Continuum Complete AVX User Story

Ken Brady - Turner Studios

Ken Brady is the manager of Post Production for Turner Studios in Atlanta, GA. Turner Studios is the production and post-production arm for Turner Entertainment Networks, a division of TBS, Inc. Their client roster of nineteen cable networks includes Turner Sports, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network, TCM, Turner South, and Boomerang. To service that many clients, the 100+ member post staff operates 24/7/365. Their extensive equipment includes 16 Avid Media Composers, six Avid Symphony, two Avid Adrenaline, two Avid Xpress, three Avid DS Nitris systems and12 Pro Tools HD stations.

“We originally added BCC to fill the gaps left when we had to move away from ICEfx,”said Brady. “The AE distributed rendering capabilities were a key incentive to purchase BCC for AE. We have a 20-processor render farm with BCC installed to support network rendering of time-intensive effects.”

Integration is obviously important for this fast-paced environment. “We use the BCC for AVX plugins whenever possible because of the direct integration with the Avid desktop. It’s a more familiar tool for our non-After Effects trained editors. Plus, it allows us to keep all of our effects within the Avid timeline.”

“Overall, we are very impressed with the wide variety of effects that BCC provides. It does more than just fill the missing ICE holes. The handles available with each effect are amazing. Transfer modes are a key addition we enjoy.”

The fully native BCC AVX filters and transitions are applied and animated in the Avid timeline and Effect Editor window. “Staying within the Effect palette is a key timesaver,”said Brady. “We do not have to bump out of the effect, build holdouts, reimport, and reapply across multiple layers. PixelChooser puts all those functions directly inside the AVX plugin. One of the most impressive and useful tools, part of most effects, is the PixelChooser. Editors can quickly build masks within the effect and apply those masks outside of the effect if needed.”

“The other main function we use is the Apply to Title-Matte feature. With one click, we can apply BCC directly to text and leave the background layers unaffected. This is a big step in the ease-of-use category.”

The Continuum effects deliver everything from everyday utility like keying to visually compelling special effects. “Some of our heaviest BCC users are in Turner Sports, including the NBA and NASCAR. Those spots scream for attention on air. The BCC filters often give them an extra punch when needed.”

“On the HD side, we added BCC AVX to our Avid DS/HD and DS Nitris systems to complement the installation on our Avid Adrenalines, Media Composers, and Symphony systems. Much of our work, especially HD, will move from offline in Avid to conform in the DS. The BCC effects translate seamlessly between the systems. This helps to minimize rework when we setup the HD conforms.”

“Over the coming year we hope to roll BCC onto all of our Avid systems and throughout the facility. We are very excited about the features and enhancements added in BCC 3. OpenGL acceleration for real-time draft playback is something we requested and are happy to see it active. The integrated motion tracking inside the filters is a strong tool that we will use extensively. BorisFX continues to improve this product and is always eager for customer input on how to improve.”