Ambient Skies Productions Blog

Legal Paper Trails For Video Production: What Do I Need?
Legal Paper Trails For Video Production: What Do I Need?
Techniques

Remember those guerrilla days? Where you’d throw all caution to the wind to grab that shot before education taught you otherwise. Even if you haven’t gone through that phase, learning the hard way that you need to protect yourself on paper can be an


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What Does It Take To Be An Underwater Camera Operator
What Does It Take To Be An Underwater Camera Operator?
Techniques

From repelling the sides of bluffs to jumping out of an airplane, if there’s a place with deadly risk and a killer view, you can bet that human beings will find a way to document it. And from that newborn need, an advanced “specialty operator” position will


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5 Things To Consider When Shooting With The Phantom Flex4K Camera
5 Things To Consider When Shooting With The Phantom Flex4K Camera
Video Production Services , Gear , Crew

If you want super-sharp ultra-fast motion imaging for your next project then there really is only one camera to turn to. The Phantom Flex4K is the ultimate in slow-motion capture. Sporting a super-35mm CMOS with a full resolution of 4096 x 2304, this


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Editing: Know Your Co-Editor From Your Assistant Editor And Everything In Between
Know Your Co-Editor From Your Assistant Editor & Everything In Between
Video Production Services , Post Production

Credits are a strange phenomenon in the film business. Movies that are directed by Alan Smithee will have had the real director’s name removed. Peter Andrews is a pseudonym often used by Steven Soderbergh for crediting the cinematography on films he has


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Casting 101: Common Rates For Actors, Talent, And Influencers
Casting 101: Common Rates For Actors, Talent, And Influencers
UPM , Pre Production , Talent Acquisition

One of the first lines in your production budget will be for front of camera performers. Whether you’re booking David Duchovny or Dave Debutant your production is going to need to conform to Screen Actors Guild rules and SAG rates. These are the minimum


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Identifying Fraudulent Producers Before It's Too Late
Identifying Fraudulent Producers Before It's Too Late
Pre Production

From The Ladykillers to The Sting, Catch Me If You Can to Hustlers the art of the con is straight from the Hollywood playback. Unfortunately, real life scams and unscrupulous partners are part of everyday film and TV biz. The ploys range from simple fraud to


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Breaking Down The Different Types Of Video Production
Breaking Down The Different Types Of Video Production
Production , Types of Video Production

Video Production can be a pretty broad term when considering all of the many ways one can execute the process. Not every filmmaker grows up wanting to be Spielberg and has dreams of being a top director in Hollywood. Some might have dreams of being a


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Creative Development 101: Things To Consider Before Collaborating
Creative Development 101: Things To Consider Before Collaborating
Pre Production

Filmmaking is inherently collaborative and don’t let any auteur tell you otherwise. Even Steven Soderbergh needs a team around him to shape the idea, shoot, light, dress, and perform the scene. The Hollywood aphorism that a film is made three times: the


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Shaping A Scene With Light: A Cinematography Cheatsheet
Shaping A Scene With Light: A Cinematography Cheatsheet
Techniques , Gear

The core principles of cinematography are laid down in Genesis. ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.…’ Cinematographers are gods. After all, what is photography of still


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Hollywood’s Top 5 Budgeting Software For Production
Hollywood's Top 5 Budgeting Software For Production
Gear

Budgeting is just about as far from the creative side of production you can get, but if you want to avoid the pitfalls of ‘creative’ accountancy then you’ll want to make sense of every cent.


