Markee 2.0 Magazine March/April 2013 by Markee 2.0 Magazine

NA B March/April 2013 • V.28|No.2

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

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VFX in Spots BigStar goes mystical for Game of Thrones

Rental Houses: What's hot from coast to coast Inside View: Megatrax’s Ron Mendelsohn

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

March/April 2013 Volume 28, Number 2

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

8 20

features 8

VFX in Spots

Where Imagination Thrives: From the mystical to the informative and practical, four VFX companies take creative approaches to their clients’ work. By Christine Bunish

NAB Preview

NAB 2013 From A to Z 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. By Cory Sekine-Pettite

Equipment

Rental Houses: Equipment rental houses coast to coast talk what’s hot, what’s next and their best-kept secrets. By Christine Bunish

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March/April 2013

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.

Photo: © ABC/Vivian Zink

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.

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columns & departments 4 Editor’s Note 6 Making TV – Shooting The Dark Side Scandal imagines a dark side of Washington, D.C. Here’s how Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg, ASC, portrays it. By Michael Fickes

7 Making Commercials – What Color Is The Music? Gap introduces colored jeans with an upbeat toy piano. By Michael Fickes

44 Inside View – Ron Mendelsohn President and CEO – Megatrax Production Music By Christine Bunish

www.markeemagazine.com

[On The Cover] BigStar composited footage of a real raven, shot against greenscreen, onto a projection-mapped city in the promo for the new season of Game of Thrones.

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

from the editor

Markee2.0

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

| By Cory Sekine-Pettite

www.markeemagazine.com

An Exciting Time For The Industry If you’ve picked up this issue of Markee while attending the 2013 NAB Show (April 6-11, 2013), then allow me to welcome you to the show and to Las Vegas. This is an exciting time for the industry, and this show is the event of the year. For the first time in three years, movie ticket sales increased in 2012. Additionally, movie studios saw record returns last year, collecting a total of $10.8 billion. And I cannot think of a better era for TV production and programming – from mega-hits such as Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead to miniseries such Downton Abbey and Sherlock. This speaks, I think, not only to the quality of the films and programs released, but also the technology and equipment used to make them – as is evidenced frequently in these pages. Much of this equipment can be found on the NAB show floor, and some of it may even be demonstrated in the various educational sessions scheduled throughout the week. To help you get your bearings, turn to our NAB Preview (beginning on page 20) for an abridged look at some of the exhibitors and what they are showcasing. Also in this issue – and on the cover – is our annual look at the latest VFX in spots (“Where Imagination Thrives,” page 8). Christine Bunish profiles four VFX companies about recent projects, including a Game of Thrones spot, and a promotional video for auto manufacturer Lincoln. This issue also highlights several rental houses (beginning on page 34) whose owners tell us what’s hot, what’s next, and their best-kept equipment secrets. This article is not to be missed. In closing, if you’re attending NAB, enjoy yourself, but pace yourself. And if you want to say hello, I’ll be at the show the entire week. Send me an email (cory@lionhrtpub.com) or find me on Twitter (@MarkeeMag). I’d love to meet you.

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Highlights Coming In

• Stock Footage Guide • VFX For Episodic TV • Animation IN EVERY ISSUE: Making TV • Making Commercials • Inside View

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May/June 2013

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Copyright © 2013 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.

Disclaimer – The statements and opinions in the articles of this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lionheart Publishing, Inc. or the editorial staff of Markee 2.0 or any sponsoring organization. The appearance of advertisements in this magazine is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised.

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

SOUND. SERVICE. SELECTION.

making TV

Oliver Bokelberg | By Michael Fickes

Shooting The Dark Side Scandal imagines a dark side of Washington, D.C. Here’s how Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg, ASC, portrays it. Many critics call Scandal ridiculous but then recommend it, saying that it is also great fun. Part of the fun is the way Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg, ASC, shoots the fast-talking, fast-paced show about a Washington, D.C., firm of fixers that make scandals – the dark side of life in the nation’s capital – go away. “Our shooting style is fast,” says Bokelberg. “Our term for it is ‘Scandal’ pace. This describes the speed of the dialogue delivery as well as the shooting style. The cameras are always moving.” Shoots move fast, too. Bokelberg’s team shoots eight pages per day, averaging 50 to 60 set ups and sometimes more.

Cameras on the move And cameras move in unusual directions. For instance, a lateral camera move often includes a slight zoom that makes the camera appear to dolly diagonally. “We call that move the ‘Scandal Vortex,’” chuckles Bokelberg. The crew carries three ARRI ALEXA cameras, a Canon 7D and several GoPros. Favorite lenses include the Angenieux 15-40, 28-76 and 24-290. Using Glimmer Glass filters and a shallow depth of field, Bokelberg works the high-definition video toward the look of 35mm film. Bokelberg says he aims for realism. What is it you would really see if you were there? Much of the realism comes from placing cameras in familiar positions. For instance, when you sit in a restaurant and look at someone across the room, you might look over a shoulder and see part of the person, perhaps in a moment of sadness. That can be a stronger image than seeing someone crying. 6

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March/April 2013

One show, for instance, follows a Navy Seal rescue operation. Bokelberg put Camera Operator Steve Fracol, SOC, into a Navy Seal uniform and attached a standard definition security camera to his helmet. “We didn’t use any lights,” he said. “We let the camera’s night vision take care of it. “These are the choices you can make when you are going for realism. We also embrace camera flairs and other ‘imperfections’ to aid the illusion.”

[Above] Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg and Director of Photography Michael Wojciechowski confer about setting up a scene to resemble the White House visitor’s gate.

Voyeurism

Photo: ABC/Richard Cartwright

The Chicago Sun Times reviewer said she “likes the voyeuristic way” the show is shot. “We look in on characters through windows and from behind bushes,” Bokelberg explains. It is a shooting style that gets at the reality created by the show. “We don’t have good and bad characters,” he said. “Everyone is good and bad, with hidden agendas that cause plot twists. We try to shoot in a way that increases the uncertainty about who the characters really are.”

Dialog scenes are unconventional. Bokelberg foregoes typical back and forth shots between the speakers. Instead, the camera might peek overt the shoulder of the speaker – or the listener – giving the impression of eavesdropping.

Unconventional style Bokelberg usually deploys two ALEXAs and sometimes three. “We do a lot of cross coverage, often with cameras in opposing corners, at 90to 180-degree angles apart,” he said. “If you work at it, you learn to position both cameras without sacrificing the lighting for one. “We also keep the cameras below eye level. Shooting up allows the architecture – the upper walls and ceiling – to take on character.”

The dark side Generally, Scandal’s actors work in flattering soft light. “We might choose a big soft bounce,” Bokelberg says. “Sometimes we’ll use a white muslin curtain or book lights.” Shadowed lighting helps to pay off Bokelberg’s concept of the show’s reality. He describes his approach to lighting as classic realism. “We try to play the scenes from the dark side, supporting a realistic look with a pleasing, sculpted contrast,” he said. The dark side really is the dark side – the side in shadow. “We set up parallel to windows and sidelight scenes. Then, if possible, we’ll use a second camera and shoot the subject against the window with the dark side toward the camera,” Bokelberg said.

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

making Commercials

The Gap | By Michael Fickes

What Color Is The Music? Gap introduces colored jeans with an upbeat toy piano.

Commercials for The Gap always get the music right. Check out the most recent commercial created by Peterson Milla Hooks Advertising in Minneapolis (https://vimeo.com/60494529). It uses a toy piano, manufactured drum loops, an acoustic guitar, pitch-shifted vocals and some scratching – created by electronic recording artist Ki:Theory. The spot introduces a new line of Gap jeans that are no longer just blue jeans. It begins as several young women appear and form a line – in front of the trademark white scrim. They are wearing brightly colored jeans. They pose and their jeans flicker through Gap’s bright palette of denim colors: yellow, pink, blue, orange, purple, brown, you name it. The women dance and walk toward the camera and out of the frame. Next, a line of young men troops onto stage showing off the multicolored jeans for men. The women return and a jumbled dance breaks out.

Colorful music “The agency wanted original music that would represent the colors of the jeans in the spot,” said Paul Robb, creative director and co-founder of HiFi Project, a music house with offices in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York. “I work in the LA office, but we needed resources from all of our offices for this project.” “We cast a wide net,” added Chris Heidman, a producer and composer in HiFi’s Minneapolis office. “We created a lot in-house and then we reached out and asked bands for tracks that might work in a 30-second spot.” A partner and executive producer in the firm’s New York Office, Jack Bradley suggested asking Ki:Theory for a track. Bradley had worked with him in the past www.markeemagazine.com

and had developed a relationship with his manager.

Ki:Theory Ki:Theory ran with the assignment. “He came up with an updated mid-90s break beat sound,” Heidman said. “It is made of samples of his own voice and a lot of bits and pieces of electronic sounds.” Break beat is electronic music with a distinctive, broken rhythm pattern. Robb describes the effort as re-contextualized break beat. “You re-contextualize by putting one type of music [break beat] through a blender and re-imagining it as a different kind of music,” he says. Except for the ending, Ki:Theory’s work is pretty much as it was when he sent the first pass. “It was a great song to begin with,” Heidman said. “But recording artists aren’t used to commercial timing, and the 30-second point of the first version didn’t work as an ending. He worked out several new beginnings and endings – when you change the ending, you have to change the beginning.” Heidman likes the finished piece. “This is unique in the world of electronic music – and in commercial music,” continued Heidman. “I haven’t heard anything like these vocals before. He

created layers of his own voice and applied effects that alter the pitch. Then he added reverb. “The toy piano plus the layered vocals are the song. The drum and acoustic guitar play supporting roles.”

The rough cut Editor Brett Astor at Channel Z in Minneapolis did the rough cut to other music. “We had the concept,” she said. “It is about denim evolution: the jeans evolve by changing colors. We made the pants change color to the beat of the music. The color story of the jeans was an important part of the spot.” Astor roughed in the color changes for the rough cut. Later, Minneapolis-based Pixel Farm created the final effects. “We were trying lots of music, but when we found this piece, it did everything we wanted,” she said. “It is an amazing sound. It pulled everything together.” Few brands have a commercial footprint as recognizable as The Gap. Gap commercials are recognizable after a few frames of white scrim and a few bars of music. Within 30 seconds, you have a new idea about the The Gap. After this commercial, you see denim in a rainbow of colors. March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

WHERE IMAGIN From the mystical to the informative and practical, four VFX companies take creative approaches to their clients’ work.

A dramatic perspective shot of a bridge and raven created by BigStar for HBO’s Game of Thrones season three promo.

Jesse Monsour of a52 VFX opted for motion control to capture this shot in Nescafe’s “Reminders” in which a man’s father fills every table.

