Tim Kay has joined forces with Argus HD - an amazing Live Event Production house in the Bay Area

A lot has changed in the couple of years since posting here. HD became a staple in video. 3D showed up, planned on staying and seemingly disappeared when we were told this was most-definitely the next revolution in TV. Now the trend that's growing stronger is 4k, a image that is twice the resolution of HD, and that's a good good thing !

What else has changed is my focus. Having worked on some of the biggest shows in the live event space and having worked with some amazing producers, I am happy to report that i've joined forces with Argus HD, a live webcasting in San Francisco that has been doing some amazing work with Google, Discover Channel, Animal Planet, and many more.

I fully recommend them for your next live event, high quality interviews, and video production needs.

We can be found at ArgusHD.com and we look forward to hearing from you !

When to create your corporate Amatuer production or hire Prorfessional

The latest series in Tim Kay Films education blog posting is live and up on their video production san francisco website.  In the first of two post the first section opens up the conversation and ask questions like:

Here is a little teaser:

"Not many years ago cameras cost tens of thousands of dollars and they needed a small convoy of support trucks to make the image professional. "Why do I need to hire a professional video production company" is a question being asked by corporate management dealing with shrinking marketing budgets. Since we all have access to the basic tools of video production this myth has developed: Now, a basic camera can replicate some pro's features, and it's important to know when it's kosher to use this for your business .  "

Who is your Audience?

What corporate image do you want to project ?


What's unique about this blog is that Argus HD a professional live webcasting san francisco, actually encourages, in some situations, to create your own content.

The belief is that if we supply the potential client with the best and most honest information and make them informed, even if it means self-producing, then when larger projects come online, we can partner up !

Tim Kay Films Latest Release

We're excited to share our latest public release, Tim Kay Films Demo Reel 2012, now viewable on our website here:


video production san francisco

Regards,
TKF
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San Francisco/Bay Area & Beyond Full Service Video & Media Production Specialist

Tim Kay Films - Production & Video services, is now live

After months of back end work and pulling together content spanning over 10 years, I have now brought together all my experience into one central place. san francisco video production. Stop by our new and improve website and say hello to us. We'll also be blogging tips and tricks on the site.

Got the camera, now what?

So you're all excited. In your hands you hold the same tools that are now being used by some of the greats in the industry, from television to movies. But whats that you say, why does your film still look & feel like a home movie ? Focus bad, framing off ?

Ah...you see the camera isn't the end all be all. These cameras are more connected to films made 70 years ago then the video era.  Do you know what ISO will start to cause noise ? What frame rate to shoot ? What shutter speed matches your frame rate ? Over the past 20 years, thanks largely to video formats, we could ignore most of these rules. Not anymore. Especially with DSLR. And this is just the tip of the ice berg. But lets put all this to the side, for now. Theres a more pressing issue.

How to make a film?  The premise for countless Direct/Produce yourself books, online videos, etc...but they miss one fundamental element. Building the team.  For those in the Bay Area, check this event out:


http://www.scarycow.com/

(fyi - i have no affliation with them, nor have I been personally, but have heard good things).

If you're not in the Bay Area, (what, there exist a world outside of us?) search and find your co-op, non profit, community group. A great first step, surround yourself with those that share your passion and then together you can figure out what frame rate to shoot at.

A friend of mine asked me this question:

Hey Tim !

How are you ?

I've been following your work with your Canon 7D, pretty good stuff :) ... I also read you blog ( by the way, I was amazed by the two legged tripod trick :P ... ) and you seem to be right person to ask about cameras :).

I've been thinking of buying a 7D but at the moment it's a bit too expensive for me ... I was looking at the 550D, the little brother of the 7D I heard ... as I'm a beginner in the DSLR world, I was wondering if that's actually a better idea than the 7D, for the moment being.
What I'm really looking for are the HD video features and they seem to be similar in some ways ... am I right ?
I just wanna know how happy you are with your 7D and if you heard of what the 550D can do, video wise ...

Thanks!

To which I replied:

(the greetings first, which I took out, out of respect for my friends privacy)

Since I don't hear much talk about the 550D I'm assuming it must be an older model.

If the 7d is expensive, then I'd buy the Canon T2i, just came out a couple months ago and it basically shoots the exact same video/codex as the 7D. Really there is no difference in video mode. The cameras main difference is in photography and the body construction. Thats the main difference, and it comes in under $1000 - the best deal out there for a new and up and coming director like yourself! Never in the history of filming could you get this much camera and opportunity for so little. I think the video controls might be a menu or two buried, but not a big deal considering the price.

I am happy with the 7D. The biggest challenge I face on an almost daily basis while shooting is aliasing. There are tricks to help minimize the effects but I run into at least 2 to 3 times a shoot. While the 7D is great & revolutionary in so many ways ( anyone still talking about 35mm Adaptors?), its a steeping stone camera and I look forward to future models where these bugs can be worked out. I'm currently working on a narrative film shot on the 7d using external audio ( only use camera audio as a guide track ) so I will post more about the work flow of using audio shortly.

Hope this helps!

~Tim

State of the Art and not so state:

So much of what I see, read and talk about is state of the art technology.

This is not. This is not my rig.



Although I might be jealous.

It does represent so much of our business though, ingenuity, getting the job done. Even if it does involve a lamp cord!