Completed Wersi Covers

 My wife has completed the Wersi organ covers - a reversible design that looks much better in the bedroom rather than the black plastic thing on the expensive organ, and it will effectively keep the dust out from all the electronics, which is the major problem.

Video Production

 The filming is just a tiny part of the video production story. The process to get this far is setting the scenery or green screen, the sound, the lighting, the scriptwriting, and the storyboarding. All before filming starts.

Making made to measure covers for the Wersi

 

One of my few complaints about the Wersi is that it needs a cover for the keyboard to keep the dust out. My wife didn't like the black one that came with it, so she is in the process of making some bespoke ones - these match the curtain and duvet in the bedroom where the organ is located.

Video Session

 Working on some B roll for some upcoming videos.

Surprise Photoshoot

 Suddenly my son says to me that he needs some better photos for the website and could I put my lab coat on and so he set up the studio with lots of lights and the smartboard. 120 photos later I await to see what he intends to do.

Resolve 18.5

 Moving up to Resolve 18.5 and all the new features that my son is excited to play with. We have been using the beta versions for a while and have found many of the new features very helpful and these have helped transform our workflow.

What is the best camera for the job?

 Each shoot and event is different and requires different cameras and setups. Sometimes one camera does not fit all circumstances, so there is a need for different types of cameras to obtain certain shots. Sure, the DSLRs are pretty good, and so are phones, but for some photos, specialist cameras are better.

Filming in the rain

 Very heavy showers stop the filming yesterday - well we never really started.

Evolving Workspace

 My Music workspace is evolving with the addition of a 27-inch second monitor for displaying music and for other file handling.

The orientation game

 Fighting the orientation battle  - displaying a landscape instrument like a keyboard on a platform such as TikTok gives many challenges on how to display the images. Do we go smaller to make it fit but harder to see or just show some of the image close up? A dilemma.

Organ Lesson

 The Cameras are all set up for an organ lesson on Zoom this morning featuring the Wersi Sonic OXA 800 playing Faraway Romance by Tom Horton.

Working in the workshop

Working in the workshop, making new tools for the lab.

What makes a good DSLR Camera Rig?

 What makes a good DSLR Camera Rig? Many answers but one of the most important is getting at things. I don't want to have to take the whole rig apart to access a screen or change a battery. This Smallrig swivels in the centre, so I can get at everything and then pushes back and locks in place. Simple.

Gyro Film making

 Started making a film using the @Lascells Gyro Wheel. The Moveable weights mean that the behaviour of the gyro can be changed and the string pull starter alleviated the need for a device to help spin the gyro.

VCV Rack 2 in Ableton

 Learning how to get VCV Rack 2 to work in Ableton Live. Not as obvious as I thought, but once I got it working, I can now generate just about any sound I can think of. Probably now best to capture these sounds and add them to the Wersi Organ.

Canon Rig

Having just purchased a Smallrig Advanced V-mount Battery kit to hold the Andycine battery. Seems to work well with the neck strap and the chest plate.

 

Sampler

I want to create some new voices for the Wersi Organ so I am starting with an Akai sampler emulator and recording a sound and then converting it to a Wersi file for integration into the organ. Still a work in progress.
 

Hydrophobic Bricks

 Does spraying Bricks and Tiles with a hydrophobic polymer like Properla work. It is expensive at about £30 per square metre, but if it works to keep out the damp, then it is a good investment. The house was jetwashed - I was amazed at the dirt, then the polymer was applied. Let us see if it works.

Best V lock battery

 Entering the minefield of trying to find the best V lock battery for the Canon R5C for me. I have read all the reviews I can I have settled on this one for the best price-performance ratio. Only time will see if I am correct.

Iron filings on a screw

 

Iron filings attracted to a metal screw thread. As I put some curtain track up, the drill bit hit some iron reinforcement and put a screw into the hole drew out all of these. That was as far as I could drill into the wall.

70-200mm lens

 The @CanonUKandIE 70-200mm lens is great for Medium telephoto shots and is fantastic for making videos when you need to be a little further away, giving flattering images of the talent.

Yamaha Genos

 

Seriously looking at getting a Yamaha Genos. Wife and son not so keen - you already have two organs and a synthesiser and you like multiple manuals. I am still not sure - I feel it could be useful.

London Tube

 Capturing the moment as the tube moves quickly with motion blur and the people on the platform stay still in dim light.

Making Music Online

Making Music Online. Setting Zoom into Musicians mode to produce better sound quality Music.

 

Pedal cam

Setting up the organ with the ATEM and three cameras, one above one on me, and a pedal cam, then the fourth output is direct to the organ screen.

 

Casting Call Sheet

Sometimes technology gets the best of us. Trying to create a casting call document using a @Brother Scan'n'Cut. It did a great job but it took much of the day whereas a pair of scissors was much faster to make one copy.

 

Scriptwriting and storyboarding

Scriptwriting and storyboarding - trying to create what a video is about and how it is going to be filmed. The planning stage is difficult, but getting this part right makes a good video.

 

Serious chip maker

 When I carry out Osmosis experiments, we need potato "chips" all the same size. I have tried a few chip makers before, but they easily break in the lab, so now I have obtained an all-metal serious chip maker which should be able to withstand everything the students can do to it and make identical size chips for the experiments.

Showreel

 ​Preparation for the showreel. The new showreel will require extra footage to be filmed.

Filming

​Preparation for the showreel. The new showreel will require extra footage to be filmed.