BAPVA News

This blog has moved

2010-05-08T13:59:00.001-07:00

This blog is now located at http://news.bapva.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://news.bapva.com/feeds/posts/default.

Inside a BAPVA Board Meeting

2010-02-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

I had just received the new ContourHD 1080 camera before the November BAPVA board meeting and thought I would test it out to see how it looked.

While not so great footage here, I have extensively tested it in many other situations since and love what it can do. It would make a great addition for some cool shots to any event. Check out some of the footage here, and go to Vimeo to check it in HD:

BAPVA ContourHD Test from BAPVA on Vimeo.

Fictitious Business Name

2010-01-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

I urge anyone doing business in San Jose under a fictitious business name to check with the County Clerks office online at http://www.clerkrecordersearch.org/
After finding out that my own business name has expired without notice, I did a bit of research and found that very few of us in BAPVA have a FBN that is active. If you've been in business over 5 years and have filed a FBN when you began, it does not (unfortunately) last the life of the company. Legally, you might be at risk of losing your FBN when the filing expires. I would suggest a visit to the website to check and possibly renew your FBN. The grace period is rather short, so you might have to have a legal notice published at an additional cost (I've been quoted anywhere from $18-80 dollars). The filing itself (one business name) is about $35 and can be done online or in person. Don't risk having your name stolen over a paltry amount.

Indie Roar- Get your Film On!

2009-10-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Indie Roar is an online, five genre, short film festival and competition. The genre's are: Drama, Comedy, Horror, Animation and Documentary. Everyone that submits a film to IndieRoar will be accepted into the festival. The top 20 most watched films in each genre will get into the competition. Films in the competition will compete to win cash and prizes. Each genre has 2 judges with knowledge of that field.

Every film gets its own dedicated website automatically. Entry is easy, Go to the website Indieroar on Oct. 30th fill out the form, pay the $35.00 and upload your film. Each genre has it's own 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize. 1st prize is $5,000.00, a software package from jungle software and a one year subscription to American Cinematographer. 2nd place is $1,000.00 and a one year subscription to American Cinematographer. 3rd place gets a hundred dollar gift certificate.

The festival begins Oct. 30, 2009.

The 20 most popular films (by registered viewers) will enter the competition Dec 13, 2009.

Winners will be announced Dec. 18, 2009.

David Jay Meeting Updates

2009-09-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

Did you know that David Jay is going to be speaking at the next BAPVA meeting? It's going to be a great one! Aside from the FREE webcast on uStream, all guests will be able to attend for FREE now as well, due to our partnering with SmugMug for this meeting.

In addition, Adobe has given us permission to host the meeting in their auditorium! Check out the meetings page for more details.

SLRs for Digital Cinema Production Meeting

2009-07-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Digital Cinema Society presents:

Digital still cameras for Motion Picture production- Canon 5D MkII and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
6.00 pm - 9.30 pm
Transvideo Studios, Mountain View, CA.

Meeting Agenda:

The Digital Cinema Society Northern California Chapter will explore the motion picture capabilities of the Canon 5D MkII and the Lumix GH1 hybrid digital still cameras. There is a lot of hype surrounding these cameras, and we will be looking at the good, the bad, and the ugly of each camera system.

Presenters include DCS Advisory Board member Art Adams SOC, and DCS Northern California Chapter President Simon Sommerfeld who will discuss their experiences shooting a spec spot with the Canon 5D MkII and the post production workflow.

Tim Smith of Canon will be present to answer questions about the 5D MkII and will give a detailed tour of the camera system. Tim will also be showing footage from the 5D MkII and discussing how the camera is being used in major production environments.

Illya Friedman of HotRod Cameras will be presenting the Panasonic Lumix GH1 and showing footage from the camera. Illya is at the forefront of using this camera in cine-style shooting and he will be demonstrating how the camera can be adapted for use with PL mount cine lens systems.

