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User Questions on the MediaStorm Post-Production Workflow

Marius asks: I’ve previously bought your complete workflow and recently the Field Guide (so much good information guys!!). But I have a question. In the folder structure section you usually create an Z_Version folder and Z_Transcription. What do you put in these folders and why is it a Z? Let me begin by explaining the purpose of the version and transcription folders. At MediaStorm, we transcribe every interview. It’s the only way to make sure that no good bite gets left behind. It’s almost impossible to connect responses from the first minute of an interview with those spoken at the end unless they’re written down. So before we create a multi-camera sequence, we export an audio file of each interview for transcription. These audio files are exported to the Z_Transcription folder and can be deleted at the end of production as they won’t be used directly in the final project. The Z_Versions folder is used…

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MediaStorm documents Final Cut workflows for the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D300

Since its release, the Canon 5D Mark II has become the de facto video camera for many photojournalists. Despite some technical challenges, like the ability to follow focus and the low-fi built-in microphone, the visual quality is simply stunning. Prosumer video gear just can't touch its filmic look or depth-of-field. For examples, check out the gorgeous work of Jeff Hutchens and Nacho Corbella in the MediaStorm workshop project Hold Out. More recent workshop attendees Deanne Fitzmaurice and Doug Grant also used the 5D to beautiful effect in Family Kocktail. It's not hard to understand why the Canon 5D Mark II, and now the Nikon D300, have become so popular. But to make these files Final Cut Pro compliant there remain a number of technical hurdles. To help with this, MediaStorm has documented our workflow with each of these cameras in two separate PDFs. These documents detail the transcoding process in Compressor, demonstrate…

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MediaStorm’s Advice to Multimedia Producers

After my last post, 10 Ways to Improve Your Multimedia Right Now, I thought it might be instructive to take a step back from technical issues and focus instead on some of the underlying ideas that help shape the production process at MediaStorm. The concepts below have been compiled by members of the MediaStorm team over the course of their careers. Most of these ideas will hold true whether you are creating multimedia in Final Cut Pro, iMovie, or Soundslides. Equipment Never update your hardware or software in the middle of a project. After you've completed your project, backup to a separate drive, then update. If Final Cut is behaving oddly, try deleting your preferences by using FCP Rescue or do it manually, using the instructions detailed in this previous blog post.    When building an editing suite, purchase the fastest computer, largest display, most accurate speakers, and the most comfortable chair…

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