Norbifilms

The growth of 3D movies

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:11:00 +0000

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/748366-REG/Sony_HDR_TD10_HDR_TD10_Full_HD_3D.html

In today’s blog post, I’m going to be going into detail about the growth of 3D cameras, and the difference it makes in the extreme sport world.

When I first heard of companies like Panasonic and Sony started making 3D cameras more affordable and accessible to the public, I was excited.

Only did I know, people might be able to afford these cameras, but the 3D business still has a lot of kinks and curves to work out. For example; even though they say their cameras shoot 3D, you won’t be able to adjust the depth of field, or how 3D your image is. What I’m trying to say with that is, that we might be able to buy affordable 3D cameras easier nowadays, but I can guarantee that were going to see a lot of improvements in the near future.

There are more and more 3D movies being made in Hollywood as well.

Movie producers know, that they can sell the tickets for more money, therefore make more profit. The only thing that reminds us not to take our glasses off during the movie is the little warning message before the film. It says: Even though this movie is 3D, there are some 2D scenes, but never take your glasses off. This brings up the question, how much of the movies we watch today are actually 3D? And if they’re not 100% 3D than why are we paying double the price of a regular movie ticket?

One thing is for certain, the 3D cameras are going to get better and better each year, being able to capture 3D movies is becoming regularity. I’m looking forward to the next big hit 3D movie, as well as new 3D extreme sport films coming out in the future.

The Letus converter, and the difference it makes

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 14:15:00 +0000

http://www.expandore.com/product/add/Lenses/Lens_Accsry/Bundle_Sales/Extreme_Starter_Bundle.htm

In this week’s blog post, I’m going to be introducing the Letus 35 extreme converter. The converter is a device that attaches on to cameras where the lens would go; creating a “Z” shaped refection of the image, while adding the possibility of using most name brand lenses. It not only creates more of a 35mm film like look but also adds depth of field to the picture.

Depending on what lens stock the cinematographer chooses to use, he/she can really get a super shallow depth of field look. With all the attachments in mind, it is recommended to use a support rod rig, and possibly a tripod or at least a monopod. One of my favorite wakeboarding movies that utilized the 35 extreme converter is Hyperlite Wakeboard`s “Rewritten”

While watching the movie, not only was I blown away by the production, but I could also see some point of view shots that showed the Letus 35 in use. This, along with many other movies; have proven how much of a difference can one of these converters make. Keep in mind the cameras they were using were top of the line HD cameras like the Panasonic HVX and Sony Ex1. Obviously if you attached the converter to a different category camera you wouldn’t get the same effect that Sean Kilgus did in Rewritten. There are more and more bigger budget extreme sport films being made each year, I cannot wait for the next one.

Keep in mind, that these converters have only been around for a few years; they have already made a huge impact on the film world. Not just the extreme sport world. There are tons of comparison videos out there like this one. Where you can see how the device works, and how much more beautiful it makes every shot.

I can’t wait to start utilizing mine.

Expert Views On Business Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:36:00 +0000

http://mobile-cuisine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/business-plan.jpg

In this weeks blog post I’m going to be doing some research and I’ll examine/summarize the views of two recognized experts, in the field of writing and/or reviewing business plans.

The first industry professional I’m going to be reviewing is Andrea Cockerton who’s an “independent pitch expert and advisor in the United Kingdom. She has worked with over 350 entrepreneurs during her career in the business world. Her expertise revolves around “venture funding and business critical ideas.” She’s been holding entrepreneurial workshops, while networking with companies from the U.K. helping developing large companies in “order to successfully impact the business world”. Andrea’s been a part of Microsoft, through her experience and skills she became an MIT Enterprise Forum board member. Not only she paid her dues in the business world, she also “co-founded a successful business herself in 2009 called Brick Handbag”.

