http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/index/ en action@sierra-media.com Copyright 2010 2010-06-30T20:30:07+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/time_off-_good_for_the_mind/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/time_off-_good_for_the_mind/#When:20:30:07Z I recently spent a week off with my family in the uber outdoor activity haven of Sunriver, Or, just outside of Bend. I had been watching the weather anticipating clear warm days and cool nights. But the weather on my iPhone weather app, did not look so good. Cloudy and 50’s. Just like here. I kept telling myself, don’t worry, it’s the time off connecting with my immediate family that matters, not the weather, I was visualizing and planning this trip for awhile. We booked a home through VRBO.com. An incredible website that has vacation rentals by owners all over the place. The two times I use the service, I was very happy. Anyway, it occurred to me that great vacations are not unlike great projects. Plan it well, and then toss yourself into it. With confidence and experience and a certain amount of trusting your instincts, it comes out great. Sure enough, as soon as we crossed over the cascades heading east, the sun popped out and the temp raised to the mid 70’s and it was comforting just to know I was away from the studio for a week to enjoy myself. During our stay, my youngest son, Nikita and I took a bit of a challenging bike ride, for me at least, he kicked my ass. We rode up to Mt. Bachelor from Sunriver. About a 44 mile round trip with 2100’ of elevation gain. It was intense. There were times when I thought I could not make it. I kept looking up seeing Nikita pushing ahead, so I just kept on going until it finally leveled out and there we were. Just like anything else it was a step by step process that if I kept on going, I would get there. such as in life and work. I made a conscious effort to really take notice on the way. Smell the daisies as it were. I wanted to enjoy the process not just the result. Just like projects we work on, I enjoy the process albeit sometimes frustrating, I keep reminding myself this is what I live for, the creative process. You know what? I think I enjoyed the result more. Daniel Cardenas Creative Director/Founder 2010-06-30T20:30:07+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/back_from_greensboro_n._carolina/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/back_from_greensboro_n._carolina/#When:21:09:11Z I was on a whirlwind trip to N. Carolina to visit Primo Water on behalf of Microsoft Dynamics and Pyramide Productions last week. I flew out of SeaTac with cameraman Matteo Bava and I was slated as director. We left Sunday afternoon, arrived late Sunday night, shot half a day and jumped back on a plane Monday evening. We actually made our connecting flights and excess baggage. Note of caution- seems that the lowest common denominator for weight of excess baggage is 70 lbs, not the 90 lbs we went with. So we had to scramble at the counter to repack, into a new bag that made the luggage all under 70 lbs. go figure. They said all airlines are the same, but we’ve taken several trips with gear and always was up to 90 lbs. This was actually the second shoot we did with the new phenomenon of shooting video with a professional DSLR or HDSLR more specifically a Canon 5D Mark II. This gives up the ability to quickly set up and shoot in small offices with ambient light. Interesting way to work and there are lots of possibilites and advantages, it’s currently all the rage. But with a lot of bite. It is nothing short of amazing. If you are not sure what I am talking about, just ping Canon HDSLR and you’ll get the idea. If you’d like more information, I’d be happy to show you in person as we have used the set up for the last two Intel videos we produced. A side bar about being in the south. On our way back to the airport we swung through Winston-Salem and had lunch. A cool little place called Sweet Potatoes- right there on the main drag. I had to try the marinated collard greens with black eyed peas and portabello mushroom and of course a baked sweet potatoe topped with sauted onions and tomates. Wow what a treat. I couldn’t stomach the standard toppings of brown sugar and butter, but the dishes were all outstanding, On the road, it’s the little things like a good meal and a friendly chat with someone that turns another location into a fond memory. Cheers! Daniel Cardenas Producer/Director 2010-06-14T21:09:11+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/new_endeavors_for_sierra_media/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/new_endeavors_for_sierra_media/#When:00:23:11Z In a different scope of endeavors, we had the opportunity to use some new equipment at a Nation wide, 3 day conference held at the Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville, WA.  We used the Ocean Matrix Presentation Switcher and Beringer Perimetric Equalizer to maximize the AV capabilities during presentations, not to mention using about eight videos we shot and edited together days before the event for the multiple presentations.  The switcher gave us options to cut between different screens seamlessly including power point presentations, DVD videos, photo slide shows, freeze screens with logos and live digital video while playing music and having the use of multiple wireless microphones.  