Music Video Production
It’s difficult being a musician these days. Record Labels are slowly being phased out and illegal downloads have made it extremely difficult to make being a musician a lucrative career. The once great MySpace is now primarily for bands to post new music, tour dates and blogs to get that all important word-of-mouth out. How can you expect to compete with technology? By using it to your advantage.
MTV may not have aired a music video since the Macarena but that doesn’t mean Music Videos are no longer useful in getting your band noticed. It just means budgets are no longer that huge! This is great news if you don’t have deep pockets but still want to make a creative and professional looking music video for your band. Which is why we provide Video Production Services.
They don’t all have to be as clever and difficult as OK GO’s Rube Goldberg video for ‘This Too Shall Pass’. Look at the Black Key’s video for ‘Lonely Boy’. It’s as simple a music video as can be: one set up, one take and it’s simply a man dancing to the song and it has 7 million views and counting.
You need to get your video out there, and we can help with that. We provide affordable video production services in the Los Angeles area and we have a lot of experience in working with feature films and with MTV’s Lingerie Football League. Create a mini documentary with your band or a web series to tell a story about your band.
Video Production Services – Demo Reel
Advanced Media LLC recently started their own production company and our goal for 2012 is to have a lot of exciting projects that lead us to bigger and brighter things! Our recent projects included a Web video for a real estate company in Pallos Verdes! We also recently finished a video production job for the Eye Care Company, VSP. Last week we finished a demo reel in Studio City for an up and coming young actor.
At Advanced Media, we want to be your one stop shop for you post-production and now for your production needs. Along with video transferring, we also edit and produce demo reels for all our customers. We are new to the acting reel production game but our experience in Hollywood make us more than qualified to handle this time of job.
In studio city we shot a few scenes for an engaging young actor so that he may have a more full and complete demo reel. We provided the lighting equipment, camera and sound equipment as well as a small crew that were more than willing to help out an actor with their video production needs!
We shot one comedy scene that took place in a pizza cafe and another drama scene in an office setting. It was a pleasure working with everyone involved with the reel and we can’t wait for the next job! Afterwards the happy customers went to our office where we also cut their reels together and made duplicates of it for the casting agents around the LA area, of course we can provide this and more! Click HERE for more info.
DVD vs. Digital Transfers
Every day I get calls from people with analog formats like VHS, Hi8, Video 8, 3/4”, Beta SP and many others who would like to transfer their tape to DVD and/or file. That’s why I’m writing this blog to explain the differences between DVD and digital files. The first thing to consider is, what is the intended use of the media? For instance, someone has an old family video tape on VHS and they simply want to watch it at home but they no longer have a VHS player. In this case, I would recommend a straight transfer to DVD. On the other hand, if the client wants to be able to edit the footage and cut out certain scenes, add music and some simple text titles, then I recommend a file. Anyone looking to edit their footage is probably better off with a file because the process of creating a DVD involves compressing the video. This means that some quality is lost in the transfer. Exactly how much quality is lost? That’s very difficult to answer. The DVD recorders that we use are top of the line. They determine the compression formula, and the result is very high quality DVDs. With a file, there are many more options as far as compression is concerned and I won’t bore you with the details but it is easy to give a client a file that has no loss in quality whatsoever. In many cases it’s best for the client to have both forms of media because the file can work as a back up and the DVD can be great for displaying content for friends and family.
Often people don’t understand the difference between a DVD and a file because after all, isn’t a DVD digital? Yes. However, a DVD is made up of many different files that work together to play in your DVD player whereas a file is a single, self-contained unit able to be played in various applications like QuickTime. The file can be easily manipulated without any extra steps. Furthermore, the file is only going to play on a computer and a DVD will play in a DVD player or computer.
Another question arises, “Can I create digital files from the DVD that I can use for editing?” The answer is, yes you can as long as you have an application that can do it and the know how to complete the task. It can be very frustrating if you have neither and it could possibly be very time consuming. At Advanced Media we provide this service for a reasonable rate. The process involves transcoding and creating new files to be used for editing or uploading to the internet. For clients looking to pull clips from a DVD for the purposes of editing, we recommend .mov files, also known as QuickTime files. These are known as cross-platform files, meaning they are accessible by Mac as well as PC computers. In the case of uploading files, we use the Mpeg-4 file format utilizing the now famous H.264 compression. Your videos will be more compressed but there’s really no getting around it. We do our best to maintain the highest quality while creating files small enough to enable people all over the world to stream your content. This makes sharing easy and fast. It’s just a click away .
