Monday 30 June 2008

Sweating for a new skill

Sometimes I get asked the question prior to an event when all of us photographers and videographers are chilling out, "Why do you need to do stretching?"

When our clients visit our office, they see our mini-gym and the inevitable question, "Do you guys actually work out?"

I was at the gym again on Sunday for an hour. My recent workout doesn't include the push-ups, chin-ups and the leg-raises I do during the weekdays. It's sounds odd when I tell people that as videographers, we need to spend time at the gym. We have to keep ourselves in top physical condition. That also includes doing stamina intensive workouts, not just the muscle building stuff.

Taking up videography seriously involves more than having a good eye for scene composition and lighting. Holding on to a 6 Kgs video camera to get a steady shot for even a short period time takes considerable effort. Hence the time spent at the gym. Hence the stretching exercises before I take up the video camera.

I can shoot hand-held comfortably for long periods of time so I realised it's time I advanced my videography skills to the next level. I decided to attain a new skill and become a Glidecam operator.

I had the opportunity to try both the Varizoom Flowcam and the Glidecam. Both are heavy devices even before the camera is attached. Without constant gym sessions they would be very difficult to lift and impossible to wield for any length of time.


My gratitude to Glidecam Industries for its research that contributed to the development of the Glidecam 4000 Pro.

The Varizoom Flowcam looks and feels crude, almost unfinished. I found getting any useful footage from this device is a gamble at best. The Flowcam doesn't age well either, another design flaw inherent in this system.

The Glidecam is an ingenious camera stabilisation equipment that depends on a gimbal, weights and counterweights, letting the videographer walk, even run with the video camera while still getting smooth, steady shots. Glidecam's gimbal has a more free-flowing gimbal compared to the Flowcam. The Glidecam's robust and ergonomically designed body reduces operator fatigue and increases operation time.


The Varizoom Flowcam cannot compete with the superior stabilisation and ergonomic functionality of the Glidecam from Glidecam Industries.

We all know that track-based dollies take a long time to set-up and is rendered useless in narrow areas. The wheel-based dolly doesn't fare well either, depending on a smooth surface for it to glide along. Every turn of the dolly for arching shots produces a slight jerk visible in the video footage.

Until my Glidecam arrives and long after that, I'll still be at the gym regularly for my health, so I fill out my shirts and for my profession!

Army of Two

When my wife first joined us, she was just my girlfriend. Pureen's job responsibility included co-ordination and administration of all our production schedule. The area of Video Production in terms of quality control remained solely my responsibility. My staff and I handled all aspects of Video Editing.

I remember during a particular busy month, when we were juggling a number of projects. Pureen indicated she wanted to earnestly take up Video Editing. Her first project was "The Martell VSOP Interactive Dance Challenge". She was off to a rocky start and we spent many hours together, helping her understand the concepts and technicality of Video Editing. In a relatively short time, Pureen had overcame the hurdles related to Video Editing and completed the project almost entirely on her own.

From that moment on, she flew solo, personally editing or supervising every other project which included simple Wedding Videos to the exacting and challenging Event and Product Videos. She now has only the Corporate Video to master. I now have more time for Conceptualisation and Research & Development into new techniques and procurement of more advanced equipment.

I remain extremely grateful to Pureen for her enthusiasm and passion towards our profession. She's an invaluable resource to our company.

WolFang Digital's deliverables are enhanced, blessed by thorough quality control. Now we have two sharp minds thinking for our clients. During on-location Videography, Pureen is already a familiar fixture within our team. She's the liaison with our clients, freeing me to devote my time to direct our Videography team.

We talk about WolFang Digital constantly, about our dreams and aspirations for the company.

We haven't come to the best part yet. The best part of being an army of two is our ability to second guess each other- Pureen and I know what's best for the company. This reduces the time it takes to make a decision, making us more agile. That's not all. I trust Pureen and we both have faith in each other making similar efficient decisions that advances WolFang Digital.

Now I'm planning to teach Pureen Motion Graphics. She's not expressed an interest to take up Videography yet, but to everyone their own right to dream.

Yes, it's a beautiful feeling when your wife shares the same passion as you do, with the same level of fervour. There is no better team than when a man and a woman join forces to dominate one goal... an army of two!

Thursday 26 June 2008

Facelift for Public Bank's Corporate Video

When Public Bank achieved the rank of the Biggest Bank in terms of market capitalisation, we were happy for them. This event is even more significant to us since we are producing their Corporate Video from Script to Screen.

I remember Public Bank approaching us to undertake this project. We were apprehensive at first- their Corporate Video was colossal, a whooping 20 minutes in duration! During the quotation stage, we were shown the previous version of their Corporate Video. The verdict? To say it was below par is an understatement. For the 3rd largest bank in the country, their Corporate Video needed a lot of work!

