E-NEWS EDITION #037
March 2013
Greetings Editing Colleagues,
It's been quite an eye opening month. The financial state of many facets to our industry and lives have been affected.
AACTA called for a meeting of all Industry Guilds to talk of their financial troubles and discuss a plan moving forward. Scott Gray ASE represented our Guild and has written a brief insight to discussions for you to read below. This news is not good in light of losing the IF Awards last year too. The FCCA Awards are also seeking broader financial assistance.
Could it be The Ellies are the only Awards for Editing next year?
It's times like this we do have to be most grateful to our Sponsors. Without their financial support, our Guild would not be in a position of offering benefits to our Members ... that's you! Please be mindful to return support to them, whenever you can.
Please sign the campaign for "Keeping Australian Stories on TV". This month is crunch time with the Federal Government considering changes to the Australian Broadcast Content requirements.
You may be aware of the international stink that surrounds the state of the VFX Industry. A bubble that burst on the stage of the Oscars it would seem, now marked by protesting greenscreen personal profile images on Facebook. The cries of the VFX Industry is not far from our own problems. It is indeed a post production wide dilemma.
On to a brighter note, congratulations to ASE Members Melanie Annan (in fact our ASE Vice President) and Gwen Sputore (in fact our ASE Mentorship and Training Liaison) who won categories of the WOW Film Festival. Jane St.Vincent Welch ASE was present on the evening and has more details below.
Digistor are offering 10% discount to ASE Members on all of their training courses. Take a moment to browse the extensive list.
You know we're on Facebook right? We have 382 followers. There's some interesting posts to ponder ...
http://www.facebook.com/
Remember, it really is a matter of "what can you do for your Guild?".
Please let us know what you'd like to contribute or make available to share.
Let's find great comfort in supporting each other.
Regards,
Jason Ballantine ASE
ASE President
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN UPDATE
South Australian editors and post-production practitioners have gotten off to a busy start this year. Production is on the rise around S.A. and theMad March festival season hit the state in one long torrential onslaught.
The South Aussie outback and the Flinders Ranges has been host to the location shoots of Wolf Creek II and The Rover, The Infinite Man has begun principal photography in Woomera, and The Boy Castaways finished shooting in Adelaide at the end of January. With varying levels of post-production happening in the state, South Australian's are enjoying their full dance cards.
The new Adelaide Studios (home of the South Australian Film Corporation) are hosting the editorial team of Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures, who began production in February.
It’s been a cracking start to 2013, seeing lots of jobs coming in to the state - we're all looking forward to a busy year.
Sean and Carly.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN UPDATE:
DCP Seminar - 9th Feb 2013
“George Lucas was right and there is no sense crying about it, the film print is dead. DCPs – Digital Cinema Packages have taken over from traditional film print screenings technology”
This was the provocative invitation to a recent seminar hosted by the WA branch of the ASE at the Paradiso Cinema in Northbridge Perth. The presenter was Steve Quartly , Managing Director of Digipix, a company that has specialized in creating DCPs for cinema advertising here in Perth for several years.
Steve has developed a proprietary software solution for creating DCPs so is the full bottle on the do’s and don’ts of converting your precious feature film, doco or short drama into a file that can be played successfully in a mainstream digital cinema.
Steve took the audience through the process step by step.
This included the unique aspect ratios required for 2k and 4k files, an explanation of the XYZ colour space, JPEG 2000 compression, data rates, frame rates, the asset map, DCP security, stereoscopic DCPs, delivery options, and free software solutions.
The seminar confirmed for many of us George Lucas’s proclamation even if our heads were pounding with information overload by the end of the morning.
The bottom line? If the project you are about to work on is destined for a cinema release someone in the production/post-production dept. should be having discussions with a DCP facility so that your workflow will not encounter road blocks in making your project DCP compliant.
According to Steve there will be no cinemas in the U.S at the end of 2013 running sprockets through a traditional projector system, the conversion to DCPs will be complete.
NEW SOUTH WALES UPDATE:
ASE members win at WOW Film Festival at Dendy Opera Quays on the 7th March 2013
Dany Cooper ASE and Jane St Vincent Welch ASE presented the
WOW Best Australian Editor Award 2013.
And the winner was the highly talented Mel Annan for ‘Spine’.
A very strong short drama set in a mostly stationary car with a young quadriplegic. The film bristles with tension when he sees a violent crime and literally can’t move. This film also won best Australian Drama. Congratulations.
Also highly commended in this editing category was ‘Little Hands’ edited by Gwen Sputore. A film about a young woman returning to Sarejevo and finding her young sister, the integration of memory and the subtle development of the characters were assured and dynamic.
