tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668430131871309112024-03-27T00:37:33.598-07:00The Self-Confessed GeekI've been in denial but there is no getting around the fact that I am a geek. This is my virtual man-cave to share the geeky exploits I've been trying to hide from the world for years.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-24191080802256699752013-04-16T18:04:00.002-07:002013-04-16T18:07:00.427-07:00The H6: Zoom's Response to the Tascam DR-60D<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://zoom.co.jp/img/text_img/text_img_3782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://zoom.co.jp/img/text_img/text_img_3782.jpg" width="400" /></a>It was only a couple of weeks ago that Tascam announced the <a href="http://tascam.com/product/dr-60d/" target="_blank">DR-60D field recorder</a> that is designed with the enthusiast filmmaker in mind. I thought it was one of <a href="http://geek.theothermartintaylor.com/2013/04/best-of-nab-2013-for-guerrilla.html" target="_blank">the three most interesting products at NAB 2013</a> but, no sooner than the buzz from NAB had began to die down than Zoom returns fire with<a href="http://www.zoom.co.jp/news/article/548" target="_blank"> the announcement of the Zoom H6</a> at the <a href="http://www.musicradar.com/event/musikmesse" target="_blank">Musikmesse fair</a> at Frankfurt.<br />
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Details are limited but we can see that Zoom has designed the H6 with video applications in mind. Most excitingly it has four on-board, XLR/TRS inputs, expandable to six with an optional, interchangeable XLR/TRS head and it will record all six channels simultaneously and each channel has a dedicated, hardware, level control knob. That's making the Tasam Dr-60D's mere two XLR inputs seem a little paltry by comparison. And that could be Zoom's intention: you might have been just about to order the DR-60D but Zoom's press release will give you pause - if you can wait a little longer, being able to record 6 channels from XLR at once could be worth your patience.<br />
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Why would you need so many channels? Options. With 6 channels being able to lav and boom all the talent on set will give you so many more options back in the edit bay. Hopefully you'll be able to input one mic into two channels set at different levels; one dialed back for safety but both from the same source.<br />
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But this is just speculation as Zoom haven't announced a shipping date or price yet. If the H6 is adopted by enthusiast filmmakers with as much enthusiasm as they've taken to the H4 over the past few years then Zoom will have another huge hit on their hands. Of course this depends on them pricing the H6 correctly and getting it out to the market before Tascam do any serious damage to Zoom's fan-base. </div>
Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-66181365282806093682013-04-15T16:22:00.000-07:002013-04-16T18:05:36.648-07:00Top 3 Most Interesting Products at NAB 2013 for Guerrilla Filmmakers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you follow video production products and technology you can't help but notice that <a href="http://www.nabshow.com/" target="_blank">NAB 2013</a> has just closed. I was watching the news and press-releases from afar and here are the top 3 products that peeked my interest and that will be of interest to Guerrilla Filmmakers. Perhaps we wont be dashing out to buy these tomorrow but they do give us some insight into the direction that products may be heading in the next year or so:</div>
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BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera</h3>
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<a href="http://cheesycam.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/blackmagic-design-pocket-camera-cinemadng.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://cheesycam.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/blackmagic-design-pocket-camera-cinemadng.png" width="320" /></a>No surprise what my top most interesting product of NAB 2013 is: the <a href="http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera" target="_blank">BlackMagic S16 Pocket Cinema Camera</a>. No surprise it's of interest but I don't think many people saw this one coming. For about a grand you get a pocketable video camera that records with 13 stops of dynamic range in lossless format to cheap SD cards and takes micro-four thirds lenses. Name one filmmaker who isn't intrigued by the idea of a cinema quality camera that fits in your pocket. If it delivers on its promise of being small enough to carry anywhere but flexible enough and adaptable to scale into the heart of a full on film rig, BlackMagic are going to sell thousands! </div>
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The biggest issue I see is BlackMagic's reputation. In my opinion they are <u><b>the</b></u> most innovative camera manufacturer out there today - and they are out there. They aren't constrained by decades of previous designs or a huge current camera lineup that they have to be careful slotting into without rocking the boat too much. As a result we are seeing revolutionary cameras from BlackMagic. On the downside, they don't have decades of R&D and manufacturing know-how under their belts and they seem to be rushing their products to market. They're catching a lot of press but they're also getting something of a reputation for shipping beta hardware with an understanding that they'll fix the software at some later date. The jury is still out but I can't wait to read review from real-world users of this camera when it ships this summer.</div>
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Tascam DR-60D PCM Recorder</h3>
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<a href="http://tascam.com/content/images/universal/product_detail/799/medium/dr-60d_p_user.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://tascam.com/content/images/universal/product_detail/799/medium/dr-60d_p_user.jpg" width="320" /></a>Is Tascam's new field recorder revolutionary or just a <a href="http://tascam.com/product/dr-40/" target="_blank">DR-40</a> in a fancy frock? It does share a lot of the features and specifications of the DR-40 but that's not a bad thing. The DR-40 has been over-shadowed by the <a href="http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4n/" target="_blank">Zoom H4n</a> although they are very similar and the Tascam is the best part of $100 cheaper than the Zoom. While both the Zoom H4n and DR-40 are used by many, many HDSLR videographers, using them has always been a little tricky as is attaching them to your camera or rig. <a href="http://tascam.com/product/dr-60d/" target="_blank">The DR-60D</a> shows that Tascam has been listening to videographers; the aesthetic and UI both seem perfectly suited filmmakers and there are several features that will be very useful. Currently you can't find the DR-60 for less than retail which, at $350 is $80 more than the street price of a H4n and $150 more than the DR-40. At that price I see a lot of Guerrilla filmmakers sticking with the less convenient form-factor recorders. Once the street price drops $50 or more things will start to be interesting. </div>
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The takeaway here is that manufacturers are listening to enthusiast filmmakers. Hopefully we'll be seeing even more of these kind of products geared towards our use-cases instead of us having to adapt devices not designed for our purposes.</div>
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Freefly Movi M10 Gimbal System</h3>
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At $15000 most guerrilla filmmakers are not going to rush out and buy the much-hyped <a href="http://www.freeflysystems.com/products/moviM10.php" target="_blank">Movi M10</a> digitally-stabilized camera gimbal support. It does look amazing though as anyone who has tried to fly their DSLR on a <a href="http://www.glidecam.com/" target="_blank">GlideCam</a> without a lot of experience can attest (I count myself among that number). The buzz from the show was that the <a href="http://nofilmschool.com/2013/04/movi-gyro-stabilized-handheld-camera-gimbal/" target="_blank">steadicam operator's days were numbered</a> and, while this is probably a huge exaggeration the promise of being able to run and gun with dolly-like stability is intriguing. Hopefully the M10 is like looking at the new S-class Mercedes you will never be able to afford: many of the features you see in the top of the line Merc that seem space-age today, will be commonplace in a few years. We live in hope.</div>
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Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-33640040987450648392013-01-03T12:14:00.002-08:002013-01-03T12:16:44.930-08:00Sony Movie Studio Platinum 12 Goes 64-Bit: Render Errors Finally Solved<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A couple of<a href="http://geek.theothermartintaylor.com/2011/07/sony-vegas-movie-studio-platinum-render.html" target="_blank"> the most read posts</a> I have on this site have to do with overcoming render issues many of us had with Sony Vegas Movie Studio. It was amiss of me not mention that I upgraded to Sony Movie Studio Platinum 12 in the summer of 2012 and that it was the first rev of the software I got to render complex projects cleanly without having to hack all those dll files.<br />
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There are two big changes in my mind: first they dropped 'Vegas' from the name and second, this consumer level software went 64-bit. Why is 64-bit such a big deal? Most modern versions of Windows are 64-bit and without this feature they are severely limited in the amount of memory they can use. In previous versions of Movie Studio we were running 32-bit programs often on a 64-bit OS. That's OK but it means that the 32-bit program can't use all the memory that you've installed. It also means that when that 32-bit program reaches the limit of the memory it is allowed to use, but it really needs more, strange things can happen and often these resulted in render errors.<br />
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Sony made their consumer level product 64-bit and I speculate that this is the main reason that I can render fine in version 12 of Movie Studio. This is why I'm totally recommending this upgrade to anyone on a 64-bit version of windows - it's a small price to pay for the performance and stability gains. That said, it's still not fast. I recently switched to Adobe Premium Production Suite and the combination of Premiere and Media Encoder blows Movie Studio away. But that comparison is a little unfair is the suite costs a fortune compared to Sony's product. If you're looking for a great value NLE I heartily recommend Movie Studio 12.</div>
Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-33700550415342451312012-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:002012-12-31T14:30:04.328-08:00First World Problems<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A little while ago I wrote a somewhat bitter piece I titled "<a href="http://geek.theothermartintaylor.com/2012/05/creative-myth-busting-if-you-build-it.html" target="_blank">Creative Myth Busting: If You Build It They Will Come</a>". I'm here to tell you I was wrong ... somewhat.<br />
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It is hard putting your work out there year after year to resounding indifference but I'm here to tell you things recently changed for me. For several years now I have been working on the side for my company on various photo and video projects. These projects were largely on my own time and with my own equipment and I started doing them as a way to learn as I am one of those people who can only learn by doing. After several years of this I had learnt a lot but I was starting to feel a little used and like things were going nowhere hence the attitude conveyed in the post mentioned above.<br />
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But then something happened....<br />
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At a huge conference we run, I was taking stills as usual when I was asked by a couple of colleagues to shoot some short video testimonials. I was going to explain that shooting video required so much more time and equipment than the stills I was taking but, instead, I turned up first thing one morning with a back breaking load of extra gear and shot what they asked for. Back in the office I had just received Adobe Production Premium so I decided to use the editing task as an opportunity to learn Premiere Pro as I moved from Sony Movie Studio. I thought the resulting video was nothing special but the team I made it for loved it. They liked it so much they kept showing it higher and higher up the management food chain until I found myself the most junior (in rank at least) attendee at a meeting of higher-ups with my bosses', bosses', bosses', boss being asked to advise on video and multimedia production. Normally, in such company I might be quiet and hang back but they were talking about a subject I knew more about than anyone in the room. Before the meeting was through I was being asked to switch focus from my usual coding duties to video production.<br />
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A lot of established creatives offer advice to young wannabees to pack-up whatever they're doing currently, move to LA or NY or where ever they believe the creative center of the universe is currently and to work for free if they have to. For a 20-something with no responsibilities that may be good advice but for middle-aged, head of household with dependents looking to you for health insurance, and getting the mortgage paid and all the other trappings of a modern, Western lifestyle it is hard advice to stomach. So we stick to our safe jobs that provide our families with the security we promised them and we wonder what it would be like to do the thing we loved, the thing we are actually passionate about for a living.<br />
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So I have this opportunity now to do what I love for a living without losing the security I've built up working at a massive technology company for so many years. It's not like when you're a kid and you dream of being spotted in the crowd for your mad skills and then thrown into the spotlight to become successful and famous but, in a grown-up world, it's more than I dared to dream of. I'm not making Hollywood movies or rubbing shoulders with world-famous filmmakers but I go into the office and I edit or shoot video without having to hide it off the books. I haven't been given a massive budget or a RED camera rig but that's not what I'm good at or what my experience is with anyway. I know about guerrilla filmmaking and how to do things for low or no-budget without the end product looking cheap. I think the corporate world is one of the last niches in video production to learn anything from this DIY, guerrilla mentality and I'm passionate about doing that.<br />
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So here I stand, given an unexpected opportunity that is mine to screw up. Who knows what the next year will bring. Maybe they'll work out that I don't know what I'm talking about, or they'll find someone else who does it better, or they'll get tired of making videos but for now I'm taking this opportunity and am running with it. If you're just starting out there are plenty of people who will give you good advice so you don't need this old fart chiming in. If you're no spring chicken, and you have responsibilities, but you're trying to add a more creative slant to your work life I can't promise that it will happen but it definitely won't happen if you give up, or stop looking for the opportunities that just occasionally come your way.<br />
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Keep doing it. Keep the faith. Keep your eyes open. I almost gave up and slipped into bitterness. If you hear me moaning again, do me a favor and slap me.</div>
Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-65611750396010844392012-12-29T14:08:00.001-08:002013-04-15T16:28:58.063-07:00My Tech Top 10: 2012 Edition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the blogs I follow is <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/" target="_blank">Apartment Therapy</a> and they have section called <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/categories/my_tech_top_10" target="_blank"><i>My Tech Top 10</i></a>. Each year they ask contributors and influential people to describe ten items of technology that have been most useful to them that year. I'm just a reader of that blog and have little influence, but I still thought it would be fun to make my own list so here goes:<br />
