admin|Duchin Productions

Video Special Effects using PowerPoint

We frequently encourage clients to use programs like PowerPoint and Keynote to help get their ideas across. One of our longtime friends and clients, Sargent Production Services was tasked to go one step further. He was asked to produce a video but use Keynote slides and animations as a substitute for traditional video animation. The presenter, Dr. Woodie Flowers is an advanced user of Keynote (Apple’s version of PowerPoint) and is the mastermind behind the project. Not many people would attempt something this challenging but in theory, everything was going to work. We recorded Woodie...

Choosing a background for your next video shoot.

An important thing to consider for any video shoot is the background choice. Not every location has an ideal room for shooting so in many instances, we create a background. Once we learn about a project, we try to determine what the background should be and then see if it exists at the shoot location. Unfortunately, even if the perfect spot is available, it might be near an area that is too noisy or not big enough to fit all the equipment. Not every project has the budget to bring in a set decorator to “prop” a location, so it’s important to be flexible on smaller budget shoots. The photos...

Donate $100 to a great non-profit and get your logo on a racing motorcycle.

Many people know that Duchin Productions owner Jay Duchin is also a trustee of the Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf. It’s a non-profit school that serves children ages birth to 22 with hearing and communications disorders. On August 25th and 26th, he’ll be racing the The Ascutney Mountain Hillclimb. Every business that donate $100 or more to the CCC/BSD before August 15th will and get their company logo on his competition motorcycle. Simply send an email along with your company logo to jay@duchinproductions.com. When your donation has been...

Video Production Safety and Preparation

We’ve been fortunate to have shot in some pretty interesting places. The photo shows owner Jay Duchin 60 feet in the air shooting inside a dark and dusty warehouse. Not everyone is comfortableworking on top of a swaying, open air platform tethered to a steel bar. When faced with challenging location environments, it’s really important to let the crew know exactly what they can expect. Most crew members are prepared for seasonal cold or heat, but might be thrown off by a shoot in a walk-in freezer in the middle of August. The following is a list of things that you should communicate to your...