Joseph W. bourke
Forum Replies Created
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You’re right about AE not being “true” 3D, although there are plugins such as Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator, and the long-promised Element 3D from Video Copilot, which, if it ever arrives, should become the king of the hill for bringing 3D OBJ files into AE.
While CS6 shows some powerful abilities with 3D, it appears, from what I’ve seen, to only extruding paths, which means doing a chair could become your life’s work. I think that a combination of a “real” 3D package and After Effects would make your life easier (3DS Max, C4D, Blender – which is free, or Maya).
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Thanks Todd –
It’s always best to get the word straight from the horse’s mouth. I’m surprised PC Connection would put that implied promise on their catalog.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
It is standard practice in the design world to rasterize type before sending it anywhere – be that from Illustrator (convert to outlines), Photoshop (rasterize), or any software which creates editable type. The last thing any designer wants is for the type in a project to get messed with. Even if the transfer occurs correctly (the font name stays the same, for example), there is always the possibility that the font metrics will get trashed in some way (letter spacing, line spacing, kerning, you name it) – and unless you send along a sample with exactly what the screen should look like, the next person in line would have no idea that there’s anything wrong. Always convert your type to a bitmap version!!!
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Then that about makes sense, Ron – I’m guessing PC Connection, by putting the Now Shipping! on the catalog cover, figures that they’ll have enough time to take the order, then pass it down the line to Adobe, and still hit the “now”, give or take a few days.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Justin –
I’ve had very good results with Easy Time Tracking – they have a limited free version, which I used for a while to get used to it (I had been using Timeslips, and expensive package used by law firms, but it got very dated), then purchased the full version for 49 dollars. I’m very pleased with it – it has a timer which sits on your screen as a pop up, and it lets you track the various phases of production (which you can customize), and will let you bill as well – although I don’t use that feature:
https://www.easytimetracking.net/
Give the freebie a try. It’s very useful, and you can generate reports to see where your time is really going.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
If you purchased before March 26, 2012, I believe you are out of luck. Here’s Adobe’s FAQ on the topic:
https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/cs6-faq-direct-purchases.html#id_12119
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
I was hoping for a good 5 cent cigar…
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
I don’t, but if you do a Google search for Fotga DP500, with the Images tab turned on you’ll see tons of shots of the setup. The only thing I’ve added to is a couple of handles from Cool LCD, attached by a couple of their rail clamps with multiple 1/4 20 holes – one handle on the front right rail, and one coming out from the left rail at a right angle, just under the follow focus, so that I can use my left hand to support and focus. I’ll try and get a shot of the setup – it’s a bit similar to the Captain Stubling rig from Redrock Micro:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/816552-REG/Redrock_Micro_Captain_Stubling_DSLR_Bundle.html
…but at a quarter of the price.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Steve –
Are you using Magic Lantern on your T2i? If not, you’re missing out on a free, major upgrade in the way the T2i deals with micing. I think that a cheese plate is the way to go with mounting the preamp, but it seems to me that you might want to try installing the Magic Lantern software, playing around with it (it gives you gain control on two separate mic inputs – depends on whether you need phantom power or not), then trying mounting it on the back end of a shoulder mount. Of course this would put it behind you, not good for riding gain. But on a multiple mic shoot, you might want to tether to your preamp, record to a laptop, and work it dual system.
Have you looked at, or are you using, articulating arms? You can pick them up on *bay for about 20 to 30 bucks, and even B&H are carrying them in that price range. If your preamp has a 1/4 20 mount, you could hang it on an arm, but then you’d have to balance that by hanging something on the opposite side for balance. There are also some small flex arms available with 1/4 20 mounts – I have the larger versions which I use on my Manfrotto tripod for lighint accessories – they work quite well, and are completely flexible to any angle or configuration.
The bottom line is that you want something you can move around with, and not look too much like a Frankensystem, plus be balanced. I kind of like a tripod with wheels on it for indoor stuff – I can hang any amount of things on it, from laptop to lights and audio, and it just rolls where I need it. But it’s not good for tight spots or rough ground outdoors.
I would suggest doing a search on “DSLR rigs” on B&H, and scrolling through the multitude of designs and manafacturers, then using that as a starting point to build your own system. There are some very new, very creative, very over priced options there, which you can probably beat by 1/2 by configuring your own.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com -
Steve –
Let me preface this by saying that I’m a cheapskate, but there’s a certain level of quality which I won’t go below if it affects getting the job done properly.
That said, I did a lot of homework when I first bought my T2i, on the name rigs, and decided that since these setups are essentially an erector set, I could buy and configure my own setup just as well (and way cheaper) than I could buy a custom configured set of parts.
I ended up with a Fotga DP500 system – I purchased the rail rod quick release system first, and then their follow focus system – here’s a link to the components – I bought mine direct from Hong Kong on *bay from Fotocola:
If you’re going to be swapping out from tripod to other support systems, you can purchase the quick release as a separate item, so you have a couple of them – I haven’t found that the QR is compatible with other QR systems (I haven’t checked), but everything is solid and well machined. The follow focus is the standard .8 gearing, so if you don’t like the rubber gear that’s the “one size fits all” approach, you can go with the Nine Inch Rails version of the zip tie gearing or something else. Everything on the system which should be standard is standard, right down to the opening on the follow focus which will take a standard cinema whip handle insert.
I also purchased several compatible items from CoolLCD.com, also in China, and found that, although their shipping seemed pricy, the arrival was blazing fast, and from China. I bought their hand grips, and a few mounting accessories, such as multiple 1/4 20 15mm rail rod clamps for attaching articulating arms and such – once you buy a few items for the low price, the shipping isn’t as painful.
As I said – I’m the type who wants to configure his own system for the best price – this may or may not work for you, but look at the options – what I purchased total came in at well under 400 dollars, and the build quality was/is excellent – the shipping from Fotocola took a few weeks, but for the savings, it was well worth it. There are some reviews of the Fotga DP500 system on Cheesycam.com, but they are for the most part, when it first came out – the follow focus has been improved since the first design. Good luck.
Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com