In one of her interviews she mentioned some “key information for a successful business plan”; She thinks its important to ask your investors/bankers for money before there isn’t any left. Andrea stated: “Going to investors at too late a stage is a risky strategy. Better is to look at the long-term objectives and aspirations of the business and plan the fundraising sensibly into this long-term strategy,” (Thenextwomen.com, 2008)

I couldn’t agree any more with Andrea. There couldn’t be a worst possible outcome for a business than to have no money. Therefore it is way smarter to just ask your investors for more money before it’s all gone. This is considered key because without money no business can run.

The other expert I’m going to be reviewing is Angelo Menequzzi who’s a business professional with over 10 years of past in the business world. He’s taken part of several start up businesses, as well as some work in “public relations, product development, and sales experience”.

He has developed many business plans while also consulting with other businesses. Angelo thinks it’s important to have a safe business plan because: “benefits include: a heads-up to changes in the environments, better forecasting, opportunities to analyze situations before they become problematic,” (Bplans.com, 2011).

Angelo is a very smart man; imagine being able to foresee opportunities to analyze problems before they become serious threats. With precautions like this, there are only minor details that could fly by Mr. Menequzzi’s head.

From reading about these two industry professionals I was able to get insight into what are some key elements that business owners should be aware of. I’m looking forward to hearing from other professionals as well, learning from their mistakes, so we don’t have to make them like they did one time.

Social Media within sports online

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 19:15:00 +0000

http://greatfinds.icrossing.com/how-to-leverage-paid-tactics-in-social-media/

Social media within sports online, and social networking has been the one thing that has not stopped evolving, constantly improving in the past couple of years. I can remember clearly when people were really into the whole MySpace trend, but that eventually died out. It ended up being replaced by just musicians showcasing their talents via their MySpace. Allowing people to listen, share, comment and even create their own playlist.

The two things that I think are mainly dominating todays social media are: Facebook and Twitter. There are still artists out there posting their content on MySpace but I can almost guarantee, that they also have a Facebook and Twitter account. The only way to effectively network and keep sharing your content is, by staying on top of your posts and being consistent. Not only professional, but relevant. In the extreme sport world some companies are doing a better job than others. The better ones know to keep their fans updated, with introducing new team members, posting new videos and pictures. The less dedicated ones will eventually lose their following, and won’t be able to reach their target market, like they wanted to. One of the companies that does a great job managing their social media is Monster Energy. Just by looking at their cover photo I can tell what sports they’re involved in, and how professional they are. Not only they have a good Facebook page, but also a widely followed twitter, as well as tons of pictures/fans on Instagram. If you scroll down their page you will also see some of their most recent activities, and achievements. I like to point out one of the last articles they posted, about a Liquid Force“Novembeard” give away. In the contest they encourage people to “grow a magnificent mustache”, post their pictures and they might be able to win free products. This is a fun, yet smart way of incorporating the November facial hair growing habits, with an affiliated company they’re friends with.

That is what social networking is all about, being able to reach out to your following, and engage them with whatever message you’re trying to spread about your product/company. In the long run, hopefully building an ever-bigger group of contacts, while making your company more successful.
As you're done reading this post, I would like to encourage you to leave a comment. If you're interested in digital marketing and the way it's influenced extreme sports media, please read one of my other posts.

Digital Marketing, and the way it's influenced Extreme sports media

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:06:00 +0000

"http://www.boardflix.com/product_info.php?products_id=822"

Digital Marketing, and the way it's influenced Extreme sports media

In this weeks blog post, I’m going to be discussing how the digital landscape changed the way we view extreme sports media today. With more detail on wakeboarding films, and how they evolved over the years. From the good old 16, and 35mm days, to todays RED and phantom like, high fps super high res/high quality images. With this in mind, not only the shooting of these movies, but also the marketing of them, have been influenced tons by the digital revolution.

Back in 2005, filmmakers like SeanKilgus were using 16 mm film stock to make the movie “Butter Effect”

Aaron Reed and Scott Byerly-The Butter Effect 2005 from Sean Kilgus on Vimeo.

That’s a lot different than what some of todays digital cameras are able to do. Just like this long boarding Phantom video shows.

Another perfect example of some RED work is this Red Bull Cranberry field project.

