A New TV Technology…already?
Well, it was just a matter of time before the TV manufacturing companies came out with a new technology. And now, it’s just a matter of when they will start trying to sell them to you and I.
HDTV and flat panel TV’s has overtaken the consciousness of all those watching TV. Whether that be for movies, or even broadcast. Even congress got into the mix by requiring all TV stations to start broadcasting in HD. So they have all invested in new HD technology and converted over so that you and I can all get HDTV on our new 32 inch, 40 inch, 50 inch or even a 60 inch ultra slim flat panel TV that we can hang on our wall so it looks like a piece of art…whew.
However, the TV companies are already looking at the next big thing. What is it you ask. 4K TV or Ultra TV. Which means it has 4 times the digital information as current HDTV. Can you imagine? If you think you HDTV looks great now, imagine 4 times the data on it. And in the ever present world of “we can do you one better than that”, a company in Japan is already skipping the 4K and going directly to 16K. 16 times the digital content. Wow!
This is all good, but one has to wonder, how long before it actually becomes common place? The broadcast stations have just finished switching over to HD. Are they really going to want to re-invest for 4K broadcast or even 16K. Don’t get us wrong, we can’t wait to see the technology, but just like flat panel HDTV’s, we think the whole 4K or 16K TV sets are a ways off. After all, HDTV, and flat panel TV’s were around for quite a while before it became common place and you saw them all over in the stores. It will take a while before these new “4K” TV’s become mainstream.
There is only so much that “Joe” or “Jill” consumer can spend on a TV, and most people probably won’t want to upgrade their TV sets every couple of years. Unlike computer technology, which has been accepted as needing to upgrade every 6 months, TV technology is still a “purchase” that most people think they shouldn’t or don’t have to upgrade for at least 3 or 5 years.
So, even as you hear talk of a 4K TV (or a 16K TV), I think it’s safe to say that your HDTV, that you just bought yourself for Christmas is still a good buy and will serve you well for the next 3 to 5 years.
With that said, when a 4K TV goes on display somewhere here in town, you can bet that we will be right there to check it out. In all it’s 4K beauty. We’ll be easy to spot, we will be the video guys, standing there drooling. We recommend to check the supplement that boosts your skin health to better your health even more.
Superbowl Ad’s are Sold Out!
Well, it’s coming up on Super Bowl time again, and that of course brings all of us “Video Geeks” into talking about the commercials we are going to see. Amazingly enough, with all the talk about how the economy is still sluggish, CBS has managed to sell “all” the advertising spots in this years upcoming Super Bowl.
And, the highest price paid was $4 million for a spot. ($4,000,000.00! Wow!) Of course Leslie Moonves said that if you have $5 or $6 million, for a spot, they would find room for you. So, if you happen to have that lying around and want to hit the national airwaves come game time, they will find a place for you.
We are looking forward to seeing what the big boys come up with for spots this year. In case you were wondering what the best spots were from the last Super Bowl, click 2012 Best Super Bowl Spots. It will give you a run-down of the top 10 spots as well as let you see them. Kinda fun to go back and see what they did.
Of course there’s always “What’s Bob at GoDaddy going to do?” Do we get more Bud Bowl spots, and is Miller going to be able to counter? Dorritos has already announced some of the finalists for their Super Bowl contest, and if you click on the link, you can see the five finalists.
Still, one of our favorite Super Bowl ads was the little kid in the Darth Vader costume for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. Still makes us laugh. Really laugh. We love that spot.
So have fun with the Super Bowl, and watching the commercials. And hey, if you happen to have $5 or $6 million laying around, give CBS a call. Oh yeah, and have fun watching the game.
Video as a Social Medium
In a recent article by Online Video Insider, the author, Eric Korsh, brings up a good point. The fact that video just isn’t considered as a social medium as much as say Facebook, Twitter, etc…, and he’s right. When people are talking “Social Mediums” or “Social Strategy’s”, it just doesn’t seem like video is included as basis for this.
Even as Mr. Korsh makes a great assessment, and truthful, that YouTube is the second largest search engine, video just doesn’t get included as part of a companies “Social Strategy”. Is it because too many people are still thinking that YouTube is only for cat lovers? Is it because it’s still such a new medium for everyone to grab onto, and somewhat scary as a “new” medium?
Whatever the case, Mr. Korsh outlines some great new tools that will be implemented this year that should help video become much more a part of any companies or any persons “Social Strategy”. There’s some very sweet tools that should help video get moved into that category of “You have got to see this” email that gets passed around. We are all for it, and can’t wait to to see what’s going to happen with video on the internet. The amount of viewership keeps rising and rising. It’s gonna get fun. The article, “Making Video Truly Social” is a great read. Click on it to read the entire article.
New Mount Mercy University TV Spot
Production is wrapped on a new TV Spot for Mount Mercy University. It was a full day of filming on campus at Mount Mercy University. We got to play in the Ceramics area, and the performance hall with the Choir and also got to play in one of the Chemistry labs. Professor Joe even made some very cool reactions in a water jug. Very cool stuff. The staff and students at Mount Mercy University were extremely helpful and willing to participate. We had a blast making this commercial. Lot’s of post-production effects and treatments. You will be able to see it on all the local TV stations here in Cedar Rapids. But in case you can’t wait, it’s right below. Hope you enjoy it.
