Fini.tv and Patrick Inhofer are proud to announce the launch of our new website: www.TaoOfColor.com

It’s a site dedicated to training, forums, feedback, and mentoring – on the topic of Color Grading; with forays into Finishing and Online Editing.

To kick things off we started a 4th of July promotion – that ends tonight (Friday, July 2) at midnight. Direct from Tao Of Color:

Here’s the deal: By midnight Eastern July 2, 2010 – leave relevant feedback in the comments or on the forum thread for this post and you’ll get the entire training series, as a gift.

Gratis. As in, free.

Consider it a TaoOfColor.com Grand Opening bottle of wine from me, to you – someone who actually cares about this kind of gear.

It’s a last minute deal, I know. And it’s just before a holiday weekend.

But that’s what makes it special.

Even if you get to this item after the deal has closed, go ahead and sign up for the newsletter over there. You won’t regret it!

Here’s the URL to the posting: http://bit.ly/dn1GdR

See you over there. And here.

Sincerely,

Patrick

Tonight I’m teaming up with Peter Levin of Splash Studios to do a free seminar, “Mixing Light & Sound: Strategies for Finishing Your Project”.

It could also be called, How To Think Like a Post Production Supervisor.

Peter is a terrific audio mixer, his wife Barbara a talented Dialog Editor. Their recent projects include the festival circuit’s acclaimed My Peristroika (nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year) and the upcoming You Tube Symphony Orchestra (it’s a doc commissioned by You Tube following musical proteges culminating in a gala symphony).

Mixing Light & Sound

Peter and I have been working together for over a year (we were introduced by our dear departed friend, Michael Vitti): He’s the ears of the operation, I’m the eyes (and our wives are the brains!). When comparing notes we found are clients are consistently confused by the same technicalities of the last few steps in finishing their projects.

The two of us decided it was time to get in front of producers, directors, editors, documentarians – filmmakers – and start answering all the questions we both get asked, day in / day out. Such as:

• How do your decisions to these (and many more) questions affect the finishing pipeline?

Our number 1 piece of advice: Begin at the end. You need to define where your project will most likely be seen. Once defined, your roadmap becomes very clear – and allows for unexpectedly happy detours (like, getting picked up by HBO).

We did our first free seminar 3 weeks ago. A total success. It ran almost 3 hours, an hour longer than planned. The group was small, 15 people. The questions came from all parts of the room. Tonight’s session is (again) a sellout. This time around we’re adding a ‘recommended workflow’ that should cover about 80% of the projects out there.

Building Out The Concept

We’re excited about this seminar and plan to take it on the road and evangelize these strategies. We’re  developing a website / forum specifically devoted to finishing strategies.

Our goal: Demystify the complexities of finishing picture and sound – resulting in educated clients making informed decisions in pre-productions saving them time, money, and frustration. Stay tuned for more details as the website goes live.

If you think you might be interested in attending one of these NYC seminars (we’re still developing the content based on how the early seminars progress), contact me and we’ll keep you in the loop. Or just subscribe to this RSS feed. Or Fini’s Facebook page… or…

- pi

Why am I suggesting this?

5 years ago a blog like this is how we all shared our thoughts, with quick hits and long posts all interspersed. As my blog has become the face of Fini.tv (literally on the front page) I’m looking to keep this feed tidy. Yet I still have things to say, which, as of yet, haven’t made it anywhere. Mostly short posts and thoughts. I’ve decided to use Fini’s Facebook page for more stream-of-consciousness posts.

While Twitter is fine, it doesn’t allow for feedback or conversations. And really, that’s what those short posts are about.

Blogs and Facebook make for real interaction. Twitter? Too much like broadcast TV or Radio for my tastes. And while I do agree that Facebook displays a callous disregard for the Privacy of its users, the truth is millions upon millions of interactions are taking place there every day. I don’t think I can afford NOT to be on Facebook. So, if Facebook freaks you out a bit, make sure you update your Privacy settings.

I encourage you to head on over to Fini’s Facebook page, then click the “Like” button to follow those posts. Let’s have a conversation.

If you really like us, use the “Share with Friends” button to suggest our page to your like-minded friends.

Hope to see you there!

- patrick

Lying in bed, sick, watching Prime Time televsion in NTSC for the first time in years - I couldn’t help to juxtapose the train wreck I was seeing on the screen with an article in The Hollywood Reporter concerning the deliverables for Avatar: (stay with me on this…)

“No studio has ever faced what we faced on this,” says Ted Gagliano, president of postproduction at Fox. “Jim wanted the best, most immersive experience possible. So he pushed us to have a multiple-version inventory that would give each theater the best experience it could possibly deliver for that given theater.”

