With Apple’s announcement of the iPad there’s been tons of articles, tweets and blog posts about this upcoming piece of hardware. There’s also been tons of ink spilled about just how this little device could be useful in the filmmaking process as well, some right here on this site. I had decided not to write anything at all about the iPad since pretty much everything had already been said. But I got to thinking how this device might integrate more with the post-production side of the filmmaking process while on a flight the other day ... so I made some notes.
First off I will say that I plan to buy an iPad when it ships. My family owns an old Macbook that I find myself rarely using other than occasional surfing on the couch or to pay household bills. Laptops in general are too big and bulky for my tastes so I rarely lug the thing around. And it’s a Macbook so it’s not that big. I’ve often wanted an ultra-portable computer that could surf the net and access Google docs. That’s really all I want in one. If the iPhone had a physical keyboard then it would work well. If the iPhone was bigger with a physical keyboard even better. A Macbook Air is too expensive so an iPad seems just about right.
I think there’s two general categories of apps that would make the iPad useful to those of us in post-production.
First, there’s the obvious things like using the iPad as a camera slate. iPhone apps like iSlate and Movie*Slate will most certainly be scaled to take advantage of the larger screen and if there is some type of dock connector that allows for timecode input and a timecode generator then this thing could become a serious competitor to a traditional smart slate. With smart slates going for over $1,000 new then it could compete on price as well. You just might need some type of matte screen protector for this application to reduce glare and it remains to be seen how it will work outdoors ... in the rain. Of course you could always use the poor man’s timecode slate method on an iPad without any other accessories.
The other on-set application of an iPad could be some type of logging system. It could be a video signal transmitted directly from the camera to the iPad with monitoring right on the device that would allow logging and marking of takes in realtime. If that could allow for the export of a batch list for digitizing or some type of XML list for relinking to file based media with metadata intact then you could begin an edit with some logging tasks already complete.
Taking that idea a step further would be an electronic script supervisor application that would let the script super line the script electronically and attach clips and thumbnails right to the page. This might look something like Avid’s script-based editing ... and of course it would integrate with that feature.
The iPad also seems like a natural device for some type of client friendly review and approval process. It could be the day’s rushes exported into an app that would allow the client to sit back at the end of the day and watch clips, makes notes and mark good takes. They could then email a file to the editor that would then link the data to the editor’s online clips for editing. It would also be a great way for clients to watch rough edits and make notes. Imagine a telestrator type device where messages and mark-ups could be drawn directly on-screen. These notes would have to sync back to the editor either by the complementary app on the desktop or (better yet) be imported directly into the editing application. It would be like taking Adobe’s Clip Notes to the next level. With great power comes great responsibility though as this type of interactive client review and approval process is ripe with potential abuses so it if does come along use it with caution.
Some interesting ideas here, Scott. Unfortunately I don’t see much chance, at least in the short term, that different software companies will co operate with Apple or eachother. The disagreemnet between Apple and Adobe over Flash is just one example. Attitudes with these corporate giants would have to change. Apple recently “interrupted” the sale of an independently developed iPhone app that also runs on the Droid OS. It seems the developer committed the sin of mentioning that the app had won an award from Droid in their efforts to boost their sales on Apple’s apps site. It seemed a little petty to me since everyone seems to be making enough money on these apps. If they can’t get by this sort of thing, I don’t see them cooperating in the future.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/07 at 02:16 PM
The on-set production stuff (slate, script, etc.) I could definitely see taking off, though the lack of multi-tasking somewhat inhibits it. In post, the idea of a display extension seems VERY useful—a color control surface app would be KILLER; not quite a hardware solution, but for $500, easily worth the price.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/07 at 02:31 PM
You probably hit the nail on the head Brett802. It will be a shame as this thing has so much potential outside of a media consumption device. Maybe it can be well hacked. And then there’s always the JooJoo ... or whatever that Crunchpad is gonna be called now.
Posted by Scott Simmons on 02/07 at 03:16 PM
A slate would be good, but the iSlate has some sync issues where the camera cannot actually capture the flash frame. So some sync mode or double/triple fashing with sync beeps would be better. Also, it needs some better speakers for the sound mike to pick it up.
Logging would be great -
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/07 at 05:48 PM
Why not something really adaptable, like this one:
http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/touchbook/
or there could be so many other examples.
I have nothing against the iPad and I follow all the pro/con hysteria pretty much detached but still sometimes I do wonder why people put so much effort in trying to invent by any means all kinds of uses for a device that doesn’t actually seem to be suited to customization and “hackerish” usage in user-designed scenarios.
I do agree that there can be lots of uses for a tablet in a shooting or post-production scenario, but I hardly see iPad as being that tablet.
Posted by Dragos Stefan on 02/08 at 12:25 PM
I’ve started using the Logitech Touch Mouse free iPhone app as a remote keyboard. I’m currently going through long take corporate footage and its much easier to sit comfortably going through it and placing markers than doing so hunched over a keyboard. Helps me concentrate on what I’m watching. Would be nice to have a virtual shuttle dial that i can turn into a keyboard for making marker notes at the touch of the screen.
Posted by Robert Dee on 02/09 at 02:43 AM
anything that would take video to the iPad would be challenged - there’s not enough bandwidth to get a signal in there. The best I can think of - H.264 streamed over WiFi, but it would have to originate from the camera - I’m sitting here trying to think of all the pieces in the equation to make that work - ugh. Then it would have to be stored on the unit - how long until it fills up with video. Then what are you doing with that video later? It isn’t the offline, so it would need to temporally sync up with the dailies/offline/master footage later in the process to do us any good. Timecode coming in over WiFi (another challenge technically) would be a good option. But then the scripty needs FAST tools. Doable, but a limited market for the dev effort - so how much would it cost? And how much faster/better than paper based solutions? How much money is thrown at scripties in general? Hmm. So maybe not.
But there’s lots of useful things that could be done with this.
-mike
Posted by Mike Curtis on 02/09 at 06:27 PM
Mike, this would totally be an offline device. Have the main editing application compress to a super small (quarter screen sized would be fine for viewing on that device even if it had to upscale a bit for full screen playback) format and then load it when connected to the computer via the dock. You could easily fit a ton of footage and have space left over, especially on the larger devices. Send a list over to relink to the desktop when you’re done and finish the offline .... or finish for real.
And it wouldn’t be just for “scripties.” I’d use it to rough in a b-roll story on a music video, or knock out the radio edit in an interview. It’s more about a story-telling device in that case and looking at new ways to edit.
Posted by Scott Simmons on 02/09 at 07:47 PM
I’d like to try the iPad with some kind of VNC remote control for my Media Composer.
Could be nice to display and control the part of my computer monitor where I usually keep the audio tools: Touch enabled audio mixer and EQ tool 
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/10 at 02:26 PM
I dont see any sense in the repeated idea of an iPad as control surface for color correction:
the real power of a control surface is that I dont have to look at it to alter color values so I can concentrate on the image on broadcast monitor or projection. so ‘feel’ the colors with the eyes and feel the sliders and trackballs with the fingers…... all in the same moment.
or did I missunderstood something here?
Posted by Kurt Hennrich on 02/11 at 09:01 AM
Kurt, an iPad would never replace a dedicated control surface for grading. There’s nothing that’s going to be better than the standard of the trackballs, rings and knobs. It’s such an organic way to work. But they are expensive and I think if many editors (I say editors as dedicated colorists will probably already have a proper surface) who have to do some grading won’t have the $$ to spend on a control surface. If you have an iPad sitting around then that will make a better alternative than the mouse. I think most anything will be better than a mouse!
Posted by Scott Simmons on 02/13 at 06:36 AM
