R|com Creative Blog

I’ve come across a really cool gadget that is really awesome for anyone using an HD camera these days. But, before I can explain it, some background is really in order…

One of the things that most video cameras don’t do is deliver the kind of imagery film cameras provide. Or, more accurately, the kind of imagery film lenses deliver. The cocktail of performance, durability, cost, and longevity conspire to create products that deliver crystal clear pictures, but without some of the key capabilities more expensive product provide. As one example, a Prime lens on an Aaton camera will allow you to create a visual image that draws the viewer to a specific spot in the frame – based on something called “depth of field.” In a typical high-quality HD video camera, the entire frame will look almost real. The difference, however, is that when telling a story, you might not want the viewer to take in the entire screen.

Imagine a couple discussing a plan to rob a bank. They’re sitting at a coffee table in the foreground of the scene you’re shooting. In the background, a woman is applying makeup before leaving her table. She’s busty, dressed in red, and is wearing lots of jewlery. So, what is the audience supposed to look at?

If you can shorten the depth of field of the shot, you can help the audience focus in on the subject you want them to pay attention to. The couple are discussing robbing a bank. When the partner on the left is speaking, she is perfectly in focus. Her partner on the right is slightly soft, while the background is a colorful blur. When the partner on the right speaks, he is perfectly in focus, and she is slightly soft. It may be very subtle, but it really helps the audience follow the story. And, if you shoot with video, you have had limited options without spending significant money on add-on gear.

Enter JAG35. The company’s primary products are adapters for video cameras that permit the use of 35mm still camera lenses. Once installed, these lenses create the same effect as a very expensive motion picture lens – i.e. highly controllable depth of field. Because still camera lenses are very fine quality, adding them to an adapter will not create a poor quality image. In fact, in reality, if you use one of these products, your video camera will essentially be taping a projection of the image the still camera captures on a highly ground bit of glass. It may sound like hocus pocus, but it’s effin’ fantastic. Take a look at this video clip to see how the Jag35 helps the audience focus in on a single element of the screen…

What makes this even cooler is the price. There are some cool 35mm adapters out there, and I’ll even chat up about one or two in the coming few weeks, but they are typically more expensive than the HD camera to properly kit out. The JAG35 products are typically under $500. That’s really fantastic. And, it means none of us have an excuse any longer to not control the look of our images. One note about this – the use of these adapters is based on shots that are deliberately set up and arranged. The run and gun “cinema vérité” style of shooting is not what these lenses were designed for. But, combine one of these devices with some other cool stuff and your shows will be really fantastic. In fact, our shows will be really fantastic. Even better than our old shows. And those were pretty good, too.

Oh, and one other thing… the JAG35 products will make even a small HD camera, like the CanonHV30 (street price is about $780) shown above, look like a totally pro rig. So, now you don’t have to get a lot of big cameras with bad output and weak chips. Get a cool small camera and a JAG35 bit of kit and you’ll be putting a block on your phone with all the calls coming in.

One of the more difficult things to do smoothly is to capture rapidly moving aircraft. Our projects with the Los Angeles Fire Department often get us hooked up with the Air Operations Unit at Van Nuys Airport. And, not including air to ground footage, getting the shot of the Bell 412 airships from the ground is not an easy task – not if you want to be smooth and get the right perspective.

These sequences were shot during actual emergency response incidents, or at Van Nuys Airport responding to a call. Sony HD Cameras were used, and all content was edited in Final Cut Pro. This material is not graded, although we may come back and do some color adjustment in the future. These shots should just be considered a montage, as the elements will eventually find their way into our documentary on the history of the department, Smoke Eaters.

April is a big month for those of us who utilize video in our business. The National Association of Broadcasters event in Las Vegas is an annual gathering of those who either earn a living with video, or have no life to attend to, or in many cases, both. The city isn’t happy about the NAB, either. The casinos are empty, the parties consist of drinking beer and watching laptop computer screens, and the “dancers to your room” are asked, “have you got a scrim for this new matte box I just purchased?”

To avoid being lumped in with the above-noted assemblage, I decided not to attend NAB this year, the first I’ve missed in more than a decade. And, there’s some good reason, too. First of all, you can now see most of the new gadgets online, in local shows, and in manufacturer previews. Because the Internet is such a good avenue for research, the need to go to the show just to get information is no longer an essential part of the production process.

