For those off-season Superbowl fans who love the commercials as much as the game itself, you’re in luck: the 2010 World Cup airs its own range of loveable ads. From the clever to the inspirational, we’ve picked a few favorites here at dvDepot and would love to know what you think. Which one gets your vote for best World Cup 2010 commercial? Links are below, and feel free to post other nominees!

Learn what it really means when a player misses a goal in Nike’s Write the Future ad:

Team meets their match in the desert, as shown in Pepsi’s Oh Africa ad:

Players and fans get their groove on in Coca-Cola’s History of Celebration ad:

Reality and a beloved film favorite combine in Adidas’ Cantina ad:

The lengths a kid will go to for a competitive game of soccer in Stratos’ How to Get A Soccer Partner ad:

Post-World War tensions linger in MTN’s One World Cup ad:

The World Cup Trek is an epic race from Berlin, Germany, the location of the 2006 World Cup, to Cape Town, South Africa, the 2010 tournament venue. The contest, organized by dvDepot client Rob Evans, involves three teams, each comprised of two volunteer members, driving 10,000 miles through sixteen countries on two continents to reach the southern tip of Africa in time for the Cup’s final game. Sponsored by dvDepot and produced by both Burgess Productions and Nomadic Nation, Mr. Evans and his team will film their seven week adventure with the intent to transform their journey into an adventure/reality program.

Race for Charity

Contest organizer Rob Evans

As a social activist, Mr. Evans has been involved in several charity initiatives. Some of his recent projects include establishing and maintaining a storage facility for charities in his hometown of Phoenix/Tempe, Arizona, helping organize community projects, creating an arts community in Scottsdale, Arizona, and becoming an organ donor by donating one of his kidneys. Mr. Evans’ conception of and participation in the World Cup Trek is yet another of his charitable endeavors.

Benefiting from the race are three non-government organizations: Grassroot Soccer, Kick 4 Life, Coaching for Hope. These multifaceted organizations work in third world African countries to both coach underprivileged children and aspiring soccer players and provide education and preventative measures to combat the AIDs epidemic.

The Gear

dvDepot is sponsoring World Cup Trek’s production and furnishing the teams with video equipment, including two Sony PMW-EX1R HD cameras, six 16GB cards for footage, two 7” Nebtek monitors to review the footage before uploading it into a computer for editing, and other accessories. With the pristine quality of the Sony EX1, and the durability and storage capacity of the memory cards, no moment of the weeks-long journey will be missed.

View World Cup Trek 2010 in a larger map

After being equipped with dvDepot gear, the World Cup Trek teams began their exciting trip. Departing on May 9th from the United States, the volunteers set out for Berlin, Germany. The teams and the production crew stopped at Berlin’s co-sponsor hostel CityStay to finalize travel plans, go over the route, get all the needed vaccinations and load the last of their supplies into their Renaults.

On the Road

The World Cup Trek cars on the Autobahn

On May 18th, the team hit the Autobahn and almost immediately ran into their first setback. One of the three cars blew a head gasket 200km into the race, a frustrating mishap that could have been avoided. The car, driven by team members Jonathan and Susan, had to wait for the production vehicle to send for a tow truck; however, that car struck a flat tire and its spare tire was coincidentally flat. With two vehicles down, the team had to wait for tow trucks to arrive for both cars. To compound an already rocky beginning to their journey, the police declined to deal with cars that were ill-equipped to handle the Autobahn to begin with.

Into France and Spain

Barcalona Harbor

After two days of camping outside a McDonald’s in Hof, the team was back on the road in rainy, foggy weather. After seventeen full hours of continuous driving through miserable weather, the team left Germany and finally entered France nearly two days behind schedule and in dour spirits. The fair weather and sunshine in France, however, lifted team spirits. The group even had time to stop for a rest at Beziers, a picturesque city with a large winemaking industry. A 10-hour scenic road trip from Beziers to Barcelona (effectively avoiding traffic and tolls) was the next course of action for the team. From Barcelona the team managed to rest up before catching the last ferry out of Tarifa and into Marakech.

