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HPA Honors Mark Schubin

During the Tech Retreat, HPA took time out from the conference to roast for Mark Schubin (pictured, left), who chaired the event program. This included song (lyrics below) from the “Schubin Choir” (right). Some familiar faces?

IMG_7125IMG_7162Mark’s been working on the Opera
Like a bearded elf
Mark’s been working on an Emmy
Just to fill his trophy shelf

Donʼt ya hear the alarm clock ringing
Rise up for roundtables soon
Don’t you hear Mark’s horn shrieking
Time to go into the room!

Speaker start your speech
Speaker start your speech
Speaker start your speech on ti yi yime
Speaker start your speech
Speaker start your speed
Speaker start your speech on time
Markʼs been working on the Quizzes
Digging up weird history
Markʼs been polishing up the quizzes
He’s so full of obscurity!

Canʼt you feel the answers coming?
And just when it hurt your head
Canʼt you just see Gary Demos?
Answer them all instead!

Speaker end your speech
Speaker end your speech
Speaker end your speech right now ow ow
Speaker end your speech
Speaker end your speech
Speaker end your speech RIGHT NOW!

A Pending Spectrum War?

There might be a pending spectrum war, warned Jim Burger of Washington law firm Dow Lohnes.
At the HPA Tech Retreat, he reported that the wireless industry has urged the FCC to identify 800MHz of spectrum for mobile broadcasting.
Where will it come from?, Burger asked, pointing out that terrestrial broadcasting just transitioned to DTV.
He reported that the Stimulus Bill requires the FCC to submit a “National Broadband Plan” to Congress in March.
Getting chuckles from the HPA audience, he added that an FCC spokesperson said spectrum reallocation would be “voluntary.”

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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