PrimeImage Media Blog

High-tech Lighting Techniques Bring Incredible Sharpness And Clarity To Images

2011-07-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Many people ask us just how we get our photos so incredibly sharp and lifelike. We use a system called "Enhanced Lighting Compression" or ELC, which is a group of technologies that we've developed over the last 5 years here at PrimeImage. Part of the system involves a process called HDR, a technique that has been in use for over 150 years.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, specifically High Dynamic Range Imagery. Basically, it's a digital technique that allows you to bring out the brightest brights and darkest darks in an image to accurately represent the intensity of light.

By capturing multiple images of varying exposures almost simultaneously, the entire light spectrum is captured. Then, using special software, the images are combined into one seamlessly developed picture.

What makes it even more interesting is that this technology was actually used back in the mid-19th century when Gustave Le Gray famously made seascapes showing the sky and the sea. Because the range of light was too great to capture with standard techniques at the time, Le Gray actually used two different negatives, one of the sky and one of the sea, and then combined them together to create the single picture.

However, it wasn’t until the early 1990’s that HDR took off among amateur and professional photographers. Thanks to the constant fall in price and rise in demand of consumer and prosumer level cameras, HDR is now something that almost anyone with a camera can achieve.

Although HDR video has been researched since the late 1980’s, it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that true attempts at it were made. In 2010, the independent film studio Soviet Montage released footage of HDR video created using a beam-splitter and two cameras. The effects are almost haunting, with the result resting in the uncanny valley of reality.

At PrimeImage, we took the basis of HDR and pioneered a type of imaging called Enhanced Lighting Compression (ELC) photography. Like HDR, ELC uses shots of multiple exposures to capture the varying light intensities of a scene. However, ELC also uses custom software algorithms and special techniques to bring incredible sharpness and clarity to images that can’t be attained with standard HDR. This custom technology helps to bring out the details that the human eye sees that are unable to be captured with other methods. Although ELC has been formerly used in both the medical and military fields, PrimeImage is one of the first companies to use ELC for real estate.

It will be interesting to see where HDR goes in the future. As technology progresses, what new forms of lighting compression will we see researched and developed? If you’d like to use ELC images for your business, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

Discover Real Estate Secrets with the Top Women in Real Estate

2011-07-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

We recently had a shoot in Phoenix for the up-coming Real Estate site, TopWomenInRealEstate.com.

Created by Carrie Love and Tara Revel, the website discusses industry and trade secrets for all members of the real estate community, from people just getting their feet wet to experienced brokers.

The women were having a photo shoot, and they wanted us to film a "behind-the-scenes" video for their website.

Because we're used to being the ones with all the equipment, it was definitely an experience working around another photography crew. It’s always great to work with other crews though to exchange ideas and thoughts.

Using our trusty tripod and dolly, we were able to set up great shots while keeping the camera moving smoothly. On the dolly, you’re able to lock the wheels in a certain direction so that when moving it, you can lock it to keep it turning at a set angle. This is particularly helpful when rotating the camera around a steady subject.

When we wanted to get mobile, we used our hand-held steadicam, the GlideCam. Amazingly, it gets some very smooth shots for being hand-held. It’s definitely been a great acquisition for our company.

Besides getting those shots, they also wanted to do a short video of them speaking about the service. This will go on their website when they get it up and running.

If you’d like to make a video for your website, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

Neo-Fight: The Technology Show for the Not-So-Geeky!

2011-07-09T10:15:00.001-07:00

Love technology, but not technology minded?

Do the technical specs discussed in reviews mean nothing to you?

If so, check out Neo-Fight, the technology show for the not-so-geeky!

Created by PrimeImage Media owner and producer Ben Freedman, the show has been in production for over five years, with almost 350 episodes. Along with Ben, the show is also hosted by Heather Driscoll.

Each episode is broken up into segments in which various technological gadgets and gizmos are reviewed. Ben offers his perspective as a techno-geek while Heather counters with her perspective as a casual technology user.

Released weekly, we film a month's worth of shows at a time in our Mesa studio.

On one of the episodes we shot this month, we reviewed several rugged cameras, designed for underwater use as well as outdoor activities such as mountain biking and off-roading.

We also reviewed the Micro Hornet remote controlled helicopter. Weighing only half an ounce, the Micro Hornet can be used for indoor flight with a flight time of about five minutes.

Along with those items, we reviewed the iRig Mic for the iPhone, a mouse, a color calibrator for computer monitors and more. You’ll have to check out the latest episodes to see everything we reviewed!

Be sure to check out Neo-fight at neo-fight.tv and give us a call at 480.240.9270 if you have an idea for a web show you’d like to get produced.

TesTeachers: The Virtual Classroom Experience

2011-07-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

In 2006, TesTeachers Online became the first online class to use video technology to fully recreate the classroom experience.

