Motovideos for Peanuts...

Can you shoot a Motovideo from the ground up on a shoe string budget?  If you can take photographs, or handle a basic video camera, you bet!

A lot of the same skills are used in photography and video, but the big difference seems to be that a video needs to tell a story, or highlight some action in a way that keeps the viewer interested and captivated as it is moving along.

A really good motorcycle photograph can stand on it's own as an interesting and captivating image.  In fact, you can make a very compelling photo of something as mundane as a motorcycle wheel. 

However, can you do the same with a video of a motorcycle wheel?   Without some very interesting features, there's so much more you'd need to add to the video to make it worth watching.

Given that, have you got a cool project in mind?  Have you been absolutely devouring information about shooting and editing video to prepare for your first feature video?

Have you considered yet how you will hold, or mount your camera(s)?   If you need ideas, there are some great products here.

There is also so much to learn about video formats and frame rates and codecs, and all that stuff! 

Just thinking about all the aspects of how to effectively compile a decent amount of video production footage and exercise good video editing skills good enought to create a mesmerizing film can bring on a major headache.  

But, in reality, with modern software and cameras, it's really not all that difficult.  You just have to learn how the cameras and software do it, and utilize them correctly!

Don't worry about having the latest gadgetry.  You really don't need the latest and greatest equipment.  You can rent or borrow nearly all the equipment required if you have the right connections.

Consider how many of your friends and family have a POV camera or some other video camera recorders that you can use for your action shots.   And for simple audio recording, just find a good microphone and digital recorder to capture your interviews, motorcycle sounds, and more!

And with the advances int technology, your footage can all be put together with a simple editor such as Windows Movie Maker, or you can step up a bit to something like Final Cut Pro. 

  

Many of the contemporary cams  now available, starting from full blown professional HD digital video cameras, to accessorized helmet cams, across the spectrum to self-contained GoPro's, can shoot fantastic HD video.  
 

GoPro HD Hero3 Adventure Camera Silver Edition

Whatever Motovideo you plan to make, take your time to study the filmmaking craft, develop your skills, and most of all, enjoy the ride!

Digital Dangers

A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being built as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.  Records would be stored at massive data storage facilities such as the NSA site being built in Utah.

 

One has to wonder where the limits are?  Will any uploaded video or comments about your favorite motorcycle race, or event be "gathered as evidence" to either prevent, or prosecute violations of the law which may be captured or distributed via persons (us!) using digital communication methods?

 

So, I am on my way to a race, and I capture video of my friend on his sportbike popping a wheelie on public roads, which just happens to be illegal, and I store it at Flickr because there is something that happens to be funny or crazy about the incident.  5 months from now my friend receives a citation because some NSA goon forwards the clip to local law enforcement.  Visions of the Island, The Matrix and Minority Report all start floating through my mind.

 

The Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave has morphed into The Land of Audio, Textual, and Video Surveillance!
 

Vivitar DVR-426HD Digital Video Recorder DVR426HD-RED

Video Media Evolution

GOING DIGITAL !!

THEATER:

After 120 years 35mm is now in serious decline. In January, 63% of the world's screens will be digital, according to report from IHS.

2011 will mark the year that digital cinema firmly replaces film projection.  The accelerator in this case has been 3D which has taken the industry by storm.   Digital screens will soon outnumber 35mm film screens.  All media of course has been transient, and now that we are firmly in the digital age, consider these new paradigms:

Distribution Speed:   Films can now reach the cinema as fast as one week after release and be distributed and moved around to various screens rapidly.

Cost:  Digital filmmakers have a shot at competing with commercials, shorts, and feature films!

Control:  Not only has speed and flexibility during production improved, but in digital format all manner of controls can be implemented relative to censoring, variation, interactivity, etc..

HOME THEATER:

It's hard to believe but DVD has only been around for approximately 15 years with the latest mainstream format being Blu-ray Disc (BD), which is itself only about 5 years old.  DVD-R has provided a bridge to full digital storage and looks set to slide into the annals of history as other forms of distribution and greatly expanded storage technologies permeate the scene.

PERSONAL and PORTABLE PROJECTION:

Coming soon to a pocket near you is this funtastic gadget: http://www.btendo.com/projector_embedded_app.html

With toys like these, need I say more!

 

AAXA P300 HD Pocket Projector 

 

How goes your depression?

On that note - Are we really even in a "depression"?

I for one, foresee the current period being a time of massive structural shift. Out with the old - in with the new - all along the rate of change is accelerating.

Even if the ascent of man and his technological endeavors were to propagate into the future at the existing pace, the advancements toward the so-called singularity or whatever transition point lays in our path would likely astound even visionaries such as Kurzweil.

Human interface design (HID) is rapidly advancing as miniaturization allows structural form factors for consumer electronics that offer incredible levels of convenience. Want a glimpse? Take a look at Morph.

The evaporation of size in video has also been truly incredible. Wafer level camera products are a reality and will be commonplace soon. For some insight into an HID application meet Arnie. Arnie likes men too :-)

And what the thousands of Engineers and Researchers cannot accomplish in the dark reaches of development labs around the globe, the hackers will certainly accomodate:

So buckle up and enjoy the ride. Even the stifling of capitalism by politicos who cannot envision a world outside their own convenience, and the rapid evaporation of capital from the gobbling black swans of financial "innovation". will not deter the rapidly advancing nano-revolution river from flowing.

