15Apr

Finding the Heart of NAB

Over 100,000 people descend on NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) each year. This year, three of those people were from Hand Crank Films. Caleb, Jim and I all ventured forth in hopes of seeing cool new gear, getting edified in classes, and maybe playing a little Texas Hold ‘Em.

Overall, NAB gives me the blues a bit since about 99,000 of those people are business guys and gals running around desperately trying to hawk their gear, or convince you that their latest, greatest doo-dad is the must have. These guys really wear me out – and they all look pretty worn out. All you need to know about this is that this year the words 3D barely appeared, and 3 years ago it was all you ever heard the whole time as what you “had to have”. **Note – HCF predicted the demise of this medium at that time! In other words, most of this stuff is pretty faddish.

But, it is great to see that the other people, those going to the production and post production classes were really trying to learn, get better at their craft, and generally get to know some others in the business. These are the people that I think got the most from NAB – I know I felt that way.

NAB reminds me that for all the machines, there is nothing worth it in the whole shebang without the people that use those machines, and use them beautifully. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy that people love making these toys, and I love to use them, but the people I really love are those using them to make great works. I met a few of those this week and am better for it.

One class I really loved was Amy Delouise’s session on branding yourself and your work. Mostly, she just really engaged her audience, and made us do some work on who we were and who we wanted to be. Check her out!

Thanks!
Max

20Jan

5 Tips on Publishing Your First Book with iBooks Author

5 Tips on Publishing Your First Book with iBooks Author

I couldn’t wait to get home last night to fool around with iBooks Author, the new tool released yesterday by Apple that allows anyone to create interactive iPad books that can be sold or given away online.

Why is this important? Because now it’s relatively easy for you to create an interactive book with graphics, video content, quizzes, 3-D images, and much more. So if you own a company that sources the best fish in the world like our client Vital Choice, you’ll be able to create cookbooks with how-to videos, links to the nearest supermarkets that have your product, and surveys that let you get instant feedback from your readers. And this is only scratching the surface.

This is jaw-dropping stuff, and I imagine this will blow up similar to the whole app space. But the question is, how will all of us take advantage of it? Here’s some ideas:

  1. Can you take one of your brochures and turn it into an iPad book as a test? The software is easy to use and I had a rudimentary book ready to publish in about an hour.
  2. How can you help your audience?  Think about how you can use this platform to spread your expertise. Then give it away for free, at least at first. You gain a lot of instant credibility when you say ‘You should read my book on the subject. Let me send you a link.’ Now it’s easier than ever.
  3. What other content can you include in your book? What videos or graphics do you have that would make this book truly interactive and engaging?
  4. Think of a good title that will grab people.
  5. Do it. If you’re interested at all in getting in front of people, this has immense potential. Limited really only by your imagination.

Yeah, I’m very bullish on the whole thing and I’m often susceptible to the Steve Jobs ‘Reality Distortion’ field. I believe there is tons of opportunity here for anyone with something important to say (which is most of us).  Think about it as another huge gateway to what you offer.

But the future is not without it’s downside. The barrier to entry is so low (unlike the app space, where you at least need to have access to technical skill), that I’m sure the space will get flooded. So getting in and differentiating yourself now is more imperative than ever.

Plus it appears that books you create for iPads using Author can only be sold in the iBookstore. So Apple is, in fact, locking you in.

Beyond that – there will be a whole generation behind us that may never pick up a real book ever again. Paper is planned obsolescence, and interactive books full of everything may make imagination a casualty. But it’s also inevitable.

The other downside? I uploaded my eBook ‘The Power of Video’ to the iBookstore last night but can’t find it listed anywhere yet. My guess is that it’s going through the Apple approval process so there isn’t any immediate gratification.  I’ll keep you posted.

 

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11Jan

Product Review: Camera+

We’re always on the lookout for new products that make it easier to create new content – whether it be something as vital as WordPress, which allows just about anyone to create a cool website fairly easily, or the RED EPIC, perhaps the most digitally advanced motion picture camera in the world.

Recently I started to use Camera+ again. I’ve had this iPhone app for awhile, but I never really plugged in until I saw some of the great photos my friends were posting on Facebook. So I reopened the app and played with it over the holidays.

The end game? The app not only helps you take better pictures, but is a great photo editor as well.

The first thing you’ll notice out of the box is the ability to create both a focus point and exposure point on your touchscreen. With the native Camera app on the iPhone (very solid in it’s own right), the focus point and exposure point are the same. But with Camera+, you can mess around with the exposure to get what you want. Check out the picture below to see what I mean:

Focus Point on Wood Statue, Exposure Point on Red Wall

Once the picture is taken, the fun begins. In Camera+, you can mess around with about 100 different settings and combinations to make your pictures look anyway you want – from effects like Grunge to Ansel Adams to Depth of Field. You can even crop and add borders – and then of course share your pic across your favorite social network to show off your mad skills.

 

Lots of Effects to Choose From

If you’re a complete photography novice like myself (hey, I leave all the video production to the other guys) – then this tool is a fun way to maximize what just might be the best camera of all: the one that’s with you. And since most of us carry our phones just about everywhere we go, here’s one way to get really good snaps. All for the rich price of 99 cents.

One thing I’m doing this year is taking one picture a day. Then at the end of the year, I’ll compile that into a visual journal. Should be fun. And with technology making it simple to carry around a really nice camera wherever I go, should be fairly easy too.

Your thoughts on the best apps out there? Let us know.

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