Archive for January, 2012

From Reliable Products to Customer Support, Anton/Bauer Wraps Up 20th Consecutive Season with the Show

SHELTON, CT, JANUARY 24, 2012—Since their first day of production back in 2001, crew members of the hit reality television series The Amazing Race have counted on Anton/Bauer® products to power them through even the toughest geographic and weather conditions. more

Grass Valley's Karrera Offers Native HD Production

AMS Pictures is headquartered in Dallas (with a second location in Austin), where it maintains three production studios (the largest being 3,700 sq. ft), all supported by a single control room, which the staff of 75 uses to produce live-to-tape and live-to-air shows. There are two outbound fiber paths for distribution. The control room is now being renovated to accommodate the Karrera.

AMS Pictures is now one of the first production companies to offer full HD production and distribution services in the Dallas area and will use the new Karrera (2 M/E version in a 4 RU rack) switcher for all types of video projects – from corporate and educational productions to original programming (documentaries) for live broadcast and cable television distribution.

The Karrera’s size is ideally suited to the dozens of multi-camera studio projects produced each year. Its feature set provides an array of capabilities to increase AMS Picture’s business and offer new services, such as native HD production in the 720p and 1080i formats and full SD/HD simulcast functionality.

“I’ve used the Grass Valley Kayenne, so I know that the Karrera offers virtually all of the power of the Kayenne in a smaller package,” said Bret Harrell, Director of Technology at AMS Pictures. “It’s great that I can get the full functionality of a large system in a mid-sized switcher, and the price point is super. Grass Valley has really produced a real winner.”

The company still produces SD work for its clients as well, and the Karrera allows it to produce simulcast SD/HD shows. Harrell points out that the Karrera’s architecture and intuitive control panel makes this simple to do.

“The Karrera is finding a home with a wide variety of users that might not have been able to afford a larger Grass Valley switcher, but want all of the functionality and reliability of our higher end models,” said Jeff Rosica, Executive Vice President of Grass Valley. “AMS Pictures is the first company in the Dallas area to order a Karrera and, once word gets out in the market, I’m sure they won’t be the last.”

AMS Pictures is working quickly to expand its multi-camera work by upgrading the quality of its equipment. The Karrera is the first step in what the company believes will be a very successful process to grow the company.

About the Karrera Video Production Center
Available in 1.5-2.5 M/E channels in a 4 RU frame and 2.5-4.5 M/Es in an 8 RU frame, the Karrera is a fully digital 10-bit 4:2:2 video switcher with up to 96 inputs and 48 outputs. It features HD/SD SDI signal support with (optional) up/down/crossconverters on selected inputs and outputs, and six keyers in every full M/E—four full-function keyers plus two linear/ luminance keyers. Each full-function keyer has two pages (frames) of video and key storage to free up Image Store outputs and reduce the number of external graphics sources.

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Hollywood—Supervising Sound Editors Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis of Soundelux are among the nominees for Best Sound Editing in the 84th Annual Academy Awards for their work on Drive. This is the third Oscar nomination for Bender. He previously won the award, with Per Hallberg, in 1996 for Braveheart. This is the first Oscar nomination for Ennis. Winners will be announced February 26th in Los Angeles.

more

SAN FRANCISCO — Jan. 24, 2012 — Wohler Technologies today announced that Helsinki-based TV Tools Oy will be serving as a Wohler representative and reseller within Finland. The company will offer the full portfolio of Wohler’s powerful signal management and confidence monitoring solutions, including the new DVM-2443 video monitor and the RMQ 230 quad split monitor. more

New high definition (HD, 2K, 4K) royalty-free stock footage timelapse shot in Milan, Italy have been added in different categories (Architecture, City and Clock) on HDtimelapse.net website.

Some of the locations from Milan, Italy are Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano), Duomo Square (Piazza del Duomo), Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery (Galleria), Christmas Tree, Sforzesco Castle, The Central tower, Torre del Filarete, Fontana del Castello, Piazza Castello, Shopping Area, Clock Tower, Milan Central Train Station (Stazione di Milano Centrale), Via Vittor Pisani, Il Naviglio Grande, Piazza Cavour, Roman Arches (Archi romani di via Manzoni), Old Trams, Piazza Cordusio, Via Mercanti, Sempione Park in Lombardy, Lombardia.

HDtimelapse.net library contains 7000+ time lapse video clips from 127 locations in 40 countries.