Is Blu-ray here to stay?
Blu-ray is here
Everywhere you go these days, whether a retail bookstore, WalMart and even small mom and pop shops that carry DVD titles are giving way to Blu-ray discs.
DVDs are disappearing fast and are quickly reaching a collector item status.
With incredible recent developments in digital technology, is Blu-ray really here to stay? Or will it be a short-lived experiment, about to be written off as the last tangible “hard” media?
First, a few facts about Blu-ray:
The Blu-ray format was introduced in the late 2000, however, was only commercially released by 2006 (2003 in Japan, they are always ahead of us!)
Between the years 2006 and 2009, Blu-ray was immersed in the notorious “format war” with HD-DVD in a dynamic that vastly resembles the VHS/Betamax format wars of the 80s. Apparently, every generation need their own format war.
With the official retreat of HD-DVD, and the victory of Blu-ray, it was then settled and slowly penetrated the market.
Blu-ray titles sales in North America (US & Canada) have grown from 1.2 million in 2006 to 177.2 million in 2009. In addition, projections are forecasting that by the end of 2011, 50 million homes will own Blu-ray players. That will represent more than 40%!!!
In addition, the advent of Blu-ray 3D adds a whole new dimension to the equation, pun intended. Some projections estimates that by 2015, 3D TVs will be in more than 60% of US households and 3D Blu-ray players will be in more than 75%.
Now, that’s not too shabby for a format that just recently survived a war and that has been declared “dead” by many pundits time and time again.
So what is it in this blue laser technology that it just won’t quit?
While it is clearly open to interpretations, we at Advanced Media believe it is derived from 3 different aspects:
Generational – older demographics have more spending abilities and are used to buy tangible media (ownership). They want to enjoy their favorite films, as well as new releases in HD with cool interactive menus. These people will drive the market.
Quality – it is hard going back to DVD after getting used to Blu-ray. It is like stepping back from First Class to Coach in a midst of a packed flight.
Adaptability – people are still slow to embrace digital-only solutions. It is certainly happening, and we anticipate a day without any optical discs, yet we do not anticipate it any time soon.
We believe that the Blu-ray technology is here to stay for the foreseeable future. We have had no particular bias when writing this blog, and after gathering the statistics, we were left fairly surprised.
We like Blu-ray. It’s a good format. It’s clean and it’s available.
Thank you for visiting our site.
The reasons behind media preservation
Advanced Media, much like many nationwide media companies, has been seeing an increased demand for personal film and videos preservation to digital media. Some of the obvious reasons are the obsoleteness of analog VCRs and the relative inconvenience for the average individual to screen 8mm film, as well as the extremely accessible various forms of digital media, be it computers, iPods, iPads and the internet.
We, as a media company, have invested a substantial amount of capital in the acquisition, testing and improvement of our fitting in order to be able to serve the growing demand from individuals, corporations and government entities alike. After completing large library projects for large organizations, such as the FBI, the UC educational system, various California state libraries and many others and being an approved government contractor, we have come to realize that beyond the obvious reasons that make our customers choose to convert, transfer, preserve, and restore the personal or intellectual content, history and memories, there are some more profound reasons at play.
Today, we live in what is called the “Information Age”, as well as “Digital Age”. We, as a society, are being accustomed to rapidly share personal and intellectual content, as well as monetize it to various degrees. Example in case is Facebook, which instrumental success is primarily based upon individuals need to share.
As time moves forward and technology becomes more and more ingrained in our daily life, our digital needs grow respectively. While in the not so long ago, we would typically store our VHS tapes on a shelf and watch them years later, today, they could be easily posted and broadcast to the entire world on free platforms like YouTube.
We are living at an age were sharing information can be done at the speed of light and for a relatively low cost. Today, it is becoming part of our identity and our need to preserve and share the past comes along with it.
