What Indie Gear Makers Can Learn from Apple

Small indie companies arguably form much of the backbone of the production industry, and deliver some of the most innovative solutions to end users. They are by and large forward-thinking, in touch with users, and extremely nimble. They also have a unique set of challenges. In addition to producing a polished product that is 100% functional, their gear must be able to hold up to hard use and the daily rigors of production. And while form should always follow function, gear should at minimum look professional and polished. And preferably it should be sexy! Alas, those guidelines are all too often the exception and not the rule. Another area that is consistently overlooked is packaging and manuals. Which is a shame, because those last two items are literally the first things a new owner sees when they tear into their box.

Turn Me Up! Audio Mixing and the Loudness war

Turn Me Up! is a site that aims to bring back the full range of sound and dynamics in popular music. You can learn more about the issue of excessive loudness and find out what you can do to help at www.turnmeup.org. The main aim of the organization is primarily the music industry, but I think we editors and post-producers also feel the pressure to deliver the loudest mix within legal limits. Audio compressors are powerful tools, but can be overused at times. It can’t always be helped, but is something to consider the next time you are in the middle of a mixing session.

Zylight Z50 and Z90 First Impressions

I first read about Zylight LED lighting systems in the summer of 2007. At NAB 2008 FreshDV made a point to stop by their booth and get a demo of the lighting technology, and we were duly impressed. You can view that video at the end of this article. Shortly after returning from NAB, a friend of mine ordered one of the Zylight systems. We had been using some Swit LED on-camera lights for certain events, but were open to other possibilities. At NAB we were really impressed with the configurability the Zylight system offers…dimmable output, instant color shift without using physical filters or gels, Daylight and Tungsten presets, and the ability to network a number of Zylights together for centralized control. So after NAB my buddy ordered a Z50, and when it arrived was so impressed with the build quality that he ordered a Z90 model almost immediately.

On Set with FreshDV: An AJA IoHD Case Study

In late February 2008, FreshDV conducted a series of HD camera tests in Chicago. Cameras tested included the Panasonic Varicam, Panasonic HPX-3000, Panasonic HVX-200, Sony F900, Sony XDCAM PDW-350, Sony XDCAM PMW-EX1, Red One, and an Arri film camera for a baseline comparison to 35mm. In addition to shooting test charts and noting comparative data on each camera, one of the major goals of the test was to create a comparative, controlled real-world studio shooting situation that would stress each camcorder and show the unique strengths and weaknesses of each system’s codec, lens, and imager. To that end, each camcorder was to shoot the test charts and scenes in both it’s native recording format and codec, with an uncompressed reference capture for comparison. This obviously created an interesting problem, as the number of formats, resolutions, framerates, and output features for each camera varied widely. So we knew that capture and image monitoring was going to be an issue to be addressed well in advance.

Seven Rules for Film and Video Editors

Edward Dmytryk, film industry legend in the directorial and editorial fields, enumerates seven rules to follow in his text On Film Editing (Focal Press, 1984).

Rule One: Never make a cut without a positive reason.
“The only reason for using another cut is to improve the scene.”

It is unwise to cut film adhering to arbitrary principles, such as keeping all shots under a certain length. While Dmytryk argues that every cut must be made at a precise and perfect point, he gives no indication that these particular edit points are governed by anything other than the drive to improve what the scene intends to communicate to the audience. Some scenes require no editing at all if the composition and camera movement are strong enough to support the intent of the scene. Other scenarios, particularly action and montage sequences, require constant cuts in order to communicate the scene’s intent. If another take does not make emotional truth clearer or capture the action more appropriately than the current take, then by all means do not make a cut.

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