Scene & Heard Public Relations

DCS Event to explore tapeless workflow at the motion picture lab 

Attendees will get up-close look at FotoKem's new specialty division nextLAB

Los Angeles, CA-16th November, 2009--The Digital Cinema Society (DCS), an international nonprofit educational cooperative invites the professional production community to a meeting exploring tapeless workflow at the motion picture lab.  The meeting will take place on Saturday, December 5, from 10:00 AM until Noon, at FotoKem in Burbank. 

Featuring the services of the new FotoKem specialty division, nextLAB, attendes will see how a full service Film and Digital lab handles data for new camera technologies and their associated file-based workflows.  Looking at P2, S.two, RED, XDCAM, Phantom and more, nextLAB's Steve Beres, Tom Vice and Mike Brodersen will adise on best practices to insure data integrity and color management throughout the post pipeline - from backup and dailies to DI, filmout and archive. 

Seating for this event is limited and RSVPs are required.  Current DCS members can save a place by e-mailing with "nextLAB" in the subject line to: Mathers@DigitalCinemaSociety.org. Non-DCS members need first be added to the DCS roster using either of the links below.

The DCS offers a Free Trial Membership: http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/join/join.php?0=f.  Or to become a paid member and support the work of the Society, please go to Digital Cinema Society/Join Us at: http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/join/join.php.

For those not local or unable to make it to the meeting, please note that DCS records events for later streaming from the website.  Recent additions to the streaming library include the September 5th meeting introducing the RED Rocket, the latest workflow tool from RED; and an event covering the new AG-HPX300 Full-size Shoulder Mount Camcorder and AG-HPG20 Stand Alone Recording Deck. 

About the Digital Cinema Society

The DCS is a format agnostic educational cooperative dedicated to informing the entertainment industry about the integration of digital technology.  It further supports the learning process with complimentary memberships offered to students and educators.  Member benefits include access to seminars and networking events, DCS on-lline with "knowledge-on-demand" streaming educational content, member forums, and a monthly eNewsletter featuring unbiased analysis of the latest developments in Digital Cinema.  For more information, please visit http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org.

Zoic chooses Previzion to bolster Z.E.U.S. VFX pipeline

Lightcraft system speeds up movement of client asset through facility, allows focus on finer detail and better control of budgets

Venice, CA-3rd November, 2009--Lightcraft Technology has announced the successful long term rental of a Previzion realtime on-set VFX compositing and tracking system by Zoic Studios.  The time and money-saving system is being used in Zoic's on set and post work with profoundly beneficial results to VFX aesthetics and budgets.

“Lightcraft Technology's Previzion system is a critical component of Zoic's on stage and post production pipeline called Z.E.U.S. (Zoic Environmental Unification System,)" says Mike Romey, Pipeline Supervisor for Zoic Studios. "The system binds pre-production digital assets with on-set visualization and post production effects and compositing.  On stage, the system allows us to interact with digital sets in real time with a live composite while cameras are rolling.  From set, the system generates 3D camera tracking data that allows us to quickly match time code, 3D scene layout, final composites, and rendering.  The Previzion data seamlessly integrates into our Shotgun database, making information about every shot, take and version readily available to supervisors, producers and artists."  

Previzion real time compositing and tracking provides unprecented creative and budgetary control, allowing users to preview and manipulate complex VFX green screen shots while simultaneously recording accurate tracking data to reduce post assembly costs.  Everyone in the VFX pipeline gets a clean, identical, timecode-matched imaage to work with, and the transfer of data between applications is achieved seamlessly through Previzion's use of standard 3D file formats such as FBX and Collada. 

Romey continues, "Integrating Previzion into our Z.E.U.S. pipeline has drastically affected our production schedule, allowing us to provide our clients a more competitive bid, meet tighter deadlines, and focus on the finer details of visual effects." 

About Lightcraft Technology

Lightcraft was founded in 2004 by mechanical engineer and University of Michigan/MIT degree holder Eliot Mack.  Mack worked at Walt Disney Imagineering and led the mechanical engineering effort on the iRobot Roomba before applying his craft to the Previzion virtual studio system.  Mack was later joined by fellow iRobot engineer Phil Mass, who was the lead software engineer on the Roomba, the world's first successful home robot.  The team at Lightcraft blends their unique technical skills and love of film to provide optimized tools for the entertainment industry: www.lightcrafttech.com

DV Expo Conference & Exhibits: September 22-24, 2009, Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, CA

...September 23rd at 5:00 Digital Cinema Society meeting

DV Expo offers many free benefits: vendor training sessions, master classes, networking events, speakers and hundreds of new products.  Conference schedule available here: http://www.dvexpo.com/conference/specialevents.php

SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR DIGITAL CINEMA SOCIETY MEMBERS!

