The latest news, reviews, thoughts, and humor for professional (and aspiring) moving image Colorists and Finishers. |
Editor's Note: There will be no newsletter next week. Your humble Editor-In-Chief needs to take a break before NAB hits. See you in two weeks!
Call To Action
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Create Your Own Movie Barcode: With A Python Script - Movie Barcodes is showing up in RSS feeds, Twitter feeds, blogs... it's catching fire. If you want to create your own, here's the Python source code to create it. Can someone on this list please make this into a one-click Mac thing-y????? I don't know a Python from a Boa. We'll be BFFs, I promise! (bromito.perso.info.unicaen.fr)
Danger Wil Robinson!
- Mac OS 10.6.7 Update Won't Boot with NVidia Quadra 4000 - Once you upgrade you'll need to shut down, replace the card, boot, install these new drivers, shut down, swap cards, re-boot. (NVidia.com)
Last Week On "The Tao"
- The Painter, The Colorist and the 80-Year-Old Book - Sums up my motivation for The Tao of Color and the need for new forms of training in our business. (TaoOfColor.com)
- [Podcast] Interview: Colorist Warren Eagles - Aussie-based trainer, colorist, and co-Founder of the International Colorist Academy Warren Eagles and I spent some time talking shop. From breaking into the biz to taking breaks... This is Part 1. (TaoOfColor.com)
Shameless Self-Promotion
- Tired of Wrestling With Color Grading? - I've *finally* wrapped the color grading training package on Tao of Color. It's now selling for its final price. But for a limited time, subscribers to this newsletter can save $20 when ordering from this URL (discount is already applied). Enjoy!
Tools We Use
- Avid ScriptSync for Documentaries - Nice preso (audio can be tough at times) on a good reason to choose Avid over Final Cut. (Vimeo.com via @artguillotine via Richard Harrington)
- RED Epic HDRx & 'The Impossible Shot' - A nice posting about the implications of HDRx and the RED Epic test by the boys at FxPhd. The comments are a good read too. (ProLost.com via @jayfriesen)
- [PDF] White Paper: FSI's "Professional Display Technology Overview" - If this is Bram's overview, then I don't want to see his full white paper! 11 pages. Single-spaced. Very detailed. (FlandersScientific.com)
- An Exercise In Frustration - Larry Jordan gets mad when not even the manufacturer can update the firmware on his demo LTO-5! (LarryJordan.biz via @artguillotine)
- Cache-A Archive Appliance - I think Larry Jordan was looking for this. (cache-a.com)
If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die - This book comes up in conversation from time-to-time. It's fun to read if you rent the movies being commented upon. But sometimes, a cigar is a cigar - as in Taxi Driver... where Travis Bickle must drive a Yellow Checker because he's too impotent to move up to the 1970's equivalent of a black Towncar. In NYC, taxis are black or yellow. Period.
Still, the book IS thought provoking. And that's how I'm rating it. (And PLEASE, don't buy the Kindle version! It's a nice color book, it deserves better.)