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iPad 3</h3>
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In first place has to be my iPad. I had the first generation of the iPad and it was fun, but I got the iPad 3 in the summer and it fulfilled the promise the original iPad hinted at. Of course, Apple made it old-tech two months later when they released the new iPad and we're already hearing word of yet another iteration early in 2013 which makes me a little angry but then again, when I'm using the iPad 3 (and I use it a lot) I don't feel like I'm using old-tech. </div>
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The retina screen is just beautiful - it's the end of the era of being able to see pixels. It's powerful enough to work on and play on. I do like my iPhone but since the iPad 3 came into my life the iPhone is something I use to text and make calls and if I use it for anything else it feels like a compromise I have to make until I'm back with my beloved iPad. The iPhone is just a bit squinty to my old eyes whereas, the iPad may not be small enough to go in a jacket pocket but I see why Mr Jobs thought the iPad's screen was the perfect size. It's great for watching video, making music, it's effortless for Skype, great for Pinterest and Flipboard, it is my preferred interface for dealing with my email and calendar. Typing on the glass keyboard is a compromise but one you quickly adapt to but with a bluetooth keyboard that compromise disappears and so Google Docs, and Celtx become all the more useful.</div>
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I'm sure it's not perfect for everyone but for me I am now lost without my iPad. It has largely replaced my laptop: I either use the iPad or wait until I'm back at one of my desktops. I didn't get it when it first came out ("Why would I want a massive iPhone that can't make calls?") but now I get it.</div>
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<br />Lightroom 4</h3>
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Just like the iPad makes more heavy duty devices less relevant, Lightroom makes Photoshop seem slow and cumbersome. There are not that may pieces of software I love (I like a lot but how many do I 'love'? Not that many.) but I count Lightroom 4 among their number.<br />
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Once you get used to it, it is amazingly fast to do 95% of what I need to do with my images. Photoshop is amazingly powerful and fully featured but it contains so many functions that are irrelevant to most photographers. I'm sure I haven't tried half of what PS can do but I feel like I use all of Lighroom's features without missing much. It has made going through hundreds of pictures after an event much more manageable and without it most of my images would never get beyond being downloaded in RAW format to my server and then forgotten. The price for such a professional tool makes it so inclusive; as PS has become such a significant expense it is sometimes hard to justify purchasing, especially now LR does most of what I need. If Adobe adds layers and brushes I may abandon PS forever - I guess that's why they won't be adding those features.<br />
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Leatherman Charge</h3>
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This is hardly an item of tech but it is a device that's been in my bag and used daily for about a decade now and its looks don't give away its age. Any geek worth their salt needs a multi-tool they can strip a PC down with, or cut pesky cable ties single handed, or any of a half-dozen tasks that used to send us to our tool box every day. For me that tool is made by Leatherman and the Charge is the model with all the tools I need.</div>
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Dropbox</h3>
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How did we survive without DropBox? I used to have a flash-drive in my pocket at all times, but Dropbox is way more than a cloud version of a thumb drive and survives the washing machine much better to boot. It is my go-to service when I need to save items I need to access from anywhere but it has also become the service I use to share projects that are works in progress. That could be a video I want notes on from stakeholders before it goes live on YouTube, or the way I collaborate with partners even though we don't live in the same time zone, and the way I can effortlessly move items between devices and OS'es - PC to Mac, desktop to iPhone. Dropbox has quickly gone from a novelty to a daily essential.<br />
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Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drives</h3>
Much as I love Dropbox it's neither big enough, nor fast enough for the huge video projects I work on, need to backup and to transport between my office and home. I had been using old school external hard drives - the big ones that need a separate power supply and take up half your bag - when I made the discovery that these small, laptop drive based drives were no small enough, fast enough and cheap enough to replace my old drives. I love that they don't need a separate power supply and that you can get a terabyte for about $80. Until the cloud becomes faster and cheaper for the amount of storage I need, these drives make an elegant stop-gap.<br />
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Canon 5D MkII</h3>
I know 2012 was the year of the MKIII and, as I write this, the 4 year old MKII has just been officially retired, but I still use my MKII's daily both for stills and video and don't see the need to replace or retire them just yet. This camera made me a better photographer and it taught me about video production. 2012 was the year this kind of multi-media production officially became part of my work remit so I have the MKII to thank for getting me out of the coding trenches (at least until they realize I don't know what I'm talking about). It's not often that a high tech gadget has such a long shelf-life.<br />
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Adobe Production Premium CS6</h3>
Work had been promising my this software since 2011 but in 2012 they finally delivered. Before that I had been making do with the consumer software Photoshop Elements and Sony Movie Studio. Both taught me a lot but I kept hitting problems with both that getting the professional software has helped overcome. I no longer have to leave a day just to render a project in the fear that it won't complete or it will introduce glitches. Premiere had a pretty steep learning curve but now now going back to Movie Studio feels like going from a car to a push bike. I'm glad I didn't have to buy it myself as it is quiet spendy but oh, so worth it.<br />
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Flipboard</h3>
There are several apps I use daily on the iPad and Flipboard is the ideal way to consume all sorts of niche and mainstream news. Flipboard is the modern Newspaper.<br />
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Downcast</h3>
If Flipboard is the modern newspaper then Downcast is the modern radio. Since TiVo came along I haven't watched live TV except in hotel rooms or at my parents house since. I still listen to NPR but not live anymore. I've been a follower of podcasts for years but Apple's idea of over the air syncing left a lot to be desired. Downcast was my stopgap until they sorted it out but now, even though Apple have their own podcast app, I'm sticking with Downcast.<br />
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Sennheiser HD 280 pro Headphones</h3>
I know it's the year of the new Apple ear-buds and super-expensive, rapper-endorsed headphones but my HD 280's are the last in a long line of Sennheiser headphones I've owned. They're not for going out but if you need to monitor audio in a loud environment their ear cups seal out most of the room noise. If you have to mix or edit on headphones they are naturally uncolored. They're boringly black but affordable and comfortable and another piece of tech I use daily and am glad for.</div>
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Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-17803349922330352712012-07-23T13:31:00.002-07:002012-07-23T15:10:21.900-07:00Filmmaking: How to Give and Take Notes Without Making Enemies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Filmmaking is a collaborative, artistic process involving people with egos and opinions. Just about everyone involved has ownership of some percentage of the final product and, especially if they are not getting paid or are getting paid very little, they are hugely invested in that final product being great or what’s the point for them being involved?<br />
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This can be a recipe for disaster in the pre- and post-production world. When you’re on set and in production the collaboration is face-to-face and the roles are defined and visible so it is easier to manage and to detect when something is heading in the wrong direction. In the pre- and post-production world where people communicate much more by email the potential for being misunderstood and for conflicts blowing out of proportion is so much greater. Often times the way we communicate is by asking for ‘notes’ or being given them whether we want them or not from people higher up the food chain.<br />
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There are two times we usually ask for and get notes: in script development and in the editing process. Getting notes, considering them and implementing them can make your film project better. It can also be frustrating, infuriating, it can make you very defensive and, if you blindly try to incorporate every note you’re given, it can make your film worse not better.<br />
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<br /> Taking Notes</h3>
Be gracious when you are given notes especially if you asked for them. Again, this is especially true in the low/no budget filmmaking world. If you ask someone you respect to give you notes they are taking time out of their life to do this as a favor so don’t get dismissive or defensive with them if they say something you don’t agree with or like.<br />
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Don’t ask for notes for something you don’t actually want criticism on. If what you really want is a compliment, a pat on the back and an ‘at-ta-boy’ then send it to your mom. If you ask for criticism you will get it. Don’t waste your reviewer’s time asking for notes you have no intention of even considering because you think the piece is already finished.<br />
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Take care who you ask notes from. If you’re not the top of the food chain there are some people who you will have to take notes from. Beyond that only ask notes from people whose opinion you respect. When you ask for notes you are asking for criticism and you will usually get it. If you respect the person giving you notes you are much more likely to take their notes more seriously than the notes you’re getting from some faceless executive.<br />
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Consider the note givers position, experience and point of view. The notes you get from someone experienced in the process will be very different from the notes you get from someone who has never made a video in their life, however, both can add value. The more experienced filmmaker may see things you are not experienced enough to have noticed. The novice’s opinion may be much more in line with your target audience and so just as useful.<br />
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Be respectful of the opinion of those whom you have to ask notes from even if you’re doing it as a formality. Perhaps some backer wants a producer credit and wants to be involved in the process. Dismiss the money man at your peril. They are not just a source of cash; their ownership is just as valid as yours and you’re probably going to want them to back a bigger project in the future. Involve these people. Genuinely consider their notes. Thank them for being involved. Show them why their note might not work. Take the time to cut the section two ways if you have to and really show them why your way works. It behoves you to try to gently educate these people as you go especially if you may be working with them again.<br />
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Be specific about what you want notes about and the specific deadline you want them back by. Give people a reasonable but finite time to get back to you. Also, if there are areas you are specifically concerned with tell your note givers so that they can give you notes in that area.<br />
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You’re not entitled to notes from someone so ask politely and don’t make demands. This is especially true if you are asking for notes from someone who is not invested in the project but whose opinion you respect.<br />
Try to be as objective as you can; try to leave your ego out of it. This is easier said than done when the project is your baby and you have so much time invested in it. Just remember that notes are not criticism. If some note makes your blood boil take a breath, an hour, a day or a week before crafting a response - never reply in anger. Once your emotions have settled you may find something of value in these notes that you can still use.<br />
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Follow-up on every note. When you send out your next cut let people know what notes you have incorporated. If you haven’t incorporated a note into the cut explain to the note giver why. Always let a note giver know that they have been heard and that you’re not ignoring them. If they feel ignored they can damage your project.<br />
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Pick your battles - know when to fold and when to dig in. When someone higher up the food chain than you gives you comments you must address them. If you don’t agree with them know when to fight for what you want and when it is ok to give the reviewer their point. If you fight every note it will only serve to polarize your two positions over everything in the project.<br />
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<br /> Giving Notes</h3>
If you offer a criticism be sure that it is specific and that you offer a solution to address the problem you see.<br />
Here’s a note I received once “<i>I’m not inspired but that might be because of the annoying music</i>.” How do I address this? The music where? One person’s annoying makes another’s top ten list: of course I’ll be on the defensive if chose or even wrote the music. What do you want me to change it to? I don’t want to waste my time switching out the soundtrack over and over until I stumble on something this note giver likes. Instead give me some guide as how to fix the issue. Imagine the knee-jerk reaction I had to this note and how I had no idea how to address it. Now imagine how much more likely I would be to be able and willing to address your issue if it was phrased like this: “<i>I don’t think the background music fits the chase scene. Can you find something a bit less Techno and a little more Jan Hammer?</i><br />
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Don’t use loaded or emotional language. For example, ‘annoying’, ‘hate’, ‘stupid’ will evoke strong reactions and put the filmmakers on the defensive rather than the collaborative.<br />
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Be concise and specific. Don’t use a full paragraph if a few words will do. It’s a waste of your time and the filmmaker’s.<br />
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Notes are so much more digestible if you can come up with a couple of positive things to say before you go on to list a whole load of things you see as issues. As the old saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Even if you think what you just saw or read needs a lot of work it is rarely difficult to find something nice to say. If everything you say is negative your filmmaker will be on the defensive and will find it hard to consider anything you said or your opinion in the future. It’s also worth ending on a positive note too. Filmmaking is all about collaboration and the relationships you make will often continue long after this one project is finished.<br />
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Don’t make notes on things that cannot be addressed at this point. If you’re asked to make notes on the edit and this is the first time you’ve seen the project and you hate the script you can’t tell the filmmaker that he has to rewrite or recast the whole thing. He might not even be able to film any pickup shots at this point so try to work with what is there. Suggest edits to mitigate those elements you strongly dislike.<br />
