Andrew George

choose your own adventure on youtube

2011-11-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most creative video campaigns I've ever viewed, rivalling old spice's Q&A a couple years back.

Let your imagination run wild!

a good indian and mtv

2011-11-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

MTV was gracious enough to do a piece on myself focusing on my short film A Good Indian

I have a few updates on the film coming, but if you haven't yet, click here to head over to MTV and check it out.

making movies with a "picture" camera... that can shoot at 4K

2011-11-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

DSLR still isn't a household term, reserved only for the nerds of the indie film scene (and scoffed at by the majority of pros... except the director of House)

We use a couple of t3i cameras at work, and I personally use a Canon 7D for my own projects. Every time I shoot, people marvel at the capabilities of what they visually perceive to be a camera meant only for still photography.

Truth be told, myself, and many of my colleagues and peers in the industry would ditch are cameras in a heartbeat for a RED camera, knowing full well the capabilities far surpass our DSLRs.

That's why many of us should be excited today at Canon's announcement of a DSLR that can shoot at 4k.

I can't wait to check the demo videos of this on vimeo.

I'm the 79,765,488,349th person to live on this planet

2011-11-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

What number are you?

How to end a short video

2011-11-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

... Meet one of the funniest characters on the web. From Tigheland.com Curtis Hewlett

Blast from the Past #2: The Olympian

2011-10-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

No sense running these posts in chronological order.

I noticed this on Facebook this week. You can check it out at tigheland.com as well, along with dozens of other videos that will leave you both chuckling and scratching your head (in a good way, of course).

Back in Fort Frances, a man by the name of Dan Robinson came back home for a couple of years. We talked plenty of times about shooting something together, and the day came where we actually followed through and put together a great little piece!

Blast From the Past! Post #1

2011-10-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

There was a time when mullets were cool. Unfortunately it was short lived.

Sometimes I'm not sure what had more success back in Fort Frances, the attached ode to Fort Frances Ambassador to Fort Frances or the short film it was meant to promote. We uploaded and promoted this on Youtube before the video sharing behemoth was a household name.

I'd like to think this video, and The Show: Loser Pissed, has a place in Fort Frances Folklore, a sentence in the Fort Frances history books. If not, hopefully I'll still come across that odd person in the bars back home, willing to by me a drink for having a little fun highlighting part of the Fort Frances culture.

Netflix isn't ready for Facebook

2011-10-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Netflix and Facebook marriage is sexless.

When I first heard of the announcement that Netflix was teaming up with Facebook, I was all for it. I’m a bit of a junkie/geek when it comes to integrating social media into my life. I’m more of a ‘follower’ than a ‘poster,’ in the social media sphere, but nonetheless I was excited at the opportunities the Netflix/Facebook partnership would present.

But all it does is post what I watched to my timeline. That’s it.

Why not prompt me to start a discussion on what I watched, to “Like” it, to do something with it that would provide valuable content to my facebook profile, and my network. On Netflix, I can see what my other friends have watched. How is this useful? Did they enjoy it? Were they the ones that watched it, or did they let their children run rampant through movies that would never peak my interest?

I love discussing films, television, and all sorts of other things on Facebook. I hate useless Facebook posts. Nobody needs to know that I watched 4 episodes of the X-Files this morning.

If you want to read a little bit more about why this partnership took place, and why it’s failing (more from a business perspective), I encourage you to read this Diane Mermigas article from Seeking Alpha

Shot a Kid Rock music video! Watch!

2011-05-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

For those viewing on facebook, check the link here http://www.youtube.com/outofsightproduction

I decided to jump into the fan made music video craze, producing a video for Kid Rock's single Rock On, which is off his latest album Born Free.

The entire video project wasn't solely focused on creating a fan made music video. The video was more of a by-product of the footage from a narrative somewhat inspired by the song Rock On. Hoping to complete the entire project and post soon in the next month. For now, watch, enjoy, share, and comment!

additional notes: shot with no-budget in Winnipeg, Manitoba using a Canon 7D rig. Edited on Final Cut Pro. Those involved include Michael Strickland (Lead), Jayelle Morris (Lead), Erin Opitz (Associate Producer), and plenty of others!

