Carolwood Productions – Page 7 – Carolwood Productions

“How (not) to Hook Up Your Home Theater”

So, now that the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD war is over, where are all those inexpensive HD players. Where are all the Hollywood movies in all their high def, widescreen glory? Well, with a new iteration of the Blu-ray spec about to be deployed, and players priced still relatively high, consumers appear to be in no rush to go out and plunk down large dollars for a new system…yet. If you saw the recent release of the Goofy animated short, “How to Hook Up Your Home Theatre”, you’ll have an idea of what may be in store for Mr & Mrs America as they attempt to install a new HD system. In this gem of a cartoon, the Goof makes all the mistakes necessary to “instruct” the audience how not to attempt the installation. Indeed, we all feel his pain as he happily careens through the process toward HD bliss. The miles of cables, the inscrutable instructions, the digital clocks all blinking 12:00, 12:00, 12:00! Our memories may be too short to remember the time it took to really roll out the standard definition, DVD revolution. Though it seemed to displace the VCR with ease, the preparation, learning, and workflow-wrenching for video producers all happened early on, when only a few titles were being released by the studios. I’m guessing that Blu-Ray will really gather steam this late Fall and Winter, just in time for the Christmas season. So for now, relax and enjoy that thrice-viewed DVD copy of “Snow White” as the dust settles… and prices drop.

A Classic Experience

Corporate & Commercial Video

A wonderful series of events that showcase Southern California classical music are the concert series produced by Rick Lopez, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church located in La Habra, California. Rick and his associates consistently produce a truly excellent musical program. These concerts have featured a full choir along with orchestra. Under his leadership, the excellence and hard work of his team shines and provides the listener with a memorable concert experience.

Rick Lopez Highlights from Carolwood Productions on Vimeo.

Quiet on the SET!

Corporate & Commercial Video

Frequently, a script calls for a specific location. However it is also possible to shoot a scene in a non-specific locale which serves to support the action just as well.
An example would be the promotional spot included below which has a silent screen, early Hollywood feel to it. It was shot in Fullerton, California utilizing a public park multi-use facility as a backdrop. The mission-style structure had just the right 1920’s look that helped set the stage for the love-at-first-sight story.

Snapshots of the Silver Screen from Carolwood Productions on Vimeo.

Carolwood Productions, Approved Vendor for City of Diamond Bar

Corporate & Commercial Video

The City of Diamond Bar Restaurant Guide from Carolwood Productions on Vimeo.

For the third year in a row, Carolwood Productions has achieved the status of “Approved Vendor” for the City of Diamond Bar, California. Here is an excerpt from the City Council Agenda Report:

“In January each year, the City Staff will establish an “Approved Vendor List” and submit it to the City Council for approval. This list will be comprised of vendors who have consistently provided excellent service to the City.”

To quote Marsha Roa, Public Information Manager–

Carolwood Productions is a pleasure to work with. Rick’s creativity,
integrity, professionalism and attention to detail always produce
quality productions that we (the City of Diamond Bar) are proud to
showcase. We would recommend Carolwood to anyone who is looking for quality craftsmanship.

We are honored to be part of the Approved Vendor List, and to have an active role in creating the video programs that make Diamond Bar such a great city!

Blu-ray vs HD-DVD; and the Winner Is…

News & Features

After years of pitched battle, involving warring factions from the production, electronics and consumer camps, Blu-ray has finally won the war. With Wal-Mart throwing it’s distribution muscle behind the Blu-ray high definition format today, HD DVD has all but lost the long, hard battle.

For several years now, independent video producers have been watching these developments very carefully as the battle has progressed. While producers have been gaining excellent high definition production and post-production tools, the final step in the HD distribution chain has been missing; how to deploy the final product to the client.The frustration with a lack of a clear distribution method has dragged on for much too long.

In the meantime, online distribution has begun to step in and fill the gap, gaining a valuable foothold in the distribution chain through such products and services as Apple TV, and Netflix’ Instant view services. In fact, I believe the Blu-ray victory will be tempered as on-line distribution becomes the deployment method of choice sooner than later.

Meanwhile, we can now look forward to the Blu-ray format quickly maturing and gaining widespread distribution in the form of players and disks. This, along with the inevitable price drops will assist with Blu-ray’s eventual displacement of the venerable standard definition DVD as the primary media distribution format.

Persuasion

News & Features

Believe it or not, we don’t purchase many movies. One that warrants a place in our library is Persuasion, based on the Jane Austen novel of the same name. Starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, this 1995 BBC / WGBH / Masterpiece Theatre is one of the best of the Jane Austen screen adaptations. One interesting item is the relatively few people involved in the production of the movie. You may be surprised at what a great film has been created by such a minimal cast & crew, at least by “modern” standards. Indeed, the credits roll by very quickly. A truly fabulous film produced by a lean crew.