Woven Pixels

It isn't the Chainsaw's Fault Your Kitchen is a Mess

Kent Rich of Granite River Studios is an independent video producer and a friend who is very much from the Do It Yourself school of video. He has grown from transferring home movies to now producing broadcast commercials, web marketing videos and non-profit promotion and development pieces.

He hires contractors when he needs them, but prefers to do most tasks himself. He loves this stuff, and I think he gets great personal satisfaction from knowing he did it all.

Kent has both Adobe Premier and Apple Final Cut Pro. He prefers FCP these days but uses Premier to solve certain problems. 

I know FCP well enough to have been certified by Apple to train others for the last four years. We talk about the times when he chooses to switch tools – most often both tools do the job equally well, but differently.

   OR   …WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU

Avid's Media Composer 5, which will be released this week looks like a winner – Avid users are happy and a little proud. I'm considering adding an Avid system here mainly for the high quality of the "mix and match" feature. Other stuff like Paint, Animatte and ScriptSync will be big bonuses that come along for the ride.

STILL THE MOST EXPENSIVE, BUT LESS SO

STILL THE MOST FULL FEATURED, AND MORE SO

Choose tools for jobs. A chainsaw and a Ginsu Knife are both exceptionally good at cutting. But the chainsaw is a poor choice for chopping vegetables and you will look silly and slow limbing a tree with a Ginsu.

Not Losing Your Data

Short answer for Mac owners…Carbon Copy Cloner and two external drives the same size as your computer's hard drive.

There are other solutions that will protect you, however CCC is easy to set-up and easy is good for important chores that have potentially huge consequences with little or no daily reward.

I'm not a regular PC user, and my work does not require me to maintain PCs, so I don't have an easy answer for PCs. If you have data you care about on PCs, it is worth looking into.

If finding this information and executing a clone correctly on a PC is harder than on a Mac, consider cost of ownership the next time you purchase a computer. 

But I digress…

You might be wondering why I mentioned two hard drives.

Take one of your clones and leave it at a relative's or friend's house. Every couple months or so, swap the clones.

The price of the extra drive – insurance against floods and fires.

Inexpensive Video Production

Starting in the 90's very expensive video production tools became much, much less so.

There have been a number of different responses to this accelerating trend.

From clients, "If you work on inexpensive equipment, your skill set must be inexpensive."

Try asking your plumber what brand of monkey wrench he uses. 

Or maybe ask the chef at your favorite restaurant if you can see his stove so you can judge his quality.

From owner operators with large investments in equipment, "The Flip Minio camera is taking money out of my pocket."

Perhaps jobs that are finished satisfactorily with a Flip and iMovie didn't really need your skill set anyway.

From manufacturers or tech evangelists, "The democratization of video production tools will make all of us content producers."

OK, but history says most of us will be unskilled.

Pen and paper are very affordable, but John Updike clones are not thick on the ground.

The majority of my work is currently in live or short turn around sports.

Although we have seen less expensive tools around the periphery, the demands of live television and the singular draw of sports as a community experience have kept expensive tools in place because they are needed – there aren't inexpensive tools that do the job well enough…yet.

I owned a Canon XL-1 in the late 90s that did a nice job for location scenics. It was approximately 1/10th the cost of an ENG camera.

Starting around 2001 my colleagues started using Final Cut Pro systems in live television trucks for quick turn around craft editing. A Final Cut Pro system was about 1/10th the cost of the alternative.

Recently I have seen a couple of creative business models that leverage the low cost of equipment and the belief that video production is a commodity.

"You Shoot Weddings"

http://www.youshootweddings.com/index.html

and "Demand Media"

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_demandmedia/

I feel both intrigued and fearful when I think about the implications.

Who owns it?

I was inspired by Nike's World Cup promotional advertisement, "Write the Future."

So inspired that I found the music, Hocus Pocus by the progressive rock band Focus, and remixed some marketing video from the athletics department at Proctor Academy, a boarding school in Andover, NH.

