Today, Vimeo announced the short list for videos to be considered for the Vimeo Festival + Awards, and, much to our excitement, Plot Device was among them.Vimeo features some of the best video content on the web and we are really proud to even be considered for a Vimeo Award.

You can check out and vote for the videos featured under Advertising HERE (all videos sponsored by a company or ad agency fall into this category), and vote for your favorite – we hope it’s Plot Device, but we know there is some seriously stiff competition, all deserving of recognition.  If Plot Device wins, director Seth Worley could get $5K, $25Kor even $30K to put towards his next film.

There’s also a lot of other amazing work being being recognized at the Vimeo Festival + Awards, and you can vote for all of the ones you like HERE.

It’s really been a whirlwind 2 weeks. In case you missed it, last week, Plot Device was nominated for a Webby. Also, Virgin America announced that Plot Device would be featured on Virgin Airlines flights as a part of their new programming (Seth calls it “the most expensive way to watch Plot Device).

If you haven’t already, head over to the Webby’s and vote for your favorite entries. There’s a lot of great stuff there.

In the meantime, you can watch Plot Device right here:

There are days you wake up and know it’s going to be a good day.  And then there are days where life really surprises you. Today was one of the latter.

This morning we found out that Plot Device, a short film we helped bring to life, was nominated for a Webby Award. I’m not going to lie to you… It’s a big fricken deal. The Webby’s are basically the Academy Awards for Internet content. And while it’s my nature to be humbled by recognition like this, I’m not really comfortable even saying that, because, in reality, this award isn’t really about Red Giant. It’s not for us to be humbled. But we are proud…and extremely excited.

The nomination is for Best Editing – something that can be attributed entirely to Seth Worley, the film’s director.  Seth is an amazing storyteller and, while the nomination is a surprise, the fact that a storyteller as talented as Seth is being recognized for his ability to tell a great story, is not.

Also – I know I said that we’re not feeling humble, but I totally lied. Me and the rest of the folks at Red Giant are actually quite humbled at this moment – Humbled and honored that a film we helped create is considered notable among the fantastic content being produced by the community of visual artists, for whom we work so hard to support.

It’s one thing to make software that your customers love and use in telling their stories. But it’s a whole other thing to tell those same creative people a story and have it pass muster. We’re totally floored by the reaction you’ve had to Plot Device.

I’m not a fan of telling people to rock the vote, and I’m even less a fan of when people email, asking me to vote for a creation in a contest without even considering that there may be someone who is truly more worthy of the win. But if you believe in the importance of acknowledging great work, then head over to the Webby Awards and check out all of the nominations. If, after that, you think Seth deserves the award, great – vote for Plot Device. If not – vote for someone else that worked hard and deserves the recognition that editors so often don’t get.

In the meantime, you can watch Plot Device right here:

Joe, our head of QA, lounging with a good friend. One of these two wants a tummy rub. I won’t say which.

When I tell people I’m an animator, I almost always get asked: “So can you draw me?” Then I have to disappoint them and explain that I mean I am a computer animator, and mostly I move pixels or object from point A to Point B, and then add what Harry Frank likes to call “Zazzle.” At that point, most people are not impressed, and can I pass the ketchup?

Naturally, I’ve always been in awe of anyone who can draw. Don’t get me wrong – I can stick figure with the best of them, but past that, my drawing of a car might be mistaken for a roller skate or maybe a turtle in a wheelchair. So imagine how impressive it must be (at least for me) when someone can draw, not only well, but fast – AND have it match up with the world around them.

Some of you may know Kaylinn Solazzo, one of our Technical Support team, but what you don’t know is that, like many of the people at Red Giant, she is a visual artist. And not just that, she is an amazing compositor… Just not in the way your probably used to. She draws on little scraps of paper and holds them up next to real things and they become part of, and alter, the real world. Here are some examples of her work:

But the world around us changes quickly, So I asked Kaylinn about the challenge of capturing a moment, in a moment.

