Author: Anthony Stanley

Digital Video Editing Preparation

visual effects No Comments

With any nonlinear editing system, it is a good idea to know the system before you begin shooting so you know what your system is capable of. Don’t assume anything. Always do a trial run of any effects, tricks, media exchanges between machines, etc. before you invest any time or money into a project. If it is your first time editing with a particular system, don’t learn with a project you care about. Take a training course, assist someone else first or do a few trial projects of lesser importance. As with everything, you learn by doing and you don’t want to spend your time in the edit bay learning as you are wasting precious editing time. If you don’t know what you’re doing find someone that does.

Check your transfer

When you get your tapes back from the lab, make certain that all your footage has been transferred to your satisfaction. If not, determine whether the fault is with you for failing to be specific or with the lab for failing to follow your instructions. If you don’t have tone or color bars on your transfer, you won’t be able to set your wavefrom or vectorscope or calibrate audio levels. Double check to be certain that the Time Code from your transfer matches your window burned dub. If it doesn’t, don’t start logging.

NOTE: CHECKING TIME CODE

Be careful, because sometimes decks seem to read TC from a tape even when there isn’t any on the tape. It will seem as if it is reading because you can note the TC of a particular clap, then fast forward or advance it, come back to the same spot and it will read the same TC. To determine whether there is TC, note the TC of a clap and then fast forward or rewind on another deck. Put the tape in the original deck then see if the clap matches the TC.

To check whether or not TC matches from your dub to your original transfer, find a clap on your dub. Then go and find the same clap on your original transfer. If the TC matches on both dubs, it is safe to assume they are identical. It is essential that you check before logging, otherwise all the tedious work will be wasted!

Log your tapes

The reason why you have the window burned VHS dubs made is so that when it comes time to log the tapes, you can do it from the comfort of your home or any VCR.

The author recommends that you:

  • Get a higher end consumer VCR with a jog shuttle or a VHS Industrial deck. Then you can advance frame by frame or pause while you write down Time Code and Shot descriptions.
  • Obtain some log sheets or some lined paper with seperate columns for A) Scene and Take Number B) Five to Six word shot descriptions C) MOS or SYNC D) Your own one word evaluations of takes E) Start Time Code F) End Time Code

As you sit down and begin to view your tapes, watch each through once just to get a feel for the footage. Then go through and find the start and end time code of each shot, shot by shot. Fill in the slate number, shot description, MOS or SYNC for your own evaluation of the take. This may seem like a tedious task and it is tempting to take short cuts or delegate the task to an Assistant. You are much better off logging all the information for every single take, even ones you know you’re never going to use, including camera flashes and roll out so that you at least have it all on paper as a reference guide later on. It will save time when you’re on the clock and your time is precious. I also find that I am much more intimately familiar and have a better sense of the footage if I log it myself.

Once you have completed your logs, you are ready to convert them from paper to a log file that the computer can read.

But, if you want professional help to make you video perfect and add visual effects to it, check VFX Los Angeles and get it done. 

Decorate a Teenager’s Bedroom

Interior Decorating No Comments

Teenage Boys Prefer Neutral Colors and Designs

Boys love color and style, but they want it to belong to them. Give them space, color and enough room to grow and they will maintain their own organization.

Neutrals don’t have to be boring, uninspiring or droll. In a boy’s room, neutrals can be a wide-open canvas upon which personality develops. In a teenage boy’s room, neutrals can be an adventure set into motion.

The Color Palette

Boys by their very nature rock warm or run cold. Either way, they opt for a clear nature palette that lets their wholesome natural identity shine through if parents allow them the opportunity. Give them a color choice that lives in their world.

  • Warm Neutrals Rock: Beige, brown, yellow, rust and orange are colors of the earth. This palette allows boys to reign over the dirt and the fire, bringing warmth and brilliance to their surroundings. By including orange and yellow in the warm neutrals, a designer can turn up the heat.
  • Cool Clear Neutrals: Blues, grays, greens and ivories fade to rich charcoal colors in the depths of the oceans, rivers, and lakes. The cooler colors allow depth and meaning to flow into the world of boys. By introducing watercolors into the room a designer cools the temperature and allows the adventure to take root.

