georgestarcher.randomlings

Random ramblings from my personal side.

iDevices and Creativity

I keep up on the trends in media production.  What I find really amazing is how things like the iPhone4 and iPad are making seriously professional grade work possible for anyone.  Even the true professionals.  I cannot imagine what it would have cost to make the "Nancy Lee" video for Vintage Trouble five to ten years ago just due to the equipment.  This was shot on an iPhone4 for the raw footage.  Then one of the iPhones was stolen and recovered due to Find my iPhone.   You can read that story on their blog post.

I know people in the entertainment industry and in the industries around it.  A lot of them really do not see that this sort of technology is shifting things back into the hands of the independent creators.  A number of people ask me about iPad, iPhone etc.  I ask one question first.  "Do you have kids?"  And if the answer is yes, then my immediate answer is "Yes get one.  Especially, if they are the least bit creative."  I tell them it is a disservice to your kids not to introduce them to current technology like this.  It inspires their creativity and frankly it is how things are heading.   

What about the argument iPad is just for consumption?  My answer to that is two fold.  First, how can you possibly understand how to create if you do not see how people are consuming the final results?  You have to understand the medium to best use it to create.  Second, seriously can you look at the video for "Nancy Lee" and others like it shot with an iPhone and sites like HandHeldHollywood and see limitations rather than possibilities?  Just look at The Cube from Teradek to see how iPad is influencing normal production sets.  I have said from the moment I first got my iPad that it would change movie production with dailies and scripts.

PS I loved Vintage Trouble's sound so much I picked up the album , The Bomb Shelter Sessions, over on iTunes.  So yes making creative works like the video and putting it on YouTube can result in fan/customers.

Apple iDevices and Audio Recording - Pulling out what is left of my hair out.

Ever since I got my first iPhone, the 3GS, I have wanted to use it to record audio.  I have been in podcasting since it started.  Six years ago.  Not the five Apple tried to claim in iTunes.  Five is how long they have had it in iTunes.

I also had gotten an Owle Bubo (http://www.wantowle.com/) for Christmas last year.  It is a great camera grip and comes with the Veracorder mic to better aim your audio when making video.  The veracorder mic is below.  It's short and can be bent to angle toward your source.  It works on the iPhone3GS but has been broken on the iPhone4.  

Veracorder

Combined with the FiRE field recorder app (http://www.audiofile-engineering.com/) it makes a great hand recorder for questions, notes etc.  Especially since the FiRe app supports the Izotope (http://www.izotope.com/) audio processing plugins like Noise Gate, Hiss Reducer.  Sure you can only use one at a time but its cool for field use.  Even better is you can turn on pass through audio.  Where I am going is I wanted to be able to use my iPhone or now iPad as an inline noise gate for my sound board.  Why not?  I have it so why not use it?

To this end I needed a way to split audio in and out.  So I originally picked up a splitter cable from http://www.kvconnection.com/  This was made to work with the iPhone.  But it never would override the internal mic.  Now I find it works on the iPad.  I tried it again with the iPhone4 with little joy.

Kvcon-splitter

Next I go for the Griffin iMic.  The device itself works on the iPad and briefly FiRe recognized it fully and pass through audio worked. Then it quit.  Recording then playback can be heard through the output.  But the live pass through quit for a reason I cannot explain.  I have emailed the developer of FiRe.  I also find I cannot try it on iPhone 3GS or 4.  Because those reject the camera connector kit plug.  This is really irritating since I know that the iPhone4 changed the audio on the dock connector to be usb audio device.  So if Apple would just let the camera kit usb plug work I am betting the griffin imic will work fine.  All avoiding the inconsistent nightmare that is the headphone jack.  

Appleusbcam-griffinimic
In a nutshell which is appropriate since the changes and inconsistency are driving me nuts, get your act together Apple.  PLEASE!

