Archive for the 'DIY and Tutorials' Category

Podcast Digital Media Creator MUST Hear

Comments Published
by
Kfir Pravda
on January 18, 2009
in DIY and Tutorials, Media and Technology
.

marcelo_lewin

One of my favorite podcasts is Meet The Experts by Pixel Heads Networks. The reason is simple - the value to noise ratio here is huge. Almost every episode taught me about a product or workflow I should know about, and at least once affected my buying decision. So, I took the opportunity to interview Marcelo Lewin, the guy behind this and other shows for digital media creators.

What’s Pixel Heads Network? Which shows are a part of the network and who is their target audience?

Pixel Heads Network is a Internet Media Network dedicated web shows for digital media creators. We create shows that entertain, educate and inform digital media creators. Currently we have 5 shows:

Meet The Experts, is a show were we interview experts in new media and we go indepth on topics that affect new media and digital media creators.

EXPOzed covers all the expo shows, including NAB, Macworld, CES, HD Expo, DV Expo, plus many others. We interview all the vendors with in-depth questions on their products.

Digital Media Quick Tips is focused on the “how-to” for digital media creators. We show you how use a variety of different applications and get in-depth on the topics. We usually start with a problem (e.g. How do you capture AVCHD on Final Cut Pro) and end with a solution.

Tame The Tube concentrates on YouTube and how video producers can harness its power for media distribution and marketing.

And Mac-411 which is dedicated to Mac users showing them how to use the thousands of applications that are available for the Mac.

Continue reading…

Book Recommendation - Real World Video Compression

Comments Published
by
Kfir Pravda
on November 19, 2008
in DIY and Tutorials and Technology
.

mypic.jpg Would you believe that I will find myself reading a book about video compression and enjoying it?

Video compression is not the most exciting topic in the world to say the least. Too much technical terms, formats, codecs and applications makes it something I really hate doing. However, video compression has a huge effect on how the final video looks like. More often than I am happy to admit, my videos look great within Final Cut Pro, but look horrible on iTunes. Real World Video Compression, by Andy Beach, is the perfect book for guys like me.

Andy was interviewed in one of the best podcasts for new media creators - Meet The Expert . In the podcast, Andy said that he wanted to write a book that is about video compression for non techie guys who are interested in getting things done, without going into too many details. I also liked the fact that Andy was a film student, and not only a computer geek.

After reading this book, I can clearly say that the guy did an amazing job. I read the book in couple of days and started to immediately implement some of the tips. The book not only takes you through different formats and their implications, but also provides detailed review and walk through of main compression applications, including the ones I use (Compressor, VisualHub, and Elgato’s Turbo 264). It also gives some general tips that help in understanding the field in general.

The book is accompanied by a blog that keeps the information updated as technology advances.

I strongly recommend this book for the guys who just want to get the job done, without turning into video Ph.D . You can find the book also in our store.

Joining The Workbook Project

Comments Published
by
Kfir Pravda
on January 22, 2008
in DIY and Tutorials
.

Last week I had a moment of joy thanks to the Workbook Project

The site, started by Lance Weiler, is an open source project for filmmakers, where independent filmmakers and other envelope pushers give tips and advices to filmmakers, analyze the industry, and provide valuable information to the entire industry.

I am reading it since it opened a couple of years ago, finding a lot of useful and thought provoking posts.

Therefore, it was great to be approached by Lance, and join the team. My first post can be found here.  I hope to contribute regularly to this important site, so don’t forget to visit…

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Why and How the Internet Changed The Concept of Fit To Broadcast And Reminded Us What Good Content REALLY Is

Comments Published
by
Kfir Pravda
on November 19, 2007
in DIY and Tutorials and Internet TV
.

In the past things were clear - broadcast television required a specific level of production. Lighting, sound, camera quality - all were parts of the definition.

Not only that “fit to broadcast” affected quality of TV images and videos - it also affected the cost per production minute of TV material. This, coupled with ownership of screens and TV channels created a high barrier of entry to new players in the video and TV market.

YouTube, mobile phones, and citizen journalism changed it all. These three factors made sure that poor quality video crossed the boundaries of the Internet to prime time TV. average TV viewer is used to see poor quality video, taken with low end mobile phones video cameras or  web cams, as part of news flashes and entertainment shows.

But why these grainy and pixelated low quality videos are on broadcast TV? Because they tell a good story. Whether it is a Tsunami footage, extra funny lipsync, or unique view on a hot topic, viewers are willing to see low quality footage in case it is a high quality story.

In a past post I’ve argued that viewers are willing to accept low production quality in exchange for a good story. The fact that we take for granted YouTube clips on news flashes proves this point.

Therefore, a creator without a dime, that has limited resources, should remember that production value, though important, is just part of the equation. Great story, timely news flash, in-depth analysis, and believable characters are crucial for success, much more than HD camera, and great effects.

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Indie creators best (online) Friends - Software Collections for Content Creators

Comments Published
by
Kfir Pravda
on July 12, 2007
in DIY and Tutorials and Technology
.

In the last couple of weeks I came across several links with tons of software information for content creators.

Let’s start with the best option - free software for filmmakers. FreeGeekery sent me this link, with their best picks. They pretty much covered the main applications out there, with a clear description of each product and its features.

Chris Brogan was kind enough to share this huge collection of podcast production software, from Mashable, which led me to another collection of software and sites - this time in the video area.

Enjoy!

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