Think you could cut it better? Prove It! - OpenCut 1.0: "Susannah."

George Kroonder · May 15th, 2008, 06:04 AM

Just came across this on Stu Maschwitz blog:

Quote:

Call for Participation
OpenCut Project 1.0 "SUSANNAH" - Registrations accepted starting midnight May 18th, 2008

OpenCut is a completely open-source film competition designed to encourage people to take professionally shot material and edit it in their own way. As there is no "one way" to tell a story, so too can stories benefit from being re-edited and re-told from many different vantage points and perspectives.

The winner of OpenCut 1.0 will receive a brand new AJA IO HD from Silverado. They will also be recognized as the "editor-of-record" at IMDB and will have their cut submitted to multiple film festivals.

For $25 you get your hands on 160GB of Red One 4k 2:1 footage to make into a compelling short!

See: http://www.opencut.org/

George/

Nick Hiltgen · May 21st, 2008, 11:02 PM

I think this is a cool concept. I also hope that the footage they send will be better then the script. Kinda seems to me a little like a scam, but winning an IO-HD is pretty cool.

Dale Stoltzfus · May 22nd, 2008, 12:51 PM

I would be very interested in trying it out, but they require editing with FCP Studio on a Mac. I use Adobe Production Suite on a PC.

Daniel Weber · May 22nd, 2008, 05:22 PM

you can cut with any platform.

Daniel Weber

George Kroonder · May 23rd, 2008, 01:45 AM

Sure you can use whatever you want.

But one requirement is ProRes out so at the end you have to go through FC me thinks.

George/

P.S. Stu Maschwitz suggests on hist ProLost blog you could use it as training material, also a neat idea.

Dale Stoltzfus · May 23rd, 2008, 07:42 AM

I know you CAN cut it on any platform, but I thought that they required FCP on Mac. However, I now see that I misread something - under the resources page, it says that you are allowed to cut on any PC-based editor. Also, under Rules, it says that final codec to be used is "h.264 720p or 1080p." Doesn't that mean it could just be a QT file?

George Kroonder · May 23rd, 2008, 08:15 AM

I haven't reread the requirements; was going from memory. Not always smart after a late night...

Anyway, h.264 at 720/1080 progressive is the delivery format a QT, AVI or MP4 container could all facilitate that. Not sure what VUZE requires as an upload, but it probably accepts them all. The VUZE upload as delivery is new as far as I remember, but maybe some braincells got away from me last night.

George/

Edit:
From VUZE: In which format should I publish my video/film?
We recommend uploading high quality, single-file videos from most digital cameras and camcorders in the following formats: MOV, MPEG, MPG, MP4, WMV, ASF, AVI, VOB, TS, ISO, DIVX, XVID and more. We prefer the h.264 video codec.

Robert Martens · May 23rd, 2008, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale Stoltzfus

However, I now see that I misread something - under the resources page, it says that you are allowed to cut on any PC-based editor.

I don't think you misread anything; that "ubernote", as they call it, wasn't there when I first checked this out. I was all excited at the chance to toy around with Red footage, just to try it out, but I saw the list of Mac equipment on the Resources page. It seemed odd, knowing that people have cut this stuff on PCs already, but the Project Requirements listed under "Current Project" said you need a Mac or MacBook Pro, along with FCP. As of right now, in fact, it still says this, though I now trust that's just a website issue.

Does anyone know what kind of hard drive they're asking for? Two hundred and fifty gigs, I know, but I can't find anything on the Opencut site about what interface they want. External Firewire 400/800, maybe USB 2.0? Or just a bare, run of the mill internal SATA II drive?

Dale Stoltzfus · May 23rd, 2008, 04:48 PM

Actually, I think they said it only takes up 150 gigs. I would probably just send a plain 200 or 250gb internal drive if they would accept it.

Robert Martens · May 23rd, 2008, 04:53 PM

According to the site, it only takes up 160 gigs, but the requirements specifically mention a 250 gigabyte drive. Given that they also specify the Mac platform, I don't know whether to trust that or not, but it seems like the safest bet.

I would think internal drives would work, if they had a few of those duplication systems. Plug a bunch of entrants' drives in at once, clone their master to all of them, get things done very quickly. I have no idea how they plan to load the footage, though, so I figured it'd be best to check.