Many other clips are in post production from locations such Paris – France; London – England; Verona, Rimini, Genoa, Turin – Italy; Budapest – Hungary; Brussels – Belgium; Bukovina – Romania. If interested in details about one of these locations (short descriptions, snapshot pictures), customers should use the Contact section on HDtimelapse.net website.

Timelapse royalty-free stock footage here: http://www.hdtimelapse.net

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Moira Marquis was born to make music. Marquis attended New York University and earned a major in music business and technology. While still at school, she interned at Manhattan’s legendary Right Track Recording studios and was trained by Grammy award winning engineer Frank Filipetti. She worked with industry greats such as Bob Clearmountain, Ron St. Germain and Ed Stasium, and with artists including James Taylor, Kiss, Carly Simon and Mick Jagger.

Moira Marquis then moved to California where she expanded into engineering television and film soundtracks and working in music editorial services for TV and movies. She became a mom and wanted devote more time to her family yet remain in the music business. Her solution: the 2003 opening of Mo’s Garage, a private recording facility that has hosted an array of diverse artists and acts including Public Enemy, the US Marine Corps Band, The Fizzies, The Blood Arm and others.

Like many engineers, Marquis has been making the move from hardware effects to plug-ins. She’s recently added HARMAN’s Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-In Bundle and PCM Native Effects Bundle to the sonic toolbox at Mo’s Garage, with impressive results.

“I first got a demo of the Lexicon Native Reverb and Native Effects at a trade show and heard enough to make me want to try them in Mo’s Garage,” said Marquis. “I can’t even begin to tell you how impressed I am with these products. I have never heard plug-ins that sound so great and perform so consistently, with no glitches that make you have to stop in the middle of a session, or latency issues where you get timing problems when recording or mixing.”

“I have been a long-time Lexicon fan. When I left Right Track and went out on my own I bought a Lexicon 480L and still have it, but in this age of mixing “in the box” on computer has become less and less practical for me to use it. Between all the cabling, in-and-out calibrations and patch points, the PCM Native Reverb and Native Effects plug-ins actually sound better, besides being easier and faster to use.”

“One of the ironies of engineering today is that we finally have all this excellent and super-convenient digital gear, yet many engineers, myself included, still like analog for that warm, rich sound. However, the Lexicon Native Reverb and Native Effects have that wonderful, rich, natural sound that I want from a reverb or effects unit – and they’re plug-ins.”

“The PCM plug-ins have been a life saver in a variety of situations at Mo’s Garage,” noted Marquis. “For a number of seasons my partner, Tom Banghart, was mixing all the live concerts recorded for the “Last Call With Carson Daly” TV show, including artists like the Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Thievery Corporation and Interpol to name a few. Sweetening live material can be a very tricky situation, and the Lexicon plug-ins were perfect for creating a sense of the space seen on camera yet not necessarily captured in the audio feed.”

“I will be using the PCM Native Reverb and PCM Native Effects on all my projects from now on,” concluded Marquis. “I‘m about to start mixing a jazz/fusion record by the incomparable bass player Brad Russell with the equally incredible Gregg Bissonette on drums. I can’t wait to try the PCM plug-ins on that!”

For more information about Mo’s Garage please visit www.waymolive.com.

The Lexicon PCM Native Reverb and Native Effects Plug-In Bundles are designed to work with popular DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic, as well as with any other VST®, Audio Unit™ or RTAS®-compatible platform. Compatible with Windows® Vista, XP and 7 and Macintosh® computers, the plug-ins offer a host of unique Lexicon reverbs and effects, and hundreds of finely crafted studio presets including classics from Lexicon’s extensive library of sounds.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 12,500 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.0 billion for twelve months ending September 30, 2011.

Move reflects company growth and market presence; building features environmentally conscious systems, redundant data center, more space, and purpose-built work areas
 
Jouy-aux-Arches, France—January 24, 2012—ProConsultant Informatique, the forward-thinking developer of enterprise business management solutions for media companies, today announced the immediate relocation and expansion of its corporate offices to a new, high performance, “green” building on the outskirts of the picturesque village of Jouy-aux-Arches in the Lorraine region of France. Last year, PCI also opened a US sales and marketing office in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
In addition to providing more space and tailored work areas across 8600 square feet on the ground floor, the new PCI facility includes a fully redundant data center with secure, built-in backup for servers, networks, electrical power, and high-speed fiber connectivity.
 
