Markee 2.0 Spring 2014 by Lionheart Publishing Inc.

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Cinematography Past-Present-Future

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Spring 2014 Volume 29, Number 1

contents w w w. m a r k e e m a g a z i n e . c o m

features 8 Cinematography: Past-Present-Future Masters of the medium discuss their careers, the state of production, the future of 3D, and the skills needed to prosper.

10 12 14 16 18

Interview with Dean Cundey Charlie’s Angels’ Angel Every Advance has a Sense of Déjà Vu 3D: The 2014 Playbook Expanded Cinematography

20 Film Commission Portfolios 26

26 Production Music in the Multi-Screen Universe Finding the right music in multiple libraries By Mark R. Smith

34 NAB Showcase The Big Show hits Las Vegas again this year. By Monica Burres and Michael Fickes

42 Virtual? Real? Can we tell? VFX dominates features and TV as never before.

42 2

Markee 2.0

Spring 2014

By Tom Inglesby

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Markee2.0

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Markee 2.0 is a results-driven magazine that has been published since December 1985. A nationwide survey of film and video industry professionals revealed that Markee 2.0 is at the top of their must-read list.

Editorially, Markee 2.0 offers a wide range of content tailored for its diverse readership. Features span film and video production and postproduction topics to include must-read interviews with leaders in the creative community, the latest equipment and technology news, perspectives on innovative independent filmmaking, and in-the-trenches reports on shooters, editors, animators and audio pros – plus regularly-scheduled specialty supplements. Markee 2.0’s seasoned writers know the industry inside-out. That’s what makes Markee 2.0 compelling, informative and timely reading.

www.markeemagazine.com

columns & departments 4 From the editor 6 Making TV Shooting Homeland David Klein used a gritty style in shooting Showtime’s Homeland. By Michael Fickes

7 Making Commercials Lighting Up The U.S. Picture Mill paints the NFL logo in lights across the U.S. landscape. By Michael Fickes [On The Cover] The camera on the cover is a Bell & Howell Model 2709, circa 1911, equipped with Cooke Speed Panchro 24mm, 35mm and 50mm lenses and a Bausch & Lomb 75mm lens in a turret. Painstakingly restored and still in use, the providence of this camera traces back to Charlie Chaplin who owned and used it in the 1920s.

46 Digital Discussions Getting on Screens Everywhere – Tim Napoleon, AllDigital Repurposing productions for multiple screens via the Cloud

48 Evolution Tracking the changes in production equipment over the years

www.markeemagazine.com

Spring 2014

| Markee 2.0

from the editor

Markee2.0

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

| By Tom Inglesby

www.markeemagazine.com LIONHEART PUBLISHING, INC. 506 Roswell Street, Suite 220, Marietta, GA 30060 Tel: 770.431.0867 Fax: 770.432.6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com www.markeemagazine.com

Markee Needs You

Publisher

There are few industries that have been impacted by technology more than film and video. From new ways to make them to new ways to show them, the market has been demanding change, change, and more change. At Markee 2.0, we understand our readers are challenged by all those changes and need to know better ways to meet those challenges. We want to help but can’t from an “ivory tower” position. We need your help. To get feedback as to what we can present to our readers that will make their jobs easier, more creative, and productive, we are asking for volunteers to join with us in a virtual Editorial Advisory Board. No meetings to disrupt your work, no fees to pay to get a voice, no rubber chickens to digest to have a say in what we focus on in your magazine. For example, Board member Nic Dugger of TNDV Television in Nashville, told us that he sees two areas we should cover: advanced live streaming applications and the “real” move to 4K. We’ve taken him up on that and will have a feature in the next issue on 4K in the real and reel world. Another subject getting attention in the industry is the move to multiple screens. How can you shoot with that in mind? Will your film be compatible with all the various screens being used today, from smartphones at 2 inches to tablets at 10 inches and laptops at 17 inches if you are making it for the theater or a 30-plus inch television set? Is The Cloud the future for storage and delivery? Are online applications, SaaS or software as a service, important to you or is that just another fad? We need to know so we can explore these technologies and approaches together with you. So here’s the deal: send me an e-mail and let me know you are interested in joining our virtual Board, that you want to add your voice to your peers in telling us what is happening in the real world, where you create. This offer is open to all readers, both in the vendor community and among producers, crews and others who deal with film and video production on a daily basis. Tell us what you see as the challenges we should cover and the methods for overcoming them. We’ll sign up members, communicate with you all and listen to your advice and suggestions. Let’s create something new, a community in print for all film and video producers and their crews. Tom Inglesby tom@markeemagazine.com

Highlights Coming In

• Rental Equipment • Sound Stages • Stock Footage IN EVERY ISSUE: Making TV • Making Commercials • Digital Discussions

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Spring 2014

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John Llewellyn llewellyn@lionhrtpub.com Tom Inglesby tom@markeemagazine.com Cory Sekine-Pettite cory@lionhrtpub.com Michael Fickes Mark R. Smith Monica Burres monica@markeemagazine.com John Davis jdavis@lionhrtpub.com 770.431.0867, ext. 226 Alan Brubaker albrubaker@lionhrtpub.com Jim McDonald jim@lionhrtpub.com

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Markee 2.0 (ISSN 1073-8924) is published quarterly by Lionheart Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright © 2014 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. The copyright owner, however, does consent to a single copy of an article being made for personal use. Otherwise, except under circumstances within “fair use” as defined by copyright law, no part of this publication may be reproduced, displayed or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, Lionheart Publishing, Inc. Send e-mail permission requests to cory@lionhrtpub.com.

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making TV | By Michael Fickes

Shooting Homeland David Klein used a gritty and raw style to shoot season three of Showtime’s Homeland. Before beginning work on season three of Homeland, cinematographer David Klein, ASC, asked the show’s executive producer and writer, Alex Gansa, “Who do I answer to about the look of the show?” Gansa replied: “You answer to yourself.” “I think that was the best thing he could have said to me,” Klein recalled. “It was terrifying.” With that in mind, Klein set about creating a look for the third season. He decided to shoot with three cameras. He chose ARRI Alexas as the A and B cameras, and the Red EPIC as the C camera. He likes the EPIC for its manageable size and weight. “Once you know each camera, you can expose them in a way that matches the final color perfectly,” he says. The lens package includes Cooke S4s and Canon Cinema zooms. Thinking about a lensing strategy, Klein planned to let the story dictate the look. The three seasons of Homeland tell the story of Nicholas Brody, a marine sergeant rescued after spending eight years imprisoned by terrorists in Iraq. Brody returns home a hero, only to reveal himself by the end of season one as a terrorist pawn who had given in to torture. In season two, Brody tries to reform, but fails and finds himself framed for the bombing of CIA headquarters. In season three, he redeems himself by carrying out an assassination for the CIA, for which he is executed. Lensed by award winning cinematographer Nelson Cragg, season two seemed dark, brooding and ominous. Indoors, Cragg relied on natural sunlight from the windows and light from lamps used in the scene. Indoor scenes often were dark and shadowed, especially in enclosed rooms. Outside, the look used natural daylight with occasional flares. At 6

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night outside, ambient lighting from the scene lit the scenes. After discussions with Gansa and Director Lesli Linka Glatter, Klein decided to maintain that look for his first two episodes. “After that, I would let the story dictate the look as I had originally planned,” Klein said. Klein describes the look he created and refined throughout season three as gritty and raw. What’s that? “To me, it is natural,” Klein said. “I want it to feel like we walked into the place and rolled the camera with no artificial lighting whatsoever. Now, I don’t do that. I never shoot without lighting, but I want it to look that way.” [Above Top] He creates his signature Brody's execution look using one big source and numerous smaller [Above] sources, configuring them so David Klein sets up for a scene set in Caracas. A Puerto Rican location doubled for the Venezuelan capital. the combination becomes the key light or fill light. Carrie, who is bipolar, moves from “When multiple sources combine to crazed eyes to intelligent sparkling eyes become one source, you see all the and back throughout season three. sources in the actors’ eyes when they Claire Danes is beautiful, but Klein did look in the direction of the lighting,” Klein not hesitate to rough her up when her said. “Then there are Claire and Damian character’s emotional condition called for it. [Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison and “I asked Claire if she had concerns about Damian Lewis plays Nicholas Brody]. lighting,” Klein said. “She said, ‘I don’t know what you guys do, but I appreciate it when Their four eyes pick up eye light like I’ve you’re good at it.’ So when she was beaten never seen before.” down in the script, I made her look that Klein used that to help characterize way. She wasn’t afraid of that.” Brody and Carrie. Brody begins season On reflection, the authenticity in the three imprisoned in Caracas, Venezuela, cinematography and the acting may be where he has – through no fault of his what enables Homeland – with its own – become a heroin addict. He recovunlikely plot – to come across as plausiers and begins to train for his mission. As ble and compelling. his strength returns, his eyes glow. Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

making Commercials | By Michael Fickes

Lighting Up The U.S. Picture Mill paints the NFL logo in lights across the U.S. landscape The National Football League unveiled a new treatment for its iconic copyright logo during the playoff games in January. It uses the familiar, tried and true voice over and a dramatic new arrangement for the NFL’s signature music, and a flyover of the U.S. showing lights coming on across the country – in the shape of the NFL logo. The NFL’s brand marketing group collaborated with Los Angeles-based Picture Mill to create the new motion logo. Picture Mill is a feature, television and advertising design firm with a lot of experience in cinematic branding. “The marketing group asked us to contribute ideas,” says William Lebeda, Picture Mill’s creative director. “We shared concepts featuring large-scale live action, archival footage, and computer graphics. “Ideas that connected to the fans and all of the teams caught the League’s attention. When we showed a concept board with a logo as big as the Earth, everyone started to get excited. That idea evolved into a camera flying across the country revealing the lights on the ground twinkling on to form a nationwide NFL logo.”

