LAST DAY TO REGISTER! There's no better time to learn the skill at the heart of documentaries: editing. During this time of social distance, we're all staying connected through visual storytelling and educational media. I normally teach this class at Docs In Progress in Washington, D.C., but it needs to be online while the building remains closed - actually an ideal way now to learn editing software and techniques, with your own screen right in front of you. I'll personally guide you as an Adobe Certified Instructor, editing professor, and filmmaker (Zen Violence Films) during 6 live interactive Zoom sessions on Thursday and Tuesday evenings starting tomorrow, October 22nd. If if you don't have an Adobe license, we'll set you up for the whole course.
Knowing how to edit video today is like last century's word processor: not an optional skill, and there's no better time to learn! It's not a small investment, but for the quality of learning and attention you'll receive, it's a relative bargain in the field (e.g., compare to Future Media Concepts who charge triple). See you online! Enroll today at: eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-documentary-editing-tickets-122893362355
DEAL ALERT: Something that really qualifies as a "sleeper hit" for filmmakers, is the Envato marketplace. You might know them best for WordPress themes and plug-ins, but I've begun taking advantage of their extremely affordable pricing on stock video footage too, among other things. It's the antidote to increasing consolidation in the stock footage industry, from Adobe Creative Cloud trying to sell you Adobe Stock at every turn, with fixed (high) pricing, to Getty Images buying up iStock, Corbis and a dozen others. And it's not like any of those high-cost libraries show consistent quality to begin with; meantime many Envato creators have uploaded well-shot, cinematic, 4K content into the mix, often in the single digits. And that's not to mention the numerous plug-ins and templates for Premiere, After Effects, etc. Now, for the first time - partly inspired, it seems to me, by COVID-19 hardship for creatives - they're deeply discounting tons of stuff by 40% at the following direct link: https://1.envato.market/NaRvN
Samsung Galaxy Note10+: 3D Scanner
Check out this first look at today's launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ and its "3D Scanner" in pre-release (APK download). Every single thing you see in the video, from my screen capture and voice-over to 3D object acquisition to post-production editing, music tracking, and rendering, was done just on the phone with stock apps. Incredible.
Cherry Blossoms at Peak Bloom in Washington, D.C.
Shot with the YI Technology 360 camera in 5.7k resolution, stitched together (without post-processing) using YI 360 Studio software. Make sure that Facebook is playing this back at 2160p using the gear icon at bottom-right during playback. But for fullest-resolution playback at 2880s, visit: https://youtu.be/MCknDXmzIsc
Memphis Gold blues band in 360-degree B&W virtual reality
Captured using Garmin VIRB 360 in 4K resolution (internal stitching), processed in Adobe Premiere Pro Lumetri with black-and-white film stock emulation, at Frederick Film Festival
4k VR Video Footage of Garmin VIRB 360 Camera
This is my first test of the new Garmin VIRB 360 Camera. So far, it ain't goin' well! The product is fresh from the factory, and I checked its lenses that are spotless/never touched, but these chromatic aberrations and overall foggy smudginess around the highlights are a big problem. This upload was straight from the camera file, meaning that there was no subsequent editing/re-compression/re-encoding.
For comparison with my other test at https://youtu.be/gqLmxlTXU64 that used the maximum resolution of 5.7k at so-called "RAW" mode that doesn't stitch in-camera, this uses in-camera stitching at 4k. I also selected the Neutral color profile, to protect the highlights and accommodate later color grading. The reported ISO of the clip was quite low in this environment (a little over 100), but the digital noise and compression artifacts make the high resolution of this product (its best feature) almost meaningless.
I'm losing interest fast in this once-promising new product, but a full review will get published eventually at FocusPulling.com via VRcine: Virtual Reality Cinema Camera User Group. Now, all eyes are on the YI Technology 360, which I hope to receive soon...
Bach in 360° 4K Video via Insta360: Chorale from BWV 148
The conclusion of J.S. Bach's cantata "Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens," BWV 148, in 360° virtual reality, shot using the Insta360 4K Beta and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro using Mettle Skybox plug-ins. To watch it:
1. Select HD at the gear icon for the sharpest experience
2. If you can watch this using the Facebook app on your smartphone or tablet, just move your device around and the video will react with you. If you are viewing through a headset, just move your head around to explore the space.
3. If you are watching this from a desktop, you can also just mouse-click and drag within the video to look around.
Performed by the Washington Bach Consort
J. Reilly Lewis, conductor
Church of the Epiphany, Washington, D.C.
May 3, 2016
Audio engineered & recorded by Robert Kraft
Filmed & edited by H. Paul Moon | www.zenviolence.com | www.VRcine.org
