Christmas Under Construction

A short video I shot in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I used my Canon 5D Mark II with my 24-105mm f4 and 50mm f1.8.

Crash the Super Bowl Doritos Commercial - Want More?

This is a commercial we shot for the “Crash the Super Bowl” Doritos contest.

Written, Directed, & Edited by Sean Bowers
Director of Photography & Color Correction by Tony Reale

Starring:
Nick Wicker
Travis Calkins-Delforge

Shot on the Canon 5D MkII and XH-A1 cameras

This was the first shoot I did with my new Canon 5D MkII...and I have to say, it's FANTASTIC! The image we captured was beautiful and it let me light more artistically than before.

Click here for pictures from the shoot.

Review: Learn Canon 5D Mark II Cinematography with Philip Bloom

I'm in the process of upgrading from my Nikon D90 to the Canon 5D Mark II. I love the look of the 5D MkII for it's pictures and of course for it's video. Knowing that the 5D has limitations, I decided to purchase Philip Blooms new tutorial DVD, Learn Canon 5D Mark II Cinematography with Philip Bloom. I've followed Philip's work a lot. I'm a fan of his style and have tried to replicate it on many of my projects while still maintaining my own originality. I trusted what Philip had to say and figured the price was right to take the chance.

Production Value:

The DVD is very well produced. It doesn't feel like something that was slapped together by a novice or someone trying to make a quick buck. It is enjoyable to watch and learn from. Audio is clean, video is high quality, and menu is easy to navigate.

Content:

Philip starts off by showing us what he does in a shoot. I personally love this approach to learning. It's what I do when I make instructional videos. Giving someone a huge list of potential options is both overwhelming and limiting. That isn't to say that he only limits you to one style of shooting. On the contrary, Phillip shows you different lens options, audio recording options, etc.

The DVD is not an instructional book of every function the 5D MkII has. It shows you how to make quality videos with the 5D. Philip barely talks about the picture functions beyond saying that he's used it for a few shots for a client once.

There is also an extras section that shows you how to work with 5D footage in post. This is also full good advice.

Conclusion:

Did I learn something? Yes. Did I learn something in every chapter? Not really. Someone like myself who has used a decent amount of video equipment may know a good 50%-75% of what Philip says, but there is still that 25%-50% that will help me in my productions for the future.

Value:

Is it worth $175 (right now, on sale for $120 at their site)? Depends on the person. I'll watch it several more times and use most, if not all of the things I've learned in shoots. And that can easily translate into cash in my pocket. If you are someone who spends hours online and has been doing video production and filmmaking for 20+, you may not gain a ton from this. But if you are new to cinematography or don't feel fully confident behind a video camera, this will be a huge tool for you.

Raivu for Kids

Back in June, we produced a video for Raivu Industries. Here's the finished product!

New and Improved!

We're excited to announce our newly renovated website. Our new site has a fresh layout and lots of new content. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think.

creativeedgepro.com

Special thanks to Noah Settersten for his help building our old site.

Gone...But Not Forgotten

It certainly has been awhile since I posted something here. But I promise it was for good reasons.

On July 26th, Rebecca and I got hitched!

We've been busy with wedding stuff, both in preparation and bringing our two houses together. That said, Creative Edge Productions is still going strong and we've got quite a few projects we're working on.





Photos by Dev Photography

Macro Videography - Nikon D90

Vimeo version

A short compilation of video clips taken with my Nikon D90, my Nikkor 50mm f1.8, and various extension tubes.

Howcast

A few weeks back I received an email from a staff member at Howcast. He said he had come accross our How to Build a Camera Jib/Crane video on YouTube and wanted to host our content on their site. I was more than happy to see our content reach a wider audience.

Be sure to check out Howcast for a variety of helpful videos. Here's a link to our Howcast page.

DIY Photography Light Tent

So I just got our wedding bands in from our friends at Diamonds and Gold of Green Bay. ...for those that don't know, I'm getting married! :)

I was really excited and wanted to take some pictures of them, but I didn't have a decent lighting setup for macro photography. I had remembered reading about building your own light tent on strobist.blogspot.com (a fantastic site, by the way) and thought I'd give it a shot.

I couldn't remember the exact instructions, so I pretty much made up the rest as I went along.

First off I grabbed:
my Nikon D90
my 50mm prime f1.8 Nikkor lens
my Nikon SB600 flash with stand
my YN460 flash with stand
my wireless flash triger
my macro adapter
my Leatherman
an old cardboard box
some white paper
and some tape


Next thing was to cut holes in the sides of the cardboard box. Then tape the paper over the top of it.

