Definition and Specificity
What’s in a name? Everything, it turns out. In our business, names and terminology are of paramount importance, I’m talking about names of gear, devices,… Read More »Definition and Specificity
I’ve Got a Guy…
Father’s Day rolled around recently, and I couldn’t help but notice that all the cards and greetings revolved around fixing stuff. As if the Universal… Read More »I’ve Got a Guy…
My Pants Are on Fire!
Lies pervade the arts. In fact you could make the argument that all arts are lies because they don’t accurately reflect reality or the perception… Read More »My Pants Are on Fire!
My Friend, Audio
I have this weird friend named Audio. We’ve worked very closely together for a while now. When we’re dialed in, life is great. Everything just sort of clicks, you know? Usually everyone is really cool when we get along. If I just disappear, most people can still say that they weren’t totally dissatisfied. At least they can say they heard something. But if Audio goes away while I’m on, people flip out. They flip out more when we are both there, but out of sync. We’re still friends, and that’s all that matters, really.
Frickin’ Lasers!
The coolest things in entertainment have always been, and will always be, lasers. That’s right, frickin’ lasers. At their height, sometime in the Pink Floyd era, lasers shot out over the auditorium and pierced the acrid pyro smoke like some alien fan pulsing in ridiculously fast waves, only in the next song to become shooting rods of intensely colored beams of acid gloriousness. I love lasers. I always have. You love them too.
Use Appropriate Fasteners for Mounting
“Some Assembly Required” and “Batteries Not Included” — two important phrases in our business. My other current favorite is “Use Appropriate Fasteners for Mounting.” That one makes me giggle almost as much as the one that usually says something like “Do Not Drop” on the side of a fixture or a projector. Damn! That’s what I’ve been doing wrong all these years! Thank you, dear manufacturer, for letting me know that the one thing I should definitely not do is drop the damn thing. Phew!
Honey, I Shrunk the Studio
A Look at Four Compact Tools for Video Production
I’ve been using a Blackmagic ATEM Television Studio for a while now, so I was excited to get my hands on the newly released Television Studio HD. Why stop there, though? This month you get a bonus equipment review — I took possession of not only the ATEM TVS HD, but also a HyperDeck Mini, a Web Presenter and a Teranex Mini Smart Panel. Basically, a complete eight-input switching/record/playback system designed to fit in a 1RU space, with the exception of the Web Presenter.
Sometimes I Hate Going to Shows…
Wait — let me rephrase that. I dislike going to shows because I usually end up being disappointed (hate’s a pretty heavy word these days, sorry). Why? I don’t think there is a decent explanation just yet…hence the article. But the simple answer is, I think, errors. Obvious (at least to me) errors in production and performance. Errors in customer service. Errors that could have easily been avoided.
Video Dreams
I started out as a lighting guy. But I saw the writing on the wall early on, and with the aid of my mind’s eye, I drifted into a video guy. I guess in some sense I’ll always be a lighting guy — can’t have video without lighting, right?
Bah Humb(ugh)
Now that the madness of the holidays are all behind us, I have a confession to make. I can’t stand the holiday season. It’s not that I’m “anti” anything; I just get really annoyed by many aspects of it all. From the commercialism to the fake sort of “have a wonderful season” (spending everything you make on stuff), to the endless amounts of zero time to get anything accomplished — it makes me crazy. On top of the guilt of having to work endless gigs to make it all affordable and then not being there for the fun stuff because of said gigs. Ugh. Bah Humb-ugh.
A Tale of Two Walls
I’m gonna build a wall. And it’ll be the best wall you’ve ever seen. And someone else is going to pay for it. Honest. My wall is going to make everyone realize that video is king and all those other disciplines are weak. Lights, Bah. You can’t make a wall out of lights. Although I did see a spry, young group of eager kids once make a wall of Source Fours into a pixel-mapped wall-esque display and actually put pictures of Fred Foster (CEO of ETC Theatrical) up, and it wasn’t half bad. And then there’s Rammstein.
Cleared for Takeoff
Back in the fall of 2015, I authored three “Video World” articles for PLSN regarding the emerging drone revolution, and its remarkable impact on our AV industry. Also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), these versatile drones are being used for both primary and B-roll footage in everything from commercials to documentaries to network programming. Lately, we’ve come to expect that dramatic shot that rises up over the trees, or that flies along the river — and the footage is breathtaking.