When I spoke with Brian from RedRock Micro, he told me that there will soon be quite a bit of new rigs from NAB coming out! We’ve already been using a cool rig of theirs at our Canon Camera Classes but check out some of their new upcoming rigs and stuff below. I’ll get a better look at these when I meet up with him, but I’m already excited about the various possibilities that they offer. I can’t wait to incorporate some of them into our Training 5D Boot Camp.
It seems that every day we hear or see something new about how 3D is the future in both television and film. Video production crews are having to adjust to these changes while learning other revolutions in production as well, such as using the Canon DSLR 5D for video shoots. All of this is extremely exciting, however it can be a little overwhelming because of all the new technology that must be learned.
Obviously, one of the most exciting new technologies is the new directions that the 3D production process is taking. Not only are they being used in television and film but people are creating new applications and interactive objects such as this one:
Earlier this week I met up with Samrat Chakrabarti and Peter Holland to shoot a music video. For the shoot, Peter used the Canon DSLR 5D. Because it was Peter’s first use of the Canon 5D for a video shoot, he had to get used to it. Initially he would have preferred to have had some of the more common features that are associated with traditional cameras. However, he did appreciate the shallow depth of field and sensitivity of the sensor. With the Canon DSLR 5D, we were able to shoot at night with what light we had, and get some really beautiful images.
I loved making this video and it’s been an interesting experience for me. The process for making this video has been a “create as we go” experience. Samrat and I have written a storyline and constantly tweaked and changed it until we finally gave it the meaning we were searching for. From this point we utilized whatever resources we had to help shoot scenes to match our ideas. With help from Shikha Jain, who at the last minute agreed to be cast, we were able to give our project a story line with depth and a well rounded look.
The Association has recently graduated and given out Canon Certifications to over fifty participants from our Canon 5D/7D Boot Camps!
The Boot Camps have been a huge success, with several of Hollywood’s top DPs and ACs completing the course of instruction I put together based on my experience. We constantly have have more Boot Camps coming up, so make sure you get trained on this amazing camera system in our Canon Camera Classes. It is my intention to demystify and educate the camera community about the value of the industry’s newest favored son, the Canon DSLR 5D. The classes offer a wide array of training and practice with the DSLR, and you will feel comfortable and confident when using the cameras by the end of our classes.
Excerpt from a recent press release by Boot Camp partner ProHDRentals:
“There is a paradigm shift taking place in the world of filmmaking,” explains Fletcher Murray, co-founder of The Association which co-sponsors the events. “Take a look at the show “House,” the season finale was shot entirely on 5Ds.”
When trying to match 35mm film with foreground images with DSLR back plates while working with a green screen, the 7D is the best option to use. That’s because the image sensor size used for video on the camera is about the same size as a 35mm motion picture film frame. So if you put a 50mm lens on a 35mm film camera, it should have the same approximate frame as a Canon 7D with a 50mm lens. Pretty cool huh? Got the answer straight from Canon engineers.
If you’d like to learn more about the Canon DSLR 5D and 7D, The Association has both a basic and advanced Canon Camera Classes that will teach individuals how to use the the DSLR. At the end of the workshop, you will even receive a Canon Certification. To learn more, click the link below.
Are you thinking about shooting with the Canon 5D or 7D DSLR cameras? Are you going to use it for 2nd unit photography, multi-cam, background plates or SPFX shots?
Using the Canon DSLR 5D can be a tricky thing. Even once you’ve mastered the basics there is still much more to learn. The Association has a great Boot Camp on how to use the camera. However, the students who took Level I The Boot Camp, were so enthusiastic about the hands-on experience with the Canon DSLR, that many wanted to go even further. Due to the high demand, The Association decided to put together a course to give as much specialized experience as possible, and make a Level II workshop.
The Level II Boot Camp helps to teach how to use rigs, monitors, special mounts, hand helds, dollies, as well as applying advanced cinematography techniques to get those perfect shots. Students will shoot interiors and exteriors while using a wide array of equipment as well as shooting parts of an action scene on set.
If you’ve taken the Level I Boot Camp workshop, you’ll be pleased to know that Snehal Patel, a veteran in the use of DSLR cameras as well as production and post-production, is running the Level II Boot Camp. He will talk you through diverse shooting situations. You will be required to film a portion of a short scene that will be created by the class. The scene will involve handheld shots, dolly moves and car mounts. After the Boot Camp, we will edit and color correct the footage that the participants shoot, and create a reel.
For those looking for more hands on work that have mastered the basics, this is the workshop for you. This is a practical Boot Camp that has less talk and more walk. By the end of the workshop, each person will be competent and confident when they walk on a set, ready to use the DSLR. If you haven’t taken the Level I workshop, you can look into that and work your way up so that you can master the DSLR.
I’ve already talked about how consumer generated content can help create relevance for a company. It’s not any different when it comes to employees, except that employee-generated content is probably even more relevant! Who else knows a company better than it’s employees?
Corporate social media campaigns might seem like a hassle if you have a lot of employees, but actually more employees might make a large campaign even easier. When you have a lot of employees, you can spread the reponsibility for creating content out across more shoulders. This is a good thing if you are able to weed out and control the runaway trains. By that I mean employees who don’t use good common sense when blogging as part of enterprise social media.