“I try to give myself three minutes (five, if I haven’t had any coffee) to come up with a doodle and set it in my daily surrounding. You can often catch me telling my coworkers to quit moving as I try place a narwhal on someone’s shoulder or a bear on their lap and snap a quick photo or two with my iPhone. It’s a fun sort of challenge that I like to give myself that doesn’t have to do with anything but being a tiny creative outlet.”

As I said earlier, a lot of people at Red Giant are visual artists, and many more are creative outside the visual medium. I love how different their skills/talents are from mine. It’s both humbling and inspiring to work with people who think differently, and it’s a big part of what makes my Job at Red Giant as awesome as it is.

You can see more of Kaylinn’s awesome work HERE.

(Above photos taken with Movie Looks app for iPhone/iPad)

Digital Production BuZZ is one of the production industry’s longest running podcasts. Each week, host Larry Jordan keeps listeners up-to-date with trends and technologies in digital production and post production.

Earlier this month, Sean Safreed, co-owner and Director of Product Management at Red Giant, appeared on the BuZZ to give his thoughts on ‘Shooting Movies on an iPhone’. Talking to a somewhat skeptical Larry Jordan, Sean opined on whether it makes sense for producers to consider doing post production on an iPhone, what the challenges are and what tools are available.

“It fits the continuum of enabling tools that have gone before. When the first affordable professional mini DV camera – specifically the Sony VX1000 – came along in the mid-90’s, it got Stu Maschwitz [Creative Director for Red Giant's Magic Bullet products] into thinking he could create his own motion pictures.” Said Safreed.

“Next came MiniDV with 24p in the Panasonic DVX100 and then the price came down even more and you were able to get 24p in a Canon HD camera like the HD20 a few years back. And that became a hot indie tool. This is a continuum of that evolution, beginning with a high quality camera in a really small package.

“It’s more than just shooting videos using the iPhone. The [iPhone] 4s camera has shown itself to be a great camera with image stabilisation that is nearly as good, or even better in some cases than a little hand held HD camera. And the big thing this has going for it is the software flexibility. It’s got the capabilities to take the video you’ve got right there on set and then do something with it. You can edit it or add effects like we have done with our Movie Looks tool or use a host of other great image tools on the iPhone.”

Can you really shoot a movie with an iPhone? Do you agree with Sean? Tune in to hear the full BuZZ podcast.
http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2012/03/07/digital-production-buzz-march-8-2012/

Not too long ago, our Support Manager, Jeremy, sent out a customer service survey to over 15,000 customers. You might have been one of them. Here are the results! Drum roll please:

Availability and Responsiveness of CS Team

• 89.8% Excellent or Good
• 5.8% Average
• 4.4% Below Average or Terrible

Helpfulness of CS Team

• 88.9% Excellent or Good
• 5% Average
• 6.1% Below Average or Terrible

Quality of Red Giant Products

• 95.1% Excellent or Good
• 3.8% Average
• 1.1% Below Average or Terrible

96.9% Would recommend Red Giant products to someone else.

If you want, you can compare these results to our last customer service poll HERE. We try to do them often so that we can improve ourselves. We know there is always room for improvement, and we want to hear how we can make your experience better.

Kicking it Old School

When I think about customer service I can’t help but imagine a 1950′s gas station. A car rolls up, the bell dings and the attendants come running out with a smile. Want your windows washed? Some air in your tires? You got it!

Over the years, it’s pretty safe to say that the level customer service that most companies provide isn’t to that degree anymore. I can’t think of the last time that I called into a company and I didn’t have press 7 different extensions, answer a riddle to the Billy Goats Gruff and then give up my first born child just to receive contact with an actual human being.

Call it old fashioned, but Red Giant has that 50′s customer service mentality in the modern world. Call us, log in to LiveChat, Tweet, Facebook, or Email and we come running to help.

We’re a small support team (totaling of about 5) but we run like a well-oiled machine. We each have our strengths and where one of us has a weakness, or when the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet, we work together to find a solution. There are countless times where I’m at a loss for words about an issue, when my coworker swoops in and iChats me the correct answer. We keep an eye out for one another with the rewards of friendship, coffee and, if we’ve earned it, a beer.