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Be polite. Don’t be condescending. Give notes you would want to receive.<br />
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Be quick in getting notes back. If you can’t get notes back to the filmmaker inside the deadline or you don’t have time at all it takes less than a minute to send an email explaining why you won’t be able to deliver within the time frame or at all.<br />
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If you think the person or project is beyond help don’t burn bridges. Be polite, don’t waste your time and just bow out of the project. It’s a small world. You will meet this person again and you may have to work with them. If you tear this project to shreds that’s what they will remember about you.<br />
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Read through or watch the subject once before you make any notes at all. After that first pass write down your general first impressions of the whole work. Also describe and plot or character issues you have that are confusing you. When you go through after the first time you comments can be more granular. Make comments about individual scenes and then page by page or minute by minute.<br />
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<br /> Other Links</h3>
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<li><b style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://indieauteur.com/2009/11/24/notes-on-notes-pt-4-who-to-ask-for-notes/">http://indieauteur.com/2009/11/24/notes-on-notes-pt-4-who-to-ask-for-notes/</a>
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<li><b style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://filmmakeriq.com/2009/06/how-to-get-and-give-notes-without-making-enemies/">http://filmmakeriq.com/2009/06/how-to-get-and-give-notes-without-making-enemies/</a></b></li>
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</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-41970973238575854232012-05-07T12:48:00.000-07:002012-05-07T12:49:29.553-07:00Creative Myth Busting: If You Build It They Will Come<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A lot of so called experts are out there proffering advice for creatives trying to 'make it'. Like everything on the interwebs, some of that advice is good and some of it is bad. Here's one piece of advice some creatives who have already made it often give to those who want to make it:<br />
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<i>Just concentrate on the work and success will follow. If you make good work you will be found ... If you build it they will come</i>.<br />
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Perhaps this advice was valid two decades ago but even then I doubt it. Today it is misinformed advice that could stunt your progress. If you build it you are just 1 of millions of others who have built something. The noise to signal ratio in the modern world is massive and no one has time to sift through the whole of the web to find you. If your profile isn't high you will not be found; you will not get the gig; you will not rise to the top of the pile.<br />
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Creating the work is only half the job. The other half, I am sad to say, is self-promotion. It goes against everything I stand for but if you're not out there tweeting to tens of thousands of followers; if every picture you put on Flickr, or video you put on YouTube, or song you put on Soundcloud doesn't get thousands of hits you might not be failing as an artist but you will not 'make it'.<br />
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Put this advice down to sour grapes on my part at your peril. There are thousands of good photographers out there and there are a relatively few great ones. A lot of great photographers out there you have never heard of. A lot of OK photographers are web stars getting all the attention.<br />
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An artist needs an audience. Without an audience the work is masturbatory. How you get that audience without selling out? That I cannot tell you. I still naively believe that an artists should make work that they themselves like but if you want an audience you must keep your viewer (or listener, or reader) in mind somewhat. How much you court that audience while you're making the work is up to you and your conscience but I'd recommend that you start trying to build that audience just as soon as you have the fundamentals of your craft down. If you wait you will be too late. </div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-81572801984901516362012-03-15T16:23:00.001-07:002013-11-19T14:24:04.170-08:00A Guy's Guide to Pinterest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Pinterest_logo.png/799px-Pinterest_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Pinterest_logo.png/799px-Pinterest_logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
In recent months <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> has blown up as the new social media space with some uninformed tech journalists going as far as calling it the new Facebook. That is an overstatement but it is an interesting new Social Media space. This article isn't an introduction to Pinterest per say, <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=seb&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&sa=X&ei=vHRiT6D2KaG1iwKO953WCQ&ved=0CBkQvwUoAQ&q=introduction+to+interest&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=8229844274f67c87&ix=seb&ion=1&biw=1920&bih=1113" target="_blank">there are plenty of those around</a>, but I will just say, if you haven't tried Pinterest out it is worth a visit. Pinterest is your categorize-able, mood-board. If you see something you like on the web; you pin it and an image, your description and a link to the source is added to your board. It's that simple.</div>
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But Pinterest does have a reputation as girly hangout. I don't think anyone really knows and that people are guessing but you read pundits saying that <a href="http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/infographic-marketers-guide-to-pinterest.png" target="_blank">87% of active users are women</a>. At first blush this statistic could be believable. Certainly the <a href="http://pinterest.com/popular/" target="_blank">most popular pins</a> do feature a disproportionately large number of interior design, sappy wedding and child photography, hair and nail styles, outfit and shoe options, too-cute-pets, recipes, diet tips, Ryan Gosling portraits, platitudes in text, book storage havens, etc. If you're a guy, don't let this put you off. There is plenty at Pinterest for you too.</div>
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Since when has making lists for fun being a predominantly female activity? Men grow up making lists (ref "<a href="http://www.musicsnobbery.com/2006/07/the_high_fideli.html" target="_blank">High Fidelity</a>"). "<i>What is your top five dream cars?</i>" "I<i> really like that album but it isn't in my top 10. Top 50, maybe.</i>" When I grew up the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Trumps" target="_blank">Top Trumps</a> card games were a huge craze in the playground among boys. You had to remember huge lists of esoteric facts about super-cars or footballers to be able to be able to win. Can't you boil sports down to huge lists of stats? Isn't fantasy football just pitting one man's list against another's? Don't men out number women with Asperger Syndrome 4 to 1? It's men who catalog their record, CD, comic collections - women have better things to do (like hanging out on Pinterest).</div>
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Companies are springing up trying to be the Pinterest for men (<a href="http://manteresting.com/" target="_blank">Manteresting </a>and <a href="http://gentlemint.com/" target="_blank">Gentlemint</a>). Do we really need our own man cave for creating mood-boards? Some forum with a "<i>Smelly Girls Keep Out</i>!" sign on the club house door? Wasn't this just about any forum on any subject a decade ago? I'm not sure I want to go back to the internet that smelt like a men's locker room so I'm no hurry to leave Pinterest for an all male preserve. Pinterest is the market leader with the best features and the most traffic so why go off into some male ghetto? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNzE-msaUNe-8rnXTPvVqAE9b7Kc1McFr_sVemjyDVmzPeztFnPo2FkHiopq3xoDuuUVYVnvkrSL60FuXo_u2Ts55hmUimgm2M0onvv8_2e3nfu6pMjk-FgDmJyjEqBtt4kEzjI8u1KI/s1600/pinterest-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNzE-msaUNe-8rnXTPvVqAE9b7Kc1McFr_sVemjyDVmzPeztFnPo2FkHiopq3xoDuuUVYVnvkrSL60FuXo_u2Ts55hmUimgm2M0onvv8_2e3nfu6pMjk-FgDmJyjEqBtt4kEzjI8u1KI/s320/pinterest-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you have slightly OCD tendencies Pinterest may be your idea of heaven, be you male or female. If you are male and find Pinterest appealing what might you use it for? Any of the previously mentioned male lists would be at home on Pinterest: your <a href="http://pinterest.com/search/?q=favorite+album+covers" target="_blank">favorite album covers</a>, sports personalities, <a href="http://pinterest.com/search/?q=movie+poster" target="_blank">movie posters</a> etc. Personally I find Pinterest a great way to collect things with out bringing more crap into the house. Last week, for example, I went on a nostalgia trip remembering my childhood in the late 70's early 80's (yes, I am old, thanks for asking.) I stumbled upon toys, candy, TV shows, music, etc from those days and <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/lost-childhood/" target="_blank">I created a board to store it all of course</a>. This board may be uninteresting to anyone but me or maybe other 40-something Brits but now, when I want to stroll down memory lane, all this stuff is in one place. In the past I might have gone on a spending binge trying to find a <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/152770612329770316/" target="_blank">Six Million Dollar Man doll</a> on eBay, <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/152770612329783009/" target="_blank">candy </a>from the time at some specialty store and horrible music I won't actually listen to again from iTunes. Pinterest let me indulge in nostalgia without the cost or clutter and it allowed me to share some strange stuff from my childhood with my wife. In the future, when someone kick-starts my failing memory with a "<i>Do you remember ....?</i>" I'll have a place to store that if I want to.</div>
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In a more obvious vein, I don't lust after clothes or storage solutions in the way many Pinterest users seem to but I have an obsession with <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/fantasy-garage/" target="_blank">cars</a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/guitar-fetish/" target="_blank">guitars</a>. Pinterest allows me to collect rare guitars like a rock star and to stock my fantasy garage like a CEO. </div>
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But the boards you create don't have to be about things you aspire to or want. Continuing with my petrol-head tendencies I created a board of <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/car-designers-asleep-at-the-wheel/" target="_blank">the worst cars ever made</a>. Not only does it counterpoint my <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/fantasy-garage/" target="_blank">fantasy garage</a> nicely but where would I store this list otherwise? Here on my blog perhaps? Maybe, but Pinterest boards become a living document rather than a static list. You can leave them for a awhile and them come back and add to them when inspiration strikes. <span style="text-align: left;">You can leave them for a awhile and them come back and add to them when inspiration strikes. Creating boards is so easy, if while I'm nerding out, creating my list of the <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/greatest-fictional-spacecraft/" target="_blank">Greatest Fictional Spacecraft</a>, I come across the inspiration to start a list of <a href="http://pinterest.com/martintaylor/iconic-movie-props/" target="_blank">Iconic Movie Props</a> it is the work of a little extra tying and a click.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEEF6y4gIHch76WRLiX_ljltYbQe2FATZ0XetM-RNVumS3UrE1gR2y0HbkVcz8bfCj7TmPiRlQuC777jQuk2qRuQhSl0PygnaxSipgTvCVH92rrHlq6cTTvLpqw5FZPYUGsBpqQ6tzrg/s1600/pinterest-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEEF6y4gIHch76WRLiX_ljltYbQe2FATZ0XetM-RNVumS3UrE1gR2y0HbkVcz8bfCj7TmPiRlQuC777jQuk2qRuQhSl0PygnaxSipgTvCVH92rrHlq6cTTvLpqw5FZPYUGsBpqQ6tzrg/s320/pinterest-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">'<i>Isn't Pinterest about community?</i>' I hear you ask. Where do you go to find other dudes on Pinterest? There are the obvious places like the <a href="http://pinterest.com/all/?category=cars_motorcycles" target="_blank">Cars and Motorcycles</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/all/?category=sports" target="_blank">Sports</a> and <a href="http://pinterest.com/all/?category=geek" target="_blank">Geek</a> sections among others. There are various people who have curated lists of men to follow on Pinterest (<a href="http://www.seanpercival.com/blog/2012/02/11/the-men-of-pinterest/" target="_blank">Sean Percival</a>, <a href="http://www.joesdaily.com/2012/02/13/5-guys-you-should-follow-on-pinterest/" target="_blank">Joe</a>, etc). Beyond that you just have to keep you eyes open for stuff that interests you. Try to search for boards, people or pins tagged with a subject you're interested in. When you find good boards, follow them. When you find pins you like, take a moment to comment. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I was never any good at the whole 'popular' thing in High School so it should be no surprise that I am the wrong person to ask about playing this game on Social Media sites. There are plenty of articles telling you <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=seb&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=get%20more%20pinterest%20followers&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=8229844274f67c87&ix=seb&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1920&bih=1113" target="_blank">how to get more followers</a> on Pinterest: this isn't one of them. I follow boards rather than people that I find interesting. The problem with following a person is whenever they create a new board you will automatically be following it weather it is of interest to you or not (often not). I only follow people I actually know because they will be pissed at me otherwise. I don't repin things very often but I tend to find my own content while I'm out and about on the web. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Other technicalities about pinning that I've noticed: </span></div>
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<li>If you pin three new cars to your fantasy car garage at one only the first one is likely to be see in the <a href="http://pinterest.com/all/?category=cars_motorcycles" target="_blank">Cars and Motorcycles</a> section. When you don't many followers getting pins into those sections is the only way you will get more eyes on your pins. </li>
<li>Portrait ratio photos get more physical space than landscape one. Bigger images have more impact. Tall, skinny images will get the most physical space (hence those really long, skinny graphics people are making and posting (spamming) specifically for Pinterest. When you are looking for an image to pin on a subject try to find a portrait ratio image though.</li>
<li>Pinterest isn't purely visual: you do get chance to write something about your pin. This is your chance to express yourself. I find pins without a personal comment dull: I want to know what the thing is and why a person pinned it.</li>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Curation may be the next artistic activity that has been democratized. Previously you had to be a magazine editor or art gallery manager to have this kind of power. Of course, these professionals are still going to have more influence and have a greater effect that you but Pinterest does give you a taste of this kind of task. I definitely have pride of ownership of my boards. I do feel like they partly describe who I am. Curation is not the exclusive preserve of women so I am encouraging you, especially if you are a guy, to get out there and to start pinning.</span></div>
