From wireless mics to battery-powered lights, remotes and some cameras, we use lots of disposable batteries in the video-producing world, as well as in other areas of our day-to-day lifestyle. Unfortunately, disposable batteries are bad for the environment, and proper disposal techniques aren’t always available, so we guiltily drop the dead batts into the trash with the rest of the garbage. We know about disposal facilities, but not all towns offer them nor make their use very convenient. The Fuji company has come up with FujiEnviroMAX batteries that have no harmful elements, like mercury and cadmium, are landfill-safe and are packaged using recycled materials instead of the PVC plastic many packaging materials carry. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you frustrated by overkill plastic packaging that’s impossible to open? The annoying plastic casings we’re familiar with are designed to stop counterfeiting, tampering and theft, while ensuring visibility of the product and brand. But, besides being so difficult to open, the costs to create and assemble the packaging are often more than those of the product itself.
MeadWestvaco Corporation (www.meadwestvaco.com) has a solution that eliminates a lot of the plastic, freeing the planet of needless waste and freeing our hands from the cuts and scratches as we attempt to open these plastic cocoons. Read the rest of this entry »

Reprinted from a Boris FX press release

Boris FX has announced the release of Boris Continuum Complete 6 which includes 15 New Filters, New 3D Objects, Exchange Keyframe Animation with Adobe After Effects. BCC 6 AVX is based on Avid’s AVX 2 plug-in architecture with support for Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter and Avid Symphony. A special AVX 1 version of BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS will be released in the near future.

BCC 6 AVX adds nearly 200 plug-in filters to Avid editing and finishing systems. The new release features 15 new effects including Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Layer Deformer, Cartoon Look, Lightning, and Swish Pan. In addition, BCC 6 AVX delivers unique workflow enhancements such as the ability to animate BCC filters in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline - while preserving After Effects keyframes. Read the rest of this entry »

ViewSonic, makers of electronics like TVs, monitors and digital signage, has seen the mounting tons of electronic waste filling landfills every year and is working towards being a part of the solution instead of the problem. ViewSonic representatives say that all of their displays released since last summer feature a power-saving mode, which should give the user up to 56% savings in energy costs. The electronic billboards and LCD TVs now use up 40% less power than plasma TVs of the same size. Read the rest of this entry »

These videos are graphic, please watch with caution

On June 16 Charlie Fulton posted a very thought provoking blog. After discovering the new video of Iranian Protestor Neda Soltan’s death that is quickly reaching alarming views on Youtube I decided to give my thoughts on the same issue. Today we live in an age where technology rules, with the click of a button and audience awaits all of us and what we choose to show that audience. The idea that in a place where the media does not have access, the people are using social networks and privately shot video to bring the news to the media is a powerful example of how times have changed since the birth of Youtube & social networks.  It is also alarming and at the same time refreshing to think that people are turning to themselves that there own abilities to bring each other into the know, rather than a tv with a rather one sided point of view. Here are a few more links and media outlets on the story:

click here

click here

The analog switch is done. Like the Y2K scare, the sky did not fall and the machines did not take over. We’ve said all we’re going to say about it. It is History.  However, it IS a big moment in history, as video has been around for 6 decades, most of us are acutely connected to television transmission. As video creators, we producers are even more connected. So in honor of this historic day, We’d like to invite our video producing community to share a few tidbits about themselves.

I would like to ask you who you are, why you’re producing video, when did you get started, and what you’re doing now.

Videomaker is beginning a new series called Reader Profiles that is a short snapshot of selected Videomaker readers. We want to know what your equipment looks like, what type of videos you produce and how you got into the video creation business. Are you happy? Do you have any goals or ideals you’d like to share?

Our readers often express their curiosity about other readers, but many of us tend to be singular in our lone-wolf producing techniques. Sharing our skills and ideas helps all of us become stronger producers.

To participate in our reader profile series, email us at editor@videomaker.com, and use Reader Profile in the subject line. Are you a hobbyist? Event producer? Do you make training videos? Wedding videos? Family Fun videos? Tell us in a 500-700 word essay about you and your video production work. Along with your profile, send a printable photo of you and another one of your rig… the entire setup! Tell us what each piece of gear is, so we can show other readers what you use, including camcorder, tripod, lights, computer, editing software and any other equipment you use for producing videos.

The photos must be at least 300DPI, and we prefer them in JPEG format. If you have a website, please supply the link, or, if you can link us to videos you’ve produced elsewhere, you can supply that, too, but it’s not necessary.

Here is a link to our first submission, aviation enthusiast Henry Tenby.