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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 CXCIV
A TaoOfColor.com Publication Publisher: Pat Inhofer Managing Editor: Jim Wicks
From the Publisher |
- Tao HQ is about to go on the move.
- After 48 years living within 20 miles of New York City (and working in post-production here for 25 years) Tao HQ is re-locating to Orlando.
- You don't realize just how short 10 days actually is until you've got to transport the entire collected assets of your (and your spouse's) adult life a distance of 1,081 miles . . .
- . . . With a moving company billing by the pound.
- It's funny (and a little sad) how that cost-benefit analysis shifts your perspective on the Things you've acquired.
- What am I keeping? Digibeta with 505 card. Tangent Element. FSI CM250 OLED. ColecoVision.
- What am I tossing? BetaSP. A half-dozen DVD burners. A penny collection not worth a penny more
than the pennies it contains.
- That is just a short sample of the endless decisions the Tao Treasurer and I face for the next 10 days of our life.
- And we couldn't be happier (or more stressed).
[change of
subject]- This week I'm releasing a brand new 'Grade-Along' as part of Tao of Color's Colorist Flight School color correction training
'system'.
- You can join me as I re-master the wonderfully disturbed, but beautiful to grade, short film Mother Died.
- Shot on RED, I take you through the film, step-by-step and shot-by-shot; from media managing off the client hard drive, grading the film and through final deliverables.
- And you get to download ALL the source footage and grade along with me.
- What I really love this time around (this is the third short film getting this treatment on the Tao) is the use of OpenFX plug-ins... and a special bonus from Kanen Flowers and Indie Essentials that will save you almost half the cost of the Grade-Along training itself.
- Why am I telling you this? Besides the obvious reason?
- This week is one of those rare moments where you'll get an
extra mid-week email from me announcing the Grade-Along is ready for you.
- And as a Thank You for allowing me to interrupt your work week with a blatantly commercial email, you'll get a Launch Special discount.
- If the email annoys you - just ignore it. Everything will return to normal next week.
- If the email excites you - just follow the instructions to save some cash and grade a terrific short film while picking up real-world color grading techniques and workflows.
- Enjoy this week's Newsletter. And you'll hear from me again shortly!
See you next week! Happy
Grading! |
The Craft |
- The color of Wes Anderson - if everyone has unique
fingerprints, then the filmmaker's equivalent would be their color palette. Submitted for your approval, Wes Anderson's Color Palettes. (anothermag.com)
- [audio] 'Shoot Soft, Print Contrasty' - the late Harris Savides, ASC, helped lens 'Milk,' 'Zodiac,' and 'American Gangster,' among many others.
Click through to read and watch as Harris talks about why he shot low contrast in production, to control it better in post. An excellent example of craftsmanship. (theasc.com)
- Color. Out of time - nearly 300 years before Pantone, an artist mixed and described every color
imaginable in an 800-page book. The book is currently kept in France. But if you click through you can view it in high-resolution online. (thisiscolossal.com)
- I'm a Colorist! - What's the first thing a pretty booth babe at NAB asks you after finding out you're a colorist? Yeah... you guessed it! (cuttingitclose.wordpress.com)
- DPs: Guaranteeing your first color grade is a success - I'm fond of saying that color grading begins in pre-production. This post proves the point. Great advice to DPs on how to get the most from their images. (blogs.indiewire.com)
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The Tools |
- Comparing color tools - master editor Oliver Peters offers up the comparative advantages and disadvantages of DaVinci Resolve, SpeedGrade, Symphony and Color. You may be surprised by his color correction app of choice. (digitalfilms.wordpress.com)
- Blackmagic Cinema Camera LUTs - a young creative in New Zealand who goes by the name Captain Hook, loves making LUTs. Check out his website. Free for download, although he would appreciate a donation when you do. (captainhook.co.nz)
- [video] The eyes have it - as a Colorist, your eyes are your tools of trade - the very key to your success. Click through to watch 4 incredibly cool eye tests. (buzzfeed.com)
- DIY light leak - if you're on a budget, or just feeling extraordinarily creative, check out this online tutorial on how to create light leaks in Lightroom. Includes a free brush download. (fstoppers.com)
- [Resolve]
Color Wash: Old tricks in a new way - Looking for 50th way to perform the ever-popular 'color wash' look? Here's a new idea for Resolve colorists. (vanhurkman.com)
- [PDF] Avid DNxHD White Paper - it's two years old but was recently linked to
in the Avid-L2 list. I figured it's worth the re-share. The link is a direct download. (avid.com
via Marc Wielage)
- How to position your Klein colorimeter - you've spent thousands of dollars on a colorimeter to calibrate your display... this video shows you how to position it based on the type of display you're calibrating. (youtu.be)
- Wacom: The Hidden Manual - I've learned to love my Wacom tablet. Like a good control surface - you eventually learn to not have to look at the screen for many of your common actions. Some good tips in here to maximize your use. Especially if you find your Wacom feels a bit flaky at times. (aaronwilliams.tv via @j_salvo)
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S P O N S O R E D M E S S A G E Tao of Color's Official Calibration Software Announcing: CalMAN for FSI A brand new version of the world's favorite calibration and profiling software. Optimized to make your Flanders Scientific reference monitor
as accurate as it can be made. Breakthrough 3D LUT algorithms create
a level of accuracy literally never seen before. CalMAN for FSI is available at a very attractive price,
The Business |
- Growing 4K - interesting blog report by NetFlix, which predicts 1 million UHDTVs in homes by end of year. 4K is
mainstream by 2018. (blog.netflix.com)
- Finding the path - our digital workflow is constantly evolving. Read why Producers need to be specific about their requirements from acquisition right through to delivery. (tvtechnology.com)
- Changing
their minds - with nearly 200 TV channels to choose from, American viewers are choosing to watch only 17 channels. Why? Nielsen, the ratings company, looked for answers and came to a conclusion... (nielsen.com)
- Son of Netflix - the success of Netflix and its original programming model has reportedly inspired Yahoo! to take the plunge and create original programming. (thenextweb.com)
- Paying the price - check out this
breakdown of what the cost is of being an independent filmmaker. You can read it here. And this is the tweet that inspired the blog post. Interesting reads,
both.
