The VaderVideo Blog Frames | Camera Imagery and Imagination Explained in Words

From Film to Fine Art

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:59:00 +0000

For years now I have been shooting lots of time lapse footage for the film and television industries. As the process to acquire such footage yields a ton of super high resolution stills, I always wondered what the heck can I do with these. For example, this piece of footage:

recently appeared in an MSNBC special by Lawrence O'Donnell titled "Erasing Hate" - Actually they used a couple of my pieces of my footage which was very cool to see. I mean, there is nothing more exciting than seeing or knowing that millions are seeing your stuff. Well, in any case, back to the stills that made this 4K piece of footage. Yes, 4K - that super large format. It is basically a series of super high resolution stills in a sequence - hence the time lapse effect. A lot of them.

Not long ago I had a visitor see some of my stuff laying around. She instantly honed in on the lightning pics. Keep in mind, I have these for "frames" of film to be used as footage. But she immediately told me that a gallery that she knew of, really could use some of this "fine art" on their walls and to sell. To sell? Yup, to sell!

The thought never really occurred to me as I had talked to several friends that also shoot this type if stuff as photographers as opposed to me, the "cinematographer". No difference really other than my camera stays locked down in place until whatever is over with. And that is the real difference I suppose. My fellow photog's are always changing focal length, direction, aim, lens, shutter speed, and are always hoping to get that one special shot, while missing most. I on the other hand, well, I really don't have a special shot that I hunt for, I tend to get that special framing and then shoot a sequence of shots all with the exact same settings. Remember - locked down!

Funny thing about my method - it surprises me pleasantly many times. When I go through the 700 to 1500 shots, there is always a really nice shot somewhere in the bunch. Of course that one or more nice shot is just a "frame" of footage in my mind. But now, that is no longer the case. Now I actually see and understand what the photogs are hunting down. And now I bring those "frames" to the world as limited editions as prints that are matted and sometimes even framed. Kind of cool I think. Oh, and yes there is a story behind each one of these prints. Just like the one here:

From New Releases Qtr 4 - 2011

The moral of this story is actually quite simple. Even though I think more as a cinematographer, the end result many times comes through as if I was a photographer. If you want to know more about these limited edition prints, visit my other site/blog at http://www.mopicfineart.com/.

Sony Vegas Pro 11 has arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Yes sireeee! Sony Vegas Pro 11 has finally arrived and it's a doozy! I received the upgrade codes this morning and of course, as this is what I primarily use for editing, downloaded it immediately and installed it. Here are some findings:

1. Wow - it installed without a hitch. Some may ask; "Is that unusual?" - well, yes and no. Sony Vegas does have a few requirements to install it cleanly. For example - you must disable any and all anti-virus software for the process. It really will resolve any installation issues. I disabled many processes just to be safe. Believe me, I am talking from experience here as I have been working with Vegas since version 7. It's easy to do to... just go to your task bar, right click and open the "Task Manager" - selectively kill processes that you know are loaders, background mechanisms for other software etc.. Also, and most importantly, disable your anti-virus software for the installation process. You can do this via the actual software itself, or simply use "Run" -> "cmd" -> "msconfig" and disable stuff for the next reboot. If you do that, don't forget to un-set these again and of course reboot.

Read more about it here and here (10 tips for a faster computer)
for a few additional tips.

2. This upgrade came with some nice extras! Ever hear of Newblue's Titler Pro? A sweet titling "plug-in" for Sony Vegas 11.x - Check that out for sure. (Visit NewBlue for details about this product.)

3. Of course we must not forget, Sony's DVD Architect either. A powerful DVD an Blu-ray authoring and creation tool. The thing that really kicks butt on this is it quite simply is from Sony. They are the standard! Hence I have been able to play any DVD created with this software on any DVD player. I have not had that kind of success with other products. Of course I stopped using other products years ago due to the issues, and now only use Sony DVD Architect.

This may all sound like a sales pitch. All I know is that I use this stuff daily. I need this stuff. It is so far still the fastest tool to get productions out and on time. At least for me. Having seen the turmoil my friends and associates have gone through with some of the other products, I have stayed the course with Vegas. Perhaps it's because I know the software inside out. Perhaps it's because I use mainly Sony tape decks and cameras and know it will be 100% compatible.

Or quite simply, perhaps it's because Sony has put more energy into the Vegas division for the last couple of years and hence, started listening to us users. All I know is that the learning curve is fast for anything new that is introduced and quite simply that the logic for an NLE in this case makes far more sense than most NLE's. Of course that is my opinion only.

There is of course so much more to explain - but I'll let the Sony website take care of that. :)

Obnoxious or simply "How quickly one forgets".... yup!

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:29:00 +0000

Today (as almost every day) I received a heads up about a new post from our photo friend Guy Atchley. Yes. That Guy. The one on TV locally here in Tucson. What many don't know is that Guy is an avid photographer too. I suppose newscasters need to do human stuff too to feel alive. - FYI - that was a joke. Actually Guy is a very determined photographer and also loves communication with fellow photogs. Anyway, back to today's posted link he put up (and it's a doozy - so profound):

7 Obnoxious Things People Believe About Photographers was a real reminder of just how obnoxious people can be towards professionals. I would even call it demeaning. But unfortunately this happens all the time. And believe me, it gets old really quickly. READ THE ARTICLE!

Train yourself to not be like this. Be respectful of any profession. That's all I have to say about that.

For those that like to watch videos instead of reading, here ya go:

As seen on....

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:52:00 +0000

Being in the stock footage industry, one never knows who is buying what and from whom. Sure we get information of sales on our collections. But that is about where it ends. But sometimes, one gets lucky and gets to see one's own footage on national programming.

Last night, while flipping channels I ran across a special from MSNBC. It was titled "Erasing Hate". Actually a pretty neat story about a former "skinhead" that changed course and now wanted to have all of his facial tattoos removed. A painful and long process. In any case - While watching I recognized something very familiar. No. I don't have any tattoos. But it seems that program bought some of my footage. I saw these two clips as they jumped out at me:

and

The latter was even a 4K format (super hi-resolution). It showed too. Whenever I see some of my stuff on the tube it quite frankly makes me want to film lots more. Oh yes! Lots!

If you ever need any really cool footage for your production, I can only recommend Pond5 Stock Footage. Why? Not because I am a contributor, but quite simply because they are now the largest in the world, and yet still give a hoot about not just us artists, but of course the customers as well.

2011 Monsoons are whipping a punch!

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:02:00 +0000

So here we go again. The 2011 monsoon season started a few days ago. Of course this is now the busy season for moi. I chase these storms with vigor to capture nature's deadly beauty - a.k.a. lightning. Of course sometimes I don't have to go far at all to capture my sequences. For example, last night - basically in my front yard. Here are just a few still frames from last nights little cell, or was it?