“This move underscores the company’s continued strength, growth, and commitment to better serve our customers,” says Hervé Obed, founder and CEO of ProConsultant Informatique. “The building and location really mirror our values—toward our staff, our customers, and our community at large. It is well designed, technically advanced, and eco-sensitive. Workspaces allow for thoughtful concentration as well as work group collaboration. The building incorporates advanced, innovative technologies—including geothermal power, fiber networking, and backups to give us a data-secure, comfortable, and productive environment for our professional staff. Systems redundancy ensures our ability to provide superior service to our customers. We certainly hope to welcome many of them to our offices for consultations and trainings.”
 
PCI’s new offices are adjacent to the beautiful, canal-lined village of Jouy-aux-Arches which is known for its well-preserved, ancient Roman aqueduct dating back to the second century. The building is part of a carefully wrought development plan for the region that represents the French tradition of successfully marrying historical sites with well-designed new buildings and technical innovation. A large commercial complex with multiple restaurants, shops, and a sports center is scheduled to open in the Actisud area of the village in 2014.
 
Located just off a main highway route, the PCI offices are easily accessible from nearby airports by car or train. High-speed rail service is available to the nearby Metz train station and the TGV Lorraine station.
 
The new office address is 11, Rue Saussaie en Mi-Terre, 57130 Jouy Aux Arches, FRANCE. The direct phone number remains the same: +33 (0)3 87 37 78 78.
 
About ProConsultant Informatique Business Management Solutions
 
ProConsultant software products are designed to reduce the complexity of managing multi-platform content production and distribution. LOUISE™ is a dynamic, fully integrated business information system for managing media programming assets and metadata across multiple, linear, and/or non-linear platforms. LOUISE provides the core framework to streamline all aspects of the digital workflow chain. With its powerful workflow engine, LOUISE serves as a control and information hub; additional modules and functionality improve workflows and automate background processes to increase productivity.
 
The fully integrated MediaBench™ module allows operators to create promos and thumbnails easily and directly within the LOUISE system. All metadata are automatically tracked within the core LOUISE system. MediaBench can also be used to further monetize content through the easy creation of customized overlays for content viewed on non-linear platforms, such as smart phones and Apple iPhones and iPads.
 
The CINDY™ advertising application includes many specialized features for managing ad placements on non-linear platforms, an increasingly important source of revenue. One extension facilitates targeted ad placement into programming viewed on non-linear platforms. For instance, ads can be placed into VOD content based on pre-established, targeted profiles such as desired demographics and advertiser preferences—such as 18- to 24-year-old males with heavy music interests or 25- to-35-year-old adults with interests in news programming. Leveraging its open-platform architecture, this extension will be able to integrate with other advertising software and databases, allowing the customer to maximize existing systems while expanding to targeted, non-linear audiences. This functionality also includes automated invoicing of the non-linear advertising.
 
PCI applications provide enterprise-level, end-to-end solutions which can operate independently or with other devices and software. Thanks to a flexible architecture and open-standards approach, LOUISE and CINDY can be integrated with other systems, allowing customers to tailor a system that best suits their immediate and future needs.
 
About ProConsultant Informatique
 
ProConsultant Informatique, based in Jouy-aux-Arches, France, develops state-of-the-art management software for media organizations. The company’s flagship business management software LOUISE and its advertising sales solution CINDY are enterprise offerings that streamline workflow processes with maximum control and access to information and metadata for management, data exchange, analysis, and reporting. With more than a decade of experience and a proven track record in nearly 250 television and multimedia organizations worldwide, ProConsultant Informatique exemplifies excellence in innovation and performance. For more information, please visit www.proconsultant.net??.
 
Press Contact?
Anna Mae Sokusky ?
Zazil Media Group?
Email: annamae@zazilmediagroup.com
Tel: +1 (203) 968-2825

Hollydazzle

Hollydazzle ushers in the holiday season at City Center at Oyster Point in Newport News, Virginia. Sponsored by the Newport News Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, the event drew 30,000 people to evening festivities that included a spectacular fireworks and lighting display choreographed to holiday tunes both old and new.

Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures highlighted City Center’s 45-foot LED Christmas tree, swept across the five-acre fountain where the fireworks originated, and shot their beams high into the sky to the accompaniment of holiday music and breathtaking pyrotechnics.

“In the past we’ve used other lights, but this year Sharpys were available via Main Light Industries in Wilmington, Delawar,” says Wade Shaner, lighting director with Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Entertainment & Production, which was brought on board by show producers Pyrotecnico. “We were going to use much bigger lights and are glad we didn’t. We wanted a very fast, tight beam fixture, and Sharpy proved to be a kickass little light.”