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<b>Links</b></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://corporateguerrillavideo.com/?p=400" target="_blank">6 Ways Video and Filmmakers Can Use Pinterest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/a_guys_guide_to_getting_going_on_pinterest.php" target="_blank">A Guy's Guide to Pinterest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/trends/searching-pinterest-for-guy-things-returns-a-mixed-bag/article_17718f5f-8295-580d-b075-2d229a8ace34.html" target="_blank">Searching Pinterest for guy things returns a mixed bag</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/shortcuts/2012/feb/27/pinterest-a-man-free-zone" target="_blank">Is Pinterest a man-free zone?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-gray/pinterest-men-women-users-pinning_b_1314920.html" target="_blank">Pinterest and Men: The less fair sex is alive and (starting to) pin</a></li>
<li><a href="http://techland.time.com/2012/02/15/men-are-from-google-women-are-from-pinterest/" target="_blank">Men are from Google+, Women are from Pinretest</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.stylelist.com/chris-barnes/pinterest-only-guy_b_1327124.html" target="_blank">Hello from 'The Only Guy on Pinterest'</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.blueglass.com/blog/the-bros-guide-to-pinterest/" target="_blank">The Bro's Guide to Pinterest</a></li>
</ul>
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Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-82165731697659310322012-02-23T11:57:00.002-08:002012-06-04T11:13:31.286-07:00Real Geeks Don't Read Dwell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Like a lot of geeks (but not all) I love good design. That I'm a sucker for well designed tech goes without saying; the iPad, the Fuji X100, La Clie Hard-drive Cases all float my boat. But outside of tech, Fender Stratocasters, Pininfarina cars and Eames furniture are also a turn on. I want to live a Jetson-esque house that Architectural Digest want to feature, to wit, I read a few interior design blogs for inspiration and also for the voyeuristic thrill of seeing how other people live.<br />
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Which is how I came to read this article: <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/what-makes-a-good-home-office-166382" target="_blank">10 Steps to a Home Office You'll Love</a>. Let me give you the executive summary: hide all your tech and buy expensive, designer office furniture. In other words, if you're a geek, be ashamed, send your toys and action figures to Goodwill, and compromise what you need to work and create so that some architect wannabee in stupid glasses will approve of your work-space.<br />
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We take it as read that the iMac looks amazing in the Apple collateral when it is photographed in a staged office that is devoid of cables, peripherals, paper or anything personal. When we get it home, if you're anything more than the most casual of users, it doesn't look nearly as clinically clean once you get it connected to the network, and hooked up to a couple of backup drives, and connected to a second monitor, and your Wacom tablet. If you're a digital creative these things are not tech clutter you can just hide away; they are daily necessities you need to work.<br />
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When you dive deeper into digital multimedia creation there are other things you can't live without that are hard to sweep under the designer carpet. If you're into music creation (as I am) and you don't live in the elite world where you can afford to have a dedicated studio, there are mixers, microphones, keyboards, guitars and rack mounted effects. If you have to hide these things away in the closet after every session to maintain some zen ideal of what your work space should look like, the next time inspiration strikes, you face so much setup and breakdown time the barrier to starting creating is too high. If these things are setup and to-hand, when inspiration strikes it's a simple matter of flipping a few switches to get from the point of inspiration to getting that idea recorded.<br />
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Likewise, if you podcast or make videos and you don't have a dedicated studio, with all your equipment broken down in the garage how much more motivation do you need to create your next episode or masterpiece if there's all that setup to go through before you can even start to create?<br />
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Real geeks also need more than one computer. What are you going to do while your code is compiling or your video is rendering on your main work station if you don't have another machine to work on? Real geeks don't use laptops as their main workstations: laptops are great but we need the power and flexibility only a tower provides and when was the last time you saw a hulking tower workstation in any of the offices featured as role models on Apartment Therapy? For real geeks technology isn't static - we are constantly switching in and out hardware; cycling external hard drives; changing out network hardware; bringing a new laptop into the room for testing or review. Real geeks keep their cables tidy but accessible and that doesn't mean hog-tied to the back of a cabinet you can't get to without a flashlight, crawling on the floor and banging your head on furniture.<br />
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This is one geek who has had enough of trying to live up to some Hollywood interior designer's idea of what my work space should look like. To do so is to deny my geekness and inhibits the creative process. There are no action figures anywhere else in the house other than in my office. I still need some very uncool looking paper manuals to get some tasks done. I love my Nerf gun and I need a guitar close at hand to bang out some frustration on. I need the speed and reliability of a wired network and if the router and network switch are in the basement how can I read the status lights when something periodically goes wrong?<br />
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I'm tired of apologizing for my man-cave. We keep the rest of the house pretty grown-up and tidy so I'm going to put a sign on my office door: "Interior Designers: Keep Out!"</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-40288884165381652102012-02-20T14:44:00.000-08:002012-02-23T12:32:36.634-08:00In Paise of the Cheap, Black, Plastic G-Shock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Iu9syjQqrSnFKLG9S-p690WPTQ21yng4eGD1Zv12IYg823209KQVOK5vHHIjWCnW4s2KU9cwMu29pit9mmezPDsEoTBzCdqgVBiwJGyblZHM_szJ74o_1lbFY6riT16mT6e5VHofSlE/s1600/watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Iu9syjQqrSnFKLG9S-p690WPTQ21yng4eGD1Zv12IYg823209KQVOK5vHHIjWCnW4s2KU9cwMu29pit9mmezPDsEoTBzCdqgVBiwJGyblZHM_szJ74o_1lbFY6riT16mT6e5VHofSlE/s400/watch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I have a confession to make: I used to be something of a watch snob. That's not so unusual for a guy as we only really get to wear one piece of 'jewelry'. I love mechanical, military style watches which are pretty understated and the opposite of hip-hop bling but the good, collectible ones can be pricey nonetheless. I have one or two nice watches that I like to wear for special occasions but even these ostensibly utilitarian timepieces require some care and maintenance. The most obvious issue is if they're not worn and/or wound regularly they don't even run. If they are not run regularly they tend to be less accurate and when they need to be restarted setting the time and date is a pain. There's nothing defines 'pointless' better than putting a watch on when you get up and looking at your wrist to see when the train is coming to find the hands haven't even started to move yet or it's obviously at least two hours off.<br />
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Watches I own don't cost thousands but they do cost hundreds which means I'm a little precious about them when I go to the gym or work on my car and, no matter how careful I am, they do occasionally collect scratches to their case or glass that no one but I will notice but it drives me crazy anyway. So what is the point of a watch you're afraid to wear and isn't as accurate as your cell phone anyway?<br />
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I do like to wear a watch. It feels natural to me when I want to know the time to refer to my wrist. I come from a generation where learning to tell the time and getting your first watch were rights of passage. I still remember every detail of my first watch, a child sized mechanical Timex I still have in the back of a drawer somewhere. I want to wear a watch but I want to bow out of the escalating horological arms race with my richer, more successful friends (I am the Miata to their 911s). I want it to work unconditionally, be cheap, unremarkable and tough. So, of course, there is only one choice; the G-Shock DW-5600E.<br />
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I'm not talking about the collectable original version with the screw-down back and the Keanu-Speed association. I'm talking about the current version that costs less the $40 on Amazon. The watch that G-Shock aficionados deride and no one else even notices you're wearing. The watch that was one of four timepieces approved to go into space on the wrists of Shuttle astronauts. The watch you can bash into the wall and the wall will come off worse. A watch you put on and forget and abuse and it just keeps on going and looking exactly the same. I'm not talking about any of the limited edition versions in 'look at me me!' primary colors, or with reversed faces that look cool put are impossible to read, or advanced features to charge themselves from the sun or automatically set themselves.<br />
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I'm talking about the cheapest G-Shock out there. The poor imitation (in collector's minds) and successor to the original G-Shock. The ultimate cheap, black plastic watch.<br />
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It's a watch that draws no attention to itself but if you look at it closely has a rugged, utilitarian charm. It is chunky and substantial without being heavy or cumbersome. Its recessed face is protected and intuitive to read. Its integrated strap is supremely comfortable. The recessed buttons are protected from accidental use but responsive enough to work with work-gloves on when you need to. Its one flashy feature is its back light which works just long enough for you to read the time without compromising the long battery life. When the time finally comes to replace the battery it is almost a shock to the system that this watch needs any attention at all but removing the back just needs a common jeweler's screwdriver not a specialized watch back opener and it is the work of a couple of minutes to do the job.<br />
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This watch is the antithesis of a fashion statement and so has a charm all of its own. There's a reason this watch is used and abused by astronauts, military personal, first responders, law enforcement etc. If you want to know what the toughest, most comfortable shoes are to wear all day are look at the feet of police people, nurses or chefs. They won't be the prettiest shoes but they will be practical to a fault. That should be the DW-5600E motto as well: <i>practical to a fault</i>.<br />
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So why have I wasted so many words not reviewing a product that doesn't require another review anyway? Let's just say I am a fan. In a world that can be expensive and complicated <i>it is what is is</i> - I usually hate that conversation-killing statement but it seems totally apropos for the DW-5600E. There is nothing ironic, or political, or elitist, or hipster-cool, or over-sized machismo about this watch. It's more watch than 99% of us will ever need for much less money than we deserve to pay.<br />
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So it bears repeating:<br />
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... it is what it is.</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-73626472515621997442012-02-14T15:48:00.000-08:002012-02-14T15:48:52.617-08:00Taking Photos at Conferences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You've been asked to take some pictures for the team's/company's blog/newsletter while you're at the conference. How do you come back with something actually usable?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6fgrE0WJ_aWIRGh0NtFd9D9oQ486UqZPwNuGMfTylR4eqmGOdrW5olXIQ1xuvpcuCwVltL1f5CH9g__m6osSVHlt4lJEqZVgd7dmMCsvqV1mIQFRYJB0x0yeyreCSmwuLWSHUnJnIpI/s1600/image001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6fgrE0WJ_aWIRGh0NtFd9D9oQ486UqZPwNuGMfTylR4eqmGOdrW5olXIQ1xuvpcuCwVltL1f5CH9g__m6osSVHlt4lJEqZVgd7dmMCsvqV1mIQFRYJB0x0yeyreCSmwuLWSHUnJnIpI/s320/image001.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>How hard can it be?</b><br />
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If you were sent to the souks of Morocco with a half-decent camera, it wouldn't be hard to come back with a few fantastic shots. You'd have amazing light, fantastic colors, and exotic characters to work with. Conferences typically have none of these things -- the light is usually horribly unflattering and there is too little of it, and you're taking pictures of a lot of people in business suits milling around making presentations, and in meetings. It can be difficult to get enthused about the subject.<br />
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There's a reason I use stupidly heavy, expensive cameras and lenses for these photo shoots, but learning to use this equipment takes time. And who wants to lug around tens of pounds and thousands of dollars worth of camera gear, in addition to your laptop and other gear? So what is a road warrior to do, especially if you just want to use your iPhone or slim point-and-shoot?<br />
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There are a few things working in your favor:<br />
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Your shot will probably be displayed in a relatively small size -- perhaps just a thumbnail in a blog entry or a newsletter to try to make big blocks of text more visually interesting. Your shot is not going to be printed in a two-page magazine spread, so you don't need to sweat the small, technical stuff.<br />
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Secondly, today's cameras (even the one in your iPhone) are amazing pieces of technology. Compared to the cameras of 5 years ago, the way they handle low light and complicated lighting situations is almost miraculous.<br />
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Almost ...<br />
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<b>1: Your Camera Doesn't Think. That's Your Job. </b><br />
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My first tip: Do not mistake all those technological features in your camera as intelligence. Your camera is not smart, however much its manufacturer may claim otherwise. Your camera does math really well. It guesses at settings based on what its sensors are telling it and how it is programmed, and this looks like intelligence within normal shooting parameters, such as your family vacation. But when you're inside a badly lit hall, that programming starts to fall apart. Your job is to do the thinking while your camera does the math.<br />
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This basically means that you shouldn't just rely on your camera to get everything right. When the exposure or color balance is off or looks horrible, you have to know why and be able to make compensations. Unfortunately, in taxing photographic situations such as a conference or meeting, you can't always rely on the dummy "P" mode. You're probably going to have to access some of your camera's more advanced features. When you chimp and see something wrong with the shot you just took, think about what the camera is not getting right and adjust accordingly.<br />
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Don't let this scare you off - you don't need a degree in photography to be able to do this. You just need a few more tips ...<br />
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<b>2: Turn off your flash</b><br />
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This is one reason you have to get out of "Program" mode: your camera will "see'" the low light in any presentation room as too dark. It will turn on the flash -- which is, at best, useless and obtrusive and, at worst, ruins your shot. How will it ruin your shots? The flash is too "fashy" (I hope I'm not getting too technical here). You know those pictures you took at a birthday party with the flash on, where your subject's skin is bleached white and the background is monstrously black and dark? That's what flash does. It over-lights your subject and makes everything else black. This is the very definition of a snapshot, and while you might be able to get away with these kinds of shots on Facebook, they will make your newsletter look amateurish.<br />
