Carolwood Productions
Videography | Photography | Excellence
Great Jazz, delivered with precision and enthusiasm. Check out Anthony Lopez and friends as they perform at Cal State Long Beach.
Anthony Lopez, Jazz Pianist from Carolwood Productions on Vimeo.
We have a lot of fun producing wedding videos, especially during the very busy “wedding season” here in Southern California. (although a very good argument could be made that it’s always “wedding season” here due to the great weather we enjoy.)
A side benefit to this is having the opportunity to visit a wide variety of venues throughout the Southland that we might not otherwise have the occasion to see. There are so many lavishly landscaped and beautifully manicured locations that offer wonderful backdrops to the ceremony and reception.
One venue that we frequent, however, is the Disneyland Hotel and it’s environs. The beautiful grounds, varied landscaping, and sheer historical impact on Anaheim and indeed, Southern California, make the hotel a fascinating location to visit.
For those interested in a thoroughly enjoyable and impeccably documented read on the subject, I highly recommend Don Ballard’s “Disneyland Hotel; The Early Years“. This book represents a “labor of love” on the part of the author and the care and research that he poured into this project are clearly evident throughout. For an overview of the work, as well as a visually rich site full of great photos, facts and trivia visit his website. The author also maintains a blog which features more great background on the hotel, as well as updated information on the history and lore of the Southern California landmark.
Like the chef who can’t enjoy a meal at a restaurant without commenting on all of the ingredients contained within his meal, we have a hard time just enjoying a movie. We usually slip into the habit of examining the camera moves, audio and editing decisions from a critical standpoint. Color styling is also an area frequently inspected.
Color correction (or color timing as it is also known) is critically important to accurately portraying the story as the screenwriter and director originally intended. The correct use of color can enhance or detract from the show. It can change the mood from upbeat, to somber. Subtle changes to hue and tone can be introduced to help move the story along. Scenes can be enhanced, or even salvaged if, for example, a particular shot was supposed to take place in bright daylight, when it was shot during a gloomy, overcast day.
On television, you may have noticed as well the change in the portrayal and intensity of color from the over-saturated TV of today, to the more de-saturated look of the 70’s, to the almost Technicolor-look of the 60’s. This shift over time may have had more to do with the available film stock than actual creative choices made during production of these shows.
At Carolwood, we spend a good amount of time working with the image of our productions. We recently calibrated 9 different “looks” within our high definition gear. This process was accomplished over the course of a long, three-day marathon session involving testing in both daylight, controled lighting, and low-light situations.
Diamond Bar, CA – August 1st, 2008
Carolwood Productions, a recognized leader in event, corporate and wedding videography for all of Southern California, is excited to announce their conversion and launch to a full High Definition workflow.
“Our move to HD represents a major investment in the production quality that we are able to offer our clients,” says Rick Betancourt, owner of Carolwood Productions. It’s the perfect time to look into how the greatly improved image of high def can not only add a 4 to 6-fold increase in the screen resolution of your project, but also ensure that you will be able to ‘future-proof’ your investment.
Simply put, HD greatly expands the screen resolution of Standard Definition (SD) video from 640 x 480, up to 1920 x 1080! This enhanced detail enables us to create much more compelling visuals for your viewers. Plus, now that Blu-ray has “won” the HD war that has been raging over the past few years, we can deliver your project in a format you can feel confident that you and your clients will be able to enjoy for years to come. This is what we mean by ‘future-proofing’ your video.
Not ready for HD yet? No worries; because we will continue to provide standard definition DVD video as well as offer high definition as an upgrade. Another path available to our clients is to have their productions completed onto DVD now, and upgrade to HD at a later date as they are ready for high definition delivery.
Carolwood Productions has consistently invested the resources necessary to deliver the highest quality video productions to our clients. This includes not only maintaining an inventory of the finest production and post-production equipment, but just as important is our 11+ years of experience in the industry. Remember that anyone can point a precision-quality, HD camera at a scene, but it is the experienced professional who is able to use that tool to capture and produce beautiful cinematography for our wonderful customers.
Our move to high definition represents only the latest in Carolwood Production’s commitment to excellence and value for our clients. Learn more about HD by contacting us at (909) 753-5390 or carolwoodproductions.com.
When someone first raved to me about the film “Bella”, my initial reaction was somewhat lukewarm. This was probably due to the short summary that was given at the time which went something like, “…it’s a movie about a cook who used to be a soccer player and this pregnant woman in New York”.
Based on that description, I was in no rush to view the film. However, the movie kept coming up in casual conversation with several other people, so into the Netflix queue it went.
After watching the film, here is my summary to you, “…it’s a movie about a cook who used to be a soccer player and this pregnant woman in New York”. However I will add, “and it’s one of the best films we’ve seen in years. I remember thinking as I was watching it, “every person in the country needs to see this!” It’s THAT GOOD.
The character development is such that you will get almost instantly involved inside of the story. The technical look of the movie is fantastic. It was shot almost entirely hand-held and was done with careful lens choices which serve to draw you into the frame and environment of the film.
The word that comes to mind upon reflecting about the story is “Refreshing”. Treat yourself soon and see “Bella”. A uniquely refreshing, inspiring and beautiful film.
This function has been disabled for Carolwood Productions.
