Tim Wilson
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COW Coins
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I’d imagine in most cases, it’s because they can’t without clearance from the producer or studio.
Or the actor. You’d be surprised how often that happens. I got shot down at Boris by an actor who, the only part of him used was a full-screen close-up of his eye to show off a hue-shift filter with built-in apply modes. Didn’t mention him by name, didn’t show his face….but there you go.
The fact is that there are rules about these things. Say, This Movie uses Vegas, and to want to show it off. But The Movie Star isn’t involved in this transaction, and isn’t interested in lending their face — even their eyeball — to an endorsement that they don’t endorse.
It might seem trivial to you, but as you might have seen in the news lately, it’s hard enough to get studios to honor their word that voluntarily waiving rights just isn’t a good idea.
(Of course I’m not talking about YOUR movie studio. I’m talking about those OTHER studios.)
At Avid, there were two additional issues. Because their primary market is big-time Hollywood production, almost nobody gets anything for free. (I only saw it once.) Those folks feel — absolutely rightly, I think — that if they have to pay full price for their gear, why should they help Avid sell their wares for free? Even when they want to, there are a thousand hoops to jump through, including multiple layers of lawyers. That it happens at all is a testament to how strongly they feel about the product.
Which is the other additional issue. I’ve heard rumors that the strong feelings people have sometimes are NEGATIVE feelings. Wow, who knew? Needless to say, those folks aren’t inclined to do testimonials.
Never the case with Vegas of course. I’m just saying that even if parts of the production are jumping for joy at the prospect of talking about what they love, there are lots of other obstacles.
Did I mention lawyers?
Gawd, the day I left Sonic and Turtle Beach 56K for Sound Forge….wow.
I was going to say me and Spot, but using his math I’ll say MORE than 31 of you, are old enough to remember when there might be one or two computers in a whole town, and you had to ask it questions by poking holes in a piece of cardboard, and had to wait overnight for the answer.
The irony being of course that the more accessible these tools become, the less free time I seem to have….
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I should have mentioned this, but my favorite Westcott collapsible chromakey screen is this blue-green reversible one. Not many people use blue nowadays, but I find it still has its uses.
The pictures at the top of the page do a better job showing the collapsible part than I may have explained — twists into a circle maybe 2 feet across.
Since it starts with M, I’m reasonably sure that Markertek handles Muslims, Mormons AND muslin. You should definitely check the mussels…with muscles…nicely recovered from that childhood bout of measles.
🙂
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You’re going to hear this from a lot of other folks, but the short version is, check Apple.com for system requirements.
All kinds of info there, including that Color’s minimum spec is a 17″ MacBook Pro….and that’s the *minimum* config on the list. HD in the mix? No fun.
Note too, only 4GB to install the apps themselves, with *another* 55GB for templates, etc.
Look carefully at the specs. There are thousands of people using FCS on laptops (including me)…but not all of it, and hardly to its best advantage.
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When I worked at Avid, I went to visit a very high profile all-Avid entertainment company. You’ve definitely Heard of Them, and almost certainly even own several titles of theirs.
It’s a massive multi-building production campus, with a gift shop for their logo gear just inside the front door. Stuffed animals? Video games? Travel mugs? Golf umbrellas? Ties? All of the above. I didn’t see a waffle iron with their logo, but I admit, I was peeking through the windows after hours. Mighta been there.
So they’re showing me through the sweetest Avid HD suites you can imagine. It was maybe 10 PM, and the joint was absolutely jumping, cranking out some of the most lucrative, fastest selling titles in The History of The World.
Seriously, it’s impossible to overstate how big they are, how much money they generate, or how much money they’ve spent on Avid editing, storage, and collaboration infrastructure. All Avid, all the time, and will probably be until the sun goes nova.
And all of their award-winning music and sound design is done on a single seat of Vegas.
I’m not saying it’s ideal for everyone, or even for you. But it sure as poo is working for them.
And no, I won’t tell you who it is. 🙂
Tim
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Allen Zagel What’s a good recommendation for something that will be somewhat portable then?
Best source for all things chroma key is markertek.com. They have everything from Ultimatte=brand paint to rt hardware keyers and green microphone cables and gaffers tape.
Two products that can work for you. One is keying fabric, for $17.99/yd. Of course, it’s only 3 ft. wide, so you’ll need to sew it into a usable size.
I prefer the Westcott portable screens – they have wire rims and fold like those silver windshield screens. (Which make awesome bounce cards, btw. I can’t even count how many times I’ve used them for fills.) The Westcott screens start at $169 for 10×12. If you need to regularly key on the road, it’ll pay for itself fast…if not on one job.
Poke around Markertek’s site a little, and you might find some other things that suit you.
Also the best place for cables, connectors, converters, Vocal Eze throat spray, and more oddly useful stuff than you can imagine. Be careful: you’ll find a ton of things you had no idea you needed because you didn’t know they existed. I’ve spent a small fortune there over the years, one doo-dad at a time.
tw
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You’d be amazed at where they make vodka. Or maybe you wouldn’t. At the bottom of this you’ll find the label for Cossack Vodka, distilled in the Boston suburb of Somerville…or as the folks who live in that town call it, Slum-erville. Nowhere near a slum, but let’s just say that even in Somerville, Cossack is notorious for being….notorious.
Working for Boris, I got to witness major league professional vodka consumption. Awe-inspiring to watch the masters of their art. He told me has friends who swear they can name a vodka by tasting it…if it’s the only thing they taste, because after that, they all taste the same. 🙂 He spent lots of money on other kinds of wine and spirits, but recommended buying the cheapest vodka you can get your hands on.
Hence, Cossack, from Somerville, MA.
Tim Wilson, Creative Cow
My Cow Blog
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You collating the results will be a big help. As we’re veering off topic, drop me a line using the link below, and let’s talk about what we might be able to do with it sooner rather than later.
Tim Wilson, Creative Cow
My Cow Blog
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Very interesting idea, Tom. I can’t promise anything right away, but let us see what we can figure out.
Tim Wilson, Creative Cow
My Cow Blog
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