June 19, 2009
This was an experience of a life time! I spent a week with the Men and Women of the Navy. I was aboard the USS John C. Stennis which also happens to be the same ship in the upcoming “Transformers” movie.
We didn’t know what we would get when we went out there but I think we came back with a fun video. Not only did I shoot it but I edited it as well. I had 10 hours of video that needed to be whittled down into 8 or 9 minutes. We shot on MiniDV 16×9 Standard Def. I was there to document the installation of a Golden Tee aboard the Aircraft Carrier. I just want to say yeah, my job is cool. Not only do I make video games but I get sent out to make videos like this too.
Not only did I have a great time, but it was also a humbling experience and I met many talented people that are working hard everyday to make sure we are safe. I hope people think about their sacrifice on more than just holidays because their job is 24/7/365 and they do it pretty damn well!
May 18, 2009
How much smaller and faster can it get when it comes to producing content? I would flip if I had to wait 2 weeks to view what I just recorded. How about you?
Thank you for using Picture and Video Messaging by U.S. Cellular. See www.uscellular.com for info.
May 13, 2009
I’m not the most organized person, but I do start my motion graphics or visual effect projects this way. As the image below shows this is a folder full of empty folders.
I use 3D Studio Max and the Adobe Creative Suite. So my folder structure is geared to what I use and my workflow. It’s easy to arrange and rename the folders anyway you need for whatever software you use.
The benefits. Archive is the main one. With everything split up in to folders it’s easy to split up the project depending on the disk size you have to archive on. The other is memory… As I get older it’s harder for me to remember where I put things. So if I start off with this it’s much easier to find where things go without having to think about it. I’d rather be creating than managing.
You can download this folder here or click on the image!
I’m a PC but there is no reason this wouldn’t work with a MAC. Stuff-IT will open it no problem just be sure to extract it so all the files keep their parents.
Quick Tips:
- Change the folder names for your project.
- Rendered folder already has blank folders for all your render passes
- Most folders have sub folder for further organizing files.
- Use the extra folders under “06_video_vidcaps” to separate different tapes or memory cards. Plus it’s easier for archiving.
- Delete folders you don’t need.
Let me know what I left out, can’t think of everything.
January 26, 2009
I really mean Makeup. You’ve guessed it these are makeup bags. Cost me $3.99 at Target. I know this is not a new idea and I think I remember it back from my film school days. Recently the wife had a couple extra little bags around so I repurposed them for my adapters.
The problem I couldn’t see what I had in the bag. So on my last visit Target I took a look around. With wife in tow of course. Didn’t want to be seen in cosmetics by myself….
Anyway found these little gems clear and just the right size. The great thing is they fit into my video and audio bags easily. I also have my adapters divided up for different uses. Now if I don’t need some of the adapters I can leave a bag or 2 behind.
January 11, 2009
January 1st I helped launch Midwest Media Now! This is a project I’ve been talking with my friends for a while now. I’d drive them nuts talking about this stuff and to get me off their back, they’d tell me I should start my own show…
So I did!
It’s taken me about 2 years to get a handle on it myself. The good news is a lot of people are trying to make something of this. The even better news is everyone well most everyone is still trying to figure this out. So there is still time to get in and make something happen.
Is this a race? YES! But I think it’s one everyone (content creators) of all types might win out on.
What’s the show about?
You can hear me and others talk about the state of new media in the Midwest, ideas behind new media and Internet distribution. But that’s not the only thing we’ll be talking about.
The show will also be full of tips and tricks things we’ve learned and things our guests have learned while making content for the Internet. We’ll find out what kind gear they use, the computers, software and how they put it together on a shoe string budget.
Are people making money with this yet and where do we see it going. Even though the theme of the show is the Midwest, there are projects being created around the world that are great examples of what can be done with an idea and some hard work.
We are just starting this up so things are a little rough right now and I’m not sure how good of a host I’ll be. I do know I’m deeply interested in the ideas and opportunities the Internet has grown into over the past few years and I just want to talk about it with other like minded people.
So listen to the show and if you want to be a part of the conversation and share your thoughts or the project you’re working on then click here. Let others know about all the creative hard work that is being done right here in the Midwest.
