Archive for the 'TV production' Category

CSI Miami David Caruso as Horatio Caine action figure

Published February 18, 2010 TV production , commentary , web Leave a Comment
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il_fullxfull.118369662 Looking for a personal gift for the person that has everything? May I suggest this action figure. The one and only CSI Miami – Horatio Caine!

Around my house we don’t miss a single opening of CSI Miami. Why, for the show open when they introduce us to foul play and Horatio Caine does his cameo performance with the cheesiest line ever.  Actually we try to guess the line before he says it.  So for me this action figure is the bomb … it’s poseable, 12 inches tall and it’s a collectible? You’ll find it on etsy.com.

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Super Bowl Tech

Published February 6, 2010 Marketing , Media , Software , TV Commercial , TV production , cell phones , commentary , communication , technology 1 Comment
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I hear that real-time GPS will be used track the arrival of the Lombardi Trophy and key people to the stadium. Isn’t that Colts_Saintsgreat PR.

CBS is broadcasting the game with six high-speed, high-definition cameras with the ability to shoot 300-400 frames per second. Normal cameras shoot around 30fps – so get ready for amazing slow motion effects.

Sprint and AT&T are adding cell towers to handle the stadium demands on cell traffic. Do you have a smartphone? Download some new Smartphone apps to designed help you follow the game.

Security has also gone hi-tech with special cameras to scan both people and packages entering the stadium. Law enforcement also has bomb-removal robots at the ready. But there are no reported threats.

The commercials are my favorite part of the event. Be sure to have your facebook and twitter open to discuss commercials and  talk trash about the other team!

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Favorite Video of the Week

Published February 5, 2010 Advertising , Internet - promotion , TV Commercial , TV production , commentary , communication , film production , film sound , technology , video production 1 Comment
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Credit Unions are a different kind of fighter. Underdogs? Maybe. Champions of a cause? Most definitely. But what is certain, is that the ground has shifted, and your corporate-driven opponents have lost their footing. Now is the time to fight for your share and differentiate yourselves from banks. Now is the time to tell your story. Because you are a different kind of fighter.

Congrats to Third Degree  for great concept and creation!

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VHS Hard Drives?

Published January 28, 2010 Advertising , Art , DVD , Marketing , TV production , commentary , film production , technology , virtual studio Leave a Comment
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Hey, those hard drives we have for sale are not moving. Don’t people need storage? Our price looks competitive.

How can we differentiate our product from the competition?

il_430xN.113476717[1] The solution: VHS Hard Drives

For those who like their storage combined with celluloid nostalgia, there’re these external hard drives hidden inside VHS tapes: available in 320, 500, or 640GB, they come sheathed in flicks like the original Star Trek, Top Gun, and Return of the Jedi. 

Niche marketing, don’t you love it? Get yours at Etsy.com

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Our favorite funny video to date

Published January 26, 2010 Marketing , Media , TV Commercial , TV production , commentary , communication , video production , web Leave a Comment
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Untitled-1 Humor is like walking a a bleeding edge.  When Tool of North America Director Erich Joiner’s comedic storytelling was used for Bud Light’s latest viral video from DDB they have a humorous winner at the expense of offending the status quo. The result is an video of amazing awkward moments that make this clever video every very memorable.

We need more humor in advertising! Real humor communicates and connects – humor works on radio and video, with and without proper attire. I recently attended the British Addy Awards (see previous article) and it was full humorous advertising.  I hope we see more humor in American advertising.

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British Advertising 2009 Awards

Published January 14, 2010 Advertising , Marketing , TV Commercial , TV production , commentary , video production 2 Comments
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logo_blue The Houston Museum of Fine Arts recently showed these winning pieces of Advertising.  I love a creative commercial, especially if it hits a bulls eye with a message.  Many of these winning ads use humor in a way only the Brits can do.  It’s worth viewing!

Remember you have to watch a lot of bad TV to see a good commercial.

See the British Advertising Award Winners for 2009 http://bit.ly/8sfiRJ Great Stuff

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#1 Creepiest Commercial of 2009

Published January 6, 2010 Internet - promotion , Marketing , TV Commercial , TV production , commentary Leave a Comment
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Number One

Do you have a favorite creepy commercial?  Let me hear from you.  This proves my saying – you have to watch a lot of bad TV to see a “good” commercial.

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Keep Your Audio In-Sync!

Published December 17, 2009 Media , TV Commercial , TV production , audio production , commentary , film production , film sound , video production 2 Comments
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today_show_beyonce_nyrd108I once had a film cameraman tell me that sync was not important only to get a call later to fix his production.  That was many years ago when audio was recorded on a medium called magnetic tape or film.  Remember?  Now it’s all digital. I really thought that digital audio would resolve issues but now there are a few more details to consider.

