Ideas for Deconstruction and Research Proposal

Research Proposal

The influence of colour correction in modern digital film productions.

Within my research assignment, I want to do research into the colour grading work done by the production company Molinare. I want to do my research on colour grading, because it is an aspect of the postproduction process that really interests me. I have previously done a lot of postproduction myself, but in different editing programs such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects and Davinci Resolve. The reason why I want to do my research on colour grading is because I have formerly done a lot of colour editing as a photographer, and the aspect of how a picture can change with the use of different colours fascinates me.

Editing has gone into a new paradigm with the introduction of digital film, and therefore I want to research the meaning of colour grading in digital film, and how it influences the final film result. Colour grading is an aspect of the post production phase, which has developed a lot in the years of analogue to digital film. In the digital age, colour grading is associated with different types of software. The workflow aspects of the colour grading phase, depends on the software you are using, and this aspect is linked very closely with the editors perception of the final result. The time and effort you put into a colour grading session, will in some variation depend on what software you are using for your edit. This aspect of post production is very interesting, as the colours define the directors stylistic choices of the final film, so the meaning of the shots come to their right mind. Using different colour in film will also have a subliminal meaning to the receiver. Therefore I have chosen a production company, who have worked on a lot of different projects, and in different aspects of the film world. By choosing a company with a diverse post-production experience (Molinare TV & Film Ltd , 2013), I expect to compare the workspaces and hardware, as well as software and workflows. In my research I want to explore the different aspects of the workflows used in colour grading software, and how the different aspects of colour comes to life through the editing software. I want to research how the industry works in terms of colour grading, and how important decisions are made in terms of that aspect.

I want to do research on a company called Molinare, which is a film and broadcast post production facility based in Soho, London (Molinare TV & Film Ltd (2013). For my research I want to conduct an interview with one or several applicable persons working within the sector of colour grading. From here, I want to do a semi-structured interview (Deacon, 2007), to get an in-depth view on how the company is handling colour grading tasks, set by other companies. Molinare is a relevant company to do research on, since its popularity has grown since its been awarded Best Post-Production House in 2012 (“Best Post-Production House,” 2012). Molinare, as a post-production house, relaunced in june 2011, bringing £7m worth of net equipment and production tools (ibid.). In terms of this modern post-production house, I find it interesting to explore the colour spaces of digital video, and how Molinare uses them in terms of different video formats with different colour spaces, to promote their work in different situations. For this part I plan to ask questions about the different chroma subsamplings 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 colour spaces, difference between YCbCr and sRGB and how it affects the film and videos for different outputs. Furthermore I would like to explore the different aspects of film exporting, and how the different colourspaces changes with different codec and quality.

From my studies on colour grading, I hope to achieve a closer look into the semiotics of colour in film, and a general use of colour. Through relevant literature and interviews, I want to take a closer look into the meaning of different colours used in films, and how this will affect the viewers’ perception of the film. I hope to achieve a deeper knowledge, through in depth interviews, explaining the differences of colour being used in the different work Molinare produce. I expect to gain a deeper knowledge of how colour is being used to convey film style or meaning, and why Molinare as a media house has, gained influence and recognition. For my research I intend to use some, or all of the following references listed below.

Bibliography

Webpages

Molinare TV & Film Ltd (2013). Avalible at: http://molinare.co.uk/. (accessed at 4. December 2013)

Articles

ProQuest LLC. Best Post-Production House, 2012. . Broadcast np. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1027077596?accountid=13607 (accessed at 4. December 2013)

Books

Böck, A., 2009. Video compression systems, IET telecommunications series. Institution of Engineering and Technology, Stevenage.

Case, D., 2001. Film technology in post production, 2nd ed. ed. Focal Press, Oxford ; Boston.

Chandler, G., 2012. Cut by cut: editing your film or video, 2nd ed. ed. Michael Wiese Productions, Studio City, CA.

