I just recently bought a used XL-1 that I am going to use to produce some training and promotional material for my small company. We sell a Swedish water cooled sharpening system for hand tools called the TORMEK. It is marketed to hobbyist woodworkers through the internet and at woodworking weekend trade shows.

I have done all of the company's promotional work since I started it 15 years ago. I have never been afraid to pick up a camera or sit down at a computer when work needed to be done. I have been a Macaholic since the original in 1984. My boss bought one the day after the famous Superbowl commercial and I have had at least one or two available to me since. Moving into video promotion just seemed like the right thing to do at this point, and my new flat panel iMac came with everything I need (yeah, right...I hear the snickering coming from all around the country).

I have been involved with digital still photography, specifically underwater digital photography, for a couple of years. That has given me a basic understanding of color balance, lighting, computer I/O, and storage problems that I think should help me as I embark on this new mission. I am a frequent contributor to a couple of forums on the purchase and use of underwater digital camera housings, so when I started to gather information for my new venture, I started looking for a forum community that I could call my DV home. This certainly seems to be it. I have already gleaned a couple of choice nuggets of information from the postings and I am sure I will find more as I dig. Just wanted to say hello, and thank the moderators and sponsors for providing a very clean and very easy-to-navigate discussion forum.

Howdy from Texas,

It's great to have you aboard, Jeff, and we're all looking forward to your presence here. I'm honored that you like it enough to call it home... the goal of these boards is an "our house is your house" mentality of friendliness and cooperation, so I think you've chosen the right place. Is it still cool to party in Westport?

Yep, Westport is still the "happenin' spot", but I am a few years past the crowd that hangs out there. Let me know when you're up this way and we'll get you hooked up with some Arthur Bryant's barbecue.

Ah, the beautiful city of fountains in the heart of the Great American Midwest!

Hello Jeff and welcome! It's been many years since I've visited your fine city but I have fond memories of it. I used to correspond with a fellow who works at Opus Commuications in your town; an extremely knowledgeable fellow who I'd love to see over here.

Hey, you won't hear much snickering about the iMac around here. That's one capable little package! Be sure to poke around our Mac post section.

Glad to have you aboard, Jeff.

Thanks, Ken.

My "snickering" comment was more directed at my software than hardware. I am delighted with the machine, but I don't know how long iMovie and iDVD are going to last through this project. I may break down and get Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Pro.

Hello Jeff,
I am also a newbie here. Welcome. There are a lot of nice people around here with a lot of good info. If you are ever in the market for a camera stabilizer for your XL-1 look me up. I manufacture a unit called the MagiqCam.

Howdy from Az

Glad to meet you.

I have FCP2 and iMovie2. If you get "iMovie2, The Missing Manual" you might be shocked at it's capabilities. The more I read The more impressed I am.

Bruce Moore

Thanks to all for your welcome.

Ken, your direction to the Mac forum put some more pressure on my VISA card. firewiredirect.com just hooked me up with a 120GB drive.

HAW! I deny all responsibility for financial ruin. <g> This place can be an expensive addiction.

Enjoy the drive. They have good gear.

Yes, but at least here we don't jump in the water with all this expensive gear. On the other boards I frequent, the competition for "who has enough nerve to jump in the ocean with several thousand dollars worth of electronics that can be ruined by a teaspoon of water" gets fierce. I haven't been bit by the bug to take video underwater. Stills keep me occupied. But, then, I haven't started shooting my XL-1 yet!

Greetings all, thought I would post my first thread here, since your allready talking about my hometown! I grew up in KC and still work in Westport, yes it can be a wild and crazy place. I now call Kearney home, a bedroom community North of KC. I am fairly new to the DV world myself, but have learned alot in a short amount of time. We started broadcasting weekly church services on the local cable channel. Right now we pump out a fairly unprofessional tape with no intro, and no editing. We do all switching live. I just built my first PC, a powerful dual processor with plenty of ram & HD storage. In a few more weeks we will produce an intro, and start using Vegas Video, my NLE of choice.