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

ATION THRIVES Clippers point guard Chris Paul appears and disappears in a restaurant booth with Magic Johnson and Steve Nash in an NBA spot with VFX by MPC LA.

A night view in “Drive” features Ntropic’s CG Lincoln MKZ amidst the dramatic architecture of Valencia, Spain’s City of Arts and Sciences.

Spots and promos are fertile venues for innovative VFX and CG work. Whether they play on broadcast networks, cable, the web, or at trade shows, these short- and long-form advertising messages offer highquality executions of compelling, heart-warming, elegant and fun creative. BY CHRISTINE BUNISH

www.markeemagazine.com

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

BIGSTAR BigStar goes mystical for Game of Thrones

ans of HBO’s Game of Thrones who have eagerly awaited the return of the series in March were treated to a very

evocative promo teaser with the theme, “Their World Returns to Ours.” Crafted by BigStar, New York (www.bgstr.com) the promo depicts the show’s iconic raven of Westeros soaring through contemporary global environments – past a Venetian palazzo and Notre Dame cathedral, over skyscrapers and a suspension bridge – to land on a water tower, turn to the camera and reveal his omniscient third eye, a portal into the spirit realm. “The raven is like a metaphysical carrier pigeon imbued with mystical power,” said BigStar creative director Josh Norton. “HBO had the idea to revisit the raven as a character, a vehicle to unite fans around the world.” BigStar’s teaser for the first season of Game of Thrones featured a raven against a dramatic, cloudy sky. At that time, there was a lot of conversation about whether to use a live raven or build a CG bird. “In the end, we all felt we had to have the soul and nature of the real bird,” Norton said. Having had the experience of working with a live raven, BigStar came to the new live-action shoot with realistic expectations. “When you do a shoot with animals, especially birds, you have all these plans: how the camera will coordinate with the flight of the bird, the angles you can get. But that all goes away once you get to the set. It’s hard to get the bird to fly 20 feet in the proper direction despite great trainers and an amazing crew.” At the studio shoot, against a 60-foot greenscreen in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a Phantom highspeed camera shooting 750 to 1,000 fps captured “gorgeous footage” of two ravens, one flying and one posing for beauty shots. “Shot at that frame rate, well lit and with great camera angles, the ravens’ grace was breathtaking. They were the heart and soul of the promo,” Norton declared. In constructing the global environments for the bird, BigStar also had several options. “There were a few directions we could go with the technique to create the backgrounds. We could shoot live plates, but it didn’t make sense to go out with crews around the world to match the storyline. So we sourced really great photography and created camera movements within it using [MAXON] CINEMA 4D to build the geometry of the environments and its Projector Man plug-in to projection map the real places onto the geometry.”

[Above] BigStar composited footage of a real raven, shot against greenscreen, onto a projection-mapped city in the promo for the new season of Game of Thrones.

[Right] BigStar projection mapped real environments onto 3D geometry to craft the global locations in HBO’s Game of Thrones season three promo.

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

VFX in Spots

[Top Left] A live-action raven soars over projection-mapped skyscrapers in the season three promo for HBO’s hit Game of Thrones with VFX by BigStar.

[Top Right] BigStar composited footage of a real raven, shot against greenscreen, onto a projection-mapped city in the promo for the new season of Game of Thrones.

[Bottom] A Venetian-style scene with ominous sky was created by BigStar for the Game of Thrones season three promo.

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March/April 2013

BigStar also crafted a shot of the raven reflected in a puddle on cobblestones. Using a still image with no puddle, they fabricated the pool of water and composited footage of the flying bird within it, finding just the “right mix of reflection, shadow and tonality to be as optically accurate as possible,” Norton explained. With the live raven elements and the projection mapped environments in hand, BigStar composited the bird into the scenes. But something was still missing. “Once we found the locations, we put together an animatic, but we felt it had no continuity,” Norton recalled. “We were popping all over the world, nothing held together. The lighting and time of day was different from shot to shot. We needed a consistent mood, and that’s where weather and lighting effects came into play.” BigStar combined real smoke and sky plates with effects plates created in CINEMA 4D to unify the atmospherics. Color grading was done in After Effects with the goal of achieving “a stylized middle ground” where a mysterious silver and blue palette was warmed by blasts of sunlight. “One shot was inspired by the Manhattan sunset, that magical hour on the West Side when thousands of windows capture the sunlight,” Norton said. “The environments feel plausible. These scenes live in our world and not the world of fantasy.” Animation and VFX were created by Brandon Sugiyama and Luke Infinger; Erik van der Wilden was the promo’s editor. The final cohesive element proved to be the promo’s score, “Rains Over Castamere,” a poetic a cappella track selected from a library of Game of Thrones music from previous seasons supplied by HBO. “Once we heard the track’s pacing, deep resonance and the specific sentiment [of the lyrics], we didn’t need to listen to anything else,” Norton said. “It became the narrative anchor that gave context and made the promo specific to Game of Thrones.” Mike Vitacco of Plush/NY handled the sound design. Norton gives kudos to HBO senior writer/producer Jacqui Bussey, “our creative and logistical point person,” whose close collaboration and trust were instrumental in creating a promo as globally engaging as the series itself. At BigStar, Katie Tricot was the executive producer and M. Shane Dolly producer. In addition to HBO, BigStar delivers creative solutions for ABC, KBS+P, Saatchi & Saatchi, Droga5, Walter Isaacson and TBWA Chiat Day.

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

a52 VFX a52 VFX smells the roses for Nescafe

new :60 Nescafe spot for Latin America from twofifteenmccann shows the importance of stopping to smell the roses – and taking advantage of every opportuni-

ty you’ve ever missed. “Reminders” features digital effects by a52 VFX, Santa Monica (www.a52.com), which tapped a host of techniques to create a surreal world inhabited by a young husband and father who comes to a heartwarming decision about what matters in life. Director Leigh Marling of MJZ shot the spot in Mexico City where a52’s VFX supervisor and Flame artist Jesse Monsour was on set during production. DP Alejandro Martinez opted for ARRI’s ALEXA camera to capture footage of Luis as he crosses the city to start another busy day. Along the way, he encounters banks of flowers outside his door and down the street, multiple sunrises in a single sky, his young son playing soccer by himself, multiples of Luis walking arm-in-arm with his wife, and his father filling every table in a café. Luis approaches one table in the back occupied by his real dad, sits down and “finally [decides] to wake up” and embrace all the moments he’s been missing in life. Monsour said that he and many of the VFX artists he knows prefer to “get as much as we can in camera. I like to approach things in the simplest way. CG is great for certain spots, but if you can get something in camera, go for it. Shooting things practically was the best choice for this spot.” To capture the initial sequence of Luis engulfed by flowers, a real street was dressed with hundreds of blooms. “Most of them were practical, even in the wide shot,” said Monsour. “We added plants breaking out of the concrete, and the sky at the end was matte painting I did in Flame.” The spooky multiple sunrises was another Flame matte painting based on time-lapse reference photography. Monsour composited real shots of birds and used Flame’s lens flare effect to create sun flares. The soccer-playing son who filled the screen was achieved by capturing the boy doing different moves on different plates then timing them out and fading the layers on and off to make him appear and disappear. “The timing and placement was worked out in editorial” by editor Damion Clayton at sibling Rock Paper Scissors, “then I built precise mattes in Flame for comping the scene together,” Monsour explained. The same technique was used to craft multiples of Luis and his wife for their romantic scene. The concluding café sequence was shot on location with a portable motion-control rig. “We placed the actor playing the father in different seats and where you didn’t see his face as much, we used doubles,” Monsour said. “I talked to Leigh to determine the best way to do the shot. A lot of directors are very in-camera types of guys – it gives such an organic feel to things. Using motion control and the real actor worked brilliantly. We were able to capture everything the actor put into the scene and create the effect seamlessly.” Throughout production and post, a52 worked closely with Clayton as he cut the spot in a suite down the hall. “Leigh did a pretty meticulous storyboard, and we cut together some animatics so we had a good idea what the commercial would look like,” said Monsour. “Using Final Cut Pro, Damion roughed out scenes and picked the best takes of the boy and the couples, which we shot in a lot of positions – we let the camera roll. Damion worked out placement and timing with Leigh, and I finished the comp in Flame.” Bruno Parenti and Steve Wolf teamed with Monsour on the 2D VFX. www.markeemagazine.com

[Above] A young husband and father stops to smell the roses – and other flowers – in Nescafe’s “Reminders” with VFX by a52 VFX.

[Bottom] VFX supervisor and Flame artist Jesse Monsour of a52 VFX used an array of solutions for Nescafe’s “Reminders” spot for Latin American audiences.

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| Markee 2.0

VFX in Spots

[Above] Surreal multiple sunrises created by a52 VFX represent all the dawns missed by the hero of Nescafe’s “Reminders.”

[Below] Ntopic used a stand-in practical vehicle to capture dynamic driving action then replaced the place-holder car with its CG Lincoln MKZ.

Monsour likes Flame for its speed and capabilities that extend far beyond VFX. “It handles files really well and renders very fast, and there are great color correction tools in it. I did some rough color treatment, then our colorist Paul Yacono did a session to warm up the highlights, cool the shadows and add more contrast.” While the premise of the spot’s effects, with banks of flowers and multiple sunrises, sons, wives and fathers can be rather startling, the effect of a man witnessing everything he’s missed in his life is very poignant. “I really liked that VFX help drive the story,” Monsour said. “There’s nothing gratuitous about it. The spot tells a story that people can relate to.” Megan Meloth and Jenn Sofio Hall were the executive producers for a52 VFX and Daughn Godd Ward the producer.

NTROPIC Ntropic takes Lincoln MKZ on an elegant ride

wasn’t so long ago that agency creatives doubted that CG cars would replace live-action running footage and the glow of

studio lights on sheet metal. Now, CG automobiles are so exquisitely modeled and rendered that they’re undetectable from any real cars still used in automotive spots. Case in point, the web and trade show campaign for the 2013 Lincoln MKZ luxury sedan from Team Detroit crafted by Ntropic’s Los Angeles office (www.ntropic.com). Ntropic not only handled the CG and VFX for the web videos, but also shot the live-action footage at Valencia, Spain’s spectacular City of Arts and Sciences. “In the past, CG cars were used for ease of shooting, but they wanted real cars in the beauty shots,” said Ntropic creative director Andrew Sinagra, who directed the campaign. “As CG got better and with physical-based rendering, CG cars made it into mainstream broadcast spots. And now we can get a jump-start on all media 14

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VFX in Spots

[Above] A CG Lincoln MKZ, created by Ntropic, cruises through Valencia, Spain’s City of Arts and Sciences where Ntropic shot live-action plates.