Deacon, D., 2007. Researching communications : a practical guide to methods in media and cultural analysis. Hodder Arnold ; Distributed in the U.S.A. by Oxford University Press, London; New York.

Hirsch, R., 2011. Exploring color photography: from film to pixels, 5th ed. ed. Elsevier Focal Press, Oxford ; Burlington, MA.

Hullfish, S., ScienceDirect (Online service), 2012. The art and technique of digital color correction. Focal Press, [United States].

Van Hurkman, A., 2011. Color correction handbook: professional techniques for video and cinema. Peachpit Press, Berkeley, CA.

Wheeler, P., 2001. Digital cinematography. Focal Press, Oxford, [England] ; Boston, MA.

Deconstruction

 

The realisation of insanity:

The cognitive struggle of a character

For my deconstruction, I have selected the two films Fight Club (1999) by David Fincher, and The Machinist (2004) by Brad Anderson. Both movies are within the same drama/thriller genre, and narrative intent, as both films raise the subject of cognitive disabilities and also both have a radically changing plot development throughout the film.

I wanted to deconstruct Fight Club and The Machinist, because of their narrative structure. The characters in the film experience similar psychological predispositions, which in both films is expressed through insomnia and skitzofrenia. The development of the characters through the movies interests me, as we as viewers are kept in the dark through most of the film. At the right moment, the viewer realises what has been going on throughtout the movie, and that the main character is in fact an antihero. This is caracteristic for the neo-noir genre, and leaves us as viewers in the unknown. 

The two sequences I have chosen to compare, both relate to the point in the films where the main character realizes that things are not as they should be. In both films, the main character deals with schizophrenia prior to having experienced something that changed him. As a consequence the main character experiences himself being projected on to another human being; a being that is in fact himself. The Characters in both films experiences life-changing events, which cause them to develop insanity and paranoia, and this development raises an interesting problematic, since both the scenes and the way the movie is crated, should reflect back on the cognitive development of the character. Furthermore I would like to examine the visual language used in the two sequences I have chosen, and do a deconstruction on the creation of schizophrenia and paranoia through filmic effects.

The two sequences I choose to compare, both relate to a specific turning point in the film, where the characters becomes aware of their illness, right before they try to make up for their misdeeds. This particular moment is reflected in both films as a one-on-one confrontation with another character.

In Fight Club the realization is illustrated through the main Characters confrontation with himself. In the scene the main character, and the audience is being made aware, that the two characters are the same person. This happens through a sequence of cut scenes, showing the main character interacting in different scenarios similar to earlier shots where the main character is Tyler Durden. This effect is used to illustrate a cognitive change happening to the main character, and to make the viewer more aware of what is happening in the scene.

In The Machinist, the change is illustrated through a photograph of the character Ivan on a fishing trip with the character Reynolds. The main character Trevor Reznik finds the picture at the female character Stevies flat, and blames her for the events that have happened to him earlier in the movie. At this point Rezniks level of paranoia peaks, and he starts to yell at Stevie and blame her for the bad things that has been happening to him, before rushing out the door.

The main reason why I want to deconstruct Fight Club and The Machinist is because of their narrative structure. The characters in the film experience similar psychological predispositions, which in both films is expressed through insomnia and skitzofrenia. The development of the characters through the movies interests me, since we as viewers are kept in the dark through most of the film. At the right moment, the viewer realise what has been going on throughtout the movie, and that the main character is in fact an antihero. This is caracteristic for the neo-noir genre, and leaves the viewers in the unknown.

I found the realisation scenes particularly interesting, due to the level of cognitive disturbance presented in both scenes. The scenarios play out well with the rest of the movie, and the colours, light and camera angles makes the whole scene come together on a higher level. I primarily choose these scenes based on the effect they have on the viewer. The cutting rhythm, colours and camera angles together creates a specific sad and chaotic mood that the viewer picks up. What really interests me about the two movies is how they approach the realisation differently. In The Machinist, Reznik reacts to the realization with anger and blame, as if he can’t cope with the fact that Ivan is a manifest of himself. In Fight Club, the main character finds out that he himself is Tyler Durden, but instead of rage he expresses confusion and concern for his actions.