My Favourite 15 Movies as of Friday, May 13

2011-05-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

#1 Any Given Sunday - Epic. This movie doesn’t get enough props for the fact that the subject matter is related to American Football, which doesn’t relate well outside of the United States causing many to miss the metaphors present throughout the film.

#2 Pulp Fiction - If “cool” was a Oscar category, Tarantino would likely walk away with an award every time he takes the director’s chair. I had a tough time placing this ahead of his latest film...

#3 Inglorious Bastards - Only Tarantino can rewrite history and have the audience accept it so well. The Bastards ensemble is the funnest is cinematic history.

#4 Avatar - Victim of the “I hate it because its popular” plague, this film will be remembered as a groundbreaker in terms of visuals, technology, and its environmental message. Yes I know he retold a simple story... But why is this a bad thing if it works so well?

#5 Almost Famous - Ever scene feels so tight. Extremely well cast, great music, and perhaps the greatest coming of age film of all time.

#6 The Departed - Only Scorsese could effectively balance the star power present in this film, and put Mark Walhberg in line for an Oscar.

#7 Apocalypse Now - Just the fact that this movie was completed lands it on the list.

#8 Fight Club - The best part is when you’re watching and the audience collectively sighs “no fu#$ing way!”... with the exception of the jackass that yells “I called that!”

#9The Matrix - honestly, this might rank higher if the other 2 movies didn’t fu#k with the mythology of Neo.

#10 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Tugs at a scenario we’ve all considered or wished that was possible. This film is humanistic, even though its not realistic.

#11 Lost in Translation - Very raw, but it felt so perfect.

#12 Watchmen - I’m not a comic book/graphic novel reader... I just thought this movie was bad ass, sexy, and interesting all rolled into one.

#13 Pitch Black - You’re never really sure how to feel about Riddick the whole way through. To bad they couldn’t make a successful franchise out of the Riddick character. Another film that should have been left alone (see: Matrix)

#14 China Town - A great movie, with twists. There’s just something sexy about the whole thing... excluding the whole incest thing.

#15 Australia - This movie could have been about anything, the visuals made it one of the greats of all time.

#16 Observe and Report - minus the ending. I had to include this... unfortunately the ending, which felt like the idea of a traditional hollywood producer, takes away from the brilliant dark comedy. I’ll never fuc$ with mall cops after watching this film. A great performance by Seth Rogen, and unfortunately the victim of improper marketing.

Honourable mentions: The Godfather, Titanic, The Last Waltz, Bowling for Columbine, The Sixth Sense, The Prestige, Inception

Agree? Disagree? Sad that no Nic Cage movies made the list? Comment or hit me up on Twitter.com/andrewjoegeorge

The Latest FCP X Post!

2011-05-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

I realize I'm missing the boat by about a month in regards to capitalizing on the Final Cut Pro X craze. I resisted the temptation to immediately spill my thoughts on something with so little information provided.

As I follow the super geek world (i.e. twitter and blogs) there's definitely a mixed bag of excitement and concern regarding the new editing suite software. In true Apple fashion, we have been only privileged to a teaser of FCPX. Immediately, freelance videographers balked at the new low price, fearing any adolescent may get his hands on a Macbook, a Canon DSLR, and the new FCPX software, only to call themselves a "professional".

I say, "Bring it on!"

Sometimes we forget that film making, and/or video making is an art as much as it is a profession. Now many have the opportunity to venture into this art that once exceeded the budgets of the middle class. Will there be more crap posted to Vimeo and Youtube? Absolutely! Will incredibly talented individuals emerge from the crap as a result of being able to participate in this form of art? Definitely!

I digress....