Some can argue that we are becoming our own historians and documentarians. Perhaps in the near future, people would expect each other to have their own short biography on video, ready to view just a click away.
Thank you for considering Advanced Media is your primary choice of media services provider. It is always our pleasure.
Advanced Media.
Blu Ray Services
When you hear Blu Ray you think top end, Crisp quality and Jaw Dropping Graphics. Unfortunately, you also think it’s too expensive and unless it’s the Dark Knight on Blu Ray, you’d rather go without it. There are times, however, when you will need to pay the extra amount for professional Blu Ray Services.
Say you have a low budget Indie film that you would like to show at festivals. The Blu Ray Format would help your film gain attention! With the way technology is now, you have to go with the flow for your film to gain attention and credibility. Want even more? We also do Blu Ray 3D, so more than before you can get your movie to (pardon the pun) jump out of the screen! And the cost is a lower than you are expecting, especially if you we’re thinking an arm and a leg.
Advanced Media does affordable Blu Ray Services as well as Bulk DVD Duplication Services for any job you may have! We offer top notch Blu Ray Replication/Duplication Services in Los Angeles. We also provide video transfer services so if you want to Transfer your old family video to transfer to Blu Ray for a wedding, that is not a problem for us.
Visit our site: www.BluRayWizard.com for more information.
Los Angeles Trade Shows – New Media Content
Technology is moving at a rapid and nearly non stop pace. To keep up we go to various expos and Trade shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas that showcase the latest in Technological advancements in Film, Video, Media, etc. Here we meet with the reps of the Top companies including: Sony, Microsoft, Adobe, Avid, Samsung, LG, RED, etc. We see how we can implicate these technological advances into our business so that we may better serve you in Media Transfer, Post-production services and Video Production Services.
Examples of the events we go to are:
NAB (North American Broadcasters) show in Las Vegas. This is where the latest and greatest in Media Technology (cameras, TVs, Broadcast equipment, etc.)
LA Film Fest: The Premier Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Cinegear and Showbiz Expo: Los Angeles Based show for professionals within the TV, film, movie and actors.
American Film Market – Top Show for the selling and distribution of thousands of Films currently available and in development.
E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) – Premier show and Press/media professional expo in Los Angeles that focuses on the Video Game industry.
Comic Con (San Diego) – Worlds Largest Pop Culture Expo, the latest and biggest show that deals with Latest Hollywood Blockbuster and the Geek Obsessed culture!
BlogWorld and New Media Trade Show- New Los Angeles based expo with a focus on Social Media and marketing you business using the latest in New Media Content.
Check out our Sister Site for other Professional Media Services we provide Here
Why you need an Actor Reel
You just moved to LA after Theatre school with dreams of making it to the big screen. You’ve been in a few small made for TV Movies and shows and have a huge audition coming up soon. You memorized your lines no problem, your head shot make you look perfect for the role, the only thing…Your Demo reels isn’t as strong as you want it to be. With your audition so close how are you going to make a complete demo reel with such a short amount of time?
An Actor Reel needs to focus on your talent and showcase your range of emotions. An actor’s reel is an important exposure tool and Advanced Media Specializes in Demo Reel Production in Los Angeles. We offer package deals for Demo Reel re shoots and we have professional editors who can cut your reel together making Advanced Media LLC your one stop shop for Demo Reel Production! You can also sit in with the editor to make sure you get the professional reel that you deserve while we throw in our own creative and professional twists here and there.
We have worked with a wide range of actors/actresses on their demo reels, check our demo Reel website if you would like to see some of our work here at: www.VideoReelExperts.com or click here to know more about our Video Production Services: HERE
Call us now for a free quote: (323) 469-0707
Video Production Services
These days it’s hard to catch the attention of your audience. Because of rapidly evolving technology the average attention span has decreased immensely. Take watching TV for example. Typically People are on three or more separate devices: Watching their favorite TV shows on DVR, while checking NFL Fantasy stats on their lab tops while simultaneously texting a friend on their phones.
What does this mean for you and your business? It means you have to to something more to catch the attention of your market. A website is not enough, You need to create buzz and something fresh to maintain the attention of potential clients. You need a web video that will catch and retain their attention.
