The growth of 3D movies

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/748366-REG/Sony_HDR_TD10_HDR_TD10_Full_HD_3D.html

In today’s blog post, I’m going to be going into detail about the growth of 3D cameras, and the difference it makes in the extreme sport world.

When I first heard of companies like Panasonic and Sony started making 3D cameras more affordable and accessible to the public, I was excited.

Only did I know, people might be able to afford these cameras, but the 3D business still has a lot of kinks and curves to work out.  For example; even though they say their cameras shoot 3D, you won’t be able to adjust the depth of field, or how 3D your image is. What I’m trying to say with that is, that we might be able to buy affordable 3D cameras easier nowadays, but I can guarantee that were going to see a lot of improvements in the near future.

There are more and more 3D movies being made in Hollywood as well.

Movie producers know, that they can sell the tickets for more money, therefore make more profit.  The only thing that reminds us not to take our glasses off during the movie is the little warning message before the film. It says: Even though this movie is 3D, there are some 2D scenes, but never take your glasses off. This brings up the question, how much of the movies we watch today are actually 3D? And if they’re not 100% 3D than why are we paying double the price of a regular movie ticket? 

            One thing is for certain, the 3D cameras are going to get better and better each year, being able to capture 3D movies is becoming regularity. I’m looking forward to the next big hit 3D movie, as well as new 3D extreme sport films coming out in the future.

The Letus converter, and the difference it makes

http://www.expandore.com/product/add/Lenses/Lens_Accsry/Bundle_Sales/Extreme_Starter_Bundle.htm

In this week’s blog post, I’m going to be introducing the Letus 35 extreme converter. The converter is a device that attaches on to cameras where the lens would go; creating a “Z” shaped refection of the image, while adding the possibility of using most name brand lenses. It not only creates more of a 35mm film like look but also adds depth of field to the picture.

Depending on what lens stock the cinematographer chooses to use, he/she can really get a super shallow depth of field look. With all the attachments in mind, it is recommended to use a support rod rig, and possibly a tripod or at least a monopod. One of my favorite wakeboarding movies that utilized the 35 extreme converter is Hyperlite Wakeboard`s “Rewritten” 

While watching the movie, not only was I blown away by the production, but I could also see some point of view shots that showed the Letus 35 in use. This, along with many other movies; have proven how much of a difference can one of these converters make. Keep in mind the cameras they were using were top of the line HD cameras like the Panasonic HVX and Sony Ex1. Obviously if you attached the converter to a different category camera you wouldn’t get the same effect that Sean Kilgus did in Rewritten. There are more and more bigger budget extreme sport films being made each year, I cannot wait for the next one.

Keep in mind, that these converters have only been around for a few years; they have already made a huge impact on the film world. Not just the extreme sport world. There are tons of comparison videos out there like this one. Where you can see how the device works, and how much more beautiful it makes every shot.

I can’t wait to start utilizing mine. 

Expert Views On Business Plans

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In this weeks blog post I’m going to be doing some research and I’ll examine/summarize the views of two recognized experts, in the field of writing and/or reviewing business plans.

The first industry professional I’m going to be reviewing is Andrea Cockerton who’s an “independent pitch expert and advisor in the United Kingdom. She has worked with over 350 entrepreneurs during her career in the business world. Her expertise revolves around “venture funding and business critical ideas.” She’s been holding entrepreneurial workshops, while networking with companies from the U.K. helping developing large companies in “order to successfully impact the business world”. Andrea’s been a part of Microsoft, through her experience and skills she became an MIT Enterprise Forum board member. Not only she paid her dues in the business world, she also “co-founded a successful business herself in 2009 called Brick Handbag”.

            In one of her interviews she mentioned some “key information for a successful business plan”; She thinks its important to ask your investors/bankers for money before there isn’t any left. Andrea stated: “Going to investors at too late a stage is a risky strategy. Better is to look at the long-term objectives and aspirations of the business and plan the fundraising sensibly into this long-term strategy,” (Thenextwomen.com, 2008)

            I couldn’t agree any more with Andrea. There couldn’t be a worst possible outcome for a business than to have no money. Therefore it is way smarter to just ask your investors for more money before it’s all gone. This is considered key because without money no business can run.

