SynapticLight » social media

SynapticLight QR Code

Phillip Gibb — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:16:01 +0000

What is a QR Code? Well if you click that Wikipedia link the you will see that it is just a kind of barcode matrix that can be scanned. Once scanned by a device that understands the purpose of QR Codes it will navigate to the site/webpage that it is linked to. Depending on the application you could just bookmark or navigate given the option. Hence the name QR: Quick Release, you do not have to type in a URL you can just scan in this code.
So here is SynapticLight’s QR Code. Seems a bit pointless that it is here since you are here, so why scan it, ha ha ha.
Anyway if you want to know where this is made, I got it generated at sitemapdoc.
I’ll get it printed out on stickers and plaster it all over the place, lol, or maybe note. Maybe it will go well on a business card.
If you want to try it out why don’t you scan it in.
In fact I’ll create one for subscribing to the SynapticLight RSS feed …

Standard Theme Promotion

Phillip Gibb — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:36:56 +0000

SynapticLight runs the Standard Theme, it is professional, SEO optimized and highly recomended (Mashable called Standard one of the 8 best premium themes available for WordPress in 2010.).

If you want to take blogging to whole new level then I highly recommend investing in Standard Theme; I am not simply advocating that because I am an affiliate but because I have been using it ever since it was release and have been highly pleased with it.

Right now, the 8bit team are running a promotion that starts today (9th February 2011) and ends on the 15th February. This promotion will be 20% discount on all Standard Theme products (Affiliate Link – if you wish to purchase this WordPress theme, please buy it through the affiliate links to help support the maintenance of this blog – thanks).

This means that when you purchase the Support License , usually a once off fee of $99,you will pay only $79 during this promotional period.

What do you get?

Technical support for life!
Access to a growing community of developers and designers
Access to new styles (called customizations) every month.
Free Upgrades to Standard Theme

Why get it?

Affordable - for what you get. A once off payment gets you everything, gets you into the community and gets you great support.

It is fast – Standard Theme is highly optimized. If you are concerned about load times, Standard Theme will make a marked difference.

SEO optimized – All the SEO best practices are implemented behind the scenes. Obviously, SEO alone will not get you traffic; you need good content, relationships and dedication.

Easy to use - Standard Theme comes with a very good management menu of it’s own making it easy to customize. Enabling you to integrate quickly to all your social Networking connections.

Great community – All across the board; be it the forums, the 8bit blogs or those that use Standard Theme, there is good interaction with a well established community.

And if you want some more convincing, here is a cool video:

(And if you are looking for a theme and are convinced, please buy thought this link)

Thanks to the Sponsors

Phillip Gibb — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:03:45 +0000

It is not always posible to be successful and not have someone to thank. This is especially true in blogging, given that success is derived largely from a community. So a big shout out to the community of readers and participants here at SynapticLight.

I do not have Sponsors, persay, but I have people who have helped me out, these are the people/organizations I want to give props to in this post. These two contributors have influenced SynapticLight in a significant way enabling me to take it to greater height than would have been possible alone. This purpose of this article is to show appreciation to them and, hopefully, to reciprocate the assistance but bringing in some referrals to them.

There is some time yet to transpire before I can secure Advertisers and fully fledged sponsors. If you as an individual or company want to advertise, sponsor or contribute then email me through the contact form and we can trash out the details.

Paul Steinbrueck from OurChurch.com contacted my about a year ago, asking if I would like to take part in a beta project. This was going to be a foray into providing hosting services to Christian Blogger at OurChurch.com. Since then I have had my blog hosted there and have saved a tonne of cash. Filmmaking as a hobby is not a cheap past time so every bit of savings is very appreciated.

Paul Steinbrueck runs the OurChurch blog, providing a wealth of information on blogging and social media in ways related to the Church, the information and principles are highly pertinent to organizations in general. Paul also blogs at LiveIntentionally:

LiveIntentionally.org is all about planning and taking action each day to create the life we want for ourselves rather than allowing circumstances and other people to dictate who we are, how we feel, and what we do.
Great people are just average people who repeatedly attempt great things.

Premium themes do not come cheap, some require some form of subscription to get support and access to the forums. When I was offered to be a part of this by John Saddington, I took it with two hands, two feet, everything.

This is an awesome theme. The team from 8bit.io who developed it knew what they where doing when they started out. Currently StandardTheme is at version 2.5

StandardTheme (Affiliate Link) is a very well coded WordPress theme that is fast, customizable and applies good SEO principles.

Thanks guys!!

