Media 100 Vs Final Cut Pro

I have used Media 100 since version one (early 1990s) and although it was very shaky in those pioneering days I have always loved its clear and easy work flow - and its picture quality. Although it was cheaper than Avid in those early days its picture quality was true "on line' quality. Since then I have upgraded every few years and seen the stability improve and extra features added.

However most video editors seem to use Final Cut Pro and I have come under increasing pressure from colleagues to move across to it. As it happened I already had it on the shelf as a few years ago Apple stopped selling DVD Studio Pro as a stand alone program. I needed DVD Studio Pro so I had to buy the bundle which happened to include FCP.

Well, I managed to resist making the leap until recently, when I started using the new breed of tape-less cameras. My first experience was the much acclaimed Sony EX3, which was used for a video for the charity ARCOS. The only way I could get its files into M100 was by upgrading to the latest version of FCP and then using Sony's Clip Browser and Clip Transfer software. That worked fine but then, for a new documentary production, I had footage from the Canon XF103, another very popular camera. This time the only way I could get the material into M100 was to import it all into FCP first and then export it out again - a complete waste of time. I contacted M100 support and they suggested some third party software which was not only quite expensive but also required some tortuous navigation to locate each shot within a multitude of folders. By this time I was completely cheesed off with Media 100 and decided to give FCP a try.

It was obviously a steep learning curve but with the help files I was able to get the hang of it quite quickly. Some of the features of FCP are better than M100, its colour grading for example, but I soon found I had shuddered to a halt and the help files were no help. Importing files from the Flash card is quick and straightforward - all your shots are there ready to edit. But they all have 2 sound tracks, even the mute shots. Ok, no problem, in M100 you just select the clip and turn off the tracks you don't need before dragging it to the timeline. Simple! But in FCP (I discovered by Googling the problem) you have to make a copy of a clip before you can remove its sound tracks and then only by putting it in a "sequence" or timeline first and then dragging it back to the bin. It works but it's fiddly.

Sound mixing is a bit fussy too. True, FCP gives you finer control but you have to click on the clip first then adjust the levels in the editor. Media 100 deals with it all in the timeline and is completely intuitive - and fast! With Media 100 I generally edit in the timeline and I find it very surefooted and quick. You have a clear picture of what you've doing with all the tracks at a glance - not so with FCP.

But the most frustrating aspect of using FCP for me came when I put all my sequences together in one master program. Clips that had played perfectly in the short sequence now announced that they "NEED RENDERING". Fair enough I click Render All. Nothing. So I finally get them to render by trial and error. But why? Just as well the client wasn't sitting, tapping his fingers waiting to see the first cut. I'm sure many of the problems I had were because I'm a novice with FCP but returning to Media 100 afterwards was pure joy!

Buy Beats For Incredible Advantages

Music often provides an amazing amount of entertainment and fun for just about anyone involved with it today. Most people listen to it without really considering what often goes into creating it and making it what people are hearing on a routine to normal basis. Anyone considering this process should know what is usually seen from an advantage standpoint when they buy beats for the music creation process..

Creating music is usually very commonly dependent upon the use of specific and multiple beats in creation. There are commonly very specific sounds that are made available that create all kinds of formatting and specific sounds in which this process is made possible and fluid. Those that are creating any type of music often find quite a few options made available to them.

People that are currently considering this type of purchase often find an incredible number of options made available to them when they are in need of this type of item base. This can quickly become a challenge in that finding the exact one is often complicated with numerous options that must be sorted through. Those that know the benefits of making this purchase often do so with a greater level of success..

Those that deal with this specific process are often able to actually find the very specific sound they are seeking out for their music. There are usually specific categories in which this purchase is made and varied sounds that are offered within each. This allows anyone to sort through specific categories and find the precise sound they are seeking out.

They are also known to be rather eclectic in the sounds that are made available to those seeking them out. There are an amazing number of compilations and individual beats made available that are commonly known to create an incredible amount of differing patterns and sounds. This usually creates an amazing amount of fun and specific sounds whenever available.

