Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/102700
"Freddy Mercury Engine," still make use of Final Cut 7 and other Adobe Creative Suite 6 offerings, including Photoshop and After Effects with plug-ins from Red Giant Software and Video Copilot's Element 3D. "Element 3D is a really down and dirty way of getting 3D text going. It's got really good texturing, which to me is its single biggest strength. Being able to texture 3D shades and stuff in Elements in 3D is great. If we ever need anything more complex, we go to Cinema 4D." One particularly interesting project that used some of those tools took place months back when Conan reported that a talk show in China was using an open that stole parts of Conan's opening title sequence. "We were going back and forth taking jabs at each other between the two shows in a funny way, and it was starting to come to an end. That morning it was like, what's a good final button. It was noon, and as a joke, I suggested that I should just make them their own open.The writers and Conan said, 'That's great. You have four hours.' So me and the amazing graphics guys hauled ass — lead Eric McGilloway, Steve Robinson and Pierre Bernard Jr. It was all Photoshop and After Effects," Another piece of "equipment" that Ashe puts to good use is the basketball hoop behind his door. "One of my first duties in the morning is to update the open for the show. Typically, there are four panels per show: first guest, second guest, and a comedian or band or special performance, and then episode titles. It usually takes 20-25 minutes to render the names, so the hoop comes in handy. I put them in the cue and make the best use of my time!" The piggy bank that lives in the editing and graphics area helps the team save money, which is a value in itself! "It's called the Fuck-Up Jar," explains Ashe. "If anyone makes a major mistake, they have to put in a dollar." GETTING IN EARLY Portland-based DP/editor/VFX artist Jim Geduldick (@filmbot) is one of those guys that always seems to Not yet shipping: Jim Geduldick with Blackmagic's Cinema Camera. He also likes the Leap Motion controller. be working on a beta version of some eagerly awaited tool or software, consulting with manufacturers on what works and what doesn't, often putting these things to use in the field. Most recently, Geduldick finished a couple of projects using some of those tools, including Pretty Sweet, directed by Spike Jones and Ty Evans, as well as a commercial for Amp Energy Drink for which he was director of photography. What inexpensive devices does Geduldick call on most often? iApps, he says. "There are a bunch of handy, little on-set utilities that I use on my iPhone or iPad, including Setellite," a new app from Planet X (www.planetx.nl/setellite). He likens it to Shotgun, but for portable devices. "It's an on-set VFX organizer for shot list management and for prioritizing your VFX shots. It can be used by a DP, producer or any VFX artist. It's under 10 bucks, lives in the cloud, and you can set it up and put all your shot metadata in." He says it also allows you to build a project, add type, add slates, put in camera information, take photos with your iPad of set locations, even shoot video. Geduldick used the app on the skateboard documentary film Pretty Sweet. "I managed my shots really quick on my iPad in the app, added references, metadata and camera lens and angle info." If you were to look in Geduldick's backpack, at any given time, you will find the GoPro Hero 3 (www. gopro.com), because you never know when you'll need to shoot high res video or even stills — he points "The iPhone and iPad are going to be everyone's go-to choice. My vote is for in-car GPS. I never have time to look at or study a map or call sheet before dashing out the door to supervise a VFX shot... and can worry about the details when I'm half way there." — David Lebensfeld, creative director, Ingenuity Engine (www.ievfx.com) www.postmagazine.com Post0113_034-37-affordableRAV4FINALREAD.indd 35 Post•January2013 35 12/21/12 7:23 PM