The good news is you have delirium

Just wanted to announce that we are working hard on a new design for the www.deliriummedia.com web site. We are hoping to have it ready for February 1st.

Stay tuned…

A while back, I blogged about the Steadicam Merlin, and how I was having some difficulty getting it to balance properly.

As advised, I bought an extra middle weight, but I didn’t find it to make any difference. I gave up on it. At least for the short term. I’m convinced it can be done, and I will try to crack the code again in the new year.

One person I know who has unlocked the mystery is Dan (aka jerkmony), a fellow shooter I’m friends with on Twitter. Check out his Flickr profile for pictures of how he balanced his Merlin. Maybe if he comes to Windsor, he could balance mine. I think I see a side business for him.

Blogging is sometimes like going to the gym. You skip it once or twice, and the next thing you know, a week (or four) goes by and it just seems harder to get started again.

But I’m back, and I’m ready to talk about what lies ahead for Delirium Media.

I am planning major changes to the web site for 2009. It will have a different look and there will definitely be some new videos posted. I have not set a target date for the new site, but for now, I will set a soft deadline of February 1st.

I am also planning to add personnel, including sales associates, camera operators, and editors, so if you or someone you know is interested, please send a resume to the e-mail address on our contact page.

Our wedding video packages will also be changing (for the better, of course). I plan to lower the cost of adding a second camera. I’m doing this for two reasons. Number one, to be sensitive to the tough economic times we’re in, particularly here in Windsor (Motor City of Canada). And number two, I just know that using two cameras gives me more creativity, resulting in a better product for me to showcase, which in turn, should lead to more bookings.

Those are the things to count on. There will probably be a few surprises as well, so stay tuned.

That’s all for now. From the Delirium Media team, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

That’s my advice to my fellow videographers.

Before you make your way out to a gig, it’s normal to assess the job and bring only the equipment you need. This can save time on loading, unloading, setting up, and tearing down. Plus sometimes you might not know where a certain accessory is at the moment and you’re in a hurry, so you just bolt.

After a couple experiences I’ve had, I now believe in bringing as much as you can, because “you just never know.”

You might find that one of your wireless mics is not working properly, but since you left your other(s) behind, you’re in a jam. Or your client suddenly requests some exterior shots on a windy day, but you left your Rycote Softie at the office.

D’oh!

Of course, your main concern has to be covering your own assets, and ensuring you deliver on your promises to your client(s). But helping others in need can be just as important.

What if you brought everything you needed, but the DJ needed an extra XLR? You might laugh as he twists in the wind, but it’s your gig too. If he can’t do his job right, the event suffers, and everyone at the event is a little less happy. You want happy clients. Give the DJ your XLR. You’ll not only be a hero for the night, that DJ will never forget that you did him a solid.

Keep your equipment organized so you can grab whatever you need, whenever you need it. And when you go to your next gig, load up as much as possible.

I’m a big Sam Roberts fan. He’s just a solid Canadian rocker, and I expect him to be rocking around for a long, long time.

Not long ago, he was playing a show at a local wine festival. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, so I was pretty bummed about that. So when I heard he would be playing another show in Chatham (about a 45 minute drive from Windsor) in November, I knew I had to get tickets.

The show was this past Monday at the River Rock Nightclub. I went with my friends Dave and Jon. As we stood in line waiting to get in, we couldn’t help but notice this dirty, creepy, old guy behind us. He just didn’t look like he belonged. He started behind us, but as time went on and the line shuffled forward, he seemed to sneak to the side of us and eventually in front of us. We didn’t say anything, but maybe we all felt our wallets were safer with him in front of us.

We found ourselves a great spot on the upper level near the bar. The opening act was another Canadian band called The Stills. I thought they were pretty good. I just found the vocal mics may have been too hot because a lot of the words sounded distorted. Too bad that didn’t really get addressed. Well, until Sam came out. He sounded much better.

Of course, Sam has a new record out called “Love At The End Of The World,” so he played a lot of new stuff. And that was fine with me because I think the new album is great. And he played some of the earlier hits like “Brother Down” and “Where Have All The Good People Gone?” Then they did their fake good-bye before returning for an encore, which actually lasted another 3 or 4 songs, so it was a great show, but I couldn’t help leaving a little disappointed.

They didn’t play what was probably the song that really launched them onto the scene, which of course is “Don’t Walk Away Eileen.” I’m sure after 6 years, it might be driving him a bit buggy, but hey, fans expect it. It reminded me of the time I saw The Tragically Hip in Michigan when “Music At Work” was released. They didn’t play “Blow At High Dough” OR “New Orleans Is Sinking.” That was just so wrong. If The Rolling Stones can still play “Satisfaction” some 40 years later, I think Sam (and Gordon) have to give people what they want.

But hey, it was a great show. On the way home, Dave, Jon, and I sang every classic rock song that my Sirius Radio threw at us. I thought our best effort was “These Eyes,” the classic Guess Who song.

