First Tracks Productions: Editing Snowboarding Action on the Slopes, in the Suites
When snowboard enthusiast Anthony Cupaiuolo first launched First Tracks Productions in 2001, it was purely an experiment to see if he could turn his high-flying hobby into a well-grounded business venture. The experiment worked. Since it first burst out of the gate, First Tracks Productions has hit its mark in the world of snowboarding and action-sports videos - despite its limited resources and small staff of fellow snowboarders-turned-entrepreneurs. To date, the South Lake Tahoe, Calif.,-based firm has produced five snowboard showcase videos that are sold internationally on DVD at snowboard and ski retail shops or via the Web through video-on-demand sites or First Tracks's own Web site. Clips from the videos are also routinely shown through various broadcast outlets, such as Fox Sports Net, Resorts Sports Network (RSN), and the NBC show Whacked Out Sports.
To capture the adrenaline rush and gravity-defying feats of these athletes first-hand, Cupaiuolo and his associates travel around the globe, following the professional snowboarders as they search for the best snow conditions. To keep pace with the non-stop action while staying on budget, the staff uses professional-quality cameras and editing equipment that are specifically designed for maximum portability, flexibility, and affordability. The company found the ideal solutions to its equipment challenges in the hand-held Panasonic AG-HVX200 HD camera and Avid Xpress Pro editing software. First Tracks Productions runs the Avid Xpress Pro software on an Intel-based MacBook Pro portable notebook for editing on the road and on a Windows-compatible desktop system for editing in the studio.
"When you make action sports videos, you have to go where the action is," says Dan Moses, editor at First Tracks Productions. "So portability is king. A lot of my rough cuts take place on the side of a mountain, in a ski lodge, or on a plane. With Avid Xpress Pro [software], I can simply pipe the day's footage into my Mac laptop and edit anywhere."
Moses also capitalizes on the Avid Xpress Pro software's ability to work in either a Macintosh or Windows environment. "Back in the studio, I can literally unplug the hard drive containing my rough cuts from the Macintosh, plug it into the PC, and pick up where I left off," he explains. "The [Avid] Xpress Pro software plays happily on both platforms."
"A lot of my rough cuts take place on the side of a mountain,
in a ski lodge, or on a plane. With Avid Xpress Pro [software], I can simply pipe the day's footage into my Mac laptop and edit anywhere."
- Dan Moses, Editor, First Tracks Productions
Capturing Multi-format Input with Ease
First Tracks Productions shoots much of the footage for its snowboard videos with its Panasonic HVX200 cameras at 100 Mbps DVCPRO HD quality in 720p/24PN mode. Leveraging the camera's tapeless solid-state memory, the footage is recorded on P2 PCMCIA memory cards, eliminating the need to digitize media prior to editing. The footage is then directly transferred as an MXF file to the Avid Xpress Pro system via either USB port (for the Windows-based editing system) or FireWire interface (for the Macintosh-based editing system).
With only four full-time staff members, First Tracks Productions must also rely on footage captured by a global network of snowboarding athletes who follow the snow in pursuit of their passion and know how to work both sides of the lens. "We're constantly receiving FedEx deliveries containing footage on Mini-DV and Betacam tapes, in QuickTime files, and in just about every other format imaginable," Moses says about the variety of formats that must be accommodated. "Fortunately our Avid system is smarter than we are. It knows how to deal with all kinds of source material and lets us mix multiple HD, SD, and DV resolutions and camera formats in the same timeline in real time, without transcoding. The fact that we can dump our footage in one place and have it all come together nicely is huge."
Because each snowboard trick lasts just a few seconds, First Tracks Productions captures only about 10 minutes of choice footage during a 12-hour day of shooting in order to capture specific athletes and their tricks. Of those 10 minutes, only about 30 seconds of select footage makes it into each final video. Each video can run as long as 45 minutes. With such minimal storage requirements, Moses works in 1:1 HD resolution throughout the entire editing process. Since each video is typically divided into segments dedicated to individual athletes, Moses starts the editing process by organizing the footage of each athlete into separate bins. This provides a quick and easy approach to media management that enables him to find the right clip at the right time.
Moses takes a real-world documentary approach to editing each snowboard video, avoiding the use of special effects that would detract from the authenticity and 'wow factor' of an athlete's trick. The one exception is the use of slow motion. "The moment of action is very brief," explains Moses.
"So we'll often use slow motion to draw it out and give viewers the chance to appreciate the challenges they're seeing. Our Panasonic cameras let us shoot in slow motion. But if we miss that opportunity or other footage comes in, we use our Avid [system] to create a smooth, fluid slow-motion effect."
Given the variable lighting and weather conditions under which its videos are shot, First Tracks Productions relies on the Avid Xpress Pro software's patented NaturalMatch color-correction capability to normalize color discrepancies throughout the editing process. The NaturalMatch feature enables the company to unite footage shot in multiple locations - with different cameras and with inconsistent lighting conditions - into a cohesive whole. "NaturalMatch is awesome," Moses says. "It lets me match the color quality of various clips with a single click and create a fluid transition from one shot to the next. Color is not my strong suit. But with NaturalMatch, I feel like it's one of my strengths."
"With just one or two clicks, I can export clips directly from the timeline to just about every medium imaginable."
- Dan Moses, Editor, First Tracks Productions
Exporting to the Web, Ipods, DVDs, and More
Historically, First Tracks Productions has submitted its finished snowboard videos in Mini-DV format to its distributors, who then create standard-definition DVD packages for commercial release. But the company plans to transition to HD output in the near future. "That's the beauty of Avid [systems]," says Moses. "We can shoot, edit, and master in both HD and SD. In effect, Avid enables us to future-proof our projects and our business."
First Tracks Productions also exports video clips directly from the Avid timeline to a wide variety of other media. For example, the company creates its own promotional DVDs for marketing purposes using the Windows-based Avid Studio Toolkit, which adds DVD authoring plus effects and 3D animation capabilities to the Avid Xpress Pro feature set. Avid Studio Toolkit supports the creation of both standard-definition DVDs and high-definition Blu-ray discs directly from the Avid Xpress Pro system.
Moses even exports video clips of professional snowboarders to the athletes' iPods using Avid Xpress Pro software. This one-click process enables the snowboarders to replay their dare-devil feats anytime and promote themselves to potential sponsors anywhere. "It's a powerful marketing tool for these guys, yet it's incredibly easy for me to produce," says Moses. "By simply creating a QuickTime file, I can move a clip directly from my Avid [Xpress Pro] editing system to their iPod."
With Avid Xpress Pro software, First Tracks Productions also exports HD video clips as QuickTime files to video retail sites and actions-sports niche sites on the Web using the Avid DNxHD codec. The Avid DNxHD encoding technology reduces storage and bandwidth requirements associated with visually rich HD media. As a result, it enables First Tracks Productions to bring its HD files down to a manageable size while maintaining their pristine quality. "The Avid DNxHD codec is phenomenally cool," adds Moses. "I'm shocked at the high quality we're able to achieve on the Web with such a small amount of disk space."
Moses appreciates the speed of the Avid Xpress Pro system's export functionality as well. "When you're up against a deadline at the end of a day, the last thing you want to deal with is how to export your final project," he says. "Avid makes it easy. With just one or two clicks, I can export clips directly from the timeline to just about every medium imaginable."
"We're a real small company," adds Moses. "So we have to use our resources wisely. Avid Xpress Pro gives us a complete editing environment that makes us more creative and productive. And when a deadline is fast approaching, its reliability is rock solid. It's an asset that expands our possibilities, rather than restricts them."
* CREDIT: Images courtesy of First Tracks Productions