Final Cut Pro X: First Impressions

I’ve abstained from any commentary on the new Final Cut Pro for about a month. I figured that there were enough people on the internet talking about it that you didn’t need one more article (and I’ve been too busy being dad and working to write).

However, I figure it’s time I share my experience. I bought Final Cut Pro X the week it came out—I think a couple days after the release. I had a corporate interview project to do, so I decided to take FCPX for a spin.

First off, the ability to import footage from my Canon T2i/550D and start working without transcoding or rendering was phenomenal! Also, I was able to apply a little color correction and played it back smoothly without rendering. The rendering and transcode time alone saved me almost the cost of the software. Seriously. I know… You could already do that with Premiere Pro. But that’s not in my price range.

The second time-saving feature that I loved was the synchronization feature. It basically analyzes the waveforms and syncs the files (here’s a tutorial to sync audio in FCPX). Super nice when you are using a dual audio system (in camera and external recorder) and have a ton of takes to sync. Before, I’ve used Singular Software’s DualEyes to sync files, but I never wanted to pay $150 for that feature. Now, that’s half the price of Final Cut.

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“Colorista Free” Video Color Correction Plugin

Life has been CRAZY the last month so it’s been hard to make time for the blog. But I discovered something that is awesome and worth posting.

Red Giant Software recently released Colorista Free, a free multi platform tool for color correction (I heard about it from Stu Maschwitz—I great guy to follow on twitter, @5tu). It’s basically a repackaging of their original Magic Bullet Colorista 3-way color corrector minus a few features. It’s incredibly easy to use and it’s something that can be used on a Mac or PC with Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Final Cut Pro (Mac only).

I used decided to give it a whirl with a little quick personal video I did a week ago with my T2i/550D. I had a shot that I completely messed up my settings (notably, white balance) but wanted to throw into the piece. SO… I fired up Final Cut and compared it’s default 3-way Color Correction plugin with Colorista Free.

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Magic Lantern for T2i Will Save You $60

When I got my Canon T2i/550D, I was really happy with it. Being my first DSLR, I really didn’t know there was anything I was missing. After several projects and a lot of time on the internet, I realized there were a few things that I wasn’t getting with the T2i. First, I wasn’t able to manually dial in the white balance (kinda a big deal). Second, I wasn’t able to select the camera sensor’s native ISO (which has it’s pros & cons).

About a year ago, I read about the Magic Lantern firmware for Canon’s DSLRs. Originally, it was to add functionality to the 5D that Canon left out, like controlling audio levels. Recently, they’ve ported Magic Lantern to the T2i/550D.

I decided to install it and now I can’t imagine not having Magic Lantern. It let’s me dial in my white balance & select whatever ISO I want; it gives me a histogram, false color, peaking, and gain controls in video mode. I LOVE IT! You need to download it and give it a try.

Another feature that I didn’t expect to see was an intervalometer (they let you setup the camera to take photos every X seconds). It’s perfect for doing creating timelapse videos. Anyway, I thought I would have to pay $60 for a remote control for the Canon T2i/550D to do this.

I tested the intervalometer yesterday and this is the product that I came up with.

Glidetrack Shooter HD: First Impressions

Yesterday, I received my Glidetrack Shooter HD. The Glidetrack is a simple, portable dolly that you use for camera movements when shooting video. There are quite a few options out there for these slide-type dollies, but I choose Glidetrack because of it’s price point, it’s size (perfect for DSLRs), and from what I had read, their customer service.

First: I ordered this on a Tuesday at 4:00 PM (PST) and the package arrived less than 48 hours later. From the UK. That’s stinking awesome!

Second: I now understand why a lot of people online were saying that you only really need about two feet of length. I ordered the 0.5 meter version and it’s more than long enough for nice, slow moves. Also, if you mount your Glidetrack to a tripod, the shorter version maintains it’s stability better as you go end to end.

Third: It’s going to take a bit of practice to learn how to best use this tool. Below is some test footage I shot last night with my Canon T2i/550D. You’ll have to forgive me for shooting at a higher ISO, but my house just isn’t lit well.

UPDATE: After using the Glidetrack for a bit, I’d recommend getting the plain Glidetrack HD instead of the shooter. I’ve never actually used it in the shooter configuration.

FilmFellas: Wisdom from the Pros

Part of my philosophy of learning is to seek out those who have lots of experience and wisdom on a topic and learn all you can from them. Study their work and listen to their every word.

This week, I’ve been doing just that. Zacuto—a filmmaking accessories company—produces a web series called FilmFellas. The series concept is a dinner table conversation with professionals in the filmmaking industry. The conversations range from business to passions to education. Each episode is somewhere around 10-15 minutes long.

I watched all of cast 4 & 5 this week and started cast 6. And the first episode of cast 6 (episode 25) is a must see. I was inspired by the candid advice about what is important from seasoned professionals. If you have 11 minutes, you gotta stop and watch it.

iTunes Link: FilmFellas Episode 25: Living Your Passions

Working With Green Screen – Part 3

So, I never intended to write a third part on the lessons I learned working with green screen. But last week I was tasked with shooting some interviews and trying to create a couple products to be used on Sunday.

I had 5 days to pull it all together, which included one whole day of planning, writing, and setting up for the interviews. That left me 4 days to shoot and produce something that would look good (and hopefully have meaningful content). Since I had a couple week window the last time (a.k.a. my first time) working with green screen, I had to crank this out quick.

A quick diagram of my setup I worked with.

I shot this with my Canon T2i/550D using the Magic Lantern firmware hack. Magic Lantern is awesome. You’ve got to check it out if you’ve got a Canon DSLR (except the 7D). Since I lit both the screen and the subject better this time, I was able having a way easier time getting a decent key. This made it possible to key the project in Final Cut Pro—largely because I didn’t have as many lighting/shooting mistakes to fix—allowing me to save a ton of time. And since I learned last time that the order of my filters/effects make a difference, I used that to my advantage.

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Things I Learned: Green Screen – Part 2

This is Part 2 of Things I Learned: Green Screen. These are things I learned from my first time working with green screen. If you missed it, check out Part 1 which covered the setup and the shoot.

Post Production

Before I started to talking about the post production stuff, it might be nice to show you the final product from my first green screen shoot. So here you go.

My post workflow for this project was definitely unique. Introducing the keying element complicated things a little more than normal. For most projects, I do 95% in Final Cut Pro: importing footage, cutting, audio, and basic grading. If it is needed, I’ll occasionally cleanup or adjust audio with Soundtrack Pro and add titles with After Effects.

At first, I tried to do my keying in FCP. I used the plugin Primatte RT. It did a decent job, but lacked controls for fine tweaking. If quick is what you need, then this might be a good path for you. I ended up waiting to key the footage until I sent my edit to After Effects because I had no Idea how to export a sequnce from FCP with an alpha channel.

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