Shaner deployed 20 Sharpys in four positions, even splitting the package so each position had five fixtures. The pods sat on piers just above water level in the fountain, which measures 400 feet in diameter. One of the piers also contained the LED Christmas tree.

“The Sharpys are an absolutely fantastic piece of equipment,” Shaner says. “You could see 600 feet of beam at some points, and the pods were 400 feet away from each other. The Sharpys were as bright as those huge one-can Skytrackers without having any mass to move. When we shone the Sharpys on the tree, you almost couldn’t see the tree lights!”

Shaner was also impressed by the Sharpys “unbelievably fast” performance. “They were amazing!”

Kevin Hogan served as lighting programmer/designer for Hollydazzle.

A.C.T Lighting is the North American distributor for Clay Paky.

Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Area Manager for North and Latin America, adds, “tis was a very impressive use of our Sharpy and clearly demonstrates the power and flexibility of the fixture. We’re proud that Mr. Shiner was able to use them to such great effect .”

West Midlands UK based video and AV specialist Central Presentations Ltd (CPL) designed and supplied a widescreen projection system and media server control for an annual Awards event for Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. which was staged at Whittlebury Hall Hotel, Towcester, Northamptonshire.

CPL was working for the event’s technical co-ordinators Unity. The overall theme was ‘Sex In The City’, and the brief was that the stage should resemble a new York skyline. They settled on using an impressive digital backdrop, that could have a dynamic range of constantly morphing and changing images projected across it throughout the early part of the evening.

This set the scene for the Awards presentations – together with some jaunty scenic pieces like a pair of giant stilettoes. The room was then transformed into a glamorous eye-catching club space for the after show, with the projections bringing a totally different look and feel to the same space.

CPL’s Nick Diacre designed the 50ft wide by 10 ft high stage set, which was constructed from a series of skyscraper shaped ‘flats’. These had white screen material stretched across their fronts to make the surface completely smooth and seamless.

Diacre produced all the advance work, drawings and visualisations using a combination of AutoCAD for the 2D and Google Sketchup for the 3D elements, which included proportional modelling of how the projection images could be mapped to the set surface. This enabled him to establish the optimum projector positions and the lenses required to completely fill the surface area smoothly and efficiently.

The centre of the set featured a 14 by 7ft 10 inch aperture, into which a 16:9 ratio screen was fitted exactly.

The video content to cover the set was mapped to fit its contours and shape using a Pandora’s Box media server, which also stored the footage, which was played out via three of CPL’s Panasonic DZ110 10K projectors. These were fitted with .9 – 1.1 short throw zoom lenses, which allowed sufficient lens shift to gain maximum headroom for the projectors. They were mounted on a ground support system with a 5.6 metre throw distance to the stage.

The centre screen area was also masked using the Pandora’s Box, and images for this were fed into a separate DZ110, rear projecting from behind the set and stage. The screen displayed and ran all the VT play-ins, Awards stings and information and graphics packages for the presentation part of the evening, as well as live IMAG camera footage of the event action as it was happening.

All the video playback content – custom created for the show and supplied via the client – was stored on the single quad head Pandora’s Box server, programmed and operated by Nick Diacre.

CPL also provided a vision mixer to Unity for the live cameras and a presentation operator in addition to five other crew plus Diacre, who had also worked for CPL on the same show last year.

Once the Awards section of the evening was complete, the DJ started and the room was transformed from a slick presentational stage to a clubby intimate vibe, complete with special funky visuals and animations created and run by Diacre using the Pandora’s Box. These were projected across the mapped portion of the set and looked spectacular!

Says Diacre, “This year SBH decided to up the ante with a much more sophisticated projection set up, which was both challenging and fun. I really enjoyed working closely with Jon Preussner the project manager for Unity, who has the vision and confidence to use technology innovatively to create a flexible, practical and lively environment for the enjoyment of all guests”.

For more press info on CPL, please contact Louise Stickland on +44 7831 329888 or +44 1865 202679 or louise@loosplat.com. To Contact CPL direct, please call +44 1926 484609 or check www.cplav.com

Damer’s Winning Design – Malaria Kills – Raises Funds and Awareness for Malaria No More Foundation

Newbury Park, CA – January 23, 2012 – MAXON, a leading developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions, congratulates digital artist and motion designer Barton Damer on winning first honors place in the Veer Creative Catalyst: Design for Change Competition, an international contest inviting artists to design a compelling socially-themed piece for a charity or cause of their choice. Damer, best known for connecting large brands to core markets under his moniker Already Been Chewed.tv, relied on MAXON CINEMA 4D to create a sophisticated digital illustration entitled Malaria Kills to raise awareness and funds for the Malaria No More Foundation.

