Absolute Video Services blog - Absolute Video Services Inc. 708-386-7550

Trying To Stream

3/4/2014

If you remember, I took a class on video streaming some months ago. Well, I have been trying to put together a package that fits my needs and business model. It is not easy. There has to be a harmony of cost, provider, encoder, etc and all with the need that the system is open enough for future growth. Needless to say if I had $35,000 to spend on this project selection would be quite a bit easier. However those prices don't reflect my available cash to take on a risk to develop a new revenue stream. My existing client base doesn't reflect that kind of risk / investment. That means the head work and the cost is going to be divided between John, Mario and myself. There are lots of things to do. Marketing, new sales materials, new website and name (maybe), business models and more. Oddly enough one of my old frustrations is haunting me again. You would think that with all of the communication avenues out there, that finding clear concise information would be a snap. No its not. Advertising is mostly gloss and pretty pictures. The people who write the copy are insiders and must assume you are already doing this. I find real explanations are hard to come by. It would seem to me that all advertising of this sort should be written for the newby trying to get in. There is some pressure in me to do this because it seems to me that the idea of providing streaming to clients is in the air. Wish us luck on getting into the market. See you later.

I Just Got Back From LA LA Land

12/11/2013

I got back from Los Angles about 3 months ago. It was a lot of fun. In one sense LA is a mecca for people in my business. If you haven't been, go. I have lived in the Midwest my whole life and it's one of the few major American cities that I have never been to. A friend I know who used to work for the airlines managed to get cheap air fare, so we decided to go. We rented a convertible Mustang, put on our sunglasses and drove.
Some people hate this place. I don't understand that. We never had anything but a good time. I will say that if you go, take some sort of talking GPS unit because LA is not built on a grid. This means that getting on and off the expressway is an inevitable fact. Traffic was tight but never bad. When I get some extra intent going I might post some video footage that came from my pocket cam. If you haven't ever been to LA please go. You will have a great time.

WE FINISHED THE FILM "DETAINED"

10/23/2013

If you remember I mentioned earlier in this blog that I was a production supervisor for a short film called "DETAINED". Well we are finished from title to credits. We are starting the process of submitting the short to film festivals through a web site called withoutabox.com. It seems that IMBD has made the process of finding, submitting and promoting yourself to film festivals a one stop event. The things you must fill out are extensive and you can't upload video using Safari, but this is the only and best way to do this. Here is a slide show from the last day of viewing.

Johns Basement

4/17/2013

Went to see John in his basement. I unzipped the cases and started putting together the track and dolly. The dolly is a little heavier than the the one I first intended to get. This dolly uses skateboard wheels that grip both sides of the rail instead of being a metal pulley type wheel that rides on the top. After putting it all together the first thing we noticed is that one end of the track touched the ground while the other end was in the air. Even though his floor seemed level to the eye, it was not architecturally level. This means that I must go to Menards and buy a bag of wood shims. These are things are cheap, made from scrap wood and are already making things level in your floors and walls. Despite this we mounted a tripod and camera on the dolly and were able to make nice clean traveling shots with no problem. Now if I can get a few more customers this month I will order a 4' jib system to mount on top.

IT CAME IN THE MAIL

4/16/2013

I mentioned a few blog posts that while I was in Las Vegas I ordered 12' of track and a dolly to ride them.
They came in the mail today. I have opened the mailing boxes and unzipped the cases to take a look at the product inside. I am not putting it together today because I need to do other things. I will call John and see if I can put it together in his basement where he has room.

JOHN AGAIN

4/2/2013

John called me and told me the band we shot at Val's is now online. He has also told me that the video he did in my proxy for the League of Women Voters came out well according to a conversation he had with the person who hired us.

The Band At Val's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQELuolXPN4

TALKED TO JOHN ROBERTS

4/2/2013

I talked to John Roberts today. He told me something that took me by surprise. While I was in Las Vegas he called up B&H and ordered the exact same camera that I have so that we can match. Absolute Video Services Inc. now has the use of two matching cameras. I told him that I had ordered a dolly and 12 feet of track. I admitted that as soon as I get a little more money I have decided to get a jib. Now I'm excited! I am looking forward to our collaborations.

FIRST DAY BACK

4/1/2013

Lots of catching up to do. There are mostly phone calls to be made and stories to tell.

EASTER RETURN

3/31/2013

I'm back. I'll post video at some point and and let you take a look at what I saw. In Vegas there are plenty of opportunities to shoot video. So if you do go take a pocket camera with you. When I went to Freemont St. people were actually zip lining from one end to the other.

Oh, and while I was in Vegas I ate at In N' Out Burger which is sort of a Hollywood favorite. I ordered from the secret menu. Wiki them, I'll get back to you later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-N-Out_Burger

A LITTLE BIT OF WORK

3/28/2013

I took my wife's iPad with me because I knew it would serve as a useful information tool when we got there. Interestingly enough I found out it had an "airplane setting" that allowed us to use it on the plane without causing interference, and that it knew where I was and switched news articles to match my location. One of bits of business I did while I was there was to close the deal on 12 ft. of dolly track and matching dolly. I expect it to arrive in about 10 - 14 days. Got it at a good price. I am eager to use this in my next production.