AAF! AAF! (No, not a Boston terrier)

vitalforce2 wrote on 4/15/2005, 3:42 PM
I'm all a-tingle but I'm sure it's NAGAIS. (Not As Good As It Seems) I have a feature project (AVI, edited with Vegas 5) that was recently viewed by a name editor in the film industry who actually visited my house, watched me run it on the computer, and proposed various changes (for a reasonable fee). He openly wished he could just open my Vegas project files in FCP or Avid because "I could just do the edits myself instead of commenting while you take 20 pages of notes." Also color correction, etc.

I read that AAF, Advanced Authoring Format, is the EDL of the future (near-present?) and just wonder how much metadata information a Vegas 6 AAF export would/should have so that the edits, cross-fades and/or video or audio plugins/effects could be just popped open on an Avid or FCP timeline rather than re-created.

Sounds ambitious to me, but MAN. This would be Sony's trojan horse inside the walls of Avid/FCP and The Industry.

.

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 4/15/2005, 5:27 PM
AAF or Advanced Authoring Format is already outdated itself. It's limited, it's self defeating, and doesn't even work inside Avid's own systems very well.
That said, it's a *decent* way to get from app to app, as long as you don't expect much more than just equality in timecode, cut points, and maybe crossfades.
XML is more capable, less ubiquitous, but it's the next thing, IMO.
Nat wrote on 4/15/2005, 6:33 PM
"XML is more capable, less ubiquitous, but it's the next thing, IMO."

Well, as long as they make a standard...
vitalforce wrote on 4/15/2005, 6:53 PM
Well at least AAF! made a good joke. Okay, it wasn't a good joke. XML. Hmm.

Just did some quick research. Looks like XML "ought" to allow Vegas to talk to FCP but something called Automatic Duck is needed to communicate between FCP and Avid. Does this mean Avid can't use XML?
.
busterkeaton wrote on 4/15/2005, 8:50 PM
As long as each NLE has a standard, it would be very simple for someone to write an XSL stylesheet to do an XML to XML transformation. If they don't standardize, I'm sure some smart third party would have this available very quickly.
Spot|DSE wrote on 4/15/2005, 8:52 PM
:-)
busterkeaton wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:01 PM
I think Spot wants to say something. What it is, boy? Is there trouble down by the old well? Is Timmie caught in a mineshaft? Is there a new feature being added to Ultimate-S? What is it boy?
Spot|DSE wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:06 PM
:-)
busterkeaton wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:07 PM
Good Boy!
MyST wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:10 PM
To bad one can't draw a smiley face with a zipper instead of a smile... DSE would be using that one ALOT. ;-)

Mario
Spot|DSE wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:23 PM
Buster,
you are one of those guys I can't express enough good about. Whether it's hanging with you at a diner in New York, or seeing your words on a screen, your wit constantly amazes me! I'm sitting in the hotel prepping some graphics for my classes tomorrow, and spit my water all over my screen from your Lassie comment.
All I can say is....This is gonna be a great year for Vegas, and how Vegas interacts with other children in the sandbox. I think that's what we're all sorta hoping for in the world, is toys that play well with each other. This Avid-exclusive world has GOT to end where everything has to be conformed, converted, rendered, etc. It's simply stupid to try to hold on to the niche and expect people to be happy about it all.
busterkeaton wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:43 PM
I'm glad you feel that because my video drive just failed and I traced it back to an email virus on that account I emailed you with. I talked with some security experts and they said it hibernates for 18 hours and then activates. The only way to stop it is to not use that computer until April 22nd.

vitalforce wrote on 4/16/2005, 10:13 AM
Just so DSE & buster know, if I can derive so much enjoyment (?) from mere visits to an NLE forum, you know there are many hundreds if not more who feel the same way. The contributions of the Majors (I won't name them for fear of starting an e-riot) cannot be minimized.

I can't wait to see the look (I hope one day) on an Avid editor's face when I hand him a firewire drive with my Vegas feature on it and a program file he can just--you know--open.
filmy wrote on 4/16/2005, 5:47 PM
>>>I can't wait to see the look (I hope one day) on an Avid editor's face when I hand him a firewire drive with my Vegas feature on it and a program file he can just--you know--open.<<<

Or just hand off the dirve to someone else no matter what the NLE/FInishing tool is and have them open it.

Any other Amiga people here finding this sort of like the days of doing graphics on an Amiga and trying to get that graphic output? "We don't do Amiga files"...well unless you upload it and say it was done on an Apple.
WedVidMan wrote on 4/17/2005, 12:31 AM
I'm always think it would be nice to know what NLE was used to edit this or that movie, film, TV, etc, so I'm always watching for some clue during the running of the credits. Usually with no luck. Yesterday, I was watching TV and at the end of one of those home repair TV programs, was, "Editing by Avid Technology." And I've watched that show many times and never seen that before. Could someone now feel the need to advertise??
p@mast3rs wrote on 4/17/2005, 12:38 AM
I believe ACE stands for certified avid engineer and I usually see them by editor's credits. Though I could be wrong.

It would be cool to know what products were used in the movies but then again, it wouldnt be Hollywood's little secret anymore.
busterkeaton wrote on 4/17/2005, 12:48 AM
ACE

The organization has existed far longer than Avid has.

p@mast3rs wrote on 4/17/2005, 12:51 AM
Ok, I stand corrected then. But doesnt Avid use the same initials for their certifications?

edit: Ok, Avid uses different initals.

Avid Certified Support Representative (ACSR) Program
Avid Certified Instructor (ACI) Program
Avid Certified User (ACU) Program
Spot|DSE wrote on 4/20/2005, 8:26 AM
Won't it be nice when you have "Certified Vegas User" hanging on your wall?
p@mast3rs wrote on 4/20/2005, 8:30 AM
I would like that but I havent seen any certification path for that. Is something in the works Spot?
Spot|DSE wrote on 4/20/2005, 8:34 AM
Mannie Frances of VASST announced that there will be a launch of the Sony Vegas Certification course at NAB NY Post Plus in November of this year. Very exciting stuff. The vegasusersgroup.com site was also announced, which is a Sony-supported site designed to help local users groups get up and running, providing information, resources, and access to make your own users group in your area. The site is not completely live yet, but you can poke around in there now if you wish.
vitalforce2 wrote on 11/4/2005, 5:54 PM
Not a completely shameless bump of a prior string which ends with a DSE comment about a big happening around November.

I'm also interested in hearing whether AAF or XML have "grown" closer to Vegas since the April discussion.