“Extraordinary starts from nothing, and takes everything.”

What does nothing sound like? What does extraordinary sound like? Wouldn’t it be cool to write the music using only the dialogue from the script?

When Crystal Pix producer/director Don Casper approached me about creating a custom music track for the opening video to the 2012 Addy Awards these were the thoughts running through my head. We have a brand new audio suite at Crystal Pix and this was a great opportunity to break it in. I pitched the idea to Don and he passed it by the client, Joe Mayernik at StormFrog. Everyone was on board but wondering what the music would sound like? To be honest I didn’t know. I had an idea in mind but wasn’t certain it could work. I was anxious to get started and figure out a way to pull it off.

After a few days of research, testing new Pro Tools plug-ins, and a few false starts I decided to use the tools I already knew to sketch out the idea for the song. I roughed in the beat, just a kick drum and high hat. Then the bass line happened. The song now had an anchor and some substance I could build around. At this point I knew the idea would work.

Once I had the skeleton of the song I replaced sonic ideas with bits of dialogue, morphing them into the music I was hearing. The “d” from “the birthplace of the idea” transformed into the kick drum. The “ts” from “that pure moment when we’ve got nothing but our guts” made a great high hat. Mixing in triple “n”s from “command n” and a melody line built from “and has no fear” the “The Manifesto of Extraordinary” had an awesome music bed. All anchored together by an “Extraordinary starts from nothing, and takes everything” bass line.

Listen to the final music track.

All that remained was to sound design the explosion and some typing effects for the intro/outro.

• 1 sonic boom
• 1 section of violins
• 6 oscillators
• 1 “Everything starts from nothing” morphing into a heart beat
• 1 “and takes everything” morphing into low end sub sonic “wind”
• 1 stereo track of pink noise

Those are the ingredients to an explosion of creativity.

All in all a successful piece that really embraced the challenge of starting from nothing and creating something extraordinary.

Watch the final video, which was presented on an 80 foot video wall!

Historical Overview of Aspect Ratios

But for the Addy Awards presentation in 2012, Crystal Pix teamed up with the creative minds at StormFrog to create open and close videos to play on a super bad-ass widescreen like you’ve never seen it before.  This screen would take 6 HD projectors seamed together across an 80′ screen to create one large canvas.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Extraordinary starts with nothing.

To tie into the theme of “Extraordinary starts with nothing. And takes everything” all the music was created from a blank page.  Musical instruments and percussive sounds were created by morphing actual audio bits of the peoples dialogue in the video to create a musical rhythm.  This was all created custom at the Crystal Pix audio studio, add some sound design and effects, and voila.

And takes everything.

Widescreen Pixel Map

Visually, the challenge was to edit a video on a canvas that was 9600 wide by 1080 pixels high.  This is beyond the normal video sizes that can be handled in normal video editing software, so a multiple step process was created to achieve our final video.  The video was first edited in a super low-res format (the size of one HD screen) only 1920 pixels across.  All the images of people were shrunk down and positioned in a masked window that matched the final aspect of the huge screen.  Once the video was complete from an editing/creative standpoint… Each video track was color corrected and output to Quicktime files to be imported into After Effects.  All the visuals were positioned on the 9600×1080 canvas as called out from the rough cut and rendered as a complete seamless image sequence.  From there, 6 HD overlapping video files were created based on the pixel map template that would all sync together for playback at the show using a Watchout display system.

The result was super funky Addy Bad-Ass Widescreen video projection!

To see the completed open video and to browse all the Addy winners visit:

http://addy2012.rafconnect.org

Signs of the Time makes its North American broadcast premiere starting this spring on public television stations across the country. Produced in high-definition by Crystal Pix, Inc. of Fairport, New York, the film has enjoyed critical acclaim at film festivals across North America and has received “Best Documentary” awards five times. Signs of the Time is presented by WXXI Public Broadcasting in Rochester, New York, and distributed nationally by American Public Television.

Narrated by Academy Award® winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, Signs of the Time, reveals the myth and mystery behind one of the greatest innovations of baseball – umpire hand signals.

The film illustrates stories of inspiration that transcend sports. At the heart of the story are two fascinating characters from baseball’s past – the 19th century deaf ballplayer William “Dummy” Hoy and the father of modern umpires, Bill Klem. The film offers dramatic re-enactments of early baseball and interviews from baseball legends such as Bob Feller, Brooks Robinson, Fred Lynn, and Earl Weaver. It also provides a compelling look into the silent and often misunderstood world of the deaf community. Legendary deaf author Robert Panara commented, “The film’s message of breaking the barriers of communication is what we Deaf people have done throughout life, and the struggle is never-ending. This film, much like its central character Dummy Hoy, is an inspiration to deaf and hearing people alike.”

