“Trust. Money.” Boy, could that title be taken a few different ways. Money and trust have been odd bedfellows practically since currency was invented. Trust has been around a whole lot longer, but as soon as money entered the world, trust started getting in short supply. Why are these two so inextricably intertwined? Why do people spend a week’s worth of income on a concert ticket and just trust that it’s going to be worth it?
This article has nothing to do with good system design. Let’s just get that out there first. If you want to learn to design systems, go to school (hard knock U or other) and start designing. Designing is a learned process, and you learn by doing. That said, I’ve been designing a lot of systems lately. I’m a system technician by trade, but for some reason, the phone keeps ringing and I get a line like, “We’re wanting to do this crazy thing, and we weren’t quite sure who to call, but your name kept coming up.”
“My house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy.”
That quote was on an etched-wood plaque that hung on my mother’s kitchen wall for years, and for the longest time, I’ve used it as my personal philosophy concerning cleanliness…..at least in the kitchen and house. When it comes to gear, it’s a whole different game.
What does the term “opera” conjure up? For me, opera is a classic art form that combines music, song, costumes, storytelling and elaborate stage sets — but it’s a genre that’s generally not accessible (or appreciated) by the average Joe. Operas were first written back in the 16th century. They reached their golden age in the 19th century, and to this day, hundreds of operas are still being performed at famous opera houses throughout the world, and a few are still being composed. Ever been to a performance?
Most would sadly say “no,” and this begs the question — how would a major opera company attract a new audience, and expose them to the wonders of Mozart, Verdi, Bizet and more?
In my two previous columns, “The Little Drone Revolution” (PLSN, Sept. 2015) and “The Drone Association — Know Before You Fly” (PLSN, Nov. 2015) I discussed our industry’s opportunity with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), followed by an overview of AUVSI, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, an industry focal point for news and regulatory information on unmanned systems.
In my previous column, “The Little Drone Revolution” (PLSN, Sept. 2015, page 71), I discussed the AV industry’s great opportunity with professional Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). I also interviewed Kevin Kelly, president and COO of Stampede, who was instrumental in bringing the drone pavilion to InfoComm 2015.
This column is the first in a series of articles about drones, professionally known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). We’ll call them drones to keep things clear for our audio/video world, yet the following thoughts apply to each type of unmanned system — regardless of the acronym.
At a concert, the director controls what the audience sees on the I-Mag. At a professional sports event, the director controls the visual story that’s seen on television, or on a stadium’s huge video screen. Here, we’re talking about directing for live events, with multiple cameras, media servers and various other video sources at the director’s fingertips. There are certainly other types of directors, such as the Kubricks and the Coppolas — but that’s a different breed of cat entirely.
Everything you watch on television is edited — every program, commercial, promo, news story, every clip on the LED wall at a concert, you name it. Every scene is meticulously edited in order to move the story line along and create the program’s drama, comedy or excitement. Think about it — even live events are edited in realtime by the director (with each and every camera cut)for the very same reason — to move the story along.
I’ve often wondered how someone gets their start these days, if they’re aspiring to work in the video industry. Where does one acquire the knowledge and the skill? How can you get that first big break? Certainly the colleges, universities and trade schools provide a comprehensive background, teaching a little bit of everything involving audio and video— but rarely concentrating on specific marketable skills.
