I would have to go for H264 as it renders higher quality pictures at smaller file sizes.

Did MS get VC1 (wmvHD) included in the spec for HD-DVD? I know Sony rejected it for BlueRay, supporting only Mpeg-2 for the time being. Thats for commercial releases, not data disks.

If they didn't they really screwed up... wmvHD is the only good distribute for the web.

Microsoft also made a HUGE F'in Mistake by not allowing the Xbox 360 to simply play wmvHD files... They could have easily had this as a feature and we would have had a huge distribution channel overnight.

B

Music Video (shot with dvx)
 

I recently directed/edited a music video. This was shot in NYC (central park, south street pier 17, and by battery park). Been getting good reviews thus far but I'd love for everyone here to throw in some honest feedback. thanks guys

for a higher quality version go here
http://web.mac.com/bryantfisher/iWeb...6D4DDF5B8.html


or for lower quality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9mlQJhQpEA

-Max

Cory, thanks fot the comments. The grain was intentional, some of it is static. I questioned doing it because some people would think it was a mini35 adapter not spinning. You're the first to notice it, so
congratulations! lol I probably should not have done that, but I liked it. Its basically a static overlay, kinda weird but I like it.
Wes, the flashed are actually Artbeats' Film Clutter. You can find them at:
http://www.artbeats.com/prod/product.php?pg=1&id=160

Smile, what a fascinating work !

The bundle of painters brushes was a nice establishing touch. Given the enchanting piano score a smooth fade transition from brushes to aerial shot might have fit well. Instead it seemed more like a cut from brushes to aerial.
It still worked for me.

The theme of Art's influence was well illustrated by the score and images.

Really liked it.

Any behind the scenes or Directors notes you can share on the making of this superb Riley Harmon Short would be welcome.

The time lapse work was interesting.

well done....it was definitely one of my favorites of the finalist entries.

I agree with everything Ken said. I really liked it. Seemed very smooth and maintained my interest the entire time.

Awesome!

Director's note:

It's magic baby. I found a stick on the ground, and lit it on fire. It just so happened that the stick was near some factory waste and it burned magic colors. (Most likely from the chemicals) BTW: The children laughing in the background of the bubbles were recorded live. They were high from the chemical fumes burning in the air.

quick question: do these video overlays automatically overy lay to your video, or do you have to key out the black?

thanks a lot

Short film from H1-by students
 

Below is a 5 min short film shot on the XL H1 at a seminar I taught a couple weeks ago. The students shot nearly everything here over the course of 5 hours. 48 hour film festival? Hah...see what you can do in 5. :-)

Anyways, here it is...

http://homepage.mac.com/ncfilmmaker/iMovieTheater6.html

If you live near Raleigh and want to attend a class, let me know. There will be another one happening in May.

Thanks.

Kevin

Fun piece! Since the artistic talent behind the camera was more on display than the H1, I moved the thread from the XL-H1 forum to "DV For The Masses" where it will get a wider audience.

Whatever you want, Pete, but people have been on the H1 boards waiting for something to see. This is it.

KW

We generally keep links in camera forums when they illustrate useability, or a particular capability or limitation of the camera, and move links that are posted primarily to share artistry to DV For The Masses.

Because this is a complete short film that is streamed at web-friendly resolution, I felt it fit into the latter category rather than the former. If something specific about the XL-H1 is demonstrated, let me know and I can move it back for further discussion. Otherwise, it'll get a more viewers -- including the XL-H1 forum crowd who browse around DVinfo or click "New Posts when they log in -- here in "Masses."

This kind of move is a routine thing for us and I hope that it helps folks understand how we do the housecleaning to keep DVinfo organized and a good technical resource.

Thanks for the housekeeping, Pete -- much appreciated,

Its a composite setting. In Final Cut Pro I just composite it over the footage and select "add" as the composite mode. Its pretty much the same thing as keying out the black though.

First attempt making a reel
 

I've made an intro to my reel, I'm not sure if your really suppose to do this, so i was wondering if anyone could direct me? I was planning on having an intro about a minute long and then go into some work samples for about 7-9 minutes. Is this a good outline?

