Nov 2007
Web Log | Dec 2007

Interviewer Tips

November 30, 2007 Filed in: Business | Production | Tips
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Becoming a good interviewer is an acquired skill that takes training and practice. For the less experienced, here are a few helpful pointers.
  • “Edit in the Camera.” Encourage short answers and come back to topics again. Better to focus on good, tight answers than trying to cobble together six takes to make your point.
  • Avoid enumeration or the phrase “Like I said before.” It is highly likely that you will use only part of the answer (such as step three, without steps one and two).
  • Ask leading, open-ended questions… being sure to ask a single question only.
  • Don’t be afraid to stop and start over. Do not let an answer ramble on. Smiles and nods encourage subjects that they are ‘on-target’ and can stop trying to talk themselves out of a corner.



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Want More on HDV?

November 26, 2007 Filed in: Education
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Looking to find out more on HDV? A useful book with reading is HDV:What You NEED to Know! By Douglas Spotted Eagle. This book offers useful advice and essential information on HDV workflows. Find out more at www.VASST.com.

“232 pages of information including colorplates, this book also includes a DVD that offers viewers the opportunity to work with HDV from all 4 professional HDV cameras available today including CF 24, 24p, and 24f. The book also discusses products that are available now, and available in the future.
VASST wrote the world's first book on HDV, which has become a resource for over 55,000 readers. The Second Edition delves more deeply into the subject than ever before, containing tips on camera settings, formatting, editing solutions and workflow for every major NLE system, and detailed information on making your HDV video more film-like. VASST has been providing film-look plug in tools for 2 years to the SD and HDV editing world, and some of their tips and secrets are revealed in this book.”

Download a Sample Chapter




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Keep Two Sets of Cables Handy

November 23, 2007 Filed in: Gear | Tips
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A mantra that we like to repeat often is this: 90% of all problems are cable problems. A bad cable can destroy your production. From pops in the interview, to a flickering client monitor, a bad cable can do all sorts of damage.

Cables are cheap, re-shoots are not. To avoid expensive problems keep two sets of audio, video, and FireWire cables with your camera bag. And when a cable goes bad, toss it and replace it.



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FireWire – A Technology with Many Names

November 20, 2007 Filed in: Tips
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If you are shopping for FireWire technology, you’ll often see it referenced by two additional names. Sony frequently calls the technology i.Link, while others favor the generic IEEE 1394, which refers to the number given to it by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

The technology is identical, what is at play here is a resistance to use the FireWire logo and name which is closely associate with Apple, Inc. which co-developed the technology. Adding to the confusion is that there is FireWire 400 and FireWire 800. The technology called FireWire 800 uses a 9-pin connection type and is much less common. It is generally used for higher-speed hard drives and is usually not found on cameras.



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