Wordcamp LA 2011 09/11/2011
 
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I had the opportunity to attend Wordcamp LA 2011 this weekend on the campus of Loyola Marymount University. The annual event covers multiple topics about the content management system, Wordpress. #wcla
 
 
 
 
Zoom Q3HD Audio Video Recorder
Zoom Q3HD
Audio is often overlooked in most web video, which is unfortunate because poor audio is perhaps the number one reason people stop watching a video.  Dropped frames are forgivable, but if your audio is good, poor video is less noticeable.

Up until recently, getting good audio from a sub-$500 camera was not an option. Then Kodak came out with their Zi8 at about $180 which has an audio-in jack. However, a quality microphone will cost you $200 more.

Samson, the company that brought us the Zoom H2 audio recorder with great sound quality, now have an audio recorder with a HD video camera inside. The Q3HD Handy Video Recorder. This little gadget features 1080p capabilities (at 30 frames per second) and 720p at 30 or 60 frames per second, a 2.4-inch color LCD, NTSC/PAL TV and HDMI outputs, and a USB 2.0 plug. The best feature, of course, is the built-in stereo microphones, so the camera should provide much better audio than your average camera.

I've seen it offered at $299, but I'd have to see a sample before making a purchase. Will the field of view be too narrow?
 
 
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Adobe Shows CS5 in an air conditioned tent in Hollywood June 10, 2010.
This afternoon I was able to attend the Adobe Production Premium CS5 software package for video production at Raleigh Studios. I was most impressed with the plug-in called "Beauty Box", which cleans up the wicked details that HD cameras find in even the beautiful people's skin. Look for a new version in the near future. Use it with Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro.
 
 
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Tonight at a Createasphere event held at the I.A.T.S.E. Local 80 Stage in Burbank, I got to hear Director of Photography, Shane Hurlbut, ASC, give a spirited presentation about how the Canon 5D is a major game changer for the feature film business. Shane told story after story about how the 5D was used in ways that conventional cameras could never be used due to size or budget. He showed footage from "Men of Valor" which details the covert operations of the US Navy SEALS, along with the two Navy commercials that were shot in one day, primarily with multiple Canon 5D cameras.
 
 
I just switched on the new site.  If you see any bad links, contact me from the contact page.  THX!
 
 
The venerable stalwarts of the motion graphics world, Adobe, tonight showed a full house at the Digital Media Artists [ @dmala ] user group that After Effects has been updated with tools in the upcoming CS5 release that makes tracking, 2.5D, and rotoscoping easier than ever.