Cable WARS

February 1, 2009 — 1 Comment

It was a find summer morning, the birds were chirping in the trees and I was happy. Nothing special, it was just a good day and I felt that it was worth mentioning to a few million people I most likely will never meet. Then they came; cables, wires, plugs and adapters, of all colours and shapes. They came with venom and they came with wild fury.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg.

Today we did KIDStuf at the New Venue at Old Mutual, Pinelands. It was amazing. Ok it was a huge effort, but next time we will have learnt from this experience and we will not have to start at 5:30am because of a Wedding Function that happened the previous day.

But my goodness, the cables!!!

I am not, I repeat NOT a wire type of guy. If I need a tool it either cannot be found or I just do not know how to use it, ha ha ha. That being said, I had to get the cabling right for the KIDstuf Video links – just three TVs (the projector link was a known factor that was in place already). Thanks to the guys that pulled out the previous coax cable we used (kudos, props, whatever to Matt and Gary). Yet I still had to make a 50m length, setup the RCA – coax links etc, hmmmm, it was crazy. And just as must as I think that it worked perfectly – I do not think that it was the right solution. Hmm the problem now is convince people that we should use a more streamlined solution that is far more stable.

Here is what we the Video Team for today setup (Shadrach and myself)

  • RCA out of the camera split with 3 simple splitters and connectors – talk about signal loss.
  • One RCA to a WireLess link to a Creche TV(30m away) - to avoid cable over the entrance hall floor
  • One RCA to a Modulator and Booster that split the RF output to a backstage TV(60m away) and an entrance door TV(10m away).
  • I must say, that after I did all that cable cutting, joining, etc, I was rather surprised that it worked first time – Kudos, props and Glory to God on that one.
In personal ,
permalink

The Church and Social Networking

January 30, 2009 — 2 Comments

There is definitely no reference in the Bible about Online Social Networking, but Social Networking is what we are build for. I mean we are relational being, we need to gather and encourage, we need to connect and especially we need to connect with our God – our Creator. Jesus come to fix that connection.

I put my own thoughts down in August last year concerning this: The Church and Social Networking . Yet recently this topic come up again and again – which is just a logic progression of the Church becoming more involved Online.

But in this present time and most assuredly in the future we will be able to connect with the whole world by means of the internet. An Online gathering of the Saints so to speak and most certainly a place where we can be a light to the Online Community.

In an article I read today on GeniusDV: Churches Flock to Internap for Online Messages there is an interesting  quote:

According to The Barna Group in a study1 about Protestant churches’ use of technology, 62 percent of churches currently have an Internet presence, up from 34 percent in 2000 and one in four are available on social-networking sites. Additionally, 16 percent engage in podcasting and 13 percent are avidly blogging. The study points to the growing presence of religious groups and companies taking advantage of the latest Web 2.0 technologies to engage their congregation and spread their message to a larger audience.

This just re-affirms the fact that so many Churches are leveraging the connectivity offered by Online Social Networking.

You can even garner from Ragamuffinsoul’s thoughts on what will the Local American Church look like in 20 years as well as from the comments where the Local Church is heading – in any country. And the likes of LifeChurch.tv and CrossPoint.tv are leading the way in the Online Community.

But then what should Churches do in order to leverage this? Well, learn from the best out there, learn from the Market Place where companies do this for a living, just as ChurchCrunch suggests A Social Media Strategy for Ministry 

[added 31st Jan: Don't be Stupid: You Need to be Online  lol, quite harsh by ChurchCrunch, but he is right we, as a Church, need to be online.]

In Church , ,
permalink

Great Links to Click out to

January 30, 2009 — Leave a comment

The History of VFX

Is Apple Working on Storyboarding Software?

Encode copyrights into the file format

Mixing 5.1 surround sound with Final Cut Studio 2

The Foundry’s 2009 Nuke Roadmap

Write-On Effects in Motion

In Filmmaking
permalink

Renaming our Church

January 29, 2009 — 6 Comments

Exciting times abound.

Looking for a New Name

Looking for a New Name

I am not sure how often this one comes up but who has actually been in a position of choosing a name for a Church? We are currently named Stellenberg Community Church in, ummm, Stellenberg road but there is also a Stellenberg Church in the Northern Suburbs (so you can imagine the confusion sometimes).

Now that we are moving the services to a new Venue (see Dare you to move) we are gunning for a new name and a launch of a new Church – wooooow.

In order to create the buzz and excitement we are going to film a short spoof/skit on choosing really ridiculous names with the aim of asking people for some better suggestions. hehehe. The idea it to film a segment like That 70′s Show when they sit in a circle in the back room and say stupid things ;-) – here they will be coming up with crazy names like (and not all):

  • Taw Caw Missionary Community church
  • Point Peter Community Church
  • Crooksville First United Community Church
  • Smackover First United Community Church
  • Apistodookee United Community Fellowship
  • Grassy Park United Community Church
  • Is jay mal United Community Church
  • Boring United Community Church
  • holy faith tabernacle church of the solid rock
  • Do Right Community Church
  • The Entire Bible Community Church
  • Ridin With Christ Cowboy Community Church
  • The Church of Saviour on Spilled Blood
  • Sound Doctrine Missionary Temple of Praise
  • Praise All Day Church of the Redeemer Christ Our Everlasting King
  • Jesus Rocks Community Church
  • God is a Rockstar Community Church
  • Google our Community Church (do it).
  • Jesus! Amen! Booyakasha! Church
  • Cool people hang out here church
  • The Jacob Zuma Progressive Church of the Southern Hittites
  • The Sureal
  • Frederick Alluvion Mendes Ackerman Place
  • Heroes Community Church
  • The Wackhead Simpson Place of God
  • Fully Christian Church
  • {un}churched
  • {de}churched
  • Wiki wiki’s ewok Church

etc etc, not all are my suggestions, and it comes with the disclaimer that there is no bad intent here towards anyone and definitely not God. It is a joke, it is for fun, it is to get people thinking of better names.