            The other expert I’m going to be reviewing is Angelo Menequzzi who’s a business professional with over 10 years of past in the business world. He’s taken part of several start up businesses, as well as some work in “public relations, product development, and sales experience”.

            He has developed many business plans while also consulting with other businesses. Angelo thinks it’s important to have a safe business plan because: “benefits include: a heads-up to changes in the environments, better forecasting, opportunities to analyze situations before they become problematic,” (Bplans.com, 2011).

            Angelo is a very smart man; imagine being able to foresee opportunities to analyze problems before they become serious threats. With precautions like this, there are only minor details that could fly by Mr. Menequzzi’s head.

            From reading about these two industry professionals I was able to get insight into what are some key elements that business owners should be aware of. I’m looking forward to hearing from other professionals as well, learning from their mistakes, so we don’t have to make them like they did one time. 

Social Media within sports online

http://greatfinds.icrossing.com/how-to-leverage-paid-tactics-in-social-media/

Social media within sports online, and social networking has been the one thing that has not stopped evolving, constantly improving in the past couple of years.  I can remember clearly when people were really into the whole MySpace trend, but that eventually died out. It ended up being replaced by just musicians showcasing their talents via their MySpace. Allowing people to listen, share, comment and even create their own playlist.

The two things that I think are mainly dominating todays social media are: Facebook and Twitter. There are still artists out there posting their content on MySpace but I can almost guarantee, that they also have a Facebook and Twitter account. The only way to effectively network and keep sharing your content is, by staying on top of your posts and being consistent. Not only professional, but relevant. In the extreme sport world some companies are doing a better job than others. The better ones know to keep their fans updated, with introducing new team members, posting new videos and pictures. The less dedicated ones will eventually lose their following, and won’t be able to reach their target market, like they wanted to.  One of the companies that does a great job managing their social media is Monster Energy. Just by looking at their cover photo I can tell what sports they’re involved in, and how professional they are. Not only they have a good Facebook page, but also a widely followed twitter, as well as tons of pictures/fans on Instagram.  If you scroll down their page you will also see some of their most recent activities, and achievements. I like to point out one of the last articles they posted, about a Liquid Force“Novembeard” give away. In the contest they encourage people to “grow a magnificent mustache”, post their pictures and they might be able to win free products. This is a fun, yet smart way of incorporating the November facial hair growing habits, with an affiliated company they’re friends with.

That is what social networking is all about, being able to reach out to your following, and engage them with whatever message you’re trying to spread about your product/company. In the long run, hopefully building an ever-bigger group of contacts, while making your company more successful.
As you're done reading this post, I would like to encourage you to leave a comment. If you're interested in digital marketing and the way it's influenced extreme sports media, please read one of my other posts. 

Digital Marketing, and the way it's influenced Extreme sports media

 "http://www.boardflix.com/product_info.php?products_id=822"

Digital Marketing, and the way it's influenced Extreme sports media

In this weeks blog post, I’m going to be discussing how the digital landscape changed the way we view extreme sports media today.  With more detail on wakeboarding films, and how they evolved over the years. From the good old 16, and 35mm days, to todays RED and phantom like, high fps super high res/high quality images.  With this in mind, not only the shooting of these movies, but also the marketing of them, have been influenced tons by the digital revolution.

Back in 2005, filmmakers like SeanKilgus were using 16 mm film stock to make the movie “Butter Effect” 

Aaron Reed and Scott Byerly-The Butter Effect 2005 from Sean Kilgus on Vimeo.

 That’s a lot different than what some of todays digital cameras are able to do. Just like this long boarding Phantom video shows. 

Another perfect example of some RED work is this Red Bull Cranberry field project. 

