chaseshumway.com

This is really cool. The OK Go guys have done it again. One continuous take… fancy foot work on the Steadicam operators part too. Great work!

Canon has a new DSLR coming out in March that looks pretty nice. It’s the Canon EOS Digital Rebel T2i. I’m becoming a fan of these DSLRs that can shoot video for the same reasons a lot of other indie filmmaker types are. It’s that depth of field effect with these lenses. It can bump up the look of your video to that filmy appearance, when done correctly of course.

One of the biggest complaints about these types of cameras is the rolling shutter effect caused by the CMOS sensor scanning the image in from top to bottom. You jerk the camera around or pan too quickly and objects can appear rubber or wavy. I think there are some workarounds though to avoid this. Buy an inexpensive shoulder brace like this one. It should remove a lot of that fumbling shake folks experience when trying to operate these cameras. They’re akward for shooting video because of the way you have to hold them (they’re designed for photo taking, duh!). A brace could take care of some of that support while you reach for the focus ring or other controls.

The T2i has a feature that up until now seemed absent on the sub $2,600 rigs and that feature is a mic jack! FINALLY! It seemed like all these video-capable DSLR makers whether it be Canon, Pentax, Nikon or Panasonic would offer one thing but not the other. You can have the mic jack, but you can only shoot 20 fps in 1080 mode. You can have 24 fps in 720p mode, but you don’t get it in 1080… or the mic jack. But finally this little guy will offer proper frame rates and a microphone input for under $1000 with stock lens. Thank you Canon. Obviously, if you read some of the YouTube comments on various demo videos this camera is no 5D Mark II… but come on people, you’re getting 24p in 1080 HD with the option to plug in an external mic for around $900. You pick up a BeackTek XLR Adapter and you’ve got a pretty decent little set up for making your movie.

I’d love to have something like this to shoot “Friends Like These”. We’d get that cool shallow focus capability and it’d be in HD. Perhaps there’s still time. As it stands right now, we’ll probably be shooting the series in HD only with a video camera. And I’m happy to say, that camcorder has an external mic input!

It’s quite the occasion here at chaseshumway.com. For the first time in my site’s history it’s been converted to one of those official blog structure things. Since I started my site years and years ago I’ve always done all of the entries, pictures, links, videos and content manually. Luckily I didn’t have to hand code all of the HTML thanks to Yahoo! Site Builder. But recently that program has become buggy and doesn’t seem to really be supported by Yahoo! anymore. So it was time to find a new way of doing things.

Enter, Wordpress!!! I’ve known about it for a long time, but it wasn’t until we switched the Who Asked You? site over to the Wordpress format that I fell in love with its ease of use and simple interface. So it’s official, chaseshumway.com has a database. That sounds more impressive than it actually is.

But I like this newer, simpler design and layout. And it’ll make things a lot quicker and easier for me to update too. Most of my previous blogish entries from previous site designs are below. But this is the first entry using the new set up.

So now that the new shiny site is up and runnin’ what can you expect from it? Well, there’ll probably be updates on various projects I’m working on, or new gigs I score. I’ll hop on here from time to time and talk a little shop about new video/audio production equipment coming out. Or about some cool editing technique I learned. I’ll throw up some random pictures I take while on adventures and maybe some I venture across on the web. Funny videos, clever videos, music I like, cool products, rants, raves and of course Who Asked You? related info will all be in the mix.

So, I’ll end this posting with what I think I’ve probably ended too many of them with in the past… stay tuned!

Okay, that’s a very cheesy title for this posting I know. But if you know me you know that I know that it’s cheesy and that’s why I did it… for the cheese factor. You may have also noticed that “reel” is spelled like a movie reel. And that’s because I’ve got a new page here on my site that features some of my work. It’s mainly for potential employers to view since I’m currently on the lookout for a cool gig, but anyone is welcome to watch some what I’ve been doing these past few years.

Unfortunately, I don’t have copies of some of my work I did a couple of years ago for a small station I worked at here in Las Vegas, but, what can you do? I did some cool stuff there too. Oh well.

On a somewhat “new page” related note, I’ll be switching my site over to a Wordpress format in the near future similarly to what we just did with Who Asked You?. After seeing how easy that was to install and how easy it is to maintain and update, plus with access to all the free slick-looking templates out there I think it’s time to dump this site design which requires a lot of “manual” work to update. So be looking for that in the future!

So here we are… we finally made it. June 12th… the analog cut-off day for all full power broadcast TV stations and a hand full of low power stations. It’s a big deal, but I think it’ll for the most part pass by uneventfully today. Think about it, since broadcasting’s inception back in the 20’s (obviously starting with radio) our airwaves have been filled with uninterrupted analog frequencies. Those frequencies have brought us countless forms of entertainment and the news of the day. It was THE WAY to receive television in your home until cable came along in the 70’s.