I’m not alone in that thinking, either. A number of large manufacturers, including Apple and Avid no longer feel the NAB is a required part of their business. That doesn’t mean the show will die, but it certainly needs to evolve. In fact, people love an excuse to get together, so the folks at NAB just need to find a new reason to market to all of us who hanker for a new camera, lens, or codec for our data…

Having written all of this, there are some really cool things happening in our industry related to technology. I’ll spend some time during the coming few weeks sharing our thoughts about them.

Looking back nearly 25 years ago, I was sitting at my table in my hotel in San Francisco, probably about two in the morning, wondering what the reaction would be to a new game my software company was about to launch. I was looking at our distribution plan and I was uneasy. I was terrified that we would fail. Just hours earlier, my co-founders and I were sitting around a table, shrink wrapping the product together, with a major trade show taking place the following morning.

Less than a year before, I had sat at lunch with the Japanese President of the computer company I worked for, and he explained to me that as far as he was concerned, there was no opportunity for success without failure. He praised me for trying new things relative to the job I had been given to promote a new operating system for an innovative new personal computer. He told me a remarkable story about the differences in theory behind Japanese research and American research – not really related to the people, but to the need for instant success, and the fear of failure. I remember it well, because I was fired the next morning by my American supervisor for taking too many risks. It was the only time in my adult life that I was fired from a job. But it gave me the opportunity to start something new, and to create new products and ideas that evolved into something successful.

It was about the same time that I became really excited about motorsport in general, and Formula One and CART IndyCar specifically. There is a purity in racing. Everything is measured. Everything is calculated. And there is no room to hide. You win, or you lose. And everything is on the table for everyone to see. It is the perfect technical competition and when properly done, the ideal opportunity for one person to excel based on the performance of a team of people. Wow.

At the time, Honda was not involved in U.S racing, but they became involved a bit later and they were terrible. Engines blew constantly, and even with superstar drivers, they couldn’t get their act together. But, after a few years, they improved and then, they won a championship. Today, every engine in the IRL Indycar Series is powered by Honda. So, they can’t lose in that formula.

Today, I’m reminded of that for several reasons. The economy is forcing people to get serious about understanding where they stand, where their professional and personal lives stand, and what they can do to reinvent, or even invent for the first time – something successful. I’m also reminded about that because I’m seeing new innovation all around me at the moment. And there are ironies as well. Honda just quit F-1, and racing guru Ross Brawn picked up the team for a song and with the Chinese Grand Prix about to take place, has outpaced everyone, winning both races so far in 2009, and giving the entire paddock fits with every rising sun.

I’m reminded of it because I’ve had the chance to spend time with some of the people I collaborated with 25 years ago, including software genius Bill Volk. And I am reminded of the value failure can have when creating something successful every day at R|com, my current adventure. We’re helping our clients with new ideas, new products, and new vision, and it is leading to some exciting new opportunities.

And, I’m reminded of it by a short film. A really interesting film by Honda, part of their Dream the Impossible documentary series. The film is called Failure: The Secret to Success. I think everyone should watch it.

What a great idea! After a trip to San Diego, my wife and I passed by a California Pizza Kitchen on our way home and decided to stop. “I haven’t been there for a long time,” I remarked, “and I wonder how they’re doing in the climate?”

The food was fine – Pepsi quality still, not terrific like the early days. But, the place was clean, the service fast, and the people polite. That makes for a fairly winning combination in my book. Still, it wasn’t until we were paying the bill that I realized someone with some talent was working in marketing.

Our server appeared at the table with a yellow card. “Here is your ‘Don’t Open it’ card.” It almost guarantees that whomever receives it will return to CPK for another meal. It’s really a terrific idea – here is how it works:

After you dine in at a CPK, you receive a yellow card that proclaims, “Don’t Open it!” If you open the card, the content is worthless. If you return to CPK (at least one day later), the manager will open the card and there is a 100% guaranteed gift inside. It could be a free meal, or a year’s worth of frozen pizza pies, or perhaps $50,000. Every card is a winner. Ordinarily, I might have said, “not bad. We’ll try this again in a few months,” or whatever. Now, thanks to the “Do Not Open Me!” card, I will be back… just make the check out to…

The LAFD uses Twitter to broadcast updates on Major Emergencies

There’s been a lot of buzz about Twitter of late. No wonder. With millions of users, and truckloads of new people signing up every day, it’s now easy to follow the antics of your friends, co-workers, or even Darth Vader. Much of the recent buzz has centered around the possible acquisition (assimilation?) of the company by Google. Other news stories and editorial pieces have asked if Twitter is for real, or is just a flash in the pan.