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How To Execute Video Production And Social Distance
How To Execute Video Production And Social Distance
Production

As film and TV production tentatively resumes it's clear that things will never revert to the way they were before Covid-19. Production is being permitted to start up in countries across the world provided social distancing and sanitization measures are


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Video Editing: Mac VS PC
Video Editing: Mac VS PC
Gear

here’s a silent war that’s been brewing in the tech world for over 4 decades now. Macintosh VS Microsoft — There’s other PC brands out there but let’s be real, they’d be nowhere without Bill Gates. The mastermind behind “PC” computers. If you don’t know that,


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Contingency Costs Associated With Video Production Contracts
Contingency Costs Associated With Video Production Contracts

So let’s say you’re dealing with the minutiae of pre production and you’re trying to get an idea funded whether that be a film, commercial, documentary or TV show. You’re going through all of the rigmarole, putting together a pitch deck that includes a budget


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5 Filmmaking Tools To Make Your Life Easier On Set
Production , Techniques , Gear

When you arrive on set, you depend on your tools to get you by. It doesn’t matter what department you’re in, there’s certain things you couldn’t live without on set. The producer who’s connected at the hip to his laptop, the DP who is more efficient with his


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Consolidating Crew Members: Who's Expendable And When Is It Necessary?
Consolidating Crew Members: Who's Expendable And When Is It Necessary?
Crew

Not every production budget is ideal. Sure, we’d like to tack on another zero here or there, but the truth of the matter is that most producers and freelancers take what they can get.


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How To Manage Client Expectations In Post Production
How To Manage Client Expectations In Post Production
Techniques

Ah, the wonderful world of post production. Where all of the magic happens and terabytes worth of footage captured during production is organized and woven into an intricate story. Many say this is the most important stage in a video’s lifeline. Let’s face


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Aerial Cinematography And All The Places You Can't Fly
Aerial Cinematography And All The Places You Can't Fly
Techniques , Gear , Types of Video Production

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… Drone? Yes, they’ve taken over our lives completely the past 6 to 7 years or so. Whether you like it or not, they’re here to stay. Yeah, they’ve got consumer ones for your kids and people over 40 still playing video games.


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Look Out FX9! The Canon C300 Mark III Is About To Drop
Look Out FX9! The Canon C300 Mark III Is About To Drop
Gear

Yes, it’s true. The Canon C300 Mark III is about to drop people! Now I don’t want to start this out busting Canon’s balls here, but it’s about damn time my friends! -- I say that with love. But seriously, Internal 4k RAW capture at 120fps — Thank you very


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Camera Depreciation And How To Avoid Losing Money
Camera Depreciation And How To Avoid Losing Money
Gear

In today’s fast world, camera tech changes rapidly, we all know that by now. And it can be frustrating watching a camera’s value diminish seemingly overnight. It’s a harsh reality check when you first realize that you’re going to have to sell it in a few


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What Are Common Rates For Video Production Crews?
What Are Common Rates For Video Production Crews?
Crew

It can be tricky when starting a journey into filmmaking. Let’s say you're approaching the point where you know your stuff well enough to start charging full rate for your position. But there’s one problem. You don’t know the full rate you should be charging


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Production Crew Positions 2020 (Film VS Commercial)
Production Crew Positions 2020 (Film VS Commercial)
Production , Crew

With the evolution of film crew roles and their typical association with technology, comes new career opportunities and pathways for people to work their way into the film industry.


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Choosing The Right Lenses For Your Project (And Knowing When To Compromise)
Choosing The Right Lenses For Your Project: Know When To Compromise
Production , Techniques ...

In a perfect world, we’d all go for the best of the best and Panavision would have to manufacture a whole lot more C series anamorphic primes right? Well unfortunately, production budgets are not always perfect and don’t have the capital to justify acquiring


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5 Best Ways To Keep Your Crew Happy
5 Best Ways To Keep Your Crew Happy
Production , Video Production Services ...

Leading a production crew is not easy. So what are some tips to keep everyone happy and giving it their all on long days? We have five ideas for you. Have you ever worked on a crew where everyone was unhappy? Production assistants walking around upset, people


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New Cinema Cameras of 2020: A Comprehensive Breakdown
New Cinema Cameras of 2020: A Comprehensive Breakdown
Production , Crew

Every year camera owners, rental houses, and producers everywhere hold their breath waiting for new camera releases to drop so they can get their hands on them and find out if they’re worth purchasing or renting.


