Comments on: HurlBlog Technology Guru: Mike McCarthy Part I

By: Shahzayb

Shahzayb — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:26:50 +0000

hello, sir.

A very big fan of your work! really love your workflow and post blogs. I wanted to ask a question, What type of sound recording equipment did you guys use on set ?

Thanks.

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networking and cctv services laptop — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:24:32 +0000

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HurlBlog Technology Guru: Mike McCarthy Part I | Hurlbut Visuals…

By: Kristine Krain

Kristine Krain — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:03:02 +0000

Good read, thanks much for this posting.

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 03:49:58 +0000

Iyke C, sounds good. Looking forward to it.

By: Iyke C

Iyke C — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 07:29:48 +0000

Definitely Shane. I won’t ask you to make a public show of your information, but this is my email At anytime you can contact me, so I can know the best way to get hold of you once the film is done. As I said, it will be an honor to have you critique my first DSLR venture.
God bless!

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:00:20 +0000

Iyke C, thank you so much for those kind words and I cannot wait to be there in the screening room with you. VIVA Revolution!!!!

By: Iyke C

Iyke C — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:20:17 +0000

Shane, first off I’ll love to say, before this whole DSLR thing, I had always been a film guy, because that’s basically all they thought in film school. I was one of the heavy DSLR critics until I saw what you and your team have done with it. Currently, I’m shooting my new feature all DSLR, and the cineform codec is doing magic for me. The recent release of media composer 5.0.3 supports cineform codec with AMA, and that’s a darling. You’ll definitely be one of the revolutionist whom I’ll invite for a screening of the film on the big screen.
Keep up the good work Boss!

By: Richard Allen Crook

Richard Allen Crook — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 01:57:04 +0000

Try out the iPad with the Movie Slate app for slating and logging. It works quite well in creating an excel log similar to what you have above but is a little easier to create and you have more options. Then, use adobe bridge to edit the clip metadata to match the shot log the app creates.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 23:10:03 +0000

Unless you’re using a camera and codec that is less compressed than the 5D ii, cineform has no advantage over pro res. FCP people should use pro res, everyone else should use cineform.

Pro Res has a lot room for pushing colors using Apple Color.

By: Beverly Babat

Beverly Babat — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:45:01 +0000

I’m positive that employing the Task Manager to kill particular processes in fact restores some speed to my once in a while sluggish MyTouch 3G original. But merely because I kill all and things seem improved doesn’t mean I haven’t done something superfluous for many of the processes killed. It may have been a singular app that was causing the problem. Kondik’s argument on twitter (and I would think that his voice is the voice of somebody, just like google technologists, who has some groundwork in fact and applied science for what he’s saying) was that, not resisting a rogue application misconducting, exercise of the Task Manager to kill all apps was a placebo.

By: Eric Ferguson

Eric Ferguson — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:25:15 +0000

Oh no, I didn’t mean to start a Mac/PC argument. I’ve used both and have far more good things to say about both than I have bad things to say about either, but I just think it’s tiring to see so much mac mac mac talk in filmaking circles these days, when there’s so much to be said for other platforms. I only wish that the discussion was more balanced, not more PC-centric.

Simplest way to explain for me is: I’m a film student with a starvingstudent-sized hardware budget. I have a 64-bit quad-core computer running at 2.66ghz with 8GB of ram, dual 7200RPM hard drives in internal RAID configuration, Nvidia graphics card w/ CUDA and 1GB on board, 22 inch IPS display. Analog 7.1 Surround sound or optical audio and HDMI out. I use premiere/AE and Cineform. I can edit 1080p24 in real time with colour correction applied, without dropping a frame. Replaced the fan for ten bucks and it runs silent.

My computer (hardware and OS only) cost $760. Canadian. Including the monitor.

I have no doubt whatsoever that a mac/FCP system would also make me happy and be more stable, more… silver, whatever. But look at those specs, and price out a mac pro at that level.

For me, the decision was clear, for a professional user with a different set of circumstances, things may be different.

By: Sterling Sherrill

Sterling Sherrill — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:02:26 +0000

I am new to DSLR’s and have read that PC’s are better to use than Apple. Please let me know details of the PC system to get and the costs? And is Cineform expensive? Is it an AVID product or plate form? I would love for all this information to be put on video training DV.

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:38:05 +0000

Paul Bahn, thank you for the support. I am glad you are finding some great information.

By: Paul Bahn

Paul Bahn — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 16:35:31 +0000

Gotta love the Hurlblog! Please keep it coming. Great “inside” stuff. Learning loads from you all.

By: Shane

Shane — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:46:51 +0000

ken glassing, I would love that.

By: ken glassing

ken glassing — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 23:32:05 +0000

Shane…Thanks so much for the kind words…this forum has tranformed the way I shoot…I fully believe these cams are the way forward for all of us involved in capturing images for storytelling. My hiatus is approaching…let’s meet up!
Best Regards
Ken Glassing

By: Shane

Shane — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:53:12 +0000

Jay, I love it when people are so passionate they run into a freight train. I am a Mac guy through and through. I tried to persuade the post production to go with Apple, but I was blown away with the ease, depth and better decompression qualities of cineform. I have shot film my whole life, until this little camera came along. Arri, Panavision, I have used them all and they still are on the outer edge of the 70′s in their digital technology. Making a camera that delivers RAW images on there shitty sensor will give you great clean images that look like video, period, the end.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:12:52 +0000

“It is all about PC rules, Mac and Pro Res are dead.

That’s a fucking joke.

Here’s the new ARRI Alexa
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/07/arris-alexa-busts-out-native-prores-recording-plans-for-red-sm/

And oh, it shoots ProRes 444 too…

I will be laughing the rest of day because of your comment. Thank you.

By: Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:30:13 +0000

While both parts of that statement are true, it is not entirely accurate. We did “edit everything on the Avid” for the Seal movie, but that is a DNxHD36 offline. We “used Cineform” as an online codec, for finishing in CS4 at 1080p24 RGB. Someday it would be great if Avid could edit Cineform files natively thru AMA, but that day has not yet come. Maybe we could all stop by Avid’s booth at NAB and request native support for Cineform. (Or AMA support for Canon MOVs directly) Until then the solution will continue to be transcoding to DNxHD on import. There will be more info on the editorial aspect of post in “Part 2″ which is coming soon.

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:30:10 +0000

ken glassing, first off I want to say how much I love your work and the visuals that you are creating. You are an incredibly talented DP and I thank you for all of your support on this blog. Yes we edited everything on the Avid and used Cineform. I have been very happy with what I am seeing on the big screen.