Video Symphony Presents
“Pizza & Post”

With Special Guest, Russian Film Editor

Lala Zabolotskaya-Carter 

   
A 20-year industry veteran, Lala Zabolotskaya-Carter is recognized as one of Russia’s best film editors and is the choice for several internationally recognized film directors including Oscar-Winner Nikita Mikhalkov, Andrey Konchalovsky, Vasiliy Pichul, Maxamillian Schell and many others.

                      

When: Tuesday, June 30th 7-9PM                

Where: Video Symphony 266 E. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank                                                                          

 

She has been recognized around the world for her talent, winning the Television Professional of the Year award in 1995 (Los Angeles), The Nika Award from The Russian Academy Motion Picture Arts, and The Russian Arts Award (The Russian “Oscar”) for Best Editing on “Little Vera.” She also has won The Fipressi Award at The Venice International Film Festival, as well as The Grand Prizes at The Montreal International Film Festival, The Chicago Film Festival, and The Paris Film Festival.

“Pizza & Post” is a great opportunity to gain new insights, ask a few questions, network with your post-production peers and as always, eat a lot of pizza.

Visual Effects for Directors
by Hollywood Camera Work.

Literally years of work went into creating this class and it shows because there is a massive amount of content in this course.  In fact, it’s a 7-DVD course!

The purpose of this course is to learn what is possible and what is not, to give you the ability to predict and make good decisions on the set.

The Visual Effects for Directors course covers digital effects and their principles, so you have a better idea of what can be done.

This is great reference material for Directors or DPs.

It’s not really a how-to, it’s more of a who-does-what and what-exactly-do-they-do.  Knowledge is power and you want the power to know what is required for your film.

Visual Effects for Directors is a complete course that covers:
modeling and texturing, modeling, character animation, 3d, compositing, VFX Cinematography, matchmoving, tracking, how to make 3d more real, lighting, interacting with virtual elements, motion capture, object removal and crowd replication.  All of this in an easy to understand presentation that puts you in command of the terms and concepts needed to fully understand digital VFX.

There are two dvds that are devoted entirely to “Green Screen Intensive”. This is an area that can cost a production tons in post if not set up properly. With this course, you learn the details of all steps of the green screening process, even down to building and painting a green screen set.

Another benefit is that this course is presented from the viewpoint of how to accomplish all for as little money as possible.

How DO you direct and block on a virtual set? Would you like to know how to get your actor to interact within the set? This course takes you through actual demos and gives you the overall big picture.

It is an invaluable resource and will save you untold hours and dollars on all of your productions.

This course is a must for anyone who plans on having any amount of digital effects work on their project.

I’m one who emphasizes understanding the whole process so that you can make smart decisions in your work.   This course embodies that idea and uses real-life examples thus making you a “virtual” expert!

I recommend this course for Directors, DPs or for anyone wanting to get into digital VFX.

Go to http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/vfx_index.html for clips, chapter summaries and order information.

This year I attended my first NAB show.  I set aside three days to attend this event and to go to related events.

A lot of people were saying that this year’s show was smaller than it has been but to me it was gigantic!  Attendance was also down and both of these this I think are rightly attributed to the economy.  While I was there for three days, it definitely wasn’t enough to take it all in.

The NAB show is so large that they have a daily magazine covering all of the goings on.   In addition to this they had (more than) daily podcasts covering different interesting aspects of the show.

There were big names there, Mary Tyler Moore for one.  And lots of book signings.  One of the big draws to this trade show is all of the technology, mostly new, that is on display, showing the future of broadcasting.

While NAB stand for National Association of Broadcasting, the show covers all aspects of film and digital video as well as internet and even gaming.  They understand that merging technologies have made all of these telecommunications areas a part of “broadcasting”.

I am currently taking a telecommunications class and recently learned the following things about NAB: “The first professional code for broadcasters was developed by the National Association of Broadcasters in 1929″ and “On the industry side, lobbyists represent the interests of those involved in the business of telecommunications.  One of the most influential of these is the National Association of Broadcasters.  Organizations such as NAB can influence the decisions of legislators by providing them with information about how certain issues or pending legislation will affect the industry”.

I certainly got sore feet walking the thousands of square feet of the exhibition floors, yes I said floors.  I should also mention that this expo covered multiple buildings.  I saw so much and honestly, there were whole floors that were just beyond me.  I could only imagine that these exhibits were for some very elite public.

The shear massiveness was completely overwhelming to me.  So much so that it has taken me month to gather my thoughts enough to even begin to write about the event.  I know that I’m not alone in this, as there are other publications and writers that have stalled this long as well.

There were a lot of “cool” things to see, even for an independent digital editor and filmmaker like myself.  I spent a lot of time watching demonstrations at the FCPUG (Final Cut Pro Users Groups) “Superbooth” as well as at some other locations.

I attended some classes and seminars and other external events.  More on these later.

Before I went, I heard one of the executives of NAB talk about why going to NAB was important.  He echoed why the LAFCPUG leader says people should attend events, to get in touch with people and meet them face to face.  I have to thoroughly agree with them.  The most valuable experience for me was meeting and talking to so many people, especially the people that I have meet on line and even done business with bt had never, until NAB, met face to face.

Being active in attending events, especially in the post production arena, I have met some great people and it is always so cool to run into familiar faces.  The more I am active in meeting people, the  more opportunities open up for me.  In fact, it is because I attended NAB this year, that I had a common point to share with an interviewer and got an upcoming assistant editing job.

My original purpose for going to Las Vegas that week was to attend one external event, the FCPUG SuperMeet.  This is an annual event where Final Cut Pro user groups from around the country get together and it’s a fantastic event.  With all of my new social networking ties, through Twitter, etc.  I learned of a few other external events that I attended as well.  Then NAB gave out free exhibit passes, so I, of course wanted to “check it out”.

I learned so much and made so many great contacts at NAB this year, that I have decided already to set aside a whole week for next year’s event!

Stay tuned for more reviews on other industry events and I’m sure, more from NAB.

Nuke Workshop

Friday, June 19, 2009 – Sunday, June 21, 2009
Deadline: Thursday, June 18, 2009

Airtel Plaza Hotel
7277 Valjean Ave
Van Nuys, CA United States

Steve Wright

Airtel Plaza Hotel
7277 Valjean Ave
Van Nuys, CA United States
http://weynand.com/courses/nuke-class/

lafcpug meetings are sponsored by

Next lafcpug meeting will be Wednesday, May 27, 2009 beginning at 6:45PM – till we drop at the Gallery Theatre.

Get out of the house and into lafcpug.

Join us as we welcome Shane Ross who will demo the very cool color correction tool from Red Giant Software, Magic Bullet Colorista. Also Patrick Woodward from DigitalFilm Tree will show off FCP workflow and footage with the Canon EOS 5D. Michael Weis and Sam Crutsinger will be reviewing the RED workflow they used shooting the indie road feature “Carried Away.” The duo will bring Confidence Bay, their mobile HD edit bay, for tours in the parking lot. Plus Stump the Gurus, Show and Tells, World Famous Raffle, and MUCH more.

Meetings are open to public. Come one come all. Doors open at 6:00PM

A $5.00 donation will be requested at the door.

How to get to the Gallery Theater at Barnsdall Art Park

Click here for Google Map

Click HERE to download a PDF(300K) of the grounds that points out the parking areas and includes other helpful hints.

The Gallery Theater at Barnsdall Art Park
4800 Hollywood Boulevard
(between Vermont and Normandie)
Hollywood, CA 90027
Phone: 323.644.6272

Enter through the gate on Hollywood Blvd just West of Berendo. The theater is at the top of the hill, adjacent to the art gallery.

From US 101 (heading South),
take the Hollywood Boulevard exit.
Turn left at the end of the exit ramp onto Hollywood Boulevard.
Turn right into the entrance to Barnsdall Art Park at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard. (you will only see a parking lot. Drive to top of hill to find the Gallery Theater)
The Gallery Theater is in the center of the park.

