http://dfilecab.tumblr.com/
Couldn't get this to look and act like I wanted to, so, see above for anything recent. Maybe one day I can get all this on one blog. In the meantime, I am using this as my archive blog. Nothing updated here and many of my tags lost.
Warm wishes,
karen
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Simon's Cat in 'Cat & Mouse'
This just made me laugh. I don't even own a cat anymore, but I liked the simplicity of this animation. Usually, I scoff at all things that involve house cats these days, but this brought back the Garfield concept a smidge for me. Nice sound effects too. It really sounded like a keyboard and mouse and the thmpfh when he puts down the cat at 50 seconds in is awesome.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Bumble-Bee, Two Flies, Grasshopper and a Yellow-Jacket all with my iPhone 4
I was really impressed with how nicely this came out. It was a surprise really. I rarely think of shooting with this camera, but the quality is excellent. Converted it with MPEG Streamclip and while I had a few passes at making the file under 500 mgs, I finally came up with something that works. Like the color and motion eventhough there is a tiny bit of stuttering with the H264 compressing. Tried posting Apple Pro-Res 422 files, but Vimeo kept on rejecting the upload. Check it out for a taste of the summer gardens of New England.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Help Ruben: Train Station
This is a video that one of my former CUNY students, Ruben Henriquez, made that I really like. When he came to my class last Fall, he was a photographer and I have seen him add video to his repertoire to great success. He didn't use the video component on his Canon 5D that much before taking my class, so, I feel that I inspired him. If you look at some of his work on his Vimeo channel, you can see his motivation and talent. I particularly like his series for the Complejo - M. Tony Peralta art exhibit as he's getting some interesting stories from people and his framing is just perfect. (I do believe he should figure out some audio issues to improve the sound a bit to make it more consistent.)
The reason I like the video embedded above is that he is a smart guy who is figuring out how to use video in new and innovative ways. He has the knowledge and now he just needs practice. He made a few of these videos in my class and I really enjoyed his Weekend with the Bradfords and What Do I Love? (although this last one, which was his final project, was a little long in my opinion).
In general, he's talented and now that he's off to the School of Visual Arts, which I am sure he will excel at, I just wanted to spread the word about his inspiring work. Congratulations Ruben on SVA!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Karma Kids on Yoga City: Teaching Our Kids to Remember to Breathe
via yogacitynyc.com
This is a great review about Shari's business, "Karma Kids" on West 14th Street in the Village. Shari is a good friend who is revolutionizing the kid yoga movement in NYC and her ability to engage both kids and grown-ups is amazing and is also getting her some GREAT press. Check out all of the lovely notes in pink too. Her classes have made an impression on my kids which I have noticed at random times throughout the summer and beyond.
Most recently, my littlest one, likes singing the song they sing at the end of the classes where they talk about "sitting up tall and taking a deep breath....", which isn't a bad thing in light of all the recent black-outs and 'evacuation panic' in downtown Manhattan and elsewhere. Not bad advice for those of us big and small. Go Shari!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Andrea Syrtash: On Relationships and Love
I worked with Andrea while freelancing at NBC Digital and she sent me a new video today. I like Andrea's persona on video a lot and I think she is using the medium really effectively. Short and sweet, these videos are cute, playful and fun to watch. Her interviews look good in the park (although there is a little shaky camers stuff that can be avoided), and she's approachable which is the key in selling something. Like how she is holding mic out to people and getting their real responses. A little sweeter than typical Man On the Street stuff. I also like this other video she has:
It's easy to remember her tip for keeping things fresh in relationships and since it's so fun to watch with the funny music and sound effects, I buy it. She's clear about what to do, emanates confidence, so of course I want to learn more. I also think her video, Biggest Mistakes Men Make is cool from On Dating, a show that was originally broadcast online on On Networks but is no longer.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Adobe Ideas 1.1 - YouTube: Utilizing this new tool for Producing Work
via youtube.com
I like using Adobe Ideas on the IPad these days for ease in describing a concept or idea where you need to include a plan or map. The YouTube video shows pretty well how it works. I also like using the pen tool as I can sketch a bit clearer than my finger, or course, but it has still taken some 'getting used to'. I definately like the ability to draw right over photos and include different layers. Neat way to integrate my obsessive note-taking in a digital vector format too! Since I am now producing the DVD for the new series on PBS, The Kimchi Chronicles, (Sunday afternoons, check your local listings.....), I am using the IPad for all the planning and design.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Archive for August 2011 - Studio 360: American Icons: I Love Lucy
American Icons: I Love Lucy
Friday, August 05, 2011
It set the model for the hit family sitcom. Lucy's weekly antics and humiliation entered the DNA of TV comedy: from Desperate Housewives to 30 Rock – writers can’t live without Lucy.
via studio360.org
I really enjoyed listening to this over the weekend as we celebrated the longevity of the TV sitcom"I Love Lucy". Not only was it interesting in it's relevance to today's comedy writers, but I was brought to tears when they talked about the episode where Lucy tells Ricky that she is pregnant at his work. I grew up watching these shows and loved seeing the characters over the years.
