Comfortable shoes and a few other quick lessons
We wrapped Day 2 of NAB shooting and I thought I’d share some lessons already learned from the experience. These are presented in no particular order.
- Redundancy is your friend. Always assume some important part of your kit will fail. Have a back up ready to go. We did not experience any major problems that prompted this lesson. It just seems to be a core principle of the PXC ethos and it lines up with my own POV well.
- Three things your kit must include:
- A small toolkit with a flathead & phillips screwdriver, needlenose pliers and a quarter.
- Extra batteries of all shapes and sizes.
- A knife of some sort.
- Gaffer’s tape is an amazingly useful tool; even better than duct tape.
- When storing gear for a long time between uses, remove all batteries. A corroded battery probably cost me a good set of Bose headphones.
- Speaking of headphones, always keep at least three sets of iPod earbuds on hand. Don’t use the iPhone earbuds with the mic as an audio monitor.
- My Beachtek needs a slightly longer screw to connect to the Canon HF10.
- The Zoom R16 is one sexy little mixer.
- When you have a wide shot of a group, do not pan between the speakers. It causes artifacts when streaming and is visually distracting. Cutting from speaker to speaker is really the job of a 2- camera shoot with a producer calling the camera changes to be managed by a video switcher.
- There is no such thing as having too many SD cards on hand.
- Tapeless workflow is where it at!
- The iPad is going to be a really big deal. I already knew that, but NAB has only confirmed this for me.
- I learned how to properly wrangle cable.
- Always have and use a pre-roll checklist.
- While I have a few minor quibbles, the LiveU unit is a pretty amazing piece of gear.
- Even at a show filled with broadcast and film pros, some people don’t recognize the camera and walk through your shots … no matter how hard you try to stop them.
- 3D is really here … if we do not kill it with ill-concieved conversions.
- Always have a spare tape/SD card in your pocket.
- My wife is a saint.
- The iPhone is an invaluable note-taking tool, especially with the video camera.
- Learning how something works needn’t stifle one’s sense of wonder about the fact that it does.
- There is no such thing as “too old”; so long as your mind remains open to new knowledge.
- I am woefully out of shape, but the aches and pains tell me I am making progress on that front.
- Running a camera is hard work, particularly when moving all around the show floor.
- Thanks goodness for comfortable shoes. Think of good shoes as an investment in your mental and physical health.
So, that is it for now. I’ll have more cogent thoughts when I have more time to write.
Peace,
Doug
Off to the Pixel Corps
I remember the first time I became aware of Alex Lindsay. It was somewhere between 2000-2001 when TechTV was still going strong. Alex was a frequent guest on The Screen Savers (TSS) with Leo LaPorte and Patrick Norton. I found Alex’s segments intriguing because they usually touched on the tech of film-making. Having worked at ILM, he spoke with great authority on the subject.
Back then, I had just returned to the world of technical writing and web design & development after taking time off to write and direct a short documentary. Making that documentary was the single most fun and engaging professional experience I’d ever had and I wanted more. TSS was just the right mix of technical and creative content to scratch that itch. The show was the first thing I recorded on my first TIVO.
A lot can change in 10 years.
For starters, TSS and TechTV are both gone. Kevin Rose, once a regular contributor on TSS, is now the Founder and CEO of DIGG. Leo LaPorte launched TWiT.tv and forged a new path away from broadcast/cable television and onto the interwebs. And, starting yesterday, I began working as an intern for Alex Lindsay and the Pixel Corps (PXC).
The story of how that happened is a fun and interesting one, at least for me. At some point, I’ll share it here. But, first call is 9AM tomorrow, so I need to keep this short.
This week, we are covering NAB for Pixel Corps and TWiT.tv. I am excited about the plan for the week and the new tech we’ll be bending to our will. ;^D After wrapping NAB on Thursday, I’ll take a few days with my family before I move to San Francisco for two months to complete the rest of my internship, the first 10 days of which will be on the set of a feature film.
Yep. I am pretty darn excited.
Over the next 10-12 weeks, I’ll be blogging and, eventually video blogging, about my experiences at PXC. By documenting this experience, I hope to be of help to both PXC and future interns who are considering taking the leap. So, stay tuned.
In closing, I’d like to offer a few words of thanks.
First and foremost, thanks to my wife Kelly, my son Finn and his little brother who is on the way. While the timing of this opportunity could be better for our family, it would only be harder to do down the road. So, thanks for letting me go on this adventure and supporting me along the way. I’ll miss you when I am gone and look forward to our daily Skype sessions. I love you!
Next, thanks to all of my family and friends in Vegas … Dad, Mom, Vince, Olivia, Consuelo, Byron, Bennie & Rose … who will be helping Kelly and Finn in my absence. Thanks also to Team Neoncon (Steve, the Mikes & Will), who will keep the ship moving forward until I return.
Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Alex Lindsay for giving me this opportunity. Its unique value is not lost on me. And, to my current and future colleagues and mentors at the Pixel Corps, thanks in advance for the lessons I am sure to learn from each of you. I’ll do my best to learn quickly and not slow you down.
Peace,
Doug
PS: Thanks to Gary Gannon. Were it not for you, I may not have rediscovered Alex by way of the Pixel Corps in the first place.
WordPress Shortcode for File Inclusion
I have a project that requires a lot of complex, yet static Pages in WordPress … think lots of tabular data with heavy CSS styling. This sort of content is best written in an external editor like Zend IDE or Dreamweaver and then dropped into WordPress.
However, if you’ve ever done this, testing the page as you develop it is a huge pain in the backside. It involves cutting and pasting from the editor to WP … saving and refreshing … make changes in the external editor … rinse and repeat.
Not fun. Not efficient.
The solution is fairly straightforward — keep these files static HTML and simply include them somehow in the page. I researched the available plugins and they all seemed like overkill which added overhead. Then, in WP IRC, Fris suggested writing a custom shortcode to do the heavy lifting. 90 minutes later, I have precisely what I need and a renewed respect for WordPress and the community supporting it.
For those interested, here is the code:
< ?php
// SHORTCODE FOR STATIC FILE INCLUDE
function sc_static_html ($atts) {
// Extract Shortcode Parameters/Attributes
extract( shortcode_atts( array(
'subdir' => NULL,
'file' => NULL
), $atts ) );
// Set file path
$path_base = ABSPATH."wp-content/inc_static/";
$path_file = ($subdir == NULL) ? $path_base.$file : $path_base.$subdir."/".$file;
// Load file or, if absent. throw error
if (file_exists($path_file)) {
$file_content = file_get_contents($path_file);
return $file_content;
}
else {
trigger_error("'$path_file' file not found", E_USER_WARNING);
return "FILE NOT FOUND: ".$path_file."SUBDIR = ".$subdir."FILE = ".$file."
";
}
}
add_shortcode('static_html', 'sc_static_html');
?>
USE CASE
[static_html subdir="testdir" file="dirtest.html"]
Tell Me Your WordPress 2.7 Must Haves, Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
Dear WordPress Nation,
I need your help. I pour through the WP Themes and WP Plugins listings looking for the best of breed, but there is something missing … opinion based on informed experience. In other words, you.
So, based solely on your own experience, add a comment to this thread which includes the following:
- Name of your #1 must-have plugin.
- Link to said plugin.
- In a nod to Twitter (sort of) tell me why you cannot live without the aforementioned plugin in 140 WORDS (not characters, hence the “sort of”) or less.
This contest will run through February 15th at midnight. By February 22nd, I will select one winner who will receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Easy-peezy, no?
A few parameters for you …
- I know and use many of the most common and popular plugins for SEO, Twitter and the like. So, I am really looking for something out-of-the-ordinary. If it makes me go “Hmmm, I never thought I’d want that on my blog, but now I MUST have it!” … you have a good chance of winning.
- You cannot be the author of the plugin. No SPAM or shills please.
- Themes will be considered as well, but they better be pretty special to win.
- All Plugins or Themes must currently work with WordPress 2.7.
- You can only list one plugin/theme in one comment. Multiple entries in any form will be disqualified.
- Be sure to provide your email in the comment so I can contact you if you win. I promise not to SPAM you.
So there you have it. Knock my socks off, if not my pants (though no one really wants to see the latter but my wife). ;^D
Peace,
Doug
PhotoSafariNoobs – Expedition Update
PhotoSafariNoobs.com, my project with John Hawkins, Todd Huish and Andrew Minerd, is coming along swimmingly. For additional details, check out my latest post over at the official expedition blog. Based on early feedback, our route has slightly changed to include Ouray, CO; often called the “Switzerland of America” for its majestic alpine beauty. Incidentally, it is also the home of the FJ Summit every summer! As I intend to go to the Summit in 2009, this will be a great, snowy, if not totally dry, run. Our updated route can be seen below.
Peace,
Doug
PhotoSafariNoobs.com has been greenlit!
A project long in discussion now has been greenlit and given the name PhotoSafariNoobs.com.
Hawk, Huish and I will brave the frozen wilds of Southwestern Colorado in late February as we drive to WordCamp Denver in my FJ Cruiser 4×4. We are taking what should be a very scenic route which skirts just south of Telluride. Along the way, we will hone our photography skills and generally geek out. I have plans for some roadtrip-inspired tech tweaks to my rig. More details as the plan comes together.
For a little more history on the project, pop over to John Hawkins Unrated. And, to follow our exploits via Twitter, hit the #psn09 hashtag.
