Behind the Scenes: A Day in the Life of a Video Production Team

Ever wonder how the magic on your screen comes to life? It takes a well-oiled team of professionals. Let’s take a peek behind the scenes to see how a typical day in video production unfolds.

Morning Mayhem:

The day begins with a buzz. The producer handles logistics, ensuring permits are complete and locations are confirmed. Scriptwriters review every word to make sure the final version resonates. Camera operators meticulously check their equipment, with each lens and cable being a crucial piece. This pre-production choreography sets the stage for a smooth shoot.

Lights, Camera, Action (and Maybe Some Chaos):

The location … Read More

Save on this camera pen that changes the note-taking game

ispypen with colorful background

ispypen with colorful background

TL;DR: As of Dec. 16, you can snag the iSpyPen PRO on sale for $159.99 instead of $198 — that’s a savings of 19%.

Still salty that flying cars don’t exist? Now and then, a tech gadget comes along that takes the sting out of not living like the Jetsons. A camera-equipped pen is a good example, providing a futuristic take on something we often use and making our work lives a whole lot easier in the process.

The iSpyPen PRO is ready to make you feel like you’re taking notes in 2099, and it

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The man who’s designed hundreds of the Bay Area’s iconic signs

If you’ve lived in the Bay Area for any significant amount of time, you’ve likely seen one of Steve Vigeant’s signs. More likely, you’ve seen hundreds of them.

Over his 30 years in the business, Vigeant has crafted some of the Bay Area’s most iconic signs. He’s also made some of its more ordinary signs. But whether masterpiece or mundane, his work has shaped the look of our city along the way.

In San Francisco, his work includes the gold-lettered windows of City Hall, one of which shows up so often in couples’ wedding photos that he refers to as

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Instagram Unveils Twitter Competitor “Notes” with Latest Update

You might have read our story the other day speculating about Instagram introducing a feature that directly competed with Twitter.

person holding black samsung android smartphone
Person holding black Samsung android smartphone and using Instagram. Photo by Nathan Dumlao

If you missed that story, check it out at this link. As we recounted there, Twitter, as you may or may not be aware, is currently going through it. And Instagram parent company Meta apparently sees an opportunity amidst the chaos.

The new “Notes” feature was unveiled today in an official blog post on Meta’s website which touts it as “a new way to share your thoughts

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How to beat creative business burnout

Psst! Prefer to listen? Check out this episode of The Artisan CEO podcast!

10 years ago, I was on the verge of creative business burnout.

Which feels ridiculous, because I was only like… three years into owning a business.

It was my Spring wedding season, and I had a several-weeks-long stretch where I had a wedding every weekend, engagement sessions during the week, and I was absolutely drowning.

I could barely get one week’s work finished before the next week was upon me, but I couldn’t afford to slow down or take a day off because the thought of the

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Life After Dark: Helpful Tips for Street Photography at Night

To the surprise of no one, the topic of light is relatively common here on Light Stalking; search the archives and you can easily find plenty of useful advice about shooting during the golden hour, shooting only with ambient light, shooting at night, working with long exposures, doing light painting, etc. Likewise, you can find helpful articles about street photography. So, what if someone among Light Stalking’s loyal readership wants to know about night photography and street photography? together. Night street photography? Street night photography? Either way, it’s a thing and you shoot in ambient light without the aid of

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Oakbrook Terrace red-light cameras lawsuit gets continuance

The red-light cameras at Route 83 and 22nd Street in Oakbrook Terrace will continue to operate, likely at least until May 2023, after a DuPage County judge issued a second continuance Monday for an Oakbrook Terrace lawsuit.

The first continuance came Oct. 17, also from Judge Craig Belford. A status hearing is set for February, but no additional ruling on the case is expected until May.

After being ordered by the Illinois Department of Transportation in May to deactivate, and then remove, the cameras, Oakbrook Terrace filed a lawsuit June 1, claiming the IDOT overstepped its authority for the cameras

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Lansing-based producers tell stories of German POWs in the Midwest

As World War II raged in Europe, quieter dramas were happening throughout the United States.

Soldiers – 426,000 of them at the peak – were held in hastily assembled prisoner-of-war camps during World War II. Many were in the South, but others were nearby – Owosso, Lake Odessa, Waterloo. And some left dramatic human stories.

“Silent Night in Algona” opens Dec.  16 at the Celebration Cinemas in Lansing and Grand Rapids.  The film is from Lansing-based producers, including director Anthony Hornus, writer/actor DJ Perry and actor Shane Hagedorn.

“Silent Night in Algona” opens Dec. 16 at the Celebration Cinemas in Lansing and Grand Rapids. The film is from Lansing-based producers, including director Anthony Hornus, writer/actor DJ Perry and actor Shane Hagedorn.

Locally, people talk of Ernst Floeter, once a German prisoner at Fort

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