For my deconstruction I plan to use various relevant sources to reinforce my points, and I plan to use some or all of the sources listed below.

Bibliography

Books

Alton, J., 1995. Painting with light. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Brown, B., 2012. Cinematography: theory and practice: imagemaking for cinematographers and directors, 2nd ed. ed. Elsevier/Focal Press, Amsterdam ; Boston.

Browning, M., 2010. David Fincher: films that scar. Praeger, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Chamberlain, M., Thompson, P.R., 1998. Narrative and genre. Routledge, London; New York.

Bordwell, D., Thompson, K.M., 2012. Film Art: An Introduction, 10th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Conard, M., 2007. The philosophy of neo-noir, The philosophy of popular culture. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.

Jackman, J., 2004. Lighting for digital video & television, 2nd ed. ed, DV expert series. CMP Books ; Distributed to the book trade in the U.S. by Publishers Group West, San Francisco, CA : Berkeley, Calif.

Persson, P., 2003. Understanding cinema a psychological theory of moving imagery. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; New York.

Tosi, V., 2005. Cinema before cinema: the origins of scientific cinematography. British Universities Film & Video Council, London.

Reflections on the roles and hierarchy of the Middlesex Now Shows

Today I felt inspired to do a blogpost about the inspirational things going on at campus and with the other TVP students, so I wanted to tell a story about how I'm finding being a student at Middlesex, and What I've learned so far.

I started out being the only one on my team, not knowing anyone. It was a bit difficult for me to find my place among people, but I found that people treated me nice and in general wanted to get to know me. I've been a bit scared about comming to another country, and start over from the begining knowing new people and getting to know them, but as far I feel I have started to progress. Roddy Gibbon had us do studiowork for the Middlesex Now Shows, which I found very interesting.

The Middlesex Now

We were given specific roles from Roddy, and in my case I was going to be a cameraman on one show, and a VT operator on the other. I had taken a tutorial on how to operate on both roles, but the whole thing was a bit scary at first. 

Preparing for the first show

The first show I thought went well. We we operating on the cameras provided by Uni - the Sony XD Cam. The camera is particularly good for broadcasting, because of the high frame rate and in general the camera lives up to the broadcasting standard set by the BBC. I quickly found, that one I got to know my way around the camera, I automatic started to feel more confident about my work. Also, this was my first production ever, so I wanted to do a good job. I found out, that doing a good job is not something you can manage to do on your own when you're working on a team that shows up late, and expect to get good roles in the production. I also found, that being a director might be harder than I thought, since there were a lot of swearing and inappropriate use of the word "shit". Once in a while, I caught myself thinking "Who are these kindergarden kids I'm putting my faith into?", and all in all people acted really childish in the studio. That said, I thought my progress expanded further, because I learned a lot about the angles of the camera, and how you're supposed to frame an interview. I found that my framing was too profile-ish, and that the whole thing was looking rather bad on screen. I did a little research into the framing, and found that it is unacceptable to frame only one eye of the person you are filming (link 1, nd). Anyway, there is always room for improvement. 

The Sony XD Cam (Pic 1)

The second show for Middlesex Now came out a lot better than the first one. For this show I was a VT Operator, and I got to work with another TVP Tech Arts guy by the name of Gavin. Gavin had some experience in the whole VT genre, and through out the day, we had a good teamwork going! Our main thing to do, was to make sure the cut-ins were playing at the right time in the show, and that went really well. Our timing was good, and there was a more professional atmosphere and tone through put the production. I actually felt really happy with the result afterwards. Actually so happy, that I went with the other guys from the production to the nearest pub! Finally I felt like I was making some progress in my studies, considered that when I came to England, I had never done anything like this before! I can't say it's easy work, but as long as you're felling that everyone is on a professional level, and really want to do the tasks they have been asked to do insted of having a "I can't be bothered" attitude, the production flows a lot easier, and the whole production-flow starts to get really fun!

