The people who spend their time debating the Final Cut vs. Avid argument should know that this battle wouldn’t be happening today if Microsoft didn’t try and bully Apple into dropping QuickTime for Windows.
For a good summary of the story, visit Roughly Drafted. The site was recently redesigned, so visit the new location for some deep, deep Mac fandom.
…where is the user interface design for multi-touch systems?
My friend Jean sent me a link to a blog on the Microsoft Surface concept. Surface combines the power of multi-touch with table-based Space Invaders games of the early 80s. A couple of cameras monitor where the glass top is touched. That information is passed to a bit of software running on Windows.
Instead of talking about artists collaborating, how about thinking how the majority of people will benefit from multi-touch interaction. Most people read documents, write documents, calculate figures, look up information and make presentations. How will these activities be changed by multi-touch?
I don’t think this sketch abuses any organisation’s copyright:
I suppose if I added specific colours to some of the lines, that might count as an infringement…
Walter Murch says that being an editor is about maintaining the plumbing, writing with the materials you’ve been given and performing to the rhythm of the story…
He presented at the LA Final Cut Pro User Group Supermeet at NAB earlier this year. He also explains how he edited the new Francis Ford Coppola film Youth Without Youth on Final Cut at DV resolution. The rushes all fitted onto a 2GB hard drive.
Find out more on this video podcast.
In Mark Litwak’s Risky Business book, he lists 17 items on his Filmmaker Defense List.
Here is a summary of some of the most important ways filmmakers can protect their interests:
[…]
3. Obtain an arbitration clause: make sure contractual disputes are subject to binding arbitration […] Arbitration is less costly than litigation, and going to court is not much of a remedy if you can’t afford it.
That’s a good idea, but watch out for a wrinkle. You need to make sure the arbitrator isn’t biased in favour of the distributor. A recent report into credit card companies use of binding arbitration shows that individuals should opt out of that clause in their contract with credit card companies. In the case of producers agreements with distributors, both parties should agree on the choice of arbitrator.
There’s more information on dispute arbitration on Mark’s Entertainment Law resources site.
When asked which elements sell projects to him, Ron Howard answered:
1. Theme
2. The dilemma of the protagonist
3. The context of the story
No mention of plot in his top three. He used to bear in mind which audiences might like a film. He says that he’s less worried about that now.
Have a listen to his 110 minute podcast on the USC website. He talks a lot about collaboration with agents and studio executives as well as with writers and crew members. He also answers questions on how he works with actors, cinematographers, editors and composers. Check it out!
It’s a good idea for writers and editors to put themselves in the place of producers. Sadly that means understanding many of the issues you can find at the Entertainment Law Resources website.
Legal issues come up almost every day for producers. The more we all understand about the needs of distributors, studios and those who invest in films, the clearer our positions will be. For example there’s an interesting article on the legal issues behind raising money using product placement in films and TV.
There’s also an article on a simple way for writers to protect their interests when pitching a movie idea to producers.
If you’re in any business, it’s a good idea to get to know your target market. You should also understand those you need to sell to. For writers and directors, that means putting your feet in the shoes of producers.
Over at the USC podcast page, you can find what Suzanne Todd has to say about producing. She gives advice to directors and writers too. Suzanne produced Memento, the Austin Powers films, Boiler Room and Across the Universe. She uses a little shorthand that is best understood by students and almuni. Each course in a specific field has a three digit number associated with it. The method at USC is that everyone works on a film in each of the major roles. As part of the DP course, you DP on someone’s film. As part of the editing course, you edit someone else’s film.
She was one of the few people in her class that wanted to be a producer. Most wanted to be writers and directors. This podcast won’t tell you how to learn from producing many indie movies before getting a studio deal. Suzanne started with a studio deal. She does talk about the division of labour and the nature of development.
One hour 20 minutes in, she talks about how to select what projects to work on, and what to leave to others. She says that although you might think a script or a film will be successful, you should only work on it if you feel that you have something to bring to it personally.
The trick is to get yourself in the position where you have that choice. Some people think it’s a good idea to wait until the right thing comes along.
Michael Mace gives a great summary of media and mediums in a blog post and goes on to say:
The transcendent need for a billing mechanism.
When I said that the Web is a tool for creating new media, I left out an important detail. It’s three-quarters of the tool. We have a great delivery system, and Google is well on its way to dominating the advertising part of the financial model. What’s missing is a standard mechanism for people to pay for content that’s not supported by advertising. Some types of content work fine with ads, but I think some other types are better when paid for. Novels, short stories, music, and research reports all qualify. Creators and readers would both benefit from a system in which people could easily pay a few dimes or a few dollars directly to the author, but today we generally have to fumble with credit cards and awkward systems like PayPal. And credit card vendors strongly discourage small payments.
A few posts later, he covers a service from Amazon which will help sites all sizes charge for their services.
This could mean you!
Facebook. I’m seeing it as a test of insecurity. That says a lot about me. Why have a map of the world that shows where I’ve been? What should I think that says about me? How many friends would I like to have listed on my profile? What if my friends think I don’t have ‘enough’ or have ‘too many’?
There’s an article about Facebook’s definition of friendship on First Monday.
Then there’s the issue of meeting up with long-lost school friends and workmates.
When I find people I haven’t seen for twenty years, what do I say to them? When they ask me how I’ve done over the years, do I need to exaggerate? Facebook can be like a school reunion every time you connect with a name from the past – you know how bad they can be…
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