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Film History & Appreciation | VFX Titans Remember Ray Harryhausen
"When we grieve Ray Harryhausen's passing, we are at least in part grieving perhaps the last living link to the earliest days of movie visual effects," says Creative COW's Debra Kaufman. She spoke to many of today's VFX giants who were inspired by Ray, including Phil Tippett, Richard Edlund, Jeffrey A. Okun and ILM Animation Director Hal Hickel, who says, "Ray Harryhausen's impact on an entire generation (several actually) of filmmakers cannot be overstated, each of them trying again and again to reproduce the wonder they first felt as a child watching Jason fight those skeletons."
05/16/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | Iron Man 3, Marvel & The Future of the Superhero
Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios Executive Vice President of Visual Effects and Post Production, began her career in the early days of the digital visual effects industry. We had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Victoria about the Iron Man movies, post production's evolution, remote dailies and coloring on set, 4K & HFR, and keeping the modern superhero movie fresh.
05/10/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Adobe After Effects | GenArts Sapphire 7: Must-Have VFX Plug-ins for AE & Avid
Frequent COW Contributing Editor Kevin P. McAuliffe reviews the latest version of GenArts Sapphire plug-in effects filters for both Adobe After Effects and Avid AVX versions, with ratings for current and new Sapphire users. Kevin also observes Sapphire's ability to plug into other NLEs and finishing systems, and takes a closer look at its licensing options, including purchasing, monthly rental and site licenses. You'll definitely want to see the latest and greatest of what this must-have software package has to offer.
05/09/2013
Author: Kevin P McAuliffe |
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NewTek TriCaster | NAB 2013: NewTek
At NAB 2013, NewTek unveiled 3Play 4800, a multi-camera server for live sports production that features real-time uses, redundant capture, high-end visual effects and slo-mo, as well as live replay switching and social media publishing. 3Play 4800 is the latest in the 3Play series of replay server technology and intended to provide affordable access to more sports broadcasters. NewTek also showcased the latest products benefitting the TriCaster 8000 from companies in the NewTek Developer Network, in categories ranging from content to controllers.
04/22/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo | NAB 2013: Adobe Introduces Adobe Anywhere
At NAB 2013, Adobe is introducing Adobe Anywhere, a collaborative workflow platform that centralizes projects and allows users to share and change project files. Also new are some powerful new features for Adobe Premiere Pro, including color grading and the ability to "link & locate" clips. A newly designed SpeedGrade also makes color grading tools more familiar to Adobe toolset users, and After Effects celebrates its 20th anniversary.
04/03/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | Sony Imageworks Takes Us On The Yellow Brick Road to OZ
Sony Imageworks provided over 1,100 digital visual effects shots to Oz the Great and Powerful, a movie which explains how a small time magician became the great Wizard of Oz. Featured are two all-digital characters, the 18-inch China Girl and Finley, the wise-cracking monkey with wings, as well as a host of other digital creatures from river fairies to flying baboons. In addition, Imageworks provided environments from the Kansas Circus to Emerald City and effects work that include the magic of evil and good witches and Oz himself.
04/01/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | VFX Crossroads: Causes & Effects Of An Industry Crisis
The VFX industry is in a crisis. As Life of Pi won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, the venerable facility that created those effects - Rhythm & Hues - declared bankruptcy, and they're hardly the first to close their doors due to financial problems. Debra Kaufman pulls from her 25 years of experience covering the industry to take a close look at how the creators of some of cinema's indelible images are falling prey to dysfunctional business models. Their deep historical roots have also led to visual effects becoming one of the least-profitable areas of film and TV production. How did we get here?
03/26/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Adobe After Effects | Pushing AE - And Myself
Bill O'Neil helps celebrate 20 years of Adobe After Effects with his story. Bill reveals his secret, "I learned how to use AE by making promises to my clients I didn't know I could keep."