With any luck, the team will reach South Africa around July 5th, a few days earlier than planned. We hope to continue providing support and enthusiasm for the entire team on their amazing trip! Be sure to follow updates about the World Cup Trek on dvDepot’s Twitter and Facebook.

TV DNA celebrated their 10th anniversary at dvDepot last night. The TV Diva Networking Alliance is a group connecting women working in the TV industry. They meet periodically to share knowledge and resources. Membership is exclusive, limited only to women actively working in television, and based on recommendations of current members. The members include producers, network executives, production managers, line producers, among other positions. One of our owners, Deborah Wolpert is fortunate enough to be a member and hosted the anniversary party.

At last night’s meeting, dvDepot also set up a demo of our HD cameras for the Divas. We went through the advantages and disadvantages of several HD cameras including the Sony EX1, Z5U, and A1U, also the Varicam and HVX200 from Panasonic. Comparing cost to picture quality to post workflow, each camera is appropriate for various situations. The demo was a success and then the men of dvDepot scurried out to leave the Divas to their celebration.

You can read more about the TV Diva Networking Alliance at http://www.tvdna.net and see more picture from the event on our Facebook page.

With 10 nominees for Best Picture, predicting the Oscars is a whole new ball game! What your guess on who will win?

Shooting underwater takes not only an experienced shooter, but the right kind of equipment. From the normally hidden world of the ocean to the underwater antics of a pool party– underwater footage is a desirable addition to many projects.

Here at dvDepot we have two great models of underwater housing that can be used with a variety of cameras, such as the Sony V1U, Z1U, Pansonic DVX100, Sony DCR-VX2000 and DSR-PD150. In addition to this we also have some audio gear that is suitable for water based shoots -the Lectrosonic MM400C transmitter and M152 mic.

The Sony V1U is best paired with the Equinox HD8 Underwater Housing which can be seen below. The Equinox can be brought to depths of up to 75 meters (250ft). It also has BRS ( Ballast Release System) for easy travel. This is also useful if trouble occurs on a dive–just pull the release pin and the Equinox will shoot straight to the surface.

Ewa-Marine V2000 Underwater Housing can be used with a wider variety of cameras such as the Sony PD150, Sony Z1U, Panasonic DVX100, Sony DCR-VX2000, and Panasonic HVX200. This housing enables the user to film up to 10meters (33 ft) below water. It features a double laminated PVC Construction and an Optical Glass port. The bag shape makes it easier to carry. Also included are weight straps, which makes it easier to achieve buoyancy. It is also ideal for filming while snorkeling, shallow diving or moving in and out of the water. This type of underwater housing has been used to good effect for the show “Made” which airs on MTV Saturdays at 3pm.

The Lectrosonics MM400C Lavalier transmitter is ideal for use in heavy rain,humidity and/or water based shoots and can be submerged in the water if necessary. Also featured is a waterproof On/Off/Mute reed switch and non-detachable antenna. The switch is removable to avoid accidental switching caused by the talent. A machined finish provides a non-corrosive housing, preventing rust and oxidation. The use of the MM400C results in greater range with minimal noise.

The Lectrosonics M152 is a highly sensitive omnidirectional microphone that can be used with the MM400C. It also features a watertight mini connection that makes it ideal for a shoot that’s water bound!

If you have a shoot coming up that requires water-friendly equipment, feel free to contact us and we can put together a package that suits your production and budgetary requirements. We look forward to working with you!

As a company specializing in digital cameras, we carefully watch the progress of the industry. This past year, two films shot largely on digital cameras were nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire which actually won the Oscar. We are at a point where digital cinematography can be just as beautiful as one shot on film.

