“Comrades, WE OWN THE MEDIA NOW !”

That’s how the colorado indymedia blog begins an entry from last week.

Basically protesters in both Denver and Minneapolis are being taught how to block out the transmission of sat trucks in attendance. You should read the blog for more information, but they want you to sandwich layers of aluminum foil inside your protest sign and then hold those signs up in from of the sat dish.

I assume they want to get there message out by completely blocking the messenger.

A few professional trucks ops have chimed in to the comments to explain the extreme hazard of getting that close to a transmitting satellite dish. It’s definitely entertaining reading.

So if you’re walking around the “media village” and see a young kid was a 10ft x 10ft “mic flag”, I don’t think he’s working for a radio station.

Have fun at the conventions.

Seth Gitner, the Multimedia Editor for The Roanoke Times in Virginia, and a columnist for NPPA’s News Photographer Magazine, has just published an article about b-roll.net.

The column delves into the future of our craft, as we, both video and print photographers, migrate to the web. It’s not just what we produce, but how we interact with our fellow visual craftsmen.

I’m not sure if I can publish the article on our site, and NPPA does not put their magazine articles online, so the only way to read it is to find the magazine. We hope posting articles online is something that comes with the revamping of the NPPA website mentioned in the article.

In the meantime, here’s a shot of the cover and the column.

Thanks to Seth for talking up b-roll.net - and to John “Lensmith” DuMontelle for representing all the b-rollers out there.

Be sure to check out Seth’s other work at: http://sethgitner.com

From Gizmodo.com

Ok, this isn’t practical for news production by any means, but it’s still cool technology.

Basically, some very smart people at the University of Washington, are experimenting with using high-quality still images to improved the resolution, contrast and dynamic range of poor quality video.

Even more amazing is how easily a moving images can be patched or doctored. It’s almost as easy as using Photoshop to correct your video.

If you thought the public didn’t trust our images before, this will totally ruin any myth of “seeing is believing.”

It is way past my ability to properly explain, but this video does a great job.

This is still in the development stages, but I am sure we’ll see this as a Final Cut Pro plug-in one of these days.

Check out the University write-up.

Gizmodo article

When I was a kid, I discovered my mother’s Yashica Twin Reflex camera in the attic. I had no film for it, but it was still the coolest toy. The lens projected a moving image on its huge focus screen, and the image had a special quality that made it look like film. Before VCR’s and camcorders, it was my first experiment with motion pictures.

It would be years before I finally understood what made the image in that Yashica look “cooler” – what made it look like film. It turns out the effect I loved was a narrow depth of field. Seeing moving images with a tight focus allows things to POP. It’s the effect that makes good cinematography work.

After years of shooting video, I’ve found ways to mimic that look, but never to my satisfaction. The nature of modern video cameras doesn’t allow for really nice depth of field without highly compressing the shot, or cranking up the shutter.

All that changed when I ran into Eddie Enciu at a shoot in DC. He had a self-designed adapter on his Canon HF10 camera - called the EnCinema 35mm - that allowed him to use standard Canon still lenses. Basically the still lens focuses the image on a focus screen (much like my beloved Yashica) and the video camera macro focuses on that screen. When combined with an AVCHD camera like the HF10 and a 24P frame rate, the look is a “film-like” as you’ll ever find. It’s almost like doing a real-time telecine of a 16mm film camera.

Check out the EnCinema 35mm demo reel and see for yourself.

Visit Vid-Atlantic’s website for more information.

More video after the break… Read the rest of this entry »

This almost makes me want to go hiking…

Petrol introduces the Broadcast Trailer Professional Backpack – a rugged new camera carrier especially designed to transport full-size broadcast cameras like the Sony F900R and Panasonic AG-HPX500.

Ideal for traveling or hiking into hard to reach locations, the Broadcast Trailer is ergonomically equipped with padded shoulder straps and adjustable sternum and waist straps to ensure correct weight distribution and enable more comfortable carrying. Cushioned back support is provided for optimal spinal comfort. A convenient collapsible cover shields and protects the Broadcast Trailer’s integral backpack system when it is not in use.

The carrier’s two main compartments are well padded to safeguard sensitive equipment. Six removable dividers offer extra protection and create cavities for organizing a camera light, batteries, cables, or other accessories, as well as a special oversized pocket for carrying a camera plate. Inside the upper chamber, internal adjustable binding straps and Petrol’s proprietary sliding pipe system (SPS) secure the camera and keep it firmly – and safely – in place. A viewfinder compartment is reinforced with cold-molded laminate panels for extra protection. The zippered lower compartment’s detachable divider system can be removed to create ample room for other belongings. Additional features include 9 exterior pockets for additional storage and Petrol’s dual directional easy-glide zippers. The exterior is constructed of heavy duty water resistant blue and black Cordura and tough ballistic nylon.

List price for the Broadcast Trailer Professional Backpack (#PCBP-2N) is $425. For further information, go to http://www.petrolbags.com or contact: Petrol, 709 Executive Blvd., Valley College, NY 10989, Phone: 845-268-0100, Fax: 845-268-0113, Email: info-cd-usa@vitecgroup.com

These are some extremely brave crews who definitely know the rule “KEEP ROLLING.”

Mal James with Fox News

Keep tabs on Mal James in his blog - Unholyland News

Reporter Grazed by Bullet during Live Shot

Turkish News Crew Shot

My hats off to all of the crews putting themselves in danger to tell the story.

Stay safe everyone.

From: Gizmodo.com

“Bert Praetorius wasn’t a famous inventor, but many of you will recognize and appreciate his contributions to a simple function we’ve all used at some time or another—rewinding.”

Seems kinda obvious, but someone had to figure it out.

Joe Torelli, the man who literally wrote the book on how to edit news and sports on Final Cut Pro, has put together a 1 hour video to complement the book.

Being that I’m a visual guy, who doesn’t like to read (that should be obvious by my writing), this is a much faster way to learn the basics.

Torelli, who edited for NBC network news and was a pioneer of Avid editing, helps you grasp Final Cut Pro from the ground up. This is perfect for the editor that presently cuts on Avid or another non-linear, and has never seen Final Cut Pro.

But don’t worry, the expert FCP editor will also pick up a few speed tips as well.

As Torelli puts it in the video, this is not an all-purpose video on FCP, but rather a quick tutorial on how to edit for news - and edit FAST.

You have to register on the Apple site before you can view the clip, but it’s free. (Tell them b-roll.net sent you!)

Check it out at: http://seminars.apple.com/go/newsandsports

Commence giggling!

Ok… After my 5th Grade brain stopped giggling - I realized this is a brilliant idea. Neutrick has developed XLR ends that can be switched from Male to Female by simply sliding the housing.

There have been many-a-liveshots that I would have killed for one of these cables on our reel.  Another in a line of “why didn’t I think of that” innovations.

Click here for more information.