[Below Left to Right] Ntropic captures dynamic driving footage on location with the stand-in vehicle for Lincoln MKZ’s “Drive.” Ntropic’s Andrew Sinagra (second from right) on location in Valencia, Spain’s City of Arts and Sciences for Lincoln MKZ’s “Drive.” The stylish two-minute “Drive,” with CG and VFX by Ntropic, showcases the Lincoln MKZ at Valencia, Spain’s unique City of Arts and Sciences.

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materials before a car is even off the assembly line. Automakers can go to a trade show with a full running package done before the car is off the [plant] floor.” Just as he did with an earlier Ford Escape campaign with Team Detroit, Sinagra opted to shoot the live-action plates “like a real car commercial, with a stand-in vehicle, so when you get into editorial you know what you’ve got. The benefit of shooting a practical car is capturing the dynamics of a real car. We got the performance of the vehicle; we shot car-to-car with a Russian arm. The client was there to see exactly what we were doing and knew what it would look like. It made the whole process easier.” Sinagra spent three days in the unique City of Arts and Sciences, a stylized environment of white, post-Modern buildings, which serves Valencia as museums, an opera house and IMAX theater. “The complex is completely open – you can see from end to end – and all the buildings are lined by water,” he recalled. “It was very surreal.” Taking his lead from the concept art and initial style frames of the print art, Sinagra developed a color palette of white architecture, black car and blue and night skies for the two-minute “Drive.” The new Lincoln MKZ journeys through the unique location as its world-class features and design elements are graphically highlighted. Ntropic shot the stand-in car with an ARRI ALEXA Plus camera utilizing an innovative technology developed with ARRI for the Ford Escape project. “We capture all the lens info frame by frame, and it’s stored with the Pro Res QuickTime footage. Then we can extract all the data so we have exact lens info on a frame-by-frame basis,” explained Sinagra. “That represents a huge leap forward for tracking. We put the information into our [Vicon] Boujou and [Pixel Farm] PFTrack tracking software as key frames, which lets us do the kind of dynamic car-to-car shots that people have stayed away from in post.”

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Lincoln supplied a CAD-based model for the new MKZ so Ntropic could create a CG version of the vehicle in Maya. “We asked for front and back surfaces; there was a lot of detail in the models,” Sinagra said. “Team Detroit worked with Ford to figure out a new way to deliver assets to vendors, and this [data] was right on the money.” CG artist and lead designer James McCarthy led the graphics portion of the project, deploying MAXON CINEMA 4D and Adobe After Effects to create elegant graphics highlighting the car’s features and functions, including its lane-keeping system and blind-spot alert. “These were complicated systems, and we needed really clean, simple ways to explain them that wouldn’t distract from the footage,” Sinagra said. The MKZ was rendered in Chaos Group’s VRay, some live-action plates were cleaned up in Flame, the vehicle was composited into the plates with Nuke and final material output through The Foundry’s Hiero, which proved to be a “great desktop conforming tool,” he said. “It was great for getting iterations to clients: I could update 45 shots with three button clicks and get a new QuickTime for posting.” Ntropic also created the 90-second “Interior,” which focuses on the luxury and comfort of the passenger experience. The camera lovingly skims over the seating, steering wheel, touch controls and THX2-certified audio system in a fully-CG video caressed by ambient lighting. “We got the interior info from CAD data converted to a DCC-ready model for Maya,” Sinagra recalled. “CG is great for places where you could never really put a camera and capture the kind of detail you want to see – there are limits to what is possible practically. But with CG you have the flexibility to get inside the car and show all the details without worrying about how to squeeze in a camera body and lights.” At Ntropic Mark Wurts was the lead VFX artist and Dustin Zachary, James McCarthy, Jeremy Lei Ontiveros, Val Sinlao and Johnny Diaz comprised the VFX team. MB Emigh was the Flame artist, Mike Hackett the editor and Marshall Plante the colorist. Jim Riche was executive producer, Mark Reusch and Lindsay Fields the live-action producers, and Fawn Fletcher VFX/CG producer.

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March/April 2013

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VFX in Spots

MPC LA MPC scores for the NBA

[Above] MPC LA helped Clippers point guard Chris Paul disappear from the basketball court in a cloud of smoke in a spot for the NBA.

[Below] Clippers point guard Chris Paul appears and disappears in a restaurant booth with Magic Johnson and Steve Nash in an NBA spot with VFX by MPC LA.

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PC LA (www.moving-picture.com) helped Clippers point guard Chris Paul do a “Disappearing Act” in a spot from

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners promoting the NBA with the tag line, “Unbelievable is big.” The VFX studio made Paul disappear and reappear in a cloud of smoke several times on the basketball court, confounding his opponents; he finally vanishes and reappears in a restaurant booth where Magic Johnson and Lakers guard Steve Nash are watching the game. The spot marked the first collaboration between MPC New York and spot director Spike Lee, who helmed the restaurant shoot in LA through Pony Show Entertainment. The action on the court was crafted from stock footage with a masterful integration of 2D and 3D effects. “We showed Spike the first few [VFX] tests and satisfied any concerns he had; he was happy with the direction we took so he let us run with it,” said MPC VFX Supervisor Jake Montgomery, who was also lead compositor. To create the vanishing effect, MPC artists painted Paul out of the stock game footage and restored the background. “The court was quite generic so it was easy to clean up,” Montgomery said. “At the end, where Paul disappears from the restaurant and reappears on the court there were players behind him so we had to rebuild their limbs in [Autodesk] Flame and [The Foundry’s] Nuke.” To give a dynamic feel to the smoke effect, MPC artists match-moved the dust to Paul’s on-court actions. “Using his real action gave us less of a genie effect,” he explained. “We wanted to see swirls and vortexing, which make it all more interesting. We matched 12 frames on either side of Paul’s disappearance and appearance so the dynamic smoke would simulate off of that.” When Paul appears in the restaurant booth, “we had to cheat a bit more,” he admitted. “We had him drop down into position on the seat, but there was no movement forward and backward, so we tried to push the simulation further to get more out of it. Still, his motion in the booth wasn’t as interesting as his moves on the court.” MPC tapped Maya Fluids and Maya’s nParticles module to devise the smoke effects. “The smoke is built with particles and fluids. The fluids have proper advections so they move physically correct; the particles add texture,” explained 3D lead John Cherniack. The most fun part, he said, was choosing the frames for Paul’s disappearances and appearances on the court since the point guard’s movements would “completely change the look of the smoke” each time the effect was done. “We chose good frames of Paul on the court so his movements would be inherited by the smoke.” Rendering was done in Mental Ray and compositing and some color grading in Flame and Nuke. “We darkened the court’s floors a bit to help the light-color smoke pop. Since the lighting on the crowds was strong, we also vignetted them off a bit,” explained Montgomery. At MPC, David Hernandez and Lisa Ryan joined Montgomery on the 2D team and William Schilthuis, Nikki Mull and Ian Wilson partnered with Cherniack on the 3D tasks. Mark Gethin was the colorist, Asher Edwards executive producer and Juliet Tierney producer. Stephen Berger of Final Cut edited “Disappearing Act.” Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

NAB 2013

FROM A TO Z* 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.

B Y C O RY S E K I N E - P E T T I T E

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

AAdyn Technology (booth C7349) www.aadyntech.com

ARRI (booth C4337) www.arri.com

ALEXA XT Plus

AAdyn JAB Hurricane

Among AAdyn Technology’s products on display this year will be the AAdyn JAB Hurricane, a robust all-weather IP65 rated white light professional fixture designed, engineered and manufactured in the United States. The Hurricane delivers an impressive 1,771 fc @ 10 feet, and 798 fc @ 15 feet; while consuming only 1.77 amps at full power. Also on display: AAdyn Tech’s revolutionary ECO LED Space Light and ECO Punch Plus. The ECO LED Space Light is a professional grade, LED based fixture which provides exceptional white light output and control. From simple, single channel DMX operation to fully customizable, multi-channel operation the user can quickly and easily select the level of control desired. The ECO Punch Plus is the most powerful daylight-balanced LED light on the market today, drawing less than 5 amps at full power. This fixture throws a true output of 4,044 fc @ 10 feet with an even spread and no drop off.

Anton/Bauer (booth C6025) www.antonbauer.com Anton/Bauer®, a premier global provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, will exhibit several of its new portable power solutions for broadcast and digital media professionals. Among the products on display will be the DIONIC® HD battery, Anton/Bauer Wireless System, AB Direct VU handheld receiver/monitor and several new Gold Mount® power solutions for the Blackmagic EF and MFT cinema cameras, Litepanels Hilio™ LED fixtures and Litepanels Sola ENG Flight Kit, Sola 4 and Sola 6 LEDs.

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With the ALEXA XT cameras (Xtended Technology), ARRI is refreshing its ALEXA product line, incorporating new features inspired by feedback from professional users. The ALEXA XT, ALEXA XT M, ALEXA XT Plus and ALEXA XT Studio cameras will replace all previous models except for the original ALEXA. Further, ARRI and Codex have co-developed a new upgrade option for all ALEXA cameras that allows internal recording of ARRIRAW up to 120 fps. The XR Module is an affordable new side panel with various in-camera recording options, replacing the current SxS Module. It allows ALEXA owners to embrace the latest advances in recording technologies without having to purchase a new camera. Additionally, ARRI continues to swiftly deliver high-quality Pro Camera Accessories for the latest DSLRs and digital cameras with the release of new accessories for Sony’s F5 and F55.

Autodesk (booth SL3316) www.autodesk.com At NAB and throughout the year, Autodesk is going to highlight great work and stories that have been created in Smoke – announcing collaboration with some of the biggest names in the industry. During NAB, there will be 4 hours of daily presentations from Smoke users. The company has invited Fix It in Post Filmmaker Jeremy Hunt (the filmmaker who co-directed the first viral video ever, 405, and whose film Fix It In Post received 20,000 views in the first 48 hours online) and some other well-known surprise guests. For Flame Premium, Autodesk will feature customers who are already using the new Flame 20th Anniversary edition in production and continuing the momentum of the 20th Anniversary launch. The company will be focusing on customer success stories using Flame’s new creative workflow. Finally, Autodesk will demonstrate Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites and new workflows.

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NAB Equipment BroaMan (booth C8443) www.broaman.com BroaMan, a leading German manufacturer of professional digital video, audio and data network solutions providing routing, format conversion and management for a variety of markets, including broadcast, post-production and AV, will exhibit its affordable Repeat48 and Repeat48CWDM plug-and-play video conversion solutions. These powerful, easy-to-use and cost-effective devices include built-in multiplexers for combining multiple signals onto a single fiber, which in turn can be interfaced to audio and data network systems, including Optocore, SANE, MADI and Ethernet.