[Top image by wwworks]

Visual Impact SA

Phillip Gibb — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:26:43 +0000

Visual Impact SA has confidently stepped out into the world of Social Networking, not just connecting but also engaging. It has been a privilege to observe and also be a part of that engagement. What is also fantastic is that there have been offline events where the enthusiast filmmaker and professional have been able to attend. An example of such an event was when Visual Impact hosted IndieLAB. The focus was on HDSLRs and they had a whole bunch of equipment out for us to drool over – never mind the talks – ha ha ha.

Anyway, the purpose about this blog is to highlight Visual Impact standing in the Local Filmmaking industry – for both sales and rentals, and of course how the Social Networking and HDSLRs have been influential to their business and success.
Read on to for some Questions and Answers with Visual Impact ….

About Visual Impact SA

For more detailed Information see the Visual Impact SA About Page.
Visual Impact SA is the leading provider of Digital and High Definition broadcast solutions in Africa and productions originating from South Africa. Visual Impact SA does not only sell and rent out video cameras and cameras, but all the broadcasting equipment needed as well, whilst providing the personnel with the expertise to create solutions for clients.
Visual Impact’s South African operations offers a complete post-production package, it services many European and U.S companies. One of our many advantages are the joint partnership with HDHUB as well as Mediahive.

Questions & Answers

Has the demand for HDSLR exceeded conventional video (SD and HD) and film rentals and sales over the last year? In what way has it affected your business model and equipment options off the shelf?

There has certainly been a growth in customers using HDSLR cameras to acquire footage, but as yet it has not exceeded conventional cameras. There are a couple of reasons for this. The primary driver of the use of the HDSLR is the sensor size which in turn gives you shallow depth of field. This benefit seems to make the low bit rate of 8, less of an issue. Most normal video cameras shoot 10 bit or more resulting in a higher picture quality. Another limiting factor of HDSLR cameras is their ergonomics and ease of usability. One has to add a fair amount of accessorise to get the HDSLR to have the same functionality and handability as a more conventional camera. (see pics attached)

Do smaller and more budget minded people/production companies tend to aim for HDSLRs or is it the same across the board?

Smaller budget productions are more inclined to use HDSLR. Content that requires a lot of grading and post effects work will not use HDSLR cameras due to the low bit rate and poor colour depth of the images. What is interesting is that a film 35mm production will often have the 5D as a second unit camera if no serious post production is required.

There is definitely an increase for filmmakers and enthusiasts to engage in social media channels in order to connect, share, get more credibility by association and get more people to see their work. In what way has Visual Impact’s business improved by engaging in this arena? Have you seen a marked increase of inquiries, rentals and sales because of it?

Its difficult to calculate or quantify the impact of Social Media on our business. On the one hand the digital revolution for me implies that people are buying their own kit due to affordability and that the kit is getting better all the time. In other words some people will access Social media using equipment they purchased from VI. On the other had this will result in less rentals, but clients who cannot afford to buy equipment will hire equipment to produce content and then access Social Media.

Visual Impact has implemented a Social Media Strategy to make sure we are communicating with our market and film makers. Our rentals department would often support a young filmmaker and then we would feature the filmmaker’s story on our website or Facebook group. This shows our support for young, developing filmmakers.

In terms of engaging in social media for marketing purposes we have definitely seen an increase in inquiries and sales, specifically in the consumer market. We find that, as a specialised company, we are able to build brand awareness and communicate our offerings to a wider market, as well as build new relationships and sustain existing ones. Social Media has also allowed the consumer to engage with us, letting us know what they would like to be able to buy or hire from us. As a result we are able to better supply the needs of the market.

Visual Impact has an incredible selection of services, not just Sales and Rental, the best way to find out is to visit their site: Visual Impact SA. Whether you are a Professional filmmaker, just an want to by a Mac for every day use, or somewhere between, I suggest that you consider visiting them, they have good prices and good people.

Win a Trip to the NAB Show 2011

Phillip Gibb — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:40:08 +0000

There is an opportunity for 1 resourceful treasure hunter to win a ticket to the 2011 NAB Show. Jump over to the NAB contest page and check out the brochure that is there – it will reveal a piece of art used in the 2011 campaign.
This piece of art is just one of four, if you find all four then you can submit your entry on the contest page.

There are more prizes: 5 people stand the chance to win a framed canvas painting featuring one of the Art of Integration images.

The idea is to get involved with other participants and to spread the word.
So if you want to participate with me then drop a comment down here – who knows, maybe we can help each other out

4K Firmware Shirt is not a Hoax

Phillip Gibb — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:25:08 +0000

Classic.
I might just get me one. Check it out here.
Maybe this was the guy’s plan all along – to make money from it all.