(Amazon.com: If It's Purple, Someone's Gonna Die: The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling )
Tao Rating: Thought Provoking
Just Released
- Decklink 7.9.6 - Fixed SD SDI issue with Sony HDW 700 with DeckLink Studio, DeckLink SDI, DeckLink Duo and DeckLink Optical Fiber (Decklink.com)
Get Edumacated
- ICA: New Resolve 101 Training Dates Announced - In April. Munich & L.A. (iColorist.com)
- NAB: 'Media Silo' Workshop - Battle-tested Final Cut Server workflows for cloud automation. Free presentation. I wonder if those are focus group-tested keywords? (blog.mediasilo.com via @zbutcher)
On Craftsmanship
- Thoughts on Documentary Editing, Parts 1 & 2 - I've been seeing lots of posting recently on documentary editing. For those reading this newsletter who do grading as an extension of their 'editorial day job'. This is for you. (vimeo.com via @artguillotine via Richard Harrington)
- 5 Manifestos for Art, Life & Business - Yes. It includes Apple. But also Franklyn Lloyd Wright, Seth Godin, John Maeda, and Leo Tolstoy (the99percent.com)
- 1 Rant: The Dumbing Down of Color Grading - One-light as 'The Look'. (tig.colorist.org)
Colorist Porn
- Unboxing: DaVinci Resolve Control Surface - Yup. The second most popular type of blog post is 'The Unboxing'. This time - it's Alexis Van Hurkman unboxing his brand new Resolve control surface. In case you're wondering, the *most* popular blog post? Blogging about Apple, of course. (VanHurkman.com)
Looking Forward
- Official: Video Post Production Services. . . A Dying Industry - While not named as one of the Top 10 dying industries, Video Post Services receive an honorable mention. But all is not lost - there is a bright spot... (dcinema.wordpress.com)
- The Interaction Model - If you could do several things simultaneously inside your NLE... What might they be? (spliceNow.com)
- Shooting Ratios: Have we gone mad? - Shane Ross expresses the contradictory madness of expanding shooting ratios (thanks to tapeless recording) and shrinking post-production schedules. (lfhd.net)
Mother Freaking Nature
- Hollywood Faces High Prices But No Tape Shortage Yet (NYTimes.com via Fred Mushel)
- Japanese Manufacturing Situation Updates - As they effect the television industry. (SportsVideo.org)
Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers
| JL Cooper Eclipse |
Euphonix MC Color |
Tangent Wave |
| Software: v2.1.6 |
Mac: v2.5.7 |
Software: v3.8 |
|
Color Plug-in: v 1.0.5 |
PC: v2.5.7 |
Firmware: v1.9 |
| Updated: March 7 |
Updated: Feb. 18 |
Updated: Jan. 28(ish) |
Sunday Morning Fun(nies)
- The Aurora - Not to be missed. Perfect with your morning coffee or evening glass of wine (Vimeo.com)
- Spoiler Alert! - A montage of spoilers from 71 different films. Pretty good, but with some graphic violence. If you're short on time... mostly They Die, They Separate, or They Get Married. (YouTube via kottke.org)
- Visualize This: Feature Films with 4 or more Harry Potter Wizards - More than you might think! (but then, there are A LOT of wizards) (Ragb.ag via kottke.org)
- Interesting YouTube Mashup - It's still raw, but this one has got me thinking. Social sharing's first new art form? Maybe... (fcp.co via @idustrialrev)
Being Better People
- How To Wake Up Early - I know, I know. What would Freud say about the frequency with which some variation on this theme keeps making it into this newsletter? (ThinkSimpleNow.com via @the99percent)
Simply Sweet
- District - There's time lapse. Then there's time lapse taken to another level. This is the latter. (16x9cinema.com)
Not Quite Hitchcock
- Quentin Tarintino Talks - I got quite a bit of positive feedback a few weeks ago when I linked to vintage Alfred Htichcock talking about editing. This isn't at that same level. Still, it's Tarintino. (filmmakerIQ.com)
spice up your films advance your career
Gear Heads
- NVidia to Lauch GTX 590 Supercomputing Graphics Card (HardMac.com)
Big Brother
- Want To Know if People Watch Your Videos to the End? - A nifty DIY solution using Google Analytics. (GuerillasShowRunner.com)
- A Simple Guide for a Mindful Digital Life - You have an online presence. The question is: Have you taken control of it? I like the suggestions in this posting... but when you're cleaning out your newsletters - don't forget who sent you there! (ZenHabits.net via @the99percent)
Last One Out, Turn Off The Lights
- The 'Groupon-ing' of Hollywood - How "The Lincoln Lawyer" used Groupon to drive box office sales and send Hollywood into a tizzy. (IndieWire.com via @silveradosys)
- No Camera? No Problem - YouTube integrates Animation Software for Filmmakers (ReelSEO.com)
Lowest Common Denominator
- Nature Photography With A Twist Ending (YouTube via ReelSEO.com)
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