Easier Said Than Done “In pre-visualization, we wanted to figure out how fast the camera would have to pan over the lights as they came on, and how fast it would have to pull back for the reveal, said Jon Block, Picture Mill’s lead animator on the project. “To do that, we flew Maya’s virtual camera over Photoshop frames.” Then someone suggested starting lower over city buildings during the flyover. The camera would gradually fly higher, altering the perspective of the cities – and remember, the lights in houses, restaurants, stores, bars and www.markeemagazine.com

[Above] The NFL lights it up across the country.

businesses would be turning on to form the logo reveal. Now it got tough. “We needed two matte painters,” said Block. “I showed them where the camera would be as it sped up and across – from the Southwest toward the Midwest. They used Photoshop to paint images of what cities on the ground would look like from the speeding camera on 15 mattes.” Block projected the mattes onto a 3D model of the curved surface of the Earth. Then came a series of layers, each showing more and more lights coming on. “We made 4 layers of lighting for each of the 15 projections,” Block said. “Then we had to align the layers to make sure the transition between matte paintings was smooth.” As the camera rises, you see 3D buildings that blur as the camera flies higher. Eventually, it passes through a band of clouds created by a volumetric fluid simulation, and you can see that the lights appear to be forming shapes. With the final resolve at full elevation, Block used particle simulation to separate the lights and define a glow

around the edge of the giant, fully visible NFL logo. “A tricky part involved managing how close to the ground or how high in orbit we were and what part of the logo we were moving over at any given time,” Lebeda said. “If we didn’t know where we were, the maps would be at the wrong angle. “Another difficult decision involved the level of detail of the buildings at different altitudes. At low altitudes you see the buildings, and as you go higher, you see the lights. “Early testing indicated that if we didn’t have the right level of detail, especially at the beginning, it looked fake," Lebeda continued. The Picture Mill team assembled all of the elements using Maya and Nuke. “Maya filters high resolution, and Nuke renders more cleanly and interactively,” Block said. “Maya rendered the ground projections adding a bit of image processing. We used Nuke for the giant spherical texture matte, which had to be very high resolution.” Tough job. Now comes the fun part: Are you ready for some football! Spring 2014

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e r u t u F t n e s e r P t s a P 8

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Spring 2014

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

rom nitrate film to digital backs, cinematography has evolved over the past century and more. Cinematic artists with the new tools still use light and composition to enhance the ideas of the director, evoking a mood, telling a story, making magic. Yes, cinematography has evolved, driven by the artistry and tools that can create a compelling image, one that makes you want more.

www.markeemagazine.com

Spring 2014

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Cinematography

ASC Awards – Dean Cundey

Dean Cundey ASC, won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASC in 2014.

An Interview with

Dean Cundey

he American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) held its annual awards banquet on February 1, 2014 and the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Dean Cundey, ASC. Acclaimed filmmaker John Carpenter presented the award to Cundey.

Cundey first attracted widespread attention when he teamed with Carpenter on Halloween (1978). The two filmmakers went on to collaborate on The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Halloween II and III, and Big Trouble in Little China. Cundey’s work on Robert Zemeckis’ landmark, liveaction film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) garnered him 10

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both Oscar and BAFTA nominations. Cundey’s other credits include the Back to the Future trilogy, Romancing the Stone, Death Becomes Her, Hook, Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, What Women Want, Garfield, The Holiday, The Spy Next Door, Jack and Jill, Crazy Kind of Love, and the upcoming releases Walking with the Enemy and Carry Me Home. Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

We spoke with Cundey to find out how this success story developed. “I used to go to the theater – my parents would drop myself and two or three neighborhood friends off at the local theater for the kids’ matinee on Saturdays,” Cundey recalled. “It was like 10 cartoons and maybe a short film and a feature. They were kid-friendly features – Disney, action/adventure, and things like that. I got into film because I enjoyed the fact that a movie could create an illusion, could make you believe you were somewhere that you couldn’t be in real life. I think that’s what intrigued me at first, so at that point I decided that’s what I needed to do. I went through high school with those plans and then to UCLA Film School, so I’ve been fairly focused.” He continued, “My first interest was in the production design, because as we’d watch a movie, what you were aware of was the set, the environment, all of that stuff. I even took architectural design courses in college, and things that were aimed at that, like drafting. I even worked as a draftsman. But it was in film school that I really decided that cinematography was the one that was dynamically involved with creating the story and illusion, how things were photographed, how they were lit, so I changed over in college to cinematography.” Cundey passes his feelings along to others quite easily. “One of the things I always tell film students is that the cinematographer is the bridge between the science and the art of film. We have to be familiar with and utilize a lot of science – light and intensity and lenses, all the things that go with capturing an image. But it has to be in service of the art. When they go to a theater, people go to see the art, you might say, without specifically knowing or saying it. Nobody says, “Hey, let’s go see that film that uses all that soft light to create the mood.” They say, “Let’s go see that romantic movie.” So cinematographers are the bridge between the science and the art, we have this unique position of being technicians, craftsmen, and artists.” In support of the art of the story, Cundey has moved the art of the camera many times. When asked what he considers his “signature,” what people, especially his peers, anticipate when they know he’s behind the camera, he says, “A lot of the films I’ve done involve illusion and fantasy, which implies visual effects and a kind of trickery. That’s what I really enjoy, and it’s one of the reasons I got into film. As far as a photographic style, in service to all of that, I try to give a film a certain style/class/elegance or whatever without the photography imposing. Some guys repeat their same style over and over. They become known for a particular look. But I’ve always felt that cinematography should complement the film, it should adapt, it should become ‘unobvious’ so that you’re really serving not only the script and the scene and the story, but each shot should tell you something without you being aware of it. I think I’m a little bit adaptable, you might say, within that philosophy.” Being adaptable means being aware of the changes, the improvements in the technology, that come along at www.markeemagazine.com

[Above] Cundey’s work on Apollo 13 included Tom Hanks doing a moon walk as astronaut Jim Lovell. Photo Courtesy of Universal Studios

a rapid pace these days, We asked, “If there is one, what film would you like to re-shoot because now there is a different way you could do it?” And Cundey replied, “That’s a good question, because there’s probably a lot of my very early films that are relatively unseen that suffered from lack of budget and schedule. Most of those early films could be enhanced by what the computer can do now, relatively inexpensively. I think that a lot of the films that I look at with pride, we really found answers and solutions and techniques that worked pretty well, so I can’t think of any of the more recent ones that I would do differently. We were always ahead of the curve, anyway, so there’s not too many that I can think of that would benefit substantially from contemporary techniques.” Because of the quick cut technique developed on music videos, the long, lingering shot just doesn’t seem to be there anymore. “Yeah, and it’s kind of sad, and I sometimes wonder if people notice that without realizing it,” muses Cundey. “I talk to people who go see an action movie, and they say, ‘Yeah, it was good, but it gave me a headache because it was so quick, quick, quick, quick.’ Sometimes filmmakers get carried away making movies for themselves.” For example? “Michael Bay has been quoted as saying, ‘Any shot longer than two seconds is boring,’ which is not the case. A lot of times you want to watch two characters talk, or you want to see why the hero is running away from something, and not just two seconds of running. So I think that the unfortunate part is, although we as filmmakers think that we’re creating style by doing that, we are also distracting the audience. You need to think of each shot and what it can mean to the audience. It’s as if not knowing how to create the action in front of the camera that’s arresting or intriguing has to be fixed it in editing with quick, short cuts and speeding up the pace. If you think about how to tell the story in longer shots, I think it’s a lot more rewarding for an audience.” Spring 2014

| Markee 2.0

Cinematography

ASC Awards – Richard Rawlings

Charlie’s Angels’ Angel

ichard Rawlings, ASC, was honored at the annual American Society of Cinematographers banquet this year for his

career body of work in television. Rawlings grew up in Hollywood, under the tutelage of his father, Richard Rawlings, Sr., ASC. His first TV series as director of photography was in 1978 on Charlie’s Angels. He went on to shoot such memorable series as Matt Houston, Stingray, L.A. Law, Boston Public, Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives, among others.

We spoke with Rawlings before the award ceremony about his DP debut show. “The wonderful thing about it is I’ve kept in touch with Cheryl Ladd from Charlie’s Angels all these years,” he said. “We talk on the phone two or three times a year, just to see how everybody’s doing. She and her husband, Brian Russell, are going to be there and she’s going to come out and actually say a few words about Charlie’s and the fun we had. She and her husband will be at the crew table, and there will be 14 of 12

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us – half of us were on Charlie’s Angels – so it’s going to be like a really nice reunion.” Television is shot differently than features. When asked about the challenges of shooting episodic television, Rawlings thought for a moment and said, “The biggest challenge is time, beyond a shadow of a doubt. I’ve done mostly one-hour episodic. Most films are a little less than two hours, and they have three, five, six months to shoot them. Although we get a little bit more time now, when I started out we had about six days to do a one-hour Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

episode. Today they shoot eight to nine days. Truthfully, they should be shooting about 10 or 11 days so they don’t work people 14, 16, 18 hours a day; it’s a grueling routine.” Rawlings continued, “I would say that the worst part about it is lack of sleep. The next worst thing about it is getting frustrated because you know that there’s some really nice stuff you could do; you just don’t have the time to do it.” But he quickly added, “I don’t want you to think that I’m always frustrated; it’s not that. It’s just, like anybody else that’s involved in an art form, you see a vision and you want that. You do everything that you can, and with episodic television, very seldom do you have the time to get exactly what you want.” If you don’t have the time, you do have resources. “I’ve been on shows where they are trying to recreate something that they’ve seen in a feature film and it is up to you to try to figure out how to get that image or feeling. [Above] You rent and watch the movie. If you are On the set with Charlie’s Angels while shooting Charlie’s Angels, a show that was considered quite daring in its time. stumped, most cinematographers are happy to share their ideas and their work. I would make a phone call, get ahold of the cinematographer, talk to before they had the ability to make it look like film. Because him and tell him what we’re doing, talk to him about how he electronic video has such a sharp, crisp picture, cinematogradid it.” phers are putting a lot of stuff in front of the lens in order to Adding to the sense of community are the crew mem- make it look like film. The look of film is softer; I think our bers. “A lot of times, if I ask about doing a particular shot, they brains are used to what we see on film, especially when would give me the numbers of the gaffer and the key grip, you’re doing something that’s a fantasy. There are moods to because it involves certain kinds of lights or certain things that be set with film and they’re trying desperately to do that in were built to blow light through, to diffuse it, or whatever. It’s electronic video, to have that feeling that you get from film. a lot of fun to do that because it gives you a chance to talk to Eventually they’ll have it. They don’t have it yet, and it’s very DPs that you probably had never met or probably never hard to get it.” would get a chance to talk with. In film, there’s no such thing Cinematographers, from the very beginning, were creative as plagiarism, and I’ve found that it’s just very delightful.” in camera. Now everything can be manipulated outside the Recalling one situation, Rawlings said, “I was doing a movie of camera. Post-production can often change things to the point the week up in Sacramento, and there’s fireworks going on out- where the cinematographer doesn’t remember ever shootside. Naturally, they wanted to get the effect of the fireworks. I ing anything like that. had watched a film that Allen Daviau had done where they had “All cinematographers, the International Cinematographers a similar scene and the fireworks were just so beautiful. Guild, and the ASC are very much aware of the fact that “So I called and asked Mr. Daviau how he did it and he there are people who can change our work,” he said. “We’re said, ‘Well we had real fireworks.’ We didn’t have real fire- working very hard to come up with a way to deal fairly with works. Then he spent half an hour talking to me about how what post-production can do, to try to make them underthey once recreated the look of fireworks with lights and fil- stand that they need to include the cinematographer if they’re ters and colored gels. It was really neat. I tried it and it didn’t going to change something that had been done behind the come out as good as what Allen had, but it worked. It’s nice camera.” to know that you can make a phone call and people are willRawlings explained, “The ASC is on top of that like you ing to share. I’m sure there are people out there that won’t, wouldn’t believe. I’m really proud of the organization for hanbut I’ve never run up against any of them.” dling it in a gentlemanly way because screaming and yelling Everything Rawlings has shot was on film. Toward the end doesn’t get anything done. Everyone has to understand that of his active television career – he retired in 2008 – he saw filmmaking is a collective art form. I mean there are so many digital taking over. “I like to say that I was fortunate that I only people involved. It takes an army to make a movie. I think worked in film,” he mused. “For reasons that are hard to what we’re asking is, ‘Don’t tread on our art form without at explain, they decided to change to what I call electronic video least consulting us and allowing us to get involved.’” www.markeemagazine.com