Gavin operating in the VT Room

Internet Sources:

Link 1, ND - http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/2012/08/quick-tips-for-better-interview-video/

Pictures:

Pic 1 - Sony XD Cam - http://simonwyndham.co.uk/assets/images/reviews/pdw-f330/body.jpg

Camera Operating Skills

Before I came to Middlesex University, I didn’t have a very large skillset as a cinematographer. I had been operating with Canon and Nikon dSLR cameras previously, but never with professional TV cameras. Through several tutorials and research, I picked up how to use the Sony XDCAM

The Sony XD cam is a lot heavier than a regular camera. There’s packs a lot of technology into it. For starters, the sony XDCAM records in XDCAM EX format with an MGEG-4 compression in approximately 35MB/sec. the high bitrate secures a detailed image, that most modern HDTV’s can reproduce. The XDCAM have a build in ND filter, a Gain monitor, peaking and zebra stripes. The white balance and black balance can be easily adjusted with a click of a button.

A big advantage when working with the Sony XDCAM, is the ability to import the native footage straight into Avid Media Composer. The footage doesn’t need to be transcoded. A lot of professional firms operate with Avid Media Composer in post-production, because of the speed and shortcuts, but also the professional workflow of the software. It has got the ability to be hooked up to external hardware, thereby boosting its performance.

I have enjoyed working with Avid Media Composer and the Sony XD cameras so far, but it’s another thing to get used to, when you are used to shoot video in a dSLR. The lenses for the XDCAM are more limited in range than for the dSLR camera, but the footage seems cleaner and easier to work with. On a dSLR camera there are a lot of choises when it comes to lenses, and personally I like to shoot on vintage gear, because of the flexibility and price, plus you don’t need the autofocus function when filming, since it is not supported on most dSLR cameras.

Ideas for Deconstruction: Two Documentaries

To prepare for the deconstruction we were instructed in choosing two documentaries and deconstruct them. I have chosen to deconstruct two documentaries from independent film makers. I have found the documentaries on the video share service www.vimeo.com, who is famous for being a real and serious version of youtube. I found the documentaries by searching the website, and stumbled on the documentary page. https://vimeo.com/channels/documentaryfilm/

The reason why I find these types of documentaries exciting, is because they are created by ordinary people with a passion for film making. Vimeo is their channel of speech, and was created by film makers as a channel for other film makers to expose their work.

I wanted to deconstruct two documentaries that focuses on different subjects, as well as using different approaches to reach their audience. I find it interesting how different methods can be used to approach an idea, and how the director chooses to tell the story.

The first documentary is called "Richard". It is the story about a piano tuner who one day decided to give up his possessions and become homeless. The story focuses on the main character Richard, and how he survives in London without a home. He tells the emotional story about how he got fed up with his life, and one day realized that he didn't really need all his stuff and his home. 

The documentary is filmed in a lot of different locations, to take the viewer into the mind of Richard. It is filled with aesthetic pictures of London, to illustrate how Richard perceives the world after he gave up his home. The documentary is shot entirely on tripod, with very limited movement. The tripod shots contributes to the whole feel and look of the documentary, as it makes the shot very calm and relaxed. The documentary is dominated by a voiceover from Richard himself, telling the story of his life. As he does this, the viewer is invited into Richards' world, through a montage of him in different situations around London. The documentary comes together really, but I do miss the intimacy an interview scene can create. With only voice-overs to really emphasize the silver lining in the story, the viewer doesn't really bond with Richard, but perceives him, as an outsider would perceive a stranger. Still "Richard" is a deep and energizing documentary, that proves man doesn't need a TV and a mortgage to be happy. It is a life-affirming documentary, that takes the viewer on a journey in the life of Richard, without disturbing neither him or the viewer. 

