Roseland

F5 is a cutting-edge creativity festival exploring the intersection of art, design and entertainment. The fest brings together the thinkers and doers that are breaking ground and shaping new standards in media and design, becoming the essential meeting point for future-minded individuals with the power to create lasting change.

Founded on the ideal that true insight and lasting inspiration come from unexpected places, F5 fosters artistic collisions—unexpected insights from sources you didn’t see coming. The two-day festival gathers filmmakers, digital artists, photographers, fashion designers, interactive and motion artists, graphic designers, agency executives, visual effects experts, musicians, industry visionaries, and many more.

In 2009, over 1,200 people from around the globe came to think, listen, create and party. The two days were magical – with so many unexpected moments (big and small) that added spark and fire under the feet of all our guests. 2011 will be no different – and we want to celebrate this time with a birthday party. A rebirth of our collective and artistic perspectives required to start the innovation again.
In short, F5 is unexpected and profound. It is more than just the pulse of creativity; it is its heart.

F5 ETHOS

F5 is founded on the belief that true change occurs when you look outside your world and explore new horizons. The festival fosters creative collisions—unexpected insights from sources you didn’t see coming. The goal is nothing less than to change the way you think about your work and your life.

PROFIT: NO

Full disclosure: We don’t make any money from this. We have no sponsors and keep our ticket prices to an absolute minimum. There is no commercial involvement today or tomorrow. It’s about community and creativity.

Seriously. That’s not bullshit. We mean it.

We also don’t pay speaker fees and don’t allow agencies, studios or reps to sponsor the event. Purity matters. We don’t want dollar signs clouding anyone’s judgment.

ATTENDEES: YES

It’s all about the attendees: Creative spirits on fire. Cream of the crop artists, designers and storytellers looking for some way to connect with each other and with the world at large. You are the most passionate people on this earth, and as such, you embody the essence of F5.

SPEAKERS: YES

This isn’t “another design conference.” It’s a meeting of great minds—it’s about diversifying our perspective. In addition to top studios and individuals you know from Motionographer, we’ll be mixing the party up with talents from places and spaces that exist outside our comfort zones. All in the spirit of creative collisions—those moments of lasting insight and inspiration that occur when we smash into something unexpected.

PARTY: HELLS YES

Yes, there is a bar at the venue. Yes, we will be giving out plenty of free drinks. Yes, that means you’ll have to pace yourself. I mean, seriously… it’s a birthday party

FRIENDSHIPS WILL BE FORMED
CONNECTIONS WILL BE MADE
IDEAS WILL TAKE FLIGHT
JOIN US

f5fest

There are other ways to begin a new iDVD project:

• Click the iDVD button in iMovie HD to open an iDVD project that contains your movie. Use this method when you want to make a DVD that has links to the movie you have just created on its main menu.
• Starting in iMovie HD, use the Magic iMovie feature to automatically transfer autogenerated movies to an iDVD project.
• In iPhoto, send slideshows directly to iDVD to create a project with slideshow buttons.

Quickly Creating a DVD:

The choice is yours in iDVD. If you don’t have the time to spend creating a DVD, you can choose one of the quick DVD features built into iDVD.

Use the OneStep DVD method to create a DVD directly from your DV camcorder.
This is useful if you want to transfer your unedited video footage from your camcorder to a disc that plays automatically and doesn’t include menus.

For a quick DVD with a professional menu that includes buttons, take a step up from
OneStep DVD and create a Magic iDVD.

When you open iDVD, just click:

• “Create a Magic iDVD.”
• Then choose a theme and select the media and music you want in your DVD.

iDVD builds your DVD and burns it to the DVD disc format of your choice.

For more information about OneStep DVD and Magic iDVD, see iDVD Help.

Create a New Project:

With your music, movies, and photos ready for use and in locations where you can easily access them, you’re ready to get started.

To start a new iDVD project:

• If iDVD isn’t open, double-click the iDVD application icon in the Dock. If this is the first time iDVD has been opened, click the “Create a New Project” button in the dialog.
• If the opening dialog isn’t showing, choose File > New. Select a location where you
• want to store your new project, and click Create.
  

  iDVD welcome screen

If the iDVD window opens with an animated menu and music, click the Motion button, shown below, to stop the animation and sound.

Note: If you created a Magic iMovie and selected the checkbox to send your movie to iDVD, then you already have an open iDVD project that contains Play Movie and Scene Selection buttons.
Follow the instructions in the next section to choose a theme for your DVD, then read through the information.

Set the Encoding Quality:

iDVD encodes your project’s information before it burns it to a disc.
Encoding takes some time when you burn your DVD, so you may want to consider setting an iDVD preference to let iDVD encode in the background as you work on your movie.

To set the encoding quality:

• Choose iDVD > Preferences and click Defaults. Then choose one of the encoder settings.

If you choose Best Performance, you can also select the “Enable background encoding” checkbox.