Heres my into:

http://media.putfile.com/First-Reel-Intro-attempt

Generation: 60Hz
 

http://current.tv/studio/media/1873904

http://current.tv/studio/blog/studio.htm

"Part of what makes working for Current so exciting is watching people experiment with short form non-fiction content. Aline Allegra, our director of viewer created content, pointed out this piece, Generation: 60Hz, as a perfect example of Current's mission in action. The producer is from Shawnee, OK, and offers his take on the Internet generation. He experimented with rapid fire images that represent what it feels like to grow up in the information age. We optioned it for air and encourage all of you to push the limits of how you tell your story."

I knew all those years sitting at a computer wasting time would be useful.

riley, this is so accurate, it's frightening. the 18 and 20 year olds in my life are exactly characterized.

you could really be a voice for this generation, which seems to have so much chatter and yet, paradoxically, so little voice.

i'm definitely sending this around to the kids i know.

funny mock infomercial
 

Someone posted this in another forum. The poster and his buddy made it. I thought it was pretty funny.

Right click, "save as"

http://www.z5films.com/videos/Moaster_Maker.wmv

Race Patrol (Green Bench Productions)
 

This is a skit I made in response to the amount of people today who think that being a certain race means acting a certain way. It's a satire of the unwritten rules of racial behavior in America.

www.aggieblvd.net/RacePatrol.wmv

4 min. Martial Arts Short
 

"Smoking is Prohibited"
http://www.stickypod.com/videos/data..._480_Wide_.mov

shot on an hvx and a home made 35mm adapter

lemme know what you think

Relient K Music Video (GS400)
 

I have finished my first big project. Its a music video set to Relient K's - Never Underestimate My Jesus. I think it came out very good. Leave me some feedback ide love to hear what you have to say.

Quicktime High - http://www.kyleprohaska.com/films/Re...usicVid_Hi.mov
Quicktime Low - http://www.kyleprohaska.com/films/Re...sicVid_Low.mov

http://www.maj.com/gallery/kylepro88/VideoGrabs/1.jpg
http://www.maj.com/gallery/kylepro88/VideoGrabs/2.jpg
http://www.maj.com/gallery/kylepro88/VideoGrabs/3.jpg

-Kyle

nice reel mate....

That was cool. I laughed, I liked it. It could be a lot better, but it was fun. I liked it more than the last thing you posted, the news program spoof.

I'm not American, but I do recognize all of the stereotypes depicted here. I liked the absurdity of it all, and the way it was treated. I'm a fan of unnecesary cursing (which isn't as easy to do as cursing unnecesarily) and most of that was rightfuly done. You stole some laughter from me mosltly like that.

Now, the acting isn't that good, but the fact that it can absolutely be felt you were having lots of fun makes (at least) me enjoy it almost as much. It also seems you were doing things "on the fly" (I'm trying to say you just went and did it, not much thought put into it). Go on, that's some great learning.

Lastly, a few things: first, the image was blown most of the time (overexposed, I mean) when you were in the streets. Maybe a bit darker shadows would make it look better. You could touch some gamma settings in post if you want some more detail in the shadows (actually, if you want to turn them clearer, that is). I think that'd look better. Second, the style, the cop reality show style you were trying to achieve wasn't consistent. Not because of the interviews, that's plausible, but because of the subjective shot of the "all-proper talking" guy, and some other cinematic shot setups (like a handheld scene following the "cops" inside a house were black guys are listening to rock'n'roll and then the camera is waiting for them outside to shoot them coming out of the house). Of course, in the overall absurd feel of the short, these things don't mean a thing, really. You're allowed to do this. I just saw it and it struck me as odd, that's it. Oh, and third, try to use a different 10 by 10 meters of land to shoot the shorts! I've done this before (I've shot 4 shorts in the same inside of a house, 5 shorts in the same street, and 3 shorts in the same flat roof, so I know about this), but never on the same short pretending it's a totally different place! I just jumps out of the screen when you see the same house and cars and background. Next time, try to go around the block and, only if extremely necessary, ask for permission to shoot. Or is it that difficult to shoot anywhere in the US? Maybe that's the case. Here we shoot everywhere and the worst that can happen (besides getting you camera stolen) is to be weirdly looked at (and be stopped by 5 police cars and 17 cops for using lighter guns in your short in the middle of the street...). Do that, it'll give more variety to the look of the films you make, and that's mostly a good thing.