Dale Stoltzfus · May 23rd, 2008, 06:04 PM

Robert, you're probably right. I would just use a 250 gb drive anyway. If I do decide to enter, I'll ask. I am very sorely tempted to do so - for several reasons.

For one, I'd be able to see how well (or not) my system handles HD and 4K. I'd also be able to practice editing and work flow for a feature-length movie - something I've not had the chance to do yet.

Robert Martens · May 23rd, 2008, 06:14 PM

Exactly the reasons I'd like to try it out. The contest's open to anyone, and it's a relatively low cost way to get my hands on some Red-shot material to play with, something I'll likely never get a chance to do otherwise. Get practice editing, the chance to have your name attached to a fun short (read the script, it's cute), maybe win some of the loot they're giving away. A can't lose proposition, I say.

As far as system performance goes, it turns out I won't be able to use the one I've got. I'm living in the stone age here with an Athlon XP based system I built six years ago. It's seen a few upgrades (memory, hard drives), and performs acceptably for the things I do with it, but this CPU has no SSE2 instructions, which RedCine requires. It's served me well, but it looks like it's about time to retire this equipment. A little research reveals that I can upgrade what I've got for comparatively little, thankfully, so I'm not out of the game yet.

As if I've ever needed an excuse to spend money on new toys.

Jim Montgomery · May 23rd, 2008, 06:46 PM

Don't get me wrong, cause I have already entered, but what a novel way to fund a film.

Let's see 1000 maybe 2 at $25, edited, scored, color corrected for free. Not a bad gig if you can get it.

Dale Stoltzfus · May 23rd, 2008, 08:44 PM

Yeah, I should do some research about my system. I'm running a PC with a 2.0 Ghz dual core Xeon processor with 2 gb of DDR2 667 memory. I will probably want to add 2 more gigs of ram and perhaps add a second processor (which my motherboard does support). I might even want/need to add that AJA Xena card that I've wanted for a while.

Daniel Weber · May 24th, 2008, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Martens

According to the site, it only takes up 160 gigs, but the requirements specifically mention a 250 gigabyte drive. Given that they also specify the Mac platform, I don't know whether to trust that or not, but it seems like the safest bet.

I would think internal drives would work, if they had a few of those duplication systems. Plug a bunch of entrants' drives in at once, clone their master to all of them, get things done very quickly. I have no idea how they plan to load the footage, though, so I figured it'd be best to check.

I would bet my next paycheck that they would want external drives. I would think that they would prefer firewire (faster transfer of files) but they should be able to take a USB 2.0 drive (though it wouldn't be fast enough to edit from).

Daniel Weber

May 21st, 2008, 11:02 PM	#2
Nick Hiltgen Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Hollywood CA /Atlanta GA Posts: 1,120	I think this is a cool concept. I also hope that the footage they send will be better then the script. Kinda seems to me a little like a scam, but winning an IO-HD is pretty cool. __________________ I have a dream that one day canon will release a 35mm ef to xl adapter and I'll have iris control and a 35mm dof of all my ef lenses, and it will be awesome...

May 22nd, 2008, 12:51 PM	#3
Dale Stoltzfus Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ephrata, PA United States Posts: 257	I would be very interested in trying it out, but they require editing with FCP Studio on a Mac. I use Adobe Production Suite on a PC. __________________ Mountjoy! Studios - Promotional Videography & Graphic Design MountjoyStudios.net

May 23rd, 2008, 07:42 AM	#6
Dale Stoltzfus Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ephrata, PA United States Posts: 257	I know you CAN cut it on any platform, but I thought that they required FCP on Mac. However, I now see that I misread something - under the resources page, it says that you are allowed to cut on any PC-based editor. Also, under Rules, it says that final codec to be used is "h.264 720p or 1080p." Doesn't that mean it could just be a QT file? __________________ Mountjoy! Studios - Promotional Videography & Graphic Design MountjoyStudios.net

