Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Cooking - Shadiah Sigala Style
Shadiah Sigala is an actress I've been working with for almost a year now. She's super talented, funny and a very hard worker.
This is her entry for the Food Network YouTube competition:
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
iMovie on iPhone 4
So far, I'm pretty happy with the iPhone 4.
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It takes reasonably good "HD" video (god, if we could get people to stop saying "is that in HD" or "it's HD" or "I love it in HD" etc etc).
The iMovie app on the iPhone 4 is very well priced at $4.99. As an app it's really basic, with good icons and a pretty slick/simple interface.
Creating a new project is done by selecting a "theme" which will determine the transitions and title text that are offered while you edit.
Editing together different clips is pretty simple as well- you just click the "drop in" icon to sort through your shot videos and then select the clips that you want as part of the project.
Transitions are represented by small "bowtie" icons, which when double-tapped are adjustable. Either leave the theme transition as-is or remove them (I prefer to remove), and then keep working through your clips.
Transitions are represented by small "bowtie" icons, which when double-tapped are adjustable. Either leave the theme transition as-is or remove them (I prefer to remove), and then keep working through your clips.
Individual clips can be trimmed in size by clicking on the clip, then using the familiar "copy/paste" goalposts to drag the clip to be longer or shorter. Titles can be changed by double-tapping the individual clips as well.
I have found that trimming your clips to get the "right part" of your video is finicky- in some cases you trim one clip, and iMovie will also trim others that are to the right or left of it. This is super-frustrating.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Zacuto Critics Videos...
One of my favorite items on the web is Zacuto's "Critics" series...Getting the opportunity to watch two industry veterans really critique Vimeo content is worth the price of admission alone.
I personally find it challenging get a) real, truthful opinions from friends, (more on this here), b) good critical ideas that go beyond 'the sound is messed up' and more deeply into ideas of composition and concept... I think that online video is kind of cheap, there is so much of it that unless you're really dialed in with other content producers, it's hard to get eyes and minds on what you're up to... then again, I'm not great at networking...! and finally c) advice from people who are higher up on the foodchain! This is really the thing I like the most about Critics- it's an opportunity to watch two smart people talk through ideas, concepts, and technique without a lot of BS...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Kingston Station... Roughcut, no titles.
A fantastic Boston restaurant, Kingston Station is located right in Downtown Crossing.
Bistro cuisine, great bar, and cool spot- check it out!
Bistro cuisine, great bar, and cool spot- check it out!
Corporate Video
This is an office video I put together for teams I work with and for. It is a parody bit- all meant to be in good humor.
Thanks to all of the folks who helped out!
Thanks to all of the folks who helped out!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New England Ninpo Situational Video Series
Capturing action is very challenging for me- I've got a couple of great books that talk about camera angles, movements and setup for a wide variety of situations, but they're mostly in regards to fictional "stunt" actions, or for tension-building moments in film.
Shooting actual martial arts videos, action works a bit differently - you're supposed to be able to see what's really happening, so that as a technician, you can parse the different movements in order to potentially replicate (or consider replicating them).
Hey, I'm overthinking again, right?
Well, add to that the very interesting position of working with people who could tear your arms off and beat you with them - they're not "actors" per se, they're martial artists, experts in hand to hand (and hand to whatever you want, in the case of Mr. Davis).
So, here's the first in an installment of online "situational self protection" videos.
The next step will be to add the "in class" demonstration portion, with Mark Davis, the instructor, talking through what's going on, and how to best keep oneself safe in the displayed situation.
Thanks to Mr. Mark Davis and Mr. Paul Etherington for their time and effort, and to Renato Rodriguez, Tom Lato (the shakahachi flute), and Ryan Oberland!
Shooting actual martial arts videos, action works a bit differently - you're supposed to be able to see what's really happening, so that as a technician, you can parse the different movements in order to potentially replicate (or consider replicating them).
Hey, I'm overthinking again, right?
Well, add to that the very interesting position of working with people who could tear your arms off and beat you with them - they're not "actors" per se, they're martial artists, experts in hand to hand (and hand to whatever you want, in the case of Mr. Davis).
So, here's the first in an installment of online "situational self protection" videos.
The next step will be to add the "in class" demonstration portion, with Mark Davis, the instructor, talking through what's going on, and how to best keep oneself safe in the displayed situation.
Thanks to Mr. Mark Davis and Mr. Paul Etherington for their time and effort, and to Renato Rodriguez, Tom Lato (the shakahachi flute), and Ryan Oberland!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Comments and Ideas on Your Videos
Someone stop me. Now I see why Andrew told us NOT to get him that PS3 for Xmas. Yeow.
And here's one I was in...
Women, an adaptation of a David Mamet bit by Arlen Ladue and Luke Boelitz.
Cast- Ashely Burgess, my Honda, and me.
Cast- Ashely Burgess, my Honda, and me.
Jagpro35 Gear
In my quest for the "proper kit" I've read a LOT of posts on both Vincent Laforet's as well as Phillip Bloom's blogs. Mr. Bloom had a post back awhile ago where he talked about a "runner up" to the gorgeous, albeit pricey, Zacuto Z-Finder.
Mr. Bloom reviewed the Jagpro JagPro Follow Focus system, which I promptly ordered.
The Follow Focus is very cool, it gives a much more controllable feel to the focus - with an SLR you're reaching around to the front to turn the barrel of the lens, and this causes jumpyness or other shake in your video. The FF allows you to very gently turn a large, easy-to-grasp knob, and get the focus you want. It also could let a focus-puller come into play, though that might be overkill... Then again, it's really not when you're moving these cameras around and doing lots of interesting scene setups.
Once I got on the Jagpro site, the LCD Viewfinder caught my eye- here was the answer to the Z-Finder, but for under $200! Moreso than the FF, the LCDVF is a must-have for any daylight shooting, and for any 3rd party manual lenses. With the JP LCDVF I can actually tell if things are in focus without having to bring a monitor, or generally worrying about the results.
Mr. Bloom reviewed the Jagpro JagPro Follow Focus system, which I promptly ordered.
The Follow Focus is very cool, it gives a much more controllable feel to the focus - with an SLR you're reaching around to the front to turn the barrel of the lens, and this causes jumpyness or other shake in your video. The FF allows you to very gently turn a large, easy-to-grasp knob, and get the focus you want. It also could let a focus-puller come into play, though that might be overkill... Then again, it's really not when you're moving these cameras around and doing lots of interesting scene setups.
Once I got on the Jagpro site, the LCD Viewfinder caught my eye- here was the answer to the Z-Finder, but for under $200! Moreso than the FF, the LCDVF is a must-have for any daylight shooting, and for any 3rd party manual lenses. With the JP LCDVF I can actually tell if things are in focus without having to bring a monitor, or generally worrying about the results.
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