“The best experience it could possibly deliver”

According to the article, the end result:

Cameron made the decision to complete the movie in three aspect ratios: Scope (2:39:1), flat (1:85:1) and Imax (1:43:1). “You are not going to see many directors releasing in different aspect ratios, as most pick their canvas and that is their format,” Fox vp postproduction Steve Barnett says.

The article is a great read about one man’s pursuit and dedication to ensuring his film is seen in its best possible light… staying as true to the director’s original intent as possible. In my mind, there’s no doubt this type of pursuit of excellence can be attributed to much of the film’s success.

But I digress…

So. I’m shivering under my heating blanket and I can’t believe what I was seeing on Prime-Time network television. They made consistently terrible decisions as to how to present their wide-screen originated television on NTSC screens.

Rather than adding an extra few hours to their post pipelines to properly reformat their 16:9 HD pictures to fit into a 4:3 NTSC screen ABC, NBC and CBS made identical decisions, they chopped off the sides of the picture and called it a day. They traded excellence for expediency resulting in a terrible viewing experience for the home viewer. Here’s the type of framing I kept seeing all night long (special thanks to Mike Mazur for the image):

16:9 HD image with 4:3 NTSC Center Cut. Notice the discombobulated nose.

Of course, the networks could decide to follow the direction of almost every cable station and letterbox the image – maintaining the intent and storytelling authenticity of their programs. But rather than doing a shot-by-shot Pan & Scan, re-framing shots so they fit best in the 4:3 screen, the major Nets all seem to be happy to have noses talking to each other, network bugs covering key pieces of information, and generally showing a complete lack of caring for their audience or the visual quality of their content.

Need another example of network carelessness? Take a look at this post with a screenshot from the March 30, 2010 episode of Lost. The first thing to notice, the image they’re showing is from the 4:3 centercut. Notice how half the words on the notebook are cut off? The entire sentence is readable on the 16:9 version. Except, of course, that the V countdown clock takes this in-camera subtitle, already difficult to decode due to the center cut, and renders the conversation unreadable.

How mad were the fans of Lost?

“I try to avoid Twitter around 6 p.m. PT on Tuesdays, in order to steer clear of Lost spoilers from eager East Coast Tweeps. But tonight, with the Tweet Deck still on, I couldn’t help but notice the increasing anger from Lost viewers, as an on-screen clock counted down the minutes until the return of V.” – Michael Schneider, Variety

Counterpoint: Here’s one more excerpt demonstrating James Cameron’s pursuit of excellence:

Creative decisions involving light levels also led to additional versions. 3D projection and glasses cut down the light the viewer sees, so “Avatar” also had separate color grades at different light levels…

“If we had just sent out one version of the movie, it would have been very dark (in the larger theaters),” Barnett says.

As network and cable companies attempt to compete more effectively with the Internet and video games, their willingness to accept mediocrity is their single greatest challenge.

Here’s a new mantra for Network Execs making these bone-headed decisions:

What would James Cameron do?

- pi

DaVinci Resolve on Mac

DaVinci Resolve Control Surface

When BlackMagic bought DaVinci last year here’s what I wished for this NAB:

• DaVinci Resolve.
• For Mac.
• Under $15k.

I figured that BlackMagic would price the Resolve near Smoke on a Mac. I underestimated Grant Petty, CEO of BlackMagic. Grant has built his company by pursuing disruptive technologies that are  priced aggressively.

Man, he got disruptive big-time.

Here’s what Grant delivered to me this NAB:

• DaVinci Resolve.
• For Mac.
• Under $1k.

Even better, Resolve on Mac (unlike Smoke) when compared to its full-blown Linux counterpart doesn’t hobble the software. It doesn’t hold back features. It doesn’t require a Support Contract. It’s only restriction – 1 GPU; according to the Press Release, the GPU limitation is due to lack of support for InfiniBand for Mac.

Fini, my color correction company, has a 9-month roadmap that I’m executing as I re-tool the company and better position it to compete in the market I’ve targeted (more on that as The Plan moves forward). Resolve on a Mac couldn’t fit in more perfectly. I’m beyond stoked.

The only question I haven’t gotten an answer to: Will Resolve on Mac support RED natively in 2K and HD workflows? It really needs to.

Avid Buys Euphonix

The other news that grabbed my attention was Avid’s announcement of their intention to buy Euphonix – maker of outboard control surfaces.