Another advantage

 of this process is simply being able to expand any collection one may have for their use. Many involved in music creation already have previously fabricated sounds and qualities for their music complication. This process allows any creator to simply add those purchased to their existing ones.

Finally, an advantage seen when one attempts to buy beats is that they are very affordable. There are quite a few sources of this purchase that offer significant cost savings in this entire process. This allows anyone the option of being able to save money on this specific process..

Important of Movie Quotes

Movies are nothing when you can't remember a line, or two, or three. Movie lines, especially quotes, are but essential to a movie. Quotes, or movie lines, are very important to make a movie. They make up the whole momentum of the movie. May it be a love quote or a funny one, the whole movie is unforgettable when you remember the quotes in it. Quotes are not spices in a movie, but they are the main ingredients It is through this quotes, and/or lines that a movie is remembered. Jerry Maguire quoted in the 1996 film, "You complete me..." Yes, this is true with films. A movie is incomplete without a quote to live by.

Today's movies are varied. Categories like suspense, action, love story, and comedy are just some watchable and interesting movies. Interesting films may include suspense, action, love story, and comedy. Quotes are simple remembrance of how you feel about the movie you are watching. Many movies are unmemorable. But, what makes a good movie? Do you really need a good actor or the best director? How importance is delivering a quote, or line per se, to a movie? It is so important. As important that, even without good actors and best directors, they sting you and inculcates your brain with the thoughts of the quote. They hit you fast and hard.

The movies recently watched theater today is the Sci-Fi thriller by the famous producer Steven Spielberg and well-know writer-and-director J.J. Abrams-Super 8. This movie tells of a train crash in Ohio. A group of friends is trying to film a movie when the speeding train destroys a pick-up truck. Local residence begins to vanish and speculations relating to the train incident. Quote in a theater can be appealing especially when a thriller-movie. Another movie is The Tree of Life. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn stars in another heart-warming story of love and brotherhood. One famous line, or quote, in this movie is the line by Mr. O'Brien, "Unless you love, your life will flash by." It is an unforgettable quote It is short,simple but a genuine one.

Funny movies are most remembered in all films. They make us feel good and relaxed. The movie Kung Fu Panda 2 has so many quotes to live by. One quote is by Po, the Dragon Warrior that says, "How can Kung Fu stop something that stops Kung Fu?" It sounds like a tongue twister, right? A hilarious movie Bridesmaids is a story of Annie, who is bad luck with love and is stuck on being a Maid of Honor on her best friend's wedding. With other contrasting characters, you will enjoy their adventures and misadventures as they prepare for Lillian's (Annie's best friend's) wedding. It has so many quotes, mostly funny ones. This is why it is so memorable.

Just Like Us

t turns out that everyone likes to laugh - even in the Arab world. Egyptian-American comic Ahmed Ahmed has been working as a successful stand-up comedian for many years. When I interviewed him 10-years ago, he talked about having a dream to bring comedy to the Middle East as a way to open hearts and minds. 10 years may seem like a long time to realize a dream but the documentary "Just Like Us" following Ahmed's comedy review tour of Dubai, Lebanon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Egypt shows that it was well worth the wait.

Although "Just Like Us" is Ahmed Ahmed's journey to help bring Western style stand-up to a new part of the world, he is joined by a merry band of ethnically diverse comedians who, for the most part, are not sure what to expect from their sold out audiences. Ahmed, who had been banned from Dubai a year before for making religious jokes, does not keep his fellow comedians on a short leash. When Omid Djalili slips into making dick jokes and Whitney Cummings talks about men's balls, they both sheepishly apologize back stage. Ahmed reassures them that the crowd loved it and that if they are banned, they are in good company.

The journey is peppered with man-on-the -street interviews in America - many of whom wonder if American comedy will translate in the Middle East. Some of the comics wondered the same thing as did I. But when Tommy Davidson jokes about African-American leaders and Angelo Tsarouchas talks about his Greek upbringing in Canada, you begin to realize that comedy, much like music, has few boundaries.