I’m assuming here that your company has great products and service, and treats employees well. A company with poor service and disgruntled employees should not get involved in social media without a comprehsensive plan that includes fixing those points. Such a company may not escape alive.
That said, here’s the deal. An Edelman Trust Barometer study asked people, “Who do you trust?” ANSWER: People like me. Search engines determine relevance based on whether or not you can engage people. Employee generated content is writen by real human beings, and thus should be more engaging. Engagement on a blog (or any social media profile, such as Facebook) is exactly what you want.
When was the last time you had a strong urge to connect with a corporate logo? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Well, if you had 20 employees, and each once wrote one 3-5 paragraph per month for the company blog, you’d have plenty of decent, relevant content to choose from.
Investing in some long tail keyword research to guide your employees on what to write will also help increase your relevance. The office “mom” might want to write about the last brownie recipe that was a hit at the office, but if your company produces car parts, it won’t do much to increase your company’s relevance in the eyes of your consumers (or Google).
The Canon DSLR is revolutionizing video production in both film and television and is becoming more popular by the day. More and more TV pilots are shooting with the Canon DSLR 5D.
The Association has teamed up with Snehal Patel, a veteran of the Canon DSLR 5D in production and post-production, to run intensive 5-hour BOOT CAMP workshops for industry professionals who want to use the Canon 5D and 7D cameras for film, television, or custom video production.
This is a real hands-on workshop, on a professional sound stage with set and an actress. We will have a green screen, monitors, lights and plenty of gear, including the latest DSLR accessories.
This Training 5D workshop teaches such things as:
Working professionals that are filmmakers, cinematographers and still photographers have taken the Boot Camp and rave about the training:
“I highly recommend (this Boot Camp) to anyone who is even going to dabble in this world. Digital SLR is clearly the direction a lot of work is going to go…” – Geary McLeod, ASC Cinematographer, ‘The Mentalist’
PLUS! You’ll receive a Certification from The Association of Film and Video Producers that you completed “Pro Level One: Canon DSLR”. This certificate is good for rental discounts as well. Classes fill up quickly, so RSVP today at the following link: http://www.theassociation.tv/canonbootcamp.php
When you get right down to it, getting some choice real estate on the 1st page of a Google Search is critical for just about any business. Creating relevant content on a blog can help give you a lift and get your name in the right location. The location part is easy to think with. But what’s with this relevance thing?
I wish there was a super simple answer. If you want to be super technical, here’s a super link: http://www.googleguide.com/google_works.html
Otherwise, let’s pick up relevance on the human side of the story.
Are You Like Me? 
Consumers (your target market, whatever niche that might be), tend to want to connect to people just like them. See, I just gave away the whole secret. You can be relevant to your consumer, if you give them the chance to meet your other customers online, and let them see that your existing customers are just like them.
Honestly, I’m not trying to talk in a riddle. Here’s the answer explained another way: get your customers to participate in your marketing campaign.
By inviting past customers and other consumers to participate by telling their story, and sharing it on your blog(s), you can create relevance. It also shows you value your customers for more than just their money. Such a sign of respect can generate appreciation and often all you have to do is ask for feedback.
Tips
Wouldn’t it be great if you could just read something, and it would be applied in full in your company by the time you got to the end of the article? Alas, somehow it never works out that way. But if you still don’t know how to be more relevant to your target market, that just means you don’t know enough about them.
Any marketing campaign suffers without some kind of consumer analysis. It is well worth the money to invest in effective market research data collection, regardless of whether you are writing simple blog posts or engaging in direct response TV ads. Really understanding the minds of those you are trying to communicate can increase your relevance (in their minds) many times over.
I can’t say I know a lot of marketers who really enjoy spending thousands of dollars on Pay Per Click Google Ads. Actually, I don’t know of any at all. And until recently, I thought of PPC as a necessary evil in order to get new leads in the door.
Some months ago I came across another way of capturing leads. In essence it’s a PPC ad. Except that there is no charge when someone clicks! Too good to be true? Well, to be more accurate, there is a cost involved, but it’s not based on the number of clicks. It’s a one time set-up cost (someone has to pay the programmer!).
Similar to renting a car, you always have to pay something just to rent it, and then there’s the mileage. PPC is having to pay for the mileage on top of all the costs to research the right keywords to use. This other method is like having unlimited mileage for a year.
Which one would you want?
The other method is the use of Call To Action buttons, or CTAs. Here’s how it works:
By using a blog you are increasing the chances of being found organically. Of course, the explanation above is simplified and there’s a lot more to marketing success than just having a blog. Without an effective marketing plan based on a decent consumer analysis, and really good long tail keyword research, you’ll probably find yourself in a very dark virtual room talking to yourself.
The thing to do is research some market survey companies with proven results to help navigate the consumer’s minds and hearts. Otherwise you risk running blind, which is no way to market any product or service.
Having second thoughts about leaving your PPC campaign behind? Understandable. Keep in mind that blogs we’ve tested with CTA buttons have had a 3-8% conversion rate, compared to our PPC campaigns which runs about 2% conversion rate. Actually the industry average rate for a PPC campaign is about 1%. So don’t think too long! Add CTAs, and reduce your PPC spend.
