This spring, Thomson Consumer Electronics will release the world's first commercial-free VCRs. The
technology, developed by Arthur D. Little enterprises, will allow users to record programs in the usual way, but skip
the commercials on playback.
The system works as follows: it marks the beginning and end of commercials in...
In the dark ages of TV there was only one way to get a show on the air. You had to sell it to one of a very few broadcasters or broadcast networks. The result? Out of millions of shows imagined by producers,
only thousands have ever seen the...
If you've planned an interview for an upcoming video project, you've probably thought about more than just what
questions to ask. Perhaps you've wondered where to stage the interview, or how to arrange the lighting.
But have you thought about the audio? Pay careful attention to recording it well, because...
Imagine this: you're a freelance videomaker, and you've landed a great job
covering election night for a local TV station. The job requires you to provide
the equipment and crew. As you unload equipment at the packed voting center,
Mr. On-Camera has a question. "How are you gonna mike the interviewees?"
The teed-off...
These days, you either own a computer or you don't. And within the group of
people who own computers, there are more subgroups. One group could tie ropes
to their computers and use them as expensive boat anchors for all the good they
do. Another group might use the contraption to play...
Next to shooting, the thing you most often do with your camcorder is lug it around. If you're a serious videomaker, you also tote around a lot of other equipment--tripod, lights, headphones, batteries, cables, and connectors.
And whenever you're in transit, you need to guard your camcorder against a number...
The Confusion Solution
We regularly receive letters from subscribers concerned that Videomaker is too complicated. Confused by acronyms like A/B roll, PCM audio and BNC, these readers believe making video must be easier than our magazine says it is.
True, making video is easy--but you get what you pay for....
Ah, the holiday season! The feasts and festivities, the laughter and love, the torture and torment.
That's right, torment...the sheer agony of sitting through typical holiday home videos: moving snapshots that have nothing to say and take five times too long to say it. Why are some holiday videos so...
"This poet's prayer was answered by the invention of the lens, which gave us a new gift for self knowledge. Might the cameras of the world provide transformative experiences? Could television possibly become the ultimate metaphysical guru?"
James Broughton
Video Poet
Video poet George Aguilar has taken James Broughton's words to heart--and...
For many independent videomakers, the leased access provision of the Cable Act of 1992 is the key to getting programming on the air. The provision requires cable system operators with more than 36 activated channels to make a portion of their capacity available to all comers for a reasonable...