It takes guts to be a stand-up comedian. But it takes balls to crack jokes to a crowd in Saudi Arabia knowing that the culture police may crack down on you at any time. And it takes heart to bring local comedians to the stage in order to help them get a start in a career that many people in their countries have never heard of. "What, you want to be a clown?"

In between the laughs are poignant moments that were captured, effectively, to highlight our shared humanity. A Female comic from Egypt talks about telling her grandchildren about performing with Ahmed and Maz Jobrani. Ahmed's uncle hugs him goodbye as if he can't bear to let him go. Ahmed brings the film full circle by stopping in New York where he meets an out-of-work Egyptian trying to give his family a better life. After the show, Ahmed tells the man how much he reminds Ahmed of his own father who moved to Los Angeles. He tells the man to keep it up; it will all work out. My eyes welled up - the last thing that I would expect from a comedy documentary.

Ahmed Ahmed is not the only American comic to do stand up in the Middle East. Nor is this his first Middle Eastern tour. In the past, he has brought Arab and Jewish comedians together on stage both in the States and in the Middle East. In that way, one can view Ahmed as a sort of global activist. Even with it's kumbaya and softer moments, it must be said that the comedy is funny in "Just Like Us." And, the message was on point. The shooting was a little bit more rough than I would have liked. I am not one who subscribes to the idea that a gritty look adds to an edgy feel. But the movie left me wanting more in a good way. Did any of the comedians get banned from Dubai? Has the out-of-work Dad found work? I also wonder if this tour would have been possible had it been shot after the Arab Spring. Are people in the countries rocked by the struggle for freedom in the mood to sit down and laugh? If they can't now, I sure hope they will be to soon

Nanny McPhee Returns

Sequels are rarely as good as the first film, but Nanny McPhee Returns surprised me. If you are unfamiliar with Nanny McPhee then you might want to think of Disney's Mary Poppins. Nanny McPhee shows up when a family is in great need of her assistance, just like Mary Poppins. She is a disciplinarian with children and adults, just like Mary Poppins. She has lessons to teach, and when they are complete and balance has been restored to the household she must leave, also just like Mary Poppins. One of the main differences between the two characters is that Mary has a level of vanity and a certain attractiveness that Nanny McPhee does not possess (or at least not at first).

The film starts out with Mrs. Isabel Green narrating about her farm, which is both lovely and very dear to her heart. As we zoom in for a closer look, we meet her three children: Norman, Magsie, and Vincent. Mr. Green has been called away to war and has been absent for some time. The Green family is coping with his absence - or so Mrs. Green tries to tell herself. The children are screaming and fighting with one another while their mother is screaming at them to stop screaming.

The Green family will soon have guests staying with them for an unknown amount of time. Their cousins Cyril and Celia, who are about Norman and Magsie's ages, are from the city and have been sent to stay with their aunt due to bomb scares in London. All of the children will need to get the farm tidy and attend to the piglets that are going to be sold to Farmer Macreadie. Mrs. Green has had difficulty making ends meet with Mr. Green gone and the sale of the piglets will allow them to make a payment on the tractor so that they can harvest the barley to sell. All of this sounds like the perfect plan.

As Mrs. Green is on her way to work, her brother-in-law, Phil, approaches her with the plea to sign over her half of the farm to him. He implores her that the farm is too much to handle. Little does she know that Phil has gambled away the entire farm. He is desperate to get the farm before bill collectors Miss Topsey and Miss Turvey remove his kidneys. Mrs. Green has no intentions of selling her share of the farm. Phil, who is very attached to his kidneys, discovers the family's plan to sell the piglets and devises a plan to leave Isabel with no choice but to sell her half. He plans to return later than evening and dig a hole under the side of the barn where the piglets sleep and lure them out into the field to roam free.

Meanwhile, the children are trying to complete their chores and tidy up things for their cousins who are to arrive the following day. The cousins however arrive a day early and are not pleased to be in, "The Land of Poo." The Green children are in turn not pleased to have such mean, disrespectful and ungrateful houseguests. The bitterness between the two sets of kids leads to threats, chases, hitting and all other sorts of childlike violence. When Mrs. Green gets home from an exhausting day at work, she discovers that her niece and nephew have arrived early and are quarreling fiercely with her children.