02/22/2013
Author: Bill O'Neil |
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Film History & Appreciation | The Art of Foley: John Roesch Honored by MPSE
John Roesch is one of the most accomplished Foley artists in the motion picture industry, with contributions to more than 400 films in a three decade-spanning career. He is the recipient of two MPSE Golden Reel Awards (The Dark Knight, The Matrix) alongside more than a dozen nominations. He has worked on 16 films that have won Academy Awards for Best Sound or Best Sound Editing. John Roesch spoke to Creative COW about the art of Foley and his extensive experience in creating sound effects.
02/15/2013
Author: John Roesch |
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Art of the Edit | Zombies Brought to Life For Warm Bodies
VFX company LOOK Effects ramped up a studio in Vancouver and created a new pipeline for character animation, to produce 85 shots of the Boneys - the most decayed, menacing zombies - in Warm Bodies, the new zom-rom-com based on the book of the same name. In addition to character animation, the company created a CG fly-through of a wasted city, blending with live action plates at each end of the sequence.
02/14/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | Bill Taylor, ASC Commended with the John A. Bonner Medal
VFX pioneer Bill Taylor, ASC has been voted to receive the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which was presented at the 2013 Scientific and Technical Awards. Inspired by Ray Harryhausen and some of the greatest icons of effects history, Bill has achieved feats of his own. We had the opportunity to speak with him about his luminary career.
02/08/2013
Author: Bill Taylor, ASC |
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Adobe After Effects | Prisoner To My Passion
"I don't know if it's addiction or adoration, but one way or the other, I'm hooked on her," says Creative COW's Rob Mize. "The signs are all there: the obsession with After Effects, the inability to function without After Effects there next to me on my laptop, waiting to be clicked. And the torment of each moment spent suffering any separation from my cherished compositor. Is it any wonder that I, a once innocent naïf in an analog world, now find myself enraptured by this non-linear, digital Delilah?"
02/08/2013
Author: Rob Mize |
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Adobe After Effects | Advice To Editors: LEARN AE!
Kevin McAuliffe's experience has been that all editors need to know Adobe After Effects at least as well as their NLE. His own experience has been that anything less than intermediate to advanced knowledge makes it impossible to actually get anything done. Even working with the compositing power of Avid Symphony, Kevin is in AE all day, every day. Here's the story of how he got there.
02/08/2013
Author: Kevin P. McAuliffe |
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Adobe After Effects | How Did They Do All This?
When he saw a particular commercial for another local company years ago, John Cuevas was blown away, "so I asked our senior editor 'how did they do all of this?' He replied, 'After Effects.' I looked him dead in the eye and said 'Yeah, I get that they did the effects after, but how do they DO it?'" After over 10 years of visiting the COW daily, he's clear about it now, and still learning how to do it better.
02/05/2013
Author: John Cuevas |
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Adobe After Effects | Ronald & Kathlyn and After Effects & The COW
Soon after they purchased CoSA After Effects in 1994, Ronald & Kathlyn Lindeboom found themselves in a little over their heads. There were virtually no web resources for learning AE -- frankly, virtually no resources whatsoever, as this was long before training tapes and books. So, they founded a web community to help find the help that they themselves needed, and 18 years later, it's still growing! And After Effects is still playing a central role in its success.
02/05/2013
Author: Ronald Lindeboom |
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Adobe After Effects | Expressions, Scripting, Automation -- and Fun
"I first encountered After Effects in a somewhat roundabout way. I have (as many people do apparently) an aversion to public speaking, so I came up with the bright idea of creating a video to do the talking for me." So begins the journey of longtime Creative COW leader Dan Ebberts, which takes a dramatic -- and fun -- turn with the introduction of Expressions in AE 5.
02/05/2013
Author: Dan Ebberts |
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Adobe After Effects | Creating Our Own Destiny
"I was learning that After Effects was unlike any other piece of software I’d ever used. I dove in thinking it was a pool, but found it just went deeper and deeper - the Marianas Trench of programs," says Psychic Bunny's Rick Castañeda. The endless grind of one frame at a time roto blossomed into, well, everything.
