Imagine. Concept. Create.

Finding Your Cast

Posted on February 20, 2012 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

Two of the most important elements of a great production are a good script and good casting. If you have energy, enthusiasm and even a fair technical understanding of your craft, most of the rest will fall into place.

But if you have little money and haven’t had the opportunity to do a lot of casting in the past, where do you start, where do you go? (Actually, if you have little money, this would be a good read one of my previous blogs: Good, Fast, Cheap…

First of all, where do you start? Continue reading →

Posted in Concepting, Directing, Production Technique | Tagged Christian Director, Christian Media, Christian Production, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar Media, Production Technique | Leave a comment

Finding Your Creative

Posted on February 11, 2012 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

I’ve been encouraged by a colleague to write a book on the creative process; I’ve written a good bit about it in my blog. Naturally, I want it to hit its mark and find readers. So, I’m encouraging, requesting, asking for you to post comments, feedback on what part of the creative process you’re involved in, what topics would make this appealing and useful to you, and how you would use it?

Here are some of my thoughts to get the conversation started:

1. Do you prefer to engage in the creative process as a team or on your own?

2. What do you use to stimulate your creative process, other visuals or drawing on your own experience?

3. If you aren’t living up to your own creative potential, why? Is it because you hold yourself back or you’re in a job that holds you back?

4. Should this be structured more as a workbook or a read?

5. Are my past experiences helpful as case studies or would you prefer that I stick with just the facts or suggestions on how to engage others or to jump start your own creativity?

Now it’s your turn. What are your thoughts?

Posted in Concepting, Production Business, Production Technique | Tagged advertising, concepting, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar Media, Production Technique, Writing for Production | 6 Comments

Two Minds Are Better Than None

Posted on January 26, 2012 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

I write frequently about “creative” and “concepting”; it is my started place, always. And while I don’t consider myself the most creative person, I do recognize that great production starts with good concepting and good creative.

So, my title, Two Minds are Better Than None is written because we have a tendency in this business to hold everything very close to our chest. But all final production would be better if it’s creative were bounced around before we go into production. Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Concepting, Production Business, Production Technique | Tagged advertising, Christian Director, Christian Media, Christian Producer, Christian Production, Church Media, concepting, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar Media, Production Technique | Leave a comment

Photography Cartoonification

Posted on January 19, 2012 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

I often write about where we “find” our creative, where we start and how we evolve to where we end up. Here’s an example of an existing project that my client wanted me to see because the principals are the same but the concept needed to be updated. The existing video led our creative thoughts to a graphic novel theme, which in turn led to a hybrid modern day/1930s era, the era to the music, which became a 21st century graphic novel theme on screen. Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Concepting, Photography, Production Technique | Tagged advertising, Camera Technique, Christian Media, Christian Production, Church Media, concepting, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar Media, John Magyar Photography, lighting for video, lighting technique | 8 Comments

Kelvin Scale for Production – Part 1

Posted on November 30, 2011 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

It is not my intention to make this a history lesson on where the Kelvin scale originated-there is plenty of info on the Internet to do that on your own-but to apply the scale to production and how to “trick” the viewer’s eye when using the info on set, or in photography.

The best information that I could find on setting this up can be found at the following link: http://www.3drender.com/glossary/colortemp.htm

It would be helpful to read through 3DRender’s info and then come back to proceed and I thank them for their advance work.

GRAPHIC: color temperature conversions

Check out the chart of gels and their color temps here: http://www.rosco.com/us/filters/roscolux.cfm#colors

TITLE: Winter Lake

I shot this last winter behind our house. Were it not for the snow-it was actually not a sunny day but a bright one-this would look more like a summer day. The darker exposure (I under exposed this shot by about 1 1/4 stops) and the fact that I shot it at 4000K makes you believe it is a cold, winter day. Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Production Technique | Tagged Camera Technique, Christian Production, Church Media, lighting for video, lighting technique, Production Technique, video lighting | Leave a comment

Good Is Great When it Makes Sense

Posted on November 1, 2011 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

Good=a production well executed. Great=a production well executed that also makes sense and pulls in the intended audience.

CAPTION: Bulb and Candles B-roll shot for a testimonial about a woman who practiced spirit worship. While it was abstract, it worked very well for the content. See the story: Lilliam Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Concepting, Production Business, Production Technique | Tagged advertising, Church Media, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar Media, production business, Production Technique | 2 Comments

Concept Trumps Effect

Posted on October 27, 2011 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

When should effects be used in video post? When they are not noticed or when they do not draw attention to themselves but instead enhance a concept.FRAME CAPTURE: Glass & Pix shot as B-roll for an interview. This B-roll was conceptual in nature to show the generational effects caused by poor decisions. It was shot as it appears, no effects added in post, with many layers of slowly spinning pictures and glass, each independently suspended by twine. The glass momentarily reflected light and created blur in the foreground and background. I shot a shallow depth of field with a 5DMII equipped with a Canon 200 mm, 2.8 lens, and rack-focused from front to back as I slowly panned back and forth through the pictures and glass, camera canted about 20 degrees to one side or the other. (Incidentally, I use a Libec tripod with a RH45 head that is a great low-cost solution for light-weight tripods) A fan off set kept the elements moving, spinning and rocking back and forth.

Too often, inexperienced filmmakers shoot footage without regard to what they are going to do with it in post. While that may get them by for a while, it’s very risky. And, they’ll find that, without concept planning up front, it will not always get them exactly where they want to land or they’ll be forced to make compromises in post.

Therefore, good concept design in scripting and pre-production is paramount. And concepts that require unique shooting and lighting techniques should be tested when you’re unsure about the outcome.

Continue reading →

Posted in Concepting, Photography, Production Technique | Tagged Camera Technique, Christian Media, Christian Production, Church Media, concepting, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar, John Magyar Media, John Magyar Photography, Production Technique | 2 Comments

Canvas Creative

Posted on October 25, 2011 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

I had breakfast with a colleague this morning, Chris Turner (Linkedin Page), a social networking guru and exceptional journalist/writer, who used an illustration that I am going to reiterate. While he was using it in a slightly different context, it works for my illustration as well.

PHOTO: “Art” on Canvas Continue reading →

Posted in Concepting, Production Business, Production Technique | Tagged advertising, Christian Media, Christian Producer, concepting, Imagine Concept Create, John Magyar Media, Production Technique | 6 Comments

Choosing the Right Team

Posted on September 23, 2011 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

PHOTO: Music Video with Anthony Evans, “Meaningless”

In any sport, a coach knows the right team at the right time on the field is a winning combination. Why should production be any different? Continue reading →

Posted in Concepting, Production Technique, SilverLeaf Entertainment | Tagged Christian Director, Christian Media, Christian Producer, Christian Production, Church Media, film production, John Magyar Media, music video, production business, Production Technique, SilverLeaf Entertainment, video production | 1 Comment

Become an Avid Student

Posted on July 20, 2011 by John G. Magyar, Jr.

A student is what? Webster’s defines “student” as, “…a person who studies and investigates”. I believe that we finish school, whichever level we determine is enough to launch our career, and then we quit learning.

As a student of light, I want to illustrate using lighting.

PHOTO: Taken off of my deck, overlooking a pond. Amazing light blazes through the back windows in the late afternoon. Continue reading →

Posted in Production Business, Production Technique | 2 Comments