Creative Cloud (allbetsareoff.com)

Adobe switched over to a subscription based system instead of purchasing a license for it’s software. This writer defends it (sort-of).

VSP Vision Care Optometrist Talks About the Affects of Technology on Our Eyes (http://littletechgirl.com)

Has a corporate tone to it, but still informative.

This is the best moment to be in journalism (The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay) (cjr.org)

If your a news person, you’ve heard both sides of this argument. Truth be told, it’s probably somewhere in the middle. If you’re not a news person, you might still find some interest in the articles.

Introduction To Tethered Shooting (http://www.diyphotography.net)

If you’re photographing in a studio setting, you should be tethering. It’s just a great way to be shooting.

I thought this was a very clever way to profile a person. Graphically, it’s quite good. This is a break from the talking head with b-roll over it as a profile.

From the description:

Owen Wright is a herculean figure in a sea of short, scrawny professional surfers. His tall, muscular build breaks the mold of the stereotypical surf stature. In this anatomical study of his physique, we highlight his enormous presence compared to his pro surfing peers as well as other professional athletes.

See the full article here:
indoek.com/archives/11211

Directed by Matt Titone
Photography: Ron Thompson + Matt Titone
Design: Matt Titone + Ron Thompson
Motion: Chris Gardner + Ron Thompson
Sound Design: Drastic Music & Sound Design
Script by Matt Titone + Drew Innis
An INDOEK / ITAL/C Production
Co-Producer: Alli Taylor
(*All stats quoted from Wikipedia)

West of the Moon splurges eye-candy visual effects. Stunning and with a strong narration, the short film immerses you into a world worthy of dreaming about.

From the Vimeo description:

“…writer/director/VFX artist, Brent Bonacorso has received many accolades for West of the Moon, his brilliant fantasy short that adeptly utilizes VFX wizardry for purposes more lovely and nuanced than simple aliens and explosions (though there is a quite prominent robot). Now a year or two off of the festival scene, the complete short comes to Vimeo.

Told in a gravelly voice over, we are lead to believe that an old man is recounting to us the momentous events of his life. From the very get go however this world differs from ours in its phantasmagoric effects. The result is similar to an older feature I love, Big Fish, in which romantic hyperbole colors a traditional story of love and loss.”

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Pluraleyes allows you to sync audio files from an external recorder with video. For example, say you’re shooting an interview with your HDSLR – which has horrible audio – and using an audio recorder to record audio of the interview. You can sync that up in post manually, but that can take some time. Plural eyes will do it automatically for you. The video above shows you the steps, which is tremendously easy. He is using a Mac, so it may be different on a PC.

This is just a screen shot of an ad.

When out shooting and you know you are going to sync the video with another audio source not from your camera, it’s important to give some audio references. That means when you hit record on the audio file and on the camera (as close in time as possible), you have to give the camera and record a point of recognition. I was taught to say “camera speed” when starting to record and “camera off” when done, just before stoping recording on the audio recorder and camera. And you say that when no one else is talking. I have found that clapping three times works great when syncing manually. I look at the audio wave forms to line up the audio recording with the camera audio in FCP, and the claps give nice high waveforms. But to each his own.

The previous versions of Pluraleyes I have used were not that great. I would say that the success rate for me was less than 50 percent, so I just went straight to manually syncing. This new version looks promising though. It might be worth doing a free trial first. If you’ve used version 3.1.1, please let me know how you like it.

I really like the ending of this short. I was watching it and really appreciated how well it was shot and I thought the actors did a great job, but again, it was the storytelling that did it for me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

From the description:

***WINNER – TROPFEST 2013***
Best Film
Best Actress – Laura Wheelwright
tropfest.com.au

Burdened with needing to raise $800 or face eviction from her home, an 8-month pregnant Jess continues to work at the local diner. When an old lady arrives for a late night supper, a connection is made that will impact the two in ways they both could never have imagined.

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AOL Earnings Solid as Company Tries to Reinvent Itself (Adweek.com)

AOL is trying to transition into a content producing company, yet it’s still relying on dial-up subscribers for revenue.

