BlockPartyOKC 2011
Quick edit from last night’s BlockPartyOKC held at the Packard Building in downtown Oklahoma City.
Great event, great people, great cause – benefitting OKC Educare. Big thanks to The Exchange organizers for their tremendous help.
Shot this with the Canon 7D and struggled with the constantly changing lights. The back of the runway was much brighter than the front, which is where the media area was staged. I moved around some to get different vantage points and to get a better angle. I had planned to shoot with a 14mm lens but only used it during Jonathan Fowler’s interview and the exterior shots. For inside, I stuck with the 24-105mm lens to zoom on the models and create more shots. Was actually surprised how much of this turned out to be in focus, without the Zacuto rig and with the frenetic pacing, it was hard to nail down a solid focus, especially on marching models.
Also had a Vado camera on a small tripod, stage left, which I only used in the edit a few times. It produced some surprisingly good shots.
It’s nice to have archival footage
We started our video efforts in earnest about four years ago. We don’t have a lot of footage before that. But we do have some 1999 Bricktown Canal opening ceremony footage. And it just so happens Steve Lackmeyer was working on a story about the canal and recent developments. Time to dust off the old Mary Fallin footage!
Highlights from USRowing Masters National Championships
Big props to USRowing for their prompt response to my request for video highlights. The above footage is from various heats involving OKC Riversport teams during Saturday’s heats.
The event started Thursday and runs through 2 pm today.
Cheap cameras produce great video
And by cheap, I mean in the $100-$500 ballpark.
I use Vado and Flip cams all the time as b-roll and bumper cams. They produce interesting cut away shots because you can stash them anywhere for a different perspective.
I’ve also used my iPhone 4′s camera as a main and b-roll cam for similar use.
We don’t have any Go Pro cams in our arsenal at OPUBCO. But here’s an example of strapping (or gaffe taping) a cam to the bottom of a skateboard. The result is a very low to the ground effect. And at least two destroyed cams. But a great video. Great idea.
Good Morning America picks up our iPhone video
Some motorists had a rough start to the work week, running over metal that had arisen from the pavement on the Belle Isle bridge near I-44 and NW Expressway in Oklahoma City. Officials blamed the incident on the bridge’s age (comforting, huh?) and extreme heat. I took my Jeep Wrangler for a cruise of the area around lunch Monday and shot the above video with my iPhone 4.
Good Morning America saw the video, called us and asked to use the footage on Tuesday morning’s show. I’m sure they used about 5 seconds.
Soapbox time: you don’t need expensive cameras, just use the camera with you. I had a Canon 7D and Sony HVR A1U with me. But the iPhone was the most practical for that shot. The still frame of the worker on the highway turned out to be the money shot. I use my Vado cameras all the time, especially as bumper or b-roll cams.
At the end of the day, the video you have is better than the video you don’t have.
Evolution of the modern day photographer
Image courtesy http://www.motionvfx.com
A lot has been released, announced and proclaimed the past few weeks – Final Cut Pro X, Lytro and Red Epic posts. So as the tech changes, so does the game.
I watched “PressPausePlay” at deadCenter a few weeks ago (minus the RG of the RGB). To paraphrase something I heard in that film – technology comes first. Jimi Hendrix wouldn’t have become famous without the electric guitar. The tech comes before the person, the genius, the moment.
As tech evolves it’s all about what we do with it.
As Bart Conner says, “Why not me?”
As Boone Pickens says, “Who are you going to bet on? Bet on yourself.”
Both are good interviews, by the way.
A lot of people are ripping Apple and FCPX. But somewhere, someone is gonna do something really cool with it. As someone who edits primary for online, the new FCPX sounds perfect to me, mostly for its speed (no more audio sync, no more rendering, no more Compressor or Mpeg Streamclip). I’m not worried about labels of “iMovie Pro” just show me what it lets me do. I’ll figure it out from there.
It’s not just the technology (which will always evolve), it’s what you do with it.
So here’s the quote from this article that I think is important:
Editing is going to become one of the most important, sought after skill sets in the next five to 10 years. I think we’re going to see such an incredible amount of data coming in, to the likes of which we’ve never seen before that editors are going to become one of the most important job positions out there.
via Evolution of the Modern Day Photographer | Echo Faith Design.
