Monday, December 28, 2015

Genetically modified crops causes our early death: Ganapathy Suresh

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Treating alcoholism and drug addiction with dignity - Meena Iyer

Addiction  is a disease which can be managed in caring and compassionate environment, says Meena Iyer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWvIIRsDYAc

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Radiant Wellness Conclave 2015 - Intro AV



An Audio-Visual made for the introduction to the first Radiant Wellness Conclave 2015 held at Chennai. A Suresh Menon film.
https://youtu.be/OjA799coTYU

Sunday, May 31, 2015

I cure all diseases, including breast cancer - Dr. Radhe Shyam

The response has been overwhelming. Inundated with messages asking for Radhe Shyam's contact. People flying in from all over the world. And patients actually getting cured!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sskH2qP4siA


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Ponna Ava - Short Film | Comedy | Tamil

Two close friends in a village, Abdul and Ama Vaasai decide to impress the same girl. What ensues is hilarious. Watch for great laughter and entertainment.



Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Direction: AP Premkumar

Cinematographer: Grace Babu

Music and Editing: SP Ahamed



Cast: MK Selva (Abdul Kader), GP Mahendran (Ama Vaasai), Sameera (Heroine), Kannan (Inspector), Thangam (Malayandi)



Produced by AP Prakash, Elbow Entertainment

Online distribution by Films Room

Monday, May 18, 2015

I cure all diseases, including breast cancer - Dr. Radhe Shyam

REQUEST ALL WOMEN TO SHARE AND SPREAD THE WORD.
Breast cancer is extremely simple to cure. Asthma, paralysis, diabetes, cholesterol, arthritis, back pain, kidney failure, etc. can all be cured. India possesses enormous wealth, says Dr. Radhe Shyam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sskH2qP4siA

Sunday, May 10, 2015

"The French Encounter" is a romantic comedy - Cecile Rischmann

"The French Encounter" is a romantic comedy for those who want to remain young at heart. Cecile Rischmann, the author of the bestseller "The French Encounter" talks about her book, how the romantic story unfolded, and more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-RoHhdKka0
(Click link above to view video)

Friday, May 1, 2015

Editing a Music Video


When it comes to executing the production of a music video, there are multiple phases that must be taken into consideration: pre-production, production, post-production. Though these phases seem obvious and simple, they all play a meaningful role in creating a successful video. Before even rolling with a camera on set, a video needs a concept. This must be thought out, examined, fought over, and eventually decided upon. Without a concept, there is no root to hold the images together. After a concept has been created, planning is another essential pre-production stage. Actors (if needed) must be determined, locations must be secured, dates must be set. Once all of this is in place, production can occur, which is usually the fun (or not so fun) part. The concept is made real and captured, leading to the final phase: post. This article will focus on the importance of video editing, and how editing a music video is just as important as the planning and recording.

Unfortunately, not many music videos have quality edits. Editing is usually an afterthought; something that must be done after all of the real work has taken place. Editors lose patience, don't have a cohesive vision for the video, or simply don't care. How the vision is presented to the video is the essence of an edit: arranging footage in a meaningful and interesting manner that captures the viewer's attention and presents the concept in the best possible way.

Let's backtrack for a moment and discuss a problem with video editing in music videos specifically. For large-scale, expensive, professional shoots, the editing process is typically done by a third-party company. A videographer is hired, shoots the footage, and hands it off to an editing company that has never met the director. Though the director may leave specific notes behind for the editors, they still exist as separate entities, and it's difficult, if not possible, to read other people's minds. The editors have no idea of the director's vision; they guess and do what they think looks right. This can result in a disconnect in the final product where there may have originally been a good idea, but it's lost in translation with the presentation. Editing companies are typically working on multiple projects at once as well. Let's be realistic: this is money to them. The quicker they can deliver a finished product, the quicker they can accept a new project and make more money. Little care or keenness goes into these videos. They're mass produced. In most instances, the best result is when the director is the editor, or when the director works closely with the editing team in making the decisions. Assuming this is the case, this does not guarantee a polished music video. Even those who have edited tens of music videos can still make critical mistakes that compromises the quality of the video.

Smart City Anthem
Click on the above picture to see a slick music video

Pacing is a most important component of editing, and it is a skill that can be only learned through experience. This is knowing when to place the footage in the right moment to achieve the proper response or elicit the expected emotion. If a sequence is too rushed or thrown together, you'll lose the viewer, and they'll either not understand what you're trying to say, or they'll have a tepid response. Prior to beginning an edit, the editor should map out, either on paper or in his/her mind, when they expect certain things to occur so that it is not forgotten or glossed over when footage is being assembled.

This may be obvious, but choosing the best-looking shots is terribly important as well. Watching all of the captured video is critical in noting what shots should be used. Some editors will just look at the first take, or settle with footage that looks acceptable instead of digging through all of the available shots. The result is an OK-looking product with a bunch of unused, good-looking video that will never see the light of day. Devastating.