- U.S. TV Networks cancel a slew of shows - did your favorite Prime-Time network show get axed? This article has all the gruesome details of this annual spectacle. (variety.com)
- Forget 60 FPS: How about 120 FPS? - VFX guru Douglas Trumbull is about to debut a film shot at 120fps. He's been working at this concept for decades and believes the time is finally here. (indiewire.com)
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Friends & Family |
MixingLight.com is a companion membership website to TaoOfColor.com. Want to read a story listed here but not a member? A free 24-hour test drive is
available. - [audio] Reference monitors and Calibration on a budget - Team Mixing Light tackles two questions from their members. (mixinglight.com)
- The art of the showreel - Tips on how to effectively condense your career into a 3-minute (or under) montage. (mixinglight.com)
- [video] Adding grain in DaVinci Resolve (efficiently) - do you remember when DaVinci
Resolve allowed 'track-level' mattes to be added to individual clips? I don't. But you can. This Insight shows you a nifty way of exploiting this less-than-obvious-unless-you're-looking-for-it-and-I-forgot-it-was-there feature. (mixinglight.com)
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S P O N S O R E D M E S S A G E Tao of Color's Official LCD Reference Monitors Flanders Scientific Broadcast Monitors The CM series is an affordable line of color critical reference LCD & OLED monitors featuring 10bit panels, 12 bit, 4:4:4 and XYZ signal formats, CFE2 Advanced LUT support
for 3D Calibration LUTs and 3D DIT LUTs , 3G/ Dual-Link/ HD/ SD-SDI Inputs, 13 onboard scopes on all inputs and world class support. All standard and starting at only $2,495. Learn More About the FSI CM Series Monitors
Outside 'The Box' |
- [video] 4K Camera Showdown - is the under $2K Panasonic GH4 sharper than a $20K+ RED EPIC? Can a cheap camera really look sharper than a pro cinema camera? Do you really want to know the answer? (nofilmschool.com)
- The best behind the lens - the top 25 greatest
Cinematographers in film history. Because without the DP movies would be - well, radio. See who made the list. (tasteofcinema.com)
- [video] Took a licking, keeps on ticking - a BMD 4k Production Camera did something it wasn't supposed to do. It fell 75 feet. And survived! The fall happens @0.45 sec. And, in case we need to say it: don't try this at home. (vimeo.com)
- Yosemite National Park: Leave your drones at home - You can look... but only from ground level. (theverge.com)
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Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers |
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Sunday Morning Fun(nies) |
- [video] How to sneak into any sports game - going to a sports game is expensive. The good seats are taken by people who can easily afford them. So why not just get in for free? NSFW or kids. (youtube.com)
- [video] The WALLEY POS-86 Camera - tired of the endless production and marketing of prosumer video cameras? Click through to watch a short video that parodies the most advanced camera ever built. (vimeo.com)
- I want one, Please!!! - one of the coolest toys for any creative to own is a limited edition Bruce Banner and the Hulk figure set in one-sixth scale. Fun. The price? Not funny. (sideshowtoy.com)
- [video] Google is going to blackmail you - to get you use to Google+. And you thought Incognito mode in Chrome really was! Cute. (youtu.be via @rhedpixel)
- [video] Lip Sync battle with Emma Stone - I'm in no rush to see Spiderman 2. But Emma Stone is amazing in this Lip Sync battle with Jimmy Falon. (youtu.be)
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Gear Heads |
- [review] Striped Samsung 512GB Blades - in a 2010 Mac Pro. Wicked fast, indeed. (barefeats.com)
- The nightmare of servicing a MacBook Pro battery - a professional creative shares his nightmare trying to swap out his laptop battery. Apparently, the Apple Store isn't set up for professionals. (photofocus.com via +RichardHarrington)
- [review] MacPro 2010 vs MacPro 2013 for Gaming - if you play WoW on the same rig you grade, you may be wondering if the New Mac Pro 6-core is worth the investment on that basis alone? The results are somewhat surprising. (barefeats.com)
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Cross Dressing |
- Running a GTX780 Ti over Thunderbolt 2 - in Bootcamp. An interesting thought experiment. (anandtech.com via @careyd)
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New Kid on the Block |
- It's all in your head - want way cool sound to work by, but don't want to bother those around you? Check out the new over the ear headphones from Master&Dynamic. Turn 'em up to 11 (if you dare). The company claims sound won't leak out. (wired.com)
- Tape is BACK! - Sony is about to unveil a new tape storage device...
