ikan News Blog

ikan Marketing Department // 3903 Stoney Brook Dr.Houston,TX 77063

Phone 713.272.8822 // Fax 713.995.4994

A Simple On-Camera Solution!

For those in need of a high quality, cost effective entry level high definition monitor, ikan proudly introduces the VL7 HDMI monitor. Equipped with 1 HDMI and 2 composite inputs, ikan’s VL7 will exceed the expectations of even the most demanding users.  This 7” monitor boasts a resolution of 800×480 with switchable 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios. The VL7 is powered by ikan’s provided BP2T DV battery plate for use with your choice of Sony, Canon, or Panasonic style batteries. The new VL7, a complete out-of-the-box self powered HDSLR field monitoring solution… from ikan.

Just the Basics.

If all you need is a single HDMI input monitor solution, the VL7 is for you! Now you can run 1 HDMI or 2 composite connections without the clutter of additional inputs that you don’t need. One simple connection provides a brilliant screen resolution giving you a clear and accurate image representation. And where does the cost of those unneeded connections go? In your pocket! The VL7 is one of the most affordable 7” HD monitors on the market, giving you the ability to stretch your production budget even farther.

VL7 Deluxe Kit Includes:

• VL7 HD Monitor
• Hard Case
• Shoe Mount
• AC Adapter
• Composite Cables
• Choice of DV Battery, Battery Charger & BP2T Battery Plate

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1000 Reasons Why…

The ikan ID 1000 gives you all the same great features that have made our ID 500 so popular, plus 500 additional bright, long lasting LED bulbs to light your production. A host of features including integrated wireless control with on/off and dimming functions, 4 switchable banks for increased control, integrated barn doors, included 12v DC power supply and available pro battery options make the ID 1000 a must own LED lighting solution.

Take Control

Every unit comes with an RF remote control giving you command over the light’s power and the ability to regulate each of the four light banks. The ID 1000’s remote operates on three separate channels so three lights can be controlled with the same remote.This one remote will give you a host of features that control up to three individual instruments. These features include:

• Power On/Off
• Operation indicator On/Off
• Four level light intensity adjustment from 25%-100%
• Dimmable light intensity adjustment from 0%-50%

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ID 1000 Three Point Light Kit Includes:

• 3 x ID 1000 LED Lights
• 3 x Remote Controls for ID 1000 LED Lights
• 1 x Padded Bag (Fits 3 ID 1000 Lighting Units)
• 3 x Light Stands
• 1 x Light Stand Bag (Fits 3 ID 1000 Light Stands)
• Necessary Power Cords

For information and images, please visit:

VL7 VL7-DK ID 1000 ID 1000-DK

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About Us

ikan is an award-winning designer, manufacturer, and distributor geared to provide total solutions for video professionals. We are a constantly evolving and ever-flexible company that prides itself on its value-conscious products. At ikan, we work closely with our dealers and end users to ensure creation of quality products that enhance film and video productions. Our entire product line, from HDMI & HD/SDI camera monitors to our ELEMENTS™ camera support solutions, LED and fluorescent lighting, our new and improved teleprompter line, productivity software, apparel and set/shooting accessories are all designed with feature-set and price in mind from their inception.

Whether you are in the backyard or in the studio, you can rely on ikan to be by your side. Our unwavering customer support, global reach, knowledge and product variety allow us to keep you in touch with the rapidly growing video technology industry. We believe in providing the globe with an affordable and reliable solution. With each new product, ikan strives to deliver the features you need at the prices you want.

For more information, give us a call or walk into our corporate headquarters based in Houston, TX. You can also visit our official website (www.ikancorp.com) for more product information.  Additionally, connect with us via our Social Media Feeds such as the ikan News Blog (ikancorp.wordpress.com), our Facebook community (facebook.com/ikanseeit), our Vimeo channel (vimeo.com/ikancorp) or follow us on Twitter @ikancorp.

Congrats to all our winners, and a huge thanks to our celebrity judges and to every group that participated. We had a great turn out this year thanks to all of you!

1st Place: I (K) Can Be A Part Of The Revolution by Pablo F. Garvia

http://vimeo.com/17154950

2nd Place: Pandora’s Legacy by James Tang

http://vimeo.com/17267241

3rd Place: Lumiere Revolution by Lessa Millet

http://vimeo.com/17279794

We will be in touch with the winners of the competition in the coming week, so be sure to check your emails! Thanks to all other groups who participated–we couldn’t have this competition without you!

To view all group entries, check out our Vimeo channel at

http://vimeo.com/channels/ikanhdslr

Enjoy the films and Happy Holidays!

- kerianne

This is Part II of III in our series “Rising from Ashes: A Feature Documentary.” Read Part I HERE for a recap of last week. I’ve reposted the trailer of RISING FROM ASHES here for your convenience. Also included are some excellent photos TC has sent us from the shoot.

