The Offset Podcast EP040: Look Setting Sessions

In this episode, we’re discussing something we do pretty regularly - look setting with a client.  If you’re not familiar with look setting, it can be a vital part of the grading process.  It helps ensure that you and the client are on the same page with the creative choices and the look of a project PRIOR to grading the entire project and potentially going down the wrong path.  Look setting can be an integral part of preproduction - building monitoring LUTs or in camera look files. Or it can happen after production has wrapped but prior to the main grade starting or combination of those approaches In this episode it’s that second scenario that we’re going to be discussing.  We’ll cover developing looks for production in a future episode.  Specific topics discussed in this show include:What is look setting and while is a vital part of the finishing process?How look setting is the first part of building client confidence and important to the communication process When does looking setting happen? Making the goals of a looking setting session clear to everyone involvedStrategies to avoid going too deep in the grade while also showing off capabilities & possibilities The importance of reviewing & discussing referencesHow to pick shots and scenes to work on Building 3 to 4 looks to share with the clientLeveraging comparative toolsPresenting shot challenges without offending clients In person, asynchronous and remote streaming look sessionsMoving from a look setting session into the main gradeIf you like this episode please consider supporting the podcast by buying us 'a cup of coffee': https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcastBig thanks as always to our sponsor Flanders Scientific for helping make these shows possible.  See you in about two weeks! 

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re talking about something that’s been on our mind for while - virtualization.  Specifically how virtualization can help facilitate and color and postproduction workflow.If you’re new to the subject than this episode is a good primer on the essential components of virtualization, for those of you more experienced with virtualization, we believe strongly that virtualization will continue to play a large role in our industry and over the next few years become mainstream in many post and finishing workflows.Specific topics discussed include:What is virtualization and why is it important?Local hardware mentality vs virtualizationLocal hypervisors and VMsVirtualization servers (DIY local and or Cloud Based)Key vocabulary - bare metal, pass through etcThe role of Remote Desktop/streaming and local clients in a virtualized setupWhy and how we’re experimenting with fully virtualized workflowsThe trickle down effect of virtualization is gaining steamIf you like The Offset Podcast, we’d love it if you could do us a big favor. It’d help a lot if you could like and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen/watch the show.Also if you liked this show consider support the podcast by buying us a cup of coffee. - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re continuing our conversation with Cullen Kelly on color eduction.  If you missed part 1, be sure to go back to and check it out.  In this episode some of the topics we explore include:Finding the right instruction and right instructor for how you learnThe role of 'robustness’ in color educationWhy concepts trump recipes Why some practitioners aren’t great teachers and some teachers aren’t great practitionersHow to get people to ‘launch’ post instruction From  tutorials on YouTube to a building a brandThe Pros/Cons of different instruction types - in person, asynchronous, audio only etcThe responsibility of a student and how to good student The challenges of teaching the ‘soft’ side of color  - room & client management What constitutes success as an educator?Dealing with trolls and criticism as an educatorA huge thanks to Cullen for joining us these past two episodes.  You can learn more about Cullen’s courses, tools and community by visiting his YouTube channel  - www.youtube.com/cullenkellyIf you liked this episode consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcastThanks as always to our amazing sponsor Flanders Scientific and our editor Stella!

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re talking about a subject that’s near and dear to us - color education.  Over the past 25 years both Joey and Robbie have written books on postproduction, authored hundreds of hours of tutorial content and spoken on color and postproduction at conferences and events all around the world.  For this episode we thought it’d be fun to have one of our favorite color educators join the show as a special guest.  Who’s that special guest? None other than the incomparable Cullen Kelly.  As a colorist Cullen’s eye is sought after by some of the biggest brands and best film makers in the world, as an educator his knowledge and easy going manner have earned him the respect of thousands around the world and even gave brith to a thriving community he manages. As a developer - first with DCTL and now OFX, Cullen is combining his love of color science and workflow all to help colorists create compelling images.   Specific topics we cover in this episode include:Cullen’s background and how his journey began with a desire to know more about colorHow being a staff colorist drastically impacted his skills and learning the craft of color gradingHow the facility experience also drove his desire to learn more about what was happening behind the scenes with image creationRewarding the passion of others by sharing knowledge and building a communityColor and post have lots of ‘lanes’ of knowledge, no one ever regrets knowledge gainedHow knowledge is tiered - you can’t learn everything all at once.  The challenges of calibrating education to your audienceThe role of principles and how they outweigh any specific toolThe challenge of teaching when the quality of footage, projects, and skillsets varyIf you liked this show consider support the podcast by buying us a cup of coffee. - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcastAlso be sure to like and subscribe to the show where ever you find it!

Routers, switches, IPs, MAC addresses - if those and dozens of other IT terms sound like different language to you, you're not alone!In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re discussing essential IT vocab, devices and workflows. Of course, in a single episode there is a ton that we can’t cover, but if as a creative, IT stuff is confusing to you, than this overview will certainly help. Being conversant with IT terms is a must in modern post production. Some of the specific topics we explore in this show include:Why IT knowledge is essential on lots of levels including communicating with other people in the industryUnderstanding the role of a router and WAN vs LAN connectionsThe role of a switchIP essentials - public IP vs internal IPDHCP vs Static/Fixed IPsVLANS and their role in more complicated network structuresThe value of an IT ecosystem/product integration and a ‘single pane of glass’ approachFirewalls and their importance in VLAN setups & incoming/outgoing connectionsExploring network speed and performance options - 1GbE, 10GbE etcUnderstanding jumbo frames/MTU sizeThe role of WIFI in the professional environment Remember, if you like this episode please do us a favor and like and subscribe where ever you find it!

