I’ll be presenting a 3-hour Green Screen Production workshop at the NAB 2013 Post|Production World Conference on Saturday, April 6.

Description: New products make lighting the green screen easier than ever, but the basic truths still apply. This session will train you to get the best possible green screen results every time, regardless of equipment. The session covers lighting the green screen, positioning and lighting your subject(s), and working with challenging subject matter. Acquiring solid green screen footage is just the beginning, though. Getting a great key and choosing proper backgrounds are essential to any successful green screen production. This session outlines the best practices for working with green screen footage in post, including: creating a matte, choosing backgrounds, hiding flawed footage, and more.

I’ll also be co-presenting with my colleague, Douglas Spotted Eagle on Monday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 10, with focus on Sports POV cameras (like the GoPro) and a full day workshop on corporate video production/post-production.

Make sure to register early and sign up for classes before they fill!

See you at NAB!

Click here to view the entire Part 1 review with images and video samples:

How did it look to you?

Click here to read the entire review/article about this technology and the effects it’s had on viewers.

Please add your response/comment below or on the article page – I’d like to hear what your thoughts with this new theatrical experience!

Hands-on with the GoPro Hero3 (part 1)

So GoPro had this little “launch event” this week to introduce the new Hero3 to the world and invited a bunch of media folks from all over the globe to San Francisco to take part in it and get a hands-on experience. Little did we know that even included race cars, motorcycles, hot air balloons, jets, catamarans and diving with sharks! It was an amazing experience to get a real feel for what the GoPro can do, so let’s take a closer look at the Hero3…

Here’s the link to the full “part 1″ review with examples and video clips:

Take a look at the new GoPro Hero3 in-depth

Hands-on Review: GoPro Hero3 (part 2)

This is the second part of my hands-on review of the new GoPro Hero3 camera, where I’ve managed a series of side-by-side tests with the Hero2 camera in various scenarios – from multiple frame rates, resolutions and lighting conditions, in both video/still shots, raw and processed with the CineForm Studio software.

Here’s the link to the full “part 2″ review with examples and video clips:

Compare the new GoPro Hero3 with the Hero2 in this side-by-side shot test.

I’ve just published two separate reviews on these updates because they’re so extensive, they require more information than I can include in just one article! Check them out at the links below to go to ProVideo Coalition and see more!

Review: GoPro Protune™ Firmware & Software Update for CineForm Studio
GoPro has recently released new updates for the Hero2 camera which upgrade the sensor’s dynamic range, data bitrate transfer and encoding with the new Protune codec. In addition, the new software update for CineForm Studio includes some major new features and refinements for converting and preparing your GoPro Protune footage!

Product Review: GoPro Wi-Fi App
The GoPro iApp is finally here! You control your Wi-Fi BacPac directly with your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and change camera settings, preview live shots for setup and record and much more! Click to learn more about this great advancement in accessible technology!

…and stay tuned for even MORE exciting GoPro news later this week!

The Padcaster™ is a strong yet lightweight aluminum frame that comes equipped with both 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 threaded holes lining all edges of the frame, and has a molded Urethane insert that secures your iPad into position. Attach external microphones, lights and other camera accessories to enhance filming with the iPad. A tripod thread and locking-pin hole let you easily connect the Padcaster to a tripod, monopod or shoulder mount for stable shooting and a solid feel. Adding the Lenscaster™ attachment allows you to attach various lenses to your Padcaster giving your iPad some options in various shooting conditions.

Read the entire review here on the ProVideo Coalition

What is …and rosemary is for remembrance about?

Shirley never imagined that she would receive a phone call saying that her husband, Russ, had been in a motorcycle accident and was on life support. She never really thought that she would have to deal with making decisions about the end of his life and especially so soon. A year later, her best friend, Liz, joins her on a trip to Yosemite to support her husband’s final burial request. Liz falls on the trail incurring a minor injury and dies three weeks later.

All of these losses were completely unexpected.

Watch this short trailer for the documentary …and rosemary is for remembrance

Shirley’s story is our inspiration for making this film and it’s too compelling to ignore.

This film started out as a personal “remembrance” project for Shirley.
But as we got further into making the film we realized this was a story that needed to be shared.
Everyone has to deal with death at some point in his or her life.
So we decided to make a short documentary in order to bring awareness about the importance of dealing with loss.

We need your help…

We’ve been shooting and editing over the past two years, but still need some more interviews, editing, and mastering/finishing work doen to get this ready for the festival season in Spring 2013.

We are deeply passionate about this film because it’s personal.
We need your help to raise $28,000 to complete this project. After years of interviews, production and editing we are close to having a finished film. We have several interviews left with a variety of experts on the subject along with equipment costs, post production, editing, music, legal fees, and festival fees.

Anyone who’s ever worked on a film knows that time is the most expensive part of the process. We want to make sure we have enough time built into our shoot so that we can do our best work and honor the memories of the people who have passed on. We can guarantee that not a cent will be wasted. It is our intent to create this documentary and get it out to the world. Our goal is to complete this film by Spring 2013 and submit to festivals all over the country.

Any funds we can raise above the $28,000 will only help the project reach further, and will be completely used to promote and distribute the film to an even wider audience. The more we raise, the bigger and better the project will be!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Please read more about this project and donate something – anything you can – to help get this important message out to get people to look at and talk about this important subject we all tend to avoid. If you can’t donate, you can still help us by putting out the word through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, G+ or any of your other online groups and networks!

Many heartfelt thanks in advance.

Jeff

I’ve just completed my latest online video training title with video2brain, SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 5 Workshop, now available in the online store.

SmartSound Sonicfire Pro 5 is not only amazing soundtrack scoring software, but also a collection of royalty-free music clips that are fully customizable, with features like Mood Mapping and Timing Control. You can easily pull out select instruments and “write” a complete score of any length you wish. In this workshop, filmmaker Jeff Foster explores the process of selecting and editing the various customizable music libraries using both the Web-based “Quicktracks” and the professional Sonicfire Pro 5 software. You’ll also learn a round-trip workflow with a few nonlinear editors and get tips and tricks for further customizing your soundtracks.

Click here to go directly to the title.

Use Discount Promo code: SONIC20 to get 20% the training title through October 24, 2012

Remote Control and Wi-Fi Enabling your GoPro Camera

The controls on your GoPro camera are no longer out of reach!

The new GoPro Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi Remote allow you to control your GoPro camera from up to hundreds of feet away – which includes powering up your camera, changing all the menu settings, triggering the camera to shoot and powering it off again to preserve battery life. The Wi-Fi BacPac and Remote have their own built in rechargeable batteries, so they’re no further drain on your GoPro camera. I’ve got two GoPro Hero2 cameras already so I wanted to test out the new Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi Remote on both of them shooting at the same time while my hands were otherwise “full”. I’ll share my results plus point out some very important items you need to be sure to look at when setting up your system – plus some things to be aware of.

CLICK HERE to read the full review on the ProVideo Coalition problog

A must-have tool for every DSLR shooter!

Today’s DSLRs and HD Camcorders allow us to shoot at higher ISO and lower light scenarios than ever before – but with the smaller sensor sizes typical in prosumer cameras, this capability also introduces a great deal of noise. Thankfully, Red Giant has updated Magic Bullet Denoiser II (v 1.3) – available as a stand-alone plugin or part of the Magic Bullet Suite to help eliminate the noise while retaining the details.

I’ve written up my review for this amazing new release on the ProVideo Coalition web site, READ MORE…