Happy New Year!
I’m pleased to have a new website up and running for the New Year! The above video montage (I edited in After Effects) highlights some of my favorite shows and productions over the last few years. To your right are some previous posts, describing several jobs I directed last year.
I and many of my colleagues in the industry are interested in seeing how business will develop throughout the year. Normally the corporate production industry is very strong and I have not seen this level of concern since 9/11. This week, I would usually be on my way to the Detroit Auto show but Nissan/Infiniti (who I’ve worked with the last several years) and several other companies in the Auto Industry have cancelled their appearance at the show. As we have learned other major companies have cancelled or planned to cancel future events (most notably Cisco and Apple).
Diversity is important in times like these and we have to call upon our expertise to keep the workflow going. I usually have some editing or producing projects going on to fill the gaps when I’m not directing. If that’s not the case, I’ll work on pro bono projects that I’ve been putting off.
The middle of January I will be off to Dallasto direct the video for AT&T’s annual meeting, fly back and do a Seagate show for the Kenwood Group in Santa Cruz.
Jim
Tags: AT&T, Corporate, Detroit, Economy, Infiniti, Nissan, Seagate, The Kenwood Group, Video Director
Filed under: Blog
11/15/08 What a week! Cisco & Yankees, Tech Awards, Safeway & Kenny Loggins
The week started on Sunday with a flight to New York City for a press Conference with Cisco & The New York Yankees. Working for Audio Visual Techniques (Santa Clara) I directed a simple two camera shoot. (Those simple ones often turn out to be a hi-profile/hi-pressure shows and this was no exception). Cisco is putting into place 1,100 Hi-Def displays throughout the stadium – in hallways, bars, suites and even bathrooms. (The new Yankees’ stadium opens in April, ’09). After the event on Tuesday, it was back to SFO (20 hour day, door to door!).
Jim checks the set (photo courtesy of Dan Crowe)
The next day I directed the The Tech Awards program in San Jose for Davinci Fusion. The Tech Awards recognize the best of those who are utilizing innovative technology solutions to address the most urgent critical issues facing our planet. One award winner had saved an estimated 3 million lives by developing a non-reusable hypodermic needle system! Check out The Tech Awards website: http://www.techawards.org/about/
Hey, my job the next day was in Santa Clara so why not spend another night at the S.J. Crown Plaza. Thursday’s show (for AVT again) was the Cisco Shareholder’s meeting.
I ended the week on Saturday directing the Safeway Foundation fundraiser, Produced by DaVinci Fusion. Very creative show - rotating circular stage in the middle. Musical performance by Kenny Loggins. Previous Safeway Foundation shows I directed had Melissa Etheridge and Barry Manilow as performers.
Tags: Audio Visual Techniques, Cisco, DaVinci Fusion, Safeway, Tech Awards, Video Director, Yankees
Filed under: Blog
11/11/08 Salesforce.com: Neil Young opens for Foo Fighters
One if the tech companies that’s on a roll right now is Salesforce.com, which provides on demand applications built on the “Cloud Computing” model. The show Nov 3-4 at Moscone Convention Center in SF was produced by TenCue Productions and had some great staging and interesting demos. Check out the link below and select from a variety of speakers – the last segment on November 4th has the Neil Young segment. That night the Foo Fighters played to a packed house. I always enjoy directing the rock & roll!
Tags: Add new tag, Concert Video Director, Corporate Video Director, Foo Fighters, Neil Young, Salesforce.com, TenCue Productions, Video Director
Filed under: Blog
9/3/2008: Google Chrome Launch
I’m fortunate enough to live within an hour of Google and direct a number of projects there each year. As a powerhouse in the internet world, Google always has cutting edge programs and technology as part of their presentations. This week, I directed the webcast for the Chrome launch. Chrome is the new “Open Source” browser that has been in development for a couple of years.
Google has two conference rooms, one in their cafeteria (great food by the way) and a smaller one – where we did the Chrome launch. Both rooms have 4 robotic cameras: JVC Hi-Def with two Kahunas in one and Sony cams & Panasonic switchers in the other. One switcher controls the webcast and the other is a screen switcher.
Always a challenge directing robocams – especially in the system with one camera controller. For the larger productions, I usually add a handheld to the system that has two camera controllers.
In a couple of weeks I will be directing the media (video cameras, tape & graphics) for the Google Zeitgeist event. More on that to come…
Tags: Chrome, Google, Press Conference, Video Director
Filed under: Blog