Receive an additional $50 off the Digital Video Conference Program, Broadcast Symposium West, and/or FREE exhibit hall passes by using customer code DCS. Register early for the lowest conference rates! Don’t delay, register today by visiting http://www.dvexpo.com

For more information on the Digital Cinema Society and their upcoming events, check out the current DCS Newsletter: http://www.digitalcinemasociety.org/CurrentNewsletter.php

Rick Balabuck appointed to Sales Director post for Virtual Studio developer Ligthcraft Technology

Technology sales and business development veteran will steer growth of on-set VFX pipeline systems developer Lightcraft

Pasadena, CA-28th July, 2009--Lightcraft Technology has announced the appointment of Rick Balabuck, a film and broadcast industry sales and business development veteran, as Sales Director to oversee growth of the company's time and money-saving on-set VFX compositing and camera tracking systems.

"Rick has a dynmaic vision for merging our products with the needs of producers and directors of VFX content; his understanding of computer graphics technology and reputation for listening and responding to customer needs make him an ideal choice to oversee the introduction of our products into the market," says Lightcraft Founder and CEO Eliot Mack.  "We're delighted to welcome him to the team."

Lightcraft's Previzion Portable and Airtrack systems, introduced at NAB this past April, allow users to preview and manipulate complex VFX green screen shots in real time while recording accurate tracking data for post production.

"The Lightcraft Previzion system enables producers, directors and DOP's to see complicated green screen composites with 2D and 3D graphics in real time which I believe will ultimately impact VFX production practices industry-wide," Balabuck states.  "The efficiencies of real time compositing can provide much greater creative control and could dramatically minimize post assembly costs; I'm thrilled to be working with Lightcraft to introduce these important tools to the VFX community."

Rick Balabuck has held sales and development positions at a number of industry-leading companies including Softimage, Discreet Logic, Pixel Pwer and Maximum Throughput.  He most recently served as director of sales at Broadcast monitoring systems company Volican, Inc.

About Lightcraft Technology

Lightcraft was founded in 2004 by mechanical engineer and University of Michigan/MIT degree holder Eliot Mack.  Mack worked at Walt Disney Imagineering and led the mechanical engineering effort on the iRobot Roomba before applying his craft to the Previzion virtual studio system.  Mack was later joined by fellow iRobot engineer Phil Mass, who was the lead software engineer on the Roomba, the world's first successful home robot.  The team at Lightcraft blends their unique technical skills and love of film to provide optimized tools for the entertainment industry: www.lightcrafttech.com

Rogue Element Digital Cinematography Services makes Cine Gear debut following Elstree joint venture announcement

Hollywood, CA-4th June, 2009--Data workflow pioneer and leading independent European rental house Rogue Element Films, UK will introduce its Digital Cinematography Services to the Cine Gear audience June 5-6, at Paramount Studios Hollywood.  This follows a recently announced joint venture between Rogue Element and renowned Elstree Studios, London, unveiling the UK's first dedicated green screen studio; complete with comprehensive digital production and post pipelines.  

"We're excited to present our tools, workflows and expansion plans to the entertainment community," says Dan Mulligan, Managing Director Rogue Element Films.  "Our brand new state of the art Digital Film facility operation at Elstree works with productions to create packages with both logistic and financial benefits; they can expect quality service and cost savings." 

World renowned Elstree Studios; home of such ground-breaking movies as Star Wars and Who Framed Roger Rabbit as well as numerous popular UK TV shows is now home to Rogue Element Films.  Together they offer the TV and Film production community the UK's first dedicated green-screen studio with completely uncompressed data acquisition and a fully digital workflow and production pipeline which enables productions to simply walk into the studio and begin capturing the highest quality images; fully confident that their workflow and editorial technology is already installed and running on-site.

