Prime Focus Technologies to acquire DAX
LOS ANGELES–Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology subsidiary of Prime Focus, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DAX, a provider of cloud-based production workflow and media asset management applications to the entertainment industry. The deal entails a base consideration of $9.1 million in a uniquely structured performance linked transaction. PFT through its US subsidiary will acquire all the assets of DAX for an upfront payment with balance payable over three years such that cash flows from the North American operations will support the payment.

This acquisition gives PFT ownership of DAX’s patented technology and products including the primetime Emmy-winning Digital Dailies solution which is the de-facto industry standard in television production. This acquisition also sets the course for PFT’s strategic expansion in North America. PFT will significantly enhance the value proposition to DAX’s marquee customers including major studios and broadcast networks (Warner Bros. Television Studios, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, Legendary Pictures, Fox Television Studios, A&E, Showtime, Starz, Relativity Media and Lionsgate) and many independent production and distribution companies.

“Our vision is to build the best enterprise platform for production on the Cloud by taking a fresh look at media workflows through the lens of a studio that wants to efficiently collaborate across divisions with its entertainment content before, during and after the production phase,” said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, founder and CEO, PFT. “Digital Dailies is one of the first significant entry points to production on the Cloud. PFT’s CLEARTM Media ERP platform combined with DAX’s team and products will accelerate the realization of this vision”.

“PFT has tremendous resources at its disposal,” said Patrick Macdonald-King, DAX CEO, who will now assume the role of president and be part of the executive leadership team at PFT responsible for North America. “Beginning with its 250-person strong R&D and product development team dedicated to a single platform with rare media-centric IT skills. This marriage allows DAX to fulfill its vision and extends DAX’s support of file-based workflows across the enterprise. PFT’s arsenal of media-centric technology tools will drive the DAX product offering to a new level. For DAX customers, it’s important to note that all tech support, client services, product design and account management will remain in Los Angeles, but also expand to the PFT offices in New York and London to better service the East Coast and Europe.”

The global market for media asset management, workflow management, collaboration and media processing services is pegged at approximately $10 billion, according to an Ernst & Young survey. With content enterprises like broadcast networks faced with flat top lines (noted in an IBIS World Industry Report – Television Broadcasting in the US) and rising operating costs cited in Accenture’s The Future of Broadcasting Issue III , organizations are increasingly attentive to solutions like virtualization of content supply chain operations, and media process outsourcing to enhance overall profitability as well as top line by realizing new media monetization opportunities in the multi-screen world.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the coming weeks. PFT and DAX will be exhibiting together at the upcoming NAB Show 2014, and will showcase a number of CLEAR and DAX product releases.

“The biggest broadcast networks in the world run CLEAR Media ERP platform to manage their content supply chain,” said Sankaranarayanan. “Managing 200 TV shows every day and over 350,000 hours of content has made CLEAR a world leader in the Media Cloud solutions market. We would like to extend this leadership to Production by tapping into the creative process in a more holistic way, empowering studios to truly transform the entertainment paradigm. DAX takes us closer to this goal,” concluded Ramki.

Autodesk announces 2015 3D animation software
SAN FRANCISCO–Autodesk Inc. unveiled the 2015 versions of its popular 3D animations tools: Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, Softimage, and the newest addition to the lineup, Maya LT, a 3D animation and modeling tool for professional indie game makers. Autodesk also announced the availability of the 2015 Entertainment Creation Suite for 3D animation and visual effects.

“Our strongest releases in many years, the 2015 versions put more creative power back into the hands of the artists,” said Chris Bradshaw, senior vice president, Media & Entertainment at Autodesk. “To achieve this, we redesigned core parts of our applications focusing on performance, ease-of-use and innovative new tools like Bifrost that make it simpler to do complex tasks. Whether our users are creating effects for a movie blockbuster, a game for one of the new consoles or developing a mobile app, the 2015 versions allow artists to focus on what they do best – storytelling.”

