[TaoColorist] Sunday Morning Reading (The Swirl of Activity Edition)

Published: Sun, 03/24/13

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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 CXXIV                                                           Brought to you by: Tao of Color.com
 
Editor's Note: The Tao HQ is swirling with activity - wrapping up client gigs (including the latest installment of the BloodyCuts short film anthology) and prepping for teaching at NAB.

Oh, right, then there's that OTHER thing I'm doing... launching a brand new color grading website in the next two weeks (or so)!

Like I said: A swirl of activity which explains this being a very short edition of the Tao Colorist Newsletter. In this edition are our regular pre-NAB links (which are growing every week) some Craft stories and one or two extra treats thrown in (including a must-watch video for Resolve colorists).

At the end of this Newsletter is the 'How to Read The Tao Colorist Newsletter' email I promised you last week.  If you're new to this Newsletter (or just curious) I explain the thinking behind the formatting of this little digital treat you're now reading and how to separate the Core Color Grading stories from the Sunday Morning Coffee tidbits.

Enjoy!

I'll ship you another edition of this Newsletter next week (the last before my NAB break) - and with some pre-planning it may even be a full edition! Until then... 

Happy Grading!

 

The Craft

  • The UK's Top 20 Colourists - I'm wondering how many industry awards targeted at UK colorists exist (which was one of the basis for selecting these 20)? I think Hollywood has a colorist award they give out from one of their associations. Are there any others? (televisual.com via @monica_camba)
  • Fix It In Post...WTF! - A colorist rant against a generation of digital DPs who can't seem to shoot straight. (icolorist.com)
  • [Video] Inteview: Dean Cundey - Great discussion with the Cinematographer of Halloween, Jurassic Park, Back to the Future and many more. Pick this up at about 3 minutes and then sit back and enjoy. (Part 1 (YouTube), Part 2 (YouTube) via @JimWicks)
  • 5 Interviews with Color Grading Professionals - A few were featured in previous newsletters. (premiumbeat.com)
 

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The Tools

  • [Video] Accidental Clipping in DaVinci Resolve 9 - Grrr... I thought the Hard and Soft Clipping bug had been fixed in Resolve. Apparently it's baaack! Plus another good reason to put your LUT in node #2. This also has an explanation of why I've been finding myself completely avoiding (but hadn't investigated) Resolve's 'Hue vs' and 'Lum vs' controls. This is an excellent video that is required watching for all Resolve users. (vimeo.com via @JimWicks)
  • [Video] Stupid Resolve Tricks: Split RGB - Yup. Gray calls it out here! This IS a stupid Resolve trick in the funniest sense of that phrase. It also shows how desperate Resolve colorists are for more image processing and effects nodes.

    Shall we pray to the God of Software before we pilgrimage to that holiest of Convention Centers in the deserts of Nevada, USA? We ask: May we please have our effects nodes? (vimeo.com via @JimWicks)  

NAB 2013

  • Tips For NAB 2013 from a Convention Veteran - Great wrap-up of practical advice, from what to wear to where to eat to what to do. (biscardicreative.com)
  • Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire NAB Get Together - At the  KISS Mini Golf (yes!). Brought to you by a good friend of the Tao, Eric Harnden. Includes a raffle and a few names I recognize on the Attendee list. Sunday, April 7th 10pm - Midnight (inkminigt2013.eventbrite.com via  Eric Harnden)
  • 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)
  • NAB Pinball Party - In case the Supermeet isn't your style... a party sponsored by Red Giant Software and MAXON happening at the same general time. (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) 
 
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)

  • [Photo] The Things You Find In LA - At Estate Sales. (@joshpetok)
  • [Cartoon] Why We Never Want Rendering to Truly Go Away (@videoaaron)
  • [Video] Race Car Driver Jeff Gordon In "Test Drive" - A hidden camera prank on a new car dealer. It starts slowly but had me roaring at the end. (youtube.com via @olacolorist)
  • XBox Controller Wedding Band - For the online dating generation. (neatorama.com)
 
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How to Read the Tao Colorist Newsletter

It's a funny thought, isn't it? 
 
How to read the Tao Colorist Newsletter?
 
You're thinking, it's simple: You start at the top and work your way down, as one reader emailed last week. 
 
But as a newly subscribed reader noted, "I feel like I don't know what's important and what I can skip. It's too much to read every week."

Frankly, I can't disagree with that new reader's sentiment. This newsletter has come a LONG way from Issue #1. Yet, even in those early days you can see the seeds for what it has become today. But it is, undeniably, long'ish. (though not nearly as long as the 150-200 stories that I initially select. Each week.)

Sidebar: Man, that formatting in those early emails was ugly! Three years later and newsletter providers are still offering 1990's styles as if it's all the rage - which explains why I went to an all-text, no graphics format. 

Still, by Issue #6 you can see the basic concept for this publication was mostly formed. Though it took nearly a year to figure out how to streamline this process.

The first thing to remember, my dear new reader, is that Tao Colorist Newsletter is designed to be a Sunday Morning read. About the only thing I don't include from your local Sunday newspaper: Horoscopes and dating advice.
 
I do this on purpose for two reasons.
 
First, the Tao Treasurer knows I was terrible at dating and even worse at reading the stars. She'd advise I stick to what I know.
 
Second, a modern creative must be well-rounded. It's not enough to understand the theory and know the interface. 
 
