R|com Creative Blog

The introduction this week of the new NXCAM format is really great news for anyone producing a wide array of professional video product, and notably for documentary producers. The camera combines capabilities found in other manufacturer’s (often more expensive) products and the result is a flexible, high-performance full HD camera. When I started blathering on about how thrilled I was that Sony had taken this step, peers and staff asked the same question over and over again – “Why?”

The initial model (unnamed as of this date) in the NXCAM series does a number of really important things: It records AVCHD full HD 1920×1080 material (in all variations of resolutions) and as such, is easily compatible with other cameras, including as one example, the Canon 7D hybrid still/video camera. It utilizes a relatively new type of glass, and although fixed to the camera, this lens, called a G-Lens, delivers excellent optics, no doubt a result of Sony’s purchase of Minolta. And, the camera is ideal for the wide variety of production requirements a documentary requires.

In our situation, we’re interested in the best tool for a variety of situations. That means we’ll shoot portrait interviews, mount a camera on a moving vehicle, hang from a helicopter, and so on. And, if we’re doing all of these things, it also means we’re shooting a lot of material (hours vs. minutes). If you’re making a film, you’ll work from a shot list, and the shooting ratio may be 3:1. In our documentary work, we’re going to capture reality as it occurs, and then weed out the footage that isn’t essential to telling the story. The result is often 30:1 or higher. That’s right, we may shoot 30 hours of video to get a one hour show. In fact, for a documentary we did in Australia that covered two weeks of a cross-country race, we shot more than 100 hours of video. The final product was a broadcast-ready 44 minutes.

The AVCHD format is ideal for this type of work. And, being able to record to a flash drive that mounts into the camera is fantastic. There’s no box attached to a shoe that gets in the way of moving the camera about. It snaps into place. You can record literally hours of material, and then, using USB connectors, transfer the files directly to your PC or Mac.

There’s more to like as well. The imagers in the camera are native 1920 x 1080. The imagers in other cameras in this class are typically 720p and upscale to 1080p. This is really important and becomes even more so when you discover that the camera will output a full HD 4:2:2 signal via the built-in HD-SDI port while shooting. That type of flexibility allows us to integrate this camera with other, far more expensive cameras.

It’s difficult to capture a strong, clear image if you can’t see what you’re doing. The NXCAM shown off by Sony offers a 1.2 million pixel 16×9 display using backlit LED technology. The Panasonic HMC-150, by comparison (same compression system, similar price, etc.) has a display with approximately 210,000 pixels in a 4×3 display that is letter-boxed. What? To use the Panny (which has great images), you really need to add an external monitor, or you’re going to be disappointed with the results. Sony avoids that extra complication. Add-on monitors are terrific if you’re on a tripod and locked off. They don’t work if you’re jumping off a fire engine and following firefighters into a smokey building. Sony resolves that problem with not only the flip-up external monitor, but the built-in viewfinder as well. You can learn more by watching the intro video produced by Sony.

So, as we envision some of the production work we’re scheduled to produce this year, the Sony NXCAM fits in really well. We can shoot portrait interviews using prime glass on our Canon 7D. We can match that (remember, same codec) with footage captured “in the field” with the Sony NXCAM. And, we can edit in both PC and Mac NLE solutions without drama. No tape. No fuss. Oh, by the way – there’s more to like as well. Because we shoot on location, as documentary producers, we are careful to log everything we shoot. Now, with the NXCAM, there is GPS data added to the metadata of each file. Whoo hoo! So, the next time we travel 2,000 miles across the Stewart Highway in Australia, we’ll know where each shot was captured. And, if we decide to shoot in a studio, we can lock multiple NXCAMs together, thanks to the new (if proprietary) timecode in and out connectors.

The only bad news is that the camera isn’t available yet. Hey Sony – want some remarkable footage of firefighters saving lives? How about the California coast and wine country? Or, how about some footage of the latest sports cars being testing on windy country roads at speed? If so, get us an NXCAM ASAP. We aren’t asking for a freebie. We’ll own it. Love it. And we’ll tell the world.

If you are a positive person, you might say the U.S. auto industry is reinventing itself right now. With GM and Chrysler both looking to start anew, Ford has been able to stay clear of shrapnel, although it too has suffered substantially as a result of the overall economic situation in the United States, not to mention the rest of the world.

But Ford is truly using the downturn in the economy and the drama with its Detroit cousins to get up and deliver. While quality may have been their long-term mantra, Social Media may now be at the top of their marketing agenda.

