“I love it when process does not call attention to product,” I wrote in my last post, commenting on The PEN Story. So it’s interesting to see that this is exactly what seems to have gone wrong with PEN Giant, the follow up to The PEN Story. Don’t get me wrong, I’m impressed as hell by what the creators accomplished (check out the “making of” video below), but then again that’s the problem. I’m distracted with the techniques to the point of not simply diving into the joy of the story — as I did with The PEN Story.
What’s Your Take?
Which PEN story do you like better and why? Do you agree/disagree with me about technique overpowering the storytelling experience?
Here’s a wonderful stop-motion piece that will put a smile on your face and inspire you, even if you have no interest in the Olympus PEN camera.
Pretty sweet, right?
I mean, obviously this was really tricky to produce (apparently the final was shot all in-camera, no postproduction) but it doesn’t feel tricky. It feels fresh and cute and honest and. . .simple. I love it when process does not call attention to product.
If you are already using YouTube to research equipment, make buying decisions and to learn tech tips, you can skip this post. If you are not, I want to invite you to the YouTube audio/video technical learning fest of which I have been ignorant. For example, recently this simple, nerdy audio test by onelonedork helped me immensely.
You see, Gail Mooney had suggested that I make the Zoom H4n my tool of choice for recording audio for multimedia projects. Instead of just taking her word for it, I spent a lot of time reading reviews on traditional sites and blogs to see if I couldn’t get something just as good for less than $300. Finally convinced to go with the Zoom, I hit a major stumbling block. What accessories to buy?
From Mooney and others I knew that multiple external microphones are critical for best sound recording. But as I looked for a cheap mic or two, I quickly learned there is no such thing as a cheap mic. Most are more expensive than the recorder itself, and that was already straining my budget. Most frustrating, I had no way of knowing if I would really need one, at least at this point in the game.
I simply had no way of knowing how the Zoom recorded in the real world — at least not until I stumbled upon the test by onelonedork. His great, dorky test test shows the position of the Zoom, and helped me realize that, for now, I would be fine with the recorder alone. No accessories needed. I could simply buy the Zoom, begin recording interviews and ambient sound with the on-board mics, then consider further purchases after I’ve created some content.
Wait! I stumbled upon one more nerdy, wonderful audio test(by KalaniPrince) that made me decide that I just had to shell out $50 bucks for a little fuzzy hat for the zoom. It seems ridiculous to pay 1/6th of the price of the recorder for a bit of fuzz, but this video made it clear to me that it’s a must
The Wonderful YouTube Community of Multimedia Nerds
Looking for step-by-step instructions for prepping (i.e. compressing) HD video files from Final Cut Express for YouTube? If so, you’ll find the answers you need in this great video tutorial by BIGlittleBROTHER. Very friendly, super informative and, apparently, works for iMovie ‘08 projects as well.
I have to give a super BIG thanks to BIGlittleBROTHER for this one! He really helped me get rolling with Final Cut Express (see last post), and his approach to explaining allowed me to adapt his methods to suite my specific needs.
No wonder his tutorial has gotten 46 thousand views!
After all my worrying, I finally buy Final Cut Express and to my virgin eyes the program looks just like Final Cut Pro — totally intimidating! To get beyond this I force myself to avoid all the possibilities and think about the most basic task I want to accomplish. Answer: Upload video footage from my Canon G9 to YouTube.
This past weekend I grabbed my G9 and pretty quickly had this:
Clearly this sucks. Horrible compression from hell. Worse than “dumb” iMovie would help me produce. However, I have succeeded in getting the footage in and out of FCE and on YouTube fast, and that was the point.
For “Take II” (below) I referred to a FCE tutorial on Lynda.com, and found some help on how/where to compress for broadband, getting this:
Not bad at all, but I wanted to see if I could find better, “ideal” settings I could use.
At the time we talked, I had to trust Sheppard that his video captures were amazing. Now, thanks to his new “Buzz” video, we can all enjoy Sheppard’s great hi-def video of digger bees in action. Amazing, indeed — especially the fantastic close-ups!
This is wonderful natural history storytelling, well conceived, excellently executed. It fits in perfectly with Sheppard’s expanding goals as an image maker. As he said: “I want to focus more on creating natural history pieces.”
Sheppard, the editor-at-large of Outdoor Photographer, told me that technology is only a means to an end. He explained that the reason he is so excited about HD-DSLR technology is that it will help him with his greatest passion: exploring, sharing and helping conserve the natural environment.
I had a great talk today with Eric Cheng, a fantastic underwater photographer, the driving force behind WetPixel.com, and the publisher of “Wetpixel Quarterly” magazine. I am researching an article on how photographers can best embrace the possibilities of video, and the tech-savvy, video-embracing Cheng offered great insights on the topic.
If you are at all interested in underwater photography, definitely check out Cheng’s stunning images.
WetPixel.com is the a fantastic online community of underwater photographers — articles and forums galore — and a must-visit resource if you are dedicated to (or just thinking about) making images underwater. Very, very cool.
What’s all this have to do with juggling?
“I would say that the YouTube community is extremely toxic,” Cheng emphasized to me when he was weighing in on whether photographers should host videos on YouTube.com or Vimeo.com. “People are really nasty on YouTube. Someone is always going to come and write something nasty.” Cheng explained that, inevitably, more negative responses follow, and “big wars” get started.
“Speaking of copyright,” a photographer wrote me, “This is so funny. If they haven’t taken it down yet, it’s a must see.” Indeed!
I hope you can see this because it’s beyond funny. Nothing like a crazed Hitler delivering witty commentary on copyright issues, faults of the Google/YouTube empire (”Aren’t they supposed to be all, ‘Don’t be Evil’?”) and pointing out that what might look like copyright infringement might not be or, maybe more to the point, might — when done respectfully — be the best form of promotion benefiting the infringed entity in question. (As Hitler points out, “The movie got international attention because of YouTube users’ hard work.”)
Thanks to Zacqary Adam Green (a.k.a. Plankhead) for his hard work on this one, and for making Hitler, in this scene from “Downfall”, come across as both hilarious and insightful. (Not easy.)
For more info of the viral video parodies made from “Downfall,” see this Wiki entry. (”The film’s director, Oliver Hirschbiegel, spoke positively about these parodies,” but the production company, Constantin Film, “has asked video sites to remove many of them.”)
In case YouTube/Google has zapped the above video (”I mean, they pulled out of China for shit like this.”), keep reading this post to see some key screen shots.
YouTubing around in the background while doing some photo work, I stumble upon this beauty featuring Bobby McFerrin. I watch, I smile, watch again, smile again. The third time I am participating along with the audience. Now I’m really smiling, and I’m wondering. . .
What are our visual expectations?
If McFerrin gets you smiling, too, consider my question and share what comes to mind regarding our visual expectations — across cultures or simply in relation to your own visual life.