November 16, 2008
I like free stuff. So here’s something free that every filmmaker can use. Your done with your film and you’ve entered it into some film festivals and you got IN congratulation!
I’m sure the last thing you want to do is make more art work to promote your film. I wanted to show off the festivals I was accepted at but I found most Festival didn’t have their own Laurels to hand out. So I made some, now I figure other filmmakers can use them too.
Just click on the image or here to download your customizable PSD file. Yes you will need Photoshop to use this.
In the PSD you’ll find a black version and a white version. But you can make these any color to match your website. Here’s how use can use them.
- Click on the text layers to change the name of the film festival, it’s subtitle, and year.
- Then select all the text layers and recenter the text so they fit in the Laurels nicely.
- Set background color. There is a black and gray in there now but you can set those colors to anything you need.
- Transparent background. Turn off the background colors, then select “Save for Web” in Photoshop and select the PNG file format. Then you won’t have to worry about color.
I tried to make the psd a nice size so it could be scaled down to any size for web and it should still be okay for print on posters or DVD cases.
Let me know if you find them useful. If there are questions leave a comment.
November 1, 2008
Be warned this list can change from time to time. These are not in order of importance just must see movies.
- Dude, Where’s my Car?
- Donnie Darko
- The Thing Directed by John Carpenter
- Miracle Mile
- Colossus “The Forbin” Project. Don’t wait for Ron Howards version
- Run Lola Run
- The Butterfly Effect
- May
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- Duel
- Ghost dog.
- Lady Killers with Alec Guinness
- Marathon Man
Oh and yeah I made it 13 because of Halloween! BOO!
October 16, 2008
This effect has been getting some buzz lately because of this fantastic looking tilt shift time-lapse effect created by Keith Loutit. There are a number of Photoshop Tutorials out there related to this, this one is great! so check it out. I believe I even saw this explained in “Wired”…
But I figured if it can be done in Photoshop it can be done in After Effects.
It’s a pretty simple concept and so many other people have done a great job of explaining it, I figured why should I even bother.
But I figured I could do it one better by making an After Effects file you can use! You can download it here.
In the file you’ll find a version for HD and SD. You can drop in your own footage by just replacing the image I’ve included in the project file.
TIPS:
If you replace the footage un-parent the null object first, then do a replace footage command.( I used a null because I was using a digital image and I wanted to scale.)
You can adjust the blur of the image and the feather of the mask.
Keep in mind the band of focus should be narrow. But with this technique you can move the mask around and make any part of the image have the miniature effect.
I hope this is useful.
Oh yeah, The photo is Downtown Kansas City, MO!
October 15, 2008
No I didn’t spell it wrong. I mean Nagra not Niagara.
Let me start off by saying I am not a sound guy and no sound persons job is any danger.
When I was in film school the way we would gather sound was with a Narga reel to reel recorder or a Marantz audio cassette recorder. The Nagra offered Crystal sync with the film camera. Which enabled the picture from the film camera and the audio from the recorder to by synchronized for editing later. This was called a double system. Get it… sound and picture… two, double system.
But who needs this any more? Nagra is still around and it looks like they have some very cool gear. But this has always been the Mercedes of Recorders not to mention the price is pretty similar.
Here’s my kit.
Zoom H2
Azden shot gun
mic cable
grip
mic mount
I’m usually a crew of one or two people so I don’t really need anything that complicated. But even if I had more people around and I needed more mics I would still go this way. There is a mic input and line input on the Zoom H2 which enables you to hook in a Shotgun Mic like I have pictured above or a mixer. (I’ll do a another post on my mixer solutions later.)
But for run-a-gun productions this is a sweet system and can be used several ways. Always remember to at least carry some ear buds with you. Just in case you forget your head phones.
1. Double system: Don’t worry about the sound that is being recorded on the camera and the sound person can be running around separate from the camera person. It’s a good idea to have a slate with you or clapping hands is fine too. You just need a visual and a sound cue on the wave form to see there the two medias line up.
2. Sound Gathering: Capturing wild sounds that you find you need during post production and editing.
3. Interview Style: Recording two or more people. In most cases you can just use the built in mic on the H2 but if you have a group or people at a little distance the shotgun mic will help out tremendously. The pistol grip makes pointing the mic around a lot easier too.
What other sound tips do you have or what’s your sound kit look like?
