Earlier this month Imagineer Systems announced a tutorial contest for users of their extensive VFX tools. The challenge is to create video tutorials “that best educate new users of Imagineer VFX solutions on the workflow features of its tools.” Entries are to be judged on content, video and technical quality, and clarity/completeness. The winner of this contest will receive a suite of Imagineer Systems software worth $10,000 (Monet, Mokey and Mocha). The original deadline for this contest was today, July 31st. However, I’ve just gotten word that the deadline has been extended a month, so if you missed this announcement before, here’s your chance to score some sweet high-end VFX software! Read on for details.

The Imagineer Systems Video Tutorial Contest is open to everyone, and participants must follow these guidelines:
* Video Tutorial Topics/Products: Imagineer Systems’ mocha, mocha-AE, motor, monet, mokey. Topics may cover motion tracking, rotoscoping, rig removals, stabilzation and can be designed for beginning or advanced users.
* Format: Participants should use screen recording software, such as Camtasia or ishowu;
* Files: Video files should be compressed for good viewing resolution, e.g., Quicktime H.264;
* Deadline: All entries must be submitted to Imagineer Systems by July 31st, 2008. The deadline for entries has been extended through to August 31, 2008.
* For detailed information on contest rules and technical specs please visit: www.imagineersystems.com/contest

If you don’t already own or use Imagineer software, you can always freely register and download a Learning Edition of their software pacakges, which should be sufficient for the purposes of tutorial creation. We’ve previously covered Imagineer tools in a review of Mocha AE, and in our NAB 2008 video coverage of the Mogul announcement.

Imagine Products, makers of ShotPut Express for SxS media management, announced ShotPut Red Edition, a tool that automates and simplifies the offloading and transfer of CF and RED Raid media on a production set. Here’s a few key features:

* Fast Copying: Perform copies at top speed without the overhead of Finder or Explorer.
* Automatic or Manual Copies: Manually select one or more drives to copy. Or use the auto offload mode to sequentially copy RED volumes or cards upon insertion.
* Easy Folder Naming: Save time and improve consistency and organization by auto-naming the copy folders.
*Improve Workflow: ShotPut’s multi-threading technology makes up to 3 simultaneous copies at the same time.
* Reformat Cards: After offloading is finished, automatically reformat the CF card so it’s ready to return to the camera.
* Security: Verify byte-to-byte comparisons of your media copies to ensure integrity of the files.
* Verification Report: Create a record of file transfer activity, how the copies were named, time, date, etc. Save complete details for project organization and billable time.
* Print Offload Log: Offload results are presented in a text file, printable with the click of a button.
* Session Error Checking: Prevents overwriting of existing folders and duplicate offloading of the same media volume.
* Progress Bar: Displays overall percent completion and file-by-file progress during the copy process.
* Copy Cards or Disks: The contents of any mountable volume (drive) can be copied including CF cards, RED Raids, etc.
* Compatible with Your Camera: ShotPut RED works with Build 15 and Build 16 file formats. Copies any volume containing R3D files.

The software is available on Mac and Windows, a single license will set you back $49.00. More info here.

In an open letter from CEO Gary Greenfield, Avid outlines the major organization and management changes they have made as part of their New Thinking campaign. He also lays out their core strategy going forward:

*Build competitive tools with differentiated performance, at the right price;
*Translate customer feedback into flexible, reliable, high-quality solutions;
*Become more “open,” offering greater interoperability between Avid systems and third-party products;
*Refresh our product lines more frequently; and
*Better leverage the innovation from all areas within the company to advance the market competitiveness of our offerings.

I see this as continued good news on the Avid front, that they are recognizing their shortcomings and making real changes to address those issues and move forward. Clearly the film and video market has changed in recent years…and you could say that Apple and others have been drinking Avid’s milkshake. This latest bit of reorganization news follows on the heels of their immediate New Thinking changes of reducing the price of Media Composer by 50%, and offering a sweet deal on the NLE software for students and educators. Competition is good for the consumer, so here’s hoping that these latest changes will further enable better, faster, stronger tools for independent filmmakers and content creators.

(Thanks to Randall Bennett for the tip)

Yesterday a 5.4 magnitude earthquake shook the Los Angeles area. By most reports, injuries and damage were minimal. Here’s some footage from the Judge Judy TV show that happened to be taping at the time (fortunately no one on set was injured). There’s a reason why your heavy lights have a safety cable. Sandbag ‘em and cable ‘em at all times…you never know what could happen.

I know what you are thinking…here’s another sad starving filmmaker project, another dead-end DIY rig that will deliver subpar results. We’ve all seen ‘em, and maybe even personally invested time and money into DIY projects that were eventually replaced with the REAL tool that actually gets the job done. Which reminds me…anybody want to buy an old DIY Glidecam constructed out of copper water pipe? It’s taking up space in my garage. :-)

This DIY bluescreen actually looks like a pretty solid project. With a little pipe, glue, and sewing chops you could whip up one of these babies in no time. And since the frame is built to stretch the blue fabric tight, you’ll avoid one of the common pitfalls of DIY chroma key…folds and creases in the fabric. This project and accompanying shopping list is also written up on the Instructables blog.

(Via Self-Reliant Filmmaking)

About a month ago we linked an excellent interview and video demonstration with Steadicam’s Garrett Brown. Part 2 of the interview is now up and active, check it out here. There are some amazing photos of Garrett in action on Jedi, The Shining, and other classic films.