Are we in a police state now? - Revisited - Photographer's Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:43:00 +0000

Watching this video set quite simply proves that "We the People" are losing our rights more and more due to the lamest excuses. The primary excuse is always "Homeland Security", "9/11", "Terrorists", blah blah blah blah.. Just recently (a few days ago) our president renewed the "Patriot Act" without even thinking twice. Lame! First off, the act contradicts itself in name. What the hell does an act that takes away our freedoms, and we are talking simple stuff, but oooooh soooo important, have to do with being "Patriotic"? Perhaps they should call it the "Parrot Act" instead. As this act simply makes regurgitating false information feasible and lends itself to be the excuse for abuse.

But these cops decided to make stuff up as they go. And then blamed it on the "Patriot Act", 9/11, terrorism, and all the buzz words of the decade. Not being smart or even realizing how bad they are treading on breaking the law themselves, these cops are digging themselves deeper and deeper and truly deserve a reprimand!

We as photographers have rights. Rights that are part of the essence of what the US stands for. And these idiot ego-maniac wannabe cops simply don't get it.

So as a refresher - here is the photographer's rights blog thing I wrote a long time ago that will empower you as a photographer, cinematographer or anyone that likes to take pictures of, particularly public stuff. You know. The stuff our taxes, our tax dollars pay for.

Want to experience a real irony? Go visit the Liberty Bell. You will be patted down and have to walk through a metal detector. Now that's freedom! NOT!!! Alright, they have finally lightened up on security a bit, but it may still take 45 minutes to get through the line due to this "American Way of Protection".

Isn't it time "We the People" told our fearless (fearful) leaders to back off and stop all these ridiculous knee-jerk over-reactions? Just sayin'

Hoodman Saves my Butt at the Long Beach Grand Prix - Easy on the Eyes while Shooting with HDSLR

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:24:00 +0000

As I mentioned in the prior post, there is a company by the name of Hoodman. And they have a kit. A kit named Cinema Kit Pro.

Hoodman makes all kinds of really neat stuff that allows us cinematographers to see even in the worst of bright sunlight conditions. As you all know, looking at the LCD screen of any camera in bright light is an exercise of futility.

I started using Hoodman products way back in the wee early days of SD. To this day, I still have the little strap-on "hoodie" that slips over the flip out LCD of my old Sony TRV-950.

Well. I ran into their booth at NAB 2011 again. Not literally, as I would have simply bounced right and out again due to the nature of the balloon tent thing they had set up.

But upon entering, I was introduced to an offer I couldn't refuse. A package deal! A deal on something I really needed and was immediately able to put to good use. A tool that literally saved my butt only two days later at the Long Beach Grand Prix:
(You can find these products here: hoodmanusa.com and selecting Cinema Kit Pro - clicking here will open a new window.)

The HoodLoupe :

The HoodCrane

The HoodMAG 3.0

Take these items, assemble them, and this is what you get (I call it the "VaderVideo Butt Saver"):

The Hoodman "VaderVideo Butt Saver" combined.

The eye piece (HoodMAG 3.0) is actually a magnifier made of real glass and is super comfortable (very soft) on the eye! It also rotates easily for the left eye or the right eye.

In this type of light, I would not see the screen without!

Of course this is most helpful while in video mode as well.

In any case - I still can see at this point. I didn't go blind due to the glare which would have been the case, no doubt.

It is important to understand that there is something special about the Hoodman Loupe - it is the real thing! Hoodman owns the patent on this concept and device. They use real glass, not plastic. Hence, any other product just won't cut it and is most likely overpriced anyway. We all know there are similar products on the market, but until I found this, there was just no way I would even have considered such a product.

The really cool thing about how this device attaches is, that it really doesn't. I know that sounds bizarre but, it is true. No sticky stuff, adhesives, velcro, gooey strips or any of that type of stuff needs to be attached to the camera which may actually cause more harm than good.

This device attaches perfectly every time with the HoodCrane, but functions perfectly when you quickly need to get it out of the way.

The "crane" has a quick spring release that allows you to retract the eyepiece up and out of the way with a simple motion. It then also lets you swivel it around and off to the side so it really is out of the way. All this without having to detach it!

Mounted and locked

Pull down the "release" and partially retracted up.

complete retraction up.

Loosen a thumb screw and swivel it off to the side.

Of course, if you do need to detach it, simply loosed the tightening screw as you would on a camera flash or any other shoe mounted device and voila! It's that simple, yet so sturdy and solid in design. Again - I love it because I didn't need to apply any additional glue, Velcro, gunk, sticky stuff yada yada and ruin my camera. In a nut shell - this is the most functional piece of equipment I have found that really does the job, and does it very well.

As a stock shooter I evaluate how equipment performs, how easy and fast it is to use and how well it does the job. This gadget outperformed all of my expectations! Oh, and it fits nicely and compact into my backpack. Now that is sweet!

So here is a ton of stock footage over at Pond5 showing some really kick-butt footage of the trial runs of the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix.

But that's not all! Hoodman is also producing some rough and tough SD and CF cards for us guys that tend to toss them around, "run and gun" and quite frankly need reliability and sturdiness. Full metal jacket SD cards. Durable and reliable.Sounds like a title for a new movie. Doesn't it?

NAB 2011 - Meet Pond5's CMO - Dana Tower

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:19:00 +0000

I am not one for hyping products or services, unless it is a superb deal!

I have now been a stock footage artist with Pond5.com for several years. I have to say, these guys have pulled off what was most likely the most challenging feat in the industry, ever. They have now surpassed all stock footage agencies in volume and size bar none! They are the largest!

As recently as a few weeks ago, Pond5 introduced stock photos to their arsenal. Prior to that, After Effects projects. Before that, music and sound FX. And this all started simply as a stock footage agency. They now have the complete realm of goods needed for just about any production you can think of. They are now the "World's Media Marketplace". Did I mention, they are the largest?

They are the proof that if as a business you treat your vendors, in this case artists, fairly, and you take care of the customer - you can't lose! Such a simple concept that so many companies tend to overlook once they grow. These guys however stay humble. They don't care about ego or anything else that could be detrimental to the company. All they care about is delivering the largest selection of multimedia goods to the world. Oh, and they also like beer.