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Gold Mount VS V-Mount Batteries: Which Is Better And Why?
Gold Mount VS V-Mount Batteries: Which Is Better And Why?
Production , Crew

When Anton Bauer created their signature gold mount battery in the early seventies, they created a favorite among Americans that hasn’t weaned since. Many claim it has a superior locking system utilizing 3 gold pins; however, Europeans and others around the


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Freelancers Beware: 5 Ways To Protect Yourself From Getting Burned
Freelancers Beware: 5 Ways To Protect Yourself From Getting Burned
Video Production Services , Techniques

Being a freelancer is hard enough without having people always trying to screw you over. So what are some tips to make sure that never happens? Tell me if this has happened to you. You are really excited to work a new freelance job and when you show up things


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Reasons Why You Need To Sell Your FS7 And Pick Up The Sony FX9
Reasons Why You Need To Sell Your FS7 And Pick Up The Sony FX9
Production , Gear

Many Sony FS7 owners have been dreading the day when their camera would be labeled obsolete -- And that day is fastly approaching. It’s never fun to watch your camera investment lose money, so hopefully you’ve gotten enough work to pay it off and then some.


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Asteras VS Quasar: The Pros And Cons
Asteras VS Quasar: The Pros And Cons
Techniques , Gear

When the first wireless LED tubes appeared on the scene, it opened the doors to all sorts of new creative ways to light up a scene or event. -- Or just take BTS shots of grips mimicking light sabers. But there was still something missing…


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Choose A Role And Master It: A Message To Beginner Filmmakers
Choose A Role And Master It: A Message To Beginner Filmmakers
Techniques , Crew

There are a ton of jobs available on a film set, but which is the right one for you to master?


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The RED Monstro VV vs. Arri Alexa Mini LF
The RED Monstro VV vs. Arri Alexa Mini LF
Gear

There's always been a lot of debate across the internet among cinematographers and enthusiasts regarding RED Vs. Arri and which brand is superior. RED DSMC2 Monstro VV and the Arri Alexa Mini LF are headed toward the same debate because they are both large


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5 Ways to spot incompetent video production companies
5 Ways to spot incompetent video production companies
Video Production Services

Video content will reign supreme for the foreseeable future. It’s incredibly important for you and your company to keep up in a changing world. To capture the attention, business, and loyalty of your website’s visitors, it’s important to consistently create


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What-camera-package-is-best-for-my-next-video-production
Camerawomen in Today’s Filmmaking Landscape
Crew

Filmmaking and television are grounded in bringing a perspective to an audience on a story level. But the way those stories are told is through visuals and framing. What happens when you add more diversity to your camera department? Now, more than ever, women


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When and when not to use a DIT on set
When and when not to use a DIT on set
Crew

Today’s Digital Image Technician (DIT) should not be a familiar face to most production crews making corporate videos, conducting live feeds, or working on any kind of production with a budget under 20k. Spending a lot of production money on a DIT in those


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How to choose the right cast & crew for your next video production
How to choose the right cast & crew for your next video production
Production , Crew , Talent Acquisition

Have you ever had to hire anyone? What’s the first thing you look for on a resume? What if you’re hiring someone outside your expertise? Or without a recommendation?


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Arri Alexa XT brings “Free State of Jones” to life on the big screen
Arri Alexa XT brings “Free State of Jones” to life on the big screen
Gear

When you think about the 1800s and the Civil War, a digital camera probably doesn’t come to mind. But the future of Hollywood is here, and it's taken the form of the Arri Alexa XT. Out of all of the film’s that have touched on the war between the Confederacy


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What are common rates for camera operators, dp's, & DIT's
What are common rates for camera operators, DPs, & DITs
UPM , Crew

Motion picture production work can be a great way to pave your way toward loftier Hollywood dreams or just get your hours on set to join one of the many technical unions. To make either of these dreams come true, you need to know what you’re worth. But that’s


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4 Ways to produce professional video content for your website
4 Ways to produce professional video content for your website
Types of Video Production

Is your company forward-thinking? Do they have their finger on the pulse or current events? If not, can you persuade them to? Because if your company is not using video marketing then they’re in trouble.


