Vanilla Video Blog

I-Frame and GOP are video codec terms. When a video is encoded to be viewed on TV, YouTube, Blu-Ray or any other streaming method, it needs to be compressed. If you’re watching a video at 24 frames-per-second, you’re not really seeing 24 full pictures. Instead, you’re seeing sets of GOP (Group of Pictures) composed of inter frames (I-frames), predicted frames (P-frames) and bi-directionally predicted frames (B-frames).  Depending on the codec, a GOP could consist of upwards of 15 frames. → Read more

As imaging technology develops, camera prices continually drop. Now, a consumer-grade camcorder can have an aesthetic that’s surprisingly appealing. And now that DSLRs shoot video, film-like video is at our fingertips. This has made consumers very excited and professionals very cynical. An independent filmmaker once told me, “The good news is; everyone can shoot a movie now. The bad news is; everyone can shoot a movie now.” → Read more

Remember that American Express commercial with Martin Scorsese from five or six years ago? You know the one where he’s standing at the one-hour photo counter and critiquing his recently developed shots? He looks up at the associate and says “What was I thinking? It’s just not working.” He looks at another photo, “This one… interesting. It’s far too nostalgic.” “Unavoidable,” he finally says, “got to re-shoot.” Then he turns and pulls out his cell phone: “Hey Timmy, it’s your uncle Marty. How would you like to turn five again?” → Read more

Smart phones like the iPhone and Android have given people high quality video in the palm of their hands. The 1080p resolution from the iPhone 4s is pretty spectacular for a phone, and there’s no telling what future models will be capable of. This is all great, but having better camera technology in your hands doesn’t make you a better videographer. As smart phone videos continue to pop up all over the web, I’m reminded of how little people understand about basic shooting techniques. Here are three simple tips that will help you tremendously. → Read more

I was at a wedding and I just got done filming the first dance. The couple was great. They weren’t shy of the camera and gave me great stuff when looking my way. They knew how to pose. That’s always good. Make friends with your Video Guy. Give him good material and you’ll get better material back. The song finished and the newlyweds kissed and sat down. The band took a break and put on some light music as the servers started to bring out the deserts. → Read more

We’re doing something pretty revolutionary here at Vanilla Video. We’re giving you all the raw footage, no matter what. That’s right. If you order video at Vv, not only do we come out and film your event with our amazing service, we also deliver to you everything we’ve captured. You just download what you want at your convenience. Did I mention we store everything on our servers for a year? Film it now, worry about it later. It doesn’t get much better than that. → Read more

The most affordable and trustworthy wedding video solution for Chicago and suburbs. No bundles. No DVDs. No flashy graphics. No coffee meetings to determine if that company is trustworthy or not. We’re Vanilla Video, and we make video simple and easy. Order within seconds, record as little or long as you want, and download the video within days. You get the full event footage with shareable clips of the best moments. It’s never been so easy to record and share your wedding on video with friends and family.

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Finally, Chicago has an affordable wedding video solution. No more overpriced bundles. No more guesswork. Vanilla Video makes it easy to record and share your special day with friends and family. → Read more

Corey and I sat down and realized Vanilla Video needed a third person on the team. It wasn’t an easy decision. In fact, it was a really difficult decision, but any decision that affects burn rate should be difficult. → Read more

Wedding videography from other vendors can be an expensive service. Let’s take a look as to why wedding videography packages can range from $600 to $8,000, what features and products you usually get at particular price points, and the actual costs associated with them. → Read more

A CMOS sensor is an APS (Active Pixel Sensor) image sensor. In layman’s terms, an image sensor reads physical information (light) and converts it to digital information (pixel data). APS is the type of sensor, CMOS is the technology used to create it. → Read more

Many videographers and/or production companies will boast about their “3CCD cameras”. Most likely, that means very little to you, and it shouldn’t be a selling point. Whether a camera is 3CCD, CCD or CMOS isn’t something the average consumer cares about. → Read more

A shareable clip is a video clip ranging from 30-seconds up to three minutes. Shareable clips are event highlights; the best moments from the raw footage. Vanilla Video creates shareable clips of your event so it’s easy for you to share it online with others. → Read more

What equipment do I need? That’s a common question, but there’s no simple answer. First, you have to understand your needs. What are you shooting and why are you shooting it? What and why are the most important factors in making a decision on equipment, the how. → Read more

Frank and I are working on a lot of small projects to improve our business and presence. We just added a toll-free number for our customers, and now we’re getting business cards, email and some cool merchandise made up to promote our brand.

We are on a full-on Vanilla Video awareness campaign to let Chicago know we are here and ready to film!

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