02/03/2013
Author: Rick Castañeda |
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Adobe After Effects | Inspiring Me to Enable Myself
"My journey with After Effects is a reflection of my journey as a creative. Fear, skepticism, blood, tears, mocking, understanding, confidence. The cycle repeats sometimes, but it expands and contracts too. Some days it's a thing of wonder and beauty, other days it's collapsing in on itself like a dying star. When you start to have more days like the former than the latter, nice things start to happen both on your screen and in your mind. For all the rest, there's coffee," says Creative COW Contributing Editor Kylee Wall.
02/03/2013
Author: Kylee Wall |
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Adobe After Effects | An Old Dog, Learning New Tricks
You'll be surprised at how late Andrew Devis started with After Effects, but he's thrilled to be constantly learning new tricks. The excitement he finds in turning that knowledge into tutorials has clearly been reciprocated, as he has become one of the web's most popular trainers.
02/03/2013
Author: Andrew Devis |
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Adobe After Effects | Keeping Them Guessing
For 22 years, Dave LaRonde created on-air promotion for KCRG-TV, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Through the years, one thing has remained constant: Adobe After Effects has been in his video toolbox. Dave describes his introduction to After Effects and how it helped him turn an also-ran into the leader of the pack.
02/03/2013
Author: Dave LaRonde |
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Art of the Edit | Unique VFX Challenges for Live One-take Shooting on Les Miz
Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo's novel of crime and redemption in 19th Century France, has been a huge hit in theatres. Though it's gained acclaim for director Tom Hooper's technique of one-take shots of actors singing the songs, digital visual effects have provided many key elements. Les Miz represents a unique combination of in-camera effects, 2D and 3D compositing, adding elements, removing elements -- and not a single green screen shot.
01/20/2013
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Art of the Edit | Cloud Atlas: The VFX
Cloud Atlas, a complex and lyrical film directed by Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, relies on visual effects and more than a dozen visual effects facilities collaborating closely to bring alive the past and future worlds depicted in its six intertwined stories. Method is one of the houses who helped create these amazing worlds, and Creative COW's Debra Kaufman spoke to them to learn more.
11/14/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Art of the Edit | Argo's Invisible Effects Create 1970s Tehran
Argo tells the recently declassified true story of six Americans who escaped the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran -- by pretending to be filmmakers! With Argo's filmmakers unable to shoot in Iran, audiences travel there through the "invisible effects" created by Method Los Angeles, whose teams provided compelling illusions that serve as the perfect backdrop for this tale of life and death sleight of hand.
11/02/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Lightwave | Creating A Ghost Train: A Visual Display for Preston Hall
Pollen Studio creates a ghost train audio/visual display for prestigious Preston Hall Museum in Northern England, an eerie effect that smashes out of a bookshelf within a museum room. The 3D elements blend perfectly with the actors in period costume who portray passengers on the doomed train.
09/23/2012
Author: Tom Sefton |
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Adobe Premiere Pro | IBC 2012: Adobe Provides Broadcast & Media Solutions
Adobe came to IBC 2012 focused on the broadcast industry. The big reveal was its new Adobe Anywhere, a collaborative workflow platform that allows real-time collaboration for remote users of Premiere Pro, After Effects and Prelude. Adobe expanded its partnerships with broadcast solution companies, to over 200. At the show, Adobe also unveiled a new promotional offer for individuals and corporations interested in switching from Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer to Adobe Production Premium or Adobe Creative Cloud.
