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When the going gets digital, the giving can get tough

Remember the anticipation you felt during the holidays when you were a kid as you bolted towards your stack of gifts?  If you were anything like us, you could never rip the paper off fast enough. Sometimes you raised your arms in triumph, your gift held high. Other times you could only stare incredulously at your gift, and wonder what other child’s wish list yours was confused for. 

With that being said, we know the holidays aren’t supposed to be about the presents, but rather about your family and friends, and being grateful for what you already have.

But ‘tis also the season for presents, and since it’s better to give than to receive, we came up with a list of digital gadgets that your video nerd will be sure to love. If you’re not into digital or video trends, buying a gift for someone who is can be really difficult. That’s why we’re here to help this holiday season:

Jordy Wax, a part owner of Contrast Films, said he REALLY wants a Nest thermostat.

“What’s great about it is it learns every time you use it, and eventually finds the perfect balance of keeping you comfortable, while conserving energy,” he said.

Priced at about $249, the Nest is a little expensive, but studies show it can save up to 20 percent on a home energy bill. Think about it as an investment.

Bennet Rhodes, a producer at Launch Media, said he would like nothing more than the new Canon EOS C300 interchangeable-lens video camera. Priced at $20,000, Bennet is a little crazy.

Sean Udy, another producer and editor at Launch, wants a RED Scarlet camera. Known for its flexibility and high quality, this camera will run you about $9,750. Sean and Bennet may need to put something else at the top of their wish list.

A simple, more affordable point-shoot camera is the new Nikon COOLPIX S2800  camera. You know, the one with the Ashton Kutcher commercials? Ashton Kutcher aside, the camera has some pretty cool features – like simultaneously filming while taking stills. Priced at $249.95 at the Nikon online store (on sale), it’s a more affordable camera option.

And of course, tablets are trendy this holiday season for the tech savvy among us. iPads are more versatile, but cost more than a Kindle. Kindles do not have cameras and have slower processing speeds, but they do allow for local and cloud storage, web browsing and digital entertainment services (books, music and video). The choice between an iPad and a Kindle depends on what you want to pay for, and what you don’t want to pay for.

We hope our holiday shopping tips help you with finding a digital and affordable gift for the tech junkie you love!

LSU offers new Film and Media Arts Concentration

Louisiana’s film industry is growing, but it’s not just for the rich and famous.  

Louisiana State University welcomes Film and Media Arts as a new concentration under the Bachelors of Arts and Liberal Arts degree.

Film and Media Arts began as a minor at the University. James Catano, the Director of Film and Media Arts, said the minor contained as many as 90 students in a semester; thus, student interest created a need for the minor to expand into a concentration. The first group of students who enter into the concentration can graduate in December 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts and Liberal Arts with a concentration in Film and Media arts.

Catano, with the help and support of Greg Schufreider and Patricia Suchy, the Director of Graduate Studies and the Director of the Department of Communication Studies, respectively, pioneered the concentration in the wake of University budget cuts.

During Catano’s first year as program director, his concern was the University giving the appearance of creating a program they may be unable to sustain. He waited until his second year, 2010, as director to create a response to student interest and need. With the help of Suchy, he came up with numbers that proved student need, citing approximately 90 students in the Film and Media Arts minor in one semester, and approximately 80 students in the minor consistently every semester.

“We looked at the numbers and discussed as faculty what we wanted, so on and so forth,” he said. “Everything came together and it was clear we could put this together without concerns of finances right at the moment being impacted, and so we put it in.”

Many departments comprise components of the Film and Media Arts concentration, with the majority coming from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Jordy Wax, the co-owner of the Baton Rouge based event production company Contrast Films, had an FMA minor during his time at LSU. He was among early students to graduate with an FMA minor in 2007.    

He began the program after working on a project called The Louisiana Story with Suchy and Catano. Suchy mentioned the minor to students working on the project.

“It sounded right up my alley,” Wax said.

Catano said he believes Film and Media Arts will go into its own free-standing degree if the numbers continue to prove promising. However, concerns regarding state budgeting and staffing still exist.

Because the program incorporates courses from various departments, Catano said they have a small enough budget that the program is unlikely to be cut.

“There’s not enough money to bother taking,” he said.

Within the film industry, two kinds of positions exist: above the line and below the line positions.

Below the line positions are on-site hires and crews for skills like lighting and sound technicians and gaffers.

Catano said the program aims at students interested at above the line positions as directors, producers, screenwriters and cinematographers.

“I learned things like history of film, and learning about the - not just the technicalities of film as it was so much the ideas of what shots mean and the types of stories you can tell,” Wax said. “I thought that was really cool.”

 “We don’t try to train students way in advance. Ok, you want to be a cameraman, great. You want to do sound, great. Those are technical skills that we introduce students to, but not with the idea of them getting a full final training in that,” Catano said. “That can be picked up in lots of professional places. Our goal is to aim students toward knowing their industry as a whole, both nationally and internationally, understanding that film, media, goes far beyond the borders of this country, far beyond the borders of this state [ . . . ] The goal is to get students to know the full industry and not to compartmentalize themselves too soon.”