What is known about FCPX? (As in "10", not "X", as Apple looks to utilize Roman numerals)

It will be faster - 64 bits, unlimited ram (previous versions only allowed up to 4GB), no rendering (all in the background), and plenty of automation.

It will also cost $299.

There are a lot more features, but the details are extremely vague. Check out this link for more details on what's new at fcp.co.

FCPX... lets talk price. We have to remember that Apple has been packaging a studio in a box for the last 10 years, complete with color correction tools, DVD authoring software, Motion, compression software, Live Type (remember that!), and audio software. Some reports indicate that these sorts of tools will now be integrated directly into FCPX. My guess is that Apple will release these tools through the app store as add-ons, much like what they've done with the iLife suite.

And why not? Many of us elect to utilize other tools rather than the ones bundles within Final Cut Studio. Some use Colorista instead of Color, and Pro Tools instead of Soundtrack Pro. If Apple gives users the opportunity to pick and choose, and not have to pay for the whole batch of software included in the "studio in a box," then we should send a big thank you to Apple for giving us choice, and ultimately a price break.

From the looks of things, the new approach by Apple could be a game-changer. I for one won't be immediately jumping ship to Adobe or Avid. Personally, I'm satisfied with Final Cut 7, and honestly, I'll probably wait for at least a few months until the kinks are worked out of FCPX before I invest, as I usually intend to do when a shiny new piece of software hits the market.

What are your thoughts on FCPX? Leave a comment below, or hit me up on twitter at twitter.com/andrewjoegeorge.

Great advice on making money with film/video

2011-03-31T21:11:00.001-07:00

I came across a blog post from Phillip Bloom today that I thought to share. He speaks on the reality of making money as a videography, filmmaker, dp, or whatever term one likes to apply to themselves.

Having made a living for 3 years at a young age using primarily a camera, I found it very realistic and relevant to today's freelance industry.

For the record, I am on hiatus from actively seeking freelance videography assignments, electing to go back to school and focus solely on narrative pieces, that are either self-produced or in collaboration. Long story short, I found my creativity was getting stifled from the business aspect of freelance work, and decided to go back to school, learn about english, theatre, and film in hopes of improving my work in the long run.

But, as I digress, read more about the industry by someone that has achieved far more success and has far more experience than myself.

http://philipbloom.net/2011/03/31/how-do-i-get-into-this-filming-lark-and-make-money-from-it-part-1/

Snapshot from Rock On: Party People

2011-03-31T19:41:00.001-07:00

Just thought I'd share a snapshot from last week's shoot. We got some great footage, and I can't wait to get some footage online!

Cast from left to right: Sarah Martin, Gabriel Thiessen, and Kyla Willis

Canon 7D vs. 60D: Is downgrading upgrading?

2011-03-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

Making Movies With NO Budget Blog post #1

I’ll save you the suspense. No! Downgrading from the 7D to Canon’s 60D is not a wise choice. I’m talking purely from a video capturing perspective. However, this may not be for the reasons you are thinking. Which brings me to another interesting point/question...

Is upgrading from the 60D to a 7D a good idea? Answer: No

Lets compare notes on the cameras, and see where the respective cameras have an edge, before I really make my case.

• The 60D viewfinder can move! Bend it, flip it, twist it! Suddenly ground shots, self portrait shots, high shots, all become easier to monitor. A feature that not found on the 7D.

• Whose got the better body? The 7D. There’s no comparison here, in terms of durability and weather proofing, the 7D has more than an edge.

• Audio control is possible with the 60D, as oppose to the 7D, where you’re stuck with the auto level feature. However, the audio functions in the 60D are buried in the menu features, making adjustments on the fly impossible.

• In terms of actual footage, the two actually are said to compare quite nicely. Both have the same size sensor, and frame rate capability. The 7D does have dual processors, but this feature really only gives it more power to snap more still frames-per-second.

