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25
Jun 10

HENNINGER MEDIA SERVICES NOW OFFERS HOLLYWOOD-QUALITY BLU-RAY PRODUCTS!

Henninger Media Services, Inc. (“HMS”) is the first production/post-production company in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer Hollywood-quality Blu-ray encoding services using the Cinema Craft High-Definition AVC encoder (“CC-HDe”).  After thorough research, and over six months of testing and analysis, HMS’ engineering and DVD/Blu-ray development teams drew an undisputed conclusion.  “After all of the technical scrutiny, it came down to a side-by-side picture comparison.  The encoded media generated by the CC-HDe revealed a clearly superior picture quality above the other encoders assessed,” says HMS’ Director of Engineering, Sam Crawford.  “The encoded material was virtually identical to the original, and the speed at which it worked was unmatched.”

 

Well-known titles such as Paramount’s Iron Man, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog and the Academy-award-winning Crazy Heart, have all been entrusted to this encoder for Blu-ray release.  The encoder has even garnered several industry-recognized awards for “excellence in video encoding.” “It is the encoder of choice for many A-List titles, and adding this encoder to our Blu-ray offerings is a perfect fit with our company’s goal of providing world-class services in the Mid-Atlantic market,” says company President and CEO, Rob Henninger.

 

With over five times the storage capacity of DVDs, the Blu-ray format was created to store large amounts of data, and to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video. “Incorporating this type of Blu-ray tool is a testament that we believe strongly in our clients’ investment in their projects. We are really excited to be able to offer such a superior finishing product,” says Ari Zagnit, HMS’ Senior DVD/Blu-ray Developer. HMS has upgraded its audio encoding capabilities as well.  The DVD/Blu-ray department can manage stereo and 5.1 encoding—and now, 7.1 Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD encoding.

 

The CC-HDe offers a quality and number of tool sets that enable experienced compressionists like Zagnit to make changes to visuals down to the pixel, options not offered in other encoding solutions currently in the Washington, D.C. marketplace.  HMS and Zagnit have already produced numerous Blu-ray titles for high profile companies in the D.C. market, and this list will continue to grow with this latest enhancement to HMS’ Blu-ray equipment.  When it comes to getting products replicated and onto retail shelves quickly, HMS is at an advantage by offering this pre-mastering service.

 

Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Henninger Media Services was founded in 1983 by Robert L. Henninger. The company serves broadcast, corporate, association and government clients, providing a full range of electronic media, interactive and high-definition services.  It provides original script-to-screen production, and specializes in video editing, compositing, color correction, film transfer, quality control, and duplication; as well as surround sound audio, motion graphics, graphic design, Blu-ray and DVD production.  Additional information can be obtained by calling Robert Anderson at 703-243-3444, or by email at hmsinfo@henninger.com.   Visit our website at:  www.Henninger.com

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09
Apr 10

HENNINGER MEDIA AND SUPER GROUP HELP CENSUS BUREAU PREPARE VIDEO FOR PUBLIC ACCESS

Henninger Media Services, Inc. (HMS), Washington, D.C.’s premier production and post-production company, was awarded a video web hosting contract with the U.S. Census Bureau. HMS partnered with The Super Group (TSG) of Atlanta, GA, to deliver the Census’ first and only video-hosted platform.

 

The Census Bureau needed a platform to facilitate a consistent and stable uploading environment for large video and audio files to broadcast news and events to the general public. HMS worked with TSG to establish a stand-alone desktop application and website for browsing, downloading or uploading video files.  The site supports both standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) content.  Getting communication out to the masses in a searchable environment is critical in spreading the word about census-related initiatives.

 

The site allows the Census Bureau’s staff to easily transfer content through a customized upload utility.  This upload utility is integrated with a content management system, allowing a web site administrator to approve uploaded clips and update media on the site quickly and easily. Clips can also be marked for internal review only, allowing Census staff and partners to share media on the site before it is available to the public at-large.

