Angus Farquhar, Online Video Producer

This is a really interesting example of how engaging well with...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:42:20 +0100

This is a really interesting example of how engaging well with your users can really reap rewards.

The latest video for the band Blood Red Shoes was posted on Youtube on March 12, 2012.

Now this is something usually managed by the record label while the band go off and do ‘press’ but on this occasion one of the band members responded personally to a comment/criticism about the sound of the track in such an engaging way that he has not only made a personal connection with one commentor but has also really engratiated himself with the fans ( as can be seen by the combined 44 thumbs up of his comments).

It has also given a very unique insight in to the making of the song that you would be unlikely to get from any other source.

All this from 10 minutes spent replying to a post on Youtube.

Beautiful video and beautiful song.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:54:15 +0000

Beautiful video and beautiful song.

"How many SEO experts do you need to change a lightbulb lightbulbs buy light bulbs neon lights sex..."

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:50:17 +0000

“How many SEO experts do you need to change a lightbulb lightbulbs buy light bulbs neon lights...

Youtube search is down - Watch our Frankfurt Motor Show videos here

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:06:00 +0100

It appears that Google’s video search (both on Youtube and on Google) is down, so currently...

Sony NEX-FS100 - Close to the perfect small camera

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 11:27:23 +0000

Sony has finally launched what could possibly be the perfect camcorder, the Sony NEX-FS100, which...

When I tell everyone I’m going to Barcelona they think...

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:11:00 +0000

When I tell everyone I’m going to Barcelona they think I’m going to have great fun seeing the sites so I made this time laps over four hours to show just part of a typical evening of editing which usually takes place after a full days filming at a trade show.

Canon XA10 professional camcorder hands on

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:37:00 +0000

At the CES show in Las Vegas for the day job and I spotted this just unveiled Canon XA10 while...

Green screen keying is harder than you think When Which? was...

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:39:08 +0100

Green screen keying is harder than you think

When Which? was given and exclusive first look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab we all got very excited but to be honest the Samsung Euro QA lab isn’t the best looking location to film. Brainwave, greenscreen. Well that’s what I thought.

We already had a Reflecmedia Litering and reflective screen that I’d used for a few short videos but this was going to be a 20 minute behemoth and boy did it test my video editing hardware.

Now it wasn’t a complex edit but with two After Effects compositions doing the keying for the presenter and the cutaways Premier was really struggling.

Now I run a pretty serious 8 core HP workstation with CS5 taking full advantage of the Nvidia Cuda and Mercury playback engine but I was still reduced to playback at the rate of one frame every five seconds which made editing very difficult.

I’m happy with the result and it would have looked alot worse if we didn’t use the green screen but I may have to rethink my methods the next time we try something like this, or maybe just leave double the time I’d normally expect.

From camera to podcast - I'm the expert for a change

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:21:00 +0100

From camera to podcast - I'm the expert for a change: Which? got an exclusive extended look at the...

swinhoe: Short Stories - DARK SIDE OF THE LENS (via...

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:29:11 +0100

swinhoe:

Short Stories - DARK SIDE OF THE LENS (via relentlessenergy)

First use review: Sony MC50E camcorder I recently bought the...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:22:00 +0100

First use review: Sony MC50E camcorder

I recently bought the diminutive Sony MC50E camcorder for use as a second camera and for bolt-on action shots in car videos and I have to say I am very impressed with the quality it spits out.

The main selling point of the camera for me was simply the size - it really is very small - but I recently used it to shoot a product review of the Pure Oasis DAB radio and the images it produces a really quite good.

Obviously with a camcorder this small you have to be very careful about camera shake but as long as you use a good tucked elbow stance it gives some very nice handheld shots.

The only annoyance I have with it is that when you asign any of the manual controls to the little control wheel, everything else gets sets to auto. So, for example, if you asign iris to the manual control, the auto on the camera compensates by adjusting the shutter speed and aperture settings.

This is particularly annoying because shutter speed should always be left at 1/50 (1/60 for NTSC) unless you are after a particular effect but if you try and adjust the iris manually the MC50E adjusts the shutter to what it thinks is necessary to compensate.

Despite this the camera is very nice to use and even the fact that it is AVCHD hasn’t been a problem for mixing it with XDCAM EX footage from our main Sony EX1, although we are using Premiere CS5 and hardware accelerated Mercury playback engine.

I’d seriously recommend the MC50E if you are looking to produce decent quality web videos on a budget.

chrisslade: This sort of stuff makes me want to create video....

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:18:16 +0100

chrisslade:

This sort of stuff makes me want to create video. Its also pretty warming for the soul too :)

Now this is how advertising should be done. Something that leaves you happy to have watched the advert rather than annoyed that it got in the way of the content you wanted to watch.

I know it’s not strictly an ad, but hey, it’s funded by Cocacola and is essentially a vehicle to leave you with a warm feeling about Schweppes.

Sony NEX-VG10E first look review I managed to get along to a...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:32:58 +0100

Sony NEX-VG10E first look review

I managed to get along to a Sony event in London at the end of last week and they just happened to have the Sony NEX-VG10E, interchangeable lenses and all, there for us to have a play with.

Amazingly they even let us stick a memory card in it and shoot a video on it so we shot the first look review of the NEX-3 (including 3D panorama mode) on the new camera before doing a quick review of the VG10E itself on my trusty Sony EX-1.

I’ll post the NEX-3 review soon so you can see the footage shot on the VG10E but in the mean time here’s our first look at the camcorder itself. Do excuse the cheesey start though, I’m not used to being on this side of the lens.

Sony NEX-VG10E - interchangeable lense camcorders are on the way

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:51:00 +0100

We’ve all been begging for it for years but the race is now officially on to launch the first...

Panasonic AG-AF100 - Finally a proper video DSLR

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:39:00 +0100

With the launch of the AG-AF100, Panasonic has become the first manufacturer to make a proper...

Video rigs for small cameras in abundance at CES

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:11:46 +0000

One of the things that most stood out for me at CES 2010 was not any of the new products launched,...

CES 2010 breaks all my records for video and content production

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 03:47:00 +0000

Which? went big for the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show with extra time in Vegas and some serious...

I’ve been making videos for Which.co.uk for a year now and...

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:57:00 +0000

I’ve been making videos for Which.co.uk for a year now and I’m very happy with this lovely graph that Youtube has provided me.

Which?: Apple launches iPod Nano 5G with video camera, plus iTunes 9

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:52:00 +0100

Which?: Apple launches iPod Nano 5G with video camera, plus iTunes 9: Which? went along to the UK...

Which?: Canon EOS 7D UK launch

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:51:00 +0100

Which?: Canon EOS 7D UK launch: Canon launched the EOS 7D in the UK this week and Which? was there...