In Church , , , , ,
permalink

Pimping Workflow Junkies

January 28, 2009 — Leave a comment

A great collection of podcasts for guys like me ;-) who love working with video. And film – but I have not had that privilege - yet.

They have just started this month and already have 5 podcasts, wow.

Here is what they are about (check em out at www.workflowjunkies.com)

It’s here. Finally, a podcast for creative pros designed to streamline workflow, save time and increase productivity. Produced in association with MediaSilo, the online suite of video content management, collaboration and web broadcast tools, Workflow Junkies offers practical help in maximizing time for production professionals in the entertainment, corporate or industrial industries.

Workflow Junkies is the first podcast dedicated solely to production workflow for video, film and the web. From acquisition, capture and editing to compression export and distribution, Workflow Junkies introduces you to creative professionals, insiders and tech heads with new and proven techniques and tools to help improve the way you do what you do. If you cut Avid, Final Cut Pro, Premiere, Edius or Vegas there’s something for you to learn from Workflow Junkies, the podcast for creative pros by creative pros. Download it today!

In Filmmaking , , , ,
permalink

DVXUSER.COM PRESENTS LossFest

January 27, 2009 — Leave a comment

Yayy, another competition.

For more info check out dxvuser.

Unfortunately I only found out about it now – but there is still a whole month to go and if I keep it simple then it can be done. Here is the theme quoted from the site.

Theme: Loss

Something or someone is gone; maybe a loved one, a family heirloom, a pet, innocence, your favorite toy, a memory, your way, or your own self. What is born of this loss? Hopelessness, a new beginning, or something else.

You might look to the stages of the grieving process for inspiration, maybe pick one to explore, or don’t. Perhaps your characters are better off without the thing they’ve lost, though it may take some time for them to realize. Or, perhaps life is now unlivable.

Will they find what’s been lost or remain without it forever? Who knows? Only you.

But remember, characters that actively pursue a goal are usually much more interesting than those who just sit around feeling sorry forthemselves.

whhop, whose game? A bit grim, but hey.

loss

In Filmmaking , , , ,
permalink

Leveraging Video for Church

January 27, 2009 — 1 Comment

Many Churches; including the one I go to, cannot put together the massive funds required to use Video to it’s extreme. Now I am not discounting those that use Video very well without forking out the cash – used wisely and strategically even the lowest Video Budget can be very engaging and useful. If you use Video, Visual Effects, I-Mag, etc, please feel free to offer your comments below.

I have been involved in Video for almost half a decade and have constantly struggled with the balance of budget and usefulness/overuse. There have been many lessons learnt and certainly lots of experience.

Here are some points/thoughts I have on this matter:

  1. For a purpose. No point in using video for the sake of it. Like many things in the Church there must be purpose and strategy.
  2. Start Small. Unless you have a dedicated and full time team or person to film and edit you are more likely going to burn out volunteers – if you start Big. Money aside you need to nurture and grow, that can’t happen if you have volunteers burning the midnight oil too often.
  3. Have a plan. You can’t stay small, you need to plan to grow. This helps the volunteers or staff who work in this area to know that they are going somewhere and that they are important.
  4. Involve. Make use of special projects that involve more than just the current team. This show cases the opportunity to be involved and also incorporates many other talents, like make up artists, set design etc
  5. Teach. Editing, Visual Effects and Filming is an art and a skill. While there is a lot of ability involved in composing a shot there is also a lot to be learnt from the experts, textbooks, workshops, messing around.
  6. Don’t over use. People can switch off if they keep seeing the same stuff over and over again or that video is used to much. It needs to be used when necessary and in a way that engages the audience.
  7. Keep it Professional. Not only is this a God Honouring principle it is also people honouring. People will want to see more if you do the job very well.

There is also the notion that it is better to stick to what you know and do it well, and that may be the excuse for many Churches in not getting involved too much in Video. This is a very noble principle however I personally think that it will lead to stagnation. That is why you start small, with a purpose and with a plan to grow.

Leveraging Video for Church

In Church
permalink

OpenCut 3, No Submission

January 26, 2009 — Leave a comment

Alas, I was not able to complete the competition and submit – even with an extended deadline due to technical difficulties. Maybe next year.

Here is the email I send to OpenCut to apologise:

Hi,

I am really sorry that I was not able to submit my final sequence; unfortunately life and other things happened. I hope that this does not affect my entry in future competitions.
Thanks for letting me be involved – I think that I got more than I paid for in terms of experience with RED One footage and the footage itself. Surely it cost more than the entry fee to put all those disc together and post it?
Thanks again
Phill
In Filmmaking ,
permalink

Trying Nuke 5.1v2

January 25, 2009 — Leave a comment

nuke

Just thought I might give the Foundry’s Nuke Compositing application a try – the Personal Learning Edition. I will ambitious to start off with and try to perform a standard keying procedures that I have already done with Shake 4.1.

Why? Two reasons really:

  1. The fact that Apple does not seem to be wooing us with a brand new Compositing tool set in the form of Phenomenon (Supposidly romoured to replace Shake more than a year ago)
  2. One should be well versed in more than one type of Application – I chose Nuke because it is being very well accepted, is used in some high profile projects and is a node based compositing application.
In Filmmaking , ,
permalink

It is all about Life Change

January 23, 2009 — 10 Comments

A few examples of the lives that were impacted at our Church. People that entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and chose to be Baptized to declare their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Continue Reading...
In Church , , , , , , ,
permalink