Mrs. Green is stressed, tired and is about to break down into hysterics when there is a knock at the door. Standing on the stoop is an old, heavyset woman dressed completely in black with a black-feathered hat on top of a mass of dry coarse hair. She has a protruding front tooth, two large hairy moles, one on her chin and the other under her nose. Her brows start at each corner of her face and meet in the middle to create one long, bushy eyebrow. She introduces herself as Nanny McPhee and has been deployed by the army to assist the family. Mrs. Green is reluctant at first, but Nanny McPhee assures her all will be well.

Nanny enters the parlor where the combative youngsters have moved their fight and she closes the door behind her. Standing tall and speaking in a firm voice, she tells them to stop fighting and to go to bed. The children ignore her. Nanny McPhee slowly pulls her hand out from underneath her long black coat to reveal a large knobby walking cane. She firmly strikes it against the floor and sparks fly. Suddenly, if by magic, the children stop fighting with one another. They are now battling themselves. Celia is pulling her own hair, Magsie is striking her face to the floor and then pulling her face up by her hair, Cyril is putting himself in a headlock, Norman is poking himself in the eye and poor Vincent is striking all the best china with a club. They plead with Nanny McPhee to make it stop and she will, on one condition: they must apologize for hurting each other and stop fighting. They refuse and continue to beat themselves up. After a bit more of self-inflicted suffering they concede. She strikes her cane once more to the floor and the self-torture stops.

The children calmly walk up to bed in a collected manner and bid goodnight to Mrs. Green. The large dark hairy mole beneath Nanny McPhee's nose disappears. On her way upstairs to check on the children, she tells Mrs. Green that she has five lessons to teach. The first, to stop fighting, has been completed. Upstairs, Victor, Norman and Magsie are refusing to share their beds with Cyril and Celia. Nanny McPhee announces to all the kids how she works. "When you need me but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me but no longer need me, then I must go." Four more lessons to go long with more magical events.

Nanny McPhee Returns is a delight. I was surprise

d to learn that the lead actor and Academy Award Winner, Emma Thompson, wrote the screenplays for both of the Nanny McPhee movies, which were adapted from the series of Nurse Matilda books. There are some moments that are definitely more appealing to kids (such as pigs climbing trees and then beginning to synchronize swim), but it is a lovely film overall.

Best Movie Theatres in Kolkata

ndian metropolises always, as yet without exception, fall into the brackets of moderation. The cities strike an enviable balance between the past, present and the future, and have something for all, regardless of their social or economic background. And cinema halls, one of the few venues of entertainment that captures the interest of those who seek the comfort of a routine life, and cater to the insatiable demands of bouncing off the walls individuals, stand as the major attractions of any urban conglomerate. And Kolkata is no exception.

With the spending capacity of urban dwellers on an uphill road, the demand for luxurious entertainment has also been yanked onto the same street. Multiplexes fall smack-center in the middle of pampering recreation.

INOX, one of India's leading cinema hall chains, has set up 4 multiplexes to cater to Kolkatans, whose appetite for movies is equivalent to a bottomless well. INOX has strategically extended its reach over a better part of the sprawling city, with one multiplex each set up in Rajarhat, in Salt Lake City, on Elgin Road and in Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Sarani. All the 4 multiplexes are a one-stop-shop package as they are located in premier malls in the city, giving them an edge over other multiplexes in the city.

Salt Lake City, a satellite city that houses a sizable chunk of Kolkata's IT industries, boasts of numerous multiplexes including RDB Big Cinemas and 89 Cinemas. 89 Cinemas comprises 4 auditoriums that are equipped with Dolby Digital sound systems, a cine club, a gaming arcade and restaurants. Adding to the appeal of the place is the ample parking space available, and the online and tele-ticketing systems ensure a hassle free booking procedure. This multiplex is also known as 89 Cinemas, Swabhumi.

