Month: December 2013

Boardman Bikes Video Production for Halfords

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I recently managed the 2013/2014 Boardman video production on behalf of Halfords.

We shot around 23 bikes with two crews over 5 days. The finished bike reviews can be seen on Halford’s own website and also their Youtube channel. Shot in the glorious countryside around Bingley and in Leeds city centre, two teams worked extremely hard in the heat (and rain) to produce some great results. The excellent Mark Nutkins on camera used the Canon C300 to great effect, directed by the equally excellent Dave Mills.

Mark is a “real” cameraman, done his apprenticeship and trained by the best and it shows. He’s got “Russians” and “E-Z-Ups” and lots of rolls of tape! and the obligatory battered old estate car to lug it all around. A really nice professional so don’t hesitate to hire him for your next project. Dave is a director…..directors crack jokes all day and generally make everyone feel good about the shoot, another excellent professional.

Mark Brooke took care of sound duties and is also a true pro, don’t hesitate to hire him. With planes overhead, lots of dogs and kids he certainly had his work cut out. The bikes are awesome, here are some pics from the shoot.

 

Revox B77 Cheap NAB Adaptors

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I thought I’d post up some information that maybe helpful for those vintage enthusiasts of the classic Revox reel to reel machines such as the B77 and PR99 (feature on both coming later).
The correct NAB adaptors for 15 inch reels are becoming scarce, and when they do come up they are expensive. If, like me you were unfortunate enough to go the “cheapo” route and buy the $25 dollar option from Ebay you will no doubt be disappointed. They don’t fit. This results in a ridiculous “clonk” as the reels spin round. The reason is that the diameter is too small. There have been various solutions offered such as placing a CD behind the reels etc but none have worked for me.

I though I’d try my own solution and it seems to have worked. It’s cheap and a bit fiddly but seems to do the job for me.

All you need is some electrical tape, preferably black. Cut three small lengths to go in between the notches of the adaptor, stick on to the side and carefully press over the rim and smooth down. This will give one layer of diameter expansion. Try your reel and see if there is any improvement. if not, add another layer. Continue this process until the diameter is correct.