I would also like to mention that this a great festival aimed at celebrating and supporting women in the media. Although I didn’t see all the films, the films I did catch were all intriguing and of a high standard and I wished I had seen many others in the program.
There were some great entries from Australia and overseas, from ‘Salome’from Mexico, to a wonderful stop frame animation from Ireland called ‘All That Glistens’. Australian entries such as ‘Scar’ set in the Tiwi Islands, or ‘The Bunker’ set in southern Sydney, were highly accomplished films exploring young love in very different ways. Others such as ‘Grace’ and ‘Alphamum01’ had very different views on the very roles that mothers play in our society. It was all good food for thought and inspiring which is what great cinema should be.
So watch out for it when it tours and keep an eye out for it next year!
MEET THE MEMBER:
GABRIELLE AHERN
Gabrielle edited her way through London and Singapore, before returning home to sunny Queensland, to establish Salty Wave Productions. You can catch Salty Wave at www.saltywave.com.au
I knew I wanted to work in post when … I was listening to my Arts lecturer discuss film genres from the Golden Era of Hollywood to the New Wave in France. I didn’t get the chance to edit until a couple of years later but remember how interesting the lectures were.
My first break in the industry was … when I enquired about gaining work experience with a production company after approaching a few places. The manager, John Lee, gave me a chance to work with his company as a camera/sound assistant and I would never trade the experience for money.
The thing I love most about editing is … the ability to manipulate vision and sound to entertain and inform.
The best tip I’ve got for aspiring editors is ... experiment with digital edit applications to see which one is the best fit & edit all kinds of formats and genres, because a different perspective adds strength to the mix.
If I wasn’t in postproduction I’d be ... a pastry cook, waiting for a chance to compete on Master Chef.
MEET THE COMMITTEE (NSW):
BRIANNA COOK
Having recently graduated Brianna is looking forward to following the yellow brick road of editing, exploring each and every avenue and meeting interesting people along the way; starting with the ASE!
I specialise in … all things editing! I am however partial to the art of editing trailers.
My first break in the industry was … three years ago when I began filming and editing fun, upbeat corporate videos for a company who remain a faithful client.
The highlight of my career so far … has been turning what was a fantasy into reality. Whatever it is I’m working on I’m ecstatic I’m doing something I love.
I was inspired to join the ASE committee … after the Ellie Awards last year when I realised how big the editing family is and how much I wanted to help it thrive.
The ASE is important … as it connects, assists and endeavours to create the best possible working environment for Australian editors.
MEET THE SPONSOR: ADOBE
The ASE recently touched based with Digital Media Marketing Manager Clare Cahill & Video Solutions Consultant, Jon Barrie of one of the guilds newest sponsors Adobe. We hit them up with five questions about not only the company, but an insight into their editing tool, Premiere Pro.
1. Adobe recently opened a new facility in Sydney's CBD, tell us about it.
CLARE: Adobe's team in Australia has grow really rapidly and we outgrew our Chatswood facility really quickly. In early December we were lucky enough to move into Darling Park to a specially designed facility that is one of three new 'Work Anyplace' initiatives at Adobe. Completely open plan with plenty of collaborative workspaces. We have about over 180 employees across Australia and New Zealand and the majority are lucky enough to work in the new office.
2. Tell us about the cloud based subscription service for Creative Suite. How does this differ from buying software outright?
CLARE: Last April Adobe announced Creative Cloud which was a single user subscription service to Creative Suite and other services, including training and a community section which will be integrated soon. We find that in the creative pro industry approximately 50% are individual or freelance. In the film and post production community this is much higher. There are a few major benefits to the new model:
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Always up to date – With purchasing software customers were tide to the product life cycles that Adobe work to so 18-24 months before we could add new features or services into the product. If you version skipped then 36-48 months so the software would be quite out of sync with hardware or OS technologies. With the new model as we push new features or services into the membership these are included in the software
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Lower monthly/no upfront cost – Our customers need a lower cost way to buy into the Adobe software franchise. With the subscription based model for smaller businesses or freelancers they don't have a large upfront cost which is then depreciated, it is a smaller ongoing cost that comes with tax benefits as it moves from CAPEX to Operational expenditure.If you work periodically on projects for a time you can also opt for the month to month subscription which you can turn on and off as you work on a project so you are only paying at the time you use rather than an annual subscription which is always on
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If you are in a work group or larger organisation you can opt for the Creative Cloud for teams which has enhanced collaboration, storage and license management features
3. Why does Adobe support organisations such as the ASE?
CLARE: Supporting professional organisations like the ASE is a very important part of Adobe's strategy. The organisation is the link with the professionals in the community which help us to grow and understand the community needs whilst providing a conduit of communication whichhelps us to grow our understanding of where the community is at and the issues facing it right now.