May 23rd, 2008, 08:15 AM	#7
George Kroonder Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Utrecht, NL \| Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun Posts: 583	I haven't reread the requirements; was going from memory. Not always smart after a late night... Anyway, h.264 at 720/1080 progressive is the delivery format a QT, AVI or MP4 container could all facilitate that. Not sure what VUZE requires as an upload, but it probably accepts them all. The VUZE upload as delivery is new as far as I remember, but maybe some braincells got away from me last night. George/ Edit: From VUZE: In which format should I publish my video/film? We recommend uploading high quality, single-file videos from most digital cameras and camcorders in the following formats: MOV, MPEG, MPG, MP4, WMV, ASF, AVI, VOB, TS, ISO, DIVX, XVID and more. We prefer the h.264 video codec. Last edited by George Kroonder; May 23rd, 2008 at 08:23 AM. Reason: VUZE info

May 23rd, 2008, 04:48 PM	#9
Dale Stoltzfus Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ephrata, PA United States Posts: 257	Actually, I think they said it only takes up 150 gigs. I would probably just send a plain 200 or 250gb internal drive if they would accept it. __________________ Mountjoy! Studios - Promotional Videography & Graphic Design MountjoyStudios.net

May 22nd, 2008, 05:22 PM	#4
Daniel Weber Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Maryland, USA Posts: 385	you can cut with any platform. Daniel Weber

May 23rd, 2008, 01:45 AM	#5
George Kroonder Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Utrecht, NL \| Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun Posts: 583	Sure you can use whatever you want. But one requirement is ProRes out so at the end you have to go through FC me thinks. George/ P.S. Stu Maschwitz suggests on hist ProLost blog you could use it as training material, also a neat idea.

May 23rd, 2008, 04:53 PM	#10
Robert Martens Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 558	According to the site, it only takes up 160 gigs, but the requirements specifically mention a 250 gigabyte drive. Given that they also specify the Mac platform, I don't know whether to trust that or not, but it seems like the safest bet. I would think internal drives would work, if they had a few of those duplication systems. Plug a bunch of entrants' drives in at once, clone their master to all of them, get things done very quickly. I have no idea how they plan to load the footage, though, so I figured it'd be best to check.

May 23rd, 2008, 06:04 PM	#11
Dale Stoltzfus Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ephrata, PA United States Posts: 257	Robert, you're probably right. I would just use a 250 gb drive anyway. If I do decide to enter, I'll ask. I am very sorely tempted to do so - for several reasons. For one, I'd be able to see how well (or not) my system handles HD and 4K. I'd also be able to practice editing and work flow for a feature-length movie - something I've not had the chance to do yet. __________________ Mountjoy! Studios - Promotional Videography & Graphic Design MountjoyStudios.net

May 23rd, 2008, 06:14 PM	#12
Robert Martens Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 558	Exactly the reasons I'd like to try it out. The contest's open to anyone, and it's a relatively low cost way to get my hands on some Red-shot material to play with, something I'll likely never get a chance to do otherwise. Get practice editing, the chance to have your name attached to a fun short (read the script, it's cute), maybe win some of the loot they're giving away. A can't lose proposition, I say. As far as system performance goes, it turns out I won't be able to use the one I've got. I'm living in the stone age here with an Athlon XP based system I built six years ago. It's seen a few upgrades (memory, hard drives), and performs acceptably for the things I do with it, but this CPU has no SSE2 instructions, which RedCine requires. It's served me well, but it looks like it's about time to retire this equipment. A little research reveals that I can upgrade what I've got for comparatively little, thankfully, so I'm not out of the game yet. As if I've ever needed an excuse to spend money on new toys.

May 23rd, 2008, 06:46 PM	#13
Jim Montgomery Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vero Beach Posts: 389	Don't get me wrong, cause I have already entered, but what a novel way to fund a film. Let's see 1000 maybe 2 at $25, edited, scored, color corrected for free. Not a bad gig if you can get it. __________________ http://www.billfishadventures.com \| http://www.sfgmedia.com

May 23rd, 2008, 08:44 PM	#14
Dale Stoltzfus Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ephrata, PA United States Posts: 257	Yeah, I should do some research about my system. I'm running a PC with a 2.0 Ghz dual core Xeon processor with 2 gb of DDR2 667 memory. I will probably want to add 2 more gigs of ram and perhaps add a second processor (which my motherboard does support). I might even want/need to add that AJA Xena card that I've wanted for a while. __________________ Mountjoy! Studios - Promotional Videography & Graphic Design MountjoyStudios.net

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