This started an argument here at dvDepot over what film has the best digital cinematography. We came up with this list of 11. They range across genres, styles and budgets, some of which dictated that digital cameras must be used. The most interesting question is if using digital cameras brings a style that’s important to the film. Let us know which of these are your favorite and why. Also let us know if we forgot any.

Cal Ward Jr is a member of the dvDepot staff. In addition to this, he is also an independent filmmaker. Cal’s film “April Fools” was screened at festivals in both New York and Chicago and also featured at this years Black Harvest International Festival of Film and Video.

This is the fifteenth year for the Chicago based festival which screens a diverse selection of work from all over the world. The Black Harvest International Festival of Film and Video runs for four weeks and is a celebration of the black experience on film. More information can be found at www.siskelfilmcenter.org.

The film is a historically accurate Civil War-era romantic farce, about two people in love on the road to Appomattox. It was well received at the festival and we look forward to more movies from Cal.

dvDepot is proud to sponsor Directing Actors. Rising actors are given the opportunity to play original scenes in front of a live audience filled with producers, agents and fellow actors. Select scenes are then shot and presented on Directing Actors TV. We were recruited to sponsor the event by Miles Maker, who we know through the Motion Picture Collective.

It’s a fun and exciting monthly event. We suggest you attend at some point. The next installment is on Sunday November 22 at the National Comedy Theater in Manhattan.

The Moving Pictures Collective of NYC, MoPictive for those in the know, is a non-profit community that works to support filmmakers in New York City. They provide a helpful environment for their members to learn new techniques, discuss resources they can use and share their work. They host monthly meetings to help these ends. Their website is http://www.movingpicturescollective.org/.

dv Depot was excited to host their April meeting, a panel of experts in various fields of digital filmmaking. The speakers included Anthony Q. Artis, (producer and author) Patrick Inhofer (color corrector and finisher), Pete Levin (audio mixer and sound designer) and Michael Vitti (shooter and editor). They talked to the audience about the realities of digital and tapeless production. The event was highly interactive, including videos from the speakers and a lot of questions from the audience. They took more than two hours of questions, trying to help people decide what equipment to use, weighing cost against artistic ambitions against network and studio requirements. The enthusiastic crowd was a mix of MoPictive members and the general public.

The dv Depot space was ideal for the event. We also lit the event and set up the audio. We shot the event, which is to be edited into a podcast (available to MoPictive members only, unfortunately). We also ended up helping the speakers. Our technicians were able to answer questions about various camera formats that the audience brought up.

You can see more pictures of the event at our Flickr site.

Sadly, Michael Vitti died a few weeks after this event. He was the founder of MoPictive and leader of the community. He was a friend of dv Depot and it was through him that we were able to host this event. There is a tribute page for him at http://www.imugonline.com/events/2009/michaelvitti.shtml. Helping people was Mike’s passion and MoPictive is the child of that passion. Nobody cared more about creating a collaborative environment in which people can share their knowledge. He was a fixture in the New York film world and he will be missed.

At DV Depot, we build strong teams on our crews. Often, our crew members recommend talented colleagues. Sometimes, our crews develop such strong relationships, they want to work with each other outside the Depot, even if they never knew each other before. Obviously, our talented and ambitious freelancers want to work on their own projects and we’re proud of the great work they do without us.

Closer to God is an example of this great work, it was directed and edited by Matthew Kulvicki, shot by Andreas Wagner, produced by Andrew Brennan and has sound by Matthew Geldof. All four work with DV Depot.

Closer to God is an exciting and moving documentary about people gathering from all over the country, banding together to make a trip to Washington. They are a part of the Campaign To End AIDS and they are joining thousands of others for five days of political action featuring congressional visits, educational programs, and acts of civil disobedience. These people are not victims, suffering from a disease, they are taking the steps to change the world, to fight for themselves and everybody like them. It’s a powerful story turning a new light onto AIDS a generation after it began.

Take a look at the trailer below for Closer to God and visit the site to learn more about the film.