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MillimeterAutodesk Smoke for Mac OS X Beta Sight
Feb 9, 2010 12:00 PM, By Alexandre Domingue, owner, Post-Moderne, Montreal
Finishing software helps keep profitable postproduction work inhouse.
We used Autodesk WiretapCentral to transfer the Red files, applied Smoke's color-correction tools for the color grade, and used the tracking and shot-stabilizing tools. The Action module worked great for removing eye clicking and replacing objects and reflections. Having an all-in-one editorial finishing tool lets us cut and move things so we can see them in context, and in the same way, we can composite in a 3D environment with lights and camera. The ability to work in context is much more flexible, and it lets us try to work more interactively and experiment more without having to commit to creative decisions in a vacuum.
Beyond just the convenience of having common tools in a single package, Smoke also gave us capabilities we didn't have. Things such as putting a soft effect on the timeline and easily pasting it into a clip, having really fast roto and paint, and all of the functionality of the Action schematic for 3D space and 3D text are the kinds of creative tools our clients are used to seeing in high-end online sessions.
The model we used on the two music videos is what we're looking to move into for all of our work. We offline and conform in Final Cut. Then we bring projects seamlessly into Smoke to do the finishing, effects, keying, and titling without having to waste time converting or moving media files. We already have completed editing and finishing on commercials for Hydro Solutions and Vitro-Plus from our clients Jet Films and Productions GO. We have also color graded a documentary film about artist Jean-Daniel Rohrer and completed color grading and compositing on a children's DVD called OĆM. We are also scheduled to do the visual effects and color grading on a film called Jonathan et Gabrielle by Louis-Phillipe Eno. By getting Smoke, we're keeping a percentage of the work that used to go out, and it's the highest revenue work.
Smoke on Mac is a proven and client-respected package that allows us to compete in the finishing space without a huge overhead expense. To us at Post-Moderne, that is its most impressive feature.
Alexandre Domingue is the owner of Post-Moderne, a full-service postproduction facility and camera rental house based in Montreal. Founded in 2002, the company provides services for feature films, documentaries, music videos, commercials, and corporate video projects. Post-Moderne works with companies and filmmakers in Montreal and Canada's Great North. It recently worked on I Killed My Mother, which is Canada's 2009 Oscar submission for Foreign Language Film.
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