Must-see online videos: Op Docs from the New York Times

Short-form documentaries by notable filmmakers both established and emerging covering a whole range topics from current affairs to historical subjects. The film that led me to the series was The Umbrella Man by Errol Morris. It's a short about the mysterious man holding the umbrella at the location and moment at Dealy Plaza when President Kennedy was assassinated. The explanation for the presence of this man will be a surprise to most but will hardly appease conspiracy buffs. Highly recommended viewing.

3D Text in After Effects

LiveTut3DText3dStroke from Nick Campbell on Vimeo.

Here's a tutorial on how to create 3D text in After Effects. This is very useful for creating great movie credits and titles. It also enables you to give more depth to the usual After Effects animation options.

Discovered at ae tuts+ and GreyScaleGorilla.

How to lengthen your sound effects by looping in Audacity

Here's a short tutorial that show you how to lengthen a sound effect by looping it in Audacity.



Audacity is free Mac, PC, and Linux compatible audio editing software you can download from here.

The Three Keys to Great Audio for Video

Do you want better audio for your video? This might help…

This video shows the three keys to great audio for video. They are:

1. Equipment
2. Placement
3. Monitoring

Excerpted from Izzy Video.

Final Cut Pro X users: Be sure your external drive is formatted for Mac

Any Final Cut Pro X users using their external drive in the lab should be sure it's set for compatibility with Mac, or they risk losing (or being unable to open) their work.

We've had a number of people come into the lab to work in Final Cut X, only to have their projects not work when they return to the lab a second time. As it turns out, FCP X will allow a Windows-formatted drive to create a new event/project, and it may look like it is saving when it's actually not.

It is extremely important to make sure your external hard drives are properly formatted. Any NMC consultant can help you format your drive, but formatting erases anything on the drive at the time of the reformat.

So again; any Final Cut Pro X users using their external drive in the lab should be sure it's set for compatibility with Mac, or they risk losing (or being unable to open) their work.

Khan Academy- free lessons

This site offers great video tutorials on topics including math and physics, GMAT prep, art history, and much more.

http://www.khanacademy.org/

Some teachers are using this resource to "flip" their classroom, so students watch the Khan lecture at home and then class-time is used for doing the homework/problem solving.

A great way to use simple video technology for education, innovation, and entrepreneurship!

Charlie Kaufman: Screenwriters Lecture

One of modern cinema’s most celebrated writers, Kaufman’s work includes surreal fantasy Being John Malkovich, cerebral sci-fi Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and comedy drama Adaptation. Excerpted from Guru.BAFTA.org

Watch the Charlie Kaufman lecture.

Download a PDF transcript of Kaufman's Lecture.
Read the accompanying program.

American University Holiday Video Card

American University 2011 Holiday Video from American University on Vimeo.

Hundreds of AU students, faculty, staff and alumni participated in the making of this Holiday Video, which was recently shot on the AU quad. Check it out. There are some interesting cameos in the video, and you may even spot a friend or you yourself!

Go to the American University Holiday page to see AU President, Neil Kerwin's message as well as links to the credits, photo gallery, behind the scenes, and other cool things related to the video.

Happy Holidays!

Final Cut Pro 7 or X?

Still struggling between Final Cut 7 and 10? Looks like some of Conan O'Briens team have already made the switch:



Note: Video does not directly reflect the views of the New Media Center, as we have both and are ready to help you use both!

