Confidence Bay
Encyclopedia
Confidence Bay was the first mobile high-definition edit suite in the world. The facility is a 35' recreational vehicle
with two full editing bays inside. It first debuted in March 2006 at South by Southwest
(SXSW) in Austin, Texas
.
. Most of the tech is hidden out of view with only the displays, keyboards, and such being visible. The vehicle has two slide-out compartments that expand the interior to 300 square feet (27.9 m²). The custom cabinetry and counters were created by Gerry Burgess. The counter tops and several of the cabinets feature rounded edges which were created by steaming and bending the wood over time. The floor is covered with laminate hardwood flooring.
There's a video projector
inside the RV that points to a dual-vision projection screen
in front of a 16:9 aspect window in the side of the RV. At night the images projected onto the screen are visible to anybody standing outside the truck. This was designed to allow large groups of crew members to view footage without having to crowd into the truck.
The technology used in Confidence Bay is customized to the needs of the project. By default, the systems are multi-processor MacPro towers with Final Cut Studio
, but the tech has been reconfigured in the past for AVID
, Premiere
, and Sony Vegas
. The infrastructure is designed to work with any desktop platform.
(AC) power is fed into a high power battery charger that feeds 12V direct current
(DC) into 600 LBS of deep cycle marine batteries
. Two 2000 watt ProSine inverters use the power from the battery bank and feed pristine 120V AC power to the two editing systems. This configuration completely isolates the sensitive electronics onboard from any spikes, sags, blackouts, or otherwise irregular power fluctuations that frequently occur when plugging into some generators
or less than ideal electricity sources. This also allows the systems to remain up and fully functional while completely disconnected from any power source
at all for close to an hour at moderate electrical load.
The truck does have a 5.5KW gasoline
generator which can run continuously for over 3 days if grid power is not available. The fuel supply is the 75 gallon gas tank used by the RV's engine. The generator will shut off when the gas gets down to 1/8 of a tank to prevent running the tank dry.
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
with two full editing bays inside. It first debuted in March 2006 at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
(SXSW) in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Design philosophy
The interior of the truck was designed to focus on the comfort of the passengers instead of focusing on the technologyTechnology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. Most of the tech is hidden out of view with only the displays, keyboards, and such being visible. The vehicle has two slide-out compartments that expand the interior to 300 square feet (27.9 m²). The custom cabinetry and counters were created by Gerry Burgess. The counter tops and several of the cabinets feature rounded edges which were created by steaming and bending the wood over time. The floor is covered with laminate hardwood flooring.
There's a video projector
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
inside the RV that points to a dual-vision projection screen
Projection screen
A projection screen is an installation consisting of a surface and a support structure used for displaying a projected image for the view of an audience. Projection screens may be permanently installed, as in a movie theater; painted on the wall; or semi-permanent or mobile, as in a conference room...
in front of a 16:9 aspect window in the side of the RV. At night the images projected onto the screen are visible to anybody standing outside the truck. This was designed to allow large groups of crew members to view footage without having to crowd into the truck.
The technology used in Confidence Bay is customized to the needs of the project. By default, the systems are multi-processor MacPro towers with Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio
Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc., and a direct competitor to Avid Media Composer in the high-end movie production industry...
, but the tech has been reconfigured in the past for AVID
AVID
AVID stands for:* Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges in the U.S....
, Premiere
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of the Adobe Creative Suite, a suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe Systems, though it can also be purchased separately. When purchased separately, it comes...
, and Sony Vegas
Sony Vegas
Sony Vegas is a professional video editing software package for non-linear editing systems originally published by Sonic Foundry, now owned and run by Sony Creative Software. Originally developed as an audio editor, it eventually developed into an NLE for video and audio from version 2.0...
. The infrastructure is designed to work with any desktop platform.
Power
The power system on Confidence Bay is a double conversion power system. Alternating CurrentAlternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
(AC) power is fed into a high power battery charger that feeds 12V direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
(DC) into 600 LBS of deep cycle marine batteries
Deep cycle battery
A deep-cycle battery is a lead-acid battery designed to be regularly deeply discharged using most of its capacity. In contrast, starter batteries are designed to deliver short, high-current bursts for cranking the engine, thus frequently discharged of only a very small part of their capacity...
. Two 2000 watt ProSine inverters use the power from the battery bank and feed pristine 120V AC power to the two editing systems. This configuration completely isolates the sensitive electronics onboard from any spikes, sags, blackouts, or otherwise irregular power fluctuations that frequently occur when plugging into some generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
or less than ideal electricity sources. This also allows the systems to remain up and fully functional while completely disconnected from any power source
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
at all for close to an hour at moderate electrical load.
The truck does have a 5.5KW gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
generator which can run continuously for over 3 days if grid power is not available. The fuel supply is the 75 gallon gas tank used by the RV's engine. The generator will shut off when the gas gets down to 1/8 of a tank to prevent running the tank dry.
Features
- DoonbyDoonbyDoonby is an upcoming film written and directed by Peter Mackenzie and produced by Michael Mackenzie, Mark Joseph and Tommy Warren. It stars John Schneider, Jenn Gotzon, Ernie Hudson, Jennifer O'Neill, Will Wallace, Robert Davi, and Joe Estevez...
- Beyond the Farthest Star
- Carried AwayCarried Away (2009 film)Carried Away is a 2009 film written and directed by Tom Huckabee, starring Gabriel Horn, Juli Erickson, Mark Walters, Bryan Massey, and Tyler Corie....
- Night Crawlers
Festivals
- San Diego Comic-Con International (2008, 2009)
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalThe New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
(2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) - AFI-Dallas Film FestivalDallas International Film FestivalThe DALLAS International Film Festival, presented by DALLAS Film Society, is a film festival that takes place annually in the state of Texas, in the United States. It takes place in April of every year. The 2011 DALLAS International Film Festival will be held March 31-April 10, 2011...
(2007) - Austin Film FestivalAustin Film FestivalThe Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
(2007) - Sasquatch Music Festival (2006)
- Newport Jazz FestivalNewport Jazz FestivalThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
(2006)