FilmmakerIQ.com » Post-production

Create an Compass Gimbal in After Effects

John P. Hess — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:21:51 +0000

This tutorial by ShortFormVidoes demonstrates how to create a Compass Gimbal that you would find in an aircraft using After Effect’s built in effects.

Final Cut Pro X gets an Update, Sucks Less

John P. Hess — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:30:21 +0000

Apple just released Final Cut Pro X 10.0.3 – and with the addition of a small numeral change comes a handful of important updates, key among them: multi-cam support, advanced chromakey tools, support for output cards for preview monitors, and (about time) an upgrade path to import old FCP 7 projects into X (although you have to pay for that feature)

Once again, Apple has launched a minor number update to its professional video-editing software, Final Cut Pro X, with some major feature adds. The non-linear editing program was initially launched to protests by the pro-editing community, but Version 10.0.3 addresses nearly all of the remaining criticisms of the post-production tool, adding multicam support, external broadcast monitoring (still a beta feature), and detailed chroma-key controls. And perhaps the biggest criticism—the lack of an upgrade path for projects built into previous Final Cut versions—has now been addressed by a third-party plugin called 7toX, from Intelligent Assistance.

The free program update and the 7toX transfer plugin ($9.99) will be available on the Mac App Store starting today.
Other new features include a more-detailed XML 1.1 import/export format with support for effect parameters and audio keyframes, manual media relinking, and the ability to import and edit layered Photoshop graphics.

— PC Mag | Read the Full Article

Yeah, I cited PC Magazine… How do you like them Apples?

Tracking and Rotoscoping in Mocha Pro

John P. Hess — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:33:39 +0000

Vimeo user Peter Bohush demonstrates how he uses the Pro version of Mocha to track and rotoscope an actor for a special effects shot in his film, Broken Spirits.

Create Fireworks in After Effects without Plugins

John P. Hess — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:07:47 +0000

Using only stock effects in After Effects, Vimeo user Flomotion shows you how to create a fireworks effect with a fractal noise and a dash of CC Flo Motion.

David Lynch’s Musical Magic

John P. Hess — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:37:12 +0000

David Lynch once said: “Sound is almost like a drug. It’s so pure that when it goes in your ears, it instantly does something to you.” In light of his forthcoming BFI retrospective, The Guardian put together some of his greatest musical moments.

Mullholland Drive:

The open-ended narrative of Mulholland Drive, coupled with Lynch’s surreal technique, lends this movie a hallucinatory quality. It makes this scene even more jarring because Lynch’s use of music is so beautiful. At a pivotal point in the film, lovers Betty and Rita visit the ghostly, near-empty Club Silencio. A performer announces “No hay bander”: there is no band. And yet we hear one. Then Rebekah Del Rio performs her Spanish, a cappella version of Roy Orbison’s Crying (renamed Llorando). I have watched this film more times than I’d ever care to admit but Del Rio’s voice, a cloudburst of emotion, always knocks the wind out of me. Any further description of what happens would spoil it for those (shame on you) who haven’t seen it.

— TheGuardian | Read the Full Article

DIY Streaming Media Server

John P. Hess — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:51:13 +0000

The filmmakers at our favorite underwater film production, The Underwater Realm, talk about what it takes to put together a 16 terabyte media server running on Infiniband to safely store and stream Red Epic Raw files for a fraction of the cost of an enterprise grade server.

The discussion on the server starts around 1:20

What is Motion Design?

John P. Hess — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:37:03 +0000

This video from Motion Design Plus takes a look at the growth of Motion Design throughout the century with the ultimate aim of creating the first exhibition center dedicated solely to Motion Design in Paris, France.

“Still Life” Motion-Sensitive Picture Frame

Dennis — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:05:41 +0000

This is a demonstration video showcasing Artist Scott Garne’s interactive still life project. It involves a motion-senstive frame that feeds realtime tilt data to a 3D scene.

The Future of CGI w/ Michael Bay, Jon Favreau, Ray Liotta and Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel

Dennis — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:38:50 +0000

Ray Liotta, Michael Bay & Jon Favreau talk about the future of CGI with motion capture experts, Paul Scheer & Rob Huebel in this Funny or Die video.

33 Jaw-Dropping VFX Breakdowns from Television

John P. Hess — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:00:29 +0000

What was once considered a cheap and disposable medium, television special effects were historically relegated to whatever was left over in the movie studio’s prop department.

Must... Not... Break the Suspension of Disbelief

But now, Television Programs have grown to become major cultural events in our society. And with the availability of technological magic, visual effects for the original “boob-tube” can now match almost anything being seen on the silver screen.

Here are 33 visual effects breakdowns made under tight budgets and deadlines of Television.

24 Boardwalk Empire

Bones

The Cape

Crossing Jordan

CSI: NY

Defying Gravity

Dr. Who

Episodes

ER

Game of Thornes

Heroes

House

John Adams

Knight Rider

Lost

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Pan Am

Sky Channel ID

Spartacus

Swords and Sandals

Teen Wolf

Terra Nova

Ugly Betty

The Walking Dead

Wishbone

Maybe not as flashy as the others, but this show played from 1995-98… which is like ancient times right?