medianiche

TGIF - Thank God Its Freeware

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Thank God Freeware is available. Thank you once again to all the authors that contribute to freeware, you guys help us all in the computer community. So, my freeware of the week is Inkscape. An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara XA. Before shelling out some major dollars on Illustrator or CorelDraw and others, give this app a try. At least for training purposes, everyone on your team can offered the software - its free. Dare to Explore the Possibilities!

HUMP Day - Media Design Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:09:00 +0000

Two more days to go... A little creativity to get us inspired. It's Wednesday and the body is stalling, we need something to help get the juices flowing for the home stretch. I am trying to understand the whole vector graphics thing - creating vector images. When do I use vector format and tools or use raster format and tools or use both. I know a little to much for a hump day... Anyway, that's for another blog, another post. I came across this image on Vecteezy. GEt INspired!

Media 101 - Cinematography

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:47:00 +0000

Your probably asking Cinema-who? Cinematography, I will enlist the help of a person more knowledgeable than I. Understanding cinematography is for the more serious "Media Affluent" if you will.

Cinematography - A Brief Historical Overview Cinematography is one of the man's efforts to portray to others, through the use of techniques that combine motion pictures and text, the world and the messages it transfers as these are understood by the artist. With the term cinematography, one today describes the discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema use. Based on two Greek words, cinematography etymologically means "writing in the movement" and was introduced as a new technique to record images of people and objects as they moved and project them on to a type of screen. Combined with sculpture, painting, dance, architecture, music, and literature, cinematography is today considered to be the seventh art.

It is very difficult for a researcher to find and pinpoint the one individual that could be named the "father" of cinematography, accepting that the word symbolizes a technique used for motion pictures' creation. But, it is apparent that man has experimented, very early in human history, with different methods that would allow him to record the movement of images. Very closely related to still photography, which has been a catalyst to the development of cinematography since the mid 19th Century, the technique that would allow images to be recorded while in motion has been extensively studied. One of the first attempts to analyze the element of movement with the help of photographic machinery was made by the British photographer Edward Muybridge in 1878. After successfully developing a new method of producing consecutive photographic images, he recorded the movement of a running horse. Through the motion pictures he produced, he managed to prove that there are instances when a horse is running that none of its feet touch the ground. Around the same period, the French physicist Etienne Mare managed to capture, also by using photographic machinery that could record 12 images per second, the movements of a flying bird.

Based on the developments of the early 1880s in exposing images on light sensitive elements, attributed to pioneers like Thomas Edison and the Lumiere brothers among others, the new art form of motion pictures introduced a new type of aesthetics that captured the attention of people wanting to explore its applications and create art. One of the first cinematographers that decided to examine this dimension of moving images was the French Maries-George-Jean Méliès who became one of the first cinema directors. With his film, Trip to the Moon (Le voyage dans la lune) in 1901, he created a fantastic story of a trip to the moon using motion pictures. He was also the one that introduced the coloring technique in films by painting each one of the frames by hand.

During the infancy stage of motion pictures, the cinematographer had multiple roles, acting as the director and the person holding and moving the camera. As the years passed, this new art form was further developed by the new technological tools introduced. New art-related professions emerged and due to cinema's ability to capture the attention of vast audiences worldwide, by appealing to more than one the five senses, cinematography emerged to what is known today as a multi-billion dollar industry and one of the favorite art forms in the world.

Author:Kadence Buchanan: Kadence Buchanan writes articles for http://loveofthearts.com/ - In addition, Kadence also writes articles for http://familyinformationsource.com/ and http://thegemstonecenter.com/

Recap Sunday Media Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Although, I have been doing some form of Media at the Church over the past 9 years. On Monday, I find myself recapping all of Sundays' Media Day - the good, the bad and the ugly. I like to list improvements or training that must be done, some more important than others. First, I must understand the answer of what has to be addressed - customer interaction, new software, new hardware, etc... After research and thought - which could last an hour or two days, the next course of action is dictated by how major the change is – Only two categories’, ASAP and ASAP. I am faced with the a couple of questions, how do I find time to train the team? Considering my schedule and theirs. How do I make it understandable for all? How this process is done can make a big difference to how successful we are as a whole!

TGIF - Thank God Its Freeware

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Thank God freeware is available. Thank you once again to all the authors that contribute to Freeware, you guys help us all in the computer community. So, my freeware of the week is "LogoInstant" . A site that offers free web 2.0 logos, that's 100% free. Well not so fast, a donation is asked and in this case, I would say please do so if you can - at the very least give credit to the website. As with other freeware you are not allowed to resale or repackage. I have not used a logo yet, but this is a website I use for inspiration.