It looks like all those that pre-ordered their EX3 are either in possession of their camera or have one coming soon…B&H now has the XDCAM PMW-EX3 in stock and ready to ship. For our previous coverage of the XDCAM EX3, check out this FreshDV search and our EX1 / EX3 linkdump. Purchases made via that B&H link help support FreshDV at no additional cost to you.

It seems that since sometime in June 2008 Youtube has been applying what sounds like an aggressive single-band compressor to the audio track of all video uploads by users. This is probably intended as a quick fix for clips that have poorly mixed or severely low audio levels, but it has an adverse effect on those that have mixed their upload audio levels with care…breathing and subtle ambient noises become overly loud, and music instruments distort oddly as the compressor attacks and decays. Listen to a Before and After compression example here.

Users have been talking this issue over, and the fix appears to be to mix in a high frequency 19kHz to 20kHz sine wave into the audio, thus tricking the Youtube compression tools into thinking that the audio is set at a uniform level. Of course, this workaround could be avoided if Youtube would just allow users the option to untick a “Enhance Audio Levels” option upon upload.

Via Andy Dickinson comes this link to Scott Simmon’s blog (can’t believe I didn’t spot it there myself) on how to view the time remaining on a Compressor encode job.

After many months of careful development and revisions based on user feedback, we are happy to report that users are starting to receive notification that their reserved/ordered mattebox units from Redrock Micro will be shipping soon. Reports have been trickling in to FreshDV and on the various filmmaking forums, so we’re pretty stoked to hear user’s first reports! Feel free to send in your first impressions and photos to myself or Kendal via the contact info on our About page. We’d be delighted to host the first unboxing photos and video.

And if you’re looking for some creative and technical instruction on how to utilize your brand spankin’ new mattebox system, B&H recently posted an Controlling and Manipulating Light article that covers optical filters and how to work with them in a mattebox. They include before and after examples of color and diffusion filtration, as well as neutral density (ND) and graduated filters. For a basic optical filter set, consider Redrock’s sub-$500 microFilters bundle which we got the scoop on in both our NAB and CineGear Expo coverage.

From the “if ya can’t beat ‘em, legislate ‘em department” comes this scary little bit of news on the MPAA’s latest petition to the FCC on the topic of Selectable Output Controls. In a nutshell, SOC is the ability for content owners to control not just WHAT you are able to watch, but HOW and on what devices you are able to watch it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has the story.

You want to watch my new movie on that digital TV you bought a few years ago? No, sorry, I don’t like your TV (perhaps because I’m afraid of the analog component inputs it uses). You want to space-shift using your Slingbox (which lacks DRM-enabling controls on its outputs)? Oh, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You were hoping to TiVo that show that’s on this afternoon so that you can watch it when you get home from work? Hm, not unless you upgrade to a new TiVo, because I won’t allow the signal to make it to TiVos that don’t have digital outputs. You want to record that program so that you can make a fair use of an excerpt? Dear dear, we can’t have that.

Seems kind of crazy, no? That’s what the FCC thought, too, which was why the agency forbade use of SOC when it last addressed this issue, in 2003. The FCC concluded that multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs - companies like cable television providers) can’t “attach or embed data or information with commercial audiovisual content . . . so as to prevent its output through any analog or digital output authorized or permitted under license, law or regulation governing such covered product.”

It seems that the MPAA is now seeking a permanent waiver from the SOC ban. I’m a little unsure what consumers can do at this point to speak out against that petition, (if anything), but supporting the EFF would be a good first step.

For some related reading on home media and perhaps why the MPAA and others might not want too much control in consumers hands, check out this fine series of articles at The Collective Shelf. Part 1: Why we don’t care about Blu Ray, Part 2: Collectionism and the Digital Revolution, and Part 3: Why Are Digital Movie Downloads So Important?

Digital Rebellion has a nice table of recommended Quicktime versions for specific versions of Final Cut Pro running on various OS versions. Looks like a handy reference for times when the fickle beast that is Quicktime goes wonky.

For another discussion entirely on the gamma wonkiness of Quicktime, check out this recent PVC article by Mark Christiansen.

(Via Studio Daily)

Back before Stu Maschwitz published The DV Rebel’s Guide, he released a free color correction script for After Effects dubbed “Rebel CC.” The script is still freely available at Prolost.com. In addition to doing basic correction via black/mid/white samplers, it affords fine-grained tint control over specific color ranges in your image, brightness levels, and saturation. For those that prefer to finish their masterpiece in After Effects (as Stu generally recommends), this looks like an invaluable tool. And it’s free.

abduzeedo.com has posted seven fantastic credit and title sequences from films made in recent years. Films like The Company, Iron Man, Stranger than Fiction and The Kite Runner. It’s fantastic inspiration for filmmakers and animators.

UPDATE: After watching Kung Fu Panda, I think that film’s backstory/intro segment should be on this list. Fantastic animation with a classy and clean anime-ish twist. And of course classic Jack Black voiceover.

Here’s another great guide compliments of B&H on how to integrate a field audio recorder into your on-set workflow. The guide walks you through common configurations as simple as a few mics connected directly into a recorder, to complex setups that link the recorder, camera, and slate to an external time code generator. This looks like a great workflow article for pros and newbies alike, and they finish the article by comparing the featureset of a number of recorders.