Articles from May 2022

Tips For Looking After Your Boiler

If you use your boiler regularly, you should schedule a service to keep it in top condition for the winter. It is estimated that there are two times as many boiler breakdowns in mid-October, when people start using their heating systems. If you see any signs of a problem, call a professional engineer immediately. Wipe the boiler with a damp cloth every so often to prevent a build-up of dirt. A regular service will extend the life of your boiler and avoid expensive callouts. For an Emergency Plumber Gloucester, go to www.hprservicesltd.com/emergency-plumber-gloucester/

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TV programs that came to an abrupt end

Have you ever been in the situation where you start to watch a tv series, you really get into it and start to look forward to its culmination only for the series to be cancelled before the end. You’re left feeling adrift with no closure and the sense of wondering what might have been. You might have even had a TV aerial installation Bristol based expert like aerial-installations-bristol.co.uk to make sure that the image is perfect for it. Sadly, it seems to be a bit of a trend with television executives to simply drop a program if there is a slight dip in the viewing figures. There seems to be no thought involved for those emotionally attached to the show. The clamor on social media when it is cancelled is huge. Which shows are considered to have been ended before their time?

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Are colored vinyl records the new trend among indie music bands?

For the past years, vinyl sales have been experiencing a slow but gradual increase. Because of this, a lot of artists have been including them in their physical releases. They’re not just the usual standard black vinyl records though.

Through the years of developing the vinyl record, manufacturers have found a way to customize them. Since then, there have been a lot of custom vinyl records, particularly colored vinyl records.

When I said that many artists are releasing their albums on them, I really meant it. From those signed to big record labels to those artists with indie labels. Not only that, even new artists are jumping on the trend.

However, since custom vinyl records can be quite expensive, the more customized it is, most of them are just colored vinyl records. But this doesn’t mean that they’re less aesthetic, because there are a lot of designs artists can do with just colors. And this has become a trend in the releases of many indie bands.

Here are some of those lovely colored vinyl records from indie bands:

RADIOHEAD – PABLO HONEY

The most basic type of colored vinyl record is the monocolored one. For Radiohead’s limited edition reissue of their debut album Pablo Honey, the record sports a blue colored vinyl record with a subtle marble design. With colored vinyl records you can decide on whether you’ll have an opaque or transparent one and for this, the band went for a semi-transparent one.

THE STROKES – IS THIS IT Half Blue, Half Gold Colored Vinyl Record by THE STROKES

One level up is the two-toned vinyl records. Most records, when they only have two colors, would be designed like The Strokes half blue, half gold colored vinyl record for Is This It. What’s interesting is there’s a third color (green), which is unintentional, thanks to the mixture of the two primary colors.

PIXIES – DOOLITTLE

As mentioned there are other ways to design records with only two colors, and this one is another. This was named the “Pinwheel” version of the Pixies’ vinyl record release for Doolittle. The background is in color green while the bronze represents the wheels as it spreads out from the record’s center label.

THE SMITHS – THE SMITHS

Of course if there are monocolored and bicolored, there surely will be multi-colored vinyl records. The Smiths colored vinyl record for their self-titled album is multi-colored and is in sections, following the pattern red, green, red, purple. This doesn’t have to be the only design though, there are multicolored splatter vinyl records too.

ARCTIC MONKEYS – BENEATH THE BOARDWALK

Last is another way to design transparent or semi-transparent vinyl records. Arctic Monkeys’ vinyl record for Beneath the Boardwalk has black swirling mist or smoke in it which somehow coincides with the artwork on the jacket’s front cover.

There are a lot more colored vinyl releases from indie bands and that’s just the very tip of the iceberg. If you search through the internet, I’m sure you’ll find more beautiful colored vinyl records. And you might find one that’s released by your fave indie band.

Why are indie bands releasing colored vinyl records?

Now the question is, why are indie bands choosing to release on vinyl records when they could just stick with digitals?

Here are some of the reasons we can think of.

#1. MANY BANDS ARE DOING IT

Humans are mostly like that. Whenever we see something trend or get attention, we tend to copy or jump on it to fit in with friends and acquaintances. It’s not a bad thing though, especially when it comes to the merchandise you are selling to your fans.

Since many bands are releasing their singles, EPs, and albums on vinyl records, indie bands should not be stubborn and not jump on the bandwagon. It’d be quite risky not to, because music fans in general are loving the format right now. This means that indie bands might get new fans from releasing them.

#2. FANS ARE LOVING THEM

Tons of bands releasing on them is not really a good reason. But since high supply is the effect of high demand then it is assumed that there are a lot of fans buying them. And there are indeed a lot of them loving it so far.

The newly released album by Harry Styles titled Harry’s House has apparently surpassed Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), and has set a new record for sales week for a vinyl album in the United States. His vinyl album sold more than 146,000 copies on the first three days of its release.

Additionally, the British indie labels have seen a growth in their album sales across all platforms, from 30.4% in 2019 to 34.2% in 2021. And in those total sales, labels reported that 39.5% were vinyl records. This just cements the fans’ love for vinyl record format.

#3. THEY GENERATE MONEY WELL

Since fans are into the format, sales are increasing which means that bands are gaining money by selling them. Money is important for many indie musicians, because it is used to fund their future solo releases, especially if they are not signed into an indie label. With vinyl records continuously rising in popularity, indie bands may have extra money to be able to pay or buy for their personal needs.

#4. SHORT RUN VINYL PRESSING IS NOW EVERYWHERE

There are a lot of manufacturers and pressing plants that are offering short run custom vinyl pressings to musicians. It would be a waste if indie bands will not grab the chance to release theirs on the format.