So why would I bring up the beer. You see over many many years I have seen just about every marketing gimmick at a variety of trade shows. From magicians to "booth babes" - they all try to get your attention. The reality of any trade show, as an attendee is two things that you care or even think about: Your feet are killing you, and you are always dying of thirst. Well the Pond5 boys got it half way right. They supplied the beer in their booth every afternoon when people were really ready for one. Maybe, just maybe, next year they will have a bunch of chaise lounge chairs handy so the we can come over and take a nap after that beer. You know, so that we can rest our feet. :)

So without further delay, and for those of you that don't know, or have never heard of Pond5, here is a little message from Dana Tower of Pond5.com:

A sampling reel of footage from the 2011 Long Beach Grand Prix

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:23:00 +0000

I spent a good 12 hours shooting a variety of goodies at the time trials on Friday the 15th of April at the Long Beach Grand Prix. This has now become its own collection of stock at pond5.com.

Check it out:

Pond5 widgetgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

And here is a little promo vid:

The Avenue picks up the "Best of Arizona Award" - a film by Tucson local Alan Williams

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:18:00 +0000

So the 20th Annual Arizona International Film Festival ended last night with a bang! One of our own, a Tucson local, gets the award for "Best of Arizona" and was the final screening at the screening room.

The film, "the avenue" does an absolutely fantastic and humorous job at showing how our own 4th Avenue here in Tucson has been able to survive that nasty corporate America thing that happens not only to historical districts all over the US, but even in the smallest urban areas. What I am talking about is when corporate steps in and ruins a place where people used to love hanging out because it was pure "Americana" and easy going. I saw this happen in Huntington Beach, CA on main street by the beach back in the late 80's. It really sucked. The whole character of the "old Beach Boys atmosphere" died and became overly commercialized.

Of course if you were to ask our Mayor, well, that's another story and well depicted in the film. In a nutshell, some people really are out of touch with reality. But I digress. Thanks to all the wonderful owners, vendors and people - it seems as though 4th Avenue will survive this type of takeover. At least for now. And after all, there is one corporate "friend" that has also stood by the 4th Avenue cause - Dairy Queen. :) Now I want some ice cream dang it!

Exciting film project about to happen - really!

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:34:00 +0000

So there I was shooting for 12 hours at the Long Beach Grand Prix in California last Friday when I got a unique phone call. A friend of mine out of the blue called and asked if I wanted to be DP for a potential new show. At first I thought, he is pulling my leg as a birthday joke. But this was not the case. It actually is turning and moving very quickly into something pretty darn real. How do I know this? Well, assuming all goes well, I will once again be hitting the road next Tuesday to start this new project. So I ended up filming a race car driver a.k.a. the "Steering Wheel Guy" on Saturday in the OC of CA, drove back Sunday early, shot some stuff on the way too.. got back to Tucson about 2:30pm, took a quick power nap and then off into the editing bay. Here is the preview of what's to come and what we will be doing for the next couple of weeks.. Talk about "run and gun".

If all goes well, we will be putting up "dailies" and blogging about the whole event as we go. So stay tuned. :)

Update 04/22/11 - 6:00pm: It' ain't happening! At least my part. The sponsor decided to NOT go ahead with the project. I wish I would have known that sooner, then I would have enjoyed shooting stock at the beach instead of wasting time on this. I suppose the upside is I did make a pretty cool friendship with Ed Dellis. So it wasn't all a loss. :)
Update 04/25/11 - 8:00am: It may yet still happen. Sports marketing - go figure. :)
Update 04/25/11 - 2:00pm: It isn't going to happen. This leads to what will be a whole new blog entry about sports marketing, or should I say marketing in general.

Flying my camera with a bicycle wheel... really.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:25:00 +0000

Quite a while ago I posted about my DIY rig to "fly" my camera as well as stabilize while flying. A good friend of mine snapped some shots of me while doing the "flying" at the April Fools Fest at the Sculpture Resource Center in Tucson, AZ. I was "flying" my Canon T2i along with a Audio Technica shotgun mic covered with a nice "dead cat". Someone once asked me how difficult it was to get that "dead cat". I told them; "I don't really know. I never killed a cat."

So here are a few shots of yours truly shooting with my modified aluminum rim, or simply a bicycle wheel extremely modified for my purpose. But hey it works...

Photos by Ron McCoy - Ron McCoy Photography - Tucson, AZ

Some sample shots from this event while using my recycled bicycle wheel rig.

the 20th Annual Arizona International Film Festival is now playing, and here is just one review....

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:41:00 +0000

UPDATE: You can see this movie again as it is being screened for a second time on Sunday, April 10, 6:30pm at The Screening Room in Tucson, AZ - woohoo!

So this last Saturday I went to go have a look at a film that was made right here in Tucson, by a resident native of Tucson , Jon Proudstar, that featured several of my friends as everything from cast to crew. In simple words: It was a real delight! Now I could sit here and talk about the film itself, but that is not the point of this writing. I will not review the film, but more the idea that such a film can be made, by an independent and for less than 3K, as in 3 grand as in bucks! This should really be encouraging for many of you independent filmmakers out there.

The point is quite simple. I was more entertained by this indie than I have been by many multi-million dollar flicks. It's that simple!

It just goes to show that there are plenty of opportunities for anyone that is serious about creating a masterpiece. You just need to make use of the some of the resources available. The resources are not always about money, but even more so about people. This may sound a bit biased as I am now a board member of this organization, but IFASA (Independent Film Association of Southern Arizona) (clicking on the link will open a new window for you.) offers up just about anything and everything you could be looking for when it comes to productions. From people with various knowledge and expertise, to ideas and collaborators on your next project.

And if you work hard, stay tuned, be diligent, be persistent and most of all be creative, even you could end up have an entry in a film fest such as the 20th Annual Arizona International Film Festival. (clicking on the link will open a new window for you.) But don't take my word for it, take it from someone like Jon that has now done it:

Some cute new tools on YouTube with one that is pretty slick actually - a quick review

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:18:00 +0000

So today as I was uploading some new video for one of my clients I noticed a new promo link bar above the "uploaded videos" page on YouTube. It says; "New! Animate your own story or create a video slide-show. Try it now." (opens a new window)

Yes the link is live and should take you there. It comes up with three apps (clicking on any one of these will open a new window and also requires you to have a YouTube account):

Stupeflix Video Maker

Xtranormal Movie Maker

GoAnimate

I was particularly intrigued by the last one, GoAnimate. Not because it's another one of those "wizbang flasherized super duper gee look at this cool app thing", but rather because it might actually be a very useful tool for the some filmmakers. Particularly ones that can not draw. As in sketch. As in draw a figure of a person or persons for a specific purpose. Why would I even care if someone could draw or sketch or even conceive the like? Well. When one creates a movie, a short, a commercial or any other possible production that will end up on film, YouTube, the "big screen" or on television, it is advisable to create a STORY BOARD! This is where the sketch, drawing or stick figures come in.

