Filters

The number of frames on ref.video has more than tripled over the past few months, from 42K to 161K. And we are not going to slow down the pace of adding new shots, because it's never too many. Along with the development of technologies, shooting methods and professional techniques, the demand for references with the use of everything new is also growing. However, even now in all this diversity, it is difficult to find exactly what you need, or you have to look longer. Therefore, we help you to simplify your search, and one of the key tools in this is filters.

Here is a small guide to our existing filters, and at the end we will tell you about our plans for the development of the platform and what awaits you, the ref.video members.

Shot category

We have been looking for a high-quality solution in computer vision technology for a long time and finally found it. A technically sophisticated algorithm processed each frame in our database, and we brought the shots into certain categories that are most common, or simply the most applicable in the field of video shooting and film making. By choosing a specific category of shots that suits your current task, you can get the most accurate results for your search of frames. That why you will see only those frames that belong to the selected category, without wasting time looking at all irrelevant frames. Of course, it also happens that you need to deliberately move away from the usual perception of the frame and see it from a different angle. In this case, you can choose an unexpected and unusual shot category or not use this filter at all. The beauty is that this is just a convenient option for you.

Video category

Sounds similar to the previous section, but it is not. Our team manually reviewed every single video from our database and assigned it to a specific category. On some general basis, of course, we could define each video in some category, but that would not be very professional, because artificial intelligence is not yet smart enough to define subtle contexts or a director's idea. In the video categories, there are both the most understandable and applicable in practice - for example, commercials, music videos, short films, and such as transportation or abstract. Interestingly, individual frames from the video may not seem to coincide with the selected category, but this is understandable, because various techniques and practices are used when shooting, and it is not always possible to judge by just one frame. Therefore, if you know which category you need, choose it and increase your viewing experience, or just watch and be inspired by videos in the direction you need. In the future, we will add an option in the interface so that you can point us to an obvious mistake when choosing a video category. Although, as usual, right now you can write to us in chat or email, and we will definitely double-check the video and, if necessary, change its category.

Accurate search

This feature is still in beta testing and will probably be like this for a while. However, we can already say that this has proven itself excellently and has qualitatively increased the level of search. Again, Accurate search should be used wisely, because sometimes it will be easier to just ignore some shots when reviewing references. When using this function, the number of results in the output will almost always be less, because the algorithm cuts off the results if they have a discrepancy with the relevance of the query. In any case, try it and decide for yourself when you need to apply it.

Shot color

This is one of the most popular filter features among our users. After all, there is nothing easier than choosing the desired color when you have already presented it on the frame in your head, and looking at exactly those frames that contain this color. Moreover, the search query can be anything, of course. It's also an absolutely indispensable filter for all gaffers and colorists who can instantly get inspired in just a couple of clicks.

Frame duration

It's a very straightforward filter and we think everyone in the film industry knows how to use it to their best advantage. After all, it happens that the frame will last only a fraction of a second in a very dynamic video sequence, and it also happens that you need to shoot an alternative version of Oldboy's corridor fight or an extremely long passage through the rooms of a nightclub from Scorsese's films. There are a lot of options, and the pre-selected frame length will certainly simplify your task when looking for good references.

Year uploaded

While we have not yet reached the technological singularity (ahh, what a relief), we have the opportunity to create and develop on our own. However, even in creativity and especially in video production, everything changes so quickly due to technology that we do not always have time to keep up with progress. Well of course, there are the basics and classic techniques in video shooting, but there is also a constantly expanding line of new cool and extremely high-tech cameras, drones, lenses and just all kinds of techniques and methods. Therefore, depending on what you are shooting now and what project you are working on, it is worth choosing the appropriate references. By definition, we try to take only the freshest videos from the industry, this is our ideal that we strive for. But we also cannot pass by legendary shootings or just very high-quality videos, which are more than 5-7 years old. This is why you can use a filter of when the video was created and uploaded. There are many practical applications here, but no one knows about them better than you, because each video is individual, like the references that you need to find for this video.

People

It happens that you need a certain element of the interior or some kind of detail. But you will probably agree that most often we shoot about people and for people. For this, we have made such a fine adjustment for the number of people in the frame, gender, age and ethnicity. Perhaps the most common of these four filters is the filter for the number of people in the frame. You can always look at how different the results will be if you try to find a frame with one, three or a crowd of people in the frame for the same search query. Of course, we did not rely on anything other than the data available to us from the computer vision system that we have. Therefore, the development of all these filters depends primarily on our third-party technology stack partners. We, in turn, will always keep up with the times and connect all the new available distinctions and types that our colleagues have. This will allow you to customize the search of references for the most awesome results at a very precise and local level.

And of course, now only a small part of all filters are presented, compared to what will appear in the coming months. Just imagine that you can search for references by the aspect ratio of the screen, by the arrangement of light in the frame, by the size of the shot (long shot, medium-long shot, close-up, etc.), by the presence of color processing in the video, by the orientation of the video, whether it is vertical , horizontal, angled, etc. We will also work on localization, which will allow you to search for footage in a specific country in which the video was filmed, because this can radically change the light and a bunch of other parameters. Video resolution and quality choices - obviously we are already doing this. NSFW filter (adult and unsafe content), after which our platform can be used even by novice professionals who are just starting to study their profession in the field of cinema, and we will also offer different sorting of search results - new, the best matching or the most popular.

We will talk about all these new features as they are released, but we have really ambitious plans. After all, the task of the first priority is to make the search as fast and convenient as possible. And we will definitely ask you and conduct surveys, what you are missing when searching, what filters you need and what we can improve with the current ones.