There was some interesting commentary from feminists to Lucy herself about how she got her start. I loved hearing her voice when she spoke about how she rose to the top in comedy because she wasn't worried about looking silly at times when her 'competition' was more interested in looking like beauty queens.
Liked how Google over the weekend, embedded some video of the show in it's TV on their homepage. Neat. Gone now, but fun while it lasted.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Greed Is Good - [LEEMAN BROTHAZ] Wall Street rap music video - YouTube
via youtube.com
A Mediabistro student of mine, Ted Papadopoulos, made this awesome video so I wanted to share. Loved his message and thought it was very nicely shot. He's the dark-haired guy that you see in the video and used to work as a banker. He learned enough in my course to make this satirical music-video such a success. Liked that CNN Money interviewed them too in the video below.
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2011/05/13/n_leeman_brothaz_wall_st.cnnmoney/
Here is some of his email to me about what he got out of the class.
I was in your Media Bistro class last year - Create Quick Video for the Web
You may not remember me but I just wanted to contact you both because that Saturday & Sunday class was such a valuable class for me.
I learned the importance of A Roll and B Roll, getting quality video footage from a quick shoot and really assisted my creativity in shooting a recent video that I wrote, produced & directed. It received coverage by CNN Money, NY Magazine, CNN Int'l and other significant press.
So I thought I would share it with you because my experience in your class certainly helped me in shooting this! It's a satirical Wall Street music video about the housing crash -
Thanks again for your knowledge.
Best,
Ted Papadopoulos
Zachary and I are flattered and happy that his video is so well-done.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Kid Should See This.
Rion is an old friend who is a photographer, designer and someone who has an exceptional eye for interesting material. I love this new site she is doing. I happen to have one of these 3 year-olds on hand so feel like he will give it a chubby- handed thumbs-up. The video from yesterday is amazing as it gives a 3D view inside the new Mars Rover. Wow.
Great videos and photography.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Rupert Murdoch: Nicholas Lemann and Hendrik Hertzberg on the Political Scene: Audio : The New Yorker
via newyorker.com
This I liked because it reveals more of the Rupert Murdoch situation and the News of the World scandal in the UK in an intelligent way. Liked this 14 min conversation because it ties it in nicely in relation to the ever-changing political scene. Have this on in the background while drinking your morning coffee or while leafing through the paper as it really is an interesting perspective about this modern day, William Randolph Hearst-type persona.
A quote I liked from the conversation was:
Nicholas Leeman talks about a 'medium sized media-mogul' friend's views on Murdoch:
"The thing about Rupert that's extraordinary is not that he moves quickly, but that he gets out of mistakes so quickly. Most people have too much pride and they stick with bad decisions, but he cuts bait. And the example in the non-political area would be MySpace, He's a kind of buccaneer who moves in and out of things very dramatically and quickly on instinct unpredictably in ways that are hard to pull off for other people in business."
I think this quote sums up what is so interesting about Murdoch as a character. His empire, his balls-out bravado and now with the hearings involving tabloid daily newspapers, his trying to clean up the mess he helped create.
The lessons learned segment at the end is timely as well:
Why is it ok for certain journalists to publish hacked phone conversations when they are in regards to abuse of power but not in regards to everything.....? Fascinating.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
African Air
Flying in a motorized paraglider over one of the most diverse continents in the world, George Steinmetz captures the stunning beauty of Africa's landscapes and people. His pictures show not only the spectacular patterns of the land, but also the potential and hope that the continent encompasses.
Steinmetz made his first trip to Africa while in college, and spent two and a half years hitch-hiking across the continent.
"I didn't have a goal to change Africa. I just wanted to marinate in it," he said.
A self-taught photographer, Steinmetz has traveled through more than 30 countries in Africa photographing its diverse wildlife, landscape and culture. For the past decade much of his work has involved flying a ultralight aircraft to photograph remote landscapes. His foot-launched aircraft consists of a backpack motor and paraglider-style wing. It is the world's lightest and slowest motorized aircraft and allows a unique and more intimate style of aerial photography.
His photographs have appeared numerous times in National Geographic magazine and in the German edition of GEO.