Of course, I can't draw. Even stick figures are challenging to me and basically look like that game, "Pick up Sticks" after I get done. But this app really gave me an idea. Why not use it to story board? So I tested it just for fun. Just to get a handle on how it works. Just to see what it could do. And it did. It did some pretty cool stuff, and all in a matter of minutes. It let me control the look, the characters, the script, and even finer control of what the character motion is supposed to be doing. More than good enough for a story board. But the cool thing is it let me create a video out of it all. Have a look at my silly experiment:

Keep in mind - this was just an experiment. Don't throw stuff at me for doing this. That's not cool. So be cool and understand the reason for me even doing this little test. By the way, this snippet is from a new comedy series coming to your local TV soon. Okay - that's not true, but you gotta admit.. I had you for a moment.

Girl Walks Into a Bar - this is the future of the film world and it's exciting!

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:05:00 +0000

Today I checked out a tweet about a full length feature of a motion picture that was literally created not for the theater, not for Blue Ray and certainly not for rental houses. On the contrary, this film was by design created for the Internet. From what I read, one can watch it in chunks on YouTube as a playlist or as one continuous movie. I watched the whole thing and I must say, it is fantastic. It has a bit of a Pulp Fiction feel to it, but a bit lighter or friendlier in language. A very cool project for sure.Okay, simply put, I liked it. A fun story line, fantastic acting and great cinematography.

Now here is where things changed in regards to production, funding and sponsorship. First off, it cost around a mill to make, private investor(s)/producer(s) fronted that. Then sponsorship was sold to Lexus. Hence, they streamed it with 6 or so commercials throughout as one long motion picture:

And I highly recommend you watch it at full screen. So pop this out and enjoy!

But all that being said, is this the future? Is this a new way for the indie world to go and get their stuff out? I think so! Just sayin'.

Promoting your company in today's world of multimedia. Some thougths and ideas to think about.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:09:00 +0000

One of the questions I am asked quite frequently is; "How do I promote my company today on the internet?" or "What is the latest craze for marketing my company on the net?"

Well, these questions have about half a gazillion answers. And no matter who you ask - no two answers are quite the same. One hears about everything from Social Network Marketing (perhaps the acronym for this is SNM?) to SEO or Search Engine Optimization and then there is SEM or Search Engine Marketing, and you need to do this all while eating M&M's. Okay, the last part just sounded funny, hence, why I wrote it.

The simple fact of the matter is of course, one may need to do all of the above. Particularly the M&M part. But kidding aside, there is one thing that very few really talk about. That is the model of multimedia and your business.

When I talk about multimedia, I am talking about video and sound. Simple enough. I would assume that if one did a survey today to the general public and asked if reading or watching a movie is preferable, you will find that most will take the latter as a preference. People love being entertained. People want it now. People don't like to read much if at all possible, to get the point. That last sentence can actually be understood in two ways or could be interpreted as:

People want to get to the meat of things quickly.
Or, people don't like to read much anymore.

Both are actually pretty true in today's world of disseminating information to the masses. Let's assume you are a small business and you want to take advantage of this model. And I do want to point out, there is nothing new about this model - but it rarely gets explained properly. In a nutshell, all of the various components of marketing and advertising your business, your product, your livelihood need to work together. I am not going to get into too much detail here and now, but rather just stick with a couple of important pointers. Of course, should you want more detail, you can always contact me directly for such information.

Before you even consider venturing onto the net, you really need to think about what it is you want to accomplish:

1. Understand your business! It is unbelievable how many inquiries I get from people wanting a video for their website, that have no clue on how to present their business, product or venture. I usually end up becoming a business consultant at this point. :)

2. What specifically are you trying to say? So many, particularly small businesses have no clue about explaining what they do to their potential client base. You need to take your business model and turn it into an "apples and oranges" explanation. Oh, and keep it short.

3. Keep it short! Didn't I just say that? Nothing like listening to self promotion about a business where the topic gets repeated 2 gazillion times.

4. Use humor. Now, this is not say go out and become a comedian, not does it mean to overdo it. But let your potential client base know that you are human.

5. Tell a story and make it entertaining. This is probably the most challenging thing you will ever do.

6. Always implement a CTA (call to action) of some sort. Or simply put, the point of any marketing plan is to get business. To get business you need to have clients take action. That action is at the very least to call and ask a question. Basically, this is called a lead. Then, what you do with that lead is up to you. And that my friends is where most fail. They get the lead, but they don't have a plan on what to do with it.

Of course, doing these things, which usually means organizing and planning, is not an easy task. And in many cases it is totally done incorrectly or haphazardly. Hence, the result is usually not what one expects.

I could go on and on about all the possibilities, but as I produce multimedia (a.k.a. video), I am going to focus on just that part, or quite simply the process of creating a nice video to help promote your business.

I have already listed the recommended strategy to get there. So without further rambling, here are a few examples of exactly what I mean. All of these videos were produced and edited by me. Also note, there is a very distinct music class to set the mood for each video as well. It may seem minor, but music makes a tremendous difference.:

Professionals

The Professional - from doctors to lawyers - it's not easy promoting one self. But if you let an outsider, a layman (such as me) throw in their take and ask many questions, you will be amazed at how it will change your view of how the public looks at your industry or profession. It will also help you in creating a personality which is probably the most important part of the process. After all, there may be many of you around, but only you are you. People make decisions on how much they like someone when it comes business. So be human. It's okay to be nice, humble and friendly. And please remember, people already know you studied hard to get where you are, so don't end up rubbing it in their face.

Contractors

Contractors of all walks of life - from builders to painters to plumbers. So how the heck can you even fathom making these professions friendly or even fun? Plumbers immediately bring certain imagery to one's mind. Painters we think of as a real messy job. Contractors, well, do we even start to trust them? These are things that need to be considered and overcome. Humor works really well here, but so does personality. These types of services or contractors really need to set themselves apart from others. Your potential client not only needs to like you, but also feel comfortable in knowing you know your business and that you are fair.

Online Retail

Online Retail - most likely the industry voted top in regards to having a dire need for multimedia. People want to know they are dealing with humans, not computers. They want to know they have a chance of making contact should any issues ever arise. So, let them know that. Let them know who you are. And most importantly, let them know what it is you are selling. Oh, and whether you sell low ticket items or high ticket items, the same rules apply. Sometimes doing a simple FAQ (frequently asked questions) segment can act as a very powerful marketing campaign.

Niche Industries

Specialty or niche industries - depending on whether the business is B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer) or both, will most likely impact a presentation. Leveraging what you specialize in never hurts, even during a presentation. Show and tell is always one of the best models of presentation. One can talk all day long, but showing actual results of the same is far superior.

