Posts by Scott Wells

Interesting New iPad App – Electronic Clapper For DSLR Production

Mar13th
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Screen shot 2013-03-13 at 12.47.28 PMThe app is the vision of Ian Nuttall and his team, who run a DSLR-based studio in Kingston-upon-Thames, in London, England.

Ian told RedShark:

…the App is a bit of a test to see if we (three of us, film, web, digital heads) could apply all our skills into one project and make a really easy, modern, good-looking Clapperboard App that was affordable and actually a help to our work-flow.. not a hinderance.

We’ve aimed it specifically at the semi pro DSRL shooter, still and motion shooters, student film makers and indie documentary teams..  personally I’m quite excited just to have my first App!

We’ve had over 2000 downloads form all corners of the globe since last saturday and more good feedback than we ever could of imagined.

This success will let us fund iPhone and Android versions this coming summer.

To find the app on the Apple App Store, search “clapperboard”.

Make sure to turn the sound down at first when you check out the demo here: http://youtu.be/Jkuutgfe8Hs

 

iPhone/iPad, Video Production    ,

New Support System for Smaller Camera Rigs

Jan28th
2013 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Check out The Dougman Demo by its inventor Doug Monroe.

 

 

 

 

 

Needing a better tool for hand held small cameras while shooting news, documentary, and many reality television shows, Doug perfected this invention after 10 years of prototypes. Rigorous field testing and help and advice from talented and very patient engineers, tailors, artists, and camera folk has resulted in this simple but perfect tool.

Looks as if it might be a useful tool for folks using smaller video cameras for production. An interesting solution for a common production problem, especially for those of us used to the “old world” of handheld (read: “your shoulder is your tripod”) video.

Video Production    ,

Free HD Files For Comparison

Nov27th
2012 1 Comment Written by Scott Wells

Cinematographer Tom Guilmette has graciously provided 10-second downloadable files in a variety of formats that you can ingest into the NLE of your choice for testing purposes. They include several formats from a RED One MX,Sony PDW-F800 & PMW-F3, Canon 5D Mark II & Mark III, GoPro Hero2 and Fastec TS3.

Get them here.


Media Distribution, Video Production   

Another Contender – Call 15 Friends To Video Chat In High Def

Aug23rd
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Microsoft’s Skype is the best known among the services that offer free one-to-one video calls on computers and mobile devices but group video chatting services are rare. Now, there’s a new independent service called Zoom.us. WSJ’s Walt Mossberg reviews zoom.us and says he likes it a lot despite a few limitations. Check him out here.

Video Conferencing & TelePresence, Web Conferencing   

Leverage That Investment!

Jul31st
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

While iPhone photographers and videographers can add lights, lenses, and other accessories to their devices with special cases like the Phocus, those planning to use the iPad for video journalism, livestreaming, and filmmaking have been left out. That’s about to change, with the imminent arrival of the Padcaster (US$149.00) and Padcaster/Lenscaster combo($189.00) from The Padcaster, LLC.

Check this demo on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/44031241#

Might be worth a look. Anybody take the plunge?

iPhone/iPad, Lecture Capture, Video Production   

Leap Motion Demo

Jul3rd
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Look like the future to you? You may have seen a version of this technology in a YouTube video. I’m thinking this deserves a second look. Pretty cool pointing, think “Minority Report.”

The Most Important New Technology Since the Smart Phone Arrives December 2012

I might have to agree, or at least pre-order. Even if you’ve seen Leap Motion before, this is a demo you’ve got to watch.

Classroom Technology, DDMC Info, Uncategorized    ,

Spray-On Batteries Could Reshape Energy Storage

Jul3rd
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Here’s your potential game changer!

Imagine spray painting the side of your house and it not only produces power from the sun, but can store the energy for later as well. A novel approach to battery design from Rice University researchers could enable that and other types of spray-on batteries.

The research, published last week in Nature, seeks a new approach to battery fabrication by using materials that can be spray-painted onto various surfaces. Combined with flexible printed circuits and research in spray-on solar cells, the technique offers the prospect of turning common objects into smart devices with computing power and storage. Another possibility is consumer electronics, such as cell phones or cameras, with a battery coating.

 

Uncategorized    ,

This “Sounds” Pretty Good!

Jun19th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. On the surface this seems like a very valuable tool for all editors. I like that fact that it is a standalone app, not a plugin. So, in theory, it should work with several different editing applications. Seems as if it’s worth a listen/look. Anyone had any experience with it?

The propaganda goes like this: “Boris Soundbite quickly and accurately finds any word or phrase spoken in recorded media. Video editors, producers, and journalists can instantly play all occurrences of a spoken phrase in their media, then insert the perfect take into their FCP or Premiere Pro project, organize clips around keywords, and even find replacement words for problematic audio. Based on Nexidia’s patented dialogue search technology – which has received accolades from Creative COW, DV Magazine, Post, and others – Boris Soundbite greatly reduces logging and transcription costs and lets you spend your time being creative instead of manually searching hours of video.”

More detailed info can be found on the Boris website: http://www.borisfx.com/Soundbite/

Audio, Video Production   

Go For GoPro HERO2?

Feb21st
2012 1 Comment Written by Scott Wells

The price might be just right. Very intriguing article delivered in an engaging online digital format. Lots of suggested add-ons and modifications to power up your GoPro camera. Found this one in the latest digital edition of “Digital Video.” Got me thinking…

Check here for a comparative look at the GoPro Camera “family.”

Lecture Capture, Video Production    ,

Cautionary Tale?

Feb16th
2012 Leave a Comment Written by Scott Wells

Very interesting read for those of us involved with live streaming. I was amused that they called out Ustream by name. Enjoy the read.

Video Production, Web Conferencing    , ,
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