Win a Canon 5D MarkII

Phillip Gibb — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 12:18:50 +0000

Scott Bourne has another competition: New Camera Contest 5D MK II Happy New Year. And not only that, but almost a dozen planned for 2011.
For this one – to win a Canon 5DMarkII with 4GB Flash Memory Card and designer photo album from Album Epoca – all you got to do is follow Scott Bourne and Album Epoca US on Twitter, then tweet the following as is (just once) :

Enter to win a Canon 5D Mk II & a $500 designer photo album from @AlbumEpocaUS & Scott Bourne. Pls RT. Info at: http://bit.ly/hfjpxk

Here are the Official Rules of the Contest.

All the best.

10 Top Posts: October 2010

Phillip Gibb — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:45:33 +0000

Another month and another cool set of top ten posts. Please check them out and comment. I was surprised not to see the Athlone Towers post in the top 10; it outshone every other post in the last 2 months – what an awesome video – it still remains top overall, as you can see in the sidebar.
I am hoping that next month my Movember posts will be in the top 10 – perhaps you can help me out.

The Panasonic AF100 is not an HDSLR Killer

Lets face it, the Panasonic AF100 is not an HDSLR killer in general. Maybe if the Canon 5D Mark2 was a little more expensive and the AF100 a little bit cheaper then yes. But the reason why HDSLRs are here to say and not be threatened by the likes of the AF100 is it’s affordability even inspite of all the accessories that may be needed.

Win a Canon 60D

Jumped the gun on this one. It seems that this competition is for peeps from the Asian continent. Oh well. I’ll keep looking for a truly international contest so that I can share it.

Vimeo Awards Winner: Documentary

Very well filmed documentary that was certainly tear jerking. Deserving winner.

Anatomy of an HDSLR Rig

Getting into HDSLR is not just a simple body buy with a cheap lens; there are other factors involved. This diagram helps you identify the components that could find their place on your rig.

Production and Workflow : The Enemy God

Great movie. Here is a well detailed discussion with the Producer and editor of the film about the equipment and the workflows employed in the film.

Filmmaking Facebook Group

Created a Facebook Filmmaking Group. Please stop by, be nice, and take part in the shaing and discusion of all aspects related to filmmaking.

Get it made Competition

I love film contests, this is a cool one – check it out.

The #HDSLR Daily

I set up a Daily gathering of all twitter messages and media with the tag HDSLR. It’s kind of like a daily newspaper.

SAVE Blue Like Jazz – the movie

So cool that they finally raised the money for this film. It is based on a very good book by Donald Miller that I read and enjoyed. They in fact raise double the amount intended. A great example of crowd funding done right.

Vimeo Awards Winner: Motion Graphics

Wow, a crazy motion graphic sequence that looks a bit more like animation, Almost eerie.

Movember: be defined

Phillip Gibb — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 20:25:50 +0000

Here’s my first video and contribution for Movember.
be nice

Movember – be defined from Phillip Gibb on Vimeo.

Supporting Movember

Phillip Gibb — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 07:04:51 +0000

SynapticLight will be supporting Movember over and above the involvement I will have personally. You can find more about Movember from the Movember Website; therein their facebook page. I have also set up a local Facebook group if you are in Cape Town (South Africa).

How will SynapticLight Support Movember

There will be two ways that we can create awareness and raise funds. First by making fun videos related to Movember mustaches as wells as to the meat of the fund – raising awareness for The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA).
Second to actually raise funds.

Raising Funds for CANSA

There are two ways that funds can be raised here on SynapticLight:

1. Advertising

If you want to advertise here and are in some way related to Film Making then 50% of all funds from that revenue stream will go directly to CANSA for the Month of November. Contact me here if you wish to follow this route.

2. Filmmaking Fund

Being interesting in Filmmaking – more than that; on a journey to make a few films – I need to raise funds. There is no such thing as a zero budget film, there is always cost involved. Therefore I try to raise funds by the widget on the right (see the screen shot below).

The Payment Mechanism I am using here is PayPal, if you wish to make use of something else then please contact me.

During the Month of November I will be donating 50% off all money that comes in though that channel. From the other 50% I will spend on either hiring or buying equipment for filming stuff for Movember during this time. Any money earned from those films will go directly to CANSA.

