Our new sculptor is making some headway. Here is the latest WIP (no teeth in this one yet) >

So far with multiple teams on the FTP server we have barely scratched 6%CPU load and have not put even a small dent in the 1TB storage nor the 7TB bandwidth limits.

Even so, as predicted, each team is already above the limits of free services such as Dropbox!

The projects are still growing steadily, but judging by the current rate of increase the original estimates of required storage may have been a bit overestimated but we'll see what happens when compositing kicks into gear I suppose. Nevertheless, the size of our current system is futue proofed for some time.

Another nice bonus is the current implementations ability to scale by quickly bringing multiple 1TB/7TB fileservers online in approx 48hrs each as required. 

THIS IS THE latest ONE! 

Top Reasons this cam is special for vfx

Minimal "jello-cam"

Sony is a world leader in semiconductor image sensors and a leader in the fundamentals of CMOS technology. While CMOS sensors have many strengths, they can be susceptible to "jello-cam," a type of geometric distortion experienced with moving subjects. Jello-cam occurs because CMOS uses a rolling shutter where each row of pixels is exposed slightly after the row above.

Jello-cam at work. Right-to-left subject motion causes the train's verticals to tilt, even while the foreground fence is unaffected. Sony Exmor CMOS technology minimizes this effect.

The operating principle of a rolling shutter CMOS image sensor.

Sony sought to minimize "jello-cam" by speeding up the readout process. Conventional CMOS sensors use only a handful of digital-to-analog converters, creating a traffic jam that slows down the readout process. Sony's Exmor^TM CMOS design supplies each column of pixels with its own, dedicated converter. The sensor has literally hundreds of converters, reducing rolling shutter to a minimum.

No line skipping; minimal aliasing

Professional photographers are finding out that if your camera is optimized for stills, it's compromised for moving pictures. That's why Sony built the NEX-FS100U around an all-new sensor, specifically dedicated to the demands of motion imaging. In fact, this is the same image sensor that is helping our PMW-F3 earn such rave reviews.

For optimum moving pictures, the NEX-FS100U does not resort to line skipping, the concept of which is illustrated here.

A DSLR may have over 14 million pixels, but it may skip most of those pixels in order to capture HD video. This may have a pernicious side-effect: aliasing. DSLR shots can look good... until aliasing rears its ugly head. Repeating, lined patterns in clothing, buildings or household objects like venetian blinds can generate crazy patterns, absent in the original scene. What's worse, these patterns can move, distracting audiences from your story and your message. Because the NEX-FS100U incorporates an image sensor designed from the ground up for moving pictures, the Sony camera minimizes these distortions.

Even highly-regarded, professional-grade DSLRs can incur aliasing when shooting video. (Actual, unretouched video still.)

 HDMI Output with Embedded Time code for 4:2:2 Uncompressed digital output. For extra convenience when using external recorders, the NEX-FS100 provides an HDMI Output with Embedded Time code and pull down markers Signal Output al Output.

USER Comments about Sony NEX-FS100U Super 35mm Sensor Camcorder (Body Only):

While DSLRs are rife with workarounds and compromises, the NEX-FS100U is built from the ground up for moving pictures. And it shows. You get the benefits of DSLR shooting--including luscious depth of focus control and compatibility with a world of 35mm SLR, DSLR & specialty lenses--while minimizing the dreaded aliasing, the infamous "jello-cam" and the notorious overheating that can affect DSLRs. If you really want to shoot digital motion pictures, use a real digital motion picture camera. The Sony FS100U.

After owning a FX1, Z7U, EX1, 5D & 7D, I thought to myself, well here comes another product to get my hopes up then destroy them. However, I like to give every product an opportunity to prove itself, so I started doing my research. After investigating, I decided to rent this unit to give a try. I wasn't expecting too much at first, but I must say after shooting with it and reviewing the footage, I was speechless. This is the one I was waiting for all along!After I returned the rental, I sold ALL my equipment to buy this unit and the necessary gear.

I will start off by saying I would not put this product in the same category as a DSLR, not sure why it's marketed as such. This video camera blows away any product on the market under [$], whether it is a dslr "with video" or camcorder.Image Quality & Clarity:The image quality & clarity "with a zeiss lens" is comparable to the 5D. The colors are spot on with the FS1, unlike the EX1 "blacks were greenish, What is that about?" The clarity is much better than the FX1 or Z7U, which appeared grainy in comparison.

Quite simply the FS1 image quality is stunning and the colors are beautiful. Being able to added zeiss lenses and provide short focal distances is amazing.Video Movement:Again, not sure why the FS1 is marketing to the DSLR market. This product doesn't have any jello effects, stuttering, moire, ailasing, or any such performance problems. It behaves like an excellent camcorder should.

I recorder everything in 1920x1080-60p. The movement is amazing. The slow mo effects are breathtaking, using either quick/slow function or slowing it down to 40% in post.Sound:Sound quality is excellent with the mic. It also has the ability to reduce the wind effect just like prosumer camcorders. Buttons & Screen:The buttons are well thought out, some are programmable, again everything you would expect on a camcorder.