Those rabbit-ears that were responsible for delivering the 525 scan-lines have become a universal symbol for television. They’ve become a punch line in many-a-joke. They’re seen in countless images and other visual displays of television broadcasting, even in the current ads seen on TV telling you to buy a converter box if you still rely on them. We tweaked them, adjusted them, bent them, even wrapped them in tin foil in that never-ending quest to receive a snow-free, ghost-less image.

And today, in many cases, they’re being called on and used to receive this new digital standard that will replace analog after today. I’ve got a standard set of rabbit ears hooked up to my LCD HDTV in my bedroom and for the most part the reception is astounding! Some people may not be able to use rabbit ears because of their location, or nearby interference, but for those of us who can, it remains the last reminder of an era.

I remember when I first started working in television. Betacam SP was the standard. DVCPRO was just beginning to replace it, and was state-of-the-art. And it took all the horsepower your computer could muster to edit DV footage. Today you’re considered out of date and behind the times if you’re still using Betacam SP or editing in the DV codec.

For those of us who were born long after the switch to color TV, we can think of this switch as our generations switch from black and white to color. What an incredible time to be alive and in the industry. I think a lot of this move to digital everything is being overshadowed by the government’s sloppy handling of the whole event. And although there are some (an estimated one-million households) who will wake up tomorrow without television, something that has been around and free to receive for over 50 years, I can’t help but think about all the great things we’re getting with digital TV. Obviously a crystal clear picture and digital surround sound, but also all the multicast channels. Sure, they’re not much to look at, err… rather watch right now. But that’s changing all the time and I would hope, will only get better. So for those who had to buy a digital converter box think of it this way… for that roughly $40 you’re getting in many cases two or three additional channels for each channel you received before the switchover. Here in Las Vegas our local stations offer multicast signals ranging from a 24/7 local weather channel to latino-themed news and music networks to a PBS version of HGTV called “Create”.

And one of the big reasons the government wanted to switch was so they could take all those now empty analog frequencies and sell them to cellular phone companies, broadband providers and other companies using wireless technologies. So imagine that… cell phones that operate on higher, more powerful frequencies that our broadcasters once used. Time will only tell what Verizon, AT&T and others will do with that.

So despite a botched conversion by our government, difficulties with reception in some areas and whatever else folks might have issues with, there’s a lot of good things that I think can come from all this.

One thing that I’m curious about is what will happen to “us” after the conversion. What I mean by that is that for well over 50 years we’ve been bombarded with analog frequencies. And although there probably is no evidence to say they’re harmful, I’ll be interested to see if there’s a change in our overall health during the next 10 to 20 years. Maybe those analog signals have had some undiscovered effect on us. Maybe cancer rates might drop, maybe people will get fewer headaches. Or maybe we’ll all be able to think more clearly. Who knows? I hope someone is planning to do a study on this. Then again, what will all these new digital signals do to us? -cough- zombies! I guess we’ll see.

Logo for Friends Like These Web Series

An update now on the web series that we’re working on. The logo is finished and can be viewed above. I’ve mentioned it here before… and I think we’ve mentioned it Who Asked You? once or twice. But for folks who don’t remember, we’ve been writing a 10-episode web series called Friends Like These, that we hope to start shooting soon. It’s about a guy on house arrest whose friends are annoying and have zero consideration for his feelings and/or privacy. Each show will average around five minutes or less.

We’ve also finished writing all ten scripts for our first season. We’d thought we would try one season and see how it goes. If the response is good we’ll definitely go for another.

Now for those of you who follow our work, I know what you’re thinking. “Where the f*** is the next KRAP 69 News?!?!?” Well it’s still on the agenda, but we wanted to try a single camera sitcom for a bit. The fake news broadcast is fun and all. But we wanna try something different before we get back into that.

We hope to have a site up soon for the Friends Like These show. I haven’t decided exactly what I want that site to be yet (blog, social network, etc.) but we’ve got our friend Wendy the Web Girl ready to go on it and will be starting soon now that the logo is done.

So my aching feet and I are back from the 800,000 square feet of technology and innovation that is NAB 2009. What a cool, but scaled down show it was this year. The exhibitor’s were all the same as last year, but it seemed as though they were showing a little less this year. Only the new stuff and less of the current models.

And since I attending it by myself (NAB buddy didn’t show so cue the sad violins) I didn’t really have anyone to talk shop with. So why not in my own freakin’ forums right?!?!?!

My single most important mission this year was to play with the Panasonic AG-HMC150. This is, in my opinion the most innovative camera this year for a couple of reasons. First it brings you solid state recording IN HD for under $4,000 using Panasonic’s new AVC-Cam format, which is based on the H.264 codec. The $3,400 street price is really hard to beat. Not sure if it’s funny, or a bad sign that when I asked the Panasonic guy about the “Dynamic Range Stretch” feature it took him and another Panasonic official five minutes to remember how to activate it. The controls on it are customizable though. It has professional features like gamma settings, histogram/vector scopes, color bar generator and a nice built in wide angle lens! Needless to say this will probably be my next camera!