• The 60D uses SD/SDHC cards, while the 7D uses CF, which are more expensive, and don’t conveniently pop into your Macbook pro SD slot (this is, of course, only handy if you’re a Mac user)

So, it looks as if I’ve made a case for downgrading to the 60D, especially if you also take into consideration that the 7D is roughly $700 more than the 60D (which can be bought for $1000 on Amazon). But as I stated before, downgrading isn’t the best idea.

My case...

First, who’s going to buy a used 7D with the 60D on the market? One would be lucky to get $1250 on ebay for a moderately used 7D. Plus, if you're lucky enough to sell it for that price, consider your Paypal and Ebay charges, and your profit easily dwindles another $100. Come time to buy your 60D, you’re really only sitting with another couple hundred extra dollars in your pocket. In terms of overall value, downgrading really isn’t all that worthwhile. Also, I know we’re talking video on this post, but the 7D does trump the 60D in professional photography specifications, autofocus, fps, and power (126 jpeg burst). If you need another reason to hang onto your 7D, the camera is superior to the 60D in terms of still photography.

Having said that….
I bought the 7D only to have the 60D come out 4 months later. If I were to make the purchase over again, based on the footage I’ve watched of the 60D and 70D on Vimeo and Youtube, and my experience shooting with the 7D over the last year, I would definitely buy the 60D in a heartbeat (not a typo… I said 60D).

With the extra cash, I would invest in glass! Good lenses are expensive, but are also a tool that can make your shooting your project a lot smoother (a topic destined for a different blog post).

I’m working on a no budget project right now, and I have at my disposal a Zeiss f1.4 50mm lens, a Canon FD f2.8 28mm lens, and a Canon EOS f4.0-5.6 17-85mm lens. I try to use my 50mm lens for the majority of the shots. We’re shooting in an apartment, so we get into some tight spots where a wider shot is needed. In that case I go to my zoom lens, and keep it as wide as needed (which performs image wise about even with the FD lens, upon initial testing). I should also point out, that for the most part we’re using natural light in the apartment. Obviously not ideal, but like I said this is a no-budget shoot, and we don’t really have a decent light kit at our disposal.

The Zeiss lens is a dream to work with in this particular scenario. We’re able to set it at f4 (where we feel we get the best DOF, for that natural film look) and we don't have to max out the ISO on the 7D in most rooms of the apartment. When we make the switch to the Canon 17-85mm, even at f4, we’re finding that we have to bump up the iso to anywhere around 800-1000. When monitoring it in post, I’m noticing a significant difference in grain, and overall colour as well, in favour of the Zeiss lens.

So my advice…

If you already own a 7D, stick with it! On the bright side, you have the ability to jump up to cinema lenses (if you care to invest $4000 in a mod kit… plus another $20 000 or so in the lenses)

If you don’t have a camera yet, and you're on a tight budget, purchase the 60D.

some sites to look at:

http://philipbloom.net/2011/03/17/whichdslr/ - great run down of specs, pros/cons of multiple dslr

http://dancarrphotography.com/blog/2010/08/27/canon-60d-vs-7d/

notes:

This is my first blog post in a series of blog posts that will be known as Making Movies With NO Budget. I'll explain my intentions in a short while, for now enjoy the read and check out http://andrewjoegeorge.com

New project! Check out the image...

2011-03-17T19:06:00.001-07:00

Its been awhile....

After a deciding to take some time off work and tackle University, which inadvertently led to me trying my hand acting in a theatre faculty production, I've finally got back to my first love... behind the camera.

I've been fortunate enough to meet some great creative people here in Winnipeg. We've started production on a video project, and I thought I'd share a still from the footage we shot last weekend.

The project is titled Rock On. More details to come, along with footage. The project stars Jayelle Morris and Mike Strickland, and is set to wrap up production in April with hopes of a early May release.

"A Good Indian" Featured in "The Native Canadian"

2011-01-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

INDEPENDENT FILM REVIEW:

By: Aaron Cain

Indie film explores conflict, pride and identity

“Hey, have you heard the one about the drunken Indian? How about the lazy Indian? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not racist; I’m just telling it like I see it!”