09/09/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | Where Digital Meets Stop-Motion in ParaNorman
The stereo 3D stop-motion animated feature ParaNorman from Laika puts the emphasis on handcrafted puppets and details. But digital plays an important, behind-the-scenes role, not just in painting out rigs but in creating ghosts, dramatic, witch-filled skies, crowds and set extensions. Laika's visual effects supervisor Brian Van't Hul, compositing supervisor Steve Emerson and CG/look dev supervisor Andrew Nawrot talk about the creation and integration of the digital with the real in ParaNorman. (Potential minor spoilers in the article)
08/17/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | The VFX Files: Nancy St. John of Prime Focus Vancouver
A pioneer in digital visual effects, Nancy St. John most recently worked on Men in Black 3, as Prime Focus' Executive Producer. Her career has spanned the beginnings of digital visual effects at Digital Productions and Robert Abel & Associates in Hollywood to Vancouver or "Hollywood North." She shares her experiences with Creative COW.
08/06/2012
Author: Nancy St. John |
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Cinematography | In-Camera Effects: Flip Steps
Many of us tend to jump right to computer generated imagery (CGI) when we think that it will be too expensive, or difficult to accomplish the desired effect practically. On some projects, however, creating an effect practically "in-camera" can be the better choice. On Matthew Zappile's recent production "Flip Steps," they decided to take the "practical effects" route and see if they could do it.
07/31/2012
Author: Matthew Zappile |
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Indie Film & Documentary | StorageDNA Goes Down Under with DEEPSEA CHALLENGE
When director James Cameron took a solo dive to the deepest spot on earth, he turned to Sydney-based Digital Pictures to deliver a range of post production services. In turn, Digital Pictures relied on StorageDNA to help them create a cost-effective LTO-based conform system that handled massive amounts of 4K data.
07/12/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation
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Film History & Appreciation | Method Studios: VFX for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Method Studios was approached by Fox's visual effects team to work on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and were offered some very tasty stuff to solve - a train sequence with burning bridges, full CG fire, all in stereo. As CG artists, this is the kind of meaty work you really want to go after. Randy Goux shared his experiences on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter with Creative COW.
06/25/2012
Author: Randy Goux |
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Art of the Edit | Luma Pictures' Prometheus Holograph
Holograms are de rigeur in a sci-fi movie, but in Prometheus, Charlie Holloway steps through one to hand a rose to Elizabeth Shaw, Luma Pictures handled this unique fluid effect as well as placing computer graphics in Shaw's handheld computer.
06/14/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | VFX Soup: Ken Ralston, Jay Redd, VFX for Men in Black 3
Just in time for the theater release of Men in Black 3, Creative COW had the opportunity to speak with Visual Effects Supervisors, Jay Redd, and five-time Academy Award winner and vfx pioneer Ken Ralston about their adventures with aliens and the Men in Black.
05/24/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Live & Stage Events | NAB 2012: Snell
At NAB 2012, Snell unveiled several new products: Kahuna 360 Compact, a smaller-frame version of the company's Kahuna 360 video switcher that is targeted at the live production market; KudosPro, a format-flexible and cost-effective next-generation image-processing platform; Momentum, an asset management (MAM), workflow automation, and resource planning solution; and a 4-RU version of its Vega routing platform. The company also showcased enhancements to its ICE channel-in-a-box and Morpheus automation systems.
05/02/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Boris FX | NAB 2012: Boris FX
Boris FX came to NAB 2012 with new versions, each of which expanded the capabilities of the company's toolset of visual effects, compositing, titling, and workflow tools: Version 8 of its flagship Boris Continuum Complete, Version 2 of Soundbite and Version 6 of Boris Graffiti. The company also announced support for Adobe Creative Suite 6 and Avid DS.
05/01/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Genarts Sapphire Edge | NAB 2012: GenArts
At NAB 2012, GenArts showcased its newest products: Sapphire version 6 and Monsters GT version 7, both of which offer visual effects artists a wide variety of effects available on numerous platforms. The company also announced the imminent release of Sapphire Edge 2.