Chrosziel (booth C9035) www.chrosziel.de

Chrosziel Leicht Kit and Follow Fokus StudioRig Cine f.Sony F 5/55

Canon USA Inc. (booths C3628, C4325) www.usa.canon.com

Chrosziel will display new camera accessories for Sony’s brand-new PMW F5 and F55 cameras. Among the kits offered, Chrosziel has assembled a special kit optimized for producing digital cinematography in 4k quality with Sony’s PMW F55. This kit (product code 602-4kP1) contains Chrosziel’s flagship matte box MB 602, a bridge plate with 19 mm diameter rods, a base plate, and bellows and intermediate rings for all relevant lens diameters. With Chrosziel light-weight supports, it is exceptionally easy to switch between 15 mm support systems and 19 mm studio base plates because both lightweight supports also serve as an adapter for base plate Digi Cine (401-F235) featuring 19 mm studio rods.

Cinegy (booth SL11112) www.cinegy.com

Canon C300

Canon will feature the complete lineup of broadcast and studio lenses, long-zoom field lenses, portable lenses, and the popular Cinema EOS System of Digital Cinema Cameras and Lenses, featuring Canon’s Emmy Award® winning large format CMOS sensor. Canon’s professional HD camcorder models, remote-control robotic pan-tilt-zoom HD cameras, and its award-winning EOS Digital SLR cameras will also be on-hand for demonstrations. Throughout the week, Canon will host a series of live stage presentations from acclaimed cinematographers to discuss the creative and real-world applications of its Cinema EOS cameras and lenses. A theater located in the booth will screen recent projects shot on professional Canon equipment and offer a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the content.

At NAB 2013, Cinegy will be demonstrating the key features of the new 9.5 version of Cinegy’s Media Asset Management and Archive solutions, Archive 9.5 and Cinegy Desktop 9.5 along with its Automation, Playout and CG Solutions Cinegy Air 9.5, Cinegy Studio 9.5 and Cinegy Type 9.5. Cinegy Archive is the innovative media asset management solution for any organization with an archive or productions to manage. Archive 9.5, now supporting Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012, features a new native 64-bit Cinegy Archive Services, improving scalability of web services for cloud integration. Archive 9.5 also supports object tagging, allowing very quick and simple searches of the archive.

Codex (booth C6048) www.codexdigital.com The new Codex XR Module provides several recording options in a single package. ARRIRAW at up to 120 fps (16:9) can be recorded onto a high-performance Codex Capture Drive. In addition, Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD can be recorded to a Capture Drive, making longer recording times possible (up to 2.1 hours of ProRes 4444), or, with an SxS

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

NAB Equipment adapter, to an SxS PRO card. Codex co-developed with ARRI a new extended recording module for ARRI ALEXA that allows internal recording of ARRIRAW at up to 120 fps. The new XR Module, incorporates industry-leading Codex recording technology directly into the camera, is available as an upgrade option for all current ALEXA cameras (replacing the current SxS Module) and is standard on the new ARRI ALEXA XT. The Codex XR Capture Drives are identical in form to current Codex Capture Drives and are compatible with the Codex Vault, Codex Capture Drive Transfer Station and Codex Capture Drive Dock (USB-3). The drives are high performance solid state memory.

Facilis (booth SL7606) www.facilis.com

SyncBlock

Crystal Vision (booth N1523) www.crystalvision.tv Crystal Vision will be showing its new products for the virtual studio, with the U.S. launch of its evaluations-winning chroma keyer Safire 3, accompanied by a state-ofthe-art touch screen control panel. The easy-to-drive Safire 3 chroma keyer uses an advanced algorithm and numerous key processing options to produce the best possible chroma key, and also features built-in color correction and video delay. Other new products on show will include a logo keyer with enhanced audio capabilities and more, a new range of feature-packed variable video delays offering up to 110 seconds of delay, Crystal Vision’s innovative Dolby encoding solution for its embedded audio products, and three new features for the company’s up and down converters.

Fujifilm North America Corporation

Dalet (booth SL4524) www.dalet.com Dalet Digital Media Systems is showcasing Dalet Galaxy, its new and most advanced Media Asset Management (MAM) platform along with the updated versions of its workflow solutions, as well as the new Dalet One Cut video editor, the Dalet-on-the-Go mobile app, and additional Dalet XTend connectors, which provide fast and easy integrations with different broadcast, production and distribution systems. Dalet Galaxy boasts a new, totally revamped, user-friendly, ergonomic interface along with the versatile new Dalet One Cut multitrack video editor. It is an open platform with a variety of data exchange and integration paths, including SOA compliant tools as well as Dalet Xtend connectors that simplify third-party integrations with NLEs, broadcast servers, HSM, automation systems, traffic and broadcast management, distribution and business systems.

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Facilis will showcase its TerraBlock v5.7 and SyncBlock. Facilis TerraBlock v5.7 is the latest version of Facilis’ shared storage system supporting 8Gb/s and 16Gb/s Fibre Channel, and 1Gb and 10Gb Ethernet client connectivity. Feature highlights include: Shared File System performance enhancements, support for 4TB drives, 16Gbps Fibre Channel, support for Mac OS X 10.8.2, drive recovery boost, DPX capture enhancements and Windows Project Manager for use with Adobe Premiere and After Effects. Qualified for direct attachment to TerraBlock Shared Storage Systems, SyncBlock is Facilis’ new line of archive, backup and synchronization solutions that allow users to easily archive, backup, sync, mirror and transport file-based media. Through SyncBlock, RAID5/6 TX16 and T8 SAS-attached drive arrays can perform backup and near-line functions. With 4TB drives available, the total raw capacity of a single TerraBlock 24D with SyncBlock and TX16 Expansions is 288TB.

March/April 2013

(booth C7525) www.fujifilmusa.com/northamerica

Fuji ZK3 5x85-2 85-300mm Cabrio

Fujifilm’s Optical Devices Division will show a variety of new lenses and upgrades at this year’s NAB. Visitors will find FUJINON lenses for broadcasting, sports, digital cinematography and production applications, including an enhanced version of the Emmy-Award winning “Precision Focus Assist” technology and the latest in PL Mount, EFP, Studio, and ENG lenses. Two high-performance lenses, the Premier PL 85-300 Cabrio lens (model ZK3.5x85) and the XA99x8.4 UltraWide field production lens, will make their NAB debut this year. While the PL 85300 is similar in size and weight as the PL 19-90mm Cabrio Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

(Model ZK4.7x19), its longer focal length makes it ideal for shooting documentaries, nature and wildlife, and commercials. The PL 85-300 offers a focal length of 85-220mm at T2.9 and 300mm at T4.0, with 200-degree focus rotation.

Hitachi (booth C4309) www.hitachi.com

megapixel CMOS imager, it records 1920x1080 footage in the AVCHD Progressive format at 28 Mbps to dual solid-state memory cards. The GY-HM70 is equipped with a high quality 29.5mm wide-angle GT lens that offers smooth 16x dynamic zoom performance. Veteran shooters will appreciate the camera’s manual focus, iris, and shutter controls, as well as manual and automatic white balance. The camera also provides an optical image stabilizer, auto focus, and focus assist. See this camera and more at JVC’s booth.

K-Tek (booth C2046) http://ktekbooms.com

Hitachi SK-HD2200

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America will introduce the SKHD2200 full body HD production camera – a new top-of-the line studio and OB camera that features new 2/3-inch, 1080/60p, progressively scanned, (Ultra-Advanced) UAITCCDs, 1,100TVL resolution and 3Gbps HD-SDI signal handling from end-to-end. The company will also introduce the ZHD6000 CMOS studio camera, which includes new 2/3-inch CMOS camera processor. The new SK-HD2200 is complemented by the portable, hand-held version model SK-HD1200. Outstanding images are acquired by three (R,G,B) 2.3 million pixel UAIT (Ultra-Advanced) 1080-line progressive-scan CCDs. Hitachi’s implementation of the most advanced digital processing technology available assure low-noise, high dynamic range pictures.

K-Tek will showcase three new products this year: the K-Tek BLT-35 Boom Pole Case, K-Tek iPad Case, and KTA2 Transmitter Adapter Side Mount. The BLT-35 Boom Pole Kit Case is designed to store and transport the K-Tek Klassic (K102CCR) and shorter length boom poles, which collapse to under 2.25 feet. The durable new BLT-35 features a smart clamshell style design, and utilizes 3-layer structural foam for lightweight durability. Since sound carts now have an iPad, K-Tek designed the aluminum iPad case to protect and firmly attach the iPad 4, yet allow it to easily be removed when necessary. The iPad case attaches to a ¼-20 thread so it can be fitted to a magic arm. KTek’s KTA2 Transmitter Adapter Side Mount is a redesigned replacement for the original model, sporting a lower profile, lighter weight, and rigid attachment. Easy to use, it can attach a wireless microphone adapter to any K-Tek Klassic boom pole.

Litepanels (booth C6425) www.litepanels.com

JVC Professional Products Co. (booth C4314) http://pro.jvc.com

Litepanels Inca & Sola 12

JVC - GY-HM70 ProHD

JVC recently introduced the GY-HM70 ProHD shouldersupported camcorder, which delivers 60p full HD images and innovative features at a cost-effective price point. With a 12www.markeemagazine.com

Litepanels will debut a variety of new LED lighting products. For the first time at NAB, Litepanels will show production models of the largest members of its Fresnel fixture family, the Inca 12™ (tungsten balanced) and Sola 12™ (daylight balanced) fixtures. These cool-running powerhouses combine the performance of large Fresnel fixtures with the advantages of LED technology. Both versions supply powerful and controllable illumination comparable to a 2K, while using just a small fraction of the energy required by traditionMarch/April 2013

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NAB Equipment al tungsten or daylight Fresnel fixtures. Also on display will be the new 1x1 LS Bi-Color™, the latest in the Litepanels revolutionary family of flat panel 1’x1’ fixtures. This versatile light provides dependable, soft, directional output that is adjustable from daylight to tungsten, and 100% to zero dimming with no color shift. Color and dimming adjustments are provided via convenient on-fixture knobs.