And, by the time global warming (er cooling) really becomes an issue, my "nano-morph-jacket" will provide all the comforts of a paradise our skins have yet to imagine.

  Mini Gadgets HelmCam Helmet Camera

Out of the Ashes .......

Being heavily involved in retail sales of entertainment DVDs, it strikes me how we humans respond in down times. There is obviously a lot less buying of goods going on in the lower cost ranges. But, if a person gets a video in their hands that strikes their fancy, well they'll just treat themselves to a little low cost, reusable, home entertainment.

We are all impulse buyers and many times we buy what we WANT on the spur of the moment vs. deliberately buying what we need after some careful shopping. Especially when it comes to a measly $20 purchase. That is especially true for Motovideos because you can't buy them just anywhere.

Another observation as these trying times evolve is the crowd of people I see every time I pass the local Harkin's theater. It seems like the parking lot is always full.

Home Depot is empty, Harkins theater is overflowing at the seams. Go figure.

I think it's a good thing in many ways as most of us seem to be spending a little more quality time with our friends, family, our God, and even total strangers. When the going gets tough, many times the tough decide to just say hi & strike up conversation.

As retailers begin to close like wildfire, and the "correction" of our excesses of the past many years whips us in the rear, I have to wonder what's on the other side for entertainment. If I had to make a guess, I would place my bets on the next evolutions of texting technology. Have you seen a 15 year old text? WOW. Thousands, millions, no BILLIONs, uh-no make that TRILLIONs of mindless snippets are being fired around endlessly 24/7/365, faster than the national debt clock can spin. God forbid you print a statement with all the records. You will no doubt need a new toner cartridge, a fresh ream of paper, and a service call to replace the smokin wheels on your fancy all-but-the-kitchen-sink printer.

Imagine oh-say 5 years from now when you simply speak into your cell phone, er-I mean personal communication device, and your Avatar pops up to record the message. You then speak the Godly SEND command and your Avatar zips through the Net to pop up on the receiving end in front of the currently favored member of your Social Network delivering whatever photos, videos, or even lowly text that you desire. Life in the fast lane.

The storage capacity and speed of the networks will soon allow this kind of communication. It was only 1994 that I had an IBM thinkpad with a 50mg drive with a 50mHZ processor and a black & white screen. I had only 3 customers that could e-mail me.

Compared to my 15 year-old daughter, modern communications and infotainment is simply a teen waiting to bloom. 
 

POV Action Video Camera Glasses ACG-2

The Future of DVD?

What is the future of DVD? It's crazy but DVD is just about 10 years old and it's been a decade of DVD mania.

So - what comes next?

Will HD-DVD be the future? I doubt it. Despite the hype, HD is just another storage format. It's really no different than the continuing evolution of DVD formats before such as DVD-5 & DVD-9.

Studios and hardware manufacturers have struggled over the future of home video and to me, it appears finished DVD production peaked in 2006, and we are now in the era of DVD-R. Future usage will be cemented for a time however, supported by the proliferation of DVD players and other devices which can play DVDs, including PC's, PS3, X-box, etc..

The online DVD rental industry, created by Netflix in 1997, has grown substantially. Both Blockbuster, a major competitor, and Netflix, have done well with the rental model. The problem with this business model is it has had to increasingly compete with online video streaming. If it weren't for the fact that streaming requires high bandwidth capabilities, and you have to view it from your computer, streaming may have overtaken DVD by now. DVDs simply offer the convenience of transporting and watching movies from any DVD player or computer.

As it stands, HD and HD-DVD in recordable formats, are the current stepping stone to the next era in the evolution of home video.

The PC has advanced as a media component in the home. The PC is still THE enabler with access to peer to peer music swapping, DVD ripping & burning, editing tools, and online streaming. Either set-top boxes will advance, or PC's will become more integrated and user friendly. Whether it's Standard DVD play/recording, HD-DVD play/recording, internet Video on Demand, Home Video Editing/Recording, Music editing/recording, etc., the PC currently has a solid edge.

The cable giants, Microsoft, and the set-top box kings are squaring off, and we will be front & center for a truly monumental shift in content delivery. Regardless of the tools and systems, at the center of this exciting revolution will be content ownership, interactivity, and digital rights management. And as cost-per-byte reductions in storage technology continue, the freedom to transport volumes of video on iPOD like devices will also overtake the need for DVD media.

I can't predict the future. The customer is king and will ultimately drive the next evolution. I for one, look forward to the increasing volumes of education, information, and home entertainment, at my fingertips!
 

ProDuplicator A1DVDS22X 1 Targ

That play's music?

One afternoon in our new home I decided to brush of one of my vintage albums and listen to an album. I can't remember for sure what I played but I think it may have been Ten Years After, with an oldie but goodie called "I'd Love to Change the World". Ever heard it?

About the time I drop the needle and a few licks start to crank out, my 10 year old daughter is walking by, stops in dumbfounded amazement, turns to me and says; that plays music?

Talk about obsolete technology! Not to mention an obsolete Dad. Wow! What a difference 10 years makes. You know it's the future now when your kids have never heard music from a record player and only know music as coming from a radio or CD.

What about 8-tracks or even cassette tapes? - ancient history! Just a mad minute in the ever progressing technology evolution.

Imagine in a year or two when the CD is an afterthought and music is entirely traded on memory stick or iPod.

Video will follow soon. Imagine access to enormous video libraries on-demand. Coming soon - video overload......

Audioquest USB Digital-Audio Converter - DRAGONFLY