R|com Creative Blog

So, check out the photo. See where it says “microRemote” on the display? You’re looking at an iPhone. Or, alternatively, it could be an iPod Touch. Regardless, this is one of the most important new product releases since the DSLR rage hit. It doesn’t matter if you shoot with a Nikon or a Canon or whatever – if you shoot HD video, this is a really important piece of kit.

Essentially, this is a wireless, handheld, follow focus automation device. One of the big problems with DSLR rigs is they’re still small, even when you add a mattebox, viewfinder, etc. So, when the shot really counts and you’re shooting with sticks, this is a terrific way to better manage the shot.

It’s totally cool that RedRock Micro has delivered an Apple-certified iPhone/iPod touch application specifically for focus automation. And, if you add all of the proper goodies, it’s so James Bond or Jason Bourne, or (pick fave actor or serial adventure star here). It’s also cool that you can use your iPhone without lamenting about how lame AT&T is.

I could go on and on about this neat new tool. I won’t. Instead, check out the totally sales-oriented, but still nicely produced sales pitch video [ watch video clip ]

One of the things that we are often asked to do is to help organizations improve their use of social media tools. These entities have either created a blog, a twitter account, a Facebook page, or something similar. The problem is, they aren’t getting the results they expected. “I thought we’d get millions of new users because of our Facebook page,” one client lamented in a recent discussion.

There are some important things you might consider regardless of the tool or tools you’re using. The first is exactly that: You’ve got to use the tools if you expect them to do anything. In a recent meeting withe a client, when the topic of their Facebook page came up, one staffer asked, “who maintains our Facebook page?” The CEO replied without batting an eyelash, “nobody.”

If you don’t use it, it won’t work. And, it takes more than just using it. You need to know what you’re doing and why. We are often able to help our clients increase their return on investment (ROI) via a series of simple steps. One of them is to go back to earlier posts, videos, etc., and to establish how those elements faired against competitive examples. As one example, imagine you have added a video to YouTube about surfing in Hawaii. It’s a popular theme. Six months later, your video has received 3,500 views. You expected 100,000. So, what to do?

Example of Rcom's improvement to social media status of a client

We’ll evaluate other videos in the same space. That means evaluating the categories, the search results, and most important, the popularity. Then, by “editing” the video post, we can evaluate if making these changes will create an uptick in popularity. Recently, we reviewed a series of videos for a client, and discovered that they were posting all of them in the “film” category of YouTube. We changed some keywords, and most importantly, changed the category to “entertainment.” Within ten days, the number of views had increased tenfold. That’s 10-X. That’s awesome!

The most important trick is to stay on it. If you can’t do it yourself, get someone who can. We’re more than happy to discuss ways to help you increase your social media success metrics.

Today, Ford Motor Company unveiled the new 2011 Ford Explorer. While the traditional method of new product introductions has been at one of the various auto shows that occur annually, Ford decided to do this one on their schedule, and is using Facebook to let the world know about the new Ford truck.

In short, this is a brilliant move.

Facebook is not an automatic avenue to success. But it does have millions upon millions of users, and anyone can access a facebook page now, so the timing is right. And, Ford’s use of Facebook is what makes this product introduction so special. Starting late last night, Ford began launching short videos every few hours on both Facebook and YouTube. Not only is this cool because each video focuses on a specific aspect of the vehicle, but it will help Ford determine what kind of interest, and from what aspect of Facebook, people are coming. If you watch one video, you’re not likely an early adopter. If you watch every one, Ford will expect to see you in a dealer’s showroom with a credit app or checkbook.

We want our clients to likewise use social media appropriately. This is just one example of a terrific use of the Internet, not to mention a powerful way to introduce a significant new product without having to sort through 45 product intros on the same day. I would consider this a warning shot across the bow of every trade show. As Apple learned to use its showrooms to reduce costs and improve revenue, Ford can do the same. If you have questions or an interest in applying this type of solution to your product, give me a shout via email at davidb @ rcomcreative dot com.

R/com Creative has been awarded two 2010 Telly Awards for the recent production of two public service television commercials featuring Lakers Power Forward Star, Pau Gasol. The commercials, focusing on public safety for the Los Angeles Fire Department, feature Pau Gasol in his capacity as spokesperson for the LAFD and MySafe:LA.

Watch the 60 second commercial: click here

Watch the 30 second commercial: click here

There is a long-held rumor that Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard the Pirate, told his crew that the only way to die was to stand still when in battle. Keep moving, and you live. Regardless of whether the craggy old pirate really uttered those words, the truth of the matter is – stand still and others will pass you by.

Our team understands this issue, and we’re working diligently to move a number of our products and services forward. To that end, this summer will see some significant evolution in how we support our clients.

Actually, before noting what we’re going to be doing this coming quarter, let me quickly review what we’ve already done this year… We’ve completely converted our media production to a tapeless workflow. All of our media capture is now sans tape.

We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the quality of work we produce, and the recent spat of awards and trophies for our work product is both gratifying and supports the effort. Our team is very much on the quality bandwagon. We want that to translate to better products and services for you, our clients.

We’ve also just completed a completely new hosting and server environment. We’ve created a completely new set of cabinets, server architecture, wiring, firewall, switch, etc. The immediate result will be improved performance for all of our clients. The more long-term result will be announced over the course of the coming few months.

