Bryan Tanori (the main guy over at The Tanori Group) is a good friend of mine and also the proud new owner of a Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2 based HD camcorder. I consulted with him during the purchase to help plan his camera package and he returned the favor by bringing his new camera up to my neighborhood this past Saturday so we could take it out in the field and get some hands-on experience shooting with it.
More on Review: Hands-On Experience With The Panasonic AG-HVX200

By: Andrew Seltz

I recently teamed up with director Dave Campfield to shoot a short commercial spoof to be used in a movie he is producing and directing. It turned out great and Dave posted it on YouTube.com.

I lit and shot the parts with Dave Rigg, the on-camera spokesperson. It took us about 3 hours start to finish. I used a 1k Arri Fresnel with a softbox for the key light on all of the spokesperson clips. A Lowel Omni Light was used as a backlight, another (shining into an umbrella) was used for fill, and third was gelled and aimed through a cookie for the background light.

For the dramatic “bad acting” shots, I took the softbox off of the 1k key and backed the fill light away to create a high contrast look. I turned off the light that was hitting the wall to let the background go black.

I think it turned out great. If you like it, vote for it and recommend it to a friend.

P.S. I also have a cameo as the ‘audition monitor’ on the right who can’t believe what he is seeing.

By: Andrew Seltz

Our ability to perceive motion when viewing a sequence of still images is due to a phenomenon called ‘persitence of vision.’ There is a threshhold of frames per second (fps) where the human mind stops distinguishing between individual frames and begins to see motion (around 16 fps.) Film and video do not record and play back at the same number of frames per second.

More on Film And Video Frame Rates

By: Andrew Seltz

I can rack up another award on my resume. Under Surveillance, the film I shot and co-produced with writer/director/actor/producer Dave Campfield, won the Best Long Island Film and Best Score (I can’t take any credit for that one) awards at the 2006 Long Island International Film Expo.

Dave and I worked hard to get this project done, and I really enjoyed watching it on the big screen at the festival. It is very satisfying to have the hard work recognized!

Congratulations, Dave. You earned it! (Now let’s get going with that new script!!!)
Andrew Seltz

By: Andrew Seltz

Could you use a FBI warning graphic for your latest DVD? How about a storyboard template that you can print out from your computer? Would sample contracts or free music help you finish your latest project?

Visit the Free Downloads Page on the Sonnyboo website for a collection of resources you can put to use today.

If you don’t see what you need on the Sonnyboo site, drop me an email describing what you are looking for and I’ll help you find it or make it.