Why I Chose DCP

In preparing "NYZ" for premiering at NYU's First Run Festival last week, they specified that there were only three deliverable formats acceptable: HDCam tape, Digibeta tape, or DCP, which stands for Digital Cinema Package.  Looking at these three formats, I decided to go with DCP.

Let's break down what each format brings to the table:

Digibeta, or Digital Betacam, is a great format with great uncompressed color and sound, but it comes with a few limitations.  First of all, it's standard definition (SD), so the maximum amount of pixels is 720x480 with an anamorphic squeeze.  And since First Run did not want anamorphic squeezes, that meant that my film, which is at a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, would simply be letterboxed into a 4:3 screen--obviously not the most aesthetically pleasing or economical use of space.

Then there's HDCam, which is high definition (HD) with up to 1440x1080 upscaled to 1920x1080.  That's great because 1080p was the native format that we shot in, so I know I won't be wasting pixels.  The only big caveat for HDCam, as well as Digibeta, is that it only allows for up to four channels of audio.  Since I mixed in 5.1 surround sond, that would mean mixing everything down to 4.0 at best, though most likely just 3.0--dialogue in the center, and everything else on the left and right stereo. All the work that I put into crafting a 5.1 surround mix would be wasted.

Which brings us to DCP.  DCPs are the new standard for delivering films to movie theaters in this modern digital age.  There are no reels, no tapes, just a server where all the media is stored and read as it's projected.  It can project up to 4k files and supports up to 7.1 surround sound.  And it plays back at true 24 frames per second.  So, for this film, it supported everything I needed.

Now the only problem was actually creating the DCP...

George on Vimeo!

I now have a Vimeo account! Well, that's a bit of a lie, since I've had it for a little while, but it's taken me only till yesterday to get some of my videos up! Check it out here!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown 2.0

Happy April Fool's Day!

It's the first of the month, and that means we have less than two weeks before we start shooting NYZ from April 21st to April 28th.

And so, we have decided to restart our 28 Days Countdown. It just won't stay dead!

We will posting videos sporadically, but as our last attempt at a 28-day video blog clearly demonstrated, we cannot hope to organize, shoot, edit, and post a new vidcast every day. So this version of the 28 Days Countdown will mostly be journal entries on NYZ's official blog.

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 9

The ninth installment of 28 Days Countdown is up now on YouTube. We were too lazy to do anything, so we just slapped together another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 7

The seventh installment of 28 Days Countdown is up on YouTube, featuring a makeup test and another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 6

The sixth installment of 28 Days Countdown is up on YouTube, featuring another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 5

The fifth installment of 28 Days Countdown is up on YouTube, featuring another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 4

The fourth installment of 28 Days Countdown is up on YouTube, featuring Tech Scout more Zombie News with Eric Pato. Plus another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 3

Hello again!

The third installment of 28 Days Countdown is up on YouTube, featuring What Kind of Zombie Are You? Plus another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 2

Hey, everybody! The second installment of 28 Days Countdown is up on YouTube, featuring Location Scouting and Zombie News with Eric Pato. Plus another Classic Public-Domain Zombie Moment!

NYZ: 28 Days Countdown - Day 1

It's February. And you know what that means?

That's right: NYZ shoots in less than a month.

So, to promote this film, I've partnered with Eric Pato to create a video blog every day, one a day until the end of February, which only has 28 days in it.

And, I don't know about you, but when I hear the number 28, I think of zombies.

I admit this seems a little haphazard, but don't be fooled -- this is only the beginning of what is sure to be a long and arduous blog. Enjoy!