In 2011, they came to us to help make those videos.

TesTeachers is an online preparation course for insurance and securities exams. With eight securities courses and twenty insurance courses, TesTeachers provides a valuable alternative to classroom-based learning.

This shoot, containing over eighteen hours of footage, took us three days in our Mesa studio to complete.

Using a specially modified television, the instructor is able to “write” on it like a whiteboard, and using a program called Camtasia, the contents of the board are stored and can be used in editing to show what was written on the board, without showing the instructor in the way of it.

The total length of the course we shot was about eighteen hours, so each day we shot six hours of footage. Once the shot starts, our job is fairly simple. The instructor simply teaches to the camera as if they are teaching to a class full of students, with occasional breaks.

Now that we have all of our footage, we’ll sit down and edit it together into manageable chunks for the students, which will then be distributed to the students of the class.

If you’d like to use state of the art video technology for your company or class, contact us at 480.240.9270

Visiting Dr. Aldo Guerra

2011-07-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

We recently headed to the office of Doctor Aldo Guerra, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Scottsdale, Arizona. Specializing in cosmetic plastic surgery, Dr. Guerra works with patients wishing to enhance their physical appearance and well-being.

After pulling up to his office, we immediately got to work unloading our truck full of equipment. For this shoot we used a tripod, dolly, three lights, a microphone, and other various gadgets.

One of the main pieces of footage we were shooting was a testimonial by a woman coming in for a procedure for a “before-and-after” segment. We converted a small consultation office into a studio, packing a full set of equipment into the room. We used a standard three-light set up, using our new LED lights, which produce virtually no heat.

After the interview, we went to various locations in the office to get action shots. Some of these shots included the client entering the office and being greeted at the front desk, Dr. Guerra discussing the procedure, and general shots of the office staff.

Using the tripod with a dolly (basically wheels for the tripod) underneath, we were able to achieve some slow, smooth shots.

If you’d like us to shoot a video for your business, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

Go Green, the Essante Way

2011-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Essante Worldwide, a company known for their organic and natural alternatives to many popular products, recently came to us to produce a new video advertisement for them.

Founded in 2009, Essante Worldwide has quickly become an industry leader in natural products, offering a wide range of chemical-free household items to consumers.

For this shoot, we used two hosts: Sandy Kim, a local actress, and Kim Gregory, an actor from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Our Scottsdale office served as the backdrop for this shoot. This was our first time using our new 500- and 1000-LED lights. The greatest benefit of these lights is that they produce virtually no heat, which, especially in Phoenix during the summer, is a huge benefit.

We also used an attachable teleprompter. This piece of equipment attaches onto the lens of the camera, reflecting the text on a piece of paper onto glass in front of the lens. Because this is simply a reflection, the camera does not pick it up, but you can read it perfectly from in front of the camera.

We had twelve on-screen portions that we needed to film, along with several lines of voice-over. To start off, we filmed the portions where both personalities were on-screen. Kim and Sandy had great chemistry together, making their portions together both easy and fun.

Ben decided to play chemist and filled a beaker with anti-freeze to use as a prop.

After filming their two scenes together, we recorded just Sandy’s on-camera scenes…

…with Ben stepping in to give her direction.

After we finished Sandy’s few on-camera shots, Kim stepped up to deliver his.

The last part of the shoot was recording the voice-over segments. Using the same setup as the on-camera scenes, we recorded the talent reading their lines as video, and will then extract the audio from those to use in the final product.

If you’d like us to produce state of the art video advertising for your product or company that will be seen by thousands of online viewers, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

Forest Highlands

2011-06-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from the beautiful golf community of Forest Highlands, located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Forest Highlands is a 1,100 acre community featuring two golf courses and clubhouses. This was one of our several trips up to the community to get footage for a video for their website. While Scott and Jerry got footage on the ground, Ben was soaring up above in a helicopter getting some beautiful aerial shots.

Scott and Jerry started off the shoot by getting shots at a children’s golf camp that was occurring. For this specific shot, we used a piece of equipment called a jib. When mounted on a tripod, the jib works like a crane and is able to smoothly move up and down while keeping the focus of the shot the same.

We also used a piece of equipment called a slider. Once the camera is mounted on it, it is able to move slowly and smoothly from side to side, creating a really sleek effect.

After getting some more outdoor shots, we returned to the sales office to film interaction between a customer and a realtor, before heading to the clubhouse to shoot our testimonial. We interviewed the CFO of Forest Highlands using a double-camera setup to allow us to create more interest when we edit the final the product.

One of the most exciting parts of the shoot was heading out onto the golf course to get some fantastic action shots. Using the jib once again, we were able to get some incredible shots of golfers teeing off on one of the community's most magnificent holes.

On the green of the same hole, we used the slider to get some shots of the golfers putting.