So, on to the new stuff that is coming…

The first step will be a completely new web environment for R/com. We will launch the new site in June. It will be very simple, but will clearly communicate what we do with our client and prospect base. And, we are adding some important support services, for both web and media clients.

The second step will be the addition of a new Internet environment for our content management software. It will focus on the capabilities of the software, as well as offer training and support for our existing and new clients.

The third step will be a new revision of our content software overall. We’ll be implementing some new ideas, combining various capabilities into object-oriented presentation of “ideas” via the web. Imagine being able to automatically create families of information (PDF, video, data, etc) around an object (product) and then to present that to the viewer.

There’s more to follow, but in the short run, that’s what we’re up to. And, we invite you along for the ride.

The primary service offered by R/com is communications. We help people and companies communicate. That might be via an image, a video, a website, or a printed book or magazine. Our objective is always to help the reader identify with the story or message being shared.

HBO is currently about three quarters of the way through presenting The Pacific, the story of young marines fighting in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Like Band of Brothers, this is a Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman production. And like Band of Brothers, just minutes into the program, you feel as if you’re right there with the First Marines.

A number of my relatives served in World War II. As a boy, I was able to thumb through their photo albums, and I was able, from a distance to look at what a boy sees: the glory of battle and the pride of service to country. Most of what I saw was from Europe, were my uncles served in the Army Air Force. But another, my uncle Frank, served in the Pacific… in 1944 and 1945. Unless someone told you he was there, you’d never know. He never talked about it.

My uncle Frank was single, lived with his parents, and from my youthful point of view, only cared about two things: golf and gin. Every evening, he’d walk up to the full bar my grandparents had in their house and tell nobody in particular, “it’s time for a drinkee-poo.” And he’s pour himself a full glass of gin. At the time, I hated it. I couldn’t understand why that old fashioned alcohol drink was such a part of him. He always seemed aloof, distant, and silly. He was my least-favorite uncle because I could never get to know him.

After watching the remarkable and horrifying episode on Guadalcanal, I thought of my uncle Frank, who passed away a number of years ago at a nice old age. I hadn’t thought of him in several years. And then, more recently, the even more graphic episode on Peleliu made me wonder where exactly my uncle had been in the Pacific. He was with the First Marines. No doubt, he witnessed in person what I watched safely from my couch, with my two dogs and wife for company, safe and secure. We cried in the safety of our home.

If I knew then what I know now, I’d have poured my uncle a glass of gin every day. He deserved it.

————-

The Pacific is based loosely on the books “Helmet for My Pillow,” by Robert Leckie, and “With the Old Breed,” by Eugene B. Sledge. Additional material was used from “Red Blood, Black Sand,” by Chuck Tatum, and “China Marine,” By Eugene Sledge.

Using the iPad to show HD video on a large TV at LAFD headquarters.

Per my previous post on the iPad, everyone here that uses one has been enjoying the experience. However, there’s no doubt that our use is not “average.” Separate from development, we use the iPad to review video with clients, to deliver presentations, to connect to our servers and server farm, as a slate during video production, as a teleprompter, and so on.

On Tuesday of this past week, it all changed for me. My Macbook Pro (nearly 3.1 years old), suffered a miotechnical infarction. It had a CPU attack – and died. As a side note, I find it bizarre that it would die within a few days of its AppleCare protection expiring, not to mention on the same day as the new MacBook Pros being introduced by Apple.

Getting a new computer would be easy, but in the midst of the huge number of projects, the last thing on my mind was getting a new laptop. Worse, the prospect of migrating several hundred megabytes of data and applications was not inspiring.

It got worse. No matter what we did (the dealer and I), we could not get the content of my old Mac to transfer to the new one. Meanwhile, I had work to do. So, I decided to see what I could accomplish using the iPad. I left the migration project with my dealer, who diligently attacked the problem.

I have an iPhone and it’s great for email. I rarely use it for longer email notes. So, with the iPad in hand, I decided this would be a good test. Apple Mail is not my favorite app (on the Mac), but on the iPad, it was refreshing and even, careful now – fun. Apple gives tremendous thought to the process of their products, and it makes all the difference in the world. I love the way the in-box displays, the images pop up, etc. It’s very slick. The big trick was using the built-in keyboard.

For the first few email notes, I was not impressed. It seemed that I was missing keys and looking for other keys that weren’t there. Well, they were, but you had to swap overlays to see and use them. After three email notes, I answered the phone and walked away from the iPad.

When I came back, it was as if I had suddenly mastered typing on the keyboard. It was a cross between iPhone email and the Mac – the auto-spell-check worked nicely, and the graphical display and orientation of mail was easy to follow. In fact, it made sorting and responding to email far easier than on my desktop app (Entourage). So, using the iPad for email proved to be a snap.

Speaking of keyboards, I have been working on several reports, and thankfully, copies were stored in my mobile me account. So, I connected and transferred the files to my iPad. That was easy. But, then, after two pages of typing on the graphic keyboard, I started to get frustrated. I can type quickly. I cannot type quickly when using the iPad. Roadblock.

Then, I remembered I could use a bluetooth Mac keyboard. So, I drove to our office and snagged one from a workstation (sorry!), and brought it home. I plugged the iPad into the neat little stand you can get, and connected the keyboard. Now, I was typing quickly again. And Apple Pages for the iPad is totally cool – and it’ll cost you ten dead Presidents, so it’s cheap, too.