Creating animation today is increasingly complex as consumer demand for bigger, better, more sophisticated computer graphics (CG) continues to rise. Autodesk 2015 animation software aims to provide the right tools for a 3D animation project. Every animation product has updates to enable artists to better manage complex projects and large data sets, while helping stay on schedule and on budget. Artists now have access to a variety of features ranging from high fidelity interactive viewports, “a what you see is what you get” work environment and single-click, cross-product workflows and ability to use low-cost consumer devices to capture body movements.

Beta testers have been impressed with the new capabilities and the focus on improving everyday tasks for artists. “There are substantial, relevant and exciting enhancements across all of Maya,” shares Clinton Downs, head of CG, Method Studios. “From a personal perspective, I’ve used Maya since the beta (1997), and these enhancements feel like the type of leap we’ve only seen once, maybe twice before.”

Highlights of the 2015 releases are:
— Autodesk Maya 2015 software adds new capabilities to the toolset such as the new Bifrost procedural effects platform which provides an extensible, artist-friendly workflow for complex simulation and rendering tasks, initially applied to near photorealistic liquids; XGen Arbitrary Primitive Generator for the easy creation of richly detailed geometry such as hair, fur, and foliage; Geodesic Voxel Binding method for skinning characters; ShaderFX, a new node-based visual interface for shader programing; support for Pixar’s OpenSubdiv libraries; enhanced polygon modeling tools; and expanded UV options;
— Autodesk 3ds Max 2015 software has been extended and redesigned to help improve performance, ease-of-use and management of complex scenes. New in 2015 is ShaderFX, a new node-based visual interface that allows game artists and programmers to more easily create advanced HLSL viewport shaders; point cloud dataset support for reality capture workflows; new viewport performance optimizations; a redesigned scene explorer to make it easier for artists to manage large scenes; ActiveShade support for the NVIDIA mental ray renderer; and new Python scripting support – a highly requested user feature for pipeline integration;
— Autodesk MotionBuilder 2015 provides several features that advance motion capture workflow accessibility such as: a new plug-in for Microsoft Kinect to help capture body movements for use in MotionBuilder, Animatable Depth of Field and Follow Focus camera options to recreate elements of real-world cinematography, a robust content library with 100 commonly required character animations in the Autodesk FBX® format and flexible marker assignment to adjust character positions;
— Autodesk Mudbox 2015 software boasts streamlined mesh refinement for retopologizing and new Sculpt Layer and Paint Layer groups for organizing and identifying particular layers in complex scenes. The release also has advanced interoperability with Maya 2015, an enhanced texture export and updating workflow, new caliper tool and support for Intel HD graphics 4000 on compatible Windows 8 operating system hybrid tablet/PCs;
— Autodesk Softimage 2015* software helps streamline 3D asset creation and management with Alembic caching, enhancements to the ICE platform and animatable weight maps in Syflex cloth.

As for the Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite 2015, its features are built upon existing data exchange workflows that help improve product interoperability and foster greater team collaboration across projects. New capabilities are:
— The ability to exchange Ptex and multi-tile UV textures between Maya and Mudbox helps facilitate an iterative round-trip workflow between Mudbox and Maya.
— Enhanced image plane matching between Maya and Mudbox allows artists to use the same reference image without having to readjust the image to match.
— Export Blend Shapes with multiple targets or Blend Shapes from Maya into Mudbox for sculpting, and then merge them back into the original Maya scene.
— Import MotionBuilder character animations created in Softimage in a single step and export CrowdFX simulations from Softimage to Maya for inclusion with scene elements in one click.

Maya LT 2015, the latest iteration of Autodesk’s cost-effective 3D animation and modeling software for professional indie game makers, introduces a series of rich new features and integrations that help advance the 3D content creation process for indie game development. The updated application has:
— Cloud integration allows artists to browse, open, modify and save Dropbox or Autodesk 360 files to the cloud directly through the Maya LT interface. Leverage 123D Catch or 123D Creature files saved in Autodesk’s 123D cloud storage as a reference for creating game assets in Maya LT;
— Unfold 3D helps facilitate the seamless creation of UV maps from 3D models;
— Substance Material Integration allows users to apply materials created in the Allegorithmic Substance Designer procedural texture creation tool to 3D models;

In addition to the new features, Maya LT 2015 also has the extension releases of Maya LT 2014, such as: support for MEL scripting, a send-to-Unity workflow, uncapped polygon export to Unity, the ability to export models or scenes up to 65,000 polygons in the FBX or OBJ formats, Human IK and IK Handle Animation, and Boolean operations on polygon geometry.

