We Have the Experience To Make You Successful

In addition to online venues, MobileCast Media’s work has been featured across the nation in 120 movie theaters, 215 radio stations, and via satellite to one of the largest LCD arena screens in the world, the 3500 square foot AT&T park HD Jumbotron.

Here is why you should hire MobileCast Media:

• We specialize only in online video and podcasting and we established MobileCast Media at the very beginning of the podcasting movement. Because we specialize, we are very good at it.
• We stay current to develop and maintain best practices, not only for strategy, but for media production and distribution. The pace of change continues to increase, therefore, 50% of our time is spent staying current!
• We have the latest equipment which provides the you the highest quality product, faster turnaround, and lower cost.
• We perform quality assurance of your media on the iPod, iPhone, AppleTV, iTunes client, and major computer platforms (Mac, XP, Vista).
• We’re educated, highly trained and professional, with an unmatched attention to detail.

In keeping with the latest production standards for film and television, we use state-of the-art equipment which means we can work at higher production values, more quickly and at a lower cost. More important than the equipment is our production process. We love producing high quality media, we’re passionate about our work and enjoy making every project as good as it can be. Our crews are film school trained and each person has deep expertise in their specialty. Here is how our practices and equipment maximize value for you. Video is covered first, please skip below for audio.

Why MobileCast Media Is Better At Online Video and Video Podcasting

Using Depth of Field to Gather Interest and Focus Attention – At MobileCast Media we keep your production interesting and engaging and focus audience attention through by maintaining a shallow depth of field. This technique is used in fine photography and cinematography not only to increase appeal but to direct the viewer’s attention by keeping the subject in focus, while unimportant details are out of focus.

While shallow depth of field normally requires lots of distance, our cameras are specially designed to require 50% less space. This means not driving to an off-site location, saving time and money.

Look More Slender with Our Cinematic Techniques – It’s said that the camera ads 10 pounds and some production companies get too close with the camera adding even more. The problem is further compounded by using a camera with a small sensor and a poor telephoto lens. The solution is to get the camera farther back. As an extreme example, you may have seen swimsuit photographers up to a hundred yards away, shooting with a long telephoto lens and communicating with their model via bullhorn. At MobileCast Media we use cinematic techniques to make you look your best. Our camera has a large sensor and an excellent lens which flattens your image, taking your weight off. Versus many other cameras, the large sensor can get a flater image in smaller spaces, which means we can shoot in a wider variety of spaces. This frequently can mean significant cost savings.

Look Younger and Better with Quantified Lighting and Camera Angles – Correct angle calibration insures good results from one shot to the next. While the trained eye should be the final judge, the industry best practice is for light to fall on the face at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees. This allows modeling which brings out attractive features. A young person will tolerate more modeling, allowing for a more dynamic image, while an older person needs less modeling to hide wrinkles. If the lights are too horizontal the image will look two dimensional and unappealing. Some crews don't know anything about this and as a result, position their lights incorrectly. The result is unintended and undesirable lighting effects. At MobileCast Media, we use laser assisted protractors to measure sight and lighting angles which allow us to quantify our measurements and adhere to best practices. When used for sight angles, this technology quantifies sightlines which determine, for example, how far off camera the subject should look, resulting in more consistency.

Richer Color Picture – Many crews shoot with interlaced video, which is looks somewhat dull on LCD screens. At MobileCast Media, we use progressive video, which is rich in color because it refreshes the whole screen with every scan. Each frame is a complete picture allowing deep blacks and rich colors. This is the film standard. An added bonus is the ability to pull still frames. Each frame will make a nice 5 x 7 photo at 300dpi.

Our camera is the latest in technology from the Sony CineAlta line. It offers excellent picture quality as CineAlta was developed by George Lucas and used to shoot Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. It is a tapeless camera which is more reliable and eliminates the cost of tape stock, which is good for the environment. Tapeless also means more efficient post-production, which saves cost.