After we were done on the course, we drove over to the clubhouse to get some shots of the many delicious meals offered there. The chef was kind enough to cook up some food for us to use, and we spent some time dabbling in culinary photography.

We’re headed back up to Forest Highlands to get some more footage at their Fourth of July festivities, and we’re excited to see how the final video turns out.

If you have real estate that you'd like to capture on video, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

A Visit to Show Low

2011-06-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fantastic two-day shoot in beautiful Show Low, Arizona. Our client was Laurie McCain, one of northern Arizona’s top realtors, who was looking to provide some videos on her websites to highlight both herself and the area she sells in.

We started our trip at the vivacious private golf community of Torreon. Located just outside of Show Low, this 13-year old development is built right into the forest, offering views of the trees as far as the eye can see. The community is highlighted by its two golf courses, expansive clubhouse, and a wide range of amenities including a pool, family center, and equestrian center, among many others.

Laurie was an absolute delight to work with. Upon first entering her dual-purpose office and house, we immediately felt perfectly at home. Her staff was also fantastic, doing everything they could to do what was best for both us and them.

We filmed Laurie’s on-camera portions, featuring her discussing both Torreon and the White Mountains area along with some words about her own business history.

Next, we visited one of the people we would be using for a testimonial. Using the fantastic trees-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see view from her backyard, the shot came out great.

After that, we hopped in Laurie’s golf cart for a full tour of Torreon. She drove us up and down every road with Ben and Scott stopping often to hop out and grab a few pictures.

The next morning, we headed out to Torreon before the wind picked up to get some aerial photographs with the Draganflyer X6 drone helicopter. Designed as an unmanned aerial photography drone, the X6 is capable of taking photo and video remotely and wirelessly.

After cruising around the community, and stopping many times along the way to get aerial footage, we were almost done for the day. Our final stop was later that evening, at the Orchard at Charlie Clark’s steakhouse, where we got footage of an old-fashioned cowboy party.

Currently, the footage is being edited together and the project is making good progress. The trip was great, and we can’t wait to have the final product completed.

If you have real estate that you'd like to capture on video, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

To see more pictures from the shoot, be sure to check out our Facebook page.

DAC 2011 Was The Place To Be!

2011-06-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we traveled to sunny San Diego to film a video for the Design Automation Conference (DAC). For the past 48 years, DAC has been the premier event for the design of circuits, electronic design automation, and silicon solutions.

We started the trip by capturing shots of the Dodge Rock n’ Roll Marathon, an event with many DAC participants.

The next day, we woke up at the crack of dawn to drive to the beautiful San Diego Convention Center to spend the day filming the conference.

One of the highlights for us was using a new piece of equipment called the Glidecam HD. Unlike most camera stabilizers, the Glidecam HD is not harnessed to the body and is completely hand held. Because of the extra mobility that this provides, it is possible to achieve a much wider range of motion than traditional stabilizers.

We spent the morning getting a mix of footage from the showroom floor, educational sessions, and interviews with both exhibitors and attendees of the conference.

After a full day of shooting, we got right to work editing the video for presentation at the keynote address the following morning. As the crowd filed into the hall, our video was shown on the main screen. Altogether, it was a great trip and a great shoot.

If you have an event that you'd like to capture on video, drop us a line at 480.240.9270

Check out the video here: http://vimeo.com/25006852

Local Celebrities in Studio

2011-01-21T19:03:00.001-08:00

Fun shoot today with some local Scottsdale celebrities: Rick Kidder, the CEO of the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce, and Don Matheson, whose team is the #1 real estate group in Arizona, and the #4 in the country.

These two well-known men are a pleasure to shoot, because in addition to being extremely soft-spoken and down-to-earth, they are also very comfortable being interviewed and captured on camera.

Put them both together in studio, and the conversation flows with an easy and well-tempered flow that comes across very naturally, just like you were sitting with them in person. There's a lot of mutual respect and admiration in the room, and the camera picks that up with all the nuances and subtleties intact.

Having just shot an exercise video the day before, the studio is in a little disarray, which is slightly embarrassing when in the presence of such highly regarding company, but such is the life of a busy production shop.

Still these guys are pros, and it's an easy shoot. On top of that, the video we're capturing will help folks who are presented with real estate difficulties (and that's a significant chunk of the populace right now). All in all, a worthwile shoot with a couple of great guys.

Shooting for Health and Wellness

2011-01-19T21:29:00.001-08:00

The one thing that stays the same in the production business is that every day is different. Today, we were lucky enough to be in the studio with Pamela Cohn, shooting a series of 60 (yes, 60!) short videos of various exercises for a new health website to be launched shortly.

You'd think that Pamela would be exhausted after such a day, but believe it or not, she had not one but two classes to teach at her 'day job' directly after the 6 hour shoot today. I wish I was in that kind of shape.