Rogue Element Digital Cinematography Services feature rental (including Sony F35, SI-2K, Thomson Viper, ARRI D21, S.two and more,) content delivery, full editorial and full color dailies suites.  Short term plans for the new facility include set-up of full 3D compatible studios to compliment the existing infrastructure.  There are also considerations for a West Coast base to enhance US filmmaker support.  For sales information contact: Dan Mulligan, Phone: +44 (0) 7866 447564 or Email: info@rogueelementfilms.comor

About Rogue Element Films

Rogue Element Films is the leading supplier of Digital Cinematography services to clients in the European Film and Television industries.  Projects can utilize the Sony F35 S35mm digital film camera, Cooke 35mm Lenses, Zeiss Master Prime Lenses, Grass Valley Viper Filmstream digital cinematography camera from Thomson, Zeiss DigiPrime & DigiZoom Lenses, S.two Digital Film Recorders, SI-2K and Sony SRW-1 444 field recording, Cine Tal 444 Grade 1 Dual Link monitors and full Rogue mobile color timing (LUTs and pre-grading) on set. New for 2009 is Rogue's Mobile facility introducing a full facility in a compact truck for on location shooting.  This equipment is used for a range of commercials, television, promotiional and feature film work and is available for wet or dry hire.  Also new for 208 is Rogue's Digital Film Forum and Rogue Blog, to keep up with daily developments for the F35 and data workflows: http://www.rogueelementfilms.com/rogue_news/.  Follow Rogue Element on Twitter: http://twitter.com/refilms/ and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Borehamwood-United-Kingdom/Rogue-Element-Films/74825807922

S.two Corporation debuts OB-1 uncompressed on-board recorder with removable FlashMag solid-state magazines at NAB
New standards set for performance, flexibility and affordability in digital film recording
Reno, NV, 19th April 2009 

“Early response from the filmmaking community has been resoundingly complimentary;” says S.two President Chris Romine.  “With its diminutive size, low power requirements and affordable price point, filmmakers can focus on just making their movie—what’s more, there’s no learning curve; you literally plug it in, turn it on and start shooting. OB-1 truly represents a new standard in digital film recording.”

The 8x5x4 inch OB-1 weighs in at 6 pounds.  It is designed to be mounted directly onto new-generation digital film cameras including the Sony F23 and F35, ARRI’s D-21, and Panasonic’s 3700 (on-camera mounts for all cameras included); it records uncompressed 4:4:4 RGB from two cameras simultaneously to DPX files with metadata support, requires less than 28 watts of camera power at 10 to 36V DC, provides complete feature control through a simple user interface that requires no manual or training and is priced lower than any full-featured recorder (compressed or uncompressed) on the market today.

OB-1 supports the feature sets of virtually all digital film cameras; records two channels of balanced analog audio; accepts external time code and holds sync for up to 24 hours without external power; de-Bayer’s and displays raw images in real-time while applying user-loaded 1D and 3D LUTs; and is compatible with S.two products currently in use around the globe.  The reusable FlashMag media has a capacity of more than 30 minutes 4:4:4, incorporates multiple levels of internal redundancy, is hot-pluggable, and uses a connector rated for 100,000 insertions. 

Deliveries of OB-1 will commence immediately following NAB.  Under the terms of a recently announced global sales and marketing partnership, OB-1 and FlashMag will be in inventory at Band Pro Film & Digital Inc.

About S.two Corp.  -  S.two Corporation is committed to reducing global emissions wherever possible. Our film-quality electronic data processes eliminate the need for traditional film and therefore the need for film processing which uses chemicals known to harm the environment.  Reusable FlashMag™ and D.MAG™ media are the centerpiece of our industry-leading digital film workflow solutions while also being at the heart of our eco-friendly focus, allowing clients to support their green initiatives through virtually limitless re-recordings on removable media.  S.two is the number 1 provider of uncompressed data recording products for digital movie production. Dozens of motion pictures, including the Academy Award - winning ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, and countless commercials and television programs around the world have benefited from the S.two workflow and efficiency, saving customers millions of dollars. To learn more, please visit our website: www.stwo-corp.com or contact us at +1-775-853-9999. 

S.two Corp and Band Pro Film & Digital Inc announce global sales & marketing partnership
Immediate distribution agreement in place for S.two's stunning new OB-uncompressed on-board recorder and support products
Reno, NV-18th April 2009 
 

Reno, NV, 18th April 2009, S.two Corporation and Band Pro Film & Digital Inc. are pleased to announce a worldwide sales and marketing partnership effective immediately.  Band Pro will be a primary sales channel for S.two's innovative new product family that includes the OB-1 on-board recorder with removable FlashMag solid state magazines and the FlashDock family of compact transfer stations.

"As the leader in HD and digital technology integration, Band Pro is ideally suited to represent the OB-1 and S.two support products for production and post;" remarks S.two President Chris Romine.  "Band Pro offers much more than just a distribution channel and we are thrilled to partner with their expert team as we introduce these new technologies into the market."  