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Davinci Resolve is a game changer for the Post Production workflow
Davinci Resolve is a game changer for the Post Production workflow
Post Production

The latest installation in the DaVinci Resolve software package has turned a platform that provided excellent color correction into an all-in-one editing dashboard. With Resolve 12, film editors can edit, color correct, grade and finalize, all within the same


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Supercharge Your Brand Awareness With Video Production Services
Supercharge Your Brand Awareness With Video Production Services
Video Production Services

YouTube is the second largest search engine on the entire planet. That means a well-shot and distributed video can make clients and potential clients aware of your services in an instant.


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New cameras of 2016: Facts and Rumors
Gear

Every year the video/film production community gathers at the biggest nerd event that shan't be named (NAB) to gawk at all of the cool new gear that is being unveiled by all of the top brands catering to the industry. Just like every year, there's a healthy


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Will the Canon C300 Mark II gain the popularity of it's predecessor?
Will the Canon C300 Mark II gain the popularity of it's predecessor?
Gear

Let's face it, the Canon C300 kicked ass for awhile, but it's slowly fading off into the sunset.


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When Can you Break the Rule of Thirds?
When Can you Break the Rule of Thirds
Techniques

The rule of thirds is an ancient idea. Ever since there were paintings on canvas, humans have almost instinctively been compelled to place their subjects along invisible gridlines (vertical and horizontal) that divide the frame into thirds. From paintings and


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Why the 'Straight Out of Compton' cinematographer chose the RED Dragon
Why the 'Straight Out of Compton' cinematographer chose the RED Dragon
Gear , Types of Video Production

What makes a cinematographer choose a certain camera? Today I want to look at the thought process that went into the decision to use the Red Dragon by cinematographer Matthew Libatique.


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Solutions for budgeting video production services properly
Solutions for budgeting video production services properly
UPM

Anyone can make a video, right? There’s not that much that goes into pointing your camera or phone and just hitting record. Yikes. We all know it’s quite easy to shoot a simple, low-quality video and post it on the internet for the world to see. This might be


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How to make the most of your video production budget
How to make the most of your video production budget
UPM

Everything costs money. So how can you make sure your video productions come in under budget and still look good? Any video project, big or small, has to contend with budget limitations.


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Why you should know how to read a video production contract
Why you should know how to read a video production contract
UPM

Have you ever looked at a contract and not know what every line means? When you’re working outside your comfort zone, especially as a client dealing with video production, these oversights and misunderstandings can cost you thousands of dollars in hard


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What is the right length for commercials & online ads
What is the right length for commercials & online ads?
Post Production

Have you ever watched an ad online and not realized someone was selling you something? These hidden advertisements are precisely the right length to get their message across without giving you the time to tune out. They’re precise, interesting, and get the


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How to Create Week’s Worth of Content with One day of Video Production
How to Create Week’s Worth of Content with One day of Video Production
Production

If there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s that video production is expensive.


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What to Consider When Signing a Video Production Contract?
What to Consider When Signing a Video Production Contract?
UPM

Today, anyone with a camera phone and a Youtube account can make videos. And not just point and shoot videos, but high-quality results that can be professional looking.


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How do I Judge a Marketplace for Filmmakers?
How do I Judge a Marketplace for Filmmakers?
Crew

When you’re trying to make it in the film industry or stay up to date on all the latest gear and trends, film marketplaces can seem like an enticing destination.


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The Canon C300 vs. Sony Fs7 camera package
The Canon C300 vs. Sony Fs7 camera package
Gear

When you’re preparing to shoot your project, you want to make sure you rent the best camera for the price. Two popular options are the Canon C300 and the Sony Fs7. But what’s the difference between the Canon C300 and the Sony Fs7? And which suits the needs


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5 Tips to Start a Commercial Video Production Budget
5 Tips to Start a Commercial Video Production Budget (Free Template)
UPM

Planning a production budget is a challenge. There are so many things to account for and so many moving parts. And starting from scratch can waste time and ruin efficiency. That’s why we created a free production budget template to help you execute your goals.