The next morning, in my email, I received a film budget in Excel format. Jeez, now what? Oh, I remembered that Apple Numbers was available – I already had Keynote and Pages. So, I tapped on the Apple iTunes Store (remember, we no longer click – we tap), and within a few seconds (literally), I had purchased Numbers (also ten dollars), downloaded it, and was reviewing the spreadsheet. I made some changes, and then sent it back to my finance guy. So, although I wasn’t editing video, I was doing many of the things I do with my laptop. And this is in between all of the things I’ve discussed in my previous post – keynote, video, audio, networking, etc. I was doing all of that, too.

After two days, my new laptop was ready to be picked up, but I was pretty surprised and pleased with the iPad as an everyday communications device. I would note that using it that way is not its strength. It’s really ideal for the other types of uses previously described, but when called upon, it stepped up and for the most part, was a workable solution.

Would I stop using a laptop? Nope. But, the iPad has changed the way I look at computing. The devices have started to fall into different use categories. My MacBook Pro is essentially my primary computing device. I can take it from home to the office. If working on a film production, I can take it on location. However, when running around town, meeting with clients, etc., I don’t take the laptop. The iPad is far more convenient, and workable. There is no doubt it will help us build our business. But, that’s a different story for another time.

My Academy Award-winning father (twice!) keeps telling me that we have to promote ourselves at every turn. For some, it’s easy. For me, not so easy. But, in this case, easier – as the film in question, Continuum: Against All Odds, is the work of my remarkable wife, Cameron.

The Going Green Film Festival saw fit to have its judges award our documentary on the University of Michigan’s solar racing team, best film in its category: transportation. Frankly, I thought we had a shot, while Cameron, nervous and talking a mile a minute thought no chance at all! It is sweet to hear the name of your film called out in a large auditorium as the winner of an award.

The students at Michigan deserve all the credit: their story made the film interesting. For us, this is now past history. We’re very honored, and at the same time, we’re busy moving forward with new projects. If you saw the film and liked it, please let us know. If you would like a copy, send us a note. If you want your own award-winning production, we’re open to proposals!

Canon EOS 7D on location shooting full HD 30p

One of the things our team spent considerable time evaluating was video formats. What I am referring to is the format used for compression when shooting full HD video. While our team has years of experience with HD production, eliminating tape has been the important migration for us. Tape is not dead, but for the types of product we create, we can be far more competitive if we produce our shows without tape.

So, learning about the various options has been extremely important to us. And, as many other producers and creatives read this blog, it makes sense to share our experience. And, the most important initial obstacle has been the variety of claims made by manufacturers regarding the compression formats chosen, and how those formats interact with the other capabilities of the various HD cameras under consideration.

Brand loyalty stepped up right from the start. We’ve had some wonderful experiences with Panasonic cameras in the past – in our standard definition days. That “panny mojo” image is hard to beat in terms of warmth and contrast. But, in spite of that, we’ve been very loyal to Sony. We’ve had Sony cameras and other gear in use in the harshest of conditions, and in every case, the gear has worked, and we’ve been comfortable not only with the results, but the production process (usability) as well.

I was fairly interested in the Sony EX (XD-CAM) format, but had some reservations. CMOS sensors in the EX1 and EX3 meant possible problems when shooting in certain conditions or with strobe lights – and as we work with the Los Angeles Fire Department, that worried us. A test shoot revealed all kinds of shutter issues, even when the shutter was shut off. Oops. I was also concerned about MPEG-2 Long GOP (group of pictures) as a recording format generally, even though the images were lovely when viewed on a large HD monitor. Finally, the SxS memory cards are not cheap – the 32GB cards we’d use were on average $800 (street price). So, for six cards, that would require an outlay of $4,800. That was almost the cost of the EX1 itself (street price). And, for the first time in a long time, the ergonomics of the EX1 did not sit well with our camera operators.

Still… We are Sony fankids.

Directing Lakers star Pau Gasol while shooting with the EX3.

To further test the format, we produced a public safety announcement with the Laker’s Pau Gasol using the Sony EX-3 camera. Nice. But a bit of a pain to ingest the media, and in my mind, some limitations on use. The real difficulty is that we love Sony products. They are so well thought-out, produced and supported. That almost made us opt for the XD-CAM environment, even with the limitations we were aware of.

The market helped us. In addition to video, our still photography needs were increasing. The arrival of the Canon 7D DSLR really impacted us. Still and HD video capture in a single device. That, and the ability to use motion picture-style lenses, camera rigs, etc. was extremely attractive. The Canon 7D uses AVCHD as a compression format. Would it hold up?

Philip Bloom, a British DP, helped us in that regard. His videos using the Canon 7D are the best sales pitch anyone could imagine. It sold us. And in so doing, opened a new door – the option of AVCHD (MPEG4/H.264). Oh, and the 7D, with its 18-megapixel imager and other capabilities helped us execute quality still shoots, too. Thanks, Phil!

I began to evaluate all of the pro cameras that used AVCHD. Many were consumer, but a few were emerging that caught my eye, including from Panasonic. In internal discussions, however, our lament continued: “Why no Sony pro camera with AVCHD. That’s not good!” Our impression was that if Sony didn’t do it, there was an important reason.