Needless to say these cameras are very costly and most companies only even rent them for special occasions. Some producers still might claim that films better than digital and that’s not what I’m trying to debate. If the client wants film I wouldn’t have a problem with using any stock. Just like the way the Internet changed the way products are being sold and advertised. Back in 2005 we were lucky if we found the DVD we were looking for. When in todays age all we need to do, is login to our iTunes account, and purchase the digital version online.

A lot has been changing but most companies take advantage of this digital wave and they use it to their best advantage. It’s the consumers that have also been getting used to this change and we’re just ready for the next big thing to show us how last year this latest format is. The innovation is unstoppable and inevitable.

Industry Liabilities

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:30:00 +0000

The three court cases I decided to analyze are : Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp, Golan et al. v. Holder, Attorney General, et al. ,Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster

In the first case they talk about General Dwight D. Eisenhower's World War II. book, Crusade in Europe, published my Doubleday and registered copyrights to Fox. According to the respondents Dastar did not stay true to the original story, they said he had only bought some video tapes and took his knowledge from those. Therefore I have to agree with the article on how that could have been misleading. Matching information is key especially if we're talking about copyrights and a historical event. The public has the right to know what happened in 1948 and how the German's rushed through Europe. When Fox reacquired the television rights to General Eisenhower's book they should have made sure that all of the included information they were about to broadcast are a 100% true.

I later on saw how the Lanham Act and its intend for deceptive misleading use of marks came into play in this case. I couldn't have agreed more with what I read and I still think that the origins of the information published must be clear. They shouldn't have taken a war story and changed parts of the story over time. Fox was just trying to double their profit on a copyright that they only paid for once.

In the second case I saw how the international copyright relations might come into play with my business idea. If I'm going to purchase the rights for certain media to be viewed and paid for by the subscribed users I must make sure that the same copyright laws are in effect in the countries where they are being played from. Doing the research on the date when the movies and copyrights were created is absolutely necessary. I really wouldn't want to find myself with an expiring copyright on any of my future videos that I'll be streaming from my site (VGP-Video Genome Project).

In the last case I found it pretty helpful to read about peer-to-peer networks since my future business model is based upon such communication. The studios I'll be contacting must be able to have proof of their copyrights with the attached dates and proper paperwork. If later on I get fined or even worse sewed for not having all the legal rights to my website and its contents than the studios could eventually shut down my whole business. Infringement is definitely one of my biggest concerns, getting and keeping up with each copyright is going to be mandatory.

What is a project schedule in project management, Project planning/management

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:36:00 +0000

http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/projplan.htm

In this weeks blog post I’m going to be talking about, what is a project schedule in project management, the product planning framework model and how it associates with my industry. I like what we have learned in class so far and I’m looking forward to applying it in more real world situations.

Just like a product manager would, me as a videographer can look at my past projects, and see that I have been involved with different plans: new product development plans, strategic plans and annual marketing plans. The product planning process overview is almost identical to how I would plan a shoot. Clarifying my scope is important because without understanding the scale of my plan, who the audience is, when the plan is going to be implemented and how the plan is going to fit into a budget or financial requirement I couldn’t ever successfully hand over my product. Doing an environmental scan before reaching out to possible future clients is also beneficial. Just like before a presentation, research is key in any project. Therefore finding the facts, collecting data, doing as much research as we possibly can, will definitely help our business to compete with other companies/products. But even if we keep everything in mind about planning every little detail of our projects we can never forget where we’re heading. I’m talking about goals and objectives. Since goals are different for everybody, I can’t exactly pin point what me, as a producer should be concentrating on in the near future. I know that I will not ever stop learning; therefore every new project I start will be better than the one before.

Just like at the end of today’s class we were reminded of our S.M.A.R.T. goals and how we should be specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented and time based. But being smart is only one of my strategies. I’m looking forward to seeing how my next projects turn out with everything that I learned in class. It’s going to be a good feeling to look back at this blog at the end of my program and see the progression I’ve made over the year.