This was a fairly standard 2-camera shoot, although one camera was mounted on a dolly to add some motion to the video. Pamela ended up doing two to three times the recommended number of reps for each exercise as we captured wide, close, and dolly shots. It would have left me in tears! :-)

The best part of it all was the wonderful attitudes of everyone involved, from Pamela and Scott (our camera operator and producer) to our patient clients, and the infectious high spirits of our make-up and hair artist, Meleah.

All in all, a great shoot, and a great bunch of people. We're looking forward to shooting more with these guys as their website ramps up. We'll be sure to keep you posted when it goes live.

In the O.R. with Dr. William Leighton

2010-12-13T11:09:00.001-08:00

Some of the most rewarding projects I've worked on have been capturing medical footage with brilliant physicians, nurses, and staff. Whether it's at a medical mission in Nicaragua (see last month), or right here in my own backyard.

Today, we're lucky enough to be capturing the very talented Dr. William Leighton, whose many skills include helping burn victims recover and regain their quality of life, often reconstructing their heads and faces from what little is left behind after their accident.

Today, Dr. Leighton is performing his 48th surgery on just such a burn victim. I met the patient before the surgery, and he spoke very highly of Dr. Leighton's skill and dedication. Of less consequence, however, is the fact that we're deploying our newest boom camera mount, in an effort to get the best angles possible.

Excuse the crummy panorama shot here. The boom is actually too long for my iPhone's camera, so this is three shots merged. This is a modified Manfrotto light/mic boom stand on a wheeled tripod. It has an internal gearing mechanism that allows us to rotate and tilt the Sony HD camera we have mounted on the end.

Dr. Leighton uses these videos to teach other physicians the techniques he uses, and we often find the medical equipment companies are interested in the footage too. It's a win-win all around. Not sure how the patient feels about watching the footage, but he signed the release, at least.

We also use a ground-based camera to capture Dr. Leighton's face and voice, providing context to the procedure and allowing him to comment and lecture during the surgery.

It's a wonderful feeling knowing that the video you shoot will be used to help other doctors heal patients like this one, and bring Dr. Leighton's techniques to the next generation of reconstructive surgeons.

Medical Hands for Healing...the video

2010-11-06T18:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who offered kind words about our recent trip to Nicaragua. For those who are interested, here's the video that we ended up producing....

Medical Hands for Healing - Granada, Nicaragua from Ben Freedman on Vimeo.

Medical Hands for Healing in Nicaragua

2010-10-28T16:15:00.001-07:00

Here's something we don't get to do often enough... Travel to an exotic location with an inspiring group of professionals who are donating their time for a worthy cause...and capture it all on video.

...and I got to wear SCRUBS, so that sealed the deal. Seriously, Medical Hands for Healing is a group of cosmetic surgeons, nurses, medical staff, and organizers that offer their time at no cost and pay their own way to third world countries to help those in need.

The most common problem we saw during the week we were there was a cleft lip or palate. While not life-threatening, this condition can be extremely difficult to live with, and often results in few or no teeth in your mouth, and a hole that allows food and liquids to enter your nose while you eat. Speech can be difficult, and it also presents the stigma of a deformed face.

Here in the US, a cleft lip is treated soon after birth, but we saw cases ranging from birth to thirty years old. I can't imagine living with such a condition for that amount of time. It really underscored just how lucky we are to be living in the USA.

It's a wonderful thing to see the look on a Mom's face after her baby is returned to her following a procedure by one of these wonderful doctors. But it's truly a group effort, as nurses, organizers, and other volunteers all work together for the benefit of these poverty stricken people

I was just an innocent bystander during all this, but the video documentary I make will hopefully help raise money for Medical Hands for Healing, and we also shot a couple of training videos for the local Doctors to help them get up to speed.

It was a wonderful, eye-opening experience, and I'd like to thank Dr. Aldo Guerra and the rest of the crew of allowing me to participate.

CES 2010 - The Adventure Continues!

2010-01-11T08:40:00.001-08:00

Once again, this year, STM Bags sponsored our podcast, Neo-Fight.tv, to head to Las Vegas to cover CES 2010.

For those of you unaware of CES, it's the Consumer Electronics Show, and is one of the largest exhibitions in the US, with nearly 2700 booths showing off their wares.

Master Producer Jay Lee, Co-Host Tiffany Young, and myself jumped in the Explorer and headed out on Tuesday morning. One great thing about Arizona is that it's close to major centers like LA, San Diego, and of course, Las Vegas. Driving is not only cheaper (and far less stressful) than flying, but it affords the luxury of bringing a ton of gear, and being able to easily cart it around to the various hotels and ballrooms that we'd be shooting..

