JD Pictures

When all else fails...

Wed, 28 May 2008 11:10:21 GMT

Make a paper whale! Yes it does appear that I have gone completely mad - thats what fluid mechanics does to you! Anyway, a while back my Dad sent me a wonderful postcard with a cut out whale, so I thought I would make it! - Sure beats doing...

Experience Ship Science

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:04:04 GMT

On second thoughts... Don't! I just thought you might want to share in the fun and games that is fluid mechanics! Its a really really nice! If you like ridiculously complex integration, stupid formulas and all those weird little letters - what...

£10 Mobile Phones

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:48:44 GMT

I just bought a £10 Nokia 1208 and I am totally amazed at what you get. Not only does £10 get you a fully functioning phone, its also very easy to use and comes with some impressive features... It can phone and txt and has mp3 ringtones -...

New Website Finally Here

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:25:55 GMT

Its been a few weeks in development but I think it's more than worth the wait! The new JD Pictures site has been completely recoded from scratch, practically no code was reused from the old site, even the database was completely rebuilt. Its been...

New Website Coming Soon...

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:59:56 GMT

Well it's been a busy week for me. I have recently decided to switch my host. Currently this site is hosted with Heart Internet. Now don't get me wrong, Heart Internet are great hosts, well most of the time... I have to say at this point that their...

The Dictionary of Film

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:09:13 GMT

I have just begun creating a new project. Titled the dictionary of film, it will be an amazing resource for filmmakers of all abilities. Primarily aimed at student filmmakers, the site will include a wiki for how-tos and definitions, a blog for...

Airport Extreme + Time Machine gets official

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:50:39 GMT

With the latest firmware update for the Airport Extreme, airdisks (USB Hard disks attached to the Airport Extreme) now magically appear in the Time Machine Preferences. No hacks, no problems, no sweat. Time Machine it appears is now officially...

Blog now iPhone compatible

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:18:23 GMT

The blog on JD Pictures is now compatible with the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Simply visit the site on your Apple device and you will be greeted with the blog in an iPhone / iPod optimised theme. Although the blog is now fully iPhone / iPod...

DIY .mac web gallery

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:40:49 GMT

The Apple .Mac web gallery is one of the coolest javascript based image and video galleries out there, but there are a few problems with it; the biggest two being the fact that the videos are slow-to-load quicktime files, not flash and you have pay...

Use your Airport Extreme as a Time Capsule

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:52:07 GMT

UPDATE! Time machine is now officially supported on the Airport Extreme. OK so, a little background... I bought my Airport Extreme base-station last year, shortly after jobs announced in the WWDC conference that Leopard's Time Machine feature could...

Geurrilla Filmmaking

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:27:38 GMT

What is guerrilla filmmaking? Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any...

RS800

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:59:19 GMT

Fast just isn't the right word to describe the RS800. Its a BEAST! Ok, I know that this currently doesn't have anything to do with filmmaking, but I will be strapping waterproof video cameras to it very soon! This is our RS800, which I own with...

Invention Scoops Top Award

Wed, 30 May 2007 11:01:46 GMT

The inventive talents of a Kendal teenager look set to propel him towards a promising future after he was crowned one of the best young engineers in the North West. Jacob Deane, 19, is celebrating after receiving a coveted award in the North West...

Apple Macbook

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:55:45 GMT

The Macbook is one of the fastest laptop computers on the market for its size. It boasts a 2Ghz Intel Core Duo processor, making it a speedy beast for video editing. The new mackbook features a glossy screen which is very easy to clean. It also...

Panasonic DVX100BE

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:47:28 GMT

JD Pictures will be producing only the highest quality films from now on thanks to the amazingly powerful DVX100BE! This camera really does produce beautiful footage that looks uncannily like it was shot on film! The DVX100BE is a big beast, no...

Digital Cinema

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:44:28 GMT

Digital Cinema hits the UK! I was very excited to learn that my local independent cinema now has a digital projector. The Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal showed Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest in digital. Needless to say, the quality and...

Filmmaking: A new Project

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:43:31 GMT

Well, the gang have returned from India and we have got 13hrs of footage to edit - should be fun! The plan is to dump it to hard disk this weekend so until then I won't be sure what we've got to edit! We will be using Macs with Final Cut Express for...

The Vehicle

Sat, 19 May 2007 11:52:19 GMT

The plan is to go an a bit of an adventure in my 1979 Series III Landrover, affectionatly refered to as 'Ermintrude'. She is a fairly standard short wheel base series III, with the 2� litre petrol engine - by far the simplest and therefore easiest...

Its about time for an Adventure

Sat, 19 May 2007 11:44:44 GMT

Well its about time that I sorted out my summer. So much time, so little to do! The plan is to go for a bit of an expedition in my Landrover... Should be good! More coming soon - I promise!

Award Winning Photographs

Wed, 09 May 2007 07:32:40 GMT

Jacob Deane has won a top award in this year's Shape the Future photo competition, a celebration of engineering and technology through photography. The five images of wind turbines have been selected to be shown at the 2006 Celebration of...

Super Script Writing Software

Wed, 09 May 2007 07:32:01 GMT

I have come across a fantastic piece of free software called Celtx which makes writing and formating scripts really easy. It is powerful, easy to use, easy to colaberate and even better, its free! - Perfect for the low budget filmmaker. The...

Wessex Films

Wed, 09 May 2007 07:31:00 GMT

This article is for those of you lucky enough to be studying at the University of Southampton. The filmmaking society here is called Wessex Films and is one of the premiere student filmmaking societies in the UK. For those of you who are members of...

JD Pictures & the DVX100BE

Thu, 03 May 2007 16:38:47 GMT

We are now the proud owners of a Panasonic DVX100BE, probably the best Mini DV camcorder available. Its superb film-like footage and incredible manual features set this camera apart from the rest. Why did we get one instead of the hyped Sony FX1e?...

Rode NTG1 Microphone

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 07:20:02 GMT

I have finally got my microphone having spent nearly two weeks in the custody of my halls reception, and after much pestering, it has now been properly delivered to me! It is a rode microphone, the NTG1 to be precise. It is a directional condenser...