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NAB 2004: Editing

Mar 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Bob Turner

Epochal Change at NAB '04
Graphics, Effects, and Animation
Editing
Storage and Networking
Sidebar: In Japan with Sony

Editing

“Democratization” of Filmmaking?

Red Giant's Look Suite now works with popular NLEs.

At NAB, there is going to be a lot of talk about the “democratization” of film/video editing and postproduction. Software-only applications such as Apple FCP and Avid Xpress Pro, as well as Adobe Premiere Pro (and After Effects), Pinnacle Systems Liquid Edition, and Sony Vegas probably best represent this low-cost trend in post.

After pondering the concept of democratization, I have begun to realize that what may actually be happening is a kind of segregation into an upstairs/downstairs culture, with an upper class of postproduction and a lower class of postproduction. This class consciousness has evolved from the realization that although many companies with high-end finishing and digital intermediate services featuring complex graphics/FX compositing and animation facilities appear to be doing quite well in this tough economy, it's the “middle-class” post houses that seem to be hurting — caused by competition from the “lower class” of postproduction. Moreover, the “lower-class” of postproduction has grown somewhat generic, extremely competitive, and with margins so small that if it were not for the “glamorous world of film and video,” very few business-minded people would be interested in competing in this market. It will be interesting to see how this situation shakes out.

For years, there was a belief that HDTV would be the savior of the larger post houses. At this year's NAB that hope appears to be vanquished. Manufacturers supporting the HDV format, Microsoft's Windows Media 9 HD solution, possibly some MPEG-4 HD products, and the latest QuickTime and DVPro-50 offerings will promote the “democratization” of HD and digital cinema. Movies and long-form programming will be showcased to promote the premise that low-cost solutions exist for professional moving-image storytellers. Many filmmakers will be taking a close look at Cineform's Aspect HD and at what Red Giant Software is offering with Magic Bullet.

Cineform Aspect HD and Connect HD are the plug-ins that enable an editing application to work with HDV media. NLE manufacturers, including Sony Digital Media (Vegas software), Adobe Systems, Applied Magic, and others, will be featuring Cineform technology.

Expect to see many more low-cost HD editing systems to choose from. Adobe Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas will surely be demonstrating HD on one or more of the above formats. Avid will have Media Composer and NewsCutter with HD options. Leitch will introduce an HD version of Velocity, and Media 100 will be offering the Media 100 HD for sale. Matrox will be demonstrating its new HD editing technology. Pinnacle Systems' Liquid will be offering HD with an HDV solution, in addition to the Pinnacle Systems Cinéwave offering. Canopus will unveil its new realtime HD solution that includes an HD-SDI card and the new EDIUS Professional video editing software. Applied Magic will be demonstrating its new HD Cinema Workstation. Sony's booth theme will be “Ride the HD Wave.” 1 Beyond, which makes HD-capable laptops, among other gear, will be promoting its new high-end division, featuring a bevy of new HD and digital filmmaker products including SAN storage solutions.

DVS debuts the multi-resolution Clipster editing system with realtime primary color correction in HD.

While In-sync will be promoting its new Loki product with an AJA OEM breakout box and Speed Razor software, it will also be showcasing its new SR HD bundle featuring the AJA Thor HD hardware card. And don't forget the DVS Clipster or the Linux Media Arts Cinelerra (which LMA promotes as the world's first true 64-bit HD editing and FX system).

The Two “Classes”

Bauhaus Software will be offering Mirage 1.2, its HD and digital intermediate-capable realtime video paint, animation, and effects product. Boris RED 3GL and Continuum Complete high-definition compatible software will also be demonstrated. Let's not forget Eyeon Software's Digital Fusion, Apple Shake, Discreet Combustion, and D2 Software's Nuke 4.0 compositing and effects software. All will be examined for both their low prices and high-definition capabilities.

Compare and contrast these compositing/FX applications with the high-end Quantel iQ and eQ, Discreet's Fire, Flame, and Smoke, (with private showings of the promised Discreet Media Architecture products formerly known as Strata and Mezzo), and Interactive Effects (IFX).

When you look at the capabilities in the new low-cost postproduction products, why would film/video editors consider the advantages of high-end products? There are several reasons, but you should examine first whether you are looking at the creative film editing solution, or a digital intermediate solution.

When I say “creative film editing solution,” I am referring to what is essentially an offline process — deciding upon the selection of clips and organizing those clips in a time-based structure while focusing on the pace and rhythm. This final result is a list of defined edit decisions, which can be in the form of a negative cut list or digital metadata for a DI system.

With this type of system, low-priced solutions are very attractive to independent filmmakers because of the time it takes to satisfactorily create a structure for a film. The higher-end solutions, such as an Avid Film Composer XL or Media Composer Adrenaline networked with a Unity system, offer a workgroup structure perfect for traditional film editing workflows with assistant editors. Quantel and BBC Technology will also be demonstrating higher-end workgroup production solutions at their respective booths.

For low-cost workgroup film/video editing, check out Pinnacle Systems' Liquid Editing for Workgroups utilizing Pinnacle's Palladium Store 100 and up to 16 Liquid Edition editors. Pinnacle Systems will be introducing HD- and HDV-based low-cost digital cinema postproduction.

Grass Valley's Spirit 4K DataCine now offers SD and HD video output as well as 4:4:4 RGB and YUV. Rob Hummel, senior vice president of production technology at Warner Bros., praises the new 4K Spirit, noting the improved look over 2K scans, whether the final output is film or HD.

Final Cut Pro will be seen with several workgroup SANs (e.g., Omneon, CharisMac, Ciprico, Studio Network Solutions, etc.). My recommendation before looking at these various new media storage solutions? Stop by Avid's booth and pay close attention to the workgroup software tools offered, and make a tool-to-tool comparison as well as a performance comparison of server technologies. Tell an Avid Unity representative that you are considering a lower-cost alternative and ask him what to look for. You will get a list of features to consider.

Of course, another major issue is media asset management. The high-end systems have worked out and tweaked this process so it is easy to manage a large database of clips, sounds, graphics, animations, script notes, and timelines, and find them fast and easily when needed. With long-form work, management of all the sources, archiving, and versioning are crucial tools.

One of the most exciting demonstrations for crossing this “cultural divide” last year was that of Apple Final Cut Pro timeline metadata transcoded to a Quantel iQ timeline thanks to AAF technology and Automatic Duck for DI processing and finishing. This technology should be available at this year's NAB, along with a host of other AAF and MXF metadata demonstrations and metadata management solutions.

Digital Intermediate Products

For film editing where double system sound is involved, the issue of 24fps becomes more of a concern for the synching of sound. Systems that are 23.976fps will not maintain synchronization with a 24fps digital audio recording. If, on the other hand, an editor needs to deal with the new issues of electronic cinematography and various pulldown technologies, the editing system must be capable of handling those issues.

Nucoda releases Version 2 of its Film Master film finishing solution, which provides editing, conforming, compositing, color grading, and effects.

Whatever the price, selecting a system should allow the editor to focus on the creative process and not the technology. This is most often a preference of the individual editor, but the graphic user interface, keystroke operations (e.g., JKL trim), or other interface issues (The Pen&Tablet, Rat, and Mixer controls on the Quantel systems; the jog-shuttle on a Lightworks Touch; or the USB-based hardware controllers found on a Sony Xpri) all affect whether an editor will be distracted and less creative while editing.

While many define digital intermediate as everything in between acquisition and distribution, I refer to DI solutions by exempting the offline process, and to mean those workflow solutions that focus on the various conform and finishing processes. While many classic post players — Quantel, Discreet, daVinci, Grass Valley, and even the scanning and recording manufacturers — are all striving to define the DI process on their terms, companies like Nucoda and MTI are popping up at NAB with very interesting DI products. The Nucoda Film Master V.2.0 drew crowds at the February HPA Technology Retreat.

The features to look for in various high-end DI tasks are:

• High resolutions and bit depths for the best quality possible;

• The ability to store a complete film (including clip handles and alternatives) at full resolution;

• Sophisticated keying and compositing;

• The ability to receive all offline metadata information (negative cut list, EDL, AAF, etc.) for the conform process;

• Advanced color correction tools, including different color grading for different output deliverables;

• The ability to display the images as viewers will see them (gamma, contrast, colorimetry, etc., with look-up tables for both various film emulsions and digital cinema distribution methodologies.);

• The ability to fix blemishes, hide wires, and fix problems, including editing capabilities for quick changes and the ability to create trailers;

• When working with multiple sources, the ability to match grain, de-interlace, etc. (especially matching computer-generated images to the live recorded media);

• The required effects capabilities and the ability to use desired plug-ins;

• The ability to ingest all networked files, including all moving image files, all audio/music files, all graphics/animation files, and all text files;

• The ability to output to all desired distribution technologies, including all required digital cinema files, outputs to film recorders, output to all required broadcast formats, and output to DVDs and the Web (including the ability to create international versions.);

• Performance to access all available media and composites and make adjustments in a manner acceptable to both the operator and the supervising client.

The above features are discussed further in an article on digital intermediate on page 113 of this issue, but in this brief synopsis of features to consider, they sum up what can be found with the high-end solutions.

Nevertheless, DI solutions will exist at the low price-point alternatives as well. Resolution-independent compositing and effects may require extensive rendering, but will be available on the show floor. Metadata compatibility may mean using the same platform for creative editing and finishing. And with new metadata standards, it is now possible to bring your months of creative labor to a digital intermediate lab and have your AAF timeline input, your media storage attached or media ingested, and your conform and processing finished in short order.

Virage, a division of Autonomy, will introduce VS Archive, an intriguing software solution designed to store, categorize, manage, retrieve, and distribute video, audio, and other rich media content. VS Archive also helps to automate the analysis and cataloging of original footage—an always tedious, manual, and time-consuming process.

It will be possible to edit uncompressed high definition with dozens of new or updated postproduction products, many of which may cost less than the VCR used to record and play back the uncompressed HD video and audio. There are many workarounds that will allow you to output a high-quality film or long-form program without accessing a high-end solution. Frequently the biggest difference with the low-cost solution will be the performance issues and working with less sophisticated toolsets.

Having conceded that DI is possible with the new low-cost products, the more likely scenario will be that the high-end DI facilities will remain busy. With superior talent and the high-end equipment this talent utilizes, the results will be very high quality, with high production values and high-speed performance.

Meanwhile, there will be a separate group of professionals who will create films and other long programming using more compressed image technologies such as HDV, 50Mbs compressed video, or other new compressed image acquisition and distribution technologies. These storytellers will use the creative freedom that this low-cost technology provides to create some wonderful programming. While some performance issues will be frustrating, and some compromises may be required, their stories will be told.
— B.T.

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