Case in point, here's Tiffany covering a nifty new gadget at a 'mini-show' held at the Venetian Hotel and Casino. If it weren't enough that there are miles and miles of booths at the show itself, other PR companies hold these press-only mini-shows. As they are only for the media, they're a lot of fun (and the free food and drinks don't hurt). The exhibitors are ready and expecting to give interviews, so we can get a lot done in a short period of time.

Eventually, of course, we have to get to the show floor itself, which is VAST. Here's Jay and Tiffany covering a new NAS product from Verbatim. I thought Jay's cargo pants and belted-tunic look gave him a definite 'Luke Skywalker' feel here...

Another great thing about CES is it allows us to meet all of our friends and colleagues in the media. Here's Andy Walker (with his shooter, Peder Pederman) from the podcast LabRats.

All in all, a great time was had by all, and we're all looking forward to covering next year's show... To catch our coverage of CES 2010, point your browser at www.neo-fight.tv over the next four weeks. Let us know what you think.

-Ben

Buzzing ERA Crowd at Stingaree in San Diego

2009-11-18T10:47:00.001-08:00

(Reposted from Electronic Retailing Magazine Blog)

It’s not a far stretch to say that everyone that attended the ERA Networking Reception in San Diego on Monday, October 19, had a FABULOUS time. With 200+ direct response pros in attendance on the rooftop of Stingaree, the vibe and overall buzz of the evening was upbeat and optimistic. The drinks were flowing, the atmosphere was perfect and the conversations were flowing! Many people said they were making more connections during the two hour reception than they had made all day on the conference in town!

Having Andi Barness and Ben Freedman from PrimeImage Media at the reception also created a lot of buzz – they managed to get more than a dozen interviews with attendees asking why they were planning on coming to The Great Ideas Summit 2010 in New Orleans. Check out the video they produced below and the pictures that Kim Lewis with ERA snapped. www.ERAGreatIdeas.org

For all of you that attended – we hope it was a worthwhile and successful networking event for you!

Photoshopping Real Estate Pictures for Fun and Profit

2009-10-25T20:23:00.001-07:00

We've all seen the recent kerfuffle over Ralph Lauren's photoshopped model photos (in case you haven't, they're here), but there are definitely times when a little photoshopping is in order.

Take, for example, a recent aerial shoot we did of a gorgeous home here in Paradise Valley, Arizona. This is really a stunning estate, but due to the time of year and absence of the owners, the lawn was less than perfect. You could actually pay a lot more to get a far better photoshop result, but these images, while far from perfect, do a pretty good job of conveying the look of 'grass', and we were able to turn the project around in a single day, without breaking the bank.

Here's a few examples, with the 'before' following the 'afters'. Let me know what you think...

Again, our goal is to produce something that conveys the right emotion on a tight timeframe, even if it can't stand up to the closest photographic scrutiny. If you have a project that you'd like to photograph, but might need a little sprucing up after the fact, drop us a line at 480.240.9270.

Traveling with your studio... It's all in the bag.

2009-09-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

One of the most common questions I receive is how I manage to schlep an entire studio-worth of production gear around the country and stay sane... My answer: It's all in the bag. The right kind of baggage can really help make traveling with production equipment manageable. Here's what I bring:

This is my only check-in bag. It's an Eddie Bauer rolling duffle -- the largest they make. It's so large, in fact, that I almost never fill up the top section, which is where my clothes go. You'll notice there is a separate bottom compartment, though, which is where the utility lies. Inside, wrapped in a thick production blanket are my two tripods.. One is for my video camera, and one for stills (I've yet to find a tripod that is light enough for my dSLR, but rock solid enough for my video camera, and could do double duty). The two tripods make up most of the weight of this bag, which, when added to my clothes and toiletries and such, comes to around 45lb, just under the 50lb check-in limit on most airlines.

This is the jewel of my luggage system... The Think Tank Airline Roller, which I carry on with me whenever possible (I have to gate-check it on small aircraft). Let's take a look inside...

Here we have everything a portable studio kit could need. From top-left, there's an on-camera LED light (made by Zylight), my dSLR lens, Sony EX-1 XDCAM camera, rain cover, charger, Sennheiser Evolution wireless microphones, cleaning supplies and batteries, and finally my Nikon D300 SLR camera. The lid flap has room for cards, flyers, etc...

Finally, there's my backpack of choice, which is currently the Skooba Designs Check-Through bag. This bag is cool in that it's TSA approved so you don't have to take your laptop out at the airport. Saves a few precious moments...

Inside is my MacBook Editing studio, a portable HD, Sprint AirCard, iPhone, and a few other essentials. This is the bag that stays with me under the seat so I can edit on my flight home...