 

Rob Henninger, President and CEO of HMS, stated “we are excited to win this high profile contract with the Census Bureau and to work with the creative people at The Super Group; this is a perfect addition to our growing portfolio of interactive projects, which we see as a real growth area for the company.” HMS presently works closely with other government entities on various multimedia and interactive projects, including the National Park Service, the National Archives, Navy Medical Support Command, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

 

The Super Group is a creative marketing agency focused on building interactive experiences for its customers. TSG’s clientele includes The Weather Channel, Walt Disney World, Kimberly-Clark, Krystal Restaurants, Johnson & Johnson, and many others.

 

Headquarted in Arlington, Virginia, Henninger Media Services was founded in 1983 by Robert L. Henninger. The company serves broadcast, corporate, association and government clients, providing a full range of electronic media, interactive and high-definition services.  It provides original script-to-screen production, and specializes in video editing, compositing, color correction, film transfer, quality control, and duplication; as well as surround sound audio, motion graphics, graphic design, Blu-ray and DVD production.  Additional information can be obtained by calling Robert Anderson at

703-243-3444, or by email at hmsinfo@henninger.com.

Visit our website at:  www.Henninger.com

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03
Feb 10

Henninger Media Services, Inc. and Operation Lifesaver Work to Save Lives.

Washington, DC area production company, Henninger Media Services, Inc., was chosen by the national railroad safety education organization, Operation Lifesaver, to create a series of PSAs on distracted driving.  Henninger Media’s full service capabilities enabled it to work with Operation Lifesaver from concept to completion.  The television and radio spots were designed to discourage distracting behaviors while driving, with a particular emphasis on texting-while-driving.  

 

Henninger Media wrote, shot and produced two 30 second spots to reach out to 16-34 year old drivers.  In one spot two young men ignore safety, demonstrating high-tech toys while driving.  The other spot features two young women texting and talking about dating while driving on a busy highway leading to a rail crossing.  The spots were designed for both television and internet audiences.  There were also two radio spots produced, including a Spanish language version.  The campaign is currently airing, and can be seen and heard in key markets throughout the country.  

 

The creative was shot in Thurmont, Maryland, and post production took place at Henninger Media in Arlington, Virginia.  “The shoot posed a number of unique challenges, from controlling trains and temporarily closing roadways, to shooting outside in unusually cold weather.  The hard work of our crew, the Operation Lifesaver staff, their contacts with the railways, and the town of Thurmont allowed the filming to come together without a hitch” says Henninger Production’s Account Executive, Sue O’hora.  

 

The campaign is part of a larger initiative by U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood. “Distracted driving can lead to serious consequences at highway-rail grade crossings,” says OLI President Helen M. Sramek. “Although these collisions may have other causes, text-messaging or other distractions may be contributing factors,” Sramek continued.

 

Henninger Media Services recently finished another public service announcement for OLI about the dangers of walking around commuter light-rail while distracted.  Henninger will be designing a complementary bus shelter advertisement as well.  

 

Established in 1972, Operation Lifesaver’s education and awareness program is dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights-of-way.

 

About Henninger Media Services –

Headquarted in Arlington, Virginia, Henninger Media Services (“Henninger”) was founded in 1983 by Robert L. Henninger. The company serves broadcast, corporate, association and government clients, providing a full range of electronic media, interactive and high-definition services.  It provides original script-to-screen production, and specializes in video editing, compositing, color correction, film transfer, quality control, and duplication; as well as surround sound audio, motion graphics, graphic design, Blu-ray and DVD production.  Additional information can be obtained by calling Robert Anderson at

703-243-3444, or by email at hmsinfo@henninger.com.

Visit our website at:  www.Henninger.com

 

About Operation Lifesaver –

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is a national, non-profit safety education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way. Operation Lifesaver has programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with trained and certified presenters who give free safety talks to community groups, schools, school bus drivers, truck drivers and community organizations to raise awareness of the need for caution around railroad tracks and trains. For more information, including driving safety tips and to request a free safety presentation in your community, visit www.oli.org.

 

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11
Dec 09

Henninger Media Services Brings High Definition to the Kennedy Center Honors

Henninger Media Services (“Henninger”), Washington, D.C.’s premier production and post-production company, recently completed its annual post production work on the Kennedy Center Honors.  This marks the 25th consecutive year that Henninger has been involved with this prestigious event, providing editing, audio, and color correction services for the biographical films shown at the gala on December 6, 2009.  The two-hour event will air on CBS at 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 29, 2009.  This will be the first year that the show is produced and broadcast in high definition.  Last year’s broadcast of the show won an Emmy for “Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.”

