Site Archive

A one-case lighting kit ready for travel
Written by David Tames on January 8, 2010
Filed Under Documentary, Filmmaking, Front Page, General, Lighting, Tools
11 Comments  

I’m often asked by students, “what’s a good light kit for starting out” and I find it a very hard question to answer, because it really depends on what you want to do. There really is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all lighting kit. I find that most of the commercially...  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...

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...

Organizing a gel collection
Written by David Tames on December 7, 2007
Filed Under Filmmaking, General, Lighting, Tools
1 Comment  

As you collect more and more gels and diffusion, organization and storage becomes important. I store my gels and diffusion using the following two holding methods (as far as rolls go, those usually live in their original boxes). Continue Reading…  Read More →

Philippe Lejeune’s video of my Podcamp Boston 2 sessions
Written by David Tames on November 2, 2007
Filed Under Filmmaking, Lighting, New Media, Sound, Video on the Web
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Artist Philippe Lejeune shot and created a wonderful video page based on the two Sessions I did at Podcamp Boston 2. Thank you Philippe for creating the page, which elevates web video to a new art form (I’m referring to Philippe’s page, not my work). I would love to see an authoring...  Continue Reading...

Interview Lighting (handout)
Written by David Tames on September 9, 2007
Filed Under Camera, Filmmaking, Lighting, Video on the Web
8 Comments  

Here’s a handout I cobbled together from various sources while on the train ride back to Boston after attending and presenting at Podcamp Philly. It reviews the examples I discussed in the session and goes into more detail on some of the specific issues. Continue Reading…  Read More →

Kino Flo DIVA and Kobold 400W HMI PAR
Written by David Tames on September 8, 2007
Filed Under Camera, Lighting, Video, Video on the Web
2 Comments  

Here’s a little video I made with Steve Garfield to demonstrate the use of daylight balanced lighting in an outdoor interview situation, using the lighting to help create a better balance between subject and background. The instruments used in the video are the Kobold 400W HMI PAR and...  Continue Reading...

Reel Now Online
Written by David Tames on May 1, 2007
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Editing, Filmmaking, General, Lighting, Music Video, Video on the Web
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I finally got around to moving my reel from DVD-R to the web. Of course, the DVD is still available, and the images look much better played off the DVD on a good 16:9 television, but the web is where it’s at these days. Special thanks to Colin Owens for the use of his music in several...  Continue Reading...

17th Annual Pro Video Show to be held March 9-10, 2007 at Stonehill College in Easton, Ma
Written by David Tames on February 3, 2007
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Editing, Events & Screenings, Filmmakers, Filmmaking, High Definition, Lighting, Media Literacy, Podcasting, QuickTime, Sound, The Media, Video on the Web, Web
6 Comments  

If you live in the Boston area you will not want to miss the 17th Annual Pro Video Show sponsored by The Camera Company to be held Friday and Saturday, March 9-10, 2007 at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachussetts (Exit 17B off Route 24). This annual event provides local media makers...  Continue Reading...

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