Published: June 1, 2011
via mediastorm.com
I liked this video that highlights the work of photographer George Steinmatz, but mostly was impressed with the video he shoots. When he lets the camera run a little video, it really speaks. He says some poignant things, and the moments I like work well because of the combination of audio and video. I like seeing his shots of the butterflies at :49 seconds in and then the aerial shots from his motorized paraglider at 1:40 really show you what he is doing. I like his low shots over the ground with his shadows and then the ones over the dunes as it must be incredibly complicated to not crash and take these beautiful images. Wow. Seeing the footage of him doing this is the most powerful. Small cameras are what make photography and video like this possible. The video he has at 3:20 and then the following photos with the subtle moves are lovely. I like seeing the photography stand on it's own with the commentary. Especially when we see the photos from 4:10-4:30 as they make an impact as he shows a real variety of environments; the beauty, the destruction, the changes occurring. His commentary is insightful when we see the photo of the woman climbing into a dwelling. I want a copy of this one. I love the composition as we see him documenting the very different ways that people here are living in contrast to one another. The patterns, the colors, the beauty. I like this area from 5:15-5:40.
6:21 starts off an area that is cool as we see the video mixed with a photo of a modern city-where is that? Don't care so much for the music as it doesn't seem so important to me here. It's the video that I want to see more of......
Saturday, July 16, 2011
9 kid pile up on the slide
I'm counting sets of knees to get that number. Notice Natalie is the only girl in this group.....
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
News of the World phone hacking – interactive timeline | Media | guardian.co.uk
via guardian.co.uk
This was an interesting timeline of the events involving the News of the World and their subsequent downfall involving their shady journalism practices. I really enjoyed going through the dates (dots on lower section that you can scroll through) as it gave an insider's look in at the details. My thought was that once the pandora's box of intercepting phone messages was opened, why would this group of journalists be satisfied any other way.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
wow | Flickr - Love those Fireworks!
via flickr.com
Even though Leo was a little under the weather last night, we really enjoyed the Hudson River Macy's Fireworks display last night. Seemed like it could have been half the length (26 minutes!!), but we were all impressed. What a show NYC!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Bejing Taxi on PBS this Saturday June 25th
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My former Parsons student, Miao Wang talks about her film and it's upcoming broadcast on PBS this weekend. I am really impressed with her being able to get this film into so many festivals and onto PBS as it's so well done, from conception to completion. Great work Miao! Can't wait to tune in. Here is the trailer. I wrote about this originally on September 22 of 2010 and that is where you can see how beautiful it looks and watch the trailer.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
YouTube - Wavves | Post Acid | A Take Away Show
Il y a les musiciens tatillons, les control freak, les poètes, et il y a Wavves, une triplette à coté de la plaque, presque oublieuse de son talent à faire des tubes de l'été. On peut appeler ça un film punk.
via youtube.com
This is funny. I liked seeing this a lot as it felt nice and real to me.
Here is the translation for the above:
There are musicians fussy, the control freak, poets, and there Wavves, a triplet next to the plate, almost oblivious of his talent to make tubes of the summer. You can call it a punk film. "
Monday, June 20, 2011
Hell and Back Again clip on Vimeo
via vimeo.com
This is a film that was recently shown at the Sheffield Doc/Fest that I was interested in. Liked hearing the filmmaker, Danfung Dennis speak about the process on the Guardian site as he talks about being a photographer and he noticed that the photographs themselves weren't making the impact that he was hoping for. So, he started shooting video with a digital SLR camera and you can see the quality of the images in this clip. He wanted to show that the story of going to war is inextricably linked to soldiers coming home. I am VERY interested to see the entire film. There is another clip that is fascinating with a soldier showing his girlfriend or wife how to load and fire a pistol too. Great looking footage and so telling that this guy had to turn to video.....
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Conan O'Brien Gives Dartmouth Commencement Speech
Conan always makes me laugh. I love this address as he is a master at making me and so many others giggle. Funny that we see the president of the college sitting behind him, laughing along with the crowd. He gets hoots and hollers from the crowd at points which is fun to hear. Like hearing what his life would have been like IF he went to Dartmouth himself.
Monday, June 13, 2011
La Blogotheque: Thurston Moore
Like this video because it's a little different from their other videos. Starts with some talking and setting the stage and the music doesn't even begin until 2:15 which is cool. Moore's voice is really soft, but you can hear everything that you need to. I also like the fact that the musicians are in different rooms so we get a real feel to his and Kim Gordon's apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Like that we sit with them, literally in this space and can't really see Moore's face except for some brief moments. The violin is lovely too as the plainness of the matching tones makes their collaboration stands out. Great camera work as we can see the reflections in the mirror nicely and all their photos on the walls. Love walking around the neighborhood and seeing people unaware of the camera too. It seems like every block you travel in NYC today has a little Canon 5D camera crew set up on it.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
On the Street: Jet Set by Bill Cunningham
He keeps a fresh eye out for new trends and always reveals an interesting side of fashion on the streets of NY or wherever he happens to be. I love his ability to integrate the garden in Old Westbury, Long Island into this one by mentioning the rows of black irises there. His opening photos of all the women with lacy black clothes fits so seamlessly with this digression from the tarmac in Manhattan. He uses a lovely relationship between two people, Marjorie and Timothy who met on the street to show how fashion works and in some places, doesn't. I love the photos of this group and how he always keeps his outlook fresh and funny.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Ricky Gervais... Obviously.
via rickygervais.com
I loved reading this article about Ricky Gervais as I think he is brilliant and always makes me laugh out loud. I was on the subway the other day and was giggling on the 2 train to the Bronx...