Spring 2014

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Cinematography

History of Cinematography

Every Advance has a Sense of Déjà Vu The seemingly continual barrage of P E T E R L U D É press releases, blog posts, and reviews CTO, MISSION ROCK DIGITAL SAN FRANCISCO

[Above] Red Digital Cinema’s first versions

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Spring 2014

about new digital cinematography cameras often emphasize their revolutionary new technology. Certainly, there have been remarkable advancements in camera technology over the past few years. However, when put in historical context, today’s achievements appear as simply the next chapter in a continuing stream of innovations intended to free the motion imaging industry from creative and financial limitations. If there had been blogs 100 years ago, cinematographers would have posted rave reviews of the Bell & Howell 2709, a new camera that replaced the beautiful (but impractical) Victorian wooden camera bodies of the Lumière and Pathé models with one machined from cast aluminum. The 2709 had a four-lens turret, through-the-lens viewfinder, and a novel film movement that increased stability. By the 1920s, the Mitchell Camera Company introduced an even more dramatic series of technical advances that would change feature filmmaking in Hollywood and beyond. Innovations such as the planetary gear-driven variable shutter, improved rackover systems, fixed register pins for film, and quieter operation brought operators new levels of stability, convenience, and performance while enabling precise through-the-lens viewing and focusing. With these advances and other refinements, new cameras cut the time required for filming by as much as half while providing new opportunities for special effects work and highspeed shooting. As they made state-of-the-art technology available, easy-to-use, and economically feasible for camera operators of the time, these cameras were adopted by renowned cinematographers throughout the 1920s and used on the majority of classic Hollywood motion pictures. The motion picture industry at the time saw these as revolutionary new technologies. Now, nearly a century later, the evolution of the camera has again come to an inflection point where breakthrough technology has become economically and practically accessible, making it possible for a much broader range of users to make beautiful pictures. Though electronic digital cameras have been around for 20 years, only in the past few years have they offered the Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

quality and performance necessary, not only for television but also for motion picture production. One key innovation was the use of a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensor that relies on a single chip using a Bayer pattern color filter array rather than the previous three chips arranged in a complex prism. Red Digital Cinema was instrumental in introducing highresolution cinema-grade CMOS cameras seven years ago, and Canon made great headway in introducing a digital SLR camera that made it very economical. Today, manufacturers including Arri, Sony, Red, Blackmagic, Vision Research, and Canon offer a range of digital cameras that share in common the single-chip CMOS, compatibility with very high-quality optics from the lens manufacturers familiar to cinematographers, and form factors ideally suited for cinematography, documentaries, and episodic television programming. One impact of this innovation has been the democratization of high image quality. Ten years ago, principal photography for television or cinema involved expensive equipment that was difficult to operate. That model demanded that the director of photography have extensive experience, and it required costly film stock, processing, and post-production services. This meant that a great deal of funding was needed before a project could move forward. When it became affordable for most independent filmmakers to purchase cameras that provided both high image quality and more intuitive operation in a compact design, many limitations to the creative voice fell away. By reducing the need for significant financial backing, new digital cameras gave filmmakers greater freedom to stretch the limits of motion images and to explore the topics about which they are passionate. In fact, expansion of the cinematographer’s “vocabulary” of creative tools is proving to be another significant impact of today’s digital camera technology. For years, movies were shot and projected using 35mm film at 24 fps, and everyone learned to love it. Digital technology has no such constraints. While first-generation digital cameras and production workflows were designed to mimic the look and feel of film, with the same number of stops and dynamic range, the current generation of digital cameras has been designed to take advantage of higher frame rates, greater dynamic range, increased spatial resolution and expanded color gamuts that were impossible with motion picture film. From the CMOS sensor to the digital laser projector in the theater, the technology being implemented today is enabling content creators to provide images in ways never before seen. Which of these capabilities will be embraced by producers and directors for various projects is not yet known, but the realm of possibility is wide open. Both the financial and creative aspects of filmmaking and television production are being influenced by the reduced cost of capturing digital images. Prior to adoption of the digital camera, a filmmaker might have used 250 feet of film on every take with an actor, and there was a specific – and nontrivial – price tag associated with that footage. With digital cameras, it is now poswww.markeemagazine.com

[Above] The Mitchell BNC was a workhorse film camera for decades.

sible to capture much more “footage” with almost no incremental costs. For this reason, it’s not uncommon to begin shooting in rehearsals. A shot formerly done in five takes with film might now be captured with 20 or 30 takes. Filmmakers thus have a wealth of footage, captured cost-effectively, to draw on in creating the film or program they envision. In the realm of documentary filmmaking, cinematographers take advantage of low-cost acquisition to keep cameras on and capture images constantly. Because it now is affordable to record real-life activity continuously and use only a fraction of this footage for the final product, filmmakers have made tremendous strides in documenting dynamic and unpredictable events, whether it’s a volcanic eruption or the lion chasing the gazelle. The creative impact has been enormous. Of the 2014 Oscarnominated films in the categories of Directing, Cinematography, and Best Picture, two-thirds were shot on a digital cameras using single-chip CMOS technology, rather than film. Articles from the SMPTE digital library (http://journal. smpte.org) from 1916 through the present time clearly demonstrate, the technical innovations brought to market today are leaps and bounds beyond those introduced a century ago. Nevertheless, all of these innovations have been fueled by common objectives: the desire to create the most immersive and engaging images and/or to remove any limits from the creative vision of the director and cinematographer. Always, as filmmakers have worked to convey the emotional impact of a story, they have bumped against the wall of technology. Always, engineers in the motion-imaging field have worked to knock down these walls and allow filmmakers to move in any creative direction they wish. As the evolution of camera technology continues, everything positive about today’s cameras will get even better. Cameras will become smaller, more flexible, and less expensive while offering, at the high end, extended capture, storage, and processing capabilities. Exploration of new areas, such as light field photography and computational cinematography, promises even more amazing advancements in the future. Driven by the same impetus behind development of the very first motion picture cameras, the motion-imaging field moves forward still, harnessing remarkable technical achievements to further enhance creative expression and viewer engagement. Pete Ludé is past president of the SMPTE. Spring 2014

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Cinematography

3D:

The 2014 Playbook A professional’s personal look at 3D in home and theater

If you went to the CES extravaganza in Las Vegas this year, you would have seen the world of 3D everywhere. My excursion onto the exhibit floor began as it does every year, through the imposing main entrance of the North Hall where the prime exhibitor real estate is located. Walking onto the exhibit floor past the huge LG logos framing the North Hall entrance, I was immediately stopped by a solid mass of CES attendees wearing passive 3D glasses that were being handed out by LG representatives. The crowd was at least 30 attendees deep, backing up to and essentially blocking the entrance.

B A R R Y S A N D R E W, P h . D . FOUNDER, CCO AND CTO, LEGEND3D

[Above] 3D glasses were everywhere at CES

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Spring 2014

The attraction was the 10 x 30 foot passive 3D wall, what LG claims is the largest in the world. Objects projecting out from the huge display seemed to envelop the entire exhibit floor with fireworks exploding and butterflies, balloons and snowflakes floating mere inches from our noses. Like last year, it was a totally immersive, mesmerizing experience punctuated periodically by spontaneous applause from the attendees as the vibrant demo dished out greater and more dynamic three dimensional “wow” moments. Making my way past the 3D wall and into the LG booth, I was impressed by both the curved and flat OLED (organic light-emitting diode) 3D TVs with their blacker than black contrast ratios and exceptionally vibrant color. The 4K passive 3D TVs were particularly evident, displaying 3D video with quality unimaginable in years past. Samsung’s booth also did not disappoint. OLED curved 3D TVs were evident everywhere on the floor, if one had the time and interest to explore beyond the 4K hype. As anticipated, 4K and 3D have become the killer terms this year. Each technology benefits significantly from the other. Full resolution 3D with passive glasses is now a reality when displayed on a 4K/3D TV. While higher resolution alone might not be a sufficient value-add to motivate consumers to purchase new TVs, UHD combined with 3D technology produces an exceptional viewing experience that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. While 3D was not the headliner at CES 2014, 3D TVs were certainly well represented on the exhibit floor. Although manufacturers were clearly playing down their 3D feature, the units on display have matured considerably. It was obvious that major TV manufacturers, LG and Samsung among others, remain fully committed to the advancement of 3D TV. Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

A new acronym: HDR While TV manufacturers in general seemed fixated on 4K and even 8K resolution, there are many technologists on the production side of the industry who acknowledge the fact that the number of pixels on a TV screen is less important than the amount and type of data that each of those pixels represent. Enter High Dynamic Range (HDR)! Sitting in the Dolby demo room, I was able to compare a 2K and 4K high dynamic range TV to a standard 4K TV. The difference in image quality, even at 2K was unmistakable. In my opinion, higher spatial and temporal resolution coupled with greater dynamic range, wider color gamut and higher peak luminance will likely be an end-game for home entertainment in the foreseeable future. According to the NPD Consumer Tracking Service, approximately 12 million 3D TVs have been sold since 2010. While this is a far cry from the tens of millions projected four years ago, the current installed base is nonetheless substantial. Indeed, the installed base will continue to grow because most of the flat screen TVs consumers bought over Christmas are ready for 3D even if that feature was not a criteria for their purchase. Today, if you can buy a smart TV that has 3D at no appreciable increase in purchase price, then why not take advantage of it? Certainly, the lack of 3D content is no longer an excuse to delay a 3D TV purchase. In 2013, there were more than 50 3D feature films released on Blu-ray. In the U.S. alone, 42 new 3D feature films are slated for theatrical and Blu-ray release in 2014. Today, 3D capable disc players represented one third of the Blu-ray player market. I see this as just one more harbinger of good things to come for the 3D TV market in 2014. Don’t look to autostereo (glasses free) TV as the next great advance in 3D TV, however. As I anticipated in my blog, lenticular and parallax barrier 3D TV fizzled at CES 2014. I believe the reason for its failure is that the core technology is inherently flawed. To my eye, even 4K and 8K ultra high definition does not currently appear to produce an acceptable glasses free 3D experience. Sure, looking at autostereo TV can generate a considerable amount of wow factor if you’ve never seen glasses free 3D before, but autostereo will be a difficult sell into the home market. Having to sit within a narrow sweet-spot in order to appreciate 3D coupled with a lack of stereo accuracy – the way the original filmmaker intended their film to be seen – is sure to have negative effects on the home viewing experience.