Selected New Home Use Titles in Media Services

Check out these titles that were recently added to the Media Services Home Use Collection:

Lost Boundaries - HU DVD 1591
Cul de Sac - HU DVD 9084
Soga - HU DVD 9085
Le Mans - HU DVD 9086
Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan - HU DVD 9088
Caribe - HU DVD 9089
Faces of Children - HU DVD 9091
Crainquebille - HU DVD 9091
Queen of Atlantis - HU DVD 9092
Amiche, le – HU DVD 9099
Forks over knives – HU DVD 9100
Cracks – HU DVD 9102
Biches, les – HU DVD 9103
Songs from the second floor – HU DVD 9105
Gleiwitz case - HU DVD 9101
Friday - HU DVD 9128
Belly of an architect - HU DVD 9129
Dybbuk - HU DVD 9130
Screaming man - HU DVD 9131
Animal world - HU DVD 9132
Maya Deren: Experimental films - HU DVD 630
Penn and Teller: B.S., Season 8, disc 1 - HU DVD 2745
Penn and Teller: B.S., Season 8, disc 2 - HU DVD 2746
Little Senegal - HU DVD 9145
Factory girl - HU DVD 9146
Police, adjective - HU DVD 9147
Phantom of the opera, the - HU DVD 9149
Conspirator, the - HU DVD 9150
Love meetings - HU DVD 9151
Oedipus rex - HU DVD 9152
Porcile pigsty - HU DVD 9153
Perfect blue - HU DVD 9154
Housemaid, the - HU DVD 9155
Perfect spy, a, vol 1 - HU DVD 9171
Perfect spy, a, vol 2 - HU DVD 9172
Perfect spy, a, vol 3 - HU DVD 9173
Company, the - HU DVD 9174
Sum of all fears, the - HU DVD 9175
Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, disc 1 - HU DVD 9181
Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, disc 2 - HU DVD 9182
Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy, disc 3 - HU DVD 9183
Desperado - HU DVD 5569'
Prosecutor - DVD 9195
Impunity - DVD 9196
Brothers Warner - DVD 9199
Incarnate - DVD 9207
Hangnail - DVD 9208
Rounders - HU DVD 9210
Da Vinci code - HU DVD 9211
Farewell - HU DVD 9212
Parks and recreation: Season one - HU DVD 9221
Raging bull - HU DVD 1876
Raging bull - BLU-RAY DVD 1876
Harry Potter and the deathly hallows, part 2 - HU DVD 6048
Harry Potter and the deathly hallows, part 2 - BLU-RAY DVD 6048
Crazy stupid love - HU DVD 9213
Crazy stupid love - BLU-RAY DVD 9213
Nuremberg - HU DVD 9222
Meet the Feebles - HU DVD 9223
In the realm of the senses - HU DVD 9224
Personal velocity - HU DVD 9225
Portrait of a lady - HU DVD 9226
Page one: Inside the New York Times - HU DVD 9227
Tabloid: An Errol Morris love story - HU DVD 9228
Life in a day - HU DVD 9229
Shock doctrine - HU DVD 9250
Overnight - HU DVD 9255

Create a cool shatter effect in AfterEffects

Here's a cool tutorial about how to create the Dark Knight Logo shatter using After Effects.
The techniques utilized could be adapted to student film projects to make stunning title scene credits. Watch the tutorial here.
As seen on MotionWorks.

Noise Reduction in Soundtrack Pro

Are you finding that there is unwanted noise in a portion of your Final Cut Pro video project? This is a problem that's been popping in the New Media Center during this busy time when final project deadlines are approaching. Depending on the depth of your noise problem, here's one method that may work well for you. Check out the video below:

Need that certain shot to improve your video project? Try Stockfootageforfree.com

Stock Footage for Free is a decent site that delivers exactly what it sounds like. Everything is royalty free and monetarily free (you do have to register, however). They have some stuff in HD, as well as a lot in SD. While the selection isn't perfect, hey, it's free. It's great for certain cityscape or wilderness shots, and they even have some time lapses and stuff. It can be great for the starving student who needs that establishing shot, but can't shoot or pay for it.

Hot Docs: Corporations in the Classroom now available in Media Services

"As cash-strapped schools struggle to pay for books and other materials, corporate sponsors are offering promotions, sponsorships, and even free curriculum. The line between corporate social responsibility and back-door marketing opportunities is blurring ... This tough documentary asks: Should our schools be free of commercial messages? Or should they be a microcosm of the outside world, where access is sold to the highest bidder?"--Container.

DVD 9264

Distributor description