04/27/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Autodesk Smoke | Walter Biscardi: Yes, Autodesk Smoke 2013 Changes Everything
"From the moment I saw Autodesk Smoke 2013, I knew the entire post production world as we knew it had changed." So says Creative COW Contributing Editor Walter Biscardi in an overview that covers Smoke's new editor-centered (and Mac-friendly) interface, ease of use, support for FCP 7 and Avid projects and keyboard mapping, and advanced, integrated effects and color tools -- including several that had previously been available in Autodesk Flame. Oh yeah, a price drop to $3495. See why Walter says, "For the traditional editor, this is completely game-changing."
04/15/2012
Author: Walter Biscardi |
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Autodesk Smoke | NAB 2012: Autodesk Unveils a New Smoke
Autodesk introduced a new Smoke that features an editor-friendly user interface, connected editing and effects, lower system requirements and a much lower price. Aimed at the multi-tasking editor, the new Smoke allows editors to handle all kinds of visual effects tasks on the editing timeline.
04/15/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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NAB Expo | NAB 2012: Dolby Calibrates the Future with PRM-4200 monitor
At NAB 2012, Dolby will sweeten the deal for professionals who already own the PRM-4200 or are interested in it by adding support for content shot in 48 fps and three levels of customized calibration service for the monitor. Also to be seen at both the Dolby and ARRI booths, a short film - in partnership with ARRI - directed, shot, produced and graded by Academy Award-winning visual effects artist Rob Legato.
04/13/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | Hugo and The Joy of Filmmaking
In this expanded version of the article from Creative COW Magazine, VFX Supervisor and 2nd Unit Director Rob Legato shares some of the secrets of a tribute to the love of making and watching movies, and insights into two filmmaking masters. All of us at Creative COW congratulate Rob on his Academy Award nomination for his visual effects work on Hugo.
01/26/2012
Author: Rob Legato |
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Film History & Appreciation
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COW: The Community Speaks | SOPA Initiative
If you are a USA citizen, help us protect the internet from the control and regulation that legislators are trying to implement under two ill-conceived bills that would effectively destroy the internet as we have known it. These bills are being referred to as SOPA and PIPA.
01/18/2012
Author: Ronald & Kathlyn Lindeboom |
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Cinematography | LOOK Effects meets The Muppets
Anthony 'Max' Ivins, Visual Effects Supervisor and Co-Owner, LOOK Effects, was responsible for on-set supervision as well as overseeing LOOK Effects' 3D animation and compositing on The Muppets. Take a look with Creative COW at what was at stake working with the Muppet legacy, using bluescreen because your main actor is green, working on a merry-go-round, and planning complicated VFX shots.
01/02/2012
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Sony Vegas | Vegas Pro 11 Powers Up!
Sony Creative Software brought a significant improvement in processing power to its latest upgrade of Vegas editing technology. Vegas Pro 11 takes full advantage of OpenCL - the first Windows-based nonlinear editing system to do so - supporting the open standard for core video editing operations, video effects and rendering.
12/05/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | Douglas Trumbull Sees a Better Filmgoing Future
Douglas Trumbull first won acclaim with the visual effects for such groundbreaking features as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and his own "Silent Running," but with the invention of Showscan in the late 1970s, he became the godfather of high-frame rate cinema. This pioneering innovator sees a better filmgoing future.
11/29/2011
Author: Douglas Trumbull |
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RE:Vision Effects | RE:Vision Effects Releases Twixtor 5 for Avid
Software developer RE:Vision Effects just released Twixtor 5 plug-in for Avid Media Compser, Symphony and NewsCutter, including 64-bit support for Media Composer 6, Symphony 6 and NewsCutter 10. That will make Twixtor's slow motion shots - achieved quickly and at a high image quality - available to Avid editors.