Once the pacing has been established and the editor has the best shots selected, cutting is the final skill utilized in completing an edit. Cutting footage (when you see a shot begin and end) is very simple, but when to cut is the tricky part. For most music videos, cuts should be quick and frequent, and I like them to occur on beat and have a pattern to them. This is where most music videos suffer -- cuts can be totally random and have no rhythm. Before cutting, I listen to the entire track multiple times and isolate key sounds, words, or phrasing to cut on so I establish a rhythm that goes in sync with the music. This results in a strong visual association with certain sounds that makes the video pop, and it is quite satisfying to the viewer.

The components described above, when working successfully together, can create a really cool music video, from concept, to production, to YouTube. However, the situation today is far from what is desired. There are editing courses - fast track ones - that range from one month to 3 months, that churn out editors like a car assembly line. They are not editors, but cutters. And they do that on any one particular software package. And they call it editing. ||

Monday, February 23, 2015

How to shoot machinery and scientific equipment

Shooting machinery is not only an interesting photographic experience, but also a slightly complex, and sometimes terrifying endeavor. When I say machinery photography, I’m not talking about small machines like old typewriters, rather I’m referring to factory style and scientific equipment that takes up large amounts of space.

This a small dark chamber in an instrument
used to analyze nano scale particles.
Notice the optimization of lighting.

I recommend macro style photography for such assignments. The reason I only really classify macro style photography when dealing with machinery photography is because when you are dealing with industrial equipment you are typically looking to capture either interesting pieces of an old machine, or certain parts of a newer machine. Either way the approach you take when dealing with industrial equipment is relatively the same.

Capturing steel is an art that has to be
mastered by every industrial photographer.
Understanding the machinery

Even the simplest machine can become an elegant concept if executed properly. This is a pretty big deal when shooting newer machinery, and still rather important when dealing with older machinery. The main reason you should understand the machinery you are dealing with is a safety issue. If you don’t know what something does, you may fail to avoid certain parts of the machine, then finding yourself getting injured because of those parts. Another good reason to know the machine you are working with is because it will help you identify interesting aspects of the machine that would make interesting images.

A tiny vacuum chamber with a sample
was shot with a 600 mm lens from over
8 feet. It was lit up with a torch.
Notice the streak of light created
for enhanced aesthetics.

Shooting Macro

Macro machinery shots do not always have to be extreme close ups. Macros like this showcase the entire machine in a single shot. When dealing with industrial equipment, the idea of trying to capture a broad shot of the machine is usually a bad one. If you shoot a machine at a distance, even if it’s running typically all you will see is a giant metal behemoth, with no discernible features or interest. For this reason you should try to shoot up close macro shots of the machinery. These shots may not fully identify the machine you are shooting, but will create unique images of the work done by or the workings of a machine. Shooting macro images is also a good way to show and identify individual parts of a machine.

This is also a vacuum chamber that was
lit up artificially. Shot with a 600 mm.
Color and Contrast

Shooting machines, both old and new can be difficult if you fail to identify the exact way you should shoot it. When dealing with older, typically non functioning or rundown machines, you will have a series of black and browns due to rust and old iron workings. Together these colors and the shape of the machine can create an old industrial abandoned look, through a strong contrast. Newer machines however are slightly different than older machine. While the older machines tend to get their contrast through a mixture of colors and shapes, newer machines typically follow a fairly uniform color scheme and retain a sleek design. This means that when you shoot newer machines you need to look for a more smooth and modern design. Overall that becomes the two defining features of each type of machine, Older machines having a more gruff and grungy look, while newer machines maintain a modern elegance.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Is a Cinematographer important?



Sitting in my studio, I am witness to a steady stream of filmmakers announcing their projects and checking out the abilities of my studio for their works. They discuss their needs starting from artists, production personnel, locations, key crew, technicians, etc. However, when it comes to the the need of a cinematographer, their budgets are so low that even a student would think twice before involving himself/herself in the project. I try to impress them that it is the visuals that matter in a movie (assuming they have a decent script of course) and they should not compromise. With the availability of DSLRs for filmmaking, they also tend to have an impression that low-cost tools need only low-end camera personnel and the camera will take care of all their needs.

Wake up filmmakers! The DSLR is just another imaging device, which does need some experience to handle. And cinematography is about lighting, angles, moods, framing and communication, and in fact has very little to do with the actual camera that is used for recording your images. Sad to see some excellent scripts with a shoddy execution by the cinematographers. Yet, our 'low-budget' film director seems to be satisfied.

If you are a filmmaker, the cinematographer is one of the most important people that will be hired for a film. The visual look of your film is heavily dependent on who you hire.