OT-NAB Experience

randy-stewart wrote on 4/27/2006, 11:25 PM
Just back from NAB, my first experience. I'm in awe of it's size and of just how big this industry is. Colossal is the word that comes to mind. There was so much, it is hard to comprehend there are enough buyers out there to support it...but that's a given. High points for me are working with the VASST team, the Vegas users party, helping support the event, assisting Mr. Victor Milt in several of his training sessions on lighting and "show-business", the Sony booth, Artbeats display and demos, the new Sony software called Cinescore, and Dan Selakovich's session and book on building your own camera rigs. Of course, the tremendous amount of new products presented by VASST at NAB goes without saying...they're way cool. Spot's new HDV book is a big hit as is all of the new VASST training DVD's. I don't know who put a bug into Sony's ear but Cinescore is just what I have been wanting...a piece of software that builds the music for my videos, based upon guidelines I pick out, and produces an awesome score royalty free without me having to mix it. That's what Cinescore does...and it's only $250! See the announcement here: http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/news/ShowRelease.asp? ReleaseID=630&CatID=. I'll be buying that one for sure. Oh, did I mention, Sony announced a Vegas certification program at the Vegas party (exclusive). That is way cool too. About the party...if you made it, you know what I'm talking about when I say, WooHoo! The room was packed with about 300 attendees including many from Sony Media and other big name sponsors. Several announcements were made and man, loads of full version software and other prizes were given out. Hey Grazie, did you know you won a really nice jacket for having posted the most this year on the Vegas forum? Farrs won one too for having traveled the farthest to attend the Vegas party. New contests were announced. Several film trailers were shown of movies edited completely with Vegas software. As Mannie Francis said well "Vegas has grown up and is noticed by everyone in the industry". This was great fun and I got to meet some great Vegas people. Vegas users rock!
One last thing, many thanks to Spot, Mannie, Jeff Fisher, and the rest of the VASST team who allowed me to be a part of this event. These guys work hard. Everyone one of them are pro's and their training sessions were packed with those eager to learn. I wondered how VASST turned out so much high quality product so quickly. After having met many of the VASST guys, I get it. Their team is the best of the best. Hat's off guys. My first NAB experience was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. Can't wait to do it again next year...please?
Randy

Comments

PeterWright wrote on 4/28/2006, 1:49 AM
Thanks for a great report Randy - look forward to hearing some more stories ....

And congratulations to Grazie for a well deserved jacket - must feel a bit like winning the Augusta Masters golf!! Seriously Grazie, as everyone knows, your level of communication here is a big part of keeping such a great forum well "oiled" - there, you never realised you were a lubricant, did you?

Not forgetting Bob - congrats and thanks for flying the down-under flag out there in the desert!

Peter
Edward wrote on 4/28/2006, 3:57 AM
NAB was awesome, just like you stewart, it was my first as well... (ahhh, you never seem to forget your first.... ahem...) I couldn't cover enough ground in just one day. But nonetheless, I had a blast. I had my wife with me, and she just went numb after the south hall. She was overwhelmed! Input overload.

As for me, I couldn't get enough. The only downside was that she's pregnant (downside "situation", not the pregnancy), and was suffering from morning sickness, and I was suffering from back pains. DANG I feel old, and I'm only 26... plus some chump change... like 8 years or so... anyway, I missed my duties of helping setup the party with DSE & co. Sorry Doug. I had to tend to my wifey, she wasn't feelin' so good. She finally convinced me to get out and leave her alone so she could sleep.

anyway, I'm looking forward for next year. I didn't sign up for any workshops because I wanted to keep things lite, being my first NAB and all. But that's gonna change next year.

Congrats to Grazie & Farss on their jackets. Finally met Farss, awesome people, he and his wife. He's in here in Hawaii right now. Hope he's havin' a good time.
vicmilt wrote on 4/28/2006, 4:15 AM
Can't tell you all how sorry I am to have missed the Sony/Vasst party!!! I was looking forward to it all year.
But my premiere was an enormous success.
For those that don't know, my latest movie, "The Cowboys of Florida" was an official selection and then finalist at the Palm Beach International Film Festival.
That was neat, but what was totally AMAZING was when they screened it in an eight theater multiplex down here in Boca Raton.
In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined that you could successfully fill the screen in a 250 seat movie theater with DV footage from a Sony PD170. It looked incredible. And this was with no special handling. We just transferred the (Vegas edited) video to BetaSP and they projected it on the theater screen.
The theater was packed and for an old TV commercial director who never got to sit with an audience, let me tell you... it's great.
When an audience that size laughs, ooohs or ahhhs... it's like no other feeling.

And once again - it was super to meet so many of you and to get such incredible feedback from my (packed) lectures. I hope I inspired many of you to join me on the greatest thing there is.... shooting and editing. Right up there with sex... and it lasts so much longer. {:>))
A special aside of thanks to the Stewart boys who knocked themselves out helping me. Thanks! You were great.

So, get out there and start shooting. There's nothing to stop you now.
The technology has totally democratized the video experience.
With a $1,000 camera, Vegas software and a decent concept you can move a huge audience.
Why are you still reading?
Get up!... and go shoot something.
v
Edward wrote on 4/28/2006, 4:22 AM
Vic,
I gotta say, your piece was inspiring. Seeing the clip at the party blew me away. You shot that with a PD170? One word... WOW! I wish I could see the entire piece. Congrats on your achievement. I wish you more successes to come.