The Style Invigorates

Boys often have interests that set off a specific style for their room design. Whether their interests are rocket science or birding on a rooftop, the basis of their room will reflect their interests. Dressing a room decorated in blues and greens with lariats and lassos, black boots and leather chaps, brings the style home. Any color can live anywhere with the adventure of true design for the boy. It’s all in the way it comes together.

Consider for a moment, the above cowboy style with plaid blue and green comforters, pine rail beds, heavy pine dressers, and sky blue walls. A lush forest green chair with pale blue pillows and plaid throw that incorporates accents of beige and orange with the blues fill up a corner with a cozy place to read. Boys love to read if they have a special place to read and to keep their own books.

Bringing Personality Home

When boys bring their own personality into a room, they care for the room more. By giving boys a place to store their belongings, display areas, and action space, they learn to care for their clothing and keep everything put away. The cowboy look described above emphasized a country style with cool colors, warmed up with a tan, beige and orange accents.

Not every boy is going to like the cowboy style. Some prefer a high-rise with crisp city views. Those city accents might come by way of geometric prints, black and white photos framed in black with stronger block colors on the walls and trendy black iron furniture. Either style works. Both are defined by masculine and easy to work with, in the sense that boys love weighty hard line furniture that holds its shape and feels “tough”.

Mixing Up the Pallet

By including a combination of neutrals in a room, a little fire, and a little water, the room comes to life. Mostly water neutrals stage a perfect backdrop for hot accents and clean-lined fresh looks. Mostly fire colors set up a warm backdrop for a fresh cool splash. Remember to incorporate study areas, dressing areas and play areas into a boy’s room to maintain tidiness and organization. Boys need plenty of storage and display space for their belongings.

Make Every Room Special

Interior Decorating No Comments

Create a Sense of Luxury with Treats for Each Room

Invoke a sense of luxury in your home by adding a little treat to every room that makes it feel special and gives it new life.

Adding new flair to the home doesn’t have to involve a whole renovation, in just the same way, incorporating luxury can be a one-step process. It doesn’t seem possible, but changing the feel of a room can be as simple as splurging on a cashmere throw blanket.

Treat each room to a little touch of luxury, something that will be used by family members and really enjoyed. Make the luxury count and the entire room will feel sublime and exciting. Some little luxuries to consider for each room are listed below.

Living Room Luxuries

  • A Large Television – Sure, a large flat screen television is a must for some but it’s a luxury for others. This is something that most families are bound to enjoy so if there isn’t one in the living room, splurge and treat everyone to a luxury.
  • Quality Artwork – Some people really enjoy art, for those people a new piece of artwork can boost the feel of an entire room and add a sense of happiness and excitement.
  • A New Chair – Whether it’s a barcalounger or an Eileen Gray chair, a new living room chair that suits the homeowner can be a luxury that is unsurpassed.

Bedroom Luxuries

  • New Linens – Go for the highest thread count, opt for expensive fabrics, look for colors that look amazing. Luxurious linens make bedtime a treat and can improve sleep quality.
  • A Designated Area – Whether it’s a reading nook, a makeup table, a rocking chair, anything that takes one area of the bedroom and makes it functional and fun is worth the expense.
  • A Sound System – A nice sound system built into the bedroom can help enhance the mood with romantic music, white noise can improve sleep, and favorite songs can help improve a sour disposition.
  • A Closet Redo – Transform old closets into works of art with a closet organizer that is custom made. This one treat not only makes the room feel more luxurious but makes clothing more exciting and easy to find.

Bathroom Luxuries

  • A Spa Tub – Nothing says luxury and relaxation quite like a spa tub. This isn’t a cheap luxury but well worth it for bath fans.
  • Luxurious Linens and Products – Again, the best quality linens and bath products can make all the difference in one of the day’s more routine activities.
  • Heated Towel Bar – Once a treat only found in extravagant homes or expensive hotel rooms, heated towel bars are now pretty reasonably priced and add a touch of luxury and comfort to every bath and shower.