Light Calibration – Lighting is a big deal. Modern cameras reduce the need for light metering, but a lot of shots still come out under or over exposed. These shots can’t be fixed resulting in thousands of dollars in lost opportunity. At MobileCast Media, we use light meters and industry standard lighting ratios to calibrate the light in each shot in accordance with industry standard best practices.

Instant Feedback – Seeing your performance after each take is the best way to improve your performance; however, the biggest complaint is people can't see and hear themselves very well. Not any more. Our tapeless camera allows you to review each video “take” instantly on our full 1080p studio definition color calibration monitor. Sound is reproduced on our industry leading Genelec speakers, allowing you to accurately hear and see what you are doing so that you can improve. This service is available on request and allows you to accurately see and hear each take, providing the necessary feedback, thereby allowing progressive improvement and a better final performance.

Soft and Controlled Light – We want our on-camera subjects to look as credible and appealing as possible so that when the call to action comes, the audience responds. Professional lighting can give you an advantage but it is very difficult to get soft light that is controlled. Soft lighting needs to be safe, quick to setup, usable in small spaces, produce low heat and fire danger, doesn’t overload electrical outlets, and must be controllable. These requirements usually work against each other, for example, soft light is notoriously difficult to control and controlling it creates safety issues (light control devices that you can trip over and can fall on people). Because we have the right equipment and skills, MobileCast Media can complete your project professionally, safely and inexpensively.

One of the biggest challenges is to maintain viewer interest and one of the quickest ways to get them to turn off is to show a boring picture. Soft light looks great on the subject, but unless controlled to keep light off the background (so you can light it seperately) soft light will create an undesirable “wash” of light across the subject and background providing a boring, amateur look. Normally a crew will use a soft box and try to control this light with black panels called flags. Each of these flags requires a stand and every stand that is set up increases the tripping danger on the set. When you add the supporting lights to the soft box, the setup frequently draws more than the standard wall outlet can supply. Lots of heat is produced, increasing fire danger and causes the subject to sweat.

At MobileCast Media we increase interest and production values with our state-of-the-art Kino Flo fluorescent lights which produce the best soft light for high end film and television. Similar to privacy laptop monitor screens used on airplanes, our lights have been fitted with custom fixtures that control and limit the soft light from the normal 180 degree flood down to a tightly controlled 45 degrees. These lights can inexpensively add dimension and interest to your production, holding your audiences attention, making them receptive to your message. They are safe with low heat and minimal current draw. Here are the benefits:

• Allows us to separate the subject and background. The interesting interview shots you see on TV, from network news to documentary, light the background separate from the subject allowing interesting lighting effects for the background.
• Good light control allows us to shoot in smaller locations without sacrificing production values. While a big space is always better, at MobileCast Media we can get good results without requiring a large and expensive studio. The result is an interesting production that holds viewer interest, but doesn’t require special considerations. This saves money.
• Reduce or eliminate the need for flags. Our built in light control is much better than you can get with a flag and doesn't require an extra stand. Reducing the number of flags and stands not only reduces the liability on your set, but allows us to set up more quickly, saving you money.
• Our lights run on 120 or 240 volts which let us shoot your project anywhere in the world. They draw low current, allowing us to work off of standard wall outlets. As opposed to standard florescent lights these high end lights are the standard for film and are 100% noise free. They have accurate color and are calibrated to work with accent lights at the correct color temperature. The bulbs are rugged and safety coated so that if they should break the glass will be contained.

Arri Accent Lights – These are the industry standard lights for film production, providing better safety, quick setup and take down mean lower project cost, better control of light means more flexibility to film in difficult locations.

Redundant Audio Capture – When the audio isn’t right, there isn’t much that can be done to fix meaning you have to re-record or cancel the production. Frequently the culprit is huming noise caused by noisy electical circuits or the subject brushing the lavalier microphone creating loud rustling noises. That’s why at MobileCast Media we record audio with two completely independent recording systems so that there is no single point of failure. For interviews and studio workwe use a Countryman lavalier microphone and a high quality shotgun microphone, the Sennheiser MK416, which is the standard for film and TV. Using two different, high quality microphones allow us to select the best audio in post production to help you get your point across.

