The weather has been wet and rainy for the past week, so when the sun came out I went over to the park to test out the new Mavic Air. It flies like a dream. It was smaller and much more nimble than my Spark. The size and portability of the drone can’t be beat. And the automated quickshots are fantastic. The only thing I need to do next flight is to take my time and not rush with the camera settings. In my defense, I wanted to get the drone in the sky and burn through at least a battery or two before the field got crowded. Next time I am going to drive to a better location and use my new Polar Pro filters as well.
Speedboating over the Lofoten Maelstrom (360 video)
The wife and kid took me out on the open water to explore the waters surrounding Lofoten, Norway. The speedboat (rip) that we traveled on was an interesting way to see the fish and wildlife in the area. Our guide Theresia said that the waters on this day were fairly calm and peaceful. If that is the case it must be crazy out here when the sea is rougher.
Testing the VR waters – Ricoh Theta S
The Williamsbridge Oval Park & Recreation Center in the Norwood section of the Bronx – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
I decided to finally test out my 360 degree Ricoh Theta S camera in the park near my house. I have been looking for a camera to create VR content. I am still not sure if I should ditch the Ricoh and get the Samsung Gear 360. The Ricoh is one of the easiest VR cameras to use because of the simplicity of the design. However the video quality on the Ricoh, while pretty good when running locally on my computer or mobile phone/tablet, gets totally crushed when uploaded to Facebook or YouTube.
I hear that the Gear 360, while not as user friendly, is handled much better on social media sites like YouTube. The only reasons I didn’t snag the Gear 360 it hasn’t been officially released in the US as of yet and I wanted get started shooting during my summer break. Plus my older Galaxy S5 is not supported by the software app needed to run the camera. Call me cheap but I didn’t want to also have to upgrade my phone to the newest Samsung (approximately 600 -700 bucks) in order to get the full functionality. So now I am hoping that a firmware update to the Ricoh, or future change on Facebook and YouTube will improve the upload quality.
Webinar: Video Tips & Techniques for the Web and Social Media
Effectively developing a social media campaign today includes creating video content that is both professional and engaging. If you are you looking to add high quality audiovisual content to your personal marketing strategy, but don’t know where to start, this webinar will help lay the groundwork for producing powerful video that enhances your brand.
The webinar will cover:
· Understanding how to plan and structure video content.
· Basic introduction to interviewing strategies
· Best practices for producing high quality video content
· The latest hardware and software options for video production
· Where to host your video content once it is created
Whether you are new to video production or an experienced professional, this webinar will give you a stronger foundation on how video can fit into your social media strategy.
New York Cine Radio Updates
Here is a preview of the new promo banner for the New York Cine Radio podcast. It features all of the hosts of the show in one shot. The next step is to redesign the website to reflect the new style and attitude of the broadcast!
Video Seminar at CUNY School of Public Health
Today I presented at the CUNY School of Public Health on video technologies in use by faculty and students at the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the LaGuardia Community College Media and Technology Programs. It was my first trip to the School of Public Health. I was grateful that my colleague Sergio Costa invited me to speak with the faculty at his school.
Batman vs Vader: SPB Alternate Ending
The team at Super Power Beat Down just posted the alternate ending to the epic Batman vs Darth Vader battle that premiered a few months back. The first version caused a fairly big stir on the internet due to the ending in which Batman literally gets murdered by Darth Vader. The outcome was decided by a fan vote, which of course set Batman and Star Wars fans at each others throats. In order to appease the outraged Bat Fans, which I count myself as a member, an alternate ending was shot.
In the alternate ending version Batman is victorious. However, I must Continue reading “Batman vs Vader: SPB Alternate Ending”
Webinar: Creating Engaging Content
Here is the video from my recent webinar on “Creating Engaging Content for the Web and Social Media”. This was the second in a multi-part series of online seminars to educate potential students at CUNY School of Professional Studies about the field of new media. I decided to conduct the webinar because attracting users to build a sustainable social media presence for themselves or their organizations requires the Continue reading “Webinar: Creating Engaging Content”
Digital Disruption and the Cable Industry
Last week the New York Cine Radio hosts had a fairly raucous discussion about some of the new streaming services and how they might lead to the decline of cable. With the average cable bill floating at well over a hundred bucks a month it is not hard to wonder why consumers are starting to rebel against cable providers.
The poor customer service offered by these cable providers makes their industry ripe to be digitally disrupted. This is especially true when they bundle tons of low value channels that no one really wants with one or two great channels in order to charge a premium price.