[Todd Reid]

I used to use that and was having some delays, so I figured, since I have the aja HD, I’d start using prores. I thought it might make things run more reliable. Which they have.

I just wondered what would produce the best experience for me and my client.

I’m starting a new project today, so I’ll try your suggestion.

Is there any validity to my thoughts???

[Todd Reid]

recently found this

stockmusic.net

royalty free, lots of choices and fairly user friendly searching.
I think most cuts are $30 and you get to use them (almost) however you choose.

Also, as mentioned above, Digital Juice has some great options too.
I have several Staxx Trakks. this library will provide you with the whole cut OR allows you to customize music by separating each track out. example “I like this music except for that weird voice thang”. You can take out the voice thang.

Their libraries are a slightly generic and sound like many other libraries.
But they are very affordable and often have great sales and “mix and match” promotions.

[Todd Reid]

One other thing I just remembered.

You say you have a 500gb external, I assume that its firewire 800.

If you plan on using a firewire camera, ajahd or other device, you may have to get an additional firewire bus.
MacBook Pros have an express34 slot, that you can get a firewire adapter to add a bus,
but a better option is to get an express34 sata adapter and a sata drive. Some Lacies come with sata already and are fairly cheap.

This will make the editing experience much less painful.

hope this helps

[Todd Reid]

Wanting Photoshop, FC AND a computer for that amount is not very feasible.
There are some less expensive options, but if you want to edit for broadcast, you can see that just the computer alone is more than your budget and that is the most bare bones MacBook that they offer, so I’m not sure what kind of performance you will get.

Also, these cheaper options are that way for a reason, they don’t have anything near the functionality of the full versions. You may quickly outgrow them. The good thing is that you can start small and upgrade (with cheaper upgrade pricing) when that happens.

For some perspective, I’ll tell you that for HD editing, I designed a system that cost almost $20k (without a tape machine), and I wouldn’t say my system is high-end by any stretch.

Buy what you can, then add to it when budget allows.
I suggest to buy a beefier computer, and utilize iMovie to start you out,
then add photoshop, then Final cut (I recommend the full version cause you get several
programs all in one)

good luck.

FCE – $200
Final Cut Studio – $1300

Photoshop (full)- $649
photoshop elements – $100

lowest MacBook Pro – $2000

[Todd Reid]

to say that in a different way, if you haven’t paid for the full version of flip4mac, then your export will be limited to 15 seconds.

Buy the full version at https://www.flip4mac.com/wmv.htm

This was some of the best money I’ve ever spent,
I use flip4mac all the time with fantastic results.

[Todd Reid]

David-

Its good to hear that my hunch was correct. I’ve been seeking truth about this whole “green” thing.
I’ve been trying for decades to “do what’s right”, but I find that since its the buzz word that it has become, there is a lot of miss information around.

Can I contact you off herd for a few questions?
my email is toddreid@mac.com
Please contact me, so that we may chat.

I do a few “green” segments for the department of defense each year and I want to make sure I’m passing along correct (and helpful) information.

thanks

[Todd Reid]

“Sending is always a possibility, but it is incredibly expensive and not green… and we have to be green as possible!”

Having several computers/servers tied up downloading 45 minutes of HD footage over the internet, is far from green. I guess it might be slightly greener than shipping, but I wouldn’t think by much.
For shorter clips you could always set up a FTP site or use something like xprove.

Codecs will be tricky unless you get some specs from the people you are sending to.
To keep the quality means large file sizes. DNx may be a good choice for AVID. QT for FCP.

One thought is “carbon footprint offsetting” with something like a Terrapass. This would add more expense, but if green is your goal, it may help ease the minds of “the powers that be”.

Good luck, this is a huge challenge, and I am interested to hear people’s suggestions.
Please keep us informed as to your progress.

[Todd Reid]

I believe the ability to play in either 16×9 or 4×3 letterbox within one dvd is known as anamorphic.

I was not aware that merely making a 16×9 dvd it would automatically do this. I always make sure that I edit/author with anamorphic settings, and its always worked for me. I guess it would depend on the specific dvd players that you are using. In the anamorphic path, I test all my dvds on a player that I got SEVERAL years ago, first or second generation – that I paid over $600 for 1 tray, and it always works flawlessly.

Also, I will second the notion that you should pay attention to your clients needs, not the personal views of a crew member (which I’m sure are valid for his situation). He is not paying your invoice, your client is….If they have an issue, believe me you will know about it. You may want to ask your clients if you are meeting their expectations, but as mentioned, you have been brought on as the expert in your field.

If it ain’t broke….don’t fix it!

[Todd Reid]

I’ve been very happy with my AJA HD.
Remember that you have to add an additional FW bus to your computer to utilize it effectively.

I have had my audio go away for apparently no reason, but I think the last firmware upgrade fixed that.

[Todd Reid]

take your footage into Motion and Under the timing parameters-choose variable & optical flow and you can keyframe the speed/slow of your video.
Optical flow does a great job, its kind of slow as it has to “compute”, but it does it in the background. Click on the spinning circle and it will show you how much time is left.