Watch "Richard" here:

Richard from England Your England on Vimeo.


The second documentary I have chosen to deconstruct, is the story about former Canadian Kickboxing Champion Ian "The Jackal" Jacklin.

Ian Jacklin seems like a compassionate guy in the beginning of the documentary, as he is telling the story about how he started fighting. The main sequence in the documentary is interview. Here we get a glimpse of Ian as he is today. As the documentary progresses, the viewer get a glimpse of Ian's former life through old tapes and recording from his early careerer.

As kickboxing became illegal in Canada, Ian moved to America and became a professional kickboxer. As his careerer moved forward, he started getting noticed. He moved to California and began acting next to his kickboxing careerer, and that is where his careerer started going down hill. The whole portrait of Ian seems a little rushed, but we still get a good look at Ian's life through the documentary, from his late teens to his early twenties. 

The documentary is a classic "look back", but I would personally have liked a more intimate look into the kickboxing careerer, since this is where the documentary begins. It ends in a very strange place - with cancer treatment and research. The documentary manages to jump in time, and randomly introduce Ian as an independent film maker and holistic cancer treatment front-man.

Both "Richard" and "The Jackal" are storys of a man who took a chance in life, portrayed in two different aspects. Richard makes the audience feel free, while "The Jackal" is an autobiography of a former boxer, trying to create awareness of his project. Both are very different approaches to documentaries, and bot are achieving what they set out to achieve - A brief look into the world of a extraordinary human being. One is humble and free, the other is in your face and a little bit obnoxious. But common for both of them, is the search for happiness in two very different shapes and forms.

Watch "The Jackal" here:

"The Jackal" from Joe Mitchell on Vimeo.
 

RAW #2

A couple of days ago I decided to do another RAW test, this time (surprisingly) in Gladstone Park. I recorded it all with my Canon EOS 50D mounted with a 100mm 2.8L lens for better sharpness and stabilization. Again this was shot using the Magic Lantern Raw Hack by Andy600. If you own a Canon EOS 50D, I will advise you to try it out, since this is a dSLR camera that, from the box couldn't even shoot video.

In order to make your camera shoot RAW, you will need a fast memory card! As I am shooting on a 50D, I am using CF (Compact Flash) cards. There is a lot of different cards to choose from, but I found that the best value for the price is the 64GB Komputerbay x1000 card (buy on eBay). If you want to shoot raw on your 50D (or any other camera) I advice you to check out the 50D RAW Shooters Guide from www.eoshd.com (link).

Portfolio Thoughts - Test #1

A couple of days ago, I loaded my bag with a Canon EOS 5DmkII and went for a walk in the nearest park near Dollis Hill called Gladstone Park. I decided to bring my girlfriend along and use her as a model. It was late afternoon, and the sun was about to come down as we took a stroll through the park. The sun was bright orange, and the skyline was enrolled in mysterious light.

As we moved along the paths in the park, and the night began to cover us in darkness, I decided to shoot.

I got to think about what I want to do for my portfolio, and found portrait photography really interesting! To capture great portraits I find is very hard! It is time consuming and require a patient photographer if you want the picture to be natural. I will keep the blog updated and do more testing to find out, what exactly I want to do! 

Intertextuality in the 1989 music video “Like a Prayer” by Madonna.

For this post I wanted to do a deconstruction, combine what I've learned so far with my Communication and IT roots. Therefore I decided to write about intertextuality in Madonnas musicvideo to Like A Virgin, because there are a lot of direct symbolism and a lot to write about. This is what I came up with. Enjoy.

