Hasraf Dulull, Visual Effects Supervisor
Hasraf Dulull, is Visual Effects Supervisor at Prime Focus and Director / VFX Supervisor at HaZ- VFX, has worked on films such as the Dark Knight, Hell Boy 2 and Prince of Persia. He has just finished directing and producing his first short film "FUBAR” using the Apple Mac Pro 8-Core and an Apple MacBook Pro leased from HardSoft.
We asked Hasraf how these Apple Macs, leased from HardSoft Computers, have helped him in his work.
Q: What do you use the Apple MacBook Pro for?
A: I use the Apple MacBook Pro both in the studio and on location; it allows me to access the storyboards, scripts and the project management database. WiFi access means film set images can be sent back to the studio. The Apple MacBook Pro also allows me to make simple visual effects shots, presentations and carry out day-to-day activities such as email and research.
The new Apple MacBook Pro (8GB) delivers twice the performance than the previous model and its new graphic processors are up to three times faster, therefore making it an ideal machine when filming on location.
Q: How has leasing your IT equipment helped?
A: Well for starters I needed the equipment fast and to come off the allocated budget for the project. The project was self-funded so it made sense to allocate a monthly cost through a HardSoft Apple Mac Lease rather than spending a huge lump sum, and I can now offset payments against my tax. A key benefit to the HardSoft lease, which is vital to the running of my business, is that if I need another system due to increases of rendering required to hit a deadline, I can get one almost immediately and add it to my lease while retaining the same monthly budget.
Q: What software / applications are you using?
A: Apple’s Shake for basic compositing of visual effects shots, Adobe Photoshop CS5.5 for design and mock-up / concept work (with a Wacom Cintiq tablet), and Dropbox for online server storage and sharing with clients and teams across the world. Final Cut Express for editing footage and animation together quickly.
On the Apple Mac Pro 8-core tower system I use The Foundry's Nuke for compositing* and visual effects, and Photoshop for image manipulation work. Nuke is used on all the major big blockbuster Hollywood films such as Avatar, Green Lantern, and Captain America etc..
*Compositing is where all the elements such as the live action film footage, computer generated imagery (CGI) and visual effects are put together to make the final shot.
Q: Do the Apple Macs sufficiently support the software you use?
A: Absolutely, especially with the fast processors and the huge amount of RAM which allow my HD images to be cached to playback faster.
Q: To make your new film ‘FUBAR’ how important were your Apple Macs?
Essential, I needed the latest Apple Mac Pro 8-core machine to be able to render images (process the frames which makes up the animation), plus it had to have plenty of storage and run the latest Mac OS X.
The new Apple Mac Pro-8-Core delivers performance that’s nearly twice as fast as before. Each processor features an integrated memory controller and 12MB of fully shared L3 cache. Plus up to 32GB Ram, all-new high-performance graphics, and up to 8TB of internal storage.
Q: Why did you choose Apple Mac?
I always feel more comfortable with Apple Macs, and the use of QuickTime footage on an Apple Mac is more stable and productive than on a PC Windows machine.
Q: There are plenty of IT suppliers, why did you choose to stay with HardSoft?
A: I wanted to create a professional relationship as apposed to just a straight box-shifting service. HardSoft understand my needs as a creative as well as the design and film production industry, which meant HardSoft provided me with the right system within budget and no long credit check processes. I had a system in my studio within a week
Q: Will your equipment be able to cope with your latest projects?
A: Yes, however I am also looking to install the new Apple Mac OS X Lion, so I will be calling HardSoft to see what my options are. HardSoft make it make very easy to obtain the right system quickly; they are always available via phone or email.
For expert advice on leasing Apple Mac Pro computers configured to your needs please contact HardSoft ...