I was in violation of copyright law when I pulled Focus's music off of YouTube onto my computer.

I was in violation of copyright law by using Proctor Academy's video.

I was in violation of copyright law for putting the two together.

I was in violation of copyright law for putting the result of my work back up on YouTube.

All true.

However if I were a fashion designer and I found an old jacket that inspired me, I would be free to make EXACT COPIES of the jacket, place my trademark on it, and then resell it as mine with NO ATTRIBUTION.

It seems that clothing, as well as cars, food and other items that are determined to be "utilitarian" are not copyright protected. There is patent protection and trademark protection, but no copyright protection. 

Take a look at this chart.

The industries on the left have low intellectual property protection, the industries on the right have high intellectual property protection.

Hmmm.

Here is the ten minute talk by Joanna Blakely that got me thinking.

Quality and Interest

Top of list matters least (but does matter) and bottom matters most.

Video Quality Technical: Color fidelity, resolution, compression artifacting, stability of focus.

Audio Quality Technical: Sample rate, clarity of highs, preservation of the lows, definition of mid tones, etc.

Video Quality Content: Is the background distracting, is the action compelling, are the most important parts of the shot lit well.

Audio Quality Content: Can I hear what is being said? Do the sounds match the pictures?

Audience Interest: Will the intended audience care? How much? Think Microsoft Certification.

Human Capacity Interest: Amazing feats. Athletes doing spontaneous back flips to celebrate. A guy juggling while riding a unicycle.

Human Frailty Interest: Little kid whacks his uncle in the groin with a baseball bat by accident. On the more serious, gruesome end, Joe Theisman gets his leg snapped by Lawrence Taylor.

News Interest: Content that EVERYONE will finds compelling for it's political or social importance. Haiti earthquake. Protests in Iran.

Then there are videos that turn it upside down, using home video quality to mask CGI.

The New Office Space

Woven Pixels has moved. The construction on the new location is complete. Here are some pictures of the new office space.

One of two entryways – those doors lead out to a loading ramp for moving equipment in and out. Around the corner and down the stairs there is a coat room and another entryway.
The two doorways on the right lead to a kitchen/storage room and to a small office/edit suite.

 That last doorway will lead to an equipment and computer room. It has lots of power and is its own HVAC zone. That will be the engine room of Woven Pixels.

One more looking a back at the entryway. This large room will be the main working area. There will be one edit system in this room and areas for viewing and meeting.

It is a work in progress, but I'm happy we've gotten this far! A special thanks to Steve Manley of Kearsarge Properties for his incredible work to transform this space. Truly amazing.

College World Series – ESPN

This past summer I worked for ESPN covering the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. My job was to cut highlights and recap packages, keeping them all to less than 20 seconds. It was a lot of work, but was also great fun. My colleagues and I managed to have pleny of laughs while still getting it all done.

Omaha is a big-hearted place, combining the friendly relaxed nature of a southern town with the hearty mid-western strength necessary to survive tough winters. The ups and downs of a tournament and the sincerity of the young men who come here to play seem particularly suited to the town. For some, their last organized game will be played here, at Rosenblatt Stadium. Constructed in 1948 in South Omaha, Rosenblatt has hosted the College World Series since 1950. It will continue to do so until 2011, when a new downtown stadium will be ready, and old Rosenblatt will be torn down. The land will be sold to the near-by Henry Doorly Zoo.

There is something about baseball that brings out the joy in many people, myself included. The sounds and smells of the park bring us back to other times. The heavy thwack of wooden bats is replaced with the high pitched PING of aluminum, causing me to remember stinging hands and playing softball with my dad. The young men's voices and laughter remind me that my son, now thirteen and preparing to play on the full sized diamond this spring, is more than half way to manhood.

On my first night in town, June 11th, a series of tornadoes blew through. As I stared at the strange swirling dark green sky outside my 14th floor hotel room window, the phone rang. A polite voice suggested that I join them in the storm shelter on the basement floor. There, I and several hundred new best friends relaxed together below ground, watching the news and waiting for the all clear. It became a bit of a party, and I found myself a bit disappointed when the hotel staff told us it was OK to go upstairs.

