Archive for February 22nd, 2011

3D Film Factory’s popular hands-on 3D workshops teach the principles and art of 3D production.
The 3D Film Factory’s popular, monthly 3D training workshops are set to continue in both New York City and Hollywood in 2011. These comprehensive, hands-on sessions guide filmmakers thru the principles and art of stereoscopic 3D production, including 3D camera systems, real-time 3D viewing, and 3D post production.

Workshops are a full day and cover the following topics; HD 3D digital shooting, camera selection, genlock issues, lighting for 3D, beam-splitter vs side-by-side rig usage, rig calibration , 3D shooting ratios demystified, gauging depth and pop, convergence, perfect alignment, easy 3D post workflows, and all the other details you need to know to create superior quality 3D entertainment.

3D Training is geared for individuals preparing to shoot a 3D production, be it a commercial, short, documentary and/or feature film in the real world. more

Hollywood, CA, Feb. 22, 2011 –Jay Silverman Productions has been tapped by ABC TV to produce a live action, on-air promo touting the upcoming, March 6th debut of “Secret Millionaire,� a new reality series.

The Jay Silverman Productions promo spot was shot in Hollywood just around the corner from the company’s production facility. The spot features the character of a cloaked man, as he navigates a dark and ominous street in search of underprivileged individuals for whom he can do good deeds, with his goal to benefit others. The mysterious man featured in the promo is revealed to be millionaire James Malinchak (a wealthy American businessman, one of the world’s most recognized motivational speakers, and a contributing author to the best-selling book series “Chicken Soup for the Soul�). Malinchak will be one of the real life millionaires participating more

Mi utilized Craft Animations’ Craft Director Studio to create the fully CG game trailer

The promotional video game trailer may indeed be the most important aspect of a video game package. Created to link potential players to the overall story line, cinematics and features of a game, the trailer itself serves as the first impression. So, why shouldn’t an animated trailer be completed in the same way the product is intended to be played?

Manchester-based animation and visual effects studio Mi took this exact approach while creating the fully CG trailer for Activision’s NASCAR The Game 2011< \em>. Integrating Craft Animations’ Craft Director Studio (CDS) toolset, Mi was able to animate over 40 NASCAR cars involved in the trailer using an Xbox controller. Based on cutting-edge research in autonomous control systems, CDS tools simulate the complex physical behavior of 3D vehicles and cameras in real-time. Their ability to be controlled by various input devices such as video game controllers, 3D mice more

OptiTrack V120:Duo

As the role of motion capture in virtual production expands, OptiTrackâ„¢ continues to offer game developers and animation studios optical tracking technology that is priced to meet an independent budget, but powerful enough to drive AAA development. GDC 2011 marks the release of a new advancement in accessible motion capture: the OptiTrack V120:Duo and V120:Trio tracking systems.

Designed for desktop-friendly motion capture, the Duo and Trio offer the power of multi-camera, six degrees of freedom (DOF) object tracking in a single, plug-and-play package. Each tracking system is self-contained and factory calibrated for out-of-the-box tracking that is simple to use, but still offers the leading accuracy and flexibility of optical tracking technology.

“As game developers are increasingly under pressure to create compelling content within shorter development cycles, motion capture technology offers animators more

Gearhouse South Africa’s AV division has invested in an initial batch of 100 of Christie Digital’s amazing multi award winning MicroTilesTM – one of the most innovative and successful digital signage products on the market – which have already been utilised for a wide variety of projects.

Gearhouse AV’s operations manager Bhans Sheomangal explains how they were looking for a reliable product that can be easily deployed and used for numerous tasks including the creation of multiple plasma screen effects. The brief was to find something that was “Good quality with excellent and consistent colour reproduction,” he comments, adding MicroTiles are proving to be the “perfect” solution for many applications.

Built on proven DLP technology, MicroTiles are specifically designed for maximum image quality in demanding, high ambient light level environments. The price is also good, and this combined with the general robustness more

Underkoffler Joins Top Experts Andrea Kalas, Rob Hummel, Steve Kochak, Michael Friend and Many More Over Two-Day Conference

(Burbank, CA) Createasphere Digital Asset Management Conference and Expo, the leading industry event catering directly to the digital asset management community, will present visionary technologist John Underkoffler, co-founder and Chief Scientist of Oblong Industries, as Keynote Speaker on March 2nd, 2010. On Thursday, March 3rd, in another keynote address, an expert panel tackles the topic “Mission Critical” a discussion of how digital possessions must be actively managed during rapid technical revolution to keep them available for years to come. The Mission Critical panel, moderated by Rob Hummel, Group 47 LLC, will feature Andrea Kalas, Paramount Pictures, Steve Kochak, Deluxe Media Services, and Michael Friend, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Createasphere’s Digital Asset Management Conference returns to the Universal Hilton on March 2nd and more

WAYNE, N.J. – All Mobile Video (AMV) recently furnished its Epic 3D mobile production unit with lenses from FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Optical Devices Division for use on Sony HDC1500 Series cameras and Sony HDC-P1 cameras on 3ality Digital 3D stereoscopic rigs. The Epic 3D features six Fujinon HA23x7.6BERM HD Premier Series ENG-Style telephoto lenses and 12 Fujinon HAs18x7.6BRM Premier Series HD ENG-Style telephoto lenses. Each 3D rig on the truck includes two lenses for stereoscopic 3D production. There are six 3ality Digital 3flex 3D camera rigs on the Epic 3D truck – four TS-2 Studio Beamsplitter rigs and two TS-4 Side-by-Side rigs.