Sound familiar? Sadly, racism against First Nations people is still all too common. Andrew George’s new film A Good Indian graphically displays one man’s encounter with the bigotry that can be found everywhere from small town bars to big city universi- ties.

The film was recently screened as part of Toronto’s annual Ren- dezvous with Madness Film Festi- val. The Festival focuses on, ‘Cine- matic Perspectives of Mental Illness and Addiction.’ After the screening, there was a panel discussion with three professionals working in the Native health field, a visual artist, the filmmaker and was open to ques- tions/comments from the audience.

In A Good Indian, the protago- nist, Tom, is drawn into a couple’s tirade against Native people. He is mixed race, but because of his light skin appears non-Native. When the chat turns ugly, the bigots, Gerald and Frank, assume Tom agrees with them and include him in their con- versation. Tom is visibly uncomfort- able but does not disclose his Indian-ness. Instead he tries to rea- son with the men, eventually giving up and making his way home.

It’s not the easiest film to sit through. The dialogue is harsh, but most of us have heard similar if not worse things, so watching it could trigger a host of unpleasant memo- ries. After one screening, George said the audience didn’t want to say a word, “there were jaws on the floor and people were very uncomfortable with it.”

George drew from first hand experiences when writing A Good Indian. He grew up in Fort Frances, Ontario, which borders on four Ojibway reserves. But despite the large number of inter-racial families, like George’s, racism is still quite prevalent. The film’s main character, Tom, is modeled after George, a self proclaimed ‘white Indian’. When aspects of our identity are not visibly apparent, like sexuality, religion, or in this case race, it’s possible to find ourselves in situations where we have to choose whether to disclose our identity or not. George says, “I’ve found myself in situations where First Nations people were talked of negatively on a regular stereotypes. George explains that viewers may find themselves agree- ing with some of Gerald’s comments because, “what he says is true. There is more abuse, there is more crime, more alcohol problems, but the way he goes about it is totally wrong. But I wanted to stage the conversation that way; Gerald may be right about some aspects, but why? And why are we talking about First Nations people like this and how does it lead to racism?”

The setting’s rural feel shouldn’t imply that racism is just a rural phe- nomenon. He could have shot the film just as easily in a pub in down- town Toronto. George says, “(Some people) have a skewed, horrible view of First Nations people. My sister lives in Toronto and she has come across some incidents that were way worse.”

The film doesn’t offer answers. Tom’s sister asks, “What about you? Are you a good Indian?” Like Tom, we are left to decide if we are good Indians. Should we think in terms of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and how could scenes such as the one por- trayed in the film be handled differ- ently?

A Good Indian is available to watch through Andrew George’s website, www.andrewjoegeorge.com

("The Native American" is a Toronto Based Monthly newspaper from the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto)

A Good Indian selected to more festivals!

2010-10-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

4 months to the day since I last blogged. I'm hoping there are still a few readers out there interested in what's happening with A Good Indian and other projects I'm involved in.

First, A Good Indian is doing well on the Film Festival Circuit. After screening at Wildsound in Toronto, and YoungCuts in Montreal this past September, A Good Indian will be screening in Toronto at RendezVous with Madness in early November, as well as the American Indian Film Festival in early November as well. Also, soon you'll be able to watch A Good Indian online at the National Screen Institute online film festival. Be sure to check out a new section on the website for A Good Indian at andrewjoegeorge.com

As to why I haven't been blogging recently... well, summertime can really take life over... in a good way! I also transitioned my way to Winnipeg and enrolled in classes at the University of Manitoba. I'm taking a diverse selection of arts classes, hoping to get inspired from some of the content we're studying and get writing and developing new projects. I've also been trying out some acting, and have a show coming up in mid-november. Free time is precious these days, but I'm enjoying myself and am really growing to love Winnipeg.