Twitter is for real – and perhaps more so because of mobile devices. The combination of 140 character micro-blog style entries and the broadcast abilities from computer to mobile device make Twitter a powerful technology. but Twitter isn’t just for kids, my sister-in-law, or even Demi Moore. Twitter can be an important business and public outreach technology as well. (See? I buried the lead again!)

Twitter is not limited to social commentary. It can be used for a wide variety of important communications solutions. Imagine setting up your servers to tweet you if they encounter pending failures or issues. Many law enforcement and fire agencies are now using Twitter to broadcast emergency incidents, evacuations, and street closures. Public safety, notably in a large city, can be an excellent environment in which to use Twitter.

Twitter is an ideal tool for a trade show, as it would allow reminders for keynote presentations, special events, prizes, etc. And, the most common device to receive these tweets is a mobile device. Now, combine the analytic results of such activities and any entity using both technologies can improve their communications, outreach, and effectiveness.

When our team works with clients who are interested in developing better relationships with their customers, or who wish to reach a wide audience easily, we are careful to give proper consideration to how the technology might be used. Just having the technology isn’t enough. There is work involved after the technology is installed or configured. The fantastic thing is, these technologies are avaiable to us, and our expertise lies in how to best use these new tools to improve business, communication, and in some cases, life itself.

When biz is down, there are many ways to deal with the situation. Unfortunately, one of the most common is to pull back, freeze up, stop everything, and then repeat. It’s a huge component of the reaction to some remarkable events in our domestic, not to mention international economy.

But it doesn’t have to be a complete standstill, “deer in the headlights” type of year. No, this can be the year of invention, evolution, and progress. And to do so, you’ve got to get competitive in the truest sense of the word. I’m often asked about our competition. My reaction is always the same: “Our competition is ourselves. It’s the brochure that was delayed at the printer. It’s the employee who was less than polite on the phone. It’s any number of things, but overall, if we do our job properly, nobody can compete.”

And when I speak about competition, I’m referring to the idea that if you have a good product, good service, and you can support your clients, you have a winning formula – assuming of course there is a need for your product or service.

So, what are we doing this year?

I’ve created a checklist for our company – and it’s one that we’re going to share with our clients – with you – and anyone who is interested. It’s a list that if followed will help your business grow (and ours, too).

To give you a preview, here are the top ten items (Read a la Letterman):

Number Ten: Think Community. The world has changed. Now, get with it and change, too – or get left behind.

Number Nine: Small is the New Big. Small business thrives in this economic environment.

Number Eight: Understand Competition. Are you it? Does someone offer the same solution, but with something you don’t?

Number Seven: Focus on Your Expertise. If you are an expert, flaunt it. If you aren’t one – become one.

Number Six: Create Your Online Presence. If you aren’t online, in today’s world, you’re not open for business. It’s time to open the doors to the Web and use it for profit and gain.

Number Five: Know What Your Customer Wants. ‘Nuf said.

Number Four: Promote Your Business, On- and Off-line. If nobody knows you, your client base will be very small.

Number Three: Build Your Brand. What makes you and your firm or service different? Tell everyone!

Number Two: Reinvent Your Sales Team. Don’t just go back to the well with the same old pitch. Make it count. New ideas, or even new people, may be the answer.

Number One: Have a Plan. You’d be surprised at how many people – and companies do not.

We’ll be creating a fun, short, white paper on “Ten Ways to Build Biz in 2009″ and offering it to anyone who is interested. Oh – and we’re also trying to follow our own advice. Let us know what you think.

One of our clients decided this would be a great time to upgrade the wireless network in his home. So, as a courtesy to a good client, we agreed to help install the system.

Based on what he had in place and the size of the home (large), he determined that he’d need three Apple Airport Extreme devices, mounting kits, plus two Airport Express devices. All in all, the cost was about $1,000, plus labor.

When we arrived, our first step was to review what had to be done, and that included some mounting of support plates, crawling through the attic, sweating in the basement, etc. The next step was to transfer all of the data to the initial wireless box, a new Apple Airport 802.11N device.

Once completed, I had an idea. Before installing anything else, I decided to walk around the home with my laptop, to determine where the signal faded. Surprise, the new model of the Airport was powerful enough that it covered the entire home. Wow. Well, almost wow. When we walked down to the basement, we found that only half of the underground “man-room” was receiving a signal. So, we popped an Airport Express into a wall socket and voila! Total coverage.

As a result, we get to return two airports, one express, and several mounting kits. Net savings of nearly $650 on the deal. Not a bad way to support your client…