Our need for gear had us tilting towards several camera options, none of which we were thrilled with, except for our Canon 7D. And regardless of the picture quality, the shape and format of the gear made it a tough choice when shooting news or POV documentary material.

Cameron uses the NX-5u on location

And then, without warning, Sony reappeared. It locked in everything we were considering. The Sony NX5U camera was introduced and everything just fit into place. The new NXCAM solution from Sony utilized AVCHD. We spent some time with the prosumer version of the camera at CES. That really settled it. Now, we have three cameras, all using AVCHD (variations) and all ideal for import into Final Cut Pro, Premiere, or Avid workstations.

The Canon 7D is our portrait interview camera. It’s a film producer’s wet dream: the images are so lovely and really convey a film-look. But, not so easy to hang from a helicopter with one, even with the cool Zacuto, RedRock, and other camera rig options out there.

The Sony NX5u becomes the primary workhorse. Remarkable lens, combined with typical Sony quality means we’re able to shoot in nearly any environment easily and with top quality results. The NX5u continues to impress me every time I pick it up or review material captured with it. Just having separate rings for iris, zoom, and focus make this a wonder to use.

And finally, the Panasonic HMC-40 is our ideal B-camera. It’s small, so we can shoot in any number of places where we don’t want to be obvious about our use of a pro camera. It isn’t CMOS, but rather 3MOS CCDs, so we can shoot strobe lights all night long. It has long-lasting batteries, and delivers really fantastic images. They have that “panny magic” warmth to them. I hate the viewfinder and find it a huge pain in the ass to use, but for specific types of shoots, it is a great asset. And, frankly, at $2,000, if we get melted in a structure fire, nearly  drowned in a swift water rescue, or dusted up while shooting a documentary in Australia (as we do every few years), it’s not too tough to replace.

But wait, there’s more! All three cameras have HDMI out. So, connecting our Marshall field monitor to any of the three is a plug and play exercise. The Sony and Panasonic use the same HDSC memory cards, and at roughly $80 for a 16GB card and $200 for a 32GB card, the data is affordable. Use a proper card storage device and you’ll not have to worry about damaged cards, either.

Finally, they all easily transcode to ProRes or ProRes 422 for post production work. The net result is a full production suite of camera kit that is ideal for nearly any situation. If there’s an irony, it’s that AVCHD is owned (trademarks, etc.) by BOTH Sony and Panasonic. And, as customers, we’re using both together.

Jessica Sanders "make.believe" commercial was shown all over CES

The new year began well enough, with a trip to Las Vegas to work for both clients and our own technology interests at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It was a nice change from recent shows, with lots of positive energy, not to mention a wealth of new and exciting technology. In a time when people are out of work, tempers are on edge, and people are distrustful of almost everything, it was really nice to speak to so many upbeat people, see so many fun, new products, and in general, to start the year off on a great note.

From a techie perspective, there was a lot to like. Let’s touch on a few of the more memorable things. Sharp’s QuadPixel technology was really terrific to see. Bright and even perhaps overly colorful, there are a ton of possible applications. The LG OLED television was similar in terms of being both impressive and perhaps too colorful. Images tended to look like they were painted on the screen. Nobody every looked that bright in real life – but it looks cool!

On the phone front, the appearance of the Android operating system (based on Linux) in phones from Motorola (like the Backflip) and others was really great to see. On the other side of the coin, I would say that Palm is dead, but perhaps still staggering along. It’s odd that so many former Apple execs are at Palm, and the company is to totally out of the mix moving forward. Oh, well!

There were “tablet” computers everywhere, from HP, Lenova, ICD, Dell and others. Essentially, they’re all laptops without the folding case. With a touch screen and fast display refresh, some are interesting to see, but I think the thing that’s missing is that each of these new boxes seem to be focused on the hardware specs, rather than the user experience. It will be interesting to see what Apple comes up with later in the month, when they are expected to introduce a similar type of device.

Lots of manufacturers were showing off 3D television. Panasonic had a 152-inch (yup!) plasma 3D television. It was a movie theater screen – but sharper. I don’t know how any of us feel about 3D, as you need two eyes for it to work and everyone must wear those silly glasses.

On a related note, Panasonic was showing off a prototype of a prosumer 3D HD video camera, and that was freakin’ awesome. If 3D is gonna be a big hit, producing shows must be simple and straight-forward.

There was lame stuff too…

Intel was showing off a medical monitoring system that permits patients to be linked to their physician via a secure link. The doc sees his patients daily health stats in a sort of triage view (red, yellow, green). It isn’t web enables, is expensive, and is just, well… so 1995. The concept is awesome and powerful, but isn’t not what the world is doing now… Docs want to see this type of data on their mobile device, and they want to be able to click and point and adjust appointments, meds, etc. Relying on a dedicated piece of hardware and software is… well, I already said it.

The folks at Visteon are still in business, but their technology is two years old – they showed off the same stuff we collaborated with them on more than a year ago. No doubt they have new things in the pipeline, but it wasn’t obvious at the CES. We wish them all well, however!

The BING section of the Microsoft booth was nearly always empty. The BING exterior display and transport stage was always empty.

If you haven’t been to one of these shows before, they’re beyond what anyone can take in during a single visit or even over four days. There are the main show floors, where you can take in Microsoft, Intel, Panasonic, Sony, etc. Adjacent to the main floorspace, there is an auto pavilion, which was also filled with iPhone and related solutions – including a projector for your iPhone. Actually, we saw three examples of the iPhone projection hype, and they all suck. Keep pushing though, as the idea is a good one (unless the new Apple iSlate or whatever is better).