It’s widely known that the Blackmagic Design development team for Resolve is one of the best in the business. - coming up with great new features and squashing bugs quickly.  But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement!In this episode we take a list of 50+ feature requests and cull that down to 10 (ish), touching on things like groups, potential interface improvements, and what AI could (should) be doing in Resolve.  Of course, anytime a list of 50+ things is paired down considerably there are good feature requests that get left behind so we might have to do a part 2 on this later in the year. In this episode some of the feature requests/improvements we take a look at include:Complete revision of groups in ResolveMore AI driven utility tools - auto conform, dead pixel analysis, auto grouping etcUI improvements - UI to dock/save presets, settings, DCTLS, favorite effects, momentary full screen panelsTracking & Stabilization workflow improvements including axis weighting, predictive tracking, depth based trackingGestural support for pen and trackpad usersColor management for saved/exported stills + contact sheet/webpage exportClosed caption, & Dolby Vision/Atmos support for DCPs. DCP validationInfo pallet improvements - shot stats, corrections list, more items available for smart filteringHow to make good feature requests and bug reportsBe sure to checkout offsetpodcast.com to check out our growing library of shows as well as to submit an idea for a future episode.  If you liked this or other episodes please consider buying us a cup of coffee to support the show: coff.ee/theoffsetpodcastThanks as always to our amazing sponsor @flandersscientific for the support!

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re asking & discussing the question - Is HDR really taking off?At first blush, the answer is yes, but the really, the answer is decidedly more nuanced.  Specifics discussed in this episode include:HDR seems to be everywhere - streaming platforms, consumer electronics, professional gear with billions made in investmentWhile wildly available, access to HDR content is still often based on  ‘level’ of plan. Disconnect for consumers between HDR capable hardware and plansThe role the iPhone has played in helping spread HDRAlthough available & accessible, HDR is still widely weighted to the ‘higher end’.  Mid and entry level productions aren’t utilizing HDR. Why? And how can that change?The language of HDR has become conservative and very similar to SDR versions making differentiation harderA safe approach to HDR may be tied to derived downstream HDR and SDR performance.   Investment in expensive gear (reference monitoring) for what many see as niche is also a contributing factorHow to sell and consistency in selling HDR content is importantMany feel that HDR is something that is being dictated to them…but for technical not creative reasonsImportant to remember HDR technology and workflows are still relatively newStunning HDR content does exist and shows what can be done (Ian Vertovec examples)Given artists space and time to work on HDR can produce amazing resultsIf you like the show be sure to like and subscribe where ever you find The Offset Podcast

It’s no secret that the post production (and production) industry is in a bit of tumultuous period resulting in a lot of people wondering if they should stay in the industry and for young people who are drawn to postproduction, if they’re making the right move trying to pursue editing, color, mixing etc.In this episode, we’ll explore these issues and more.  While we don’t have the fixes for the macro issues at play in our industry, we discus many ways to battle the current downturn in post including:The current challenges in post production are multi-faceted and no single way to solve themPost production requires a massive amount of effort other industries can be more appealing (and more lucrative)Jobs at post facilities are few and far between but its hard to recommend to young folks starting out to just start their own business or go freelance - there are significant challenges in doing soMedium and small size post production companies can be doing a better job with training, mentorship and recruitment.Better understanding were postproduction work has gone - social content, corporate communications etcDeveloping adjacent stills are absolute necessity for the modern post worker - programing, AI , IT workflowsUnderstanding not all work is art, but all work is commerceThe product of ‘production companies’ has changed drastically and leverages more than just traditional post skillsContent creation really only works with a purpose and a goalMoving from an operator role to other roles in the industry - even ones you might think of like software creation/managementSkills learned in post are highly desirable and portable in a wide swath of industriesIf you liked this show, checkout our library of past episodes and please like and subscribe to the show where ever you find it!

In this episode we’re exploring a audience member submitted question about how to know when a grade is done and ready to present to a client.  It’s a more nuanced and complex question than you’d think! Specific topics discussed in this episode include:Color is very subjective thing - how to balance your ‘done’ vs a client’s doneThe importance of pre-grade goalsHow initial project evaluation is a vital part of the grading processGetting to know a client’s preferences, aesthetic, and things they focus onThe immense value of working in passesFocusing first on ‘tone’, white/black point, and overall shot to shot contrastMoving to large feature matchingDetailed work  - beauty, clothing, small features shot to shotShowing the client for the first time - balancing confidence and accepting constructive criticism  Putting the project back in front of client again after addressing notes and gauging successEvaluating ‘translatability’ on consumer devicesPreparing for big changes, disasters etc with project backups, duplicated timelines, and versionsBalancing perfectionism with staying on schedule and deliveringThe long term value of being committed to your workIf you liked this episode be sure to check out our growing library of shows. Also be sure to like and subscribe to The Offset Podcast where ever you find it!

In this episode, we’re continuing our discussion with monitoring experts Bram Desmet from Flanders Scientific, Nate McFarlin from Dolby, and David Abrams from Avical/Portrait DisplaysSome of the specific topics we cover in this episode include:How are panels actually made? And why does it cost billions?The role of material science in panel manufacturing Understanding the split between panel manufacturers and consumer brands of the same nameThe importance of viewing environment in regards to display performanceUnderstanding preference vs accuracyThe shift to consumer-sized panels as reference monitors and the ongoing challenges of using multiple monitorsBuilding meter matrices with the four color method, and are there better approaches, like the Bodner method or the volumetric approaches used by some calibration softwareRevisiting using consumer displays in a professional setting & why consumer TV companies have little incentive to integrate reference capabilitiesContinuing challenges of Rec.2020Calibrating computer monitors, iPads, and mobile devicesIf you like this episode, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast give the show a like wherever you're watching/listening!