Kitchen Luxuries

  • Comfy Chairs – Face it, most families and friends gather in the kitchen, so make sure there are chairs that invite sitting.
  • Special Kitchen Gadgets – Splurge on that expensive mixer, blender, oven, or any appliance that would make life easier and enhance the kitchen’s functionality.
  • Little Treats – The kitchen is one place where little snacks and treats can make a difference. A bowl of fruit is a great centerpiece and keeps the family eating healthy. A display of expensive chocolates isn’t as healthy but definitely a luxurious treat that everyone will love.

Think about the home, the room and the specific interests of each family member and try to determine what little luxury will be most appreciated. By adding luxury to each room the room gets an immediate boost and becomes more functional, fun and exciting.

What are Contact Lenses?

Eye Health No Comments

Commonly known as contacts, contact lenses are affordable visual aid devices used to treat various forms of myopia and hypertrophy. They are thin, finely crafted curved plastic or glass discs made to conform with the wearers’ cornea and the eye’s curvature. They are used to correct refractive errors by providing an artificial refracting surface to the eye. Apart from the cosmetic advantage they provide over glasses, contact lenses provide much better peripheral vision, a quality which has made contact lenses the top choice for people involved in kinesthetic jobs. Contact lenses trump glasses when it comes to image distortion too, due to the comprehensive way the lens is fitted, giving people who need to use glasses for anything else than reading, a much better choice. They help wearers to have a field of vision that is more natural as they are moving with the eyes and being closer to the eye they are correcting the refractive errors near the eyes. The surface tension of the tear fluid of epidermis of the eye’s. Eyelid pressure also helps keep them in place, while blinking is lubricating the cornea and it’s flushing away all the debris that is accumulated on the lens.

Glass contact lenses were the only form of contact lenses from when F.E Muller, a glassblower made the first wearable contact lens in the late 1880s until the early 1930s when Perspex (commonly known as Plexiglas) was invented allowing optometrist William Feinbloom to make a much lighter and smaller contact lens. The ’60s saw mass production of contact lenses made of glass and plastic composite. As Neil J. Bailey, OD, PhD. famously said “silicone contact lenses are the lens of the future and always will be,”

Today, contact lenses are used to correct all types of refractive defects of the eyes like farsightedness, nearsightedness, presbyopia, and astigmatism. For astigmatic especially, they are a boon as glasses cannot change the curvature of the cornea, but a specially crafted lens, usually made in a tapered form can restore their vision to normalcy. However, cases of corneal damage have been cured by using rigid or glass contact lenses.

How contact lenses work

We’ve already established how contact lenses correct the refractive index of the eye, now we’ll see how that pans out in different scenarios. The concept of how we see is simple, light rays bounce off everything around us and light rays enter through the cornea and meet at a certain point on the retina, known as the focal point. Problems with vision occur when the rays fail to converge at the focal point of the retina. Depending on the vision type defect one suffers from, contact lenses help refocus the converging light rays back on the retina. In this regard, contact lenses are the same as glasses. While a glass’ strength is measured in power, the strength of a contact lens is measured in diopter which is a measure of the light bending ability (refractive index) of the lens. The higher the diopter, the stronger is the lens.

 

Natural nearsightedness is caused by the eyeball being oblong i.e too wide, resulting in the rays converging not on the retina, but in front of the it. People with nearsightedness can see things which are close up normally, but can’t see things farther away. Thus, a concave lens is used to correct their vision. A concave lens tapers towards the middle, i.e is thinner in the center than it is at its edges. Since they’re tapered at the center, they help into spreading the light throughout the body of the lens and adjust the focus back to the retina’s focal point. The power of the lens and the deficient eye power is the same in absolute terms, but the sign is reversed.