It all began when TC Johnstone and his group, Gratis 7 Media, stopped in a few days  before their final visit to Rwanda. During that time, I had the chance to learn more about their collective effort and the project they were hungry to complete: “Rising From Ashes.” Since, I’ve had the luck to be graced with their time and ask some more in-depth questions since their return from shooting in Rwanda.  I hope you enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/15464226

Let’s begin.

“IK: The Trailer for “Rising From Ashes” (currently in production(UPDATE: post-production now) is intense and beautiful. What inspired you to begin this project—where did it all start?

TC: In 2005 I was invited to go to Rwanda with a couple of friends. We jumped on a plane and I spent the next 150 miles sitting backwards on a motorcycle, hanging out of helicopters and talking with my friends who were experiencing Rwanda from a very different perspective, the bicycle.  While in country, we met the “Rwandan Cycling Team”. It’s kind of funny to think back on that moment. I don’t think anyone would have considered them a real team.  It was a group of ambitious cyclists that were looking for a chance. Over dinner my buddy Dan said, “What if we were to give these guys a hand up?”. Five years later these same guys are literally changing a country. It’s amazing what can happen from one simple idea.

IK. Was it hard to secure financial backing for this project?

TC: Documentary is a hard genre for fundraising.  But, I’m convinced that a great story rises to the top. I tell people all the time “make a trailer”! Say it great in 90 seconds and you can get folks to consider funding for 90 minutes.  I have a good friend that once told me “money is easy to find” I’ve learned this is very true. I find that many filmmakers don’t take the time to develop their ideas into a business plan or ministry plan. I spend more time reading books on small business then filmmaking these days. Over the years I’ve found a group of successful business men that read over my ideas then blow holes in them! I’ve learned to enjoy this. I hated it at first. It’s really a stewardship issue for us at Gratis 7.  We’re been entrusted with using this money wisely within our productions and that’s a huge responsibility. Everyone on our team understands that, it’s part of our culture.

IK: Can you inform us of the current state of affairs in Rwanda? How has the country rebuilt since the genocides of 1994? What does daily life consist of for most? How much is presently at risk?

TC: To be honest, the first time I had ever heard of Rwanda was by watching the movie Hotel Rwanda in 2003. In 2005 on my first trip to Rwanda, I remember the wheels hitting the runway.  I didn’t know what to expect.  I’ve been all over Africa and Rwanda is like no other place on the continent. It’s the safest country in Africa. The place is breathtaking and the people are truly amazing. Our goal with “Rising From Ashes” is to help the world view Rwanda in 2010 not 1994.

IK: You have done much work as a filmmaker of faith—what inspiredyou to explore and share the gospel through film?

TC: In my 10 years as a filmmaker I have always been drawn to stories of redemption. There’s something about a changed life that sticks with me much longer then big explosions and green screens. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good action film but for me it’s stories of grace, hope and second chances that I think we all resonate with. It feels like our world is getting more and more callus. I hope my films will leave audiences feeling a sense of hope and purpose for their lives. For me, that’s found in Christianity. I think people who are living out their faith in a sacrificial way to help others is the true testimony of our faith. Whether we agree with them or not, people respect that a lot more then saying one thing and living another.”

====================END of PART II=====================

Thanks to TC and the whole crew for inspiring us so. I will be posting Part III/III of the “Rising From Ashes” Documentary Interview on next Monday.

Cheers!

For more information:

Gratis 7 Media Group and their latest film,

“Rising From Ashes” (Website, Twitter, Facebook)

You can find TC at his website, twitter, or facebook.

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What? You say you didn’t know ikan made a sling bag? What’s that? You knew but didnt think you would find it useful?

It’s the IBG-SLING, otherwise known as the ikan Sling Bag (product page HERE).

If you have one, you may know it’s a pretty neat bag–tons of pockets, comfortable, lightweight and good form factor, water bottle pouch, enough real estate for your needed lenses…zippers…pen pockets…you get the idea.

So what?

SO, if you’ve only been using this bag to carry camera equipment, you’re missing out–on the “Field Mixing Sound Sling.”

Being part of a small set or crew, where the DP is the camera op (and potentially the sound as well, depending on your setup), I need this bag to be out of my way but in my reach. I can clip my Lav Microphone Receivers (ew100G3′s) to numerous places, accessible, on the outside of the bag, while I run XLR cables into my Zoom H4n inside. What’s even better: My two channel mixer fits in here, too, so I can really get down and dirty without that cumbersome hassle (and if you have the equipment, why not?)

Simply because of the size and form factor of the bag, along with its attachable real estate and padded interior, this bag becomes an ideal field mixing bag–for anyone needing to multitask on set.

I’ve included some pictures for you to see what I mean:

Documentaries are capable of bringing masses of people an intimate connection to some one person or event or place. They are an integral tool for us as filmmakers—they give voice to culture outside ourselves, as audience members, sharing this world. And they can be compelling.

Gratis 7, as per their website, believe “out of our relatioships…great ideas are developed and produced” and rightly so, with the inception of their newest film, “Rising from Ashes,” a story of Rwandan Cyclists fighting all odds to speak the voice of their country–and country’s own struggle to rebuild their image after years of genocide. You can read more here: Gratis 7: Projects.

