Del Padre Digital is a digital media marketing agency and production company providing digital cinematography, video production and interactive marketing services to advertising agencies, corporate clients and the music / entertainment industry. Fusing strategic thinking with progressive design and new technologies, Del Padre Digital's focused approach to business challenges result in unique creative solutions that are innovative and meaningful.

For the past 20 years, we have built a reputation for creating an unparalleled return on investment for our clients including: NASA, TAMA, LENOX, BAE Systems, APC, LEGO, Ibanez, Hasbro, New York Life and Parker Brothers.

26 Sep 11, 12:09:00

Aimee Allen Calling The Maker Video Honored At Los Angeles Movie Awards

Del Padre Digital is thrilled to announce that the Aimee Allen Calling The Maker music video has just won two awards at the prestigious Los Angeles Movie Awards 2011. The video was competing in the music video category and won the Award for Best Production Design as well as an Award of Excellence Director Nino Del Padre's dark, Gothic video for US singer-songwriter Aimee Allen mirrors the twisted stark soundtrack of the single Calling The Maker from her album A Little Happiness. The Los Angeles Movie Awards mission is to celebrate Independent Motion Picture and Literary Arts by providing a platform for filmmakers and writers to have an opportunity to be awarded for their work. View Calling The Maker and other work by Del Padre

04 Aug 11, 12:08:00
Aimee Allen music video featured on Promo News
Nino Del Padre's dark, gothic promo for US singer-songwriter Aimee Allen mirrors the twisted stark soundtrack of new single Calling The Maker from her album A Little Happiness. Celebrating the best in music video creativity, daily updates of music video news and information, links to high quality video files, and its ever-expanding archive – Promo News is the first stop for everyone who loves music videos, and everyone who makes music videos. Read Review

10 Mar 11, 12:03:00
Del Padre Digital Reviews the New Panasonic AG-AF100 Camcorder
Ever since the introduction of the modern day video camera, digital filmmakers and producers of every genre have been striving for that elusive "film look." The advent of affordable high-definition camcorders like the Panasonic HVX200, with its cinema gamma and 24p recording, has brought us much closer to this. But no matter how good the lighting, composition and subjects are, one thing screams video from a mile away: the lack of cinema-style, shallow depth of field. Read Review

04 Mar 11, 12:03:00
Mark Romanek Music Video Montage Awarded 2011 Telly Award
The 32nd Annual Telly Awards competition, which honors the nation's best in local and regional television, video, Web and film production, will soon present Del Padre Digital with a statuette for a six minute music video montage of famed director Mark Romanek's music video work. This is the fifth such award for the creative marketing agency, the second one in 2011. Del Padre will receive a Bronze Telly for outstanding editing. The video features 25 of Romanek's music videos of some of the greatest artists of a generation from Nine Inch Nails, Michael & Janet Jackson to Johnny Cash. "In the early 1990's my career was inspired and motivated by the music video's Romanek" said Nino Del Padre, president and founder of Del Padre Digital.anet Jackson", "Jay Z", "Johnny Cash", "Linkin Park", "Mark Romanek", "Music video production", "music video", "Music Videos", "Nine Inch Nails", "Nino Del Padre", "No Doubt", "Sonic Youth", "video production", "Weezer" "This montage is very well done and I am very flattered by it." Romanek commented on the winning entry. About Mark Romanek Award-winning director Mark Romanek crosses adeptly between commercials, music videos and feature films. His artistically poignant work has gained critical and commercial acclaim across the advertising and entertainment worlds. Romanek worked alongside David Fincher, Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry – the next generation of filmmakers who crossed over from 30-second spots and three-minute promos into the fertile feature ground of Hollywood. Romanek's music videos have received numerous awards, including over two-dozen MTV awards, three Grammys, a Country Music Association Award, and three Billboard Music awards. Two of Romanek's music videos have become part of the permanent collection of New York's museum of modern art. He has three films to his name so far: Static with Keith Gordan, One Hour Photo starring a dark and twisted Robin Williams and recent release Never Let Me Go with young actors Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield. He has got to work with some of the greatest artists of a generation including Iggy Pop ('Beside You'), Madonna ('Rain') and Jonny Cash ('Hurt') to name just a few; of course his most famous music video is 'Scream' with Michael and Janet Jackson, which the Guinness Book of World Records has as the most expensive music video ever made. Videos included in the montage: Jay Z - 99 Problems Linkin Park - Faint Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop Johnny Cash - Hurt Audioslave - Cochise No Doubt - Hella Good Mick Jagger - God Gave Me Everything Janet Jackson featuring Joni Mitchell and Q-Tip - Got Til It's Gone Fiona Apple - Criminal Nine Inch Nails - Perfect Drug Beck - Devil's Haircut Weezer - El Scorcho Eels - Novocaine for the Soul Sonic Youth - Little Trouble Girl Michael & Janet Jackson - Scream Madonna - Bedtime Story R.E.M. - Strange Currencies G. Love & Special Sauce - Cold Beverage Nine Inch Nails - Closer David Bowie - Jump, They Say Madonna - Rain Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way Keith Richards - Wicked as it Seems En Vogue - Free Your Mind kd lang - Constant Craving Watch Video

01 Mar 11, 12:03:00
Del Padre Digital wins 32nd Annual Telly Award
The 32nd Annual Telly Awards competition, which honors the nation's best in local and regional television, video, Web and film production, will soon present Del Padre Digital with a statuette for the creative showcasing of its work. This is the fourth such award for the creative marketing agency. Del Padre will receive a Bronze Telly for their digital cinematography demo reel that highlights the firm's work in 2010. Watch Video

30 Jan 11, 12:01:00
Auto Climax Control "Cabin Fever" Music Video
Auto Climax Control "Cabin Fever" Music Video Directed by Nino Del Padre Watch Video

07 Jan 11, 12:01:00
Del Padre Digital celebrates 20 years of video and interactive marketing
Del Padre Digital, Inc. announced today that they will be celebrating their 20th year of serving worldwide customers with a broad array of interactive marketing solutions. Established in 1991, Del Padre Digital (www.delpadre.com) is a digital creative and marketing agency providing digital cinematography, video production and interactive marketing services to advertising agencies, corporate clients and the music / entertainment industry. Browsing through the hundreds of customers in Del Padre's database, one will discover a virtual cornucopia of who's who in business. From the smallest in local sole proprietors to the multimillion dollar International corporations, Del Padre Digital and its growing team are continually positioning themselves to be in the forefront of melding the very latest in technology and design with sound and innovative marketing solutions. In celebrating its Platinum Anniversary, Del Padre has firmly established itself as a leading source for all digital media marketing, full online web application development, 3d animation, CDROM/DVD presentations and digital video cinematography. "We are fortunate and blessed to have assembled an impressive team that is extremely qualified in every aspect of what we do and equally passionate about keeping Del Padre Digital on the leading edge of innovation with our products and services," said President and CEO, Nino Del Padre. "Additionally, the vast majority of our business comes through word of mouth from our existing customers. That alone, is the greatest compliment a business can receive and we work diligently to maintain that honor." Starting his company videotaping weddings and running the business out of a walk in closet in 1991. "So much has changed, back then, I was working on a Newtek Video Toaster running on a 33 MHz Commodore Amiga, and non linear editing was not available to the masses until 1995." He further went on to say, "I have seen and used so many different technology's and formats from S-VHS video to our current 4k RED ONE motion picture format" Del Padre recently took delivery of a RED ONE, an entirely new digital motion picture camera and the first that matches the detail and richness of analog film after being on a waiting list for over a year. It has an expansiveformat in which to shoot and handle post-production, with over five times the amount of image information available each frame when compared to a typical HD rig. Although the economy has fluctuated greatly over the last two decades, Del Padre proudly dons the badge of continued growth. In each of its 20 years, the company has experienced positive growth in both total sales and net profit. Socially conscious, Del Padre is also a firm believer in doing well by doing good. Over the years, Del Padre Digital has donated tens-of-thousands of dollars in time, money and resources to support a large variety of charitable organizations. Del Padre first set it roots in 1991 as Del Padre Video Productions, a wedding and event video company headed by Del Padre. As a young man growing up in the MTV era; Del Padre's personal qualities and tireless work ethic werechiseled from a passion for the art of photography and an insatiable fascination with the music video's of the time, especially the work of directors David Fincher and Mark Romanek. Del Padre studied new media and website design in 1994 and launched version 1.0 of delpadre.com over 16 years ago at the early stages of the Internet. A subtle name change evolved into Del Padre Visual Productions after Del Padre recognized and answered the emergent needs of the surrounding community to have a broad array of quality multimedia marketing services. After several years, Del Padre Visual Productions evolved into Del Padre Digital, Inc. in order to better define the growing multitude of diverse services that the company provides. "In these 20 years, we have seen a lot of competitors come and go, but Del Padre Digital is still going strong," says Del Padre. "The whole industry is suffering from the worldwide economic crisis" he continues, "but we are growing and expanding into new markets. We have become a truly integrated marketing agency, offering a diversified service spanning all aspects of production. The company has plans to target digital cinematography more aggressively in the coming year to the music industry offering music video production, Del Padre's first true love. The company has headed up projects all over the world while working with such companies as Ibanez, Tama, NASA, LEGO, Hasbro, Parker Brothers, Grammy award winning bands The Deftones and Alice In Chains and has even appeared on the Howard Stern Show for the cutting edge website design for radio host and author Riley Martin. The Del Padre team has been honored with many accolades and awards in the past 20 years including several Telly Awards, Addy Awards, being named "Top 100 Producers" by Studio Monthly magazine's rundown for three consecutive years and being nominated by Rob Burgess of Macromedia (Adobe) for the Computerworld Honors Collection for the NASA STS 107 project "Space Research and You".The case study is archived in 30 countries as a leading example of how IT is used in Media, Arts & Entertainment to benefit society.