I plan to keep this blog up, (you know, more than everything 4 months) so continue to keep an eye out for new posts and links. Drop me an email anytime if you have any comments, project ideas, tech questions, or love letters. (just seeing if you're still reading)

Cheers,

Andrew

VHS

2010-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

For those who are reading this on Facebook, check out the link at youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld9nnYFvapw

A friend has a little surprise from his closet.

VHS:
Filmed in Fort Frances, Ontario

Shot with a 7D and indiproSlider on hand. No script, no rules, we just shot for an afternoon and came out with this!

Director of Photography: Andrew George (andrewjoegeorge.com)

Actor/Producer: Wade Friesen
Actor: Drew Donald
Actor: Jerome Tuesday

Seven Generations 25th Anniversary

2010-06-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

I always love getting a call from Seven Generations. The staff at the education institute is great, and it's always a pleasure to work with them.

I got a last minute call to stop by an put something together for their 25th anniversary. Below is the result.... enjoy!

MUST SEE! A Good Indian Screening in Fort Frances

2010-05-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

I will be screening my latest short A Good Indian at the 2010 Women's Health Symposium in Fort Frances May 8th, 2010 10:00am at Townshend Theatre. This will be the first, if not last major screening of the film in the area. I will also be speaking on film-making, and touching on the themes of A Good Indian.

Given the recent events of the town, the racial themes and undertones of the film are relevant and timely.

This is an exciting opportunity, and I'm grateful that the organizers invited me to the symposium. Hope to see you there!

What Happened to the Stupid White Indian?

2010-04-23T18:34:00.001-07:00

What happened to Stupid White Indian?

A couple of years ago I started researching and shooting a documentary project called "Stupid White Indian." I still often get asked about the project. To my surprise, word spread quick throughout the aboriginal community after only a little bit of vlogging and press on the project. Now, with the release of "A Good Indian," people often ask if this is indeed the project I set out to accomplish.

Short answer... no.

I pulled back the reins on Stupid White Indian for multiple reasons. Funding, timing, and a lack of resources prompted me to cut the cord on the project. I still have plans to eventual produce Stupid White Indian, but I'm vowing to exercise patience to ensure the project plays out exactly how I envision.

Stupid White Indian is a documentary project about Canadian society's perception of First Nation, Metis, Inuit, and non-Status people. The title refers to myself. "A Good Indian" plays on much of the themes of Stupid White Indian, and was actually came from an idea of a re-enactment that was going to be a part of Stupid White Indian.

I still get comments every week from the Vlog, some interesting, some ignorant, and some entertaining. There's definitely proof of public interest to watch something like this, and one day I plan to bring it to masses in a big way.

To check out a little bit more on the project, head over to www.youtube.com/stupidewhiteindian.

Watch A Good Indian!

2010-04-05T10:57:00.001-07:00

A Good Indian has been submitted to the Babelgum Online Film Festival! There's a great collection of films over at Babelgum.com. I encourage you to check out the films.... but also be sure to watch, rate, and favourite A Good Indian!

Just a little background on the film. I (Andrew George) wrote, directed, and produced the 8 minute short and it was completed in early 2010. We shot it in Fort Frances, with the majority of the cast and crew from the Rainy River District. We're hoping to crack a few festivals this year both online and traditional.

Update: Babelgum no longer hosts the video... check it out below

You can check out the link here http://www.nsi-canada.ca/a_good_indian.aspx

Cut-Resistant Hockey Gear and Couchiching

2010-03-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

My latest post have lacked my own footage. Reason being? Well for one, I've been writing quite a bit and talking collaboration with a few people on some small projects for this upcoming summer.... for the most part, production is on hold. Second, I've been working with a few clients, helping them with the media side of their current projects.