Great night.

I’ve known my friend Craig now for about 20 years. For most of those years, Craig struggled with his weight.

He tried numerous diets, some that actually resulted in significant weight loss, but he always seemed to gain it back eventually.

We hung out one day last spring and I could see he had lost a fair amount of weight. This was probably the thinnest I had seen him since, jeez, grade 7 maybe?

Clearly whatever he was doing was working.

A few months later, I was at Best Buy looking for something when this guy with a toque waved at me. I kind of nodded and smiled, but I had no idea who this person was. The next time I looked up, this person was much closer, like 15 feet away, and I was completely shocked.

It was Craig.

I don’t think I had ever seen him this lean. Ever!

Craig attributes his success to the LA Weight Loss Centers.

He recently told me about a contest that LA Weight Loss Centers is having. Basically, they are looking for video testimonials about personal weight loss achievements. Craig has lost around 220 pounds, so I think his story not only qualifies, but should almost be a slam dunk for a finalist.

I’ve had my green screen since February, but never used it. I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out. So we filmed last week, I worked my magic, and handed him the master video yesterday. Click here to view it.

I believe the winners are going to be announced in early November, so we won’t have to wait long to see if he’s won.

Last week’s wedding show at the Caboto Club went very well for me. I had not done the fall show the last couple years, opting to just do the bigger show in January, but I guess I’ve found that bigger isn’t always better.

The first wedding show I ever did was actually the fall show. It’s been a while, but I don’t remember getting any bookings from it. Looking back, what could I have expected? I was new, had very little material to demo, and didn’t have the confidence and polish that I have today. My brochures and business cards are nicer, I have a a beautiful banner, I have much more material to demo, and my booth looks much better. Consequently, I had numerous engaging conversations with potential clients.

Go figure.

The winter show in January is much bigger, there’s no question about that, but one thing you can never predict is the weather.

Earlier this year in January, the Wedding Extravaganza got off to a roaring start on day 1, but overnight and into the morning of day 2, Windsor was tagged with a wicked snow storm. It got cold and nasty and the roads were very icy. Day 2 was a bomb. I don’t think we had even half the people we had from day 1. As a vendor, it’s tough paying $700+ for two days of booth space but really only getting 1.

Right now, I’m not sure what to do about the upcoming January ‘09 show. I’m tempted to wait until the week of the event and see what the weather report says. Of course, the selection of good booths could be very limited by then, or even entirely sold out. I will have to think about it over the next week or so.

When you’re doing any sort of trade show, you need to do whatever you can to jazz up your booth.

Even if you’re lucky enough to get a great spot with high traffic, people are likely to pass by if you don’t catch their attention.

I’ve done a few of the larger (and smaller) wedding shows, and my booth layouts have gotten better, but they were still missing something.

I had a sign with my company name. It was better than nothing, but it contained no images, and did very little to stand out.

A lot of companies, especially the successful ones, had large, colourful banners. Making a banner large will get people’s attention from a distance, and if it is well designed, they’ll want to read it and try to figure out what your company does. And if it’s really well designed, you will catch them staring at it, giving you an opportunity to introduce yourself and talk business.

Last week, I spent a few days in Photoshop designing a banner for my company, Delirium Media. The image above is the end result from hours of designing and tweaking. If you click here, you can view a larger version. This banner will be proudly hanging at booth 43s at the Caboto Club during the Fall Wedding Event.

Windsor’s Caboto Club will soon be hosting The Fall Wedding Event.

This is an opportunity to “find everything for your wedding under one roof. From caterers to entertainment, hundreds of vendors will help keep your wedding planning stress-free.”

The Delirium Media booth number is 43s, which will be located on the outside perimeter of the back wall.

The Fall Wedding Event will take place on September 24th and 25th, between the hours of 5:30PM and 9:00PM both nights.

Hope to see you there!

As you know, I was in Orlando last week for WEVA Expo ‘08. While the seminars are certainly the focus of the Expo, and the reason we all go, there is also a terrific trade show going on at the same time.

Vendors from all the big companies are there, including Panasonic, Sony, Canon, JVC and more. There was a guy there from Steadicam (a division of Tiffen) who was demonstrating the Merlin.

I had to talk to this guy.

I told him that I tried adjusting (aka “trimming”) the instrument for quite some time, but couldn’t quite get it. He told me that the only way I could balance the HVX200 would be with one additional middle weight (there are three weight classes: starter, middle, finish).

Even though the Merlin “Cookbook” says you can balance the camera if you trim properly, he was convinced it could only be done by adding another middle weight.

Well, I spent $800 on this thing, I’m not backing out now over one weight.

I thought it would cost around $20 (everything in video production is way overpriced), but I was relieved (and shocked!!) to discover B & H sells them for only $5.95.

So I’ve already ordered it. In fact, it should arrive sometime tomorrow.

Once I’ve got it balanced, I plan to post some test footage.