This month we look in during post-production of the documentary film Dust to Glory. What makes this feature-length, theatrically released film special is that it was finished (online edit, color correction, and rendering) on computers running Microsoft Windows XP. Also, the documentary will be released both as Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD) and on 35-millimeter film.
The editing was done using Adobe Premiere Pro software. Scene-by-scene color correction was accomplished using the Synthetic Aperture Color Finesse plug-in, which is included with Adobe After Effects in the Adobe Video Collection. The final WMV HD file was encoded with the Windows Media plug-in that is included with Adobe Premiere Pro.
The entire online editing package is bundled in the HD [pro] RT system from BOXX Technologies. The system includes all the hardware and software to capture, edit, and render HD video, including the CineForm Prospect HD for Adobe Premiere Pro plug-in, which is the key to working with HD video on a PC. The CineForm plug-in, available only in the BOXX system, enables the editor to play back multiple layers of high-definition video with effects in real time. As online editor Jacob Rosenberg describes in the videos, you can purchase an entire high-definition video-editing system for what you would pay to rent a post-production facility.
Jacob Rosenberg introduces the concept of finishing a film on a PC. Dust to Glory was first edited offline. However, if you start with the HD system we describe, you can bypass the offline step and go directly from shooting to the online edit.
The producers mixed footage that was shot on a variety of high- and low-end video camcorders with 16- and 35-millimeter film. Then, the elements were transferred or digitized to the Adobe Premiere Pro edit workstation.
During the online process, the editor cut the final high-resolution footage to match (conform) to the low-resolution offline edit. Once edited, each scene was color-corrected. Then a final video file was rendered, from which the WMV HD file was encoded and the film processed.
The big news is that now you can focus on the creative process without worrying about your budget draining away with every tick of the clock. You can be bold and take risks—without having to mortgage your house.
Note: As you watch the videos, keep in mind that the high-definition clips will not play at their full resolution, because the videos are encoded at 300 kbps to stream over the Internet. However, you can download high-definition samples from the WMV HD Content Showcase.
Bill Birney
Bill has worked as writer, director, and producer on numerous film and video projects, as well as music composer, sound designer, and disc jockey. He's co-written several books for Microsoft, including the Windows Media Resource Kit, and is a regular contributor to the Knowledge Center.
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