I love the LCD screen on the top "the side position was getting old"! Having the screen bright with red peaking is the bomb.Playback & Editing:The avchd codec files play perfectly on the PS3 without any need for conversion. Editing is a breeze with Vegas Pro. I don't even have to convert the files, they play and editing very smoothly. Unlike the 5D & 7D mov files "those had to be converted". All I do is copy the stream folder from my SD card to the PC and I am ready to edit.

http://vimeo.com/21372344

While discussing the issue of total file sizes required for a team's access while working on a remote project.

Elais mentioned the following, and while not all propjects need this, I think he is correct and this project and some others will need HUGE amounts of transfer and access>

"I recall from memory a clip of almost 600 frames with a size of about 800mb.

The big issue is the cg renders and comp renders. About 10-15mb * # of passes * # of frames. And on the compositing side of things there is just a sequence of 1500 frames at about 12mb/frame.

The sum of these numbers are the required disk space needed for every version. I would estimate that we'll do 10 revisions, so multiply by ten. (You would need twice as much if you want backup, and yes you do!)

Buying a computer with a couple of 1TB drives to act as a file server is one solution if you would want everyone to have access. Also requires a strict file structure and naming conventions. But until we really need such a solution, I think dropbox is sufficient."

We tried to use collabunlimited's file sahring section, which is good for files up to 500megs. It allows unlimited sotrage, and it would allow all the files to have password protected access. The downside is that HTTP uploading is slow, there is no progress bar so you never know how much has uploaded, it can drop your upload and you have to restart the whole upload again. For files over 500megs you would need to split into multiple parts.

Dropbox is another option, but it's limited in storage space. Upgrading costs are high at just under $800 for 350gig storage for 5 team members.

Here's the official pricing on their team plan.

"Dropbox for Teams is affordable, and at a discount compared to buying personal Dropbox accounts individually. Starting at just $795/year, Dropbox for Teams includes five user licenses and 350GB of shared storage. Additional user licenses are available for $125/year with additional storage priced at $200 for 100GB/year."

FTP was also discussed, and would work, but most service providers do not allow file storgae other than what he site is using directly in it's core. So eventually you would get a notice and need to move the files off FTP.

So, what is left since non of these offer the amount of storage and access we are looking at for a large project?

You could still use Dropbox or FTP and make sure you keep within your limits by moving files on and off the services. But them you have a harder time for random access for all team members. File organization also becomes more complex to track.

No, what is really required is to have all the team files "live" for immediate access by all members 24/7.

Marco suggested: "As an alternative I think we would be better off with an FTP service like this one:  http://servage.net/. It's only €7,50 or $10 per month for 750GB webspace and 7500GB monthly data transfer" ....

I think Servvage will also bring a team under storage violation. Their TOS> "Disk space is intended for normal use only, and is limited to Web files, e-mail and content of the hosted Web sites, not for storage of media or other data.

Elais mentioned Torrents which can spread the transfer load across the team's computers. Personally, I also think this is the way to go and the team @ collabunlimited is looking into possibilities for integrating a service that would use a dedicated torrent server with more than enough capacity for multiple teams to use at the same time. Free of charge!

We'll continue evaluating the needs of production teams and keep working to build and refine solutions for indie film projects

sd.

Which scenes you feel strongest about for the teaser?

 "Preparing" footage for keying is rarely beneficial. Only if DV-compression blocks or bad noise contaminates the footage blurring the blue channel may help a bit.

It has always been the best way not to manipulate footage PRIOR the keying process. In the old film days you never pushed saturation or anything else in the telecine process that may introduce noise and other video artifacts to footage. Such green screen scans looked very flat, often with a distinct orange tint. Pulling a key off such flat scans was much, much better than off saturated "right" looking footage.

There is a reason why Red supplies RedlogFilm. For pulling keys we use RedColor2 or Camera RGB (the latter one has a slight more magenta tint) and RedlogFilm. No OLPF compensation, no sharpening, no raised saturation, no curves, nothing. We mainly use MasterPrimes or sometimes SuperSpeeds, the old M sensor and daylight light. But I also once achieved very good results with a Cook 18-100 and tungsten lighting. File format after debayering is DPX. We use Autodesk's Modular Keyer but the offerings by The Foundry will do it adequately well.

I've been sharing our HD clips with Victor Wolansky at FXPhd.com for his advanced tracking classes.Now you can get them even if you dont take the classes...be patient if the download is slower...it's a big package.

FILE IS HERE

You need to sign up as a member for access HERE or @ Top Right Hand Corner of the mainpage ^

TRACKING CHALLENGES:

- No lens info

- Rolling shutter

- Blur

- Pillar occluding trackers

Let me know if you have issues. sd 202MB .zip

Factory HD tracking video- 896 1080P Frames. ------

The amount of fake snow in each package is measured by the gallons it will produce.
To better help you decide how many gallons of Snow in Seconds^TM you need, use the equation;
Width x Length x Desired Depth= Volume/.134 (Cubic Feet in a Gallon).
This equals the amount of gallons you will need to cover your intended area.

VIDEO

http://www.effectspecialist.com/Snowoptions.htm#proseries

http://www.sno-wonder.com/order.asp