SGO has announced official release dates of Mistika Boutique, billed as a new, affordable full-finishing software-only solution available through subscription and derived from the hero-suite Mistika Ultima. Available for both Windows and MacOS, Mistika Boutique will be the next product to join SGO’s expanding line-up of natively integrated Mistika Technology solutions and will be launched during NAB 2019 in Las Vegas (April 8-11).
Mistika Boutique offers an extensive spectrum of fully-integrated finishing tools, essential for creating first-class content, including color grading, VFX, Stereo 3D and VR/360o.
“The set of features that form the core of the Mistika philosophy such as unlimited timeline, node stacks and unparalleled processing power, make Mistika Boutique the perfect choice to handle accurate color managed workflows,” shared Francisco Ramos, sr. colorist and HDR workflow specialist. “The way operations are laid out in a Mistika Boutique environment help to intuitively design future proof color pipelines, be it ACES or any other camera native log curve. Mistika Boutique provides enough flexibility to help any post house, no matter the size, to successfully finish projects of the most demanding content providers in the industry.”
Mistika Boutique integrates VFX and color grading tools into the same, unified environment, enabling the possibility to change the parameters at any moment and providing finishing artists with much greater control and flexibility.
Full finishing for immersive content
Mistika Boutique offers a professional immersive reality toolset to facilitate 360 media. Being natively integrated and fully compatible with the industry-adopted stitching software Mistika VR allows a highly efficient workflow by just sharing project metadata which eliminates the need of intermediate rendering.
“At DeoVR, a large amount of VR media is being processed on a daily basis. The very high quality stereo alignments are done with Mistika Boutique – it saves your life if you know what you’re doing and if you don’t, you always get the best help from the team behind it,” shared Ivan Varko, DeoVR visionary.
Free and open beta in March
The pre-release of Mistika Boutique will be available publicly in March 2019. “Everyone can take part in the SGO Open Beta program and help us shape Mistika Boutique software by test-driving pre-release versions and letting us know what they think,” said Geoff Mills, managing director at SGO, adding that joining the Mistika Boutique Beta program will be completely free of charge and open to all.
Leading plug-in developer, Boris FX will support the Mistika Boutique Open Beta Program by providing all testers with a one month fully working license of the Boris FX bundle: industry standard plug-ins for creative look development, title design, planar tracking, and more – Sapphire, Continuum and Mocha Pro.
“VFX artists and colorists using Mistika Boutique have powerful new options for postproduction and finishing,” said Boris Yamnitsky, founder of Boris FX. “We are pleased to work with SGO to ensure that our most popular OFX plug-ins; Sapphire,
Continuum and Mocha Pro all support this new host.”
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More