At the Venetian Hotel, the top floors are jammed with audio manufacturers. Each one rents a suite and inside, they show off their speakers, mono amplifiers, DVD players and even, um… turntables. That’s right – vinyl is back. It sounds great, but the turntables cost what a laptop does – a good one! So, walking these floors is kind of odd – lots of geeks and people who like to sit alone in their “audio rooms” and so on. We did get to check out lots of hot audio, however.

For us, the coolest thing we saw at the show was in the Sony booth. First, they offered a glimpse at the consumer version of their new AVCHD HD video camera. It rocks the planet. Our team will certainly use the the new professional version. Just going through the paces with the prototype was worth the trip.

The second thing we saw that we loved was a Sony feature on its new marketing endeavor. Called make.believe, it features a series of creative film directors, including my half-sister, Jessica Sanders. Her commercial spot is really fantastic and was a huge hit at the show.

There was other stuff that made Vegas fun…

First of all, if you haven’t been to the new City Center, stop everything and check it out. It’s freakin’ amazing. There are so many interesting angles, fresh oranges in the walkways, amazing shops, and a really fun atmosphere. It’s crazy, just like everything in Vegas, but it is really worth a look.

City Center is the most expensive private real estate venture in the U.S.A.

And not only is City Center cool, the new Aria Hotel and Casino is just about the coolest hotel (except for the Four Seasons!) you’ll find anywhere in a big city. It’s totally hip, has a great waterfall, water “fireworks” and the best restaurants anywhere in town. When there, you must try out Julian Serrano, one of the most remarkable places to enjoy some wine, good friends (thanks Ronnie V and Melissa) and great food.  In addition to the Aria, the new vDara Hotel is also pretty cool.

The folks at Kinoma are doing well, and it was a blast to share a great dinner with Mitchell Weinstock, an old and dear friend who runs BizDev for the Kinoma clan.

The Golden Nuggett opened their new Rush Tower and it’s fantastic – really nice. If you’re headed to Vegas for any reason, it’s worth checking out.

So, the year started out well in Vegas. There is new techie stuff coming, and people seem to be eager for optimism. It will take some real energy, including new jobs to make a difference, but the spirit was good! Here’s to a great 2010. Be good to your friends and family.

As 2009 comes to a close, many of us are probably feeling some degree of relief. It has been, by all accounts, a challenging year. I know that our family, friends, and clients have spent considerable time dealing with the stress of economic, military, and other challenges. We all know someone out of work. We have all read about the conflicts that are continuing in multiple arenas. Emotions have been running high – and the challenges we all face, regardless of position or wealth, remain enormous.

This holiday season, our team is focusing on looking forward to a better 2010 for our clients and personal relationships. It is our wish that all of us can collaborate on things that will help us see these challenging times through – and will ultimately lead to a better future for those we love and care for. Regardless of religion, ethnicity, employment or political affiliation, there is plenty of common ground on which we can stand together.

Nearly 100 years ago, the world was at war. In 1914, the British and French were engaged in what would soon be outdated combat with the German army. The loss of life was beyond comprehension, and the most tragic battles were still to come. Yet, something remarkable happened at Christmas in 1914.

photo credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In many places, beginning on Christmas Eve, enemies and combatants stopped fighting. It is now historically referred to as, “The Christmas Truce.”

In the Ypres area of Belgium, Germans and British soldiers were hunkered down in trenches just hundreds of feet from one another. During the early evening, Germans began decorating their trenches. They put candles in trees and began singing Christmas carols. As their voices carried across the battlefield, the British were amazed to hear “Still Nacht” (Silent Night). The British responded with their own rendition of the much-loved song.

Singing escalated into holiday greetings shouted across the “no man’s land” of the battlefield. And shortly thereafter, soldiers from both sides climbed out of their trenches, walked exposed and without shelter into the night and began to greet their “enemies” with handshakes and in fact, gifts. Whiskey, bread, jam, chocolate and cigars were traded, along with more song.

The truce spread along the lines. Wounded soldiers left on the battlefield earlier in the day were rescued and removed to have their wounds treated. And the dead were buried. Proper burials for soldiers on both sides were performed, and both sides stood, side by side, to pay their respects.

It has been reported that on that Christmas day – December the Twenty Fifth, Nineteen Hundred and Fourteen, instead of firing bullets and shells at one another, the British and Germans played football. Apparently, there were many matches played all along the lines, and more food, song, and drink were shared. So too were addresses, as many soldiers befriended those they were shooting at just days before – and promises were made to visit once the war was over.

Although there is no concrete evidence to support the length of the truce, some written reports indicate the cessation of hostilities lasted until New Year’s Day.

The following year, a similar truce occurred, this time between French and German troops. A repeat of the previous year’s truce took hold in some places, and in fact, through to the end of the war, soldiers collaborated in multiple areas with informal armistice agreements. While the politicians and senior commanders were continuing to plot war, the combatants were plotting peace.