3D feature film production Let’s step out of the home environment for a minute and look at feature films. Nine out of the top 10 highest grossing films in 2013 were released in 3D, generating more than $6 billion. I see this as clear evidence that the movie-going audience continues to see 3D as a uniquely attractive and valueadded theatrical experience. This is true despite the fact that www.markeemagazine.com

the majority of today’s digital theaters are ill equipped to handle the necessary added brightness for 3D. In this regard, 3D glasses remain a liability for exhibitors until they can find a way to dramatically improve image brightness on the screen. Enter the laser projector, which produces more than sufficient foot-lamberts to make the theatrical 3D viewing experience brighter and better than ever. IMAX has orders for more than 20 theatrical laser projector installations this year and in Latin America and China, conventional theaters are being primed for the greatest number of laser projector installations in 2014. Along with the brighter image that laser projection delivers to 3D content, it also touts lower operating costs, lower power consumption, and an increased lifespan. What a convincing economical argument for upgrading from traditional xenon arc lamps, which have been the staple of theatrical exhibition for decades. On the feature film production side, we’re seeing early advances in single lens cameras that can accurately create depth maps, either algorithmically via several strategies – including inferred light field approximations – or through direct light field measurements. These advances could ultimately remove much of the labor-intensive image segmentation or rotoscoping that currently drives up the cost of 3D conversion. By manipulating depth masks generated from these cameras, conversion stereographers will be able to achieve the creative vision of the filmmaker in less time and at a lower cost, making converted 3D films even more affordable than they are today. I predict that 2014 will be a pivotal year for 3D in both the home and theater. We won’t see consumers purchasing 3D TVs in droves, but there is currently a respectable installed base of 3D TVs in the home. Those consumers purchasing new flat screen TVs will likely have the 3D feature bundled into their new sets. Reduced brightness from 3D glasses will be resolved for the home market with the advent of OLED and High Dynamic Range 3D TVs. Likewise, the introduction of laser projectors for theatrical exhibition will give moviegoers a far superior 3D experience. I have little doubt that within the next two years the amazing improvements in quality, resulting from advances in TV and projection technology, will signal a resurgence of interest in 3D entertainment from consumers, TV manufacturers, exhibitors and distribution channels. Spring 2014

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Cinematography

Expanded Cinematography To understand the modern image-making processes requires continuous educational updating. During the last few years, the role of imagery in films became much more pronounced and very distinct from the imagery of the end of the 20th century. New technologies and new forms of relationships and interdependence between traditional cinematography, art direction, visual effects, the new “virtual cinematography” and pre-visualization create new kinds of imagery. The Academy Awards winners for both Cinematography and Visual Effects clearly illustrate the issue. It is not a coinciB Y Y U R I N E Y M A N , A S C dence that for the last four years the Oscars for both awards DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY were given to the same films – Avatar, Inception, Hugo, and Life FOUNDING PARTNER, GLOBAL of Pi. This trend is a strong confirmation and an acceptance of CINEMATOGRAPHY INSTITUTE, LOS the new artistic and technical paradigm that has emerged, thanks ANGELES to developments in technology and appreciation of different forms of traditional artistic and aesthetical values. This phenomenon is changing not only the role of traditional cinematography but redefines the concepts of cinematography and cinematographer as a whole. Traditionally, since the conception of the film as an art form and the concurrent development of related technologies, cinematography and imagery have been synonymous. While the profession has evolved, the cinematographer has continued to be the acknowledged visual contributor and trusted steward of the artistic style and technical quality of the film image.

Director of Photography?

[Above] Yuri Neyman, ASC teaches students about the lighting for virtual productions involving complex compositing technologies.

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Spring 2014

This is what cinematographers started to call themselves in the 1930’s after the introduction of sound technology, and when the responsibilities of cinematographers became more complex. The DP became the almost monopolistic authority in the realm of all visual aspects and style of the images. However, today and going forward, images in film will no longer be produced as the result of the traditional tools of cinematography. While cinematic principles regarding aesthetics and principles of creating meaningful images based on composition, light, color, and movement remain the same, the role of the traditional Director of Photography in the creation of the final image is going through many transformations. The digital revolution, followed by the democratization of tools and the expansion of media, along with the exploding Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

marketplace, continue to cause changes at an exponential rate. This has also led to an increase in the number of visual storytellers who don’t come from a traditional film-based background and education. These new storytellers come with an unbound motivation and energy, and have started and continue to modify, influence, and change the look and the entire aesthetics of modern image-making. Images today seem to be influenced by video game stylistics and trends in social media, as well as traditional film images, art photography, or painting. As we can see [Above] from samples of Best Cinematography and Best VFX Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC instructs students in “Feature Film Lighting.” Academy Award winning movies, images have become more that require visual literacy and an ability to express ideas via complex and loaded with a variety of multilayered pictorial, liter- talent and technology. ary, and societal references and connotations. And what is more During the next years, a few tendencies will pick up speed important, they are not produced only with the tools of tradition- and remain to have enormous influences on the entertainment al cinematography and photography. and motion picture industry, including cinematography and the people in those fields. A few key trends are: continuous technoTechnology has changed logical advances, democratization of the access to the image creThe technological trend of digitization and computeriza- ating tools, and the increased competition between new and old tion of traditional film workflow started in the 1980’s with the markets of image production, delivery and distribution. replacement of linear editing with non-linear editing. This in The innovative technologies on the market already impact turn led to the abandonment of print dailies in favor of the how work gets done in many areas of image-making – camera telecine transfer. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the technologies, visual effects and post-production. As a result of industry embraced a non-linear, real-time pipeline for produc- those innovations, trends and tendencies, the new cinematogration. Assembly line phases are replaced with the mentality phy – what we call “Expanded Cinematography” – has become that what happens in any stage of production can directly the combination of live and virtual cinematography. affect prior or subsequent stages of production. Avatar is a Expanded Cinematography is a state of mind which is good sample of this approach to film production. recasting the production process around creative choice Increased processing power and advances in capture and rather than developing and working around barriers created acquisition, and the continuous progress of sensor and camera by gaps in the ever evolving technical knowledge. It creates a technologies has put many talented artists and craftsmen into a new unity of art and technology, the conversion of difficult position as we transition into the new model of creative existing crafts and the activities of cinematography, design, art and innovative content. With technological advancement, and direction, special effects, visual effects, virtual lighting, pre-visuthe numerous, ever-changing social and cultural trends abound- alization, as well as emerging visual practices. There must be ing, the profession of cinematographers cannot leave the aes- further development of the cinematographer’s profession, thetics of motion picture imagery intact in the old paradigm. making him or her a Cinematographer-Artist-Designer-TechWhen in 2011, Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC and I founded the nologist who is able to comprehend and solve any Global Cinematography Institute (GCI), we have had all those tasks which modern production can put in front of them. considerations in mind. GCI embraces the new and evolving The aim is to unify all cinema image-making arts and crafts, technologies. Our focus is on integrating new technology into to bring them together in the modern digital and virtual the many arts and forms of storytelling and visual careers that realms. GCI is an interdisciplinary school which already instructs exist today. This evolution plays, and will play, a critical role in at a very high level, and will continue in its role as the creative lab our further development. It will affect why, how and what we for visual professionals of different disciplines and specialties, e.g., learn, unlearn and relearn as we move forward. directors, cinematographers, producers, visual FX artists, digital Continuous education is a very characteristic part of the imaging technicians, Previs Supervisors, Photographers and end of the 20th century and the beginning of 21st century – many others. and beyond – society we live and work in today. This trend We have observed the need for new subjects including involves a fundamental reassessment of many previous under- career development, art history, the psychology of entertainstandings about art, technology, culture, communication, etc. ment, the history of cinematography and special effects, all All those many facts and factors mean we have to talk about in order to discover and to explain past and current achievethe continuous education of cinematographers as a very nec- ments, and to encourage and help create the path of creative essary phenomenon which will help to avoid crises of many thinking. The target is the awakening of the creative mind, to other professions and occupations. Education allows the cin- stimulate enthusiasm in achieving greatness in the visual design ematographer’s profession to expand into new areas, those of moving images and related fields. www.markeemagazine.com

Spring 2014

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Palm Beach County, Florida

HE PALM BEACHES ARE KNOWN FOR SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, crystal clear waters on the planet. The vibrant colors of the reefs and sunken vessels have created a habitat for an enormous variety of undersea creatures creating an underwater world worthy of the attention it gets. The coastline in Palm Beach County is considered a top diving destination due to the nearly 70 dive sites that closely hug the coastline and the underwater kaleidoscope of color that opens on the ocean floor. This world-class destination features a film-friendly community, yearround warm weather, diverse locations and discounted production space. PBC continues to attract high profile productions. Television shows that shot in PBC. include The Ultimate Diver Challenge, The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network, Four Weddings and Four Houses on TLC, Barrett-Jackson Car

Auction on the SPEED Channel, The Today Show and The Biggest Loser on NBC, Nuestra Belleza Latina on Univision, Feherty on the Golf Channel, Tanked on Animal Planet, Made on MTV, Fish Tank Kings and Jobs That Bite on Nat Geo Wild, Nature’s Weirdest Events and Officially Amazing on the BBC, Toy Hunter on the Travel Channel, and House Hunters on HGTV among many others. Palm Beach County also welcomed many fashion driven photo shoots for brands such as Adidas, Johnston and Murphy, Reebok, and Vera Bradley as well as catalog shoots for Lord & Taylor and Macy’s along with commercials for Braman Motorcars, Belk’s Department Store, Florida Power and Light and Tire Kingdom to name a few. Several independent feature films utilized locations within Palm Beach County this past year. The producing

teams of Hollow Creek, Hidden Assets, Widowsville, and My Father, Mi Padre took advantage of FREE, One-Stop Permitting. Additionally, producers flying in and out from Los Angeles had an easier time this year as American Airlines began daily, non-stop flights from PBI to LAX. Palm Beach County’s popular locations include sandy beaches, lush green landscapes, and areas with that downtown city feel as well as cheats for Africa and the Mediterranean. PBC is registered as Florida’s Golf Capitol (SM) with over 160 public and private courses including the picturesque courses of PGA National Resort & Spa and Trump International. You will also find cities that are rich in diversity and home to warm, friendly people. For more information please contact the Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission at 800.845.FILM or pbfilm.com.