Intertextuality

The video for the song "Like A Prayer" begins with a woman, Madonna, who flees into a church. She just witnessed an assault on a woman, committed by a group of men. A black man, who comes to her aid after the attack, is then helping the woman. The black man is then arrested, and charged with assault. Inside the church where Madonna seeks refuge, she notices a statue behind a cage that is similar to the black man being accused of the assault. Madonna then prays to the statue through song, and the statue burst into tears. Madonna then lye down on a bench, and falls into a dream scenario, in where she encounters with a black woman in a scenario that resembles heaven. The woman throws Madonna out of her dream and back into the church, but she is still dreaming. The saint then leaves the church, and Madonna is stigmatized on her hands after touching a knife. The scenario switches over to an outdoor scene, where Madonna is dancing in front of five burning crosses. Back in the church, the camera panes over a gospel choir in song, and Madonna take part in the dancing and singing. She now wakes up from her dream, and decides to go to the police station, to convince the police to release the black man. Again the burning crosses are showed. The music video ends in a last scene where the audience is becoming aware that the whole scenery was only a play, and the actors involved take a bow.

Madonna is a pop artist who manages to appeal to a wide range of people through her music. She makes sure to draw many parallels between her music videos and reality of racism in the 1980’s. Looking at the videos for "Like A Prayer" and "Like A Virgin" (Madonna, 1984), straight away we can see a resemblance in the titles. Both cover the themes of sex and religion. Sexuality in "Like A Virgin" appears in the form of the search for a relationship, and religion in terms of her appearance in the wedding dress, which legalizes her quest for sexuality. These themes also appear in "Like A Virgin". The religious parts are pictured through the church and the religious references occur in form of stigma and the use of religious figures and rituals within Christianity. In both videos Madonna is wearing a cross on her body. In "Like A Virgin" the cross is seeing hanging from Madonna's hip, and in "Like A Prayer" it’s seen hanging from her neck. Madonna also subdues to a man dominance in both videos. In "Like A Virgin" subdues herself to a man with a lion's face, which is a very male-dominated symbol, and in "Like A Prayer" it is in the form of a black man. The video deals with racism, as an interracial relationship was looked down upon in the 1980’s era. Furthermore a theistic element is raised, as God in the video is depicted as a black woman.

Looking at the intertextuality that occurs in Madonna's videos, we are on the horizontal axis (Jensen, 2008, p 16). The two music videos refer to themes and characters, but not direct texts on video or interviews, as these will go under, respectively, secondary and tertiary texts, located on the vertical axis. Most of the horizontal intertextuality in the videos is portrayed through symbols and genre. In addition, you will find thematic similarities in Madonnas universe. Madonnas character appears in both videos, and "Like A Virgin" can be characterized as a previous text in the same genre, as on video was made before the other. Both "Like A Virgin" and "Like A Prayer" consists of dream scenarios, and both have supernatural elements. In "Like A Prayer" this is seen through the saint who comes to life, and the scene where Madonna is portrayed in heaven. In "Like A Virgin" the dream scenario occurs when the lion becomes a man.

Madonna defends her provocation of sex and religion, since the  scenarios portrayed in the videos are "just" dreams. Madonna tends to provoke more and more through her active years, and if we compare the early videos with the late ones, we will se a provocation through time. This is reflected in her recurring stylistic universe.

Religious themes and references

For  many years Madonna has been known for her controversial music videosm that crosses the boundaries between the sexual and religious. "Like A Prayer" is no exception. The first time we encounter religion in the music video is when Madonna runs inside a church. The audience is at an early stage presented with a religious theme. The video uses several direct references. One example is the black statue behind the cage. The figure illustrates Jesus and his suffering for the people. As the statue is black, it could be argued that when the black man is arrested, he acts as a kind of black Jesus, by taking the black people's suffering on his shoulders. There is a clear reference between the video and the Bible, in the form of symbols, themes and characters. Especially the cross as a symbol is very essential. This occurs both in fiery form, as a symbol of racism, as well as on Madonna in the form of a necklace. The burning cross is in Christianity a symbol, which can be a clear reference to the Ku Klux Klan. The light from the cross is the symbol for lost hunting of evil, darkness, gloom and despair. Furthermore, there is a strong symbolism in the scene with the dagger, where Madonna is stigmatized. This is a direct reference to the Bible, in where Jesus suffers for the human sin and become pinched to a cross. Another obvious symbol is when the statue cries. Madonna relates several times to biblical characters, and the whole theme of the video is deeply religious. Textuality binds so some of the aspects and references related to the horizontal axis.

