The Super Not So Secret Gathering of the Technologically Savvy: The National Association of Broadcasters' Convention

Recently, my dad invited me to go to the annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas this April. Every year, the NAB (Not to be confused with the NBA), holds a convention dedicated to introducing new technology, techniques, and ideas related to the field of broadcast media.

 < < < <  National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)

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Every year, over 100,000 industry professionals flock to Las Vegas to participate in the interactive exhibits, on-floor education sessions, and hundreds of product introductions. Apparently, the participation is so great that the size of the show floor is equivalent to that of 19 American football fields.

Here's the "sizzle reel" to get you pumped up about the convention:




Last year, attendees of the 2013 NAB Show got a behind the scenes look at the production of both "Oblivion (2013 film)" and "Oz the Great and Powerful." The Television Luncheon, hosted byNancy O'Dell, featured the induction of American Idol into the Television Hall of Fame with an appearance by Randy Jackson and a live performance by Chris Daughtry. Furthermore, there was a sneak peak presentation of Adobe's (then not yet released) Premiere Pro CS6 editing software and so much more.

The NAB convention not only was the first place to successfully hold a HDTV broadcast, it was also where the Red Digital Cinema Camera was first presented. Representatives from companies worldwide gather in Los Vegas to learn about the newest technologies. Some of the most famous companies with booths include:

Although from the photos below of the event, you can see that these are just a few of the hundreds of companies packed into the convention center. 

 The National Association of Broadcasters, or NAB, is an organization that acts as the voice of the nation's radio and television broadcasters. As the premier trade association for broadcasters, NAB advances the interests of members in the federal government; improves the quality and profitability of broadcasting; encourages content and technology innovation; and spotlights the important and unique ways stations serve their communities. They deal a lot with the law and work to inform policy makers of the primary issues affecting the radio and television broadcast business.

Gordon H. Smith is the current CEO of the NAB as well as a former Oregon Senator. I just want everyone to see how nice and handsome he looks in this picture.

Gordon H. Smith CEO of the NAB

All in all, I'm pretty excited to get a chance to take a look at all the latest industry gadgets as well as do my fair share of networking. I might even get myself a suit.

Shot Designer Application

              Due to posting in Arturo's Motion Graphics & Animation class I am always looking for new technology associated with cinematography and its challenges.  This week I would like to talk about an application called Shot Designer. Shot Designer is an application available for both iPad and iPhone in the iTunes app store that allows the individual to create lighting, camera movements and even blocking movements on a floor plan. This sort of floor plan set up can be used along with storyboards to significantly help create the story, especially with a production team with many different elements and view points. As we are recently discovering these issues  working with our own production teams on the short films, I feel an application such as this could be a tool for our projects.  Additionally a major feature that improves this technology is the ability for the program to sync multiple members of your production team.

            While the application is free on the iTunes app store for only $19.99 you get the pro upgrade that provides for features such as exporting, saving and printing scenes and also a desktop version of the software. The app maybe in the beginning stages of its development nonetheless this can be a great tool when on the run or even for a short film.  Here is another picture example of the app...

MoVI: May Your Shots Forever be Stable

A large part of what separates the amateurs from the professionals in the visual media industry is how smooth the shots look. When you think about it; it makes sense. As of now, steadicams, (currently the easiest way to achieve these seductive, sweeping shots) go anywhere from $150 to over $10,000. Your average Joe isn't about to dish out a thousand dollars for smooth shots when he's got a built in stabilizer on his T3i. However, in the future we might see a steady drop in the price of steadicams with the introduction of the Freefly MoVI rig.

So you may be thinking, "What's so revolutionary about the MoVI?" This video will clear up any questions you may have:

One thing I found particularly intriguing about the MoVI rig is it's ability to not only be operated by one person, but also operated dually. Much like how a follow focus could be focusing a camera from another room, the MoVI allows one person to follow the action with the camera while another sits somewhere else concentrating entirely on framing. 

Secondly, even those looking for that, shaky, running with the camera look can find the MoVI rig useful. For example,  the MoVI M10 offers a user adjusted shakey cam that allows the operator to shoot with consistent, realistic movement. Who would have thought that a device could be so good at being smooth that a shakey camera would be considered a feature?

Below I attached the link that directs you to Laforet's finished video. Keep in mind, the short was made for the purpose of displaying the MoVI's abilities. Therefore, the plot of the video is fairly lacking and in itself not so interesting. However, when focusing on the shots one can easily see the upgrade in production quality the MoVI brings to the table. As of now, a MoVI rig goes for about $15000. However, I doubt it will be long before similar rigs aimed towards consumers come unto the market. Knowing this, one must question how much longer the line separating amateur productions from professional productions will remain in tact.

http://www.freeflysystems.com/media/videos.php