Winter 2000
VideoGearNonlinear Editing
StageTools' Moving Picture:
Easy "Motion-Control Rig SoftwareBy Bob Turner
One of the most underrated tools in the post-production industry has been the motion-control rig. Other names for this product might be the "animation crane" or "motorized title camera stand." It doesn't matter what you call it: whenever a series of still photographs are to be used in a video program this tool can be invaluable. There's often a separate suite available at major postproduction facilities just for this service. The one problem with this type of system is that it can be expensive, especially for the small editing boutique or personal production studio. For those who find such a system out of their price range, I would like to offer a hot new alternative: StageTools MovingPicture.With MovingPicture, you can use a high-resolution scanner to input still images into your computer and create animated/keyframed pan, tilt, rotate, and zoom movements. The software works with image resolutions up to 4,000 x 4,000 pixels. In general, a 1,500 to 2,000 pixel scan is the best size to use for most shows, unless you are really zooming in very tight.
The MovingPicture software is based upon OpenGL technology, and comes as either a standalone workstation package or as a plug-in for Adobe Premiere 5.0 and After Effects, Canopus RexEdit, Discreet edit, dpsVelocity, in:sync SpeedRazor, Media 100 iFinish, or any Avid AVX-capable product (Xpress, Media Composer, Symphony, NewsCutter, etc.; MovingPicture also creates a log in Avid's ALE log format).
All MovingPicture products are presently compatible with Windows 98/NT/2000; just completed is the Apple Macintosh version. (The Mac and plug-in versions does not use OpenGL so they require rendering-l to 2 seconds per frame and do not offer rotation.) I tried out the stand-alone product on NT 4.0. This product offers identical features to the plug-In product A multi-processor support upgrade will soon be-come available.
An Example of the Benefits
One of my favorite clients specializes in fundraising videos for hospitals. Many times there is a series of still B&W photos of the "old days" (hospital founders, original hospital buildings, scenes of operations of 100 years ago, etc.). My client usually spends half a day in a $200+ per hour suite with a motion control rig before I see him in the edit suite. Frequently, there are slight "bounces" with the start and stop of the motion sequence due to the limitations of the mechanics of the rig. Often, when composed into a sequence, slight changes are desirable, necessitating DVE blow-ups and Image degradation.
In the Avid suite, MovingPicture software can be a major improvement in this process. He can scan the Images himself (the scanner and portable storage cost less than a single motion rig session), and adjustments/modifications after viewing the sequence can be much easier-especially when the plug-In is available on the nonlinear editor. There would be no mechanical "bumps" either.
Easy to Learn and Use
The operation was easy to learn and to use. You start with a timeline and load an Image, which can be from a scanner, an Internet download, a graphics software package, or from anywhere you can find one of the Industry-standard still image formats (JPEG, TIFF, Windows BMP, Targa, PNG, PCX, and GIF). There is a super-imposed yellow box, the CAMERA RETICLE on the image (see illustration above), which is located on the STAGE window. You can:
* position the CAMERA RETICLE anywhere in the image by clicking and dragging inside the yellow square and position it over the portion of the image;
* enlarge or zoom In on the image portion by clicking either the lower comer or the upper left corner and dragging the frame to zoom out or zoom in on the viewable portion you choose; or
* rotate the view by clicking and dragging the upper right comer.
The view of what you are creating is visible in the VIEWER monitor. You create the first keyframe position, then go to a different place on the timeline and create the second keyframe position by repositioning the CAMERA RETICLE and clicking ADD KEYFRAME You can add additional keyframe positions if desired.
The VIEWER monitor has playback controls to view the move, and it features a FULL SCREEN capability. It really is as simple as that. The result is a smooth-flowing motion effect. Moves can be saved, recalled, repeated, and easily modified.
When you like what you have created, you output the file (if on the MovingPicture stand-alone workstation) or-- if you are using the plug-in version-- you can import it onto your editor's timeline or bin.
MovingPicture can simply play out the scene into a VCR or nonlinear editor in real-time. It can also create low- to high-resolution AVI movie files and/or it can create compact VRML animations for sending over the Internet.
There are process options available such as an EASE setting, which allows you to control the ramp-up speed at the beginning of the move and/or the ramp-down speed at the end of the move, or to have it play linearly. You can delete and adjust keyframes. You can import audio and create synchronized moves. There are keyboard controls, visible time code, and other numeric information. By adding keyframes and adjusting the EASE function, you can create complex and sophisticated effects.
A specific Solution to a Specific Problem
Some readers will say, "Yes, but I can do the me thing with After Effects or Combustion, or other effects/composting software." That is absolutely correct. But, on the stand-alone software with the proper hardware, these motion effects are created and played back in real-time! Plus, this software is far less expensive than effects/compositing software, and is easier to use because it is targeted at one specific need.
You can preview the moves quickly on all systems. Depending upon system hardware, a 10 second move takes 10 seconds, but it may run at 26 frames per second (fps). OpenGL hardware-based platforms can run up to 60 fps. As you would expect, outputting the final AVI files still requires rendering.
There is one thing you cannot do. You cannot get this software package on a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. It is only available by download at www.stagetools.com. The manual is available online at this sight, as is a FAQ, reviews, and free evaluation downloads. The price is $395 for the stand-alone version or $199 for an editor plug-in. You can upgrade from the plug-in to the stand-alone. (You might want to check out the OnStage Idea Editor pre-production software while browsing the site.)
Bill Ferster’s StageTools
StageTools is the latest Bill Ferster endeavor. Many know Ferster as the founder of Editing Machines Corporation and creator of the EMC2, the world's first personal computer-based, digital video nonlinear editing system. That accomplishment was recognized with an Emmy Award in 1993. He created a patented method of real-time editing and mixing of MPEG-encoded video while at EMC. EMC also demonstrated laptop editing hardware and digital audio workstations networked to the EMC2. (An Interesting note: the EMC editing system is still alive and development continues. The product is now owned by the Dutch company Broadware and Information can be accessed at the company's website at: www.broadware.nl).
More important to this software review, in 1979 (prior to EMC), Ferster left a position as graphic artist on ABC's Good Morning America to become the founder of West End Films, a successful graphics animation facility. While working In the creation of graphics/effects and animation projects, he kept wishing he had better tools that ad not been created yet. Ferster decided he would create the tools he needed himself. He developed a PC-based 3D animation system and a full product suite of integrated drawing, paint, and charting tools. These products resulted in West End Films being acquired by Pansophic Systems. A less well remembered product that Ferster also developed while at West End Films is considered to be the first PC-based motion control system, The Cameraman. This motion-controlled Oxberry animation crane software was enthusiastically received by professional graphic artists and animators in postproduction houses. MovingPicture is clearly the progeny of these revolutionary efforts in the postproduction Industry.
Conclusion
The product is simple and effective. There was a basic need and Bill Ferster came up with a simple, inexpensive solution. I felt uncomfortable without a CD-ROM or manual, but the support is excellent-- mostly because mere is very little need for support.
Whether you want to create Ken Burns-style documentaries, animatics like the big ad agencies, or you just have the occasional need for incorporating a group of photos into various editing jobs, Moving Picture can be the way the job can be done-- easily and cost-effectively.
Bob Turner is a Contributing Editor to Videography Magazine
© Copyright 2000 by United Entertainment Media Inc.
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