Product release dates vary by country. Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Entertainment Creation Suites, and Maya LT are also available in two configurations: as a perpetual license or desktop subscription.

Fujifilm to introduce IS-Tower Imaging System AT NAB 2014
VALHALLA, NY–Adding to its Image Processing System line up, Fujifilm North America Corporation’s Imaging Division will demonstrate prototypes of its IS-Tower Imaging System at the National Association of Broadcasters show at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Booth #C7025 Center Hall, from April 7-10, 2014.

The system includes the FUJIFILM IS-Tower Software, which, when used along with the IS-100 processor, provides an extremely fast and easy way to apply looks to any number of chosen cameras in an instant, or to quickly create and save new looks on the fly. Designed for multiple camera broadcasts by way of ACES color management, the IS-Tower App will be demonstrated with live feeds from a mixture of digital cinema and broadcast cameras on the show floor.

Fujifilm will also showcase the newly-developed IS-Tower hardware, a small rack-mounted unit with multiple camera inputs and outputs for easy connection to the IS-100 on-set live color grading system. The IS-Tower hardware, which will be a made to order item, features a fan-less design with eight 3G HD-SDI ins and outs, eight Ethernet ports, and redundant internal power supply for reliability in a 19 x 3.5 x 14 inch case. IS-Tower is usable in 4K workflows as well. As part of a soft introduction, the IS-Tower system has recently been successfully field tested on more than six live television broadcasts in Japan and the United States, and was developed in cooperation with WOWOW, Inc., a major Japanese broadcaster.

In addition to the IS-Tower Image Processing System, and the IS-100 on-set live color grading system, Fujifilm will also feature the IS-mini portable digital color adjustment device.

The IS-mini is a small hardware device that takes incoming HD-SDI digital camera moving picture video and converts the color information via two sets of 1D LUTs and 3D LUTs to outputs of both HD-SDI and HDMI connections – all in record time while still delivering high quality imaging. This highly popular product will be shown with an improved software package for more calibration functionality and third-party LUT compatibility. 4K monitor calibration is made possible through multiple IS-mini units feeding 4 inputs.

Fujifilm will also demonstrate the recent integration of the IS-mini with Pomfort’s Live Grade Pro grading software, allowing digital imaging technicians and cinematographers to achieve full control of live HD-SDI signals from digital cameras by way of this commonly available application.

The Fujifilm IS-Tower software will be available in summer 2014.

Vimeo acquires video-creation app Cameo
NEW YORK–Vimeo has acquired Cameo, a mobile, cloud-based application for shooting, styling, and sharing beautiful short films.

Launched in October 2013 by founders Matthew Rosenberg, Michael Constantiner, and Andy Thompson, Cameo has rapidly become one of the most popular video apps in the market, part of the next generation of mobile video production and storytelling. With Cameo, users can edit and customize their videos (called “Cameos”) with professional-grade effects such as video overlays, title cards, and custom fonts packaged into themes inspired by cinema, music videos, and classic films. After creating their video, users can instantly post videos to Cameo’s cloud-based network while preserving their phone’s storage and battery life.

“Vimeo is committed to empowering all creators, and the ubiquity of HD camera phones is driving the largest wave of video creation ever seen,” said Kerry Trainor, CEO of Vimeo. “What we love about Cameo is that it gives even novice video-makers the power to create beautiful, well-crafted videos.”

“Vimeo to us is the benchmark of quality for video platforms and communities,” said Cameo Co-Founder and CEO Matthew Rosenberg. “We’re excited about what our shared vision can create in further developing the app.”

