Ground Control to Major Tom…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

It’s been a while since I got a chance to sit down and post something here. Enough time to amass hundreds of Spam comments it seems!

The video stuff has taken a bit of a back seat recently as I have been working on Web Design and Email Marketing for Just Kampers four days a week since November 2012.

This has still left me with one day a week to work on other projects including websites for Solent Powder Finishers Ltd and Alun Leppitt.

I’m really enjoying my work at Just Kampers and their recent link up with StatusVW has had me very busy!

It’s great to be working back in a dynamic office environment with a steady income, not to mention it’s Dubs which I love :-)

Posted in News, Websites

There is a special place in hell…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

…for spammers.

I have decided to shut down comments on this blog, here is a list of IP’s of all the people who have spammed me;

117.21.226.205
201.15.65.253
221.210.192.183
117.21.226.159
117.21.224.9
117.21.225.25
222.187.222.104
117.21.224.16
117.21.227.43
117.21.225.42
117.21.225.6
117.21.227.47
117.21.227.40
220.255.2.73
111.74.239.10
69.175.22.170
27.22.104.203
222.187.221.249
46.119.127.93
188.92.75.244
88.233.48.166
222.187.223.208
212.59.16.202
194.71.223.125
216.59.22.41
212.59.28.123
212.59.28.167
175.44.31.12
212.59.28.66
212.59.16.202
67.23.169.89
212.59.16.193
212.59.28.167
112.111.160.144
223.27.31.118
175.44.29.137
212.59.28.166
212.59.16.190
218.6.12.99
178.137.86.128
216.59.22.42
67.23.169.90
212.59.28.165
67.23.169.90
91.207.5.125
216.59.22.41
218.6.12.99
212.59.28.169
216.59.22.42
212.59.28.65
91.207.5.197
212.59.28.69
175.44.1.140
36.248.168.107
36.248.169.174
46.118.117.232
46.118.154.29
112.78.162.46
112.111.160.112
69.162.123.36
176.8.88.6
46.118.154.169
116.208.1.46
176.8.89.64
178.137.91.11
216.244.86.130
116.208.1.46
178.137.161.221
178.137.92.23
46.118.119.7
80.47.26.221
94.153.8.93
113.3.147.222
46.119.124.196
201.82.140.135
103.23.79.144
178.137.93.165
61.187.190.28
142.54.182.186
192.119.144.111
46.118.116.87
110.255.46.255

Posted in News

What’s been happening…

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

Well, it’s been quite a busy summer!

In April, through some odd circumstances, we got the opportunity to cover two of UK Cycling Events ‘Wiggle Super Series’ events in the New Forest.

The first of these was a Mountain Biking event involving ‘run-and-gun‘ style shooting. The biggest challenge we had was getting into the depths of the forest to get decent shots. The weather wasn’t particularly helpful but thankfully our little Canon 550D stood up to the drizzle!

The second event was a road cycling event and the sun came out to play. This made all the difference to the cyclists mood, along with a much easier shooting schedule. We turned both of these videos around within a week to the delight of the client.

Moving into May, we finished up a Pilates DVD for Priya Tew before heading up to Scotland to cover audio production for a conference in Edinburgh.

June saw us providing some website consultation for Shirley Baptist Church, and begin developing an e-commerce site for Rhythmsection.com.

July through August we landed a contract with Friends Life Group to conduct a Usability and Compliance audit of all their international sites – quite a task! However, we finished ahead of time and on budget – job done, happy client :-)

We’re already half way through September and we’ve been out shooting video at BG Group and ATEC Security with Sous Productions.

What’s next? Watch this space!

Posted in Media Production, News, Video

Tonight Matthew, I’m… a Photographer!

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Michael Sumner

Yesterday I had the pleasure of donning my ‘Photographer’ hat with one of my favourite clients.

Basically, we are revamping her Pilates (no, NOT Pirates WordPress!) website to create something much more visually engaging and required some insight into her classes. So, I turned up at the end of a “Mum’s and Babies” class, where babies are in a creche as Mum’s do Pilates…

Got a few cracking shots of Mum’s in action and lots of cute Mummy/Baby shots after – I can see why people get into Studio Work, I can imagine it is very rewarding!

If you want to find out more about Pilates in Southampton, with “Daddy daycare”, check out: www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk (refresh to be launched late March!)

Posted in DSLRs, News, Photography

Kennedy Noel ‘This Holiday’ Video Shoot!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

Last week I had the opportunity to shoot a music video for the first time in my life (bar my own “on the guitar in my bedroom” cover of a Radiohead tune!).

I had been connected with the management company of Kennedy Noel, an up-and-coming starlet from the USA, through my partners in creativity at Ordinary Man Media. We got straight down to business and I had to shoot off the cuff throughout various locations in central London. This was challenging yet incredibly good fun!

Despite a few camera issues (wish I had updated to the latest build of Magic Lantern which is finally stable!) I was able to capture some really awesome sequences.

Hopefully these video stills speak volumes! (click for full res versions)

  

I’m really looking forward to the video, which I’m guessing will be released “This Holiday”! – find out more on Kennedy via her Facebook page: http://facebook.com/kennedynoelmusic or follow her on Twitter @kennedy_noel

Special thanks to Rob Porter for lending me his Prime Lenses!

Posted in DSLRs, Media Production, Music, News, Video

Making the leap…

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

Well, it’s pretty crazy but after investing in Final Cut Pro 7 just over a year ago, I have made the jump to Adobe Premiere Pro. Why? Because I am extremely sceptical about the future of Final Cut Pro X and because Adobe were offering a cracking deal on the Production Premium Suite (50% off for FCP Users!). This also means I get to play with Adobe After Effects which I am fairly certain will be a powerful tool to add to the arsenal!

It might seem like a rash decision but I should point out that I spent a month trying out AVID Media Composer (also on offer) but after using After Effects for just a week, in my mind it made a lot of sense to go with Adobe.

This is mainly because I have been using Photoshop since edition 2.0 and feel very at home with the Adobe interface logic. I know FCP 7 is still being used by many production houses, but I have also seen a rising number utilising Premiere Pro (including one of my clients) so I am pretty sure I have made the right choice. Obviously if I can edit with all three, it’s a huge bonus!

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Posted in Adobe, Apple, Media Production, Musings, News, Software, Video

Final Cut Pro(?) X

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

As reported on Philip Bloom’s blog Apple have today released the latest version of Final Cut Pro – ‘Final Cut Pro X’ through the ‘MacApp’ Store. Just when I was getting to grips with Final Cut Pro 7! :-(

Apparently it borrows a lot from iMovie, which could be a very bad thing… there are also new versions of Compressor and Motion, which can be purchased separately. This may be a blessing in disguise… I think I’ll stick with FCP7 for now.

Posted in Apple, Media Production, News, Software

The Great Camera Shootout…

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Michael Sumner — No Comments ↓

It’s probably old news to some but a colleague recently pointed me in the direction of the Zacuto “Great Camera Shootout 2010″.

This fascinating web series pits the recent crop of Canon DSLR Cameras against “real” Cinema and HD Video Cameras. The results are truly remarkable and leave me feeling quite happy about my investment in a Canon 550D/T2i although, this model only appears in the third “webisode” (along with a little Eurovision magic..!). The series was such a success that it was nominated for, and won, an emmy!

In addition, they have also released the first episode of the “Great Camera Shootout 2011″, which obviously has a bigger budget. This starts to show the limitations of the DSLRs but also demonstrates where they shine (in low light conditions). It’s maybe a little too much of a geek-out for some mind you ;-)

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Posted in DSLRs, Media Production, Video