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Fall 2009 Newsletter
Welcome to the Fall 2009 issue of the High Tech Media newsletter. It's been a while since we have sent one of these out and we know how much you miss our words of wisdom! So we will try to steal a few more moments between projects and get the next one out sooner. We have plenty of interesting and exciting content from our authors including a new column called Spotlight On Services that features a service offered by High Tech Media. We hope that you find this issue enjoyable, entertaining, and most of all helpful! Dave Kaplowitz Interview
This month we feature an interview with one of our associates, Bob Reed. Bob has been a professional photographer for the past 35 years. Bob is interviewed by Monty McMillan, a High Tech Media Director of Photography and Writer. Monty: Hey, Bob. Please give us an overview of your career. Bob: I studied photography at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara California in the early 70's. Then I apprenticed for a photographer for a year, then opened my own studio in Hollywood. My clients were mostly corporate: Pennzoil, Playboy, Ralph's grocery stores, General Telephone, Xerox, the L.A. Times and many, many more.
To read the entire interview with Bob Reed, click here. Spotlight on Services
This brand new column is all about what High Tech Media can do for you. Each month we highlight one of the many diverse media services that we provide. We'll present the benefits of each service and why High Tech Media is uniquely qualified to be your first choice for media services. This Month In The Spotlight: Media Consultations
High Tech Media can still be of assistance with your media needs. A consultation with High Tech Media puts you in touch with hundreds of years of cumulative experience in the media industry ranging from commercials to documentaries to major studio feature films and everything in between. To read more about High Tech Media's consulting services, click here. Media and Technology
This column is all about the effects of technology on media: how media is created, delivered, and consumed. Ever since the first caveman figured out that crushed berries could be used to make cave paintings and the second caveman invented eight track tapes, media has been affected by advances in technology. But now that we are in the transition to an all-digital world, you need an engineering degree to understand it, or at least a high school student to explain it to you. In this column High Tech Media President, Producer, and über-geek Dave Kaplowitz will address another dilemma facing many of us: how do you get the best High Definition video content for your hard-earned dollar? Now that the transition to digital television is all said and done, this next column looks at how broadcast TV stacks up to the other sources for HD video for your TV such as Cable, Satellite, Telco, and Blue-ray. And since the recession is affecting most of us, it's important to know what you are getting for your buck. To read the entire article on how to get the best looking HDTV content for the least amount of money, click here. Media Tips
This column is for any of you who'll be in front of the camera explaining your service or product, talking about your company, being interviewed about what you do and who you are, answering questions from the media or the public, promoting your views, or entertaining us. Learning more about how to do on-camera speaking will make you more comfortable, effective, and ensure that you are perceived as a professional. This month's Tip: We've all heard about Body Language and what it can tell us. Crossed arms mean, "I'm blocking out what you're saying". Fists on hips mean, "Oh, yeah? Prove it to me or pay the consequences." Flipping back one's tresses indicates flirtation, and a tilted head indicates curiosity. What do you want your body language to say during your interview? You always want to have good posture, which means imagining that your head is suspended from a flexible cord attached from the top of your head to the ceiling. You are suspended from above, rather than rising up from below. The idea is that you are bringing in higher ideas that will be of great value to the world below. To read the entire article on Body Language, click here. The Biz As It Is
This column is dedicated to explaining aspects of the media industry. It is written by Michael Taylor who has worked as a juicer (set lighting technician) in Hollywood for over 30 years, and has the battle scars to prove it. Last issue was the first in a four-part series on television pilots. This is the second.
Pilot Season Fortunately for those of us who work on the crews, doing a pilot isn't the only way to land a show. I didn't do the pilots for any of the five sit-coms I've worked on as a member of the regular crew: Encore! Encore! (1998), Love and Money (1999), Kristen (2001), Good Morning, Miami (2002 -2004), and Four Kings (2006). This isn't because Hollywood happens to be a snake-pit of grinning, back-stabbing mendacity (although it is), but because pilot season has never been remotely even-handed when it comes to doling out the work. This is particularly true when it comes to Directors of Photography - the cameramen - whose job is to put those pilots on film or digital tape. At any given time, there are only a handful of "hot" cameramen in the sit-com world: people (mostly men) with a track record of doing good work on hit shows, who have managed to schmooze their way onto the "A" list. When pilot season rolls around, they're first in line for the best jobs. To read Part II on Pilot Season in its entirety, click here. Story Corner
Everyone loves a good story and High Tech Media can help you make your story better. This column offers tips on how to write your message to make it more attractive to your audience. Although it's always a good idea to have a professional script writer in on your concept meetings, actually writing your scripts, and on staff through the final edit to tweak the message, here are some ideas on how you can best position your ideas and make them shine - until you can bring in the professional writers. The Call To Action In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is entranced by the hologram of Princess Leia asking Obi Wan Kenobi to help save the Republic. In Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard is given the mission to "Terminate with extreme prejudice" the command of rogue officer Colonel Kurtz. In Lord of the Rings, young Frodo is tasked with tossing that tempting gold ring into the fires of Mount Doom. What is it you want your audience to do? What is their Call to Action? To go online and order your product? To become a member of your team? To improve productivity? To read the entire article on how to effectively use a Call To Action to motivate your audience, click here. Featured PhotoEveryone has their favorite photos. And now that most everyone has a digital camera, we all want to learn how to take better pictures. In this column we will feature one of our Directors of Photography talking about one of their favorite photos and what makes it great along with some tips on how to make your photos and videos better. This issue, Bob Reed tells you about one of his favorite photos. Using Contrast and Composition The deer shot was done for a client that had a luxury lodge that was on a 1000 acre farm that several hundred head of deer. The first thing I had to do was to find the rolling hills that composed best and then find out what would be the best time of day for the light on the hills. Then I worked with the farm manager to have his dogs heard the deer across the top of the ridge. Now that sounds easy, but deer are generally very high strung...after half a dozen times it finally worked.
Click here to read about what makes this photo so special. Thanks so much for reading our latest newsletter. We hope you have found it helpful and entertaining. And remember to consider us for your next media project. Sincerely, Dave Kaplowitz | ||||||||||||||||
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