Naturally farsighted people can see faraway objects clearly but are unable to see objects which are up close. In this case, the eyeball is too short resulting in the focal point being formed at the back of the retina. Thus, farsightedness is corrected by convex contact lenses, they’re the thickest at the center and taper towards the edges. This nature of construction allows them to bend towards the center, moving the point of focal forward into its appropriate position.

Special lenses, called toric contact lenses are used to correct astigmatism. Astigmatism is a condition which causes the cornea to have several irregularities across its surface, resulting in a weak focus occurring on too many places on the retina. Toric lenses are custom made  for each person, with the specimen calibrated so as to confirm the irregular cornea. They are thicker at the bottom and taper towards the top, thus must be laced in a certain manner in the eye.

Colored contacts, despite popular perception, are not simply cosmetic in nature. Most of them are hybrid in nature. That means that the contacts are colored and have a refractive correction as well. The color of the eye depends on the amount of melanin on the iris’ surface, melanin is the same dark pigment that decides skin color. Most opaque lenses are having colors applied to them in the same patterns as they are present in the eye. The opaque color of the lens, when used,  covers the eye’s natural color completely. Tinted lenses, on the other hand, are translucent in nature which means they allow the color of the wearer’s eyes to show through. They generally work on eyes that are light colored, but in the case of dark-colored eyes, the results are always somewhat off what is desired.

Advantages of contacts
Though most people choose contact lenses as they are dissatisfied with their appearance with glasses, contact lenses present several advantages over glasses as they are rarely in danger of slipping off, fogging up or getting wet, as well as being much harder to lose. Ages hyperopic patients and those who’ve had cataract removal procedures done reportedly feel much better-wearing lenses than glasses. This holds true for people with changed corneas also. Sportsmen and women obviously find contacts better than glasses, but a lesser know athletic use is the enhancement of normal vision, resulting in much clearer eyesight. This is made possible by the lens being tinted in a manner so as to block certain wavelengths from reaching the eye, making details much finer They’ve been dubbed as “Super Lenses for Superstar Athletes”. This technology has now been made available to the masses in the form of amber and gray-green lenses. They’re meant to shield the eyes from harmful UV ray exposure with the amber one blocking out the blue wavelength and heightening the red meant to be used for fast moving sports like baseball, football, and soccer. The green-gray one is better suited for slow-moving sports such as golf, which are played out in the open under bright sunshine.

All said contact lenses are amazing medical marvels that work wonders for the visually impaired.

Easy Tips for Spicing Up Your Living Room

Interior Decorating No Comments

Easy Tips for Spicing Up Your Living Room

So you’ve decided that it’s time to give your home a new clean look. Routine is one thing, but getting stuck in a style rut is an entirely different can of worms my friends. Make your public areas a place for people to feel welcome and even a little jealous of your superior homemaking skills.

Wall art is not just a well to do concept

Dusty out dated prints are just an eyesore after about twenty years on the walls. Retire those things until they are retro and reframed even. Think outside the box and get new and interesting pieces to replace those tired old prints or shaggy items on the wall.

You can buy shelves that are great for adding a little dramatic flare to your wall. Place one or two interesting objects inside one of these are really bring them into the lime light.

A mirror always makes a room brighter and seem larger. A novelty mirror also gets many compliments or at least questioning gazes. Who really wants to be just like everyone else, dare to stand out from the crowd.

Make your living room the talk of the neighborhood

Even if most of us are just lower to middle income citizens is no reason to have a hum drum living space. Color in your life and like every child, color outside of the lines. Be bold in your patterns and colors, embrace the different and funky. Have fun with your space.

Colorful throw pillows on the couch are a great way to zing up that monotone couch and maybe you’ll see it in a new light.

Add throws in different colors and patterns around the rooms and see how just that will make your living space seem exotic and new.

Get rid of everything that is not a decoration. The pile of various remotes and bills covering every flat surface of your coffee table and side table are not art de jour. Find a drawer and neatly organize all of that stuff out of sight but not out of mind.

