Rob Kirk Log

Thursday 3/21/13

I'm working on creating a very simple "one man band" production studio that can be replicated by anyone in the field.

Important aspects of these tests for me are:

1. Ease of use for one person... allowing them to even shoot themselves, if necessary. (that's what I'll be doing)

2. Sound quality. This is so important in any video. Relying on the just the camera microphone can spoil even the most visually compelling imagery. In professional settings we have access to all types of microphones. I usually like an inexpensive radio mike. Simply clip it on the subject and you can follow them anywhere. I'd always recommend having a couple of these around. Obviously I won't use one for this project.

3. Stable imagery. A tripod is very nice to have... especially in an instructional film when you might need to shoot very closeup to show a process. Also I'm going to be shooting myself in this video without a camera person so some kind of tripod is critical. Fortunately, I have one.

I've experimented with three cameras at three different levels.

First I tried a Sony Z1U HDV camera. This is a "Pro-sumer" level camera that I've used as the "B" camera on many television programs. It's very easy to use and not much bigger than a home video camera. The image quality in my "set" is very nice even with low light, but, of course it's not viable as a tool for everyone. This camera allows for connection to professional grade microphones.

Second option is an old Canon ZR10 basic home video camera that I've owned for at least ten years. Super simple. OK image quality and has a thread on the bottom to attach to a tripod. Tough to get good sound. -- Most point and shoot still cameras nowadays shoot video at much better resolution than this old workhorse. I'd consider shooting with one of these still cameras, but good sound is usually an issue.

So... the best option for what I'm doing here is... you guessed it... my iPhone 4. I have a little plastic stand that came with the protective case I have for the phone. I attached it to the tripod with a rubber band. The Facetime view allows me to set it on the tripod and see what I'm shooting... really handy. And best of all... the earphones that come with the iPod have a microphone and a pretty long cord... so I can tape it to my shirt and have a very nice lapel microphone, with very clean sound quality.

Video files from the iPhone imported easily into Kdenlive. Although, in my first test the image was upside down... so had to turn the iPhone the other direction (button on the left if you're facing the screen.)

I know there's a very active community in iPhone cinematography, with lot's of cool tools. I need to explore this more... and other phones too. Some simple tips and perhaps a few extra tools could be a great way to many involved in good quality production.

Wednesday 3/20/13

Practiced with Kdenlive. Comfortable with my tools so tomorrow will move from Pre-Production to Production Phase.

Focus now will be the actual building of the Hopper... writing a script around that...then shooting to the script.

More to come.

Tuesday 3/19/13

Breakthrough day. After knocking my head against the wall trying to install and run open source editing programs on Mac and PC, I've discovered that the secret is Linux. Tried to get Ubuntu running on the Mac and didn't have much luck. But was able to get it running side by side with Windows 8 on a PC laptop and then install of Kdenlive was easy. Only "trick" was needing to Boot in Legacy mode.

Continue to be impressed with the Linux world and especially Ubuntu. Kdenlive appears to be a solid editing program and I'll be able the write the script now in LibreOffice Writer.

Have to admit I'm very excited about getting all this working. Actually kinda giddy!

Monday 3/18/13

Downloaded and reviewed all the models and plans. All went very smoothly. System looks really good.

Worked this evening on installing Ubuntu. My first Linux experience. Very impressed with their tools and instructions. Will try some Linux editing options tomorrow.

Sunday 3/17/13

Spent the day experimenting with various open source editing tools on Mac and PC. Very interesting and challenging day. Can't say that I've come to a conclusion on what is the best solution or, in fact, if any of them are really viable for the general purpose editing with material coming in from a wide variety of sources. -- I'd certainly love to hear from anyone who is experienced with these tools.

Here are a few of my observations. -- I got Avidemux running on a Mac with 10.6.8. Ran well but doesn't seem to have the appropriate editing tools. (unless I'm missing something)

I tried Lightworks on a PC (Windows 8). It's a program with a long history. I like the interface and it appears to have the tools, but because of licensing it seems to have trouble importing a lot of very standard video formats. There is a "Pro" version that allows for these formats. I think it's about $60. Supposedly they're soon to have Linux and Mac versions available. -- More testing to come on this one.

From videos online I like the look of Kdenlive. I'm working on getting that running now. Looks like it involves some scripting. Certainly not my expertise...but we'll see what happens. Learning a lot!

Interesting note that I'm not sure I know any editor here in Hollywood that would know how to deal with these tools. Most use high end AVIDs or Final Cut Systems...many started editing film. I find that often the best editors have a music background and they are not necessarily highly technical people... they know rhythm and pace and, of course, have strong visual senses. - Different parts of the brain than programming. They'd probably have their assistants get the program working and then step in later.

Saturday 3/16/13

At 3:50pm I set out on a Test Assignment to create a 1.5 minute video to explain how to build a model of a GVCS component.

An important goal for me in this process is to learn to navigate the OSE wiki system. First I want to start my Work Log. I stumbled upon "Rob Log" that is already set up but it requires a login.

I’m not experienced with using a wiki, so I’m very curious how quickly I can get this going. This may be important as I’m not sure all OSE users will be experienced in this process either.

It’s now 4pm and I’ve scouted around... but I’d sure love to see a clear “laymans” page on how to get started!

In “Join” I’ve found the Wiki Contributors section. Let’s see...

4:15... I'm in! Open ID has nice instructions.

Back to the assignment. On Tuesday, March 12th I first received info on the assignment. I clicked around to get a sense of it. Lot's of interesting elements here.

My instinct is to approach this like any video or television project. There are three stages... Pre-production. Production. Post-Production. Pre-production planning is critical to the success of any project. Pre-production starts now.

In this stage I'll learn the topic, create my production plan, write a preliminary script and gather the necessary tools.

I use a standard two-column script format for these kinds of project. The two columns are Audio and Video. I also include a thin 3rd column for numbering. (I'll work on embedding an example.)

I'm very intrigued with reviewing and testing open source editing software. Hopefully I can find one that's user friendly.

10:15 PM Spent several hours with open source editing tools... at first look I'm worried they may actually be a barrier to editing for the "non-welder" but I'll reserve judgement until I get more data. -- This is important. It will be first up in the morning.