22 Nov 10, 12:11:00
Digieffects Delirium v2 Review Studio Monthly
Digieffects Delirium v2 Review Studio Monthly. Originally developed in 1999, Digieffects' award-winning Delirium is used by tens of thousands of video professionals worldwide. This is the plug-in collection that established the standard for essential visual effects and motion graphics capabilities. I have been a huge fan of the Digieffects plug-ins for more than a decade. The first one I fell in love with was CineLook. Back when I was shooting DV or even S-VHS, this tool worked so well at making video look like film that when I used it in projects I was always asked what it was shot on. When told there was S-VHS or DV in the mix, they where often shocked. Read Review

17 Nov 10, 12:11:00
RED ONE Digital Cinematography Showreel
This work reel is a sample of the filmmaking, documentaries, television commercials and music video productions we were involved with the past several years. You will see cinematography we shot from Cape Cod to Africa. Some productions and locations include Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque, Grammy award winning band The Deftones, Alice In Chains and Jerry Cantrell, LEGO, ABSOLUT VODKA, Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Natron for the National Science Foundation, Honolulu Hawaii for SETI and NASA and the ZERO-G Experience. Direction & Cinematography by Nino Del Padre and Mark Archer Del Padre Digital is a digital creative and marketing agency providing digital cinematography, video production and marketing services to advertising agencies, corporate clients and the music / entertainment industry. The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use. The company's main product is the Red One, capable of recording at resolutions up to 4096 horizontal by 2304 vertical pixels, directly to flash or hard disk storage. It features a single Super 35-sized CMOS sensor and a cinematography industry standard PL mount. In addition, the RED offers variable frame rates, up to 120 frames per second, for slow-motion applications. And, there are other advantages, including cost savings with the elimination of film and processing and the ability to watch dailies in real time. With applications including corporate / business video production, commercials for television and Web, documentaries, music videos, and short-and feature-length films, the RED workflow adds an exciting aspect to Del Padre Digital's 20 year expertise in high-end video production. The RED ONE camera and crew, is available for hire internationally. Watch Video

10 Nov 10, 12:11:00
Autodesk Fake or Foto? Photographs or Del Padre CGI?
Today we're presented with images in movies, on TV, and in the press that are of such good quality we don't even think to consider whether the picture is of something that exists in reality or if it was generated by computer software. Movies can be considered as being at the high-end of the range of uses for computer generated imagery that mimics real-life, but there are many more day-to-day examples that challenge our ability to tell what's real and what's not. You will look at ten images. Some of them are photographs of real objects or scenes, others are created by computer graphics (CG) artists. Test your ability to tell which among the array of images are real, and which are CG. If you want a closer look, click the image to see a larger view of the picture. Once you've decided what's what, click either CG or REAL to begin the tally of your score. Work through each of the ten images. When you've finished, you'll be prompted to get your score. Spend a few minutes with our reality check and see if you can tell the difference..

15 Oct 10, 12:10:00
Tribute to Mark Romanek's Music Video Career
In the early 1990's my career was inspired and motivated by music video's, directors like David Fincher and Samuel Bayer. But one director who I believe broke the mold is Mark Romanek. Along the way, the Grammy winner has been behind some of the world's most famous--and infamous--videos. On the groundbreaking side, there's Lenny Kravitz's exhilarating "Are You Gonna Go My Way," which made the musician a star in one fell swoop. On the controversial side, there's Fiona Apple's teasing "Criminal," Jay-Z's apocalyptic "99 Problems and "Nine Inch Nails' macabre "Closer," It is one of only two that the Museum of Modern Art has added to its permanent collection. So, I noticed that there has not been a collage of his notable music video work so I decided to make one. We received an email from Mr. Romanek and he thought the edit was very well done and he is very flattered. Watch Video

14 Oct 10, 12:10:00
New SpeakerCraft Website Re-Design Launched
SpeakerCraft had a massive website that was struggling under an outdated back-end and content management system. There were over 250 products and 1,200 product images each with manuals, print resources, brochures, and other associated files. To complicate things further, each image had up to four views of the product in three different sizes and two different file formats. SpeakerCraft's goals were for a consumer-friendly site, with subdued colors that transitioned between the various sections, and kept a focus on visual elements, namely, the product imagery. They also needed a site that could grow quickly and be able to handle the easy addition and removal of content related to products, press releases, and articles of interest. The website also needed to provide a well-organized resource center, including software, training presentations, print material and product displays for dealers and installers. Our goals were to support not only the aesthetics of the site, but to truly focus on a well-thought out information architecture and back-end content management system so that SpeakerCraft's in-house team could efficiently access and change content and quickly, and upload new files without impeding their overall workflow. We wanted the site to handle as many of the company's old assets as possible, without the system breaking from inconsistent naming conventions or folder structures created in the new site. To meet these various needs, the product pages were built on VirtueMart, but were heavily modified to bring in extra content and functionality. To maintain a clear mental model for the user, we integrated tabs into the product pages to organize the myriad product views and supporting documentation, and also incorporated breadcrumb navigation. Given the vast quantity of images, we also sought to automate the process on the backend to allow for integration of the old and new content. For this, we wrote a server-side script to find and organize images for each product page based on the product's ID set in VirtueMart to ensure the system accurately found and displayed the images according to the correct information. In order to support content creation by both SpeakerCraft's in-house staff and national and international dealers, we created a modification in DOCmanto use custom groups within the Joomla! core user management system. Visit Site

