Trendsetters

REZN8 Productions delivers HD projects with flair and ease using Adobe® Premiere® Pro and After Effects® software and Adobe OpenHD™ workstations

Spot a hot trend—regardless of the medium—and REZN8 Productions is likely to be driving it using Adobe video software and Adobe OpenHD workstations. REZN8's elite artists have built 3D tools for Autodesk and developed the user interface for Microsoft's Xbox. For Rockwell Collins, they have designed seatback video displays commonly found on today's commercial and private jets which show altitude, location, and air speed, as well as deliver several channels of entertainment. REZN8 was among the first to bring a new advertising model to life: placing products within network station promotion spots. For instance, REZN8 and the SCI FI Channel created a successful inaugural 30-second network spot featuring the Audi A3.

Heralding HD

Not surprisingly, REZN8 Productions is also spearheading the trend of producing high-definition (HD) video content. About 30% to 40% of REZN8's projects are delivered in HD and that percentage is growing by 10% to 15% every six months. REZN8's secret to HD success includes several Adobe OpenHD Real-Time Uncompressed HD workstations and Adobe video software, used for virtually all of its complex, high-end HD work.

"REZN8 is known for taking on work that is difficult to execute from a creative and technical standpoint, and executing it successfully," says Paul Sidlo, REZN8 founder and CEO. "Adobe video software and the OpenHD workstations give us an efficient workflow that lets us bring our best creative work to light."

Spanning the media gamut

Since 1987, REZN8 Productions has been instrumental in developing the media vision for a broad spectrum of domestic and international clients across a range of platforms that includes broadcast, film, Internet, wireless, and games. Clients include CBS, Microsoft, Bank West-Las Vegas Monorail, ESPN Hollywood, and Entertainment Tonight News.

REZN8 is also the force behind a promotional spot in HD for The Triangle, a hot series airing on the SCI FI Channel. The spot features high-end effects: wind-blown clouds, dynamic lighting, jet planes, and foamy waves. The highly edited piece features more than 120 effects layers, all created in just four weeks.

“Adobe video software and OpenHD workstations give us an efficient workflow that lets us bring our best creative work to light.“

-Paul Sidlo,
founder and CEO, REZN8 Productions

Nothing goes unleveraged

One of the most important factors in REZN8's workflow efficiency—HD or otherwise—is the ability to leverage design work from initial comps through to final post-production. This is especially important because production schedules are becoming more compressed, making productivity more important than ever.

"We set up each job, including the spot for The Triangle and the Audi SCI FI spot, using Adobe Photoshop® CS2 software, so we can leverage whatever we've designed as we move into production with ease," says Jim Steinhaus, executive producer for REZN8. "No design effort goes unleveraged at REZN8 because we can move assets freely among the Adobe video products."

The REZN8 team uses Adobe Photoshop CS2 software and Autodesk 3ds Max to create storyboards. Whatever is created during the storyboarding process can be reused as a comp for production. "We set up Photoshop CS2 files with layers ready to be timelined, animated, and produced quickly using Adobe After Effects and 3ds Max," says Sidlo.

Once a client approves the comp, final HD production and layoff occurs using Adobe Premiere Pro software. "All of our final layoffs and deliveries are done with Adobe Premiere Pro," says Steinhaus. "And these are not simple editing jobs."

Finishing in Adobe Premiere Pro

Sidlo and the REZN8 staff rely on real-time previews and editing in Adobe Premiere Pro to cut together elements for final delivery to a range of HD formats or to lower resolutions for mobile phones and kiosks. REZN8 also uses Adobe Premiere Pro for initial color correction and for making last-minute title changes. All of this work can be accomplished efficiently, especially because REZN8 uses powerful OpenHD workstations.

"Adobe Premiere Pro is tailored to work smoothly on Adobe OpenHD workstations. Together, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe OpenHD workstations can handle big layoffs with a lot of complexity and mattes, all with extreme time-code accuracy," says Sidlo.

Using Adobe OpenHD systems, REZN8 can create comps in HD and previsualize them on the spot. The projects are then delivered to clients on DVD, created using Adobe Encore® DVD software, or over the network; no tape is used. For sophisticated clients like Fox Sports, whose staff swaps out titles or customizes scenes for different shows on their own, REZN8 delivers native After Effects files.

Although the REZN8 staff does not specialize in sound editing, some artists use Adobe Audition® software for synching up effects with sound to increase the impact of audio. For instance, artists used Adobe Audition for The Triangle promotional spot for SCI FI to tailor some of the sound more closely to the effects.

“We love working with tools that enable imagination, and Adobe video software is fantastic at doing just that.“

-Paul Sidlo,
founder and CEO, REZN8 Productions

Reinvigorating the CBS look for 2005

REZN8's HD workflow was put to the test with the 2005 branding campaign for CBS Entertainment. CBS's new HD network look was unveiled to advertisers and industry insiders at CBS's Upfront Meeting in New York City on May 18, 2005. The scope of work, including graphics and animations that promote the CBS brand, its primetime shows, and on-air stars through all its affiliate stations, is something CBS addresses annually to freshen its image and attract new advertisers and viewers. CBS's new look, graphics, and tagline debuted to the public in September 2005.

In addition to traditional content and broadcast graphics such as show opens, product sponsorships, and logos, REZN8 took on the role of presenting a more integrated brand image for CBS across multiple channels by creating imagery for phones, the web, and other devices such as kiosks. Adobe video tools proved ideal for delivering a new look for CBS across these channels.

"Integration among Adobe video software and other Adobe applications makes it easy for us to deliver integrated brand images for our clients across media channels, whether we're outputting to the web, HD television, mobile phones, or other media," says Sidlo. "We love working with tools that enable imagination, and Adobe video software is fantastic at doing just that."