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Motion Graphics - November 2011

2011-11-07T08:40:00.007-06:00

Here are a few videos of what I've been up to this month in motion graphics.

Planet Earth - Rapture Effect
Who doesn't want to take pictures from outer space. Concept of this clip: the Earth in orbit just before the rapture; second coming of Christ.

Identity - Triple 16:9 Countdown
Countdown video I got commissioned to make for a local student ministry. It's themed for their fall retreat. The format is for a triple 16:9 side-by-side projection setup.

3D Camera Animation
Here's an advertisement or introduction concept. I really like the vibe of animating the camera around stills in 3-D space. I think it's a fresher perspective in collages.

Particle Generator - "Explosion"
Here's an example of a particle effect. The colors and intensity can be changed to give the effect of an actual explosion. Pretty cool, might want to do a comet title template with this; mimic the traditional "The More you Know" commercial.

Sound Waves: "In the Beginning..."

2011-08-26T23:35:00.007-05:00

Dim the lights and grab a bowl of popcorn for this classic film on Sound Waves. This is a great explanation of where sound comes from. I took the liberty of typing up a short article to go along with the video.

Where does sound come from?

Sound waves are audible vibrations in the air. Just like a rock thrown into water will produce a ripple, when you strike an object that’s in contact with air it will produce sound. The pushing up of the wave is called compression and downward pull is rarefaction.

One complete complete compression and rarefaction defines a cycle. The length of time it takes to complete a cycle is the wavelength. This unit of time is measure in Hertz, Hz. The shorter wavelength is faster and higher in pitch. The longer wavelengths take longer and are lower in pitch.

[For example, 5,000Hz sounds much higher than 50Hz. This is like comparing a bee buzzing passed your ear to a semi-truck passing by you while you’re walking down the street. The bee is producing higher frequencies, whereas the semi-truck is producing lower frequencies; your soiled pants in both situations is just a coincidence.]

Characteristics of Sound

Cycle - one complete push and pull of air

Wavelength - the length of a cycle

Hertz (Hz) - time it take to complete a cycle

Frequency - number of cycles completed in 1 sec *measured in Hertz (Hz)

Phase - Constructive or Deconstructive “combination” of wave forms.

Amplitude - Loudness *measured in decibels

Timbre - variations in a sound wave that make it sound unique.

Science of Sound

So why is the science of sound waves important for a sound guy to know, will it ever get used? The answer is yes. Microphones, mixers, speakers ( just to name a few tools ) are all used to capture, manipulate, and reproduce sound. So understanding the basic science they are built on will benefit your ability to use them well.

If this topic interest you, check out this book; Modern Recording Techniques. It's been the standard introduction to understanding sound and recording for years.

Recording Acoustic Guitar with Mid-Side

2011-07-18T12:15:00.001-05:00

Here's a video tutorial on recording an acoustic guitar with the "Mid-Side" stereo technique. I really like using this technique on a critical instrument since it's mono safe; stereo to mono conversion will always leave me the mid mic as a safety. Plus, I love how the side mic tugs on the ear for the stereo image.

The "Mid" mic is a directional/cardioid pattern pointed at the sound source. The "Side" mic is a bi-directional/figure-8 pattern place sidewise. The concept is that the Mid mic captures the direct sound while the Side mic captures the reflections/stereo image.

Honduras Mission Trip 2011

2011-06-21T09:47:00.003-05:00

A group from our church just recently got back from Honduras. They returned from a medical / veterinarian mission trip. There were 128 decisions to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Also 1,122 medical patients were seen, 4,919 prescriptions filled , and 401 children got to hear the gospel in their own language.

The video was captured first hand by Keith Holloway, a very passionate missionary who is part of our media staff. I had the honor of recording all of the audio used in the video for him to compose his final video. The music is performed by Matt Brock, our assistant music director, and the voice over is Buddy Sadler. Having talents like this make being an audio guy easy!

Keith Holloway Matt Brock Chris Forte

3D Camera Projection - After Effects

2011-05-03T12:06:00.006-05:00

Still pictures are used for video all of the time. Often they are panned and zoomed to add movement; taking after the popular Ken Burns effect. Why not use this technique? After all it is a video and movement is everything. However, no matter how good of a pan and zoom you have it's still going to be "flat" 2-dimensional image. There is an alternative if you are looking to add some flare to your 2-D image. You can use a technique known as Camera Projection.

By projecting your 2-D image onto matching 3-D surfaces, you can simulate a 3-D environment. We already have the image, we need to build the set for it to be projected on. There are different programs that will allow you to do this. I used After Effects and here is everything that was used.

