In Broadcast - August 2017 - 58

58

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 8 | August 2017

InStudio

Crafting Workflows
With cineXtools

Cinedeck's cineXtools can not only save time and reduce redundant steps,
it can also help to create new finishing workflows...

Technicolor PostWorks New York

T

echnicolor PostWorks is New
York's preeminent post facility
and thought leader, having advanced
conversations
about
file-based
workflows for over a decade.
Leading the charge is Matt
Schneider, PostWorks' Director of
Technology. "Most of the dominant
platforms we use have migrated away
from using a proprietary hardware
model. I was really pleased to see
that Cinedeck had taken this direction
as well with the introduction of
cineXtools,
their
software-based
insert edit technology, released at
NAB 2016," says Matt. "A software
application that has the ability to
insert-edit into files is a strategic musthave for both us and our clients."
Mike
Nuget,
Technicolor
PostWorks' Senior Finishing Editor/
Colourist, recalls: "I checked out
cineXtools at NAB last year on Matt's
recommendation; my day-to-day work
consists mostly of conform and online,
and we were at NAB in search of tools
to help introduce efficiencies into our
finishing workflows. I got a 30 second

"cineXtools: I couldn't
believe it was possible
to insert-edit to
ProRes files "
Mike Nuget,
Snr Finishing Editor/Colourist

demo and my jaw dropped: I couldn't
believe it was possible to insert-edit to
ProRes files."
Workflows
Since getting his hands on cineXtools
last year, Mike has been creating
and implementing new workflows
for his clients that are centred
around cineXtools. "It gives us a lot
of flexibility for those 'just in case'
moments," says Mike. "Last year,
we worked with Jax Media to deliver
Younger for TVLand. Their main
deliverable is a ProRes 422 HQ file,
and there was a last minute change
that the client needed. With the client
in the room, I was able to open the
file, replace the shot and be done. Jax
Media loved the fact that they had the
option to make last minute changes
almost instantly."
AMA Plugin
While insert-edit has proven to be a
time-saver for the online process, both
Matt and Mike rave about the free AMA
plugin for Avid to export CBR ProRes
files. "Using Cinedeck's AMA plugin to
export ProRes means I can keep my
original project in 444 colour-space
and directly export a YUV10 ProRes
file without an intermediary render,
and it's not limited to just eight-tracks
of audio," says Mike. "This means my
export process is now a single step: it's
faster and much less complicated, not

to mention that I can also make insertedit corrections to the file right away."
"The plugin is extremely useful,
even without cineXtools," Matt agrees.
"Recently I had to create reference
QuickTime files from a 444 project to
send to an audio mix. I used the plugin
because it was faster and required less
mouse-clicking. It was just easier to
use the Cinedeck AMA plugin rather
than the 'native' exporter found within
Media Composer."
Conform Rethink
It's clear that the ability to insert edit
is creating opportunities to rethink
the conform to online workflow for
Technicolor PostWorks. "I believe we'll
be able to provide a DPX-like workflow
for our clients without the storage
expense of using DPX files," says Mike.
"For instance, if a stop sign needs
to be painted out, I'll insert the new
shot, and immediately the correction
is available within the colourist's
timeline. When the colourist grades
the new shot, I see the changes almost
immediately. We're currently testing
this workflow and we see it as a new
way to reduce or even eliminate the
continuous exporting and re-exporting
typically done with online and colour
workflows," he explains. "If there are
last minute VFX updates, or a lot of
new shots to drop in, then I can use
the cineXtools multi-clip inserter to
insert the patches directly into my

ProRes master. All the inserts line up
according to timecode because the
patches and targets are all from the
same timeline."
Reimagining
"We're really enthused about
incorporating cineXtools to create
entirely new workflows," concludes
Matt. "It's letting us reimagine what's
possible anytime flattened files are
used to bridge multiple platforms
within a singular pipeline. This took
us entirely by surprise: cineXtools
was initially meant to save time and
reduce redundant steps with finishing
workflows, but it's also proving to
be a toolset that helps create new
workflows, workflows we hadn't
previously considered."

"cineXtools was initially
meant to save time and
reduce redundant steps
with finishing workflows,
but it's also proving to
be a toolset that helps
create new workflows,
workflows we
hadn't previously
considered"
Matt Schneider,
PostWorks' Director of Technology
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://cinextools.com/
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