Now, I am off to follow the advice of Mostly Lisa (Bettany) and RTFM for my Canon 30D, then put that baby on Manual for the whole trip. I hope my glass can save me, it’s my only hope! :^D
Peace,
Doug
VegasGamers.org is featured on Ning.com!
VegasGamers.org, a social network that we designed, built and maintain, was recently featured on Ning.com. I am pretty excited about the project because it has grown pretty quickly, considering its local focus an niche content. As you may recall, Ning got on my bad side last week and I was not alone. However, Gina and Team Ning moved quickly and decisely to make things right.
In any case, I am pretty stoked about this little feature on VegasGamers.org. It is a great example of the power of the Ning platform and a source of great fun and joy for the local gaming scene! Game on!
Peace,
Doug
Mostly Lisa Gets Her Pilot’s License
To close the New Media Expo, I had the opportunity to run Flip for Lisa Bettany. We had a lot of fun shooting this segment. I hope you enjoy it as well!
Final Draft Templates for Comics
It was Antony Johnston who first switched me on to the joys of Final Draft, and gave me a copy of his own comic-book template to go along with it.
Since then I’ve developed my own version of the template, which more closely resembles traditional screenplay format – right down to the pig-ugly Courier font. You can download it for Final Draft 6 here.
Many thanks to Andy Diggle for making his comic book template for Final Draft available again. If Andy’s template does not blow your skirt up, you might also check out the source material from Antony Johnson, another professional comic author. Thanks to William Satterwhite for the heads up on Johnson’s template.
Interested in the work of Andy Diggle and Antony Johnson? Check out their blogs by clicking on their names.
Author Neil Gaiman discusses blogging
Re: Journal – by burrows
William Gibson just stopped blogging [williamgibsonbooks.com], stating that informal blog/journal writing gets in the way of writing fiction.Is there a conflict for you between maintaining your journal and writing fiction? How do you manage your time / ideas / approach, in order to stay active in both?
Neil [Gaiman]:
I’ve enormously enjoyed the immediacy of having the blog. In some ways it sort of bypasses established promotional and advertising systems. It means that, for example, if I’m giving a talk or doing a signing, many of the people who would have wanted to know this, know it. So while Steve Martin and I were both headlining at New York Is Book Country, and his face was on the ad material, mine was the talk that sold out. And if he had a blog, and blog readers, and so on, like I do, his would have sold out as well. It also means that I have several hundred thousand people cheerfully being some kind of a knowledge pool, for when I need to know things (especially techie things, which are always very mysterious to me) and more questions always being sent in than I could ever answer.
I found this snippet really interesting. It is very telling about the power of the blog/online journal. Not only can blogs be a non-intrusive, opt-in marketing tool (intended or no); the medium also provide an unprecedented means of two-way communication between artists and thier audiences. This recipriocal and potentially symbiotic exchange has tremendous potential.
The Baghdad Blog (Book from a Blog)
‘MY MAN SALAM. I’M A TOTAL FAN. TELLS IT LIKE HE SEES IT, AND SEES IT LIKE I CAN’T.’ — William Gibson
In September 2002, a young Iraqi calling himself ‘Salam Pax’ began posting accounts of everyday life in Baghdad on to the internet. Written in English, in the form of a web log (or `blog’), these bulletins contained everything from musings on his CD collection to open criticisms of Saddam’s regime. In keeping this web diary, Salam took a huge risk: if he had been caught condemning it could have cost him his life.
Salam Pax’s incisive and sharply funny diary entries soon attracted a worldwide readership. As the American-led force gathered to invade Iraq, Salam’s diary became an extraordinary record of the anticipation, resentment, bemusement and sheer terror felt by an ordinary man living through the final days of a long dictatorship, and the chaos that has followed its destruction.
The Baghdad Blog tells the story of the war in Iraq from inside that besieged country. It provides a gripping and wholly unique perspective on the conflict and its aftermath.
Now, this is interesting. Salam Pax vaulted to to international Internet celebrity because, as Peter Maass of Slate put it, he was ” the Anne Frank of the war … and its Elvis”. Now, Pax’s blog has been turned into a book. More proof that the Internet in general and blogs in specific are changing the face of the publishing industry.
Mike Rowe and the real value of work.
If you have not seen Dirty Jobs, then you may not know of Mike Rowe. I’ve always enjoyed the show and thought that Rowe was the perfect host of the show. Smart, clever, and most importantly genuinely interested, Rowe brings respect and honor to jobs that many, if not most, of the people you know think are beneath them.
In this speech to FORA, Rowe begins with a funny tale of learning to castrate lambs. I am sure you are wondering how “funny” and “castration” fit together in a sentence, but trust me it does. In telling the tale of castration, Rowe adroitly spins a tale of the lost value of work and calls for us all to reconsider what it means to us as individuals and as a nation.
Be sure to watch the entire 20 minutes. It is perhaps the best 20 minutes you’ll spend in your career.