24 Track Dedicated Audio Recorder – Our Alesis direct-to-disk recorder can record 24 separate microphones with 100% reliability and accuracy. This means what was formerly a hard to hear panel discussion can be precisely recorded by isolating individuals as they speak. This recorder is also used for high end symphonic recordings and has upgrades that make it one of the highest quality portable recorders ever made.

Saving Money With Efficient Computing – We save time and money with the latest editing suites featuring Final Cut Studio 2 and full Master Suite Adobe CS3 and software. This software is backed by the most powerful hardware including 8 core servers. Normally the hardware isn't powerful enough to show a good image while editing. This means you won't catch important problems until you render, which could take many hours. At MobileCast Media, powerful hardware means we can edit at higher resolutions, allowing us to see and fix issues in your footage earlier in the editing process. This saves project time thereby saving you money. RAID storage means that your project can be rendered more quickly providing faster turnaround, and lower project cost.

Site Survey – At MobileCast Media, we advise companies on how to construct permanent in-house studios which means we know how to use corporate offices for effective day use shooting and recording. We can save you a lot of money and convenience by shooting at your corporate headquarters, but a site survey is required. The accoustics of the room we shoot in are important as well as the level of ambeint noise. We check for quiet HVAC system, excessive reverberation (too much echo) and make sure you have enough space to meet your production requirements. We have special microphones and techniques to compensate for sub-optimal conditions.

Controlling Shine – Clean skin will shine under studio lights and it gives the look of an amateur. At MobileCast Media, we brings individual makeup kits and apply anti-shine treatment to each subject on camera.

Executive Coaching – Upon request, MobileCast Media can provide executive coaching, bringing out your best performance on camera.

Why MobileCast Media Is Better At Audio Podcasting

Industry Standard Microphones – For audio podcasting we have a large variety of microphones with matching expertise to record spoken word, live symphonic music, opera, choruses, jazz or rock.

Large Selection of Microphones - For voiceovers everybody has a certain microphone that sounds best for them. The most common high end voiceover microphone we have to offer is the ElectroVoice RE 20 and is seen in radio stations around the world. A lot has been said about the Heil PR-40, which offers deeper bass response and is used by Adam Curry and Leo Laporte. More important than the large selection is the expertise to match your voice to the microphone for the best sound.

Stage Microphones for Vocalists – At MobileCast Media, we like the Shure Beta 87A. It offers studio characteristics, and is designed for live recording. It is frequently seen on TV in use by the world’s leading pop artists. We have it in corded and cordless versions.

Site Survey – At MobileCast Media, we advise companies on how to construct permanent in-house studios which means we know how to use corporate offices for effective audio recording. We can save you a lot of money and convenience by recording at your corporate headquarters, but a site survey is required. If the location is not suitable, we need to know this in advance so that we can coordinate something else that will work.

Believe it or not, room accoustics is one of the biggest factors that effect the sound quality of your production. We have had some customers say that they don't care about the room and to record anyway. They later realized that a recording made in a reverberant room with HVAC noise very quickly makes them look ameteur. We check for quiet HVAC system and excessive reverberation (too much echo). We have special microphones, treatments and techniques that will help compensate for sub-optimal site conditions.

Podium Microphones – At MobileCast Media, we use the same microphone used by the US Presidential podium for the last 30 years, a pair of Shure SM-57s.

Classical, Opera and Ensemble – Nobody beats Neumann for matched stereo microphones and for ensemble work we use the Neumann KM-184 matched pair.

It’s one thing to have the microphone and it’s another to use it correctly for the type of recording you are going to make. At MobileCast Media we have years of experience with these individual microphones used in a variety of settings and can make your project sound the best in new media or in traditional.