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Spring 2014

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

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Rochester/Finger Lakes Film & Video Office

ITYSCAPES AND COUNTRYSIDES ARE AS PLENTIFUL AS THE EXPERIENCED FILM CREWS you will find in the Rochester and Finger Lake region in upstate New York. This is where film was born, the home of George Eastman and Kodak, and where many filmmakers cut their teeth testing the film that was ultimately projected on movie screens across the globe for decades. The region holds the largest crew base in New York State outside of New York City – larger than fellow upstate cities Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany combined. This mecca of film production is not just mired in historical legacy. More than 150 feature, commercial, music video, reality and still campaigns were shot in Rochester in 2013 alone. Paramount Studios chose Rochester for the filming of many of the action scenes in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, opening nationwide in early May. This was the largest production in New York State history.

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They “Speak Film” in Rochester The Rochester/Finger Lakes Film & Video Office is run by Certified Film Commissioner Nora Brown and Deputy Director Karl Goldsmith. Both are experienced filmmakers themselves and provide complete location scouting assistance. They speak film, they know film. The person on the other end of your phone call, and ultimately your on-location shoot, “gets it.” The Rochester Film Office has worked with every major movie studio and TV network. Nora and Karl can lead you to a place north of the Big Apple where production costs shrink, where there are equipped grip companies, Qualified Production Facilities, numerous and costcompetitive production and post facilities, and a large base of experienced crew.

Picturesque Finger Lakes Plus Urban Settings Located in the picturesque Finger Lakes region of New York State, the

region is visually unique and distinctive. It is popular among filmmakers for the variety of Americana towns along timeless county roads; sloping wine vineyards amid 11 clear blue lakes; and an abundance of dramatic waterfalls, gorges, and farmland. And cue the snowy Christmases and spectacular fall foliage for ideal town and country scenery year round. For urban shoots, this same region has industrial neighborhoods, Art Deco downtowns, and universities in the Ivy League tradition. It can be used to double as any larger U.S. city. And to top it off New York State offers a 30 percent tax credit to qualified productions for many expenses. This incentive program has lured many filmmakers to upstate New York. “I can’t tell you how much money, time, and headaches were saved by your steering me to Rochester to produce our new video for MTV,” said Donna Giles of Spellbound Productions.

Spring 2014

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Sarasota County Film Office

ILMMAKERS LOVE TO LEARN THAT SARASOTA COUNTY OFFERS A ONE-OF-A-KIND, UP-TO-100% CASH REBATE incentive program for projects of every budget. That’s helped to grow the number of productions served to over two thousand and the economic impact to more than $40 Million, since the Sarasota County Film & Entertainment Office (film commission) was created in 2007. Additionally, Sarasota County’s allure is its multiple “identities” of Paradise and The Cultural Coast of Florida, as productions often seek extraordinary locations and find those there. When it comes to “Paradise,” lots of places use the word without genuinely earning the title. What is Paradise? A place of beauty, extraordinary quality of life, enjoyment and delight, wonderful weather in a gracious environment, abundant amenities, stunning nature, stimulating arts and culture, plentiful pastimes and pursuits, recreation and relaxation, stunning visual elements…

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Spring 2014

In Sarasota County, Florida, on the west coast, they back up their “Paradise” claim with impressive reality, not just words. Repeatedly, geographic locations’ diversity surprises visitors. For example, Sarasota County’s #1 rated snowy white “sugar sand” beaches and miles of breathtaking sunsets into the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico along five barrier islands, draw devotees. A subtropical jungle with a winding river and a rope footbridge in the treetop canopy, surrounded by thousands of acres of hiking and biking, camping and exploring, as well as botanical gardens, fishing, boating, marinas, birding, kayaking and more, fill the hearts of outdoors/nature-lovers. Sports enthusiasts can find it all from more golf courses than they could ever likely play to tennis, cycling, swimming, baseball & softball, soccer, Bocce (even Pickleball!), to the more unusual pastimes of equestrianism, polo, cricket, skydiving, rowing, sculling, even the upcoming modern Pentathlon.

Architectural styles run the gamut from historic registry buildings to trapezoidal shapes, mid-century modern to 1920’s Venetian Gothic, Contemporary, Neoclassical, Georgian, Tudor and Mediterranean Revival, to pastel cottages and bungalows, bold ranches, mansions, and so much more. Sarasota County is also justifiably known as “The Cultural Coast.” Theaters and performing arts abound, feeding aficionados of circus, opera, ballet, Broadway, improv, contemporary and diverse live theater, orchestras and symphony, jazz, chorale, chamber music, classical, modern dance, concerts, and more. Festivals thrive, from film, food, wine, chalk street art, to multidisciplinary performance, Scottish Highlands games, and a parade of others. Embellish all of that with world-class Ringling Museum of Art, galleries, sculptures and statuary, and you have just a glimpse of Sarasota County.

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

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Virginia Film Office

VIRGINIA:

Great Locations Since 1607

Photos Courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corporation

HY CHOOSE VIRGINIA AS A FILM LOCATION? Experienced crew, a full-service film office and incentives that are customized to each unique project are just a few reasons. However, it’s the state’s exceptionally wide range of locations that make it a filmmakers dream come true. The state’s locations range from untouched Atlantic Ocean beachfront in the east to mountain vistas, rolling hills, and verdant valleys to the west. Northern Virginia touches Washington, D.C., and has big city skyscapes, elegant estates and miles of Virginia horse country. To the south are small towns, rolling farmlands and rural landscapes. In the center of it all is Richmond, the state capital and a favored locale for projects needing a rich, historic background. Virginia’s state capitol building, built by Thomas Jefferson, as well as a wide range of governmental and residential architecture, and plantation homes mean that Richmond can portray nearly 400 years of history. Now, Virginia offers an historic backlot within 30 minutes of Richmond, a major crew base. Located on 3,000 acres of state-owned riverfront land available without a location fee, the backlot offers privacy in a controlled production environment. The location features dirt roads that wind through untouched hills, streams, woods

and valleys, as well as access to the James River. Ideal for use as a battlefield, there are a series of earthworks specifically created for battle scenes. On the property is a period wharf set that includes commercial buildings, a paddle-wheeler and sailing

vessel. Also available is the James River Correctional Center, a vacant prison and outbuildings available for filming without a location fee. To learn more about filming in Virginia, visit the location library at FilmVirginia.org or contact the Virginia Film Office at 800.854.6233.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT FILMVIRGINIA.ORG, OR CALL 800.854.6233. 24

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

PRODUCTION MUSIC in the Multi-Screen Universe BY MARK R. SMITH When perusing the offerings of production music companies, large and small, it’s easy to find those that are adding a new library or two, striking up a partnership, enhancing search technology, etc. But what has changed so much in recent years is the availability of platforms where the music might be used. While providing a score for some big-deal spot that airs during the Super Bowl, or for a Hollywood hit movie trailer still attracts considerable notice, just consider all of the new opportunities that are available – not just because of the Internet but due to the preponderance of screens that rest not only on one’s desk, but also in one’s lap and in one’s palm. 26

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Spring 2014

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

A Focused Approach Some music libraries are large and all-encompassing, while others take the boutique approach. Then there’s the middle of the pack, which is where music buyers can find FirstCom Music of Carrollton, Texas (www.firstcom.com) and its 17 libraries. The news at the house concerns the acquisition of two new offerings: BBC Production Music and the Jonathan Elias series from the EVO collection. “The BBC owns some of the best production music in the world,” said Ken Nelson, senior vice president/executive producer with FirstCom, noting “the music’s cinematic underscores don’t overwhelm the content” within its legendary programming and documentaries. Nelson stresses that, while the collection offers considerable variety, it contains just 30 albums. That brevity may surprise some observers, but he likes that “it’s not all things to all people. The BBC collection is more focused on film and doc creators.” FirstCom is also introducing the Jonathan Elias (of Elias Arts, a legendary high-end ad firm), which offers 11 albums. “They have a rich, unique sound for the kind of work that they do,” he said. “Their campaigns almost sound like film scores. They have a unique approach that lends itself to films and docs, so we are using their more long-form pieces.” The house also is promoting two trailer libraries that it has been building on for the past year, the Universal Trailer Series and See Music, which feature hybrid orchestral sounds. FirstCom also has released two libraries geared to the Latin market: The Mexican Music Library and the Ultimate Latin Series. The latter is a compilation of in-house recordings that has been accented with some new music. What’s trending? “There’s more focus on how the music is used and how clients describe what they need it to do, and less about particular styles,” Nelson said. “Style and trends don’t matter as much as the vibe or mood you are trying to create for your project.”

[Above] FirstCom collections look as good as they sound.

[Below] Have you ever seen a megaphone Saxophone? Now you have. VideoHelper has one.

It’s About Quality Stew Winter, CEO of New York-based VideoHelper (www.videohelper.com), recently attended Real Screen, a reality television conference, and returned with a revelation. “I found that libraries are trying to fit into the market by providing background music,” he said, “as well as music that sets a mood without sounding invasive.” That may sound like the same thing, but Winter stressed that it’s not. “It gets back to what we’re trying to do with www.markeemagazine.com

Spring 2014

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Music & Sound Effects Libraries

[Above] At VideoHelper, they make sounds with non-traditional instruments. This is a garbage can, bow and human stretched string.

our music,” he said, which is to catch people’s attention, as opposed to [having the effect of] wallpaper. “We want engaging and active.” That observation was supported by VideoHelper’s president, Joe Saba. “We have architecture to our music,” he said. “There is often an intro, then a shift with the energy and feel, always followed by a payoff. All in the first 30 seconds.” In other words, VideoHelper rolls short-form. “If you’re doing a fiveminute segment about otters, we’re not your library,” he explained, “but if the otters explode, then we’re good, because we create excitement – with edit points throughout.” While many libraries try to “ape” popular music styles, VideoHelper’s concept is “to create hybridized genres and not repeat the work of competitors.” The house has served the market for 18 years and offers four libraries, encompassing 6,000 titles, which the duo calls “an economical approach. Most libraries do the number escape, but we don’t waste cuts,” said Winter. “Our version of quality control is handling the writing in our studios with our six writers.” The clientele at VideoHelper tends higher end, with movie trailers, network promos and national spots dotting the dossier. While business has been steady, that doesn’t mean it has been easy. Today, VideoHelper is creating sounds for the newest release in its Modules series, which is a library of narrative sound design with a big following in the trailer community. “The market is trending toward cheaper stuff,” said Saba. “Many people are trying to undersell, but we haven’t lowered our prices. People love us for our approach or hate us. But, happily, our customers are with us.”

Rebranding and More [Below] Randy Wachtler, president and CEO of Warner/Chappell Production Music.

