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MillimeterConference Targets Post-Production Pros
Mar 31, 2004 12:00 PM, By Stephen Porter
Sidebars
One
Price, All Sessions
FMC Brings Experience to Training
NAB
Continues to Thrive
 Ben Kozuch, the conference chairperson of the NAB Post|Production World Conference, is also the president and cofounder of Future Media Concepts, the nation's premier digital media training organization for editors and graphic designers. Kozuch holds a BA in Engineering from Tel Aviv University and he graduated from the Air Force Academy as a fighter pilot. He also holds an MBA in International Business from the European School of Management in Paris. |
Exciting, new training opportunities await digital artists atNAB2004
The annual NAB show, hosted each April in Las Vegas by the National Association of Broadcasters, already holds the distinction of being the world's largest electronic media show, attracting more than 1,000 exhibitors and nearly 90,000 attendees.
This year, for the first time, the show will also claim the distinction of being the world's largest post-production educational conference, thanks to the addition of the NAB Post|Production World Conference. A massive new undertaking, the NAB Post|Production World Conference will bring to NAB more than 160 sessions designed to provide attendees with intermediate- and advanced-level training in a wide variety of post-production tools and techniques used for video and film editing, compositing and special effects, sound design, 3D animation, web design, and DVD authoring.
"A lot of post-production pros attend our show, and over the years we've tried to provide some educational opportunities for them," says John Marino, NAB's vice president of science and technology. "But this year, we've really taken it to the next level. Our research indicates that people want us to provide a high level of training on the new software platforms that are out there, and I think they are going to be pleased with what we've put together for them."
Developed in cooperation with Future Media Concepts (FMC), the nation's premier digital media training center, the NAB Post|Production World Conference will kick off on Friday, April 16, with a pre-conference Boot Camp. The Boot Camp is targeted at users who need to
 John Marino is vice president of science and technology for NAB and is responsible for the development of the many technology-oriented conferences and seminars presented by NAB. Marino's broadcast experience extends over 20 years and includes the positions of vice president of engineering and director of engineering for a number of broadcast groups. |
brush up on their familiarity with the interfaces of a few key software programs before plunging into the more advanced courses that form the meat of the conference. In total, the Boot Camp consists of five 3½-hour sessions, each serving as a crash course on four different programs—Avid Xpress Pro, Apple's Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop CS and Adobe Premiere Pro.
The conference then begins in earnest on Saturday, April 17, and runs through Wednesday, April 21. During that time, those who've registered for the post-production conference will have the opportunity to move freely among 164 sessions that are broken into 25 different tracks. Many of the tracks are product-specific and are intended to help users develop a deeper understanding of the products' toolsets. Examples of such tracks include Avid DS Editing and Compositing, Photoshop for Nonlinear Editors, Authoring with DVD Studio Pro, and Advanced Motion Graphics with After Effects.
The goal of these 75-minute sessions, says Ben Kozuch, conference chairperson and president and cofounder of FMC, "is to give you enough tips and tricks so that you can go to your next project and save a few hours of production time. Even digital artists who have used a particular tool for a long time should be able to pick up some shortcuts that will allow them to be more efficient and creative immediately."
To make the sessions as useful as possible, conference organizers have been very careful in their selection of session instructors. About 35% are FMC staff instructors, while the rest are power users, freelancers, and book authors. To ensure objectivity, very few instructors were pulled from the ranks of the software vendors themselves, and those few that were come from the vendors' training departments, not their marketing departments.
"It is very important to us," says Kozuch, "to offer sessions that are truly instructional and are not sales presentations."
The Rise of the Digital Artist
According to Kozuch, one of the most important aspects of the conference— beyond the sheer number of sessions being offered—is the diversity of topics. None of the 164 sessions is repeated. That diversity, he says, was developed deliberately in recognition of the fact that the lines between professions have blurred. Video editors now create DVDs and mix sound, webmasters shoot and edit video, and producers do rough cuts.