You need to know the forces impacting on the craft - especially trends affecting our clients in distribution, production and financing. And since our careers tend to be hyper-mobile, we need to spend time thinking about negotiating and interview techniques, networking and self-improvement (including getting a good night's sleep).
 
And with the growing trend of one- and two- person boutiques, you need to stay on top of hardware and gear.
 
Finally, all fun and no play makes your Humble Newsletter Editor a very boring boy... so there's the Fun(nies).
 
With that as our basic outline (which happens to have enough variety to help you form a weekly reading habit) - here's the Tao of Color's Guide to Reading The Tao Colorist Newsletter:

"Just the Facts Ma'am"

If you only have time for a quick read of this Newsletter focus on these sections.

  • The Craft - Start your morning reading by doing a quick scan for the color grading specific stories in this section. Those stories tend to be strong on the education side and very high-level. But I'm quite free with putting generic 'craftsmanship' stories in here as well... not just grading stories. Don't let that throw you off. You can skip them if you're short on time. But since this section leads off the newsletter any story in here is a story I value highly.
  • The Tools - In here we get software-specific. If it's a story, article, blog post or tutorial about how to perform some aspect of color grading in a tool, this is where that story goes. Of course, if it's a tool you never use - feel free to ignore the story (just be aware that concepts from one tool can frequently be applied to another tool with fantastic effect).
  • Gear Heads - This section always appears shortly after the Sunday Morning Funnies... but don't let its placement fool you. If you want to keep up on physical products (graphics cards, computers, displays) this is where most of those stories get placed and should be considered for your core reading.

"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"

If you've got some more time on your hands - but want to focus on industry-related stories, these sections should fit the bill.

  • The Business - This section can get a bit eclectic or boring (depending on your point of view). I might put a story in here about a company's Quarterly Report. Or the Oscars. I tend to follow trends in digital distribution and the phenomenon (or non-phenomenon) of 'cable cutting'. Stories on digital cinema, 4K, stereoscopy, compression and other trends also make it in here. Stories that I can't find a place for elsewhere will frequently go here too.
  • New Kids on the Block - This is a newer section that doesn't always make the Newsletter. When it does appear, it's for stories about new software or hardware products that a post-production professional is likely to find interesting. Or one of our clients might find interesting. New products will stay in this section until they've been 'played out' and then they'll either be dropped or work their way into 'The Tools' or 'Outside the Box'.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were handsome. Then, of course, you spoke."

The rest of the items in the Tao Colorist Newsletter are mostly related to being a well-rounded professional... and because having a few laughs is a good way to start a Sunday. It's what makes this Newsletter 'Sunday Morning reading'.

  • Outside 'The Box' - Of course, by 'the box' I mean our dark little hovels we call grading suites and edit bays. These are industry stories that I think some portion of this audience will likely find interesting... from being a Grip to planning a lighting design to the latest update of Final Cut Whatever.
  • Sunday Morning Fun(nies) - Self explanatory. Usually a chuckle or two in here. Mostly.
  • Weekend Warriors - These tend to be DIY projects that might interest post-production geeks. An off-shoot of the Fun(nies).
  • Career - This is the section for stories on personal or career improvement. Mostly they're non-industry specific. But from time to time a career nugget appears in here from one post-production pro to another.
  • Tweet of the Week - Cause people say funny things on Twitter. If you read long enough, you'll notice some people are consistently funny (to me, at least).
  • The Next Step Is A Doozy - The mundane made miraculous. Generally something that I look at and say, "Wow." Usually only one article. Recently, that's been 3D printers.
  • A Step Too Far - The mundane made idiotic. Generally something that I look at and say, "This is beyond stupid." Usually only one article.

"Open the pod bay doors, please, HAL."

  • Stories Now Shared - In the footer of this Newsletter, this is a semi-accurate count of how many stories have been featured in all of our issues combined. Semi-accurate for two reasons:
    1. Sometimes I archive the same story more than once to my Gmail 'shared stories' folder. But other times I forget to archive a story, so it mostly evens out in the end.
    2. The Gmail folder can sometimes give me wildly different counts of how many stories are archived in that folder. I just publish whatever that number is that day (to the nearest 50). Blindly. Like a lemming. Hence, consider that number to be accurate to within two hundred stories, or so!

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room!"

The Reverse Osmosis Method of Reading This Newsletter
When I asked current subscribers to share with me how they read this Newsletter, I was surprised by the number of readers who offered up this method - which I shall forever call the Reverse Osmosis Method.

Sidebar: Almost all readers (who emailed me) using this method do so identically: They read it first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed and on their iPhones... which is an interesting mix of shared traits (though I'd personally execute the Reverse Osmosis with an iPad).

They read the Newsletter in two passes:
  • Pass 1: A slow scroll down to the bottom of the email. They take in the number of stories in the issue, which ones they find more interesting, reading only the headlines and my short comments. No clicking yet.
  • Pass 2: Starting the bottom, they slowly scroll back up to the top - clicking through to those stories which they find most interesting.

That's it. The Reverse Osmosis.

Or you can read the newsletter from top to bottom. Feel free to use whichever method works for you - and even change it up from time to time.

And now you have the official Tao of Color guide to reading the Tao Colorist Newsletter! May you continue to enjoy it for many years to come (or for at least as long as you find it useful).

Your Humble Editor,

Patrick Inhofer
TaoOfColor.com, MixingLight.com

 

Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. Happy Grading!
  
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Curated + Edited by: Patrick Inhofer, photon-wrangler & founder, TaoOfColor.com
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