AJA KiPro: More Than Just a Field Recorder

The AJA KiPro (pronounced “kee-PRO”) is a very nicely designed unit that I believe will become more and more useful over time. As it is currently released, several of the features that I really am interested in are still not implemented, but the potential is definitely there.

My overall impression is that it’s a great little box that is very well engineered, but I have some reservations and an extensive wish list for making the device a “must have.” Before I get in to that, let me tell you a little about the device.

Controversial History Channel “WWII in HD” debate - THE TRUTH

The History Channel’s WW2 in HD series has created a firestorm of debate over archival methods.

If you read the AMIA listserve, the Cinematographer’s Mailing List, or the Telecine Internet Group or TKColorist Internet Group listserve, chances are you saw the huge debate over how the huge amount of rare color footage from World War II was transferred. Many people thought that historical records were being destroyed by careless film transfers. Several web stories – that were actually created by publicists – supported this controversy, but turned out to be mis-information.

The true story of the making of the series turns out to be far more interesting than the fiction, as so often is the case. I interviewed the series’ director, Frederic Lumiere on the phone in the midst of the controversy and discovered a man passionate about his project and for the care and cataloging of the materials he oversaw. Any misquotes can be attributed to my transcription. I recorded the entire interview and did the transcription word for word, but phonetic transcription is contextual and between Mr. Lumiere’s mild French accent and the quality of the phone line audio, I may have made minor mistakes. My intent was to be honest and portray the events correctly.

Sorenson 360 video server service

Sorenson – known widely for its compression software, Squeeze, has recently launched a video publishing server service that integrates with Squeeze, but can also be used with nothing more than a web browser to encode files. The new service is called Sorenson 360.

Most magazines or blogs prefer to separate interviews from tutorials from reviews, but this article will be a unique hybrid offering a little of all three. To start, we’ll learn a little about the service from my interview with Sorenson Media’s VP of Product Development, David Dudas.

Trans-ylvania

The topic of transcription came up on several forums recently, so I thought I’d share the peanut gallery’s wisdom on the subject. If you don’t think you need transcriptions, think again. With the recent FCC rules, all TV programs need closed-captioning, and unless you’re doing scripted drama, you’ll need transcriptions for the closed-captioner. It’s also handy to have as an editor when you’re trying to “Frankenstein” a soundbite together and you’re looking for the sentence-ending word with an “S” at the end or something like that. Sometimes if I’m trying to end a speaker’s thought in mid-sentence, I do a search for the same ending word with a period after it. Splice them together and you’ve got an elegant ending to an otherwise choppy sounding sentence. If you’ve got a transcription to search, doing these kinds of tasks is much, much easier.

Speech Search Meets ScriptSync

Anybody remember that classic commercial for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? “Hey! You got peanut butter on my chocolate! No! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” Then the two injured parties in the commercial realize that peanut butter and chocolate are really two great tastes that taste great together! They shouldn’t be kept apart. They should be celebrated in a joyful, delicious and nutritious union of flavors!

Well folks, today I’m getting Adobe in my Avid and Avid in my Adobe. Now most of you are probably thinking, “Duh. Everyone combines Photoshop and After Effects with Avid. That’s nothing new.” But I’m taking my Adobe cravings one step beyond the ordinary. I’m going for a Media Composer and Premiere Pro sandwich!

A rare YouTube Post from me

I know it’s kind of lame to just post someone else’s YouTube video - but this seemed worth the time: funny, clever and “video relevant.”

Avid Gems 11

So, it’s been a while since I’ve started writing this series, so I should probably point out that the point here is to simply locate those cool tips and techniques that are easily found in the user manual – if you actually chose to read it. But this is much easier – at least for you – because I’ve sifted out most of the “duh” stuff and just delivered the tips that you might have not heard before.

The theme of this specific column was inspired by a reader who commented on Avid Gems #10. They wanted to know all of the different ways the alt key on Windows or the option key on Mac altered the behavior of various keystrokes and mouse movements, so that’s what I’m serving up today.

Inspiration from the anti-Google

More and more production professionals are living in a kind of social vacuum as production and post moves from larger companies to small 1 or 2 man boutiques. So for a little inspiration and a feeling that you’re part of a greater whole, I’d suggest checking out StumbleUpon. I know that many of you have probably already become addicted to the steady stream of interesting content provided by StumbleUpon, but for those who have yet to discover the joys of Stumbling, let me introduce you.

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