The Shorts Circuit: Motion Matrix (PT 1)

This was supposed to be my first Chicago-based short film distributor profile—it's not. Please allow me to explain. Not two weeks ago I came across an ad on Chicago Craigslist soliciting shorts of all kind for distribution via a new website and more importantly promising payment. Because the ad appeared first on Chicago Craigslist, I decided to look into the company in question because I assumed that they must be locals. I was wrong. But even though that company isn't based here, they have a set-up that is more than worth hearing about.

In the ever-expanding world of online short film distributors, the folks over at Motion Matrix are literally the new kids on the block. Founded by Bradley Wynn and Jay Tuli and launched early last summer, Motion Matrix offers short filmmakers exposure, revenue and services—from "script services" and production insurance to digital post-production facilities and original music composition to help make producing high-quality but budget conscious work a little easier. Motionflicks.com, features streamable short films, specialized content aimed at a base of monthly subscribers, filmmaking advice and more.

Motion Matrix also reps a select group of shorts, with an eye toward securing domestic and foreign offline distribution deals for them. No, they don't promise to take every film accepted for exhibition on the website, "public" as it were, but they do promise the filmmakers that they'll do their best to. You couldn't really ask for much more than that.

The key to Motion Matrix, seems to be their focus on helping to create or rather assist in the continuing evolution of the new media market they're doing business in.

"If you want people to adapt to the internet to view this type of content, the quality needs to be on par with more conventional means," said Motion Matrix co-founder and fellow Georgetown grad Jay Tuli. "We spend a lot of time encoding, testing and retesting our films. We'd like to be a one-stop shop for filmmakers and film watchers. We'd like be somebody to come to Motionflicks.com, watch our films, order them on DVD, learn about the film industry and spread the word. Similarly, filmmakers can get help with their latest film project and when that project is completed use Motion Matrix to distribute their film."

LAPTOP POST PRODUCTION (PT 2)

The Technical Term For It Is Disintermediation

Let's just face facts. We live in a culture increasingly obsessed with cutting out the middle man. Bloggers don't like the idea that News Editors get to pick the story that goes on page one. TiVo users don't like network execs to decide when their favorite show will air. Film directors are less than thrilled by the prospect of dropping work off at a post production house then coming back later to see what's been done with it.

The technical term for all of that is Disintermediation. But if you're a filmmaker, are the tools to act on it, really, readily at hand? The short answer is ... yes. After years of nonlinear digital post production development, it's finally evolved into a mature, readily available and more importantly easily used technology. Ubiquitous FireWire ports have removed connectivity hindrances so basically anyone with a computer can download digital video.

You can cut that video, edit its soundtrack, add titles and author it to DVD with a $1,100.00 program suite like Apple's Final Cut Studio, (it combines Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion and DVD Studio Pro) that's relatively easy to use as accessible as your nearest Amazon.com and that will run on just about Mac. Even those without Macs have access to similar suites like Adobe's $999 Premiere Pro; that will run on any mid range PC.

"We envisioned video editing becoming a commercial commodity akin to desktop publishing," said Adobe Premiere's Group Product Manager Richard Townhill, who's long believed that a technological "perfect storm" would free post production from capital-intensive facilities "All we were waiting for was processing power in everyday PCs. Now you can shoot with an HD camera, feed the output into a Premiere-equipped PC, edit it and get HD playback with Dolby Surround Sound."

Not so long ago post professionals like Pinnacle Systems Laurin Herr were predicting that there would always be a place for traditional post houses because: ". . . There will always be expensive specialty pieces of the chain that only established facilities can afford, including telecines, cutting-edge graphics generators and color correction units."

But his reasoning just doesn't hold water anymore. Thanks to growing the popularity of HD video with independent filmmakers and the proliferation of three-CCD HD camcorders like Canon's XH G1, and new disc-based cameras like Sony's XDCAM'S, the need for professional telecine services that dominated the post scene of the not so distant past has reached the end of its rope.

Both Final Cut and Premiere include a color correction utility. And, as for the high-end graphics and visual effects side of the post production equation, there's software that's laptop compatible enough, like Adobe's After Effects or Apple's Motion but general consensus among amateur users seems indicate that no such application boasts the ease of use that characterizes most sound and video editing software. Of course, there's always tomorrow.