Woven Pixels

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.

What I did last summer…

My focus was on three projects/clients for the last four or five months.

ESPN. I was fortunate enough to again be asked to fill in for the impossible to replace Jim Dove on Sunday Night Baseball. Jim goes over to Monday Night Football late in the summer and I've been his edit stunt double on his baseball gig these last two summers. The final game at Yankee Stadium on September 21 was a real honor to work.

NBC. ESPN gave me two weeks off in August to travel to Beijing for the Olympics. I worked the track and field venue, doing slow motion replays. I was responsible for two "super-mo" looks at the finish line, as well as recording an RF handheld camera and a variety of aerial shots from the host feed. The work was good and reasonably challenging, and the company was even better. We even had enough time to see some sights.

Heinemann Publishing. I've been working on a number of DVD companions to book projects for Heinemann Publishing. This has been interesting work, and I'm proud to be a part of the team.

Presenting in Chicago

I was fortunate enough to be invited back to the Chicago Final Cut Pro User Group. I talked about the work flow and techniques I used this summer while working for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

Thanks to Jeff Evenson, Sue Lawson, Steve Eisen and the rest of the group for having me out and treating me so well.

Just Say Love

This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to work for Stagewright Films as they prepared to shoot their film production of David Mauriello's original play, Just Say Love. I was there to help set up their on-site edit suite to manage sound sync and dailies.

Bill Humphreys, a long time colleague and friend, is directing and producing the production. I wish them all the best of luck.

Rockport Workshops

I spent last week in Rockport, ME studying web design. For those of you who don't know, The Maine Media Workshops, as they are now known, are world famous for their intensive one week Photography, Motion Picture and Television workshops. They are under new management, and are expanding into new and exciting areas – one of those areas is web design.

There is so much that happens in a week dedicated to improving craft. Class was comprised of 50% lecture and 50% lab time and ran from 9-5. After dinner, which was generally terrific and prepared on-site, I would go back to my room and work with my notes and do independent study until about 10:30.

Then up at 6:00 to get two hours of work in before heading to breakfast before class.

My skills are in a new place, and I'm excited to get back to business.

The NFL in London

Last weekend I was lucky enough to travel to London for Fox Sports' broadcast of the NY Giants versus the Miami Dolphins from London, England.

Actually we broadcast from, and I stayed in, Wembley.

A nice enough town, but not London proper. Spending five days in Wembley was a bit like traveling to Boston but spending all your time in Somerville. Nothing against Somerville or Wembley, but…

I was hired to edit with Final Cut Pro, Apple's video editing software. My gig was similar to the work I did at the MLB All-Star Game. This time around I did not have access to an EVS XT2 remote, but used EVS IP Director instead.

Two companies that Fox hired to help provide local facilities and technical personnel were CTV, based in London, and CineVideo Group, of Holland. The skill they brought to handling the logistics of equipment and formats was remarkable. Just very good work.

I also work with a number of CineVideo's people for the FIBT-TV World Cup Bobsleigh events. Great people who speak better English than most Americans.

Live sports was a needed break from the web and dvd production I had been doing for the previous four weeks. Deadlines measured in minutes, not weeks or months lends a sense of perspective.