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By working in the area between what you see, and what you CAN see, Brian Gardner is helping re-write the rules of 3D filmmaking - right before your very eyes. As the Stereographic Adviser of "Coraline," Brian showed how to incorporate traditional cinematic storytelling devices that had previously been considered forbidden in 3D moviemaking, and at the same time, bringing in methods that will shape its future.
We were certainly impressed with the beauty and imagination we saw in "Coraline" on the big screen, and amazed by its fully integrated 3D. Just released on DVD and Blu-ray, "Coraline" comes with four sets of 3D glasses -- we were just as amazed with the 3D at home.
Brian's diverse experience includes everything from directing stage plays to being a technical director, 3D artist, or technology supervisor on visual effects blockbuster movies, like "X-Men," "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Matrix Revolutions," "Babe," "The Chronicles of Riddick," "Batman Forever," and many others. In the expanded edition of his article for Creative COW Magazine's "Stereographic 3D" issue, Brian delves into the world of human perception to reveal how our mind processes visual information, including 3D. He also explores how this can shape our 3D storytelling as filmmakers. You're going to love this article, and we're proud to share it with you.
Brian on the set of "Coraline"
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Coraline in the 3D home version is simply enchanting. The Blu-ray version is stunning but for SD viewers it also works very well -- especially for those who use up-converting progressive scan 1080 DVD players. That was what we used when we showed some friends and both of them went home and later bought Coraline for their own home theater systems. The anaglyph (red/blue glasses) 3D used on Coraline's home version works wonderfully and the garden scene towards the beginning of the movie just jumps out of the screen at you, our friends were laughing intensely in many areas of the film where the 3D works wonderfully. As far as we can tell, this is the best 3D yet that we have seen released for the home. Will it work on standard TVs? Yes. But if you have Blu-ray or an upconverting progressive scan standard DVD player with an HDMI cable, be prepared for a wonderfully immersive experience. Five cows? Yes, and then some more.
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Visual Effects Supervisor William Powloski helped create one of the most eye-popping worlds ever seen on TV, as part of a feature film aesthetic on a TV budget and schedule. Although it was canceled after only two seasons, "Pusing Daisies" remains one of the most beautiful and innovative programs to ever air on US television.
We're not the only ones who think so. In 2008, it received 22 Emmy nominations, the most for any comedy, and won three (Directing, Music Composition, and Picture Editing). Among the handful of other other nominations and awards for "Pushing Daisies:" Directors Guild (won, Barry Sonnenfeld), Writers Guild, Art Directors Guild, Visual Effects Society, Casting Society of America (won twice), and many, many others.
We still can't believe that it's gone! The good news is that the "Pushing Daisies" Season 2 DVD and Blu-ray sets, as well as sets for the complete series, were released today. To celebrate, here's an expanded version of Williams's original article in The Visual Effects Issue of Creative COW Magazine, an exclusive look at how he and his team helped pull off the look of this truly amazing series.
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Yes, Cow Appreciation Day is a real holiday and for us, it is one of the top days of the year -- not that we're prejudiced or anything. And to celebrate, our friends at Digital Juice have offered to give one lucky COW member their pick of any product from the Digital Juice line of great tools. You might pick their Motion Designer's Toolkit or perhaps you'll choose their Compositor's Toolkit. Maybe it will be their new and über-slick Digital Juice Fonts -- the choice is yours, if you are the winner from among those that qualify on July 15th.
What do you have to do to win? To enter the drawing, you must answer a question anywhere on our forums on July 15th. We will pick one lucky winner from among those that qualify and we will introduce you to our friends at Digital Juice who will give you your choice from their wide selection of tools for your studio.
So, visit us on Wednesday July 15th and answer someone's question. You may find yourself being appreciated as the kind of cow that makes Creative COW such a great resource for those working in the fields of film and video.
So help us celebrate Cow Appreciation Day, July 15th, a day that is always a lot of fun here in the Creative COW forums. We'll announce the lucky winner in next week's newsletter.
Moo!
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Today, in our popular Business & Marketing forum, noted COW contributing author and member, Mark Suszko, penned one of the funniest articles on contract considerations that we have ever read. Whether you are new in business or have been in business for years, you will enjoy this hilarious offering that explores points that you should address in your contracts.
While it is an incredibly funny look at contracts, the points he covers are quite serious and if you have been in business any time at all, you will quickly recognize most all of them.
So, join the discussion in the Business & Marketing forum and add your own "contract points" for consideration to the "Ultimate Sample Typical Contract for Newbies.
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If you have been looking for a place to host your reel or a short film, music video, or other work that you have done, CreativeCOW.net has added free video hosting for your reels and videos. We host up to 900 pixels wide, including 720p HD, with up to 100MB per file, in either H.264 or Flash encoding. We support AAC for audio.
If you can't afford your own unlimited bandwidth pipe, you will likely need to use someone else's service to host your reel. YouTube and Vimeo are nice, but often the sizes are too restrictive for professional use, and the small clips do not really show well when displaying your work to clients. Brightcove is an excellent choice but the costs can be very prohibitive to most anyone other than the biggest businesses with deeper pockets than most small and mid-sized companies.
We launched it a few weeks back and today, we are already passing the 40,000 unique monthly user marker and some of our videos have already passed the 6,000 views marker. And it's growing fast! How fast? Like most things at the COW, we will likely double in July, even with all of the holidays and Summer vacations that many northern hemisphere COW members will be taking this month.
