Through lower cost cameras that now out perform what was more than double the cost, and new tool sets that are becoming available – you can now not only own your own space for distribution, but produce Live Programming that uses the same tools of Fox, NBA, and many other top level broadcasters! (Awesome video after the jump)

I’ve been in the process of perfecting live production with single camera setups coupled with a laptop to services like Ustream.com or using Procaster (which I’ve yet to get to work – think it’s been a hardware thing), and I truly see tool kits like this bring the ability to do live production to way more people than ever before!

Is the Tri-Caster the next magic bullet for LIVE Production?

There are many different paths to getting clean signal to the next, but none like the Tricaster – that I’m aware of!

Photos used in post:

PCR (Fischgibts 11. Mai 2007, h1-Studio Hannover) by schoschie

- – - > Disclaimer < – - -
The kit that we are talking about will not result in media that would become the next blockbuster, or what would be air able on (most) cable access channels.  What I’m talking about here will be enough to get you started with Online Video.
< – - – End Disclaimer – - – >

The Three Vital parts of this $30 Kit

1.) Web Cam

You can find web camera’s starting at $10 – chances are that you already have one built into your laptop (if it was purchased in 2008 — or is a Mac, remember I’m a PC Guy!) You’re not looking for much here – just something to give you a clean video feed via USB.  Something like this would be perfect!
Great list of web cameras under $25 rated 4 stars or better!

2.) Lamp

Yes, a lamp – and chances are good that you have a few in your home or office.  You want one that has a normal bulb in it – not a CF or a halogen!  Also a lower wattage lamp that’s closer to will make it look much more intimate.   Lighting is a critical item so if you need to purchase something that will work then this is a place to do so!  Something as simple as a White Round Rice Paper Lantern will get you out of a lot of trouble!

3.) Backdrop

Simple Black fabric that you can get any fabric store will serve the purpose of giving you a consistent backdrop and take that out of the equalization meaning you have one less thing to worry about!  If you have a well decorated / clean office – don’t worry about this item.  If you have a white wall that you can shoot to then, I’d consider skipping this step too…  The other consideration is that if you are using a backdrop you need to steam / iron it!  There’s nothing worse than a backdrop that  gets more attention than the talent!

The important thing here is that you not use the lack of equipment to detour you to from starting.  In all transparency and honesty – I’ve let that keep me back for far too long, it’s time to started, Get Going with What You’ve Got!!!  The important thing is forward movement and consistency (I’m working on that too!)

Photos Used in Post:
Money! by Tracy O // Web Camera by Terinea // The Leg Lamp by kevindooley // Picture Time by Orin Optiglot

We live in a broadcast rich era, video screens are all around us we are exposed to more video now than ever before and because of this over saturation of media when it comes time to add video to your site, people often skip it cause it looks “so different” than what you are accustom to.  Because of this saturation of media around us, when someone sees video that has little / no production value – it really stands out!  The good thing is that when video with production value is used it will exponentially add to the perceived value of your brand and the product that you’re presenting!

Here are three things you must know when starting to use video:

1.) A Hammer is a Hammer…
(Don’t put off doing something until you get the right tools – use what you have!)

As an editor / director I’m often pulled in to the Mac / PC debate – and among PC guys (which I’m one of) I get pulled in to the Adobe, Avid, or Sony Vegas debate too.  Once we hash out this debate and we have all unloaded all of the points of the platform the debate rolls over to what format to shoot etc.  Guys, when you’re getting started – a hammer is a hammer!  My father had an old beat up hammer that I think that he’s had as long as I’ve been around (29 years) and it’s still serving it’s purpose – if he wanted to he could take that “tool” and build anything he wanted to.  He could even take it and frame a house.  The argument with the last statement is that – there are more effective tools that he could use to frame a house and in the end, he’d more tools to finish it – but the tools is not relevant to the project (cause it can be done).

When you are getting started, don’t talk yourself out of doing something with the excuse of not having the ideal tool to use!  One other thing that my Dad taught me as a kid, that’s stuck with me as an adult was the phrase, “I’ve done so much with so little, I can do anything – with nothing!” Let this phrase frame you mind that you have to start somewhere! So use what you’ve got until you can do better.

2.)  Content is king!