Retail (as in having a store front, not online)

Retail - whether you advertise already on TV, billboards or wherever, you can never advertise enough. TV commercials are fine, but they limit you time wise. So why not leverage the multimedia online and take your time to give a friendly tour? You can say more, show more, oh, and make it so much more inviting. No?

So when you really want to produce something of value, that you also can be proud of, think about what you just read and looked at. Or better yet, call us (520-647-2901) or visit us at www.vadervideo.com. We will be most happy to help you get on the multimedia wagon.

DIY - Camera rig for "flying" shots and image stabilizer.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:48:00 +0000

I like to build things. I like the DIY concept if at all possible. I have several reasons for this.
1. When I build stuff, I get exactly what I want and how I want it.
2. It usually, and I emphasize "usually" costs a lot less than purchasing a finished product.
3. It solves a problem that I needed to solve.
4. It can be fun to build stuff. Sometimes.

Now this is not say, go out and build everything. Somethings are just not worth building. But some things really are. This just so happens to be one of those things. I looked at the prospect of purchasing a "FigRig" (a trademarked name by the way, as well as a patented product.) But for me at the time, it just seemed too cost prohibitive. It is a great tool. It is diverse. It is functional. It is a very slick piece of equipment.

What does it do? It's primary function is to help stabilize the camera or camcorder. Hence, for those quick and short shots where you need to be walking, moving, turning, bending or any other contortionist move, this thing will let you do so without being tied down to a tripod, yet still produces a pretty stable looking shot. Heck, I have had lots of luck with this not too long ago while shooting a music video inside a night club with lots of people dancing. I needed to "fly through" the crowd on the dance floor for several shots. This was the solution, but I didn't have the budget for it. So I built one myself.

Don't laugh, but this thing cost me less than a 100 bucks. But it is as solid as anything out there that you could find. The really cool thing about it - it is super flexible in regards to anything I want to attach to it. So here's the list of goods or parts I used. The details on how to put this together - well, I will let you figure that out as you may just come out with version 2 - and make it even better. But here is a start.

I bought and old beat up bike at a yard sale - $20.00 - I really only need one of the wheels from it, but as turns out I was able to use both and the front wheel fork and steering tube (or whatever that is called) as well - but that was yet for another DIY project that I may also talk about sometime.
I removed the back wheel, cut off all the spokes, removed the tire and the liner - now I have my "ring" - it's light, it's solid, it's aluminum and best of all, it already has a ton of holes in it from where the spokes were.
I purchased some square extruded aluminum at my local hardware store as well as some flat as well - I think 1/2" x1/2" and 1/2" x1/8" respectively - they typically come in 2' or 4' lengths - this is for the cross bar as well as for sturdiness and support. I bought double of the 1/2" x 1/8" as it was going to lay on top and bottom of the 1/2"x1/2" cross bar and be "sandwiched" with screws on the outer ends. Then I simply hand bent the 1/2"x1/8" to somewhat fit the curvature of the inside of the wheel. Also it made me feel super strong in doing so. :)
Then I spend big bucks on the plate and plate mount. I think I paid around 60 buck for that, maybe less. In selecting which plate, my needs were simple. It needs to be fairly thin. It needs to have a bubble level. It needs to have the capability to mount the plate forward or reverse as well as in a range of position for balance. Oh, and it really needs to lock!
I knew going in that I would be using both my Canon T2i and my Sony A1U on this, so I wanted to have lots of flexibility. I can move the plate and lock it in many positions to get as close to center of gravity or balance for pretty much any camera. But I now also have inside the bike rim, a channel that I can run wire through, after I wrap the left and right side with - yup, you guessed it - pipe insulation foam. The type you get at your hardware store for a couple of bucks for a 10 foot length. It is that dark gray foam that actually glues itself together on a seam. Of course, I only need short pieces for where I will be holding this thing. But cable will hold nicely underneath this inside the channel. I used some electricians tape on the ends to keep this all in place as well.
One more thing - before mounting anything, you might want to give this "rig" a coat of black flat spray paint. Or, hot pink if you feel like it. But remember, this thing should not be reflecting into your lens ever - so black is preferable.
I know this is just a quick overview and not step by step - but as I said at the beginning - you may come up with even better concepts or ideas yet. Let me know if you do.

Here are some shots of what this thing looks like. Enjoy and hopefully be inspired to make one or something for your needs.


The VaderVideo Rig - Looks like something out of StarWars eh?


Fully loaded - the rig, not the guy! - There is a mounted Tascam audio recorder at the bottom. T2i with shotgun mount and mic with dead cat cover. On top of the VV rig is yet another optional mic mount.


This thing really gets people's attention.

Very versatile and easy to carry around.

I can add stuff with simple velcro straps - such as this LANC Sony remote controller handle (for my A1U) that I simply took off the Sony tripod temporarily. It sits in perfect position for my right hand to control the camera.


So you can "steer" or rotate the camera as you are walking and "float" past things or people. Very cool.

Here is just one example of footage shot with a Canon T2i while "flying through" in one of the night club scenes. (clicking this link opens a new window)

Or see a whole collection of clips using this rig, here.

Copyright protection and you! - Finally a concise explanation and how to.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Over the last several years I have had so many artists, writers, cinematographers, web designers and people just in general ask me about copyright. I don't really know why they ask me specifically. Maybe I look like an attorney or something? Maybe I sound smart? Maybe I know a lot about such things? Or maybe I am just another one of those people on a list that people ask for advice from? I don't know.

I have fortunately had much access to attorneys over the years as many of them were and still are clients of mine. And no, I don't give them advice on the law. But I have been known to make all of their computers stay up and running, as well as some websites. But when all is said and done, they are not all copyright specialists. Actually very few are. The one thing I did learn from all these attorneys - never give legal advice if you are not an attorney!

When people ask me about copyright, or the ever common question; "How can I copyright my work of art, script, music, etc, etc..", I always give them the same answer. "You really should seek out either an attorney or do some research on the web." "I am not a specialist in that field nor an attorney." I do know a little bit about it though. I know for example what "royalty free" means when it comes to stock footage for example. Or perhaps "rights managed". Heck, there is even that thing called "fair use". But when it comes to specifics, I don't know jack. I know a Jack, but again - that's it.

Well, now I actually have an answer. A real one at that. But I must forewarn you, it's not free. But, it is extremely inexpensive for the information at hand, and to the point that even a "starving artist" can afford it. And it will most likely be the best few bucks you ever spend to learn how to properly protect your works, either as an artist or as the recipient of any work.