The five distinguished recipients honored at the 32nd annual celebration of the arts were Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen.  They were recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.

The Henninger staff looks forward to this project every year, which usually commences around Labor Day when members of the Kennedy Center Honors Productions staff move into Henninger’s Arlington facility.  Over the next three months, the respective staffs work closely with each other every step of the way.  Kennedy Center relies on Henninger for technical and creative expertise, including high definition editing and color correction; audio mix and mastering services; engineering and project management; and possible Blu-ray finishing.

Per Sam Crawford, Henninger’s Director of Engineering, “the significant difference in the post production and final mastering of this year’s show is that we had the added challenge of accommodating both 16×9 high definition and 4×3 standard definition images for the honoree’s biographical films.”  To help overcome this obstacle, Henninger created custom “graticules”—lines to superimpose on the screen during the offline editing process, to show the editors what would be seen by both high definition and standard definition viewers.

The key members of both staffs always do a projection test at the Kennedy Center two nights before the big event, with a primary focus on the audio levels.  The hardest challenge is met by Henninger’s Senior Mixer, David Hurley, who helps ensure that what the production team heard in Henninger’s audio suite transfers seamlessly to the amphitheater type of environment at the Kennedy Center’s Opera House.  The Henninger staff takes notes and makes necessary changes that night or the next morning.  Jef Huey, Henninger’s Senior Editor on the project, characterized the overall process as “a lot of fun, due to the films’ unique complexities.  In the end, we are always confident that we’ll end up with an outstanding final product due to the collaboration of such experienced personnel at both organizations!”

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01
Dec 09

Henninger Media Services wins 9 TIVA Peer Awards

The 13th Annual TIVA Peer Awards were presented to television and video’s best at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. last week.  Henninger Media Services (“Henninger”) capped off a successful year for its creative team, honored with a noteworthy nine awards!

Henninger’s in-house production department, Henninger Productions, won multiple awards for its turnkey script-to-screen projects, including the following:

  • Gold for A Restless Giant – The Ever Changing Nature of Mount Rainier in the “Documentary (Under 30 Minutes)” category.  Henninger produced this stunning documentary over the course of two years at Mount Rainier for the National Park Service.
  • Gold for The Great Escape: The Final Secrets in the “Documentary (Over 30 Minutes)” category.  This revealing World War II documentary was produced and fully finished by Henninger for the National Geographic Channel.
  • Gold for Will Allen in the “Internet Only: Public Relations/Marketing” category, a poignant bio video produced by for Lipman Hearne and the MacArthur Foundation.
  • Silver for Land Systems Overview in the “Public Relations/Marketing ($50,000 and Over)” category.  This action-packed promotional piece was produced by the Henninger team for General Dynamics.

Accepting the awards on behalf of Henninger Productions was their Production Manager, Sue O’Hora.  Several other members of Henninger’s experienced and talented staff were in attendance as well, accepting numerous awards for their standout work for the company’s post production business:

  • Audio / Sound Design – Rob Fritts, Kenneth Gilbert, and Phelps Kelley won Gold for their sound design of National Geographic’s Orca Killing School.  This was a sound design packed documentary on killer whales.  Their combined efforts to complete this show made for a phenomenal audio experience.
  • Color Correction – Ted Snavely won Silver for Suicide Prevention.  SAIC produced this informative yet visually captivating piece for the United States Marine Corps.  Dave Markun won a Bronze for The Lion and the Mouse, a documentary produced by Afflare Films.  Both colorists worked on Henninger’s prestigious DaVinci 2K systems.
  • Editing – Kevin McCarthy won Bronze for Busting Boredom, a piece for Animal Planet shown in zoo kiosks nationwide.  This award was achieved in the “Editing: Non-Fiction (Under 30 Minutes)” category.
  • Graphics – Jamie Cave and Laurie Rihner won Silver for Lifestyle, an animated Internet spot created for SRCP Media.  They won this award in the “Internet Only: Graphics/Animation” category.

