Three Hundred
You pray the story holds together looking at the visual magnificence. So many times we watch visual treats to be left unmoved by characters and the stories. So I hope this isn’t the case with 300. The style of the photography is spellbinding. It looks raw and romantic in equal measures. Check out the trailer, high definition.
Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army.
Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy.
The film brings Miller’s(Sin City) acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale.
l’image parfaite
Renaissance
In 2054, Paris is a labyrinth where all movement is monitored and recorded. Casting a shadow over everything is the city’s largest company, Avalon, which insinuates itself into every aspect of contemporary life to sell its primary export - youth and beauty.
In this world of stark contrasts and rigid laws the populace is kept in line and accounted for.
‘Take ‘Metropolis’ ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Sin City’ …and you’ll have a semblance of ‘Renaissance’. - Lisa Nesselson,Variety
This movie looks quite amazing. Watch the trailer, courtesy of Apple. Official site.
An Introduction to Final Cut Pro 5.0
I have just completed a very interesting three day hands-on course on editing professional video. Although the course was a beginners guide to Final Cut, it managed to touch base with everything it has to offer.
The course was taken by Chris Roberts who with real enthusiasm gave me a fresh look into an area I studied many moons ago whilst the process was still analogue! It awaked interest.
Day One
- Working with the interface.
- Marking and Editing
- Drag and drop editing.
- Marking in the timeline, adding cutaways (B-roll material).
- Trimming edit points with dragging, rippling edits and the razor blade.
- Adjusting edit points using Rolling and Slipping.
Day Two
- Editing with Subclips, using markers, Replace edits, storyboard editing and keeping things in sync
- Browser basics and customisation
- Capturing footage
- Applying transitions
- Mixing Audio tracks
Day Three
- Changing motion parameters, inc. clip speed, freeze-framing and variable speed changes
- Applying filters, inc. video, corrective, audio filters and keyframes
- Multicam Editing.
- Adding text and graphics (this was really only touched on with time running out)
- Finishing and outputting (also only touched on with time running out)
The three days I enjoyed. No really. It was peeking through the letter box into a palace I’m sure, with the scope of FCP’s potential but well worth it.
Walter Murch edited ‘Cold Mountain‘ using Final Cut Pro 3.0 and a bunch of Power Macs, so I’m off to watch it.
(After note: Ten minutes in, I’d forgot that Walter Murch edited ‘Cold Mountain’ using Final Cut Pro 3.0 and a bunch of Power Macs)