Recipient????? Huh? What? Yes, there are so many misunderstandings about receiving so called "work for hire" that most are actually unaware that they do not own what they paid for. Be it photos, a website or many other pieces of work. So caveat emptor will definitely apply here!

Some additional information that is also included covers the "Public Domain" rules as well. Very cool to know, particularly if you are in the film or movie industry. And of course the newer "Creative Commons License". And last but not least - Trademarks. All very important information to have at hand if you happen to be doing anything in the creative world.

I recently purchased this information and find it to be valuable enough to give all of you a "heads up". Oh, and by the way, the author of this invaluable information is no slouch either. He is a well respected author and publisher of several books that are industry related as well as having taught at USC*.

So follow this link Protecting your Material (or click on the image below) to get your invaluable copy of this information both in .pdf and .mp3 (yes, you can listen to it on your favorite mp3 player as well!). And for you artists, this package also includes another cool bit of information - How to Write a Powerful Query Letter - in simple terms - getting your foot in the door!

*Click here to find out more about the author, Jurgen Wolff. (opens a new window)

Tucson 2011 stock footage for charitable causes.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:51:00 +0000

It all started a week ago today when I first was called to go out and start filming in regards to the Tucson tragedy. This was the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords incident involving several victims as well as fatalities. A week later, our beloved Congresswoman seems to be do extremely well considering the circumstances.

It seems our town has a heart. People have set up vigils, they have rallied, they have marched and they all have one thing in common - peace. You see, Tucson was inadvertently put on the map through this incident. It has been the center of the news frenzy for a solid week now. I have heard throughout the week, particularly at the beginning that people literally stated; "It's embarrassing to say one is form Tucson anymore." - But things change.

Today I went to the Peace Walk for Gabrielle Giffords. It was a friendly atmosphere for sure. People came together for a cause. Perhaps simply to make a point. To simply let the world know that most Tucsonans are very friendly and loving people. Yes, we have the seasonal "snowbirds" from all over the country. Yes, this city is in deep debt. Yes, people are aware of many things, and probably more so than most areas due to the influx of "snowbirds". Simply put, we are a mecca. But not a "mecca of hate". Rather a mecca of the sun. A mecca of all walks of life that come to us from all over the world to enjoy the warmer winter season here. Perhaps because of this, this little city has more to offer in a variety of spirit than most.

So ends probably the most tragic week in Tucson's history. Lots of funerals, vigils, prayer sessions a visit from the President and of course the media. But perhaps it's a new beginning for people to start being people again. Everyone here it seems, only have one thing on their mind; that is for our Congresswoman to fully recover. And may she do so with all of our blessings and hopes.

I have filmed much footage throughout the week regarding this whole event. But for me it was more of a duty with a cause. Having been in the b-roll or stock footage industry for quite some time now, I came to this simple conclusion:

As this footage is basically a record of history, why not take this historical footage and make it work for the good? Hence, all footage regarding this week long series of events is available via , my agency for worldwide distribution. My share of the proceeds will go to the various funds that have now been set up on behalf of the victims. So if you are doing a documentary, a news report or simply any production that needs such footage, please consider purchasing from this library as the money you will spend will go towards a good cause. Oh, and please let me know when you do so. I will post your projects or links to such projects right here on my blog.

To view the entire library bin click here.

Bin preview - click on any clip to see the details:

Observing with a neutral eye can end up with a positive experience.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Here in Tucson we have experienced a recent tragedy involving our beloved Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. I suppose I could delve into the back stories and all the things surrounding this tragic event, but I won't. There is no need to as the media has already done quite a job on that. Sounds pretty negative towards the media doesn't it? That was my first impression when I was called to get some "pick up shots" for a network. So with camera in hand, I started venturing out on Sunday,

the day after the incident and thought about what to film (I will not use the term "shoot" in this instance as it may be picked up as a bad news sound byte or something). I noticed all the news vans with their dishes mounted on top. The news crews getting all "gussied" up to look good on camera. The sound guys, the camera guys, the techs - fluttering around not really doing anything. Until those few moments when the up link is established and voila, spit out the news. Okay - I know, still sounds negative. So I thought to myself - am I any better? I mean, I am here with a camera, doing pretty much the same thing. Probably, eh?

But then, I had a thought. Actually more of a question. How can I do something that would be more positive. I am a stock footage guy. I sell footage! Perhaps there will be producers, news agencies, worldwide that need access to such footage regardless. So I proceeded to film on. The difference is, this time the proceeds will actually go to Christina Green's Fund as charity money. If you are interested or are in need of footage simply visit
Clip Bin of dailies regarding Tucson Tragedy - Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and buy every clip you can afford, as it will go to some good cause.

Okay, so back to the media....or should I say the circus. I headed on down to the UMC (University Medical Center) as I knew there was a vigil going on. What I found was the vigil, but even more so the media circus:

Almost scary, as it looks as if we are being invaded by aliens. But the truth of the matter is; this is what we all feel we need in this "immediate information required" world. As crazy, as nuts, as sensationalistic it appears to be - it is what it is. But when one digs down deeper or looks at this from a "macro" point of view, it actually gets better. The people that work these technical monstrosities are just that, people. They are humans that feel too. One such person, people or human made me think about this based on his actions and demeanor. He quite simply proved this to be more than true. I watched this "celebrity" in his own right, deal with the public. And I have to say, it was an awesome experience. Here we have a guy that in my opinion always seems to be very pleasant, neutral and factual when he presents the news, and I have only ever seen him on TV. I discovered quickly by simply standing back and observing him that this is just the way he is. He is a pleasant, friendly and a thoughtful person, period!

I am talking about John King of CNN:

After he was finished with his interview (live no doubt) he basically hung around and started interacting with people. Greeting them, taking pictures with them and plain and simply being friendly with all. But most interestingly he devoted quite a bit of time with three young girls. He let them sit where he and his guest sat. He mic'd them up (pretend). He told them where to look and how to look into the camera. He scripted their "CNN sign on and introduction" and then let them pretend to be anchors for a few moments. Perhaps this is exactly what these little ladies needed to help them have happy thoughts and distract them from the sad story directly behind them. Perhaps this quite normal and humble guy knew exactly how to heal the hearts of these children with a simple act of kindness and humor, but most of all, attention and time.

As he was doing this, he glanced over at me and noticed my "contraption" that I built to stabilize the camera. (Basically a fig rig - sort of) - He started talking to me and asked what exactly this thing was and how it worked. I explained, we laughed and we enjoyed the lighthearted moment. At that point it was inevitable - I handed my contraption over to another photographer and both John and I were curious if it was easy enough for anyone to use. Here is the result:

Just sayin' - Cheers to John King and thanks for making a memorable positive experience!