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The news at Nashville-based Warner/Chappell Production Music (www.warnerchappellpm.com) is a “complete rebrand of the division under the iconic Warner/Chappell shield, with the words ‘production music’ added to it,” said President and CEO Randy Wachlter. While the marketing angle points toward new markets, the effort concerns more than marketing. “We’ve enhanced our search engine to make it easier and quicker to find music,” Wachtler said. “We have 200,000 tracks across 80 catalogs, so we wanted to make it simpler for our clients to browse, stream and create playlists. You don’t even have to sign in to sample what we offer. You can listen to the full track, too.” A new addition to Warner/ Chappell’s vast catalog is MidCoast, which focuses on contemporary indie Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

music. It appeals to users who might, in a perfect world, want to license a song from a popular group like Imagine Dragons, the Rolling Stones or Madonna – which can cost anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million or more. While that would usually be cost prohibitive, MidCoast will offer a comparable sound at a workable price. “It’s an artist series that includes real bands and artists, and that’s the trend,” Wachtler said. “More production libraries are offering music that is comparable to what you hear on the radio, etc. While that’s not new, our clients want music that is every bit as good as what is on the radio.” Warner/Chappell Production Music, predictably, has a diverse client base that “includes the major broadcasters and movie studios,” he said. “We get about a third of our business via our NonStop Trailers division” for new movies such as The Monuments Men and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, among many others. Most of the remaining work is for TV promos and spots, with the rest for Internet video, corporate and other projects.

More Screens, More Needs Whitney Arnold, VP music services for The Vault at Stephen Arnold Music of Dallas (www. stephenarnoldmusic.com), sees a fairly obvious trend in the music business, and one doesn’t have to look beyond their assortment of mobile devices to see the writing on the wall. “The fragmentation of viewership of traditional broadcast TV has had huge implications on our business,” Arnold said. “People are consuming media across any number of devices and platforms. And we as a company, and an industry, have to be extremely nimble and forward-thinking.” But that also means increased opportunity. “There is more content being created and consumed than ever before, on such a wide variety of digital platforms” he said. The Vault isn’t trying to be a mega music library, but more of a curated collection. “One of the biggest complaints we hear in the industry is that music searches often yield excessive results of questionable quality,” Arnold said. “Producers and editors [often] have to spend a great deal of time

[Above] Stephen Arnold studio in Dallas, Tx.

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Music & Sound Effects Libraries weeding through tons of tracks, just to find a few appropriate quality selections.” He added that The Vault is currently developing several high-end catalogs from international music houses to complement its existing seven. The company has been on an aggressive schedule with monthly releases “and we’ve doubled in size in 12 months,” he said, and noted that it should double again this year. Catalogs in development include Song Zu, which features hybrid tracks with everything from upbeat rock to other fun/quirky music from Australia and Singapore; and Anno Domini Nation, which features beats used by the biggest names in Hip Hop, from Wu Tang Clan to Snoop Dogg.

A New Venture [Above] Making music in the Stephen Arnold studios.

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Also happily existing in the mid-market is New York’s 4 Elements Music (www.4elementsmusic.com), which offers roughly 5,600 tracks in its catalog (4,500 unique) and has focused on non-fiction TV in recent years. Librarians Bill Sullivan and Henry Terepka say that has helped the house build a strong collection of suspenseful, tense sounds with many a hooky underscore, action/promo and pop cue. “We work closely with our composers to make this happen,” said Sullivan, “and clients like to use us because they’re able to find what they need quickly. That’s partly due to our careful tagging and metadata, and partially because we’re a smaller company, thus more engaged with our catalog and our composers. When you call us, you’re talking to someone who is familiar with the entire library and how it’s used, so we can create custom [Below] playlists for you within minutes.” As noted, the amount of proTyler Ewing and Staff/Composer Henry Terepka at Warner Studios in Nashville. duction music that’s available

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Music & Sound Effects Libraries within the industry is vast, but that fact also creates an opportunity for the smaller and boutique operations to stand out, said Terepka. “We’re seeing the growing importance of metadata and its relationship to distribution and we work with some overseas partners [like Intervox in Germany] who understand how that data translates into placements.” Sullivan also mentioned the use of popular music from famous artists, which is still increasingly being licensed for picture, and how it’s led 4 Elements Music owner Rob Reale to a new venture: representing a small record label division to develop pop artists. “We’ve taken a producer’s role for this new label, which has enabled us to give our artists the resources they need to execute their vision,” Sullivan said, “as we also help them shape their pop sounds and get placements. We’re excited with the results so far.”

Playin’ to the Market

[Above] (l-r) Producer Jack Elliot, Engineer Derek Jones and Megatrax Co-Owner JC Dwyer in the Megatrax Studios.

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Two new catalogs are the news at Megatrax, North Hollywood (www.mega trax.com). They include a new boutique-style offering, “Zest,” which was produced by the company’s U.K. partner Deep East Music. It features catchy, upbeat tracks played in a variety of styles and genres, that are tailored for promos and commercials; released just previous to Zest was the edgy, European label, Black is Blonde, which targets youthful, irreverent tracks “which definitely push the envelope of political correctness,” said president and CEO Ron Mendelsohn. How can music be “politically incorrect?” Mendelsohn lets us in on the secret: “The idea here was that the Black is Blonde album concepts, and sound, are very young and edgy, with titles such as Babe or Bitch, Parents Suck, and Bloody Cutz.” Those additions, which bring the total number of catalogs at Megatrax to 13, and access to them was recently complemented by a loyalty program, the Curator’s Club. It offers such perks as complimentary custom scoring, track modifications, bonus tracks and more. Another move, this one made with a nod to the company’s liaisons who need the sounds that dominate today’s market, was the unveiling of the Hot Trendz playlist. It offers all clients exclusive pre-release tracks inspired by top charts and trending artists. Given that its headquarters is located in a world media capital, it’s not surprising that the Megatrax client base emanates from the film, television and Internet production industries. “Our music is used by everyone from major Hollywood studios to local TV/radio stations to independent producers,” said Mendelsohn. On that note, he added that the house is “being asked more for current chart styles and indie rock,” with several more new releases along these genres slated for release later this year.” Other heat seekers – as they say in the music industry – are requests for electronic dance music, indie folk and neo soul styles, as well as requests for full-length songs with vocals.

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The advances at play in media and entertainment have created unprecedented opportunity for you to deliver innovation to the connected consumer. The digital insight you need to accomplish your goals — and play to win — is here. Global to mobile, live to archive, sound and picture — from previs to post, big data or small market, NAB Show® is your channel. And this is your opportunity.

Conferences: April 5 –10, 2014 | Exhibits: April 7–10 | Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA

Join Us! #nabshow | www.nabshow.com

FREE Exhibits-only Pass code PA02.

NAB 2014

PREVIEW NAB attendees can use this article to get a head start on convention planning, while non-attendees can keep pace with manufacturers’ latest product briefs. 2 New VariCams BY MONICA BURRES AND MICHAEL FICKES

(Booth C3607) www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/varicam Panasonic will introduce two new VariCams at NAB. One is a 4K VariCam with a new super 35mm MOS image sensor for 4096 x 2160 (17:9) 4K image capture. The new imager has 14+ stops of latitude and faithfully captures high-contrast, wide dynamic range imagery. The second is a third-generation, 2/3-inch VariCam with high-speed 1080p image capture with 14 stops of dynamic range. It provides up to 240fps, and can ramp and change frame rates during record. Both feature camera heads that are separate but dockable to the recording module. Both also feature Panasonic’s AVC-ULTRA family of video codecs.

Anton/Bauer (Booth C6025) www.antonbauer.com

AntonBauer DigiBattery Charger

Anton/Bauer, a Vitec Group brand, presents its Digital Battery Series and Performance Charger Series. Redefining the power standard for a new generation of cameras and auxiliary equipment, Anton/Bauer’s Digital Battery Series is the first battery line designed specifically to power digital production for the professional broadcast, cine, and pro-video sectors. The Performance Charger Series utilizes new technology to deliver the fastest possible charging sequence, while exceeding the high-efficiency standards required by today’s rigorous shooting schedules. 34

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Digital Nirvana (Booth SU11017) www.digital-nirvana.com

MediaPro

AnyStream

Digital Nirvana will be showcasing the AnyStream IQ OTT Monitoring System, and the MediaPro Content Repurposing System. The AnyStream IQ OTT Monitoring System came from the need for reliable OTT monitoring, and the rise of video delivery systems and continuous streaming content to desktops, tablets and other devices. The AnyStream IQ allows broadcasters, content creators and the like to keep tabs on OTT content and ensure that streams are up and running. The MediaPro Content Repurposing System is the solution for repurposing and rebroadcasting encrypted HD content to a variety of platforms. The input and output options include SDI, ASI, IIP, QAM, and ATSC.

Eden Park Illumination (Booth C2050) www.edenpark.com Eden Park Illumination, innovator of Microplasma Lighting, will be showcasing its new Studio 3000 Microplasma Light â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bringing high-quality, diffuse light to a new level. This noglare lighting is a mountable fixture intended for use in video, photography or cinematography applications. Unlike LED lights, Microplasma lighting has no need for a diffuser as the light comes directly off of the surface area of the lamp itself. This flat panel technology maintains a stable color temperature, with thin panels that are easy to store, transport, and set up. With no mercury or lead in the studio light, the fixture is environmentally friendly and is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Perfect as a fill light, the Studio 3000 Microplasma light reduces shadow, does not cause glare, and intensifies skin tone reproduction.

EditShare Storage V7 (Booth SL5709) www.editshare.com Built on Linux OS with a new and intuitive interface, EditShare Storage V7 offers a number of new features. First is a Quality of Service system that reserves bandwidth for highpriority activities such as real-time capture or play-out while limiting the bandwidth of lowpriority activities. Then there is EditShare Connect Project Profiles. It remembers which spaces to display or mount for different projects. V7 also supports active directory single sign on. It also allows Final Cut Pro X workgroups to use AFP-mounted spaces as SAN Volumes, enabling editors to store FCP X Libraries, Events and Projects on central storage. EditShareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NAB lineup also includes the end-to-end Geevs Studio Multicam workflow tool, Flow V3 media asset management, and the Field 2 shared storage system. www.markeemagazine.com

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NAB Equipment FUJIFILM 55X Zoom (Booth C7025) www.fujifilm.com Fujifilm introduces two new lenses – the Premier PL 14-35mm Cabrio wideangle lens and the XA55x9.5 HDTV Telephoto Box Style lens. The new PL 1435mm Cabrio is lightweight and comfortable to use with today’s smaller 4K cameras. It features an expanded focal length range to 14-35mm at T2.9, with 200-degree focus rotation, and a detachable digital servo drive. The XA55x9.5 telephoto zoom is designed for large venues requiring tight shots from long distances. It has a focal length of 9.5mm to 535mm or 19mm to 1050mm with an extender.

fX3D Graphics (Booth SL6325) www.broadcastpix.com Broadcast Pix has introduced fX3D, a real-time 3D graphics system designed to build dynamic graphic content for live events, sports, broadcast news or channel branding. fX3D can stand alone as a graphics system for existing broadcast infrastructures or function as an addition to Broadcast Pix Granite or Mica integrated production switchers. Three software modules create a simplified end-toend graphics workflow. Creator software enables graphic content design and includes lights, shaders, movement and materials on 3D objects. Second, an fX3D API integrates the system with Broadcast Pix switchers or third-party products such as broadcast news systems. Finally, fX3D Playout is a rundown controller that brings completed graphics to air.