13 Oct 10, 12:10:00
Del Padre completes STEPS – Science Theater Education Programming System
STEPS, Science Theater Education Programming System, is a software program comprised of three main elements: 1) an editor, called the Show Planner, for authoring museum theater shows with multimedia, interchangeable time lines, and multiple cue points; 2) an asset library, accessible through the Show Planner, for managing and importing high definition videos, audio, and images; and 3) a Show Presenter which plays back the show for an audience in any type of theater environment. This project was perhaps the most complex in terms of understanding and managing client goals. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation, led by researchers at the Space Science Institute, with a collaboration of eight science museums, two service organizations, and series of scientific advisers from SETI, NASA, and other high-profile organizations. The project had as its first goal the professional development of a group of science educators, and as its second goal, the development of the software system. The greatest challenge therefore was developing the software in parallel with the story-lines that the project collaborative was creating. This led to an interesting collection of functionality and features not collectively available in any other software tool currently on the market, including forking time-lines and a live feedcamera. Del Padre's goals were to create a product based on the absolute latest and emerging technologies in order to increase the product's shelf-life and future applicability within the museum field. We also implemented a double-buffering system to alleviate some of the lag caused by disc access speeds between show scenes. STEPS was built on Adobe AIR to run on Mac or PC, enabling museums to use whatever platform they were most comfortable with or capable of supporting internally. Usability was particularly important for this project, and we where able to work directly with a professional evaluator for the first time to test early mockups and functionality using Google Wave as both a synchronous and asynchronous collaboration tool. The most important usability function, especially for novice users, was a built-in feedback mechanism by which the interface changes itself to match what the user is doing, and only presents settings and options that are relevant or usable to the particular task. This approach is critical to reducing user errors from the outset, rather than relying on a series of error messages that a user would need to interpret and trouble shoot on his/her own.

01 Oct 10, 12:10:00
Deftones "Rocket Skates" Live Directed by Nino Del Padre
Deftones music video for "Rocket Skates" live from their album "Diamond Eyes" on the Blackdiamondskye Tour in Uncasville CT 9/20/2010 Watch Video Directed by Nino Del Padre (C) 2010 Warner Bros. Records and Velvet Hammer

21 Sep 10, 12:09:00
Alice in Chains and Deftones Photos Live
Alice in Chains and Deftones Shots from the Mohegan Sun 9/20/2010 BLACKDIAMONDSKYE Show. Click Here To View

29 Jul 10, 12:07:00
Deftones "Needles And Pins" Video Wins BlackDiamondSkye Contest
When we found out that two of our favorite bands where going to be touring together, playing at one of our favorite hangouts and had a chance to shoot the show we went on a two week work fest to win the contest for the Uncasville, CT Show. We used on of Nino's favorite Deftones track "Needles And Pins" and made an artsy video featuring a ton of our RED ONE footage and some motion graphics. Well, after the non stop work it was work it, We won and got to shoot the show, bellow you can check out our winning entry and we will post the live shoot soon. Watch Video

24 Sep 09, 12:09:00
Speakercraft Nirv marketing campaign
Del Padre Digital has completed work on the Speakercraft Nirv guerrilla marketing campaign "They also have developed a terrific guerrilla marketing ad campaign (which has a very Command & Conquer vibe for you gamers) where users are encouraged to "break the chains of big control." Read the full story at Bitstream

16 Jun 09, 12:06:00
Del Padre Digital wins 30th annual Telly Award
Del Padre Digital has been recognized by the 30th annual Telly Awards for the Trifecta Wine commercial . The fim received a Silver Telly, the multi-media firms second such award this year. The annual awards competition honors the nations best in local and regional television, video, Web and film production. Del Padre Digital was chosen from more than 13,000 entries, submitted by advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, interactive agencies and corporate video departments from across the country. Entries do not compete against one another, but rather each entry is judged based on its own creative merits and overall quality. Winners receive either Silver or Bronze Tellies, chosen by a panel of nearly 30 judges.

05 Jun 09, 12:06:00
Del Padre Digital wins 30th annual Telly Award
Del Padre Digital has been recognized by the 30th annual Telly Awards for a project that showcases its work in 2008. The fim received a Bronze Telly, the multi-media firms second such award, for a demo reel (or show reel) featured on its Web site (http://delpadre.com/#/demo-reel/), which is also sent to clients, collegues, and the media. The annual awards competition honors the nations best in local and regional television, video, Web and film production. Del Padre Digital was chosen from more than 13,000 entries, submitted by advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, interactive agencies and corporate video departments from across the country. Entries do not compete against one another, but rather each entry is judged based on its own creative merits and overall quality. Winners receive either Silver or Bronze Tellies, chosen by a panel of nearly 30 judges.

08 Jun 09, 12:06:00
Del Padre, RED and Mount Kilimanjaro
Del Padre Digitals Mark Archer will step into the clouds next month, as part of an educational project aimed at making science education more interactive and accessible for students of all ages. Archer, along with a group of professors and students from the University of Colorado at Denver, as well as scientists, an on-camera host and experts from the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., will embark June 26 on a three-week trip to the African country of Tanzania — experiencing safaris, visiting Masai villages, and scaling Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the National Science Foundations STEPS (Science Theater Education Programming System) project. As Director of Photography and producer for the upcoming project, Archer will be filming and documenting every aspect of the trip. He will be shooting much of the footage with a RED ONE 4K Digital Cinema Camera, acquired by Del Padre last fall, a high-resolution digital camera that uses 35mm lenses and gives the look of actual film.

05 Jun 09, 12:06:00
Del Padre Digital wins 30th annual Telly Award
Del Padre Digital has been recognized by the 30th annual Telly Awards for a project that showcases its work in 2008. The fim received a Bronze Telly, the multi-media firms second such award, for a demo reel (or show reel) featured on its Web site (http://delpadre.com/#/demo-reel/), which is also sent to clients, collegues, and the media. The annual awards competition honors the nations best in local and regional television, video, Web and film production. Del Padre Digital was chosen from more than 13,000 entries, submitted by advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, interactive agencies and corporate video departments from across the country. Entries do not compete against one another, but rather each entry is judged based on its own creative merits and overall quality. Winners receive either Silver or Bronze Tellies, chosen by a panel of nearly 30 judges.

01 Jun 09, 12:06:00
Kata One Man Band Bag Review Studio Monthly
If you are on the road with a large body camera set-up like the RED ONE, you need two things: plenty of space and loads of protection for your healthy investment. Up until this point, our gear required three to four cases to pack. And we had to partially break the rig down to get it packed, which takes time. When testing the One Man Band from Kata, we were able to keep the camera fully assembled with the battery, monitor and matte box installed and ready for action. Read the full story at Studio Monthly

01 Jan 09, 12:01:00
Studio Monthly Magazine The Biz: Flash Forward by Nino Del Padre
Last summer, Adobe announced that it was working with search engine giants such as Google and Yahoo! to improve search results of Flash-based Web sites. Throughout the land of Web developers, a cheer rose up from the crowd. I was among the masses, excited at the prospect of improving the searchability of the dynamic, visual sites my company creates. But then reality set in, and some limitations began to surface. For one, Google does not index any images, video or any other non-textual content. It also fails to execute some types of JavaScript, which most Flash programmers use. In addition, content from external resources loaded by Flash files are not yet considered by Google to be part of the content in that file. Read the full story at Studio Monthly

08 Dec 08, 12:12:00
Del Padre Takes Top Honors in International Interactive Media Awards
Del Padre Digital has been awarded Best in Class by the 2008 Interactive Media Awards, for excellence in the design, development and implementation of the most recent version of the Del Padre Digital Web site, delpadre.com. The honor, granted by the Interactive Media Awards, places Del Padre in the company of several well-heeled and Fortune 500 companies, including Volkswagen, McDonalds, Sony, Pepsi, and Kodak, among others, whose sites were designed by some of the top interactive media and marketing agencies in the world. Nino Del Padre, president of Del Padre Digital, said the site has a number of features, such as deep linking, dynamic content, and updated search-engine optimization. "When we launched this version of delpadre.com, version six, we knew we were introducing one of the most search-engine optimized Flash sites on the Web today," he added. "To be honored among some of the best companies in the country and some of the best designers anywhere validates our belief that all of our work, not just in SEO, is cutting-edge – especially given the fact that weve been recognized for our own companys site." The IMAs honor the Web's most professional work, judging sites on a number of criteria, ranging from design, usability, and innovation in technical features, to standards compliance and content. Only a fraction of sites entered into the IMA competition earn Best in Class status each year. About the Interactive Media Awards The Interactive Media Awards recognize the highest standards of excellence in Web site design and development around the world, and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. Sponsored by the Interactive Media Council, Inc., a nonprofit organization of leading Web designers, developers, programmers, advertisers, and other web-related professionals, the competition seeks to elevate the standards of excellence on the Internet. For more information, visit www.interactivemediaawards.com. About Del Padre Digital Del Padre Digital is a creative production studio providing video, animation, and interactive design solutions to ad agencies, corporate clients, broadcast networks and the entertainment industry. Fusing strategic thinking with progressive design and new technologies, Del Padre Digitals' focused approach to business challenges result in unique creative solutions that are innovative and meaningful. Its clients include NASA, the Space Science Institute, LEGO Systems, Barnes Aerospace, and Proficient Audio, among others. Del Padre Digital has garnered many awards for its work in new media, including inclusion in the international ComputerWorld Honors Program, for which they were nominated by leading interactive software manufacturer MacroMedia, a Communicator Award, and a Telly Award.

