For the past day I’ve been in and out of Apple’s Compressor program (which ships as part of the Final Cut suite). I’ve finished my Late at Tate AV commission (more details on that soon) and have been experimenting with the best export / output solution to supply the curator of the upcoming screening. Along the way I’ve been learning more about Prores 422 and a little bit about AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec). For the past year nearly all the video/motion projects I have been involved with and hired for and ended up with web distribution and for that the codec h.264 is currently the best solution.
For any users of the Final Cut suite I really recommended checking out Ken Stone’s rather awesome site. He has recently added a specific section on Compressor 3.5 (which comes with FCP7) but the info serves as a good introduction into settings and options for video compression and export. Seriously, any users of the FCP suite need to hit up his site. It is bursting full of easy to understand and well written tips and explanations (along with loads of illustrative pictures).
Finally, you might like to follow a thread I started on VJforums (Prores 422 vs AIC vs h.264), it also gives a bit of background to the technical aspect and creation of my Late at Tate AV film. I’m constantly on the lookout for good resources covering the technical aspect of digital video, its post production and delivery, so feel free to hit me up in the comments with your links and tips. Rickrobin hit me up with these 11 FCP tips earlier, covering audio at 48kHz, stills, gamma, audio files at the right speed and 7 more.
This weekend saw the Acedia photoshoot take place (scroll down for some backstage photos from the shoot). As I previously mentioned on here I’m doing some more video work for the fashion label Sample Remix. The project is called Acedia and everyone involved is very excited and really positive about the whole thing. It’s the largest show Sample Remix has done to date and it’s a pleasure to be a creative part of it. In case you’ve missed it this is the teaser trailer for the performance:
Sample Remix has been commissioned to produce a bespoke collection to be premiered at the Festival of Sins this October 10th in Camden, North London.
She has gone beyond the expected scope of the performance resulting in a multi media audiovisual spectacle. With a custom made prequel film to be screened alongside the performance in association with makemassair and deadman dj.
This is her interpretation of Sloth and the journey of one girl experiencing the depth and depravity of the Sin.
Acedia premiering at Festival of Sins .October 10th
The photoshoot itself was pretty painless, with no problems. Both myself and Sample Remix headed down to Cheltenham Spa on Friday afternoon and as we were arriving at the hotel we met 3 of the 7 models. After some checking in, unpacking and a brew we headed out for a walk around the town before heading to a Pub where we spent the rest of the evening. Annoyingly I woke at about half 5 (quite hungover it should be said) but by the time we got to the photography studio and met up with the remaining 4 models, the makeup artist (MUA) and photographer it was clear noone else had had much sleep, with pretty much all of us being awake since 6.
The MUA began her work and ran through until gone 5. Her work was quite impressive (even more so as she had had less than 2 hours sleep) and really made the garments shine. There weren’t any problems with the shoot and the shots we saw looked really good (we should hopefully have some by the end of the week). The custom metalwork jewellery headwear some of the models wore looked fantastic.
Although there was a bit of panic on the Friday when myself and Sample Remix were on the train heading down. She got a phonecall around half 12 from the MUA who having just returned from a month in America couldn’t find the make up sheets for the shoot. This basically being the design and makeup for each of the 7 models. Sample Remix took it well (both she and the MUA had spent time going through the designs prior to the shoot, enough that the MUA had a rough idea). At this point she borrowed my Macbook Pro and began to search for a WiFi network that although a long shot on the train, was worth a go. Sadly no joy. Although thankfully the hotel had free WiFi and Sample Remix was able to quickly and rather painlessly sort out the missing makeup sheets for the MUA who then could draw them up for the following day.
All in all a great, thou tiring experience. I hope you enjoy the pictures. (I also shot some video, which you might see prior to the performance, you might not)
So, I’ve decided in some respects to be a bit more direct with this blog. Those of you who know me and my musical activities (primarily as a DVNT and radio host of MANTIS) will know that I spend an inordinate amount of time on music forums across several genres and probably countries. Back in February I decided to take the plunge into a freelance career (video editing/post production/graphic design etc…) and since then I have been spending most of my time either looking for work, networking (online mostly), and undertaking a few paid jobs (always on the look out for more).