Aw, well, that's some of my criticism for you. I liked the short and I'm looking forward to seeing more from you. Just take what I tell you as my humble opinion, but be honestly critic about you work and try to find what things you did right and which were wrong. That way, your next short will be much better. My best regards.

Oh, wait! What camera did you use, again?

That's that now. Bye (sorry for the length of the reply, my lack of sinthesis power is pathological).

I used a Panasonic DVX100B.

I'm learning that ropes as I go about doing my shorts. I would have never even thought about any gamma settings or any shadows or anything. I just mostly look at content, but then again, when you're a professional in the field, you look at those kinds of things.

It was a run and shoot type operation. I just grabbed the camera and made a small script and went by that. It's hard around my area to shoot without the cops harrassing you. I've been stopped dozens of times from shooting by cops who throw accussations of drugs and stuff at us as well (I guess it's rare to see a group of black guys filming?). Anyways, I wish I could use other locations but a lack of transportation as well as getting the proper permissions hinders us. But in the end, the product was still funny so it didn't bother me that much.

I like criticism. I've learned a lot from these forums since I joined over Christmas break. Like I said, I would have never even gave the shadows or stuff a second thought. The shot was slightly overexposed but that was because when we ran in the house, it was completely dark almost (no lights in our house except little lamps in our rooms).

Thanks for watching!

*Edit*

Oh yeah, the consitency with the COPS style shooting is the way I've seen it. I see a lot of jump cuts in COPS so I overexaggerated it.

It sucks that you have to take that s**t from the cops. It's a real shame. Maybe you can get some credential from your school that sorta certifies that you're doing this for "educational" purposes. Or at least to show that you certainly are not dealing drugs by carrying a camera around (!!!!). Down here to be filming is like an uncommon event, so people are more likely to gather to watch instead of feeling threatenend or something. Still, we at my school have a credential to show to authorities if ever needed (it's also useful to get help from other people who would see our work as a means to steal them or something). See if you can get something like that to help you around

I know about the transportation, it's a real pain in the hineys. But maybe you can go just a block away to slightly change the background. Just that would already make a difference.

Oh, and about the overexposition in that scene, I had thought about the dim lights of the interior, and thought that was the exact reason for the problem. I'm glad that you're trying to control everything by setting stuff to manual, that's the best you can do. I hate it when I see the iris auto exposing the shots and the focus trying to find the right spot all the time.

By the way, I'm not a professional. Consider me equal. I've still a lot to learn inspite of how much knowledge I've already acquired from this site. Just trying to help. And keep on grabbing the camera and making small scripts and going by that. Like I said, that's some of the best learning you can get.
But, just like I've been starting to see clearer some time ago: just imagine how great it would be if that which you made just running around and looks great, you did it giving it more thought, time and work... It'd be simply awesome. Aim for that.

"BROKEN" Feature Film VFX Test Clip w/ Breakdown
 

"BROKEN" Feature Film VFX Test Clip w/ Breakdown

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to give you an update on "B R O K E N" the feature film. We have finished the screenplay and it is in the hands of our producers. We are currently in development on the visual effects, conceptual art, etc for the flix. Wish us luck.

We wanted to share one of our vfx tests. It is rough but we did do a breakdown on how it was done for you to see the process.
Let us know what you think.

For the for clip FULL click here: http://www.whatisbroken.com/bk_vfx_test.html

Also, I will be shooting another short film in the coming months while we are waiting for BROKEN to go into full drive. I haven't shot a frame since BROKEN and I am itching BAD!! More details to come...

Thanks again for all the support, the emails, and good wishes. The BROKEN: Special Edition DVD seems to have been very well receieved and according to all your emails and posts is helping a lot of filmmakers and storytellers. I wish you all the best of luck in your future projects!!!
Make it happen!