Don

Thanks for joining us Don, and it's great to have you here. Always nice to see folks from the heartland, I was born and raised in Kansas and KC was the first "big" city I ever saw. As you know, Topeka just doesn't count. Welcome aboard,

Hello Jeff, and welcome. It seems I am the only one that hasn't been through your neck of the woods, but then again, I can only wish for the time to travel!

I also wish that I had more to invest in new equipment, such as your new Firewire drive. Keep us up to date on how it works for you. I would rather have a VTR, but that might work out better in some field conditions.

And if you are highly temted to buy new stuff you read about, stay away from any tripod threads... it gets mighty expensive in there! <g>
Again, welcome to the neighborhood!
Keith

Hi,
I'm headed for Kansas City Nov. 15-18 and wanted to visit a studio where XL1s' are being used w/final output to DVD; just curious to see lighting techniques, "finished product," etc. Do you know where I might be welcome?

Thanks!

Lorinda Norton
Blue Jean Video

You would be welcome to see my little operation, such as it is, but we are out of town while you're in KC.

Maybe next time.

Hey Jeff,

It's good to have another UW man on the boards. There was some good posts a couple of months ago about UW housings, I'm with you as far as putting a piece of electronic equipment that costs more that my car in the ocean. (I still can see my old Nikon F2 in the clear plastic housing 1/2 full with water 60' down on an assignment in Tonga - bummer in paradise) So when I can afford it (around 2020) I'll take the advise of using a cheaper used cam for the UW stuff. Heck my XL1s will be the cheap used cam way before then.

Welcome, There's a great bunch of folks here.

Chris

Anybody from around the KC way?

I think there are a couple. Lets see if changing the title and
this reply can get their attention!

I'm from KC, what's up?

-Joe

Is Grain Valley close enough?

(Eastern suburb, if you're not familiar)

I was just checking to see who from the area posted here. Yeah, Grain Valley is close enough........and the pics on your site are amazing, Jeff. I've been in the music biz for many years and just started doing the 'video' side. Too much fun, and so much to learn, but hey, when learning is running around with your cam, shooting tape after tape, I could never get tired of it.

I've been visiting this post for about six months now as I have started to put together a little side work in both audio and video. I had already owned a small Pro Tools rig and was working on some commercial audio production and a few small musical recording gigs, when I started to get requests for video projects from my previous work in school. So, after a few gigs with borrowed equipment, I thought it was time to take the jump and spring for my own video set up. I'm now the proud owner of a GL2 and hope to put it to great use. By the way because of this board I purchased that fine piece of equipment from Zotz, and it was one of the easiest product purchase in my short semi-professional career.

I currently call my remodeled basement space my studio and I live just north of the grand city of Kansas City in a tiny town called Lathrop. I just wanted to let you fine and knowledgible folks know wherest I was coming from if my name pops up on here occassionally. I always enjoy my visits and I will be making a lot of them for sure. And of course (just like everyone else who is a techno geek), if you have a project that you want a hand with, I might be game.

Welcome aboard (H)DVInfo.net Jamie! Good to have you with us!

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster!

About Me
Im a Student at UMKC. Im looking around for grad school right now..I work mainly on local documentaries. Im in the pre-production stage for a short film I plan to direct in the upcoming month. (gah! wish me luck!)

My rig:

Cannon GL2 (recently stolen, searching for a replacement.)

JVC GR-D70U (we call it "THE DANGER CAM!"...).

Smith-Victor light kit (3 piece thrifty)

Powermac Dual 1.8ghz g5 1gig ram.

Im looking to learn a little more about 35mm imitation and find some help for the short I plan to shoot (DP?).

<3 the DV Info!

I live in Olathe, Ks. I have done some horror shorts with friends (nothing too serious, and we have NO background experience). This is just something we do for fun, but love to do it. I might be interested in helping. I have weekends free. I also have most of my own gear.

If you are looking to go to school for film, the only school in kansas that teaches celluloid is KU. If you want great production experience that translate for both television and film, you should check out Fort Hays State University.

Cheers

Justin!

wow, thanks for the offer! im looking for a DP right now with a bit of experience. But i need some help with the little things on set and any help is appreciated at this stage.... ill shoot you a pm in a few days

In Kansas City they say, "Aloha!"