Red Giant is the best company I have ever worked for. It’s pretty fantastic to be a part of a team that has its customers’ best interest at heart.

If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here for you.

When Avril Lavigne launched her first perfume – ‘Black Star’ – it was praised as a sultry mix of dark fruits and dark chocolate. It was even nominated for The FiFi Awards, an annual event hosted by The Fragrance Foundation to recognize achievements in the scent industry.

From that auspicious start, the challenge for the promotions company was to create a commercial that would capture the visual essence of this unique fragrance.

Working for NY Visual Effects and Design Boutique SUSPECT, Jesse Newman created a captivating vision, using Trapcode Particular to add the final and literal sparkle. Jesse took some time out to tell us about his work and use of Trapcode.

“I’ve been fortunate to have worked on several creatively challenging and award-winning projects, including feature films (Armageddon), commercials (M&Ms, Verizon, HP), broadcast designs (Disney, SciFi, HBO) and short films (Shapeshifter, One Rat Short).

As far as workflow, the Trapcode plug-ins are regulars in my bag of tricks.  They are incredibly intuitive and powerful.  I used Form to create the interactive world of sparkling stars in the Avril Lavigne “Black Star” commercial and Particular to create elements ranging from the streaks in the Verizon FIOS logo to the bubbles following the fish in Shapeshifter.”

Jesse also told us “My true passion has always been my personal art, which gravitates toward hyper-real fantasy art.  I am currently on a year-long sabbatical to focus on an epic personal project for my daughter, depicting her as Gaea, Goddess of Earth.”

We wish him all the best with his personal work and look forward to seeing his new projects develop.

With a mantra that says “We don’t do annoying rubbish!” I knew Barbeque Design were going to be something a bit special, and they certainly don’t disappoint.

In April this year Barbecue produced a concept commercial for Toyota to introduce the new Yaris at the 81st Geneva International Motor Show. This elegant piece of motion graphics was developed using Trapcode Form, so we just had to ask Barbeque about their choice of software.

Managing Director Rüdiger Chmielus told us, “I think that from the moment I first used “Shine” I was a Trapcode follower. Especially the combination of Shine and Particular are essential for the typical “Barbecue” style. We use them on every project – even if it’s not obvious, they’re there. We definitely love this software!”

“The Yaris Project was finished under a very tight schedule and the final production took just under two weeks. We had one unit doing all the rotoscoping and tracking while another unit worked on the composites and the backgrounds.”

Based in Frankfurt and founded in 2007, postproduction and motion graphics studio Barbecue Mediendesign GmbH have produced consistently stunning concepts for brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus and Porsche, not to mention numerous television ads, main titles and trailers.

As well as using Trapcode for commercial productions, some of their experimental work is equally impressive.

Also, check out their amazing show reel:

Yesterday, the world lost one of it’s greatest innovators.  When we heard that Steve Jobs passed away, none of us at Red Giant were unaffected. We all took time to reflect on the impact he left on the world and on each of us individually. Steve literally changed the way we communicate with each other and how we interact with technology. He also created a new standard in storytelling and branding – showing the world that communicating the benefits of a product is as important as designing them well.

I just wanted to share an email from Karen Gauthier, our Senior Product Manager, sent to the rest of the RG team:

As I rifle through my drawer of white earphones and a pile of white cables for the pile of ipods that are part of my household I can’t help but think about the impact that Steve and Apple have had on our every day lives. There was a time when Apple was an esoteric, elitist brand for “artists”. Something that only the pros used. Not so any longer.

My kids who are 7 and 9 don’t know any other way. They download apps, music, movies without thinking twice. They know the difference between browsing free apps and paid apps. They know itunes like the back of their hand. My son is saving for an itouch. His life won’t be complete until he has one. Their generation knows that Apple logo like we knew McDonalds in the 70′s.  (for all you youngsters, it was a big deal in the 70′s. You saw those Golden Arches and almost teared up with anticipation)

Anyhow, I’m saddened by this news.  He made an impact and was an inspiration.  As software designers I think one of the things we can learn from Steve is his philosophy of making products that were at the intersection of art and technology.  I think Red Giant embraces this philosophy and I love being part of it.