The FlashDock supports video and file-based data transfers by incorporating multiple video and computer interfaces, includes a color touch-screen monitor and can operate on 100-240VAC or 22-30VDC without external adapters, making it suitable for both Field and Facility usage.  An optional FlashDock Expansion Chassis supports multiple user-configurable peripheral devices such as LTO tape drives for completely self-contained backup and archival of data. 

“We are enthusiastic about offering the innovative S.two technology to our clients. Their pioneering products are the next step in tapeless recording. It is tomorrow’s technology ready to work today,” says Amnon Band founder and president Band Pro Film & Digital. 

The OB-1 and FlashMag products are in current inventory at Band Pro for immediate delivery, and are supported by current S.two Corp docking stations in use at facilities around the world.  FlashDock models will soon add to the population of supporting docking and transfer stations.

About Band Pro - With offices in Burbank, New York, Tel Aviv and Munich, Band Pro is the preeminent dealer of digital cinematography equipment in the world and a leading pioneer in introducing HD technology.  Band Pro’s experienced and respected experts offer the most knowledgeable solutions to high-end production challenges.

Band Pro Media contact: Lewis Communications, email: susanlu@aol.com, tel: 310-392-4531

About S.two Corp.  -  S.two Corporation is committed to reducing global emissions wherever possible. Our film-quality electronic data processes eliminate the need for traditional film and therefore the need for film processing which uses chemicals known to harm the environment.  Reusable FlashMag™ and D.MAG™ media are the centerpiece of our industry-leading digital film workflow solutions while also being at the heart of our eco-friendly focus, allowing clients to support their green initiatives through virtually limitless re-recordings on removable media.  S.two is the number 1 provider of uncompressed data recording products for digital movie production. Dozens of motion pictures, including the Academy Award - winning ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, and countless commercials and television programs around the world have benefited from the S.two workflow and efficiency, saving customers millions of dollars. To learn more, please visit our website: www.stwo-corp.com or contact us at +1-775-853-9999. 

S.two Media Contact:  Julian Ramm/+1-818-456-9043/julianramm@sceneandheardpr.com

Lightcraft Technology to launch VFX pipeline-in-a-suitcase previsualization system with high-accuracy tracking module at NAB
New Previzion Portable and Airtrack systems save time and money money                    Pasadena, CA - April 9th 2009

Pasadena, CA - 9th April, 2009--Lightcraft Technology will introduce its Previzion Portable and Airtrack systems at NAB 2009.  The systems offer appreciable savings by allowing users to preview and manipulate complicated VFX shots on set while recording accurate tracking data for post production.  Both will be running at NAB Booth #SL-5030; lower South Hall April 20-23, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Previzion Portable is an affordable, integrated VFX pipeline-in-a-suitcase that provides everything necessary to create sophisticated blue and green screen visual effects shots in real time.  The system includes keying, color correction, real-time rendering of video and 3D elements, accurate camera and lens tracking, compositing, and camera motion recording.  Previzion integrates seamlessly into existing HD production pipelines, and is based on programmable hardware for rapid upgrades.

The Airtrack module is a production-level precision rotary tracking system that accurately measures handheld tracking anywhere (on set or on location),  Airtrack steadily tracks rotary motion in real time without any external reference point, and can be combined with the Intersense IS1200 for a complete, portable, high precision 6DOF tracking solution. 

Together, the Previzion Portable and Airtrack provide an integrated, easy to operate camera tracking and visual effects preview system that gives creative camera control to directors and cinematographers, while recording complete timecode-synchronized camera and lens motion data for post production.

Previzion has been used in a wide range of productions, including Knight Rider, General Hospital, All My Children, and multiple live events.

Lightcraft Technology invites show attendees to stop by the booth and see for themselves how these new production tools save time, save money, and simplify VFX final assembly.

The Previzion Portable and Airtrack are available now.  Contact Rick Balabuck for pricing / onsite demo evaluation: +1-310-386-7293 or rick@lightcrafttech.com

About Lightcraft Technology   -   Lightcraft was founded in 2004 by mechanical engineer and University of Michigan/MIT degree holder Eliot Mack.  Mack worked at Walt Disney Imagineering and led the mechanical engineering effort on the iRobot Roomba before applying his craft to the Previzion virtual studio system.  Mack was later joined by fellow iRobot engineer Phil Mass, who was the sole engineer on the Roomba, the world's firs successful home robot.  The team at Lightcraft blends their unique technical skills and love of film to provide optimized tools for the entertainment industry: www.lightcrafttech.com