• This lets you work on your project while the files are being encoded in the background.
• This makes the most of your computer’s resources, and saves time when you are ready to burn your DVD.
• This is useful if you have 60 minutes or less of video, or when you want faster results.

• If you want the best quality possible (or have more than 60 minutes of video), choose Best Quality.

When you are ready to burn your project to a disc, iDVD evaluates the amount of video and chooses the best quality setting possible, filling the entire disc, if appropriate.

• The DVD will take longer to burn, but will be optimized for quality.
• The quality of your DVD ultimately depends on the quality of your source material.

Lower resolution movies, such as QuickTime movies downloaded from the Internet, or VHS video, will not give as good results as video taken with a DV or HDV video camera and edited in video-editing software such as iMovie HD, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro.

Choose a Theme for Your DVD:

A theme is a menu design that defines how your DVD looks to viewers.
The theme is made up of the background image or movie that appears on your DVD menu, along with the button style, fonts, sizes, and locations of titles and button labels.
A theme family is a collection of menu designs that work together, providing a unified appearance to submenus.

You can use one of the themes that come with iDVD, or you can customize and create your own theme. In this tutorial, you will learn how to select an existing iDVD theme and customize it.

Note: Use the theme specified in the tutorial so you can follow along easily.
If you choose another theme, you may not be able to follow the steps in order.
After you finish the tutorial, you can use what you’ve learned to choose a different theme and make other changes before you burn your DVD.

To choose the theme for your DVD menu:

1. Click the Themes button at the bottom of the iDVD window.
The Themes pane opens on the right side of the iDVD window.

2. Move the scroller up and down to see the themes.
Themes that contain animation and music have a motion icon that looks like the Motion button in the bottom-right corner of the theme thumbnail.

3. Click the pop-up menu and choose 4.0 Themes, and then scroll down until you see Fish.

4. Click the triangle next to the theme, then click Fish One to select it for your project.
This theme has a motion background, indicated by the small motion icon in the bottom-right corner. Some themes also contain an autoplay movie, a short movie that plays before the main DVD menu appears.

Themes with an autoplay movie have an autoplay icon in the upper-left corner of the theme thumbnail.

Good luck!

Source: http://idvd-tips-and-tricks.blogspot.com

It takes time, creativity, and knowing the right outlets and mediums to promote your business.While your company may consist of people with superb skills in writing and marketing, sometimes these same talented people cannot see the forest for the trees.

Oftentimes, when a business’ sales are stymied, it may be time to look at hiring an advertising agency. Remember: just as you know your business, advertising agencies know their business inside and out.Advertising agencies are in the business of making businesses shine and stand out from their competitors.

No matter the size or shape of an advertising agency, hiring an ad agency should go through the same evaluation strategy as when purchasing a vehicle:

1. How many miles to the gallon, i.e., “What type of advertising can I get for my price range?” How is the financing: by the medium, by the project, or hourly rate, for example?

2. What is the Kelly Blue Book price and rating, i.e., “How does this ad agency compare to other ‘makes and models’ for the price? What are the features and options, i.e., “Is there a basic package I can add on to at any time?” Does the advertising agency offer a ‘beginner’ package for you to test drive prior to making a commitment?

3. What is the track and safety record, i.e., “Can I see reviews of the workmanship and road tests?” Check references and determine if the advertising agency staff can understand your competition and goals for your business’ growth.

4. Get to know the lot salesperson and team, i.e., “Who are the people I would be working with?” Evaluate if you can work with the various personalities on a day-by-day basis. Do you have access to upper management if a problem arises?

5. Does the ‘vehicle’ line up with your business needs, i.e., “Has your ad agency worked with my type of business in the past?” Does the advertising agency offer logo design, business branding, and promotion strategies for your type of business? Examine the advertising agency’s portfolio for samples of similar work.

Small Advertising Agencies Offer a Personal Touch

Small advertising agencies offer just as many features as a large or top advertising agency with the exception of perhaps not having printing, recording, and publishing departments in-house.

However, some businesses like the personal touch of small advertising agencies. Often, the small ad agencies have ‘connections’ and price breaks with radio, television, studios, and newspapers that also offer more customized service.

Small advertising agencies are often located in the company’s area or region(s) of their clients’ businesses and are convenient to work with on a local and regional level.

Large Advertising Agencies – One-Stop Shops

Large advertising agencies do not necessarily have an exemplary track record so you need to be careful here. While large advertising agencies do most often create advertising using all mediums in-house such as printing, and radio and television commercial development, large advertising agencies may not offer the one-on-one communication that a smaller agency might.

Hiring a large advertising agency can be more convenient, however, because of its ability to create advertising using different mediums at one location.

Large advertising agencies often hire interns from universities. Therefore, ad agency personnel are often current with ‘new and improved’ advertising strategies and methods.

Top Advertising Agencies: The Biggest Bangs for the Biggest Bucks?