Digital audio is recording in slices or audio samples regular time intervals. This is called the sampling rate.  The standard for recording digital audio for picture is 48 thousand times per second or 48K.  The 48K rate is used because it is mathematically compatible to picture formats. If  there is a variance in the audio sampling rate then the sound can drift in relation to the picture and create chaos in the editing room. Even minor drifts can create problems. Basically there will be more or too little audio for a given scene. I am pretty sensitive to this and I see one or two TV commercials weekly with bad lip sync. 

 SteveFoyHere are some common causes of drifting audio:

  1. The recording was made at the wrong sample rate, not at 48K sample rate.
  2. Multiple cameras and audio recorders and no external master sync source.
  3. No time code is used.
  4. Delay induced by a digital console without external sync.
  5. A mistake in the editing room.
  6. An unexpected equipment failure.

We all know things go wrong so some proper planning and redundancy may save the day.  Always test your setup before recording the final product. Digital recording does not mean good recording.  I have had to fix many digital recordings that were noisy or distorted.  After you do a test recording make sure your location sound man listens to what is being recorded in headphones and listens to the recording of each scene after a take.

If problems do arise, the drift may be resolved by adjusting the playback to match the picture in an audio post house or editing room.  Some productions require frame accurate recording and this adjustment is not acceptable if there is budget to re-shoot the scenes. Happy shooting and may the sync be with you.

Are TV Commercials Too Loud?

Published October 27, 2009 TV Commercial , TV production , audio production , commentary , video production 1 Comment
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loud Why is the volume of TV commercials so much greater than the program? I get this question all the time.  Would you be surprised if I said there is no difference, they are the same volume.  With audio there is a difference between loudness and volume.  Although the volume is the same, the apparent loudness is not the same. How and why?

Broadcasters have specifications that set the volume limit to a value below digital zero, below the digital maximum (-10db below 0). Volume is measurable and it is the same because broadcasters and cable channels require the peak audio volume of both commercials and programs not to exceed this level. In a commercials the volume is near the limit more often than during the program material. Commercials stay close to the maximum volume from beginning to end.  This is done with audio processors that maintain a higher average volume level – so it sounds louder than the movie or TV show.  So what can you do about it?

7848t Here is a device that regulates the apparent loudness – a TV volume regulator to the rescue. The problem is caused by technology – so why not defeat it with technology! I have not tried the device, but I am willing to try it if they send me one. Personally I’m not buying one.  I make commercials and marketers want consumers to pay attention when the commercials come on. Besides the intermission reminds me to stretch.

 

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Chaos in Surround Sound

Published October 9, 2009 Media , Productivity , TV production , audio production , commentary , film production Leave a Comment
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The following email exchange is real – The names have been changed …
(my responses are in blue italics)

Subject: CHANGE HOUR MEETING

Untitled-1 Hola,
We may change the date scheduled for  3pm Houston time?

I only have 3pm to 4pm available. Another session starts at 4pm. If we can get your session done in 1 Hour, then no problem. But we cannot go past 4pm.

Ok. We take. The talent meet at 3:15pm to 4pm. I hope is possible finish today, if not, we can found another early day.

Do you mean TODAY? I thought you meant changing the time for your session TOMORROW!

Yes, I thought TODAY at 3pm beguins..

I cannot do TODAY! We were booked for Wed, Jan 14th at 11:30CT and I moved to 3pm same day, not today.

You think we can do today? in your afternoon?

We cannot do today – Sorry.

Sorry for the stress. Really is for TOMORROW. And then we confirm the meet for the talent; Tomorrow Wednesday 14th at 3pm to 4 pm. Ok?

No worries – that schedule change has been made – Session is Wed 1/14/09 at 3pm CT.

THANK YOU!

PhoneCallSmall We all know media production is a stressful activity. It’s the perfect storm: the clash of left brain/right brain; the stereotypical art versus commerce conflict; entertaining, creative ideas collide with motivated, monetary goals. Our blessing/curse is that no one day is the same as the previous…

But meanwhile back at the farm… the music’s playing so loud I can’t hear myself think, the phone’s ringing constantly and I can’t remember who I just spoke to 5 minutes ago! Oh, yeah – It was our banker who gave me a different story about how to receive payments from overseas clients than the bank’s customer service rep did yesterday. Now I’ve got to decide who’s right & who’s wrong. And no amount of email can get the client in Barcelona to try the PayPal account again after I made changes to our credit card profile…

Sound familiar? Just another day in paradise for those who coordinate production activities with little or no timeline. But somewhere there’s levity. Can we really be serious all the time without going completely bonkers? Comedy is all around you with the right perspective.

 

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