01 Dec 08, 12:12:00
Del Padre Redrock microMatteBox Studio Monthly Review
Keeping unwanted light away from the lens while shooting video is imperative, and you need a well-built and flexible mattebox, especially if you are changing lenses. The Redrock microMatteBox is not only well engineered and built, it also offers impressive quality for the low price. Read the full story at Studio Monthly

19 Sep 08, 12:09:00
RED ONE 4K Digital Cinema Camera #2792 Arrives!
After reserving a serial number almost a year ago, Del Padre Digitals newest acquisition is here. Weve recently added the lauded RED ONE Ultra High Definition Digital Cinema Camera to our equipment roster, allowing us to offer clients video with a dynamic, film-like look and feel. RED is an entirely new digital motion picture camera and the first that matches the detail and richness of analog film. It has an expansive format in which to shoot and handle postproduction, with over five times the amount of image information available each frame when compared to a typical HD rig. The system, which is available for shooting in Western Mass, Boston, Hartford, New York and nationally from Del Padre's home base in East Longmeadow, Mass. , also offers image quality that is on par with 35mm film, if not better, as the RED captures footage in a RAW format and allows for a full digital workflow. Typical high-end HD cameras have 2.1M pixel sensors and record with 3:1:1 color sub-sampled video at 30fps. The RED ONE, however, includes the Mysterium™ Super 35mm cine sized sensor that provides capture at 4K up to 30 fps, 3K up to 60 fps and 2K up to 120 fps with wide dynamic range and color space in 12 bit native RAW plus greater than 66db dynamic range. Too technical? Just think of it as being the digital equivalent of film. According to the RED ONEs developers, viewers that see RED footage for the first time either describe the quality as 65 mm film or as grainless 35. Why Shoot in 4K? The RED ONE Cinema camera allows you the option to shoot in 2K, 3K, or 4K. When in 4K, the entire Mysterium sensor is utilized, delivering a picture resolution of 4096x2304. In comparison, most of today's HD cameras output an image of 1920x1080, but in reality only record an image 1440x1080 and have to res-up to a full HD image. The RED ONE captures significantly more information than is required by any of today's output methods, thus eliminating the need to up-rez. We use a set of Nikon Prime lenses with the RED, allowing depth of field control, which blurs the foreground or background; the trademark of film production. In addition, the RED offers variable frame rates, up to 120 frames per second, for slow-motion applications. And, there are other advantages, including cost savings with the elimination of film and processing and the ability to watch dailies in real time. With applications including corporate video production, commercials for television and Web, documentaries, music videos, and short-and feature-length films, the RED workflow adds an exciting aspect to Del Padre Digitals expertise in high-end video production.

11 Jun 08, 12:06:00
New site. New name.

We are pleased to announce a new website and a new name. Del Padre Visual Productions is now Del Padre Digital. The name change reflects the constantly evolving technology we harness in our business. Established in 1991 as Del Padre Video Productions, the name was changed in 1995 to Del Padre Visual Productions to better describe our services when we embarked in the new world of multimedia and internet development.

Today all of our services from web design to high definition video production is digital hence the new name.

The new delpadre.com is the sixth incarnation of the Del Padre web presence. This site was intended to fulfill several key roles. First and foremost this site was intended to be an easily scalable, dynamic, and easily managed web presence for our company.

Beyond this however the site was developed with many other end goals in mind. Our company wanted to highlight the fact that Flash is a viable platform for an entire website. We wanted a flash site that could emulate an HTML one in basic functions such that have long been unsupported in Flash. Features such deep linking and browser back button support , fast loading dynamic content, coherent loading sequences so users can get to the most important information fastest, and the ability to optimize our site for search engines. We also wanted to capitalize on the raw power of the Flash platform with animation, integrated full screen video, fully dynamic and easily updatable content, with transitions and other subtleties to increase the flow of the site and enrich the user experience.

Technical Challenge

-Back button support/deep linking

By taking advantage of the open source SWFAddress project we were able to create a flash website that could interface with the browsers history allowing the user to use the browsers back button as well as bookmark and link to specific sections of the flash movie.

-Dynamic content

To avoid needing to edit the flash project to add updates to our site virtually all the content was made dynamic, pulling from external files that can be edited via our in browser Content Management System

All news and gallery information is pulled from external files when the respective page is accessed. Once it loads the contents of these files, any borders or styles are generated by ActionScript on the fly.

-Speed

This site was built to run on any connection above 756Kbps. We didnt want our visitors to have to wait for 30 seconds at a loading page, or bring their system to a crawl downloading numerous large assets at once. There were many different ways we came at this problem to solve it;

The site is almost completely generated by action script; the initial timeline in the flash file is very small and has few assets on it. By having greater control over the exact order content was generated in we were able to streamline the loading order in many areas without having to extend the timeline or rely on timeline based tweens or dead space. We were also able to reuse much of the code, further reducing the overall files size of the project.

We took load order into account when adding more bandwidth and processor intensive assets to the project, for example on the index page, rather than sharing the bandwidth among the gallery content, the full background video, and music files, the site doesnt initialize loading the video and music assets until the gallery is loaded. Accessibility to the information was our top priority, if that information is good enough the user will be around long enough to see the flashier aspects of the site as well.

Server side bandwidth controls, on a slow connection the music player was bringing the site to a halt whenever it started to cache a new song. To side step this problem the flash site posts the song file information to a PHP file which restricts the download speed to 16Kbps leaving a 4Kb buffer over what the song needs to play, but preventing a 2MB mp3 from hogging all the site bandwidth.

Much of the content of the site is populated by ActionScript loops, by writing these loops to be as effective as possible we were able to increase overall load times of galleries.

Processor usage and Memory Leaks. Some aspects of our site had potential for high processor usage and memory leaks, however by actively managing what assets were enabled in the website at any given time we were able to strike a balance between file size and processor demand we were able to keep the system resource footprint of our site relatively low compared to similar websites.

Public bookmarking has become a powerful and effective way to get a website noticed so we decided that lacking that support was not an option, this also pushed us to write a much more advanced URL handling system than the one included in the SWFAddress project. This new handling system allows the site to dynamically generate unique links to newly added content keeping our dynamic content source files much more manageable and easily updatable.

Intelligent resizing, the site gives priority to certain elements and will attempt to keep them within the viewable area as long as possible when the browser window is resized, lower priority elements dynamically moved and the centering and scaling scheme is modified based on the current window size.

Search Engine optimization was something that we intended to include from the start, and luckily SWFAddress comes with a good platform to do this from. Some aspects of the platform were modified to handle our different URL management system as well as much more dynamic SEO abilities.

The entire site runs off index.php however .htaccess rewrites the URL header to reflect the current location in the website. Due to this, any static meta tag information we set in the index.php file would be repeated on every single page of the site, negatively effecting search engine rank. To overcome this we replaced the static information with PHP function calls which would determine what content was showing and update the Meta tags to match.