Henninger Media Services is extremely pleased and proud to be involved with TIVA and to win these prestigious awards chosen by our peers.

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10
Nov 09

Henninger Media Services Combines Arlington and D.C. Operations

Henninger Media Services (“HMS”), a market leader in production and post-production for more than 26 years, announced today that it has decided not to renew the lease of its boutique post facility in Washington, D.C., which ends in 2010.  The Company will instead be expanding its operations at its flagship Arlington facility.  Five D.C. staff members will move to Arlington as part of this consolidation, which will occur gradually over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition for its clients and staff.

Robert Henninger, the President and Owner of HMS, asserted that “this was an extremely difficult decision, since 1150 Post has been a key part of our Company’s success since it opened in 1996.  However, the multiple-facility model no longer fits in with our long-term strategic vision.”  Located across the street from National Geographic, 1150 Post began as a joint venture with one of HMS’ top clients.  The Company expects most of the work previously done in D.C. to make its way to Arlington.

HMS has successfully grown a number of its service offerings in 2009 despite the economic downturn, including marked increases in National Archives film to High Definition transfers, government & corporate turnkey production services, and standard/format conversion jobs.  The Company anticipates that its other core post production services of editing, audio mixing, color correction, graphics, and DVD will increase dramatically in 2010 with the mid-term political elections.

Combining resources into a single facility increases the Company’s ability to handle large-scale and complex projects, while significantly lowering overall operating costs and capital expenditure requirements. This will also allow it to compete more effectively in what has become a challenging pricing environment this year.  The move aligns with HMS’ strategy of managing its internal staffing costs by partnering with various third-party vendors during their busy times of year, rather than add to their headcount.  Eric Hansen, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, added that “we expect to increase our personnel by 20-25% in 2010 to manage an expected spike in political spot work…and almost all of this will come in the form of freelancers and vendor partnerships.”

Henninger Media Services
HMS specializes in a full range of interactive and high-definition services, including original script-to-screen production, video editing, compositing, color correction, film transfer, quality control, and duplication; as well as surround sound audio, motion graphics, design, and DVD.  HMS has served broadcast, corporate and government clients for over 26 years in Arlington, VA. Information on HMS can be obtained by calling Eric Hansen at 703-908-4225 or by email at ehansen@henninger.com.  Further information is available online at www.henninger.com.

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04
Nov 09

Henninger helps another documentary: “Becoming Human: Unearthing Our Earliest Ancestors”

The first part of “Becoming Human: Unearthing Our Earliest Ancestors” aired November 3rd on PBS . This will be a 3-part series produced by Shinning Red Productions.

The production examines questions such as: “Where did we come from? What makes us human? An explosion of recent discoveries sheds light on these questions, and NOVA’s comprehensive, three-part special, Becoming Human, examines what the latest scientific research reveals about our hominid relatives”.  More information can be found online at: (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova). Henninger Media Services helped with the Sound Design, Audio Mix, and Color Correction for this production.

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29
Oct 09

Henninger to host a Taiwan Public Television Service Delegation at its Arlington facility

October 29, 2009

(Excerpts taken from a press release written by Grace Eyre, Multimedia Specialist, Mac Business Solutions)

The Republic of Chinaʼs National Communications Commission (NCC) has decided to transition Taiwan to digital television.  To help implement this plan, they are working  through the Public Television Service (PTS) of Taiwan to send seventeen video professionals to Washington D.C.

From October 25th to November 13th, 2009, these delegates will be taking technical classes at Mac Business Solutions (MBS) and visiting institutions which work within the framework of High-Definition and Digital Video Production. The Taiwanese guests will receive training in a variety of crucial subjects, including video format conversion, audio field recording, satellite news-gathering, shooting and editing in HD, creating graphics for HD, and digital broadcasting.