I did a little bit of work with Randy Hogan of Hogan Hockey (www.hoganhockey.com) and am admittedly fascinated by Randy's new product line of cut-resistant hockey gear. No, we didn't shoot a commercial (yet anyways!) but we did film a some footage of the gear in action. No camera tricks, no extra polish... the whole idea of this video was to show the effectiveness of Randy's Achilles® line of products. If you're a hockey parent or player, you should definitely check this out. (remember, if you're on Facebook, you must goto my blog at blog.andrewjoegeorge.com to view the video)

I've also been fortunate enough to work with Couchiching First Nation in developing, designing, and programming their website at www.couchiching.ca. The website should be more accurately described as a web portal for Couchiching First Nation, as it's home to all of Couchiching's program and department websites. I also attempted to modernize with a subtle web 2.0 look, rounded corners, and colourful pictures... a change of pace from most government type websites yet it still has the functionality of a site that handles a lot of content. If you check it out, you'll likely notice its incomplete, but we're working on a daily basis to fill the site with content and hope to have it at 100% by the summer!

And of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the original video from a few good friends down in southern Ontario. Check it out here!

Last, we just wrapped up production at J.W. Walker with Ms. Davidson-George's grade 7 class on a pair of environmental films. Be sure to be on the lookout for more info on the films come April, I believe they will be showing at the Fort Frances High School Environmental Film Festival.

HDR Photos... blasphemy

2010-02-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

just want to make it clear, I'm not a pro photographer.

Videographer.... hey, I call myself one, but I've yet to conquer my Canon 40D. Out of a bit of curiosity lately I've been playing around taking photos, trying to get the pics I want minus the noise and plus the sharpness.

I've also taken notice ever the ever growing fad of HDR photography. While doing a bit of research into it, I've noticed both the love and the hate from photographers around the world when it comes to HDR photos.

Personally, I think if you're a photographer, or videographer, you're essentially an artist. The opportunity you have as an artist is to show people what the world looks like through your eyes. As an artist, we see things differently than most..... and if you're good enough at it, some people may even pay to get a glimpse of what you see (a photograph, painting, a film/movie). And if you're not... well, everyone knows the term starving artist. To me, HDR photography gives artists another brush in their kit! Anyways, enough philosophy from me.... I'm wondering what other people think of HDR photography, or maybe even art in general.

Chew on these HDR photos from a newbie for now

Do you know who I am?

2010-02-20T19:39:00.001-08:00

In an attempt to stay true to my new year's resolution of not letting this blog collect dust, I'm going to share some random jottings with you.

• I was bored with a bit of a headache today. I needed something to make me laugh, and something to write about in this blog. I thought, why not combine the two? So I found a Youtube clip that not only makes me laugh, but also peaks into my warped sense of humour. FYI, I'm not exaggerating, but I've watched this movie likely ten times since Christmas.

- that never gets old... if you've made it this far reading on facebook, you can actually view this clip on my blog. Like wise, I'm likely posting this under a clever header to my facebook profile page at facebook.com/andrewjoegeorge, along with another Anchorman gem I found

Sneak Peak at A Good Indian

2010-01-31T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peak into A Good Indian, the latest short film from All Good Projects:

The setup,

Tom does his best not too let a couple of bar regulars upset him as they discuss "Indians."

A Good Indian: 8mins: short drama: 2009: HD: Directed by Andrew Geoge

A Good Indian getting a deal!

2010-01-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

For those not aware, a good crew of us shot a 8 min short called A Good Indian in August of 2009. This month I got some awesome news, Winnipeg Film Group (WFG) will be distributing the film! This means that WFG will be getting it into festivals and other screenings on my behalf. It's always been a goal of mine to get a short into WFG's distribution, and hopefully it will crack a festival screening very soon.

I haven't written or shared a whole lot about A Good Indian, but for now I can tell you it involves a discussion about First Nation people at a bar that is less than cordial. I'll likely dive into detail a little further down the road if indeed it gets a screening. But for now, take a look at some of the screen shots from the shoot:

Youtube now vs. then

2010-01-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

I find it fascinating on how far along Youtube has come in terms of quality. As I begin to peruse through my Youtube portfolio, I'm completely floored on how much better my recent uploads look compare to uploads from 2008 and early 2009.

