Categories
Articles

Video Transcription

Documentaries rely heavily on audio transcription to transform interviews and conversation into a malleable form. Many new automated transcription tools have recently arrived on the scene, many with tight integrations to Final Cut and other editing software. Here’s a list of a few I’ve found most promising.

Categories
Video

28 Days Later

Producing a daily vlog is a revealing, invigorating creative experience. The format flexes artistic muscles and forces fast decisions. It pushes boundaries of participation and relationship. Failure and success are immediate, all with the chance to try again the next day. In the space of a month, I produced 90+ minutes of something worth watching.

Check out the final vlog here, and click through if you want to see the whole series.

Categories
Video

40 Years of Opportunity

Opportunity International, a client of mine over at Storyspark, is celebrating 40 years of serving small-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries. I worked with them to develop the story behind the anniversary, as well as produce this short piece explaining the campaign. Props to Gord for the design and Ryan for the excellent animation.

Learn more about the campaign at ican.opportunitycan.ca.

Categories
Video

End the Wait

End the Wait from Storyspark on Vimeo.

As a follow-up to the first video, this motion graphics piece was developed by Storyspark to communicate the urgency & the simplicity of the need for families to adopt. Kudos to the excellent design & animation chops of Dan & Gordie, with the music track by Adrian Bradford. Always great to work with these talented people.

Find out more at endthewait.ca.

Categories
Video

Contagious Conference Opener

2010 Contagious Conference Opener from Storyspark on Vimeo.

The opening film for the 2010 Contagious Conference, held at the Vancouver Convention Centre and hosted by BCAIM. Produced by my new company, Storyspark. Directed by yours truly and the ingenious Dan Stewart. Awesomeness brought to you by all the Contagious Conference volunteers.

Categories
Video

OnGray

OnGray on Vimeo.

Recently I had the privilege of working with friend & photographer Dave Delnea on his first short film, OnGray. Conceived as a collaboration between friends, OnGray began as a photography shoot before growing to include video and a large crew of collaborators. My part was to cut the piece together and colour grade the final film. I worked with Dave to build a story out of the photographic pieces and create a colour palette signifying events within the story world. It was a lot of fun, and the finished product & website looks great!

Categories
News

Vision in Motion eBook Released!

I’ve been itching to tell everyone about this for months… and the day’s finally here! I’ve written an eBook for readers interested in stepping into the world of motion picture storytelling. The full title is Vision in Motion: A Photographer’s Introduction to Digital Video, and it’s available for $5 from Craft and Vision (Just $4 if you use the discount code MOTION4 before June 27th).

Though targeted at photographers, the eBook is for anyone who’s interested in the world of motion picture storytelling. With the explosion of video-capable stills cameras, many are considering dipping their toes into moving images. But while there are many resources out there on how to operate a video camera, what does it take to create a visual story that moves people? We talk some about gear, but mostly about process. What is story? How do you build a story? How do you connect images together to build towards a climax? What are the differences between composing a shot for a still image vs. motion?

It’s tough to pack all that into one eBook, but feedback so far has been positive. It’s gotten people excited to give video a try and get started with motion pictures storytelling. Go check it out!

VISION IN MOTION is a downloadable PDF. USD $5.00

Categories
Video

YMCA Youth Peace Network PSA

A recent project for The YMCA of Greater Vancouver.

We had a very tight timeline, and an even tighter budget, but we managed to pull it all together — just in time for the YPN’ers farewell dinner. A great group of youth to interact with (and a great program!) Check it out for yourself…

Categories
Articles

Transmedia

Henry Jenkins on Transmedia – November 2009 from niko on Vimeo.

Author of “Convergence Culture,” talks about Transmedia. A great five-minute watch.

(h/t cinematech)

Categories
Sidenotes

Where the Hell is Matt?

Every few months I run across Matt and his crazy dancing video. There’s something special about it… people dancing, in so many places, together.

If you have a fast computer, watch it here in HD.