Using QuickTime in a Production Environment

Sharing footage

In filmmaking, film dailies serve a variety of purposes. They are used to check many details, including color, lighting and scenery. In the digital realm, dailies can fulfill several important tasks, though they're typically different.

Shared project sites, where low-resolution versions of raw footage, graphics and rough edits can be used to help communicate progress, as well as to collaborate on ideas, can be invaluable, particularly when you're dealing with clients. QuickTime movies over the Internet can serve as virtual meetings to test edits, music tracks and motion graphics.

Postproduction

While QuickTime's benefits in the realm of post-production are relatively well known, it's important to highlight its flexibility. No other video application can support as many codecs and resolutions as QuickTime, or will allow content to move between as many digital packages. QuickTime is like a Swiss army knife to the industry: its handiness seems limitless.

Beyond Post: Encoding Video

Video on the Web will continue to be a growing phenomenon; as bandwidth increases and the size of video files decreases, users expect more content to be made available for consumption. A distinct lack of understanding of how to gear video for network delivery is the primary reason why so many fail to successfully post quality video.

While some may disagree with this, the simple fact is that there are some limitations to what the technology can currently accomplish, and it's important to be aware of them. This does not mean, however, that we should stop challenging the level of quality in the work we deliver.

Improving Web-Based Video

These tips should help you improve your Web-based video:

1. Edit/design for the Web where possible

Though it's not always practical, if you're planning to show work on the Web, don't make the edit so rapidly paced that the player can't refresh the image fast enough, and don't design graphics so small that the become indiscernible in Web format.
2. Use the right frame size

Smaller frame sizes mean fewer pixels per frame, which equals less data per second in the long run. The largest size typically used for Web delivery is 320 x 240, or half the resolution of a standard television.
3. Use lower frame rates

You simply don't need 29.97 or even 24 frames per second to have smooth motion video on the Internet. In general, start at 12 FPS and scale up or down accordingly. Fast-paced actions, like a person running, for example, may require more frames per second; slower action can typically use less.
4. Don't be afraid to crop

Applications like Discreet's Cleaner allow video to be cropped before scaling to the finished size, so that the main action is as large as possible. Don't be afraid to dramatically trim the edges, but be sureo check that this cropping works for all scenes.
5. Data rates are data rates

Data rates are the amount of information -- audio and video -- that can be transferred in a given second. The same 56 Kbps we refer to as a "dial up connection" is this data rate. Be aware that the higher the data rate per second, the larger the file, thus the longer it will take for the file to reach the end user.
6. If you're trying to create a streaming file, the rules are very straightforward

You can't exceed the end user's bandwidth per second, including a certain amount of overhead. One of the greatest benefits of QuickTime files in the area of encoding is their ability to "Fast Start," or download progressively. This means that a viewer will be able to begin watching a movie before the file has finished downloading.

Wired Video and Multimedia

QuickTime engenders itself to multimedia production and presentation more than any other video player.

For instance, it's quite straightforward to embed QuickTime movies into programs such as Macromedia's Director -- a popular program for creating self-contained presentations and kiosk displays. Likewise, the open architecture of QuickTime has lent itself to companies like Totally Hip, of Vancouver, B.C., in creating programs to completely edit, script and control the QuickTime movie. And Live Stage Pro allows digital professionals to completely re-tool QuickTime's interface, removing the silver frame altogether, as well as adding scripting that creates DVD-like functionality (such as chapters, alternate audio and captions).

Perhaps one of the most impressive examples of the functionality and design that's currently available to the public is http://www.bmwfilms.com created by Fallon Worldwide. Each of their short films by well known directors is available for download and, when launched, opens in a sleek, customized interface that has alternate audio tracks available as well as QTVRs and other amazing technology. The only caveat to this beautiful presentation is that files sizes tend to be larger than 100 MB, effectively locking out all but the most dedicated of dial up users.

When functionality like this can be packaged in such a way to be more readily available to slower speed connections as well, we will begin to see seeing a great deal more work in this area.

QuickTime's flexibility and usefulness make it an invaluable tool. The greatest asset digital professionals can afford themselves is to become a versed user of the medium. Spending time exploring its various capabilities will facilitate your creativity and make your work easier to manage.