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When I say your flash is useless, I mean it probably won't reach your subject. Your flash might look bright, but it is tiny, harsh and directional -- and it probably won't even reach more than 6 feet. Your iPhone with its LED flash probably doesn't even reach that far. You know when you go to a concert and see all those flashes going off in the audience? They're all a useless waste of batteries. You will never see a professional concert photographer using flash. Why? A flash powerful enough to reach their subject would be too heavy to hold. If it did reach the subject, it would annoy the performer and the audience, and the resulting picture would look like it was lit by daylight not the stage lights. Stage photographers use "available light" -- and you should, too.<br />
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There is a price to pay for using available light indoors, and that is "noise." Noise is the ugly grainy effect you see when you shoot in low light with the flash off. It is the result of your sensor working hard, and electronics amplifying a weak signal. But grain is far preferable to not getting the shot or taking a "flashy" deer-in-the-headlights picture. There is something we can do about noise in editing; we can't make it totally go away, but we can reduce its effects. Noise, however, is usually only noticeable if you look at a picture large - when it is printed or cropped small, it is hard to see.<br />
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<b>3: Watch the light</b><br />
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Photography is all about light. When photographers look at the light, we look at two things: quantity and quality. Quantity is the amount of light available. Our eyes are amazing; we can walk from bright sunshine to a dark theater and they adjust almost instantaneously. Our cameras are not quite so flexible. Even though we can see clearly in both situations, that doesn't mean there is the same amount of light. Inside, there may be only 5% (or less) of the light available outside in the daylight.<br />
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Quality refers to how directional (or defused) the light is and its color. We usually can't do anything about the directionality of the light in a conference room, however, watch for strong back-lighting. For example, if your subject is standing in front of a projection screen, they are back-lit (the light coming from behind them is much stronger than the light falling on the front of them). You are unlikely to get anything more than a silhouette. What can you do about this? Move your feet and your shooting position. If you move to the side so the screen is not in your frame anymore, you should get better lighting for your subject.<br />
<br />
Light has a color. Again, our eyes and brains automatically adjust for this, and your camera tries but interiors throw it off. Daylight is slightly blue. The light first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening is much warmer (the golden hours, in photog parlance). Interior light is often very orange, but that depends on the light source. Fluorescent strip lights look green, and don't get me started on the horrible sodium lights they use on my conference demo halls. It will help if you know how to set your camera's color balance manually, but again, there is a limited amount of color correction that we can make later. It is more important that you try to see like the camera and become more aware of the light.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRZdG6PWFF4BIX46kyVo-cu4R_kcw9jXtDAQHr7uc5_mwY4dxACfbPGNB46XKDxI0rPlWRtDUm5pN1VPWXsmdMW7iYae2Nbp8V3j-Zs95JkHsS7scVoiLXlPeDaIz5hnJEA2DIBaD1zc/s1600/image009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVRZdG6PWFF4BIX46kyVo-cu4R_kcw9jXtDAQHr7uc5_mwY4dxACfbPGNB46XKDxI0rPlWRtDUm5pN1VPWXsmdMW7iYae2Nbp8V3j-Zs95JkHsS7scVoiLXlPeDaIz5hnJEA2DIBaD1zc/s320/image009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>4: Burst mode is not just for sports photographers</b><br />
<br />
Most cameras have a burst or continuous mode that is packaged for sports pictures, however, it is really useful for conference shots, too. One of the main reasons a photograph is not acceptable technically is that it has a lack of sharpness. This isn't usually a result of the camera not focusing on the subject, but more often is because of movement in either the subject (motion-blur) or the camera (camera-shake). In low-light situations, your shutter speed is typically longer -- which means that there is a much greater chance of introducing camera-shake. When you press the shutter, don't hit it like a keyboard but squeeze it like a trigger. This reduces the amount you move the camera itself when you take the shot.<br />
<br />
In burst mode, you typically take 3+ shots every time you press the shutter. The advantage of this is two-fold: first, even if the camera is moving in the first shot as you press the shutter, it will probably be more still in the second and third, so they will be sharper. The second advantage has to do with people's expressions as they talk. When people speak, their mouths move into unusual positions for a fraction of a second. We often do not appreciate that until that moment is frozen by a camera. As people talk, their expressions can look momentarily unflattering. Some people blink a lot when they speak. If you take a lot of shots at once, you have a much greater chance of getting a flattering, sharp shot with the subject's eyes open.<br />
<br />
The professional photographer's biggest secret is that he/she shoots a lot more than any amateur. We don't ever take one shot -- we shoot and shoot and shoot some more. When we get back home, we sift through hundreds of shots for the best one or two, and the rest never see the light of day. If you only take one shot, the chances of it being a keeper may be 20:1 (10:1 if we're being generous). If you take 20 shots of the same thing, therefore, you are much more likely to get the shot you need.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYefTCcOC1Zuwbzu98K-H_xcTXGDcbrrB_rYYexoguwtX0XOr_HaKpRYsNaF0h1xhYW4ic4AVQ2cpX8460okxOt6Z8JJxKc14ymEk3PtZPDCH07ITjQIS0TtXJdbVVuObmsTuVYa6ubI4/s1600/image011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYefTCcOC1Zuwbzu98K-H_xcTXGDcbrrB_rYYexoguwtX0XOr_HaKpRYsNaF0h1xhYW4ic4AVQ2cpX8460okxOt6Z8JJxKc14ymEk3PtZPDCH07ITjQIS0TtXJdbVVuObmsTuVYa6ubI4/s320/image011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>5: Zoom with your feet - turn digital zoom off</b><br />
<br />
In the quest to impress consumers with massive zoom magnification figures, manufactures sometimes bring "digital zoom" into the equation. Optical zoom is achieved through the physics of moving pieces of glass around. Digital zoom does little more than crop your image in-camera and boost the resolution of the resulting file. If, when you zoom in, your images look jaggy (another technical term) on sharp edges, the digital zoom may have kicked in. Go to your manual and find out how to turn digital zoom off. It's better to just to crop the image yourself when you get home than to let the camera do it.<br />
<br />
If you're using your iPhone, all of your zoom is digital -- so don't use zoom.<br />
<br />
It's much better to "zoom with your feet," that is, keep the camera lens at a wide angle setting and walk to a better shooting angle rather than shooting from the back of the room and zooming in. The longer your zoom, the greater the chance that you will introduce camera-shake. Try this: take a camera with a wide zoom setting, and at its widest setting, try to hold it still while framing a shot. You should be able to hold it pretty steady. Now try again at the longest (most zoomed-in setting). You should see that your frame doesn't remain as steady zoomed in. Zoom exaggerates camera movements and shake. Extreme zoom should be avoided, especially in low-light situations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAWUJXNNjSmiRrg5DlXIHFKFz3WImFsPWdHVz8DSGEZSZjCS4HI5c2SM6k8SuL6Oc5laQjwS8ij7CUGGxvEVsuixut5l8BPeXm1-ifwb1PxbdnbvQk7554CsyHB_mzf9ItwKygjRJ_y4/s1600/image013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAWUJXNNjSmiRrg5DlXIHFKFz3WImFsPWdHVz8DSGEZSZjCS4HI5c2SM6k8SuL6Oc5laQjwS8ij7CUGGxvEVsuixut5l8BPeXm1-ifwb1PxbdnbvQk7554CsyHB_mzf9ItwKygjRJ_y4/s320/image013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>6: Watch your frame</b><br />
<br />
Our eyes and mind, in combination, are selective and see what we want to see -- not necessarily what is actually there. A camera is not selective like that. It just represents what is put in front of it, so you should try to see like a camera. Try to be aware of where your subject is in relation to the edges of the frame. Fill the frame with your subject, especially if the image is to be displayed at a relatively small size. Remember to check your background. Keep horizon lines as level as you can. If the stage appears to be tilting at some crazy angle, it will throw your viewer off. Even a small tilt makes the viewer think things are slipping downhill. Keep an eye out for distracting elements such as glowing exit signs behind a presenter. By moving your camera position even an inch or two over, you may be able to block that distracting element with the subject.<br />
<br />
Also look for things blocking your subject. A microphone on the lectern may provide a sense of place, but if it covers the speaker's mouth or an eye, it will be distracting. A microphone, auto-queue or even a speaker's papers can also throw off your camera's focus, so try to make sure your camera is locked on the speaker's face. If your camera has "Face Chaser" technology, turn it on. After you think you have the shot, review some shots on your camera's display to make sure what you caught looks something like what you saw and what you wanted to show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmLduCbu-ymAYQS2CxN337jX8mGawFdyOseMQjQNO7s_peI6NmfEneMwGsBNq5ZkXg0A06ZZKN4XLPGUMYaxj9jCDfVVyzNmYJmmtJJ6EIMT2ETD9_shhFdJRWtmY-7Qy8N3_MTXJZc4/s1600/image015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmLduCbu-ymAYQS2CxN337jX8mGawFdyOseMQjQNO7s_peI6NmfEneMwGsBNq5ZkXg0A06ZZKN4XLPGUMYaxj9jCDfVVyzNmYJmmtJJ6EIMT2ETD9_shhFdJRWtmY-7Qy8N3_MTXJZc4/s320/image015.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>7: Don't run out of juice</b><br />
<br />
Your camera needs power and space on a memory card to work. If you are nursing a battery or editing yourself before you even take a shot because you are running out of space on your card, you are likely to miss the best shot. Have a fresh battery plus a spare with you when you begin every day. Also, buy a second or third memory card and keep it in your pocket. Remember, the biggest difference between pros and amateurs is that pros shoot much more - with enough power and card space, you can easily shoot like a pro. Don't cripple yourself by skimping on these accessories. Be prepared.<br />
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<b>8: Learn to be selective and edit</b><br />
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Even though professionals shoot a lot of frames, they show only the best and they hide the rest away. Sifting through your pictures on your computer is a skill and a chore, but must be endured. You don't want to give your team every shot you took of a particular presenter -- you want to show them one or two of the best. If you show more, you dilute the impact of what you have and your "consumers" become spoiled by choice.<br />
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Sifting through your images generally goes in two or more passes. On the first pass, eliminate any pictures with technical issues. If something is even slightly out of focus, throw it away. If a shot's exposure is so far off that it is beyond saving, delete it. In the second pass, pick the potential shots to process and deliver. There is a lot of software out there to help you with this chore, from the free (Picasa, iPhoto), to the moderately priced (Photoshop Elements) to the professional (Lightroom, Aperture). Pick one and learn how to use it. None of them are difficult to use after a brief learning curve.<br />
<br />
I can't teach you to edit in the space of a paragraph, but no professional delivers images raw out of their camera. There is always a tweak or two worth doing. It can be a little intimidating when you begin learning to edit, but operations usually fall in a few general areas:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Global adjustments that affect all pixels in an image like levels, exposure, color balance, saturation, etc.</li>
<li>Specific adjustments that change limited groups of pixels like cropping, cloning, perspective correction, etc.</li>
<li>Artistic adjustments such as converting to black & white, filters, etc.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV9bZI9j3bNnOpi-ZomHihKZk8suztEhoBGzlxGctEwu2igkAaTvhBYZSEMNs2Pl4zEqBnhtslblwozo0k83fNMj5OJQZqmtk9p7yQCYESerEouQcKq0UnmdgSa2F11TqaU8WJ1pkWOY/s1600/image017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpV9bZI9j3bNnOpi-ZomHihKZk8suztEhoBGzlxGctEwu2igkAaTvhBYZSEMNs2Pl4zEqBnhtslblwozo0k83fNMj5OJQZqmtk9p7yQCYESerEouQcKq0UnmdgSa2F11TqaU8WJ1pkWOY/s320/image017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Don't worry if this means nothing to you yet, but if you learn nothing more than how to crop and adjust your levels in your free, image-editing program, you will greatly increase the impact of your photos. Be warned: Learning how to edit pictures can become an addictive time-suck.<br />
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<b>9: Don't say "cheese"</b><br />
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The way we've been taught to take photos is to jump in front of one or more people, tell them to say "cheese," watch them stiffly pose, and take the shot. This might work at the Thanksgiving dinner table, but it won't get you anything too interesting at the conference. There is a place for a quick, formal head-shot, but that's a different subject than general conference photography. What you want to tell the story is some establishing shots (the venue exteriors, crowds milling around, the demo grounds floor, conference banners, etc.) and then the narrative itself (presenters presenting, attendees attending, demo staff demo'ing).<br />
<br />
Get a good position in the front row to take pictures of the presenter at work. He or she will be far too busy working the crowd to notice or worry about you taking pictures. As I've already mentioned, taking flattering pictures of someone talking is a challenge, so take lots of shots. You don't want shots of the person looking stiff behind the lectern either, so look for moments when the presenter becomes especially animated and uses his hands or even props to illustrate a point.<br />
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Once you've taken your shots of the presenter, get up and work the room a bit. Take wider shots of the presenter and the screen, wide shots of the filled room with the presenter up front, and detail shots of the rapt audience. Without being too creepy, try to be inconspicuous and catch people doing what they do. If you're not too up-in-their-face, they won't pay any attention to you. The larger the room, the easier this all is. In a more intimate environment, it is much harder to be inconspicuous. In this situation, you should still take lots of shots, but write off the first few minutes of shots until your subjects become used to you being there and taking photos. Once the novelty wears off, they will stop paying attention to you, and then you can get the better shots. In small-room presentations, look for those moments when the presenter and audience are interacting. In those moments, when people are enthusiastic and involved, they will totally forget about you -- and you will be able to get the most animated shots.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-oRj6xPxNmfcfWZY7JBLQMedYo-8tI0R2rXnlhCGOgodxkgFKoooEt4TiyK2f4ARVysGEJVE-yjLEiswV5Pt7Hc0x94-5JpxoI-5HxO3pC1dbERj0AmoX7fu_VRkQFfj1aUfrldw1Os/s1600/image019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-oRj6xPxNmfcfWZY7JBLQMedYo-8tI0R2rXnlhCGOgodxkgFKoooEt4TiyK2f4ARVysGEJVE-yjLEiswV5Pt7Hc0x94-5JpxoI-5HxO3pC1dbERj0AmoX7fu_VRkQFfj1aUfrldw1Os/s320/image019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>10: Have fun</b><br />
<br />