FREE (Friday Eve) Media Design w Web 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:21:00 +0000

I am in the middle of designing a website, trying to incorporate all the design principles and elements. So here I am trying to wrap my head around this whole web 2.0 stuff? Well, my first answer was blogging - ok that's what I do now. So, I dug a little deeper and I found facebook, twitter, flickr, bitorrent, napster, Wikipedia, wiki, seo etc... represents web 2.0. Alright, I know the buzzwords, but do I really have an understanding? No, you have to include tagging, adsense and all the other cost per click services - so what is it? It's using the web as a Platform. Say what? If someone has an easy explanation of web 2.0, please share... And please do it in 20-30 words!

HUMP DAY - Get INSPIRED Media

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:50:00 +0000

Two more days to go... A little creativity to get us inspired. It's Wednesday and the body is stalling, we need something to help get the juices flowing. I have two images that I really like, from what’s quickly becoming one of my favorite websites worth1000.com for design inspiration... These guys and gals are really on the ball... They offer something for everyone... I came across these images in the "Slice'n Dice Contest" enough said, the images say it all... GEt INspired!

Media - Buying A Digital Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:20:00 +0000

As I embark on buying a new digital camera for the media department. It’s a journey, with so many to choose from and so many websites out there with a top ten of digital cameras you get overwhelmed. So I thought to myself look at 5 or so websites and see what cameras make the list and their average position. Hopefully, I will be able to make an informed decision. At our church we have software that allows us to add pictures in the database next to the visitor or member name. We can generate a letter and have the picture included. I want to conclude this journey as quickly as possible. We need a new video mixer... I guess this is preparing. Oh well - just another day in the life of technology, equipment becomes outdated with the blink of an eye.

Church Media - Saturday Push for Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Well, it’s Saturday and I am going through new graphic images, contacting team members, one great thing I have one cameraman that lives with me - my son... He typically waits the day of Service to look for his shirt, hopefully it’s clean but he's a teenager - enough said. One thing that has gotten me in a pickle is creating an animation on my home pc just to get to Church on Sunday morning and the color is off or the animation does not work as it did on your home computer. I would get to the building early on Sunday excited to try out this new background or whatever only to be disappointed... Yet the thrill out compares the failure... SO keep on your grind it’s worth it... Have a GREAT CHRUCH TECH DAY!

Hump Day - Inspired Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:58:00 +0000

Lately, I have come across some interesting websites, one in particular I find myself going back to, http://www.worth1000.com/ has all kinds of contest going on, one I'm interested in, "Artistic Expression 2009", I can’t wait to see the photos. Another one just ended, “Analogous Palette 2009” – Photos with monochrome or analogous palette. A monochromatic palette in an image enhanced by the qualities of the used color. In an analogous palette, the hues can be a little more varied, using colors next to each other on the color wheel. The website goes into a more detailed explanation of monochrome and analogous palette. With over 57 entries for the contest, take a look around, sign up for a free account and participate in a contest or two, add a photo or image to a Gallery, at the very least vote. At the same time you will be Inspired by some great work.

Media 101

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:43:00 +0000

Working in Media is rewarding and frustrating, it seems at times the most reliable piece goes nut - the computer - at the most inconvenient time, not that there is a convenient time. I had an issue last Sunday with our video announcements. Our video announcements are typically 3 minutes or less in time. We were unable to render out the video to DVD, an error occurred, “File too big for DVD” yea right – the file is barely a half gig. Needless to say a lesson should be learned from this. You should be prepared well in advanced for an event – only thing done the day of is pre-production check list. Even when it comes to computers, a routine task the team performs flawlessly several times a week- the day of production the computer goes bananas. An embarrassing and uncomfortable feeling, you would agree?

TGIF

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:28:00 +0000

Thank God Its Freeware. Thank you once again to all the authors that contribute to Freeware, you guys help us all in the computer community. So, my freeware of the week is "GIMPshop". I highly recommend this software if you are unable to fork over the dollars for Photoshop, I use GIMPshop at our Church. I create an image in Photoshop, send it over to the Media Team any changes necesarry is made in GIMPshop. The GUI and functionality is so close to Photoshop. I am able to use many Photoshop tutorials without missing a beat. Tons of support out there for GIMPshop and its predecessor GIMP. Get over there and take a look, you never know! www.gimpshop.com

4 Down 1 To Go Design Software

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:56:00 +0000

Friday Eve - When it comes to design, the top software being used today is Photoshop. I use Photoshop and I'm a big supporter of Adobe products. For many the price is a bit steep for Photoshop. Guess what? Adobe has released a free version of Photoshop - Photoshop Express (beta). While it is limited in comparison to the full version, it's worth a try. At the very least if you are in a pinch and need to do some Image adjustments logon and there you go. A plus, you can store your photos online, up to 2 GB of storage space. Swing over and take a look www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html What are you waiting for? Get to Designing.

Media 101

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Nothing says team like a uniform, be it a sports team, girl scouts, a repair shop or a shopping store. Way back when, I discussed our Media Team getting shirts with a logo and name on it. The attitude was absolutely bananas, this positive attitude resulted in our going from breaking even to creating a positive cash flow... Uniform said to each member- we are responsible for the business being successful. I have a personal stake in this... No budget for shirts, start with a nice creative name tag, trust me the response will be tremendous. What are you waiting for!