Check out the links for "Most Viewed" and "Most Votes." Or try the link to "Sort by Nation." That's one of our favorites because we are getting some great work from around the world.
reels.creativecow.net
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If you are using the Canon 5D MKII or Nikon D90 for their gorgeous HD video, or even thinking about it, you need to read this. Creative COW Contributing Editor Jim Harvey shows how the Redrock Micro DSLR Bundle makes these cameras even more useful for video shooters, then shows how he and other pros are using it, in the field and in the studio. Jim is enthusiastic about the possiblities it opens up, and thinks you will be too.
Read more...
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When you need advice on lighting, sound, and cinematography, you want it from pros at the top of their game. That's exactly who you'll find hosting and participating in the forums at Creative COW: winners of Oscars, Emmys, and others of the industry's highest honors. Here are just a handful of examples.
Dennis Size has won two Emmys for his lighting on "All My Children" and "Ryan's Hope," among his total of six Emmy nominations. He's lit the Democratic (2008, 2004) and Republican (2004) National Conventions, and provided lighting for MSNBC, Fox News, (for whom he has also designed studios), CNN, PBS, and Al-Arabiya in Dubai. His resume also includes Oprah, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Sesame Street and Bruce Springsteen.
John Sharaf shot an Oscar-winning Documentary Short, soon after his graduation from the renowned UCLA Film School. His emphasis on lighting has helped distinguish his camera work in documentaries and news over the past 30 years, and continues to feed a successful business providing crews, cameras, lighting and post facilities in LA.
Ty Ford has written books from "Advanced Audio Production Techniques" to the updated section on microphones in the weighty NAB Engineering Handbook. He has lent his voice talent to thousands of promos and spots over the years, and handles a wide variety of music and voice production in his own studio. Ty also specializes in location audio for film and video.
Michael Palmer has worked as a DP, and in the lighting and electrical department for projects including "Pulp Fiction," "Dead Man," "Profiler," and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" He has produced and directed sports programming, and is currently the DP for "Faithful Friends" on Animal Planet.
Todd McMullen has been a camera operator on "Friday Night Lights" since it began in 2006. The first feature he lensed was Martin Scorcese's "Casino," followed by films as diverse as "The Green Mile," "Miss Congeniality," and "Superman Returns." Other TV series he's worked on include "X-Files" and "Rescue Me."
That is just a small handful of the working pros you'll find in those forums, who, between them, have worked on thousands of films, TV series, spots, and corporate projects of every description, as well designing and teaching courses at every level. And that's not even counting the thousands of pros who pass through those forums every month, ready to help with anything you need.
Any questions for the pros? Ask them in the Cow's Lighting Design, Audio Pros, and Cinematography forums.
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Announcing the latest addition to the Creative COW Master Series
of DVD Training: Eran Stern's "A New Solid"
Not only a compilation of some of the world's most popular After Effects tutorials, our new Creative COW Master Series DVD, A NEW SOLID, hosted by Eran Stern, is our longest running DVD ever, nearly 8 hours in all!
In addition to full size versions of the world's most popular AE podcast, you'll find two hours of never-before-seen advanced training. Expressions, motion tracking, particles, time warps, integration with other AE programs, advanced title animation - it's all here, complete with project files and accompanying footage.
Learn from one of the COW's masters, Eran Stern, a motion graphics artist and a leader of our popular After Effects forum. His uniquely entertaining style will introduce you to whole new worlds of Adobe After Effects.
For more details, including the amazing trailer that Eran designed, visit the Creative COW Master Series store.
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From what we have heard from industry insiders and experts with whom we worked on the new Stereoscopic 3D issue of Creative COW Magazine, this magazine is unique in the market. It is filled with articles that explore the world of making stereoscopic 3D. And taking our readers along for the ride is an all-star cast that includes many of the people that the top studios draw on when they plan, create, finish and distribute stereoscopic 3D movies.
From major productions to indie projects, from camera rigs and hardware, to software and compositing, we have cast out a net and drawn in some of the very best content that we have ever seen anywhere on this new and rapidly growing market.
So download the PDF electronic version online www.creativecowmagazine.net and don't forget, it comes in a read-friendly "spread" edition, or the printer-friendly single page "print" edition.
We would like to thank all of the wonderful people that helped us by allowing us inside their production worlds to bring this issue together. We are honored by your trust that we would tell your stories carefully and build something that you would be proud to be a part of. It has been a true honor to work with you all.
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What an incredible last 30 days it has been. We have had 2.2 million visits by visitors that are quickly heading towards 1.5 million absolutely unique visitors, according to Google Analytics. We are also on a countdown to cross the 100,000 visits a day marker, having just crossed into the 90,000s. At our present rate of growth, we may even be crossing over before the end of June.
Our new Demo Reels section has now seen some of our reels exceed 3,600 views and there are many that are quickly nearing or exceeding the 1,000 views level. There are some fabulous reels in the new Demo Reels area, so don't forget to visit it soon.
And don't forget to visit our new Magazine website, which has been totally redesigned and is one of the showcases of great content here at Creative COW. Our new issue on Stereoscopic 3D is about to be released in a day or two, so keep your eyes open for it.
Thank you to all of our members and sponsors for being a part of all of this. We are amazed at the growth and want you all to know that we appreciate your confidence and your involvement, and we have more new things coming soon to help support your business and your craft.
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