This combination has served me well for a couple of years now, but I'm always looking to find news ways to pack light and still carry everything I need. If you have any suggestions, drop me a line at ben@PrimeImageMedia.com

Innovating on the road... The story of the Amazon Kindle DX

2009-09-10T20:23:00.001-07:00

One of the things we pride ourselves on at PrimeImage Media, is thinking outside the box. So often, videographers are taught that there's one way to do something, and that becomes a dogmatic stance that prevents them from seeing other solutions that might otherwise present themselves.

Case in point, our recent trip to Asheville, North Carolina to shoot a 315 acre estate. I took along professional presenter Andi Barness (www.andibarness.com) as the host. Normally when I work with Andi, we have a teleprompter for her, but working in a vast, outdoor windy location made setting up a teleprompter impractical. In other, similar situations, we've just taped paper to the bottom of the camera's lens, but this has its own problems, as the paper gets blown around in even the slightest breeze, and it requires printing before hand (not good for on-the-spot changes).

As it happens, I have an Amazon Kindle DX e-book reader which we recently reviewed on our tech-podcast, Neo-Fight.tv (www.neo-fight.tv). It struck me that it might make a good in-the-field teleprompter... so why not 'think outside the box' and give it a try!

So here's where our scripting process starts... on the plane with my laptop, where Andi and I review the details from our client, and proceed to craft the script. Not all of it will be on-camera (which would require a full-blown teleprompter). Rather, the snippets of on-camera that Andi does will be teleprompted, and the rest will be read as voice-over, and then we'll shoot "B-Roll" to cover her dialog.

This is usually our next stop... :-)

Here we are on-site. You can see the Amazon Kindle mounted on top of the XDCAM camera we're using. I used an old iPod windshield-suction mount screwed to a cannibalized flash shoe to attach the kindle to the camera. Let's take a closer look...

Here you can see the Kindle hanging above the lens. While most teleprompters use a mirror to sit right in front of the camera lens, we didn't have that option, so we mounted it directly above. As long as the talent is more than 10 or so feet from the camera, it's hard to tell they're looking slightly up from the lens.

Here's Andi reading from the Kindle. The great thing was that we could easily make changes to the script right on site on our laptop, and upload them wirelessly to the Kindle. That sure sped things up. No printer required.

Finally, here's Andi reading her voice-over from the Kindle back at the hotel. Once again, nothing to print, and easy to make changes. Of course, she could just as easily have read from the laptop, but really, how cool would that have been?

Got an innovative video product that comes from out-of-the-box thinking? Drop me a line at ben@PrimeImageMedia.com

Not your normal training video...

2009-08-19T22:30:00.001-07:00

I love to shoot training videos, because I often feel like I can learn something at the same time. Most of the training videos we shoot, however, involve fairly 'grounded' topics like how to use a home inspection web service, or how to take advantage of real estate short sales. Not this week, however. 'Grounded' was probably the last word I'd use to describe our latest client...

RotorSense Helicopter Services is a firm dedicated to training helicopter pilots in the finer skills of pilotage. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, for which there is already a large library of training materials, the selection of quality video training products for helicopters is relatively sparse. RotorSense is embarking on a journey to produce a library of titles on a wide range of helicopter training subjects.

The man flying this bird is Ken Klarfeld, the instructor/pilot behind RotorSense, and that beautiful hilly landscape is his hometown of Eugene, Oregon. We pick a gorgeous 95 degree day to shoot the promo for his first video.

The first title RotorSense will be producing is dedicated to helping pilots avoiding 'Wire-strikes', a nasty condition where low-flying helicopters unknowingly fly into power-lines or telephone wires, especially while on approach for an off-airport landing. So we spent most of the day finding cool places to land that aren't airports.

There's something wonderful about landing on a tiny river rock island in the middle of stream (notice the wires in the background), in a Robinson R44 with the doors off. It's like the Jeep Wrangler of helicopters.

Ken is great on camera, and provides an entertaining and informative dialog that will help any pilot fly more safely and feel more confident about their off-airport landings. The RotorSense website is still under construction as I write this, but check back in a few weeks at www.RotorSense.com to catch a preview of the video we shot today.

Ben Freedman
www.PrimeImageMedia.com

Why capture an event on video? Three compelling reasons...

2009-07-22T09:58:00.001-07:00

To some, it seems obvious: You're producing an event, you should produce a video of the event. Some folk love having a record of the event for posterity, reference, or just to 'have on hand' down the road. For those 'crazy' folks among us who have to actual 'reasons' to spend the time and money to videotape the proceedings, here are the three most common reasons we get when we ask our clients why they hired us...

Reason #1 - To promote a future event.

Events are often yearly, quarterly, monthly, or cyclical in some nature, and the forward-thinking promoter is always looking to the next event to increase attendance and sponsorship. One great tool to have when promoting an event is 'look at how great the last event was'. Yes, you can show attendance numbers, comment cards, and the like, but nothing shows off the form and function of an event like a video, which of course, has been tactfully crafted to highlight the best moments from said event. Talk to the exhibitors, talk to the attendees, talk to the sponsors, show off the sessions, and then distill that down to a slick, quick, 2-4 minute promotional piece. It's a great way to attract more attention next time from both repeat clients and new business.

