MC 350 - Advanced File-based Workflow, HD, 2K, 4K and Beyond

Avid Media Composer centric, with round-trip workflows to multiple software applications for editing, visual effects and color grading.

Course Description

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of concepts, theories, standard practices, and relevant software technologies that best prepare students to meet the needs of effective post-production planning and implementation of advanced file-based workflow from HD to 4K and beyond. Key concepts including color space, formats, frame rates, and compression encoding and metadata translation are informed and demystified in lecture presentations, applied and practiced by students in hands-on exercises. Multiple industry standard manufacturer solutions including (Adobe, Apple, BlackMagic Design) will be employed in both demonstration and hands-on practice of roundtrip workflows. Primary instruction and discrete tools and workflows will be delivered on Avid Media Composer Ultimate.

Who Should Attend

Have you ever wondered why shoot Raw vs. Log vs. 709, what frame to use or how to mix different formats in a project, whether to color grade in your editing application or edit in your color application, what a mxf file is vs a QuickTime Movie, a DPX or OpenEXR, or how to output for computer streaming vs. digital projection or broadcast TV?

• Editors and Assistant Editors seeking to master discrete advanced file-based workflows on Avid Media Composer, or gain translatable skills to other applications
• Producers, Post Producers, and Post Production Supervisors seeking to elevate their post lexicon to better supervise post professionals
• Independent filmmakers who need to chart their own best course in post-production

Prerequisites:

Practical working knowledge of Mac OS X A background in editing, production, or post-production is strongly recommended.

To fully participate in Applied/hands-on practice, students must have access to software technologies and have intermediate operational skills proficiencies.

• Primary is instruction is delivered Avid Media Composer Ultimate (MC 100 level skills are required, 200 level recommended)

• Resolve, Premiere, or Final Cut Operators can effectively participate in most hands-on exercises, employing slightly different toolsets within their discrete applications.
  (Intermediate to advanced skills recommended)

• Practical working knowledge of Mac OS x NOTE: All applications employed are equally available on Windows, and course media assets cross OS compliant so students may actively participate on their OS of choice.

Course Outline:

Hear it, see it, do it, understand it! You will learn the following topics:

• Round+trip workflows - to and from Avid Media Composer, employing, Premiere, Resolve, Final Cut and additional applications

• Formats - frame rates, raster dimensions, pixel aspect ratios

• Working with everything from P2 or XDcam or Canon DSLR to ProRes QT Movies, Raw RED, ARRI ALEXA, and BMD file.

• Working proxy files or conforming for digital mastering deliverables.

• Graphics and Animation Workflows - Pict, Tiff, DPX, OpenEXR, Mov, Atom Mxf

• Compression, understanding of bit rates (picture and sound), compressed vs. uncompressed, uncompressed, vs full-frame or. Long GOP compression when to use what

• Reacquisition of Camera for conform and color and prepping a sequence for final delivery

• Metadata translation for round+trip workflows, EDLs, XMLs, ALEs, CDLs, LUTs, and AAFs, what they are, when to use one vs. the other, which applications support what and how to make them

• Detailed Media Composer operations - tools and workflows to produce successful editorial conform, color and export for digital projection, broadcast television and network streaming.

• Ingesting - Importing vs. link in the Avid environment, Consolidate vs. Transcoding of both master clips and sequences

• Mastering Source Settings - Spacial, Color and Temporal Adapters

• MXF OP atom vs MXF OP1a files including: AMA Linking vs. Importing, Consolidating vs. Transcoding

• Batch Import of both still and moving files, including multiple layered Photoshop Files.

• Avid Project and media management - project set up through final conform, offline editorial and online conform: relinking clips and sequences to MXF media camera originals, back of and archive of assets, and strategies for working with multiple editors and assistants in disparate locations.