As I’m sure some of you who are working for themselves successfully, or aiming for it, know, it can be a struggle balancing the work side of things against the hobby side of things (in my respect, the music) particularly if you are based at home. The danger I’m finding is that the music is easier to get into, relax into and generally I can even subconsciously avoid the “work” side of things. That isn’t to say I don’t enjoy the work I’m pursuing with my freelancing; quite the opposite in fact, I do. At the moment, the balance is generally spent finding the work, rather than the work itself. lol.
There are so many things that I aim to do in any given day. You spend a while (normally most of the working day at the moment in my case) unable to decide, or flitting between them, that your day flies by. You’re left sitting there going, well, what happened there. For me, it comes down to focus. I focus on one topic, begin thinking about another one, sometimes related, sometimes not, and then begin that topic a little bit, thinking I’ve got it under control. And so on.
Generally I H A V E to over do things. I probably have mild OCD, well I’m hoping mild. So, 3 paragraphs in, and what am I saying to those of you who have read this. Well it’s this. That as well as highlighting creative visual inspiration as I hope I have been on this blog, that I’m going to use it as a soundboard for ideas, and discussions related to my freelance work. Give you an insight into the creative work I undertake on a daily basis, and in doing so I hope that it will give me greater focus and commitment to my chosen profession as opposed to my lovely hobby.
Still with me?
Phew. Ok, so one thing I have been trying to do is read up on video art in more depth than I did before whilst studying a few years back. I’m in the early stages of an ambient project and am looking possibly at a performance aspect of it. If not specifically for the project then as an after process to it. I’ll try to highlight interesting bits I come across.
Good old Wikipedia has a good basic introduction to it:
Perhaps the simplest, most straightforward defining distinction in this respect would then be to say that (perhaps) cinema’s ultimate goal is to entertain, whereas video art’s intentions are more varied, be they to simply explore the boundaries of the medium itself (e.g., Peter Campus, Double Vision) or to rigorously attack the viewer’s expectations of video as shaped by conventional cinema (e.g., Joan Jonas, Organic Honey’s Vertical Roll).
Peter Campus – Double Vision (1971)
Campus investigates the metaphoric overlap between properties of the video camera and processes of human perception, an area of great interest to many early videomakers. Double Vision inventories strategies for comparing simultaneous images of a loft space produced by two video cameras whose signals are fed through a mixer, thus producing an electronic version of what in film would be called a “double exposure.” The cameras are set up to perform variations of binocular vision; for example in the section entitled “Copilia,” the two cameras are set at different focal lengths and search independently around an empty room, attached to the same moving body. In “Convergence,” the cameras are stationary and separated but focused on the same distant wall; their images gradually merge as the artist repeatedly returns to the cameras and moves them closer together. Double Vision is an elegant and systemmatic exploration of vision using basic video technology. “[Double Vision is] an exploration of double or two-camera images and works its way up to an eye-brain model, always conscious of how this model differed from its subject matter. ” — Peter Campus
If anyone does read this blog then you might remember a post a while back about this very subject. Anyways, this is an excellent animation explaining the finer points of the crippling disease.
I’m very guilty of this. I’m actually under it’s wicked spell as I type this. I have many many things I need to do and some I want to do. There is however an issue in that I procrastinate and end up on music forums, Facebook, Myspace and the like… which I’m aware of and annoyed at myself at, but not doing anything about.
So anyways, what’s the point of this little post then? Well as it happened I ranted on one of the many forums I frequent and one of the guys I have weird late night discussions with pointed me into the direction of a very helpful (if quite new-age) website/blog of a man going by the name of Steve Pavlina.
It’s a good read and gives a quick background on procrastination, it’s causes and presents a simple to implement solution. Namely breaking things down into little, easier to achieve chunks (timeboxing) as he calls it. And also to get into your head you don’t need to do things, but that you want to do things. Anyways, rather than have me ramble on, have a read yourself…
I’m very guilty of this. I’m actually under it’s wicked spell as I type this. I have many many things I need to do and some I want to do. There is however an issue in that I procrastinate and end up on music forums, Facebook, Myspace and the like… which I’m aware of and annoyed at myself at, but not doing anything about.