It could be a short 2-3 minute video or a series of videos that will turn potential customers into loyal ones who will help create buzz and the important ‘Word of Mouth’ marketing for your business.
Advanced Media Productions handles all Video jobs, big or small. We are here to provide Video Production services in Los Angeles for any business or actor that require a top notch and professional Video or Demo Reel for their needs.
We have done jobs for the FBI and produce videos for MTV’s Lingerie Football League. Recently we have Shot a Web Video for Eye Health Care Provider, VSP, where we went to the LA Sports Arena to shoot a web Commercial for a Dr. OZ Sponsored event. We have experience in Hollywood as well as we have produced a number of EPK’s and BTS for Blockbuster Films, such as: Leaves of Green w/ Edward Norton, Trust w/ Clive Owen and Robert De Niro, Labor Pains with Lindsay Lohan.
We have also done Commercials videos for a wide range of industries: Health Care, Real Estate, Entertainment, etc. We also provide Demo Reel Production for actors who want a new reel or to reshoot scenes. Want to know more? Check out our portfolio Here
If you would like to know more Click Here
or give us a Call at (323) 469-0209.
VHS Transfer Services – Where do I transfer my home movies to?
Today, millions of Americans have already took the step to protect, preserve and share their family history, lifelong memories and generational ancestry. In previous articles about Media Transfer we have explored some of the reasons why is it so important to take that step now. In this article, we would like to explore the various methods and ways to preserve and protect them.
Access and Usability
The first thing to consider is access and usability of your home videos. When VHS was abound, it was clearly the only way
VHS to DVD Transfer Family
to preserve your videos and be able to watch them occasionally with family and friends. In fact, the knowledge that your historical moments and memories are there in a tangible and accessible form was a re-assuring factor that you can always enjoy it when desired, especially at an older age.
Today, there are various choices to consider, including DVD, files, tape and the Cloud. While each format or platform offers advantages and disadvantages, the most important thing to remember is that you would essentially need to be able to access and use it at some point in time. Therefore, the access and usability factors are very important.
DVD
DVD (which stands for Digital Versatile Disc, since it was alongside with CD, a type of media that could have various segments be accessed consecutively without the need to fast forward or rewind) was the natural replacement for VHS and the likes (analog tape-based home video formats), and therefore is being preferred by many. DVD main benefits is that is it relatively durable, physical and easily accessible. We at Advanced Media, highly recommend transferring home movies to DVD, since it is sill the most usable and accessible form of preserving your media. We believe that if you do not preserve your home movies to DVD, you are potentially risking losing them.
Under the DVD umbrella you will also find its modern day sibling, Blu-ray. While the process of creating Blu-ray discs is more time consuming and pricier, there are some clear advantages to choosing that route. Blu-ray is becoming more and more accessible and should be considered as a viable option. For this to happen, more education in the market place may be needed.
File
Today, more and more individuals choose home movies to file transfer as the way to go. Some of the reasons behind it are clearly understood, with many planning on editing their videos to remove some of the non-eventful portions, while some think that having files is cheaper and/or better. Transferring home movies and VHS tapes to files is clearly important and extremely beneficial to many and should definitely be considered as art of the overall preservation and protection strategy – however, it is clearly not the answer. We at Advanced Media always recommend a two-legged approach to preservation and protection, having your home movies transferred to at least two types of media or platforms. While files offer clear advantages for editing and overall sharing, the lack the reliability and physicality that DVDs and other tangible media has to offer. Just remember that a drive can get deleted or crash, files could be lost and misplaced, get corrupt and be compromised by the ever increasing amount of computer viruses. You would not be happy to discover that your invaluable historical memories are nowhere to be found several years later.