SWFAddress also writes the contents of its data file to the index page as html so that anyone viewing the page without flash player or JavaScript can still view the exact same content as is in the flash site.

All links in this no JavaScript mode will link to the proper flash page once JavaScript is enabled, this means any links a Search Engine crawls will link to the same section in the flash site.

Benefits of this site include

-Fast and easy updating of content from anywhere in the world.

-User friendly, intuitive navigation that brings the user to the information they want

-Search Engine optimized -All the power of flash without losing any functionality or benefits of an html site.



11 Apr 08, 12:04:00
Del Padre Digital Garners Second ADDY Advertising Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The entries have been judged, and Del Padre Digital of East Longmeadow, Mass. is among the winners of this years ADDY Awards, presented by the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Del Padre Digital, a multi-media firm specializing in video production, interactive CD-ROM design, and high-end Web design, garnered a Silver ADDY Award on Thursday, March 22 in the Multimedia category, for the design and launch of the official Riley Martin fan and retail site, rileymartin.com.

The Web site has been lauded on the Howard Stern Show several times, including during a live broadcast featuring Martin and Del Padre Digital President Nino Del Padre. Del Padre took on several aspects of the project on himself, creating a dynamic teaser that blends video and Flash animation and resembles a movie trailer on the sites homepage. Following the first Stern broadcast, visits to Del Padres Web site, delpadre.com, increased 100-fold.

Del Padre Digital has also taken on a series of other multimedia projects with Martin, including a series of ringtones, outgoing answering machine messages, and talking Bobbleheads. The AAF is the countrys leading trade association for the advertising industry headquartered in Washington, D.C. Judges affiliated with the organization chose 49 winners from nearly 200 entries on a purely merit-based system, and advanced only two-thirds of those winners to the second-tier of competition.

ADDY Awards recognize creative excellence in advertising on a three-tier basis; tier one entrants who are forwarded to the second-tier compete against other winners in district competitions, and winners at that level move on to the final ADDY Awards competition, where they compete for gold and silver awards.

About Del Padre Digital

Del Padre Digital was founded in 1991, and today specializes in video production, interactive CD-ROM design, and high-end Web design. Its clients include NASA, the Space Science Institute, LEGO Systems, Barnes Aerospace, and Proficient Audio. Del Padre Digital has also garnered many awards for its work in new media, including inclusion in the international ComputerWorld Honors Program, for which they were nominated by leading interactive software manufacturer MacroMedia, a 2006 Communicator Award, and a 2007 Telly Award.



30 Nov 07, 12:11:00
RED Digital Cinema Camera on Order

When James Jannard, the billionaire founder of the eyewear and apparel company Oakley, set out to create a new video camera with a 4K sensor that rivals the definition of 35mm film and image quality that exceeds anything else available today, everyone said it couldnt be done. After all if the big boys like Sony and Panasonic only produce cameras with maximum resolution of 1920X 1080 pixels how would a sunglass maker create a camera with a 4520 X 2540 resolution? Compare that to the super high end 2K Genesis and Viper cameras that many feature films are being shot on.

Well after 5 years and a lot of public bashing that this is and always will be "Vaporware" the cameras are finally shipping. Well kind off at least. They have been taking reservations for the camera for years and only 100 have been shipped so far. We should get our hands on ours in June. The Red One Camera is the future of Cinematography.

Typical high-end HD camcorders have 2.1M pixel sensors and record with 3:1:1 color subsampled video at up to 30fps. Red delivers 12M pixels at up to 60fps and records RAW, or 2x over-sampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2. Thats more than 5 times the amount of information available every second and a vastly superior recording quality. With the Mysterium™ Super 35mm cine sized (24.4 x 13.7mm) sensor, RED gives you the same breathtaking Depth of Field and selective focus as found in film cameras. Mysterium™ boasts a greater than 66db Signal to Noise Ratio thanks to its large 29 sq. micron pixels. And 12,065,000 pixels deliver resolution that can only be called Ultra High Definition.

One of the first real field tests came from recruiting veteran filmmaker, Peter Jackson to test two RED camera prototypes named "Boris" and "Natasha." The result was a film called Crossing the Line.

Steven Soderbergh, director and cinematographer of Ocean's Eleven, Traffic, and Solaris, said This is the camera I've been waiting for my whole career: jaw-dropping imagery recorded onboard a camera light enough to hold with one hand...I know this: RED is going to change everything.

Soderberghs making two new movies (Guerrilla and The Argentine) with it; the upcoming Angelina Jolie assassin-fest "Wanted" was shot with it and, from the trailer, looks visually amazing…

What this means to you is that your corporate video or television commercial will look more like a major motion picture or a national TV spot .

Visit Red.com

Well after 5 years and a lot of public bashing that this is and always will be "Vaporware" the cameras are finally shipping. Well kind off at least. They have been taking reservations for the camera for years and only 100 have been shipped so far. We should get our hands on ours in June. The Red One Camera is the future of Cinematography. Typical high-end HD camcorders have 2.1M pixel sensors and record with 3:1:1 color subsampled video at up to 30fps. Red delivers 12M pixels at up to 60fps and records RAW, or 2x over-sampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2. Thats more than 5 times the amount of information available every second and a vastly superior recording quality. With the Mysterium™ Super 35mm cine sized (24.4 x 13.7mm) sensor, RED gives you the same breathtaking Depth of Field and selective focus as found in film cameras. Mysterium™ boasts a greater than 66db Signal to Noise Ratio thanks to its large 29 sq. micron pixels. And 12,065,000 pixels deliver resolution that can only be called Ultra High Definition. One of the first real field tests came from recruiting veteran filmmaker, Peter Jackson to test two RED camera prototypes named "Boris" and "Natasha." The result was a film called Crossing the Line. Steven Soderbergh, director and cinematographer of Ocean's Eleven, Traffic, and Solaris, said "This is the camera I've been waiting for my whole career: jaw-dropping imagery recorded onboard a camera light enough to hold with one hand...I know this: RED is going to change everything." Soderberghs making two new movies (Guerrilla and The Argentine) with it; the upcoming Angelina Jolie assassin-fest "Wanted" was shot with it and, from the trailer, looks visually amazing… What this means to you is that your corporate video or television commercial will look more like a major motion picture or a national TV spot . Visit Red.com

27 Jul 07, 12:07:00
Nino Del Padre and Riley Martin guests on Howard Stern Show.

Del Padre Digital president appeared as an in studio guest with Riley Martin on the Howard Stern Show on July 17, 2007. Riley and Nino where on the show to promote Martins new website www.rileymartin.com that Del Padre created along with new products including the popular Riley Martin Talking Bobblehead.

Howard himself was impressed with the new website design "I went on rileymartin.com the other day and it is some website, there is a film on there that is quite good, its very big. It makes Riley out to be Superman" said Stern. "You did a great job on the website, congratulations" Stern said to Nino Del Padre.

Stern show co-host Fred Norris was also excited about the new website "Did you look at the new website? It looks like a fu**ing motion picture screening, its unbelievable!" Norris said to Gary Dell'Abate on the wrap-up show.

The Riley Martin Web site and e-commerce projects were first lauded on Howard Stern News after a one-page introduction of the site, rileymartin.tv, went live. Del Padre took the project on himself, creating a dynamic teaser that blends video and Flash animation and resembles a movie trailer.