Reason #2 - Generate revenue from the video.

If you're capturing snippets from an event to use for a promotional piece, it might also make sense to capture the full content of some of the featured speakers or panels. These can then be edited to include their PowerPoint (or other visual media), and formatted for Internet or DVD delivery. The finished product is worth a lot to people who either missed the event, weren't able to attend, or would like to review the material at a later date. We've had clients who charged $299 to attend an event, or $399 with a DVD package that included all the keynote addresses on video. While not everyone paid for the more expensive package, enough did to more than cover the costs of the production and thereby increased the total revenue for the show promoter. The video can also be sold after the fact on DVD, or Internet download, from an e-commerce website. Offering a $29.95 video package after the event to people who couldn't attend can be a very lucrative product, and will get your message out to a second, previously unadressed audience.

Reason #3 - Generate leads and prospects.

While many events are educational in nature, they can also be used to generate leads and prospects for your sales staff, even when the event is long past. An event video can easily be turned into an 'online webinar' on your website that is placed behind a registration page. The video is free to watch, but to access it, a prospect must 'register' by providing their name, email, phone, and other demographic information. While many visitors to your website may not feel comfortable just offering up their email address for nothing, the educational value of a webinar video is perceived as more than a fair trade for this coveted contact information, and with separate links to different videos, you can even divine exactly what a given prospect is interested in when they sign up.

Of course, there are more reasons than just these, but the great thing about video is that with just one up-front investment to capture the event, there are many ways to repurpose the content to suit your current needs now, and in the future. Content is a wonderful thing in that you only pay for it once, but it works for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in a diverse and broad range of possible venues.

PrimeImage Media can help you plan, capture, edit, and distribute your event video, and help with the creation of webinar pages and registration forms for your website. We'd love to help you get the most out of your future events. Drop us a line at 480.240.9270, or visit us at www.PrimeImageMedia.com.

Is getting professional photography for your listing really worth it?

2009-07-17T09:04:00.001-07:00

That's probably one of the hardest questions to answer because what constitutes 'good' photography can be different amongst various observers. Back in the 80s, Apple came out with with the first easy-to-use desktop publishing system. The next day, everyone decided they were going to forgo expensive designers and produce their own business cards.

Of course, owning a copy of "PageMaker" didn't make you designer, and just because high-quality digital cameras can now be had for under $500, it doesn't make you a photographer.

The other side of the argument is that, for many people, digital 'snapshots' may be good enough, and are actually far higher quality than what may have been available even professionally 10 or 20 years ago. So, is it worth spending the money on photos that are marginally better than what you could take yourself?

Our answer is 'no'. It's not worth spending money on professional photos unless they are noticeably, significantly better than the photos you could get on your own... and to us, better means not that they are more pleasing to the eye or that they are artistically composed, but rather that they will attract more attention and generate more calls to you, the agent who hired us.

The photos in this post are all from a recent shoot for JP King Auctions of a condo complex located in Austin, Texas. We're located in Phoenix, so JP King not only has to pay for our photography services, but also our travel costs. Why would they go to that expense? Several reasons...

1) Several condos are for sale in this development, so the cost of hiring us can be amortized over multiple units.

2) The photos we take will be suitable for their website, brochures, and print-media advertising (newspapers and billboards). Repurposing the photos in more than one media also distributes the cost.

3) ...and finally, our pictures are different. They stand out. They look strange...some even say 'surreal'. We use a system called "Enhanced Lighting Compression" photography that combines high dynamic range, sharpening, and level compression to create photos that leap off the page. It's something that catches the eye as it drifts through a magazine or drives down the road. And eyeballs on ads is what good commercial photography is all about.

Of course, traveling to texas to take photos requires a project that can support our travel fees, so if you'd like us to come out to where you are, it most likey needs to be a large estate, or multiple units that can be aggregated together.

On the other hand, if you're located in Phoenix, ELC photography can be extremely reasonable, and saves you the time of taking the photos yourself. Drop me a line at 480-619-8164 if you have a listing in town or a project across the USA that you'd like us to quote.

There are many more examples of our ELC Photography, Aerial Photography, and incredible videos on our website at www.PrimeImageMedia.com

-Ben Freedman, Owner/Producer

Creating a video for radio

2009-07-06T12:06:00.001-07:00

This morning saw us shooting a video for Career Launch Radio, a new radio show featuring career consultants Jane and Al Andersen. The video will be a promotional piece to be used on their website...

