Sneaky Bastard

I bought a Snowball by Blue Microphones recently. I used it for the first time to create a screencast last night. Using the little tri-pod that they provide (which is a very nicely designed, chrome part) it was too far away from my face when placed on the desk. I picked up a larger microphone stand with a telescoping boom, and that is perfect.

The screencast I created is on a pager solution that I use, and wanted to share with others, and hopefully, get some feedback. Here’s the process I used to create the screencast.

• Using Keynote, I created a series of slides in with static information. I exported the slides from Keynote to video using a Quicktime conversion to HD 720p with fixed timing for each slide — about one second per slide.
• I imported the video into a Final Cut Express video project. Using the Freeze Frame tool on each slide (a frame showing each slide), I created a clip about two minutes in length. Then I added the freeze frame clip to the timeline and used the Voiceover tool. After several takes doing the voiceovers, I trimmed the video down to match.
• For the demo of the of Firefox and Eclipse, I used iShowU with live audio. I made several short captures, then added them each to the project in Final Cut. The screen capture was at 1280×720 using the Apple Intermediate Codec. The file sizes are huge, but the quality is pixel perfect.
• I exported the sequence from Final Cut to MPEG-4 (H.264/AAC) using the settings that Vimeo recommends, and then uploaded it their site for conversion to Flash Video.

It’s a bit of work, but it’s good practice for presenting and training.

I’ve recently stumbled upon an alternate reality game coinciding with the release of Gina Borys’ album, Love Resurrected. The CD is available for purchase from the PayPal link on her MySpace page: myspace.com/ginaborys.

I’ll give you some pointers to exploring the story. From the home page, enter your phone number. You’ll receive a call and the status will be synched with the web page. When the message is complete, proceed to the journal. Enjoy the story, and keep in mind that there are real phone numbers to call, web pages to visit, and tidbits of information to gather. It’s completely immersive.

I haven’t finished it yet, and I can’t wait for the video from the final gig to be posted!

I saw a twitter today using the phrase “cognitive dissonance” in a way that didn’t fit my understanding. So I Googled it and went to the Wikipedia page for cognitive dissonance. I was amused to find some vandalism in the content, and that they misspelled Smurfs.