We got the project and started work. With over 4 decades of history, the video footage collected over the years could fill a library! We worked on the Script, we worked on the Motion Graphics, we edited the volumes of video.

Our greatest challenge was giving it that crucial facelift. The previous video was indeed weak, its design was outdated by decades but Public Bank is a conservative bank. The change we intended to implement had to be subtle yet elegant, reflecting the bank's strength and foresight. So we toiled away trying to find that delicate balance. Our clients monitored us constantly, gently nudging us into their culture yet respecting our design decisions.

Each visit by our client to our studio prompted some amendment or other so much so that it was slowing our progress. On the eve of the presentation to the GM of the Public Affairs for the Group, the client decided to leave us alone to complete the remainder of our work. We were very nervous about the upcoming presentation. The GM is known to be distant and strict.

Today is a happy day for all of us at WolFang Digital because the few short weeks of working smart has finally paid off! Our client has approved the 1st version of our video with minor amendments! The comments from the GM was that our video has indeed achieved its mission in being contemporary and modern. He also said that it was 'Different and very good!"

I told our client, Nancy, when she called me to convey the good news that it was 'Music to our ears!' Now comes the alterations to the video before it can be presented to the Founder and Chairman! Told that he would be off Friday evening, we're looking to an early, really early start tomorrow so we can finish the video ASAP...

Wednesday 25 June 2008

Videographer's Journal: Run & gun with Justin Chan



Biography Videos. Another innovative product from WolFang Digital, is a delightful video that features YOU. One drawback about Biography videos is the limited time at our disposal to complete one. In our case, the interviews were quick because our client was had a tight schedule to work with. Videography sessions with luminaries like Justin Chan required that we not compromise on the quality of the video. This means less time for setting up and testing but the deliverable had to be top notch.

To counter this obvious disadvantage, we traveled with a small studio's worth of equipment and worked with a skeleton crew of 3.

The main challenge with this series of Biography Videos was the script- our objective was to let Justin speak freely, although within relaxed guidelines.

We had the privilege to visit rising star, Justin Chan in his home: a posh and contemporary two storied apartment in the centre of town. Appearing at ease and amicable, Justin made our job a breeze. He composed songs, played the guitar and even sang a few lines for us.

Justin told us that he has gotten a place of his own and would soon move out of his parent's home to accommodate his plans for a bigger audio production studio. Justin is apparently a family man with deep concerns for living up to his role as big brother to his siblings (Matthew and Jayde). While admiring his aspirations, we were taken aback by his congeniality. Most celebrities tend to be arrogant. Justin shares with us that having a humble attitude will take you to higher places.

I personally take this opportunity to congratulate Justin on his new company, BeanWorks Productions. I'm sure his future looks bright.

Wednesday 11 June 2008

Movie Review: Cloverfield



My Rating: 4/10

Don't insult the intelligence of your audience! Really,really crappy camera work would probably help to save production cost but it shouldn't be used as an excuse to fill in a story. Even the special affects can't save this bad excuse of a movie. Scenes aren't only badly lit, the colours aren't visibly corrected either.

As a professional videographer, we work very hard to avoid video camera shake. It's what we look out for when we view videos produced by our peers. Steady video camera work and good lighting separates the pros from the amateurs.

I am an avid PC and console gamer so I am quite used to the effects of fast paced gaming and too much happening on screen too fast is not a new concept to me. However, I was not prepared for the nauseating effects of this film. Even my wife suggested switching the DVD player off.

For the average Joe who likes a little 'home-video' feel, Cloverfield might excite them but professionals like us have seen this nonsense once too often. The amateur can probably relate to the unsteady hand-held motion so prevalent in this film, they probably can't tell a steady shot from a badly shot, badly lit film. We have a high standard to maintain, lots of research to do and watching a badly shot, badly lit film is not one of them.

If you are into home videos with either insufficient or overexposed lighting, this is the movie for you. If you're not then for the record, I was fooled by the trailer. Take heed.

Thursday 5 June 2008

Havana Club 'El Ron de Cuba'



"A dynamic and edgy montage supported by an upbeat soundtrack, a reflection of raw energy from the melting pot of various cultures, the romantic land of Cuba."

This video remains on of our most watched video on YouTube. I remember bringing back a CD worth of photographs to our Motion Graphics team. Considering that the video duration was to be 3 minutes, we really didn't have much to work with.

Our team had a look around and found a magazine sporting images of cocktails made with Havana Club. That was all we needed to create the concept for the video. Havana Club was made in sunny Republic of Cuba. Workers harvested sugar canes under the humid tropical sun. Cuba's colourful night life and its resilient people provide the inspiration for the Havana Club Product Video.

Our Motion Graphics team scanned and animated various photos to create a dynamic and edgy montage supported by an upbeat soundtrack, a reflection of raw energy from the melting pot of various cultures, the romantic land of Cuba.