But the fascinating thing is the he talks about his success with The Office and how, at the top of his game, he knew when it was time to quit. I also really liked reading his collaboration process with Stephen Merchant and his breaking down the reason for it's success. Mainly, that it was based on his real experiences and that he could make regular people find their own lives ridiculous and funny. I keep looking for Extras, his very funny HBO series, to come on Netflix.
It reminds me of a Studio 360 podcast I listened to recently about Steven Soderbergh and how he is talking openly about quitting filmmaking. I liked hearing his voice, as he seems very relaxed. This conversation resonated with me as he is an amazing filmmaker and I wonder what he will do with the rest of his career. At 6:23 Matt Damon talks about it too, not only about how great a director he is, but how he could be a successful artist of photographer. Matt Damon also has true admiration for Soderbergh so it's cool to hear how much he enjoys working with him.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
There Will Be Blood with gaze locations of 11 viewers on Vimeo
via vimeo.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2011/jun/06/there-will-be-blood-gaze
This article from the Guardian is fascinating. I loved the movie, There Will be Blood, by the Coen Brothers, but aside from that, this is amazing. Love that we have the ability to check out people's gaze when the watch films.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Way I Work: David Karp of Tumblr
via inc.com
I liked reading this article by my friend Liz Welch about David Karp. While he definitely says some interesting and useful things about his process, I thought this part of the interview was a little weird:
"I don't do much of the hiring anymore. Each department is in charge of hiring its own members. I like autonomous people. I want people who can take a project and figure out how to do it themselves. I don't really care about how things get done. Only that they get done."
I like hearing about young entrepreneurs, but when they say they don't care about how things get done, you wonder how they can maintain that philosophy over a number of years and with various people in authoritarian positions. I chalk it up to youth, but you have to have some pretty amazing trust to say something like that.
I like Tumblr, but will keep on posting with Posterous, at least for the moment. But, I think I may try to manage my email in a new way as he had some good ideas.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
High Line Section 2 Opening Next Week
We are thrilled to be able to attend the opening party for the newest section of the Highline next Tuesday and heard that it will be open to the general public on Wednesday June 8th! Love this video with Organized C.H.A.O.S., the step crew from Brooklyn Technical Highschool as it gets us excited about getting out there and walking around. We have a new staircase right on our block so can't wait to see it next week!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Untitled
White Hills: The Condition of Nothing
My pal, Ego Sensation has made another video and this time it's on the Vimeo Thrill Jockey site. I like this one as she really put a lot of work into the editing of it and spent a lot of time creating the mood with layers. Love the moments when they are noth on screen at the same time (the guitarist Dave and Ego on Bass). She uses a lot of solarizing and shot some interesting footage at this abandomed mental hospital in Staten Island. Like how she made the colors really saturated in spots and how she went in and out of the effects. White Hills continues to amaze. Check it out and enjoy. Their new album is out in June!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Jim Yamouridis | Say Goodbye | A Take Away Show
via youtube.com
Jim Yamouridis is amazing in this video. Not only is his voice simply haunting, but the camera crew really brought us into a wine cellar in Paris for this experience. That is why I love this concept so much. Love the close ups of his face and the very mellow audience that you can hear clearer near the end. I like seeing the extreme close ups of his face and when he looks into the camera at 2:53, I am transfixed. His chiseled face is evocative and intense. I don't even mind when the shot goes a little soft as the camera person is backing up.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
LOUIS VUITTON: Sean Connery
This is weird, nice but weird. I think it's a weak video, but just shows how big fashion is getting into the online video world. The video of Connery is actually not very well shot, but I loved hearing the James Bond theme running through the piece. The stills and video, by Annie Leibovitz was not as revealing as I would think it could be. I know I shouldn't criticize, as I am not getting any interviews with Mr. Connery, but I expected a little more focus on making him look good. His head is in the center of the frame and he seems to be looking back and forth from a few different people to the camera and back so it was distracting. It also seemed a shame that although we are taking about Edinburgh, we are sitting in a hotel room or house study. Why couldn't we walk around and talk about all the things he is talking about, especially Scotland and golf.
