
As soon as I write this blog, there are several tech items that have been outdated. LOL
Seriously though, I remember a time when I first started messing with technical equipment. I was a volunteer at a local church just standing by waiting for the cassette recording of the sermon to take to the bookstore for quick duplication. That was it. I then had the inspiration to get into school to learn more about Radio, Television, and Film. So I bought myself my first computer which was an HP Pavilion 13" CRT monitor running Windows ME. Yes, I just dated myself! At the time, I didn't know anything about computers but I knew I wanted to make movies. I also got myself a consumer RCA camcorder with Mini DV tapes. Afterward, I would learn to edit these videos on the Pinnacle Home Studio app. Wow! Those were the days of having fun with old tech. Soon afterward, I got on staff at my local church as the technical director. They started with 3/4" videotapes that were distributed to the news network for TV broadcast. Not sure if you know what those tapes are but they are big and bulky and designed for at the time television broadcast. When I got on board as technical director, my supervisor was also in the middle of trying new technology as well. We would try the Panasonic DVCPRO format and the Sony DVCAM. We tried both in our attempt to get into the digital field and out of the analog days. Then of course there is the new editing process of NLE editing. At work, I started using Avid Xpress DV, to Avid Xpress Pro, to what is now known as Avid Media Composer. Now Avid is Hollywood standard when it comes to film editing so you know I had a lot of learning to do. Video editing during that time is not the same as today. It will teach you patience like nothing can! Since then, I've helped my place of work to go from analog days like VHS playback to DVD, and finally to digital files. The same with audio. We used to use cassette tapes to record and then immediately make copies on these machines at the bookstore for people to grab before they left the church service. We eventually went to CD format and made copies as well. It was kind of tough to move to file base only because people can be set in their ways of technology that when change comes, it's difficult to adapt. Now the world of the internet has been evaded everywhere and technology is no longer something to obtain physically in your hands but rather software and files. Everything is now instant and done on a computer. Now in my line of work, there are still hands-on tools to keep up to date with. Those tools are camera equipment, audio equipment, and accessories. Just like a car or phone, the value of a camera is only so long. Next year, a new piece of gear comes out, that outshines the previous version. Not to mention that formats change all the time, so we videographers and photographers have to constantly stay up with formats because they do get better as the time comes. So there's always the task of updating your equipment when a new version or change happens to eventually getting new gear. So does that mean old gear is obsolete? Not really. If you are skilled and know how to work an old camera to its highest potential as well as set up production design with correct lighting, then your images can still be stellar. It does take some work and may be easier to go with newer gear. So anyway, people wonder why we video/photographer professionals always got to buy new gear all the time. Well, in order to keep up with the demands and quality, we have to keep up with technology. Technology is always moving and so we have to move right along with it.
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