We don't get too many opportunities to play while at work, but photography can be playful and fun. If you are just doing the minimum required to get a shot, your photos will reflect your attitude. Look for what interests you visually, and it will interest others. A presentation room maybe the most mundane of venues, but play a game with yourself to find the most visually interesting element in the room and feature it. Try taking a panorama of the whole room with an app on your iPhone. In your image editor software, try to make your best shots even better before delivering them. Use what you've made to illustrate your own reports, blog posts or other documents - illustrating those paragraphs of text makes them much more digestible.<br />
<br />
Happy shooting!<br />
</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-10682736842008477622011-09-16T17:19:00.000-07:002011-09-16T17:19:10.908-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: And Another 4 Weeks Worth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My project to take the free <a href="http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/8Packs/">8Pack released by Sony</a> each week, to turn it into something else and then release it under the creative commons licence continues. I'm still not confident enough to think that they can stand alone but if you need a clip of music to back some video then I think they work and I have fun making them:</div>
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23510932">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23510932" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/suck-it-up">Suck It Up</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23004586">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F23004586" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/just-sit-back-and-chill">Just Sit Back and Chill</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21602210">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21602210" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/jigzag">Jigzag</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21492082">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21492082" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/go-with-it-again">Go With It Again</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a><br />
<br />
In addition I've been messing around with NanoStudio on my iPhone some more. These couple of tracks were also made with the intention of using them in video work and they're released under the same creative commons licence:<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21653244">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F21653244" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/cant-sleep">Go To Sleep</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> </div>
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F22761268">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F22761268" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/the-return-trip-effect">The Return Trip Effect</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> </div>
Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-8170969699780234472011-08-08T17:32:00.000-07:002011-08-08T17:54:26.364-07:00Freesound: Give & Take<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4641485994_12c14d0f0a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4641485994_12c14d0f0a.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>If you're a filmmaker at any level from just starting out to an industry expert you know that, in the edit process you always find a few sound effects, foley or ambient noises that you're missing. If you've been in that situation you've probably been to <a href="http://freesound.org/">freesound.org</a>. Freesound is a constantly growing library of Creative Commons licensed sounds. If you're looking for something their search engine usually returns a few hits of sounds that might be useful and it is often quicker and much more convenient than digging out your field recording equipment and hunting down the sound for yourself.<br />
<br />
That said, I'm sure lots of us have a few eclectic sound recording languishing on our hard drives that we recorded for one project or another. If you have something you're willing to share the process of uploading them is a little geeky (ftp) but they do have a <a href="http://www.freesound.org/filesUploadApplet.php">web interface</a> too and it is a simple way of uploading a bunch of files at once. You simply upload your files, <a href="http://www.freesound.org/filesUploadedBrowse.php">then describe and tag them</a> and then wait a couple of days for them to be approved. What's in it for you? What goes around comes around and what good are those files you're hoarding especially if you're not going to use them again. <a href="http://www.freesound.org/usersViewSingle.php?id=2258946">I just uploaded some of the sounds I've collected in recent months</a> and it felt good to share. I hope other filmmakers will consider doing the same and freesound will become an even more comprehensive and useful resource for everyone.</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-30928926631370621302011-08-03T10:26:00.000-07:002012-02-29T00:08:42.858-08:00Skullcandy Hesh Headphones: Refinish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvMgqq52YLaC8AWbI6z9CyZTKnaRjf7wrm1LQffhEhtwkyhZ_fjMKcew1dYQhyIP-2DoFSQ2AVZe1wewqkw8AoLjA7IsFUbjcvdGNVJDJrk7AbMeE-ySV6YMJZDMBJQexa_6jHoUBpJo/s1600/IMG_2618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvMgqq52YLaC8AWbI6z9CyZTKnaRjf7wrm1LQffhEhtwkyhZ_fjMKcew1dYQhyIP-2DoFSQ2AVZe1wewqkw8AoLjA7IsFUbjcvdGNVJDJrk7AbMeE-ySV6YMJZDMBJQexa_6jHoUBpJo/s320/IMG_2618.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I have a slight headphone fetish. As I'm not encouraged to blast my music anymore I listen to music, write music, produce and edit video all while wearing headphone these days. I don't like in ear buds, I prefer big, over the ear headphones with my favorites being the chunky but beautifully solid and neutral <a href="http://www.sennheiserusa.com/professional-dj-headphones-HD-280-PRO_004974">Sennheiser HD 280</a>'s. As a result of this obsession I have several pairs of decent over the ear headphones lying around both at home and at work.<br />
<br />
When I saw the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-SGHEBZ-13-Headphone-Cavaliers-Colors/dp/B002P68C2U">Skullcandy Hesh Headphones in NBA Cavaliers Colors</a> ridiculously cheap (they're usually $40-50) I couldn't resist. They had a built in iPhone microphone which I thought would be useful but I didn't like their paint job - I don't follow any American sport so I planned to refinish them.<br />
<br />
This weekend I finally got chance to do that. Here's the process:<br />
<br />
<b>Disassembly</b>:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Remove the earphone soft pads - they just pull off<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbVwMxPH0LlXoN7gyijLTCfodDyL8yfazHDxMBRgMwhLKiNYIgvItCIHMKmgYj7Yvyi86qaGRvjr7POvX5l254jPKNSBLeAVBR9nHJAk0XftVhj9wL2JXjjJ7svbKuZKOAoovF7usa34/s1600/IMG_2619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbVwMxPH0LlXoN7gyijLTCfodDyL8yfazHDxMBRgMwhLKiNYIgvItCIHMKmgYj7Yvyi86qaGRvjr7POvX5l254jPKNSBLeAVBR9nHJAk0XftVhj9wL2JXjjJ7svbKuZKOAoovF7usa34/s200/IMG_2619.JPG" width="162" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Undo the 3 screws hidden under the ear pads</li>
<li>Separate the plastic holding the driver from the shell<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj-QBo5rDQ9WRoql-goBQ7LQR7MfuMHsm4FteFrMRabPc0-aV90NT53zlrRKEcnJlzbcRgeSStGrOvPEo4OHscq16-3e7eBJ0SSPWEI008sFpO8Kcd1AiboYA97lHrBjsrqG5OTGlZfs/s1600/IMG_2621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj-QBo5rDQ9WRoql-goBQ7LQR7MfuMHsm4FteFrMRabPc0-aV90NT53zlrRKEcnJlzbcRgeSStGrOvPEo4OHscq16-3e7eBJ0SSPWEI008sFpO8Kcd1AiboYA97lHrBjsrqG5OTGlZfs/s200/IMG_2621.JPG" width="138" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Desolder the wires from the drivers (2 joints per driver) making a careful note of what goes were when we get back to reassembly.</li>
<li>Unscrew and remove the detail pieces in the shells (they were gold in my case).</li>
<li>Remove the connection cord from the left shell.</li>
<li>Carefully expand the c-brackets where the headband meets the shells and prize out the shells<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v-OHgHgHpJY9bp9VCrI9xLHa6nyx9eRDWy-Ywz55kk0eHp4XzwjxuNPxSuTDturK9EmpwgjNn912WHRnH5UC3aikjW9eSXlsVWFeyYYVzZFxeY89fiqKpeCrMH16gFdP_hOtEFCkoe8/s1600/IMG_2623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v-OHgHgHpJY9bp9VCrI9xLHa6nyx9eRDWy-Ywz55kk0eHp4XzwjxuNPxSuTDturK9EmpwgjNn912WHRnH5UC3aikjW9eSXlsVWFeyYYVzZFxeY89fiqKpeCrMH16gFdP_hOtEFCkoe8/s200/IMG_2623.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b>Painting</b>:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Using a fine sanding block, remove the existing paint from the exterior of both shells<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3uKGZ_U7Be8FuTMCeurtijDh1esQUJLVE_3Yb3mGg1X6ScrMAJtWQF-ivtACRSkbCCCyPKcFOhW2kVcIcnYs1f0NMHGqxFN7A6i2tOCKXlELmRE50a0vBHBi8K5OaaI-NbZyADqXWm8/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3uKGZ_U7Be8FuTMCeurtijDh1esQUJLVE_3Yb3mGg1X6ScrMAJtWQF-ivtACRSkbCCCyPKcFOhW2kVcIcnYs1f0NMHGqxFN7A6i2tOCKXlELmRE50a0vBHBi8K5OaaI-NbZyADqXWm8/s200/IMG_2624.JPG" width="195" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Remove all dust then carefully spray paint the shells using several light coats<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BkGWPEU5otrPARF1kBesa8YWEEqHxwgPawmZ7Cqhx6mzKpPj7X2apm2UCDCinRo9QGG584KcOWcBMzTXZy22Eekpa67DjEr40U2PLgDe-qkSB8xfHRElm1uaj05NvgNV_HeuVG7TEyg/s1600/IMG_2625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BkGWPEU5otrPARF1kBesa8YWEEqHxwgPawmZ7Cqhx6mzKpPj7X2apm2UCDCinRo9QGG584KcOWcBMzTXZy22Eekpa67DjEr40U2PLgDe-qkSB8xfHRElm1uaj05NvgNV_HeuVG7TEyg/s200/IMG_2625.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Let the paint cure at least for 24 hours</li>
<li>Using cutting compound, cut back the paint surface.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FTLg12P0E3CoOyoAzSek_wMGdUciR7NqWVB-qFAlayLlmDDnrkB9bd2zj5PusRtgiU4S-kz7JNnIcUYiJboKGsGLlqkBFgsilRbMYmFmvH5HFOfnHJbt-YK5m0eRD8cp0bk28n5ggOs/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FTLg12P0E3CoOyoAzSek_wMGdUciR7NqWVB-qFAlayLlmDDnrkB9bd2zj5PusRtgiU4S-kz7JNnIcUYiJboKGsGLlqkBFgsilRbMYmFmvH5HFOfnHJbt-YK5m0eRD8cp0bk28n5ggOs/s200/IMG_2634.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>Polish the newly painted shell exteriors.</li>
</ul>
<b>Assembly</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.</li>
<li>Take care when soldering wires back in place.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMo3SQkhVvvgyIRfvJvWb2LCPyLrgKk7EsZgv7o8pC5OYSJ3AdWr1n3lZXiP9oUcdWYuK1yeM1DeNVJOkH0JwpoyO1AFnOrfX_h4HewSVU7jm1inSHqJ2qlvO5vcwK3CZC4O5fLSO5yaM/s1600/IMG_2620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMo3SQkhVvvgyIRfvJvWb2LCPyLrgKk7EsZgv7o8pC5OYSJ3AdWr1n3lZXiP9oUcdWYuK1yeM1DeNVJOkH0JwpoyO1AFnOrfX_h4HewSVU7jm1inSHqJ2qlvO5vcwK3CZC4O5fLSO5yaM/s200/IMG_2620.JPG" width="165" /></a></div>
</li>
<li>All plastic components are labeled Left or Right somewhere in their molding</li>
<li>Take care not to scratch your new paint surface when reattaching the shells to the headband.</li>
<li>Drivers can only fit back in the shells one way, with the plastic lump towards the bottom.</li>
<li>When refitting the soft pads you can persuade the vinyl edge back into the crack between the shell and drivers with a blunt knife blade.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnZgER-6cbIreQEz6zrzX2KZUXnWaQWFPJfa_6esocaNHlXc-O395DD6v-nvb8gb3Sd0yxZhD-SmXyvr5RFrD3INXxYMiCymdV6ZCFwDOBLBy182-W4Pni7ejIags27GfZrB2-EnOWNg/s1600/IMG_2638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnZgER-6cbIreQEz6zrzX2KZUXnWaQWFPJfa_6esocaNHlXc-O395DD6v-nvb8gb3Sd0yxZhD-SmXyvr5RFrD3INXxYMiCymdV6ZCFwDOBLBy182-W4Pni7ejIags27GfZrB2-EnOWNg/s320/IMG_2638.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
To complete the de-badging I also unpicked the badges from the fabric covering the headband. There you have it; slightly less obnoxious Skull Candy Hesh headphone but how do they perform?<br />
<br />
You can tell the market these headphones are aimed at (not me); the headphones are very bass heavy. But it's not just the the bass is over powering the mids and highs - the mids and highs seem to be completely missing. Construction wise the Hesh plastic is very creaky which does affect your listening experience if you move your head at all while wearing them. Ear seals are far from perfect so they don't exclude as much of the outside world as you think they should. A cheap pair of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-202-Dynamic-Headphones/dp/B000065BP9">Senneiser HD 202</a> headphone's easily out performs the Heshes acoustically. The Hesh headphones don't sound that bad if you haven't just been wearing good quality headphones. I do keep them around specifically for use with the iPhone as the cable fits with the bumper in place, they have an inline microphone and they do sound better than the apple included earphones.</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-17921074737990723152011-07-29T07:57:00.000-07:002011-07-29T07:57:53.918-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: Another 6 Weeks Worth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I"m still continuing my project to take the free <a href="http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/8Packs/">8Pack released by Sony</a> each week, to turn it into something else and then release it under the creative commons licence. As before, these pieces aren't meant to stand alone but be used in video or other media pieces for soundtracks, although I've yet to hear of anyone using them for that purpose but me. But even if I'm the only one using them they serve as a great learning opportunity - I'm now confident I can go in and make something appropriate for a scene in little time.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F20002441"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F20002441" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/ready-set">Ready? Set....</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a></span> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F19563171"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F19563171" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/hot-heavy">Hot & Heavy</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a></span> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F19517940"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F19517940" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/backyard-siesta">Backyard Siesta</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a></span> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18382306"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18382306" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/lose-changeling">Lose Changeling</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a></span> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18161939"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18161939" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/forbidden-dmz">Forbidden DMZ</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a></span> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18147432"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F18147432" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/reabsorbingtheinfinite">Reabsorbing The Infinite</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-27572817456951120902011-07-22T18:12:00.000-07:002013-01-03T12:24:17.367-08:00Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum: Render Error Still Occurs in v11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://geek.theothermartintaylor.com/2013/01/sony-movie-studio-platinum-12-goes-64.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Update</b>: Since I wrote this post I upgraded to Movie Studio Platinum 12 - the program has gone 64-bit which seems to answer this problem that we were experiencing in prior versions.</i></a><br />
<br />
I am a huge fan of Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum. For the money (around $100) it is impossible to beat on the Windows platform. However, ever since I started using it 3 versions back it has been plagued by a bug that Sony are either unwilling, or unable to fix.<br />
<div>