11/25/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Adobe After Effects | Adobe Creative Cloud Offers Applications, Services, Community
With Creative Cloud, Adobe is switching from a model of software as a product to Software as a Service (SaS). By early 2012, Adobe Creative Cloud is expected to include such applications as After Effects, Premiere and Photoshop. Creative Cloud includes a hub for viewing, sharing and syncing of files, and a subscription with 20GB of cloud storage.
11/15/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Art of the Edit | Giant Dinosaurs, Tiny Budgets
Spielberg? Dinosaurs? Every effects house wanted in -- until they saw the budget. Terra Nova VFX Supervisor Kevin Blank takes us back in time, to the laying of their VFX plans.
11/08/2011
Author: Kevin Blank |
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Cinematography | Douglas Trumbull Honored by SMPTE
With over 45 years of pioneering work in visual effects photography and innovative motion picture technology advances, it's easy to see why Douglas Trumbull was honored with the 2011 SMPTE Presidential Proclamation. Over the years, he's graced the industry with inventions such as Showscan, breathtaking artwork for multi-plane and fisheye photography, and so much more. Read on for more about this stunning list of achievements driven by a creative force of unparalleled talent.
11/02/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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IBC Expo | High-speed cameras roll at IBC 2011
IBC boasted hot new high-speed cameras, with P+S Technik introducing a "time effect" or digital cinematography synch sound camera with a 35mm-sized CMOS imager and global shutter that offers slow motion, fast motion, ramped motion and time-lapse motion.
09/23/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | Behind the Lens: Captain America: The First Avenger
Join Debra Kaufman as she goes behind the lens in the latest installment of her film vfx series, as Captain America: The First Avenger is brought from the realm of comic book imagination and 2D art, to the 3D world with stunning visual effects. Get the inside story of how thirteen VFX houses contributed to this new Marvel super-hero franchise as they share their stories with Debra Kaufman.
07/22/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Film History & Appreciation | Behind the Lens: Cinesite's magic touch with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
More from our exciting series, Behind the Lens: Creative COW's Debra Kaufman had an opportunity to speak with Cinesite 2D supervisor Andy Robinson and 3D supervisor Holger Voss about their facility's work on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. One thing is clear to anyone who's followed the Harry Potter franchise: the movies, which began in 2001, are a visual representation of the increasing maturity of visual effects artists and their technology. It's more than just Voldemort's nose, too, that Cinesite has created. Look behind the lens and unveil the magic.
07/22/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | VFX Soup: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
If you've been captivated by the dashing Jack Sparrow ripping through the streets of 18th Century London on a flaming coal cart, you have Cinesite London to thank for that rollicking and truly convincing ride, as they nail a 200-shot blue-screen carriage chase. Debra Kaufman goes "Behind the Lens" and interviews Cinesite Visual Effects Supervisor Simon Stanley-Clamp for the details about how Cinesite rose to the challenge.
06/29/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | Behind the Lens: Paul Cameron, ASC
"Henry's Crime", described by DP Paul Cameron, ASC as a "fable of sorts...with a folkloric beauty" is the topic as Debra Kaufman interviews Paul Cameron. Facing challenges such as limited budget, a short shooting schedule, difficult lighting and -20 degrees Fahrenheit weather all add to the mystique of a film playing out in a "classics style" storybook effect and elegant cinematography. Join Paul and Debra for a look behind making this fascinating tale come to life.
03/31/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Cinematography | Silverdraft Mobileviz rolls out
Previz and VFX to go offers new options for filmmakers. Debra Kaufman visited the new Mobileviz trailer Hollywood and experienced the "first super-computer-powered digital and visual effects (VFX) studios-on-wheels."
03/18/2011
Author: Debra Kaufman |
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Field Production | Shooting True First-Person Interviews
Tom Miller, a 20 year cinematographer, shares some of his interview secrets with Creative COW members. Inspired by the Academy Award®-winning documentary film "Fog of War", where Robert McNamara looks directly into the lens as he talks about the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam War, Tom moves to recreate this unnerving and powerful effect in his own work. Draw from Tom's vast expertise to communicate with your audience in a memorable experience.
