This is a short F.A.Q. about a few things people keep asking me about. Hopefully this is going to answer a few questions.



List of equipment:

BulletSony HDR-FX1 high definition camera
BulletCanon MVI 150i standard definition camera
Bullet2 GoPro Hero2 action cameras
Bullett.bone EM9600 gunshot microphone
BulletUniversal Halogen 20W headlight
Bullet160 LED headlight
BulletManfrotto ProB 55 tripod
BulletManfrotto 808RC4 3D-head
BulletManfrotto 701RC2 video head
BulletCarena monopod
BulletSteadicam steadycam system


List of software:

BulletAdobe Premiere CS3(Video editting and effects)
BulletCinema 4D (3D Animations and grafics)
BulletMacromedia Flash (2D Animations and grafics)
BulletAdobe Photoshop (Imaging)
BulletXilisoft video converter (Conversions, transcoding)
BulletSamplitude (dance / music mixes, audio effects)




My sad attempt at creating an FAQ:



How long does it take to finish one of those videos?

Bullet Usually, a 2 hour video takes me 4 weeks to finish. However, depending on how life interferes, it can take much more or a little less time.



Where can I buy those DVDs?

Bullet Nowhere. I don't sell DVDs for two reasons: First of all, this is not meant to be a business and I don't want to spend what little time I have running a business, producing DVDs and mailing them out all the time. Also, I don't want to compete with the official convention DVDs.



You keep on using old divx codecs. Why?

Bullet I want to provide video clips everyone can watch without having to upgrade their system. In my experience, a slightly outdated divx codec is what works flawlessly on most systems. Of course, some people will always have problems watching the clips, but in my experience, this is a way to keep that number very low. Apparently, even Linux and Mac don't have a problem with these.



Why are there no mobile formats anymore?

Bullet It used to make sense when the iPod was the dominant system out there. However, with the multitude of Apple formats these days plus the countless Android and Windows Mobile devices out there, it doesn't make sense anymore to single one of them out and provide mobile content exclusively for them. It also doesn't make sense anymore to provide one version for every system out there.



Why do you use GoPro Hero2 cameras when the 3 is out?

Bullet I bought mine before the 3 came out. It doesn't make much sense to upgrade to the 3 now because there's a lot of money involved, yet the improvement over the 2 doesn't justify it.



If I buy the same equipment, will I be as good as you?

Bullet You can have less and be better. You can have more and be worse. The equipment doesn't make the videos, it's your skills that make them. It doesn't depend on how much money you invest, it always depends on how you use what you have. Go and try it with your cellphone, you can do amazing stuff with it if you know how.