Software

Indiepix and PixelTools Corporation recently announced that the 2,000 films available on Indiepix.net’s Download-To- Own system will be watermarked using a new technology called MPEG Escort. The invisible, digital watermark allows online purchasers to make copies, but prevents pirates from doing so, (the watermark makes it simple to trace who originally purchased and downloaded the film.)

What happened at AIVF over the last 30 years?

I first became aware of AIVF when Martha Gever was editor of The Independent. I marveled at this national organization that put out each month a magazine chock full of weighty, intellectual and critical articles on film and video.

Before shooting a film or video, long form or short form, narrative or documentary, before beginning development, fundraising, or even casting, there is one thing every filmmaker should have, a budget. It is a crucial part of every production. It’s one of the few constants in every type of filmmaking. It’s the thing that almost every other decision hangs on. The ever elusive, ever-changing budget.

As anyone who has been to many festivals or film school screenings can attest, for most independent and student filmmakers, title design is a rushed process at the end of a busy editorial cycle. While it may be easy to type titles and credits into the standard titling tool in a nonlinear editing application, the end result usually looks only a step above the character generators built into consumer home video cameras. Usually the title is the very first image an audience sees in a film, and as we all know, first impressions count the most.

The world of 3D animation is slowly opening up to new artists. New training options, online communities of users, and lower prices now make the prospect of 3D animation more enticing for independent filmmakers. But for those who know little about the field, starting out in 3D animation is still laden with many tough decisions, primary among which is selecting the animation program to invest in.

Delivering video over the Internet poses an interesting challenge to those who want to preserve the image quality of their video while giving the audience the best experience possible. Video delivered over the Internet must both look and sound as good as possible yet download quickly so that the audience does not become annoyed at waiting for too long before the video starts.

NAB is always a forum for major announcements and surprising releases, but few announcements have created as big a stir in the broadcast and film communities as this year's statements by Avid, Incorporated. Though the company's claims are open to interpretation, one message came through loud and clear: Avid's future on the Mac platform is limited, and further releases will be for the Windows NT operating system only.