Wax learned below the line positions through blogs and forums, but he appreciated that the FMA program allowed him to branch further.

 “It would be a lot more difficult for me to get that just standing over someone’s shoulder on a shoot. I think that being in an environment like the Film and Media Arts program allowed us to really have some good conversations about the ideas of directing, and not taking film as literally as maybe a below the line job has to take it.”

The FMA program’s emphasis on above the line also applies to Contrast Films.

“Some of the work we do here can easily be monotonous [ . . .] and I feel like being able to look at things in a different light and just looking at it as more than just a job and looking at it as an art – that type of mentality I can trace back to my time at LSU in the FMA program,” Wax said.

While the concentration focuses on film as an art and industry, it also explores media arts.

Catano defines media arts as the expansion of the concept of film and what has followed since.

“Media arts and our sense of why we added it to the title is simply a way of suggesting the technology has far outstripped the idea that one makes moving pictures in film,” he said.

The concentration uses digital cameras in their production courses, instead of film. Resources at the University also include Studio 151 – a studio that offers HD camera rentals, Final Cut Pro editing software and project feedback. 

Wax advises anyone interested in the film industry to never turn anything down.

“If you have the opportunity to work on a film or work on, even if it’s your friend’s student project or something like that,” he said. “I’m a big believer in every shoot that I’ve ever worked on I’ve learned something on”

Pay attention to class material, but be aware learning does not stop in the classroom, he said.

“Video was just a hobby at one point,” Wax said. “And after studying it in school, I could do it for a living whether it’s just moving lights around or starting your own business.”  

The evolution of human interaction

www.launchmedia.tv

Set in the 1970’s: The man with big curly hair and a Clark Gable mustache cannot get his message across. His team looks confused, which means his communication strategy is less than groovy. Notice the confused and exasperated looks on their faces? How about the man with the big curly hair’s frustration? A flat message was something you could use in the ‘70s - we hadn’t evolved our communicatory functions yet – not the case in 2011. The man with the big curly hair’s “a-ha” moment should be when he realizes his message isn’t the problem; rather, his delivery falls on its face.

What does it mean for a communication strategy to fall flat? It probably means the method is outdated. As communication technology evolves, your strategy and implementation of that strategy must also. Today’s workforce is watching video on their computers via YouTube, online news sites and Internet streaming, TVs, smart phones, tablet devices and digital billboards just to name a few. To expect an audience to respond and engage to a communication method that doesn’t play in the same space that they go to for information is unrealistic, or at the very least, risky.

Video is the best way to engage today’s workforce. Rich Media suggests viewer engagement increased by a whopping 400 – 700 percent when they use video to engage audiences versus static content. The team here at Launch Media is working hard to make workforce videos a top priority. And we’re not talking about boring videos with droning narrators. We’re making videos that are visually engaging, and thus, more effective at conveying a message, whoever the audience may be. We’ve worked with the Baton Rouge based industrial powerhouses like Turner, Shaw, and Albemarle as well as onsite in Texas for the Shell owned, Motiva. The Motiva project is the largest industrial constructional expansion site in North America, and our team works to deliver workplace safety and training videos to the workforce, providing them with an avenue to become plugged in to management’s safety culture initiatives. With such a diverse group of contractors, everyone being on the same page is key to efficient daily operations, and video is the preferred method of delivery for this. This multi-media communication strategy is just one example of a company who values seamless communication, crossing cultural lines and language barriers.

Although we have a new focus on workforce development video, we’re not shying away from marketing video. We love marketing and have done numerous marketing videos for clients like Exxon, Eatel and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Like workforce development, efficient marketing also requires that you engage a consumer’s audio and visual senses.

Keep your eyes peeled for more video from us on how communication is forever evolving. Over the next couple of months we will be adding to the series by sharing a video presentation on the topic. Also, give us a call if you have any questions or comments about workforce development or marketing video. We’d love to talk.

Stay tuned!


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225-612-2112

We have a new look (and it includes a rocket ship!)

Get ready for take off!

The team here at Launch Media revamped the company image in an effort to more clearly tell you how we can help you launch.

Take a look at our new website and see for yourself:

http://launchmedia.tv/

Rocket ships, right? How about that "Launch" flag on the moon? Beyond the fun stuff, this site is more navigable; thus, more consumer friendly. If you didn't understand our mission before, you do now! 

As a supplement to our site, we've also added a Vimeo Channel.

http://vimeo.com/launchmediatv

As you can see, the Vimoe site hosts samples of our work as well as testimonials. You can be sure we'll update this site frequently as it's practically a portfolio.

We hope these two sites will help you get the most from what Launch Media has to offer. 

We made the leap. Will you?

Turner Industry Groups' Testimonial

Are you ready to launch?

Head 2 Toe video