The reason I went to this site was because with my shoulder injury, I am reading my New Yorkers cover to cover these days and there was a two-page ad that featured Mr. Connery lounging with his Louis Vuitton bags. I have seen these ads before in print but this was the first time I went online to search out the link. I think this series is supposed to be about travel, but Mr. Connery is all over the place, talking about where he comes from, acting and the most revealing thing he says is his observation of Scottish Brewery workers still wanting to go the pub after work even when they had all the free beer they could drink. Nothing really goes anywhere and I chalk it up to poor direction. I hope if well-known photographers like Leibovitz are getting into online video that some sense of composition of the video interview itself be taken seriously.
I love Sean Connery so don't blame him for this piece. Wish it looked and flowed better.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Undesired on Mediastorm
<div style="width:460px;"><div style="height:373px;"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://mediastorm.com/player/embed.php?id=e4dd6f91d4840f503675&w=460&h=373&lang=eng"></script></div><div style="padding:10px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size:12px; line-height:16px; color:#999999; background-color:#000000;">In India, all women must confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. The consequences of this preference is a disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until death they face a constant threat of violence. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/undesired</div></div>
Thought these photos and accompanying story was nicely told. Like hearing what Walter Astrada, the photographer thought on being there. Especially at 4 minutes in, the photos he takes at the birth of a girl and the family's reactions are devastating.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Untitled
Had a little bicycle accident Sunday and dislocated my shoulder. Here it is out:
Friday, May 6, 2011
The Double Hour Trailer - ROTTEN TOMATOES
This film was amazing. Saw it last night and it still resonates. Zachary and I have been talking about it since, as it was one of those films that kept you guessing. It was different, a thriller and had two exceptional actors, Filippo Timi and Kseniya Rappoport.
Ms. Rappoport reminded me a little of Monica Vitti from Michaelangelo Antonioni and other Italian films from the 1950's through 1980's but she was difficult to figure out and that made the film excellent. Monica Vitti had moments in her film career where it seemed like she never even spoke, but this new actress had glimmers of that in this film. The story was scary, touching and beautiful all at the same time. Loved the script as I never knew what was going to happen. It's playing in the East Village so go see it if you're around. Watch the trailer and you may be hooked.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
WAR SCHOOL on Vimeo
via vimeo.com
This is from the Fall, but I think it's amazing. Especially in light of this past week's events. I thought this was nicely directed, acted and filmed as it really captures the mood for the story to work. Saw that it was shot with a digital SLR camera as we are able to get such clear focus on our characters with nice depth. Love the colors and shots. Clear message and context for today's world. Check out Ben Newman and Ctrl.Alt.Shift for more information on their interesting work.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Where Osama bin Laden was killed - Abbottabad map | World news | guardian.co.uk
Check out this website I found at guardian.co.uk
This was interesting to look at because you could zoom in and out of the map to see just how close Osama bin Laden was living to the Pakistani version of West Point. Thought the best view was the terrain map so you could see a little of where this was exactly in relation to this mountainous terrain to both the East and the West. Sounds like a nice little hideout. Both Zachary and I are a little weirded out by him being buried at sea, but the reasoning was that it was a timing issue. Don't feel like this will stop any al-Queda activity as I'm sure that younger people in the organization will be working on a follow-up. Wondering about the follow-up conversation the US is having with the Pakistani military about this 'secret' location. I guess their strategy was to be close to somewhere we would never think to look.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Exporting Movie Premieres: Raymond VS Everything Must Go
Saw two movie premieres over the past two nights and Exporting Raymond is definitely the better of the two films.
It was shown at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center and shows what happens when you try to export an American sitcom, the wildly popular Everybody Loves Raymond to Russia. This was fascinating and Philip Rosenthal was there for a Q&A afterwards with Richard Peña so we really got to hear more about the process. Loved how they showed the casting difficulties in getting the right "Raymond" character and how hard it was to translate different comic beats. The films at the Film Society of Lincoln
Everything Must Go on the flip-side was good and definitely shows Will Ferrell in a little more of a serious role. I wouldn't suggest seeing the trailer as they had to comb the movie for every single funny bit so it's a spoiler. The Hollywood star showed at the premiere at the TriBeCa Film festival and seems good natured enough to want to work with a first time director like Dan Rush. While I liked the film, it was predictable down to knowing exactly how the film would end. It's open ended which I think is positive and has a strong supporting role for Rebecca Hall, but I was a little bit disappointed. Know Ferrell has it in him to do more serious roles, but this just falls short.
Seeing films at the Film Society at Lincoln Center seem to be more satisfying these days. Tuesday, April 26, 2011
A Group of Conflict Photographers Runs Out of Luck
via nytimes.com
Read this in the NY Times this Sunday. Very sad as these photographers have been so helpful in helping us see these conflicts through their exceptional photography. Liked that they are showing their work on their multimedia page too. Tim Hetherington was the director of the excellent documentary film, Restrepo, and since I just showed some clips to my students at CUNY recently, his work resonates.
