Recent news from top camera manufactures has been shaking the ground of film making. From  4k cameras available for prosumers, to optical lenses with pin procesion sharpness that leaves zero detail to the imagination, we have hit a new period of technology in film. Working under extreme conditions like we do here in NYC, being up to date is always a must. It’s a very exciting time for us, but now, more than ever technical knowledge and creativity is key. We are really looking forward to trying some of these new products out to enhance our video production.
 

Here are a few tests and information on new products on the horizon:

Canon 5d Mark3 Review

Sony F3 vs. RED Scarlet

New Zeiss Lenses
 

At Simba we’ve been working up a sweat producing several new exercise and fitness videos. We just finished 3 days of shooting for Moseley Road to produce workout DVDs in Pilates, Core Training and Yoga. They will be paired with books and sold internationally. Check out some exclusive behind the scenes production stills:

In August we wrapped production on MegaYoga with Megan Garcia, a yoga DVD designed with the plus-size practitioner in mind. The DVD was released in November and has been a consistent bestseller for the client. Check out a preview of Megayoga:

We also produced a DVD called MommyShape, a pregnancy fitness program. Check it out and visit mommyshape.net when you have a chance

This is a fully animated motion graphic video we produced for a law
firm. We scripted the action based on the material they wanted to
present and conferenced with our client to be sure that the information
came across properly. Once we decided on a concept, the first step was
to create and composite images in adobe illustrator. Compositing is the
process of taking various digital images and combining them into one.
When we were ready to start designing, we created storyboards to
organize and pace each graphic element, then using Adobe After Effects,
would animate the graphics drawn in Adobe Illustrator, effectively bring
the project to life with sound effects and music.

Many of our clients are across the country and even overseas; we always
find a convenient method of communication, such as using Skype or
Instant Messenger or Google Chat. This time, our client was on the west
coast and we communicated via email and phone, tweeking each new cut to
our client’s specifications. Check out the video above and let us know
if we can edit your next video using motion graphic animation!

We soared high above all five boroughs of New York City for this website
promotional video for HeliNY, a company specializing in helicopter
tours. Using a mounted gyro-stabilizer to achieve smooth camera
movements, we navigated NYC numerous times, videotaping all of the
landmarks associated with the expansive city tour. We then edited it in
time with music to produce a promotional web video.

Aerial footage like this can be captured for documentaries, corporate
videos, short films, music videos and many other projects.

This is a promotional sales video that we produced for Sterling Silver
meats, a premium product in the restaurant industry. We videotaped on
location with three renowned chefs of Quattro Gastronomia Italiana in
the SoHo Trump Tower, Plataforma Restaurant and The Oak Room at the
Plaza.

Each chef was interviewed in their kitchen and created their favorite
dish, describing the benefits of working with the Sterling Silver
product. We shot close-ups of different foods, activity in the
restaurants and action in the kitchens, which combined with energetic
music, really enhanced the editing of the video.

The final video is a fast-paced and exciting representation of cooking
and dining at some of the most respected restaurants in New York City,
and a high quality sales pitch for an excellent product.

The above is a recent project that we completed as a
compliance tutorial video. When a project like this comes to us, we need
to determine how the content will best be conveyed to the audience.

For this, we went with green screen, so we could change
the background and show text in a clean and organzied way.

We had to cast an actor, so we went through hundreds of
headshots and resumes, selected 10-20 for auditions, and then sent video
samples to our client for final approval.

This took one day of shooting, in the client offices this
time, but sometimes in a rental studio or in our studio, depending on
the scope of the project.

Hair and makeup is important to get our actress’ look
just right, and she reads from a teleprompter, which takes a good amount
of skill.

After the shoot, we integrate graphics and effects,
select backgrounds and insert titles and logos. There are many file
delivery options; both physically and digitally. For this video, we made
a file that could be embeded into the clients website and streamed to
users.