DCS Northern California President Simon Sommerfeld, and VP Trudi Melohn will share moderating duties.

More info here:

http://dcsjulymeeting.eventbrite.com/

This is not a BAPVA event, but you may be interested.

New Members

2009-06-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

BAPVA would like to welcome our newest member:

HD Video Memories

February Meeting Photos

2009-06-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

Our February 2009 meeting featured Jay Holben, the technical editor with DV Magazine.

Here's a few shots from the event, souped up using Stupeflix.com:

All shots can be found in the forums, as well as the video link to the actual meeting, hosted by Ustream!

The Power of Sharing

2009-05-01T13:38:00.001-07:00

Ron Dawson just posted a great article on the importance of sharing and education in the video business. Check it out at this link... http://bladeronner.com/?p=450

Wedding Industry Event

2009-04-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

2nd Quarter 2009 BAWN Event
(not associated with BAPVA)

Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:00 am - 2:00 pm (Pacific Time)
Cost: $50 (before 4/24/09)

Guild Hall at Piedmont Community Church
400 Highland Avenue
Piedmont, CA 94611

Space is limited, if you plan to attend make sure you sign up ASAP.

Please Click Here for More Info

Live Meeting Feeds

2009-04-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

BAPVA has recently introduced live internet feeds of our monthly meetings. This makes it easier for more people to get the benefits of the BAPVA meetings without actually having to jump in the car!

The broadcasts are being sent over UStream.tv, which is simultaneously archiving the meetings and allowing us to utilize a chat function where viewers can submit questions or comments to our speakers and group. All of the meetings can be accessed at our private channel:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bapva-monthly-meeting-broadcast

While the meetings are simple in broadcast nature (single camera shoots with wireless mic), some of the events will use 2 cameras and a switch to show off the members as they ask questions.

While we are promoting the use of this new service for all of our members, we cannot emphasize enough how important it is to your business to come in person and utilize the networking power that the BAPVA offers. It is because of this single characteristic that we believe many members will continue to show up to our meetings, and simply use the UStream feed as an additional tool for their educational needs.

The BAPVA UStream feed will remain free for 2 months. After that trial period, it will only be available to paid members, with the exception of a once-a-year free broadcast in order to gain more members. For comments or questions, feel free to contact the members of the board through our contact form.

A Message from the President

2009-04-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

2009 is a historic year for many reasons. As we all long for good news, and hope that better times are on the way, I would like to share my goal for improving our members' lives in the coming year.

Serving my second year as president of BAPVA, I'm proud to be associated with great group of individuals of every experience level. Our growth in membership during my tenure has shown me that the need for BAPVA is stronger than ever.

Although BAPVA began as a small social gathering, I believe that we can become so much more in the coming years. I envision BAPVA as a first stop for clients searching for videographers in the Bay Area. In order to do this, we must promote and maintain the highest standards of quality, ethics, and customer service. In the coming weeks, you will all be provided with the BAPVA bylaws, which have been recently updated. This document spells out our responsibilities to you (as board members), as well as expectations of our members. It is the foundation upon which we were built and will continue to grow. Please take a few minutes to read it when it is delivered to you.

With the help of our dedicated and hard-working board members, I'm hoping to increase our presence dramatically online, in social media, and traditional media outlets. We also wish to add value to your membership by doubling the offerings in the lending library and listening to your input on new titles, programs and seminars of interest.

I hope you will all consider offering your time, talent, experience when called upon. Our group will benefit most when we pool our resources and share our knowledge. I look forward to seeing you all at future meetings.

-Oren Arieli
President BAPVA

Welcome to the News Page

2009-04-03T16:51:00.001-07:00

This is the new BAPVA news page. Previously, we were posting items that were newsworthy on our meetings page. The problem with this is that it would hide the meeting details and that we had comments turned off. Not really a "blog" if you ask us, or very intuitive to use.

Now, we have a whole new news page (or blog if you prefer), that we can post additional stories that you might have an interest in.

Enjoy!