Our 2nd video blog… maybe next time, we’ll consider production value… Hahahaha! Since it’s what WE DO!

The people of Spokane have spoken! KREM’s Z Best of Spokane had more than 15,000 votes for everything from the Best Grooming to the Best Body Shop.  CASE42 Creative Media was voted into the Top 5!

So….   we decided to make a video blog.  Interestingly enough, it’s not as easy for us as creating creative video commercials for our clients! Hahaha!  Take a look, and feel free to offer suggestions!

So… those that know me know that I’m a total gear-head.  I try to keep up with technology and gear by reading roughly 14 different industry trade rags - good thing I’m a speed-reader!

Sometimes, I get these great offers to try a piece of gear, or to upgrade something inexpensively, or a pre-market price I can’t refuse - That’s the case with this new direct-to-edit recorder from JVC, the MR-HD100, meant specifically for JVC’s GY- ProHD line  of cameras.

Now, I’ve owned another model HD direct-to-edit  recoder for about a year- the DR-HD100, and I’ve absolutely loved the convenience and time-saving aspects of it.  It’s been a true life-saver at times.

THE TYPICAL PROCESS
Typically, if I’m on a shoot where I’m covering4-8 hours of footage, I’ll use 4-9 tapes, (more for HD vs. SD), then I transfer the tape to computer in real-time, plus the time to change tapes, set up the transfer, etc.  “Digitizing” is really the wrong word for it, since the material is already digital, and I just transfer from the camera in real-time using a firewire cable.  Once the footage has been transferred, I spend anywhere from a day to a week taking notes on it, categorizing and organizing each clip so that editing goes faster.

THE TYPICAL DIRECT-TO-EDIT PROCESS
Enter the DTE recorder - My Firestore DR-HD100 has saved me countless hours of transferring, and where I’m using tape at the same time, it’s actually rescued me from tape drop-out issues. I have raved about this little device over the past year.  I shoot, thn back in the studio, I simply sort and edit.  Sometimes, I don’t even transfer from the drive to the computer; I’ll edit directly on the drive, THEN transfer. I’ve loved this unit, and it has loved me back, but a few weeks ago, I got this crazy offer I couldn’t refuse, giving me the opportunity to try the newest DTE recorder for the ProHD Camera, the MR-HD100.

THE NEW PROCESS.
If you look at the picture, you’ll see a USB dongle sticking up from the recorder.  You’ll also see an iPhone with a webpage prominently displaying “ProHD” at the top.  What’s this?!?

Well, I’ve been reading about this for a while, and I was so excited to get this, that I could barely contain myself.  The hours this would save me would be double those of the DR-HD100!

I shoot, and I edit.   What about the sorting and labeling? That’s where the dongle and the iPhone come in!  I can create a peer-to-peer network with the DTE recorder, and an assistant can take notes on each clip AS IT’S BEING SHOT!  If I’m on my own, I simply take notes after I hit record!  This is infitely cool!  The notes are attached directly to each clip as “metadata,” and can be read directly by Final Cut Pro, my non-linear editor of choice.  A little modification of the template allows me to make data for other editing software, as well.

How is it in practice?  Well, after a bit of fiddling around with Windowds networking on my IBM ThinkPad, I got it connected.  My Mac connected instantly, and I’m guessing an iPhone would do the same.  I decided to dedicate my ThinkPadto only 2 purposes, though: Takeing notes during shoots, and remote web access.

The process is wonderful!  Every time I hit “record” on the camera, a new page appears in my webrowser, generated by the DTE.  This page allows me to enter things like scene, title, take, etc - just about anything I want.  Another very cool aspect is that it records 720p at 24/30/60 fame rates directly to quicktime OR mt2 file.  VERY, VERY exciting!  Stay tuned for more reviews on this page!

What?!?! Here’s how it works! If you pass a client to us by referral (you need to let us know, or the new client does), we’ll pay you 20% of the first job they book. In addition, for the first year after that, we’ll pay you 5% of everything they do, 4% for the 2nd year, 3% for the 3rd, 2% for the 4th, and 1% for the 5th year. Nice, huh? All designed to keep biz flowing nicely, and to thank our referring customers! Thanks!

Well - it had to happen sooner or later! I’ve Simpsonized the whole family at SimsonizeMe.com. Click the pic to see it full-sized.

A truly ingenious Web app - they used Flash to somehow analyze a face pic and come up with a close approximation of it as a Simpson character. Then, you adjust to fit - changing hair, eyes, etc. I did the whole family and put us all together!

We are a fresh, innovative marketing firm and our philosophy of thinking “waaay outside the box” has attracted clients both large and small, who recognize and share our passion for creativity and communications effectiveness. We pride ourselves in putting our clients’ needs first, and in responding honestly about needs versus desire and perception.

We have done creative media for regional clients like Charlie Schmidt, The Northwest Group, The Washington Family Foundation and more. Past and present clients of our top producers include the likes of Ericsson, Nascar, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Oberkleinberg, VEESSA, and various national and international non-profit organizations.

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• Product & Portrait Photography
• Concepts, Treatments and Scriptwriting
• Cast and Location Finding
• Directing, Creative Concepting
• VHS/CD/DVD Duplication
• Corporate Identity & Collateral Media
• Print Design and Production
• Packaging, Design and Distribution

• Video Production/Video Services
• Video Transfer
• Audio Production for Radio, Television and Film
• Project Recording (Artists)

• Interactive CD Design Interactive DVD Production and Services
• Text/Script writing/Voice-overs
• Voice Overs, Music & Special Effects
• DVD Packaging
• DVD Duplication

• Web Design/Internet Services
• Domain Name Registration
• Web Site Hosting
• Web Traffic Tracking System
• Webdriver™ Content Management System

• Artist Management

• Marketing Consultation
• Operations Streamlining and Systems Consultation
• Media Placement and Consultation