Have a friend who is a photo editor at Newsweek and she counted him as a good friend. Said he would be missed.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Canon Stories: CDLC Speaks With Top Pros at NAB 2011
We plunged in almost a year ago in getting a Canon Rebel T2i, loved it but needed more versatility with the screen so just got a Canon 60D and I am in love all over again. Really liked what Vincent Laforet had to say here about being creative and maintaining a small camera package. Interested to see that footage he mentions by strapping one of these cameras (Canon 5D with modifications) onto a bicycle. Cool.
Funny, but couldn't share the video file with my blog so you will have to click on the link below to watch the video. LAME CANON. Shame on you for not sharing properly.
via learn.usa.canon.com
Canon Stories: CDLC Speaks With Top Pros at NAB 2011
We plunged in almost a year ago in getting a Canon DSLR Rebel T2i, loved it but needed more versatility with the screen so just got a Canon 60D and I am in love all over again. Really liked what Vincent Laforet had to say here about being creative and maintaining a small camera package. Interested to see that footage he mentions by strapping one of these cameras (Canon 5D with modifications) onto a bicycle. Cool.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Electric cars: the mythbuster | Electric vision | guardian.co.uk
via guardian.co.uk
Obviously, I would love to buy an electric car someday but the only public charging station I ever saw was in downtown Fairfax, CA near the town community center. Liked this interactive guide as it gave good info in a nice simple package. Liked the breakdown and easy navigation too. My 1994 Toyota Camry is still seeming to be going "strong", but it would be nice someday to own a new car......
Loved the documentary film I saw a few years ago about the failed Chevy Volt, called Who Killed the Electric Car (2006) but know that this kind of vehicle could be an alternative if enough people bought into the idea.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
AAA presents - Safe Seats 4 Kids
Somehow I came upon this video and I'm glad that I watched it. Was thinking of upgrading Natalie's car-seat and since she is still under 40 lbs, I know now to keep her where she's at. The power of video in a colorful, fun package. Watch it as you may be taking undue risks with your kid's car safety.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Can Teetering Toddlers Find Balance in Yoga?
via nytimes.com
My friend Shari has been getting some great press lately about Karma Kids Yoga that she operates in the Village. We do yoga here with both of our kids and find that taking deep breaths helps the kids deal with disappointments and anger. I love the pull of Karma Kids for parents in other parts of the city too........
Go Shari!!!
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Kill Team | Rolling Stone Politics
via rollingstone.com
I was telling my students at CUNY about this video this week and was reminded that it ties into this concept I've been thinking about a lot concerning the convergence between video communication and ethics. Was inspired by the April 6th Youth Movement in Cairo (see April 1, 2011) and how they harnessed the power of social networking by showing video of Cairo's security police and their practice of torturing its citizens. By showing video online, and essentially broadcasting bad behavior, they turned it's youth into a powerful force. A few weeks later, I was disgusted by this story from Rolling Stone about a group of American soldiers, The Kill Team, who edited a little music video of killing Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and honestly, couldn't even watch all of the video as it was so grotesque. Reminded me of watching Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick, a fabulous anti-war film in that it shows the madness that soldiers must come face to face with in handling the emotional atrocities of partaking in hand to hand combat with the enemy. There is a scene in Full Metal Jacket where a soldier invites a photographer to take a picture of him with his "bro", a dead Viet-Cong who was sitting next to him with his hat pulled down over his eyes. The moment when he pulls that hat away and we see the deathly pallor of this man, a human, sitting next to this guy, who is red and ruddy in the cheek, is sickening as we can see that all of their human-ness is sucked out of them while in war. There is no way to think about your fellow-man, when you have to kill him or be killed upon the battle field. The only people that matter are your buddies, who help keep you alive.
Wow, what an amazing scene from a fictional film, but something that looks like reality. My class this week was focused on War On Film. We looked at scenes from films like Born on the 4th of July and Full Metal Jacket, and then looked at documentary films like Restrepo and Frontline TV documentaries and ended with this sickening footage that the Kill Team came up with. I didn't show them the footage broadcast on Rolling Stone's site, but just spoke about it. It's a crazy mixed up world out there, especially in war, but hopefully, people can see the ethical conundrum in using video for "sport". It hurts our mission when people use it in this way. Video's power is undeniable, but the Kill Team's behavior is untenable.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Anatomy of a Scene: 'Hanna' - Video Library - The New York Times
This looks cool. I think I want to see Hanna this weekend. Not only, have I been reading about this film for months, but I am ready for an action film on the big screen. This video was fascinating as he is showing how this scene came together without applying special effects. Like the fact that it is all timed out with the camera doing it's "hero shot" around her. So many directors do these things in post-production these days that it's nice to see it all done by hand.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
LaBlogotheque's Channel: Buck 65 Walking on a Pier in Paris
via youtube.com
Love this. Nice with the voices and their steps and it sounds so good. Like her floppy hat and the closeups on their faces. These guys are 'shooting gods' in my opinion. Want to be able to hold as steady and capture this couple as they walk along so expertly. Never heard of this band before today, but I will keep listening. The bridge stuff is cool too, particularly with the guy walking on top of it.