Keep your eye on the prize :thumbsup:
Alex
http://www.whatisbroken.com
http://www.numbrobot.com
http://www.enigmafactory.com

Official My Space Page - http://www.myspace.com/broken2006

I loved it. My favorite line was the one about Asians driving down the wrong side of the road. You guys are getting funnier with every short you make.

Alex,

Greet clip. Is this full length movie going to be an expansion of the short you did for the DVD or is this a totally different story?

Thanks. Mostly different from the short but that scene is in the script.

Blood Storm- action short
 

Hey guys, its been a while since i posted. heres a film i made 2 years ago. it was made as a test video for some effects and shots i wanted to use for my other films. It was shot in one night with a crummy camera. People seem to find it alot of fun, i hope you guys injoy.
plot: Blood Storm
When a Columbian drug lord goes out of control by kidnapping the worlds last diplomat. There is only one man who can save the world. The Doc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VsB0J8vSQQ

Hey Kyle,
Thanks for posting your piece. Over all you did a good job. The gs400 is a good camcorder and the quality was very nice. Very creative, and I can tell you enjoyed putting that together. Only thing I can say is just work on framing some more, in some places there was to much head room, and then when the young lady was under the bridge as you were trying to circle behind here, you just lost it there. That comes better with practice. Over all good production. Take Care

Monday

re
 

Cool I am first to post. I have to admit I smiled a few times. At times I was reminded of power rangers, but good actors are not cheap.

You said you used a crap camera which one, the images look pretty good.

The framing I thought was done well, and I liked lots of the choices made for angles. I would have liked an extreme close up the second time he lights a sig. You know where all you see is maybe his eyes and mouth.

The end was funny, I will not spoil it but it was a good spoof off the old ride off into the sun set.

I did not like the lengthy intro. But I do not like when big movies do that either. I am like just get on with the movie already.

Hey why not name this movie Fist of death? Or fist of steal. Would have been perfect to hear the song "fist full of steal" by Rage Against the Machine, in the last fight.

If you could let me know what camera you used and if you used any adapters thanks

Demo Reel--feedback please
 

Howdy all,

I have posted a low quality encode of my reel as a placeholder while we finish designing the new site. I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism on any aspect of the reel. Also, please let me know if the reel is too dark on your monitor.

www.yournextvideo.com


cheers
-adam

I have an Apple 20" cinema display and I think it's a little dark.

I think the reel looks like a lot of other reels that I've seen. Everytime I see a reel like this I wonder what it is being sold exactly, and that's hard to know without knowing who the auidence. Who are the potential clients you think will be watching the reel?

feedback...anybody?

Peter,

Thank you for the feedback.

My goal wasn't for the reel to appeal to one sect of the industry but rather to create an engaging ambient piece utilizing clips from our past projects. Any client who has a need for some type of visual production will be sent a copy or a link to the reel. After speaking with a client, I have more industry specific examples I send which are more applicable to their needs. With the current incarnation of the reel, I believe most clients are intelligent enough to realize there is a transferrability of craft. For instance, a large publshing company has hired us to create a corresponding video case study for a collegiate textbook. While we dont explicitly state or show examples of academic video, our client felt we were capable from viewing the reel. As for what is being sold, I can use my reel to show examples of various aspects of production and post-production. As for your statement of "I think the reel looks like a lot of other reels that I've seen," this fulfills my request for criticism however it falls short on the constructive side. How does my reel look like a lot of the other reels? Is it shot compostion? lighting? transitions?

Thank you for the feedback on the brightness--I'll turn it up a notch.


cheers
-adam

Cool, nicely done. I like the blown out whites emulating the stock they used to film those. Fun story too, nice punch line, but the laughter matched their actions...should've dubbed it poorly ;)

There was a little vignetting in the corners, you may want to consider zooming into the adaptor slightly if you are able.

Great job
 

Where was this shot?

I'm in Clermont.

That was nice men, wish you could have added an effect when she touched the bible.