Shooting the Lunar Eclipse - December 20th-21st 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 06:17:00 +0000

All right then. So I decided to stay up late, early or whatever depending on who's point of view, to capture this phenomenon that we know as the full lunar eclipse. Simply put, the "blue marble" (a.k.a. this big ball you are sitting on that we sometimes call "Earth") gets in front of the sunlight and blocks the full moon from being lit.

So if the "blue marble" as we call it is blue, then why does the moon show an orange-red-ish martian look when this happens? There is an explanation for this. And it's pretty simple actually. You see, all the cities around the world turn on red lights to see the moon. The moon picks this up and displays red. It's actually very cool. Go ahead, ask any astro-person, they'll tell ya. Just like a "blue moon", except there they use blue lights.

Actually, the atmosphere of our wonderful planet "bends" light, much like a prism. Hence, the aura (or umbra) just happens to be in the orange-red spectrum when it comes out the other end, or on the moon's side of our planet. Hence, the stray light from this effect lights the moon up in these wonderful, yet martian looking colors. So in simple terms - the earth blocks the sun from the moon, the moon gets lit by the diffracted light that literally "wraps" around the earth's atmosphere and hence renders that warm color spectrum or simply red. Simply Red - wasn't that a singer at one time? Oh, and a "blue moon" isn't really blue. It's just another weird phenomenon that happens rarely, but it happened this year too. It's basically when we have 2 full moons in the same month.

Of course there were a couple of other events this night as well. For example the winter solstice. This is when the earth's axis is tilted the furthest away from the sun at the north pole. Now that would be cool to film as well. Just think, sit at the north pole, put a stake in the ground and film it. Better yet, see if we can get a ride on one of the space shuttles and film it from up there. Just draw an imaginary line through the earth and watch it tilt. Or even better than that, just tilt your head a few degrees. Yeah - something like that.

Then as a third treat, there was a meteor shower a few days ago, and it was still letting some straggling meteors come down. Really! I saw some. It just always happened when the shutter was closed. Really. I kid you not. Trust me.

Speaking of shutters.... yes, that is what worked its little tail off to get what you see in this clip. Over 700 times the thing had to open and close. Poor shutter.

So how was this all done? Here a few pics of the method used:

Here is my nifty laptop loaded with Canon's software to drive the camera crazy. Maybe not crazy, but if you had to do the same thing over and over again, as in 700+ times, you may be crazy thereafter.

The complete setup. Notice the perfectly square table. I even tilted it in the same direction as the earths axis just for good measure. (It's that Solstice thing again.)

It never fails! Whenever I am out shooting some celestial event, I get visitors! However, they never show themselves until I actually process the photos. See the UFO hovering over my rig? They are always pulling pranks on me. But to be honest, when I saw this thing in the photo, I couldn't explain it. Weird stuff.

So now for my next goal. Should such an event ever happen again, and I am ready with gear and all, I am going to try to make the moon hold still until I am done shooting. No matter what I did or said, that moon refused to hold still. So I had to whip out my secret weapon and make it look like the moon posed for me through this whole sequence, actually 13 sequences of shots as the moon moved on its path and having to make adjustments in positioning etc. But as I am what some call a "photomagician", I used my secret weapon. Just in case you want to know what that secret weapon is... a few hours of work in After Effects. There, now you know my secret.

A movie now in pre-production.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:14:00 +0000

So every once in a while, along comes a story. It may be fiction, it may be fact. But when it is a good story, it deserves some attention. So along with some people (producers), the writer and myself (cinematographer, editor and compositor) we set out to create a movie trailer in hopes of getting this funded and fully produced. All I can say is "stay tuned" at this point. One never knows where the project may end up. But here is a little "eye candy" and a teaser to start. Enjoy. (best viewed at full screen):

Review - Sony Vegas 10 – It’s fast, it’s stable, it’s solid

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:11:00 +0000

I have now been using Sony Vegas for quite a few years. Looking back, one must wonder how we ever did the stuff we did. I am not going to get into all the details of what has changed, been added, yada yada, on this new version, but rather focus on its stability instead. Did I mention its fast? In any case, you can get a full list of all the improvements and features at Sony Creative Software (opens a new window). I am going to focus on something else. Did I mention it is blazing fast?

Yes, I am going to focus on speed. Did I mention its fast? It seems that this version makes full use to all extents of the 64 bit environment. Heck, even the video capture via fire-wire seems to work very well now. In Vegas 9 this was a problem in the earlier versions, but even in Vegas 9- towards the later rev’s it got a workin’. So this was expected to work. And it does – far better than before. No more crashes once one “sucked” in a whole tape off of say, a Sony M10-U deck. It now processes the clips very quickly and actually stays “alive” thereafter.

Another thing I noticed right away was that when you bring in “fodder”, okay, clips as material, let’s say, a batch of clips, a large batch, it loads them very quickly. In prior versions, you could literally go get a coffee while waiting for it to churn through the data and then render the audio tracks. Of course you could cancel that process, but it wouldn’t let you do that until all was pre-loaded, and I use that term lightly, regarding all the clips. So as a work around, one simply needed to only bring in say 10 clips max depending on their size. Cumbersome, to say the least! For batch processing a slew of clips for stock footage it was a real pain in the . .. but do-able, just cumbersome.

I know. You are thinking – what idiot would bring in a whole 2 hours of rough footage at once? Well, I am happy to say “This idiot!” J Why? Because it is a fast work flow when you can “range” out segments, “batch render” them and quickly have a series of stock footage. Remember, this idiot, me, processes tons of stock. So if there is a way to batch, then this idiot will find it.

Which leads me to the next important issue; Sony Vegas has always had one of the sweetest batch processing scripts for exactly that purpose. I have not found any other faster or cleaner method via any other app. So this is one reason I adore Vegas. Now even more, because I have thrown a ton at it and it didn’t even hiccup. Oh, and to really make it nasty, I mixed formats as well. Some of the stuff was raw .m2t (from my Sony A1U) and other footage was Quicktime .mov’s from my Canon T2i. Some I even ran through Neoscene from Cineform (converted to .avi) (opens a new window) – Sony gobbled it all up without an issue.

But here is where the speed really shines. Adobe has been touting its Premiere Pro CS5 as being a “performance angel” during playback on the time line provided you get some specific video card (a.k.a. the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine)(opens a new window). Definitely a step in the right direction, but it was not super crucial for me. Yet, I was a bit curious as to how Vegas 10 was doing along those lines. And I was blown away! Literally!

