ALERT!!! Scam by Spam…just who is Viola Wilson ?

The following is a SCAM alert to all my followers, friends and family!

I was recently contacted by email through one of my Craigslist ads by someone going under the alias of Viola Wilson.  No, this is not the wife of Mr. Wilson who was the neighbor of Dennis the Menace or another sibling of the Wilson sisters from the famed rock group Heart.  Viola Wilson is more likely a hairy Nigerian man too lazy to do an honest days work.

The scam this elephant dung attempted was the one where they claim to want your services, then FedEx you a check for more than your services.   They then request you deposit the check and send them the balance of the overpayment via Western Union to an address in another state.  This is a scam that has grey hairs all over it considering how long it has been going on.  The sad part is people still fall for it.  By the time your bank notifies you the check from the sender is fake, you have already sent your real money to the address the sender provided.  You never see the money again!

I’m just happy that I made the hairy Nigerian pay the cost for a FedEx overnight package and in return, they got nothing.

Several agencies are now involved since someone is currently on the other end waiting for me to send them money.  The Montgomery County Police, FBI, Secret Service and Sandy Spring Bank all have made copies of the paperwork and fake check.  Viola, if you are out there, shave your back and go into hiding.  They’re coming after you!

Here is the email I received this morning about the check.

The Filmtools Audio Survival Kit

Here’s a blog you will love!
http://filmtools.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/the-filmtools-audio-survival-kit-a-sound-investment/

ADR Productions Welcomes Their Newest Customers!

As 2011 enters the mid point of the year, we at ADR Productions are pleased to welcome our newest additions to the ADR family, Southland Industries and Advanced Bioscience Laboratories!

Southland Industries made a decision to outsource their training videos for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) move from it’s old location to the new facilities at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland site in 2011.  Southland Industries stated: “We want our training videos to look professional for our client.  After researching local production companies, we found ADR Productions to be our best choice for product quality and overall value.”

Advance Bioscience Laboratories needed a production company to come in and film their open house which included many prominent corporate leaders speaking at the event.

We look forward to our continued growth in 2011 with such companies as Southland Industries and Advanced Bioscience Laboratories.

ADR Productions and user generated video sharing sites

Visit ADR Productions at www.adr-productions.com

ADR Productions

User generated sites mostly offer free services whereby users can upload video clips and share it with the masses. Many sites place restrictions on the file size, duration, subject matter and format of the uploaded video file. Many sites do not allow inappropriate content though each site makes judgment calls on what qualifies as inappropriate content, usually via its Terms of Service information. Some sites provide access control to adult material where the user must verify that they are of adult age. Some sites screen all their content before it is published and others approve first and use community features to filter out inappropriate content “after-the-fact.”

Click on the site names below to learn more about them.

Notable examples

56.com (Chinese) Archive.org Afreeca (South Korean) AniBOOM Blinkx Blip.tv BlogTV Brainpop Break.com Buzznet Crackle Dailymotion EngageMedia ExpoTV Funnyordie.com Flickr

Fotki Gawkk Gaytube Tangle.com (formerly Godtube) Hulu Indiavideo.org Lafango Liveleak Mail.ru MaYoMo Mefeedia Megaupload Metacafe Mevio Myspace MyVideo

Nico Nico Douga (Japanese) OneWorldTV Openfilm Ourmedia Photobucket Podblanc Rayzz Redtube Revver Rambler Vision (Russian) ReelTime.com RuTube Sapo Videos (only Portuguese) SchoolTube ScienceStage Sevenload Trilulilu (Romanian)

TroopTube Tudou (Chinese) Vbox7 (Bulgarian) Veoh Viddler Videojug Vidoosh (Iranian) Vimeo Vuze Vzaar Wildscreen.tv xtube Yahoo! Video (no new uploads) Youku (Chinese) YouTube Zoopy

How to Use Video Production to Promote Your Event or Business

Visit ADR Productions on the web at www.adr-productions.com

So you have an event coming up.  What is the best way to promote it?  Within the new world of social media, web video is one of the best ways to promote your event.  Web video is an excellent solution especially for yearly events.  I guarantee you that your investment of hiring a video production company to video your event is well worth your money.