Madonna has become the dissemination between the general public and the church, by displaying the cross in public at concerts as her "logo". At the same time she makes up with a lot of peoples beliefs, and determine its own position over an otherwise taboo subject - sexuality in religion (Nygaard, 2006).

Comparing today's media with that of the 1980’s, we are able to see a radical change, in what content is allowed to be shown to the general public. Madonna has through her career been the cause of many discussions about what is ethical and unethical, and not least critiques and general people a reason to discuss and reflect on taboo subjects.

Bibliography

Books

Jensen, Claus Bruhn. (2008). Medier og samfund: En introduktion (s. 15 – 18), Frederiksberg: Samfundslitteratur.

Web articles

Whitney, Jennifer Dawn. (2010). Lady Gaga's 'Alejandro': A Madonna Pastiche. Critical Cookie. Source:

http://criticalcookie.blogspot.com/2010/06/lady-gagas-alejandro-madonna-homage.html

Bego, Mark. (1992). The Madonna/Pepsi Controversy: Madonna: Blonde
Ambition. New York: Cooper Square Press. Source:

http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id135.htm

Hvidt, Niels Christian. (1998). Madonna græder blod. Berlingske Tidende. Source:

http://www.hvidt.com/default.asp?page=pub&subpage=default&CatHead=57&CatMain=97&IndexID=0&show=text&IDF=51&sortset=default&book_id=0&lang=dk

Nygaard, Else Marie. (2006). Korset er Madonnas varemærke. Kristeligt Dagblad. Source:

http://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/artikel/28065:Kultur--Korset-er-Madonnas-varemaerke?all=1

Grundholm, Charlotte Taaning. (2009). Oversigt over kristne symboler. Religion.dk. Source:

http://www.religion.dk/artikel/311487:Indfoering--Oversigt-over-kristne-symboler

thinkquest.dk. Ku Klux Klan. Thinkquest. Source:

http://www2000132.thinkquest.dk/racisme/kuklux.htm

Videos

Madonna. (1984). Like A Virgin. Sire / Warner Bros. Records. Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s__rX_WL100&ob=av3e

Madonna. (1989). Like A Prayer. Sire / Warner Bros. Records. Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMCbtyBdZZ4

Comparison of the NLE Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro

In my time being an editor, I have worked with a variety of different NLE software, including Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer and loads of smaller amateur software. Since I am a photographer, I have worked a lot with adobe software like Photoshop, Lightroom, After Effects, Illustrator and InDesign etc. I‘m used to working with the Abobe Workflow, shortcuts and interface that makes the editing process in Premiere Pro an easy and effective task for me personally.  For the TVP course we have been taught Avid Media Composer, but the workflow just comes of as quite difficult to work with for me compared to Premiere Pro. This is a review on some of the things I find useful when using the different software.

Pros and Cons of Premiere Pro

Pros:

·      Working with Adobe Premiere Pro provides a good, fast and effective workflow combined with a beautiful interface.

As previously explained, I am very used to working with the Adobe interface. This includes shortcuts and UI design. The UI is build up, almost like a dark room where you develop film. In general adobe started changing the UI of the software towards the CS series, where Photoshop went from being a grey UI, to become an almost black one. The most characteristic change of a NLE UI being upgraded can be seen in the move from Premiere Pro CS2 to CC.

Final Cut Pro 7 grey interface

Final Cut Pro X dark interface

·      Premiere Pro offers a complete copy of shortcuts and workflows from other NLE’s such as Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro.

As seen in the above picture, Premiere Pro has the ability to customize the workflow to users of Media Composer and Final Cut. This means that you as a user are able to integrate your previous workflow, if you’re jumping right in to Premiere as a Final Cut or Media Composer user.

