Lanterna Magica, the video indexing and logging specialist, today announced the launch of Reality, an innovative new system that greatly streamlines the production of non-scripted television shows, allowing directors to create compelling storylines—on the fly, in real time.
"So many hours are wasted digging through miles of raw footage just to find those 30-second gems that make up the winning episode," said Lanterna Magica's CEO Pierre Rinfret. "Reality puts an end to that monotonous process, letting directors spend less time searching for standout clips and more time making the next gripping hit show."
Reality makes it easy to assess hours of raw video material from multiple cameras quickly and make shot selection decisions in just minutes. Directors can encode, log, view, browse, and search video and metadata while shooting is in progress, saving valuable post-production time and money.
Building reality TV storylines on set and on the fly becomes an essential part of the multicamera production process with Reality. A Web-based video content description system, Reality works from any number of locations with no special software to install. It supports an unlimited number of camera feeds, so producers can feel at ease using as many cameras as necessary to capture all the action. Staff can access footage at any time, from any location—well before shooting is finished—and create shortcuts to access their content quickly and simply.
Camera feeds can be distributed to a variety of devices, including tape decks and high-capacity disks, as well as to the Logger, Reality's own storage medium. The Logger ingests audio, video, and time code signals and produces compressed digital video for browsing that is synchronized with the time codes and content descriptions entered by operators. Reality's searchable video library functions as the repository for stored digital video and metadata.
The entire production, starting from day one, is always available to search, play, and browse, even as more content is being ingested. Users can search Reality's library by (participant) name, date, time, interest rating, location, and keyword for specific actions and emotions. Search results appear as thumbnails with descriptions and can be played out immediately. In and out points are easily marked and compiled into a rough-draft EDL (edit decision list) that can be used with any nonlinear editing system, including Avid and Final Cut Pro.
Reality is a turnkey combination of hardware and software. Lanterna Magica staff installs the hardware in its clients' production sets, trains their staff, and provides on-site or remote support as needed.
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