Going Back in Time With Apple and the Mac

Let’s turn on the way-back machine…

There was a time when digital media was a new and untested environment with computers. Today, you can grab 1080p HD video with your phone, edit it in your phone, and have it broadcast on CNN within hours. Back in the rusty ole 1990s, things were not quite as simple.

That’s not to say that it wasn’t a fun period of time. It was awesome. During 1995, we were actively collaborating with Apple, Radius, Adobe, Panasonic, Sony, and other firms to create a digital video environment on the desktop. Although long gone, I started to use the term, “desktop video” in 1988, when my publishing company, Aegis Development was first creating 3D animation software for the motion picture industry.

During this period, we had re-introduced Apple to NAB, and we were bringing them back to SIGGRAPH as well. We produced the entire shows during that time period, and it was a remarkable series of steps that while rocky, proved that digital video was the future.

I was just ending my time as a sometime racing driver, and my collaboration with my team always included motion, music, and graphics. Apple wanted to highlight a “bundled” solution named after Star Trek (the Piccard bundle) in their return to SIGGRAPH. So, we created a really fun music video for them. We shot the piece using Panasonic cameras. We captured the video using a prototype of a new product we were involved with designing and marketing – Radius VideoVision Telecast. We edited the video using Adobe Premiere (I think it was V3-Beta something).

The music was authored by my guitar-playin’ fun lovin’ collaborator Stephen Recker. We collaborated on the arrangement – and it was recorded in a nice little studio in North Hollywood. It was a blast to put the piece together – and you should have seen people’s jaws drop when we launched the piece at that year’s SIGGRAPH show. Design elements evolved from our design team and the remarkable Harry Marks, and trade show management by Carolyn Goates added up to a huge win.

We still do that type of thing, by the way… We just do it with things like GoPro cameras, Adobe Premiere CS-6 or Final Cut Pro X, or… but we still make companies look really good when they launch new products or create events…