Picture (projection image)
Light (cast shadows of pic)
Planes (to reflect the image)
Camera (view point / perspective)

Here's a glimpse of what the construction looked like. note: some planes are showing the grid and others are reflecting the projection.

Once the planes are constructed around the original image, it's time for the camera movement. When the camera pans and zooms it's within a 3-dimensional space.

In Production - The Mercy Seat

2011-04-19T13:06:00.004-05:00

We just had our final performance of the Mercy Seat; our Easter program this year. It's now time for post production. As much as I like how this mix is shaping up, it's going to be hard to compete with the live experience. It was evident all three nights that the choir and orchestra really gave it their all in this production. The selection of music was a great match up for the drama/video presentation as well. I'm completely exhausted, but glad to have been apart of such an undertaking.

If you didn't get a chance to come out this weekend, the DVD and CD will be available to order. If you'd like to order either of the two, here's the church's information. Call or visit us on a Sunday morning and let us know. http://firstbaptisthendersonville.com

HDR Merge in Photoshop

2011-04-14T23:24:00.001-05:00

Alright, today were gonna take a look at how HDR, or high dynamic range, photos are accomplished inside of photoshop. You'll need three pictures; one that's under, one that's normal and one that's over exposed. What's gonna happen is you're gonna merge these photos together and get some details in your shadows and compress some of your highlights here and it kinda gives you either this more realistic look or surreal look.

bracketing is an option on higher end cameras that will automatically take these different exposures in one "snap". however, you can always do it manually like i did. a tripod is almost a must, even when using the bracketing setting.

Open up Photoshop and navigate; file > automate > merge to HDR. Locate your pictures and continue from there. (photoshop will run some scripts here but don't worry about that) From here you have different settings/modes, for today I'm just gonna work with local adaptation. Feel free to pause the movie and the see where my settings are to see when you notice going on in the live preview on the screen. Tweak the settings, I mean just play with this. This is so awesome. I mean you have not just one flat image anymore you have three exposures here, so you're able to go from one end of the spectrum to the other. You can really extract some details where you normally wouldn't have it with a regular photo. That looks pretty good to me. I kinda like the surreal look. Well that's it, hope this helps. Fill free to reply back with some of your own HDR photos.

After Effects Typography - Bridge Intro

2011-04-13T13:10:00.001-05:00

This was my first attempt at Typography and After Effects. It's a video intro for a Modern Worship Service. I laid out the "cross" text in Photoshop then imported the .psd file into After Effects and sync'd it up to the track. The audio track is also an original that I recorded into Cubase 5 with Superior Drummer 2.0; direct bass and direct guitar into a Presonus Firebox at a cubicle. I'd like to polish this up a bit later on down the road, but not to bad for a couple days of work and hurdling the learning curve of After Effects. The "Bridge" logo was a hand off to me from "Da' Man" @ hobbscreative.com. He gets the actual street credit for that portion.

Visual Composition - Rule of Thirds

2011-04-13T12:08:00.001-05:00

"The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design.[1] The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.[2] Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would."- wikipedia

This basic look at visual composition applies to any visual art that's viewed through a set frame; video, canvas, photography, etc. Our natural instinct is to "center" the subject within a frame. However, when practicing the Rule of Thirds there's an undeniable improvement of perspective. As basic as it seems to pan or crop the frame by a third, it works. It's a proven method and if anything a great starting point. Look up Rule of Thirds as well as Leading Lines for more inspiration.

Rane's Pro Audio Reference Online

2011-04-07T23:02:00.004-05:00

I believe it goes without saying that Google and Wikipedia are great search engines for finding new information. However, sometimes it will have you clicking through multiple sites just to clarify a simple term or whatever issue. If that's ever the case, why not use an online dictionary for Pro Audio, like Rane's online Pro Audio Reference. It covers anything from common audio terminology to the most complex audio jargon ever put on record.
http://www.rane.com/digi-dic.html

Windmills - William Kamkwamba

2011-03-30T00:25:00.001-05:00

William Kamkwamba's vision made such a difference. Could you imagine being so committed to a project, even if it caused people look at you like you were crazy? Regardless, William worked on his windmill till it was complete and it opened up new opportunities for his community. It's so awesome to see the benefits of persistence and not giving up. Thanks William for the inspiration.

Nashville Rescue Mission

2011-03-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight was a great night to reflect on the things that can easily be taken for granted. Things such as the freedom to worship, the opportunity to work, spending time with family, and having a home. The things have become our security blankets, our comforts and treasures. Some of them are special relationships, while others are simply luxuries.

