Archive for August 6th, 2012

SAFETY HARBOR, FLORIDA – AUGUST 2012: Given this year’s record-breaking heat and drought, Metric Halo is pleased to announce the end of summer. And, incidentally, it is also pleased to announce its End of Summer Sale! All Metric Halo hardware and software is on sale from August 7, 2012 to September 15, 2012. Audio professionals can count on shaving a hefty 15% to 25% off everything from the flagship ULN-8 preamp/converter/DSP to the Mobile I/O 2882 to the new Production Bundle (a collection of fabulous sounding Metric Halo plug-ins). Been itching to get SpectraFoo so that you can finally and truthfully see what you’ve been hearing? Now is the time. Need some extra channels of TEC Award-winning conversion? Buy the LIO-8 while these discounts are being offered.

“Just like the hot days of summer, this sale will be over soon – so put more

New York, NY – Commercial production company IDENTITY signed new director Jean Baptiste Leonetti. The signing comes on the heels of the completion of his first feature-length film, “Carré Blanc” which was featured at both the Toronto Film Festival and AFI Fest; IDENTITY has already starting bidding commercial projects for him.

Leonetti has been directing commercials in France for the past ten years and is known for his performance-driven, documentary style. He has shot more than 60 commercials for brands that include Canon, Playstation, Coca Cola, Renault, Peugeot, France Telecom and many others. He studied arts, photography and cinema at L’Efet, where he graduated first in his class with honors, and then broke into advertising by directing several spots with French prodco Lapac, Cake and later through his own production company Solair Films. He is currently represented for commercials by IDENTITY both in North America and in Europe.

“We met Jean Baptiste through Stephanie Bruni, a producer that we frequently work with, also a close collaborator of his, and we instantly fell in love with his film,” said Joe Masi, Founder, IDENTITY. “There is a beautiful rawness and authenticity to his work; his cinematic visual style is really a perfect fit for us.”

“I was looking for a new home base for commercials which I am shooting while working on my next feature film project, and I really liked the approach and focus of IDENTITY,” said Leonetti. “They work with a small group of directors whose work Joe really cares about and I’m looking forward to producing more commercial campaigns both in the US and in Europe.”

About IDENTITY:
In a world where sameness is on the rise, IDENTITY wins by imprinting every project with visual sophistication and refreshing individuality. Leveraging a highly-sought after directorial roster, Owner/EP Joe Masi has made his mark on award-winning work for Nintendo, Honda, Budweiser, 7UP, Tommy Hilfiger, Infiniti, and Gucci. IDENTITY fosters and supports an environment where creativity can flourish. Headlining the visual-style genre, IDENTITY’s directors cover the complete range of storytelling and effects. IDENTITY’s directorial roster includes: Anthony Atanasio, Javier Blanco, Laurent Chanez, Scott Corbett, Pierluca de Carlo, Sophie Caretta, Mathilde De L’ecotais, Fortune Cookie, Leo Kocking, Robert Leacock and Andrew Walton. www.IDENTITYid.com

Santa Monica, Calif.— Commercial, music video and feature film director Duane Crichton has joined The Joneses for exclusive representation for U.S. advertising work. The agreement marks the first time that Crichton, a Canadian, has been represented in the United States. He is represented by Partners Film Company, Toronto, in Canada, where his credits include work for Volkswagen, Toyota, Rogers, Home Depot and Ontario Tourism. He first garnered wide attention when his Adidas spec spot Three won a Shots’ Young Directors Award at Cannes. more

Huntsville, Alabama – For three weeks prior to the opening of the Summer Games in late July, customer service personnel from PESA, a leading U.S.-based custom design and build manufacturing company for professional audio and video signal distribution, were on site at the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in London to support the setup and configuration of its routing switcher system, as well as provide training for technical operators.

PESA’s Cheetah fiber optic router plays a significant behind-the-scenes role in the distribution of live and pre-recorded video feeds for local distribution, as well as satellite feeds to the United States for re-broadcast. The router is based on an 864×864 frame – which was instrumental in high definition broadcast signals in previous years – populated with 816×800 coax and 48×64 fiber. The system includes PESA’s UCI-2000 controller card that allows it to be controlled via a Sony control interface.

In addition, the Korean Broadcast System installed a complete PESA system, also connected to the main IBC routing system, to support its coverage. The KBS system includes a Cheetah 288×576 video router coupled with a DRS audio router.

“PESA has been providing equipment and service support to broadcast Summer and Winter Games since 1988,” said Chuck Tillett, president and COO of PESA, “and we look forward to supporting our clients at future competitions.”

Designed to support 24/7 routing requirements, the Cheetah line of routing switchers offers a wide range of frames and card configurations. All Cheetah frames feature hot-swappable modules as well as redundant, load-sharing power supplies and superior air flow design for easier service and higher reliability. DRS is a full-featured, 24 bit, 96 kHz distributed routing system that uses high-speed multiplexing technology instead of a crosspoint matrix array for audio and time code signals.

About PESA

As a leading provider of audio/video connectivity, PESA offers a wide selection of routing switchers, matrix switchers, extenders, converters, media extenders, and signal processing gear to support government, military, industrial, commercial, broadcast and mobile truck applications. PESA offers one of the widest ranges of AV products – from large scale fiber optic routing to single-point CAT-5 DVI extenders – each with the integrity and innovative high performance technology expected from PESA. Our products are available around the world from a leading team of channel partners offering local support and installation; and all of our products are supported by 24/7 technical support. To learn more about our technologies and services visit www.pesa.com. PESA is located in Huntsville, Alabama with regional offices throughout the United States.

All products mentioned herein are trademarked property of their respective owners.

Press Contact

Mark J. Pescatore
Pipeline Communications
561-531-3106
mark@pipecomm.com

Company Contact

Dan Holland
VP, Product Marketing
256-726-9200
dholland@pesa.com

As more and more film and television productions move to digital acquisition, directors and cinematographers have increasingly sought simple means to “pre-visualize” color on the set in order to have better control over the look of their footage from dailies through post production.

Many filmmakers have found that predefined 3D look-up tables (LUTs) are inadequate for projects shot with digital cameras, especially when recording in raw modes. While these preset LUTs are of some value for previewing intended looks, their lack of flexibility and the color information they provide can be limiting, or lost during post production as it is often not retained as part of the original camera media. more

Composer of MASS EFFECT, QUAKE Series and TRON: EVOLUTION Previews Forthcoming Electronic Music EP with Original Sci-Fi Short

Los Angeles, CA – Sonic Mayhem, also known as award-winning composer and soundtrack producer Sascha Dikiciyan, the creator of original music scores for video games such as Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect 2: Arrival, Quake II, Quake III: Arena and Tron: Evolution, has released a teaser video for his forthcoming EP, DOOMSDAY. The first release of Sonic Mayhem’s technological singularity concept, the teaser video invites you to experience a new wave of electronic punk movement coming this fall.

Watch the DOOMSDAY EP teaser video at www.sonicmayhem.com/ep and come join the Resistance!

DOOMSDAY features all new music by Sonic Mayhem, including: “Bleed Forever,” “Sequence of Chaos,” “Doomsday,” “A New Dawn,” “125 GeV” and more.

For more information and updates, visit www.sonicmayhem.com/ep.

“Every artist bleeds for his art, but would a machine bleed for his?”

About Sascha Dikiciyan
Sascha Dikiciyan is one of the most distinctive and prolific music composers in interactive entertainment, renowned for his cutting-edge electronic sounds and hybrid scores for blockbuster franchises such as Mass Effect, Tron, Quake and Borderlands. Drawing upon his heavy electronic music roots in Berlin and Hollywood, Sascha’s original scores feature epic synth soundscapes, raw electronic beats and musical sound design mixed with live orchestra. Sascha moved from Berlin to Los Angeles in 1993, where he studied at Hollywood’s famous Musicians Institute as well as UCLA’s prestigious School of Music. In 1997, Sascha’s unique electronic/industrial sounds caught the attention of pioneering game developer id Software, who approached him to compose music for the award-winning Quake II. Sascha’s musical identity as “Sonic Mayhem” was born and has since become one of the leading, progressive voices in music for games.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MTI Film has added Storm FX Distributions Pty Ltd, a Sydney, Australia-based distributer of design, modelling and finishing solutions, to its international network of value-added resellers. Storm FX will represent MTI Film’s full product line, including its newly-introduced Cortex family of products, throughout Australia and New Zealand.

“We are very pleased to announce our new relationship with Storm FX,” said MTI Film Director of International Business Development Belinda Merritt. “Storm FX is very highly regarded in the Australian film and television industry and has an excellent track record for introducing new technologies. They also share our commitment to customer service and support. They are an excellent representative and advocate for our products.”

MTI Film debuted Cortex at NAB 2012 to great acclaim. The family of products is designed to address the migration of files from digital capture of production elements to editorial and post bringing coherence and portability to the process of managing digital assets from the set to the screen.

more

Fremont, CA – August 6, 2012 – Blackmagic Design today announced a major new software update that adds full audio mixing capability to its ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio. ATEM Switcher 3.2 audio mixer software lets customers mix embedded audio from SDI and HDMI inputs, as well as external audio inputs. For ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher, audio mixer software also supports mixing audio from it’s two built-in media players. This software update is available now for download free of charge for all Blackmagic Design ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio customers.