that can hold 128 GB per square inch! You don't measure the capacity of these tapes by Gigabytes... rather, a single tape holds 185TB! Cripes - you thought shooting ratios were already getting ridiculous? Don't let your Director find out about this! (extremetech.com)
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Have you ever wanted to sit with a colorist
while they color correct? Now, you can! Coming Soon from TaoOfColor.com: Mother Died: The Grade Along => Download a short film (shot on RED) => Grade Along with TaoOfColor founder Patrick Inhofer => Send Patrick your work, he'll evaluate it as your Senior
Colorist Click to read the official announcement Launching THIS WEEK!
Getting Ahead |
- Breaking up is easy to do - so, after a long relationship a company decides on a very public breakup with Facebook. We bet you won't guess what happened next? (fastcompany.com)
- 5 Assumptions that will sabotage your client work - "When it comes to client relationships,
sometimes it is easier to keep your head down and keep working. However, these relationships are all about communication. " (99u.com)
- Stop using your Inbox as a To Do list - This is easily my biggest communication problem that I need to solve. (blogs.hbr.org)
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Showcase |
- [video] Memories are made of these - shot in ProRes using BMD's Pocket Cinema Camera and graded in DaVinci Resolve. Says Director Ed Lawes: "I did a lot
of color grading tests and uploaded them to Vimeo to look at them on different monitors, phones, TVs, etc. Once I had a 'look' I edited the ungraded footage in Premiere then brought the edit into Resolve as an EDL and applied that look, adjusting each shot where necessary." (vimeo.com)
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The Next Step is a Doozy |
- Amazon patents... studio photography - I actually checked this item twice to make sure it's not a hold-over April Fools Day joke. It's stunning that 1) Amazon thought they could get a patent on this and 2) the US Patent Office
agreed.
Of course, if you successfully patented the One-Click purchase I guess you figure setting up lights in front of cyclorama with a subject between you and a recording device is patentable (I'm guessing it's the 10kw bulb specification that passes muster at the USPTO).
Next, Amazon will patent using a recording device on people reading pre-written text (printed on 98 brightness 40lb paper stock or an electronic
approximation thereof), assembled as a story for distribution to a mass audience. (arstechnica.com | US Patent Office)
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A Step Too Far? |
- DIY Brain Stimulation - this story is something we're sure Ren and Stimpy were the first to attempt. Now, you can try it and join the self-experimenters who aren't consulting their doctors or waiting for 'scientific
consensus'. They're zapping their brains first and asking questions as they go. (wired.com)
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Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. Happy Grading!
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The Book Shelf
- Color Correction Handbook, Updated - Alexis Van Hurkman has updated his Color Correction Handbook, which has set the standard for learning all things color correction. (amazon.com)
- Color Correction Look Book - This is the second part of the Color Correction Handbook, exploring the creative techniques for over 200 different visual looks. A sort-of recipe book for colorists.
(amazon.com)
- The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction - Read how a dozen different colorists grade the same footage with the same gear, differently. A fantastic approach to learning the craft of color grading by Steve Hullfish. (amazon.com)
- Autodesk Smoke Essentials - Walk through grading a short sci-fi film (with downloadable ProRes4444 source material) while learning the ultimate online finishing app... Autodesk Smoke. (amazon.com)
- Color Grading with Avid and Symphony - Written for version 6. Fully applicable to version 7. I was a contributor. (amazon.com)
- Adobe Speedgrade CC: Classroom in a Book - A solid book for a solid grading app. (amazon.com)
- NEW! Digital Cinematography: Fundamentals, Tools, Techniques and Workflows - Don't let the title fool you. I'm only a third way through this book and its explanations of
how digital images are recorded, sampled and viewed is essential knowledge for anyone who's craft intersects with digital images. Not light reading. But not filled with math either. I highly recommend this book. (amazon.com)
Have a book you think
should be in this list? Reply to this email and let me know! FCC Disclaimer: Links in this email to Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or ToolFarm.com are Affiliate links that help support the TaoOfColor.com. FSI and SpectraCal are paid sponsors and BlackMagic Design
is a current client. We thank you for your support.
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Published by:
Patrick Inhofer: Photon-Wrangler, Fini.tv | TaoOfColor.com | MixingLight.com
patrick@taoofcolor.com
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