That is the question.

When speaking of 4k in videography I admit the picture quality is vastly superior to standard 1080p HD , and how could it not be? Let's look at the numbers. 4K, or sometimes referred to as Ultra HD is 3840 x 2160 resolution. It is easy to see those numbers easily trump the typical 1080p. You're probably wondering however where the 4k term comes from? The resolution is 3840 x 2160. Why not 3K?? Well, the genius marketers decided to round up. Point blank. I mean how would 3.8k sound when you are in the market to buy a $15,000 TV? You would immediately ask , “Where is the .2K !? “ Truthfully movie theatres are the original and current providers of 4K cinema . Their resolution comes in at 4096 x 2960!

So now that we have some brief education of what 4k is let's talk about how it effects the videography world. The first thing you have to discuss when determining if 4k is right for you is will 4k add increased benefit to you and your final product? If the answer is yes then 4k is for you! But if you aren't sure then you are right to be skeptical. 4K cameras like TVs are EXPENSIVE! Which means to produce with one of these cameras production costs will sky rocket! Imagine shooting a multi camera piece and you want everything shot in 4k … so that will take a minimum of 3 cameras...I am sure you can do the math. Most production companies that have 4k cameras can only afford to have one which drastically eliminates their ability to do a wide range of projects without incurring additional costs by renting more cameras ( If they are available ) and we haven’t even touched on the lens situation … Other problems that are faced with shooting in 4k is final product.  Who is going to be able to view it in all its spender and glory? I'll be honest I don't know a single person that owns a 4k TV. So you have this 4k footage and.... cool.. maybe in 3-5 years someone will be able to see it in its native format. Furthermore , the storage of these enormous files can become problematic. I have read various articles listing three minute movie trailers in an uncompressed format can take up as much space as 500GB !! Guess I better start investing in a server now... At this point there is no standard format for 4k either.. The problems continue. One final thought on the problems of 4k . Take a minute to think about purchasing that 4k TV. Remember how bad DVDs look and even up scaled movies on Blu Ray.  Remember how grainy they were? Imagine that but 3 times worse. 4K content is not widely available and will cost an arm and a leg!

Don't get me wrong I love 4K! I am not bashing it --- completely. I am just stating we the world as a whole are not quite ready for it yet. I am excited for 4K and the possibilities of having such amazing quality at my finger tips and the versatility of choosing various resolutions as well. I embrace technology , Caliber Video embraces technology!  When the world is ready for 4K so will we!

If you were to tell me buying a 4K camera right now would give me more business than I can handle.. then yes.. yes, I will join the 4K revolution!

Until next time, I will leave you with words of Wisdom from William Shakespeare.

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

-Mike

So what to do instead?  Outside of hiring Caliber Video to film everything for you, the most practical solution would be to buy a cheap point and shoot camera.  Most point and shoots and even entry level video cameras are much cheaper now that technology has advanced so rapidly over the years.  Most of these cameras shoot video and in reasonable quality considering the price point.  You won't be getting the bells and whistles of the iPad nor will you have the power of shooting in 1080p HD but you will get better reliability . Secure and easily transferable data from an SD card and a valuable optical zoom.  

Speaking from purely a professional point of view.  There is sadly not a lot of ways to shoot video at events and have it look and sound professional without hiring a professional.  With that being said,  Caliber Video is working with schools and other event venues to allow us to film and deliver professionally made DVDs for your viewing pleasure!  Once we begin getting contracts we will keep the blog updated on where we will be filming.    And remember , leave the iPad at home.. and if you MUST use it .. Promise us you won't shoot in portrait mode.. Just.. Don't... 

If there are any specific venues or schools you would like us to reach out to please leave us a comment! 

Yes, I did just use the phrase fun in describing our company!  Everyone has fun and we aren't any different.  We work hard and understand that sometimes you just have to chuckle, make a joke, film some squirrels chasing birds etc. Life is to short not to appreciate the little moments.   But alas,  this is about work and we do take our jobs very seriously.  We aim for total customer satisfaction and we deliver that by being knowledgeable, skilled, and professional.   Regardless of the filming location we do our best to be as discreet as possible to maintain the naturalness of the event.  Furthermore , we will always arrive on time and in Caliber Video Productions dress.  As you can see from the photo(s) we work in style with our Caliber Polos!  No need to worry about having strange videographers in flip flops, cut of jeans , and a tank top.  

Did I mention we have business cards? How could I forget?  We love email as much as the next person , but our ultimate goal is to meet you! We want to earn your trust by being able to sit down and talk about what we truly love, video production! And , and that point we can give you our handy dandy Caliber Video Business card and we can continue to keep and open line of communication by Office #,  Cell # , or email!  We are always here and ready film ! 

In order to not be a video company with no video on our site, I just added a bunch of video samples to the website, and I'd love for you to check them out and give me any feedback you wish. Please leave comments below, or email [email protected].

At Caliber Video we embrace technology and the awesomeness it provides.   It is hard to complain about technology when it makes our lives easier every single day.  Now, I admit I have had my fair share of technological blunders , but for the most part we do tend to live harmoniously with our many gadgets.

With this in mind ,  I could not wait to try out a new app I discovered called DSLR Controller!  What this app does is allows you to connect a  compatible smart phone to your Cannon DSLR Camera.   The app not only allows you to use your phone as a high quality ( much cheaper) field monitor , but it also enables you to control all the functions of the camera.   I am able to easily access ISO ,  F-Stop,  Picture Quality, White Balance ,  Histogram ,  On Screen Grid,  Record,  Shutter,  Auto and Manual focus,  review, and I am sure some other fun features  I have yet to discover.     There honestly really isn't much of a delay and helps with getting a much finer focus, because I am sure many of you know the LCD screen on the camera sometimes... makes things look deceivingly good.  

So how do you get the set up to work?    First you need a USB to USB micro cable to connect to your camera  ( I stole one from my PS3 ) .  Secondly ,   you need to have  a USB OTG connector which allows you to use the camera as  a host device  which enables it to send files and the image.   Third,  I decided to go all out and by a shoe grip for my cell phone which is conveniently sold on Amazon .    With all these items totaling in the ball park of $20-$25 dollars + Shipping and the cost of the app ( at this time ) $7.99 , you will have a rig set up to use your cell phone (Or tablet  ) as a field monitor.   Just imagine .... 5 inch display... touch screen... 1080p... on your camera ... for less than $50.00 !    And if you really want to go all out like I did so you don't lose out on adding your mic or lights look into this high quality - Metal - mutli shoe attachment follow this link Tripple Shoe.

What is a blog exactly?  Is it a diary with feedback?  Is it a place for people to meet and discuss relevant ideas?  What does a blog do ...exactly?  These are questions we had to ask ourselves when deciding on , " Do we need a blog on the site?"   and we came to the conclusion that,  YES , YES we do !  

Now let me explain.   A blog to us is about communication.  A blog allows us the opportunity to play the role of the Governor at the old Town Hall meetings.  Having a blog gives us the opportunity to connect with YOU !   We want to be able to provide you with all the fun whimsical news that we drum up here at Caliber Video as well as exciting events we may be apart of.  We want to share with you new industry news and fascinating tips and tricks for better videography.   

So, we started a blog.  This blog is for you. 

Hi and welcome to Caliber Video's new website! It's still very much a work in progress so please check back again soon and any suggestions are most welcome :)