Now all ATEM switcher models include a built-in audio mixer that uses embedded HDMI and SDI audio from cameras, media servers decks and other inputs so customers do not need an external audio mixer. ATEM Switcher 3.2 audio mixer software also enables audio mixing from external audio sources via dedicated audio ports. External audio is mixed for ATEM Television Studio from the AES/EBU input, and on ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher models audio from the audio breakout cable. On ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher models, the audio mixer can also mix audio from the two built in media players, and it contains independent controls for setting the audio level and selecting SOLO audio monitoring.

Once SDI and HDMI cameras are connected to the switcher for vision mixing there are no other connections to make as the audio mixer uses the embedded audio in the video signal. This not only saves customers money, but is also much less complex than having to route through an external unit. Already incredibly compact, both ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio are now perfect for use on location in fly away kits or in small spaces with broadcast trucks as you don’t have to find room for bulky audio mixing desks.

The elegantly designed and easy to control software interface provides level and balance control for each input, and you can either set audio to follow video or perform a direct mix. Audio-follow-video (AFV) allows audio to crossfade when the inputs change, while direct mix allows an input to be permanently mixed into the program output independent of the current active input. On the ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher models the audio output can be used as a dedicated monitor output by selecting SOLO. This exclusively outputs the single source audio to the monitor output so you can listen and confirm audio content before putting it to air without affecting the program output audio.

“Now adding the ability to mix and control program audio directly within the ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio models is very exciting,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “We had previously released the audio mixer software for the ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher and the feedback we had from customers was awesome. It’s really exciting to now have this audio mixer across the ATEM switcher range including the 1 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio. So many ATEM switchers are being used in installations where space is a premium and now customers can totally eliminate the need for additional equipment. What’s best, is this is a totally free update for our customers!”

ATEM Switcher 3.2 Audio Mixer Features
Built in audio mixer for ATEM 1 M/E and ATEM 2 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio models.
Level and balance control for audio from each video input, media players and external audio input.
Audio-follow-video (AFV) allows audio to crossfade when inputs change.
SOLO enables audio output to be used as a dedicated monitor output on ATEM 1 M/E and 2 M/E Production Switchers.
Direct mix allows an audio input to be permanently mixed into the program output.
Audio mixing is accessed through and ‘Audio’ tab within the ATEM Control Panel Software.
Free software update for all ATEM customers.
ATEM control panel software including audio mixer is available for both Mac OS X and Windows.

Availability and Price
ATEM Switcher 3.2 audio mixer software is available now for download free of charge now from the Blackmagic Design web site.

Press Photography
Product photos of the ATEM audio mixer software interface, ATEM 1 M/E Production Switcher and ATEM Television Studio are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images.

About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, while the company’s DaVinci Emmy™ award winning color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Maker of the Best-Selling Motion Capture Camera in History Delivers Exceptional Performance to Large-Volume Production Studios, Military Simulations and Engineering Applications; 4.1 Megapixel Prime 41 Paves the Way as First Model in the Prime Series.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — August 6, 2012 — The OptiTrack advantage now extends to the high-end motion capture market with today’s announcement of the Prime Series—a new family of motion capture cameras tailored specifically to large-volume capture. Offering capture volumes that extend up to 150’ with unmatched pixel-for-pixel tracking precision throughout, the 4.1 MP Prime 41 provides VFX studios, game developers, universities and labs with the tracking technology necessary for the most ambitious motion tracking and capture applications—all at the accessible pricing that OptiTrack is famous for. At one-third of the cost of the nearest competitive product, the Prime 41 enables massive capital cost savings and higher camera coverage with the same investment.

“The Prime Series rewrites the rules around performance and usability for high-end motion capture projects,” said Brian Nilles, OptiTrack’s Chief Strategy Officer. “We listened to our user base, and then designed a camera series that simply and elegantly goes to work from the moment it comes out of the box. It’s simpler to set up, easier to operate and is best in class in terms that matter for precision 3D tracking. And because we ship more cameras than anyone else in the world, our component buying power and in-house manufacturing facilities enable us to provide this level of performance at 1/3 the price of others.”

Key Features

Built for full-scale, large-volume motion tracking, the Prime 41 enables capture volumes of up to 75′ x 150′.

4.1 MP resolution
More than 80’ camera-to-marker range
Infrared strobes usable with other film/video/photography
180 FPS capture rate
Global shutter
GigE and PoE+
Simultaneous body and finger tracking
Outdoor motion capture
Aim Assist button offers simple, rapid single-user setup
Genlock, SMPTE Time Code and external sync

This launch marks another milestone in a year that also saw the release of the Flex 13, the world’s first megapixel mocap camera for under $1000.