The site features other products produced by DVP, including an audio book of Martin's novel, The Coming of Tan, as well as a Riley Martin ringtones, and talking bobbleheads. Riley Martin merchandise including t-shirts, mugs, and bumper stickers is also available for sale on the site. Martin is one of the Stern show's more colorful characters. He is the author of The Coming of Tan. His television and radio appearances on national programs including Coast to Coast AM, Jerry Springer, and London, England's Resonance 104.4 have earned Martin a cult following and a place in pop culture history. View Pictures



16 Jun 07, 12:06:00
Deconstructing delpadre.com / PSD magazine feature.

I get a lot of emails from around the world with one simple question I love your website, how did you do it? or How did you do this or that in Flash Well this simple question unfortunately does not have a simple answer however I will attempt to outline the basic workflow and techniques used to create the site. A site like this usually takes several programs to create. In this case I used Adobe Photoshop,Adobe After Effects, Adobe Flash and Autodesk Maya. I will outline the basic steps in creating the Del Padre Visual Productions 5.0 Flash site.

Deconstructing delpadre.com / PSD magazine feature.



12 Jun 07, 12:06:00
"Getting the Film Look" interview.

Redrock Micro Getting the Film Look interview with Nino Del Padre and Mark Archer podcast. Listen



12 Mar 07, 12:03:00
Del Padre Wins 28th Annual Telly Award for SpeakerCraft "I am MODE"

Del Padre Digital Honored at National Awards Competition

EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. – Multi-media firm Del Padre Digital will soon be taking home a statuette from the 28th Annual Telly Awards, a national competition that honors excellence in television, video, Web, and film production.

This years Telly Awards were selected from more than 13,000 entries, received from companies and organizations of varying sizes, in all 50 states. A panel of 27 judges chose award winners, who receive Silver or Bronze Tellys, based on creative merit and overall quality.

Del Padre Digital won a Bronze Telly for direct marketing via online programs, segments, or promotional pieces, submitting a Web-based commercial created for the Riverside, Calif.-based Distributed Home Audio manufacturer SpeakerCraft.

The two-minute spot is titled I Am MODE, and promotes SpeakerCrafts Music on Demand Experience product, unveiled last year. The home sound-system connects various digital devices such as iPods or satellite radio units to numerous programmable keypads throughout a home or business.

Nino Del Padre, president and founder of Del Padre Digital, said his company collaborated with SpeakerCraft on the project to create an advertising vehicle that would both educate and interest consumers on the product.

"SpeakerCrafts marketing and product specialists developed the initial concept," said Del Padre, "and we expanded on that concept in filming and post-production. SpeakerCraft tends to think out of the box when developing their marketing strategies as well as products, and working with them allowed us to flex our creative muscle, too."

Del Padre explained that Del Padre Digital shot the footage for the spot on location in Riverside and Irvine, Calif., using technology most often seen in the production of motion pictures. 35 mm lenses were used with a high-definition digital video camera, for instance, to give the footage a more realistic depth-of-field. In addition, the commercial's two actors, dressed as a MODE key pad and an older model key pad and engaged in conversation regarding MODEs many features, were shot using green-screen technology and later super-imposed on a realistic, home-like background.

"This project is a perfect example of how film-level technology can be used as an effective business tool," said Del Padre. "With the help of constantly evolving advances in new media, today businesses of all sizes can see a great idea or effect in a major motion picture, and use it to sell their product."

About Del Padre Digital:

Del Padre Digital was founded in 1991, and today specializes in video production, interactive CD-ROM design, and high-end Web design. Its clients include NASA, the Space Science Institute, LEGO Systems, Barnes Aerospace, and Proficient Audio. Del Padre Digital has also garnered many awards for its work in new media, including inclusion in the international Computer World Honors Program, for which they were nominated by leading interactive software manufacturer MacroMedia, and a 2006 Communicator Award, also for I Am MODE.

About The Telly Awards:

The Telly Awards have honored local, regional, and cable television programming as well as video and film production since 1979. The statuettes awarded to winning companies were created by the same firm that makes the Oscar and the Emmy. For public relations inquiries, please contact Linda Day at lindad@tellyawards.com; (212) 675-3555.



01 Mar 07, 12:03:00
"One Giant Step Closer to the Elusive Film Look"

Ever since the introduction of the modern day video camera, digital filmmakers and producers of every kind have been striving for that elusive film look. The advent of affordable high definition camcorders, cinema gamma and 24p has brought us much closer to this ideal. But no matter how good the lighting, composition and subjects are, one thing spells video, whether miniDV or HD, from a mile away: the lack of cinema-style, shallow depth of field (DOF). DOF is a distance range in which objects appear to be in focus. Deep DOF means that more of the scene will appear in focus, shallow DOF means the range will be smaller and objects closer or further will appear blurred. Also known as selective focus, its artfully used by DPs to naturally draw the viewers attentions to the primary subject. But since the imaging devices in most affordable video cameras are considerably smaller than a frame of 35 mm film, the DOF is increased. This is especially true in 1/3-inch HDV or similar camcorders.

The Redrock Micro M2 currently on the market— the upgraded version of the companys micro35 that it introduced to much fanfare in 2005— has changed all that and made it possible within reasonable budgets to achieve stunning film-like results by outfitting these small CCD cameras with 35 mm lenses. The M2 projects the image from the 35 mm lens onto something Redrock calls the CineScreen (akin to ground glass ). This image is then captured by the video cameras lens and recorded, giving the filmmaker the kind of selective focus usually only available on 35 mm film and the cost effectiveness of shooting on video.

We took the M2, equipped with several of Redrocks just-introduced optional accessories, for a test drive after much research and investment into which lenses to attach to our new wonder device. For these tests, we mounted the M2 to a Panasonic AG-HVX200. The initial setup for the M2 is pretty straightforward but we do suggest watching the video tutorials on the Redrock site before setting up your unit.

Read More



01 Aug 06, 12:08:00
Create and Render Photo-Real Images in Maya Studio Monthly Article.

Create and Render Photo-Real HDR Images in Maya and Pixar Renderman

By Nino del Padre

August 1, 2006  Source: Studio Monthly

STEP 1: Download a few HDRI images

The acronym HDRI stands for High Dynamic Range Image. There are many commercial sources to purchase all types of HDRIs. However, there are a few free ones floating around the net. A great place to learn more about HDRI is Paul Debevecs site. He has several HDRI images available for download. Go to www.debevec.org/Probes/ and download a few of the Light Probe Images in the.hdr format. The Uffizi Gallery, for instance, is a good one to experiment with. You can also download a free evaluation copy of RenderMan for Maya at Pixars site at renderman.pixar.com/ if you dont own it.

STEP 2: Create a new Maya project and choose Renderman as the renderer

Open the Plug-in Manager: Window> Settings/Preferences> Plug-in Manager and find the RenderMan for Maya plug-in. Check loaded. This will load RenderMan for Maya. Close the Plug-in Manager and Click Window > Rendering Editors > Render Settings. Choose RenderMan from the Render Using drop-down menu. Choose a resolution of 640 x 712 and under render options uncheck Enable Default Light.

STEP 3: Create a ground plane and import your model

Create a ground plane, click the Create > NURBS Primitives > Plane Options box. Set the Axis to Y and 100 for both the width and length and click Create. Select the NURBS plane and choose Lighting/Shading > Assign New Material> Lambert. Click on the color box and choose a tan color as shown. Import your model or create a primitive shape and assign a Blinn material to it. Use the keyboard shortcut 6 to display the smooth shaded view.

STEP 4: Set up your render global settings and create a Renderman ENV light

Open the render Globals, and in the Common tab switch to the Features tab and enable the Ray Tracing check box. Click on the Motion Blur check box and change the motion factor to 0. Next, uncheck the Motion Blur box. Change the trace Bias to.050 and change the Max Specular Depth to 4. Under Global Illumination create an Environment Light.

In the Environment Light Attributes, click on the folder icon next to Environment Image and choose one of the HDR images you downloaded. Im using the Apt-probe.hdr image for my render. Change the sampling mode from filtered to sampled, increase the number of samples from 64 to 300 and the max variation from 10 to 1. Now we can see that a RenderMan Environment Light has been added to the Maya scene. The RenderMan Env Light is a master control to anything related to Global Illumination in RenderMan for Maya.