I’m not yet sure if this is a good thing or not.

I’ve read a few people opine on this topic – but I think most are missing the point of this acquisition. The Euphonix secret sauce is their EuCon protocol. It’s the protocol that controls the interaction between the hardware control surface and the software being controlled. Their product that most interests me, MC Color, is buttery smooth… and it’s EuCon that’s responsible for the feeling that the software, via their hardware, is an extension of your brain. The immediacy of even the most subtle inputs is fantastic.

In the past, an acquisition by Avid was where great products went to wither away. Avid over the last two years seems to have turned over a new leaf and this year has had a great new release.

So now? What is the future of EuCon? I’m nervous. I just don’t know.

I can only hope that Avid decides to continue offering the amazing value that Euphonix seems to be built around.

Me -> Apple: In ProApps, Silence Is Not Golden

Apple doesn’t get it. I don’t build my business based on if I want to operate a Linux-based business or a Mac-based business. I don’t really care what new features the next version of the Mac OS is going to offer. Or when. On this count, Apple can be as secretive as they want.

I build my business with software products designed to allow me to provide amazing value to my clients. If I’m going to plan the direction of my business, I need an understanding of where I think the software I use is going to go. Currently, my software happens to be owned by Apple.

Apple, extending it’s corporate Cone Of Silence around the Pro Apps division, offers me nothing but a blank expression and puckered lips.

And a frustratingly long 2 year development cycle.

So what am I to make of Apple’s silence concerning their ProApps products?

Is it because they’re ready to leap-frog the competition?

Or does de-coupling Final Cut Studio from big events like NAB go counter to Steve Job’s excellent quote: “Real Artists Ship”? With no more external target dates, is shipping Final Cut Studio becoming internally de-valued?

Here’s what’s so surprising to me after Day 1 of NAB 2010:

More and more I’m caring less and less about those answers.

- pi

I was about to use this space to issue a screed against the article, and then I read the comments and discovered plenty of others quickly came in and stomped on it.

I won’t get into the specifics of all the things wrong with that article (4:4:4 for BluRay… huh?) other than to say this:

As someone who has a bit of a passion for helping independent, inexperienced filmmakers produce totally professional films – I’m saddened that this is published on such a large and influential website. After reading that article, at least a few budding filmmakers will either become discouraged at the needless complexity of the endeavor or implement some of the suggestions, slowing down the process or damaging their final results.

- pi

Why do different color wheels in different pieces of software and applications act differently?

How does that answer effect our approach to color grading?

Those two thoughts came to the top of my mind when reading Oliver Peter’s excellent post, Grading with Color Wheels. Why don’t you head over there and read that post? It’s very informative and helps build the foundation for this post. I’ll wait…

Understanding how the color wheels in your NLE process the image has a huge impact on how you approach your color correction. In this post we’ll build out the concepts introduced in Oliver’s article to give us a working methodology.

First, let’s look at Final Cut Pro’s 3-way Color Correction plug-in. I’ll do the same thing Oliver has done. But since my shot has some pretty obvious highlights – for the sake of this example I’m going to drag the highlights and make them blue. Below is the Before / After images. I want you to pay particular attention to the brightest highlights in the waveform monitor.

(images courtesy Chris Ripper, Resurrection Man)

FCP: Pushing the Highlights Blue (click to enlarge the image)

I’ve noted the highlights with the yellow arrow. But also take a look at the midtones and near the blacks. You’ll notice the waveform is identical. It hasn’t moved a smidgen. Try this yourself with your own footage and with the scopes open. Concentrate on the Waveform Monitor. You’ll notice that no matter how hard you push the wheels – the waveforms in FCP stay rock solid. I’m going to explain in a minute what this means to us as colorists (and why).

But first, let’s move to Apple’s Color and take a look at the same image – with a much milder push toward blue – and again, examine the highlights.

Apple's Color: Pushing the highlights blue (click to enlarge)

Again, I’ve noted the highlights with the yellow arrow. I’ve done a much much milder blue push, and the waveform is significantly different. In fact, if you do this with your own footage in Color, you’ll see the waveform bounces all over the place as you push and pull your color wheels.

What’s the difference between the Color Wheels in Final Cut Pro and Apple’s Color?

In two words: Math. Audience.

It all starts with Audience. Final Cut Pro is primarily designed for television and television codecs. It works in YUV* color space. In English, this means the underlying image is processed first as brightness values (Y) and then the color values (UV) are derived with some math that use the Y value as a component in that math.