“After democratizing mocap at the entry-level with our V100 cameras, and then expanding into megapixel mocap with the Flex 13, we set our eyes on large-volume performance,” added Jim Richardson, OptiTrack CEO. “The Prime value proposition is so stunningly different from what people have come to expect. They have been trained to expect to pay a lot to get a lot. Like all of our motion capture products, the Prime 41 will turn heads for bucking that trend so aggressively. The Prime series is such a great performing camera and the way it fits in with our customers’ workflow is second to none. The fact that it is 1/3 of the price of others in its resolution class provides a massive commercial advantage for OptiTrack customers.”

Pricing and Availability

The Prime 41 is available now and is priced at $4,999 ea. For more information, please contact the company’s headquarters in Corvallis, Ore. at 1-888-865-5535 or visit them at: www.optitrack.com.

About OptiTrack

OptiTrack™ is the largest motion capture provider in the world, offering high-performance optical tracking at the most affordable prices in the industry. The OptiTrack product line includes motion capture software and high-speed tracking cameras, as well as contract engineering services. Used by facilities worldwide in a variety of markets ranging from film and games to sports training and biomechanics, OptiTrack customers include the top in their respective fields.

Entertainment customers include: Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, Ubisoft, Rockstar Games, Halon Entertainment, The Moving Picture Company, Animatrik, Audiomotion Studios, nvizage, Luma Pictures, Proof and other top studios and developers around the world. Engineering customers include: Boeing, NASA, Lockheed Martin, John Deere, Mechdyne, Under Armour, Stanford University, Duke University, Laser Shot, Mitsubishi and Dassault Systems. Biomechanics and Gait Analysis customers include: Toronto Rehab, Queens University, Ohio State University, Duke University and many others.

Live Demos of New Mobile Render Farm Management App in Booth #516; Free Artist Workshop and Birds of a Feather Event Planned

Los Angeles, CA – August 6, 2012 – This year at SIGGRAPH 2012, PipelineFX will be showing off two new additions to the Qube! render farm management family: a new app named Qube! MobileViewTM, which makes viewing and managing render tasks on a mobile device easy, and a CPU core coordinator called QBLockerTM. Live demos of each product will be held in booth #516. They will also be hosting a Birds of a Feather event and a free Qube! Artist Workshop on-site at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

PipelineFX’s first Birds of a Feather discussion on August 8th will cover various “Challenges and Solutions for Today’s Render Pipeline.” Topics include the pain points, trends, and capacity scaling strategies tied to render pipelines, as well as cloud rendering options and hybrid render pipeline models. After a panel discussion, the room will be opened up to audience questions. PipelineFX’s free Qube! Artist Workshop (RVSP required) will be held on August 6th and will provide a window into Qube! and its many benefits for industries that rely on rendered content. For more information, please see below.

QUBE! ARTIST WORKSHOP

Date: Monday, August 6th, 2012

Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 301A

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m.

RSVP: Please contact: michelle@pipelinefx.com


BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Date: Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 402A

Time: 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Qube! MobileView frees pipeline supervisors from their offices, by giving them access to their render farm from anywhere there is mobile reception. Once securely logged in, supervisors and artists will have the ability to view job progress, kill jobs and re-try failed frames. For added flexibility, PipelineFX has made the app customizable through Python scripts, making the job of tracking your queue status simple and shapeable. With Qube!Locker, users will be able to better utilize their workstation’s processing power, as this new feature for their render farm management software Qube!, provides an easy way to lock and unlock CPU cores with a quick click of a button.

“For our 10th SIGGRAPH, we wanted to deliver something that made professional render management an even more intuitive and approachable process for pipeline managers,” said Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX. “Then we got inspired, and came up with two.”

To schedule a meeting with PipelineFX during SIGGRAPH, please contact michelle@pipelinefx.com.

About Qube!™ and Smart Farming™

Qube! is an intelligent, mature and highly scalable render management solution that can be quickly integrated into any production workflow, and is backed by world-class technical support. Smart Farming delivers intelligence to production pipelines by providing business-critical insight into render pipelines, maximizing investment in rendering infrastructure and automating manual processes. Qube! works out of the box with all leading content creation applications and is truly cross-platform with all software components available on Windows®, Linux®, and Mac OS®X operating systems.

About PipelineFX:

As the leading provider of intelligent render farm management solutions for digital content creation, PipelineFX provides software, support, consulting and training services worldwide. Over 600 customers across film and visual effects, post production, broadcast, design, games and education include Arc Productions, BBC, Cinesite, Deluxe, Digital Domain, Electronic Arts, General Motors, Google, HBO, L.M.U., Laika Studios, Lockheed Martin, Mackevision, Method Studios, NBC, NHK, Nvidia, Original Force, Pratt University, Procter & Gamble, ReelFX, RIM, South Park Studios, Target, and Technicolor. PipelineFX is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and has offices in London, Honolulu, Portland, Las Vegas, and Vancouver.