Business

Stan Winston, Rest In Peace

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I’m surprised that more people haven’t talked about this… I am on vacation on a mountain-top (hence a little removed from civilization). I was flipping through the paper and saw this:
Visual Effects Master Stan Winston, 62.

Turns out one of the greatest visual FX and animators in the world passed away on June 15.
I suspect most of you know his name and work. Some of the accomplishments include:

Terminator 2 & 3
Interview with the Vampire
Edward Scissorhands
Iron Man
Jurassic Park
Predator
Aliens
Batman Returns

Be sure to see the history timeline on his site.

You can find a nice overview of him here.

Truly an amazing life and Many of us owe a lot to what her accomplished.

His son, Matt Winston, said his father was in many ways “a big kid” with cool toys who enjoyed what he did and would say, “Just have fun, and success will come.”

Good advice for us all.

Searchable Video with Creative Suite 4

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Adobe has a great new technology that makes video searchable. I’ve written a detailed tutorial available at ProVideoCoalition.com.


“With the proliferation of video on the Web, access to information is getting easier to find and understand (for most).  The challenge is twofold: first is getting people to find and search your video for the right information and second is if the individual has an auditory impairment, so much information is only available in the audio track.  This is why there has been such a big push to make video searchable online and more accessible. In this article you’ll use Adobe’s tool set to set up your video content for both goals.”

New Media for New Government Podcast

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Two weeks ago, I told you about our new group on Facebook for those interested in New Media. Many of you asked us to post the training videos to iTunes. We did.

You’ll also find 6 hours of free video training to check out on their site. I’m one of the organizers of the group and I hope you can share this info with others. The group is free... the video is free... knowldge is free... let’s make a difference.

Here are the six videos you can watch (in HD even).

  • New Media Boot Camp – slides
  • Facebook 101– Why all the Buzz? – slides
  • Podcasting and Government – slides
  • Blogging to Reach an Audience – Does Anyone Care What You Have to Say – slides
  • It’s all About Mobility – Reaching Audiences on the Go – slides
  • Producing Video for the Web – Best Practices for Big Results – slides


Enjoy.

Handouts from Boston Authors Video Workshops

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I recently spoke at the Authors Video Workshops in Boston. The event was sponsored by the BOSFCPUG & Focal Press. Over two days, I spoke on three topics I am passionate about: Photoshop, Final Cut, and web video.

Here are some of the promised resources.

Photoshop For Video


Professional Color Correction in Final Cut Pro


Producing Video Podcasts and Web Video


Enjoy... reviews on Amazon and iTunes always appreciated.

A Change in the Market – Apple Releases HD Movies for Sale

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Seems like times are changing... Apple (and more importantly, movie studios) have decided to start offering high-definition movie sales and rentals through the iTunes Store. This is yet another sign that consumers want digital downloads (and are willing to pay a fair price). Let’s hope more studios come on board.

Starting today, movie fans can purchase box office blockbusters for download in HD for $19.99 from iTunes, and films will be available as iTunes Movie Rentals in HD for $4.99 within 30 days after release. Customers can enjoy these films in HD on their Mac or PC and on their widescreen TV with Apple TV, as well as in standard definition on their iPhone or iPod with video.

New Podcast on iWork

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I recently had a chance to shoot a bunch of podcasts with Alex Lindsay and the great folks at Pixel Corps.

“Learn how to get the most out of your mac at Work! From iWork to communication to databases to networking hardware – MacBreak Work will help you MACsimize your productivity!”

Be sure to check out the new show, MacBreak Work.

You can view it on the web or subscribe for free in iTunes.

Podcasting is NOT Dead

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I just need to rant for a second... I am sick and tired of people claiming that podcasting is dead. The truth is that it is far from it. While the names and flavors may change, podcasting is alive and well. Here’s what I have spent the past week doing.

I spoke in New York City for 3 days at the NY Post Conference. I was joined by great podcasters like Paul Vogelzang of MommyCast, Dusty Wright and Richard Burns from Culture Catch, and Alexandra Gebhardt from Inside Mac. We had healthy crowds with great questions. There were also big companies there, like TiVo and HP, as well as representation from several universities. I also had some great meetings with Apple and mDialog... two great companies with cool things coming.

Double Your iPhone Battery

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I know some of you hate iPhone posts (sorry)....

But here’s something I just had to gush about.... The mophie Juice Pack iPhone battery is shipping. I had the original battery pack, but with the new form-factor for the 3G phones, I had to upgrade. Here’s the specs:

  • Standby Time – Up to 350 hours
  • Talk Time – 6 additional hours on 3G | 12 hours on 2G
  • Internet Use – 6 additional hours on 3G | 7 hours on Wi-Fi
  • Audio Playback – 28 additional hours
  • Video Playback – 8 additional hours


This device is absolutely awesome and lets me get through a long day of business.

Adding Captions to Flash Video

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Looking to make your web video more accessible? Then be sure to check out this great article on adding open captions to Flash video. If you are doing video work for the government, then this is often an absolute must.

“The really great thing about this feature, from our perspective as designers and developers, is how simple it is to accomplish and manage. If the timing is out or a caption is wrong, you simply change a few words or numbers in the XML file.”


This tutorial makes it really easy and I suggest you check it out.