[John Smith]

I guess that I am frequently in situations where there is little room: chairs with the laptop on my lap, I frequently work while traveling and on the road in cars and the like, or I’m sitting on a couch, or outside on the grass, etc. Just for the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume there are many, many more situations that would preclude using a mouse and having access to the space needed to operate one. Or if it’s easier, let’s say my usb port doesn’t work and I can’t plug a mouse in. The end result: I can’t/don’t wish to use a mouse – it does not fit in with my work life style.

For the record, I was extremely efficient in using my right hand to activate mapped keys and my left on the trackpad. I have been working this way for almost ten years, I’m fast, and I’ve have had zero complaints.

Now with a MacBook pro, it didn’t seem to have this behavior, but I am shifting to PCs for a whole host of different reasons. My entire problem is that, despite the programmability of the settings for the PC touchpad, if you touch the trackpad with the thumb and forefinger and press the pad itself, that right click menu will pop up, and there seems to be no way to deactivate it. Is there a program one can install or is there another forum that can advise?

Thanks!

[John Smith]

Great answers, thanks!

Mark, I really like the idea of having the main subject walking while others are sitting – it’s 100% different than what I was planning on, but I am actually leaning towards this idea.

Otherwise, I had considering everyone on one side, subject on the other, with very dramatic lighting on main subject.

Like the idea of the monitor in view as well, but might be a little more complicated to set up time and location will allow (don’t know if I’ll have big enough space to get necessary depth of field – that is, i can get decent bokeh from camera to subject to bg, but camera to monitor to subject to bg may be pushing size of location).

Blaise, would LOVE two cameras, one on a slider! That’s my grail set up, but don’t think I’ll have time to light for both cameras – time and size of locations (depth of field issue – want a VERY pronounced bokeh, and local might be too small to produce correctly for side angle) will be a factor.. You said you shoot with FS7 as your primary camera? Can I ask what medium you are delivering to (network tv, web, cinema – etc)? Do you find FS7 is acceptable? I was considering C300 – but FS7 might make my life easier…

Thanks for the help y’all

[John Smith]

Always good to know, thanks Nick.

Follow up question: will I be required to prove I own said footage? I’m just curious here, as I do have all the raw footage, Youtube passwords, FCP projects footage was cut with, etc…

[John Smith]

Hi,

Thanks for responding. The trailer was not actually put online, it was screened in front of an audience I happened to be in, and I obviously, immediately recognized the footage. I believe the trailer was used to tease the production of a film in the works.

I do know who the person is, yes.

I am not really worried about the footage in the trailer at this point. What I am worried about is what will happen if/when I see my footage in his finished film.

Legally, what recourse do I have if this happens?

Thanks

[John Smith]

So PP people are using ProRes Proxy, even though it’s an Apple codec? That’s good to know – I thought there might be a pref\erred non-Apple codec that the Premiere community uses. Outside of FCP and the general Apple codecs (various prores, proxy, the older intermediate codecs), I am pretty ignorant. That does make things a bit easier, and I can go back and forth between FCP if necessary.

Would Apple Compressor do the same job?

[John Smith]

Thanks for responding. Yes, I’m impressed how well PP deals with file formats – editing an H.264 in FCP was pretty much impossible, for example.

In my case, though, I don’t want to edit with the original high rez files; I’d rather compress everything down for economy of space because I have a huge – around 18TB of footage! – amount of material.

I’m ok with it looking a bit crappy. I’m doing mainly story work. So I was just wondering what the general “go to” file was – if there is one. Is there anything equivalent to FCP’s Apple Proxy codec (FCP7) or Apple Intermediate codecs (FCP6) that PP editors work with when they have a large amount of footage?

[John Smith]

the helix/spline wrap worked great. My idea was to make it look like a falling roll of cloth which unfurls on its way down. I added the clothide tag and applied wind forces to blow it from one direction to another. The plane will react to the wind, but it wants to stay locked to the helix (normally, if you apply a cloth tag to a plane and add wind, it will blow the plane/cloth in any direction with any amount of strength) and not move. Is there a way to get the wind to do this?

Thanks

[John Smith]

>>On the CD which came with the first of the Meyer’s books was a tutorial by Richard Lainhart on how to achieve the effect with Particle Playground (which is not a 3rd party plug-in, so it doesn’t cost you anything).

Do you know the name of the book? I’m interested in getting it…

Sam