BoardRoom DVDs | Now on Sale
Our Documentary, BoardRoom - Legends of Surfboard, is now on sale. Purchase your copy of the film at BoardRoom Legends
Corporate Storytelling
At FiveSix Productions, we find more and more these days we're shooting and editing for strictly web video delivery. Businesses are finding that to differentiate themselves from their competitors, their website needs to show rather than tell a potential consumer or client what the business or brand is all about. A compelling video that shows all facets of a business including their product or service in action can be consumed in a more effective way than reading text blurbs. We've done a few storytelling pieces in the past month and have a couple more scheduled in the next few weeks and anticipate this trend to continue as more businesses realize this is an effective way to spend marketing dollars.
With that said, these video pieces can't be considered as just another marketing outlet or they will fall into the forgettable category, nor can they be a commercial or heavily sales driven in nature. These videos need to be thought out well in advance and planned accordingly. The right tools are a start(such as our new Canon C300 camera, Kessler Cineslider or Steadicam Flyer), but more important are putting the right people in place. Those people are the ones who will listen to your ideas, help you focus them in the right areas and help you to visually get across what it is you think is more important about your brand and image. If the brand and image of a business is portrayed in the the correct way, the product or service will sell itself.
We understand how to put these corporate storytelling videos together and have had success in doing so. They are some of the most fun projects to work on where we get to be collaborative and creative and in the end, see the results in web traffic, views and conversions. We're just getting started in this businesss trend and we like what we see so far and hope to make corporate storytelling an intricate part of our video production work moving forward. Check out our projects page to see some of our more recent work.
At FiveSix Productions, the f-stops here.
What the Adoption of Adobe's Premiere Means for FiveSix Productions
In two words: Flexibility and Control
For the past few years, AVID and especially Final Cut Pro have been our NLE platforms of choice; with Avid as our high-end editing application and Final Cut as the everyday, workhorse solution. Adobe products have always been a part of our post-production arsenal, such as After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator, but in terms of an NLE, the ease of use and familiarity of the FCP platform (prior to X) was what we always fell back on. UNTIL NOW.
With the release of Final Cut X, we noticed some concerns within the industry. This was primarily attributed to, what appeared to be an emphasis place on the amateur consumer market and a departure away from professional editors, in terms of features. Also, FiveSix relies heavily on our ability to refer to our archives, which were all cut on early versions of FCP, which X initially did not support.
When Walter Murch, a highly decorated editor, with such credits as Godfather II and Apocolypse Now, viewed X for the first time, he stated, "I can't use this" (Macaulay, 2011). In a Boston seminar speaking about the new FCP release, he listed several disappointing, underachieving elements that Apple failed to include and felt as if FCP was turning their back on the professional editors that had been loyal to the software for years.
Even with the recent fixes in the FCP platform, including the ability to work with edits that were cut in previous versions of the software, the damage had been done for us. As soon as we identified the limitations of the new FCP, we sought other options. One such option was Adobe Premiere, which was a NLE that we had experimented in the past but never considered migrating to.
When the commitment to make a change was made, we decided to continue editing with FCP 7 but beta test Premiere for a couple editing jobs to ensure that Adobe's offering was going to be the right fit for our company. We knew immediately that we made the right decision. First and foremost, the bridging capabilities with other Adobe Products that compliment the editing process is exponentially beneficial. Also, the elimination of the transcoding of footage that was so bothersome with FCP, makes life incredibly easier. We shoot a lot in Panasonic's P2 format and what would have taken FCP hours, depending on the job, only takes Premiere a fraction of the time. FInally, Premiere offers a level of control that appears unmatched. Because of the inherent creative capabilites that can be found in Adobe's flagship Photoshop and Illustrator software, an application like Premiere has acquired the same ability to manipulate and sculpt images like no other program.
All in all, FiveSix's migration to Adobe Premiere has been a great success. In our opinion, the missteps of Apple's Final Cut X has given our organization the ability to offer our clients better quality and the ability to expand our creative horizons.
Sources:
Macaulay, S. (2011, October 29). Walter murch on fcp x: “what is the ‘pro’ part of it?”. Retrieved from http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/10/walter-murch-on-fcp-x-what-is-the-pro-part-of-it/
Terrablock 24EX Storage
We got our new 24TB Terrablock racked and ready to go. The entire process took less than a day to get everything up and running. The editors are loving the Fiber connectivity and have already started sharing project between the bays.
We had high hopes for this acquisition and so far it's living up to all of them.