The next day we learned that one of the tornadoes had ripped through Little Sioux Scout Camp in near-by Iowa, killing four boys. I imagined their terror, and thought of my son and daughter at home. In the coming days it became clear that many of the boys had acted heroically. The scouts' courage framed the walk off home runs and dramatic catches I would enjoy in the coming days.

The best things and the worst things in life, like tornadoes and home runs, can rest right next to one another. I returned home determined to embrace every day I have.

Specialist or Generalist? Architect or Handyman?

Generalists need to hire specialists to compete on big jobs. Doesn't matter if we are talking about construction, landscaping, video production or healthcare.

That truth begs the question each of us must ask as we choose how to spend our training time and resources:

Will skill "X" improve my bottom line or my joy in what I do?

Skills that transcends tools will last. However deep knowledge of current tools is essential if you want to be near to the rubber hitting the road.

Think of building design and construction as an example.

Architects do not need to keep up on the specifics of crane operation. It is helpful if they know about major changes in the capabilities of cranes, but architects do not need to know how the levers work.

Contractors need broad and fairly specific knowledge of many areas. Plumbing, heating, electric, cement, drywall, etc.

Subcontracts need to focus on being the best available at a certain price point for their chosen skill. Carpenters need to know a lot about nails, lumber, etc. They need to know about plumbing, electric, etc in so far as these trades effect carpentry.

If you do choose to specialize, you have to be learning new skills in the chosen specialty all the time. And to be excellent, you need to understand how the different disciplines interact.

If you aspire to be an architect you need to find big fish clients, because many small projects don't need an architect.

Contractors do well by combining the skills of specialists.

Television and film projects are very like this:

Architect = Large project Producer/Direcctor (Superbowl Commercial/Feature Film)

Contractor = Producer on small to medium project, Operations Manager on large project

Subcontractor = Operator, editor, artist

If you are a client who has little experience with video, imagining your video as a construction project can be helpful. Try to figure out if you need an architect or a handyman before you start shopping.

If you are a producer or director, keep in mind that architects get paid more than handymen, but handymen have less pressure, responsibility and overhead.

If you are a camera operator keep in mind that your deep understanding of editing, while helpful, is not directly relevant to the producer or the client. The little edge that knowledge provides is a secret weapon, the hidden reason why your footage is easier to work with in post production.

Knowing your role and filling it well is critical whatever path you choose.

Why Local Commercials Suck

Most TV commercials are poor because they are done for free. Many local television stations produce commercials as a loss leader to sell the air time.

It is hard to compete with free.

Ambitious, naive producers, myself included at one time, see the sad state of most local spots and think market opportunity.

However convincing a small, local business to pay you for several days of work with gear when they can have a commercial produced by the local TV Station for free is a tough slog until you have proven work.

When I say proven, I don't just mean that the spots look and sound good. The moment of truth for your clients is return on investment.

Will the local spots you produce increase actual sales and help the reputation of the business?

That question is the standard that commercials should measured against. Perceived production quality, although helpful, is not enough

To the marketers and business people reading this, my observations could not be more obvious. But I'm not writing to marketers and business people today.

I'm writing to producers, directors, camera operators, sound recordists, make-up artists, writers – every craft within video production. Although it is critical that we are true to our craft, it is more important that the goals of our clients be served.

If you are signing the checks, it is all about you, and not even then most of the time.

Given that maybe local commercial don't suck in any way that matters. Maybe they just look and sound bad.

When you upgrade…

The decision to upgrade a major piece of software, like Final Cut Studio if you are a professional editor, is a serious one. The preparation and installation can take a day if you are careful.

That being said, not everyone person or every installation needs to be bullet proof. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for upgrading Final Cut Studio.

The smartest move you can make as you begin is to clone your system drive.