Tape
Tape is becoming an outdated concept in today ever changing technology, however, many corporations, government agencies, film studios and any other valuable content owners choose to preserve their content on magnetic tapes, such as DLT and LTO. Magnetic tape preservation still offers the best and most robust way of preserving media. While not always feasible to the private user to own an LTO drive, just having an LTO cartridge with their entire home video library backed up may be an option to consider. Formats such as LTO are industry standard and are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Cloud
The Cloud, as previously discussed, is an umbrella term for any type of media, software or service that is performed or stored at a remote location on a remote computer or a networked group of computers. While the subject of Cloud is fairly new and interesting, and could be a great secondary method of preserving content that can be shared worldwide, we want to make sure our customers understand that Cloud-based content has a monthly cost associated with it, and is also susceptible to hacking, attacks and other internet technology related issues, such as loss, outage etc. In addition, some companies such as YouTube and Facebook, actually own the content and under no obligation to keep it online and preserve it. We encourage you to learn more about the Cloud before choosing it as your main media preservation strategy..
We hope that this article has been informative. We at Advanced Media always believe in ever increasing learning and exploring. We live in the information age, where content is king, and it will continue to be an important subject for years to come.
Thank you for reading our article.
Please contact us at (323) 469 0707 or at our contact page to learn more about various home videos and media preservation strategies.
Advanced Media
Actor Demo Reel – important or not?
As a media company, we are occasionally engaged in some level of film production, including casting. From experience, when a producer or a casting director posts a casting notice, there are generally replies in the 
hundreds if not thousands actors, depends on the role, production, pay and other factors. The competition could be quite fierce, and even the selection process could be quite overwhelming. In fact, there is a good reason why there are so many casting directions. It is truly a multi-faceted and very time-consuming task, which is also critical to the success of any project.
While every actor who is submitted or can be found on any given database site has a headshot, a small percentage of actors have video demo reels, or actor reels. The reasons vary, from lack of previous work to work that is not deemed sufficient enough in representing the actor/actress in pursuing the next step. However, the end result is that actors with demo reel often stand out. While a headshot is telling to an extent of an actor/actress overall looks, and a resume can reflect how established and successful an actor may have been recently, there is nothing more convincing than actually seeing an actor/actress in action playing a role.
As an actor/actress it is very important for you to have your work be seen, especially by those who are in position to choose you for the next project.
We, at Advanced Media, highly recommend that you get yourself a reel made. We explored some of the reasons for seeking out a professional company to have your reels edited on some previous posts. We do provide such service to a wide range of actors and actresses at affordable rates and with a highly trained, experienced and professional staff.
Please find more information about us here.
Thank you for reading and best of luck!
Advanced Media
DVD Duplication Services
We at Advanced Media offer a wide range of highly professional and personal DVD duplication services. Among our customers are private individuals, Fortune 500 corporations, small businesses, municipal and federal agencies and educational institutions. We have done work for the FBI, Time Warner, Kaiser Permanente, Fox, Giorgio Armani, MTV, MGM, USC, Iron Mountain to name a few.
When you choose DVD Duplication Services, you want to make sure that you know what is your final goal – promotion, retail, gift or other.
Retail-bound DVD product typically goes through a process called replication, which is done at a replication factory. We at Advanced Media, work with several reputable replication companies and can provide easy access to the service.
Promotional type DVDs and even personal use DVDs, are typically duplicated, which is a much simpler process of digitally copying DVDs from a master DVD. In this blog, we would focus on the duplication side of DVDs.
Media
It is important to choose high-quality and durable media. We at Advanced Media only use high quality products. There are many resources on the internet to shop and compare between DVD products. The key to remember is that most expensive sometimes really is just the most expensive. When you shop for media, you shop for value, which translates to the best quality for the best price.
Duplication
There are various ways to duplicate, from software based to hardware based. They all vary in time, efficiency and price. If you have the time to sit by your computer and keep changing DVDs in order to burn 200 or more, then you are in luck. Most people don’t. When it comes to hardware-based solutions, quality does matter. At Advanced Media we use high-end DVD duplication devices, whether robotics or manual. Our duplication equipment also performs self-check to every single DVD. In addition we spot our DVDs to ensure that they work and are 100% reliable.
