Archive for the 'video production' Category

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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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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SoundWorks adds a new DO

Published January 20, 2010 Advertising , Software , TV Commercial , audio , audio production , commentary , social media , talent , technology , video production 3 Comments
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SoundWorks is beginning the year with new audio talent.  We are committed to continually building our team with fresh ideas and great skills. 

SoundWorks welcomes Dee Oberle to our staff. Dee brings her expertise in audio engineering–specifically post-production, video game development, live production, and video editing —in addition to knowledge in a variety of software applications to our vivid mix.

View Dee Oberle

Like many people in the industry, Dee was inspired to pursue a career in audio after working with the sound team in her junior high youth group. She jumpstarted her career by receiving training from veteran engineers at Madison Media Institute.

On staff at Post Effects/Answers Media, Dee worked alongside Halo Composer, Mike Salvatori, on a series of projects including podcasts for Accenture and redesigning the audio on the Wide Load logo.

Dee’s audio portfolio with Dallas Audio Post Group includes Foley for Catacombs: Directors Cut, editing for educational company Voyager Learning, and third party post-production support on Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood.

As a sound designer, Dee worked with Gearbox Software under the direction of internationally acclaimed composer for Doom III and the Brothers in Arms Series, Ed Lima.  She earned a credit on the AAA title Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway. Other products developed at Gearbox include:  Borderlands and several yet to be released projects.

Additional work as freelancer includes the Lil’ Flip- Kim Kardasian video shoot, worship services at Willow Creek Community Church, TV Man, Inc. and several short films.

Software expertise:

  • · Pro Tools
  • · Sound Forge
  • · Logic
  • · Final Cut Pro
  • · Soundminer
  • · Vegas
  • · Reason
  • · Radar system
  • · XACT
  • · Nitro-SoundMaker/Composer
  • · UnReal Editor
  • · Photoshop
  • · DreamWeaver

Please leave Dee a welcome comment below or welcome her in person at the next Sound Works mixer coming soon.

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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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3D TV Production is Here

Published January 10, 2010 Media , TV Commercial , commentary , video production Leave a Comment
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At this weeks CES show 3D is all the buzz.  Many booths are touting 3D TV’s and production systems. The movie Avatar and other productions draw big crowds so we can now expect it on the small screen soon. But how do you thumbnail.veraproduce it?

Congrats to Digital Jungle, a Hollywood post-production studio who had the distinct honor of being one of the first post production houses in the world to create a 3D workflow for the new Panasonic Viera active 3D television set, debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. Read more about Digital Jungle here.

Get ready 3D is coming!

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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.

Help a Genius Who Paints Sound

Published November 18, 2009 ADR , Networking , OiH , audio production , commentary , film sound , video production , web Leave a Comment
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 mm_logo_300_v2As many of you may know, the DREAM Fund was developed to assist people in advertising, public relations and media industries whose lives have hit unexpected difficulties.  Today, we have a special need in the Houston Area; a need that requires immediate assistance.

Mark Meyer works as an audio engineer at SoundWorks.  He has been diagnosed with lung cancer and unfortunately the chemo treatments have not helped; thus, the current prognosis isn’t favorable.  For the past 6 months, he has worked on a reduced salary and is the primary provider for his family.  Mark has been labeled as a genius at painting sound; however, he is also a master of not making a sound when needing help.  To fight this battle, Mark needs not only encouragement but monetary support for his mounting medical bills and for the care of his family (wife, two daughters and grandson).

Should you wish to make a tax-deductible donation to assist this family in their time of need, please logon to: http://www.dreamfund.org/

click on: DONATIONS

select: Donate online

Fill-in all required areas (*) on the form, uncheck any pre-checked selections and under DIRECTED DONATIONS type: MARK MEYER

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Once the donation transaction is complete, you will be able to print your donation confirmation and receipt.

Again, please spread the word and help a colleague in need.  Thank you for your support.

To send a note of encouragement to Mark – visit The Mark Meyer Fund on Facebook or Mark Meyer on Twitter.

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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Widgets are coming to your TV

Published August 21, 2009 Internet - promotion , Marketing , Networking , TV production , blogs , cell phones , commentary , social media , social networking , video production , web 1 Comment
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Standby … we control the horizontal and the content. TV is about to really embrace the Internet.

widget

This is not web TV – widgets enhance your TV viewing with web content.  Already Yahoo and other information   providers are getting their widgets ready for a new breed of TV from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio and Intel. Widgets w

ill do more than bring you information they can bring you movies, sports events, coupons and more.

Intel is developing a widget module to fit to TV’s that don’t ship with the technology. It’s the Intel Widget Channel … they will provide a development environment for all of this widget Internet-based content and services. Widget Channel supports this new platform and will allow growth. The channel will adapt to new software and TV hardware .

widgets2 The good news is that consumers will be able to find and select content and services they prefer. Widget service providers can provide continuous updates and recommendations about content of special interest to them based on location and viewing patterns. Tapping into the power of the Internet allows consumers to share content and connect with their existing social networks and communities right on the TV in their living room.

Privacy … what privacy? Your Internet viewing choices are already public information. This idea may start with widgets but future TV distribution will go to the Internet. Companies are bracing for the future.  Information providers like Google and Yahoo and distribution suppliers like AT&T, Comcast and the mobile providers will duke it out for their share. Widgets are just the beginning of TV landscape changes.

As you can imagine marketing people will love it, there will be a widget explosion.  Ratings services like Nielson already track viewing patterns but with Internet TV results will be more accurate and advertisers will love those stats! So when you ask will this be here? The technology is here now.  We are waiting on bandwidth, lots of bandwidth. We must have cost effective big bandwidth to make this work the way we all expect!

Sound News ~ Internet video, tips and the latest on copyright

Published August 3, 2009 DVD , File Delivery , Productivity , audio production , blogs , commentary , copyright , video production , web Leave a Comment
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Sound News

www.soundworks.com
SoundNews 08/03/09
In this issue:

• hot summer
• internet video
• business tips
• warning
• success story

HOT SUMMER

It’s been a busy summer with many long and short form projects including an animated feature film, audio books, DVD content & authoring, Internet video projects, creative commercials, building web sites & custom programming with e-commerce, CD and DVD duplication.
THE COPYRIGHT HOT POTATO“There’s battle lines being drawn… Nobody’s right, if everybody’s wrong.”
For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield

image A rational person would surmise that REALLY – You can’t win. Copyright law was written FOR the content creators and copyright holders …

See “Can Music Copyright Exist on the Web? Part IV” and read our latest blog article on music copyright.

Other copyright news:

INTERNET VIDEO

Let us help you create a video for your web site. Did you know that good video content can market your service or product to obtain higher rankings in the search engines? We know video and SEO.

BUSINESS TIPS

A PowerPoint presentation can be converted to DVD along with new content or made fresh in video to be more interesting. We can convert your old training or marketing presentations to DVD, adding a professional voice track and updated music to make it current.

WARNING

Facebook is allowing developers and advertisers to your streaming content. To protect yourself, you must “opt-out”… see our blog for the full story: http://bit.ly/SKjMe

SUCCESS STORY

DATASLAP.com has shipped several “Visit London” campaigns to radio stations all over the US and that’s only one of hundreds of success stories. DataSlap is a great way to deliver commercials with confirmation.

Copyright © SoundWorks

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