We just got out of our Videomaker Lounge and conference room feeling the glow of our first webinar with our partnership with YouTube. We’ve watched webinars, but have never conducted one ourselves, so this was a new learning experience for us here at Videomaker. We feel everything went well, the only hitch was not enough time for the live Q&A session at the end of our seminar. But isn’t that always the case?!? Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘Producers’ Category
Videomaker Webinar Success!
YouTube and Videomaker Webinar next week!
Don’t forget, sign-up for the joint event we’re producing with YouTube. We are going to give you some tips on shooting, lighting techniques, and the best way to record audio.
We’re reprinting the original post from YouTube’s blog as posted by Mia Quagliarello, YouTube’s Community Manager. Read the rest of this entry »
Thrill the World - Get Ready for a Thriller!
Grab your camcorders and mics, (and maybe some zombie make-up!), and get ready to video-tape the first of what promises to be an annual event: the world’s largest “Thriller” dance!
In tribute to Michael Jackson, and because it’s good clean fun, someone started up the international Thriller dance-a-thon that is supposed to go on all over the world - at the same time.
A website, Thrill the World, was created just to organize this event, and you can find out there where the Thriller dance is going on in your neighborhood, or try to get one started… but hurry, the dance is happening this coming Saturday.
Read the rest of this entry »
Ultimate Camera Recycling
As I predicted, the larger part of our small-town lost power again last night in our first BIG storm of the season.
Not being able to use any electronics, instead relaxing in the semi-dark with candles and a roaring fire, sipping hot cocoa and roasting marshmallows made me realize that the Holidays (with a capital “H”!) are just around the corner.
So with the Holidays approaching, you’re thinking you need a new camera to make sure you capture all the twinkle, sparkle, radiance and laughter during the over-commercialized season, right?
(Read our latest 2009 All Camcorder’s Buyer’s Guide here, that we just put online this morning, as an advancer for your early Holiday shopping pleasure!) Read the rest of this entry »
The Show Must Go On!
How many times have you heard or uttered the phrase “The Show Must Go On!” in your video-producing world? It gets our blood pumping to know we can make the impossible possible.
This weekend we hosted one of our Basic Production workshops, and launched our newest class as well: our 3-day intensive Lighting Workshop. Everything was going well until about 11:15 in the morning when everything… raced… to… a… complete… halt.
Read the rest of this entry »
Viral Video Causes Copyright rules changes on YouTube
I’ve been having an interesting conversation with school instructor Dylan Bennett over a blog post I made on Monday about a viral video on YouTube.
The video is a well choreographed piece by film students in Montreal using a popular song.
Mr. Bennett was commenting about how, as a video production instructor, he strives to teach his students not only the video producing skills and techniques but also the rules and ethics that go along with being a video producer.
We often write in Videomaker about how legally and ethically one shouldn’t use copyright music without permission, and how, even recently, YouTube has taken down people’s fun videos because they used 10-seconds of a song without permission from the copyright holder. But, apparently, the rules are changing.
Mr. Bennett sent me this blog post that Google put up this week, saying it’s OK to use copyright music, TV shows, or other approved media on YouTube… “if”… and it’s a big IF. If the record company/TV network/copyright holder sees a financial benefit to them.
Viral “I Gotta Feeling” Black Eyed Peas video and Ken Burns series are hot!
Here’s a well-choreographed fun video you gotta see. A one-take music video to the tune “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. The camera begins outside a building on the University Montreal Quebec’s campus, and then travels through out the building, hovering down hallways, peeking into classrooms, gliding up stairs and down, finally finishing in the TV/film department’s studio… with more than 170 students performing and lip-syncing… all in just one take. Read the rest of this entry »
Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Video Editing Software and Photoshop Elements 8 Released
Adobe announces its latest additions to the Adobe Elements and Photoshop family today with it release of its consumer video editing program - Premiere Elements 8 and Photoshop 8. Adobe created Elements with the intent of reaching the consumer and hobbyist market with it’s low priced video editing software, but has moved the editing program along into a robust application that can keep pace with the big boys.
Rather than throwing in more effects you don’t need, this latest update has a lot more under the hood and has added some better tools to organize your video and photos.
What’s new? There’s an auto analyzer that you can use to tag your images for fast and easy searches. You can also sync your video and photos across several computers and the program has face recognition, helping to zone in on just the images you want from, say, “Carsen’s Birthday,” and it will learn who your subjects are and can find all images of them across the files.
Here’s some advance copy from our First Look review, to be uploaded Wednesday morning:
Premiere Elements 8 adds additional automated tools: Smart Trim removes the least interesting, lowest quality footage; SmartFix corrects shaky footage and color and lighting problems; and SmartMix balances music and sound effects without overpowering dialog or background audio. Plus, the new Motion Tracking feature finds moving subjects in your footage so that you can add graphics, text, and even video effects that automatically move with them.
Read the rest of our advance review of Adobe Elements 8.0 online here http://www.videomaker.com/article/14751/
More From Adobe’s Press Release:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8 software gives you power and ease of use so you can create extraordinary photos and incredible movies, easily manage and protect your photos and video clips with automatic online backup, and access them anywhere you are. And now, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Plus includes everything in the award-winning software and more:
• 20GB of online storage—enough for up to 15,000 photos or four hours of DVD-quality video
• Ongoing delivery of new, easy-to-use tutorials
• Ongoing delivery of fresh seasonal artwork, inspiring templates, movie themes, video effects, and all-new Online Albums
It’s all accessible with your Adobe ID. For more details, visit www.adobe.com/go/membership_elements. Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Plus, $179.99 (Available on Adobe.com, U.S. only) A savings of $20 off the first year of Plus, if purchased with the software bundle.
Already have Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8? Upgrade to Plus via the product for $49.99 a year.
How to be a Better Video Shooter, Learn from the Still Shooter.
When someone new approaches me with a video project they’ve shot that they want me to gently critique I can always tell if that person has had any still photography training within just a few seconds. The first things skilled still photographers do is compose. They see the finished shot in their mind before they ever even put the camera to their eye. They instantly see the Rule of Thirds grid, or Divine Proportion, (also called Golden Rule), and they often say they “compose” shots everywhere they look, whether they are shooting or not. These are the people I call “The Eye”. They just have it, it’s in their brain, they “see” composition the way others see color. Read the rest of this entry »
How do you Find the Gig?
Where are all the shooting gigs? How do you find them? Craigslist? Your local newspaper want ads? Some other vague work-for-hire site?
I just got back last night from shooting a 3-day gig with my brother down in central California. His specialty has been architectural, environmental, lighting and product images, my specialty has been all about people: interviews and sound recording. Together we made a pretty good team and wondered how we’d shop ourselves around better.
Serendipity made a visit to my email this morning, with the announcement of the WorldofShooters.com site. It’s very easy to zero in on your expertise and gear type, and easy for others looking to hire you to zone in on their needs, too.
With more and more companies downsizing, the freelance producers that can grab their gear and go are going to get the gigs when companies send out their plea for work. World of Shooters has you register by the type of still camera or video camera that you use, so everyone can easily sift through the first question: What do you shoot with?
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