| Tom Savini, Legendary Special Effects Make-Up Artist, Actor and ...
MONESSEN, Pa., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Douglas Education Center (DEC), a creative career school located just 30 minutes south of Pittsburgh, is already home to Tom Savini's monstrously successful Special Make-Up Effects Program, which began in 2000 and has graduated hundreds of students from all over the country. DEC offers many other programs besides make-up effects, including graphic design, illustration, cosmetology, and starting in February, Tom Savini's Digital Film Production Program. "Our film students are going to have the opportunity to collaborate with all of these other programs on their productions," said Savini. "They will be surrounded by talented individuals, just like in a professional studio, from the very first day they step on campus." Each student entering the 16-month program receives a video camera and a laptop computer fully equipped with software for all their filmmaking needs.
Small, wearable cameras could help keep an eye on cops
As leaders in Seattle and elsewhere call for stronger police accountability, three former Seattle officers hope to cash in on that movement with an action cam for police. The officers' fledgling company, VIEVU, has developed a small, wireless digital camera that could be a tool to record officers' interactions during an arrest or traffic stop. The camera is lightweight, about the size of a pager, and waterproof -- the latter feature being something that officers on Seattle's rainy beat know is paramount, said Chris Myers, who ended his 18-year police career in January to join VIEVU. The PVR-LE easily clips onto an officer's lapel or belt. Four gigabytes of flash memory record up to four hours of video. If someone accuses an officer of wrongdoing, the camera should reveal the truth.
Eye in the sky nabs ocean polluters
It has been an interesting, but uneventful four hours of flying for the four-man crew of Transport Canada's Dash 8 aircraft, a twin turboprop that bristles with high-tech equipment while conducting patrols for marine polluters off B.C.'s west coast. Everyone is gearing up for our arrival back in Vancouver when pilot John Heiler looks down and spots something suspicious -- a commercial fishing boat and a sheen of oil about two kilometres off Discovery Island near Victoria. Heiler and co-pilot Kip Kallweit bank the aircraft into a 60-degree left turn, the G-force dragging me back into my seat. .
Hot air: Fox's replay man preps for big game
Here's a name to know going into Sunday's Patriots-Giants Super Bowl: Artie Kempner. Kempner doesn't throw, catch, run, tackle or kick. He won't be in the booth with Joe Buck or Troy Aikman. Still, his impact could rival anyone's at University of Phoenix Stadium. Kempner, who will be directing his second Super Bowl for Fox, is in charge of replays. Two feet in bounds? Knee down? Ball across the plane for a touchdown? It will be up to Kempner to have the replays ready for the game officials and viewers at home. "My greatest nightmare is not having the definitive angle and finding out someone else does," Kempner said the other day from Phoenix. That angle could show up later courtesy of a sideline cameraman from a local TV station or a newspaper photographer.
Upgrade: Wish List 2007
Click to enlarge Fujifilm FinePix F30 $349 /// This 6.3-megapixel digicam was born to shoot in the dark, with one of the most light-sensitive sensors for its size (up to ISO 3200) and a flash that gauges the foreground and background, to avoid washing out subjects. fujifilmusa.com
Click to enlarge Canon DC40 $900 /// Whether it's the 10x zoom lens or the 4.3-megapixel CCD sensor, this DVD camcorder has the crisp image quality we've come to expect from Canon. It shoots about 60 minutes per disc in standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) formats. canonusa.com
Click to enlarge Olympus FE-190 $200 /// The FE-190's best feature is that it doesn't look, feel or shoot like a $200 camera. The 6-megapixel ultracompact takes great photos, is 0.7 in. thick, and has a large 2.5-in. LCD screen and image stabilization.
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