 Needless to say these cameras are very costly and most companies only even rent them for special occasions. Some producers still might claim that films better than digital and that’s not what I’m trying to debate. If the client wants film I wouldn’t have a problem with using any stock. Just like the way the Internet changed the way products are being sold and advertised. Back in 2005 we were lucky if we found the DVD we were looking for. When in todays age all we need to do, is login to our iTunes account, and purchase the digital version online.  

            A lot has been changing but most companies take advantage of this digital wave and they use it to their best advantage. It’s the consumers that have also been getting used to this change and we’re just ready for the next big thing to show us how last year this latest format is. The innovation is unstoppable and inevitable.

Industry Liabilities

The three court cases I decided to analyze are : Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp, Golan et al. v. Holder, Attorney General, et al. ,Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster

In the first case they talk about General Dwight D. Eisenhower's World War II. book, Crusade in Europe, published my Doubleday and registered copyrights to Fox. According to the respondents Dastar did not stay true to the original story, they said he had only bought some video tapes and took his knowledge from those. Therefore I have to agree with the article on how that could have been misleading. Matching information is key especially if we're talking about copyrights and a historical event. The public has the right to know what happened in 1948 and how the German's rushed through Europe. When Fox reacquired the television rights to General Eisenhower's book they should have made sure that all of the included information they were about to broadcast are a 100% true.

I later on saw how the Lanham Act and its intend for deceptive misleading use of marks came into play in this case. I couldn't have agreed more with what I read and I still think that the origins of the information published must be clear. They shouldn't have taken a war story and changed parts of the story over time. Fox was just trying to double their profit on a copyright that they only paid for once.

In the second case I saw how the international copyright relations might come into play with my business idea. If I'm going to purchase the rights for certain media to be viewed and paid for by the subscribed users I must make sure that the same copyright laws are in effect in the countries where they are being played from. Doing the research on the date when the movies and copyrights were created is absolutely necessary. I really wouldn't want to find myself with an expiring copyright on any of my future videos that I'll be streaming from my site (VGP-Video Genome Project).

In the last case I found it pretty helpful to read about peer-to-peer networks since my future business model is based upon such communication. The studios I'll be contacting must be able to have proof of their copyrights with the attached dates and proper paperwork. If later on I get fined or even worse sewed for not having all the legal rights to my website and its contents than the studios could eventually shut down my whole business. Infringement is definitely one of my biggest concerns, getting and keeping up with each copyright is going to be mandatory. 

What is a project schedule in project management, Project planning/management

http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/projplan.htm

In this weeks blog post I’m going to be talking about, what is a project schedule in project management, the product planning framework model and how it associates with my industry. I like what we have learned in class so far and I’m looking forward to applying it in more real world situations.

Just like a product manager would, me as a videographer can look at my past projects, and see that I have been involved with different plans: new product development plans, strategic plans and annual marketing plans. The product planning process overview is almost identical to how I would plan a shoot. Clarifying my scope is important because without understanding the scale of my plan, who the audience is, when the plan is going to be implemented and how the plan is going to fit into a budget or financial requirement I couldn’t ever successfully hand over my product. Doing an environmental scan before reaching out to possible future clients is also beneficial. Just like before a presentation, research is key in any project.  Therefore finding the facts, collecting data, doing as much research as we possibly can, will definitely help our business to compete with other companies/products.  But even if we keep everything in mind about planning every little detail of our projects we can never forget where we’re heading. I’m talking about goals and objectives. Since goals are different for everybody, I can’t exactly pin point what me, as a producer should be concentrating on in the near future. I know that I will not ever stop learning; therefore every new project I start will be better than the one before.

Just like at the end of today’s class we were reminded of our S.M.A.R.T. goals and how we should be specific, measurable, achievable, results-oriented and time based. But being smart is only one of my strategies. I’m looking forward to seeing how my next projects turn out with everything that I learned in class. It’s going to be a good feeling to look back at this blog at the end of my program and see the progression I’ve made over the year.