09/21/2010
Author: Thomas Miller |
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Art of the Edit | Worldsourcing: A Prime Focus on Global VFX Collaboration
After winning an Academy Award® for his VFX work on The Golden Compass, Mike Fink's next direction could have taken him literally anywhere in the world. Here is the story of how a man who helped invent the concept of freelance visual effects supervisor found himself part of a company that is helping invent new kinds of global collaboration. It's not outsourcing. It's WORLD-sourcing.
03/30/2010
Author: Mike Fink |
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Art of the Edit | Molecule Fueled Imagination
Film? Television? Production? Post? Visual effects? Animation? Stereoscopic 3D? Interactive design? By answering Yes, all of the above, The Molecule keeps its eyes beyond the horizon.
10/15/2009
Author: Chris Healer |
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Cinematography | Pushing the Limits on Pushing Daisies
Visual Effects Supervisor William Powloski helped create one of the most eye-popping worlds ever seen on TV, as part of a feature film aesthetic on a TV budget and schedule. Although it was canceled after only two seasons, it remains one of the most beautiful and innovative programs to ever air on US television. In an extended version of the original article in The Visual Effects Issue of Creative COW Magazine, here is an exclusive look at how he and his team helped pull it off.
7/21/2009
Author: William Powloski |
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Cinematography | Focus on Controlling Depth of Field with Depth of Field Converters
Cinematographer and Creative Cow leader Todd Terry has shot countless television commercials and industrials using both 35mm film and depth-of-field converted video. In this Creative Cow Magazine Extra, from The Visual Effects Issue, learn how depth of field converters allow you to attach 35mm lenses even to video cameras with fixed lenses, how they work, and which one might be right for you.
02/10/2009
Author: Todd Terry |
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Nuke | Nuke - An Introduction for After Effects Users
Nuke, the new compositing tool from The Foundry, is rapidly becoming a favorite in high-end film production. Its price also offers an easy entry for indie producers who want to create better work, faster and more powerfully. This guided tour of Nuke for AE users, along with tips for leveraging your AE experience in the brave Nuke world of VFX creation will help you discover Nuke.
01/20/2009
Author: Pete O'Connell |
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Art of the Edit | Metadata & The Future of Filmmaking
Dave Stump, ASC has worked as a DP, effects cinematographer and VFX supervisor on dozens of films including Quantum of Solace, X-men and X-men 2, The Bourne Identity, Army of Darkness, Star Trek: First Contact, Batman Forever and many more. He chairs the American Society of Cinemtagraphers subcommittees on Cameras, and Metadata. In this expanded version of an interview first published in Creative Cow Magazine, Dave describes a possible future for filmmaking -- faster, less expensive, and more creative -- as cameras and metadata come together.
12/16/2008
Author: Dave Stump |
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Adobe After Effects Techniques | Improvising Visual Effects
On-set circumstances changing fast? Improvise! In this Creative COW Magazine article Mark Allen discusses how he overcame the complications in a recent short film production by improvising the visual effects.
12/03/2008
Author: Mark Allen |
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RE:Vision Effects | The Art and Science of Optical Flow
Creative COW leaders Pete Litwinowicz and Pierre Jasmin won an Academy Award® for the design and development of the RE: Vision Effects family of optical flow-based image manipulation plug-ins. For RE:Vision's tenth anniverary, we asked Pierre to talk to us about what optical flow is - and isn't - and how it works in their products.
12/03/2008
Author: Pierre Jasmin |
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Lighting Design Pros | Lighting with Shadows
In this extended version of his article in the Creative Cow Visual Effects Issue, lighting expert and instructor Rick Wise draws on his decades of experience to illustrate how shadows can be the most important part of how a scene is lit. Learn how to control the direction and quality of your lighting design to add texture, dimension, and force to your images.