Tips for Wedding Photographers From a Professional Wedding DJ (PetaPixel.com)

If you’re a wedding photog/videographer, this is an interesting post. Also speaks to collaboration in general.

A Boss’s Open Letter To Workers Who Want To Quit (jobs.aol.com)

Not tech related, but informative. I once read that the average 20-something is staying at a job for less than a few years.

SEO for PR: Gauging the success of content marketing (PRDaily.com)

Good tips.

Should Your Business Use Google Hangouts? (mashable.com)

Google + isn’t the giant social plattform that it wanted to be, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a necessity in your social media toolbox.

B&H is offering rebates for various Nikon equipment this weekend, just in time for Mother’s Day. I’m sure you mother will appreciate a brand new D600 with 24-85mm lens, camera bag, 16 gig card, monopod, shoulder bag, extra battery and wireless mobile adapter for $2400. That’s a $300 dollar savings. On the other hand I’m sure your mother would appreciate just as much, the photos you take on Mother’s Day with your new camera if you happened to get it for yourself instead.

NikonRumors.com has a post about the deals, which you can see here. There are deals on point and shoot cameras as well as HDSLRs.

The above video is a review of the D600. I’m not the biggest fan of DigitalRev reviews, specifically the format and I think they can be much shorter, but I think the reviewer offers a solid opinion after trying the camera out. If you play the last couple minutes you get his opinion.

Costco has a good deal on the D600 kit, dropping in price from $3,290 to $2,790, making it very comparable to this B&H one. I think I like the B&H deal a little better because it offers and extra (off-brand) battery and monopod. You can add a 70-300mm to the B&H deal for $387 if you buy it with the D600 by clicking the link below the product description.

I recently used the D600 with the 24-70mm f/2.8 for a stills assignment, and really loved the result. I use the D800 (which is $200 off this weekend) at work and it’s the best camera I’ve ever used (though I haven’t used the 5d MKIII), and the D600 is essentially the D800 with less resolution and less sturdy body. If I was looking to purchase a camera that shot stills, I would probably go with the D600. The dynamic range it offers is outstanding and it was certainly beefy enough for me.

Happy shopping.

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Andrew delivers an outstanding talk on storytelling, and is a really engaging speaker. He has worked on some pretty popular animated films. It is definitely worth taking the time to watch.  Two points that I really love: We should give our audiences 2+2, not 4; and his definition of drama, which is “anticipation mingled with uncertainty.” I leave the rest for you to watch.

From the description:

Filmmaker Andrew Stanton (“Toy Story,” “WALL-E”) shares what he knows about storytelling — starting at the end and working back to the beginning. (Contains graphic language [mainly in the first joke] …)

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Pay Closer Attention to YouTube (TwistImage.com)

Building off of yesterday’s YouTube link. YouTube will aslo display adds on the paid subscription videos as well.

Here’s Why You Should Never Wet Out to Go Viral (Mashable.com)

We all want out videos to go viral (at least the good ones), but that can be risky. This article discusses why that shouldn’t be the primary goal.

The Best Social Media Tools of 2013 (So Far) (PRDaily.com)

Some useful tools to promote, manage and inspire your content.

8 Ways to Increase the Chances that You’ll Get Funding for Your Media Startup (Poynter.org)

I feel like a lot of these tips apply to more than just media startups. There is an entrepreneur in all of us.

Mountain Dew Spot in Bali (blog.vincentlaforet.com)

Might be a little technical, but you can see the amount of effort that goes into creating a commercial.

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It’s ok if you tear up during this video, because if Bill can, you sure as heck can. I’ve already said to much. Enjoy.

From the description:

John Tuggle, the 1983 NFL draft’s Mr. Irrelevant, was anything but irrelevant to legendary coach Bill Parcells. The normally tough coach will guide us on an emotional journey as he recounts his own rookie season as the head coach of the New York Giants.

More info on the film, including Facebook page and director bio.

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