Setup iPhone 3GS in Nissan Altima without adhesives, screws or suction cups

I wanted to figure out a nice clean non invasive way to mount my iphone for use in my new Altima. The solution I came up with uses a combination of the Ped3 Form holder on a Naja King Coil stand both from Thoughtout.biz. You can watch how I put it all together on the video I made. I do also use the Belkin retractable stereo cable for feeding the audio into the aux of the Altima stereo system. It keeps the whole rig easy to remove and get out of the way.

Thoughtout.biz Form
http://thoughtout.biz/FORM

Thoughtout.biz Naja
http://thoughtout.biz/NAJA

Belkin Retractable Stereo Cable
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=377115

* Update Aug 6, 2011 *

I also have this device in my older Altima.  Because the built in handsfree bluetooth does not support A2DP for audio playback the TuneLink Auto works AWESOME!  It lets my iPhone4 stream podcasts, audiobooks, pandora etc to my car audio but still uses the built in handsfree of the Altima for phone calls.  It seamlessly transitions between the two.
http://www.newpotatotech.com/TUNELINK_AUTO/tunelink_auto.html 

OWLE Bubo for iPhone

I got my Owle Bubo (http://www.wantowle.com/) today.  It is a limited edition run and mine is 233/500.

It is very well designed.  Nothing blocks the dock connector so I can plug in my iPhone without removing it from the chassis.  The included mic comes in a nice little velvet pouch and is very sturdy.  It just plugs into the headphone/mic jack and a hinge lets you aim it to the front of the unit so your sound comes from where the lens is pointed.

Now to just get myself a nice LED light with the shoe mount that is on top of the Owle.

(download)

iPhone on a Tripod

This is a fun little rig. I purchased the ped tripod adapter from http://www.thoughtout.biz/ Specifically I got the kit with the form holder meant for iPhones in a case and the adapter itself. You can find the actual kit at: http://thoughtout.biz/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=39

I just happen to have a mini tripod for desktops. It came with an old kodak full sized tripod from Sams that I got as a Christmas gift a few years back. The ped adapter went on perfectly. Then the ped form holder just pushes in and the iPhone sits inside the holder. The adapter itself is just the L bar you see screwed into the top of the mini tripod. So if you already have a ped3 holder you just need the adapter itself.

Now I can turn on video recording with my iphone, put my canon S2 IS on the large tripod to record video and have a two camera video shoot. *lol*

Iphone-pedtripod

iPhone as a still camera

Overall I am still disappointed in the quality the iPhone 3GS camera. It performs horribly in low light situations. I will grant the touch to get spot metering is nice. But it really needs a lock so once you dial in the settings you want you can frame your shot as desired. Still if the entire scene is low light you might as well give it up. You will not get a photo that you will want to show anyone.

If you have good full light, the camera can still make some good shots. You can even make some even niftier shots by using a combination of three programs. My friend Victor turned me onto these apps.

1. Camera Genius is a replacement camera app. There are several good features it brings to the table. First you can turn on a grid for framing up the rule of thirds. Second you can turn on stabilization which makes the camera shoot when the iPhone is the most still. This reduces chances of a blurry photo. You can even turn on noise based photo shooting. I liked this one because I could plug in my earbuds with mic and call out "shoot" without having to disturb the iPhone to press the camera snap button.
http://www.codegoo.com/


2. Auto Stitch is an app for stitching together a panorama shot. The tip here is take your photos vertically across the scene. So you get the tallest photo you can. You only have to take more photos going across the scene to make up for it. Overall it makes for a better thicker shot. This is especially handy when used with Camera Genius above and the voice triggered stabilized shots.
http://www.cloudburstresearch.com/autostitch/autostitch.html


3. Photogene has some great and easy to use image enhancement controls. Mainly I use the level and exposure controls. You have to offset the lack of detailed control the iPhone itself provides.
http://www.i-photogene.com/photogene/main.html

So add those three apps together with a well lit scene and you can still make some decent and interesting iPhone camera shots. Just don't rely on it as an impromptu camera for indoor or night time shots.