In the Studio: Using Boris Continuum Complete

Event DV by David McKnight

When most of us started as editors, we likely substituted cheesy video effects for content and creativity. Some of us may have even chosen our NLE based on the number of included video effects. As we mature as editors (and shooters), we come to realize that effects need to be used ever so sparingly-such as when adding salt to any dish. That's why I'm always hesitant to gush over any effects package: As many as I have installed, tried, uninstalled, or kept, I invariably wind up using only a few of any of these filters on any regular basis. I do use a few of the built-in Sony filters and some third-party plug-ins such as Ultimate S Pro from VASST, but it's rare for me to find an effects package that really serves my needs with much of what it offers. The Continuum Complete package from Boris FX is unlike any other FX package I've seen. It combines video filters, transitions, motion tracking, a titler, a particle generator, greenscreen utilities-more than 150 effects in all. Moreover, each of these comes with actual usable presets right out of the box. You can see the gushing coming down Interstate 45 with the doors wide open: "If you buy only one plug-in this year ..."

In this article, I'll show you how I use Boris Continuum Complete 7 (BCC) from within Sony Vegas Pro 10, but there are a number of other host NLEs you can use, including Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, and others, and the functionality is very similar. I'm going to discuss just a few of the components in this package and where they can be useful.

Load 'Em Up
Once you've installed BCC, you can add any of the BCC effects to a single event, to a track, or to a complete piece of media, just like you can any other video filter or effect. BCC runs entirely from within the host application (in this case, Sony Vegas Pro). I noticed there is some lag in loading the BCC dialog boxes when you add or remove an effect. It's a little annoying, but it's not too bad. Everything ran stable for me, even when I was trying out dozens of effects.

There are lots of color-enhancing and film-style filters. The Film Process filter has presets (and, of course, controls for creating your own) that remind me a lot of Red Giant Software's Magic Bullet Looks. What's unique to this is that BCC integrates a motion tracker with this filter so you can apply the effect to only a portion of the video, and it can be tracked and adjusted across time. This motion tracker is available in many of the filters as a set of adjustable parameters. read more...