Just as purchasing a Mercedes Benz, top advertising agencies, such as McCann Erickson have proven track records, handled top clients in many types of business, offer a ‘personal touch’ and ‘do windows,’ (go the extra mile with services), along the way upon request.

Additionally, as with buying a top-end vehicle, top advertising agencies are equipped with the means and personnel to give top-notch project development, performance evaluations, and ongoing communication and recommendations.

While large advertising agencies can have the ability to know international markets, top advertising agencies have departments and personnel dedicated to working with international marketing.

Web Advertising Agencies – How Are They Different?

Web-based advertising agencies are similar to other advertising agencies with the exception of their concentration and expertise is advertising through the internet market.

Web advertising agencies often do not have the overhead costs of their sibling ‘brick and mortar’ agencies and are able to offer bulk advertising at a much lower cost.

Web advertising agencies, such as Web Ad.vantage Online Marketing, cover ad campaigns for: blogs, website promotion, pay-per-click advertising, and online directory listings, just for starters. They can also offer discounts for business cards and other business commodities through any network or partner affiliations they may have.

Many of you have probably used third-party software like Compressor, Cleaner or Sorenson Squeeze to compress your videos. The following steps are basic compression settings for QuickTime Pro, should you not have any of the above applications.

In the next couple months, I’ll post another guide for using Compressor that will delve deeper into encoding—stuff that you probably didn’t even realize Compressor was capable of doing.

1. Always use the highest resolution source files possible

First things first, when encoding your video for the web, preparation is the key. The final output of your video will depend heavily on your source video. So it is in your best interest to encode from the original source content, i.e. high resolution renders from Final Cut, After Effects or AVID.

2. H.264 Basic Settings

All the codecs (Compression Type) out there right now may be tempting to try out, but H.264 still comes out on top. Stick with it, as it will give you the best quality for the file size.

Leave the Frame Rate to Current to make the video flow just as you desired your original audience to view it. Because we’re using the H.264 codec, I recommend sticking with Automatic for Key Frames. And always keep Frame Reordering enabled for web viewing.

For the Data Rate, you want to keep the Restrict to around 1300 Kbits/sec and have the video Optimized for Download (this gives you the best quality). The higher the bitrate, the better the quality—but you get stuck with a bigger file. If you have the time, play around with this setting and see the difference in quality and final size. You can go up to 2000 Kbit/sec, but no more for SD 640 x 480.

You’ll also notice now that the Quality under Compressor is locked to High because you have the video Restricted to xxxx Kbits/sec, which is perfectly fine.

Lastly, the Encoding is kept to Best quality (Multi-pass). It takes longer than the Single pass (obviously), but you’ll get a cleaner product.

3. Use 640×480 minimum for your export dimensions.

Keep the Dimensions at 640 x 480 VGA or higher. There is no reason you should be displaying your work at any lower resolution. Make sure you have enabled Preserve aspect ratio using: Fit within dimensions. This option will fit the video to the longest side, scaling if necessary.

Should you choose a larger size (e.g. 720 x 480 NTSC SD or 1280 x 720HD), please make sure your source video is at least within the same dimensions; it would look ridiculous if you tried to stretch your video bigger than the source.

Also check Deinterlace Source Video, if available.

4. Always enable Fast Start.

Make sure Prepare for Internet Streaming: Fast Start – Compressed Header is checked before clicking OK under Movie Settings.

Not checking this option will cause your viewing audience to wait until the full spot has downloaded before it starts playing. This one checkbox could make the difference between your work being seen or being closed before it even plays.

5. For audio, use AAC at 128 kbps.

For the Sound Settings, keep it simple and use this screenshot as your guide.

This is pretty routine, so no explanation is needed here.

6. Name with care.

Lastly, file naming is highly important when it comes to uploading your file. Here’s a rule of thumb: Always name your file starting with the artist’s name, title of piece and the compression type. Never leave spaces between words. I highly recommend separating words with hyphens and underscores, never periods, which could cause problems in URLs.

Most importantly, make sure your final output has a file extension (e.g. .mov, .mp4, etc). This will enable the browser to know which plug-in to use for playback.

Source: www.motionographer.com

AG11

Throughout the festival there are a series of events for designers who are seeking inspiration, for designers emerging in the industry to explore the possibilities of careers in design, for companies looking to embrace design as an economic driver and for members of the general public interested in design, innovation and creativity.

Each year agIdeas brings 40 internationally acclaimed creative people to Melbourne, those who have pushed the boundaries and excelled in their area of creativity. They present in program such as design conferences, business seminars, workshops, panel discussions and are present at social engagements.

Since its inception 440 of the world’s leading designers have presented, 70,000 delegates have attended events, 21,000 have come together at the social gatherings, 40 young designers have benefited from travelling scholarships, 4,000 volunteers have helped organise and stage the events, 200,000 people have visited the Melbourne Museum during the NewStar Exhibition.

Source: http://www.agideas.net