Heath Korvola » tips

backup + archive

heath — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:51:14 +0000

in the spirit of my latest backup/archive upgrade (nothing like 16TB in a box!) + numerous questions, here’s a quick + easy run down of the structure of saving your ass in the current digital age. this can be scaled to any size but the main functions remain the same. this plan is in part due to a creative tech firm in seattle that’s no longer around but developed the separation of work.

live work is listed below but is basically anything you access for work now – applications, paperwork, images (via lightroom). archive is a complete copy of assets (image + video).
in reality your onsite live work + archive could all be on one server or drive. i’ve been with g-tech for 3 or 4 years + am happy. likewise i work with retrospect for everything back based on experience + too many recommendations to count. the interface is decidedly not user friendly but once you get their geek speak down it’s relatively trouble free. i would venture to say this is the weakest link in the chain. but as long as you manually audit your backups occasionally you should be solid.

the part of this that’s all too often left out that needs to be part of the equation is a bootable backup for your desktop/s machine/s. think about running super duper on your main machine nightly or thereabouts for a bootable copy. i always order an extra internal drive the same as the main + simply copy main to that. when your main goes down you can actually still boot your computer + run it without missing a beat off the super duper copy. i’ve done it + it’s awesome having lost only a day or very little + still having access to email, all your preferences, etc. without a bootable copy you may have saved the programs but have to re-add all your actions, presets, prefs, etc.

this must be done systematically + methodically. the largest most frequent errors are human. offsite means just that.

a couple of points while looking at this:

livework A + B are rotated weekly, not simply copied. of course you can do this more or less depending on your schedule + how far out you want to be before you possibly lose something!

ideally archive is a raid unit.

archive “as necessary” = immediately after you save new work get it offsite as well.

latest favorites

heath — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:34:10 +0000

things have been ramping up lately as multiple projects are coming together at precisely the same time. which to be honest is not a bad way to live – i tend to thrive in the absolutely crazy stuff. summer’s finally arriving + our move to oregon full time will be wrapping up this month as will a brand spanking new hk website. in conjunction, have had numerous shoots lately (both still + video) + a plethora of to do’s + prep – pdn’s photo annual nyc rooftop party anyone?

the up tempo life will either make or break you in terms of focus + efficiency. here’s a few of my latest favs for streamlining everything i do in a day as well as a few for putting smiles on my face afterward.

creative – storyboard composer iphone app by cinemek – put together a whole scene the other day walking to the toyota dealer + was able to share with production help. fantastic.

video – zoom’s h4n for solid sound in conjunction with movie slate.

workflow – import to fcp made easy(ier)… post haste

business – square. now we can all take payments anytime anywhere. bonus = we don’t have to face the credit card companies + their army of bloated fees. can’t wait to get mine.

web – no, thank you.

photo – why not get it now. polaroid started it + though the game’s shifted a bit there are still plenty of options including the poladroid app for you desktop system.

music – the latest from bonobo, black sands, is worth sitting down with in a plush leather chair, a stiff drink + killer set of headphones. bar that, just put it on + soak it up.

radio – if you have time, this american life had a fun film related piece this last weekend titled “home movies“.

Home movies are often all the same

TEN :: ways to have a great business + great life

heath — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:32:56 +0000

poached from margie zable fisher via smallbusinesstrends.com. a solid balance with a few catches that actually surprised me.

In a recent AP-GFK poll, 72% of Americans said they

electronic show

heath — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:11:17 +0000

during the course of any give year i do a handful of talks + presentations that vary from teaching style to pure fun, from stills to video mash ups. if there’s one thing that comes with these it’s that you’ve got to have a nice little kit together to make them all successful as each location has it’s own challenges.

due in part to these presentations i’ve acquired a huge number of cords, plugs + adapters that no normal person should have in their possession. design in general is too underrated these days but why we can’t see more in the way of streamlined collaboration for the sharing of imagery i’ll never know. imagine if we had a system wide plug + play setup…

apple hasn’t helped with their ongoing port extermination (mini-dvi, firewire 400, etc). here’s the history if you’re into it but with any 2009 mac you’ll be looking at a mini display port. your output with most projectors is usually vga but definitely look before you leap. before any show, like a shoot, do a scout if you can. at least talk to the host about the set up, equipment, sound system.

here’s my kit:

pelican 1490 case
freitag mac sleeve
mac book pro (with guts + a remote)
imovie, quicktime (7 over latest) + keynote
laser pointer
mini display port to vga adapter
mini display port to dvi adapter (for apple cinema displays + the like)
mini dvi to vga adapter (for your friends with macbooks, powerbook G4′s, etc)
extra mac battery
pc audio cable 3.5mm (the longer the better)
belkin mini surge protector
duct tape – cord coverage

if you’re looking for more, try this.

how hard is it?

heath — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:39:58 +0000

very hard to put it bluntly.

what do ya mean? didn’t you just show up there with your camera + shoot a bit?

not on your life – but glad it came across as that calm + natural.

looking around through the glimmer + shine existing everywhere today + it’s easy to find great work. it’s also easy to assume that this work happens on it’s own or really doesn’t have much of a backstory. but like a good film, without backstory you get a spineless mess that usually collapses on itself.

if you don’t believe me take a look at recent contest winners + start your reverse engineering. in a time crunched, cgi soaked industry it’s relatively easy to assume, “ahh, i have a 5DII with hd i can pop that sucker up on my tripod anywhere + put a fancy pants little ditty together.” and nothing could be further from the truth.

