Projectors...
 

Anybody know of a good place to rent a video projector in the bay area? I'd also like to know about how much to expect to pay when renting one. I'm a little tight on money since I am still just a high school student. My final question is, is there a certain type of projector which is best for projecting video (DLP?) and how many Lumens should it be (crowd of 100- 150 people)? Thanks in advance!

THANKS!
 

Thanks for checkin it out...

We shot on BetaSP (because my XL-1 was having issues with the mixer we had) yes I know, it's not digital, but we really intended on using the XL-1. For audio we used a couple of Azden wireless lav's (they are great). The BetaSP camera we had actually crapped-out on us after 13 hours of shooting. We had to shoot some of the cut-a-ways at a different location after we got the camera fixed.

For lights we had a couple of arri kits...nothing too crazy. Some snoots and gels. We had a talented DP. (not me, I produced and edited)

I edited with Avid XDV and gave it a film look with Digi-FX cine-look...took alot of tweaking, & cranked up the black levels until we were happy with the look.

Thanks again...pass around the link, we are currently #3 on IFILMS daily top 20...hope to get to #1.


Also check out the music video I recently produced / edited
http://www.ifilm.com/filmdetail?ifilmid=2474316

I just downloaded the remastering.mov file. I get some kind of corruption at around 12:23, perhaps something happened during the download but maybe you should check at your end just in case.

From what I saw though it looked pretty good, I especially liked the lighting in some of the b/w footage. The interview setting was a bit dull visually and the first interviewee was a bit too pretentious ;).

Thank you for your feedback.

One of my favorite shot is a B&W closeup of the hand playing piano.

I've color corrected both interviews and live with MB.

For the color one it's Warm and Fuzzy and for the live stuff B&W crunch.
You can see how the original footage looked like on the bonus footage gallery.mov. I promise I'll make sure they don't wear any RED shirt anymore ... that's just too bad for the picture.

The regular B&W was giving a too video look so I've took this "crunch" one which gives less details.

For the interview, I've used the auto focus mode and that was a mistake as my subject was not centered. On some shots the talking head is blurry with perfect focus on the guitars in the back !


Thanks again.
Dany

Don't reply all at once now...

Matt,

Lumens question is tough without knowing the room environment you'll have. If you can get it completely dark, AND you're not projecting on a HUGE screen, 800 would probably be fine. If on the other hand, ambient light will be a problem, you'll need to go quite a bit higher to acheive good results. I use a 800 lumen DLP projector but only for computer driven Power Point type stuff in rooms with a fair amount of light, works ok, but I can ensure that I have very high contrast between background and text, not an option in video.

DLP projectors would probably be better at video, but will add cost. I would use the local yellow pages, find a local rental source, then test a couple of their projectors using what ever device you'll be playing from. Most don't have a problem with that and can provide some additional details while you're there.

I've used a Canon projector that had an output of about 1500 lumens. Worked very well, even in rooms that couldn't be completely darkened. The screens were generally about 10 feet wide.

Don't know exactly which model it was, but it was a fairly compact LCD video projector about the size of a phone book. Probably similar to the LV-7350 Bright as heck, too!

Sharp also markets similar projectors. In fact, the onscreen menus between the Canon and Sharp were very similar, which leads me to believe that the core of the projectors come from the same manufacturer.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Hi, I'm interested in your takes on the JTL everlight kit. hows that working out for ya??

We're working with some gear that will probably be beyond your budget, but this may be of general interest anyway. We just bought two NEC LCDGT1150 projectors which are rated at 3000 ANSI Lumens. We're using these to project english translations ("supertitles") on a screen above the stage during our operas. I am really impressed with the brightness and contrast on these units. A key factor for us was the noise level since they are mounted in the auditorium right about the audience in the balcony. With the lens these babies set us back nearly $10,000 each!

But the "big guns" just arrived at the theatre today, two Barco SLM R-10 Executive DLP projectors. Today was a panic getting everything hooked up, with my laptop (that was driving the projectors via firewire) dying just before we were supposed to give a demo. However by the end of the day we had everything setup and the quality of the image completely blew me away. We are projecting DV in 16:9 on a screen about 42' wide by 24' high. I think it held up amazingly well at this size with the Barco's. The footage is a combination of 3d computer animation and live footage shot in 16:9 with a PDX-10.

The R-10's are rated at 10,000 lumens with a 1600:1 contrast ratio and resolution of 1280x1024. We need two of them so we have a backup, and were considering running both together for a brighter image. However the image from one projector is really more than bright enough for our needs (to overcome stage lighting in the foreground). For today's test we fed D25 video over firewire directly from the timeline in Final Cut Pro, running on a Powerbook G4, to a Promax converter box. The box converted D25 to component video which fed the projectors. For the show we will record all the individual cues to a pair of Doremi VC1 hard disk recorders.

So this is some high end equipment which is probably beyond the means of many people, but it certainly gives a glimpse of what to expect in the near future. And I was reassured to finally see the video I've been working on for many months on the big screen. In spite of its limitations, DV is going to work just fine for this project. But I would love to see HD projected with this setup sometime also!

Try VMI. I can't find it for you in the on-line pages, but I've been there. It's on the bay side off 101 just before Mathilda Avenue.
You can see it as you drive 101 North from Great America toward
Mathilda. There is a little road that snakes runs parallel to 101.
I know my company rents a lot of video stuff from them for corporate presentations. I'm pretty sure we rent the projector as well.

I think that this is the company to which Gints referred.

<<<-- Originally posted by Gints Klimanis : Try VMI. I can't find it for you in the on-line pages, but I've been there. It's on the bay side off 101 just before Mathilda Avenue.
You can see it as you drive 101 North from Great America toward
Mathilda. There is a little road that snakes runs parallel to 101.
I know my company rents a lot of video stuff from them for corporate presentations. I'm pretty sure we rent the projector as well. -->>>
Thanks... I'm around that area all the time so I'll be sure to check it out.

DVD for Film Festivals
 

My short film, No Solicitors, has been accepted at Montreal's "Film Festival With a Twist." Seriously the best e-mail I've gotten in a long time :D

Anyways, I specified that the projection medium be DVD, as that would be the easiest to make. I've never actually authored a DVD before but I think I can figure it out.. what I want to know is, are there any certain things to follow when submitting a screening copy for festivals? I'm assuming the only menus should just be the title.. or should it start playing automatically? Any tips you guys could give me would be great.

I'm going to hunt around in the forums for DVD authoring tips as well..

Yes, a simple menu with just a "play movie" option is probably your best bet.

The thing to look after is that your DVD is as compatible as possible. Use a software that complies very strictly to the DVD specifications. Use brand name blanks (I've had good luck with Verbatim DVD-R) and test your DVD in a few players. One way to do this is to go to a hifi/electronics store and ask the clerk if you can try your DVD-R in different players...

Congrats on your selection ! :-)

Some of the DVD compatilibity issues are also with the audio.
Use stereo PCM (compressed) or AC3. Many DVD authoring
package offer MPEG1 Layer II audio compression, which is
unofficially supported by most DVD players. DVD-R
compatibility is less of an issue these days, but I am totally
shocked by the DVD response times for new models. Some
models on display in July 2003 (my last trip) at Circuit City and
Good Guys take 30 seconds to spin up and recognize a DVD-R.
You can check for DVD player compatibility in user-submitted polls
at http://www.dvdrhelp.com/ .

And on that topic, what should the aspect be for what you stick on the DVD? Just 4x3 matted? Or should it be output as 16x9? What are the standards for digitally projected stuff at festivals?

I think all videoprojectors are capable of handling 16:9, even they have a 4:3 matrix, so I would go for 16:9 if you have a 16:9 master.
At least that's what I do.

Alex congrats. I loved your short.
I would send a reply email and ask them directly. Otherwise if it gets in their hands and they cannot deal with it then you might have a problem.
Wish you the best of luck and hope it does well. Will you be entering the film in any other festivals?

Rob

Thanks for your suggestions guys! I picked up some DVD-Rs today.

Robert: I'm glad you liked it! I submitted this film as well as a few others to film festivals a few months ago.. got a rejection from one of them, this is the second I've heard from. So there's still 3 film festivals who I haven't heard back from yet - my fingers are still crossed! One of them is in February so it'll be a while.

"Terminator" Hayabusa motorcycle video
 

Hi guys,

some of you guys know I'm an airbrush artist / custom cycle painter and enjoy DV purely for fun. I posted a video awhile back showcasing some of the awards and trophies along with the cycles I've painted......I appreciated all the comments you guys threw my way...

...well my shop has sold our "shop" bike which happens to be the fastest production bike in the world, the Suzuki GSX-R1300 Hayabusa...and because it's leaving us forever I made a quick video (with my lowly Panasonic $399 Palmcorder-that's what I had on hand today)...it's a rush job but shows how cool our "Busanator" is- hope you guys like this thing-------it took me about 10 days to create it and paint it.......

http://bronxpowersports.com/cycles/b...busanator.html

Let me know what you guys think.

The JTL is a great value for the money, providing a lot of softlight for indoor situations.
As said before the stands are very very good considering this price range.

The first time you setup the kit is source to a lot of questions : do I have to bend that piece of metal ? Do I have to insert that piece into this small hole ?
The mechanical design is pretty weird.
If you want to keep your kit for a while you don't want anybody else to setup and especially disassemble it !

Even when taking care of it I'm still not convinced it will last for very long due to some design flaws like using the velcro to receive the bended metal bars that create the overall structure (cage).

I really like the softlight and believe that kind can also be used for still pictures. I'm now concerned about the backlight and think a fresnel would be a better idea in some cases (there is no universal light or microphone!) so I may extend the kit by adding a fresnel 350W.

So overall impression is you can't beat that price (don't forget it includes the case too and make the whole kit pretty compact).

Dany

You are a very talented Airbrush artist. I'm impressed!
If I ever need a Airbrush artist I know where to turn!

Ken or John or "anybody". More Lady-X openings?
 

Unfortunately I didn't stumble across the Lady-X info soon enough... I don't think.

As of this summer I finally have most of the equipment I've needed to make professional video and I'm eager to put it to this sort of test. I have a few friends who also have good gear and we do "shorts" together, but I'm ready to lead a project of this nature.

I've got a fantastic crew and some really great actors, as well as a perfect "lady-x"... I guess this one's over for entries, but I hope this post gets me ready early rather then late.

Ken, John, anybody?

BTW Ken, I can't wait to see YOUR Lady-X... I was in Chicago a couple weeks ago and it is the PERFECT city for a short like this. Chicago river... overpasses... Navy Pier... the museum complex... all the foot-bridges and pedestrian tunnels... Man that place is a freakin' film-maker's dream! So what's the fine for getting caught jumping off one of those draw-bridges into the river?

Check Out Short Film Series Trailer
 

Looking to get some feedback on a re-edit for a short film series trailer entitled The Uninvited. The previous thread for the older trailer located here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=9374

I'm about out of space on the server and could not keep the older trailer online with the newer versions for comparison. Thanks to Shawn for originally starting the thread a while back. I apologize for not responding to the older thread, didn't know it was posted until recently.

You can find the trailer here, with formats in quicktime and windows media.

http://www.theuninvited.net/Uninvited%20Site/video.html

Some Background: Before beginning work on the series, I decided to shoot a trial version and see what would happen before digging in and finalizing the look and feel. This was a volunteer project on the part of cast and crew. Splitting my time between web design on the site and production of the series, it's slow going...but the feedback that everyone has been providing has been invaluable, so please...keep it coming!

Thanks for the feedback on the previous thread and have a look at the updated trailer...let me know what you think.

Matt,

All episode slots are taken for this series...and we have quite a list of alternates who have first dibs on any slots that come available. But...we'll be deciding before long whether to have a 2004 series. If we do, keep looking here for information about when to sign up...then jump in there and sign up quickly.

As for jumping off Chicago bridges... I'll leave that answer to Ken "the jumper" Tanaka.

I could only watch the first "box" rather then the one titled "series trailer" so I assume that's the one your wanting feedback on.

