Here is another usefull gadget to help with low cost video production which we wish had been available years ago. It’s called the Revolve Camera Dolly, and is suitable for tracking shots and rotational dolly shots as well other cinematic tricks. Advertised at $99, the system is claimed to be compatible with virtually any camera, and is suitable for use on all surfaces and at any location.

According to the suppliers, the Revolve Camera Dolly can create a wide assortment of cinematic effects. Tracking dolly shots, rotational dolly shots, dynamic inward/outward tracking, rotational panning, time lapse photography, stop motion animation, slider motion, and more.

The dolly is compatible with virtually any camera on the market, whether you want to shoot with a DSLR, an iPhone, a camcorder, or point and shoot. Your camera can mount directly to the base of the dolly with the included mounting screws, or you can use a ball head, friction arm, our specialized monopod, or any other mount to give your camera more versatility.

For more on the Revolve Camera Dolly, click here to visit the Revolve Camera Dolly website

Do you use a DSLR camera to shoot video on a tripod? Do you wish that DSLR cameras had a receptacle for the locking pin on your tripod video camera plates? Well here is a smart gadget that achieves a stable platform, while giving other benefits as well; the Camera Lock Plate.

Advertised as a DSLR video accessory piece that lets you tap into the true potential of your camera, the Camera Lock Plate will stabilize your camera on a rig or tripod, and offers protection to the HDMI port when you are using a cable to feed your external display or recorder.

The “Universal video DSLR plate” fits all semi pro/pro video DSLRs including 5D mk2, mk3, 6D, 7D, D7000, D7100, D600, D800.

For more on the Camera Lock Plate, click here to visit the Camera Lock Plate website

Have you an image sequence that you would like to convert into video? Are you taking time-lapse image sequences from a DSLR and wanting to display them as a video sequence? Here are a couple of ways to convert JPEG images to video without resorting to expensive software packages.

Using MPEG Streamclip to Convert JPEG images to Video

MPEG Streamclip is a powerful free video converter, player and editor for Mac and Windows. To create a video from an sequentially numbered set of images follow the following steps:

• Click on the Open Files menu option
• Browse to the folder containing your image sequence
• Select the first file in the list and click open
• The sequence will open in MPEG Streamclip
• Click File, then export to QuickTime
• At the Movie Exporter dialogue select the appropriate Frame Size and any other settings
• Click Make Movie, and select the folder and name for the new movie

Convert JPEG images to Video Using QuickTime Pro (Mac and Windows)

Using QuickTime Pro is just as easy to create a video from a sequence of images:

• Click on the File, Open Image Sequence option
• Locate the first numbered file of the image sequence you want to import, then click Open.
• In the Image Sequence Settings dialog, choose a frame rate, then click OK.
• Click on File, Export, QuickTime Movie, then customize the dimensions and codec of the movie if required.
• Choose a location and enter a name for the file.
• Choose the save option Make movie self-contained to make a stand alone movie, then click Save.

Using Compressor to Convert JPEG images to Video

If you are using Final Cut Pro, then you have Compressor which can convert JPEG images to Video, although there is a minor bug which you may need to work round (See video below). Compressor has a large number of options, so for detail steps, see the Compressor User Manual.

Useful Links:

Squared 5 – MPEG Streamclip

QuickTime 7 Pro for Windows

Final Cut Pro – Using compressor to render from an image sequence

Misery Bear is the saddest, loneliest, most depressed teddy bear in the whole world. A borderline alcoholic with anger management issues, the furry little character is the star of a series of BBC short films.

Misery Bear made his first appearance at Popcorn Comedy in 2009. Soon after, he was commissioned to make a series of short films for the BBC Comedy website, all of which are now available to see on the BBC’s YouTube channel. In 2011, Misery Bear appeared in a Comic Relief video with Kate Moss which was broadcast on BBC1 for Red Nose Day.

Since then he has starred in videos for Sport Relief, Amnesty International and Children in Need, as well as penning his first ever book, Misery Bear’s Guide to Love & Heartbreak, see picture below, which was published by Hodder & Stoughton on October 13th, 2011.

He stared with Geri Halliwell and Pudsey in a sketch called How Pudsey Got His Bandana, first broadcast on on BBC1 on the 16 November 2012 for Children in Need.

• Geri Halliwell & Misery Bear in How Pudsey Got His Bandana

Misery Bear’s films are directed by Chris Hayward & Nat Saunders, and produced by Roughcut TV.

Other Misery Bear links Misery Bear’s website Follow Misery Bear on Twitter Like Misery Bear on Facebook