What dSLR Does Veronica Mars Use?

While we're on the topic of digital single-lens reflex (dSLR) cameras, let's find out what kind of cameras Veronica Mars used on her CW show a year or two back.

See, I've been a huge fan of the TV series (one of my guilty pleasures, actually), and I have to admit, I was sorta impressed with that big-ass camera she slings around. Of course, it's fairly obvious that a set-up like that doesn't come cheap- but it made sense- since they run a small detective agency, it's all probably used for work.

At any rate, I've had a renewed interest in dSLR's recently. I figured that since I'm blogging professionally now (and full-time, I might add), it might actually make sense to get myself a better camera. By better, I mean, something that would be a step up from my handy 5.1-megapixel Sony Cybershot. So in an earlier blog entry, I actually did some homework.

Here's What I Found Out About Veronica Mars' Cameras.

Apparently, there's been a discussion on a VM fansite on Livejournal as to what kind of dSLR's were featured on the show. As far as we can tell, Kristen Bell's character had used three different cameras, all of 'em Nikons.

1. A Nikon D2H with a huge-ass zoom lens (possibly the 70-200 f/2.8 VR), used in the series premiere.
2. Then she also had a the Nikon 8800, as seen in an episode mid-season (of Season 1). It ain't no big deal, but a point-and-shoot that still has a lot of great features.
3. By Season 2, we see her wielding a Nikon D70 with the relatively cheaper, but still impressive 80-200 f/2.8D zoom lens.

Seems like a product integration deal for Nikon, but it's probably not (then again, they probably should have!). The fansite suggested that the show's director of photography, Victor Hammer (who might have a personal preference for Nikons) may have had a few spare cameras lying around, and therefore used one of his toys for Veronica Mars to play with. Nice.

You can watch the UPN/CW drama series over again on DVD, or just catch Kristen Bell on season 2 of Heroes, or as the omniescent voiceover on Gossip Girl, this time without the cool cameras. :)

Cheers, everyone!

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Woohoo! Battlestar Galactica!

I fondly look back earlier this year when I discovered Battlestar Galactica. Well, more like re-discovered. I remember getting interested in the show when it first hit local Cinemax in 2005, but never got to follow it enough to get a good grasp of the story.

When I took my retirement from the last radio station I worked for (which was Mellow 94.7), I found myself with, interestingly enough, a lot of spare time on my hands. And it was this one particular Veronica Mars episode which sort of inspired me to 'acquire' a copy of the re-imagined BSG from the very start.

After the four-hour mini-series/pilot, I immediately fell in love with it- it was sci-fi, but not campy, it had chicks, a compelling storyline, interesting characters, and enough action to keep you locked in.

And locked in I was, indeed. I was able to finish all 40 episodes- the first 2 seasons + the webisodes + the first few episodes of season 3- within a month of watching the pilot, thus bringing me up to speed and current with what's showing in the US/UK. I wasn't just locked in, I was incredibly hooked.

Season 3 wrapped up by the end of March (with a killer season-ender, I might add!), leaving a gaping hole in my chest where the Galactica should be.

So you could imagine my surprise when I found out- just today- that the prelude to BSG Season 4 already came out!

The prelude is called Battlestar Galactica: Razor. Why it's called "Razor", I have no idea just yet, but I intend to find out. It currently has seven (7) 2-minute Flashback episodes + two (2) full episodes thus far.

I've already seen the Flashback episodes and -well- it's like my obsession for BSG all of a sudden came back to the fore.

Man, I can't wait to watch the other two episodes...

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Chuck, man, gotta watch Chuck!

Fall season this year in the US had given us quite a number of interesting shows- Reaper, a re-imagining of The Bionic Woman and Flash Gordon, Private Practice (that Grey's Anatomy spin-off), The Sarah Connor Chronicles- right on top of all your other favorite returning TV series.

One show that has, undoubtedly, got me looking forward to a new episode every week is NBC's Chuck. Bravo, NBC, totally good call, picking this show up.

I best describe it as Alias-meets-The OC-meets-40-Year-Old Virgin. Straight out of their success with The OC, Josh Schwartz and McG team up once again, but instead of another young adult drama, they came up with a nice little comedy- and it frackin' works!

End result: you have a TV show that's fun and entertaining. Lots of eye candy for both chicks and dudes (man, I've been a fan of Yvonne Strahovski since episode 1- woohoo!), lots of funny geek references (even funnier if you're a geek yourself), lots of witty exchanges and a killer soundtrack.

Remind me to get you guys a soundtrack listing in the not-so-distant future.

The show has been running for a little over 5 episodes now, and so far, it never fails to entertain. Too bad NBC has taken down all its clips from YouTube. But, hey, all is not lost- you can have a taste of Chuck on the main NBC website right here!

Check it out now, funk soul brutha!

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I suppose we should be getting on with our lives now?

Gotta thank TV for coming out with a lot of great stuff this past season.

Heroes from NBC was probably the most noteworthy of them all. Great character development, excellent story and plot twists, giving you just enough of your fix this week so that you end up at the edge of your seats by the end of the episode, anxiously waiting for the next week's show. Well done, Tim Kring, well done.

Then you have Grey's Anatomy (season 3), Scrubs (season 6), My Name is Earl (season 2), Veronica Mars (season 3) and, of course, Lost (season 3). All these shows I've religiously downloaded each and every week, thanking the gods of broadband how life has been made so much better with file-sharing from fellow file-sharers.

So now that its all done, what next?

While waiting for the networks to build and hype their line-up of shows for the fall season, it might be prudent to actually get off your ass and re-discover the world you've so thoughtlessly left behind.

In my case, it's work. Apparently, I've been too busy recreating these past several months, that I've actually put a very important task- making money- completely on hold. Gotta keep making money to do the things you like to do, you know.

And so I decided to get into some writing. Serious writing. In fact, the kind of writing that gets paid (like copywriting and doing SEO for a bunch of Australian websites), with a number of blogs going on to help hone my craft.

Blogging, I suppose, helps build a good network of like-minded individuals. For one, I would like to see how this all figures out in giving any business or project an online presence, which hopefully can be translated into actual revenue. It IS very much possible- and as I discover more about it, I hope to document it all here on this blog.

So there's writing, and the continuing quest for the perfect new career, and a couple of projects I really want to get off the ground. All these things to supposedly keep me occupied, at least until the next batch of great TV shows comes around to bring back the couch potato in me.

(Hey, anyone seen that new take on The Bionic Woman?)

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