There are several ways that a video production can be used.  First,  a video created about the event is uploaded to YouTube.  The link to the video is then shared with all of the participants through Facebook.  This is a great experience for them because they are able to see highlights of this wonderful event and they can share it with friends, family and co-workers.

The second way this video production can be used is to attract new sponsors and participants for next year’s event if it is an annual one.  We did this for the owner of Classic Homes of Maryland on the Extreme Makeover project.   He believes that his video is so moving that it will help him to attract new sponsors and participants for future projects.   It is great that he can let the DVD do the talking for him when showing it to potential clients.  There is no better way to give people an idea of an event or your business than through a video.

The third way that this video production can be be used is through promoting the event for next year.  We would use the same footage and use it to create a press release for the local TV stations.  This is a wonderful way for organizations to get some awesome press of their upcoming event for very little additional investment of both time and money.

The final way that this video production can be used is through the social media outlets.  The video footage can be used on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube to generate a lot of buzz for upcoming events.

The most important thing to understand is that this one time investment of hiring a video production company to cover your event or business can lead to so many opportunities to promote yourself in the future.  Without the video footage, none of it would be possible.  With that said, there is no better way to market your company or event than through the use of video.

Video Production and Your Business

Types of Videos Used for Your Business & Profitability

Visit ADR Productions on the web at www.adr-productions.com

Web Site Corporate Video – This is type of video that once consumers get to your web site can understand your business, products or services offered in a short period of time, and whether you fit their consumer choice. Usually corporate videos are 2-3 minutes in length depending on content, products or business services. A web site corporate video will leave a lasting visual impression with its viewer, especially if the viewer is researching many businesses online. example video

Image Commercial Spot 30 /60 Second – This form a video production is a tease or explains a brief summary about business services or one product offered. The spot is usually 30 seconds in duration but 60 seconds is necessary for more detailed services. (Festival or Event, Car Dealership, Retail shop, Travel attraction) example video

Concept Commercial Spot 30 /60 Second – The difference between a concept spot and an image spot is that a concept commercial involves actors, 2D-3D animation, provides more thought of themes, colors, slogans, and tag lines to bring the viewer to remember the commercial through emotion rather than just the facts. This commercial costs more because it takes more time to develop the concept and shoot specific shots to capture the emotion. This type of commercial spot is usually part of a lengthy marketing campaign. (Geico lizard, Coca-Cola, Budweiser Frogs) example video

Testimonial Video – This type of video is an interview style production which asks a consumer about a service or product. The testimonial video is used to relate to a new consumer evaluating and supporting a product or service. Testimonial videos can be found within corporate video productions, or on web site pages to support the product or service being sold. Testimonials can range from a couple of seconds to minutes in duration depending on how precise the persons’ answers are. example video

Documentary Style Video Segment – This video production is longer in duration and is used to present a mood or capture the essence of business through a common theme or slogan throughout. This type of video uses all the above styles combined into one segment such as interviews, testimonials, concepts, graphics, animation and more. In short it’s like creating a “mini-movie” about the subject of the business or what the business stands for.

Check Out ADR Productions On Thumbtack!

Visit ADR Productions on Thumbtack to see our latest ad!  We have just started using Thumbtack as one of our latest tools in advertising and have found it to be very simple and the results are great!

Christian Is 8 Years Old and Needs Your Help!

March 12, 2011 please join us and a host of truly fine entertainers at the American Legion Post 1125 Fern Street, Wheaton, Maryland from 4-8 PM in support of young Christian Meese. Christian was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia . a deterioration of the cerebellum. our support, along with the folks at Amazing tails LLC will make it possible for Christian to get a service dog that will assist him with more mobility and freedom in everyday functions. I look forward to seeing you, and together we can make this a reality. Among those scheduled to perform; MEMPHIS GOLD,CATHY PONTON KING,THE ANDY POXON BAND,ANDREW PADULA,TOMMY BERGER,WARNER WILLIAMS ,JAY SUMMEROUR.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 240-426-8516 or 240-855-2834.  Tickets $20 Advance / $25 At The Door

Visit Christian’s Web Site at http://fancyandfine.com/christian.htm

My doctors think it’s a good idea if I get a service dog to help keep me steady and alert my Mom to my oncoming tremors.