The Cameo team will report to Vimeo’s Chief Technology Officer, Andrew Pile. App co-founder and CEO Matthew Rosenberg will transition from his role to Vice President, Cameo. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SGO hires Peter Amies as training & education mentor
LONDON–SGO has appointed Peter Amies as training & education mentor. He will play a major role in managing the company’s training strategy of Mistika and Mamba FX software solutions for the global education sector.

With a strong technical background that includes customer services, workflow coordination, and technology management for high-end postproduction, Amies brings vast experience to the table. Before joining SGO, he worked at New Zealand’s Park Road Post Production where he progressed in the company for a period of six years. He first worked in their film laboratory, then was quickly promoted to in-house postproduction coordinator, managing workflow and delivery for a range of short-form and feature length projects through laboratory, DI and sound departments. He began his career at Norway’s Cinevation as product manager for the Cinevator film-recorder product line where he worked for over 4 years.

Amies said, “SGO is in an exciting place, positioned at the leading-edge of high-end colour grading and finishing technology and continuing to push the boundaries of creative potential and performance in the industry through their Mistika and Mamba FX products. I’m excited to be working with the team to build on their existing training partnerships, and to develop new opportunities for both students and experienced users to expand their creative proficiency through education.”

Canon Professional Services Program unveils Cinema Membership level
MELVILLE, N.Y–Canon U.S.A. Inc. has announced that the Canon Professional Services (CPS) program has been expanded and now provides support for all Cinema EOS products. Created over 30 years ago to support professional film photographers, CPS has evolved through the years to keep pace with the changing needs of the modern imaging professional. A new CPS Cinema level has been added to the current Silver, Gold and Platinum levels continuing Canon’s commitment to support professional imaging customers as their needs grow and expand.

CPS Cinema Membership provides members with benefits like maintenance services, which are valuable for filmmakers who use their cinema equipment in all types of elements, repair discounts, and equipment evaluation loans, ideal for cinematographers looking to test out new equipment. In addition, members receive Canon Live Learning discounts, access to a 24/7 Live Exclusive Member Hotline, as well as a range of other benefits. CPS Cinema members receive expedited two-business day turnaround on their registered products at Canon Service and Support centers located in Hollywood, CA, and Ridgefield Park, NJ, with more locations to be added in the future.  Additionally, CPS Cinema members can receive on-site Clean & Check Service by trained Canon CPS service and support professionals at select trade shows such as the 2014 National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB), taking place April 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

“CPS is such an important part of Canon’s award-winning service and support offering. Now with the success and rapid growth of our Cinema EOS products we felt it was time that cinema professionals were also provided with a level of CPS support that is able to address their unique needs,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive VP and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “Following in the tradition of exceptional service and support, CPS Cinema enhances our commitment to supporting imaging professionals.”

To become a CPS Cinema member a customer needs to own just one Cinema Zoom lens, or one of the following Cinema EOS cameras: the EOS C300, EOS C500, or EOS-1D C. Members will also receive benefits on all other qualified products entered in their CPS account. Annual membership for CPS Cinema is $1,000.

Cinema Prime lenses and the EOS C100 are now included as qualifying products for CPS Platinum and receive all benefits provided at that membership level.

In order to better serve corporations like newspapers, rental houses, schools and universities, Canon has also developed an Enterprise level of CPS support. Enterprise CPS is a customizable program developed to provide service and support benefits that meet the unique needs of medium-and-large sized companies who own large quantities of Canon imaging products. Customized benefits of Enterprise CPS can include any or all of the benefits of regular CPS membership in addition to on-site maintenance service, expanded product support and more.

After the success at the 2013 NAB Show, Canon’s Professional Services will again be hosting the Canon Hospitality Suite at the 2014 NAB Show. The Canon Hospitality Suite (Room C201) is open to all NAB tradeshow attendees with priority support for CPS Gold, Platinum, Cinema, and Enterprise members.  After checking in at the CPS kiosk in the Canon booth C4325, visitors to the suite located just off of the tradeshow floor can experience Canon’s commitment to service and support for the professional imaging community first hand.