With this custom vinyl pressing allowing bands to place small orders for their custom vinyl records, they can now release them without worrying too much about the cost of producing only a couple of copies. We all know how expensive ordering them can get, so having this short run vinyl pressing offered to them is a big help.

Additionally, there are manufacturers that offer discounts for indie artists and bands, not just for custom vinyl pressing but for CD duplications and custom merch manufacturing. And it’s just great knowing that there are companies like them that show support for indie musicians.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the answer to the main question is definitely yes.

Colored vinyl records are the new trend among indie music bands. And that’s because they’re beautiful and cool and are worth collecting.

If you’re a musician, it would do you good to press a few colored vinyl records to test. And if you’re a music freak like me, I’d start collecting them now.

How to Make a Real Estate Property Video in 30 minutes

Real estate is a lucrative market, and real estate companies are trying their best to be the market leader. They apply several techniques to generate more leads in the market, and including the video in the campaign boosts sales.

According to a report, real estate listings that include a solid video of their property get 400 times more inquiries than general listings. Real estate videos have become an integral part of the real estate marketing campaign in recent years. Viewers particularly like to watch tour videos and presentations that are more likely to draw more attention.

One thing is for sure, not all the videos are created equally. Since hiring a professional video production company can be expensive, this guide will help you create quality real estate videos in 30 minutes and at a pocket-friendly price.

How to make a quality video for the real estate?

You need to keep in mind several things while creating real estate videos. Some of the crucial steps are given below.

1. Planning and writing script for the real estate video

Prepare a script before going ahead. Make sure that the storyline is completely crispy and capable of delivering an outstanding result. When you have a strong story, it will take less effort to shoot and edit the video. Generally, unprofessional videos and poor stories take more time for editing.

●      Plan the video like a virtual tour 

People mainly relate to themselves when they see any virtual tour. Therefore, plan a route that you will take through the property and show each room along the way. Your demonstration should be on the way as if the viewer is going along with the video. Room transition footage can be assembled later by a real estate video editor, which will provide a seamless experience for the viewer.

●      Prepare a storyboard 

Preparing a storyboard based on the script will help you ensure that the real estate video tour is easy to follow. Plus, the storyboard helps get another reference to get all the shots you need when recording the video.

●      Include information about the neighborhood 

Though the home is the main concern for the viewer, you still need to put some information regarding your neighborhood, the location, and the distance between the prime location and the spot where the property is established. You can also add some shots of the neighborhood in your video. In this way, the viewers will get a 360° degree idea of the property.

2. Recording the real estate video 

Recording the real estate video is crucial and needs proper technique. Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

●      The video should look clean 

The quality of the video improves when you shoot the video as per the plan. Real estate properties need thousands of dollars as investments, and a viewer won’t like to invest in a property that looks pale, messy, or old. The video presentation is the first step towards introducing the property to a potential customer, and therefore, make sure that the property is cleaned thoroughly before going to shoot the video.

Before shooting the video, you need to get rid of as much clutter as possible. Rearrange the home a little bit so that vital decorations and other small pieces of the furniture don’t fade away the positive impression of the viewers.

●      Ensure good lighting during filming 

Good lighting is the key when you are shooting real estate videos. When the home is lit properly, everything looks good. So, try to use the ring light or other artificial light source during the shooting.

Since many people prefer to spend their time in the lap of nature, natural light would be best to impress them. So, choose a sunny day for shooting the video. The lack of natural light makes the outdoor footage look pale, resulting in depression.

●      Use a tripod for image stabilization

Stabilization in the footage is the biggest thing that everyone should focus on. If the video footage is unstable, it will draw a bad impression, and chances are the viewer may skip the video without seeing it till the end. Holding a camera in your hands and recording the footage around the property will produce shaky video. To avoid this issue, it is best to use a tripod and take footage with it. These tripods come with a special camera mounting system by which you can move the camera for panoramic footage or can up and down when required.

If you are using any high-end recording device to make real estate videos, you can use the image stabilization technique available there. Stabilized video footage can deliver outstanding results to impress viewers.

●      Turn on the ceiling fans during filming 

If the property is already developed, that must have ceiling fans and turn them on at low speed, which can be initiated into the short. It will make the space more alive without taking people’s attention away.

3. Editing the real estate videos 

After storyboarding and filming, real estate video editor plays a crucial role in making the video footage free from flaws and watch-worthy. A good real estate video must be engaging and soothing to watch. Using many transitions will confuse and annoy the viewers. Therefore, it is recommended to use basic editing tricks like cuts and crossfades.

●      Keep useful information on the screen 

Including text pop-ups during the story narration would be more attractive than the simple video. Make sure that you have kept the screen out of flaws by omitting footage that is too heavy or does not bear any information. Use the magical combination of text, music, voiceover, and video during the editing. Never increase the length of the video, and the narration should be in a gentle but effective voice. In this way, you can easily communicate with the viewers and can deliver the message properly to the audience.

Never forget to include the video’s brand name, logo, and contact number

Before starting the video, include a small intro. Make sure that the intro lasts only a couple of seconds and displays the brand name and logo. The contact information also needs to be shown on the screen. Never hesitate to show your phone number or email address to let the viewers contact you easily when required.

Call-to-action 

Call-to-action is the need of the hour. Before ending the video, ask people to like, share and subscribe to your channel. Plus, ask them to share their views on the given contact number. It extends the vulnerability of the video.

Summary 

Real estate videos play a crucial role in elevating the brand’s popularity. So, following these tips will let you create quality videos that can impress the audience.