Add light to the situation

A lamp can be practical and fun at the same time. There are so many different lamp designs out there that sticking to your grandmothers theme is getting sad. Break out and get a new age or really old looking lamp.

Look into vintage shops for interesting takes on the lamp. The best thing about this is that everyone will think it’s a one of a kind and not mass produced looking.

Change up your yellowed lamp shades and go for a new color. Bold colors don’t yellow and look old either. Women moisturize their face to keep their age a secret; don’t let your lamp shade give it away.

Shop online if you can’t find anything at the store that you really like. Sometimes we are not blessed to be living in a shopping Mecca, this is life. Try different online sources to find a great look and a great deal to add to your home.

Dos and Don’ts of Using Color in Interior Decorating Projects

Interior Decorating No Comments

Learn professional rules and tricks for creating a successful colour scheme in any interior decorating project.

Colour is so important in an interior decorating scheme, it’s the cornerstone of design whether it’s a simple and clean white on a white look or a bold and colourful palette. To get the most out of any interior decorating colour scheme us the following dos and don’ts.

Interior Decorating Color Dos

  • Learn the Basics – Spend a little time researching the basics of colour theory and getting familiar with the colour wheel. As with any project, gaining basic knowledge is integral to getting the best results. Let a combination of visceral reaction and colour science be the guide in choosing an interior decorating colour scheme.
  • Use Color to Connect Rooms – Unify the home by using colour to tie the entire home together. This doesn’t mean that one of the main colours should be in every room, although it could be, it does mean there should be a colour theme. The home could be connected through colour by having a different shade of one colour in each room. Or each room could have a different pastel colour. Or the colour theme could jump where one colour is the main colour in one room, it becomes the accent in the next room, and the main colour from that room becomes an accent in the following room and so on.
  • Use Color to Create a Mood – Create a Mood with Color that will reflect the desired mood in the room. Learn how colour affects people and then take advantage of that knowledge to create a cohesive look and feel.

Interior Decorating Color Don’ts

  • Don’t be Afraid of Color – Shake off any colour fears that are lurking in the brain and embrace colour. This doesn’t mean that everyone should run out and paint a bright red accent wall but it does mean that everyone should incorporate colour into their homes and decorating schemes. If there is still fear, start with baby steps.
  • Don’t Forget 60-30-10 – One of the big rules of using colour in decorating is the 60-30-10 rule, the first part of this rule is actually that a colour scheme is made of three colours. The main color in the room will take up about 60% of the visual space in the room. The secondary color takes up 30% and the tertiary color comes in with the remaining 10%.
  • Don’t be a Slave to Trends – Color Trends come and go, with some being more effective than others. Being a slave to colour trends in interior decorating is very costly and can be time-consuming as well. Use the 60-30-10 rule when choosing your interior decorating colour scheme and use the tertiary colour or 10% for trends. This way the home always seems fresh and updated but this look doesn’t cost a lot and the entire room doesn’t need redecorating every two years.

Colour is nothing to be afraid of and like most things the more knowledge that is gained the more successful the end product will be.

Let There Be Light – Lighting Fixtures for Every Home

Lighting Fixtures No Comments
The importance of the right kind of lighting in your house cannot be overstated. A quick look at the best kinds of light fixtures so you can pick & choose!

What is the first thing you are doing when you get home in the evening? Switch on the lights, right? And what if you want to set the mood? Don’t you head towards dimming the lights? Having the right lights can proverbially make or break a home. Use the right lights to highlight your favourite piece of art or downplay a paint inconsistency that only your eye can see. Light fixtures, if used in the right way, can transform the entire look of your home and it is definitely less expensive than a new coat of paint or even the husband-dreaded word, ‘remodel’!