I have used Youtube quite extensively. Not to say I've uploaded anything that's went completely viral, but the local content I personally uploaded for fortfrances.tv has generated well over 100 000 views (note that not everything on the fftimes youtube channel is mine, just the majority.)

In my opinion, Youtube's quality is on par with Vimeo, who has long been regarded in the video geek world as the premiere in terms of uploading and video quality. My HD uploads look great in even standard play. The only problem? My old stuff on Youtube looks wretched!

So, I am and will be re-uploading a lot my my material. A tedious task to say the least, and I will likely only do so with my most visually appealing content... but its something that needs to be done!

Feel free to chime in on Youtube's video quality, and if you feel it does now rival vimeo...

To see the difference for yourself, check out the quality difference between the fortfrances.tv polar plunge uploaded on January 5th, 2009 (specs: shot and uploaded at 720p) and my currently updated demo reel upload Nov. 4, 2009 (specs: shot and uploaded at 720p). You'll likely notice the difference more on the facial details and wider shots. Both are being played back in standard definition, and were shot on the same camera. I did use a imaging adapter for the demo reel, which lends a little bit more sharpness on close up shots and depth of field, but the wide shots between the two preview the same before Youtube compression.

And if you're viewing this from Facebook, you can actually see the footage at http://www.andrewjoegeorge.com/blog/blog.php?id=898623107508827016

Olympic Torch Relay

2010-01-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

Had a very interesting day. A friend of mine was accompanying Phil Fontaine while he participated in his Olympic Torch Run in Long Plain, Manitoba. I brought my camera, braved the minus 40 Celsius weather, and snapped a few pics. Here's a few of my favourites

For anyone that has the torch relay coming near your community, I definitely recommend attending. There was a tremendous amount of excitement in Long Plain, and it is something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

Still Smoking

2009-07-01T13:52:00.001-07:00

More fun from the night test with the HVX200 and Brevis camera rig.

I'm more than happy with how both responded under the low light conditions. We only had one light outdoors. We tried to run two, but the generator just wouldn't hack it!

Slo Mo Bad Ass Smoking

2009-07-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

We needed to test my HVX200 and Brevis Camera Rig at night, and with the help of fellow film makers Drew Donald and Dan Robinson, we did some bad ass smoking scenes here in Fort Frances, Ontario.

This is without color correction. I'm going to post a more complete video with color correction asap.

The Awakening: Connie Cuthbertson

2009-03-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm very proud to announce that The Awakening: Connie Cuthbertson, a documentary on artistic process featuring Fort Frances artist Connie Cuthbertson is complete!

This is All Good Projects first HD project of its kind. Although we shoot fortfrances.tv mainly in HD, we haven't had the opportunity to get involved heavily creatively with cinematography, music, and lighting.

The less than 10 minute doc was shot with AGP's Panasonic HVX200 and Brevis 35mm adapter unit with a Zeiss 50mm f1.4 lens for the majority of the shots (yes, that's geek talk)

Take a gander......

The Awakening from Andrew George on Vimeo.

HVX200 and Brevis

2009-03-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just thought to share some of these awesome pics of my camera rig featuring a Brevis 35mm adapter with my Panasonic HVX200.

There are a few more snapshots on the All Good Projects (www.allgoodprojects.com) Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Frances-ON/All-Good-Projects/6347704655

I was on Vacation....

2009-03-04T19:24:00.001-08:00

I'm really only using this blog to share some of my work things with all of you (because I do understand how interested you are with my work). But the beauty about what I do, is that I'm always working in a sense, even while on vacation.

While I don't claim to be a seasoned still photographer, I do dabble in it from time to time as a bit of a hobby, and every now and then I need to snap a few pics for a project. I have a Canon 40D camera, and I love it!

So... getting on with it. I recently went to Paris for a much needed break and took a few pictures. The lovely lady in the pictures is my girlfriend, for those wondering...