Then I taped a piece of paper on the inside to create an infinity curve.

After that I set up my SB600 on the left with the wireless trigger and the YN460 on the right as a slave flash.

I slapped on my 50mm prime with the macro convertor and after some work I got some pretty sweet pictures. Not bad for free!

And after some Photoshopping they look pretty professional.

The setup works pretty well and for as little as I'll use it, you can't beat the price. I would recommend using at least 24lb. paper so you don't see as much of the grain in the paper. Also, I had to shoot at around f11 otherwise I'd have about half a millimeter in focus at a time.

Loining Engagement Pictures

I recently did a photo shoot for my friends Ross and Mary Chris. They were great to work with and pictures turned out fantastic.









Visit our Facebook page for more pictures.

Raivu Industries Video Shoot

I recently did a video shoot for Raivu Industries talking about their new ministry Raivu for Kids. I'm working on editing the video and I'll post it when it is complete.

For more information about Raivu Industries, visit their website raivuindustries.com or raivuforkids.org




Visit our Facebook page for more pictures from the shoot.

NextWaveTV Ep 9: Professional Video Equipment

NextWaveTV Ep 9: Professional Video Equipment from Tony Reale on Vimeo.

YouTube Version

Episode 9 of Next Wave TV: Tony's Vidcast

In this episode, I show you all the equipment I use for my video productions.

Hosted by Tony Reale

Visit our Facebook page for pictures from the shoot

Produced by Creative Edge Productions

CEP Commercial Shoot

Last weekend I set up about 90% of my equipment for the first time to do a commercial shoot for Creative Edge Productions. While everything was setup, I shot an episode of NextWaveTV. I'll have the episode up soon and the commercial done in a few months. Here are pictures from the shoot.

NextWaveTV Ep 8: Photoshop Teeth Whitening and Eye Enhancement

NextWaveTV - Ep8: Photoshop Teeth Whitening and Eye Enhancement from Tony Reale on Vimeo.

YouTube Version

Episode 8 of Next Wave TV: Tony's Vidcast

In this episode, I show you how to whiten teeth and enhance eyes in Photoshop. Also, in this episode you can see PhotoPop in action.

Hosted by Tony Reale

Visit our Facebook page

Visit our YouTube page

Produced by Creative Edge Productions

PhotoPop - 11 FREE Photoshop Actions

Hey guys! I'm excited to announce the release of PhotoPop, a collection of 11 Photoshop Actions designed by yours truly. Best of all they're FREE!

I created these actions to be a companion for any photographer. Most other action packages I found were too bold and ended up either blowing out or darkening the image too much. PhotoPop is designed to add small effects to help your photos "pop" without changing the style of your original shot. They are so flexible that you can use more than one at a time for added effect. There are also bolder actions for when you want a different artistic look.

What is included:

Normal - This is the default action for use with most photos.
Sharp - The same pop, but with a sharper look.
Darker - If your image is too light and is getting washed out by Normal, try Darker.
Lighter - If your image is too dark and is getting crushed by Normal, try Lighter.
Subtle - If Normal is still too bold, try Subtle.
Vivid - PhotoPop cranked up a couple notches.
Soft Focus - PhotoPop with a soft focus.
HDR - PhotoPop using a HDR look.
Lomo - PhotoPop using a lomography look.
B&W - Black & white with a little pop.
Quick Vignette - Most photographers like to add a subtle vignette to these effects, so I included an quick, easy action.

I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment and let me know how they worked for you. Send over any pictures and I'll post them on the blog.

And here's what you've all been waiting for:
Download PhotoPop

For more examples of PhotoPop in use, visit our Facebook page.

These actions were designed in Photoshop CS4 and have been tested in CS3. I don't know if they work in any other versions. Test them out and let me know. UPDATE: Special thanks to IrishTom for testing them in CS2 and Photoshop 7 and letting us know that they work.

To use PhotoPop, unzip the file into: Photoshop > Presets > Actions. Then load Photoshop and open your Actions panel: Window > Actions. Click on the drop down menu and select PhotoPop to load the actions. Then click on the desired action and press play at the bottom of the panel.

Legal stuff: Feel free to download and use these for commercial use. Do not redistribute without my written consent.

Thanks!

Making Partners

I'm excited to announce that YouTube has upgraded our account to be a part of the Partner program. Check out our page to see the changes: youtube.com/nextwaveg

LIVE from Q90FM

Q90FM is running their Q-Drive fundraiser this week. They asked me to be on the air during one of the hours to talk about some of the work I've done with them. We really had a blast!