DVD Surface Print
There are several methods to printing. The most common is inkjet, which is similar to most home-based printers. Inkjet can produce some pretty decent results if used with the right printers. While Inkjet is clearly a good printing solution, it is not the method professional companies use. We at Advanced Media provide both Inkjet printing and Thermal. Thermal print works in a similar fashion to dye-transfer, and without getting into technicalities in this article, the method relies on very accurate color transfer from ribbons onto the DVD surface under extreme heat. This method ensures that there are not print artifacts and that the thousandth DVD looks just like the first. Some other benefits include scratch resistance, water resistance and fade resistance. A third method is called LightScribe, which is a “built in” method where the DVDs are being burned and printed inside the LightScribe drive. It can only produce black and white prints, the media tends to be more expensive and it requires some programming to change the labels.
DVD Protection
We get occasional inquires about DVD protection. The best way to ensure DVD protection is by replication. DVD duplication does not offer real DVD protection. There are some products out there that do provide some limited defense on duplication, yet it can be easily overcome. We generally advise that if you need copyright protection on your DVDs, you go the replication route.
We will continue to explore various DVD Duplication aspects in future posts. We hope it was a helpful reading.
Here at Advanced Media, a Los Angeles based media services 
company, we offer complete DVD Duplication and Replication Services. Please contact us at (323) 469 0707 or at our contact page here.
Advanced Media
Educational
Educational
We at Advanced Media have been working with and serving the educational market for years.
We have worked with the UC universities system in preserving and transferring libraries, as well as USC, AFI and the University of Arkansas.
Many educational institutions hold substantial libraries of immense historical and even commercial value that simply cannot be reproduced or substituted.
These libraries are untapped source of educational content that could be used and benefited from.
We have invested over the years in equipment dedicated to the preservation of educational libraries, regardless of the format. We can create DVDs and any type files from VHS, Beta, ¾” U-Matic, DV, DVD, Audio Cassette, reel-to-reel and virtually any media and tape source.
Since educational projects require specific bids, please contact us here or call us at 1-855-551-5857
- To learn more about our corporate identity, please visit our corporate site here www.advancedmediallc.com
8mm Film
8mm Film
8mm film has been around since the early 1930s and was developed to provide a cheaper alternative to the costlier 16mm film format.
The 8mm film format was an instant success and has been used by individuals, families and professionals alike to document life as it happened, which today represents our entire unique and invaluable history and memories.
8mm film comes in several variations – Standard 8mm film, Super 8mm film, Single-8 and Straight 8, with the most common being Standard 8 film and Super 8 film. The Super 8 was introduced in the mid-60s and quickly replaced the standard 8mm by many users.
Most 8mm films we receive have no sound. However, occasionally we get films with sound embedded, which we handle as well. Transferring 8mm film with sound does require an extra process.
The 8mm format has faded with the advent of cheaper and more accessible VHS camcorders, however, recently there has been a revival of the 8mm and Super 8 formats, with many artists and hobbyists shooting on 8mm film in order to utilize its unique picture qualities and several film festivals dedicated to 8mm film had sprung up. Even higher-end wedding videographers have been using 8mm film now in order to achieve an authentic nostalgic film look.
We at Advanced Media have transferred tens of thousands of feet of film for thousands of individuals and institutions from around the country.
We currently offer a major upgrade and transfer 8mm film directly to high-definition video (HD), therefore you will be receiving the highest possible resolution for your film, which will enable you to enjoy it in ways that were not possible before. In addition, we monitor and adjust the motion so that your film will not run too fast or to slow.
The benefits of transferring to HD are that the clarity, resolution and motion are much better and vastly improved. Now, you, your friends and your family can finally enjoy your family history in full high-definition clarity.
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Corporate
Corporate
Advanced Media has been catering and serving various corporations and business entities, including Kaiser Permanente, Iron Mountain, Giorgio Armani, Herbalife and many other law firms, union trades and various for-profit and non for-profit organizations.
Corporations generally have various media needs, which may include library conversions, preservation of valuable content and distribution of marketing and communication media.
With vast resources and ability to handle any type of media and convert and mass produce to any type of media, we are set to handle all your corporate media needs.
When you choose to work with Advanced Media, you choose a commitment to high level of professionalism, top of the line equipment, extensive experience and most importantly – a high level of commitment to customer service.
Since most corporate type media jobs require custom bidding, please contact us here or call us at 1-855-551-5857
- To learn more about our corporate identity, please visit our corporate site here www.advancedmediallc.com