Here is what I did:

I took some footage that is to be keyed (Sony Chroma Key and/or NewBlueFX’s key), keyed it, laid some additional footage below that layer for a new background, slapped some text generator stuff above that layer, added some effects to text etc – and probably made the thing look pretty stupid with some additional fx stuff. But I wanted to see how well Vegas would chomp through all this is “real time” on the time line for playback in the preview. Like I said – I was blown away! I had the preview set to “best” all around – and it damn near played without a hiccup in real time. Hence, this thing had to process all this layered stuff in real time and show me a result. Very cool! And I didn’t have to upgrade my video card to that “special one” that Adobe requires to do the same. Somebody over at Sony was really thinking ahead. The amazing thing is that Sony does not tout this simple little fact. But they should.

All in all, Sony Vegas 10 rocks! I have put it through quite some paces, loaded older troublesome projects without an issue and it just chomped right through them. If someone were to ask, I would say Vegas 10 loads about twice as fast as old 9, processes far more efficiently and you can see that clearly when you watch the counter go during rendering. Sweet! Look, I have been using Vegas for years now. I have a love-hate relationship with them. I was literally looking at other options, which meant I would need to really get used to other workflows etc. But I gave Sony one more chance, on my dime. Yes, I paid for an upgrade and I recommend you do as well so that you can reap the benefits of the deals they always give you when you upgrade. (A worthy benefit, of being legit with software licensing from Sony.) This time I actually got more back in retail value than what I paid for in the upgrade price. Awesome! In any case, giving them another chance seems to have paid off. It seems since the Sony “mothership” has finally taken the Vegas division more seriously, they have also thrown more resources at it. It really shows. This is a very good thing.

Now, for the “asterisk” part: Yes, those asterisks in the title of this review. Those darn asterisks! They usually mean; “read the fine print”. So here it is. It also proves a point. The point being that there is no such thing as perfect software. This could be due to outside forces. It could be due to other apps on a system. It could be a flaw in the OS. But I do need to point this out, as this issue seems to haunt Sony Vegas since, well, forever. I have brought this up to the guys at Sony Creative (several times, always hoping) , but it has yet to be resolved. Maybe, by publishing this, they will take a closer look? Sony, are you paying attention? Not saying this is your fault, but none of the other apps seem to do this. As a matter of fact, not one of my other apps do this. Kind of helps narrow it down, don't you think? But I could be wrong. You decide.

If you load a project (or start a new project) – and leave it sitting for a while, you will notice that Vegas likes memory. It likes it so much that it keeps eating away at as much of it as you can give it. For no apparent reason, it just keeps getting fatter and fatter. Perhaps "electronic obesity". This is probably due to some “memory leak” that has come through in the code over the last several versions, or from the old C compiler from Microsoft, or maybe simply an endless loop in the source code that has yet to be fixed. It makes no sense. So how do I know that this is happening? I use the infamous windows “Task Manager” and watch it grow. Simply right click on the Windows pop up menu bar (not the Start menu, but the bar the Start Button resides on) and select “Start Task Manager” , then click on the “Processes” tab, then look for “Vegas” under the description column – you can sort that column alphabetically to make it easier to find. Have a look at the pic (click to enlarge):

So what’s the work around for this issue? First thing – turn on “auto save”! Just in case. Second, when you take a break, and I recommend you do that at least once an hour. (Your boss will disagree here, I know.) Simply save the project, exit and restart Vegas. It does this so fast now, that it is a simple method and solution. Whatever you do, don’t walk away and let Vegas just sit there for hours – it will keep “eating and chomping” until finally, you guessed it – there is no more. We all know what happens then, don’t we?

So, for those that are wondering – I have a Pentium I7-920 (8 processor threads available) class system with 6 GB ram running on Windows 7 Ultimate with an ATI Radeon HD 4800 video card. I did get an e-SATA raid box as well, as this type of speed or access was mandatory for AE CS5. Vegas will chomp at slower speeds, yes, even from good old USB 2.0 (4 year old) drives. As you might have guessed by now, I also have the full Adobe Suite. I like AE. I put up with Premiere Pro. But as I am used to Sony’s work flow, it is always a task to feel comfortable in PP. (This was punny huh? PP means Premiere Pro, not peepee :)) I suppose the truly fair thing to say is that I am biased towards Sony because I know the product very well. I don’t really want to change to another NLE if I don’t have to. My brain might explode.

The never ending discussion about frame rates and lots more...

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Not too long ago I was involved in a discussion about frame rates and this and that with a local "Indy" guy. He was showing off his T2i and some home made rig stuff. He talked about what they were shooting etc... and then he said the words that to me sounded like someone was pulling their fingernails across a blackboard. "We shoot at 24 frames for that cinematic effect." - Huh? Are you kidding me? So I asked for him to explain the "cinematic effect" to me. Basically, what does the "cinematic effect" look like? Or, what do you mean by "cinematic effect"? I waited.

As it turns out, the "cinematic effect" that these "Indy" guys constantly talk about is the old film frame rate. Yup, 24 fps. But that is not what creates the "cinematic effect" they were talking about. Nor do they really understand why that frame rate even exists or existed. But they truly believe that if you shoot at 24 fps, you get that "cinematic effect". Wow.

What they really mean most of the time is called DOF or Depth of Field! Bokeh! You know... where stuff is out of focus around the point, object or character you are focusing on. This has absolutely nothing to do with frame rates. It has to do more with the glass you have on the front of that there camera, Mr. Indy.

I had recalled a few months ago that someone actually clearly discussed this topic. Yes, it was someone that probably knows what he is talking about. A guy named:

John Galt, Panavision Senior Vice President of Advanced Digital Imaging, led the team that created the Genesis camera, was responsible for the F900 "Star Wars" camera, and continues to play a leading role in guiding future digital cinema technologies. In this Creative Cow Magazine Extra, join us for a wide-ranging conversation, as John cuts through what he calls the intentional obfuscation of marketing pixels, and considers the range of options that are becoming available to digital filmmakers.

Not only did he clearly explain things about frame rates and cinematic looks yada yada... but he also dissected the whole 2K, 4K and "number pushing game" that all the camera manufacturers depend on for marketing. Personally and in my humble opinion, I think this guy has some credibility. See for yourself. Check out the article over at Creative Cow. (Click will open a new window for you.)

The Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge opened today - See historical stock footage here.

noreply@blogger.com (Andreas (Vader) Hohl) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 04:12:00 +0000

So the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge opened today. (See article)- Just so happens that I have and own outright some very cool stock footage of the construction phases of this bridge. Need to do some documentary on this bridge? Are you listening History Channel? Science Channel? National Geographic? Come and get it! Just click on the widget below: