VerveCast

Spotted on Boing Boing, this sign at a recent concert asked people to put their phones and cameras away and just watch the show.

This resonated with me, because many of us have been to events where someone feels compelled to shoot photos or video the entire time, or post their status, share an update, etc. on a social network.

Sometimes these things are fun, and sometimes they just get in the way of disconnecting from the network and being in the moment, enjoying the world around you.

(Obviously if your job involves taking photos or posting updates during an event, that’s different, but if you’re seeing 90% of the crowd holding up smart phones, chances are they’re not all on the clock.)

It’s been a while since I posted about making a camera mount, but since I made another one this week, I thought I should share.

Maybe you saw this photo over on our Facebook page, or maybe you saw Jason on the slopes at Grand Geneva. Either way, you may have noticed some weird camera things going on.

The first one is the Nikon D800 he’s holding, which has a GoPro camera mounted on top of it. I made that one a few months back, partly as a joke, but knowing full well it would come in useful someday.

GoPro actually sells a lot of great accessories, including some adhesive mounts that work well on helmets. Jason wasn’t sure he wanted to stick one on his helmet so we came up with another solution.

I’d 3D printed a few of these female mounts before, but they also expect you’ll be using some adhesive to stick them. I left the office around 6pm and told him I’d have something the next day.

I figured Jason might be OK with some zip ties attached to his helmet, so I spent a few minutes doing some 3D modeling and added a plate beneath the mount. I then printed it on a RepRap 3D Printer, and had a nice camera mount for him to use just a few hours after we first talked about it.

I totally guessed on the size of the plate and the placement of the holes since I didn’t have a helmet to test it with. We ended up drilling two more holes to get a good fit on his helmet, but adding more holes to the file and printing it again would be trivial.

3D Printing really is an amazing technology. You might say to yourself “Why would a branding firm need a 3D printer?” Take it from me, once you have one, you find a lot of uses for it. :)

If you’ve ever done a shoot where someone asked if you can just pull a few stills from the video, this is for you. (It’s a long video, but does a good job of explaining shutter speed as it relates to shooting video versus shooting stills.)

It can take more time (and require lugging more equipment around) but if you want really good stills as well as a good video, doing the two things separately will create better results.

See the post Why Pulling Stills From Video is a Zero-Sum Game for more.

In the world of technology, things happen fast. Each day you can read about a new camera, the latest computer, or the next iPhone. Film and video production are no different.

RED, a camera company based in California, is pushing the industry forward–and fast. Higher frame rates, bigger sensors, more detail. Edit in RAW, shoot in 5K and soon 6K.

Trust me, I could go on and on. This is all good and well, but how does this relate to telling a story?

I am the first to admit that I often get lost in all the tech and gadgetry of video production, and at times it’s permissible. Recently, though, I have found great inspiration and fascination in storytelling, moving past the technology of it all and looking more at the content. Being the viewer of a great story is a special experience and it has brought to my awareness the true value of a powerful story.

A great story captivates and engages the viewer in the subject, like in the video below.

Great Wooden Boats: RED EPIC from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

As I revisited this favorite of mine, I found myself moved by the story all over again. And you know what? Not once did I think to myself what camera was used, or how a particular shot was achieved. A great story rises above all the technology used to capture it and displays with beauty the subject at hand as if you have known him, her, or it for years.

Technology is important and shouldn’t be ignored altogether, but a great story will always win.

For your viewing pleasure, here are a few others I enjoy.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Paperman by Disney Animation

On Assignment

Happy Friday!

If you watched the Super Bowl (I didn’t) or like to see the ads online (I did) you probably saw the “So God Made a Farmer” commercial from Chrysler. It was a powerful ad, consisting of still images and voice over from speech Paul Harvey gave back in 1978.

If you were born after 1978 you may not know who Paul Harvey is, or that the United States used to have a lot of farms, but I think you can still appreciate the simplicity of the commercial. I think it goes to show that a good concept doesn’t need to be overly complex or filled with larger-than-life special effects.

The photos are mostly still, but a few have some subtle motion, such as clouds moving, or a lens flare. None of the effects were overdone to the point of being annoying, they were just enough to almost avoid being noticed.

One thing I didn’t realize is that the commercial was based on an earlier video created by Farms.com. Check out the PetaPixel post for more, and to see both videos.