Our church is only one of many that sponsor a program called Room at the Inn. We had the privilege to care for 20 guys tonight that don't have the daily luxuries that many people have. These gentlemen are without homes, family, work, and some without an education. They are aided by city based projects to help them through their tough times. The Nashville Rescue Mission has been leading this cause locally since 1954. In 2007 alone they served a total of 548,338 meals and 232,685 nights of safe shelter. Daily, that would be around 1500 meals and 635 beds. These numbers make me think twice as I lay my head down tonight.

The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-28
25 An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?”
26 Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”
27 The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’ ”
28 Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.”

DIY $20 Mic

2011-03-18T12:46:00.003-05:00

Looking for a new mic and don't want to break the bank. If you have some basic soldering skills and about 20 buck$, you're in luck. TapeOp Magazine wrote a great article on how to build your own mic with the bare necessities. Turns out the frequency response is pretty flat and quality is unbeatable considering the price. To read the original article click here.
Parts List :

WM-61a Panasonic (mic element)
10uF Metalized Poly Capacitor
2.2k ohm metal film Resistor
1000 pF ceramic Disc Capacitor
9 volt battery holder/clip with leads
1 XLR 3pin Male Panel Connector
1 XLR Female Panel Conector

Cartoon Filter in After Effects

2011-03-15T23:58:00.001-05:00

Experimenting in After Effects to get a distressed animated / comic look with the standard filters. I was trying to create a certain style for a series of short films I'd like to produce at some point. I used the built-in cartoon effect on two layers; bottom layer was for the wide strokes of color, no outline & the top layer i added the stroke, no fill. I also lowered the fps to be more like traditional cartoons. Each layer's fps is also offset by 1 or 2 frames of each other; yields more of a sketchy feel and doesn't look "too perfect".

The footage is of some sloppy B-Roll I took in traffic while waiting on the train pass. Thought it was good enough to use for this, good for the color anyways. Pretty happy with the results.

Mixing in Mono vs Stereo

2011-03-08T21:13:00.001-06:00

Mono will introduce some hidden issues within a mix. This is an exerpt from my article "Mixing in Mono vs Stereo" Learning about Phase and Masking. So like my brother says "Let's put our (mix's) worst foot forward so there are no disappointments".
==
The time based relation between two (or more) sound waves is known as phase. If the sound waves are working together there will be gain in frequencies. That is constructive phase.

If the sound waves are not working together there will be a loss of frequencies. That is destructive phase. Imagine this as a fraction of a complex sound wave or of an entire mix. These differences can be due to the distance of each mic from the sound source, or the ability of each mic to capture the sound. Notice the examples to help explain what is going on physically with the sound waves.

Fixing Phase Issues
Now that we know what phase is and how it can cause the loss of certain frequencies, here are a couple of concepts to help adjust the problem. First, try flipping the phase on one of the two tracks. This might be all that is needed. If that's not satisfying and you're working within an audio editing program, ZOOM in as much as possible on one of the two tracks, and with a click of a mouse shift the waveform. Nothing major is needed, shifting as little as a single sample can be enough. Continue this till the tracks sound fuller and seem to be working together.

UnMasking
Since all of the elements are coming through one output, there is great potential of over building multiple frequencies. Search for some like elements among the mix. Bring them up together. If the combinations introduce a muddy or unclear image, prioritize your mix by using EQ(s) to clear a place for the other elements to be heard. Subtract any frequencies that might play over other elements that need to exposed. This is known as "subtractive EQ". If there's enough room to enhance a track, search each track with the EQ and find what's unique to each track and expose it.
click here to read the full article

Ardour - Free is Good

2011-02-24T09:02:00.000-06:00

"What was that?... Free audio programs aren't worth the download?" In most cases, I'd agree with you. However, have you heard about Ardour ? Check out the specs:

* Unlimited audio tracks and buses
* Non-destructive, non-linear editing with unlimited undo
* Anything-to-anywhere signal routing
* Unlimited pre- and post-fader plugins
* 32 bit floating point audio path
* Automatic track delay compensation
* Sample accurate automation
* Standard file formats (BWF, WAV, WAV64, AIFF, CAF & more ...)
* Full AudioUnit plugin support on OS X
* More than 200 LADSPA & LV2 plugins freely available
* Support for Windows VST plugins available
* MIDI CC control with 1 click
* Level 2 MIDI Machine Control
* MIDI Timecode (MTC) Master or Slave
* Full integration with all JACK applications
* Video-synced playback, pull up/pull down

"YOU CAN USE YOUR EXISTING PLUGINS !" No need to feel guilty about downloading this software, it's open source and has alot of horse power. The only drawbacks are a learning curve and it's not available on solo PC platform. Not a bad deal at all. I intend on exploring the DAW and learning as much as I can. I know there will be a serious use for this in the future. Especially if I need a solution for a class