From US 101 (heading North),
take the Vermont Avenue exit.
Turn right at the end of the exit ramp onto Vermont Avenue.
Turn left onto Hollywood Boulevard.
Turn left into the entrance to Barnsdall Art Park at 4800 Hollywood Boulevard. (you will only see a parking lot. Drive to top of hill to find the Gallery Theater)
The Gallery Theater is in the center of the park.

Metro Red Line
Yes, Los Angeles has a subway and if possible you ought to use it. Riders are dropped of at Sunset and Vermont, one long block from the Art Park. More info on the Red Line can be found here.

Note on Parking: Parking is FREE. There is ample parking on top of hill near the Art Park. Parking extends around the perimeter of the Park. NOTE: Please park your car diagonally even though the spaces are not marked that way. If there are no spaces to park at top, then use parking lot at bottom of hill near Hollywood Blvd. Click HERE to download a PDF(300K) of the grounds that points out the parking areas and includes other helpful hints.

Wheelchair access: Park in the lot next to the Hollyhock house (you will see a handicap parking sign), come into the theatre entrance, and take the elevator down. There will be space in the front of the theatre for wheelchairs.

Before or after the meeting, there is a fine restaurant row on Vermont between Hollywood and Franklin (just around the corner from the park). There are also a number of funky ethic eateries along Hollywood Blvd.

digital projection made possible through the generous sponsorship of
Apple Computer and the Pixel Corps

with additional support from Adobe Systems, AJA, ProMax Systems,
BIAS, Inc. DigitalFilm Tree, and Gefen Inc.

lafcpug meetings are presented in association with the
Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, a facility of the City of Los Angeles
Department of Cultural Affairs

Below is a copy of an email I got from boxee:

the new boxee API enables developers to build and publish apps for boxee users. while people are working on a variety of boxee apps, we thought it would be a good idea to provide some extra incentive for the developers.

the boxee dev challenge will have 3 categories: Video, Music and Photos. in each category we will have a People’s Choice award and a Judge’s Choice award:

People’s Choice Award: Drobo, http://bit.ly/boxeedevchallenge-peopleschoice
Judge’s Choice Award: Sony Bravia XBR9 46″, http://bit.ly/boxeedevchallenge-judgeschoice

the deadline for submitting your application is June 14th at 11:59pm PT, but we encourage you to submit early and often as we’ll be talking up cool applications as they come in.

voting will take place between June 15th – June 22nd.

on June 23rd will have a boxee event in San Francisco (RSVP @ http://bit.ly/boxeedevchallenge-rsvp) announcing the People’s Choice and our esteemed judges will choose a winner from the 10 most popular apps in each category.

the judges at the event will be:
Veronica Belmont – Tekzilla, Qore (http://twitter.com/veronica)
Ryan Block – GDGT, former EIC Engadget (http://twitter.com/ryanblock)
Avner Ronen – boxee founder and CEO (http://twitter.com/boxee)
couple more judges (we are interviewing prospects: Obama, Oprah, AplusK)

planning to participate in the challenge? fill http://bit.ly/boxeedevchallenge

looking for more info on how to develop boxee apps: check out http://developer.boxee.tv and take a look at the sample app at http://developer.boxee.tv/2009/04/14/building-your-first-boxee-app (we will publish additional sample apps). please submit your app to dev_challenge@boxee.tv.

whether you’re a developer or just a boxee fan, we look forward to seeing you at the event. RSVP @ http://bit.ly/boxeedevchallenge-rsvp.

see you in SF,
avner
http://twitter.com/boxee

* the challenge is open to residents of the milky-way galaxy except for employees of boxee, and any other organizations involved in sponsoring the contest, as well as their parent, subsidiary, affiliated and successor companies, and those employees. immediate family and household members. exceptions extend also to those who think they might become a boxee employee, or an employee of the aforementioned parent, subsidiary, affiliated, or succesor companies in the future. .Immediate family members. of employees shall mean their parents, step-parents, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, pets and spouses. .Household members. of employees shall mean people who share the employee.s residence at least three months a year sleeping on a couch or a bed (blow up mattresses do not ap.)