In other news, Avid changed their logo… and that’s about it from them… Hee hee… I’m not an Avid fan, too expensive.

Lets see, I was once again impressed by the lens technologies offered by both Canon and Fujinon. They’ve both got some amazing auto focus and focus tracking technologies on many of their ENG and studio lenses. Auto focus on professional lenses, never thought I’d see that day. This ain’t your Uncle Bob’s Hi8 auto focus that’s for sure!

JVC amazed me with their ProHD cameras a couple years back like the GY-HD110U. But they’ve equally disappointed me with the introduction of their “solid state” camera the GY-HM700UXT, which records .mov files that are pretty much only compatible with Final Cut Pro. Sure P2 and Sony’s SxS are also solid state cameras that record in one format, the before mentioned Panasonic HCM150 is too, but at least their formats can go across several non-linears. If I have my facts correct from the show. The .mov files this camera records are packaged on the memory cards in such a way that they are for direct import to Final Cut, nothing else. And to add insult to wallet injury the camera is over $7,000! Come on JVC!!!

Sony, as usual, was crowded as f*ck!!! And, as usual, I don’t understand why. Their cameras are soooooo over priced. Their mid range XDCams aren’t so bad, but their little prosumer HDV and SxS cameras are priced like Abercrombie and Fitch clothing. You’re paying more for the name than anything.

I played with some Libec tripods for under $1,000 that seemed to be as smooth as their $2,000 competition. Bravo to Libec! You’re a serious contender for my next tripod purchase. My current tripod, a 20 year-old Bogen made FOR Betacams of the same age and made FROM space shuttle titanium is getting a little bulky these days.

I strolled through the Glidecam booth. And strolled right out because there really wasn’t anyone there to talk to about their stabilizers. I got to try one on last year! Gotta say though, I think the Varizoom Aviator was more comfortable to wear and easier to use. Not to mention at the time cheaper, but not anymore. Varizoom has raised their prices drastically. When I tried out the Aviator it was about $2,300… now it’s almost $5,000!!!! Puker Varizoom is becoming the Sony of camera stabilizers.

I was really interesting in checking out the new cards from Black Magic Design, but I couldn’t find their booth!!! Mad So I can’t talk about the DeckLink HD Xtreme that I oh-so want!

I also swung by the Adobe pavilion booth thingy… they rearranged it and I didn’t have the erg to hunt for the demo area where you can ask questions and watch demonstrations. I sat for a moment hoping to see a presentation on the jumbo screen for CS4, but at the time I arrived it was a fellow from MLB.com touting Adobe’s integration of Flash video and streaming content into their site. Zzzzz…. not for me.

Alright, that about raps up my little NAB crashing. Certainly not official reviews in any way, but a perspective from a regular fellow who uses this type of stuff for regular ol’ fun projects!

Boy oh boy, what a crazy couple of months it’s been since my last little posting here… Actually it hasn’t been, I was being sarcastic. That’s mostly why I haven’t tapped my fingers to the keyboard here; nothing to talk about really.

We’re still plugging away at our little web series. Coming up on finishing the scripts for our 10 episode run. Not sure when shooting will start. KRAP-3 of course is in the works. But it’s a long ways off as I’ve said before. Who Asked You? is also going strong. I encourage anyone who sits at their computer during the week bored to tune in and let us rant and rave in the background while you do whatever you do.

I am exciting this week though for NAB. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since the last one. I may take lots-o-pictures and post them in the Who Asked You? Forums since I have a new phone with a better camera. But it depends on how distracted I get by all the toys there.

1/21/10 - Rough Draft Of The "69 Tonight" Rundown.

I know, I know…. when I redesigned the site I said I’d update it a lot more… and it’s been a few months since the last update, I’m sorry!!! But I hope this makes up for at least a minuscule part of it. For a teaser to get your 69 juices flowing check out the image below. Contrary to popular belief we ARE still working on it, slowly but surely we are creeping toward production.

A little over a month ago we (the KRAP Crew) sat down and scribbled out a rundown for the next KRAP. The image, in the Flickr.com Gallery and below is of the rundown. It’s quite scribbley, gives you an idea of how our random minds work when coming up with ideas. You will notice however that the actual ideas are blurred. We don’t want to give the show away before we even get started on it do we? Did Sam Raimi show you the Spider-Man 3 script before shooting? Hmmm… maybe that’s a baaaaad example. In any case, enjoy the image. I’m going to clean it up as I put it into a Word doc and start writing the actual script. I’ll definitely post some snippets of that as it progresses so check back soon!

So I just wrapped up a “quicky” graphics project for my ol’ station KTOO-TV. They’re producing more debates this year. And thanks to the wonderful state of the economy they didn’t have a big budget and decided to “update” the graphics they used back in 2006 when Sarah Palin was running for the gov. The second animation is just a random station ID I came up with one day to pitch a graphics make over for their C-Span type service called Gavel to Gavel. It was never used. There’s no sound on either of these so don’t panic when you don’t hear any.