Monday, April 11, 2011
News Desk: Video: On Coming to America : The New Yorker
via newyorker.com
These three videos to focus on The New Yorker's Journey's Issue are interesting. Like how they are super short and sweet and shot with a digital SLR camera. Enjoy seeing the dollhouse, the views from a Brooklyn roof and the shots of walking on Riverside Drive. I was born in NYC, and my parents lived at 111th Street and Riverside Drive. Still remember sitting in a baby seat on my parents bicycles taking rides along the edge of the park on hot summer nights.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests | World news | guardian.co.uk
via guardian.co.uk
This is a really cool interactive guide to understanding the early winter to present events taking place in the Middle East. Like the nifty slider on the top where you can go to any date. Also, I like the visuals as the timeline unfurls forward in time. Love the work the Guardian does on this stuff as it makes it so easy to understand for us visual people out there.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Captured by Qaddafi's Forces - Video Library - The New York Times
I was listening to these four NY Times journalists tonight on the radio and this is some compelling video. Photographer Lynsey Addario spoke about how shocking it was to be punched in the face by her captors while being blindfolded and it's extremely powerful. They were captured two weeks ago and their insight can help us understand some of the real-life situations inside Libya at the moment.
Compelling video to get you inside the stories of these four jounralistys.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Burberry Acoustic
via us.burberry.com
This is fascinating. I love the french music busking site, La Blogotheque and here Burburry is doing the same thing in their Burburry Acoustic section of their lovely website. I like their site because they use a lot of video and it launches and seems to play seemlessly.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Revolution in Cairo - Video | FRONTLINE | PBS
via pbs.org
This was a very compelling documentary about the recent events in Egypt. I was mostly focused on the convergence between social media and video and how the April 6th Youth Movement was ready and waiting for an opportunity to strike. It took more than 3 years to prepare and it showed in their focus and dedication to the cause. Watch the full program online to see but beware there is some extremely graphic imagery that shows the atrocities the Security Police in Egypt were using on its citizens. Online video was the key in turning the youth movement into a force to be reckoned with and access to it was the important thing. Fascinating to learn about this group led by Ahmed Maher and how they mobilized by using Facebook and sharing these moments caught on videotape to convince young people in Egypt that they needed to rise up. When the protests in Tunisia happened, this group saw their chance. This group studied non-violent tactics from Serbia and South Africa to gain support. By making the government look bad, that prompted others around the world to voice their disgust. This video tells this story so well, anyone interested in this monumental change in the region should watch to learn more. It also highlighted the organization tactics from the Muslim Brotherhood which aided the movement.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
White Hills at the Empty Bottle & at SXSW
Ego Sensation and White Hills have made a well-deserved splash at SXSW and on their accompanying tour this early Spring! Check out these awesome photos and also check out the two galleries below for more. Besides their work ethic and look, their sound is not to be believed! Let's just say that the photos only show half of the mind-melting moments created on stage. To hear their sound is the key. Check them out.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Road Fixie - Push Hard, Ride Longer
via roadfixie.com
This is my friend Tim Smith's blog who lives in Japan outside of Tokyo. Interested to read his blog and learn about what he is doing to keep positive. Biking is it for him so this was a unique perspective on the situation there. He is also keeping the rest of us updated on the radiation fall-out and how he and his family are dealing with it. I liked this video because it shows how the population is 'honoring while doing', which I admire. He loves single track or single gear biking and thus has keep in great shape. Photos at the start and approximately half way though show some of the devastation mixed in with biking shots. Max Hodges is the photographer who he must know well as he integrated some of the shots in with the video footage he took. at 5:35 you can hear his voice which is strangely calming. at 6:11 you can see a crushed car that helps you understand the force of the earthquake and tsunami. Wow.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Doug Aitken: sleepwalkers [60-second trailer]
via youtube.com
I had forgotten about this for a while and wanted to revisit it, not only because it's a rad music and visuals track, but because it gets me excited about video and film. Just a step back in time to when I first experienced this at the MOMA a few years back.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Midtown West Kindergarten Home Visit 2/16/2011
via youtube.com
We had a great time making this video for Nat's K class. Their school is unique in that each student invites the entire class to research their family and home-life by making a "home visit". They transport their notebooks to the home, ask questions and write and draw their findings. We have enjoyed chaperoning on some of the other visits and wanted to find out more about what they think. We also set up a little green screen video fun in the studio which they seemed to like a lot. It's 11 minutes so enjoy.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tim Armstrong and the Future of AOL : The New Yorker
via newyorker.com
I thought this was interesting and timely. I read this article from the January 24th issue and remembered one of my students from my Mediabistro course was working for AOL's Patch site in Maryland. Erin Donaghue took Zachary's and my course late last year and she is one of these new journalists mentioned in the article who is learning how to report digitally and to create interesting new content on a local level. I personally don't think that I would access the new AOL homepage for my first stop of the day's perusal of local events as it looks like a Yahoo page and had more information than I needed about celebrities. But AOL's development of Patch sites around the country (there are currently 700 Patch sites operating in the US) is fascinating.