Imagineer Systems (Booth SL3331) www.imagineersystems.com Imagineer Systems will preview new capabilities of mocha Pro and mocha AE planar motion tracking and visual effects software at NAB. Demonstrations will showcase powerful enhancements to mocha v4 products. Enhancements include a stereo 3D toolset that facilitates workflow and support for native stereoscopic projects. Python scripting support will enable writing custom modules to help integrate mocha into site-specific workflows. New export formats and support will work with more host applications. Roto and masking improvements will reduce manual keyframing organic shapes. Finally, there are new customizable keyboard shortcuts. Customers that purchase mocha AE or mocha Pro during NAB will receive a free upgrade to version 4 on the release date.

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Litepanels (Booth C6025) www.litepanels.com Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand and premier provider of LED lighting for the broadcast and production industries, will debut the Sola 9 (daylight balanced) and Inca 9 (tungsten balanced) LED Fresnels at NAB 2014. Following last year’s breakthrough launch of the Sola 12 and Inca 12, the new 9” fixtures fill a market demand for medium-sized LED Fresnels. Litepanels’ collection of LED Fresnels Sola 4 Flight Kit 049 now covers the complete range needed to deliver a full LED solution for broadcast studios, episodic television, and feature film production. Litepanels also will premiere its new Hilio D12 (daylight balanced) and Hilio T12 (tungsten balanced) high light output panels at NAB 2014. The innovative panels provide the light quality, versatility and intensity of an open-source fixture, while offering all of the benefits of Litepanels’ proprietary LED fixture design. The Hilio D12/T12 fixtures were designed to augment the lighting requirements of broadcast studios, as well as motion picture, episodic television, and commercial location shoots.

Hilio — D12 257

Live-Link (Booth C11149) www.studio-tech.com Studio Technologies, Inc. introduces the Live-Link Mini Remote Camera Interface System, an integrated, powerful camera extender system offering a choice of two 1RU truck units. Live-Link Mini is a cost-effective, compact system that delivers the inherent power of the signature LiveLink with SDI, IFB, comms and program audio. The system provides one SDI path in each direction, supporting a wide range of SD-, HD- and 3G video signals. LiveLink also features integrated party-line and 4-wire intercom support, line-level “dry” and powered “wet” talent cueing (IFB). It is fully compatible with SMPTE standards. The camera and truck units interconnect through single-mode fiber enabling quick deployment.

D Designed, esigned, Developed, D eveloped, E Engineered nginee ered and Assembled Assembled iin n tthe he U USA SA u using s ing G Green reen Technology Technology

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NAB Equipment Mosart (Booth SL2419) www.mosartmedialab.no

Mosart

Mosart will be demonstrating Mosart Newscast Automation 3.6, as well as Mosart Cue Cards. Mosart Newscast Automation 3.6 can control more than 55 broadcast devices including audio mixers, light desks, graphics systems and more, all while integrated with all major newsroom computer systems (NRCS). Producers and directors need no longer fear the technical details of transitions and graphics as now the order of headlines can be changed at the last moment, as the automation system is automated for making transitions look seamless. Mosart Cue Cards is a tablet-based application in which users may have direct access to vital information in the NRCS, while enabling them to remain up to date on script notes and selected stories, all with a simple internet connection.

MSE Minivator ALWAYS EVOLVING, ALWAYS HERE OVER 20 NEW INNOVATIONS IMPLEMENTED

(Booth C5437) www.msegrip.com Matthews Studio Equipment will showcase the new MINIVATOR II. The MINIVATOR II has new features unlike the original MINIVATOR stand that was introduced 10 years ago. Not only is this new lighting stand capable of holding up to 80 pounds, it can reach up to 142 inches. This piece of lighting equipment is ideal for location shots that require a variety of lighting techniques, as well as the use of multiple lights. The MINIVATOR II features equally proportioned risers that are maintained through a double cable mechanism, enabling shooters have firm and steady light movement.

MTI CORTEX (Booth SL15510) www.mtifilm.com MTI Film announces CORTEX CarryOn, a new portable, all-in-one on-set dailies solution for DPs and DITs. The compact, lightweight and rugged CarryOn can process dailies at Light Weight any resolution up to 6K from all popular digital cinema camRecent Deliveries Include: Game Creek Video Fast Setup eras, including ARRI, Sony, Canon and RED. It is equipped Lyon Video ~ NBC Universal Opulent Interiors with MTI’s CORTEX Dailies software featuring color and F&F Productions The Only Automotive Look Exterior media tracking. CORTEX Dailies v 1.5 can link multiple workMIRA Mobile ~ Sirius XM stations on the same project and offload files from camera Call Fred Gerling in sales at 740Ǧ965Ǧ2888 cards and shuttle drives to up to three targets for backup and www.gerlinggroup.com 38

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archiving with check sum verification and asset tracking. The Enterprise Edition includes the new MTI UpRes algorithm for high-quality resizing – ideal for upconverting HD and 2K footage to UHD and 4K.

P2 HD Camcorder (Booth C3607) www.panasonic.com/business/provideo Panasonic has announced the AJ-PX270 P2 HD handheld camcorder with AVCULTRA recording, a low bit-rate and 3G/4G LTE wireless mobility. At five pounds, the PX270 provides the key functionality of Panasonic’s high-end shoulder-mount camcorder – the AJ-PX5000 with AVC-ULTRA. The new handheld also features high-sensitivity, low-noise 1/3-inch 3-MOS imagers effective even in low light conditions. List price is $6,495.

Silvus Technologies (Booth C855) www.silvustechnologies.com Silvus Technologies will feature the MN-MIMO Wireless. The MN-MIMO provides wireless video and data communications in the most treacherous and harshest environments, where other communications systems tend to fail. The MN-MIMO proves longer range and better reliability than any commercial or military wireless communications device available. Silvus also will introduce the SC3822 mini MIMO transceiver to the StreamCaster family, featuring a portability unlike any other – perfect for cameraback and backpack ENG, as well as POV sports and assist for director’s video.

SliderPLUS PRO (Booth C2050) www.edelkrone.com See the only camera slider that can travel twice its own length – edelkrone’s SliderPLUS PRO. The design offsets the rail system, doubling the sliding distance. A new, stronger structure carries heavier cameras. Both SliderPLUS PRO trays are adjustable, providing maximum control over the minimal play on the rails. While shooting, the rail system retreats back during slider operation – so the device remains out of the picture during dolly in and dolly out shots. A companion Target Module employs responsive motion control technology to enable the camera to lock onto the subject and keep it in the same position inside the frame. A Wizard Module records camera moves and repeats shots precisely at the touch of a button.

SnapStream TV Monitoring (Booth SU4321) www.snapstream.com SnapStream’s 6.2 release of its enterprise-class TV monitoring technology features one-step clip and share, and new integrations with YouTube and Amazon S3. It also restructures interface screens to streamline everyday workflows for clipping, sharing and managing TV content. New administrative controls make it easier to delegate permissions and set user groups in accordance with business needs. The new release also updates the Web Player to perform actions such as ShowSqueeze, which transcodes recordings to a new format, and SmartChapter, which detects commercials. Run a Workwww.markeemagazine.com

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NAB Equipment flow and Add to a Playlist also can be activated directly from the Web Player. Although these actions are not new, the ability to launch them from the Web Player is.

Transvideo (Booth C6443) www.transvideo.eu Transvideo International will feature the CineMonitorHD Evolution X-SBL Enhanced. This bright, 6” monitor only draws 19W at its brightest capacity, and can be set in either indoor or outdoor modes for viewing. The monitor features anti-glare technology, decreasing glare while enhancing contrast. In the monitor’s Xtreme Bright mode, details and highlights are maintained in both dark and full-sun locations. The CineMonitorHD Evolution X-SBL Enhanced includes the Virtual Horizon2, an electronic horizon featuring six adjustable directions and sensitivities. This display feature can be shown anywhere on the screen. The included Cal-On-Tap feature can be turned on and off by the operator, while producing the fastest short cut to zero calibration on the Horizon.

TSV 6XSBLHD

XenData (Booth SL12713) www.xendata.com XenData, will display the XenData Cloud, a high-capacity storage device presented in a private cloud for users. The XenData Cloud is ideal for new and existing XenData customers who possess media assets from 100TB to several petabytes. Through the XenData Cloud, users can fill their video assets into LTO cartridges and the ship these cartridges to XenData’s secure datacenter, where the user can then download their personal assets – meaning users have access virtually all over the world. XenData Cloud users not only own the content of their LTO cartridges, but they own the storage device itself – customers are in complete control, with the ability to have their cartridges shipped back to them.

Film & Video Gallery Credits: Executive Producers: Paxton Baker, Derek Lewis, Tami Arasli, Bart Phillips Supervising Producer: Troy Mosley Producer/Editor: Willie Giles Post Production Supervisors: Rod McDonald, Wayne Overstreet Coordinating Producer: Gieava Stinchcomb Editors: Seth Cohen, Buff Harsh, Azita Morris, Matt Melberg

Soul Train Awards 2013 Client: BET/Centric Networks Wolff Bros Post joined forces with Sunseeker Media, PPP&E & BET/Centric Networks to edit the 2013 Soul Train Music Awards. Teaming with BET/Centric on their highest rated – most watched show to date, with 4.6 million viewers and 3.5 million tweets, was an incredible experience said Wolff Bros GM Wayne Overstreet.

Wolff Bros Post 1930 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30324 Phone: 404.881.0020 • Fax: 404.881.1240 www.wolffbrospost.com

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2014

The Studios at Paramount, Hollywood, CA June 5-8, 2014 Expo & Conference Exhibits, Premiere & Master Classes Seminars, Film Competition www.cinegearexpo.com

VIRTUAL? REAL? CAN WE TELL? At what point will the world of VFX and cinematography blend to make the real and the virtual the same?

BY TOM INGLESBY

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e’ve all seen the results of computerization in film and video production. Post is often done completely in the computer; virtual effects (VFX) dominate more and more films. Where is the frontier today? Christian Manz has been doing VFX for many years and has racked up significant credits on productions such as Nanny McPhee Returns and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as well as television’s Primeval series. Having recently completed work on 47 Ronin and in post on Dracula Untold, Manz took time to discuss the state of VFX today. “I think visual effects are a big part of how movies are made today,” he says. “Obviously with something like 47 Ronin, which is a very VFX driven movie compared to 15 years ago, you are contributing to everything from the set to the actors – in terms of how we’re putting creatures into the show – to stunts, art direction, everything.” Manz works for Framestore (www.framestore.com) and over 17 years in the business, he’s seen visual effects become more respected. “Generally you’re involved a lot earlier in the process than you were before, now even before pre-pro. Sometimes it’s even before a director is engaged; or a director might come to us before the film is even green lit to come up with ideas and ways to bring their vision to the screen. That’s a big change.”

