Wednesday 22 December 2010

Overdrive : The Trailer

With apologies if you have already seen the trailer on the Overdrive blog, but here is the latest video to hit YouTube, along with the pilot programme. Overdrive is a personal project of mine that I am hoping to produce through next year with a 6 part monthly series - That is, if I can attract funding for it. I shall write more in depth about it when I'm more awake! In the meantime, comments always welcome!


Friday 17 December 2010

Snow! where's my skis?

You may have noticed that there has been some snow lately.

With that in mind, here's some photos  of my street and car in the snow today - an enforced day off beckoned. Now the downside is that I've just prepared 2 videos for the air cadets who meet tonight, and I doubt strongly that I'll get there to show them now.

More pics of snowMore pics of snowMore pics of snowI did have a black car, now it is white!

And because it's snow... here's what happens when a dogcam, a racing driver, 2 skis, 1 snowboard, and Tamworth come together with some appropriate music


Saturday 11 December 2010

The Perils of LP mode

With any luck someone else has experienced this problem and can suggest a solution, because I've never come across it and it's weird.

A friend of mine asked me to transfer video of their granddaughter's nativity play on to DVD. Fine, no problems - just run it through Final Cut Express, grab the out put and put it onto a Disc. Easy.

Errm... No.

It was filmed in LP mode, and although I've used the camera that they used to film it to capture it, I've had all sorts of problems sorting it out.

My Final Cut Express set up is usually optimised for working with the Sony Z1/5 or PD150 cameras. So I had to change a lot of settings to suit the little JVC camcorder that was used. Only 12bit sound first, which caused a bit of a surprise when you're used to everything being in 16bit at least. No problem, quick setting change and off we go again.

Now it's out of sync! Nearly a whole second out with the image in front of the soundtrack. No problem there either, just cut the offending difference off the front of the vision clip and shuffle it forward until it matches the sound. Great. Hit Render.

And it comes out Green. Not just green tint, but Green. Solid Green. Green and nothing else. I like Green, but the video shouldn't look like that!!

Fiddle with settings, now I've got random visuals. The same still keeps appearing and rapidly flashing with another one like bad stop motion.

I've got no idea at all what's going on with this. Usually when I capture something there are none of these problems! I'm sure it's something to do with the LP mode but I've no idea what. Any suggestions, Cyberspace?

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Update : Managed to re-capture it using the DV-Convert setting but it still came out out of sync. I've never known this sort of problem to happen before, so suggestions very welcome.

Sunday 5 December 2010

Refreshed, Re-Launched, Ready to go!

Old readers start here

Hello everyone! I'm back! Firstly, what do you think of the new look? The main site has changed to a simpler, cleaner, more attractive version, and the blog has had a bit of a makeover too. Other changes around here include a new button to a new project that I'm trying out. It's called Overdrive UK, and it's a monthly motorsport video magazine programme which you can watch by visiting this blog's sister site, www.overdrive-uk.com, and I'd very much appreciate your comments on it too.

Filming wise, well there's been Overdrive of course, and I've also spent some time with the Air Cadets filming a training video for their flying trips. This involved an aeroplane, a land rover, and some very obliging chaps who gave chase to the former in the latter with me in the back pointing a Sony Video Camera out of one of the side windows. Land Rovers have many uses, it seems.

Work wise, there's been... um... none. I'm currently working for Cardiff Council as a so called Records Clerk which means I live underground and file things. Not that interesting if I'm honest, but hey, it's something. With any luck it'll be full steam ahead in January into Telly Production... if everything goes right.

Quick reminder that you can follow me on Twitter - and I update that much more than I do this blog - by going onto the respective site and looking for @kevinmcmullintv (or use the gadget thingy on the left hand side), and of course I'm still on Youtube (youtube.com/kevinmcmullintv)

Right. I'm off to do some Christmas Shopping and dodging the snow!