Quick Focus

User Groups

Existing Groups

Desktop Video Special Interest Group
The Computer Room, 2760 S. Havana St.
Aurora, CO 80014
Phone: 303-696-8973
Contact: Don James
Meetings: Third Monday of every month; 7-9 p.m.

Buffalo Movie-Videomakers
P.O. Box 30
Buffalo, NY 14231-0030
Phone: 716-636-4777
E-mail: BM-VM@juno.com
Contact: John P. Weiksnar
Meetings: First non-holiday Friday, Sep.-June, 7:30 p.m.

Professional Videographers Assoc. of Connecticut
P.O. Box 73
New Canaan, CT 06840
Phone: 203-966-2300
E-mail: Rick@DreamSt.com
Contact: Rick Richardson
Meetings: Second Tuesday monthly, North Haven Holiday Inn

Seeking Group or Will Organize

Dave Cockley
23330 Commerce Park Rd.
Beachwood, OH 44122

John D. Coulter
35 E. Fox Chase Rd.
Chester, NJ 07930

Bud Turner
P.O. Box 129
New Blaine, AR 72851

User Groups: let us know you're out there. For inclusion in our listing, submit your request to "User Groups," c/o Videomaker, P.O. Box 4591, Chico, CA 95927. Seeking a User Group? For a list of existing user groups and/or video enthusiasts seeking or willing to organize a group in your area, send an SASE to the same address.

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Web Watch

Pete's TV WAVs Site
http://www.tvwavs.com/index.html
This site is a virtual cornucopia of sound bites (1,577 at last count) from TV shows, commercials and movies. Insert classic lines, such as Homer Simpson's "Doh!" in the character's original voice, in your personal videos. Discussion areas and FAQs are available to help with downloads. You can even subscribe to an e-mail service to have new WAVs sent to you.

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Entry Deadlines

Video Shorts is an exhibition and competition of short noncommercial works. Unlike most film and video competitions, judges will screen Video Shorts entries in sessions open to the public and those in attendance are encouraged to write comments to be returned to the producers. Entries are showcased in a premiere showing and public exhibitions in Seattle and elsewhere. Obtain entry forms from Video Shorts, P.O. Box 20369, Seattle WA 98102; telephone 206-322-9010. Entry deadline is February 7.

The Retirement Research Foundation established the National Media Owl Awards in 1984 as an annual competition to recognize excellence in recently produced video and television programs for and about aging or aged people. Categories include independent videos, non-fiction television, training videos and community videos. Entry forms and information may be obtained from The Retirement Research Foundation, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 401, Chicago IL 60631-4107; telephone 773-714-8080; e-mail bradford@rrf.org.

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Quick Focus

Ahead of His Time
We observed a moment of silence for Jerome Lemelson, a prolific inventor, who in 1977 approached the U.S. Patent Office with the idea for a device that incorporated both a videocassette recorder and a camera in a single, portable unit. The Patent Office rejected his request on the grounds that video recording equipment could never be miniaturized enough to be considered portable.

Mr. Lemelson died on October 1, at the age of 74, with over 500 patents credited to his name. He earned millions of dollars in lawsuits against manufacturers that infringed his patents and used some of the money to setup a charitable foundation to encourage invention in the United States.

Overzealous Videotaping Banned in Suburban Detroit
The Detroit News recently reported an odd video tale that might be comical to onlookers but the main parties seem to be treating the matter with dry solemnity. They're so serious about alleged rampant videotaping that they've taken their conflict to the city council.

The story involves two neighbors in southwest Warren, Illinois, who brought their camcorder feud to the town's City Council. Council President Jim Fouts had asked the Council to "prohibit repeated videotaping of private citizens against their will," by amending the city's stalking law to make such taping illegal.

Josie Kleiner and her neighbor, Hazel Pawlaczyk, prompted Fouts' unusual request. Kleiner claims that Pawlaczyk has pointed a video camera at Kleiner's front door for more than three years. "It's harassment. I'm sick of it. She's recording every movement in my front yard," said Kleiner. Pawlaczyk says that she's simply using the camcorder as a security device--she's really taking video of her husband's truck in their driveway. "He had some tools stolen from it twice in three years. I'm not trying to see what's going on in [Kleiner's] home. Their house is just in the way," Pawlaczyk declares.

"The repeated use of a video camera violates an individual's right of privacy," Fouts says. "A video camera shouldn't be used as a weapon."

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Reviews

The Facts and Results, Non-Linear Broadcast Video for Under $10,000!
Method Video Productions (1997, MVP, 828 N. Third St., #102, Phoenix AZ 85004, 88 min., $60)

If you dare to build a nonlinear system from the ground up--literally--using off-the-shelf components and software, then this video is for you. Although the producers claim that you can upgrade your existing system by watching Non-Linear Broadcast Video for Under $10,000!, they make a point of recommending that you not deviate from their recommended components or software. They begin with the computer's housing and show, with good-quality closeups and meticulous explanation, how to install the motherboard, graphics card and drives. Then the tape's instruction moves on to partitioning the drives, installing and configuring the operating system (Windows NT), before going on to installing and using Video Action NT software. This video is a good step-by-step guide for do-it-yourselfers looking to put together this particular nonlinear editing system. 4

Wedding Videography for Ding Dongs
Kirk Thompson (1997, California Video Design, 20969 Ventura Blvd., Suite 230, Woodland Hills CA 91364,
103 pp., $40)

This handbook mimics the "... for Dummies" series of books by Gordon McComb and Andy Rathbone, although the title is the only attribute the two have in common. If you have the patience to slog through bad editing, punctuation errors, smiley face icons and ego-polishing anecdotes, you can mine a few useful tips from Wedding Videography for Ding Dongs. The author, Kirk Thompson, has owned a successful wedding videography business for 14 years and his marketing advice is sound. However, it's unfortunate that he's written this handbook exclusively for male videographers because, as he writes, "It's a man's business, but by learning to be sensitive to their needs, it's not hard for a man to operate in a woman's environment." Thompson's helpful tip here is to hire a woman to work in your wedding business to rake in those reluctant brides. 1

Cross-Cultural Filmmaking
Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Taylor (1997, University of California Press, 2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley CA 94720, 555 pp., $25)

This guide for documentary film and video producers covers the practical, technical and theoretical aspects of filming, from fundraising to exhibition. Except where the context of a production demands precision, the authors are not biased against the video medium and "film" is used throughout Cross-Cultural Filmmaking as a shorthand for both media. Although the title would set the reader up for a treatise on ethnographic filming techniques, this handbook is not restricted to cross-cultural documentaries. The first of three sections discusses filmmaking styles; the second section explains the technical aspects, including how to select and use equipment, how to shoot film and video, and the reasons for choosing one or the other. The third section of the book outlines the process of filmmaking: preproduction, production, post production and distribution.

Whether you're out to shoot a feature-length movie about a foreign revolution or simply hope to shoot a ten-minute video about your grandparents, this handbook has the background information you need to create an expressive film or video. 5