Nice Shoes

Nice Shoes, Shortlisted in Cannes, Celebrates a Bronze Lion Win - 06.30.2010

Nice Shoes and McGarryBowen: Three Years of Collaboration for Chase - 06.21.2010

Nice Shoes Hires Bowman To Run Design Division - 06.14.2010

Nice Shoes Redefines Red Workflow - 06.01.2010

Nice Shoes Handles Post For Myren's Latest Doc - 05.25.2010

Nice Shoes Delivers Promise In United Nations PSA - 06.07.2010

Nice Shoes Contributes To Unique Polar Bear Club Video - 05.19.2010

Profit-Sharing Model Perfect Fit For Nice Shoes On Hot Indie Films - 05.03.2010

Nice Shoes Spins Out Post For Another Indie Movie - 05.01.2010

Nice Shoes Again Collaborates With Offspring On Ford Campaign - 05.06.2010

Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy Debuts At Tribeca Film Festival - 04.16.2010

Nice Shoes Expands VFX Team - 03.22.2010

Nice Shoes Makes A Splash With Stella For Mother - 02.23.2010

Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy to Premiere in Berlin - 02.16.2010

Nice Shoes Hires Travis Taylor To Oversee Sales & Marketing - 02.03.2010

Revamped Nice Shoes Rolls Out Another TD Ameritrade Campaign - 01.19.2010

Nice Shoes Adds Division By Joining Forces With Freestyle Collective - 12.04.2009

Nice Shoes Brings Creative Vision and High-End VFX to the NHL - 11.01.2009

Nice Shoes Color Grades MTV VMAs Promo Starring Britney Spears & Russell Brand - 09.10.2009

Nice Shoes Color Grades and Titles Garbage Dreams - 08.12.2009

GEs Real-People - 08.06.2009

BlackBerry Loves U2 - 07.22.2009

Nice Shoes Colorist Lez Rudge Makes An Imprint On New Spot Promoting Mandela Day - 07.07.2009

Nice Shoes Names Mike Donovan Managing Director - 07.01.2009

Nice Shoes Goes Risqué For Calvin Klein Jeans - 06.23.2009

Aron Baxter Returns To Nice Shoes As New Creative Director - 06.09.2009

Nice Shoes Sponsors Dusty Festival - 05.09.2009

Nice Shoes Makes A Nice Move - 04.16.2009

First Boards Awards Hosted By Nice Shoes - 04.02.2009

"BlackBerry Bullet" Punctures Apple - 03.12.2009

Nice Shoes New York Makes $3 Million Investment in FilmLight Color Grading Systems - 03.05.2009

Colorist Ron Sudul - The Top Five Questions I Get as a Colorist for Nice Shoes - 02.26.2009

Nice Shoes Colorist Lenny Mastrandrea Participates In Mayors Office Panel - 02.02.2009

Nice Shoes Steals The Show With Electrifying VFX For Chase - 01.15.2009

Posted: 02.26.2009 00:00

At Nice Shoes Colorist Ron Sudul’s artistry and sharp eye for detail have contributed to a reel that includes work for IBM, Motorola, Harley Davidson, Time-Warner Cable, Dunkin Donut’s, Coca-Cola, Hanes and many more.

Hi -- here are the top five questions I get as a colorist for Nice Shoes:

Q: Beyond framing, what are the differences between HD’s 16:9 and SD’s 4:3 when it comes to color correct?

A: Our artists do color differently for the different formats. I think the 16:9 looks sharper, tighter, cleaner and crisper, subtle details become more pronounced such as makeup discrepancies: those can require a little more cleanup work, because variations in skin tones become more obvious in the HD format. Also, because the footage is in HD and everything is sharper, shots look more dynamic right out of the gate, requiring a gentler touch. I’m still amazed how many clients haven’t seen HD, and I continually push them to consider it.
 
Q: What do I need to know about RED camera workflow?

A: People are excited about the idea of shooting in full 4K resolution, no question. The biggest bottleneck is that converting the files (RED’s .R3D format) to a different one--like QuickTime for example--takes a really long time, and people aren’t used to waiting. I think everyone’s waiting to see what the next program is that will help convert the files faster. Optimally, at Nice Shoes, we like to receive the files already converted into uncompressed QTs, DPX or TIFF files with time code embedded, either with an EDL or a rough cut. Then we’re set, and we’ll load that right into our Baselight system.

That was the workflow for a great set of IBM spots about “de-graffiti” artists that I did recently for Ogilvy that was all shot on RED -- that campaign exemplified a really well-put together, filed-based workflow. The client received the RED material and had it converted. Once it had been edited it was delivered into our color correct suites, and after we were done we delivered the spots back out as files.

Q: What else is new in digital acquisition?

A:  In addition to all the curiosity about the RED, people want to know what other new cameras are out there. I’ve been trying to push my clients to the data cameras like the Arriflex d20 and Panavision’s Genesis, which can capture in a more filmic style than most video cameras.  Regardless of which cameras you use, video gives you that hard video look. But with data, it captures the full range, and has a little bit of extra latitude to compensate for over- or under-exposure, and has a bit more filmic look to it. These cameras are not as commonplace in the equipment houses yet, but they will be.

I just worked on a project for the Food Network that was shot on a data camera that came out beautifully. It was footage of people shot on a white background, and if that had been recorded on a videotape rather than as data, the whites would have been blown out, we would have lost the details of each person’s outline, and we would have lost the highlights. We had a fuller range of information to work with, and it showed.

Q: How is tapeless workflow continuing to evolve?

: More and more people are taking full advantage of it, but there are also people who still need to be convinced to take that final leap. I can understand why, if you’re used to walking out with a hard copy tape, it can feel strange to walk out with the final master on a hard drive which could somehow be erased. But there is a secure backup here – people have to trust the system.

Once they do, they find out why a fully tapeless workflow is preferable. Laying off tape-based footage is in realtime, while file-based is faster than realtime. It’s also easier to make higher resolution video, which is better for reframing – with tape you’re limited to 1920x1080, whereas with files you can give them full 2K, or whatever the native resolution that it was shot on. Again, in our Baselight a file-based system is very simple and definitely the ideal way to work.  Many of our clients come over with the hard drive, plug right in, and go.

Ultimately, a tapeless workflow saves money for our clients, because it cuts down on the hours needed for a project. We can also get more creative, because if you have to do reframing or resizing down the road, you can – it’s much easier.

Q: What’s the new Baselight system at Nice Shoes?

A:  I was incredibly excited when earlier this year Nice Shoes decided to go with the Baselight color correction system – we will be a full Baselight house soon, and it really ramps up what we can do artistically and technically, especially from a workflow standpoint. It’s a file-based system that handles up to 4K and it has lot of new creative toolsets.

The Baselight gives us unlimited layers in windows, it does pixel tracking for windows and shape tracking, the system can import/export multiple file types, and it just opens up a lot of creative options. If I want to do something, I can just do it – I don’t have to worry about running out of layers or tools. While it’s thoroughly networked, it’s also a standalone system that makes me much more independent in my room. It’s a lot more efficient, and that’s great for us and our clients.