Product and Artist Manager post

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:56:00 +0000

In this weeks blog post I’m going to be talking about how artist and product management goes into play within my industry, which involves a lot of extreme sport cinematography and editing. When talking about my separate edits I like to look at them as individual products therefore everything I learn in this months class I will be able to use towards my career. The top of the line professional athletes receive large amounts of money and other products through their agreements with their sponsors. The riders are followed by the media, just like celebrities and other actors are in Hollywood. With that in mind the main talents in my videos can be looked at as artist. Understanding how to evaluate the artist helped me to accurately look for things in talent. The talents image is also a huge part in my industry, since the riders with the better image are more followed, therefore valued different. Industry contacts are key in my industry, without a previously built relationship with the possible future companies I could never even pitch my ideas to the right people at the right company. Knowing what kind of contracts they might be having with their companies I will be able to pitch my future projects more successfully. Without the major companies supporting the media and all other aspects of the industry, progression would not have been close to as high as it has been. Naturally just like any other business this one also has it`s advantages and disadvantages. An advantage might be an artist acting on behalf of his or herself but at the end of the day it is really up to the actual talent to decide how they act. Whether what we’re talking about is a new negotiation or just being professional. Disadvantages are to the talent when partners end up ending the previous partnership.

Interview Blog Assignment

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:55:00 +0000

For this interview assignment I decided to interview Sydney Garlich who is not only active in the entertainment show business but negotiates deals daily whether it is for an upcoming show or her new contract with an entertainment company such as DubFactory Entertainment or Anti Gravity Incorporated.

Her two most recent deals that I will be focusing on are her most recent contract with Anti Gravity Atlanta and Dub Factory Entertainment. Some of her objective criteria that she used in those negotiations are: past performances, continuous progression within the industry and being a well-known aerialist.

Within separating the people from the problem, she told me she had to remember her emotions about the companies and their past acquaintances. Sydney said she liked working for those agencies in the past and that made her more comfortable to go into the negotiations. Her ability to communicate in a professional manner was also important; she had to remember what key terms to use about the industry while pushing towards what she wanted out of the agreement. Her BATNA included being an independent contractor. That allows her to get hired just through her, without the need of an agency. Knowing that she didn’t have to worry about what would have happened if the agency tried using any dirty tricks or tricky tactics. Her status as a well, international and nationally known aerial performer helped her keep the leverage she needed to get what she wanted.

Mutual benefit was also very important for both parties. The agencies and Sydney both knew that together they will be able to advertise the name while keeping her employed. Dirty tricks and tricky tactics weren’t present in her past 2 negotiations and when they were before she dealt with them accordingly. Since both Dub Factory Entertainment and Anti Gravity Incorporated Atlanta hired Sydney before, they had a good relationship.

From talking to her I was able to reflect on what I learned over the past few weeks while hearing her story about how she made it as an aerial performer and entrepreneur.

Boat VS. Cable

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:08:00 +0000

A few weeks earlier I talked about shooting wakeboarding and how it`s different to shoot someone riding behind a boat vs. a cable park. In this blog post I will be going into detail about how it can all affect your wallet. People would think that going out on a boat all you need is a few gallons of gas and you`re set. Well that`s not the whole story, we can`t forget about the boat prices and how a brand new wakeboarding boat can run up to $85,000. Also it`s way better for the environment as well if you just go to a cable park and enjoy the electricity driven pull as it tows you around the lake. When you know someone with a boat and they want to ride you might be able to get a few sets in a day but not nearly as close to much riding as you could on a cable park. There are 2 major waterski and wakeboard manufacturing companies: Sesitec, and Ski-Rixen. While I think Ski-Rixen`s been around for a longer period of time Sesitec is definitely been making some great achievements and always been one of the more innovative companies in the field. Just in the last 3 years alone there has been over 6 new cables built from coast to coast. That tells me that more people are starting to realize the potential in wakeboarding behind a cable. It’s also a way better investment than just buying a brand new boat and always having to fix it. If someone builds a cable park there is a huge potential of making some serious money. It’s a great business but, there are some other expenses as well that we can`t forget about such as putting up a concession stand, possibly a pro shop/rental etc. A perfect local example of an investment like such is the Orlando Watersports Complex right next to 528 and the airport. It`s a great place with a boat, 2 cable parks and even a system 2.0. all in one lake. It gets choppy quite often.

