Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/130212
A U D I O The new Beauty filter has been updated with GenArts' EdgeAware for enhanced skin tones. welcome, new feature. There are also new transitions like FilmRoll and CardFlip. The library of cool transitions continues to grow. FilmRoll is one of those great, customizable effects that will be quickly embraced. It convincingly emulates film projection flutter but is, like virtually all Sapphire effects, changeable in a heartbeat. And this is where FX Central really shines: a click on "load presets" takes you there, where you can click on one of the ever-expanding libraries of presets... as long as you have a Web connection. CardFlip, another new transition, is a bit retro for my tastes: it emulates the old ADOstyle dimensional turn or flip from the early '80s. I guess what is old is new again! There is also a new 3D mode for Zap. One of the coolest effects in Sapphire I've never used. Zap has been reworked and dimensionalized for astounding lightning and particletype effects. It's spline-controllable and newly rotatable, and lightning effects have never been easier to control. Other changes, big and small, permeate this latest version: Lens Flare has been gussied up with new animation and atmospheric implementation; Motion Blur and Vignetting has been added to many other effects; Crop has been added to Warp Effects; the Sharpen tool now has more flexibility; plus many more than we can fit in this space. FINAL THOUGHTS Needless to say, this is an invaluable and powerful toolset. With the introduction of Pan & Zoom and Beauty, it's value as a go-to tool is a no-brainer if you can afford the price tag. All in all it's a great release, but any tool is useless if you don't know how to use it. I'd like to see GenAr ts use FX Central even more as a teaching center so editors can learn all the tricks this powerhouse has up its sleeve. Jonathan Moser recently finished Discover y ID's Deadly Sins, Food Network's 3 Days To Open With Bobby Flay and Animal Planet's Rattlesnake Republic. For more, visit www. jonathanmoser.com. [ Cont.from 37 ] quickly-paced scenes. These aspects combine to make a trailer that sounds like a movie, and feels as imposing as the Roman Empire. According to Beddow, "Having captivating vocal performances are crucial to selling a lot of the drama, and that opening hinged a lot on those vocal performances." Over the past nine months, Beddow has recorded hundreds of actors for the Total War: Rome II game. All the voices are recorded in the studio at the Creative Assembly facility, where they have three edit rooms and a large live room to record everything from musicians to weapons to the dialogue. Occasionally, Beddow records the game dialogue to picture, much like an ADR session. "We've got a lot of scenes where characters in the game are swinging weapons or climbing a ladder, and we need to get the proper vocalized exertion in order for it to sound correct. We play short movie sequences of those animations, and the actors perform in sync with that action." After Beddow edits the voiceover lines, they're synchronized to the actual game animation. When it occurs in the game, the sound file matches perfectly. When creating the soundtracks for trailers, in-game movies and tutorials, Beddow and his team use sound elements that were developed for the game specifically. "When we're using scenes that are actually part of the game, they need to have the game sound effects in there to have that consistency." Over the years Beddow has built up a substantial inhouse sound effects library. The sound facilities at Creative Assembly are ideal for recording music, Foley and other sounds they need. Beddow also does a fair share of field recordings… from ocean sounds to burning fires to weapons, he says. As for the historical accuracy of the weapon sounds, Beddow often tries to incorporate sounds of the real weapons (or replicas) but finds that they lack excitement. "They just don't sound like what you're expecting them to sound like. So, ultimately, we'll create something that sounds exciting but also has elements of those actual real items, or replicas, as well. We try to deliver both." For Beddow, working in a linear format for the trailer was a nice change of pace. He wasn't bound by the technical restraints of implementing the audio into the game, so he had the freedom, he says, "to be completely creative. We were able to make the experience tighter and more dynamic." He did the edit and final stereo mix for the Carthage trailer in Nuendo 4. For the mix, Beddow found his biggest challenge was leaving enough space for all the signature game sounds to be heard. A lot of the material in the trailer's action scenes are actual battle scenes in the game. Beddow had to make sure those game sounds came through in the mix. "There's a lot of big sounds going on, lots of low frequencies and sometimes that can get muddy. It's a case of juggling things around and carving out space for the signature sounds." To help control the dynamics in the final mix, Beddow used the Waves V-Series plug-ins. He found the V-Series compressor particularly useful. "I think it's fantastic," he says. "I've been using that for the mix bus compression to help knit the mix together. I think it's a great tool." Classifieds HELP WANTED ADVERTISING SALES REP. Ad Sales Rep needed for advertising sales in Post Magazine and Computer Graphics World. The purpose of the position is to generate classified advertising sales for the publications CGW & Post Magazine in the areas of Rapid Prototyping (3D printing), Camera, Displays/monitors/projectors, Workstations (mobile, desktop), GPUs/CPUs, Input devices (mice, scanners, etc), Motion-capture, Storage, Service provider, Education/training, 2D modeling, 3D modeling, 3D animation, Compositing, Rendering, Lighting, Editing, CAD/CAM/CAE/CAA, AI/VR (including headmounted displays), Game engines, Middleware, Texturing, Simulation, Plug-ins, Web content tools, Music Libraries, Stock Footage, Large File Transfer companies , Studios. Full-time position. Operates from office when not traveling. Skills/Qualifications: Customer Service, Meeting Sales Goals, Closing Skills,Prospecting Skills, Negotiation, SelfConfidence, Product Knowledge, Presentation Skills, Client Relationships, Motivation for Sales. Send cover letter and resume to: ksafaryan@copcomm.com. CSR - CUSTOMER SERVICE REP. Our local office in Glendale, CA is seeking a Customer Service Representative to be the first point of contact with our print customers. Our customer service representatives are passionate, customer-focused professionals with outstanding people skills and the desire to help us grow our business through hard work and innovative thinking! As a customer service professional, your responsibilities will include: • Responding to service requests. • Investigating and resolving customer questions and concerns efficiently and compassionately. • Preparing and distributing reports (utilizing various proprietary systems) on a regular and timely basis. • Assisting with various administrative duties, such as filing, data entry, and ensuring SOP compliance. • Participating in inside sales activities. Successful team members also possess the following qualifications: • A High School Diploma or equivalent. Preferably a College Graduate. • At least 2 years of experience in a customer service or call-center environment. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Strong data entry/typing skills. • The ability to multi-task and prioritize multiple assignments. Send cover letter and resume to: ksafaryan@copcomm.com. For Advertising Rates & Schedules: POST Magazine, 620 West Elk Ave., Glendale, CA 91204; Western Region 818-291-1153, Fax: 818-547-4607; Eastern Region 781-255-0625 Fax: 781-255-0431 www.postmagazine.com Post0513_000-Review GenartsRAV3FINALREAD.indd 45 Post • May 2013 45 5/3/13 4:47 PM