Matthews Studio Equipment (booth C5437) www.msegrip.com Matthews Studio Equipment (MSE) will introduce several new products at NAB, including the Makalu System, a unique remote head package designed for live action, time lapse, visual effects, cinematography and videography. What makes this remote head different is the user interface, which is a multi-axis jog box with a professional joystick connected via WiFi to an iPad Mini, iPad 2&3 or iPhone. In addition, MSE will introduce LazySuzy, a quick and secure way to change camera positioning. This articulated double-swivel camera platform allows the cinematographer/videographer more creative opportunities. The camera can be placed anywhere within a 25” diameter circle, without having to reposition the dolly, tripod, or car mount rig. There’s also the UnderslingLITE, a very simplistic addition to Intel-A-JibLITE that allows the operator to work freely under the jib arm from absolute ground level up to as high as one can reach without any obstruction form the arm itself.

Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc. (booth SU8918) www.minnetonkaaudio.com Announced in March, Minnetonka Audio Software, Inc.’s AudioTools™ FOCUS is a family of stand–alone software processors that give users in broadcast, film, television, radio, over–the–top (OTT), and mobile/handheld (M/H) producers turnkey control over the audio–specific aspects of their workflows. The first product in the family, AudioTools FOCUS for Loudness Control, is the industry’s first self–contained application designed for automated, intelligent loudness control with simple operation. Proven presets provide out–of–the–box usability, and the simple user interface enables rapid progress assessment. Administration is also uncomplicated, with easily customized processing that fits indi26

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vidual client and workflow needs. The system streamlines workflows while sophisticated “p rPath” signal processing yields higher–quality product, reduced rework, fewer complaints, better consistency, and faster turnaround.

MTI Film (booth SL15511) www.mtifilm.com MTI Film will feature its new Cortex system. Cortex::Capture is an on-set playback and color correction application that also includes tools for audio/picture synchronization and metadata management. Cortex::Control Dailies is a complete dailies solution – from set to delivery. MTI Film’s new platform brings efficiency, usability and coherence to the process of managing file based workflows from set to screen. Cortex::Convey is a transcoding application designed for speed and simplicity. Powered by a multi-threaded background transcoding engine that utilizes the latest GPU accelerated image processing technology, Convey can create all the deliverables needed for review, editorial and mastering.

Nativ (booth SU11621) www.nativ.tv Nativ, the media management and workflow expert, will be launching its Mio v5.0 platform into the United States at this year’s NAB Show. Mio v5.0 is the first enterprise media asset management and workflow solution with built-in social collaboration, browser-based editing and shot logging. The solution will enable studios, broadcasters, networks and production companies to take back control of their assets and truly manage their entire content workflow in one place. Available as a SaaS or enterprise solution Mio v5.0 gives content owners the ability to quickly respond to rapidly changing consumer demands for more content on more devices with these revolutionary new features.

NewTek (booth SL4610) www.newtek.com NewTek will showcase its full range of TriCaster™ multicamera video production systems, which are currently the number-one switchers on the market and the preferred choice of media professionals who are seeking new, more cost-effective ways to produce programs online. In fact, company research has shown that TriCasters are now used to produce more than 60,000 hours of video content each week – 40,000 of which is live. NewTek also will highlight its 3Play™ slow motion instant replay solutions and demonstrate how the ChyronIP 3D graphics generator works exclusively with its TriCaster systems.

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Wherre Industry In Prrofessionals ofessio Meet

2013 Cine Gear Expo, Los Angeles 2013 May 30 - June 2,, 20 Location: The Studios at Paramount, Hollywood, C A, USA Cine Gear Expo, New York o September 27-28,, 20 2013 Location: The Metropolitan Pavilion, vilion, NYC , New Yor k, USA

phone: hone:: 310.472.0809 310.472.080 f : 310.471.8973 fax: 310 471 897 310.471.897 email:: inffo@cinegearexpo o@cinegearexpo o@ .com

Exhibits Seminars Seminar s Film Screenings & Competition New Products Networ king Networking Technical A wards Technical Awards Events Special Events

NAB Equipment Orad

Panasonic

(booth SL5709) www.orad.tv

VJ gui

Orad, a leader in award-winning, real-time 3D graphics, video server, and media asset management solutions will be present its newest product line-up, including VJ, Blend and PowerPlay. Orad’s VJ production server provides a tapeless workflow from ingest to playout. It is ideal for news, live events, soaps, talk shows and other studio productions, and its flexible design supports up to eight channels that can be arranged in different in/out configurations. Blend is Orad’s filebased channel-in-a-box solution that provides HD/SD video playout coupled with 3D real-time graphics. Blend is a highquality, cost-effective solution that is set to address today’s broadcasting challenges. PowerPlay is a turnkey, fast turnaround sport-production solution for managing live sports productions. Capabilities include ingest and instant highlight editing integrated through a dedicated sports media asset management platform.

(booth C3607) www.panasonic.com Visitors to the Panasonic booth at NAB can expect to see two, new integrated pan/tilt/zoom models, the AW-HE60H with HDMI and component outputs, and the AW-HE60S with HD/SDSDI and component outputs plus genlock. Both full HD integrated cameras boast innovative features, including IP live video monitoring Panasonic AW-HE60 for remote preview and control, and a Night Mode for shooting in extremely low light using IR illumination. The HE60S/H cameras offer a compact design that combines outstanding image quality, smooth pan/tilt/zoom operation, and easy integration for superior HD and SD production and video communications. The cameras utilize full HD MOS sensors (effective resolution 1920 x1080) and feature Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS) technology to help compensate for wide variations in lighting. Both IP and RS-422 serial control interfaces are built-in.

Petrol Bags (booth C6432) www.petrolbags.com

The Padcaster LLC (booth C-ST16) www.thepadcaster.com

Petrol Bags Deca Airflow Camera Backpack (PC306)

The Padcaster

The Padcaster LLC will be exhibiting in the StartUp Loft at the 2013 NAB Show. A rugged iPad case turned mobile production studio, the Padcaster transforms Apple’s tablet into an all-in-one moviemaking machine. The sturdy custom case lets videographers attach lights, mics and other necessary filmmaking accessories and enhancements to the iPad. Paired with the Lenscaster, the combo takes the iPad from ordinary tablet to high-tech production device. 28

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Petrol Bags will be premiering new audio and camera bags and accessories. The new Deca Large Lightweight Audio Bag is optimally designed for soundmen who use the Sound Devices 664 mixer, with or without the CL6 Controller. Within the bag, the mixer and controller are fully accessible and readouts are easily viewable. Meanwhile, the new Deca Airflow Camera Backpack features a rainbow shape to allow air flow through to enhance comfort. Ideal for small cameras up to the Sony PMW200 size, this no-hands carrier offers a special pocket for a 17” laptop and accessories. There’s also the new Deca Camera and Accessories Bag, featuring an ultra-wide opening. This is the carrier for a fully equipped camera such as the Sony F65 or ARRI ALEXA, or may be used as an accessories case. Its internal structure is made from a one-piece honeycomb frame offering strength and protection to internal gear. Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Quantel (booth SL2109) www.quantel.com Quantel, a leader in content creation systems for broadcast, post and DI, will have the latest developments on its Enterprise sQ, QTube and Pablo Rio to show you. Additionally, revolutionQ and Pablo Rio will be appearing front of house in the company’s state-of-the-art 4K theatre. Quantel also promises a few surprises, so be sure to stop by the booth.

in a choice of two different tripod system configurations, one with a mid level spreader, and the second with the TT 75/2 legs for the greatest height range. Also on hand will be the company’s new TT 75/2 CF Carbon Fiber Telescopic Tripod, ENG 75/2 D HD tripod, and the artemis Cine HD Pro, EFP HD, or DV Pro camera stabilizer systems.

Schneider Optics (booth C9035) www.schneideroptics.com

Sachtler (booth C6025) www.sachtler.com Sachtler will introduce a new model in its Ace tripod system – the Ace L. With a payload range of 0 to 13.2 pounds (0 to 6 kg), the new 75mm Ace L fluid head is not only perfect for video-enabled DSLR and lightweight HDV camcorders, but also for heavier set-ups with addiSachtler Ace L MS CF tional camera accessories. The fluid head with the patented SA drag™ damping system is available

STATE-OF-THE-ART MOBILE HD PRODUCTION UNITS

Schneider Optics’ booth will feature an innovative In-Camera Filter System developed for the ARRI ALEXA by Schneider and Clairmont Camera. The custom designed assemblies hold interchangeable Schneider filters in front of the ALEXA’s CMOS sensor assembly. The kit includes a specially designed magnetic filter holder to replace the light baffle in the camera. Once in place, the assembly allows secure mounting and precise positioning. Also on display will be two new lenses in the iPro Lens System, for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5. The .45X Ultra wide provides a spectacular field of view with minimal distortion. The iPro Macro allows the iPhone to focus on objects close to the lens front. These lenses join the iPro Fisheye, .65X Wide Angle, and 2X Tele. A new iPro case for the iPhone 5, provides a precisely positioned lens mount so iPro lenses mount to the iPhone.

WITH WITH A AN NU UNPARALLELED NPARALLELED RECORD RECORD OF OF HIGH HIGH QUALITY QUALITY P RODUCTION S ERVICES, A TTEAM EAM W ITH Y EARS O F PRODUCTION SERVICES, WITH YEARS OF BROADCAST BROADCAST TTELEVISION ELEVISION E EXPERIENCE XPERIENCE A AND ND A FLEET FLEET OF OF HD HD MOBILE MOBILE U UNITS NITS W WITH ITH P PREMIER REMIER TTECHNOLOGY, ECHNOLOGY, TTOKEN OKEN C CREEK REEK M MOBILE OBILE TTELEVISION, ELEVISION, IINC. NC. PROVIDES PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS S OLUTIONS F FOR OR N NETWORKS, ETWORKS, R REGIONAL EGIONAL S SPORTS, PORTS,

60 608 8 .84 9.4 96 5 .

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March/April 2013

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NAB Equipment

Outdoor/Mobile Media As Markee reported in our November/December 2012 issue, the mobile production market looks strong. “New and extensive contracts, additions to fleets and the upcoming renovation to the last vestiges of the SD era provide proof that the industry is moving forward at the dawn of 2013,” Markee contributor Mark Smith reported. So while at NAB, be sure to check out the Outdoor/Mobile Media area between the Central and South halls. Below is a brief look at some of the companies exhibiting in this section of the show, as well as a couple of companies that should be on your radar:

Island Century Media*

Droidworx Ltd New Zealand

www.icm4hd.com

(booth OE835) • www.droidworx.co.nz

Operating out of Florida, California, Louisiana and New York, Island Century Media is a leading high definition aerial cinematography company. The company’s aerial cameras – including the CINEFLEX V-14 and FLIR UltramediaHD with Sony CineAlta Cameras – have been employed for everything from live sports coverage (such as PGA Tour events and the Boston Marathon) to TV production (Real Housewives of Miami, for example). Additional services offered by Island Century include location scouting, Google Earth and Maps with integrated HD video, aerial surveillance, and LINK Wireless HD transmission.