An unknown British soldier wrote home about the truce, and in part, his letter reads:

This will be the most memorable Christmas I’ve ever spent or likely to spend: since about tea time yesterday I don’t think there’s been a shot fired on either side up to now. Last night turned a very clear frost moonlight night, so soon after dusk we had some decent fires going and had a few carols and songs. The Germans commenced by placing lights all along the edge of their trenches and coming over to us, wishing us a Happy Christmas etc. They also gave us a few songs etc. so we had quite a social party. Several of them can speak English very well so we had a few conversations. Some of our chaps went to over to their lines. I think they’ve all come back bar one from ‘E’ Co. They no doubt kept him as a souvenir.

I exchanged one of my balaclavas for a hat. I’ve also got a button off one of their tunics. We also exchanged smokes etc. and had a decent chat. They say they won’t fire tomorrow if we don’t so I suppose we shall get a bit of a holiday… perhaps. After exchanging autographs and them wishing us a Happy New Year we departed and came back and had our dinner.

We can hardly believe that we’ve been firing at them for the last week or two. It all seems so strange. At present its freezing hard and everything is covered with ice…

And so, in this new century, with new challenges and obstacles to overcome, I would like to wish you the happiest of times possible. Reach out and find someone in need of a smile, and share something festive with them. Their smile will certainly be contagious and hopefully we can all enjoy the holidays together. And may 2010 bring you new prosperity, hope, and good health.

Kind regards,
David Barrett & everyone at R|com Creative!

P.S. If the Christmas Truce is of some continuing interest to you, the “Truce” is dramatized in the 2005 French film Joyeux Noël (nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film category at the 78th Academy Awards). The Christmas Truce was also briefly portrayed in Richard Attenborough’s 1969 film Oh What a Lovely War.

A number of books have been written on the Christmas Truce, including Stanley Weintraub ‘s Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, which chronicles the event itself from first hand accounts.

As twilight settles over LA, the Swift Water team from 88s swings into action.

It’s difficult to go anywhere these days without hearing about how the Canon 5dMKII and the 7D are changing the indie film world. And while that’s true, it’s also true that the 7D is a remarkably capable still camera as well.

The Canon 7D represents part of a new arsenal of equipment for our team. We’ve spent the past year evaluating various bits of kit, and with the knowledge that we’d need to use the gear for a wide range of projects, the 7D became a leading contender. The remarkable reviews by noted DP Philip Bloom and some of his amazing 7D videos didn’t hurt either.

Just this past week, on December 7th, while on location in Los Angeles, our LAFD radio crackled with a river rescue assignment. This was a wet week in the City of Angels, and the risk of being swept away was higher than normal (normal is no worries, as the LA River is man-made and is concrete and dry!). Even with rush hour traffic, we were able to safely get on scene within a few minutes. A homeless person, perhaps living in the vegetation in the center of the concrete channel was trapped – not in water, but unable to get off his “island.”

Swift Water Experts from LA, Glendale, and Pasadena rescue a stranded person.

Cameron took the trusty HD video camera and I grabbed the Canon 7D. We’d only taken possession of the camera a few weeks earlier, so this was going to be an interesting assignment. The sun was already down and it was twilight. How would the Canon hold up in extremely low light?

Several things happened: The homeless person was rescued successfully, uninjured, and in need of only fresh clothes (regardless of the weather). And, the Canon 7D really came through. I mean – it was a joy. The viewfinder makes it easy to properly frame images quickly, and the information provided helps me, as a photographer, make decisions about each visual setting prior to exposing a frame (on a CF card, too!). And, finally, every other photog or videographer on scene had a comment to add: “Oh, is that the new Canon? Nice!” Even a river rescue firefighter stopped to say, “I love that camera! Have you seen the HD video that comes out of it?” Um… yes! I shoot HD video with it!

As the rescue was executed, the light of day was gone. Yet, the 7D continues to deliver detailed images with limited noise.

In this case, I was most impressed with the image quality in near black conditions. As night fell, only the jumpy circle of light from a hovering LAFD helicopter lit the area. Overall, it was dark enough to want a flashlight. Yet, the 7D really brought the story to life. See the images attached to this story. No light. Really.

During the coming few weeks, we’ll offer up some field review entries, and hopefully share how the 7D is being integrated into our equipment inventory. Consider this entry to be a bit of rah rah over our delight with this new bit of kit. And if you have a Canon 7D, we’d love to hear from you as well.

NOTE: Our team works closely with the Los Angeles Fire Department, and as such, shooting video at incidents such as this are an ongoing and normal part of our activities.

The introduction this week of the new NXCAM format is really great news for anyone producing a wide array of professional video product, and notably for documentary producers. The camera combines capabilities found in other manufacturer’s (often more expensive) products and the result is a flexible, high-performance full HD camera. When I started blathering on about how thrilled I was that Sony had taken this step, peers and staff asked the same question over and over again – “Why?”

The initial model (unnamed as of this date) in the NXCAM series does a number of really important things: It records AVCHD full HD 1920×1080 material (in all variations of resolutions) and as such, is easily compatible with other cameras, including as one example, the Canon 7D hybrid still/video camera. It utilizes a relatively new type of glass, and although fixed to the camera, this lens, called a G-Lens, delivers excellent optics, no doubt a result of Sony’s purchase of Minolta. And, the camera is ideal for the wide variety of production requirements a documentary requires.

