On February 15th (the 3rd Wednesday), we will feature photographer Jason Groupp, who has spent years working on something he’d been known for – in essence, creating his signature.  The result: The IHNY (I Heart NY) Sessions.  In this program, he shows you how he’s applied years of experience shooting for clients like Vogue, NY Times Magazine, J. Crew and Tiffany’s, to his work as a wedding and portrait photographer. Here he focuses on “million-dollar lighting” on a shoestring budget, how he markets his signature IHNY sessions and how he built a new revenue stream alongside his wedding work.

We will also feature the “Gadget Bag”, which is any tool, tip or idea that you use to make your day more pleasant or easier.  It can be a tripod extension, a slider, a new LED light, a way to hook a client or whatever!  Please bring the item(s) to the next meeting – but email VP Eric Model at emodel@reelmoments.com if you would like to present so he can schedule enough time for everyone who wants to present!   No matter how small or large your gadget is – someone else may not know about it and it can be worth all the time in the world to them.

Ron Bienstock, Esq. was our first guest speaker of 2012 on January 11th, with the subject of music copyright law.  This subject has been in the news lately and Ron filled us in on everything we need to know about using music with our videos.
Ron teaches Entertainment Law as an adjunct professor at New York University and is a frequent guest lecturer for various graduate and undergraduate schools at NYU. Ron has also been a music business commentator for NPR, WBAI, Barely Legal Radio, Tech TV and CNN. He has been a guest lecturer, instructor and panel moderator for BMI, ASCAP, CMJ, NEMO, SXSW, NAMM, PMA, RPMDA, the Florida Music Conference, Miami Music Conference, Atlantic Records’ A&R University, the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), the New Jersey State Bar Association, The Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, St. John’s School of Law, Rutgers School of Law, Seton Hall Law School, Ithaca College, and many other organizations and universities.

STRAIGHT FROM NAB

Win the Fight and Move the Story Forward

Jose Ortiz, Jose Ortiz Films

Having just returned from his knockout presentation at NAB, NJVA and WEVA was excited to welcome to our third annual conference, WEVA Award Winner, Jose Ortiz of Jose Ortiz Films. Jose has swiftly built his business and gained a national reputation with his compelling work.

For Jose, storytelling is the key. Whether we are creating a wedding video or producing a corporate piece, Jose showed us the techniques he successfully uses to capture the viewer’s attention. And showed how to market your product to prospective clients through the incredible power of storytelling.

A WEDDING TRAILER by Jose Ortiz

http://vimeo.com/20860956

Jose also  offeredhis “Mano A Mano” FULL DAY workshop, May 17th 2011 in New Jersey.

TITLE: HDSLR CINEMA 101
Presented by Alex Buono
DESCRIPTION: In the world of film and television, there is no deadline more
unmovable than when you hear those magical words, “Live from New York, It’s
Saturday Night! “. As a 10-year veteran of the Saturday Night Live Film Unit, Alex
Buono must deliver high-end commercial parodies and short films in as few as 24
hours, and he will share with you how shooting with the Canon 5DmII & 7D has
revolutionized the way he works. Alex will use his experience over the decade at
SNL to demonstrate everything you need to know when it comes to shooting
videos with your DSLR. Topics covered will include an extensive setup primer:
discussing shutter speeds, frame rates, aspect ratios, camera settings, and vital
production gear. Alex will also cover his work flow – both on-set and in post
production, including topics such as, “Advantages of Canon DSLR versus other
Formats”; “Transcoding files into edit-friendly codecs”; and “How to create time
lapse sequences”. Whether you are a still photographer looking to transition into
video production or a veteran cinematographer looking to embrace new
technology, this lecture will provide a comprehensive introduction to HDSLR
cinema.

Alexander Buono Bio (2011)
Producer / Director of Photography
Born in Portland, Oregon, Alex moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to attend the
University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, majoring in film
production and still photography. His early post-collegiate years were spent on the
camera crews of studio films including Twister, Conspiracy Theory, and
Armageddon, learning from top ASC cinematographers and personal mentors
including Conrad Hall, Don Burgess, Dean Cundey, and John Schwartzman. Soon
after, Alex became a full-time cinematographer of indie films, music videos, and as
the Director of Photography for the Saturday Night Live Film Unit. In 2003, Alex
received an Oscar Nomination for the short film Johnny Flynton, which he
photographed and also produced. Alex repeated the dual role of cinematographer
and co-producer on Green Street Hooligans, about London’s football-gang
subculture starring Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam, which won both the Grand
Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2005 South By Southwest Film Festival. He
was also the cinematographer of Shanghai Kiss, which he shot in Shanghai with an
all-Chinese crew. Following, Alex wrote, produced and shot the documentary
feature Bigger Stronger Faster*, which premiered in competition at the 2008
Sundance Film Festival and was distributed theatrically by Magnolia Pictures. In
2009, Alex’s 10th season with Saturday Night Live marked his first experimentation
with the new HDSLR format, shooting the show’s title sequence and most of the
season’s commercial parodies with Canon’s 5Dm2 and 7D cameras, earning him
sponsorship with both CanonUSA and Lexar Media. Most recently, Alex continued
his experimentation with Canon DSLRs as the 2nd Unit director/DP for the new
ABC drama series Detroit 187. Alex is a member of the International
Cinematographer’s Guild, the International Documentary Association and the
Writer’s Guild of America. Alex lives in Venice, California where he continues to
write, produce, and shoot for his production company, Third Person, and is
represented by Hyphen Management.

