A Little G in a Big D

Hi all:

So here at the DMN, we’re in the middle of a huge migration of multimedia data from an old service we used for our site to a new and much improved one. Suffice to say, as I’ve been told by a lot of people, it’s gonna make things a whole, whole lot better for finding and viewing video and such on our site.

To help with the transition, we’ve all been asked to look through the video archive and decide which pieces, if any, we’d like to migrate over to the new system. For the folks who’ve been shooting video here for years, or are current or former members of the permanent video team, this is a big task — poring over video after video to see what’s up to snuff.

For me, it was pretty easy. I’ve only shot and/or produced about a dozen pieces in my time here. As I was only trained on Final Cut Pro and our video workflow back in late 2008, most of what I’ve done here has been in the last year and-a-half.

Video is one of the things that brought me to the DMN. The staff aggressively pursued the medium well ahead of a lot of other papers in the country, and the work produced here is at a really high bar for newspaper videography. It’s an honor to be a small part of that mix.

So anyway, on the eve of yet another work anniversary for me here in Dallas (three years as of tomorrow), I offer you a handful of my favorite videos. I put titles and blurbs where I could so you knew what they heck was going on. They’re roughly in chronological order. The first piece was the first piece I produced after FCP training (fall 2008). Last couple are from this year. Also, I’d suggest holding on for another minute to let all the videos load fully.

Thanks for your time,

- gerry -

DFW chaplains serve travelers
For more than 30 years, the DFW International Airport Interfaith Chaplaincy has served employees and travelers of varying faiths at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Athletes compete at Prestonwood Polo and Country Club
Vaughn Miller, founder of Prestonwood Polo and Country Club in Oak Point, Texas, discusses the sport of polo and its appeal to participants and spectators alike.

Greenville company designs miniature, toy robots
Tony Norman, CEO of Greenville-based Innovation First International, discusses the company’s line of Hexbug robotic toys and the fun work environment.

African lions move into new Wylie habitat
In-Sync Exotics, a wildlife rescue and education center in Wylie, moved four African lions into a new “Surround Sound” enclosure on Friday. The felines, three of which are rare white lions, arrived at In-Sync last year after being rescued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Students go about their typical day at Booker T. Washington
Amir Razavi, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, discusses what makes the Dallas magnet school unique.

Hey all:

Had a fun assignment yesterday to photograph this small benefit concert thing that was all mariachi groups and ballet folklórico troupes from Dallas Independent School District. Basically Cinco de Mayo wild art for us.

Couldn’t stay long — only an hour — due to tight Metro deadlines, but I still enjoyed myself. Might have even found a small, fun little story, too.

Anyway, here’s a quick three from the event. And for the record, where I come from, mariachis are breakfast tacos.

Cheers,

- gerry -

Hey all:

One of my assignments yesterday was to shoot the final matches of the VEX Robotics World Championship here in Dallas. Pretty cool event that I shot last year. Basically, students (middle to high school) from all over the world show up to compete with these little robots they made themselves. The teams are pitted against one another in timed challenges where a certain number of tasks need to be done (pick up a ball, place ball in basket, etc.).

Lots of dorks, lots of energy, lots of fun. Had an even better this year than I did last. Anyway, here’s a quick selection of images. Oh, if you’re wondering what’s going on in the first photo, that kid — a member of the Wetumpka High School Indians — was praying for his teammates’ success. Cute and funny. That image ran inside Metro with photo below it as secondary. Thanks to Brad Loper for finding me some nice room inside the section.

Cheers, and thanks for looking,

- gerry -

Hi all:

Here’s a selection from the Mavs win over the Clippers last night. Decided to try something a little different for me and shot from the high press box, which is usually empty for basketball at the AAC (it’s used more for hockey).

It’s a severe angle — a lot higher than the usual elevated shooting spot on the lower TV decks. Still, it worked OK for some stuff. I mounted a low post remote for CYA purposes; for dunks, rebounds and such where the high angle would hose me. Ended up working out OK, too. It was funny to feel like I was two places at once and occasionally have two totally different angle views on the same play. Image #2 and #3 are a good example.

Anyway, here’s an edit of 10 images.

Cheers,

- gerry -

Hey all:

I will blog about my experiences and such for the next few weeks on the Morning News’ Olympics Blog, which you can check here.

My first post is up and running. See it here.

Thanks for looking. More soon!

- gerry -