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<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVq2I29wPyvxkYPsSfN1di4VJo362C69oP8vPXjh-Ap8Li3mJz-SD7izeRMijK7l-dz_tUv1e5M4KE_QITm10WfFgOW8Y9R1yc5JvtCY-komXWt56J8EMwwEy-TiGUQT06lmtbNB0WwA/s1600/VegasIssue1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVq2I29wPyvxkYPsSfN1di4VJo362C69oP8vPXjh-Ap8Li3mJz-SD7izeRMijK7l-dz_tUv1e5M4KE_QITm10WfFgOW8Y9R1yc5JvtCY-komXWt56J8EMwwEy-TiGUQT06lmtbNB0WwA/s320/VegasIssue1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The problem occurs when you are trying to render HD video out above a certain, unknowable complexity on a 64 bit platform. The error you see when you're trying to render out (just before the application crashes) is "The system is low on memory. You may be able to reduce memory usage by closing other applications." I'm here to tell you it doesn't matter how many programs you close, once you hit the threshold and start seeing this error your video will not render. I am also here to tell you it is not an issue with the amount of memory you have in your machine (unless you have less than 3gb). I have 8gb memory in my Vista 64 bit desktop and 3gb in my Win 7 64 bit laptop and both were plagued by this issue trying to render the same project recently - the project had 6 video tracks and 8 audio, with effects on most clips and tracks but it was only three and a half minutes long.</div>
<div>
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<div>
First an introduction to some boring Windows fundamental architecture. 32bit versions of Windows can only use a maximum of 2gb of memory. 64bit versions are not restricted in the same way which is one reason geeks like 64bit systems. Unfortunately many consumer pieces of software are 32bit. Now, you can run a 32bit program on a 64bit version of Windows but it won't be able to use more than 2gb of memory itself. With me so far?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum is a 32bit program (Pro is 64bit) which runs well on 64 systems but has had this memory leak issue when rendering in all versions I can see to date. Basically the render process is using as much memory as it can get (2gb) but at some point it doesn't release a part of memory it has reserved - it then tries to get more memory and the crash occurs. Why Sony haven't fixed this issue is infuriating - I was sure they would have it done in version 11 but no; I installed the software and the bug was back.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgetj-p_lYiRpNhOz1w1ddCgXI3ACAVNAWRgCGoo5RvNC06oAYqeV_WjQHMM2FyeSTFIXUl-U0N4IRQHK4g5uUzgDdvG-mX56_qFZNPKQTec9tdlqTeZIlsgbEPQkoVtk2PVwzDmXesM/s1600/VegasIssue2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgetj-p_lYiRpNhOz1w1ddCgXI3ACAVNAWRgCGoo5RvNC06oAYqeV_WjQHMM2FyeSTFIXUl-U0N4IRQHK4g5uUzgDdvG-mX56_qFZNPKQTec9tdlqTeZIlsgbEPQkoVtk2PVwzDmXesM/s320/VegasIssue2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Luckily for us there is a tried and tested way to address this issue <a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=12&MessageID=767217">that has been documented for previous versions of Movie Studio</a> and this is my update to those instructions for v11.</div>
<div>
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Close Sony Vegas (if it hasn't already crashed on you.</li>
<li>Download and install CFF explorer from <a href="http://www.ntcore.com/exsuite.php" target="_blank">www.ntcore.com/exsuite.php</a>.</li>
<li>Run CFFExplorer</li>
<li>File > Open "C:\Program Files (x86)\Sony\Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11.0\VegasMovieStudioPE110.exe</li>
<li>In the left plane of CFF Explorer click NT Headers > File Headers</li>
<li>Bottom right of the resulting grid will read "Click here" - click there</li>
<li>In the resulting dialog window check "App can handle > 2gb address space" and then click "OK"</li>
<li>File > Save As and save the file to a local directory (somewhere in your documents or desktop)</li>
<li>Close the file in CFF explorer</li>
<li>In Windows file explorer make a copy of the original file you just opened (this is so, if things go wrong, you can get back to where you were)</li>
<li>In file explorer move the file you saved in a local directory over the one in the installed directory: whenever you try to copy or move a file in the installed directory Windows will probably ask you exactly what you want to do to try and stop you corrupting installed applications - Click "Move and Replace" and then hit "continue" if it says you need to confirm your administrator privileges. This may seem long winded but you have to get around Windows security that is trying to stop you messing up your system.</li>
<li>Repeat the CFF edit for the following files:</li>
<ul>
<li>VegasMovieStudioPE110.exe (you just did this one)</li>
<li>vegasmoviestudiope110k.dll</li>
<li>all dlls in the FileIO Plug-Ins dirrectory - in my installation this was:</li>
<ul>
<li>ac3studioplug\ac3studioplug.dll</li>
<li>aifplug\aifplug.dll</li>
<li>atracplug\atracplug.dll</li>
<li>aviplug\aviplug.dll</li>
<li>compoundplug\</li>
<ul>
<li>compoundplug.dll</li>
<li>mc_dec_aac.dll</li>
<li>mc_dec_avc.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_mp2v.dll</li>
<li>sonyjvtd.dll</li>
<li>sonymvd2pro_xp.dll</li>
</ul>
<li>fhgaacplug2\fhgaacplug2.dll</li>
<li>flacplug\flacplug.dll</li>
<li>gifplug\gifplug.dll</li>
<li>lpecplug\lpecplug.dll</li>
<li>mcmp4plug2</li>
<ul>
<li>mc_dec_aac.dll</li>
<li>mc_dec_avc.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_aac.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_avc.dll</li>
<li>mcmp4plug2.dll</li>
</ul>
<li>mcplug2</li>
<ul>
<li>mc_config_mp2m.dll</li>
<li>mc_config_mp2v.dll</li>
<li>mc_config_mpa.dll</li>
<li>mc_dec_dd.dll</li>
<li>mc_dec_mp2v.dll</li>
<li>mc_dec_mpa.dll</li>
<li>mc_demux_mp2.dll</li>
<li>mc_demux_mp4.dll</li>
<li>mc_demux_mxf.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_mp2sr.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_mp2v.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_mpa.dll</li>
<li>mc_enc_pcm.dll</li>
<li>mc_mfimport.dll</li>
<li>mc_mux_mp2.dll</li>
<li>mc_mux_mp4.dll</li>
<li>mc_mux_mxf.dll</li>
<li>mcplug2.dll</li>
</ul>
<li>mp3plug2\mp3plug2.dll</li>
<li>mp4plug3</li>
<ul>
<li>aacaenc.dll</li>
<li>mp4plug3.dll</li>
<li>savce.dll</li>
<li>sgcudme.dll</li>
<li>sgocldme.dll</li>
<li>sgpuclb.dll</li>
<li>sony4vem.dll</li>
</ul>
<li>mvcplug</li>
<ul>
<li>mvcplug.dll</li>
<li>sonyjvtd.dll</li>
</ul>
<li>oggplug\oggplug.dll</li>
<li>qt7plug\qt7plug.dll</li>
<li>rm9plug</li>
<ul>
<li>rm9plug.dll</li>
<li>pncrt.dll</li>
</ul>
<li>sfpaplug\sfpaplug.dll</li>
<li>stl2plg\stl2plg.dll</li>
<li>swfplug\swfplug.dll</li>
<li>wavplug\wavplug.dll</li>
<li>wicplug\wicplug.dll</li>
<li>wmfplug4\wmfplug4.dll</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
This fixed the crashes while rendering for me and I hope it works for you but if you're not comfortable messing around with dll files please be careful - you could do more harm than good .If you can't see the dll files of the folders they are in you may need to make <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Show-hidden-files">hidden files visible</a>. All the dlls in the file IO directory that I listed may seem like overkill but I just wanted to never face this error again ... until the next time when Sony release v12 and I've forgotten all about this pain. Then again, Sony might actually get its act together and fix this issue for us ... fat chance :)</div>
</div>
</div>
Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com101tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-44782620578538675852011-07-18T12:00:00.000-07:002013-04-15T16:24:42.001-07:00How 3D is spoiling 2D<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This weekend I saw <a href="http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html">the last Harry Potter</a> twice: first in 2D and the next day in 3D. I am a fan but not that big of a fan but it was just a accident of circumstance that led me to see it twice in quick succession but it did allow me to compare the 3D and 2D prints while each was still fresh in my mind.<br />
<br />
Quite a few critics are citing HP as an example of <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-07/18/harry-potter-finale-3d">3D done right</a>. I'm not so sure. I know you're rolling your eyes and dismissing me as yet another 3D hater but hear me out as I think I've finally put my finger on what it is about the current 3D movies that doesn't work for me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Harry Potter demonstrates the problems that still remain in state of the art 3D technology. I am not an expert in this technology so I can only report what I perceived through my own eyes. As I understand it, there are two ways of making a 3D movie: during production (with 3D cameras) or in post (on 2D source material). HP is the latter (except for one scene). Converting 2D source material to 3D is a big, labor-intensive industry. Artists go through by hand rotoscoping the elements in the frame which can then be set on different 3D planes. So, if you have a character in the foreground, another in the mid-distance and then the setting as the background you would separate the three elements so you can put one in front of the other, in front of the other. It does give an illusion of depth but, as far as I can see, it doesn't convey the subtitles of real world 3D.<br />
<br />
In the real world there aren't just three 3D planes in the scene described above. The character in the foreground is 3D in his own right - his nose is closer to than his ear and the perspective between the two points is gradual. As a child did you ever make a 3D diorama peep box, or shadow box, or cardboard puppet theater? It seems to be the same principle. One thing is in front of another giving the illusion of 3D but each of those things is flat which ruins the illusion in a paper model and a multi-million dollar movie.<br />
<br />
To my eye these flat 3D movie planes layered over each other actually look flatter than and normal 2D movie. When you're watching a normal movie you quickly forget that you're watching something flat and 2D. 3D is represented by depth of field, lighting changes and camera movements and by the viewers own, intrinsic, visual intelligence. In someways that is taken away from you in a 3D movie. The flat areas layered over each other look flatter because you're fighting to interpret the flat areas within a layered 3D environment. It's also hard to become unaware of this visual trick and once you see flaws you constantly get pulled out of the illusion as a result.<br />
<br />
'So, why not just go and see it in 2D you Luddite?' I hear you ask. Well, because the emphasis is on 3D the 2D print suffers. What do I mean specifically? You seem to see some artifacts in 2D as a result of the 3D process. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 there was a specific scene that made this obvious to me. After Harry, Hermione and Ron have dropped into the lake off the dragon's back they are walking around a hilly area, getting warm and talking about what they are going to do next. When I saw the scene first in 2D something didn't feel right. It almost felt like they had been filmed separately from the background and green-screened in - like they were stuck on to the background rather than really being in it. If it was a still photo I was examining I would have said it was clumsy use of in PhotoShop - the kind of thing you see when someone hasn't used shallow depth of field when they took the shot but they have faked it after the fact by masking the subject and then blurring the background. You can always tell - there's something about the edge of the subject, a slight halo or something, and the background is too uniformly blurred. It's not how natural bokeh looks. Whatever the equivalent is in filmic terms, that's what I'm seeing and that's what I object to.<br />
<br />
This all said, I loved the final movie and am very sad that the decade long journey is now over. I still give it two thumbs up in 3D or 2D but a lesser movie I might not feel so magnanimous towards. 3D is not an evolution from traditional 2D movies but an alternative to them. For the moment it is still a matter of personal preference but I'm still far too aware of the technology and process to get sucked into a 3D movie as easily as I can slip into the world of a traditional 'flat' movie.<br />
<br />
You pays your money and makes your choice....</div>
Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-55622756601483918792011-07-13T12:29:00.000-07:002011-07-29T07:58:36.101-07:00Editing Exercise: Vincent Laforet Edit ContestIf, like me, you're relatively new to the world of film editing <a href="http://www.laforetvisuals.com/">Vincent Laforet</a> (yes, the person behind <a href="http://vimeo.com/7151244">Reverie</a>) and <a href="http://www.creativelive.com/">creativeLIVE</a> have a great exercise and competition for you. It's the “<a href="http://www.creativelive.com/blog/complete-edit-win-vincent-laforets-redrock-kit">Complete the Edit - Win Vincent Laforet's Redrock Kit</a>” CreativeLIVE challenge. You <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/creativelive">download the takes</a> you want created at a recent workshop Mr Laforet held - unfortunately, if like me, you're not a Vimeo pro user you have a limited number of downloads available per day so assembling the footage you want can be the longest part of the process. You then edit the clips into a finished piece and <a href="http://vimeo.com/groups/laforetedit/videos">submit them to the vimeo group</a>. You could win some great Redrock Kit but real benefit of entering is the exercise of piecing together an edit from someone else's footage (warts and all).<br />
<br />
This is my first time editing anyone else’s footage but my own and was a lot of fun and very educational. It took a lot more time than I anticipated to even get a first assembly and then I spent even more time tweaking everything to get to a final cut (I've already re-uploaded my entry 4 times):<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/26298764?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&autoplay=0" width="480"></iframe></div><br />
I edited it using Sony Creative Software Movie Studio HD Platinum 11($76 from Amazon) on a sub-$500 laptop. The score (little more than atmospheric sounds and a couple of string swells) was also created by me on Sony Acid Music Studio 8.0 ($36 from Amazon) and footage audio edited, augmented and sweetened using Audacity (free). Color adjustments and titles also done naitively within the consumer version on Sony Vegas. I’m hoping that the results from my budget/amateur system measures up to those with more professional suites - in an ideal world I hope that you don’t even notice I’m using consumer, cut-down versions of NLE and DAW software. <br />
<br />
I purposely edited it in a linear way (no Memento tricks) in keeping with what I felt was the old-school, 50’s feel of the footage and script. In my imagination the man’s back story has to be that he is a gum-shoe detective getting his comeuppance. In keeping with this classic 50’s feel I edited the dialogue slightly to remove the overtly sexual lines and a couple of other phrases I personally felt weren’t in keeping with the scene. I’m not usually that prudish but I wanted the details of the affair more implied than stated.<br />
<br />
I found myself spending as much time editing the audio as the visuals. From a visual stand point the footage is very clean but the audio took some work to normalize, and remove clothing, static and breath noises (probably from wireless lavs?) and the off camera dialog. Any unwanted noises I removed I then had to replace with room sound or Foley sounds from other footage which I did in Audacity. After I added the soundtrack you couldn't even hear the room noise anymore so this may have been wasted effort but it was a good exercise even so.<br />
<br />
The only visual challenges I couldn't address included the hand grabbing the letter opener from the desk being very white compared to the lead actor but I wanted the footage to move from the desk to the door. Also, the clock at the beginning is an hour behind the clock at the end but again, I needed the footage so left it in and, hopefully, nobody will notice but me. Finally the reflections in the picture frame glass I just decided to live with.<br />
<br />
This said, I am far from an expert so any constructive criticism is gratefully received. Seeing the other creative entries I doubt I will place but I feel like I already got a lot out of the exercise just by taking part. If you wanted to give it a try yourself the competition runs until 12th August, 2011 so you have lots of time to obsesses over every frame between now and then. Good luck.Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-76525784843556667382011-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:002011-06-17T13:25:04.998-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: Even More Fun With 8Packs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1328/783910882_c5ad573d2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1328/783910882_c5ad573d2c.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I'm still sticking to my resolution to take the free <a href="http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/8Packs/">8Pack released by Sony</a> each week, to turn it into something else and then release it under the creative commons licence. As long as it's fun I'll keep doing it.<br />