·      Premiere Pro CC offers a wide import option. For example the CinemaDNG, ARRI Alexa and RED RAW files can be imported straight into to the edit workflow. This saves you time from transcoding.

Though it’s not preferable, it is possible to import RAW CinemaDNG and RED R3D footage directly in to Premiere Pro. Alternatively this workflow can be used to generate proxies, and in the online process just replace the proxies with the RAW files. Even though you would need a really powerful computer to play back the RAW files in realtime, editing straight in the non transcoded files is an option, and would save you the time and effort it takes to generate proxies.

·      Premiere Pro provides a wide variety of exporting options.

From Premiere Pro you have the ability to export in a vide variety of formats. If you work across different NLE platforms, for example Media Composer, you are able to generate proxies in DNxHD format varying from the DNX 36 to the DNX 440x formats. 

Cons:

·      Premiere offers a very mouse-controlled workflow, which excludes the use of shortcuts.

For me as an editor, it is important to have a vide range of shortcuts to relate to. From personal experience with Premiere Pro, I get the feeling that the shortcuts are very limited. If you’re used to working in Media Composer, you could shift the workflow to integrate the Media Composer shortcuts, but if you’re not you will have to get used to using a mouse quite a lot.

·      The software is very easy to hack.

All of the adobe software’s are highly popular, and therefore you get a lot of hackers cracking the programs. As a response, Adobe offered an alternative. You “rent” the software through Adobe Creative Cloud, and if you sign up for a year, you can get the whole pack for as low as roughly 400£ a year or 30£ a month (www.adobe.com).

Pros and Cons of Media Composer

Pros:

·      Media Composer offers RTAS sound plugins

The RTAS sound plugins are used through AVID software, and offer a great indexing of your plugins combined with a fast interface. Only avid software supports the format, but it’s definitively worth using! 

·      The software offers a wide range of shortcuts

Unike a lot of other NLE’s I’ve worked with, Media Composer offers shortcuts for everything! You would be able to cut a film/video in much faster, if you incorporate the shortcuts into your workflow!

·      Avid Software is the industry standard

If you get a well-paid job in the industry, you need to be familiar with Avid’s software. Media Composer and Pro Tools are industry standard software for Video and sound, mainly because of their flexibility and ability to combine the software with special hardware that boosts the performance significantly!

·      The autosave feature.

When working with Media Composer, you don’t need to save your project! When I have been working with Premiere, I somethimes experience crashes, and even though there’s usually a backup file for the project, this is not always the case! Media Composer saves all changes you make automatically, and you therefore don’t need to worry about loosing your project!

·      Media Composer has a vide variety of export formats 

You can export in all formats from Media Composer. This is a nice feature if you’re planning on going back in time – but the main reason why I think this is good is because you don’t have to feel limited. There is only one problem – to acces the different formats you have to open up a lot of windows! If you didn’t know what you were doing, you could end up messing up your export format easily!

Cons:

·      The UI was not made for easy access

The user interface is clearly made for pro users! It is not easy to access features if you’re a beginner, and the way that it’s organised will make sense to pro users, but not for beginners.

·      Any mouse gestures are hard to access. Not made for beginners.

Again, if you’re a beginner you will have a difficult time editing with Media Composer. Mouse gestures have to be turned on with the click of a little red arrow (I know, it makes no sense..). After you switch it on, you will have full control over the mouse gestures.

Conclusion

Both editing softwares provide a good workflow for fast editing. Avid Media Composer is in it self a better piece of software to use if you are doing offline editing, provided that you take the time to learn all the shortcuts and the edit flow. Media Composer comes off as quite old school to work with, in terms of how the interface is organised, but this will on the other hand give you a fully customisable workflow. If you want to cut films with Media Composer, make sure you have at least two screens to work on; The interface takes up a lot of space, and if you’re working on a small screen, you will not be able to see the video-stream properly.