Online Video & Virtual Events Blog

5 Reasons why stock video footage is great!

5th January 2012 by Jamie Huckle 9 comments

Now some puritans among you will argue that stock footage cheapens video production and should be avoided at all artistic costs. I’d argue that stock footage is so good now that it can only make a production richer, more creative and ultimately, your client happier. Stock footage of course does have to be used sympathetically and blended into a final production piece to be effective – there is no need for space travel in the CEO’s annual video report...

Users Review & Test of the Panasonic AG-AF101 HD Camcorder

10th October 2011 by Jamie Huckle 2 comments

Last month I was part of a team that travelled to Malawi to film a documentary for Microsoft . We were filming in some very remote villages on the outskirts on Blantyre and for the first couple of days we let the Panasonic AF101 just roam capturing some amazing B Roll footage. We got come great shots of the kids and the stunning views of the surrounding area. Our evenings back in the compound were always taken up reviewing the footage and being blown away with the beautiful depth of field and focus pulls that the camera was capturing.

An owner’s review of the Panasonic AG-AF101 HD Camcorder

17th June 2011 by Jamie Huckle 2 comments

We’ve always loved blurring the background and making films look grainy and cinematic in post-production for our conventional videos. A few months ago this new Panasonic AF101 camera spoke to me, promised the world and allowed me to do all this live while filming. This is one of the new breeds of camcorders offering incredible depth of field using standard digital single-lens reflex (SLR/DSLR) camera lenses.

It’s a big step change for us as we’re very much into the reporter “run and gun” style of filming. By that I mean we often have short deadlines and increasingly shorter budgets which mean we’ve adapted to getting the most from a shoot day. We record footage very quickly to maximise our time on site and then add the “extras” and beauty to the video in post-production.

Fake Custard Cream – Classic April Fool’s gag

1st April 2011 by Jamie Huckle 2 comments

Today is April fool’s day. If like me you are not sure of the origins of April Fool’s day and why it is embraced around the world I would encourage you not to search for it on the internet as I did as unsurprisingly, you are met with complete nonsense at every turn!

There are loads of examples doing the rounds of tricks that are being played all around the world. The Sun has featured Gorillas at Port Lympne animal park using I Pads to keep them stimulated, while Google have launched a video of the new “Gmail Motion” where users can write e-mails via the medium of movement and the camera on their computer.

However, you can forget technology gags, elaborate tales in the tabloids and funny videos on YouTube. I beg you to spare a minute and reacquaint yourself with a classic: the fake Custard Cream biscuit!

Why we use Reflecmedia Chromatte at VirtualStudio.TV

17th January 2011 by Jamie Huckle Be the first to comment

We like Reflecmedia’s solution as it requires very little additional lighting and we have achieved some great results when we have combined it with other technologies to create our VirtualStudio.TV videos. When you visit our studio you will see our huge 20ft Reflecmedia screen and floor tiles that we use every day.

We are very happy with our permanent green screen set up in our studio. However, more and more clients were asking for a mobile solution that we could take to their offices. We recently invested in a smaller 7ft “pop-up” Reflecmedia screen and one 5ft floor tile. This system is extremely portable (carried by one person in a bag) and very easy to set-up and use. We have taken this solution all over the country and it takes minutes to have it up and running.

The benefits of LED studio lighting

6th January 2011 by Jamie Huckle 10 comments

In the studio the lights were very easy to set up and once switched on they produced a very white clean light. This actually created our first obstacle as the light was ultimately too white! The Datavision LED-600’s do come with several different coloured gels to subtly alter the colour of the light output. Once we added one of these and did a little tweaking on the cameras white balance, all was good in the world.

Creating a realistic virtual studio

27th July 2010 by Jamie Huckle 590 comments

Keeping it real (I’m so down - or is it up? - with the kids) was the biggest challenge we faced when creating our virtual studios. We ultimately wanted to create the most photo realistic studios possible and after a couple of days searching the web we drew a blank and decided we’d have to make our own.

How we technically created VirtualStudio.TV

23rd July 2010 by Jamie Huckle Be the first to comment

Writing this blog is therapy because it’s been nearly a year since we conceived the idea of VirtualStudio.TV and to know it’s finally technically watertight is a great relief.

So the whole thing works by subtly merging a real presenter filmed against a green screen into a 3D studio using some bespoke magic software. Just to complicate everything already (welcome to my world) our green screen is grey; try explaining that to your mate in the pub...

The VirtualStudio.TV Blog

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