The television broadcast of the film is closed captioned for the accessibility of all audiences. To find where to watch in your area, contact your local public broadcasting station or click here for more information

Crystal Pix is moving to a new home for the holidays.

All the same great menu options that you’ve come to know and love, in a different building. We’ve relocated our talents to 84 South Main Street in Fairport. It’s a quick jog to the other side of the canal. We hear it’s a little nicer and the grass is slightly greener here on the South side.

We’re quite proud of our new digs and we look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Our new address:

Crystal Pix, Inc.
84 South Main St.
Fairport, NY 14450

A map to guide you:

View Larger Map

Click here to read an article about it in the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper

I was amazed by the products created by teens, they had one week to write, plan, shoot, and edit a 3 minute film (not easy).  Then, Friday evening, friends and family were invited to screen all the completed works in an auditorium at the college.  The films were funny, creative and I’m sure the start of a few budding film careers.

Okay, so when you’re in the film/video business, there’s always been a lot of talk about formats … 35mm, Super16, HDCam, XDCam, Digital Beta, DVCPro and blah, blah, blah …

But nowadays, HD is the buzzword that is pretty much on everyone’s mind. On the shoot or in the edit the question is always, “Is it HD?” And of course, like everything in this business, there are a gluttony of flavors of HD video. There’s 720p, 1080i, 1080p, … then you’ve got your frame rates: 23.98, 24, 29.97, 30, 59.94, 60 … and is it field-based or frame-based?

Not to mention the cameras … how about the EX-1 or the EX-3? The XDCam or the HDCam? How about a Zi8 or a Canon 5D? Or better yet … how about my iPhone? It shoots HD, too. (sorry RED, can’t mention you since you’re 2K or 4K)

But what makes the world of HD so much MORE confusing is the fact that our entire world has adopted the term “HD” or “High Definition” in the marketing and selling of various products … some very interesting and unique products at that.

Before getting into the list, I would first like to perform a writing ‘no-no’, while irritating all of my past English teachers and professors, and quote a definition from Webster. The definition of High Definition according to him:
high–definition adj

: being or relating to an often digital television system that has twice as many scan lines per frame as a conventional system, a proportionally sharper image, and a wide-screen format

There it is … as simple as that … it’s a TV thing. So why then have so many adopted this term to help sell their products? Do they really think slapping HD on their products will make them more appealing? Are their products better because of it? Well, let’s see if any of the following products are more appealing to you than their SD or ‘standard definition’ counterparts. A few minutes on the web and here’s a short list that I found. There is:

HD Digital Radio, High Definition Audio … close to video at least

How about High Definition Wax for your car? Not bad in a crash … High Definition Roofing Shingles? High Definition Rubber Tiles for the floor? Or an HD Door? HD Paint for your walls? There’s even High Definition Sports Turf Paint! Talk about home field advantage …

HD is also big in the make-up world … HD Nail Color, HD Mascara and HD Powder … they do use make-up for TV, so I guess that’s OK …

There’s HD Sunglasses, HD Lasers and HD Fireplaces. There’s HD Signs, HD Body Nutrition, HD Packaging and HD Heat Transfer Labels … there’s even HD FolkArt!

Any buyers out there? And that’s just the short list … I’m sure there’s a lot more and if you find any, let me know …

For now, suffice it to say that HD is here to stay, not just on TV, but everywhere you look …

2D tracking is a process which analyzes video in order to follow (track) objects on screen. The process can be used to hide, remove, or even add objects to a shot that were not originally in the composition. The objects appear to be locked to the environment while the camera moves. Shared Connections was the perfect project to flex our tracking muscles because it called for animated elements to be added to a live-action character moving within a shot that was hand held. The Shared Connections project involved developing a look for the spiderweb of social connections and a work flow to create those dynamic animations. The animations then needed to be tracked onto our main character. Assets were compiled that would become our panels, acting as anchors for all of the drawn connections. There were basically two animations for every panel. Each panel had an expression to make it float in 3D space. The other expression controlled the animated lines so that where ever the panels were, the lines would always draw towards and lock onto them.

Panels were animated to float in 3D space.

