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Hollywood digital effects master and Creative COW magazine writer, Kim Segel, teaches how to get the "film look" using his shooting techniques. From the sounds of the movie, to the panning of the shot getting the right feel for your big film is more than just adding good special effects.
Kim explains what it takes to captivate the audience into each clip and turn your film into a realistic 3D world. Read more...
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Nearly a year ago, Cow Magazine Associate Publisher Tim Wilson predicted that Wal-Mart would cast the deciding vote in the hi-def DVD format wars. Toshiba apparently thinks he was on to something.
Of course now that the Blu-ray consortium and its fans can claim victory, we actually have more questions from here than answers. How will Blu-ray fit into the rapidly changing media consumption landscape? When will media creation workflows improve? How will HD movie downloads fit into all this?
Oh yeah, and when's standard-def DVD going to go away?
So take a wide-ranging ride as director Michael Bay, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs weigh in on what happens now that The Big Dog has gotten off the porch, leading us to Blu-ray and beyond.
Read more...
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The COW isn't just the place to come for your software support needs. You'll find great resources for every aspect of production, starting with the COW's Cinematography Forum.
No matter what kind of software you edit with, no matter what kind of format you shoot, you need to SHOOT. Just a few of the topics recently covered in the Cinematography forum include:
Shooting Near Water
"I did some preliminary shooting at the location. The area is stunningly beautiful. However, the footage I got was flat and drained of color. Suggestions?"
What to do when you're finished with your CG movie"
"So when I read traditional movie making books, I see that when they are done filming they make a digital master, and from this they make all other outputs, for DVD, for TV and for cinema. How does this work for the CG film? Since there is no camera, we already are digital, so what are the steps..."
Stabilizers
"I'm comparing two models of stabilizers. One has two articulating arms, the other just one. Is double/two articluating arm better than the single ones? Does the two articulating arm model provide better stabilizaton or just a wider range of angles?"
Shooting Fireworks
"What should our camera settings be? Should we be fully iris opened? Any gain? What about shutter settings? Also, what color filter should we use for this?"
Don't see a question you need answered there? Ask one! Forum leaders have worked with everything from DV to film, winning awards from Tellys to Oscars. With over 150 years (!!!) of combined experience, if you've got a question about any aspect of shooting, you'll find what you need in the Creative COW Cinematography Forum!
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One of the great newer parts of the COW that is growing quite rapidly is
our new blogs section. In it, users express themselves on everything
from technology to politics, music and art to a myriad of other things.
Recently, we've had some great stuff appear that's related to
Adobe Premiere Pro and Apple Final Cut users. If you use either of these
tools, you will find the blogs a useful area of the COW.
Here are
a few items you may wish to check out...
Premiere Pro Tips and
Tricks - Starting a Project
by Mike Cohen
 So, you have decided to edit a
video in Premiere Pro. If you are coming from AVID or Final Cut, you may be surprised to see
some of the choices Adobe has made in their features, or lack of a few
seemingly key features. Believe me, you can get used to anything, and
once you do, it's no big deal.
Working More
Efficiently In Final Cut
by Walter Biscardi
 So you want to work more
efficiently in Final Cut Pro? Well I have just the answer for you, Tabs!
Yeah, those things you see in the corner of every window. They can make
your life so much easier if you would only use them. Here, let me show
you how in my newest tutorial!
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Creative COW Contributing Editor and graphics expert Sean Cusson shares the secrets to success that he's learned the hard way. They include the power of music for graphic design, specific animation and compositing techniques inside After Effects, and invaluable workflow tips that will save you hours.
Creativity is one thing. Getting paid is another thing altogether. Sean also shows you how to keep your graphics clients coming back for more -- not only because they enjoy your work, but because they enjoy working with you. Interested? Read on!
This is just one article among the many you'll find in the December issue of the Creative COW Magazine, written by pros at the top of their game, for anyone who wants to get there.
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It was easy to be underwhelmed by the MacWorld announcements from ONE company -- but it turns out that many, many OTHER companies had exciting announcements for both creative professionals and Mac fans in general. We've got the best of them here, starting with Gary Adcock's report on great new studio speakers, a must-have iPhone accessory for your car --- and a product that may well redefine workflow as we know it.
Visit the newly renovated COW Blogs for even more stories, including the smallest portable array yet, multiple perspectives on the MacBook Air, the interesting alternative offered by the Axiomatic ModBook, new server possibilities, new accelerated rendering for the Mac....
...and a combination iPod dock and toilet paper dispenser. Yes, really.
So before you wave off this year's show as major snoozer, take a look at a few of the reasons why we think this was the best MacWorld in years.
PS. Plenty of news here for PC folks, too - for example, plenty of pro storage news, and we're pretty sure that the iPod dock/toilet paper holder is platform independent.
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We often know each other in the Cow from the problems and solutions we share with each other, and very rarely the WORK that we actually do. Allow us to introduce then, a handful of Cows involved in various aspects of non-fiction television production. This covers everything from food and fishing to creating tasteful head wounds. With over 550,000 people passing through the Cow, this is only a brief introduction, but we have to start somewhere, don't we? Read more...
And speaking of non-fiction programming... |
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In this in-depth report, expert film compositor Pete O'Connell takes you through the world of Cineon files, including exactly what they are, how they work, and how to work with them in Adobe After Effects. This is the uncut "Director's Version" of an article that ran in Creative COW Magazine. In the magazine article, Pete digs into the similarities between the way that film records light and how your eyes see light. In this in-depth study, Pete looks at much more, exploring the what, how, when, where and why of Cineon files. If you work with film files or want to, you need to read this article.
http://library.creativecow.net/articles/oconnell_pete/cineon.php
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In his Creative COW report, Don Greening takes us along on his very first shoot with his brand new Sony PMW-EX1 camera on location in British Columbia. The EX1 is the newest member of Sony's CineAlta XDCAM line-up. Don says that he bought it because it has "HD, 1/2" chips, pro-style lens, tapeless and it's all wrapped up in a small unobtrusive package for run-and-gun shooting." Upon return to his nice warm studio, Don also takes us through his very first look at the footage on his plasma TV, and his first edit in Final Cut Pro.
Read Don Greening's first report here.
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Set in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire will begin its fifth and final season January 6, 2008 on HBO. As different from standard TV as it gets, the show has received the highest levels of critical acclaim, being referred to by multiple reviewers as "the best show on television." In its last issue of 2006 Time Magazine ranked The Wire first on its list of "10 Best TV Shows."
Creative COW's Nick Griffin spent time on-set earlier this year and interviewed one of the show's Producers. They talked about shooting styles, lighting and camera strategies and many other elements that go into making The Wire one of the most well produced shows on television.
Here is Nick Griffin's inside glimpse into The Wire and its production.
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