Video Tip #1: Buy a Good Camera

While I am always well intentioned to keep my blog full of great tips and techniques for great looking video, reality is that we don't always have time, motivation, and of course we don't want to give away any secrets as to what makes a McKenna Video a McKenna Video. There are some days, er weeks, where I want to write blog after blog, maybe even composing a book of secrets for the home user, but you know when you are running a business that has paying customers sometimes those customers take priority. Imagine that!

Having said that, I will tell you this: the first thing to consider before ever shooting a single frame of video is to the camera. So tip #1 goes something like this: BUY A GOOD CAMERA!

In these days and in this economy more and more people are looking for more bang for their buck. Ok, fine. I do the same. But realize that there is a difference between getting good value for your money and just throwing it away on junk that you won't be happy with.

Such is the case with cheap video cameras. While most home videographers will never win an Academy Award for cinematography, they can do whatever is in their control for obtaining the best images. Sorry to say folks, but sub-$300 cameras will not get you a great image. In fact, any camera that does not include 3-ccd chips will not get you a great image. Adequate? Possibly. But you will need to make sure that if you want superior images that you get a 3-CCD or CMOS device with as big as chips as you can afford. The last home device that I purchased had 1/3-inch CCD chip, only 1 vs. the 3 chips that I recommend and it did an ok job for my home needs. But I also paid $500 for it too.

Ok, and now about the sub $100 camera market. Unless you are looking for the novelty or are just wanting to post the quick and easy to YouTube, my recommendation is stay away from them. You can always post high-quality video to YouTube, but you can't take low quality YT video and make it great. Just like you can't make gold from lead or turn trash into treasure (if you ever figure that out let me know).

Anyway, hope this article helps as you shop around. Please see previous post about types of cameras at

http://mckennavideo.blogspot.com/2008/06/quick-take-what-to-look-for-in-video.html


For all your video needs, visit us at www.mckennavideo.com and for photography at www.chrismckennaphotography.com . Our specialized wedding site is www.mvsweddings.com .

Blessings,

Chris.

The Bennett-Feist Highlights

It must be a wedding kind of week. Here is another wedding highlight video, this time from the Bennett-Fesit wedding, which actually took place a year ago (the highlight being posted for their anniversary).

Their wedding was at the Liberty Theater in Puyallup, WA.

Congratulations, Jessica & Shyenne, on making it through your first year together.

Best wishes,

Chris.

A Unique Wedding Processional

This short video is the processional from the Tholl-Bartlett wedding of a few months ago. This processional, with the meandering aisle, the old music, the "flapper" dresses of the bridesmaids, was as unique as the bride and groom are.

So we decided to spice up this portion of their wedding video a little with the "old movie" style. After this section, however, the video looses this flair and returns to "regular" video (not included in this sequence).

This wedding took place at the Engine Room at the Georgetown Studios, Seattle , Wa.


Enjoy the video and best wishes, Brittany and Dan, for many happy years together.

Blessings,

Chris.

Happy Mothers Day 2010

Here is a montage of photos that we put together of Mothers from our church.

Happy Mothers Day.

Blessings,

Chris.

The Clarke Wedding Video Intro

Have you ever wondered what a professional wedding video looks like? Well, we can't post an entire wedding here, but I can post the intro sequence to one.

The Clarke's hired us to film only their wedding ceremony, but being the nice people we are, we filmed a little extra for them to enjoy the video so much more. So without further adeau, we present the Clark Wedding Video Intro.



This particular wedding occurred at the Windmill Gardens in Sumner, Wa.

If you would like more information on any of our wedding services, please navigate to www.mvsweddings.com or send us an email at info@mvsweddings.com. Please keep in mind, and I'm sorry to be so blunt, that we are not 'craigslist' videographers so if your expectation for a wedding video is $300, please look elsewhere. But if you are interested in a professional wedding video from an award-winning studio that doesn't cost an arm-and-a-leg, then by all means give us a call.

Blessings,

Chris

The Apple iPad

We've been waiting for a tool like the Apple iPad to hit the market and we are certainly excited that its finally here. Or is it?

We are not ones to be first adapters of anything. In my opinion, if its not broke don't fix it, so jumping into a new and untested technology has never been high on my list. I would rather have the bugs worked out, the apps to hit the market, etc. rather than dealing with the headaches and frustrations that undoubetely come with any new technology. So we wait.

But every once in a while something hits the market that seems like the absolute "must have." Such is the case with the iPad. Here is a device that is small and light enough to take with you, but large enough to play high-def movies, keep a calendar, email, surf the web, and so one in relative pleasure (have you ever tried to surf the web with a blackberry or iPhone?).

But having said that, we are still not going to jump in as a first adapter. We'll wait a few months or until the next generation comes out (I really want an application that will sync all my calendars-home and work). In the mean time, you may be interested in what the technogeeks have to say about it. So posted here is a link to one of the best reviews of the iPad that we've seen so far (if we find more we'll post those too.).

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

In the mean time, let us know if you have one and how you like or dislike it. We'd love to know.

Blessings,

Chris

High Definition Demo

I was looking through this blog earlier today and noticed that I hadn't posted any video that we have shot with our new cameras. So here it is...

Murrays from Chris McKenna on Vimeo.

We shot this in high-definition using a Sony PMW-EX1R High-Definition Cameras a few weeks back. This demo is obviously of Murray's Collision Center, located in Kent, WA. This was a really great company to work with on this shoot, and we were glad we were given the opportunity to do so.

If you are interested in getting a video like this for your company, please visit our website www.mckennavideo.com or send us an email at info@mckennavideo.com. Remember, video does not have to be expensive (actually our video is quite affordable) and doesn't have to be complicated.

Blessings,

Chris