"In essence," says Kozuch, "we have seen the emergence of a new type of professional, the digital artist, who needs to be able to do many things. You can no longer be successful by knowing how to tell a story using just your editing system because sooner or later, you'll be asked to tweak sound, add a flying title, create an opening effects montage, import some Photoshop graphics, or generate a little explosion in After Effects."
Understanding that, the conference has been set up so that conference attendees pay for a single conference pass that gives them access to all the sessions. Kozuch says this freedom to move between sessions in different tracks is essential for today's digital artist, who is expected to master so many different tools.
In addition to the software-specific sessions, the conference will also include several more general sessions that will provide practical, skill-enhancing tips that can be put to use regardless of the brand of product being used. Some of the more unique general tracks being offered are:
DV Production: The DV format has penetrated not only the corporate video department, but the broadcast industry as well. With the arrival of this format, people who once thought of themselves only as editors or webmasters are now being handed low-cost DV cameras and sent into the field to shoot video. This track aims to provide these users with information about how to conduct a good-looking shoot using DV equipment. Among other things, session instructors will discuss how to light a set effectively and how to capture good sound on location, and will provide tips and tricks for setting up a shot.
Troubleshooting the Digital Facility: Despite its imposing name, this track is not designed for engineers responsible for dissecting computers and repairing motherboards. Instead, the track is geared toward video professionals who work in multi-system environments and who need to share work seamlessly between different platforms. The track will focus on how users can maintain a smooth workflow in such post-production environments.
Nonlinear Editing in News: These days, the broadcast news industry represents one of the biggest growth areas for nonlinear editing systems. Digital systems have begun replacing the long-cherished tape-based system, and in doing so they bring various advantages and disadvantages. In this track, instructors will discuss workarounds for digitizing challenges, editing on location, as well as strategies for getting the most out of an NLE system in a fast-paced and demanding news production environment.
Inside the Creative Mind: The sessions in this track will provide a behind-the-scenes look at various types of interesting projects—be they DVD projects, editing-intensive projects, or special effects-driven projects. In all cases, the focus will be on the creative challenges faced rather than on technical discussions of equipment used. Project production teams will use samples of their dailies and other project elements including footage of the final scenes as they decompose and reconstruct their projects for the audience.
Spanish Language Track: In recognition of the fact that NAB draws attendees from around the world, conference organizers felt it was important to make at least some sessions more accessible to those attendees whose primary language is not English. Toward that end, the conference will include a Spanish Language Track that will offer a varied collection of sessions, including product-specific sessions on Avid, Final Cut Pro, and After Effects. If this track is successful, next year conference organizers might offer tracks in other languages, such as Japanese.
In addition to the training sessions, the NAB Post|Production World Conference will feature two keynote speeches—one each on Saturday and Sunday morning—and will host four Birds-of-a-Feather gatherings on Saturday evening. These informal gatherings will provide a relaxing atmosphere where digital artists with similar interests can mingle with peers and conference faculty.
One final important element of the NAB Post|Production World Conference is the launch of the Individual Creative Excellence (ICE) Awards, a new awards program designed to recognize digital artists who stretch creative limits and craft outstanding works in production and post-production.
"The attendees who come to our convention every year are tops in their field, producing cutting-edge digital art for a variety of audiences," says NAB's John Marino. "Joining with FMC to honor these leaders for their exceptional work is a natural fit for the convention."
At an awards ceremony held during NAB2004, five finalists and one winner in six specific crafts will be announced. The crafts are editing; graphics and animation; sound design; producing and directing; interactive design; and videography and cinematography. Each craft is further classified into the broadcast, non-broadcast, or student industries, and then into additional specific genres.
For more information on the ICE Awards or on any other aspects of the NAB Post|Production World Conference, go to www.nabshow.com and click the link for NAB2004. Full descriptions of all sessions are posted on the website.
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