4. What are the key features of Adobe's Premiere Pro that our members may find of interest (considering that a large majority come from an Avid & FCP background)
CLICK BELOW TO READ JON BARRIE’S INDEPTH OVERVIEW OF PREMIERE & THOUGHTS ON SOME OF THE ISSUES FACING THE POST COMMUNITY....
http://www.screeneditors.com/
SPONSOR UPDATE: DIGISTOR
Digistor Training Centre – UPCOMING COURSES
The new expanded Digistor Training Centre leads the way with an extensive range of instructor-led, hands-on training courses targeting the Digital Media industry. Classes are conducted at Digistor’s Training Centre in Artarmon, Sydney and other states on request. We can arrange one-on-one or group training customised to specific needs either at Digistor or on-site. Digistor’s skilled trainers are experts in real-world production requirements and training content can be customised to fit individual needs. Ensure you stay up to date, meet deadlines and improve productivity by choosing Digistor Training Centre for all training needs both in-house and on-site.
For further information contact Digistor's Training Manager, Sarah Palmer by email
(training@digistor.
http://www.digistor.com.au/
* ASE MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% DISCOUNT *
SPONSOR UPDATE: AVID
Editing Masterclass with Eddie Hamilton of X-Men Fame
We're Avid. Learn More.
EDITING & VFX COURSES - AFTRS OPEN
Recently added courses include Avid 101: Editing Essentials and Avid for Producers plus we still have spots in Avid Media Composer 110,Introduction to After Effects, Cinema 4D an Introduction all in Sydney, plus Jill Bilcock Editing Masterclass in Melbourne.
Below is a list of all current VFX and Editing courses. For details of all upcoming courses across the country visit: www.aftrs.open.edu.au
MELBOURNE
JILL BILCOCK – EDITING MASTERCLASS
In this one-day Masterclass, Academy award nominee and 6 time AFI Award winning editor Jill Bilcock will share insights into the craft and role of editing for feature films.
2 JUNEhttp://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
SYDNEY
INTRODUCTION TO AFTER EFFECTS FOR BROADCAST GRAPHICS
This two-day course provides a detailed introduction to desktop compositing for broadcast using Adobe After Effects CS5.5.
16 -17 MARCH http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
DATA MANAGEMENT FOR EDITORS
This short course is an introduction to managing data from file-based cameras in post-production.
16 MARCH http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
AVID FOR FINAL CUT PRO EDITORS
This one-day course is designed for intermediate to advanced Final Cut Pro editors wanting to broaden their skillset to include Avid Media Composer.
23 MARCH http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
CINEMA 4D: AN INTRODUCTION
The Introduction to CINEMA 4D workshop is designed for those who have little or no experience in 3D, but would like to learn how to become skilled in this growing area of production.
23 -24 MARCH http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
AVID 101 V6: EDITING ESSENTIALS
This six-evening Avid-accredited course with David Forsyth is the first step in achieving confidence, creativity, and efficiency with Avid Media Composer 6, the non-linear film/video editing application used in most television productions.
5 - 7 April http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
AVID FOR PRODUCERS
If you know a producer you are working with who needs to get up to speed with Avid. This is the course for them!
20 APRIL http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
TV ASSISTANT EDITOR
This 3-day,intensely practical course introduces participants to the duties, technical skills and responsibilities of the Assistant Editor in today’s reality television environment.
3 - 5 MAY http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/
For a full list of AFTRS OPEN short courses visit: www.open.aftrs.edu.au
Any questions call 1300 065 281
* ASE MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% DISCOUNT *
ON THE WEB:
“LOCAL CONTENT LOSES OUT”
The government’s initial response to the Convergence Review has been labelled a major loss for Australian audiences and for the production industry...
http://www.alliance.org.au/
If you are opposed to this decision, as are many in our industry, don't hesitate to protest.
OSCAR FEATURE: EDITING
http://www.sbs.com.au/films/
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Don’t ever consider your first cut to be "the one". It may be a great assembly but it is a rare thing that a first cut remains unsullied through to the lock-off. Screen your cut to an audience - not just the Director - because an audience is for whom the film is being made. It may be the Producer, the DOP or your mum, it doesn't really matter.
The fact of presenting the film to other eyes puts you in a more critical and objective frame of mind. Suddenly you realise that scene you spent a week on is overlong & overindulgent, and oops, you forgot to set up a character or critical part of the story. A screening can energise you and help you make the film what it should be. "
Fiona Strain A.S.E.
Until next time…
The ASE Committee