Cloning the Disk

A clone is different from a copy. A clone includes files that are invisible to the end user.

If the original disk was a boot disk, a clone of that disk will boot your computer as well. This won't work with USB drives but will work with firewire drives – another reason the new Mac Books bum me out.

You can set up a clone to run overnight. When it is finished test the clone to make sure your computer will boot from it.

To build a clone download either SuperDuper:

http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

Or Carbon Copy Cloner:

http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html

I believe SuperDuper to be the more robust choice, although I've used both in the past without issue.

This is your insurance policy. That is why it is critical that you test the clone – make sure your computer boots from it.

Now you have choice.

Option One - The Gambler

Install the Final Cut Studio discs following the directions on screen.

Run Software update installing everything. Repeat until there is nothing left.

Run Repair Permissions (more on repair permissions in another post, or just google it.)

Reboot and hope for the best.

Although I don't recommend this, it will probably work. The existence of a clone that will boot makes this choice reasonable if you have reasons not to take on option two or option three.

Option Two – Reasonably Cautious

Run Repair Permissions.

Load the Final Cut Studio discs and follow the instructions on the screen. Budget some time to swap discs. When you are done restart.

Run Repair Permissions.

Run Software Update and load all the FCS related stuff. Stay away from Quicktime updates. You want a specific version of Quicktime. Here is the chart and a link the the Digital Rebellion blog, my source:

http://www.digitalrebellion.net/blog/posts/recommended_quicktime_and_mac_os_configurations_for_final_cut_pro.html

Final Cut Pro Version	Mac OS Version	QuickTime Version
6.0.3	10.4.11 / 10.5.2	7.4.5
6.0.2	10.4.11 / 10.5.1	7.3.1
5.1.4	10.4.9	7.1.6
5.0.4	10.4.9	7.1.6
4.5	10.3.9	6.5
3.0.4	10.2.8 Update 2	6.2
3.0	10.2.8 Update 2	5.0.6
2.0.2	9.2.2	5.0.1
1.2.5	9.2.2	4.1.3
1.2.1	8.6	4.1.1
1.0.1	8.6	4.0.3
1.0	8.6	4b16

This can be challenging to get right as the automated Software Update wants to install the most recent version of Quicktime. Most Quicktime updates in the last year have much more to do with the iPhone and Digital Right Management than the Pro Apps. Use google to hunt the version you need down on the web. Today, I found OldVersion.com that looks like it would do the job, though I haven't tested it.

After you run Software update to install the new versions, with or without Quicktime, run Repair Permissions.

Alternate between Software Update and Repair Permissions until your computer finds no more updates to Pro Apps.

Then, if necessary, find and install the correct version of Quicktime. Run Repair Permissions one more time. Then you are good to go.

Option Three - A Fresh Start

Erase your boot drive. The clone is your back up.

Re-install the system software. Upgrade the system software through Software Update. Remember to do the Repair Permission dance.

Upgrade Quicktime to the appropriate version.

Install FCS as Option Two.

Test.

Install the other applications you use, running Repair Permission after each install.

Notes

Option One is likely to work fine. Just by running Repair Permissions once when you finish, you will be way ahead of most FCS installs.

Option Two is a bit smarter and avoids the pain of re-installing the other applications. You are less likely to have immediate issues.

Option Three is a good idea once every 18 - 30 months. You are less likely to have unexplained weirdness in the future if you go this way.

In any case the Clone will prevent down time. If you have an immediate failure, boot from the clone and get to work.

IMPORTANT

When you open pre-existing projects for the first time in FCS 2 it will make some changes to the project that will make the project incompatible with FCS 1. For this reason, copy your project before you open them. Give them a new name – I add 60 to the end to designate the upgrade.

This leaves you a back up copy that will open on the Clone drive.

If you don't wish to deal with the Clone drive and you have more than one Final Cut Studio install, upgrade one computer and then wait three weeks before you upgrade the other one. This is another strategy that will probably work, but that I do not recommend. The clone is a good thing.

Good luck.