Trailer for RISING FROM ASHES:

http://vimeo.com/15464226

After speaking with them, I had the chance to set up a separate interview with the leader of the group, TC Johnstone, and ask some poignant questions regarding: his experiences shooting the film, and what breathed life into the project. I will be posting the first part of the interview here, on Monday, for your education enjoyment.

But for now, let me leave you with some photos from the shoot and the trailer for the film, and some notes on his equipment usage:

NOTE: Gratis 7 left for Rwanda equipped with VX7‘s, Multi K‘s, our ID500 Lighting Kit,  ID400, and ikan’s Traveler Bag.

“I can’t thank you enough…We literally used [our equipment] every day. The lights were used for every BTS interview and we used the small LED quite a bit as accent lights in the field. It proved to be the perfect set up for this production. We would have never had time to set up hot lights with the pace we were running. “

“Also the Monitors worked out for a interesting purpose. I was able to watch the footage from the Gopro cameras on the monitor as the camera has no way of showing the footage. It was clutch for this. Also, the one thing I was not expecting was how much we used the backpacks. They were used everyday.”

That’s awesome. I’m glad we could be of such aid to you guys!

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For more information:

Gratis 7 Media Group and their latest film,

“Rising From Ashes” (Website, Twitter, Facebook)

You can find TC at his website, twitter, or facebook.

For our featured article this week, we’ll be focusing on some of our equipment, the ID500 kit, in the field. For a better handle on real-world applications, I sat down and interviewed a colleague in the industry, Chris Clifton.

IKAN: For our audience, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Chris Clifton: “I have been in Houston for 27 years as an independent production company and equipment rental house. My first package was an Ikegami HL 79EAL and BVU-110, the top of the line at the time.  Back then, Lowel DP light kits were popular (and they pulled so much power we could barely get through a shoot without throwing a breaker wherever we were).  Fast forward through 3 more Ikegami’s, a Sony Betacam, DVCAM, and later two EX XDCAM’s…by this point, the Lowel’s had long since been replaced with an Arri Kit and a Digimole 200/400 HMI kit.

“The LED light kits on the market caught my interest last year but I didn’t jump in, mostly because of the price point of the Lite Panel 1×1.  I’ve visited Ikan numerous times for monitors and support and noticed the LED lights in the showroom.  So, when I sent my Digimoles in for repair, I started considering what I would need for a backup plan (for the pending shoots) and about that time I got the 48 hour sale notice from Carlos. It led me to the IKAN website where I looked closer at the ID500 kit.  I rented it for a 2 day shoot and the guys on the job were drooling over them–they could not believe the list price was only $1699 for three 450w lights.  We were working in a small house with low ceilings, without much power available…the lights were so easy to get up and out of the shot, they put off no heat, and pulled very little juice.  It was a great experience, so much easier than putting up a light with a chimera.  The remote controls are a cool feature.  I bought them the next day.”

IK:    What projects are you involved with (that you can speak about)?

CC:    “I do a lot of work for different producers or in-house producers at the medical center now.  I provide equipment and crews and post- production services.  I also do projects for churches and non- profits.  The rest of the time I provide gear and services for other production companies and producers all over town or to those coming through Houston from NY, LA, Chicago, etc.  I’m a small fish in a big pond, but I’ve been around a long time and people know how to find me if they need something–I can find it if I don’t have it.”

IK:    You recently invested in some of our ID500 lighting kits. What made ikan your top choice?

CC: “It was a no-brainer for me to buy the ID500 kit after one day of testing them on a shoot.  In fact, I am considering a second kit so I don’t even have to use the Arri’s or Digimoles again.  I get so much more control out of the ID500′s, they’re so easy to arm over as a backlight and dim.  Three point lighting is a breeze.  I rarely light with tungsten since I got the HMI’s in 2003 or so; it seems digital cameras just love daylight so much more, so the ID500 is the perfect setup for me.  And the price point is incredibly low for what you get.  I was on a shoot this week with a competitor’s LED and I just felt so much better about the durability built into the IKAN product.  It’s beefy, yet maneuverable and lightweight.”

IK:    How are you using them now, and how do you foresee their use in the future?”

CC:    “I am having an amazingly busy quarter and the ID500′s are making my shoots so much quicker and easier to set up. They’re a pleasure to have on the job and my crews really appreciate them.  I used them for the first time on a still photo shoot last weekend—it’s just really nice to have them on the set. So low profile, so powerful.  It’s the ideal light for any ENG or EFP application.  And I can rig them out for portable power when I want to do that.  I cannot wait to see how my new camera, the Panasonic AF100 (being shipped in December), will perform under these lights.”

Images provided by Chris Clifton:

Bottom line: ikan’s the place to come when youre looking for modular, versatile, and reliable lighting solutions. Comment, email, tweet us, or just head over to our website @ www.ikancorp.com for more great ideas and products that wont burn your wallet to ashes are  practical to buy without burdening your brain or wallet. [PS: It's about that time again to start shopping for Christmas gifts if you haven't already ]

Cheers.

-ryan