Viral Inspiration: This Too Shall Pass

Phillip Gibb — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:28:59 +0000

Here’s a great video that incorporates visual appealing effects and music. To be honest, I think that the video would have gone viral without the music, maybe without the already viral reputation of the band’s previously viral videos. I don’t think the song along would have done the trick. Yet it is the timing of the effects to the song that really makes it work.
Check it out …

The #HDSLR Daily

Phillip Gibb — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:53:20 +0000

The HDSLR Paper.li is great for keeping up to date with any popular and interesting tweets using the #HDSLR tag. It gets published daily, so it is only once a day (no spamming).
It also has embedded rich media content – for example: videos where HDSLRs were used.
Check it out and please share, and promote

10 Top Posts: September 2010

Phillip Gibb — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:34:19 +0000

September was a great month in terms of visits to SynapticLight. There was a massive spike in traffic in August because of an video I posted – which amounted to over 10,000 views on YouTube and Vimeo (pity I am not translating that into blog visits.) This month almost achieved the same with a number of different posts. With discussions of new HDSLR cameras and RED announcements, and with great videos demonstrating how HDSLR can be leveraged to make great imaged. A great HDSLR month – once again – I hope to be posting videos and discussions on my entry into the HDSLR world very soon

HDSLR + Twixtor = Awesome

This was an awesome video demonstrating the power of the Canon 7D’s 60fps together with Twixtor’s time remapping.

New REDCINE-X offers 3D Support

Some important updates in RED’s great product.

Switching to HDSLR

My thoughts on Switching to HDSLR. This will become reality as soon as I can raise the funds.

What is HDSLR

Ever wondered what HDSLR is and what it is not. What it can be used for, and not.

HDR with HDSLR

An impressive video demonstrating an HDR process in video. They used the Canon 5D MarkII and increased the exposure to 4 stops by using a beam splitter to obtain one image sequence at -2 exposure and the other at +2. Almost a 3D result.

Color Grading iPad Prototype App: Tangent Wave

If I got an iPad this will be one of the first apps I would buy. Anything that provides an touch interface to Apple’s pro apps is awesome and time saving.

RED EPIC at IBC 2010

IBC is one of those events I would love to attend, so it is great when I get to see videos such as this. Here we get to see an RED Epic.

Music Videos shot with the Canon 550D/T2i

Considering that I intend to go HDSLR with a Canon 550D and then to shoot a music video with it, I thought it would be cool to find some Music Video shot on the 550D.

Production and Workflow : Standing Firm

I love how Christian Film is doing so well. And I love to find out what equipment and workflows were used. I hope to post similar articles for all the Christian Films I get to watch.

HDSLR Guide

B&H Photography and Video released a great interactive guide to HDSLR.

10 Top Posts: August 2010

Phillip Gibb — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:59:02 +0000

At the start of every month I take a look at the most popular posts of the previous month. 99.9% of posts are filmmaking related. August 2010 was an amazing month – I topped over 1000 views on two separate occasions because of my Demolition video. Numbers aside, it was an awesome experience and a cool video; check it out below and let me know what you think. Otherwise there is a leaning towards HDSLR posts as I prepare to sell my Panasonic so I can buy a Canon 550D and a new computer. (it will be a sad day when I sell my camera – it has served very well) So here we go …

Athlone Cooling Towers Demolition

Talk about good timing and local relevance. There was a lot of hype and anticipation about the Demolition of the Athlone Towers. Fortunately for me I got a brilliant position to film this. This post sky rocketed, getting me to 1500 page views in one day. But that is not the end of it because the video itself was amazing. I posted both on YouTube and Vimeo – getting over 10000 views for the both of them and over 300 Diggs.

Courageous uses RED One

I thought it was very cool that a Christian Film leads the way with the RED One Camera. Sherwood Pictures just keep getting better and better at what they do. As for the popularity of the post it is incredible what a difference it makes when it is shared by reputable people with big followings; not only that the Courageous Movie Facebook Page shared the post.

Athlone Cooling Towers

This post was a precursor to the actual demolition. It was put together to let people know what was happening and to build some anticipation about the Cooling Towers Demolition.

RED Scarlet Attacks

Reduser posted a picture of a Auto Focus lens, then suddenly revealing that the photo was taken by a RED Scarlet.

RED One 4k YouTube Video

Ever since YouTube announced 4K support I have been looking for a video shot by a RED One, this cute video can be watched on YouTube in 4K glory.

5 Weekly Filmmaking Links

My weekly gathering of interesting links regarding cameras, production, post-production, etc. Including a review of the RED One camera.

Documentary Filmmaking School

The information to this Documentary filmmaking school was sent to me by a friend, also I know people who have attended the other courses available locally. Please check it out, it looks very good.

5 Weekly Filmmaking Links

Some more interesting blog posts related to the filmmaking industry. Lots od DSLR information here.

How-to: Canon 5D Mark II with Dual System Audio

With my goal to switch over to a video DSLR it is interesting to find these kinds of tutorials that even I can come back to.

Red One: Putting it together

Maybe one day, when my dream is realized, I will be putting a RED One together. Well, it may be a RED Epic