Droidworx Ltd New Zealand is a manufacturer of advanced multi-rotor airframes. The company exports the most extensive range of craft worldwide, servicing the market in multi-rotor aerial systems for film making, aerial photography applications and professional cinematography. Droidworx craft feature state-of-the-art composite aerospace and industrial grade materials, perfectly engineered highquality airframe kits, which fit all the well-known flight control electronics for aerial robotics.

Gerling & Associates (booth OE601) • gerlinggroup.com Gerling & Associates (G&A), the global leader in the manufacture of broadcast communications vehicles, mobile command facilities, promotional vehicles, and marketing trailers, will be at NAB with two impressive mobile vehicles: a Stallion EXP truck it built for Proshow Audiovisual Broadcast in Vancouver, and an Expanding Side Trailer outfitted for Dome Productions of Toronto. The G&A truck is the only truck out there with this large expanding side on a truck body. It features a 32-foot body (40 feet bumper to bumper) and a unique over-cab air conditioner with two, 60,000-BTU units. The trailer is 53 feet long. It features 22 cameras, and is Class A HDTV production trailer with a custom interior fit and finish with extended audio systems and monitor walls. The exterior features a seamless and rivetless auto-type look and a 40,000 BTU air conditioner, as well as fold-down platforms.

Sure Shot Transmissions Inc. (booth OE907) • www.sureshotsat.com Sure Shot will be promoting its newest Production/Uplink vehicle, the Cynthia Lee at NAB. Cynthia Lee is a 40-foot Emperor Class Expanding Full Production/Uplink Trailer with seating and work area for 15 people. It is equipped with the industry’s best: Grass Valley, Chyron, Digico Adtec, and EVS, just to name a few. Cynthia Lee features all of the audio, communications, transmission, and support equipment you’re likely to need. Be sure to get out of the sun and have a look inside while at the show.

Camera Copters* www.cameracopters.com Camera Copters, with facilities in Florida, New York, California and Louisiana, is a leader in aerial cinematography and support. Currently, the company operates four helicopters and its own big rig truck for turnkey aerial production. Among Camera Copters’ latest equipment offerings are a CINEFLEX Elite camera system with an ARRI ALEXA M, which finally allows this coveted camera to be used in aerial cinematography; and a specially equipped MD 500 copter, which Owner Paul Barth says was built for “high and hot” work – high altitude and hot environments. Recent projects Barth and company have assisted on include the TV productions Revolution (NBC), Mountain Men (History Channel, pictured) and The Following (Fox), and films such as Motel (2013) and the next Superman production.

*Not exhibiting 30

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Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

SGO (booth SL10321) www.sgo.es Visit SGO’s booth in the South Hall to see how the company’s Mistika software was used in the production of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Mistika provides creative tools for 2D and highly-developed stereoscopic 3D productions, boasting remarkable speed and real-time visual effects, color grading, editing, compositing, graphics and multi-format mastering and much more. With Mistika operating from non-proprietary hardware with an open file structure, including widespread codec-support, it enables easy integration and compatibility with other systems. Mistika uses NVIDIA’s Quadro GPUs to accelerate algorithmic computations involved in all visual effects, pushing the boundaries of science. SGO entrusts Mistika to HP’s platforms in order to achieve maximum real-time editing, ultimate grading and compositing. HP Workstations are time-tested and dependable and exclusively used to accelerate 2D and Stereo 3D post-production workflows in all Mistika projects.

Solid State Logic (booth C2617) www.solidstatelogic.com

Solid State Logic - C100 HDS

ALWAYS EVOLVING, ALWAYS HERE OVER 20 NEW INNOVATIONS IMPLEMENTED IN 2011

Solid State Logic debuts its new V6 Software for the industry-leading C100 HDS Digital Broadcast Console. Demonstrating ongoing development of the C100 HDS, the V6 Software release offers new features that introduce significant workflow efficiencies for operators. “The C100 is a mature, proven product that continues to exceed the expectations of broadcasters around the world,” says Piers Plaskitt, CEO of SSL, Inc. “This new V6 software release introduces some significant features that will further improve the speed and efficiency with which engineers can operate. SSL is always listening to its clients and is involved in a process of continual development. The result is a superb broadcast production platform with an incredibly deep feature set that operators love.” Recent Deliveries Include: CBC ~ Game Creek Video NEP ~ Turner Broadcasting ~ Lyon Video ~ Raycom ~ Time Warner Cable

Light Weight Fast Setup Opulent Interiors The Only Automotive Look Exterior

Call Fred Gerling in sales at 740Ǧ965Ǧ2888 www.gerlinggroup.com www.markeemagazine.com

March/April 2013

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NAB Equipment Sony Electronics Inc. (booth C11001) www.sony.com/professional

Studio Technologies Inc. (booth C5449) www.studio-tech.com

Studio Technologies Live-Link 07X

Sony PMW 200 camcorder

Attendees can see Sony’s full line of 4K acquisition technologies – the F65, with its 8K sensor, and the new F55 and F5 4K cameras, plus a full line of 4K-related accessories, giving content creators new levels of flexibility and creative options for acquisition and production. Sony is also showing its full line of Super 35 mm professional camcorders, the expanded family of XDCAM HD422 technologies including the new PMW-160 handheld camcorder, and the newest MVS production switchers that combine performance and affordability for schools, corporations, houses of worship and more.

Sound Devices (booth C2849) www.sounddevices.com

Studio Technologies Inc., the manufacturer of tailored highperformance audio, video and fiber-optic products for the professional audio, installation and broadcast markets, will debut the Live-Link 07X-series of remote camera interface systems at the 2013 NAB Show. Purpose-built to accommodate the technical requirements for emerging 4K-based broadcast production workflows and camera systems, the 07X-series is ideally suited for live sports and event productions. This newest member of the Live-Link family delivers all the power and flexibility of the standard Live-Link system, along with the unique resources required by broadcasters seeking a 4K solution. The camera end unit features four 3GSDI-compatible inputs to accommodate data-intensive 4K digital video streams and an additional 3G/HD/SD-SDI input for an alternate digital video stream. The camera end unit also includes a 3G/HD/SD-SDI return from the control room unit for confidence monitoring. All signals are transported using just two strands of single-mode fiber, one each for signals in each direction.

TSL Professional Products Ltd. (booth N1124) www.tsl.co.uk Sound Devices PIX 260i – front

Sound Devices will highlight diverse capabilities of the rack-mounted PIX 260i, the file-based audio/video recorder ideal for OB, in-studio and post-production environments. The PIX 260i brings the features and tools needed by production companies and broadcasters looking to migrate to file-based recording and playback environments. The system records QuickTime files in either Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD video formats. Sound Devices has infused the PIX 260i with 32-track record/playback capabilities. In addition to 16 channels of embedded SDI audio and eight channels of HDMI audio, the PIX 260i also accepts eight channels of line-level analog I/O and eight channels of AES digital audio. Using Dante, the PIX 260i can accept and transmit up to 32 channels of audio over Ethernet.

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March/April 2013

TSL will present a selection of new audio, loudness, tally, power distribution and surround sound capture and processing solutions at NAB 2013. The company will launch its new SAM1-3GM Studio Audio Monitoring Solution and showcase the Monitor Plus Audio (MPA) and PAM Pico product ranges for audio monitoring. “Having been incredibly active in the USA for the past couple of years, TSL PPL is fast becoming the manufacturer of choice for many U.S. broadcasters,” says Chris Exelby, managing director. “Our audio monitoring line, in particular, has been incredibly successful, with a number of highprofile and forward-thinking television networks adopting TSL PPL’s technology. At TSL PPL, we are constantly striving to produce and deliver cutting-edge broadcast solutions that keep pace with the industry’s changing needs and demands for efficient content delivery.”

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

VariZoom (booth C9519) www.varizoom.com/stealthy

Wowza Media Systems (booth SU11007) www.wowza.com

The Stealthy is VariZoom’s answer to the demand for a device that can handle the needs of both video and photography applications in the field: Steady motion stabilizer, 3-point shooter, mini monopod, full monopod, & tripod. See it for yourself at NAB. The Stealthy hangs from a belt clip and can be drawn quickly to capture images. With one simple move, it transforms into a lap monopod; with another move it becomes a fully functional gimbaled stabilizer for steady walking shots and simulated crane motions. With another quick adjustment, it becomes a 3-point shooter allowing rock steady shots with full adjustments to fit nearly any user of DSLR and video cameras from 8 ounces up to several pounds.

At the 2013 NAB Show, attendees will experience the premiere of several new additions to Wowza Media Server®, which continue to enable reach to the largest possible audience with simplified streaming workflows. The Wowza Media Server revolutionizes media delivery with reliable, cost-effective, secure streaming across the broadest array of devices. With full support for MPEGDASH, the software can provide the highest quality experience to viewers while reducing costs and streamlining the infrastructure for content providers. For the latest in security, Wowza offers new built-in content protection, secure key exchange with multiple DRM providers and a new StreamLock™ AddOn for easy, secure RTMPS.

Vinten

Zylight

(booth C6025) www.vinten.com

Vinten Vision blue

Vinten has created the Vision bluebridge, an accessory that works with any of the pan and tilt heads in the Vision blue range to extend the payloads, which can be perfectly balanced. The new accessory offers the ultimate flexibility to camera operators whether using the original Vision blue, the recently launched Vision blue3, or the Vision blue5. The Vision bluebridge works by shifting the payload range down and gives users a cost-effective option by extending the payload capabilities of their chosen Vision blue system. This means operators effectively need one single tripod system for their shoots. The Vision blue family encompasses the three next-generation head and tripod systems providing the perfect balance for payloads as low as 4.6 lbs/2.1kg, to suit the lightest of camcorders and DSLRs, right up to 26.5 lb/12kg for the larger professional cameras.

(booth C5446) www.zylight.com

Zylight F8

Zylight will be at NAB this year with its latest lighting equipment, including the F8, the award-winning LED Fresnel the company says is the thinnest Fresnel ever built. Also on display will be the new IS3c with included Chimera Softbox, and new LED instrument kits. The IS3c features variable color temperature, color correction and full color output, making it the most versatile LED panel around.

*Note: Not a complete list of NAB exhibitors.

www.markeemagazine.com

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

Rental Houses Equipment rental houses coast to coast talk what’s hot, what’s next and their best-kept secrets.

BY CHRISTINE BUNISH

Markee 2.0 |

March/April 2013

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

ARRI CSC www.arricsc.com New York City, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C. and LA as Illumination Dynamics 954-322-4545

Contact: Ed Stamm, vice president and general manager, ARRI CSC Florida

Inventory: Full-service camera, lighting and grip rentals; lighting and grip only in LA.

