Chicago Welcomes Secrets of Video Production

Chicago was surprising.  As with the other cities, I had no doubt that the photography professionals attending would be welcoming but I had not expected the warmth they extended to me.  I did both my Secrets of Video Production for photographers evening presentation and Saturday workshop at Callie Lipkin’s very spacious studio.  Callie and her husband/studio manager Robert were great hosts and they have a great space that is also a rental, so if you are in need of a studio in Chicago, give them a call 773.853.2339.  APA’s Midwest director Megan was indispensible in getting things set up for my events.

Everyone was intent on learning about video production as this is a no nonsense group of professionals that see video production is the next stage of the now ever-changing landscape of professional image making.  They understand the days of being a pure professional photographer are fast disappearing and they are willing to take the next step, which is into video production.  I had at least two photographers  who drove from Columbus Ohio to attend.  Two more came from Milwaukee and plan on sharing what they learned with the rest of the crew at QuadPhoto.  Dave Busch of QuadPhoto was nice enough to send me an email that included the following quote, “The combination of facts, experiences and practical ideas you presented will undoubtedly save a lot of money and pain for any photographer that is just beginning to investigate video production.  Plus the tools, toys, and software you shared were a real eye opener for those of us who have already started shooting HD video with DSLR.  Thanks again for making the event well worth our time and the 180 miles we drove to attend!”

It was exciting to share with them some of the new development I saw at NAB a few days earlier in Vegas, including the exciting developments of Litepanels new hybrid LED that flash sync’s.  Zeiss’s new cine compact prime series was well as introducing them to Zeiss’s HDSLR series lenses for Canon and Nikon cameras.  Sonicfire’s new Voxal vocal albums and, of course, Redrock Micro’s upcoming wireless follow focus were just a few of the items I told them about.

I have no doubt that the Chicago professionals I met will have little problem making some great short form video content.  I look forward to them sharing some of their video experiences with me.

Workshop image including Lastolite light modifiers, Manfrotto 536 MPRO tripod (sticks) ©Megan Erskine

Lee White preparing to shoot commercial with model Maya using Marshall Electronics V-LCD70P-HDMI, Redrock Micro eyeSpy, Beachtech audio adapter DXA-5D ©callielipkin

Lee white talking about framing which is illustrated in the Marshall Electronics V-LCD70P-HDMI ©Megan Erskine

The NAB Experience

I will admit that the first few times I walked the various halls at NAB, I was both a little lost and overwhelmed.  This, of course, was before the recent flood of equipment and software directed toward smaller more independent content makers, especially those using the procomsumer video cameras and HDSLRs.  The majority of the show is still directed at large productions and facilities but there is more and more short form equipment and software showing up each year.

It is so big it takes multiple days to comfortably walk through and have a chance to see even a good portion of the show.  Many of the booths have demos going so you want time to stop and see them.  Often there are a variety of products at each booth and so you might have to go back at a later time to catch the demo you’re most interested in.  All the booths have representatives that given time will go through personal demos and entertain your questions.  I got to see the latest from Manfrotto, Litepanels, Panasonic, Zeiss, RedRock Micro, Smartsound, Sennheiser, Marshall Electronics, Hoodman, K-Tek, and LaCie.  This year I saw a growth in small plug-in creators for Apple products.

There are also a variety of speakers and classes on just about anything to do with every aspect of video and broadcast.  A few are free and interesting but most of these cost some type of conference fee.

If you look around a bit on the web, you can usually find a free pass to the exhibit halls and depending on your pocket book this might be the best way to first experience NAB.  After a few times, there you’ll get up to speed and be in the know about the latest and greatest.

By the way, 3D is all the rage this year with booth after booth touting something involving 3D.  It seems to be up in the air just when and if 3D will truly become widely accepted or remain a mostly theater experience but either way you heard it here first and partly that is what NAB is about; finding out about what might be the next great hit.

Customizable Music with Vocals are here!

News from NAB 2010.  The new “Voxation Series” from SmartSound the royalty free music company I suggest gives a new dimension to customizable music for your video and multimedia productions.  The brand new Voxation Series features lyric-based vocal music from talented bands and musicians.  This lyric-based vocal music is still easily edited in length, arrangement and mix using Sonicfire Pro.

It works by having the instrument tracks and vocals on separate layers, which allows Sonicfire to manipulate the songs to fit the changes in your video.  SmartSound is the only company that can offer this level of adjustability.

These first two albums are one by Brady Harris with melodic tunes and savvy lyrics and the other by Indie Pop/Rock band Steep with more to follow.  SmartSound is going to keep the lyric driven music series growing and is working with a number of bands and musicians in developing more albums.

The pricing is $149.95 for an album and $59.95 for singles from the albums and as in the past are available online or in disk form (at a additional charge).  Visit Smartsound.com for more information and hear samples.

Upcoming new Video Production Products from NAB

My first day at NAB in Vegas brought into perspective just how quickly the world of video production has changed.  The number of new and innovative products that deal with making video with HDSLRs has increased dramatically.   At the same time, the video cameras are starting to have advancements that are going to blur the line between video and DSLR cameras.

Litepanels by Manfrotto is bringing out a new hybrid LED with a flash function.  Panasonic has a new 4/3 video camera that accepts a variety of still camera lenses.  RedRock Micro has a number of new products for follow focus and cine lenses.  Carl Zeiss has a whole set of new Compact rime CP.2 cine lenses. Hoodman has a number of new recording cards and focusing assists.

These are just a few of the new products I have seen at NAB that in some way will make producing videos easier or slicker.  I will be reviewing these new products I have been shown as they actually become closer to being available.