June 2004 Issue

12 Inch Design's ProductionBlox
 
"How would you like your very own virtual motion graphics department? One that doesn't need constant ego reassurance, expensive plug-ins, health insurance, 401Ks or coffee breaks? That's the general idea behind 12 Inch Design's ProductionBlox, a collection of high-quality, royalty-free motion graphics with matching design elements that you can use as building blocks for both professional video and multimedia projects..."
 
"Opposed to using "canned" art? Doubtful "buyout" graphics libraries can be any good? Then you haven't been exposed to ProductionBlox. These files were created by professionals for professionals with a distinctive flare for design and post production functionality..."
 
"For this review I demo'd "units" three and four and found them to be refreshingly distinct - with a contemporary feel that I hadn't encountered with competing collections..."
 
"When it's all said and done, these are good tools that, egos aside, everybody can make good use of in their projects. ProductionBlox units are geared for editors and producers who need to achieve stunning motion graphics on a fiscally tight budget."

March 2004 Issue

Off-The-Shelf Graphics Library Solutions

"We had a simple set of criteria by which we would select a graphics library. First and foremost, the graphics had to look great. We don't do cheesy. I know that sounds obvious, but, after some of the samples we got, maybe it wasn't. Second, we wanted graphics that looked fresh and original. In addition, anything we bought had to keep us within our modest budget..."
 
"After examining many good packages, it came down to two finalists: ProductionBlox, the SD offering from 12 Inch Design, and the 20-volume set of Jump Backs from Digital Juice. Both libraries have some killer elements that, frankly, gave our programs the kick they needed. What did we like best about these offerings? For me, it's the fact that I don't need to be a graphics guru to make these things work. For my partner, it's the fact that our graphics looked original and we made our budget..."
 
"When we moved over to the stuff from 12 Inch Design, it was as simple as bringing in our backgrounds as a QuickTime file. My partner and I were able to access material easily and get it into our final programs. We were so excited about the output quality that we decided that, unless we come up with a million-dollar budget, this is the route we'll take for graphics now and in the future..."
 
"If a remedial user like me can make graphics sing and dance with these pieces of software, I can't imagine what a professional editor would be able to do..."

January 2004 Issue

Pre-built Graphics Solutions

By David Tecson President/Founder Edgeworx

"Enter ProductionBlox, a set of high-quality motion graphics produced as a full package, complete with looping animation, animated mattes for lower thirds, and other types of interaction with shot or live footage. The product has made it very simple to add a sophisticated look to a show or presentation..."

"In general, these will raise quality of work, especially for industrials, presentations, and shows with very tight budgets (and there's an increasing number of those)..."

"ProductionBlox units are geared for editors and producers who need to achieve a high level of visual quality on a typically tight budget."

January 2004 Issue

Broadcast graphics collections create more time for core production tasks

By Jeff Sauer, Freelance Video Producer and Industry Consultant

"How about a personal, virtual graphics department? That's somewhat the idea behind ProductionBlox...

Sound like stock footage? Canned video clip art? Well, it is. But ProductionBlox is graphics that were created by professionals for professionals with a serious eye on function, as well as design flare...

On the surface these may not sound like such impressive packages. After all, there are several options out there for stock footage and motion graphics, often for a lot less money. However, asset libraries are generally very mixed bags, and that's where 12 Inch Design raises the bar...

The Units are reliable building blocks that you can use rather than spending your time doing a necessary, but arguably tangential video production job...

If you're an independent producer, or even a large studio, and you need to get work done efficiently, the economics make sense... if you can earn more working on building a client base or on more core aspects of projects, maybe a Blox in your back pocket isn't such a bad idea."

January 15th show

LiveType Central and 12 Inch Design.

Tony Stutterheim and Nicholas Napp, the founders of 12 Inch Design, talk with The DV Guys, Ron Margolis & Philip Hodgetts.

December 2003

LiveTypeCentral

By David A. Saraceno, Motion Graphics Artist and writer for DV Magazine, AV Video, MacHome Journal, and other magazines.

"LiveTypeCentral recently "went live" with its web site that offers various add ons to LiveType. Its first efforts are both nicely done and affordable...

The effects, templates, and LiveFonts of LiveTypeCentral represent excellent starting points for motion graphic novices and professionals alike. Many of the templates can be adapted for use in DVD menu creation. The LiveFonts are certainly not for every situation, and work well when well placed, and are good examples of what the LiveType technology can provide. Moreover, they are reasonably priced given the amount of time and effort necessary to create them. The animated text effects are simple, interesting, and effective...

Overall, if you want to save time at the initial creation process for animated text, LiveTypeCentral is an excellent starting point. Rather than recreating the wheel, just start it rolling with these products."