Hottest rental gear: “Our ARRI ALEXA digital camera and the new M Series ARRI lighting range – we can’t keep them in the buildings,” says ARRI CSC president and CEO Simon Broad. “ALEXA has impacted every single area of the market: feature films, TV series, commercials. The new M Series lights were introduced at the end of 2012. They’re well built and extremely attractive to crew – their usability is already making a mark. These lights are tremendously popular across the board.” On your wish list: “More vintage-look lenses, like Cooke and Kowa. There’s a tremendous renaissance in old glass, and anybody who has it has a gold mine. We kept a lot of it and would love to have more. ALEXA has such phenomenal quality that sometimes cinematographers want to bring a little atmosphere back with old glass from the era of the original Godfather film.” The rental item customers should know more about: “16mm is an overlooked format. Our Arriflex 416 cameras were used on Black Swan and Beasts of the Southern Wild. Everyone is rushing to exciting new technology, but there’s still a huge potential in 16mm film.” At NAB: “We’re relying on our parent company, ARRI, to make the news at NAB. That’s when great products get launched.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “I don’t see one ‘Next Big Thing.’ The business is an amazing fusion right now – an enormous cross section of formats and styles. The majority of big features we’ve serviced lately have all been shot with our film cameras with ALEXA for 2nd unit and effects. We’re continuing to provide film cameras this year.” Business outlook for 2013: “We’ve been incredibly fortunate with tax incentives and vibrant markets that make the East Coast a healthy place for the industry. We’re a good example of a company that’s reinvested as a consequence of incentive programs; we’ve been able to expand and add employees due to strong and well-supported tax incentives.” The secret to your success: “Customer service drives us as a business – it’s deep in our DNA. Everybody made sure our 30 Rock truck rolled out of the workshop despite [Superstorm] Sandy debris and five feet of salt water. They made a huge effort to get that truck back on location.”

www.markeemagazine.com

[Top Left] ARRI CSC headquarters in suburban New York City.

[Bottom] ARRI Daylight M18 fixture is a hot rental item at ARRI CSC.

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

Rental Houses

Birns & Sawyer www.birnsandsawyer.com North Hollywood, Calif. 323-466-8211

Contact: Ramzi Abed, director of marketing & sales

Inventory: Birns & Sawyer offers a full range of digital cinema products, including cameras, lighting and grip, and transportation.

[Top] A fully-loaded compact new Birns & Sawyer Sprinter packs a punch in a small footprint.

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March/April 2013

Hottest rental gear: “A few things are hot right now,” says Ramzi Abed. “The new Sony F55 camera has just taken off, especially among independent filmmakers who have been using RED and ALEXA. The Canon C300 is still very popular for commercials, music videos and supplementing other cameras. And in lighting, everything is shifting to LEDs with their lower power consumption. We have a Sprinter van package that’s fully rigged with LEDs. People are using LEDs, whether Litepanels or Film Gear fixtures, as the primary source to light entire shoots.” On your wish list: “We want to offer complete production bundles, including transportation, for speed and efficiency of booking. The bundles would be based on the type of shoot and budget range and would be customizable. We aspire to be a one-stop shop.” The rental item customers should know more about: “Fastec’s TS3Cine handheld, high-speed camera. Not many rental houses have it – we just picked it up. It’s a compact camera with variable frame rates for shooting time lapse or slo mo; it’s simple to set up and great if you don’t have the budget or space for a Phantom. We’ve already had customers use it for sports, 2nd unit and music videos, and we expect that indie filmmakers will be a big part of the market for it.” At NAB: “We’ll have a booth at NAB and will announce some technology applications. Birns & Sawyer is under new management, and we plan to create more products, including technology applications.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “Production bundles will be our ‘Next Big Thing.’ We also plan to streamline the rental process to make it easier to rent from us and will announce new pricing and products from our manufactured goods sector.” Business outlook for 2013: “We’re optimistic about business this year. The turn to digital has happened; we jumped in early and hope to reap the benefits. We’re looking to build new relationships by reaching out and creating more interaction between us and the filmmaking community.” The secret to your success: “Exceptional customer service that goes above and beyond the needs of our clientele. We also try to make Birns & Sawyer a fun place to be – we have a big projector here and show movies every day.”

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

The Camera Department www.thecameradept.com Cincinnati, Ohio 513-723-1742

Contact: Mal Connett, Ben Yee, partners

Inventory: Motion picture cameras – digital cinema (ARRI, RED, Sony, Canon and more), broadcast, 35mm and 16mm, DSLRs; lenses (Angenieux, Cooke, Zeiss, Canon and others); support and accessories. Hottest rental gear: “ARRI ALEXA and all glass,” says Mal Connett, who’s partnered with Ben Yee. “Everybody would like to use ALEXA; most commercials and a lot of indy filmmakers use it when they can. It has taken over a lot of 35mm and 16mm jobs and high-end digital projects. Our Optimo zooms have been incredibly busy, too – they’re the zoom lens of choice these days.” On your wish list: “All of the primes and zoom lenses we’ve ordered, but which are backordered now. That’s a big problem: There’s a long waiting list for high-end lenses. People are still waiting for delivery on POs they placed a year or two ago.” The rental item customers should know more about: “The Phantom Flex high-speed digital camera, which goes to 2500 fps in full res. We have a Phantom tech on staff, and the camera has been all over the country on automotive and sports spots, military jobs and industrial projects. Anybody who’s had a chance to use it once falls in love with it. Its super slo mo footage is so cool!” At NAB: “We attend NAB to get face time with the vendors we deal with all year and to see what’s coming up next – we know about most major things, but we’re looking for the surprises.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “Sony’s new F5 and F55 and the ALEXA XT that’s coming out soon. I think the F5 and F55 will fill a big gap; they’ll cover a really broad spectrum of users. We just got an F55 the other day and we’re playing with it, getting up to speed with it. ALEXA XT will enable shooters to record ARRI RAW on camera without an external recorder, so it provides more options and improved workflow. We also plan to offer more lensing, which has been big for us the last couple of years.” Business outlook for 2013: “We’re hoping business will remain positive; we’ve increased our business every year even when the economy started to decline. We spread our market a bit, established strong relationships with other rental companies coast to coast to subcontract equipment, and we kept buying.” The secret to your success: “We’ve been really lucky with our staff. They have a great work ethic, are really knowledgeable, enjoy what they do and are great to be around – people like hanging out with them. As the largest motion picture camera rental house in Ohio we’ve kept growing. We share our facility with Midwest Grip & Lighting, who’s the largest in the state in their field, too. So we have a lot to offer under one roof.”

www.markeemagazine.com

[Top and Bottom] RED Epic with Cooke S4 lens from The Camera Department rigged on an auto rickshaw in Mumbai, India for a major corporate shoot worldwide.

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

Rental Houses

Cinelease Inc., A Hertz Company www.cinelease.com LA headquarters; offices in Santa Fe, N.M.; Austin, Texas; New Orleans, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C.; New York City, Chicago, and Honolulu 855-441-5500

Contact: Joe Ball, director of field sales/North America

Inventory: Largest and newest inventory of lighting and grip equipment of any independent rental house in the industry; preloaded 3-, 5- and 10-ton grip trucks; as a unit of Hertz Entertainment Services provides [mobile] aerial equipment, forklifts, generators from 1500 amps to mega watt plants, air conditioning, rental cars and trucks; complete line of expendables from Expendables Plus division. [Top] The LA headquarters of Cinelease.

[Bottom] The mammoth warehouse at Cinelease’s LA headquarters.

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Hottest rental gear: “All the new variations of HMIs and LEDs in all brands and sizes,” says Joe Ball. “Arriflex has a new line of HMIs that is very popular, and we carry many different brands of LEDs with new ones coming out all the time.” On your wish list: “We’re very lucky – as a unit of Hertz Entertainment Services we have the wherewithal to purchase any new gear without problems. This ability allows us to remain the largest independent rental house in America while still providing by far the best service in the industry.” The rental item customers should know more about: “Iride lights from cinematographer Vittorio Storaro’s company in Italy. We’re their exclusive rep in the U.S. We have all their current models, and they’re coming out with a whole new line soon. Iride globes are aircraft landing lights: They’re so bright that when you add a blue gel you can use them as an HMI or add an orange gel and use them as a tungsten fixture. You can stick one on a Condor and light up a city block for a hundred yards. We’ve got a 53-foot truck full of Irides on the way to two big pilots in Chicago.” At NAB: “We’ll be attending the show and expect to see a lot of new LEDs.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “We converted a Mercedes Sprinter van, which we call the CineMini, completely outfitting it with a preloaded grip package with room for lighting. It’s perfect for small commercials and videos or still photography: It’s big enough to hold the equipment they need and small enough to go anywhere. And we’re launching a mobile app available from the Apple Store, which will allow customers to order equipment while they’re on a tech scout.” Business outlook for 2013: “It’s going to be our best year ever, by far! We’re having a normal, if not better than usual, pilot season. In the past year, we serviced 42 TV scripted dramas and comedies, over 500 commercials and numerous feature films and a reality show. The commercials business in California, especially, has taken a terrific upturn.” The secret to your success: “We treat every customer from The Dark Knight to an A.F.I. student with professionalism and respect and make sure their Cinelease experience is the best they’ve ever had. That’s been our mantra since we were a mom-and-pop shop 20 years ago. Also, because Hertz Entertainment Services had brick and mortar locations in 50 states, we can meet all requirements necessary for production tax incentives nationwide.”

Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Cinequipt, Inc. www.cinequipt.com Minneapolis, Minn. 612-627-9080

Contact: Greg Meyers, general manager

Inventory: Digital cinema, film, broadcast video and HDSLR cameras; lighting and grip; grip trucks; studios.