The contest was run by Veer.com, the creative source for exclusive fonts and images, in association with other highly regarded international design industry resources, including Slanted, a web portal and quarterly print magazine dedicated to typography and design; onedotzero, a London-based organization that commissions, showcases and promotes innovation across all aspects of moving image, digital and interactive arts; and Depthcore, an international collective focused on modern digital art, incorporating illustration, photography, animation and audio.

Damer’s winning design entry netted Malaria No More a donation of € 2000 from Veer, was recently projected at public spaces in Berlin and London and will appear as a feature story in the February issue (#197) of Computer Arts Magazine.

“It’s really cool to be part of Veer’s competition and I’m honored to receive recognition from several design industry leaders and know that my work will benefit Malaria No More, an exceptionally worthy organization,” says Damer. “Having access to a tool like CINEMA 4D gave me a competitive edge and overall has allowed me to add a whole new dimension to my work – depth! My ideas are no longer bound by what I can draw or what I find in photographs.”

According to Billy Tennent, Creative Director at Veer and one of the competition judges, more than 175 entries were received – all of fantastic quality. “Barton’s design shone out as being exceptionally well crafted and set an unprecedentedly high bar for all other entries,” outlined Tennent. “We’re pleased to be able to make the prize donation to Malaria No More, Barton’s selected charity, that will help save lives and to also show the top winning designs in public spaces around Europe to bring attention to this and other worthy causes.”

“MAXON congratulates Barton on receiving this exemplary award win from the Catalyst for Change Competition judges,” said Paul Babb, president/CEO, MAXON US. “We continue to marvel at the imaginative way Barton pushes the artistic boundaries of CINEMA 4D and appreciate the small role it played in raising awareness for this important cause.”

In Damer’s Malaria Kills piece, shiny, abstract 3D elements generated in CINEMA 4D were composited with photographs of tree limbs, mosquitoes and rocks to make the continent of Africa appear like a large hair piece of a young African queen, artfully using the silhouette of the eastern coast of the continent as the facial profile. The hair tools in CINEMA 4D was also used to create the “shoulder pads” of the African woman. Damer’s workflow also included Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects, with which CINEMA 4D integrates effortlessly.

For Damer, the devastating impact of Malaria in Africa is represented by blurring images of beauty and decay. “At first I want viewers to notice the continent of Africa and a beautiful woman,” said Damer. “Then, on closer introspection, I want people to notice the troubling things about this portrait of “Africa” – Malaria being a big one. The abstract 3D renders were incorporated because they make people question whether they are really seeing a stunning image within the hair or perhaps the shiny backside of a beetle?”

Based in Dallas, Damer has been using CINEMA 4D for the past four years on numerous artistic and corporate projects for clients such as Scion, CBS Sports and AT&T. His previous award wins include the 2009 Digital Artist of the Year, sponsored by Computer Arts Magazine, 3D World Magazine and Intel. Damer will be a guest presenter with MAXON at the Portland User Group, 3DPDX, monthly event on January 26, 2012, where he will explain his creative process and how he relies on CINEMA 4D for both print and broadcast projects.

About MAXON Computer

Headquartered in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, MAXON Computer is a developer of professional 3D modeling, painting, animation and rendering solutions. Its award-winning CINEMA 4D and BodyPaint 3D software products have been used extensively to help create everything from stunning visual effects in top feature films, TV shows and commercials, cutting-edge game cinematics for AAA games, as well for medical illustration, architectural and industrial design applications. MAXON has offices in Germany, USA, United Kingdom, France, Japan and Singapore. MAXON products are available directly from the web site and its worldwide distribution channel. For additional information on MAXON visit, www.maxon.net.

“Malaria Kills” Images:

http://www.maxon3d.com/veer/bdamer1

http://www.maxon3d.com/veer/bdamer2

http://www.maxon3d.com/veer/bdamer3

“Malaria Kills” background video:

http://alreadybeenchewed.tv/blog/2011/12/veer-creative-catalyst/

Already Been Chewed website:

http://www.alreadybeenchewed.tv/

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Media Contact

Vicky Gray-Clark/Ambient PR
408-318-1980/vicky@ambientpr.com