TGIF

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Thank God Its Freeware available. Thank you once again to all the authors that contribute to Freeware, you guys help us all in the computer community. So my freeware of the week is Free Fonts. I know there are tons of font websites out there, but I like the font search feature as well as the other Friendly Font Links. Enjoy www.free-fonts.com

FREE (Friday Eve)

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:47:00 +0000

The other day I had company over (family), as usual my sister heads straight to the laptop. So, I was working on a project and I wanted some input on the colors, fonts etc. My sister is a former model so she believes she has good fashion sense to her creadit she does. Well, she looked it over and ripped it apart, the colors were good but the font was unreadable. I was disappointed because I labored on this for some time, yet it is the average person that will give your project 5 – 10 seconds to become relevant. If it’s unreadable –Forget it about it! Design Principle one in my book – Readability is key.

HUMP DAY - Inspired Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:40:00 +0000

My inspiration of the day goes to the team over at AIGA. The team is composing a design archive for the year 2008, for the‘AIGA Annual Design Competitions’. It consists of company brands and logos, package design, motion graphics, book design etc. You can be there for awhile, the archive is increasing to 365 designs. Not to worry it’s broken up in categories. Guess what? If you are interested, you can submit your design, deadline is March 5th, 2009. Get over there and take a look www.aiga.org/content.cfm/about-365. What are you waiting for? "Dare to be Inspired"!

Media101 Getting Started

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:15:00 +0000

As we continue on the series of creating a Media Dept./Team - Last week we discuss picking out video cameras. This week - video switcher/mixer, this requires a bit of research. The purchase a video mixer can easily reach $5,000 - $10,000 for a mid-range mixer. You have to take in consideration audio, special effects, if you will travel or in studio, traveling you want a carrying case specialized for video mixers, monitors - to save money we use two portable DVD players. For a newbie I would suggest a mixer with at least 3 input sources, maybe preview capabilities. The choices are endless; I am in the mist of upgrading our 2 channel mixer to at least a 4 channel, for the moment I have no recommendations. We shall educate one another. If you just want experience or maybe an option is video mixer software. I prefer the video mixer.

TGIF -

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:57:00 +0000

Thank God Its Freeware available. Thank you once again to all the authors that contribute to Freeware, you guys help us all in the computer community. So my freeware of the week is YouTube Downloader, it not only downloads, it capable of convertering video as well. Some of YouTube Downloader features, many supported video file formats - Google Video, Yahoo Video, and others, converts to - IPod, Iphone, PSP, Cell Phone, Windows Media, XVid and MP3. Available at www.download.com

FREE(Friday EVE) Inspired Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:01:00 +0000

My inspiration of the day goes to Godiva and The Bryant Park Hotel in New York teaming up to create a chocolate hotel room, available only to one (very lucky) couple for an Ultimate Chocolate Fantasy weekend. It's the Grand Prize of this year's Godiva Valentine's Day Promotion, check link for details. Very creative, what are you waiting for? "Dare to be Inspired"!

Media 101

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:46:00 +0000

As I was considering this post, I thought about our DVD Ministry and how far we have come. Each step has been a growing process but when I see my son working the camera a smile comes to me. His shots are awesome and I think his youth works for him, the way he sees' the next shot. I think young people- always being in a rush- works well in this situation. Anyway, the next step is to research a video camera http://www.videomaker.com has great reviews but I suggest you look locally just to get experience. Ask around you may have a friend that has knowledge in videography. We will continue next week with selecting a videomixer.

TGIF

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:45:00 +0000

Thank God Its Freeware available. Thank you once again to all the authors that contribute to Freeware, you guys help us all in the computer community. So my contributor(s) of the week is Irfanview, a graphic viewer software. Some of IrfranView features, many supported file formats - including Photoshop, email options, multimedia player, slideshow and dvd burn capabilities, etc... A nice small, fast portable viewer...

FREE(Friday Eve) Color with Black and White

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:47:00 +0000

When to use black and white for an image? Being in the media business, videography, photography, design, etc… The question arises at some point and time? Is color too much for an image?
Does it capture the essence of the moment? For example - a wedding picture, the bride is in a white and the groom is in black. Black and white tone gives it that natural-classical look, a vintage look. The black and white tone gives it the seal of approval.

Hump Day Inspired Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:43:00 +0000

My inspiration of the day goes to the team over at Mindsmack. The team is doing some awesome award winning web design, programming and flash animation. You can easily spend 15 minutes or so browsing around their website. I love the creativity and the experimenting with character illustration. Get over there and take a look www.mindsmack.com What are you waiting for? "Dare to be Inspired"!

medianiche: Media 101

noreply@blogger.com (Rasheed) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:28:00 +0000

medianiche: Multimedia Mania - Media 101