Most Watched YouTube Video You Never Heard of?

What's the most watched Internet video of all time?  This one could be any day now.  You have probably never heard of it the rapper who created it, PSY, or the video called Gangnam Style.  It was posted July 15 of this year and it has almost 468 MILLION hits.  Insane.  That's in three months.  I kept checking the YouTube site to try to make sure it wasn't a prank site.

It's a testament to the power of a great video.  It's social commentary from South Korea about the new rich, and the area where they live - Gangnam.  But it works in any language and it has caught on in dance clubs, sorrorities and fraternities around the counry which are big cultural influencers.  The sky is the limit. 

Rock and Roll Patriotism

The band Madison Rising has recorded what might be the best rock version of the Star Spangled Banner ever made.  The images of 9/11 and soldiers make the video quite powerful too.  There's a challenge to try to get 5m people to watch this video by July 4, but if it takes off, might happen by election day... who knows.  The song is worth a listening again and again.  Why not have the Star Spangled Banner on your iPhone playlist?

Lincoln - Hollywood 1-2

What do you get when you put Stephen Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis together on a historic film about Abraham Lincoln?  A great film and a whole lot of awards.  This one is going to be big.  Here's the trailer.

Will it win an Academy Award next year?  Some element of the film will be in contention, I feel sure of it.

You Get Whay You Pay For - and You Thought Camera Work Was Easy!

Many clients believe that one cameraman is just like the next.  Well from a Producer's POV that statement couldn't be more wrong.  You get what you pay for when it comes to your cameraman.  Here's a basic guide to camera settings (on a Canon camera) that gives you a feel for just one piece in the cameraman's toolkit.  This should give clients a better understanding of why it's important to use an experienced camera operator... someone who has a LOT of production under her belt.  You can't use a kid out of college for a production that needs to be perfect the first time out.  Then add lighting, shot blocking, dollies, cranes and steadicams and you begin to understand the complexiites of camera work.  It's an art and producers like those of us at deweymedia + partners lean heavily on the work of talented camera operators.

the sm color tutorial // part one color in camera from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Call Me Maybe - the Classical version

Call Me Maybe was Carly Rae Jepson's breakout hit this past summer.... well here's a wild twist on her classic hit..... a version of the song for a choir and orchestra.   Well done.  Builds nicely.