Weird Viral Advertising

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. This is one of the most disturbing ads I have seen in a long, long time. It proves that all you need to make a commercial in 2009 is a camcorder, laptop, trampoline and three guys in singlets in a North Hollywood park (and hopefully, After Effects). Sounds like the set-up for a very dirty joke. MSI tablets, catch one while you can!

I swear I saw the guy who throws the laptops doing jumping jacks in the parking lot outside my laundry mat in Hollywood.

Dogs on a skateboard

God I just love that dog on a skateboard. Hang on baby, Friday's coming.

My current favorite blog, The Business Insider, has been providing an ongoing analysis of the current state of (the lack of) monetizing online content. It looks at Google/YouTube, Hulu, et al. using real numbers to give the state of the art. The bad news? No one, including the big boys, are making money off of content. And the heralded democratization of content creation brought about by online distribution? It says, "content creation is expensive, it takes talent, and lowering barriers for the creation of crap only provides you with more crap." So, professional content isn't making money and we are sinking in a sea of crap made by amateur (or amateurish) content creators, what hope is there? According to the article, "whatever golden tomorrow video may acheive, it won't be driven by the major media companies, at least not in the foreseeable future." Hmmmm, wait a minute. Where's the money going to come from to create the new paradigm, if not from deep pockets or inspired individuals?

The article is deja vu, all over again. It could have been written a few years ago, verbatim. So, why does it seem like we're going nowhere, fast? No one, including a lot of really smart (and well-paid) people, seem to be able to answer that question. The article, while flawed, does raise some good points and is definitely worth a read. For me, another question is, are we starting to approach the end of "free?" Today, Rupert Murdoch announced that all of his publications worldwide will begin charging for certain content. I expect other major online content providers will follow in kind.

Will they succeed? A couple of things seem apparent. First, people don't seem willing to pay for online content alone. They expect some kind of added value. Content creators who can come to terms with that in a big way (and figure out what is the "added value" that people are willing to pay for) will at least survive until this is all sorted out. The other thing, which I repeat over and over again, is that somebody has to pay something somewhere for the content we create. I know it sounds obvious but there are armies of people out there working for free, or close to it, to create content that is not innovative or particularly interesting. Emulating what exists already may be gratifying, "Look, I can do that too," but ultimately is slow death. Unless, you are willing to have another job to subsidize your creativity. But, if you're footing your own bill, why make watered down garbage that emulates TV?

Final Cut Studio Resources (and more)

Apple has recently put all of its Final Cut Studio documentation online and made it searchable. Thanks to Eric Escobar for highlighting this great new resource.

Here is a link to the FCP Help Home page:
http://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/

This is good stuff, they even discuss workflows and using different formats with FCP. This should help answer a lot of questions, or at least empower people to be able to understand their problems and articulate their questions more clearly.

The Final Cut discussions page is worth a look as well:
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=939

Usually, someone has already asked the same question you have....and lots of power users are out there supplying answers. It's like getting a free consult from an expert.

Then, there are the Forums on Creative Cow:
http://forums.creativecow.net/

This is the mothership for getting questions answered on just about any kind of software or hardware issue related to video production. These are all working professionals, so it's worth taking the time to review the archives first and to formulate a good question. Most likely you will be rewarded with a good answer.

Finally, I also recommend Moviola's Resource Center:
http://www.moviola.com/resource_center_main

It has been put together by FCP uber-geek (and awesome instructor) Andrew Balis. Workflows, tutorials and tips for both Avid and FCP are here. And the "Knowledge Zone" is a nice primer on video. This is all stuff that you would pay for in a class.

The final thing I'd like to say is, this is all technical knowledge and it doesn't make you an editor. I am an Apple Certified Pro in Final Cut and I definitely don't consider myself a real editor. But, put me on a location with a camera and give me 10 seconds and I will figure out a shot that expresses what you want to say. Or show me a scene from your project and my mind will automatically look for ways to use color correction to help make it stronger. My point? It's good to be self-sufficient, but, if you have a project that you really love and believe in, find a real editor with whom you can collaborate. The difference between being proficient in software and being an editor is enormous (as is having a camera and being a cinematographer).

Interesting Color Correction Tutorial

Stu Maschwitz, now of Red Giant Software, has posted a nice color correction tutorial on Creative Cow. He goes through the process of emulating the look of a few of this year's summer blockbusters. Even though he uses Magic Bullet and Colorista software in After Effects, this tutorial is applicable to any software.

Even if you aren't going to do a lot of color correcting, this is quite interesting to watch because he gives you a primer on how to look at and dissect the color palette of film images. It is also fascinating to watch the process of a colorist, how they fiddle with things, etc. As a film maker, it will also help you be able to speak more intelligently with your colorist.

I think I am going to bite the bullet, pardon the pun, and buy Colorista. I already own Magic Bullet Looks (which I've used mostly for brainstorming looks) and work in Apple's Color, but I can see how useful Colorista is, particularly as a complement to Looks. The main value I see in Colorista (in Final Cut) is that it is a tool that you can use within Final Cut Pro (with vignette tracking!!). Color is amazing, but sometimes you don't want to take the time to roundtrip things in and out of FCP, especially if it's not too complicated of a correction (but more complicated than the 3 Way color corrector can handle). Roundtripping requires a bit of preparation, particularly on a long timeline with motion graphics, still photos, etc.

The other tool that he used which I found cool was the Hue/Saturation effect in After Effects. I didn't know that it was hidden in there. You can define what the color range is for each of your color channels in After Effects. Nice tool. I am starting to understand why some people like to live in After Effects.

If you go to the Red Giant site, check out the "Indie Film" looks pack created by Eric Escobar. It's a nice selection of pre-made looks for use with Magic Bullet Looks or Quick Looks. They are a nice addition to the pre-set looks that come with Magic Bullet already.

Hollywood Joke

So a guy goes to the circus. He's enjoying himself, when he notices an old, old man following the elephants around with a shovel and a garbage can, cleaning up their dung. He can't stop watching this tiny old guy struggle to drag the can around, stooped over and shaking, barely able to lift the shovel. At the end of the circus, he finds the man and says to him,"why don't you retire? " The man, stooped over turns up and looks at the man and says, "what, and give up show business?"

Back to the Future II

Someone I respect a lot made a funny comment about the RED camera, saying that it was potentially "the DeLorean of the camera world." What a funny image. It makes me imagine RED user meet-ups, 20 years from now, talking about how it was ahead of it's time and got killed by a conspiracy......too bad it's not made out of stainless steel.

It's a joke, o.k., so don't get all worked up. It's just a camera. In search of a post workflow.

Back to the Future

OK. I know I keep hearing that 3D is back for good. That it will be "just another film making tool." That it will be used even in indie films. I've even been to a cutting-edge 3D production house and learned about new advanced production techniques.

I went to see Ice Age 3D yesterday afternoon, fancy Dolby 3D glasses and everything. A really funny film, I highly recommend it. But, I (and my wife) both left the theater feeling nauseated, which lasted most of the rest of the day and evening. I have to say that I would've preferred to have seen it in 2D (and saved the 3D premium ticket price as well). If a big budget animated feature like this can't avoid inducing nausea, what will the experience of watching lower budget films be like?