We just received delivery of our HD camera, a Sony XDCam PMW200, and accompanying accessories. This will be our principal camera for production on the Co-op Cookery. I couldn't be more excited. We are on firm footing in terms of equipment, capabilities, talent and everything it takes to produce a professional television production.

Having a camera of this sophisticated technical quality gives us a wide range of capabilities at a moment's notice. We have excellent mobility and deployment with the Zollinger steadicam brace, along with our portable lighting from Linco. Backing everything up is a 12 terabyte RAID array drive from LaCie. I also upgraded our primary editing bay's motherboard and expansion capabilities so we can handle anything allied production agencies throw at us.

The Sony XDCam PMW 200 represents the top of the line of their smaller form-factor full HD professional cameras. Its specifications meet or exceed domestic and overseas television broadcast standards. The most important tool in our creative toolbox is an great capability which will free us to work on a flexible schedule without having to be hamstrung by a lack of equipment availability.

Plus the camera records to solid state media. No delicate moving parts, no tape! This makes the camera operable in a wider spectrum of temperatures, more durable to shocks, and it is the perfect size and weight for the Zollinger steadicam brace. The little armature you see on top of the camera is for holding my smartphone which contains apps like a stopwatch, teleprompter and get ready for this, an app that is a wireless remote control for my GoPro Hero3 action camera.
--Gary O

Welcome to the Studio!

elcome to Gary Olsen's Digital Media Design website. This website is a virtual studio of work in process... especially graphic design work. But there are also movies! There is a growing number of videos representing a wide variety of projects that Gary is working on at any time. We work with a variety of clients, but we maintain a small and exclusive list because Gary does not want to provide anything short of wonderful, thoughtful and especially personal service. Besides being a designer, painter, photographer, he's a documentary film maker and television producer.

Gary's talents are grounded in classical art training, but he has over the last several years evolved his creative process fully in the digital realm. He was among the first artists to create fine art with a pressure sensitive tablet interface and he toured the country demonstrating this technology. Early adoption of desk-top publishing technology evolved into non-linear video editing. Gary has an 800-square-foot studio in which he produces a variety of video productions for clients. Below are some highlights of projects some of which Gary is still working on. Our design clients use this site to check on their projects. The web is ideal for this close client collaboration.

First of all, Gary's creative expression extends to the following areas:Graphic Design, Illustration, Movie Making and Photography. Graphic Design encompasses all forms of design for advertising and communication. It includes print, publications, and signage.

Then there's Illustration.Gary does everything from pictorials to fine-art for galleries. His specialty is portrait painting, an enterprise that has established him in his home town of Dubuque, Iowa. Gary studied under the late, great Frank Licciardi, and produces approximately a dozen portraits a year for a wide variety of clients.

Movies is a creative enterprise Gary has embraced seriously and he's produced over 400 short films for the Dubuque Community School District and several other clients. Gary shoots and produces documentaries, commecials, event videos and that includes weddings. "I enjoy the festivities and almost tribal nature of the traditions we maintain," explains Gary. "I just love the entire process, and I approach every one with the eye of a journalist.

Gary teaches photography as well as offers professional photographic services. His background is largely photojournalism, and he's taken this experience and applied it to event and commercial photography. Gary has been teaching photography workshops for more than a decade at Dubuque's Clarke College.

The Stained Glass Print Project

An extremely popular print that is sold in Dubuque area art galleries and frame shops is Dubuque Stained Glass. This art print was created by Gary Olsen in collaboration with Bryce Parks. Many people who purchase the print (proceeds benefit Maria House for women and children in need of emergency transitional housing), wonder where all of the stained glass windows in the print belong? Now you can download a key to the windows in the print, plus a production diary and more photos!. Click here.

The Grand Excusion Painting and Print

One of Gary's most ambitious projects for which he has become well known as a regional painter was The Grand Excusion Painting and Print. The painting now hangs in the Dubuque National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium at the Port of Dubuque. It is one of Gary's most successful prints.

The Main Street Print Project

If you're a Dubuque native, then you'll simply love this. It's one of Gary's trademark "Memories of Lifetime" photographic assemblages commemorating the history of Dubuque's Main Street and Downtown District Businesses. The objects that comprise the collage are all part of a vast collection of collectibles and business memorabilia belonging to friend and collaborator, Bob Redding. Bob's collection forms the basis for an exciting new project that Gary is involved in called, "The Main Street Print Project." The print project celebrates the rich history of Dubuque's downtown area, undergoing a cultural and business renaissance of sorts these last few years. Gary was commissioned by Dubuque Main Street Ltd., the business advocacy group that is celebrating a 20 year anniversary. Click here to learn more about this exciting community project, a portion of proceeds from which benefit the print's sponsor, Dubuque's Main Street LTD.

The Dubuque Historical Sign Project

The Dubuque Historical District sign project is underway, and these are the first drafts. The signs will mark the Jackson Park, Cathedral, West 11th Street, Langworthy and Old Main historic districts in the City of Dubuque. The designs passed their first hurdle with the Historic Preservation Commission, and there promises to be some modifications based on the input received. "I love the collaborative process," explains Gary. "Because you often expose opportunities one would not experience working in a vacuum." The commissioners loved the icons, however, and suggestion an additional one for one particular historic district. Stay tuned to this website for more details as they become available.

See Gary's film shot on location at Lake Seseganaga, Ontario Canada. Only Gary and his pals can turn a fly-in fishing trip to the North Country into an epic adventure. It showcases Gary's portable video production capabilities. The video was shot on Mini-DV with a palm-style camera, and the editing took place on a Dell laptop computer. If you have high-speed web connections, you can partake in a super high-quality MPEG version of this 45 minute movie. Lots of fish, lots of fun!