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Top 3 digital cameras used in feature films today
Top 3 digital cameras used in feature films today
Gear

Keeping up with the ever-changing world of digital cameras is no easy task. There are so many that hit the market it’s hard to know who uses what. Especially for use in feature films. Knowing which camera is the best and most current solution for your needs


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Will there ever be tax incentives for Phoenix Video Production?
Will there ever be tax incentives for Phoenix Video Production?
UPM

Shooting a film, TV show, or commercial can be expensive. But lucky for you, your state governments deliver specific tax incentives that bolster your budget.


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25 Factors That Affect Corporate Video Production Costs
25 Factors That Affect Corporate Video Production Costs
Types of Video Production

Video production is the fastest growing marketing tool since the dawn of the internet. Digital video is accessible, cost-effective, and crucial to keeping an audience. And it’s not just commercials and corporate video. Digital has taken over Hollywood,


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The 3 benefits of video camera rental for industry producers
The 3 benefits of video camera rental for industry producers
Gear

“Should I rent or buy a camera package?” This is the main question asked by industry producers when they forge ahead on a project. Especially if they’re working on a series of videos or commercials and know they’ll need equipment for multiple shoots. So what


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The top five feature films of 2014
The top five feature films of 2014
Types of Video Production

2014 was a diverse and interesting year in Hollywood. Movies of all shapes and sizes did well at the box office, but what were the best movies of the year? In 2013 we saw better films compared to the previous years, but in my opinion, 2014 has stood out as a


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5 Things to Look for in Every Video Production Contract
UPM

When you start out in the business, you’re going to want to know exactly what kind of work you’re being offered and exactly what the client expects from you. That’s where production contracts come into play. They cover your butt when it comes to services and


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How to find the right voiceover talent for your presentation video
How to Find Voiceover Talent for Your Video Presentation
Post Production

The best voice overs keep your audience’s attention and deliver your message clearly and concisely. While a lot gets done in the writing, you need the right person to deliver the message.


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The top 3 film tools for independent filmmakers from 2014
The top 3 film tools for independent filmmakers from 2014
Gear

There’s a lot we can learn from the past. 2014 was not that long ago, and it was a landmark year for tools for independent filmmakers.


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What are some popular trends for corporate video production in 2019?
What are some popular trends for corporate video production in 2019?
Types of Video Production

Have you ever watched a video that was really good… and weren't quite sure why it was so good? Unfortunately, there is not a quick and easy process to learning how to recreate that good video with little to no experience. There have been numerous trends


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10 MUST SEE Cult Classic Horror Films
10 MUST SEE Cult Classic Horror Films
Types of Video Production

Like to feel the hair on your neck stand straight up? Want to impress your friends with your movie knowledge around Halloween? Then we have the list for you. We polled all our staffers and came up with ten MUST SEE cult classic horror films. This might be a


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How to find good video production companies
How to find good video production companies
Video Production Services

Maybe you or your corporation needs a video but has no idea where to start. How do you find someone to work with and how can you tell if they're honest or even good? Searching for the right video production company can be tough with zero industry experience.


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THE FUTURE OF LED LIGHTING IN CINEMA
THE FUTURE OF LED LIGHTING IN CINEMA
Techniques , Gear

Lighting needs within Hollywood change every decade. As cameras get more sensitive, lights have to change to make sure they don’t blow them out, and as sets get bigger lights need to be able to be hidden in places to help accentuate every scene.


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Where Commercials and Cinema Collide
Where Commercials and Cinema Collide
Types of Video Production

Have you ever seen a company advertisement that feels like a cinematic experience? -- I'm willing to bet that you have. Things like the BMW “Driver” videos with Clive Owen, the OK Go Honda music video, and the Dove “Real Beauty” video essays all classify as


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5 Misconceptions about Post-Production
5 Misconceptions about Post-Production
Post Production

The post process on any project can be tedious and frustrating. If you don’t live or work in that world you might have a ton of questions about how or why things happen.


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What is industry standard video production?
Video Production Services

Video production is a tricky business. If you don’t know the terms or who you’re working with, you might be caught off guard by pricing, lack of professionalism, and the final product.


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What is ambient skies?

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