I looked for video on Erin's site but didn't see any yet, but did find some video from my hometown's Patch site that used mostly Voice Over and some handheld video footage of roads and a flooded rivers. It seems like their PatchCast video on this site is mostly a driver to their articles as there are no talking heads or reporting of people. It's definitely modeled after The New York Times Timescast series but less interesting as animations of an article on a website and static footage with no people is nothing I would be looking at on a local news level.
If I am one of those people training local journalists to create news and lifestyle content online, than hopefully these newsmakers will be creating more compelling original content than I just saw on PatchCast. So far, it's not so impressive.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Photos: Steve McCurry's Last Roll Of Kodachrome : NPR
via npr.org
I read about this in New York Magazine, but liked seeing a little of these shots here. The end of an era. I remember the first camera I got for Christmas, it was a Pentax, K1000, a camera many of my peers used in the early days. It was solid, felt good in my hands and was my Dad's brand. I think the last role of film I took and got developed was the year that Leo was born, so almost 3 years ago.
Steve's blog has more of these lovely photographs, plus a whole lot more. I guess Fuji will have to take over where the Kodachrome will be missed.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Michael Stipe: 'I often find myself at a loss for words' – interview | Music | The Observer
via guardian.co.uk
I liked this piece because it was in-depth and detailed for any real fans of his long storied career out there. I was revealing to learn about his moods and his addiction to creating sculpture and New York. In particular, I liked the description of his siblings and him watching the news during the Vietnam War during the '60's and having his mother instruct them to watch carefully in case they should see their father. "We would of course sit there and go, 'I think I saw him' over and over again."
I also really liked the last words in the piece too: "New York can do that to you, "he says smiling. "You come here to change the world, but you end up changing yourself."
Poignant and real.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Untitled
Monday, February 28, 2011
Video: When Harold Met Erica : The New Yorker
via newyorker.com
I liked this video a lot. Liked its simplicity and the lovely monochromatic graphic element. Also, I liked how it reminded me about love and how finding the right partner can make all the difference in yours and your childrens' lives. Poignant and sweet.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
ready for action | Flickr
via flickr.com
Almost three. Looks like a combo of my two brothers, my Dad and Zachary all rolled up into one squeezable package. He is starting to put full sentences together, still loves marine life and his girlfriend, Smith.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Experience the new ZAGAT.com - by KZ Films
New Search.
Best Results.
- View restaurants on enhanced, interactive maps that help you zero in on exactly where you want to go.
- Powerful sliders to refine your search by Zagat Ratings.For Premium Members Only
via zagat.com
We just finished this new video for Zagat so check it out. The voice is our old friend from NBC, Mike Weingartner and I think it moves along nicely. They wanted a tour of the new features on the site and the coolest thing I think is how we demonstrate the map features from :27-:37 seconds in. The 3D look and feel came out well as it just gives the video a little polish and pizazz. You can see the little drawing that Michel Gondry did of Zachary in there at Marvin H's thumbnail at 1:35 on the right and a little photo of Natalie in sunglasses for Yasmeen K's thumbnail directly above. We highlighted Mario Batali as one of the examples of an excellent chef in NYC (Zachary edited the PBS series, "Spain on the Road Again" with Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow a few years ago) and also showed some good eating spots in Chelsea. My brother-in-law, Clint did the sound mix and we used a track from Killer Tracks. In general, I like the piece because it moves along and shows their updated site nicely.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A Year at War - Interactive Feature
via nytimes.com
This is some great video from the NY Times. Like the photography and the interviews of the soldiers and their families. Wonder how this "instant communication" is changing the soldiers' lives. Like seeing the Skype material and the kids running around in the background while their parents are monitoring their growth and development. Can tell they are using DSLR's as the clean focus on their subject really make the characters pop.
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