STEP 5: Frame your shot and enable depth of field

Select the View > Camera Settings > Resolution Gate. This will help you position the camera. Move the camera to frame your shot. As most of you know, depth of field is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Its one of the more important elements in making CG images look photo-real. One of RenderMans many strengths is its high-quality depth of field. Create a locator to use as your focal point as well be using a shallow depth of field. Go to Create > Locator and position in the area you want to be in focus. In this case, I want the words Del Padre to be the focus point.

Turn on Display > Heads Up Display > Object Details. Now select your locator and make note of its distance from Camera. In this case, it has a value of 35.661. Now enable Depth of Field, choose View > Select Camera, expand the arrow next to Depth of Field and click the check box. In the focus distance, use your locators distance from camera 35.661, leave the F Stop at 5 and leave the focus scale at 1.

STEP 6: Set the render quality

For RenderMan, Pixel Samples is the most important quality setting for depth of field. You can increase Pixel Samples by opening the Render Globals and selecting the Quality tab. Increase the Pixel Samples to 11 x 11 (which will cause RenderMan to sample each pixel many more times). Shading Rate is the main global quality control for Pixars RenderMan. Set the Shading Rate to 1, which is a typical Shading Rate for final rendering. Test renderings can usually be done at 3.0, 5.0 or even 20.0.

STEP 7: Render time

Choose Render> Render Current Frame and wait. It could take a while with our high-quality setting, depending on your workstation. It took 45 minutes to render on my BOXX 7400 series workstation with Dual AMD Opteron dual-core processors and 4 gigs of RAM.

YOUR GUIDE

Nino del Padre President/Founder Del Padre Digital.

Founded in 1991, Del Padre Visual Productions work is inspired by the greatest achievements of the cinematic arts. Specializing in Flash Web site design, HD video production, motion graphics, 3D animation and interactive CD-ROM applications for companies such as LEGO America, BAE Systems, NASA and many others, DVPs work has earned extensive industry acclaim.

Nino Says Keep in Mind...

Using Pixar RenderMans global illumination techniques inside Maya lets you create highly realistic lighting with minimal setup. You can achieve drastically different looks by simply rotating the RenderMan Environment Light and trying different HDR images. You can also try changing the Environment Light Shadowing attributes to Color Bleeding and experimenting with different shadow bias, gain and light intensity.

Del Padre Digital. http://www.delpadre.com/ 15 Benton Drive East Longmeadow, MA 01028 ph. 866.792.3282 nino@delpadre.com

Support Gear Autodesk Maya, RenderMan for Maya, BOXX Technologies 7400 Dual Opteron Model 270, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

For full article click here



17 Jul 06, 12:07:00
Del Padre Digital Successfully Implements LEGO® Virtual Showroom 7.0.

EAST LONGMEADOW, MA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 07/14/06 -- Del Padre Digital announces successful completion and implementation of version 7.0 of the LEGO® Virtual Showroom (VSR), an interactive customer marketing tool Del Padre Digital developed to meet the companys growing need for seamless communications to and operations with its regional sales force.

A highly visual interface allows the LEGO Systems Inc. sales representatives in the United States and Canada to showcase the worlds leading construction toy brands full line of products, while a comprehensive set of functionalities make for seamless order taking. A constantly evolving application since its inception in 2001, the latest installment of the VSR made its most significant impact at the 2006 American International Toy Fair, where new functionality provided for direct export of orders taken offline within the VSR to the companys internal online order processing system, SAP. Version 7.0 took what used to be a three-month process down to a matter of weeks.

LEGO VSR project manager Kim Provencher, who has been an integral contributor to the project since its launch in 2001, was on-site in New York City for this implementation of VSR 7.0 during the biggest toy trade show of the year.

"The tool was embraced by not only the order takers but the customers as well," Provencher said. "I received a lot of great feedback on the efficiencies VSR 7.0 provided, not only the order taking process, but in the whole flow of account presentations in a busy environment like Toy Fair."

The typically hectic process of a massive trade show has in the past required sales associates to grab a clipboard and their fastest pen to keep up, resulting in months of hand-keying order information into the SAP system.

Nearly a year of planning and deliberation went into developing the scenario for the VSR interface with the sales methodology and SAP system already in place. Developed in Macromedia Director, the VSR has long been the presentation tool of choice for the LEGO sales force, but also needed to interface functionally with the existing backend order taking process. An XML based solution was developed which allows orders to be transmitted to the home office network via the VSR SAP Mailer interface.

Order back-up functions were made so sales representatives on the road would be able to back-up their orders to the LEGO network or while offline to a thumb drive, increasing margins of safety and assuring no orders are lost in the process.

In addition to the VSR Flash-based introduction sequence, video assets were included in the 7.0 upgrade. A voice over saying "Give a child a LEGO brick, and they will start to imagine" was added to the intro to greet accounts and reinforce the companys key brand building initiative priorities. Audio was recorded and edited digitally at Del Padre Digital with Pro Tools with custom music also by Del Padre.

"The new VSR introduction has added a layer of branding to the application that we have wanted to create for some time" says Mark Archer, Del Padre Digital producer and VSR project manager. "To us, the VSR has always been a functional tool, but with a focus on look and feel that is up to par with this world class companys marketing creative."

Bringing the VSR project to this level of functionality has been an ongoing effort between teams at both Del Padre Digital and LEGO Systems.

"All of our offsite, offline orders transmitted back to the Customer Service division of our main office each night and everything went very smoothly," Provencher said. "Everyone was thrilled with the VSR process and efficiencies. But more importantly, we received positive feedback from our customers as well, who felt the presentation and order writing process during the flurry of Toy Fair was very organized and they were very impressed and appreciative, as it saved them time and the confusion of paperwork, too."

Del Padres Mark Archer said, "The VSR project proves that marketing a companys product line can be highly functional and still be fun for the buyer. It's all about giving the customer an experience, not just taking their order. LEGO Systems is a great company to work with because they really understand and embrace this concept."

About Del Padre Digital

Offering web design, HD video production, motion graphics, 3-D animation and interactive applications for a myriad of companies including Proficient Audio, BAE Systems, NASA, and many others, DVP's work has earned extensive industry acclaim.

About LEGO Systems Inc.

LEGO Systems Inc. (LSI) is the Americas (North America and Mexico) division of the LEGO Group, a privately-held firm based in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities through high-quality, creatively educational play materials, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: Only the best is good enough. For more information, visit www.LEGO.com

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of The LEGO Group. ©2006 The LEGO Group.

Contact:

Mark Archer

Del Padre Digital

866-792-3282

dvp@delpadre.com



08 Jul 06, 12:07:00
PhotoSpin puts the SPOTlight on Nino Del Padre.

PhotoSpin puts the SPOTlight on Nino Del Padre. View

15 May 06, 12:05:00
Business West Magazines cover story "New Dimensions of Success"
Del Padre Shapes an Imaginative Business Model.

Del Padre Visual Productions began videotapingweddings, and has since evolved into a nationally-known multi-media presence with clientssuch as NASA and LEGO. The DVP team is poised to take on a greater number of notable assignments, but part of their plan for the coming years is to turn some of the company's success in a specific direction – toward home.
Read More

11 Jan 06, 12:01:00
Del Padre celebrates 15 years of creative excellence. 1991 - 2006.
East Longmeadow, MA. – (January 11, 2006) Del Padre Visual Productions, Inc. announced today that they will be celebrating their 15th year in business. Established in 1991, Del Padre Visual Productions (www.delpadre.com) provides design and marketing services for a wide array of industries and businesses.

"Its been a long, exciting ride from the days of videotaping weddings and running the business out of a walk in closet", stated Nino Del Padre, DVPs founder and lead interactive designer, "So much has changed, back then, I was working on a Newtek Video Toaster running on a 33 MHz Commodore Amiga, and non linear editing was not available to the masses until 1995." He further went on to say, "I was creating 3D animated logos with Newteks Lightwave 3D 1.0 and instead of Adobe Photoshop I used Electronic Arts Deluxe Paint, the industry standard graphics editor for the Amiga platform at that time."