Next, the animation had to be tracked onto our main character. Both, point trackers and planar trackers were tested before the final track was applied. A point tracker does just that, it tracks a point. It picks a pixel and tracks nearby pixels in order to gauge what movement is occurring. These types of trackers have their pro’s but the biggest limitation is that they are not very good at taking in the big picture. This is where planar trackers come in. The best thing about planar trackers is that they really do look at the image data as more of a whole. They work by assigning a 2D plane to an object in the scene. The computer then matches the two and tracks the video so that when one twists or grows the other will do the same. So in the case of Shared Connections whole body parts could be tracked instead of tracking a shadow here and there.

Masks were created to make the connections appear to be behind her.

Initially the animations were tracked to the character’s head but it put a large emphasis on any head movements that occurred. The twisting and bobbing of her head would make all of the panels shift around the screen to the point where they were more of a distraction than anything else. Ultimately, the solution was to track everything to her torso. This gave the effect that all of the panels were following her, almost as if they were connected to a backpack. In order to help sell the trick, lighting was added to the panels. The light was animated to look as if sunlight was coming through the trees and hitting all of those panels as she walked down the trail. The lighting effects and rotation of the panels in 3D space, coupled with the tracking, sell the idea that those panels really are floating around next to her.

Crystal Pix was the post-production facility for this one hour original documentary narrated by Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and co-produced by WXXI and Eastman School of Music.

Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of the Eastman Theatre premieres Tuesday, June 1 at 8 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV (DT 21.1/cable 1011 and 11).

Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of the Eastman Theatre, co-produced by WXXI and Eastman School of Music, is a one-hour documentary that captures the fascinating story of the Eastman Theatre and documents its recent restoration. Narrated by Rochester native, actor and director Philip Seymour Hoffman, the film includes historic photographs, film, and video – including live performances from the Eastman School of Music and the RPO among others.

Restoring a Masterpiece: The Renovation of the Eastman Theatre was edited by Crystal Pix

Rochester’s Eastman Theatre was built as a silent movie theatre in the years just before “talkies” changed the entire movie going experience. Yet “The Eastman,” as it is known locally, fulfilled a vision to be a center for arts and culture for the City of Rochester. It became home to a prominent music school and philharmonic orchestra. It launched careers, hosted stars, and stood the test of time. With its major renovation completed, the new Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre is poised to be a jewel in the crown of a new downtown Rochester.

Shot in high-definition, the one-hour documentary showcases the intricate renovation of a building that is itself a work of art. At the same time, it tells the story of the intertwined histories of the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), and demonstrates how a building can have a new life in the restoration of an historic downtown.

Production funding for Restoring a Masterpiece is provided by The Pike Company, PAETEC, Louise Epstein, and Keith and Betsy Wilson.

Recently, Paychex came to us with an idea for a video that needed to play within a new microsite that they were launching.  Actually, it was 3 videos, 2 of which needed to play simultaneously.

The first video was a short introduction video that required 1 shot only … a man in a chair sitting next to a big graphic, who then proceeds to get up and move toward the camera, crossing the graphic and ends up head to toe on the left side of the frame … a big shot, for sure.  To accomplish this, we of course, needed green screen, but also a big space to shoot.  We chose to shoot at the new Young Lions Studios, with the help of Mammoth Production Packages for the RED camera equipment and some studio lighting.  It was great space to accommodate the opening shot and had plenty of facilities to keep all the crew, agency and everyone comfortable and happy (thanks, Alex!)  Dan, the main character, walks you through the intro video and the rest of the site.

The main video consisted of Dan, who is now Chair Dan, looking at Dan, himself, in an inset video window.  There’s interaction between Chair Dan and Dan and 2 Paychex representatives.  Again, green screen, with a ‘wall’ that the characters can lean on.

Needless to say, it was a great job, a lot of fun and a great end product … of course, thanks to everyone on the Crystal Pix and Paychex team and a special thanks to The Talent Group for making it happen.  Check out the site:

http://explore.paychex.com

In this age of airport and airline security, it can be difficult to gain the full access you need to shoot a product video on an airplane with all the crew, equipment, lighting, talent, extras and props that you need.  So what do you do in that scenario?  You create the interior of a 737 yourself (with the help of many others).  Anne Mills from our office found the seats and the walls … a refurbishing company that has a bunch of airplane parts.  Then, Chuck Moran and Eric McMaster put it all together at Powerhouse 27 Studios (thanks, Carol!) in Rochester, NY.

Terri Cubiotti from Mason Selkowitz Marketing brought in all the talent and props for the product video, the iGo Portable Oxygen System, which is small to fit underneath the seat in front of you on an airplane (and yes, it’s FAA-approved).

A 1/2 day of production and some post-work and you’ve got yourself a first class airplane video (of course, I think our airplane had a bit more leg room than your standard airline).

http://www.igopoc.com/images/stories/flash/airlinevid.html