Defy, The Danny Harf Project

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:01:00 +0000

For this weeks blog post I`m going to discuss and try to go into as much detail as possible about producing, funding and actually how much money did Defy: The Danny Harf Project make. Being a wakeboarder pretty much my whole life and shooting/editing it for over 8 years I can safely say I have a huge interest in the market. Not to mention bigger productions and just wakeboarding in general.

Defy might just be the next big step for the wakeboard filmmaking world.

It’s downloadable online or you can order a double disc (Blu-ray/DVD combo pack) It also did great at the 2012 X-Dance where it won an award for the Best Soundtrack. The BFY crew made the movie. They always do a solid job whether is shooting,editing or producing. You can check out more info on them over here. When a huge production like this takes place (took over 2.5 years to shoot) you can expect other huge brands to try and merge/sponsor the event. Im talking about huge industry names like Monster Energy, Fox Riders Co., Ronix, Transworld Wakeboarding and Nautique boats, who were actually the very first company to make a wakeboarding tower for a boat.

Needless to say they still are the number one wake/ski boat manufacturers in the world. As far the actual budgeting goes for the movie it was really hard to find all the information but heres a pretty good interview I found where they kind of go into detail, One of the answeres states that “between C/Chopper Dave at radar with Ronix and the Fox blue lake stunts. My guess is around $25k just on stunts.”

Not to mention building the rails, the material, rental equipment, travelling and the camera gear/editing cost later. As far as how much money the flicks going to make my sights are unclear since its one of the newer productions out there and we won`t be able to see the total profit until were down the line a little more.

One things for certain though, Defy is a milestone in not just the wakeboarding community but the whole watersport world. I love it and I can only recommend it.

Motion Picture Association Of America

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:26:00 +0000

For this blog post I decided to analyze the Motion Picture Association Of America. I know that my interest is more in the area of extreme sports but after doing some research this was my best option.

The website itself looks super well done and I like the slideshow feature with all the famous artist/movies they were in. It automatically reminds me about that emotional connection I`ve built with them over the years.

Within their “blog” section there are multiple little blog posts about recently occurring topics like: the super bowl sweep, Open act falls short, Senator Dodd on Pro Jobs and Anti-Piracy Legislation.

I liked the Anti-Piracy post because it`s definitely something that’s happening right now. It’s a huge problem for not just the film world but also the entertainment business in general. People are able to just go online, seed, leech and download illegal content from the palm of their hands. The website even goes as far as calling these people criminals and I`m honestly not surprised. It does take away jobs and it does cause major harm. They keep on going with stating that it’s becoming a “sincere discussion about how best to protect the millions of American jobs affected by the theft of American intellectual property.” But for us to be able to protect what’s ours we must learn to work together and maybe one day we can stop the online piracy.

On another interesting part of the associations website they go into showcasing their existence in recent news articles. Which I personally like to see because it`s always good to be up to date on what’s happening currently within our industry. The very first post that caught my eye was an article published in The New York Times, Sunday Review. The headline reads: The Perpetual War: Pirates andCreators. It goes into discussion about how online piracy has been growing and taking leaps and bounds into the media world. Which is definitely not good news. Looking at the graphs its scary to imagine how the online safety`s going to look like in the next couple of years. It`s a huge problem for not only the Motion Picture association, but also the extreme sports world. I can`t emphasize how many times I’ve heard of an awesome new video coming out but before I can even go to the store and get one my friend`s have downloaded it offline. It`s our own choice whether to be a part of this or take a stand. Whatever we do, one thing is certain. Piracy`s not going to stop and we must choose which side we take in the battle and stick with it.