Scott Monty is the head of Social Media for Ford. He clearly gets it. On a daily basis, Monty is working to let people know that Ford is not a building, not a car, but a company that is made up of people. Not only does Scott understand Social Media as a marketing tool, he understands the audience. GM and Chrysler both use the typical Social Media mechanisms, including FaceBook and Twitter, but just like their current overall situation, the effectiveness of their use of these tools leaves something to be desired.

According to Trendrr, a Social Media trending firm, in May of 2009, Chrysler had approximately 850 Twitter followers, while GM blew past them with more than 5,000 followers. On the other hand, Monty’s Twitter audience jumped to 20,000 people. That’s not even in the same solar system.

Ford created an effective and useful promotion using YouTube to market the introduction of the new Ford Fiesta. By creating a series of contests, Ford drew thousands of submissions, created a steady stream of Twitter “tweets,” and got substantial blog and news coverage. The bottom line: Ford reached a broad audience, interacted with them, and saved literally millions of dollars in advertising.

We like to collaborate with our clients to ensure they understand both the commitment that is required when diving into the Social Media pool, and the rewards for a job well done. It isn’t a mysterious endeavor, but it does require care, focus, and a strong understanding of whom the customer is, what they expect to see, hear, and read – and how to share things that will generate a response.

If you’re interested in how Social Media can work for you, please give us a shout. We’d love to hear from you.

In these difficult economic times, it’s nice to hear that something is free. And today, something is: video streaming on the web.

For many companies, daily reports from the media about huge losses on Wall Street and in the Fortune 5000 translates into a big red stop sign. “We’ll wait until things improve,” is a common phrase. In the next room, the VP of sales is telling his sales team, “you’ve got to do more than ever to close those sales!” For many people, our economic workflow has slipped into a catch 22.

But there are methods for reaching out. Using video is just one of them. YouTube is now showing billions of videos every month. That’s more, not less. Vimeo, a high-end video distribution site, is also growing, not contracting.

There are some important factors related to this. Just several years ago, streaming video from your own servers or host could be very costly. Video uses more bandwidth than text or most other data files. Just several years ago, we had several dedicated servers set up purely for the purpose of supporting streaming files. No more.

Today, we utilize third-party resources for nearly all of our streaming requirements – and those of our clients. It’s free or nearly so. That’s a great phrase in these times.

But, it’s equally important to have something to say. And that’s where our creativity can come into play. I’ll write more about that in a few days.

The inauguration of Barack Obama earlier today was a milestone in the history of this country. While we like to keep politics out of our business communications, there were some notable things in play that are worth mentioning, as the peaceful transfer of power was not the only thing evident on this crisp Washington D.C day.

Our world is much smaller now. Smaller than ever before. It is so because of technology, and we must be ever vigilant about it, or it will pass us by. All of those things we’ve talked about in our businesses for the past decade as, “things for the future” are now upon us. And never was it more evident than in the inaugural coverage witnessed by hundreds of millions of people around the world.

CNN invited the world to submit photos. They had cameras across the country and we watched each other watching – in high definition. When the president-elect walked down the steps prior to the swearing in, nearly everyone, his daughter included, was busy snapping digital photos – and in many cases, sending them to family and friends. So much so, that cell service in the Metro DC area was compromised for a time both yesterday and today. People were using flickr, twitter, facebook, myspace, their own blogs, and even CNN. The era of the iReporter is upon us.

CNN also invited people to watch the post-inagural parade and other activities via computer. Literally. “Watch CNN on your computer – www.cnn.com” was displayed on-screen multiple times. And overall, the graphics we see now move, change shape, and are presented in computer-display clarity. The move to push people to watch was most likely a calculated marketing move as well. Once the inauguration was over, people headed to work. By promoting viewership via computer, CNN was essentially encouraging people to watch from work. And, if they watch today, what about tomorrow?

And the technology outreach via the web wasn’t limited to CNN. More than ever before, the use of technology is being used to communicate with everyday people in this country and across the planet. CNN is also partnering with Facebook and users of the system provided real-time impressions of the event. Those impressions appeared in a “facebook” window on the cnn.com website. According to the Los Angeles Times, there were more than 1.3 million concurrent connections via Facebook. By 10AM, CNN reported it has delivered more than 10.7 million video streams this morning, a new record.

CBS and its anchor Katie Couric will host a webcast in which anyone with web access can submit questions. Fox News has decided to use a third-party web service, Hulu to stream the event. Following today’s activities, Hulu will make the entire inaugural and all such speeches an on-demand product.

Even the New York Times, long known for its traditional approach to things, will stream their own or subscribed video via their websites. MSNBC will allow people to embed video streams in their websites, no doubt borrowing a page (literally) from YouTube.