Editor and Director of Photography – Kirk Monson,
Gaffer – Jacob Spiekermeir,
Director – Jeff Zahrt,
Producer – Dirk Keller
YouTube Statistics!
It’s not a foreign site to anyone anymore. And, it seems that everyone is using it. For everything. Whether you just want to rant about something, show someone your expertise on something, give an opinion or a demonstration.
YouTube is getting 3 Billion views a day. Yes, “Billion”, with a “B“. The population of the entire world as of right now is a tick over 7 Billion. That means that the entire population of the world is logging on to YouTubes site every 2.5 days.
The site is no longer just for quirky little videos. Businesses have dedicated channels, individuals have dedicated channels, Much like a TV channel. As a matter of fact, there is more video uploaded to YouTube in a month than the three major networks created in the previous 60 years.
You can really focus in on the topics that you want to see. Find those companies or individuals that are talking about or showing something specific that you are interested in and focus in on those topics. You can then subscribe to their channel, and whenever they post something new, you will know about it. For many, this is not new news, but surprisingly enough, it’s still news to some. And, if you can’t find the exact video topic you want, you can create one and upload it. Chances are, someone else wants to see it. And you never know. It could bring you some business. Google is even searching YouTube now. So the more relative video content you have on your YouTube channel, the better.
So the question is really, “Do you have a YouTube Channel”? If not, why not? Create your own channel. What are you waiting for? 3 Billion views a day!
One more note about YouTube, watch the video below
GoPro HD Camera Vs. Fire Truck!
The pieces that we initially found
Who says that GoPro camera’s are indestructable? We have proof that they aren’t. Especially when being run over by a really really big Fire Truck.
Our task – show the underneath side of a vehicle (specifically a fire truck along with a couple of other vehicles), using a product that a local company makes. This product, is a device that when activated flips down to the wheels, and spins in conjunction with the wheels, and spins around chains that fly under the vehicles wheels giving it traction in the snow and ice. Pretty cool huh?
Well, the hurdle was how do we film under the vehicle and see the product working. Kirk didn’t really want to be strapped under a fire truck driving through snow, so we had to get a camera under the truck. Enter a GoPro HD camera. Perfect! It’s little, easy to position and shoots in HD.
Well, after some maneuvering, we got it attached to the underside of the truck. Unfortunately,
GoPro versus Fire Truck
not good enough. On one of the trips out, down went the GoPro and since it was basically right in front of the wheels, it got run over, and batted around by the chains.
As it would happen, we still needed the card out of the camera, and it looked like the card may have survived. So we had to tear apart the camera. It was trashed anyway. So, now you can see what the inside of a GoPro looks like. As it turned out, the SD card did not make. DOA. We tried several times to revive it, but alas, it was not meant to be.
As a follow-up. Kirk did get a second GoPro HD camera rigged underneath the truck, and we got some great footage! Pretty cool what it looks like under a fire truck.
More carnage
Carnage!
More Carnage
Firetruck 1 - GoPro 0
Jumer’s Casino & Hotel new TV Spot “Office Escapism”
Here’s a brand new TV Spot that we just finished for Jumer’s Casino and Hotel. This spot was produced in collaboration with Henry Russell Bruce here in Cedar Rapids. The entire spot was filmed in one very long day. Almost all the shots are at the casino, with a few of the office sh0ts actually done at a local business about 10 minutes away from Jumer’s.
It was a jam packed day that started early and ended fairly late. The crew was great to work with. Our talent was a good sport all the way through the day.
You can see the spot on the local TV stations as well as some of the cable channels. It’s airing now!
Mt. Mercy University Basketball Commercial
Here is the latest commercial for Mt. Mercy University that we just completed. This spot has a lot of history behind it. David, the subject of the spot is the third person of his family to play basketball for Mt. Mercy University. His father and brother both played basketball for Mt. Mercy. And, his father met his wife (David’s mother) at Mt. Mercy while going to school. So you could say it’s truly a family affair, and that Mustang pride runs deep in his family.
Mt. Mercy University Commercial
We recently wrapped production on a brand new commercial for Mount Mercy University featuring NAIA National Champion in the Javelin throw, Jenna. You may have seen her picture before if you have been driving around Cedar Rapids as she is on a number of billboards.
We filmed the spot a few weeks ago, when it wasn’t all that cold yet, and Jenna was a great sport. We were assured of her accuracy so we naturally had her throw the Javelin at the camera for a couple of shots. 20 to 30 feet, was no problem. So, we upped the challenge for Jenna, and Kirk moved down the field a good 100 feet or so. then we had her throw it again, and again and again. Great accuracy! A fun afternoon working with a National Champ. And as usual, Mount Mercy were great hosts.
Hit the link below to see how the spot turned out.
Kent Stock in Studio
We had the pleasure of having Kent Stock in Studio this week while we were working on a video for him promoting his speaking.
Kirk and Kent take a break for a picture - yeah, that's Sean Astin on the monitor
Kent Stock, for those of you who don’t know was the subject of the the film “The Final Season” staring Sean Astin and Powers Boothe. The movie is about the last season of baseball at storied Norway High School. Kent was the last baseball coach and took the team to being the the State Champions for the 20th and final time. The movie is based on Kent’s final season and his book that he wrote “Heading For Home”.
We had the luxury of working with several of the clips directly from the movie as well as some footage from some of his speaking engagements.
It was great having Kent in studio, and of course being the Cardinals fan that he is, it’s all about baseball right now. Go Cards!
