Ready for the Storey Publishing Shoot!

Jib arm... check. Crane... check. Glidetracks... check. Canon 60D HD DSLR... check. I'm all set for tomorrow's shoot with Storey Publishing. This is gonna be the best darn "how-to" Tea Tincture video anyone's ever seen!

Hmmm.... Beachy

A beachy moment for a winter's day brought to you by Reelife's trusty Canon SX20is HD camera...

Whew... What a Week!

Some intense editing sessions this week...

Today, I wrapped up editing for the draft of The Food Bank of Western MA promo video.... which is coming along very nicely, thank you...

Then onto:
• Connecticut River Watershed Council, Inc. children's story video
• edits for Storey Publishing "Greenhorns" book promo
• prepping audio files for morethansound.net's Daniel Goleman interview
• then MADevelopment's video for Village Hill
• Woodbine Firewood Processors | CRD Metalworks LLC new video for their latest Rapido Loco model...

Hard, but very rewarding work for some fabulous clients!

First Glidetrack Test

just a quick little ditty to show the depth of field and beautiful smooth motion of our new Glidetrack SD Slider. Shot this with a Canon 60D, no lighting or special setup... very much looking forward to putting this cool new toy to work!

Hanging with Ray Mason

Shot this last July 28th at Angel Park in Williamsburg... ah, summer, can't wait to welcome you back!

A New Video Production Tool

Reelife is the proud new owner of a new 39" Glidetrack! This baby is going to add a crucial new ingredient to the Reelife visual cookbook.

But what, you ask, is a Glidetrack and what does it do?

You've seen those smooth-as-silk dolly shots in films and TV shows, haven't you? They are done with a camera slider, or a set of bracketed tracks. The slider's moveable carriage attaches directly to the camera or is used with a tripod sandwiched between it and the camera for more angle options. The result is extremely high-end, compelling tracking shots that set up in seconds. As Sam Mallory reported in a review for equipment supplier B&H Video, "Tracking shots create a sense of movement, as if the camera was a passerby briefly peering at the subjects on screen."

Camera sliders can also be used for "reveal" shots... I'm sure you've seen them. The camera starts on a tight closeup of an object or person and then pulls back to put that object or person in context in the scene. This kind of shot helps tell the story or jazzes up an otherwise ordinary shot.

I'm psyched to use the Glidetrack in an upcoming shoot with Storey Publications. I'll let you know how it turns out.. or better yet, I'll post a sample soon!

On Location with Daniel Goleman

A still from the Daniel Goleman/More Than Sound interview shot yesterday...

More Than Sound

Shooting today with Daniel Goleman (author of Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence and The Brain and Emotional Intelligence: New Insights) and More Than Sound... I'll post some video soon so stay tuned!

PowerPoint Is So Last Century!

Wait! The next time you need a presentation for that all-important meeting, pass on the PowerPoint! Traditional PowerPoint presentations are über boring, and, frankly, LAME! Let Reelife Productions produce your organization's next "digital media presentation." It'll knock the socks off your audience (and that's a funnier image than imagining them naked, now isn't it?)

So say goodbye to those el lamo PowerPoint Presentations... Reelife can add a whole lotta' life to YOUR Presentation. And the reasonable rates may surprise you...

Toot, Toot!

A recent Reelife video of a lecture by former HUD director, Ron Sims, is being distributed by EPA New England for a wider audience. Reelife recorded the video at The Lincoln Institute's Smart Growth Forum last December.

Sims is known for his impassioned presentations and emotional investment to the many causes he champions. His presentation was hailed by many as a highlight of the Forum.

Laser-Like Vision

What I wouldn't give for the focus of this beautiful bird... must concentrate...










(copyright www.folktographybytom.com)

"Like" Folktography... You Know You Want To...

If you like pictures of rust or broken dishes (and seriously, who doesn't?) plus lots of other cool stuff, I invite you to like the Folktography By Tom Facebook page

Random Photo of the Day

Angel Park, winter of 2011...

Here's to the Farmers!

We are so lucky to live in the Pioneer Valley! Sharing this portrait of one of the happy, hard working, young families involved in modern farming here in Hampshire County.

Ben & Liz own and operate Mountainview Farm in Easthampton which also coordinates the Food Bank Farm in Hadley. Cheers to them and all the great work they are doin! (copyright www.FolktographybyTom.com • 2012)

Exciting news... but not just yet!

Over the River and Through the Woods to Orange

In Orange this evening at Bethany Lutheran Church to record the last bit of footage for the Food Bank of Western MA promo video. A splendid drive through the rolling, snow-covered hills of Franklin County...

Modern Man - Young at Heart Chorus

"like a record that's skipping, I'm a modern man." Gotta love these folks!

Get the new River iPhone app!

Here's a direct link to download the new WRSI - 93.9 The River iPhone app, sponsored by Reelife. Take the River with you today and every day! Click Here

Random Photo of the Day

Something about the light creeping into the frame really caught my attention... You can find this photo and a couple of thousand more at folktography.zenfolio.com

Wright Builders: Building the Future Now

Had the opportunity recently to shoot a video profile of Northampton's Wright Builders, LEED-certified builders of green homes and buildings in Western MA. These guys are really pros!

15,000 Views on YouTube!

15,000+ views in the past 6 days for Reelife's video of the Young at Heart Chorus singing Phish's Free on New Year's Eve... congrats to Bob and the Young at Heart... way to go!

I Want Some Cheeeze!

I know you've been just dying to find out how cheese is made, right? Here's a video about the process at Smith's Country Cheese in Winchendon:

Random Photo of the Day

I love the surreality of this shot, taken on Prince Edward Island and available at folktography.zenfolio.com

A Year of Perspective

Reelife is editing and packaging three new videos for John Engels' Leadership Coaching website and internet distribution: 
"Over-Functioning & Learned Helplessness," "Avoidant Empathy," and "The Reluctance to Change." In this blog entry, John offers a refreshing and moving perspective on the New Year that's well worth reading:

http://www.leadershipcoachinginc.com/?p=249

this video that I shot of The Young at Heart Chorus singing Phish's "Free" (John M. Greene Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA, 12/31/11) has been viewed over 3,000 times in less than 24 hrs! Obviously, The Young at Heart Chorus are AWESOME!

Reelife is the Proud Sponsor of WRSI's iPhone app!

It's official! Reelife Production is now the sponsor of the WRSI (The River) iPhone app... If you have an iPhone, go to the App store and download this free app... then you'll be able to take one of the finest radio stations in the country with you wherever you go! Here's what it looks like:

Happy New Year!

OK, all you folks in blog land... don't be ragging on me for not having blogged since last June... this is something I intend to correct now that we're officially ensconced in 2012. This is the year the Mayans predicted would be the end of the world, but I choose to think positively... and predict that not only will the world not end, but 2012 will be a much better year than 2011!

Alright, so that's not a hard prediction to make... 2011 was a tough year here in Western MA, at least weather-wise... floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, 15 inches of snow on Halloween... the only thing we didn't get was a plague of frogs! We're looking forward to some CALM weather in 2012...

Workwise, though, 2011 was actually pretty decent... lots of interesting client projects (thanks, guys!), my YouTube channel surpassed 1,000,000 viewers (http://www.youtube.com/reelife), and one of my photos was a winner in the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources photo contest (and is included in their 2012 calendar!). Personally, I heard a lot of great live music, did some traveling, and spent some quality time with the family.

So come 'on 2012... bring it on... I'm ready for you!