[TaoColorist] Sunday Morning Reading (The Skull Edition)

Published: Sun, 03/10/13

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The Tao Colorist

Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor 
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday.
Issue CXXII                                                           Brought to you by: Tao of Color.com

The Craft

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Tao of Color's Official LCD Reference Monitors

Flanders Scientific Broadcast Monitors

The LM-2461W is an affordable 24" color critical reference monitor featuring 10bit color depth, 3G/HD/SD-SDI Inputs, 12 onboard scopes, and DCI P3 support. All standard and all for just $4,995. 

Learn More About the LM-2461W

  

The Tools

  • [Video] Colour Correction In Blender - First... node-based graders (Resolve colorists, I'm looking at YOU) really need to hit the 12:30 mark in this video and watch how nodes are re-ordered and re-connected here. I'd love to see the DaVinci team implement something like that! Second... the examples in this 18 minute tutorial demo a great way of experimenting with any NLE or grading app that you want to master. It includes an interesting discussion of Lift / Gamma / Gain vs. Offset / Power / Slope. Note: Much of 2nd half of the video is very specific to Blender, so take these concepts and play with them in your software tool of choice. (YouTube.com via @redsharknews.com)
  • [Video] Resolve 9: External Matte Node and Multilayer Mattes - Great explanation of the Resolve's Matte node and the different ways to use it. Plus, one detail the Resolve User Manual doesn't get right. (graymarshall.com)
  • [Video] Roundup: Resolve 9 External Mattes -  Includes the above tutorial from Gray Marshall plus two tutorials from Juan Salvo we've featured previously. Also adds a tutorial on doing a green screen composites using a matte from After Effects. (jonnyelwyn.co.uk)
  • [Video] SCRATCH Lab: What It Has To Offer - Both a short promo piece for a post house and an educational piece. Well executed with a clear explanation of why these guys choose to use Scratch Lab. (youtube.com)
  • Super Easy EDL Workflow in SpeedGrade - Yup. Super easy. Speedgrade. (blogs.adobe.com)
  • Free Trial Of File-Based Video and Audio Content Analysis Tool - Looks interesting. And while I respect Tektronix, the lack of pricing anywhere suggests this is yet another product aimed at broadcasters - which thousands of small shops would love to get their hands on but can't afford. So I'll pass on the free trial, lest I fall in love only to find it's unattainable. (tektronix.gcsmarket.com)     

NAB 2013

  • Full Day Color Grading Training: 42 Days Until Show Time - On Sunday April 7 join MixingLight.com co-founders for a full day of color grading training: Colorists Robbie Carman, Dan Moran and myself are hosting a full-day training series on color grading. Buying a Post | Production World One Day Pass for that Sunday will give you access to ALL the classes available that day, including ours (there's no need to individually register for our training sessions).

    If you buy before NAB begins it'll save you $70. Pricing details are here. Registration is here. The breakdown for our color grading training is here.
  • Color Graders Unite! Join us for a Colorists@NAB Mixer - TaoOfColor.com, MixingLight.com, the Telecine Internet Group [TIG] and the International Colorist Academy (iColorist.com) are hosting an informal color grading gathering. There's no corporate sponsorship, no free drinks or food, no presentations - but we are inviting the vendors who make the awesome tools we use and there might be some free swag to be had... maybe. Arrange your plans to be there and bend arms with like-minded professionals!

    Where: Monte Carlo Hotel, 'Keg and Pub Room'
    When: Sunday, April 7, 8p - 10p
    Registration: None, just show up... it's a really big room.
  • Your Free Code for NAB Exhibits-Only Pass: LV5183 - Use this discount code from Tao Newsletter sponsor Flanders Scientific to save $150 and get into the Exhibit Halls for free: LV5183. Expires March 22. This link takes you to the sign-up page for NAB. (NABShow.com)
  • Attend the 12th Annual Las Vegas Supermeet - It's Tuesday night at the Rio Hotel. Go for the presentations, stay for the mega-raffle. I've got my tickets, get yours now. They sell out every year. (Eventbrite.com)
  • Attend the 16th Annual Media Motion Ball - No, no dancing at this event. Nor is it formal attire. But it's a sit-down dinner & dessert with a few presentations and a raffle. It's a much more intimate version of the Supermeet and tends to be a Who's-Who of vendors, authors, bloggers, podcasters, trainers, web forum leaders and the community they serve. Highly recommended. It usually sells out before NAB. Get your tickets now and we'll see each other there: (Eventbrite.com) More details here: (MediaMotionball.com)
  • Discounted Online-Only Las Vegas Monorail Tickets - If you stay at a hotel on the Monorail line, then you'll want to skip the buses and pre-pay for unlimited ride 4- or 7- Day Monorail passes. They're not available in Vegas... save time and money by buying them now through this link for NAB attendees. This page also has the names of the 7 hotels on the Monorail route. (tickets.lvmonorail.com) 

