Video Compression

Video compression refers to reducing the quantity of data used to represent video images with the goal of retaining as much of the original's quality as possible. Compressed video can effectively reduce the bandwidth required to transmit digital video via terrestrial broadcast, via cable, or via satellite services. “Compressed” means that the information is packed into a smaller space. There are two kinds of compression: lossy and lossless.

Lossy compression means that the compressed file has less data in it than the original file. In some cases this translates to lower quality files, because information has been “lost,” hence the name.
Lossless compression is exactly what it sounds like, compression where none of the information is lost.
Video compression or codecs(a short name for coder-decoder, the software that takes a raw data file and turns it into a compressed file ) has several kinds. These are as follows.

MPEG series

MPEG4

MPEG4 is an ISO/IEC standard developed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group), the committee that also developed MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. It is the result of another international effort involving hundreds of researchers and engineers from all over the world. MPEG-4, (also known as ISO/IEC 14496) was finalized in October 1998 and became an International Standard early 1999. The fully backward compatible extensions under the title of MPEG-4 Version 2 were frozen at the end of 1999 and received International Standard Status in early 2000. An MPEG standard that can be used for Internet, broadcast, and on storage media, MPEG-4 offers improved quality relative to MPEG-2.

MPEG2

Aimed primarily at compression of D1 sized video for television, MPEG-2 is the chosen format for the majority of digital television broadcasting, including DVB and DVD. Although MPEG2 is not aimed at the mobile market, it runs efficiently on the VideoCore platform. It offers good picture quality and supports widescreen.

MPEG1

MPEG-1 is the first of the MPEG series of standards. It is used in video CD applications. This compression technology enables approximately one hour and a quarter of VHS-quality video and audio to be stored on a 680 Mbyte CD. The quality is roughly comparable to that of VHS. Almost every computer in the world can play this codec, and very few DVD players do not support it.

H series

H264

H.264 is the culmination of both the ITU-T's H.26x series and ISO/IEC's MPEG standards. The two standards bodies collaborated to form the ultimate in video coding standards. H.264 draws upon the technology of both parties to offer unprecedented bit rate efficiency and high quality video. It is suitable for all of the latest video streaming applications, as well as video storage and services requiring low delay or low bit rate. H.264 creates a standard that provides good video quality at bit rates that are substantially lower than what previous standards would need

H.263+

The H.263 standard is published by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). It supports video compression and coding for video-conferencing and video-telephony applications.

H.261

Used primarily in older videoconferencing and videotelephony products, H.261 was the first practical digital video compression standard. Essentially all subsequent standard video codec designs are based on it.

JPEG
JPEG is an industry-standard compression scheme for lossy compression of still images. The JPEG standard does not specify a file format. The codec uses the popular JFIF (JPEG File Interchange Format).

JPEG2000

JPEG2000 is a pure, still-image compression based on the wavelet transform. It offers a better compression rate than the old JPEG.

Microsoft series

WMV

Windows Media 9 Series delivers the same quality audio and video quality at about 1/3 the bit rate of MPEG2 and about 1/2 the bitrate of MPEG4 Simple Profile.

http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/glossary/g/compressformats.htm
http://www.broadcom.com/products/software/mobmm_videocodecs.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_codecs#Video_codecs

The Bee Movie

The Bee Movie was about Barry B. Benson, a bee who just graduated from college and is disillusioned with his lone career choice: making honey. Barry discovers humans have been stealing and eating the honey and subsequently decides to file a class action lawsuit against humans. After winning the lawsuit, bees stopped working. Barry then realized that without bees pollinating the flowers, plant life is dying and producing no more oxygen and so together with Vanessa, they made way to solve the problem.

The movie was not just a comedy that would change everything we thought about bees but also sends a meaningful thought about life. While watching the movie, I come to know that works are not measured on how big or small they are. What is more important is you do not harm anyone. We are not measured by the kind of work we have but by the we deal with life and how we can be of help to others. The scene that strike me most was the moment when everyone was trying to do something in saving the flowers. It was not just colorful but it also shows that all of us can be a part of solving the problem.

Having these significant learnings, I can possibly add life situations, its solutions and sort of encouragement of how we can be of help to our society in a creative way. It may be in a sort of blogs, presentations etc. :-D

The great and glorious masterpiece of
man is to know how to live to purpose.
Michel de Montaigne

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by
going beyond them into the impossible.

Arthur C. Clarke

Production Crew

Filmmaking or video production typically involves a large group of people yet oftentimes, viewers only give importance to those people playing the roles and thus, setting aside those people behind the camera. Film production consists of five main stages and each stages has a group of people having different tasks.

First is the Development stage wherein the script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint. Person invovled in this stage is the Producer who creates the condition of the film, initiates, coordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fundraising, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. In the movie "Enchanted" by Disney, the producer was Barry Josephson who is a veteran in the movie industry.

The next is the Pre-production stage in which preparations are made for the shoot and the cast and crew are hired, locations are selected, and sets are built. In this stage, typical crews include the director who is primarily responsible for the acting in the movie and managing the creative elements. Kevin Lima, the director of Enchanted who traces his fascination with animation and brings characters of imagination to life is an example; the casting director who finds actors for the parts in the script .This normally requires an audition by the actor. Lead actors are carefully chosen and are often based on the actor's reputation or "star power" ; the location manager who finds and manages the film locations; the production manager who manages the production budget and production schedule; the director of photogpraphy or cinematographer creates the photography of the film. Don Burgess, Enchanted's director of photography is an example; the art director manages the art department, which makes production sets, costumes and provides makeup & hair styling services; the production designer creates the look and feel of the production sets and props, working with the art director to create these elements; the storyboard artist creates visual images to help the director and production designer communicate their ideas to the production team.

Next to pre-production is the Production stage wherein the film is crearted and shot. The property master (also known as prop god) is an artistic and organizational employee in a production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring and/or manufacturing any props needed for a production. A script supervisor is responsible for maintaining the film's internal continuity and for marking the production unit's daily progress in shooting the film's screenplay. Film editor is responsible for pulling together all of the elements of story, dialogue, music, sound effects, visual effects, rhythm and pace of a film. In the making of a film, the editors usually play a dynamic and creative role and the sound editor is the one resposible for selecting and assembling sound recordings in preparation for the final sound mixing of a program or motion picture.

The fourth stage is the Post-productionon in which the film is edited, sound effects, music and any computer effects are added, and the film is completed. in this stage, the dilm editor assembles the film.

And the final stage is the Distribution stage wherein movies are released in cinemas, and or to DVDs and VCDs.

*source: wikipedia.org
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/enchanted/