Life-Changing:  The Power of the Same Day Edit

Michael Gebben, Gebbs Wedding Films

Ready to end your aching backlog? Want more free time? Harness the power of Same Day Edits to change your life… and your business! Learn how to organize workflow for efficient SDE production; the key elements for advanced preparation; what to shoot and how to edit on-site. Plus, learn how to sell SDE’s – what works, what doesn’t, how to educate your client and close the sale.

Michael Gebben is an award-winning cinematographer specializing in online media creation and promotional films with an edge. He is owner/operator of a  full production company  that  produces a variety of content, ranging from promotional videos for small businesses to event coverage.

Michael Gebbens joins Alex Buono, Director of Photography for Saturday Night Live and Jose Ortiz of Jose Ortiz Films as part of a jam-packed lineup of industry leaders who will share their experience and knowledge with you. Join us for these presentations, networking and a great vendors’ exhibit with new gear recently unveiled at NAB.

For years, everyone’s attention has been on the Clicks – to your ads, to your website, to your email address.  But now, finally, the smart marketers are focusing on Conversion – what happens to those clicks, because those are the actions that result in sales.  Conversion is where you should be focusing!

At our  March meeting, Alan Berg, Vice President of The Knot, explained the importance of “Conversion” and told us exactly what it is and how to track it both on and off-line.  He also talked about why brides are using email more and the phone a lot less.  Also, how you can use email more effectively as a marketing tool.  Alan showed us how to add value at every touchpoint.

At our February 2011 meeting, Janice Celeste, CEO of Celeste Studios Video and Film Production, located in North Jersey,showed us step-by-step how to get the luxury market to come to you! Recession-proof your business by booking big budget brides.
Follow Janice on Twitter

Celeste Studios Fan Page on Facebook

See this video about the workshop!

On January 17th, we touched on the topic that everyone has been talking about in 2010 – Social Media.  Anthony Quintano (recently hired by NBC News as Social Media Manager) covered a broad range of topics.  Everything from how to build a WordPress website, to how to operate a Facebook fan page. Other topics he covered included how to use Twitter, not only to post, but to research and observe what others are doing as well as networking with fellow filmmakers.  He also be “Skyped” in a few guests to speak about how social media has changed their business.  Anthony recently spoke at the WEVA convention in Orlando, Florida, discussing these very topics and had a large crowd in attendance. 

A very special thank you to Cristina Valdivieso, Jon Connor, John Hyland, John Miller, Roman France, Zack McKTee and Tarik Sykes for speaking at the NJVA last night. The night was a huge success with a packed house. Unique Photo was a sponsor of the night’s meeting and was there to fill anyone who was interested in purchasing some DSLR equipment that night. Many members were interested in seeing more work from our speakers. Below you can find links to each speakers site. You can also find a slideshow of photos taken by David Samelman of last nights event.

Cristina Valdivieso

Jon Connor

John Miller

Roman France

Zack McKTee

Tarik Sykes

John Hyland

The Wednesday, November 10th meeting is sponsored by Unique Photo of Fairfield, NJ, and will be dedicated entirely to shooting video with Canon DSLRs.  We have some of the best in the business in attendance to answer every question you may have regarding the topic. We would like to welcome Jon Connor and Cristina Valdivieso from Canonfilmmakers.com and professionals from the NYC DSLR Meetup group to our meeting.  John Hyland, John Miller Videography, Roman France,  Zack Mctee, Tarik Sykes and our very own Dave Hall, Dan Bitcon and Anthony Quintano. We will go over everything regarding DSLR shooting from the basics of what type of lenses to start with, to discussing how to edit the DSLR footage in post.

Bring your quesitons to ask, your toys to share and your business cards to network! We look forward to meeting any new attendees that live in the tri-state area.

The meeting is $25 for new attendees ($35 for returning guests). That fee includes a full dinner Buffet, desert and coffee so come hungry. Please RSVP that your attending via our facebook event page or in our comment section below. Networking begins after 6:00pm at Bella Casa Caterers, 2 Acme Street, Belleville, NJ 07109. The phone number for Bella Casa is 973-450-0602.

If you have any questions that you would like us to focus on regarding DSLR’s please share them here as well.

Because Unique Photo is sponsoring the meeting, bring your cash or credit cards as they will have tons of merchandise for sale that night!!