I had picked my best stu-dent, I gave the same task to another, whoaccomplished the same feat in the sameamount of time.

It Can’t Be That EasyAll of my students were amazed at the beau-ty and futuristic appeal of the Solitaire. Itcatches your eye and does what it is sup-posed to do with relative ease. But there area few drawbacks that I noted when editing aproject.

Getting an “A+” in the looks department,I would give the Solitaire a “C” in editing. Themenus are easy to read and navigate, but ittakes some time to get used to the icons andtimeline. It sounds strange, but I was expect-ing it to be more difficult. Someone who has-n’t edited much on any of the other NLE sys-tems will learn this system and edit projectsmore easily than someone like me, who isconstantly looking for the features I remem-ber from other editing systems. To a seasonededitor, Casablanca Solitaire Smart Edit 4

seems too basic and the timeline layout isunusual.

The icons are normal, but they look likesomething you would see in an editing pro-gram designed for non-editors (like Roxio’sediting software, for example). There’s noth-ing wrong with this, but I expect a certain lay-out and protocol to the software—and if thatis lacking, I get confused. Maybe you reallycan’t teach an old dog new tricks.

The built-in CG program with theCasablanca Solitaire is acceptable as far as CGsystems on NLEs go. It’s no better or worsethan the competition, but it’s certainly easyenough to use. The transitions between shotsinclude the usual wipes and dissolves, as wellas a wide assortment of video effects, fromtypical page turns to “cheesy” options.Again, the choices are comparable to thosefound on most NLEs.

As far as DVD authoring, the Solitaireoffers a basic solution that should be fine formost users. Motion graphics and more com-plicated functions are better left to other sys-tems.

Another semi-negative is the audio capa-bility. You do have four channels of control,but I found the audio functionality to be more

complicated than necessary to do the mostbasic audio editing. Adobe Premiere version6.5 isn’t known for grand audio editing, butit offers more control than this system.

If you’re a small operation and want acomplete system in a box (or cube), theCasablanca Solitaire might be worth a look.With a list price of $4,000, it’s a little expen-sive, but it’s easier to use than many of themore popular NLE titles, especially if you’re anewcomer to nonlinear editing.

If you want an introductory edit system,software such as iMovie is easy to use, lessexpensive (it’s free with an Apple computer),and if problems arise, millions of people knowthe system. However, the positives for Solitaireinclude its great looks and its capabilities,which far exceed those of iMovie. Once youget past the initial cost, the CasablancaSolitaire Smart Edit 4 is a great fit for studentslearning the art of editing in classrooms,where the only limitation is their imagination.

Chuck Gloman is an award-winningproducer/director of photography with more than800 commercials to his credit. He is a member ofthe faculty at DeSales University. Contact him atchuck.gloman@desales.edu.

▼ editing

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Peter Caranicas

Centering on the character of Justin Cobb,played by Lou Taylor Pucci, Thumbsucker isabout a 17-year-old boy who still sucks histhumb. An orthodontist played by Keanu

Reeves hypnotizes the youth to cure him of his habit.Other cast members include Vincent D’Onofrio, TildaSwinton and Vince Vaughn. The story’s subtext is howpeople who don’t feel good about themselves try tofix themselves, says the film’s director, Mike Mills.

Thumbsucker was shot entirely in Oregon, onPortland’s outskirts. “We tried to keep it all organ-ic,” says Mills. “First we picked a house. Then theproduction team needed a school and found onenear the house. And for a mall, they shot at thenearby mall.

“Oregon has an amazing film community,” Millscontinues. “The crews multitask much more [thanin L.A.]. For example, the gaffer can be an amazingsound person. It’s a tight community where every-body knows each other. The whole vibe is humani-ty first. That’s the work ethic.”

In addition to using local resources, Mills broughtseveral collaborators to Oregon from Los Angeles,including his costume designer and hair and make-up people. Also shipped north from L.A.: Panavisioncameras and anamorphic lenses. Mills shot on35mm and decided to go the older, anamorphicroute––with its wide, 2.35:1 aspect ratio––as part ofhis artistic decision to contrast formality with reality.“Everything I was doing in the film is very real. Wedid nearly nothing to the locations, clothing, etc.Nothing in front of camera was touched that much.I like juxtaposing that with a very formal 2.35 ratio.That counterpoint is very important.”

Mills acknowledges that anamorphic can be aheadache but is satisfied with the results inThumbsucker. “Anamorphic turned out to be so

much harder than I understood. Your depth of fieldis often like an eighth of an inch, and we were try-ing to shoot with hardly any light. I knew this wasgoing to put me in a corner, and I wanted that. Ithink that restrictions are very helpful, but [anamor-phic] had maybe a few too many restrictions. It wasa really tight corner.”

The shoot lasted 35 days. “We shot it as muchas we could in chronological order. Usually, in ashoot day, you shoot all your interiors and then allyour exteriors, but we would go inside, outside,inside, outside to keep it chronological.

“It helps the actors,” Mill continues. “It helpedme. It’s my first film and it kept the arc straight. Thefourth scene has a big emotional thing, and youneed the first three scenes to get everybody to thatplace. [By shooting chronologically,] you’re manu-facturing less emotion but generating more.”

Post took place in Los Angeles. “The edit teamwas Haines Hall and Angus Wall, two guys I’veworked with a lot,” Mills says. “I was really lucky toget them both to work on the film and do thisamazing collaborative thing.” Editing was per-formed on Avid systems at Rock Paper Scissors, Wall’scompany. It started in September 2003 and, withsome stoppages, was complete a year later.

“It’s not just about a 17-year-old boy who suckshis thumb,” the director explains. “It’s a story aboutthe parents and what’s going on in their lives, astory of the orthodontist and the teacher. I strug-gled with how to keep all these other characters inwhile still basically following Justin. It’s a really trickybalance.

“I learned a ton—more than I can explain—about storytelling and making a film,” the directorconcludes. “Some parts came very naturally, someparts were things I had experienced before, and alot was running around in the dark.” ▼

PostWorksFinishes LoverboyPostWorks New York sub-sidiary Photomag Sound &Image completed all soundeditorial work and final 5.1surround mixing on KevinBacon’s directing debut,Loverboy. In addition,PostWorks provided anoffline Avid edit suite for theduration of the picture edit.

Joe Caterini, president ofPhotomag and supervisingsound editor and re-record-ing mixer for the project,worked on Digidesign ProTools audio workstationswith a team of sound editorsto complete all sound edit-ing, sound design, ADR andfoley. The final 5.1 surroundmix was completed andmastered in Dolby Digital inPhotomag’s Studio C.

“Pro Tools allowed thesound editors to pre-assem-ble and audition all of thesound elements prior tomoving to the mix stage,”Caterini explains. “Thisprocess allows for a moreefficient sound design andfinal mix process, since lay-ers of sound are pre-mixedby the editors and presentedat the mix stage at anapproximate mix level.”

At the final mix, in addi-tion to careful dialogue mix-ing, Caterini focused on thesurround elements, includ-ing background sound lay-ers mixed in 5.1 surround,and a 5.1 original score byKevin Bacon’s brother, com-poser Michael Bacon.

▼ finalword Mike Mills

82 videography www.videography.com January 2005

Mike Mills on Thumbsucker

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1.05 VDY COVER 1/14/05 11:10 AM Page COV1

JANUARY 2005HOW

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