BT using an iPhone

Nice example of BT using the Sonifi iPhone app in a live set.

BT at FOF performing with Sonifi from BTtv on Vimeo.

Don’t Get Married Until… promo

Here’s an little promo I built that ran last weekend in our NeedToKnow announcements for the upcoming series “Don’t Get Married Until.”

Moby interview

Electric Independence has a great, well shot interview with Moby in his home studio. It clocks in at 12+ minutes, but I would highly recommend it. By favorite line at 11:37, “There is no such thing as a cool electronic musician.” Speaking as one (if only in my own headphones), I agree.

End of the World tracklist

I love intentionality, and personal preference aside, I dig when things are chosen for a reason.

For the series How to Survive the End of the World we choose songs for the counters in the theme of “apocalypse” or “the world is ending.” Some weeks there was more than one track used, but to cover our bases:

Megadeth – “Symphony of Destruction”
Nine Inch Nails – “The Day the World Went Away”
U2 – “Until the End of the World”
Zager and Evans – “In the Year 2525″
The Rolling Stones – “Paint it black”
R.E.M. – “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”
U2 (feat. Johnny Cash) – “The Wanderer”

FAQ: online broadcast copyright

In today’s Frequently Asked Question we’ll take on one that we frequently get here at NewSpring. And when I get this question I pass it along to Amanda, our resident expert on such topics.

Question: How do you handle putting your services online from a copyright standpoint?

NewSpring uses WorshipCast media for all our licensing. We currently have a WorshipCast license and a Perform Music license in addition to a CVLI license for our use of video clips in service.

WorshipCast specializes in streaming online and can answer all of your questions about the license structure that would be best for your church. Some churches may need different licenses than others, so it would be a good idea to call them or check them out online.

Our representative is Kat Morgan and she is extremely helpful! I contact her all the time to make sure we are licensed well and above reproach in this area. The best way to contact her is email. Her email address is kat@churchca.com.

If you have any questions we can answer, please feel free to contact us!

Thanks,
Amanda

FUSION 09 intro – PC3 (Wilmington, NC)

I’m really digging the motion tracking and rotoscope work from the FUSION 09 intro created by PC3. Watch the digger’s arm rotoscope at the 1:10 mark, very clean. Nice work guy.

FUSION 09 Intro from PC3 on Vimeo.

Nice… and creepy

Loving the use of Twitch (I assume) in this piece and if it weren’t so creepy I know G would be digging the use of gears
moogaloop.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)

FAQ: Setting up a video department

Here’s a response I sent a gentleman the other day. His question was this, “How do I set up a video department at my church?”

–
The biggest advice I could give you from a starting standpoint is to make sure what you are doing aligns with the vision of your pastor. A church video department should serve his vision and better enable the points God gives him to be made.

My pastor, Perry, has a good series of posts on our message prep/creative process. This one in particular is great for video artists… it talks about allowing enough time to develop ideas;
http://www.perrynoble.com/2009/10/08/how-do-you-prepare-a-message-part-three/
This is especially important when working with a volunteer based crew. They need time to develop ideas, and you and your pastor will need time to evaluate them, give suggestions, make changes. The keys here are time and a good dialog.

In addition, it’s always best to communicate the specifics on the front end. If it needs to be scary, say it. If it is important for the colors to be blue, say it. Be specific where the specifics demand it, and where there is room for some creative license give it.

As for software, etc., we use Final Cut to edit and After Effects for motion graphics. Vegas is a fine choice for editing, however… as is Adobe Premier (or even iMovie on the mac). In the end the tools are helpful, but the important thing is the creative ideas. Cool is one thing, but intention, that’s the goal.

Beyond that, look for inspiration, figure out how to best compliment your pastor’s messages and serve his vision, and develop your skills however you can (lynda.com, allbetsareoff.com, videocopilot.net, and just digging for inspiration everywhere you look!).

I hope that helps,
Ken

monome + guitar

Be sure to jump into it a bit, around 4:00 / 5:00 mark.

File under “extra precious cute”

So my 3-year-old daughter is convinced that any plane that files overhead is piloted by her grandfather. Here is her explanation.

Weekend Project: Cylon Jack O’ Lantern

Halloween’s a-comin’, and what better way to taunt the neighborhood kids into attacking your house than with a Cylon Jack O’ Lantern.

Agile Partners – Star6

Nice set of free loops. They appear to be intended for the Star6 app, but are WAV files that are accessible by just about everything. Agile Partners – Star6 – Free Audio.

DIY Papercraft Roland TR-909

Build your very own papercraft Roland TR-909.

Apocalypse Please visuals

A different perspective, these are the visuals I built for the NewSpring band’s cover of Muse’s Apocalypse Please. Captured on the iPhone this is about as raw as it comes. See some screen grabs below for the glitch in all its detail. We were going for “digital dirt.”

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Eliminate

The teaser for ngmoco’s Eliminate looks pretty amazing. It made me feed giddy like the first time I played Doom over a LAN. (or Quake, or Hexen, or Descent, or…)

Stranger than Fiction title sequence

This has been out a while, but I really dig the Stranger than Fiction title sequence.

MK12 // Stranger Than Fiction: Opening from MK12 on Vimeo.

Dirt Conference

In November Joshua and I will be trekking to Little Rock to be a part of Dirt Conference. It really dig the vibe of what they’re trying to do; empowering churches and artists to use the gifts they have and not complain about their limitations.

I’ll be a part of 4 labs covering team chemistry, motion graphics, how to communicate with your senior pastor (disclosure: I’m spoiled by my senior pastor, Perry. Evidence here), and team organization (count how many times I say “whiteboard” and “Evernote“).

Stuff White People Like #129

One of my favorite satire blogs of the past two years is Stuff White People Like. It’s insightful, cleverly written, and downright fun; especially as evidenced in this recent post on why white people like Banksy. If you’re a design snob you’ll get it and appreciate it.

“…art does not work the same way as Indie Music when it comes to the need to like the obscure.”

Kaffe packaging

Love, love, love the Kaffe packaging and branding.

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Evernote; grocery decision use

I still love Evernote. Here’s another creative use I thought of this past weekend. Since I do most of the grocery shopping in our house but Meg makes out the list I decided to snap photos of some of the more densely packed aisles. The scenario, you’re making your list and you can’t decide which organic salad dressing you want. “What options do they have at the store?” Well, fortunately you were smart, thought ahead, and documented your options the last time you were at Publix.

Neatly stored in your Evernote account are a nice selection of store shelves with all of your options.

Organic dressings
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Goldfish options
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Alexia frozen bread choices
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