Their radio show can be found here: Career Launch Radio. Jane and Al are fiercely committed to helping folks who are looking to change career or find a new job, which of course can be extremely tough in the current economic climate. If you've followed our productions, you'll probably recognize Jane and Al from their 'Pinked-In' parties, where they organize networking events that bring employers together with potential employees: Pinked-In Party Video.

Recording a radio show is challenging because of the close quarters. Being in such a tight space and the constraints of this particular project's budget means that we're limited to a single camera for the shoot. The goal for PrimeImage, however, is to make something that looks like it cost a lot, even thought the budget is small.

The show runs for an hour, but the promo will only be 1-2 minutes long, so the best practice for video is to capture enough of the conversation to ensure you have some interesting footage...

...and the capture some 'b-roll' clips to spice up the visuals (after all, this is radio, so there's not a lot of 'action' to capture). We recorded about 30-minutes of the 1-hour show, and then spent the 2nd half capturing close-ups and reaction shots, which we'll use to cover cuts in the promo and make our 1-camera production look like we had a whole crew.

Capturing shots of the guests and hosts nodding and looking 'thoughtful' is vitally important. Even though these were captured later, we'll use them in the video as 'reactions' to what the speaker is saying. It's a nice trick that creates a compelling video.

If you have an upcoming event, discussion, or meeting that you'd like captured, drop us a line at 480-240-9270, and let's see how we can produce a high-quality web-video that you can use to promote your services and marketed your company.

Another rotten day at the office...

2009-06-25T22:52:00.001-07:00

I won't kid you... this year has certainly seen its share of challenges. Between the housing crisis and the economic meltdown, it seems like we're working twice as hard just to keep up. Having said that, however, I always feel blessed by the fact that as much of a roller-coaster as it's been lately, there are still very few things I'd rather be doing.

Case in point: Today's shoot was for Silver Spur Tours, a wonderful tour company based in Sedona, AZ. It's beautiful country up there, and just elevated enough to be out of the blistering heat of the Phoenix summer.

I love road trips because, compared to flying, you can pack so much more gear. I'm a bit of a pack-rat, so I tend to bring at least one of everything I might need.

Mike Kaser of SST (directing me in this photo) has recently decked-out these amazing Sprinter vans for his tour company, so one of the things we were spotlighting today was these incredible tour vehicles.

They truly are the ultimate in luxury vehicles. I'd much rather ride around in one of these than a limo. Far more headroom!

It's always great working with great talent, and Mike's favorite is Tiffany Young, so I twisted her arm and brought her along on the trip.

Mike always likes to get shots from the air for his tour videos, and in Sedona, that means a helicopter. Here we are about to step into our Bell Jet Ranger. Yes, it was a very tough day indeed...

There's the horrible view out of the window. OK, I think I'm overdoing the sarcasm at this point.

The final shot of the day here amongst the red rocks. Mike has a unique way of creating these videos which makes his shoots challenging and fun at the same time. He prefers to shoot what he feels is important, and then add the scripting and voice-over later on, which is the reverse of most of our clients. Skeptical at first, I've come to appreciate the technique.

...and as the sun sets slowly in the West, everything goes back in the truck for the 2 hour drive back down the hill to home. We're equally as comfortable traveling across the country as we are across the state, so if you have a project in mind that you'd like video for, please don't hesitate to drop us a line at 480-240-9270.

Here are links to a few of our previous Silver Spur Tours videos...

Arizona Landmarks

Grand Canyon Country

Sedona Wine Country

In economic slow-down, golf courses turn to online video

2009-06-24T14:20:00.001-07:00

I have to hand it to Club Corp, the firm that owns and manages hundreds of golf courses here in the USA. Most marketing experts will tell you that during slow economic times, you need to increase your marketing efforts to maintain market share. Of course, most businesses do exactly the opposite, slashing marketing budgets during down times and then spending lavishly during the booms. Not Club Corp, however. Recognizing that they need new and exciting ways of engaging prospective customers, they've turned to online video to generate renewed interest on their websites.

Left-to-Right: Producer Jay Lee, Host Tiffany Young, and Seville Golf Club Membership Director Ryan Barmore.

For Seville Golf Club and two other courses here in AZ, we're using a combination of video, still photography, and aerial photography to tour virtual visitors around the grounds, including the course, pro shops, fitness facilites, and dinning accomodations.

In this scene, Tiffany is extolling the virtues of "Boleros": a bar and grill located on the gorgeous grounds of Seville Golf Club.

Of course, the obvious temptation for us is to shoot this scene last, and then stop for a 'cold one' at the bar (an offer always put forward by the gracious Mr. Barmore). Unfortunately, it's back to the studio for us to get down to editing.

Here's the Gainey Ranch Golf Course that we shot a few months back:

Gainey Ranch Golf Course Video

If you'd like information about producing a video for your firm, please don't hesitate to drop us a line at 480.240.9270.