[Left] The elephant in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang was rendered in, fRibGen by Framestore. Courtesy of Framestore and Universal Pictures

[Top Left] Heavily supported by VFX, 47 Ronin presents the epic scope of a modern Ben Hur Courtesy of Framestore and Universal Pictures

[Top Right] Creating a realistic unreal world is the realm of VFX as shown in this still from Primeval. Courtesy of Framestore, Impossible Pictures and ITV

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VFX

[Above Top] Oscar-winning film Gravity with VFX done by Framestore. Image Source: Warner Brothers 2013

[Above] The sabretooth tiger in Primeval certainly looks evil in VFX Courtesy of Framestore, Impossible Pictures and ITV

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The quality of VFX has gotten so good that we may someday, not too far off, have virtual actors in lead roles. “Framestore did a baby in Children of Men that lots of people didn’t know was CG,” boasts Manz. “Iron Man 3 recently had Guy Pierce at the end as CG - he’s burning up so there’s a lot going on. I don’t believe that suddenly actors will be gone. Obviously, we do digital doubles but I don’t see there being a point where you would do a film of random CG people when you could film an actor doing it.” It’s becoming harder and harder to fool the public. Manz recalls, “The challenge is that budgets are dropping a bit, and you’re having to find creative ways of coming with amazing visions, and actually having to use creative solutions combined with the technology to get something out there that’s pushing the boundaries every time. Gravity has done it, has lifted that bar again. Every year there’s been different movies that push that envelope more and more.” The VFX for multiple Oscar winner Gravity was done at Framestore. Manz notes, “If they had rendered it in one process, they would have had to start in the age of the ancient Egyptians to have it rendered by now. Five years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to render that movie but now the level of computer power is becoming more economic and more possible.” Computational power makes rendering better, but there is still the human element in film and video. Jim Clark and Gretchen Miller run Hive-FX (www.hive-fx.com), known for their work on the television series Grimm. “I think, except for Avatar, nobody has been successful with making believable human characters,” Clark explains. “But Avatar was successful and that ideal has come closer and closer, I think we’re getting there. I imagine somebody is going to do a film with a new actor who doesn’t exist and try to fool everybody. I think it’s going to be something that, after the movie is out, they’ll discuss that it wasn’t even a real person, almost like a ploy to sneak it in and see what happens, to see if people know it and understand it.” Clark adds “It always comes down to the eyes and the face. If you can’t make the face believable and you can’t see the humanity in the eyes, it won’t happen. It’s really, really difficult to bring that look, to get that believability. We as humans recognize the human spirit in people. We see the sparkle in someone’s eye. You say there’s a sparkle in someone’s eye, that special thing that makes them a star or makes them special. I don’t think we quite even understand what that is, and I think that in order to reproduce it we would have to really deeply understand what that sparkle is.” “The bigger issue is, why create virtual actors?” Clark questions. “For studios it’s going to be financial. They can pay Tom Hanks $10 million to do the movie, or they create a virtual character they can repurpose over and over and put in any film. I think it will be a financial decision.” It will cost a lot of money to do it. “The first time it’s expensive, but it gets cheaper over time. I mean I think they’ve done it very successfully with Lord of the Rings, with Gollum. He’s a virtual character, he’s incredibly believable, and you buy into it. He tells the story with his eyes, his performance, and I think Gollum is probably the most successful virtual character ever done. But it’s interesting that you still have to have a performer behind it. There’s still an actor there, and the only reason the actor was necessarily is because Gollum is a creature in a form Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

that doesn’t exist, and you couldn’t produce him as a form, so it required he was created virtually but his performance is by a human.” Speaking about their work on Grimm, Clark says, “All the wide shots are typically prosthetic, and then any time we do a morph from a human to a creature, it always starts with the real actor, and then back to the real actor. We never do monster to monster, monster to human. We recreate the human head in photorealism in three-dimensional photos. They’re Photoshopped from all different angles, so we literally reproduce the character and then sculpt the creature on top of that digital character.” Miller adds, “They give us the designs, or they’ll give us a reference shot of the actor in the practical makeup, so we’ll create our 3-D model based on that reference creature. That’s why we have to match it exactly so it’s continuous. And then in the morph, it stays digital the whole time, even though we’re matching practical makeup.” It’s really on a case-by-case basis in that they don’t use practical makeup for every creature. “It depends on the look of the creature,” Miller continues. “There are also a lot of fight scenes where, if they can get away with prosthetic makeup, they’ll do that, just because it’s easier and they do some amazing work. It makes it a little easier for us, because then we’ll just match directly the creature that they’ve created. It’s already determined what it’s going to look like.” Computer graphics and VFX are appealing to the creative urges of many young people. But is it a good career move? “It’s a career. It’s a hard career. I mean these people work really hard, really long hours, and not many people make it past about 40 without wanting to do something different. It is a burnout business, and there aren’t bonuses for overtime. It is balls to the wall, long days and weekends, and it’s definitely a young person’s business. Unless they get to a very, very high level, they are never going to make more than $65-70,000 a year. If you go to school to learn the trade, you’re looking at spending a third to half of your income in your first five years just paying back student loans.” So the first thing Clark would tell a potential VFX artist is. “Don’t go to school. There are plenty of resources now to learn on your own. There’s plenty of information online. Money is much better spent on actually buying your own equipment and just learning that way, and building a reel.” But not just any reel. “We look at the quality of the work, and we look for the discerning eye. What’s really important is you can see potential in somebody, but you’re only as strong as the weakest piece, and if they don’t have the discerning eye to understand the difference between their good work and their bad work, then it makes them a questionable subject to employ. It’s really important that people have that, and people need to know whether their work is good or not. You don’t want to just fill a reel with crap; you want to fill it with your best stuff and, even if it’s just 20 seconds of great stuff, you want to show that.” www.markeemagazine.com

[Above] In Grimm, the Baron is a Cracher-Mortel, capable of changing into a puffer fish-like creature. Hive-FX follows a multiple-step process to create his morphing.

Spring 2014

| Markee 2.0

Digital Discussions

Tim Napoleon | By Tom Inglesby

Getting on Screens Everywhere The buzzword is “second screen,” but that doesn’t really tell the tale. Producers are looking at many more than two screens to show their work. From theaters to televisions to smartphones and tablets, people are getting their entertainment when and where they want it. So, how do you get your production on all those screens? Tim Napoleon is chief strategist at AllDigital, (www.alldigital.com), a company that provides both cloudbased services and digital media distribution options. His take is straightforward: “I think at the end of the day the role of the producer, whether you’re a one-person production company or you’re a larger agency, you want to get whatever content you’re creating in front of a target audience. What we’ve seen in the marketplace is that those targeted audiences are moving toward connected devices. Digital once meant getting a clip that would work on your client’s website. Today, clients are asking for content to be in front of their audiences, which means on connected devices, such as smartphones, tablets, desktops, and connected televisions.” And that can be done how? “People are shooting with such sophisticated equipment today, and they’re creating beautiful HD productions, so they want to maintain that quality across this multitude of screens. That’s where the cloud comes into play.” The cloud is important because there is a massive amount of processing power needed to take that video and make it play on all of the various 46

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screens, Napoleon explained. “We handle the media formatting and then that’s all secured by our infrastructure, our digital cloud. At the end of the day, from a producer’s standpoint, they don’t have to change much. They create one master file and then they can quickly have that available on multiple connected devices.” People used to plan on a trip to the theater for a movie once a month or once a week. Now we expect to have our entertainment available at a moment’s notice and it better be there, in HD and stereo sound. “Today, users expect something as sophisticated as a Netflix experience, virtually on any device,” admitted Napoleon. “If you want to provide a modern video experience on these connected devices, you have to emulate all the different bit rates and coding settings, and do it literally in minutes after post is finished. So the speed of a producer’s workflows needs to react to this demand.” As an example, Napoleon painted this picture: “Let’s say someone is on a professional editing station, they would effectively mix down a selfcontained movie file, and they could keep it in the production codec – say an Avid codec – and that could be a very large file. The file could be as big as 11 gigs if it was a very long show. Uploading that over traditional technologies like FTP or a web browser would take too long. Instead, there’s special AllDigital software they could install on their computer that places a folder on their desktop that would transfer that large file at very high speeds to the cloud. And our cloud

would understand what workflows they wanted to apply to that file, and it would transcode to all the different derivatives – for the iPhone or for Android, or for Samsung televisions or for Google TV. The producer then could view those videos in our player, or they could have some code snippets that they could give to a developer where it would play back inside of a native app.” According to Napoleon, that process could be faster than real time. “If the end user has a pretty fast bandwidth connection, we could actually have that file delivered and encoded in less than real time; meaning that if the video is one hour long – we have some customers that have pretty fast computers and bandwidth – we’re able to do that in one-quarter real time, including the entire process of transcoding, upload, and delivery.” Speed and multiple screens, what more can the client want? We’ll probably find out pretty soon. That’s the way technology grows.

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Spring 2014

| Markee 2.0

Evolution | By Markee Editors

Cinema Cameras: Then and Now After perfecting their mirror reflex system, ARRI introduced the Arriflex 35 in 1937. It was the world’s first 35mm reflex motion picture camera. The Arriflex 35 is built around a cast aluminum shell of asymmetrical triangular design. The front of the camera employs a three-lens rotating turret. The viewfinder is mounted in the film compartment door, which is detachable. Except for the ground glass and a single mirror, the entire optical viewing system is located in the film door. The 35IIC has no internal electronics (except for optional items such as pilotone generators). The motor mounts to the bottom of the camera and can be used as a handgrip. ARRI supplied either constant speed (24 or 25 fps) or variable speed DC motors. The interchangeable 200400- and 500-ft magazines mount to the top of the camera.

ARRI ALEXA XT

ALEXA XT Studio

The ARRI ALEXA XT cameras were introduced in 2013 and are equipped with the XR (Xtended Recording) module, internal ND filtration, a 4:3 Super 35 sensor, Open Gate sensor mode, integrated CDL capture and an LDS PL mount. They have a viewfinder mounting bracket that includes anamorphic desqueeze as well as a super silent fan. The XR Module is on the left side of the 48

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camera. It has one slot for either an XR Capture Drive, the SxS Adapter for use with one SxS PRO card or the CFast 2.0 Adapter for use with one CFast 2.0 card. The ARRI Lens Data System (LDS) reads the position of all lens rings and writes them into metadata in every ALEXA recording format. Over 41 ARRI lens models have LDS built-in, including the ARR/Zeiss Master Anamorphic.

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People