When doing video, the impact needs to be quick and to the point! One of the greatest examples of this are the use of shorter videos that are released more often.  But there’s another side to this – videos that are too short, and especially ones that AUTO PLAY will annoy your viewer 7 out of 10 times! Every audience is going to be a bit different – so keep pushing the time limit with them to figure out how long they will stay.

—  Bonus Tip —

Video players that tell your viewer how much longer this will last – can make or break you!  With the above in mind, if you’re five minutes in to your video and you’re not telling them what they were waiting to hear – you’ve just lost a viewer!

3.) Composition & Framing makes a HUGE difference

As soon as I launch a video and see a tiny head in the center of the frame – 9 time out of 10 I just leave the page!  I don’t just turn off the video – I freaking run for the hills and rarely do I come back…  You might think that’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s not. People just won’t take it seriously, because they are programmed by the networks what video is supposed to look like, and that ain’t it!

So what do you do?  Read as much as you can about photography!  (It’s all the same!!!)  Learn composition rules like, “The Rule of Thirds” from Eastman Kodak (and many others).  You have to understand the rules before you’re ready to know when to break them!  More importantly than anything else – get started soon! One of the things that students of Film Schools are told is that they will hate their first, second, and third film (some say that you’ll bomb at the first 10!) but everyone you do will be a little less bad as the one before!  You have to get started, and be willing to fail – heck, fail fast – and learn from it so don’t do it again!

Next time we’ll talk about how “You can get started for $30 “

Photos used in post:

Time Square by Daniele Pesaresi // Hammer by Jolien Vallins // King Richard by aliwest44 //
10photo27 (composition) by PhotopediaPhotos

I just wrapped up a new project with recording artist John Garrett (front man for 24HR Watch).  John made this project such a joy to work on – he was so awesome to work with, flexible, and was able to re-take a line near verbatim.  But I don’t know that it would have gone down so easy if I was a bloated media company! (If you own a bloated media company – I’m kind of sorry, but not really!)

I received a call from John (who’s an old friend of mine – he was on a lighting crew that I was the LD for the ballet company.)  We met there and then he started to attend the same church that I was very active at.  When I received the call I could immediately scene the urgency in his voice asking if I’d be able to shoot his EPK, but it needed to be done – yesterday.  I think that most clients face projects like this (in a crisis mode) but in John’s case – it really was a genuine deal.  He’s needed to have one done, and a new opportunity opened and he needed it in hand ASAP!

Being a One-Man-Band, often means that you have to bring in the help necessary to complete tasks – but in some cases, you can pull together everything on your own (especially if budget doesn’t allow for hiring extra hands) and work as nimble and be as flexible as possible! I’m most often inspired to do this when I read the DV Rebel guide – this DIY, lean and mean style of production, and the “Get it done” mindset is an awesome inspiration to a client! You don’t need 8 bodies on set, if you know how to “Get it Done!”  Do you??!

You can check out the EPK video on, you guessed it – my “Videos” page above, or hit my Vimeo profile.  We’ll be launching a small site for John in a few days as well, so stay tuned!

Also – in other news, and kind of related – the B-roll that was shot on John’s video was done w/ my trusty old stand by (and Edit Deck until I get a HV30) Sony TRV-8, but now modified it with a handle from one of my 8mm film camera – I was looking at it before I packed down for the shoot, and realized it used a standard thread screw at the bottom!  I’ll post some pics of it very soon – the next step with this mod is to find a way to make the trigger to start the record! I’m thinking of hacking a Lan-C controller to make this happen – anyone have any thoughts????

Keep Creating!

PS – I’d also like to extend a very special THANK YOU to Main Street Crossing in Tomball, Texas for allowing us to shoot there on such short notice – see if you can spot the BG noise, there was one plate I could not tame!

I’ve come across another community of people in an open round table discussion around “The Art of the Edit.”  This open dialogue among three people really is eye opening to the process and methods that editors take to present a visual dialogue.  Hosted by John Flowers ( @lifezero on twitter ) and with guests Paul Del Vecchio ( @pauldv on twitter) and guest Mike J Nichols (@TheEditDoctor on twitter).  This is going to be a show to keep tabs on as it develops, so be sure to subscribe to their mp3 rss feed in your respective application!!! 