Have a good night everyone.

-karen

By the way, I read Karen’s email (as well as the news that Steve had passed) on my iPhone, just as I lay down to bed. It’s the same phone that wakes me up every morning, and from which I email and tweet throughout the day. Sometimes it’s subtle, and sometimes it’s in your face, but there’s no arguing it: Steve’s legacy is with us from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep. He will be missed.

LIA – Lab Inter Arts, (based at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, Austria), is a performance-oriented workshop headed by Prof. Helmi Vent, in which projects on various themes are developed together with the participants on location through improvisational processes. When the group took their performance work to India recently, they faced more than one or two challenges.

From the outset they knew that financial resources for the documentary would be limited and coupled with environmental issues (monsoon season); it was not going to be a straightforward project. The story of this documentary is enlightening in every sense of the word and we asked Martin Gerhard Hantich, the Technical Director at LIA, how Magic Bullet Looks gave definition to some of the more color challenging shots.

Martin told us: “We had to travel light (in overly crowded trains), so there were no lights, bouncers or a larger crew; it was me together with an Indian camera assistant who had a lot of other duties to handle, like discussing with officials or translating. I was capturing sound and video material at the same time while chasing our performers through the crowded streets of Mumbai. The relatively high humidity and heat, coupled with the spontaneous nature of the project, made it quite a challenge.

“Most activities were chosen on a day-to-day schedule at many different locations, so there was hardly any time for thorough planning, manual white-balance or all of the other amenities you have when you’re shooting feature or in a more ‘controlled’ environment. It was more like ‘this performer will start the performance there and whatever will happen – we’ll see’.

“I knew from the beginning that this rather ‘instantaneous’ way of working will require some adjustment in the post, also because the light situation at that time of the year in Mumbai was far from ideal with a hazy smog dome covering the city most of the time.

An example of the footage before and after Magic Bullet Looks

“Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks gave me the power to easily adjust the overall look and give the documentary the ’16mm’ appearance I wanted, set highlights where there were none and tweak the entire picture. Without Looks, it would have been way harder to achieve all of that while maintaining a small production budget.”

Before Magic Bullet Looks

After Magic Bullet Looks

Learn more about the documentary HERE.

Every once in a while I like to put Netflix aside and look for a good short film on Vimeo (I have a Roku box, so I can watch Vimeo on my TV). There’s a lot of great stuff there, from a lot of talented people. In fact, I recently found a film called Unemployment, that was just so wonderful, I wanted to share it with you.

The hilarious, well shot, well-acted, and well written film is co-directed and acted by Chris Crutchfield and Austin Herring, two very talented guys who who’ve done a lot of great work together over the years. Trapcode Particular and Magic Bullet Suite, which are both part of Chris’ and Austin’s filmmaking arsenal, were used in Unemployment.

From Austin: “Trapcode continues to blow my mind every time they come out with a new plug in, and its no surprise that Magic Bullet is quickly becoming THE color grading software of choice for guerrilla filmmakers like us and high end Hollywood professions too. I use those on pretty much every single project I work on.”

From Chris: “Red Giant products have been a crucial tool in my arsenal. It’s like having a Swiss army knife of plugins, where there’s always something I can manipulate or modify, with relative ease and speed, that will allow me to achieve whatever look or effect I’m going for.”

I’m not new to Chris and Austin’s work. I actually found their stuff a couple of years ago, when they were working together at IMIGpro, where they created a series of “educational” videos to explain the various facets of our industry. I never realized how little I, and the rest of Hollywood, actually knew…

Ok, maybe they’re not educational, but they’re seriously funny – and there’s a bunch more, so check ‘em out. We’re glad that our products help such talented people tell their stories.

Check out more of Chris Crutchfield’s work HERE.

Check out more of Austin’s Herring’s Work HERE.