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Learn more about the creative teams

behind Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Precious, UP and others

who are Avid users and who took home Oscar gold »  (opens in a new window)

"Toy Story 3" in 3D Edited on Avid Media Composer

Here's a picture taken by Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich as he edited the film at 30,000 feet on his laptop, running Avid Media Composer.
Enjoy the trailer below as well.

     
         
 “Avatar was cut on Avid Media Composer systems running software version 2.8.4. Even with the help of stalwart first assistant Jason Gaudio, the editing team did not want to risk upgrading their NLE software in mid-project despite the fact that Media Composers have been able to playback 3D sequences directly from the timeline ever since version 3.5 - (link opens in new window). So when they wanted to view the 48 terabytes of footage on their Avid Isis storage system holding both left and right eye tracks, they had to run both dailies footage and cut sequences through a QuVIS Acuity 3D playback platform." Read entire story » (link opens in new window)
   

Robin Buday on Making The Switch

What's New In Avid Media Composer 4.0

Additions to the latest version of Media Composer include:

• "Mix & Match" capability, allowing you to mix video clips of any frame rate or field motion type regardless of the project’s type.... without rendering!
• New Expert Decompose Feature.
• Laptop editing enhancements for Time Code navigation and numeric trim value entry.
• Multicamera editing enhancements.
• Read more...
+ See a video about the new "Mix & Match" capabilities »
+ See a video demonstrating the new Transition Preservation feature »   
    

   
Ellen Dances Back To Avid

After the Ellen show switched to Final Cut Pro, "'...stresses showed up in post-production. Once the new editing system was in place, it wasn’t long before everyone had second thoughts. “While Final Cut Pro was good in some ways, it became quickly apparent that it wasn’t the right application for us,' says [Derek] Westervelt," the show's executive in charge of production and senior producer.

He goes on to say, "The workarounds took additional time that became challenging.... We didn’t miss deadlines, but we scrambled hard to make it.”  Read entire story »

Making The Cut  

A Matter of Frequency
An Essay on Editing Aesthetics

In the Sept./Oct. 2009 edition of Editors Guild Magazine, colleague Paul Petschek examines the questions "When do we make an edit? Where do we make an edit? Increasingly in this post-MTV age of cinema, the question arises:  How often do we edit?"  Read entire story »

Avid Media Access

In Media Composer version 3.5 Avid introduces "AMA," which stands for Avid Media Access. What does that mean to you? It means instantaneous access to your P2, XDCAM and GFCAM media. At Avid's web site, you can see the videos below in full size, get more information, and download detailed PDFs of Avid AMA workflows

      Pro Video Coalition Article about AMA »

Get detailed information about AMA at Avid's web site »

ACE Honors Avid Media Composer

"...the American Cinema Editors board of directors is honoring Avid's Media Composer software with the org's first-ever ACE Technical Excellence Award....The nod amounts to an unprecedented endorsement of a commercial product by ACE, which is coming down squarely on the side of one entry in the editing systems [competition].... Harry B. Miller III, an ACE board member and head of the org's technology committee, said Avid "has always had the superior product" among editing software packages, but recently the company has also gone out of its way to solicit feedback from editors and shape the product to their needs...."  Read Entire Variety Story »    Read Avid Press Release »
 

Avid's Real Time TC Burn-In Generator

Included in Media Composer 3.x is a real time Time Code Burn-In Generator that's sure to make getting your work done easier and faster. Here's a video from Avid »
 

Avid's Script Sync In Action

You've got to see it to believe it (videos below). ScriptSync is a standard feature in Media Composer and Symphony Nitris systems. Available only from Avid, this innovative and unique technology is ideal for documentaries, interviews, reality TV, feature films...  essentially, any project where there is scripted or transcribed dialogue.

Avid article about ScriptSync »
"ScriptSync is... an absolute necessity... Every producer and director should know that Avid offers this capability and that no other system can even come close." – Stuart Bass, Editor, Emmy nominee and ACE Eddie award winner for “Arrested Development.”
   
Videos of ScriptSync in action:

Robert Bramwell, Editor of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” talks about why he feels script based editing with ScriptSync is one of the most beneficial methods of editing and, unfortunately, one of the most overlooked.

A video about ScriptSync from StudioDaily »
 

Avid Rocks "30 Rock"

With as many as three storylines in each half-hour episode, it can be a challenge to whittle down each program to its 21-minute run time. “It is a jam-packed show,” says editor Meg Reticker, who recently won an ACE Eddie award for her work on the show. “It’s really all about the writing and trying to maintain all the storylines while keeping all the jokes in each scene.”

As many as five episodes are in various stages of editing at once. This keeps Reticker and co-editor Ken Eluto busy, along with assistants Elizabeth Merrick and Alex Minnick. Each uses a Media Composer workstation connected to an Avid Unity MediaNetwork shared-storage solution with 3 terabytes of storage....

Now in its third season, the show continues to add even more sophisticated creative elements, particularly in the area of visual effects. “We really do an amazing number of visual effects and greenscreens for a comedy show,” says Eluto.... The assistants rely on the Media Composer software’s effects tools, including 3D Warp and the AniMatte feature, to create temp effects that are seamlessly transferred to the Avid DS Nitris system, which is used for finishing the show in HD at Postworks. Read entire story »
 

Avid Energizes Star Trek

Each member of the editing team used his or her own Media Composer system... All seven systems were connected to an Avid Unity MediaNetwork with 16 terabytes of shared storage, enabling them to share media and projects simultaneously.

Given the magnitude of the visual effects work, the greenscreen work was extensive, and Kloner used the Avid Media Composer system exclusively to create the temp visual effects. “When building composites, my ‘go to’ effects are 3D Warp, AniMatte, and SpectraMatte with a few others mixed in from time to time,” he says. Working with four different effects houses, Kloner also made use of color-coded tracks and locators to indicate which shots were temporary, interim, and final on the timeline, so the entire editing team could see the status of each effect shot at a glance. Read entire story »
 

Academic Pricing for Avid Media Composer...  Just $295.

If you're a teacher or student, you can purchase a fully functional and upgradeable copy of Avid Media Composer for just $295! Visit the companies below to review eligibility, purchase procedures, and academic bundle inclusions.

• Journey Educational Software » (opens in new window)
• Studica » (opens in new window)
• Academic Super Store » (opens in new window)
• The companies listed above are included for your convenience. There are additional companies that offer academically priced software. Their inclusion here does not constitute an endorsement on my part. Further, I do not receive a referral commission of any kind.
 

Avid & Red Together

"Using RED camera files in Avid was flawless and as fast as any project I've edited. We lost no time and the RED files came into the Avid [editing system] without a hitch. The Avid workflow gave us the advantages of RED files with the professional support and flexibility of cutting on Avid." – Drake Silliman, A.C.E. Editor, Heist
• Details and a Workflow Guide »
• RED & Avid on The Tracey Ullman Show » 
   
   

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