They will be visiting nationally renowned organizations such as the Federal Communications Commission, the National Association of Broadcasters, CNN, the Associated Press and PBS Affiliate – WETA.  They will also tour the facilities of cutting-edge local production and post-production houses, including Henninger Media Services on Friday October 30th. Henninger’s Robert Anderson, General Manager of Henninger DC, will also be teaching a class on “On-Air Marketing” to the group as well on Monday Nov. 2nd. Henninger  is proud to have the Taiwanese delegation tour its Arlington facility. Henninger gives tours every Monday through Friday of its Arlington and DC facilities. For more information and to schedule a tour, please contact Michael Delpierre at 703-908-4021 or mdelpierre@henninger.com.

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28
Oct 09

Laurie Rihner Graphics Demo Reel

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28
Oct 09

Jamie Cave Graphics Demo Reel

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28
Oct 09

Henninger Sound Design

Henninger Sound Design

Listen carefully to the audio track of any professionally produced material, such as a feature film or episodic television drama. Turn off the picture and put on headphones if you have to. You’ll probably hear a lot of things that couldn’t have possibly been choreographed so accurately and convincingly on the set. Reinforcements or enhancements to the visual experience come from music hits matching the action or subtle noises that evoke a specific environment, emotion or danger. The mood of the imagery is often set by the audio. Change the audio and the picture means something completely different.

This powerful post production tool is called Sound Design.

At Henninger, we receive edited programs that mostly contain live sound recorded with the images along with expanses (meaning more than a few seconds) of unsupported visuals or unwanted sounds. Leaving these gaps in the audio are usually deadly to the production value. Clients who understand the impact of sound design will ask us to craft an audio track to clearly define their imagery.

How do we do Sound Design?

Our job as sound designers is to insert missing audio elements using our large sound effects and music library as well as narration, extra voices and composed original music. If the sound designer can’t find an appropriate audio element, they are likely to create one using our foley room. Some of the work is architectural, where the placement of voiceover or music is planned. Some is also sculptural, where the sound designer creates packages of carefully placed and convincing audio gestures throughout a program. All of these elements are assembled and timed against the images to create a complete, flowing aural track indispensable to the support of the images.

Our award winning team has consistently demonstrated the ability to change beautiful visual sequences into spectacular visual sequences with the addition of appropriate audio enhancements. Sound design can even have surprising spillover effects, raising otherwise unremarkable visual material to higher levels of interest just by adding the right sounds.

The Sound Design Process:

The process begins by examining your program material. The editing doesn’t need to be completely finished to start getting an idea of what ingredients are needed to design an audio track. A head start or sneak peek at the nearly finished program may allow a quicker turnaround. Our sound designers will begin assembling a customized list of supporting audio which we might draw from our own library, parts of your original field audio or something we may manufacture ourselves.

Also generally needed are music elements and voiceover material. Edited programming we receive often contains “scratch” music and narration tracks recorded by the producer in the edit suite with a “Mr. Microphone”. Sound designers will replace those elements with professionally produced material, maintaining the positioning of the original hint.

Once the editing is finalized, all material is laid out on a timeline. Working with dozens of audio tracks, the actual audio is “checker boarded” Checkerboard Audio with careful positioning against the visuals. Sometimes, thousands of audio elements will be laid up for the eventual mixing process.

Only then will the audio be ready for mixing. The strength of each element is balanced and placed into the sound field in the mix room. You can choose what kind of audio you need – anything from mono to full 5.1 or 7.1 surround. There’s nothing like sitting in the mix room and listening to the sound design come to life, bringing out the power hidden within your imagery.

The most experienced producers long ago discovered the necessity of great sound to support their production. Storytelling with images is only part of the puzzle. The audio makes it all stick together. Henninger understands how to deliver superb audio to the most demanding ears. Let us arrange a demonstration of our capabilities and we’ll show you some of our award winning sound designs.

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28
Oct 09

Jef Huey Demo Reel

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28
Oct 09

HD Color Correction

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28
Oct 09

Henninger Productions – Corporate Executive Board

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28
Oct 09

Henninger Productions – General Dynamics “Unrivaled Advantage”

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28
Oct 09

Matt Witkowski Demo Reel

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28
Oct 09

Phelps Kelley – Sound Design & Audio Mix

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28
Oct 09

Henninger Productions – Mt. Rainier

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28
Oct 09

Graphic Design – We Do Print!

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28
Oct 09

Ted Snavely – HD Color Correction

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