Some Great Talent

It's always nice to work with talented people, it makes my job a whole lot easier. On this day, knowing that I would have very little time to set anything up (We were working), I brought my 1DM4, Rode Stereo/Video mic and Zoom H4n. I knew Kawasaki kun would be there that day and as far as tenors go, he's one of the most talented I've had the pleasure of working with. I'm constantly asking him to do the 'higher' version of Nessun Dorma. Usually, in order to keep his voice clear and 'safe' for work, he doesn't perform it that high, but he did on this day. The violinist, another amazing talent, was kind enough to play a variety of musical scores, my favorite one being the theme song to Totoro. A great animation and must see, if you haven't already. Once we got some of the 'main' stuff down, the two did a bit of Mario Brothers for me.

I wasn't able to get everything on the Zoom, and I was going hand-held on everything. Exposure was hard to get right because it's basically a small chapel on the 23rd floor with window walls. It can go from blindingly sunny to dark (Literally takes a couple of clouds to make a world of difference).

Here are the videos I've edited so far and will add the rest as they are processed.

Tonari no Tottoro // となりのトトロ from Jason McDonald on Vimeo.

Nessun Dorma // Kawasaki Kun from Jason McDonald on Vimeo.

Vanity and the New Year

I decided to be vain and do a self-portrait to send out as a response to the wonderful New Years cards I got from family, friends and students. Nothing says Happy New Year like vanity!

Harmonie Embrassee Wedding Hotel - Christmas dinner

My wife and I enjoyed a lovely Christmas dinner (On December 23rd mind you) at this nice hotel. While I wasn't able to eat everything that was put in front of me, it was a pleasant experience. It went a little something like this: champagne to start, appetizers that ranged from raw fish and small portions of duck, to some rather delicious pate of sorts. Next, the soup. I have to admit, my tongue couldn't really tell the difference between this soup (Which was suppose to be 'expensive') and soup that I make at home from water and soup mix. Then we had a half a quail, which is pretty tiny. It was stuffed with some sort of rice and bread. Then came the fish dish which was lobster. Very nice, although I'm not much for lobster (I really should've looked at the menu before ordering). After the lobster came some flavors ice, a kind of break between the main dishes. The next big dish (My favorite) was the beef and Foie Gras (Fatty duck liver). The portion size was small (I could've finished it off with a single bit) but instead I took the time to savor the taste. My wife, not being the biggest fan of Foie Gras, gave me her portion. The beef was so soft that it almost melted away when you put your knife to it.



And just when you thought it was all over, the cheese cart made it's way to our table. The waiter kindly asked us what our preferences were and cut us each our own plates of cheese. All of this of course was with a bottle of the cheapest wine on the list (About 4000 yen). I managed to sneak in a beer near the end.

The evening ended with the desert tray and choosing from an assortment of different deserts. A nice cup of tea with that and we were already wishing we could just lay in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours.

A nice dinner...here's hoping that next year turkey is on the menu!!

A Room with a View

Here is a picture taken from entrance on the 10th floor of my apartment. You can see all the little houses, mountains and a pond named Bentenike Pond. This photo is taken from the 10th floor of my apartment. A wonderful view of the Nigawa area in Takarazuka City. I also put my Canon HV20 outside one morning to capture the sunrise again. I find that I'm using my HV20 far less these days unless I'm going for some time-lapse and I don't want to worry about leaving more expensive gear in the open. The total recorded time was just over an hour and was compressed into 39 seconds. Some color correction was done in Adobe Premier Pro using Magic Bullet Looks.

Sunrise Time-Lapse from Jason McDonald on Vimeo.

A Great Short Film on the Canon 7D

This is another great video that inspires. The 10 minute short captured by the Canon 7D is done masterfully well. It feels a bit like the movie Stranger than Fiction, but just a bit. What is impressive is the acting, the cinematography, the coloring and editing. And of course we can't forget that this was all something filmed on a camera that cost less than 2000 bucks.

Vicky and Sam from Nuno Rocha on Vimeo.

GoPro HD All over the car

This would be the first time I actually use the little camera and it's various attachments to see how it would stand up in the extreme conditions of Japanese highways etc.



Obviously, checking footage isn't possible unless you bring a laptop into the field with you. You have to kind of guess what you what taken and just work with what you get. I wouldn't rely solely on this for a project. This is definitely one of those cameras that are for "Danger Zones" so as not to break your more expensive gear.

The suction cup was amazingly strong. I was surprised at times that it didn't leave any kind of markings on the car. I had it in it's waterproof sealed case rather than having it open at the back because clouds where in the air and I wasn't sure if it was going to rain or not. That left me with some crap audio to work with.

I hope to get a small video up showing what I got. Some of the video is fogged up due to the moisture in the air I'm sure. The battery lasted surprisingly long. At one point on the highway I thought "The battery has to be dead or the card full." When I jumped out the next chance I got I was surprised to see it was still going strong.

HDR video - It's here, it's neat

HDR Video Demonstration Using Two Canon 5D mark II's from Soviet Montage on Vimeo.

....but I see a lot of people already complaining. I haven't seen a video in HDR, this would be the first. Perhaps I'm in the dark a bit on this. However, when HDR photography was introduced to the masses it was quickly used on EVERYTHING as a means of turning a dull photo into a not-so-dull photo...but a still in the 'dull' category. HDR has it's place in the world of photography. I'm not sure where HDR will play a huge roll in video/cinematography, but for now it looks very neat. You need 2 DSLR bodies recording the video, one under-exposed and the other over-exposed while capturing. It will be interesting to see what will become of this.

Then, there's the move I made from one end of the Kansai area to another. A couple photos of the beautiful new view I have from my apartment and the first visitor we had. How he got to the 10th floor is beyond me.





Also, I'd like to congratulate Nikki and Nozomi on their wedding. I wasn't their as the photographer so you'll have to put up with some odd angled, slightly noisy photos. All the best to you 2.