Site Archive

Did digital imaging throw documentary into an ontological crisis?
Written by David Tames on August 20, 2010
Filed Under Art, Camera, Critical Theory, Documentary, Featured, Photography
1 Comment  

Scholars have long discussed the ambiguity and subjectivity inherent in photographic representation with its seductive verisimilitude. Bill Mitchell’s The Reconfigured Eye: Visual Truth in the Post-Photographic Era (The MIT Press, 1992), the first book-length critical analysis of the...  Continue Reading...

MassArt’s Summer Film School, 2010
Written by David Tames on June 10, 2010
Filed Under Art, Camera, Documentary, Editing, Events & Screenings, Filmmaking
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Summer is upon us and I would like to remind you there is still time to register for most of the Summer Film School classes at MassArt. If you don’t live in the Boston area, MassArt is offering an affordable residential option in the dorms! Check out the course descriptions below. For...  Continue Reading...

20th Annual Pro Video Show
Written by David Tames on February 7, 2010
Filed Under Camera, Events & Screenings, Filmmaking
3 Comments  

If you live in or around the Boston area, it’s time to make plans to attend the 20th Annual Pro Video Show, brought to you by The Camera Company, which will take place March 12-13, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Dedham, Massachusetts. Admission to the show is free. Vendors...  Continue Reading...

Using both channels (an audio channel is a terrible thing to waste)
Written by David Tames on August 13, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Featured, Filmmaking, Sound, Video
2 Comments  

Practically every camcorder records two channels of audio, which allows you to record in stereo (Left/Right) or two discrete channels (1/2). Lately I’ve been using the Sennheiser Evolution G2 wireless a lot and it started to bother me that I was only recording one channel from the wireless...  Continue Reading...

Comparison of four professional LED lighting instruments under $1K
Written by David Tames on July 19, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Filmmaking, Gadgets and Devices, Lighting, Reviews, Sticky
15 Comments  

Over the past couple of years I’ve had a chance to use or take a close look at various LED lighting instruments available in the marketplace. Today you will find lots of inexpensive lights suitable for on-camera use available for anywhere from $50 to $500 from a variety of vendors....  Continue Reading...

Canon HG20 camcorder provides stunning price/performance
Written by David Tames on February 13, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Final Cut Pro, High Definition
4 Comments  

Canon HG20 I recently taught a class at MassArt, Documentary Video Boot Camp, and one of my students, Adam Weiss, used his new Canon VIXIA HG20 camcorder in the class. As a result of seeing the video Adam shot for his assignments, I think I have to say that the Canon HG20 AVCHD Hard Drive camcorder...  Continue Reading...

Tom Robotham talks about his Blender LED light
Written by David Tames on February 9, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Featured, Interviews, Lighting
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LED lighting is changing the way we light, especially run-and-go documentary. There are several units on the market including lights from Zylight, Litepanels, and the new Blender light, designed by Tom Robotham. Several months ago Tom came to visit me at MassArt and brought along his new light....  Continue Reading...

19th Annual Pro Video Show March 20-21, 2009 in Dedham, Massachusetts
Written by David Tames on February 4, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Events & Screenings, Filmmaking, Lighting, Sound, Video Production
2 Comments  

The Camera Company’s 19th Annual Pro Video Show, an annual Boston-area gathering that includes a show floor and a variety of demos and seminars of interest to media makers, will take place this year on Friday and Saturday, March 20-21, 2009 at the Dedham Holiday Inn Hotel & Conference...  Continue Reading...

Quick and dirty Kodak Zi9 camera test
Written by David Tames on November 15, 2008
Filed Under Camera, Demo, Gadgets and Devices
4 Comments  

Steve Garfield purchased the cute little (OK, not so little, it’s larger than many competitors) Kodak Zi9 camera recently and brought it to the Boston Media Makers meeting. And while this $179 camera is not going to enter my short-list of favorite documentary cameras (on the list are...  Continue Reading...

Sony PMW-EX1 Camcorder (BOSFCPUG Presentation)
Written by David Tames on July 25, 2008
Filed Under Camera, Events & Screenings, Final Cut Pro, High Definition
4 Comments  

The Sony PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX camcorder represents an important milestone in the evolution of digital video camera design. This is the first all-in-one camcorder to provide videographers with the productivity of solid-state memory card recording, the quality of three true high-definition 1/2-inch...  Continue Reading...

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