TED.com

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:08:00 +0000

Speaker: Chris Anderson

I want to start by saying that It hasn`t been too long since I discovered TED but I`m sure that well keep on seeing the positive effects of speeches like this one floating around the web. Through these videos/posts people are not just able to learn about a certain topic but can also reply, send a video back or even create their own TED event. The speaker Chris Anderson is a funny but intelligent fellow from England.

He inspired the audience by telling them that there`s more to the world and TED than we would think and that we must use technology to our advantage. There is a great example from the video, the world and all of us that are living in it. If you just look at a number of people without interaction just doing their own thing, there wont be too much innovation. But If you look at the individual people and their unique taste, hobbies and past experiences. You can see how the Internet allows us to share out thoughts instantly through videos like this one. Like Chris said the little 6-year-old boy was just a fan of breakdancing but through his interaction with the world, putting up his video he reached a level of dancing he could`ve never been able to. Social Networking is becoming huge and we must use it to our advantage.

I definitely agree with the speaker and how we need to share our passion/skills with others through the web. Therefore helping others while getting feedback on our own topic. Adversity is being overcome on many levels. First of all there`s a broad range of different types of people/counties in the video not to mention the multiple languages and how more people in more countries can watch TED now!

I also really liked the whole Kenya TED movement and how we`re able to communicate in even more ways with the way HD video and technology has been evolving. Needless to say the Web is moving at such a high speed therefore allowing us to exchange information and share the passion we have. This speech definitely helped me to develop a deeper understanding of the speakers’ topics through their entertaining speech and all of the visual effects. Personally I liked the drawings/animation/flow of the presentations. I know the Internet and web videos are still evolving but seeing what technology enabled us to do thus far keeps me wondering what could be next?

Shooting Wakeboarding on the Cable VS. Behind a Boat

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:19:00 +0000

When talking about filming wakeboarding there are a few things that first come to my mind. Where, Who, How and When are we shooting. From knowing those things we can kind of get a feel for the style, location and pace of video we will be making. On most of my shoots I do the cinematography as well as the postproduction part of things, which gives me total control of the final product. Different countries have different lakes, rivers, scenery, obstacles and local riders. Knowing how is a huge part because we always need to be aware of what gear we might use, and knowing when just gives us an overall idea of the time set and natural lighting conditions. (If there are any at the time)

I think the biggest difference about filming someone ride behind a boat vs. a cable park is that when you shoot behind a boat unless you have a chase boat/jet ski you’ll be pretty stuck in that one angle, from the boat that pulls the rider. Or you can always try to set up off shore but that wont always be close enough, so sometimes you might have to crop into your footage later just to bring some more details. When filming someone ride cable you can pretty much walk around the lake and stand close to different obstacles for different time periods, constantly changing up the angles/location from which your filming from.

I like mixing up the shots as much as possible when editing, giving an intense experience that gets viewers/riders stoked about wakeboarding. Another huge advantage of the cable is that you can have up to 8 of your friends riding beside you, following you and gaining experience on the water while having a good time watching everyone else do the same thing.

Epic VS Ewa housings

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:40:00 +0000

Since wakeboarding is a watersport you cant forget to have the right protection for your equipment if you`re thinking about shooting from either above, or under the water level, you must have a waterproof housing. In my own experience I`ve had a chance to use some of the Epic underwater housings but there`s also the Pelican cases that are fairly known .

While Epic is more about just manufacturing video housings Pelican also makes smaller, more portable solutions for your IPhone, IPod and even just Flashlights.

First thing that I remember about using the Epic housings is that you cant really get into the brains of your camera and adjust the settings while in the water because it only has a soft back that you can push in and either start or stop recording. On the other hand there`s this other brand EWA that makes soft bag like housing solutions for cameras and with that you can pretty much press any button on your camera. Just maybe the focus ring wont be as easy to roll, as it would be on the ground.

The prices wary but if you have a professional grade camcorder you might as well protect it. If your trying to scuba dive though I would definitely recommend the epic housings because they can withstand way higher pressures than the little plastic bag looking ones. With that said I’ve used both and even though the ewa marine solutions might look real easy to use, I would still trust an epic housing over the ewa. Because of the effective sealing effect and the better weight distribution. After all there must be a reason why surfers use it way more to shoot their movies. And If one day it comes down to shooting a major movie like that recent Kelly slater one, on one of those Imax cameras than I`d just use a custom fitted high scale case. Whatever your level of filming/riding might be I hope this post was helpful to decide which case to go with.

