DON BERRY LLC

I want to share with you some recent experiences I've had with Presentation Recording. This is not a new technology—its been around for quite a few years but has only started to come into its own in the past few years. I am constantly recommending it to my clients and I use it all of the time. With Presentation Recording software installed on your computer you can record, as a video ANYTHING that you do on your computer's desktop. Think of it as putting a video camera in front of your computer screen and recording whatever you do—only the quality is vastly better—and you can ADD audio narration—either in real-time or later on. Why use it? Two reasons for Presentation Recording: 1. Training: If you want to train someone in how to use a particular software application—MSExcel, let's say—while the traditional route would be to do one-on-one or group classroom training—OR if this wasn't possible then to create an instructional manual—Presentation Recording let's you SH

For those who are doing narrative films/videos or even corporate pieces that need on-camera talent—it is easier (and cheaper) than you might think to find acting talent. Several years ago, when I was getting ready to start shooting a short film and needed talent for a number of roles, a friend who had been a producer-director for a number of years remarked that "actors are a dime a dozen." Now I'm certainly not denigrating the professional of acting—actors work incredibly hard—and acting roles are incredibly tough to get—so you have to be patient and resilient to have a any kind of acting career. Yet, I have found, over the years, that what my friend said is quite true—actors are plentiful. More to the point, they will often work for FREE. Yes, you heard me. Often, I've found, actors (especially young ones just starting out) will simply work for the credit—so you name them in your piece and give them a copy of the DVD to use on their resumes and demo reels—and they

As part of my ongoing efforts to empower people who have an interest in videography—I have recently built a new section of my website—a comprehensive video tutorial page—check it out at: http://www.donberry.net/BMSTutorial.html It covers all of the basics including camera setup, composition, different camera angles, color temperature and how to white balance, aspect ratio (4:3 vs. 16:9), tracking shots, headroom, and even some pointers on location sound recording. I built it in collaboration with producer Rich Gummoe and his weekly series "Boy Meets Still" which showcases small batch distilleries throughout United States demonstrating distillation techniques and introducing unique regional spirit products to the viewing audience. You can learn more about Rich and "Boy Meets Still" at www.boymeetsstill.com I hope to eventually add an editing tutorial section as well. Cheers!

I want to take a few minutes and look at the process of technological innovation. Some people subscribe to what I think is a misconception about innovations—some think that its all one big move (or a series of small moves) relentlessly forward—BUT my belief is that every time we advance forward we actually take some temporary steps backwards. One good example comes from the history of movie-making—when sound was first introduced in the late 1920s everyone thought what a great idea—it will take film to the next level—the problem was that no one knew what “the next level” was. Before sound, the silent filmmakers like Edwin Porter, D.W. Griffith, and Charles Chaplin, to name a few, were forced to become masters of camera and editing—they had no choice—they had to learn to tell stories without words—using a purely visual medium—playing with many different camera angles, dramatic lighting, and different kinds of cutting (editing) to get their points across to audiences as quickly and spar

The Empire Strikes Back : A Case Study in the Basics of Cinematography I teach a fair number of video production courses—particularly with those who have little or no experience with cameras—in fact, many of of them have never even picked up a video camera let alone a lighting kit. So I'm always looking for inroads to help the novice understand the basic ideas of lighting, color, and composition--the tools of our trade. Often my students find that they know more than they think—this is due, I believe, to the large amount of TV and films that all of us, whether intentionally or not and regardless of our ages and backgrounds, are exposed to everyday. In short, I feel we are all video and film experts, by default—whether we want to be or not. Having said this—I periodically use TV and feature films as examples in my classes—although its rare that I'll use an entire film—I recently starting to make an exception with the second film in the original Star Wars Trilogy: The