fxphd July09 Term, AKA Show You My O-Week

Registration is now open for the new July09 Term of fxphd, the most in-depth visual effects training you can find. This term I’m joining Mike Seymour in teaching a course on DSLR cinematography, for which Mike, John Montgomery, and I traveled to Japan to train our lenses on some of the most tantalizing and notoriously film-unfriendly settings on the planet.

The double-chin is due to either the awkward pose or all the amazing food we ate—possibly both.

Here you see me hand-holding my Canon 5D Mark II with Mike’s Canon 70–200 f/2.8L IS in Tokyo’s teen fashion capital, Harajuku. This ill-advised activity is made somewhat more tolerable by the funky support rig I’ve created by bending my Gorillapod GP8 (the badass metal one — coolest thing I’ve added to my kit in months) into an outrigger that lets me support some of the lens’s weight with my focus-pulling arm.

Mike has a couple of updates (first, second) on his Dean’s Blog, and there’s a terrific “o-week” video (right-click to download) that provides a sneak peek at some of what we shot and how we shot it, as well as teasers for the amazing array of other classes in the term.

If you can’t tell, I’m a (somewhat biased) fan of fxphd. Mike, John, and their worldwide team of professors give you the good stuff, the likes of which I’ve not seen anywhere else. If you want to learn visual effects from real artists working in the field, fxphd is the place to do it.

Complete course listing for the July09 term here.

Got Me a Side Job

Red Giant Software today announced the addition of a new Creative Director for the Magic Bullet product line. Me!

“The Magic Bullet vision is to create software that gives any production, regardless of budget, the look of a high-end feature film. We are immensely pleased that Stu is dedicating his time and vision to enhance and grow the Magic Bullet tools in 2009 and beyond. He has already begun to work on new Magic Bullet products, and you will see many new and updated tools coming later this year,” said Sean Safreed, Co-Founder and Director of Products at Red Giant Software.

The full press release also goes into some detail about the history of Red Giant, Magic Bullet, and The Orphanage.

While the announcement is exciting, it doesn’t actually represent a big change for me. My relationship with Red Giant has always been strong, and has always been about sharing with the world the tools that I create out of necessity when making films. I promise you that my filmmaking will always come first, and that anything I design for Red Giant is a tool that I wanted or needed or found missing in my arsenal.

Colorista and Magic Bullet Looks are perfect examples of this, and to kick off the party with Red Giant I recorded a little tutorial on how to use them to match the looks of this summer’s big movies.

Red Giant TV Episode 22: Creating a Summer Blockbuster Film Look

Thanks very much to Aharon Rabinowitz, host of Red Giant TV, for tidying up my tut and wrapping it in pure (and embarrassing) pimp. Aharon does a great job with Red Giant TV—if you want to catch every episode, subscribe in iTunes.

Update on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 10:12AM by Stu

Shortly after this tutorial, Red Giant Software released Magic Bullet Mojo, which makes it dangerously easy to give your footage this look. Check out my guided tour of Mojo.

Me @ NAB

Here’s where I’ll be in Vegas, baby:

On Monday, 4/20, I’ll be speaking at the Independent Filmmaking—A Million Dollar Look on a Thousand Dollar Budget: 2009 Edition panel. 11:30am–12:30pm in Room S222/S223.

That afternoon I will be signing copies of The DV Rebel’s Guide at the NAB Bookstore in the Central Lobby. 3–3:30pm. Copies will be on sale at the store at 15% off retail.

That night I will be at the fxphd party, so if you are enrolled, look for me there.

Tuesday (4/21) afternoon I’ll be signing and even giving away a few copies of The Guide at the Red Giant Software booth. 1:00 pm, booth SL2529.

That’s it for scheduled appearances. The rest of the time I’ll be watching Twitter for recommendations for cool gear to check out.

One spot you’re sure to see me is at the Redrock Micro booth. I’ve been playing with a new DSLR rig from them that combines light weight with single-operator follow-focus capability. Here’s a sneak peek:

It’s hard to see in this shot, but my left hand is wrapped around a horizontal grip that matches the vertical one on the right. I can cradle the grip and operate focus at the same time. Schweet!

If this rig looks weird to you, blame me, not Redrock. Look for more information on that in an announcement from them soon! Redrock is at booth C9544.

Update on Friday, June 12, 2009 at 3:35PM by Stu

That rig, called the “Captain Stu-bling,” is not available directly from Redrock. It may look weird, but it’s a joy to use, and quite affordable as this stuff goes.

Stu at NAB 2009

Photo by Mike Seymour of fxguide, fxphdI'll be at NAB this year, because if there's one thing I love more than conventions, it's Las Vegas.

Actually, I hate both with a passion, but since you wil be there, I'm braving the crowds and logo shirts to be on a panel moderated by Redrock Micro's Brian Valente:

Independent Filmmaking — A Million Dollar Look on a Thousand Dollar Budget: 2009 Edition

Monday April 20, from 11:30–12:30 in Room S222/S223.

I will be premiering my Stunt People short there, the one I shot on the 5D Mark II against my own advice. As my Twitter followers know, the short is called Chapter 12: After The Subway. As you may have guessed, it's my contribution to the proud subway short tradition, with a twist of course.

Update on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 6:50PM by Stu

Also on the panel is cinematographer Rodney Charters, who was the guest on the brief-but-bitchin' Red Centre podcast episode 29. So, in addition to myself, there will actually be someone on the panel who knows what he's talking about.