Said even more simply, current video codecs are built upon a simple fact from the early days of television: All color broadcasts needed to be backward compatible with black and white television. This was accomplished by grafting the color information (UV) onto the existing black and white (Y) signal. Thus – today in Final Cut Pro (and any other YUV-based color correction system), pushing and pulling your color wheels have zero effect on the brightness of the image… but the brightness values have a huge effect on color.

Apple’s Color was built for film colorists and film workflows which are RGB workflows and use RGB codecs. Notice, there is no Y component in RGB. Each channel in RGB has brightness values built directly into it. Thus, the underlying math for taking a Lime Green image and pushing it around can result in the image getting darker and brighter depending on how far towards, say, Orange (or any other color) you start to push it. In RGB systems, how reactive brightness is to color changes depends on the underlying math the software programmers are using.

4 ways to put this color theory into action

How can we use these facts to our advantage? I’ve thought of four:

1. In Final Cut Pro  - Your initial corrections should begin with brightness, then make hue/saturation corrections, then tweak both as necessary. Again, since color information is partly derived from the Y values, any changes you make in contrast will have big impacts on color. Conversely, once contrast is set – pushing and pulling the color wheels will have zero impact on brightness. So, in FCP – First brightness, then color, then massage as necessary.
2. In Color – There are no set rules. RGB light mixing is a dance. It’s one reason why an outboard control surface is so useful in Color, the dance is much easier to manage and more intuitive.
3. In Color – Often, if you have to fix footage with massive color balance issues and can’t get the luminosity you want with the chrominance  you desire because of noise, try bouncing out to FCP and see what the 3 Way Color Corrector filter gives you. It has saved me on more than one occasion. I can often boost Y pretty massively without introducing nearly as much color noise as I would in Color.
4. Whenever you get a new color correction plug-in or on a new piece of color correction software – push the color wheels around while paying attention to your waveform. This will give you a good idea if the underlying math is YUV or RGB and inform you as how to best proceed with your initial corrections.

I hope this helps.

Feel free to comment and discuss!

*Yeah, yeah. YUV is analog and technically we work in Y’Cr’Cb’ or some such thing. I know. But this is the terminology that FCP uses. We’ve all been pointing this out to Apple for years. And we’re pointing it here again. Until they fix it, I’ve put in the appropriate links for everyone’s edification. No need to (re)hash this in the comments… please.

- pi

If that happens, my apologies. Just mark everything read. A day or two later I’ll refresh the 3 latest articles and then everything will run fresh from there.

I just wrapped a 14 minute interview on Digital Production Buzz with Larry Jordon and his trusty sidekick Michael Horton. It seems I’ll never kick those pre-stage jitters that always haunted from the earliest time I acted on stage in junior high.

I’ll update with a link to audio once it’s up.

UPDATE: Here’s the iTunes feed - the interview is March 18, 2010.

UPDATE 2: Here’s the link to my specific interview.

The conversation moved quickly. We covered my career, the purpose of Fini, my clients. I might have given the impression I only deal with small under-funded clients. Those clients are my passion but the “bigger boys” pay the bills.

Larry and Michael are clearly ‘into’ the topic and we could have spent 30 minutes chatting away. Topics we missed: Control Surfaces, Working Quickly, Displays. I’m sure there were others.

I managed a quick plug about KeyShots in the last 30 seconds.

Thanks for the time Larry and Michael! I hope we can do it again.

- pi

PS is an idea that’s been rolling around my noggin’ for a while. It answers my question: How do I help filmmakers who can least afford me, yet most need me?

The PS concept is simple: You’ve locked picture on your film, you’re happy with the story but you know both sound and visuals need help. You’re on a shoestring budget so you can’t afford a company like Fini. You’d love nothing more than for a professional colorist to come in, color correct a few shots for you (kickstarting your color correct) and give you some pointers on how to proceed. After that, you’ll take it from there.

That, my dear reader, is the essence of PrimaryShots!

It comes in 3 simple packages, at three simple price points.

We handle roundtrip shipping of the hard drive, getting your film or doc into our edit room. We have Office Hours, during which you can call us and ask questions or get help. You’ll have a private forum so you can talk to me, your colorist – and I’ll answer as my schedule allows.

And because nothing motivates like a deadline: From the time we email  you your project file you’ll have our attention for 6 weeks. After that… Well, after that you’ll be done? Right? Don’t be lounging around. We can’t support you forever (although you will have continued access to our general PrimaryShots forums). So, as we say around here…

Get it FINI!

Full PrimaryShots details here.