by
Patrick Gregston
We haven’t heard much from Lightworks in
recent years. Though the company can still boast
about its many dedicated users around the world, it has gone through
several reorganizations and
hasn ’t introduced a new product in some time.
A new interface makes it possible to drag and drop effects directly onto clips, and a curve editor allows all parameters to be keyframed and manipulated. There is also an “effects router” that offers a tree diagram of the effects applied to a clip. The system now allows for both video- and film-style dissolves. A new sound board provides audio capabilities for 16 real-time channels (but only four can be output at a time and audio rubber-banding won’t be available until later this year). Any number of clips can be synchronized via timecode or markers. The audio hardware allows for analog-style scrubbing on all 16 tracks at any speed and does real-time sample rate conversion on output so different sample rates can be combined in the same sequence.
The keyboard can be completely remapped, and, in addition, the system provides macro functions. A series of commands can be assigned to a single keystroke, which can then be attached to a key. Compression is scaleable from 1 to 40 minutes per GB and the new video board provides improved images at smaller file sizes than before. The machine still comes in a single configuration that can handle all types of projects: NTSC, PAL, 24, 25 or 30 frames per second, 35 and 16mm, and it will import and export in a variety of formats including OMFI, OMFII and AAF. It can handle source material natively in either a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, and the Stripview now scrolls dynamically during sequence play. The machine inherits many improvements from the Windows environment, including contextual menus and tool-tips and the ability to work with a wide variety of off-the-shelf networking products, allowing several machines to share the same storage. Any storage system that will work with Windows 2000 will function with the Touch system, provided that bandwidth is sufficient for the video resolution selected. That means low-cost storage is now part and parcel of the Lightworks environment and RAID fault-tolerant storage options are available (lose a drive and the system continues working until the drive is replaced and rebuilt automatically).
Film list software has been rewritten and is now part of the system itself, not a separate application, making Lightworks unique in this regard. All the usual features are supported, including change lists. The system can now handle three-perf and 24P materials and can also make 24-fps EDLs. ALE files can be directly imported and film and timecode data can be modified after it has been entered.
New titling capabilities are provided with the Inscriber Titlemotion character generator and there is additional plug-in support for Boris FX and Graffiti, Ultimatte and Hollywood FX. Since the system employs standard file formats (AVI for video and WAV for audio) it can be used with a wide range of compositing applications such as Eyeon Digital Fusion and Discreet Combustion. Touch began shipping last fall and since then has undergone trials on several features and TV shows. In Hollywood, the first feature to use it is Universal Pictures’ Bruce Almighty, directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston and Morgan Freeman. It is being edited by former Lightworks assistant Scott Hill. He is using two systems, networked via a Rorke fibre-channel storage area network (SAN) to share material.
“ I made the choice to use the Lightworks Touch primarily due to its speed — how fast the machine operates and how fast it allows me to cut,” said Hill. “Adapting to the Touch took only a few minutes. The interface is practically the same as the Heavyworks and the new controller is more functional and easier to use. I’m currently using 1.46 terabytes of storage. We have approximately 800,000 feet of film, as well as two hours of stock footage. We use Raid 5 so we have redundancy and high quality. We have over 200 visual effects and I was able to temp just about everything in real time — no rendering! This includes chroma keys, luma keys, splitscreens, and dissolves, wipes, etc. It ’s working out really well.” British editor Tariq Anwar (Wings of the Dove and American Beauty [with Christopher Greenbury] ) cut Leo, starring Elisabeth Shue, with a Touch beta system in England last year. He took the machine with him to New Zealand for production of Ted & Sylvia, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and is now completing the film in London. He offered his impressions by e-mail. “Choosing to use Touch on Ted & Sylvia was not a difficult decision,” he wrote. “Having worked on Lightworks for all but three productions in the last ten years the choice was either to stay with Heavyworks or play with the new Touch toys. During the shooting period we had a second Touch entirely for syncing purposes, transferring material (via removable drives) and database functions. Fortunately, editing on Touch hasn’t fundamentally changed from Light/Heavyworks, but there have been considerable advances on the video effects side with multiple video tracks now supported. I won’t pass judgment on these new tools as I have not had much need of them. However, masking the top and bottom of the frame by dragging down a pair of sliders is strangely satisfying to use, probably because of its simplicity. The much improved Stripview menu allows for the grouping of audio channels, which I found very useful when editing stereo pairs. I also have more control over the shot display, which can now include text such as scene, description, reel, etc. Overall the changes have been impressive, although I would hope that more improvements will be made on the audio side in the near future.”
All the editors we contacted agreed that the limitation of four physical audio outs and the current lack of audio rubberbanding were significant issues (older Lightworks systems had eight outputs). Another Hollywood feature using the system is Godsend with Robert De Niro and Greg Kinnear. Editor Niven Howie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) began using it during the initial beta-test phase. “I have always been a Lightworks guy,” he said. “The Touch certainly has its bugs, and it was a bit of a beast there for awhile. But the current version is much more predictable. I love the interface, it is so much quicker than any other way to edit. The picture layers are very useful. Occasionally I edit commercials and having them right there to change in real time is great. The picture quality is fantastic. We have been projecting right off the system.” One key concern for editors may be Lightworks’ limited corporate resources. With less than thirty people in the company worldwide, the system’s success remains in the hands of its very dedicated users. This didn’t hold Scott Hill back. “We were always pretty independent in terms of support before. The hardware and software are stable. The storage is so solid that I don’t even think about it anymore. Are there things I want different? You bet, but that is true of every system and every company.” As we went to press, industry veteran Stephen Goldsmith was hired to head up U.S. operations, and the company expects to open a Southern California office soon. A complete specification for the Touch system is available at www.lwks.com. |