The result is that live television is no longer a couch potato pastime. It is now an interactive, mobile, office, auto, and interactive television experience. These tools are important for promotion. They’re important for research. They’re vital for product marketing. And, they’re good for saying hello and staying in touch, too.

And the White House is now with the program as well. At approximately 12:03PM, once Barack Obama was officially President (but before he completed being sworn in), a completely new White House website was launched. It reflects the “with it” web 2.0 technology awareness that the President is already known for.

This has significant meaning for all of us. It’s now time to evaluate the use of these tools as a component of your 2009 business model. For us, we’re more committed than ever to recognize and help our clients realize the potential of viral and Web 2.0 technologies.

Time has a way of slipping by...

Have you noticed that as you get older, each hour, day, week, month, and year go by faster than the previous ones? Time is a luxury. And, as we move through life, it’s important to try and find ways to slow the clock. And, while some will say it’s about staying alive, I would say (or write, in this case), that it’s about living – and enjoying what you do.

This is the time of year in which many of us give thought to the events of the past year, and our plans for the coming twelve months. As I think back on the past year, a number of interesting time-related issues come to mind. The thing that each one has in common with the others is the effect more time would have on the outcome or progress of the project.

What would happen if there was more time? We know a company that has long desired to see video become a key component of their consumer marketing. Not withstanding the quality of content, we’ve done some experiments related to driving viewership using YouTube. And, the tactics used prove you can build viewership – watching other videos, inviting people to watch, encouraging people to subscribe, proper tags, and most importantly, a continuing selection of fresh content. Still, the viewership isn’t nearly what anyone would want.

YouTube has a program that enables sharing revenue with producers. When checking out the producer program, the one thing that is immediately apparent is that all of the elements listed above are in play. And, in several cases, the most popular YouTube channels are managed by young people. One channel is a teenage brother and sister who put out a five minute weekly comedic video. They have nearly a million viewers every month. Why? Well, one key reason is time.

I can think of about ten different projects that would be totally cool to produce and market through an online media community like YouTube. But, each one requires an investment of time that, as a working adult with staff, clients, vendors, and projects to be responsible for, I have no remaining time.

I know of another organization that spends extensive time discussing all of the great plans they have to make the programs they manage better. In fact, they spend so much time that when all is said and done, they don’t have any time left to do the work. And so, their reputation among their members and those around them is of an organization who doesn’t get anything done. It isn’t what their intention is, but it is what the end-result appears to be.

And as for ourselves, we’ve run out of time numerous times this past year. We have a pretty terrific stock media libary, but no time to post the images or footage. We’ve had various projects that we thought would be terrific to implement, but paying clients always take priority, so no time to get it done. And, for me personally, I spent several months in the middle of the year dealing with some health issues, and so, suddenly, I found myself always struggling for enough time during the past few months.

So, as we look forward to 2009, one of the key issues we’re focusing on is time. With the current state of the economy, we want to ensure we provide the best quality support and service for our clients. We also wish to ensure we’re helping those companies who need to quickly improve their product mix, services, and outreach to their customers. That means we need to be smart about how we use time. And, we certainly want to slow the pace enough so we can enjoy the journey. Join us!

The CES is always held in the beginning of January in Las Vegas. It’s one of the shows I’ve been attending for nearly 25 years (ouch!) and it continues to be an interesting assignment. This year, we’re focusing on technology that has applications to the automotive industry. That includes navigation, multimedia, video, and even Internet technologies. In fact, we’re learning that in 2008, many kids will want to migrate away from watching DVDs and will instead want to watch YouTube, all while traveling down the highway.

This Fiat would be a hot seller in the US, including its use of Microsoft navigation software.

As per our standard, we now shoot everything in HD, even if the end product will be standard def – or in this case, web-based. This is one show where shooting with smaller cameras is a big plus, as we move from place to place rapidly. This run and gun style of production is useful when working with so many variables.

For a show like this, we typically look for things that we can cover a bit differently. So, rather than just shoot a reporter talking about the latest SYNC System from Microsoft, we’ll interview key engineers from Europe who worked with Microsoft and Ford to bring SYNC to market. We will also look for things that aren’t here yet; an example being the new navigation software that is part of the “Microsoft Auto” suite being shown in the parking lot outside of the convention center.

As this is a technology show, there is plenty of video to check out, too. Last year, HD transmission of 1080i and 720p images was the talk of the town. This year, things have become progressive, with 1080p (due to HD DVDs) the hot topic. HD DVD is dead and Blu Ray is going to survive, but for how long? I wonder if by 2010, we’re all just downloading our movies from a server somewhere.