<br />
I am working on a simple video tutorial on using Sony Acid to score video. Hopefully that will be available before I post my next bunch of 8Pack pieces.<br />
<br />
I hadn't realized that it has been over a month since I last posted anything here so here's the last 6 weeks:<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F17344766"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F17344766" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/voiceless-glottal-plosive">Voiceless Glottal Plosive</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16485397"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16485397" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/rerolledcredits">Rerolled Credits</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16117699"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F16117699" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/carried-away-again">Carried Away Again</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15640373"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15640373" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/extensions-extended">Extensions Extended</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15219744"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15219744" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/solar-recycled">Solar ReCycled</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15121241"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15121241" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/simulcast-expressions">Simulcast Expressions</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a><br />
<br />
</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-14167622480646434652011-05-26T11:22:00.000-07:002011-07-26T00:21:20.755-07:00Windows 7 Sound Issue: Unwanted Reverb Stuck On<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2064695451_a2c802501c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2353/2064695451_a2c802501c.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>I had a strange problem with my little, Dell laptop (Inspiron 1318) the other day. I thought I'd put the issue and solution out there just in case anyone else encounters it. The issue was as if a reverb effect was stuck on.<br />
<br />
I was about to work on <a href="http://www.thecandidframe.com/">a podcast that I edit</a> in <a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/">Audacity</a> when I noticed that the source audio was dripping in reverb. If you have edited any audio yourself you'll know that you want the audio as dry as possible so that you can choose when and how to apply effects. At first I though the reverb had been added to source audio as it was recorded but then I noticed there was reverb applied to any audio I listened to - YouTube videos, MP3s in my music library, they all came through drenched in horrible reverb. Something was wrong with my machine.<br />
<br />
The funny thing is that I wouldn't know how to add blanket reverb to all audio on my machine. I checked my audio driver from Dell and reinstalled it even through it was already up to date.That didn't make any difference.<br />
<br />
To get rid of it I had to uninstall the audio driver and then reinstall it from scratch. To do this:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"></span><br />
<ul><li>"Start" button and select "Computer"</li>
<li>Select "System properties" from the top menu bar of the "Computer" window</li>
<li>Select "Device Manager" from the left-hand "Control Panel Home"</li>
<li>Select "Sound, video, and game controllers" to show your audio device(s)</li>
<li>Select the audio device you are currently using then right-click and select "uninstall."</li>
<li>Reboot to complete the uninstall.</li>
<li>On startup, Windows will detect the sound card and re-install drivers.</li>
<li>It may require another reboot but your sound should now be clean</li>
</ul><div>I hope this information is clear and useful to anyone else who encounters this weird problem.</div></div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-28861446956306216122011-05-06T12:58:00.000-07:002011-05-06T12:58:29.303-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: Fun With Acid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm still really enjoying messing around in Sony Acid Music Studio. I claim to be a photographer and a videographer so there is often a stress to perform in those roles. I make no such claims to be a musician so nothing is expected of me and I can just play. Acid is like finger painting with sound and it takes no time to be able to create something out of nothing and isn't that the appeal for many creative activities?<br />
<br />
I've continued to take the free 8Pack downloads each week and make something of my own out of them. Hopefully I'm not remaking the same piece over and over but I have noticed a signature in the way I work: I trawl through the loops until I find one that really appeals to me , usually a drone, or percussive sound (but not full drum loop) that I can use as the backbone of the piece and build everything else around. Perhaps I should challenge myself to write something that does not have one loop that runs through almost the whole thing? As that one constant is what holds everything else together in my head that may be tricky for me but I'll give it a go.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14806400"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14806400" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/tales-to-be-retold">Tales To Be Retold</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14313138"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14313138" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/duality-reexamined">Duality Reexamined</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14183691"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14183691" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/even-more-dynamic-low-z">Even More Dynamic Low Z</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
I've also entered a couple of challenges; the first <a href="http://blog.soundcloud.com/2011/05/05/introducing-sound-bites/">Soundcloud Soundbites challenge</a>:<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14754205"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14754205" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/sound-bites-soundtrack-for">Sound Bites: Soundtrack for Train, Utility Poles & a Sunset</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
and <a href="http://soundcloud.com/frequent-traveller">Frequent Traveller's</a> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/frequent-traveller/sets/east-croydon-re-mix-1">East Croydon Remix Competition</a>:<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14708712"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F14708712" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/east-croydon-taylor-made-remix">East Croydon Taylor-made Remix</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
Again, there's something very low-stress about entering a competition and putting your work out there in a field in which you're an absolute beginner. By contrast, I have started assembling my entry for the next <a href="http://photographybooknow.blurb.com/">Blurb Photography Now book contest</a>. Last time I poured days of time and effort into my entry just to be ignored and it destroyed me. It's taken me two years to recover the strength to consider putting myself through that again. Ignoring my music is fine because that is just messing around - I'm serious about my photography through; if I put my photography work out there and it get's dissed or ignored it's a whole other ball of wax.</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-17591219630521859892011-04-11T17:15:00.000-07:002012-06-04T12:01:20.915-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: 8 Pack Remix<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/5609555427/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Mixer by the other Martin Taylor, on Flickr"><img alt="Mixer" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5062/5609555427_559e27c2d0_z.jpg" width="266" /></a>
If you happen to be in to Sony Acid Music Studio (or Pro) you'll know what the <a href="http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/8Packs/">8-Packs</a> are. For the rest of the world the 8-Packs downloads are a song and all the source loops required to created that piece that Sony releases to the world, generally each week. You have one week to download the current 8-Pack and then it's gone forever. With the help of my handy RSS reader I've been religiously downloading the 8-Packs for a year ot more. The loops they contain are valuable. Deconstruction the songs is inspiring. The fact that it's all free, Royalty-free music that you can customize easily yourself makes them invaluable.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
However, I've recently been thinking that I should be doing more with each 8-Pack than downloading it to my Acid resource repository on my PC, rendering out an MP3 and then forgetting about it. I should take advantage of these little collections of loops and see what I can come up with using them as opposed to the 'official' song that comes with them. I've done this for the past 2 weeks and I'll try to keep doing it for the next 50. It's a great way to learn how to score for your own movies - even if what I come up with is not as good as what a real musician would make at least I'm learning the techniques and language and that has to be worth something doesn't it?<br />
<br />
I've looked around and I'm surprised that no one else is doing this but here are my first two efforts. In the future I'll post a month's worth at once. Of course, if you want to use anything they're all available under the creative commons licence from<a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor"> SoundCloud</a>.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13431922">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13431922" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/post-apocalypse-revisited">Post-Apocalypse Revisited</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13321618">
</param>
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13321618" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/they-rise-again-again">They Rise Again ... Again</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> </div>
</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-22651424532166533322011-04-05T16:28:00.000-07:002011-04-05T16:28:32.081-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: Part 3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I am having trouble finding much in the way of tutorials for <a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/musicstudio">Sony Music Studio</a>. Not that there's a lot out there for the <a href="http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/acidpro">pro version</a> either and what little there is largely works in the consumer version too. Luckily, if you're a Vegas user already, Acid is very intuitive but I thought there'd be a huge fan base especially among semi-musically literate film makers looking for royalty free scores they have control over. I'm still only playing with the looping part of the program but I am trying to find a midi controller keyboard on Craigslist to start playing with that third of the program and I'll look at the audio recording part of the program too. Until then here are my latest creative commons efforts:<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13113689"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F13113689" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/saturday-morning-drive">Saturday Morning Drive</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12592719"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12592719" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/nothin-to-be-blue-about">Nothin' to be Blue About (Acoustic Blues In E)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> </div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-35069570484362681892011-03-24T15:59:00.000-07:002011-03-24T15:59:38.627-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I try to lead a creative life; as much as I can fit in around the wage-slave mundanity of the 9-to-5. Part of that is I allow myself to play and dabble in as many fields as I want. I know the cliche "Jack of all trades, master of none" may apply to me but I do consider myself a reasonable accomplished photographer. The danger of mastering a craft is feeling stale. I can knock out pictures of a reasonable standard but I've lost a little of that wonder and magic I felt when I first saw a print fading out of the ether in a developing tray, or when I first realized what I could do with my first digital camera and an early version of PhotoShop.<br />
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It's a feeling I've rediscovered playing at making soundtrack music. The last time I recorded something was on cassette on a hissy 4-track. Like all arts and crafts, technology has changed all that and lowered the bar to entrance and participation. Instead of having to patch a load of things together with midi cables and bounce down tracks I can now just mess around for a few minutes here and there on my laptop. I'm sure what I'm coming up with is the equivalent of those first Photoshopped pictures I made: cliqued, over-saturated, over-sharpened, amateurish messes but I am having as much fun as a kid with finger paints. And to get past those musical, amateurish messes I first have to make them. Lucky you can even hear my fumblings thanks to SoundCloud which seems to be to music what Flickr is to photography. Just like a newbie on Flickr I am lost in the crowd on SoundCloud and am having a hard time working out how to separate the wheat from the chaff but the novelty is still working in my favor.<br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12489703"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12489703" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/deep-dive-drift">Deep Dive Drift</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> <br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12429956"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12429956" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/wednesday-loopy-blues">Wednesday Loopy Blues</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">the other Martin Taylor</a> </div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1066843013187130911.post-11437228970748950032011-03-18T12:21:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:43:37.486-07:00Creative Commons Soundtracks: Theme for the Digerati<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12264590"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12264590" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/theme-for-the-digerati-v2">Theme for the Digerati (v2)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">Martin Taylor</a> <br />
I'm not much of a musician but, like many filmmakers and other content creators, I do sometimes create a soundtrack when I need something specific and I can't find what I need with a creative commons licence (I never use music without having the licence even for the smallest job). It feels a little hypocritical to always be taking others creative work in this field but never putting anything in the pot myself. So, for what it's worth, heres a little something I came up with for the background of a technology video.<br />
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Here's an older theme I created for a short architectural rendering video:<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12265103"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12265103" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/wfh-cottage-theme">WFH Cottage Theme</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">Martin Taylor</a> <br />
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Finally, a short orchestral theme I created with Sony ACID Music Studio just to see if I could create something traditional for a soundtrack if I need to:<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12347837"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12347837" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor/theme-for-an-imaginary-prairie">Theme For An Imaginary Prairie</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/martin-taylor">Martin Taylor</a> <br />
I might not be a musician but I still like to mess around with my guitars, Sony ACID Music Studio and various iPhone apps.</div>Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02660608871405317981noreply@blogger.com0