C300 in Low Light
DP David Dalasta of FiveSix Productions, decided to use the Canon C300 for our latest commercial production. Our shoot included filming outdoors at night as well as some driving down the Las Vegas strip shots. We were amazed that we only needed to bump the camera to 6400 ISO to get a properly exposed image. The versatility of the C300 was outstanding and exceeded our expectations.
Our subject a female atop the eiffel tower was lith three LED panels and our Male talent was lit with one LED while driving the car.
Director Bill Aylward, also had us shoot some macro elements using the Canon100mm L Series Lens. We overcranked at 60@24P shooting 720P. Our clients saw the footage and requested an additional spot based just on this footage.
Camera bag for the Canon C300
With our new camera in hand we wanted to find the right case to transport it. For our day to day shoot we opted for the Cinebags camera daddy. The bag holds comfortably the camera body and 4 lenses and accesories. We considered the Pelican 1660 case, I loved the build quality and protection it offered but we would have needed another case just for lenses. I'm sure we will pickup one of these cases for when we travel.
Terry Martin - Legendary Surfboard Shaper Passes on.
We were fortunate to interview Terry Martin for our film BoardRoom - Legends of Surfboard Shaping. Terry shaped for Hobie Surfboards for over 40 years and was one of the most respected shapers ever. We interviewed over 40 of the top shapers in the industry and each of them talked about Terri with pure admiration.
When I first met Terry I wasn't sure what to expect. Who was this board building machine? It didn't take long for me to realize what everybody saw in Terry Martin. He was a man with passion for his craft, a true rarity in today's world.
We spent all morning going through the Hobie shop with Terry as he showed us his tools and his approach to board building. He would grab some handmade tool off of his shelf and tell the story of why he created it and how it was used. His eyes would light up as he relayed the tale. After our interview he took us back to his home. He introduced us to his wife as we looked at his old photo albums. We talked story in his garage and snacked on fruits from his trees in the yard. Terry was a joy to be around but it was over the next two years that I really got to know him.
While editing Boardroom, I had to go over his interview with a fine tooth comb. Terry was our principle for telling Hobie's story. I spent days if not weeks replaying and listening to Terry tell his story. His passion and dedication to his craft should be an inspiration to us all. I was fortunate to have met Terry for the day but I was even more fortunate to have him in front of me for the past few years while editing this film.
Terry Martin
- Rob Jax
Executive Producer / Cinematographer / Editor, BoardRoom - Legends of Surfboard Shaping
New Cameras Coming to NAB 2012
We are very excited to see what new cameras are going to show up here in Vegas at NAB 2012.
ARRI will showcase its Alexa range of 2K cameras, the Alexa, Alexa Plus, Alexa M, and Alexa Studio, which boasts 14 stops of dynamic range, a base sensitivity of EI 800 and cinematic image quality. Their ergonomics, menu systems and functionality are based on film cameras to provide ease of use for experienced film professionals.
Canon USA will introduce its Cinema EOS Cameras, the Canon EOS C300 and C300PL, designed for digital cinematographers. Available in either EF- or PL-mount configurations, features include a Super 35mm Canon CMOS sensor, Canon DIGIC DV III image processor and 50 Mbps 4:2:2 codec.
Panasonic will showcase the HDC-Z10000, a twin-lenses handheld 2D and 3D camcorder, which is AVCHD 3D/Progressive standard compatible. Also on hand is the AG-3DP1, a 3D integrated twin-lens P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorder providing full 1920x1080 resolution AVC-Intra recording. Another camera debuting is the AG-HPX250, Panasonic's first P2 HD handheld camcorder with 10-bit, 4:2:2 independent-frame, full 1920x1080 resolution AVC-Intra recording.
P+S Technik will show the PS-Cam X35 camera, a combination sync sound workhorse and motion effects camera providing frame rates up to 450, using a 35mm-sized CMOS imager and a global shutter. The film-style digital cinematography camera can be utilized for normal video imaging, as well as slow motion, fast motion, ramped motion and time lapse motion.
Sony Electronics will roll out its F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera, featuring Sony's 8K image sensor with approximately 20 total megapixels. It provides 16-bit linear RAW file output capability, creating a gateway to an end-to-end 4K file-based mastering workflow. Sony will also showcase its full line of Super 35 mm professional camcorders, including the PMW-F3 and the NEX-FS100U, as well as the HXR-NX70U rain- and dust-proof professional HD camcorder. Two 3D professional camcorders—the PMW-TD300 shoulder-mount model and HXR-NX3D1U NXCAM compact camcorder will also be shown.
It's really up in the air now on which one we will add to the shop here.