Having an idea about some of the different light fixtures can give you an insight into what your home really needs. For ex: if you would like to give the illusion of space in a cosy place, hang compact ceiling fixtures over a table or cupboard. This will not use up any space but will give the illusion of higher ceilings. In addition:

  • Ceiling lights – Being attached to the ceiling, they focus on the object directly below them. They are the most common type of lights with tube lights falling under this description.
  • Pendant lights – They are also attached to the ceiling but are smaller and so the light is usually focused on a more localized area. Chandeliers are a great example though not all pendant lights have to be that showy.
  • Movable lights – This expansive term is used for all light fixtures that can be moved around. We all have our table lamps that we love moving around because one day it looks perfect on the table near our bed but the next day looks better on the window seat.
  • Track lights – A big hit in the 90s, lights that can be moved and adjusted in order to get the right customized effect are commonly used nowadays in galleries. But they work exceedingly well in parts of the house that you would like to highlight, like a small wall filled with photos or the show drawer full of knick-knacks of your last trip.
  • Hidden lights – Perfect for the smaller homes, these are quickly gaining popularity. Not only do they spread light over a lot of areas, they also do not require any space. Imagine a crowded craft or play space where all the kids gather around, now imagine a light they cannot knock over or touch. Doesn’t that sound perfect? Also, they are so cost effective that it is almost a crime to not invest in a few choice hidden lights that can do so much for your home’s ambience. There are also sconces that can be attached to the walls just the way you like them (they are the most customizable of all wall lights)
  • Skylights – You will have to use small spaces in the roof or upper windows where these can be affixed. They bring sunlight to light up and/or warm a house and can truly set the mood of a home. Why? Simply because they give the room so much atmosphere. Try it out for yourself!
  • Outdoor lights – Before you head towards changing the outdoor lighting, it is important to truly understand your space. Keep the outdoor lighting spaced out and strong because you cannot trust the weather and/or natural lighting to be the most flattering at all times. Also, remember durability and maintenance because outdoor lighting needs to be much tougher than the gentle lights that you can play around with inside.

While you have these choices when it comes to fixtures, there are also loads of choices when it comes to colours… try incandescent, fluorescent or halogen lights for different light effects.

 

Interior Decorating Basics

Interior Decorating No Comments

Learn interior decorating basics and pull together a room that looks amazing and impresses friends and family.

Learning interior decorating basics is actually pretty easy as there are just a few “rules” to keep in mind and then you can let your own creativity and instinct run wild. And remember that the rules aren’t hard and fast, they’re basic guidelines so if you want to break one or two then go ahead.

Proportion

Proportion is one of the interior decorating basics that is almost a feeling for most people. If you’re in a room where the couch is way too large for space you may feel instantly confined or overwhelmed. On the other hand, a large room with tiny furniture may seem almost comical. It’s also important to know room dimensions to make sure your furniture actually fits into the home.

Balance

Balance is another interior decorating basic that can be felt by most people. If all of the furniture is against one wall that side of the room will feel heavy. A wall that is covered with windows and receives a lot of light that is across from a dark wall with dark furniture will feel much lighter and airy and you’ll again have a balance that’s askew.

Contrast

Creating some contrast in a room is important. Usually, this is done through colour but it can be done in a number of ways. White on white rooms are almost timeless but can be very boring if texture, height, depth and pattern isn’t introduced to create a contrast. Make sure your room isn’t boring by playing with all of these elements.

Harmony

It seems strange to mention harmony as an interior design basic after just saying that contrast is important but it’s true, a successful room will have both contrast and harmony. Imagine our white on the white room above, it’s got harmony through colour.

Now imagine that room if every piece of furniture and wall and accessory were a different colour, suddenly you’ve got a visual cacophony that would drive anyone a little batty. Harmony is created through a good colour scheme, similar furniture styles, and relating elements together.

Rhythm

Rhythm is the interior design element that blooms out of contrast and harmony with almost no effort at all. Once you get the proper levels of contrast and harmony in your home then you’ll sense that the rhythm will carry your eye through and around the room, never lingering too long in one place and never completely glossing over anything.

If a room in your home feels uncomfortable or like it’s just not working aesthetically, step back and try to determine what feeling it creates in you or what interior design element is missing. Then use the basic interior design principles to fix the room and create the effect you desire.

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