Nino Del Padre studied new media and website design in 1993 and launched version 1.0 of delpadre.com over thirteen years ago at the early stages of the Internet.

It's a unique feeling, to have your work considered "cutting edge" in an industry that just never stops seeing its horizons expand.

The company has set itself apart by constant exploration of the tool sets available to designers, Del Padre said. Offering virtually every type of multimedia from digital video editing and DVD creation, 3d animation, fully interactive CD-ROMs and high-creative Macromedia Flash web experiences forces us to constantly apply new techniques while keeping a solid foundation in good graphic design skills.

Given that the creative team at DVP consists of artists, musicians writers and dreamers, this type of work is only accomplished by a talented team of individuals with a clear common goal explained Del Padre. We look forward to our 15th year extremely enthusiastically. All of our designers are really excited about the work we plan to do in the upcoming year. With tools such as Flash 8 and Pixars Renderman for Maya, we plan to push the boundaries for our clients across the country.

The Del Padre team has been honored with many accolades and awards in the past 15 years including being named Top 100 Producers by AV Video Multimedia Producer magazine's rundown for three consecutive years and being nominated by Rob Burgess of Macromedia for 2003 Computerworld Honors Collection for the NASA STS 107 project "Space Research and You". The case study is archived in 30 countries as a leading example of how IT is used in Media, Arts & Entertainment to benefit society.

About Del Padre Visual Productions

Founded in 1991, Del Padre Visual Productions continues to strive to harness the full power of interactive media. Our work is inspired by the greatest achievements of the cinematic arts, and motivated by the emergence of incredible new technologies, it's a medium with the power to transform minds and transcend the age-old limits of reality.

Specializing in Internet design, digital video production, motion graphics, 3d animation and interactive CD-Rom applications for a myriad of companies including LEGO America, MassMutual Financial Group, Space Science Institute, BAE Systems, NASA and many others. The company's work has earned many awards and industry acclaim. DVP is a Macromedia Alliance Partner specializing in Macromedia Flash and Director Design.

06 Apr 03, 12:04:00
Del Padre Digital nominated by Adobe CEO Rob Burgess for 2003 Computerworld Honors Collection.
Del Padre Digital and McLain Arts and Communication nominated by Rob Burgess of Adobe for 2003 Computerworld Honors Collection

Case Study will be archived in 30 countries as leading example of how IT is used in Media, Arts & Entertainment to benefit society.

San Francisco, CA April 6, 2003---Del Padre Digital and McLain Arts and Communication has submitted a case study on NASA CD ROM which will officially become part of the Computerworld Honors Collection Sunday, April 6th in San Francisco City Hall when the 2003 Collection is formally presented to the Global Archives, and Del Padre Digital and McLain Arts and Communication is presented with the Medal of Achievement.

The Computerworld Honors Medal of Achievement is presented annually to men and women around the world who have made outstanding progress for society through the visionary use of information technology, said Patrick J. McGovern, Chairman of the Computerworld Honors Chairmen's Committee and the founder of International Data Group.

Rob Burgess, Chairman and CEO of Adobe and member of The Chairmen's Committee, nominated Del Padre Digital and McLain Arts and Communication for inclusion in the 2003 Media, Arts & Entertainment category. Their case study now becomes part of a collection of over 300 case studies in ten categories from 33 countries.

The 2003 Collection, which will now be archived in libraries, museums and academic and research institutions around the world, will serve as primary source material for scholars and as a resource for individuals who hope to use information technology to build solutions that benefit society.

The Class of 2003 continues an outstanding tradition of IT innovation in which service to real people doing important work in the real world takes precedence over anything else, according to Executive Director Daniel Morrow. These Laureates are a source of pride and inspiration.

The overview of this case study reads:

A suite of museum presentations seamlessly combine live performers with virtual environments to communicate space science via scientist interviews, animation and live audience participation, introducing an entirely new delivery method for science education.

The goal of Space Research And You was to create a new kind of learning experience for audiences – one that combined the wonders of science with the fun of science fiction in an entertaining environment. The result was a new delivery method for science education, made possible for the first time through the innovative blended use of new technology and new presentation techniques.

It was designed for NASA to highlight the science of space shuttle mission STS 107. This particular mission carried a number of scientific investigations crucial to meeting the physiological challenges of extended human space-flight. The results of which will better enable humans living on the international space station and eventually traveling to other worlds.

The presentations are designed for public venue audiences of about 50 individuals; specifically at museums and science centers. Each presentation involves a live presenter on stage, seamlessly interacting with a real-time virtual environment and co-host (R2D2 from Star Wars), and facilitating audience participation activities while informing them about space research through video, animations, graphics, and hands-on demonstrations.

Through unprecedented use of technology, presenters are able to control the flow, timing and content of the presentations, on the fly, while performing. This is accomplished through innovative uses of an interactive "mission control" and a wireless gyroscopic mouse. The result is a customized, high quality education experience for audiences with great entertainment value, establishing NASA as a pioneer (yet again) in the future of education.

Upon completion, Space Research And You was distributed to NASAs Space Biology Museum Network, 13 of the best museums and science centers in North America, to be used by their in-house staff as a self-contained, yet extremely flexible suite of dramatic, media-rich stage presentations. It is also being presented by McLain Arts and Communication at select venues for NASA by special arrangement.

Design of the interactive multimedia platform and graphical elements, video editing and content facilitation was performed by Del Padre Digital R2D2 and accompanying effects were provided by LucasFilm Limited. Space Research And You represents a dynamic and entertaining educational experience for all who participate in it. It also represents an entirely new, technology-driven method for educational delivery of any topic. Its benefit lie both in the immediate objectives it was designed to meet, and in the precedent-setting innovation it forced upon its creators in rising to meet its challenges.

The multimedia components and virtual environments were created by Del Padre Digital, using a combination of Macromedia Director and Flash design platforms. The interactive stage created for Space Research And You sets new standards for how interactivity can be used in educational endeavors.

Space Research And You has exceeded our goals as a product. The resulting presentations are dynamic, fun, and content-rich. The innovative technology solutions created by Del Padre Digital allow for unprecedented presenter control of a multitude of variables, all invisible and seamless in the final result. The cooperation of George Lucas and the inclusion of his character, R2D2, has fantastically added great entertainment value and helped to engage audiences of all ages in the learning process. Lastly, the content itself – from astronaut and scientist interviews to concept-based audience activities – is captivating and inspiring.

Each year, Computerworld Honors identifies and recognizes individuals around the world whose visionary use of information technology produces and promotes positive social, economic and educational change, said Bob Carrigan, President and Publisher of Computerworld. The innovators represented in this Collection have been recognized by the leading IT industry Chairmen as true revolutionaries in their fields. The case study from the NASA project available at www.cwhonors.org/, the official internet site of the Computerworld Honors Program, where the entire Collection is available to scholars, researchers and the general public worldwide. In addition, the Collection is distributed annually to the Honors Program's Archival Partners around the world. These partners include some of the world's finest research and scholarly institutions, each of which has generously agreed to include the Collection in its archives.

Each year, the Computerworld Honors Chairmen's Committee nominates organizations who are using information technology to improve society for inclusion in the Computerworld Honors Online Archive and the Collections of the Global Archives. The Global Archives represents the 100 plus institutions from more than thirty countries that include the Computerworld Honors Collection in their archives and libraries. Founded in 1988/89, the Computerworld Honors Program searches for and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated vision and leadership as they strive to use information technology in innovative ways across ten categories: Business and Related Services; Education and Academia; Environment, Energy and Agriculture; Finance, Insurance and Real Estate; Government and Non-Profit Organizations; Manufacturing; Media, Arts and Entertainment; Medicine; Science; and Transportation.

For further information please contact:

Mark Archer Del Padre Digital 866-792-3282