Encouraged by the success story scripted by 89 Cinemas, Swabhumi, the franchisor launched another multiplex named Dreamplex in City Center, Durgapur. Dreamplex is home to 3 screens and modern amenities that have movie buffs frequenting it.

Globe Cinema, situated on Lindsay street, is one of the most popular venues for catching movies in Kolkata. Situated alongside the bustling streets of the New Market that are trodden by those with an open wallet, Globe Cinema offers respite to hoarse shoppers and worn out wallets. With 4 screens on which fiction is illustrated to the accompaniment of the audio blaring from powerful systems, a bar and a restaurant, the multiplex caters to all sections of the society.

Esplanade, the commercial hub of the city, is where Metro Cinema, a popular haunt of Kolkatans, is situated. The multiplex is reputed for screening the latest releases and blockbusters. The eateries, restaurants and shops dotting the region surrounding the cinema hall add to the allure of the theatre.

Embracing the multiplex culture, Lighthouse Cinema - one of cities oldest cinemas - was revamped in 2002. What was once a huge auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,200, was, lo and behold, transformed into a 2-tier multiplex a superior screen and a food court on the 1st floor, and a bowling alley and an ice-skating rink on the ground floor.

Listed above are but a fraction of the 30-odd Kolkata cinema halls that cater to the insatiable Kolkatan demand for fantasy. With the managements of talkies waking up to the benefits of multiplexes, one may expect to witness the mushrooming of the industry in the near future

DC Characters We Will Never See As Movies

The summer comic book movie season started off with a hammering bang. Thor was superb, offering cinema audiences a slightly different superhero movie to what they're used too, but still managing to be dramatic, compelling and fun. X-Men: First Class was dramatic, intelligent, and filled with youthful energy. The pressure was on for DC's Martin Campbell's directed Green Lantern, and did it deliver? No. The movie was universally panned by critics and now faces a struggle to avoid becoming a box office disaster. With Warner Bros putting such high hopes on Green Lantern for it to instantly fail, the ramifications will undoubtedly hault future DC movies for B-List characters. But which ones?

The Flash

The adventures of DC's Scarlett Speedster would undoubtedly have been DC's next superhero film in line. With a huge comic book fan base, The Flash could have easily translated well to the big screen. Whether the film followed the origin of the always late Barry Allen, or the story of his nephew Wally West, it was a certainty that the film would be announced after the success of Green Lantern. With Hal Jordan not causing much of a storm at the box office, the film starring the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strong struggling will undoubtedly have Warner Bros pushing the panic button on their smaller franchises, meaning we probably won't see a Flash movie any time soon. It is however the most likely character to avoid the fall out of the Green Lantern movie.

Wonder Woman

This will undoubtedly be the certain casualty of the fall out of Green Lantern's failure. With Joss Whedon the only likely candidate to successfully helm the Wonder Woman film and get results busy on Avengers business, the Amazon Princess will likely stay in development hell for the mean time. If DC don't even have the courage to green light the Wonder Woman TV series, a film version is now certainly looking like it won't happen.

Aquaman

Lampooned by comic book fans as the 'useless' hero who talks to sea animals, the cinematic potential for Aquaman likes much deeper. Aquaman could have been an underwater epic, to rival the likes of Avatar. The story could have followed a young Arthur Curry as his human father raised him in the under water city of Atlantis, where Curry develops healing powers along with other powers suited to his aquatic surroundings. What also makes this film standout is that of all the superhero movies getting the 3-D treatment, this was probably the film that could have benefited from it most. If Green Lantern can't strike cinematic gold, there's no chance of seeing Aquaman on cinema screens, unless a director such as James Cameron or Steven Spielberg gets behind it.

So these are the main DC films that will probably never see the light of day. There are tons of other DC properties that could have benefited from films, such as Green Arrow, Black Canary, Atom and Hawkman, but these certainly won't be made if the big three I mentioned can't escape development hell. Also to take into account, is that Warner Bros are behind the upcoming DC comics reboot, as they wish to start turning a profit on comics books, meaning money saving now seems to be on their agenda