fxpodcast: Talking Color Management with Technicolor Creative Bridge

In February the Visual Effects Society (VES) and American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) held a joint meeting to discuss Image Quality. At the time fxguide wrote that it was clear that “DI and the workflow from image capture to release is not one workflow”.

At the VES Production Summit Fred Chandler (Senior Vice President Post Production – Fox) made the point again saying he’s “been in the business 28 years and the color pipeline for every movie is like starting over”.

It was with this in mind that fxguide approached Brian Gaffney and Dan Lion from Technicolor Creative Bridge to have a conversation about color workflow. Join fxguide for this podcast as fxguide discuss what people should do to guarantee a smooth process from shoot through final DI.

Download the podcast here

Modern Videofilm Uses Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve on James Cameron's Avatar

(Milpitas, California--January 6, 2010) Blackmagic Design Inc. today announced that Modern Videofilm Inc. used four Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve systems for color grading and full 3D stereoscopic effects for James Cameron’s latest motion picture, Avatar. To handle the immense scope and complexity of color correcting the alien worlds of Avatar, Modern Videofilm developed a network of DaVinci Resolve systems all connected via optical fiber. Three systems were installed at Modern Videofilm’s main office in Glendale, CA, with the fourth system installed 56 miles away at the Fox Studio lot. By building a color correction suite directly on the Fox lot, Modern Videofilm was able to handle the enormous number of real-time color corrections and 3D transfers between facilities. These requirements included up to 120 color changes on some EDLs, using hundreds of nodes and creating multiple versions for the theatrical release. Mark Smirnoff, President, Studio Services at Modern Videofilm stated: “The Avatar look and feel is very specific, and James Cameron and his crew knew exactly how they wanted every frame to look. The sheer size and scope of what we were working on required the absolute best in color correction and 3D, and DaVinci Resolve fits that need perfectly.” “Avatar and Modern Videofilm really put the power and flexibility of the DaVinci Resolve to the test, and showed why the system is the highest standard for color correction and 3D,” said Grant Petty, CEO Blackmagic Design. About DaVinci Resolve Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is the industry standard for color correction and 3D grading technology, supporting more real-time color correction than any other system. Eliminating performance barriers by using a cluster of computers with high performance GPU cards, DaVinci Resolve handles real-time performance demands of color grades when using dozens of primaries, secondaries, power windows™, multi-point tracking, blurs, and can work within the industry’s newest digital workflows. Also, DaVinci Resolve can easily handle new workflows needed for full stereoscopic 3D, offering the ability to grade and view two eyes simultaneously, in real-time with no rendering and no proxies. About Blackmagic Design Blackmagic Design creates the world’s most advanced video editing products, video converters, routers, color correctors, film restoration software and waveform monitors for the feature film, post-production and broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink, Mini Converters, Videohub routers and UltraScope waveform monitoring products revolutionize the television industry by making advanced post production tools affordable to thousands of creative professionals. Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Emmy™ award winning color correction products continue to dominate and lead the industry with ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia.

AVATAR - stereoscopic grading on DaVinci Resolve

Taking 3D to the Next Level
"We cut it like it was a 2D movie without thinking about the 3D," Cameron said. "We could concentrate on making great editing decisions from shot to shot based on the drama of the moment and the on-screen performance. Convergence could always be fixed later by adjusting the post-convergence of the two left and right images in the DaVinci Resolve system from Blackmagic Design that we set up in the Robert Wise dubbing stage on the 20th Century Fox lot. Since we filmed in 16:9 format, but it is intended for a 2.35:1 'scope release,' with the help of digital intermediate colorist, Skip Kimball from Modern VideoFilm, we had considerable latitude to adjust either the stereo space convergence or the head room for each shot."


Full article on TV Technology here.

Online Backup Solutions for Mac Users

A great article about the online backup solutions for Mac users, and why they are better than backing up to an external hard drive.

Bright Systems Asia-Pacific Reseller Training

The Media Village is pleased to host the above training, held from 7 to 11 December 2009, with representatives from resellers in India, Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong making their presence. The training focussed on the new G2 BrightDrive servers with Oliver Au and Brad Brighton from Bright Systems covering sales and technical topics respectively.

The Foundry Recognized as Leading British Innovator

November 19, 2009

Source : The Foundry

This week Lord Drayson and James Caan joined industry leaders in celebrating companies at the leading edge of science, technology and innovation.

The iawards ceremony at the Science Museum saw the teams behind this year’s best British innovations rewarded for developing practical solutions to some of today’s big challenges.

The Foundry, a leading developer of visual effects (VFX) software whose products have been used to make recent ‘must see’ movies including District 9, Terminator Salvation and Transformers, won the “iaward for entertainment and media”, sponsored by The British Library and presented by John Seargent.

The award was given in recognition of The Foundry’s development of Ocula, the first set of dedicated software tools for 3D film post-production, which address common problems experienced with stereoscopic imagery.

Chair judge, Dr Lincoln Wallen, Head of Research and Development for DreamWorks Animation SKG, said:
“The Foundry’s Ocula is likely to have a significant impact on the film industry and as such we are proud to announce it as the winner of the 2009 iawards ‘entertainment and media category’. We look forward to seeing the results in many upcoming films that have benefited from the use of this technology.”

Bill Collis, CEO, The Foundry, said:
“We are thrilled to have won the iaward for entertainment and media. It’s fantastic for us to be acknowledged as a leading innovator by such a distinguished panel of judges. We are extremely proud to be a British company succeeding on a global level within the film industry. Thank you to the organisers and judges of the iawards for this incredible recognition.”

Hosting the event, Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson said:
“The iawards winners epitomise the best of British innovation that will drive the future growth of our economy and make Britain a better place to live and work. I’m delighted to be part of an event celebrating British success.“

Co-host, business entrepreneur, James Caan said:
“All of the finalists have demonstrated that Britain is home to some of the best innovators in the world. I’m privileged to be part of the iawards and recognise and honour all finalists for their expertise and vital contribution they make to our economy. I’d like to say huge congratulations to all of the winners who have helped bring the deserved attention to these new technologies and innovations.”

District 9 - VFX compositing in Nuke

Video showing details on how Nuke was used for complex VFX shots in District 9.

Watch here...