Hottest rental gear: “Our customer base is so broad that they all require different types of gear,” explains general manager Greg Meyers. “High-end commercial clients can’t live without ARRI ALEXA, and mid-range clients love the Canon C300 and all of its lenses. It would be great to have more HDSLRs, too. On the lighting side, LEDs have made huge inroads with their increased performance and variety of styles and types.” On your wish list: “At this time of year my big wish is to have less gear on our shelves – it’s typically the slowest time of year for us. We do have quite a few customers looking for a large sensor, ENG-style camera. The new Sony F5 and F55 seem to be getting close to that in form factor.” The rental item customers should know more about: “Fastec’s TS3 Cine highspeed video camera. It’s a really interesting piece of equipment – if you want to shoot 700 fps you can do it economically and without a technician operating the camera. We’ve had our TS3 Cine about nine months, and it’s been out on a number of jobs: projects for Kohler and scoreboard content for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the University of Minnesota Gophers. Other customers should think about incorporating the TS3 Cine into their productions as well.” At NAB: “We’ll attend NAB in search of companies that bring something new and innovative to production – it doesn’t matter if it’s just a widget or an expensive piece of gear as long as it helps our customers. We spend a lot of time in 10x10 booths trying to find these items.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “More collaborations with service providers that will help our customers manage all the footage/data they’re capturing on shoots. Customers look to us to help them with their workflow; this expands what we can do to make their lives simpler and easier and their footage safer on set.” Business outlook for 2013: “Rental business last year was down slightly from 2011, and we think 2013 will hold the status quo. In our market, we live and die with advertising production, and it’s been very soft the past few years. We think it will make a small comeback this year, but aren’t sure it will be enough to offset the political work from last year’s election cycle.” The secret to your success: “Our staff. They’re natural problem solvers who go above and beyond to help customers get their shoots done on time and under budget. When you get your gear from a rental company like Cinequipt, we’re reachable 24/7 and have the inventory and manpower to service multiple shoots. Too many people just look for the cheapest way to get gear and don’t realize what a rental company can provide for their shoot.”

www.markeemagazine.com

[Top] Minneapolis production company Twist shoots a spot for Brillo pads in Studio C at Cinequipt.

[Bottom] Camera prep room at Cinequipt, Minneapolis.

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

Rental Houses

Fletcher Camera & Lenses www.fletch.com Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit 312-932-2700

Contact: Tom Fletcher, vice president

Inventory: High-end film and digital camera packages.

[Top and Bottom] Steven Quale, director of the film Black Sky (holding camera) testing Fletcher’s ARRI ALEXA M with Alura 15.5-45 lens.

Markee 2.0 |

March/April 2013

Hottest rental gear: “ARRI ALEXA and ARRI Alura and Leica lenses,” reports Tom Fletcher. “We were one of the first to get ALEXA, and it’s been popular with any full-size imager user – for commercials, indy films, TV and features it’s the camera. It’s reliable, with good German engineering, and has more latitude than other digital cameras – DPs like the picture quality and the way it rolls off the highlights extremely gently. ARRI’s new Alura lightweight zoom lenses are very popular; we carry all four: 18-80, 45-250, 15.545 and 30-80. We’ve also had a set of Leica lightweight T14 lenses since December – the legendary still photographic lens maker has come to the motion picture world. Multiple productions are asking for them; demand exceeds supply right now.” On your wish list: “Items that are technology-proof! Everything moves at such a fast rate, and you have to figure out which way technology is going. We could use more Leica lenses and Hawk anamorphic lenses. The Hawk lenses have taken off and will increase dramatically with the use of more digital 4x3 cameras. Technology now allows anamorphic to be done more efficiently from acquisition through post and VFX, especially with lens metadata. Two years ago, only Panavision and Hawk made high-end anamorphic lenses; now three more players are making or announcing anamorphic lenses.” The rental item customers should know more about: “Our COSMoS (Convenient On Set Mobile Solutions) laboratory for managing data, creating dailies and LTOs, and making the production workflow more efficient. We’ve been offering COSMoS for four or five years; people think of us as a camera house, but we deal with so much data that we built a scaleable data management tool for dailies, archiving and critical analysis. It’s been used on the new feature Love and Honor, which shot in Detroit, portions of other films in Detroit and TV series.” At NAB: “We’ll be walking the halls at NAB looking at technology and trying to understand where it’s going. You can’t afford to guess wrong in this industry right now.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “Our Hawk V-Lite anamorphic lenses – we’ve just taken delivery of them.” Business outlook for 2013: “We expect to continue to be very busy. A lot of production is happening in New Orleans, where we have an office, and business is steady up here [in Chicago and Detroit].” The secret to your success: “Relationships, service and listening to where technology is moving. We take care of cinematographers and camera crews; we have local staff in each of our offices to service projects. One cinematographer told us that when there was a problem on his shoot in New Orleans, our guy showed up at 10 pm, fixed it overnight and they were back at work the next morning. That saved the production a lot of downtime.” Film • Video • Animation • Audio • Locations • People

Midtown Video www.midtownvideo.com Miami 305-669-1117; 800-232-4564

Contact: Scot Lenter, rental and service manager

Inventory: HD and digital cinema cameras a specialty, with all their accessories, including matteboxes, follow focuses, lenses, tripods; audio equipment; digital recorders; monitors; AV projectors and screens; interview-style lighting and light kits.

shoot global shop local

Hottest rental gear: “Two cameras are really hot: the Canon C300 and ARRI ALEXA,” [Top] reports rental and service manager Scot Lenter. “The Canon C300 is our most popular Midtown Video rental tech rental item – all of them are rented out most of the time for music videos, independent films Katty Espinoza readies a Canon C500 package. and commercials. We picked up ARRI ALEXA recently and are very excited about it. It’s the most popular cinema camera in the world – great quality, workflow, viewfinder and intuitive menus. Customers are high-end feature and commercial shooters.” On your wish list: “We expect to get 4K AV projectors for film screenings and corporate events where higher resolution is preferred. We carry 4K [digital cinema] cameras, and we want to support them with the best 4K products on the AV side. We also want to keep building our digital cinema accessories.” The rental item customers should know more about: “The Australia-made Wally Dolly – once you try it you never want to use another. It’s unbelievably smooth, it’s like the camera is floating so you get very good tracking shots. We’ve tried them all, Fact: The best equipment in the world is and this one’s amazing! Some people don’t know that we available right here in Florida at Midtown. carry [Newtek’s] TriCaster 855 and 8000, which is a switcher, character generator/title generator and which Our customers get the latest gear, close live streams to the Internet.” personal attention, hands-on tryouts and At NAB: “We attend NAB to check out what’s longterm guidance. next. We visit vendors to learn about what’s coming.” Your Next Big Thing for customers: “We’re And don’t pay extra for it. very excited about our new Sony F5 and F55 cameras – they’re supposed to be everything everybody’s been Sound sweet? It is. asking for: small camera body, affordable, 4K, high speed. Sony has listened to what people are asking for and filled a void with these cameras.” Business outlook for 2013: “It’s been improving year to year since the recession hit. We’ve been very busy with all cameras flying off the shelves. We’ve increased our inventory to make sure we can keep up with demand. We expect that trend to continue as products get more affordable while remaining high quality.” Home is where the scorching hot new F5/55 is. From The secret to your success: “The people who work at Midtown. We’re not a box house where you rent gear and that’s the end of the transaction. We provide 24/7 engineering, service and back-up equipment; we’re on call all the time. We spend a lot of time with our customers and try to fulfill their needs and their wish lists. We want to be their go-to company on everything that is digital video.” CHECK IT: 800.232.4564 • 305.669.1117 • miami • midtownvideo.com www.markeemagazine.com

March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

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March/April 2013

| Markee 2.0

Inside View

Megatrax | by Christine Bunish

Ron Mendelsohn President and CEO – Megatrax Production Music • North Hollywood, Calif. • www.megatrax.com

Markee: What challenges are facing Megatrax today? Mr. Mendelsohn: “New competition in the form of aggregators. We’ve seen it in other industries too: companies that set themselves up as third-party aggregators soliciting content from everyone, sometimes without any kind of QC. This has been building since the dawn of the Internet; most have failed but a new crop seems to be proliferating. To make matters worse, many of these aggregators broker content that is non-exclusive or ‘re-titled.’ We have consistently heard from professional music users that they shun ‘re-titled’ music due to the confusion and hassles that can arise from the use of such content. Markee: How do you combat this challenge? Mr. Mendelsohn: “It has taken us over 20 years to build and curate our content. We have to make sure our clients are aware of what sets us apart. We commission new original music after identifying needs in the marketplace or learning about clients’ needs for a particular style of music. We operate fundamentally differently from the aggregators.” Markee: Are there any trends among clients? Mr. Mendelsohn: “A long-term trend that’s still accelerating is clients wanting tracks that sound like whatever is current and trending in popular culture. That means the lines between production music and commercial music have been blurring. Libraries are working more and more with commercial artists, and the quality of our tracks is often no different from commercial recordings. We’ve accelerated our production cycle so we can jump on new trends and turn around music much more quickly. “In fact, we’re one of the few libraries that maintains state-of-the-art recording 44

Markee 2.0 |

March/April 2013

studios on the premises, so we have the ability to record a live orchestra, rock band or big band right here.” Markee: Have you carved out new markets for your music? Mr. Mendelsohn: “There’s more production happening now in online media: New channels are launching on YouTube and other online sites, plus mobile devices and smart phones. The real challenge has been educating this market to respect copyright laws and pay proper licensing fees – it’s sometimes assumed that music is free. Megatrax is also very active in emerging markets around the world where economies are coming of age and broadcast networks are at a point to take advantage of our products and services.” Markee: Where else has your music been heard recently? Mr. Mendelsohn: “We’ve had music in recent trailers, including The Croods, Brave, Frankenweenie, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Django Unchained and Paranorman. Our recent TV placements include Nashville, Necessary Roughness, Chicago Fire, 30 Rock, The New Normal, Blue Bloods and Zero Hour.” Markee: What’s new to the Megatrax catalog? Mr. Mendelsohn: “Deep East Music is our most exciting news item right now: It’s our largest new catalog launch in over 10 years and our first UK library. Deep East is a hip, young-skewing collection with a custom indie sound. It has 82 albums of indie rock, cinematic, orchestral and inspirational tracks. The UK has a long history of producing great music, and Deep East is already garnering overwhelmingly positive feedback from our clients. “We also launched the new Sound Adventures catalog last year. It’s a premium trailer catalog recorded in Europe

with live ensembles, including the Vienna Boys Choir and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra.” Markee: What’s the secret to Megatrax’s success? Mr. Mendelsohn: “To be relevant today, libraries need to be music curators, not aggregators. We help clients find the right tracks for their productions using not only our advanced search system, but also the assistance of our team of trained music supervisors on staff. Our music supervisors, who are available via email, phone or live chat, scour our vast collection to find the exact tracks fitting the sound and mood for a particular production. “We’ve also put a lot of time and effort into our search system and are constantly refining it. Everything is tooled to find the right tracks as quickly as possible.” Markee: What’s the significance of having a booth at NAB? Mr. Mendelsohn: “We have been exhibiting at NAB for more than 15 years. It has become our most important trade show of the year since we have the opportunity to see many of our broadcast clients, international distributors, industry colleagues and vendors in one place. In addition, NAB is an important meeting place for the Production Music Association (PMA), of which we are a founding member. This year, the Megatrax booth will be in the Lower South Hall, SL7920.”

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