Video Producer

Gather round, yous chillun’: ol’ papa pooey has a tale ta tell yins.

O.K., so that’s not the best example of writing out there, but it does hit a few key ideals, at least one of which I hope to expound upon.
So. Writing. I hear it all the time: “I have all these amazing stories in my head, I just have to get them down on paper”, or, “I don’t know where to start!” Well, here’s my solution to that. Will it the best answer? Maybe. Maybe not; But if you’re totally at a loss, then at least you’ll have more than you did.<!–more–> Read the rest of this entry »

The Ohio Film Office welcomed actor Will Smith on Thursday, November 20 when he visited Independence,Ohio, for a sneak preview of his new film, “Seven Pounds,” at the Cinemark Theater in Valley View. Ohiowas one of five states the actor visited in support of his new movie. Peggy Zone-Fisher, wife of Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, presented Smith with a proclamation that recognized Smith’s charitable work. The actor spent the day visiting schools and contributed to the Cleveland Food Bank.

Those who came to the film screening were encouraged to bring a canned good with them to support the effort as well. The crowd gathered around the red carpet to greet Smith when he arrived and camera flashes were plentiful as Smith took time to sign autographs for the crowd.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James also was in attendance. Ohio Film Office Director Christina Grozik encouraged Will Smith to bring his next project to Ohio, explaining all of the many reasons to do so. The night displayed a wonderful example of teamwork and partnership in making Ohio shine.

On behalf of the Ohio Film Office, thank you to all of our partners who assisted in building the initial phase of our location photo library by suggesting interesting sites. We have covered a lot of ground throughout 2008 (at least 15 counties!) both on FAM Tours and general scouting trips to develop a library of location photosThe photos will be used to promote Ohio as a potential location for film/video/commercial productions. Following is a list of the counties covered to date: Cuyahoga, Erie, Huron, Licking,Lorain, Lucas, Mahoning, Miami, Muskingum,Ottawa, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Washington, Wayne.

If you have a site you think would be a great location for shooting a project or if you are interested in coordinating a FAM tour for the Film Office, please contact Christina at (614) 644-5156 orChristina.Grozik@development.ohio.gov. Your continued interest and assistance is greatly appreciated.

The Ohio Film Office created a marketing DVD to show the spectacular locations represented throughout the state. The piece shows the range of looks in a close proximity including:

• Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities
• Deep Forests and Majestic Bodies of Water
• Industrial Canvases and Historical Masterpieces
• Traditional Town Squares and Innovative City Blocks
• Rolling Hills and Farm Land

The DVD will rotate various locations with time. If you have a location that you would like to recommend for the marketing DVD, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Christina Grozik at the Ohio Film Office at (614) 644-5156 or at Christina.Grozik@development.ohio.gov.

Did you want to see our work? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXWC62cwqwI] Check it out.

Behind the scenes of a music video shoot with Mark Holmes–Directed by Joshua Porter, D.P. Greg Sabo, Editor Lewis Gordon, other crew credits: Kevin Hillman, De’Niel Phipps, Tatiana Mangeni[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bURflSTIZ1s]

   We seem to have a trend on our hands. 

   There’s something to be said for quality. A few things, actually. One of these being “If it works, go with it.”  Our normal operating cameras around the office are the  JVC GY-HD100 and the JVC GY-HD250. (It’s sort of like the difference between your Ford Escort EX and LX. Details, baby. It’s where the devil is.)   These cameras, while not the top of the line, have proven themselves through countless filming sessions, regardless of duration, temperature outside, and the occasional mishap. Easy enough for the summer interns, dutiful enough for the professionals eclectic tastes. There’s really nothing bad I can say about them, except for the odd positioning of the LCD monitor. So let’s get to what this is really about. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, if you were around for the VCR episdoe, I’ve got news: there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s big, mean and wants our lunch money. (Yours too!) 
I’m referring to the Sony BVW BetaCam SP. That’s right, kids…BETA!!!!! Now for you whippersnappers out there, beta was to VHS what HD is to BlueRay: a competing force soon to be left in the wake of older memories. While entertainment pounced on VHS for it’s ability to produce quality images at a lightning pace, Beta was picked up by news stations and other non-home entities due to beta’s ability to pinpoint percise points on the tape, making editing easier. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, class, we’re discussing the VCR. Not your grandma’s behemoth of a thing, but still a Video Cassette Recorder. We use it for film capturing. To be specific, we’re discussing the SONY GV-HD700. 
O.K., let’s capture some footage, shall we? Tape? check. Computer program ready and waiting? check. Deck that exports 720p? Uh..no. Let’s look at the manual. “Your VCR can play back pictures recorded in the 720/30p format, but cannot output it from the HDV/DV (iLink) interface.” (Operating guide, pg. 76) (sigh). 
Well, let’s not use the iLink. How about we use the HDMI port? Can we do that? The manual doesn’t say. Two hours later, Ryan and Zoe (the nice but English intolerant people at SONY) still don’t know. The music is nice, though. Screw it. We’re short on time. 
We buy HDMI cables. O.K. Deck that exports in 720p? Uh..still no. It plays it back through HDMI, but downgrades our footage to 720/480p. (that’s standard def., folks) The RGB component cables might work..can we use that? (For the answer, go back and read the previous paragraph, replacing HDMI with RGB component cables. We didn’t have to buy any of those, though. You can also use the word “provided USB cable”. It was a no-go as well.)
It’s two days now, with no capturing, and collectively over ten hours on the phone with SONY, local retailers and my therapist..not including internet searches. (Wickpedia is great, but my eyes just fell out of my head.)