One of the things that I hope to emphsise here is technique – and not just technology.  All of the technology in the world won’t make your film / project any better if you don’t have the technique down!  One of the things that I realized today was, looking at my lack of blogging over the past week – was it’s all been all tech all the time here – which was not what I wanted this site to become.  With some inspiration from Paul I’ve restarted work on my web series “Life In Drive” (btw – I’ll just go ahead and get it out of the way…  I’m a huge fan of Paul Del Vecchio, his “go and do it” attitude and DV Rebel style has been such an inspiration – and I feel that he’s of of the upcoming directors of my generation!).

If I could pull one thing from all of our conversations, don’t wait to start your project – don’t wait for a camera to ship to shoot your film (all of Paul’s stuff is done on a DVX100a – but you’d never know it because of his post-production and color grading done in After Effects.) and don’t use technology as a crutch!  It’s not going to make a good film-maker better but can make a great film-maker worse!  

As visual storytellers we have to know what kind of edit to use, and when to make the cut – how to set a pace, and some of the other rules of film-making.  Editing it’s self would have to be defined as the juxtaposition of time and events to suit a story.  But as Paul said in part one of this conversation – some rules have to be broken, and you as an artist will have to make that call!  Part one of this series has many “ear worms” that will be going through my head all week – or until part two!  Hope that you all enjoy!

>>> edit – after posting this Paul DM’d me on twitter with a link to Mike’s twitter profile…

My journey began when I saw a post on twitter by Trent Armstrong (the founder of the Dallas AEUG) that he was headed out to talk at the DFW AEUG.  To be quite honest I was rather jealous that I couldn’t be there (being 280 miles away in North West Houston.)  My response to this was proactive googling and scouring all over the web to find something like that here in my neck of the woods.  Toiling over old post of people looking for the same sort of group here in town I made two discoveries:

1. There is no Group of After Effects Users meeting in Houston
2. There is really NO Central Hub for AEUG’s to standardize and share information.

FALLOUT is the latest short of critically acclaimed director Paul Del Vecchio, and one of the best entries of the “Dare to Direct” Contest from Chiller TV.  (This link is direct to his short – please support Paul by adding your vote for him!

I first met Paul on Twitter when someone (think that it might have been Azy or maybe Stu mentioned him) posted on twitter about his winning the Dirary of the Dead DVD contest.  In my process of learning more about him we started to converse about work and web marketing and over the past few months have become friends.

Paul is a true DV Rebel in every scene of the term!  (Stu would be proud!!!) The most amazing thing about Paul is he’s very candid about his thought process and I feel that he really is earnest in his passion for others to be able to be a Rebel just like him!  Well I say all of this fluff to introduce his latest view from behind the scenes – a detailed view of just how he did what he did with FALLOUT!

It’s broken up into three ten minute segments for your viewing pleasure – and it can all be found on his blog!

Taken from the Workbookproject.com “DIY Days” this video shows an awesome pannel of DIY Filmmakers and their Self-Distribution process as they discuss the realities of DIY Filmmaking.  Take a moment to watch this – get past the crappy video coverage and really try to absorbe what it is that they are saying here!

Also – have I mentioned how much I love FilmmakerIQ.com?!!  Such an awesome resources!!

Required (Re)reading – Jay points out some seriously great information regarding sound for film! 
We see with our ears, just as much as we do with our eyes!  Because of this essay – I’m think of elements with in my projects much differently then before.  Check out this quote form Jays post…

““Designing a Movie for Sound” lives at FilmSound.org, and despite the title, it’s not about how to be a sound designer. If anything, it’s about how to be a screenwriter and director, and how tounderstand what sound can do for a film…”

Awesome information!

Well the RSS reminder bell went off and while looking at the four new posts I venture back to their home page.  (I love their layout – it makes me want to build a more magazine like structure for this site, but I like how it works now – and I’m not going to change it.)  Their first massive list of 202 DIY Resources for Filmmaking was is outstanding.  Their other featured post – “101 Essential Filmmaker Sites” really grabbed my attention.  So to the staff over at Filmmaker IQ – all I can say is that you are officially my new favorite blog!

Thanks for the awesome content and resources that have consumed my weekend!
Keep up the great work!