In our situation, we’re interested in the best tool for a variety of situations. That means we’ll shoot portrait interviews, mount a camera on a moving vehicle, hang from a helicopter, and so on. And, if we’re doing all of these things, it also means we’re shooting a lot of material (hours vs. minutes). If you’re making a film, you’ll work from a shot list, and the shooting ratio may be 3:1. In our documentary work, we’re going to capture reality as it occurs, and then weed out the footage that isn’t essential to telling the story. The result is often 30:1 or higher. That’s right, we may shoot 30 hours of video to get a one hour show. In fact, for a documentary we did in Australia that covered two weeks of a cross-country race, we shot more than 100 hours of video. The final product was a broadcast-ready 44 minutes.

The AVCHD format is ideal for this type of work. And, being able to record to a flash drive that mounts into the camera is fantastic. There’s no box attached to a shoe that gets in the way of moving the camera about. It snaps into place. You can record literally hours of material, and then, using USB connectors, transfer the files directly to your PC or Mac.

There’s more to like as well. The imagers in the camera are native 1920 x 1080. The imagers in other cameras in this class are typically 720p and upscale to 1080p. This is really important and becomes even more so when you discover that the camera will output a full HD 4:2:2 signal via the built-in HD-SDI port while shooting. That type of flexibility allows us to integrate this camera with other, far more expensive cameras.

It’s difficult to capture a strong, clear image if you can’t see what you’re doing. The NXCAM shown off by Sony offers a 1.2 million pixel 16×9 display using backlit LED technology. The Panasonic HMC-150, by comparison (same compression system, similar price, etc.) has a display with approximately 210,000 pixels in a 4×3 display that is letter-boxed. What? To use the Panny (which has great images), you really need to add an external monitor, or you’re going to be disappointed with the results. Sony avoids that extra complication. Add-on monitors are terrific if you’re on a tripod and locked off. They don’t work if you’re jumping off a fire engine and following firefighters into a smokey building. Sony resolves that problem with not only the flip-up external monitor, but the built-in viewfinder as well. You can learn more by watching the intro video produced by Sony.

So, as we envision some of the production work we’re scheduled to produce this year, the Sony NXCAM fits in really well. We can shoot portrait interviews using prime glass on our Canon 7D. We can match that (remember, same codec) with footage captured “in the field” with the Sony NXCAM. And, we can edit in both PC and Mac NLE solutions without drama. No tape. No fuss. Oh, by the way – there’s more to like as well. Because we shoot on location, as documentary producers, we are careful to log everything we shoot. Now, with the NXCAM, there is GPS data added to the metadata of each file. Whoo hoo! So, the next time we travel 2,000 miles across the Stewart Highway in Australia, we’ll know where each shot was captured. And, if we decide to shoot in a studio, we can lock multiple NXCAMs together, thanks to the new (if proprietary) timecode in and out connectors.

The only bad news is that the camera isn’t available yet. Hey Sony – want some remarkable footage of firefighters saving lives? How about the California coast and wine country? Or, how about some footage of the latest sports cars being testing on windy country roads at speed? If so, get us an NXCAM ASAP. We aren’t asking for a freebie. We’ll own it. Love it. And we’ll tell the world.

We’ve added a Canon EOS 7D to our production equipment inventory. Already, I’ve found multiple occasions to use it during the first week we’ve had it. It is a fabulous production tool. It also represents a major breakthrough in some respects, but it is not, as some would tell you, a fix-all for video production.

First of all, a few initial comments for anyone not familiar with the Canon EOS 7D, or why we’d write about it. This is a digital SLR (D-SLR) still camera that also happens to record lovely 1080p video images. It is one notch below the Canon 5D MKII, and is competitive with a number of other DSLRs on the market.

As a still camera, it offers a new 18 megapixel sensor, a fantastic three inch viewfinder that displays 100% of the frame (many cameras show 90 or 95% of the frame). It includes a flexible AF system with a dedicated processor for focusing – so it’s fast. The shutter system is also new, permitting an impressive 8 frames per second (in still mode). As with other Canon products, it features the EF / EF-S lens mount system. Sensitivity is also terrific, with Auto ISO (100 – 3200) or manual ISO from 100 – 6400 in 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments. It offers nearly all of the professional features you could imagine for a camera of this type, and a great place to see a review of its still capabilities is at dpreview.

As a video camera, it’s also pretty amazing. It has standard video outputs in both NTSC and PAL, plus HDMI output for HD video. It includes a built-in microphone and has an input for an external mic as well (mini plug). The camera will shoot 1920×1080 at 29.97, 25, or 23fps. It will shoot 1280×720 at 59.94, 50fps or even (but why?) 6340×480 at 59.94, 50fps. It records using H.264 in a QuickTime .Mov wrapper. Note however, that the QuickTime wrapper does not mean any NLE will recognize the footage. More on video reviews in a bit.

There are three ways to use this camera: As a still camera. As a video camera. As a film-style camera.

Image shot with EOS 7D - Battalion Chief Kawai

When using this as a still camera, it’s a joy. Many people wrestle with the Nikon vs. Canon brand issue. In my experience, I see both everywhere. However, it does seem that when you’re a portrait photographer, there are reasons to use Nikon products, and if you’re a journalist or sports photographer, Canon offers some benefits.

This camera is easy to hold. It’s easy to read. The menu system is a snap, and you can pre-set commonly used menu elements. As a result, getting high-quality stills is literally a snap. As a photographer, you can really focus (sorry!) on the image to be captured – framing, lighting, depth, etc. A fantastic review of the camera can be found at Rob Galbraith’s blog. Additional reviews for photographers can be found at Alexa.

