3-D TV WITHOUT the Glasses!

Normal 0 0 1 365 2081 Melrose High School 17 4 2555 11.1287 0 0 0 By Leonard Aaron Caplan3-D film and video making has been played with and then abandoned in pretty regular intervals since it came out in the 50s. What is it about 3-D that attracts viewers to see it (re: Avatar) but has failed to cause a permanent demand for this technology? The glasses!!!! You might not mind grabbing a pair of those silly looking cardboard 3-D glasses while you’re at Disney/Epcot watching Donald Duck, Ellen DeGeneres and the bugs “squirt” you with water and bug juice. And, you might not complain about 3-D glasses being the “key” to your experiencing the alien world of Avatar. But….., would you really want to bother with...

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The Death of the TV Talk Show

By Leonard Aaron CaplanI date 1988 as the “death” of what had been up ‘til then, (from the early 1950s on) the traditional TV talk show, at least nationally; Donahue, Oprah, and Art Linkletter’s Kids Say the Darndest Things; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBMOhM31EyM&feature=related, etc. These featured mostly family-friendly entertainment and discussions. When Morton Downey Jr. debuted he threw all decorum out the window, berating his guests, smoking on camera, talking over people and letting them talk over each other. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGu6LjmgeL4&feature=related The Jerry Springer Show, still seen today, took even that to the next level, expanding on Downey’s brand of shlock until it became the norm, rather than the exception. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LQla5x_tfw...

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To Tweet a Video, or Not to Tweet a Video,

by Leonard Aaron CaplanNot being in my 20s, I don’t automatically embrace all the latest technologies or what those technologies can do right away, if at all. Case in point. The ability to twitter or “tweet” a video. Ok, I can understand the need of some people, particularly those with businesses to get a short message out right away. But video? Actually setting a camera on a tripod, sitting down and saying……………..what? Pearls of wisdom about the weather? Your mood? The fact that you hate traffic? Your indigestion? Now, I’m a video production person and I love using video to tell a story but to me, videotaping yourself for possibly less than 30 seconds is so trivial, as to be ridiculous. On the other hand, doing a ten, thirty or sixty second promo for a TV show or...

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Special Effects and the Death of Imagination

By Leonard Aaron CaplanIn film and video, special effects can be astounding! They can enhance reality as in a Western or war movie or help us imagine new realities as in James Cameron’s Avatar. From the early days of movies ‘til today, special video effects, along with their sound counterparts attract moviegoers and television viewers, even becoming beloved icons. Who doesn’t love and remember R2D2, the cute little robot on Star Wars, which in reality was an actor’s voice emanating from a lifeless plastic shell, animated by electronics? And who in this generation doesn’t recognize the “beam down” sound and visual effects of Star Trek both on TV and in the movies?It’s when special video and sound effects BECOME the movie or TV show that it becomes a problem. Many may and have disagreed with...

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Talent Can't Survive Alone!

By Leonard Aaron Caplan Let’s face it, it’s glamorous to be on TV, as a host, reporter, narrator, etc. You can’t blame people for wanting the notoriety, the access to “exclusive” people and places and the good living a successful talent can make. But those who aspire to such positions need to realize that the video, audio, lighting and writing of these segments don’t simply get done by themselves. Along with camera people and video editors are engineers , directors and production assistants. There are also producers who plan segments, making decisions about what a video segment or show is about, etc. These are the people whom on-air talents must depend, no matter how good they are in front of the camera. I’ve had students and even interns tell me there is no need for them to learn the...

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Stretch Your Abilities

by Leonard Aaron CaplanHow many of us non-techies are proficient in the use of certain equipment, especially applications we use daily in creating our projects? Well, we all are if we want to keep our jobs, right? Now, another question. How many of us are experts in these skills? If we're honest, most of us aren't because don't we tend to do just what we need to get the job done? I mean, do YOU know three ways to make a certain effect with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere when you can just as easily do it one way? And if something out of the ordinary comes up, don't we usually leave it to the techies to explain it to us, ask the question on a video forum or even Google it?The point is if we're used to doing certain things a certain way then there is very little incentive to change or stretch...

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When is HD taking center stage?

By Leonard A. CaplanMaking the switch from SD to HD is exciting, scary and frustrating with a pinch of accomplishment thrown in. “Exciting” is obvious. We’re moving into an unknown, unexplored realm in which the ultimate result will be an improved product, crystal-clear, sometimes wide-screen video with that “you are there” feeling. “Scary”, because when contemplating buying something you have little or no experience with, it’s easy to make a wrong decision. “Frustrating”, because the search for good equipment can be a long, round-a-bout journey. The accomplishment comes in when all decisions have been made, purchases have occurred, setup and installation are done and you’re up and running!Having said all that, where do you begin? In my search for new and improved equipment, I...