For anyone who is new to this blog and is checking out our website because of the radio interview, feel free to look around. Be sure to check out the video we did for Q90 here: Q90FM Fundraiser Video

Q90 on the News

A few weeks after finishing the video for Q90FM, WFRV Channel 5 News in Green Bay asked to do a story on Mike Lemay the general manager at Q90. They also asked to use a small piece of the fundraiser video in the story.

Click here to watch the video

Case and Point

So I was going through some old equipment at Celebration Church where I work and came accross some old Pelican cases that weren't being used. I was needing a case for my new rig and wanted to see if the 1650 would fit my camera...and sure enough it did. Fortunetely my boss was nice enough to sell the case to me.

So far, I'm loving the case. It is very sturdy and even has wheels and a handle for easy mobility. It's so much better then the Rubbermaid bin I used to lug my old rig around in. Remember, if you spend thousands on a rig, be willing to spend hundreds to keep it in good condition.

NextWaveTV Ep 7: Upgrading a Prosumer Camera Rig

NextWaveTV Ep 7: Upgrading a Prosumer Camera Rig from Tony Reale on Vimeo.

Episode 7 of Next Wave TV: Tony's Vidcast

YouTube Version Part 1 & Part 2
In this episode, I talk about the upgrades I did to my camera rig to bring it up to a professional level.

Hosted by Tony Reale

Link to Ep 4: How to Build a Prosumer Rig
Link to Q90fm Fundraiser Video
Visit our Facebook page
Pictures from the shoot

Produced by Creative Edge Productions
creativeedgepro.com

NWTV Episode 7 Video Shoot

It's been awhile since I shot and episode of NextWaveTV. In this episode, I'll be talking about the upgrades I did to my camera rig. Here are a few behind the scenes photos from the shoot.

Check back soon for the video when I finish editing.

For more pictures from the shoot, visit our Facebook page.

Also check out our YouTube and Vimeo pages for more episodes of NWTV.

Seeing It Built

Over a year ago I put a video on YouTube that I shot really quickly while I built my jib. Little did I know that it would become my most popular video, which to date has reached nearly 100,000 hits.

It's always encouraging to get emails and messages from people thanking me for the video and telling me how it helped them design there own jibs.

Here's a video that was sent to me by YouTube user korg01w. He did a fantastic job and his jib turned out a lot more professional then my original design.



Keep up the great work guys and keep sending me links to your designs. Feel free to email me pictures and I'll throw them on the blog too.

Q90fm Fundraiser Video

Q90fm HopeNet Fundraiser Video from Tony Reale on Vimeo.

YouTube Version

After several weeks of hard work, it's finished! This is the video we did for Q90fm's HopeNet program. For more information on HopeNet, visit their website: q90fmhopenet.com

For pictures from the shoot, view some of the older posts on our blog or view our Facebook page.

Produced by Creative Edge Productions creativeedgepro.com

Big News...

Although most of my posts are regarding video, photography, or graphics, I thought I'd take a moment and update my followers on some big news for myself.

My girlfriend, Rebecca and I are now engaged! I proposed on April 11th when we were up at her folks cottage.

She'll be a big part of Next Wave Graphics and Creative Edge Productions since she is a photographer and graphic designer. She also helps me with setting up my video gear and helping to assistant direct many of my shoots.

There will be many more photos of the both of us in the future, but I hope you will all welcome her warmly :)

Oh, and be sure to become a fan of our page on Facebook!

Manly Man II Teaser Trailer Shoot

Last year, we put the Manly Man Conference together in a matter of months, running only one promo video, and it turned out amazing. This year, we're gearing up for it to be bigger and better.

Here's a picture from the teaser trailer shoot. I had my friend Eric Martin running follow focus whip. A special thanks to my good friend Tim Ray from Ray of Light Productions for taking a few snapshots of the shoot. Stay tuned for the completed video in the next week or so.

For more pictures, visit our Facebook page and become a fan!

For more information on the Manly Man Conference, visit our website at: www.themanlymanconference.com The new website for MMII is still under construction, so check back for details about this years conference.

Q90FM Video Shoot 2

We just finished with our second shoot for the HopeNet promo video for Q90FM. We worked with teens from Woodland Worship Center in Oneida, WI. All of the teens did a fantastic job in acting, especially since we were working with very emotional scenes.

To view more pictures from the shoot, visit our website creativeedgepro.com or become a fan on Facebook.

Check back in a few weeks to see the completed video.