my current estimate in regards to motion work is that it takes quad as long as still image work. of course we’re not limited to pictures (motion or still) with this theme. office time, production work, personal projects, life’s little gifts – everything is evolving + to capitalize on it all takes a unique blend.

here are a few things i’ve found lately that currently or shortly will be enlisted in the effort.

hitchcock – luv keeping ideas moving forward. i firmly believe that if you’re not doing something everyday toward your goals then they’re not happening

evernote’s latest upgrade – great cross everything platform for organizing the myriad vitals

google wave – i was just invited to beta test this potential game changing tool. especially interested in it as project development tool

tilt + shift – purely for the visual fun

TEN :: things about video

heath — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:17:54 +0000

1: it’s not photography + works totally differently

2: it’s still visual + ideas do translate

3: takes twice as long to shoot + four times as long to process a final product

4: you can’t do it all yourself

5: sound is an entirely different beast then what you’re used to. use the right people + equipment (see above)

6: it’s time to upgrade your video card

7: the creativity is boundless

8: did i mention how much fun it is

9: canon will offer variable frame rates one day + everyone else will follow

10: super 8 is really, really fantastic (more on this soon)

3 things we all should do

heath — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:51:36 +0000

1: evaluate take a hard look at what you’re doing. i like the hop, skip, jump metaphor – where are you in terms of where you want to be? do you have a goal? if not how can you hit what you’re not even aiming at? when you’re done with all three of these steps, start back here. evaluation is a constant process. if what you’re doing is not getting the desired results then reevaluate + shake things up.

2: plan take everything you can into account. there will always be variables so focus on what you can. eliminate distractions + balance out what you can do with what you have. take action in the form of conscious steps in your given direction. could be recruiting the kind of employees you have your eye on, a fat new promo campaign or a great job lead, doesn’t matter. hell, even the a team had a plan.

3: work really this is what we all want to be doing but to get here you have to go through the above. this, my friends, is your reward – total unadulterated work in the vein of what you want to do + have created for yourself. the trouble that most of us have with this is that it doesn’t stop. and the further you get into it the crazier it gets. if you can’t handle that or really need your sleep, it might be time to think about something more 9 to 5ish. get started + don’t stop, ever. believe it or not, that’s actually half the fun once it gets going.

carbon credit

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:23:58 +0000

i’ve been working on this idea for the past year + though it’s taken a beating lately with the economy + budgets being what they are i’m really happy with it’s success. i talked about the idea of including an optional line item for clients interested in carbon offset way back when. basically it’s a way to help negate a portion of a nasty cycle.

it’s been a pleasure to work with brands such as cosmo, merrell, 24 hour fitness + a handful of agencies among others on this. always surprising who declines though luckily they have been in the minority but let’s just say that not all companies are what they claim.

my help with this process has come from a great sf based organization called terra pass. specifically, if you’re a business then get in touch with mira rubin karp (business [at] terrapass.com). she’s the sales + busn development manager + can help with everything. the two big ways to work with terrapass is to join their Carbon Balanced Business Program (below) + have mira calculate the amount due to offset your office (electricity, etc). the other is for specific trips as mentioned above. either way she’s a rock star, thanks for all the help mira. here’s her explanation of everything terrapass puts together:

The TerraPass Carbon Balanced Business Program is designed to help businesses balance out the carbon emissions created from their daily operations. Businesses of all sizes have an impact on climate change and we are excited about this opportunity to further engage them in what TerraPass is doing.

The calculator looks at five aspects of a typical organization

canon video update

heath — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:24:20 +0000

ok so here’s an update from our uber talented video assist + typing fiend at jdk. ross has brought up answers that i wondered about outloud via an earlier post, specifically we’re taking aim at why/how the shutter on canon 5D II’s hd video program controls light + secondly why it stops at 1/30th.

Hey Heath! I’ll take a stab at your first question:
AFAIK the video shutter must be an electronic shutter, meaning that the mechanical shutter is open the entire time, and the image sensor is only “open for business” for the shutter duration. My nikon d40 is able to get down to 1/4000th this way.

The other question is why the shutter speed stops at 1/30th. If I understand your question then it is simple – because the camera needs to shoot 30 frames a second. If it shoots at 1/25th, then it could only shoot 25 frames a second. The only thing the shutter speed controls is what % of that 1/30th of a second the shutter is open for.

and on the same note our man has been kind enough to throw this out for your consumption as well. it’s a beta offering similar to CHDK mentioned back here. wired’s scoop is available as well. haven’t dug in yet myself but that’s what holidays are for right. happy independence everyone, use it well. hard to believe this thing’s been alive two years to the day friday.

good

heath — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:28:46 +0000

good stuff happening all around. here’s a bit of what’s crackin’ from my point of view.

fantastic stuff from artist yellena james – showing in pdx july + august.

live by the numbers + nike+ in the latest wired – interesting concept of working numbers all the time. data, data, data. i’ve seen this taking hold in smaller businesses + specifically in the creative community + it’s good. savings are up everywhere – ever heard of mint?!?!?

can’t wait to catch kathryn bigelow’s new flick the hurt locker.

dropbox – i know it’s just a slicked up ftp widget but damn it’s good.

and finally, sad to see our friend + narrator of my teen years, MJ the king of pop, gone. rip.