Outside 'The Box'

  • Sharing Final Cut Pro X Projects - Good to see these tools being rolled into FCPx. (phantommoose.com)
  • Shooting Django Unchained - In-depth piece on the cinematography. It's always fun reading about why they pick various film stocks. (EOShd.com via filmmakeriq.com)
  • [Video] TED: The Art of Asking - Fight digital piracy by not forcing people to pay. And other life lessons. Nice message. (YouTube.com via filmmakeriq.com)
  • Instant Expert: Make It Slow, Fast, or Timelapse - A run-down of products for Off-Speed Production. Mostly hardware and gear. Compiled by a great friend of the Tao, Ned Soltz. (creativeplanetnetwork.com)

Edumacate Yer'self

  • Baselight & Dolby Demo - March 14, NYC. If my schedule allowed it, I'd be there. (filmlight.ltd.uk)
 
Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers
 JL Cooper Eclipse Avid Artist Color Tangent

Software: v2.9.3

 Mac: v2.7

Color: v3.8

Color Plug-in: v 1.0.5
 PC: v2.7
Wave Firmware: v1.9

Updated:
Jan. 2

 Updated: Feb 19 Updated: Feb. 7, 2012
 

Sunday Morning Fun(nies)

  • Norway Plans 12 Hour Prime Time TV Show of a Fireplace - "There will be on-air experts providing Color Commentary as the Fire Burns". Yup. That's enough to get you in this Newsletter! But I wonder: Norway's Prime Time is 12 hours long? Don't they go work? (neatorama.com)
  • Alfred Hitchcock is Haunting the River Charles - Okay, this is like seeing Madonna in a potato chip. (io9.com via David E. Bell)
  • [Video] "Fix It In Post" - Autodesk gets in on the Red Giant Software trend of creating short films to show off your gear. Fun. (youtube.com)
  • Jeopardy! The Exciting (and Amusing) Teen Tournament Conclusion - You've got to watch the whole thing if you're going to get to the chuckle. (youtube.com)

Weekend Warriors

  • Genius: Make a Gaffer's Tape Key Fob - Always carry several feet of Gaffer's tape with you. PS: Duct tape is for wimps. (strobist.blogspot.com)
  • [Videos] 8 Knots Every Grip Should Know - This one kind'a goes with the Gaffer Tape Key Fob. Very manly. And useful. A collection of YouTube videos for useful on-set knots. (HowToFilmSchool.com via filmmakeriq.com)
  • Use Your Phone To Automatically Lock Your Mac - When you walk away. (mac.tutsplus.com)

Gear Heads

  • FSI: NAB B-Stock Monitors - It's the time of year to buy B-Stock... gear that's been used at a Trade Show, is cleaned up and refurbished and then sold as used. FSI runs this special every year - and every year they seem to sell out their B-Stock before NAB begins. If you're in the market for a great LCD display at a discount, click through. They've already sold 50% of their B-Stock inventory. (ShopFSI.com)
  • Color Correction and Grading Monitors for Small Post Houses - It's a round-up of monitors from the $2-$20k price points. (wolfcrow.com via @Jorge_Soto_Vigo)
  • What is the Best Monitor For Post Production and Critical Color Grading? - Another round-up, though I'm not sure how you can include monitors that aren't shipping... how exactly would you grade with it? (wolfcrow.com via @Jorge_Soto_Vigo)
  • [Podcast] Coloristos: Control Panels - The three amigos are back, and they slinging control surfaces - a favorite topic in these here parts! (coloristos.podomatic.com)
 
Do you want to stop fiddling and start color correcting?

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Grade-Along Training System

It's a 3-point plan that's like Flight School for Colorists!
 
1) Learn the DaVinci Resolve 9 'Instrument Panel'
 
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3) Get Personal Feedback on your Work

If you want to dig deeper than the buttons,
then this training is for you!


New Kid on the Block

  • Rehoused GoPro Hero 3 Becomes The Monster Novo Digital Camera - If by monster you mean it's small but accepts interchangeable lenses. Only available for rental. (cinescopophilia.com)

Career

  • Picasso, Kepler and Being an Expert Generalist - Sounds like a lot of video / film pros I know. (99u.com)
  • I Won't Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here's Why. - I have this response to someone who emails using texting abbreviations... drives me bonkers. (blogs.hbr.org)
  • How To Break Bad Sales Habits - Interesting thoughts in here. (inc.com)
  • The Unwanted Job of Curating a Blacklist - Or rather, how not to get Blacklisted. (theblackandblue.com)

Tweet of the Week

Nearly 5000 shots graded in 8 days. #Resolve9 working overtime. Not 1 single crash!! Job done. Backup database - Crash!  @onlinecreative

Next Step Is A Doozy

  • Man Has 75% Of Skull Replaced with 3-D Printed Implant - I'm not making this up! (latimes.com)     

  

Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. Happy Grading!
  
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