What Exactly Is ‘Codec’ and Why Would I Ever Need It ?

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“Codec” is a technical name for “compression/decompression”. It also stands for “compressor/decompressor” and “code/decode”. All of these variations mean the same thing: a codec is a computer program that both shrinks large movie files, and makes them playable on your computer. Codec programs are required for your media player to play your downloaded music and movies.

“Why do we need codecs?”

Because video and music files are large, they become difficult to transfer across the Internet quickly. To help speed up downloads, mathematical “codecs” were built to encode (“shrink”) a signal for transmission and then decode it for viewing or editing. Without codecs, downloads would take three to five times longer than they do now.

“Is there only one codec I need?”

Sadly, there are hundreds of codecs being used on the Internet, and you will need combinations that specifically play your files. There are codecs for audio and video compression, for streaming media over the Internet, videoconferencing, playing mp3’s, speech, or screen capture. To make matters more confusing, some people who share their files on the Net choose to use very obscure codecs to shrink their files. This makes it very frustrating for users who download these files, but do not know which codecs to get to play these files. If you are a regular downloader, you will probably need ten to twelve codecs to play your music and movies.

“What are the common codecs people use?”

Some codec examples are MP3, WMA, RealVideo, RealAudio, DivX and XviD. There are many other more obscure codecs.

“Isn’t ‘.AVI’ a codec already?”

AVI is not in itself a codec; it is a common “container format” that many different codecs can use. As there are hundreds of codecs out there are compatible with AVI content, it can get very confusing which codec(s) you will need to play your video files.

“How do I know which codec to download and install?”

Your Windows Media Player will often try to communicate to you the 4-character code of the specific codec it needs. Note this code, then visit this website http://www.fourcc.org/fcccodec.htm to obtain the missing codec. For a small FAQ section, follow the link on the left called “Sample Code”.

“What are the codecs I should download and install?”

There is no single best answer to this question. There are so many codec choices. The easiest option is to download “codec packs”. Codec packs are collections of codecs gathered in single large files. There is much debate over whether it is necessary to get a large group of codec files, but it certainly is the easiest and least-frustrating option for new downloaders. Here are the codec packs we recommend at About.com:

1. CCCP Combined Community Codec Pack is one of the most comprehensive codec packages you can download. CCCP was put together by users who like to share and watch movies online, and the codecs they’ve chosen are designed for 99% of the video formats you will experience as a P2P downloader. It is still virus-free as of February, 2010, so definitely consider CCCP if you think your computer needs updated codecs.
2. XP Codec Pack XP Codec Pack is a sleek, all-in-one, spyware / adware free codec collection that also offers a good, solid Media Player Classic. Currently just under 6MB in size, XP Codec Pack is truly one of the most complete assemblies of codecs needed to play all major audio and video formats.
3. K-Lite Codec PackVery user-friendly and well tested, K-Lite Codec Pack is loaded with goodies. It will enable you to play all the popular movie formats. K-Lite comes in 4 flavors: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. If all you need is to be able to play DivX and XviD formats, Basic will do just fine. Standard pack is probably the most popular – it has everything an average user needs to play the most common file formats. Full pack, designed for power users, has even more codecs plus encoding support.
4. K-Lite Mega Codec Pack Mega is a very comprehensive bundle…it has everything but a kitchen sink. Mega even contains QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative.

What Is Post-Production?

Post-production is part of the filmmaking process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, videos, audio recordings, photography and digital art. It is term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting and/or recording the completed work.

Post-Production Suite

Post-production is, in fact, many different processes grouped under one name. These typically include:

• Editing the picture / television program
• Writing, (re)recording, and editing the soundtrack.
• Adding visual special effects – mainly computer-generated imagery (CGI) and digital copy from which release prints will be made (although this may be made obsolete by digital-cinema technologies).
• Sound Design, Sound Effects, ADR, Foley and Music, culminating in a process known as sound re-recording or mixing.
• Transfer of film to Video or Data with a telecine and Color grading.

Typically, the post-production phase of creating a film takes longer than the actual shooting of the film, and can take several months to complete.