Coordinating the lighting and multiple means of AV sources with our new gear was like fine tuning an orchestra.  It’s nice knowing you can meet just about any request within the scope of corporate presentation with ease and confidence. 2010-02-11T00:23:11+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/sierra_media_produces_video_for_future_of_flight_foundation/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/sierra_media_produces_video_for_future_of_flight_foundation/#When:19:07:45Z CLICK HERE to view the Future of Flight Web Gallery. Nine months after our my first proposal, we finally started production on this incredibly interesting project. One which I hope will have a huge impact on the way people look at nurturing innovation in our younger generation. We were commissioned to produce an informational fundraiser video for the Future of Flight Foundation. Like most foundations, they need to seek out funding for there operations, exhibits and programs. In the spirit of innovation, I took the plunge and decided to shoot the principal photography with the Red One. This is a high end cinema camera that’s more like a computer than a traditional video camera. We shot it in 4K which roughly gives you 4 times the size of 1080 HD video. CLICK HERE to check out a web gallery of photos from Steven Bradford. The deliverable will be a Blu-Ray disc that will be presented on a 30’ screen in the gallery along with a donor kiosk at the entrance of this installation. With about 200,000 visitors a year, we are proud to be involved in this local project for an inspiring cause. Stay tuned for more as we delve into the post production process of this piece. Daniel Cardenas Producer/Director 2009-12-29T19:07:45+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/sierra_media_helps_to_launch_aquavision/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/sierra_media_helps_to_launch_aquavision/#When:17:14:37Z The Everett Aquasox, a Single A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners has brought on Sierra Media to head up their new in stadium video scoreboard, affectionately called AquaVision. The 16’ 26’ LED screen will be placed in left center field. Along with creating a motion graphics package for a game opening, several bumpers and audience participation segments will be created by Sierra Media. We’ll also be crewing the remaining 20 games of the ‘09 season throughout the month of August. The setup initially includes 2 cameras, a switcher, instant replay with slo-mo and Click-Effects graphics generator. If you haven’t experienced this level of baseball, it’s an intimate and exciting spectacle. The Aquasox organization puts on a fantastic, family oriented entertainment experience. Come out and see the future stars of baseball up close and personal. The season runs through Sept.3, 2009. Daniel Cardenas producer/director 2009-07-21T17:14:37+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/randy_primm-_road_bandit/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/randy_primm-_road_bandit/#When:23:10:38Z Many of you might remember the 6’ 8” happy go lucky assistant I had working here for a couple of years. He was our main camera guy for the short lived Everett Explosion Basketball team, along with a multitude of other jobs and assignments. Well he moved on to follow his dream. He moved out of his apartment, sold his car, bought a motor home and is now traveling the country shooting, editing and uploading videos. We’re still in contact with Randy. He mostly hang out in Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego- are you sensing a trend here- Mostly the warmer states. His videos are interesting and funny. He set out on a mission and he is doing what he loves to do. If you have a chance, check him out. 2009-05-09T23:10:38+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/dc_supplies_some_power_for_fluke_news/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/dc_supplies_some_power_for_fluke_news/#When:16:40:11Z   Recently we completed 3 news stories for Fluke News. This is the first video edition that coincides with the quarterly printed version. The idea was to keep the production very nimble and efficient. We shot with our Panasonic HVX 200. I shot the majority of the footage with Mike Twombly shooting my stand ups and interviews. We tagged along with Laird Brown, electrical supervisor at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski area in outside of Vancouver, BC Canada. WIth the 2010 Winter Olympics coming to Whistler, the staff and crew are very excited about their new Peak 2 Peak gondola. It’s very nice. Just about as busy in the summer as the winter. ( I plan on going back there this summer for some out of this world mountain biking.) Stay tuned for the news stories as they have have just been completed. Check here or at fluke.com 2009-05-01T16:40:11+00:00 http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/mt_baker_09_lbs/ http://sierra-media.com/index.php/news/mt_baker_09_lbs/#When:16:27:48Z     Check out web gallery This last winter we had several outings to cover ski/boarding events. The Mt. Baker LBS is the grand daddy of them all. This was the 5th year we covered the event. We posted several feature stories to nwlive.tv that have been passed around a bit. We had a crew of 8 under my direction. The weather was great, the snow was ample and Baker was well, Baker. 2009-05-01T16:27:48+00:00