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PCs vs. Macs-Which to Pick for Video Editing?

By Leonard A. CaplanPC or Mac? This is a question I get most often from “newbie” video enthusiasts. There are a thousand opinions on both sides. This is my take on the subject. If you were a student in my video production class, I would definitely say “Mac” because the studio where I teach is Mac based. It’s a no-brainer that if you’re learning or working in a particular environment to go with that existing platform. If you’re working in a PC environment, it makes sense to get a PC. But which is better? I’m not one of those people who is dogmatic about computers. I don’t go for the “war” between some PC and Mac users. That being said, let’s objectively compare the features of both. I see the value in both the PC and Mac systems. For the sheer number of applications,...

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TV Exploiting Desperation; Is it Only TV or is it Business in General?

By Leonard Aaron CaplanVideo in all its forms reflects the best of us as well as the worst. One of the more disturbing trends in today’s video is what is known as the “teaser”. In the 1950s, the “teaser” was used sparingly and harmlessly, meaning sitcoms and fictional dramas would produce promos, giving hints as to what and who was on a show without giving away the plot or climax. Nothing wrong with that. Today, the “teaser” has spread like a virus! You see it in weather promos. They show a massive snowstorm somewhere and a voiceover will say “what are WE in for tomorrow?” and when the actual weathercast comes on, in about 20 minutes you find that the video was from some distant part of the country and that the answer to “what are WE in for tomorrow” turns out to be NOTHING!...

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What's the Difference Between the Stand-Up and the Sit-Down Interview?

By Leonard Aaron CaplanIn video, what is the difference between shooting a stand-up and a sit-down interview?First, we’ll state the obvious. The stand-up interview is where the talent, usually on location is standing up. The sit-down interview is usually conducted in a studio with the talent sitting down.There is just one difference, actually. But we’ll get to that in a momentNow, what are the similarities? Ok,using one camera, in shooting a stand-up or a sit-down interview the videographer should use an “over-the-shoulder” shot. This is where the cameraperson literally is shooting over the interviewer’s shoulder so when the camera gets zoomed in on the interviewee during a long response, the resulting close-up will be a full-face shot. Otherwise, if the two on-air talents were sitting horizontally...

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Transferring Video from Tape to DVD

by Leonard Aaron CaplanIf your family is like most, you have a closet, attic or basement full of old VHS tapes. These are bulky, probably unlabelled and take up a lot of unnecessary space! You can solve not one, but TWO problems by transferring your old videotapes to DVD. 1. You can store DVDS in a fraction of the space those tapes take up. 2. While you’re transferring your tapes, watch them and make your ID labels for your DVDs. There are a few ways you can do this. If you’re unsure or know nothing about technology, you can look in the phonebook or on the Internet for companies that either specialize in this or offer it as just one of their many services. If you’re not afraid of connecting wires, you can buy a DVD recorder, some blank DVDs and maybe even a label printing kit to not only identify...

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Microphones, Microphones, Microphones!

by Leonard Aaron CaplanMicrophones! Without them what would we have? Silent movies! Ok, so most camcorders have mics. We know that. But microphones are as different from each other as Coakley from Brown (a soon-to-be dated reference but it’s funny now) ! The first thing I tell people about mics is that the built in camcorder mic is tinny, noisy, low quality, horrible, GARBAGE! Ok, you get the idea, I don’t like them.Why? The built in camera mic is usually omnidirectional, meaning it picks up everything around it, the sound wave being received in a 360 degree circle. The result is if someone’s speaking and a couple of other people are in the area you’re shooting in and they’re murmuring, the murmuring is likely to be recorded just as loudly as the voice you’re trying to get! The ideal when...

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Consumer, Industrial, Professional Video: What's the Difference?

Leonard Aaron CaplanYou’re a video enthusiast and you’re actually thinking of getting into “the business”. But before you make this important decision, you must realize exactly what you’re gettinginto. Do you want to shoot video of the family? Friends? Do you want to make TVshows? If so, are you interested in local TV, The web? Statewide? National TV? Whattype of TV shows do you want to make? Fiction? Reality TV? Or are you interested inevent video? Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs? Quinceaneros? What equipment will you need? What can you afford? Do you want to do this full time or part-time? Can you make your living in TV?Most or maybe even all of these questions can be answered by learning about thethree categories of video equipment ; consumer, industrial and broadcast.The average person...

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