The 3D engineers who worked the rigs and other AMV 3D camera equipment have been enthusiastic about their experience with the new Fujinon lenses. “They were ecstatic with how well the lenses lined up with each other,� said more

Joe Scrivo, President of BSE

Grass Valleyâ„¢ is pleased to announce that Broadcast Systems & Equipment (BSE), a leading supplier/systems integrator to the broadcast, telco, and cable industries in Canada, has joined the growing network of authorized resellers handling Grass Valley equipment and systems around the world.

BSE has signed on to become a dealer of Grass Valley’s extensive portfolio for customers across Canada and will handle the entire Grass Valley product line, including cameras, production switchers, video servers, as well as the entire line of shrink-wrapped Professional AV products (including the ADVC® video converters for Macintosh or Windows platforms, and MEDIAEDGE® video distribution system).

“We like the depth of the Grass Valley product line and the company’s strength in broadcast servers, cameras, and news editing products and we think that our customers will benefit from all that Grass Valley has to offer,� said Joe Scrivo, President at BSE. “The camera and server markets are two key areas that this new agreement will help us penetrate to a much larger extent than we have previously. It adds a whole new dimension to our business.�

“Our resellers are an integral part of our company’s on-going strategy to support our customers and their wide-ranging needs at the local level,â€? said Jeff Rosica, Executive Vice President for Grass Valley. “Our goal is to provide customers throughout the world with easy access and the best available support for our products and systems in the specific markets where they work. BSE is a leader in its market and provides the expertise and understanding of production workflows that our customers need to make informed buying decisions. We’re pleased to welcome them to our valued reseller family.â€?

With offices coast-to-coast, the company is based in Scarborough, ON and has been doing business as BSE since 1999 (with a long history of radio-based products before that). BSE offers a full range of equipment sales and rentals, as well as comprehensive system integration and design services. Recent large-scale projects that used BSE’s equipment and expertise include last year’s Winter Games in Vancouver for the BBC and CTV, Foxtel and APTN, and the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi India for the BBC.

For more information on BSE, visit http://www.bse.on.ca/.

Disclaimer: Grass Valley is not an official sponsor of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada, nor is it affiliated in any way with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Vancouver Organizing Committee of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (VANOC), United States Olympic Committee (USOC) nor any other National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG).

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Recently launched, Mighty Film, has added director Alexander Paul to its roster. His ability to direct elegant, lifestyle and performance-driven visuals for the likes of Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Porsche and Volkswagen has led to global work in Europe, Asia, South Africa and the US.

“We are excited about Alexander joining us,” noted Mighty Co-Founder/Owner Blair Stribley. “His work with a versatile set of clients as a writer, producer, and most recently, a director is in tune with our vision; we know he’ll lend a fresh perspective to Mighty.”

Paul produced and wrote over 450 commercials before automotive manufacturer Mercedes approached him to direct, allowing the German-born talent to create his own signature style. American audiences will be familiar with Paul’s recent batch of commercials running on National TV including work revving up the Buick brand.

“Alexander is a more

Jean Meunier, President of CEV

CEV, a Montreal, Québec-based company specializing in the sale, rental, custom design, installation, integration, servicing, and product training of best-in-class products and systems for audio and video production and distribution, has joined the growing network of Grass Valley™ resellers and will now serve as an authorized dealer of Grass Valley broadcast products and systems throughout Canada.

In business since 1974, CEV’s professional customers include many of Canada’s top television broadcasters, production and post-production houses, music studios, corporations, government, medical, educational, and financial institutions.

“A great many of our clients use Grass Valley production switchers and servers, so we were excited to be selected as a reseller for Canada,� said Jean Meunier, President, CEV. “Grass Valley has a great track record within the production community of building reliable products that provide 24/7 operation and the best quality video.�

CEV designs, builds, and supports production studios, mobile production trucks, post-production environments, and flyaway kits for a variety of applications. One of the company’s recent projects was helping to design and install a full HD production studio and control room inside the Bell Center, home of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.

“Supporting our customers where they live and work is vitally important and is a key aspect of our go to market strategy, as we continue to make Grass Valley technology available in the most efficient way,� said Jeff Rosica, Executive Vice President for Grass Valley. “CEV is best equipped to provide this type of five-star service to Canadian production professionals and we look forward to working together to make CEV’s business even more successful.�

To support its new Grass Valley Reseller Agreement as well as its clients with the best service possible, CEV’s first priority was to appoint Alain Leblanc as product specialist for Grass Valley products. With 31 years of experience in the broadcast field, Leblanc as already completed technical training on the K2 Summitâ„¢ media server family and is scheduled to attend Kayenneâ„¢ Video Production Center switcher training in March.

CEV has also hired a new Business Development Manager, Steve Broom—a 20-year veteran of the broadcast industry—to handle the Grass Valley account. The company also has a workforce of over 65 permanent employees in Eastern Canada, including six product engineers to provide customer support. CEV’s main headquarters is located in Montréal and operates offices in Québec City, and Halifax Nova Scotia

“We like working with the highest profile clients who require the best technology available, so this reseller agreement with Grass Valley is the type of partnership we want to be involved in,� continues Meunier. “We’re very pleased to be selling what we think are some of the most in-demand products in our region of the world.�

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