Honestly, after seeing your piece (and the others), I'm truly motivated to get these ideas I have out of my head, and onto tape... or film. Thanks for the inspiration.
ken c wrote on 4/28/2006, 4:28 AM
congrats, Vic - sounds like an awesome experience, to be there and see a live audience watching your movie - way to go!

ken
vicmilt wrote on 4/28/2006, 4:43 AM
Yo BigSole -

Film??? fuggetaboutit !!
Look - I've got literally millions of dollars worth of film footage on my reel - all of it 35mm. (Hey - you live long enough, anything is possible)

Digi video is the only way to go in the new millenium.

Yeah - that clip was shot with the PD170 and looks great... but the fact is... a LOT of that particular footage was shot by my son with his new (at the time) Sony Digi 8 camera. Yup! a $250 Digi 8. And it holds up jest fine.

C'mon guys (and gals). No more excuses - get shooting.


v
JohnnyRoy wrote on 4/28/2006, 4:55 AM
> Grazie, as everyone knows, your level of communication here is a big part of keeping such a great forum well "oiled" - there, you never realized you were a lubricant, did you?

So Grazie is the Grease. Now isn’t that the dog’s bullocks. ;-)

CONGRATULATIONS Grazie and Bob!

(...sounds like a good name for a sitcom. “Grazie & Bob”).

Sorry I couldn’t make NAB this year. I just happened to get assign to a new project (at my “other” job) and the startup has been very intense and I just couldn’t get away to travel across the country (to bad it wasn’t in NYC). Last year was my first NAB so I know how overwhelming and exciting it can be. It sounds like you guys had a great time. Maybe next year.

~jr
apit34356 wrote on 4/28/2006, 6:33 AM
Vic, great news about your premiere! Do you remember our conversion about IDF projects after the VASST training in the big "O" in FL just before you left for home? I'm very excited that you have decided to use your skills also in the IDF field. You can make great docs and money too. The "money" is an issue, but you have started up that hill. I was expecting that you have a "10min premiere" at NAB for the network people, with party, promotional material, etc.... tho, not the normal marketing approach, sometimes a new angle generates a lot of "good" contacts.
vicmilt wrote on 4/28/2006, 6:55 AM
Ya know, life is funny sometimes.

You can sit for weeks with not too much going on and then, purely by chance, the festival and the NAB both occur the same week... and the party and the premiere the same day... at the same hour!

I definitely would have put together a much better presentation (as I did for the Film Festival - flyers, postcards, posters, TV interviews, radio interviews, etc. - I did them all - it was great BTW, running here and there - even invited to a private party at Donald Trump's home in Palm Beach, "Mar-a-Lago" - festivals are FUN) but there simply wasn't the time to do the same at NAB. I had initially planned to stay the whole week. I didn't even get out to the floor! Who flies to Las Vegas for NAB and doesn't even get to the floor. I might have some kind of record, there.

Anyway, I did have a wonderful time at the three seminars I taught, and thanks for your good words and vote of confidence.

v
apit34356 wrote on 4/28/2006, 7:14 AM
Vic, not making it to the floor, well, that just means you have no free time, a good thing for a very talented guy. Sounds like you may need a PR person, you are a good promoter, talented camera guy and editor, but when you are too busy to promote, restructure!
mark-woollard wrote on 4/28/2006, 7:19 AM
Being a long-time NewTekian, it was my first Vegas @ NAB experience. Vic, your taped "hello" for the Vegas User Party was really engaging and got the room warmed up. And congrats on your film. The trailer looked really good.

The party was a fun event and nice to see so many partners/sponsors there, especially all the Sony folk.

I was surprised and pleased to learn there are some Sony Media Software folk working out of Waterloo, Ontario (about an hour's drive from home).

And thanks to a fellow Canadian from Hamilton Ontario I left the party with a prize--Mastering Noise Reduction in Sony Vegas. He was sitting next to me and said he couldn't use it. I've only had a chance to watch the first 15 mintues and have already learned some good stuff. Thanks VASST.

I had hoped Vegas would have had more exposure on the show floor. It's such a great piece of software. Hopefully 7.0 will be sped up via GPU processing.
randy-stewart wrote on 4/28/2006, 8:26 AM
Victor,
Congrats on an obviously great premiere. We missed you at the party. Your Light It Right DVD was still selling strong when Colton and I left yesterday. Had several conversations in the NAB store with folks who were still talking about the sessions and how they are so impressed. That goes for me too. Both Colton and I talked about how much we got out of your sessions on lighting and about "the business" side of show business. Really appreciate the pearls of wisdom. I'm getting the PD-170 out now to "go shoot something" ;-). Be seeing you on the net.
Randy
Yoyodyne wrote on 4/28/2006, 11:43 AM
Just wanted to say to all the folks involved in putting together the Vegas user party - thanks a bunch! Had a great time, even got to try out a homemade steadycam - that thing was sweet. Got to attend a few Vegas classes and learned a bunch, also got a peek at Cinescore - sign me up! Thanks also to all the folks involved in putting on the classes - I learned a bunch and really appreciate all the time and effort it takes to make that stuff happen.

It was my first NAB and words can not describe how insane the whole thing is - it would take a month to see everything. Great to meet the Vegas users I got a chance to meet and I hope your all recovering :)