Contour VS GoPro

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:29:00 +0000

When it comes to filming wakeboarding and trying to achieve the POV look or just filming from the water, the first 2 cameras that come to mind are the GoPro HDs and the Contour HDs. Go pros have been around for the longest but Contours are becoming a great competition with their rotatable lenses, light weight and the most important thing: they float. Anyone who`s ever used a go pro before would know that without the little floatation device attached, you better hope you don’t drop it cause it’ll sink before you can say good bye go pro. On that note the contours not only float, but also have Bluetooth and GPS built in them. With the GPS you can track your ride and the Bluetooth allows you look through your IPhone, Ipad or any other device that has Bluetooth, giving you the ultimate viewfinder. Another major thing about the contour that I like is that you can never be mistaken if you`re recording or not. They have an unmistakable way of hitting record/stop, by sliding a piece on the camera forward revealing the word “REC” with big red letters. I’ve used both cameras before and I can safely say that me personally, I prefer the contour HD family for their low weight, easily exchangeable LI-ON batteries and their tiny micro SD cards that can hold up to 2 hours of 1080p footage.

What Wired Says: The tech magazine gave the ContourGPS the coveted Editor’s Pick stamp and an 8 out of 10 rating, the highest of the 4 cameras tested: Vio POV.HD rated at 7, GoPro HD Helmet Hero rated at 6 and Looxcie rated at 3.

And for anybody on a budget, the new ContourROAM offers the best value in hands free video cameras, period. It offers incredible image quality at a bargain price by leaving off a few bells and whistles. Outdoorgearlab.com gave it their best buy award: ”It was a tough call to decide which one (vs. GoPro) got the Best Buy award, but ultimately it went to the Contour because of the better image quality which is same as the Contour+ which costs an extra $300.”

Overall:The GoPro HD Hero and the Contour HD cameras are very good at what they are designed to do (shoot close-up HD action footage in a variety of conditions). The Contour HD is a little more stylish, and it’s out-of-the-way mount is more convenient as well, but the GoPro is more adjustable in the field and has more accessories available to enhance your use experience like the LCD Bacpac, various mounts, etc.

About me

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:03:00 +0000

For me to be able to fully explain how Norbifilms even became, I must tell you guys a little more about myself. How I got to leave Europe behind with dreams of a brighter future. I was born in Hungary, Budapest in 1989,sep.,2. After completing my elementary education I started high school at a local Hungarian institution. But as I got better and better in wakeboarding, soon enough I took part in a winter training camp in Deerfield Beach Florida. Needless to say I loved it there. The weather, the vibes and the people were all friendly. I met a couple of local riders and quickly became friends with most of them. Spent most of my time hanging out and riding with Marc Shuster and Diego Shaw. They’re a year younger than me so I had to ask, what high school are you guys going to go to? So I tried my hardest to persuade my mom to put me in a student exchange program, which changed my life. I quickly became even more comfortable out of my element and just a better person on and off the water. Needless to say my filming started taking off at a high velocity. After all these young talented riders were surrounding me. I made as many free online little mini videos as I could. Before I knew it major extreme sport companies were recognizing me for my work. After graduating high school back in Hungary I knew I want to come back to FL as soon as possible. And with my friends knowing of a great media university in Orlando: Full Sail. I had no doubts where to go next. Started the film program in 2008 October, and I can safely say without the knowledge and network I got my hands on Norbifilms and I couldn’t be where we are today. The little mini features I worked on over the years slowly turned into more defined pieces of art. And with the right rider/setting, I feel like there are no limits to what we can achieve.

A sample post

noreply@blogger.com (Norbi Vasko) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:46:00 +0000

This is my sample post. There are going to be plenty more great posts like this one in the future. vimeo