Suite visitors will also be able to chat with Canon experts about Canon’s exciting developments in cinema, video and DSLR technology and Canon technical representatives will be on-hand to provide product consultations.  Gold, Platinum, Cinema, and Enterprise CPS members can take advantage of the complimentary onsite Clean & Check Service (limited to two Canon DSLR bodies or lenses or one Cinema product or XF professional video camcorder currently registered to your CPS membership account).  Show attendees will also have the opportunity to sign up for Canon CPS membership. Product serial numbers for qualifying CPS equipment will be needed in order to process on-site membership applications.

Nirvana to unveil latest version of MediaPro 2.0 at NAB
NEWARK, Calif.–Digital Nirvana will bring its newest broadcast monitoring and content delivery solutions to the NAB 2014 convention. The company will introduce the latest version of its MediaPro 2.0 Content Repurposing System, a fast, affordable way to record multiple channels for content rebroadcasting, repurposing and ad verification. This new version of MediaPro includes the ability to record content and share it easily on social media platforms and the cloud.

Hiren Hindocha, president and CEO of Digital Nirvana, noted, “Our latest solution helps broadcasters easily record content and then quickly cut, clip and share with social media including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.  Our goal is to provide broadcasters with tools that help them save time and improve productivity.”

Digital Nirvana’s MediaPro 2.0 removes the barrier between broadcast and social media for every member of the production team. With its quick and seamless workflow, it’s remarkably fast and easy to share video content with social media and the cloud.

Cospective releases Frankie 2.3 with Full Screen Mode
ADELAIDE, Australia–Cospective released Frankie 2.3, an update of its browser-based video review tool that now allows users to review video in full screen mode and download original media files. These significant additions, along with increased upload speeds and many other fixes, will greatly enhance the user experience of Frankie. Ad agencies, production companies and postproduction facilities now have an even faster, more efficient tool for internal video review as well as for client review and approval.

The full screen viewing mode allows the use of the drawing tools, along with zoom and pan. Reviews can be named with a text label that appears on the Projects page, making archiving of video reviews more logical. Users will also notice a huge increase in the speed at which their media files are uploaded.

“Many of these upgraded features came in response to Frankie user feedback,” said Jeremy Pollard, product manager for Frankie. “We appreciate their suggestions and were happy to incorporate them as quickly as possible.”

Anyone viewing a video in a Frankie session–guests as well as the host–can now download the original media files under review with one click. This is in addition to viewing the transcoded version of the video within Frankie. This opens up new workflow possibilities, as Frankie can now be used to deliver final versions as well as reviews of works-in-progress.

“For some users this means that they could start using only Frankie for their client reviews,” said Jeremy Pollard, project manager of Frankie. “This will save them time and money each month by making their current collaboration tool redundant.”

Frankie is available from Cospective, the team that built cineSync, the Academy Award-winning synchronized review-and-approval tool used daily around the world on major film productions. Frankie plans include up to five concurrent projects, unlimited users, unlimited reviews, 20 GB of video storage and complete cross-platform compatibility. Monthly subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

Digital Anarchy unveils Flicker Free Plugin
SAN FRANCISCO–Digital Anarchy announced Flicker Free 1.0 for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Apple’s Final Cut Pro. Flicker Free gives video editors and visual effects artists a powerful new tool that easily fixes a wide range of footage affected with flicker or strobing. Flicker Free analyzes on the fly, renders quickly, and easily produces beautiful flicker free footage. There are presets for many different types of flicker, allowing it to easily fit into any editor’s workflow. The goal of Digital Anarchy is to produce software that just works, simple, but extremely powerful. The software should do the hard work.

Jim Tierney, president of Digital Anarchy, said,  “We’ve already seen it [Flicker Free] used on some high profile broadcasts to deal with flicker problems from slow motion cameras, as well as LED lights. I think users will be pretty impressed when they see how effective it is on their footage.”

Flicker Free is resolution independent and will work on any sized footage from 30 megapixel image sequences to film, 4K, and HD. The fast rendering speed of Flicker Free allows it to fit into any workflow in any host application. Currently it supports Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, and Apple Final Cut Pro. Support for Avid, Assimilate Scratch, Davinci Resolve, and Sony Vegas are coming soon.

MySHOOT Profiles