ProductionHUB NAB Q&A: Catch up with Gary Bettan of Videoguys

Q: How has the world of video editing & production changed from when you first started in the industry, to present day?

A: The biggest change in video editing is the migration from tape based acquisition and video capture to tapeless workflows.

Back in the days of tape, you had to accept a certain amount of degradation and loss in the capture process. Today the camera digitizes the video directly to digital media. We don't "capture" footage anymore; we simply transfer it to our computer and begin editing.

This is also made possible by today's NLEs harnessing the full power of today's computers, allowing us to edit with the native HD formats, or transcoding the files into more easily edited intermediate CODECs like Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD.


Q: Any major trends in production you see on the horizon?

A: Absolutely. The boundary lines between live production and post production are blurring. Internet streaming allows every video producer to be a broadcaster. Producers can easily and inexpensively stream live on the web or upload an edited version that your audience can view whenever and wherever they want, on a wide multitude of devices.

4K is definitely coming on strong. At CES we saw 4K TVs introduced. Broadcasters are embracing new 4K cameras, and the post production industry is racing to deliver the best, most efficient 4K workflows.

So while we race to shoot in higher and higher resolutions, we're delivering our content at multiple resolutions for smart phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs and more. This creates a level of complexity for all content creators. Something we are only starting to get a grasp on. read more...