As a video camera, this is a bit of a different animal. You can’t (obviously) shoot with a vertical orientation, as you can with stills. The camera is heavy to hold for video motion, and a tripod or camera rig is an absolute requirement over the long term. However, this doesn’t make it unusable in “camera format.” Some things work differently, but it is still quite capable with just Canon lens and related support gear. Simply put, you can point and shoot and get really nice images.

There are some things you can do to improve the immediate video capabilities of the camera. One is to add a proper microphone. Rode makes a stereo mic that mounts to the shoe and plugs into the body. We purchased a Rode with the camera and it has been fantastic. Philip Bloom, the noted British DP has recently produced a really nice video package with the 7D and the Rode mic – right here in California at Venice Beach. It’s a really nice video story and highlights the EOS 7D.

It’s when you think of the 7D as a film camera that it really changes the landscape (again, sorry!) for producers. This is a camera that starts at perhaps $2,000 with a nice lens. You can start to add various bits and pieces to it, including a mic, follow-focus, matte box, remote trigger, etc. Suddenly, it’s a complete motion picture camera rig – for less than $5,000. And the images it creates are full-on cinematic quality – no “cinema mode” crap either. To see a great example of the camera rigged for news video, check out this Matt Jasper 7D video clip.

The difference is the glass. This is a camera that allows total control over the Z-axis as well as the overall frame. As such, you can dial in a lovely depth of field that permits you to shoot video with a realistic, natural, film look. You can add a prime lens to the Canon. In fact, there are a few firms already making PL mount conversions. While that may only be useful to anyone who already owns a suite of PL glass, the knowledge that you can pick a lens for any specific shot is a breakthrough event for most videographers. In fact, if Panavision rented glass without a camera, you could really lose your mind. Check this out.

In my initial shoots with the 7D, I found the camera to be very balanced. The image was crisp and as with any HD camera, the critical issue was and is focus. But the ability to shoot with such a nice depth of field is eye-opening (I’m so sorry!). Even in the first day of shooting, I was thinking, “oh this is sweet!” as I was rolling chip. That’s another thing: no tape. The EOS 7D uses CF cards (UDMA only, type 6 or faster). And with a 32GB card, I can capture more than 80 minutes at the highest resolution.

We have been really busy with production the past few weeks, so publishing our own 7D clips will have to wait for a few weeks. Rest assured, however, that we will publish a variety of 7D clips. We’ll also share opinion regarding the workflow overall and our use with editing software.

In the meanwhile, here are some fantastic examples of the 7D at work:

Canon EOS 7D at 30p – by Philip Bloom

Dublin’s People – by Philip Bloom

Around Rome – by Shawn Landersz

Sony's extraordinary EX3

The DV Expo was really small this year. We ripped through the tiny section of the Pasadena Convention Center set aside for the likes of Panasonic, Sony and JVC, in about three hours, and that included saying hi to nearly every person working every booth. My cranky left knee and I like small shows.

Of course, we’re looking for our next tapeless camera purchase, and it didn’t take long to be neck deep in options. We want something that will shoot a picture that will knock your socks off, we want it to be relatively light weight and tough, we don’t want it to cost too much money and we want the recordable media to be affordable. Also, if it would open the garage door and cook dinner every now and then, we’d like that too.

Sony's EX1 - the travel-sized version of the EX3.

Most expensive on our list are the Sony EX3 and EX1. It’s hard for me to turn my back on a Sony, even when they tell me the media will costs ten billion times what compact flash and SDS cards cost. I’ve fallen asleep with my Sony Z1U cradled in my arms in a tent in the Outback of Australia, on a night train between Hamburg, Germany and Paris, and after a very strange night of drinking some neon green liquor in Lyon, France. It’s been in dozens of fire engines and ambulances with me, not to mention smoke filled houses and burning hillsides. But it’s getting tired. I can’t blame it. And that whole recording to tape nonsense is getting really tired. So soon, I’m going in to have it surgically removed from my right hand.

JVC's HM100U - looks just like a camcorder, only smaller!

Do I want to replace it with another Sony? Yes. Do I want to pay Sony SxS card prices? Um, no. Is the EX1 and the EX3 worth the price? Probably.

But I thought I should look around, and there was something about the GY-HM100U that really drew me over to the JVC booth. I loved the view finder – BIG! I loved the size of the camera – small! I loved that it stored files on the cheapo SDHC memory cards. I loved that the entire XLR shotgun mic assembly (which comes along for no extra charge) popped off with the turn of a nob, making the camera positively minute. I swear that camera could fit into a pocket on my shooters’ vest without the mic. It weighed a little more than the competition across the show floor – the Panasonic AG-HMC40, but it was much smaller, and the view finder was higher resolution and the XLR shotgun mic came with it. I thought this was an awesome, itty, bitty little camera that I could add to our Sony line up, that would be inexpensive enough to abuse and replace as needed.

I expected the price to be right around that of the HMC40 – list $2,295. Then they told me the bad news. The HM100U lists at $3,995. I waited for the guy in the JVC booth to start laughing. Give me an elbow in the ribs and say, just kidding. And I waited a little more. He seemed mesmerized by how my mouth was gaping opened. He seemed disturbed when I finally gathered myself enough to ask “Whaaa?”

Anyway, that happened.