I thought it was pretty good. I don't want to take anything away from the video by saying this, but whoever did the motion graphics is first rate. That aspect is so well finished that it puts pressure on the rest of the production.

Thanks for checking it out. Apologies for not specifying which trailer to view, it's the Relentless Trailer, others aren't uploaded yet.

Thank You for the compliment on the motion graphics. So far I've been handling the post and graphics myself, mostly to save on production costs.

I hear you on the production end and keeping it all balanced. I've taken a breather between projects to think over production values and where it all should be. I took on too many roles, lighting and cinematography too...ya live and learn!

Thanks to a patient and understanding crew!

Well the trailer would get me waiting to see the full thing! I'm a sucker for horror/evil/undead etc movies ;)

Nice work.

Cheers
Aaron

My first "public" video
 

It's about 10 minutes, maybe a little dry if you don't like waterfalls and beautiful scenery....
http://www.crimsonbutterfly.com/video/gorges.wmv

Panasonic Announces Digital Filmmakers Grant
 

From the Press Release:

"Quarterly grand prize winners will receive a three-week rental of the AJ-SDX900 camera and Fujinon Broadcast zoom lens, 10 hours of DVCPRO50 videotape, a 10-week rental of an editing package consisting of a Power Mac G5 and Final Cut Pro 4 editing software, and a Panasonic DVCPRO50 VTR with an IEEE1394 Firewire card. Rental value of this equipment package is more than $17,000."

Only open to US Residents...

Link to the application

This is just my very "subjective" opinion...

THe images are gorgeous.. I would correct the colors to enhance the green and the blue... but that´s me... I´m not a scenery fan, but there are really beatiull shots... and I think that could be "tricked" to look "brighter in colors"...

I would also definetely try and make a shorter.. more compressed or whatever... version for download... For those with slow speed connections... (like me)

I only got to watch up to minute 3'25 or so... I´m in a "supposed" 256kb dsl line.. and still was very slow so I killed the download.... maybe it´s just my connection tonite?? (most likely)... Still, imagine those with dial up...

I would also change the color of the initial credit, from red to something softer.. more in the mood of the music and the shots... Green?...

Can´t comment any further because didn´t got to see the whole thing... sorry.

Thanks Federico....I'll have to make a lot lower resolution file. Of course, the " beaytiful scenery" won't be as beautiful....

I posted a lot smaller file on my site....sorry about the last one...

http://www.crimsonbutterfly.com/video/gorges2.wmv

Do you live is such a nice place? A lot of potential for great footage in a place like that.

I have only been doing this sort of thing for a short while, so my experience is limited.
Some of the old and crustiest may be able to give you better advice.

But here is my go at it:
The colors are a little dull. I use an enhancing filter from Tiffen. It really seems to make the colors pop out on footage like that.

I see you have some of the same problems I do, making smoooooth pan and tilts. This is a difficult skill that takes some time to acquire. On scenic footage it is usually better to get still footage, at least 30 seconds at a time. Then if you want to practice the pan and tilt, go ahead, you already have the still footage. Get at least as much still footage from a tripod as moving footage and may be even more. You can always add some movement in postproduction.

Nice Scenic shots.

Hey Mark, that's funny, I just posted about this too in the Open DV forum under the new Panasonic cam. Are you thinking of entering?

Me!? No, I won't be entering. I'm still too new at this. But I was hoping that maybe some people from the boards here might enter, and even score one of the grants. There's a lot of talent represented here, and I'd love to see some of it rewarded in this way.

But who knows, maybe if they keep the grant around long enough I'll have something worth entering in a year or two...

I know now that you're exactly right. I'll always try to carry some kind of tripod with me when I do landscape-type footage. Of course, it was over 90 that day, and we walked at least 10 miles to get all the shots...first week in July....

Check out my first demo reel
 

I was wondering if anybody can give me some criticism on my new demo reel. I shot everything in it with my GL2, edited in FCP3 and did graphics and color correction in After Effects. Thanks!

http://www.terraform.tv/

very flashy, nice artwork, clear images, speed and hardrock, yezzzz......

well done
I love it
jacko

Do you have a direct download link please?