12/02/2008
Author: Rick Wise |
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Art of the Edit | The Importance of Invisible Effects
Steve is a Senior Compositor and 2D Technical Director with over 20 years of production experience. His credits include over 60 films including as Traffic, Blade: Trinity,Ray, Batman & Robin, U-571, Air Force One, TV shows including Deadwood, and over 70 commercial spots. In this Creative Cow Magazine Extra from the Visual Effects issue, Steve talks about invisible effects in projects he has worked on, with ideas you can use for your own projects.
11/18/2008
Author: Steve Wright |
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Adobe After Effects | Behind the Scenes from Behind Oasis
When one of the world's biggest rock and roll bands, Oasis, celebrated a career's worth of achievement, the film playing behind Rock-n-Roll Star was created by Creative COW author Nel Johnson and the team at Studio Skylab. Learn the After Effects techniques that helped them complete the project under a ridiculous deadline, while wowing Oasis and a worldwide audience. As Nel puts it, "We locked ourselves away, cranked up the music, and went nuts." In this Creative COW Magazine Extra, we take a closer look at the story, starting with the creation of the film's unique look.
08/12/2008
Author: Nel Johnson |
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Adobe After Effects | Cineon Files: What They Are, and How To Work With Them
Expert film compositor Pete OConnell 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. If you work with film files or want to, you need to read this article.
High Bandwidth/Large File Warning: Due to the fact that this article deals with film images, the image sizes are large and this article contains 32MB of images in the HTML file.
12/27/2007
Author: Pete O'Connell |
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Adobe After Effects | Building a 3D World in After Effects
When a project requires a photo-realistic 3D world, After Effects isnt usually the first program that comes to mind. Typically a 3D modeling/animation program is necessary to create virtual 3D worlds, but in this article CreativeCOW contributing editor Bill O'Neil demonstrates creating a 3D world for a TV spot he was hired to direct and post for the Big Ten Basketball Conference.
08/10/2007
Author: Bill O'Neil |
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Adobe After Effects Techniques | Building a Professional Machine Room
You bought a new Final Cut Pro system to go with your Avid Media Composer or your other Final Cut Pro systems. You have an After Effects system with an AJA, Blackmagic or other card in it, so you can capture video and audio on this station as well. Your neighbor in the next office has a ProTools or a Logic system, and he wants to tie into some of your machines. You're on your way to becoming exactly what you didn't want to be - a facility. Oh no!
04/06/2007
Author: Bob Zelin |
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Adobe After Effects | Designing Content for a Multi-Screen Video Display
Matt Hall reveals an easy method for creating multi-screen display video presentations for use in trade shows, concerts and other events and situations.
By following Matt Hall's instructions in this article - and cross-checking your own settings in Adobe After Effects against Matt's settings - you can learn the secret of multi-screen display presentations.
04/06/2007
Author: Matt Hall |
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Adobe After Effects Expressions
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Business & Marketing | Finding the Way to Real Money - Full Time
Industry pros reveal how they got ahead and ways to stay there... Tim Wilson reveals some professional business secrets video and effects artists have shared with him over the years of how they have come to make money doing the work they love to do.
01/16/2007
Author: Tim Wilson |
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Adobe After Effects | Fox Classics Spot: A Lesson In 3D Layers, Roto and Expressions
In this After Effects tutorial from The Creative COW Magazine, John Dickinson walks you through his creation of a completed design and animation of a spot for Fox Classics in Australia. John shares the settings, effects and filters he used in this real world After Effects video production walk-through.
05/13/2006
Author: John Dickinson |
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Podcasting | Creating Tutorial Podcasts
With all the tutorials that I produce for the Creative Cow After Effects Podcast, the question I get emailed everyday isn't even related to AE, it's: ''How do you make your podcasts?'' In this podcasting tutorial from The Creative COW Magazine you will learn the long awaited answer to that question.
05/04/2006
Author: Aharon Rabinowitz |
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