We all seem to be spinning too many plates or juggling too many balls in the air when it comes to work.
This episode talks about the ways you can help improve your multitasking skills and prioritizing your tasks. From the macro (organizing larger feature projects into manageable steps) to the micro (prioritizing the minutes of your day), we could all afford to become better masters of multitasking to avoid being buried in work.
8K video hath arrived to YouTube! Actually the ability to upload 8K video has been there for a while but it seems there's someone with the ability to shoot and upload a short doc called "Ghost Towns" in full 8K resolution. Test out your internet streaming speed and press play on it. Do you notice a huge difference in the clarity of the image? (https://youtu.be/sLprVF6d7Ug)
We discuss a few noteworthy points from the big Apple update at WWDC 2015. There were only a couple of interesting points for post-production folk. Nick is excited that humanity is a step closer towards having a personal JARVIS. (http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/8/8745353/apple-wwdc-2015-highlights-announcements-recap)
Follow us on Twitter and let us know what you think of this episode (www.twitter.com/CommandEdit)
They are the holy trinity of networking tools for any post-production minion: the business card, the demo reel and the CV.
There are those who swear by them and label them as must-haves. Others think differently and choose to not use them at all. Which camp are you in?
Every editor means to get around to updating his/her CV or reel but it seems to only become a priority when you receive an email from a producer asking for them before they can hire you.
Nick and Josh discuss the benefits to using each to score your next job, and how you can use them more efficiently. Plus we explain why and when we don't bother using them at all.
Does the concept of an editing demo reel even make sense?
Are business cards a good investment or is there a better way to give your info that costs you less?
Should you create a CV or is it okay to just link to your IMDB page?
Follow us on Twitter and tweet us if you use any of these tools to nail down jobs.
Nowadays it seems like you can throw a stone and hit 5 editors. The industry has exploded over the past decade and in the struggle to get noticed and hired some have taken different approaches. Some treat other editors strictly as competition and work hard at improving their own skills and marketing themselves. Some treat other editors as collaborators, brothers-in-arms to team up with and support one another in their careers.
It may seem that taking the competitive approach is a negative one, but there are some advantages to it. As well, there are times when collaborating and building a team can help further everyone in attaining a booming career.
Somehow Nick manages to squeeze in Nash's Equilibrium theory and a strategy for getting laid into his explanation on how to decide whether to compete or collaborate.
Not everyone is looking for someone to collaborate with (or be a mentor to) and you can expect some to not react well to a proposition to work together for experience. Listen at the [30:28] mark for a story about an encounter Nick had with a gruff veteran photographer and the price he had on working together.
SHAMELESS PLUG TIME:
Nick's first feature edited for Black Fawn Films was recently released. The Drownsman (2013) was the first time Nick worked on the edit of a film while it was in production and it changed his career path forever. It's available on iTunes for $12.99 (https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-drownsman/id982105972) and on Amazon on DVD/Blu-Ray (http://www.amazon.ca/Drownsman-Blu-ray-Import/dp/B00UJH1R60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434465267&sr=8-1&keywords=the+drownsman).
Josh has released a blog series titled "Over the Editor's Shoulder" chronicling a new series he is editing. It's split into 4 parts and you can see his daily progress and tips for editing faster. http://www.editvideofaster.com/otes-part1/
We start out with a couple of shout-outs to some of our loyal listeners and retweeters so far.
Jaclyn Rogers, Michael Cardilio and Rachel Bogan have been some of our top contributors this past week. Thanks for tweeting us and for sharing our episodes.
The Shameless Plugs of the Week: Nick is back from the set of Bed of the Dead, the latest horror feature from Black Fawn Films that he was editing on-set while they were filming.
Internet fans were abuzz with opinions on the Supergirl 6-minute "trailer" for the TV series premiering in the fall. It was described by some as "The Devil Wears Prada mixed with that SNL Black Widow parody trailer. Some editors have taken it upon themselves to re-edit the trailer by slimming it down considerably and amping up the action while ditching a lot of the "ditzy, urban girl problems" material. Nick has started cutting his own version, too.
How do you set up your editing suite and office so that you can better concentrate and do your best work? Some editors have personal touches that they put on their work space, personalizing it and making it there own. Some are neat and tidy. Others are messy and more decorative. Some swear by 18% grey walls and balanced lighting. Others not so much.
There are some things that you can do to improve your work space and allow you to edit better. Listen on to hear from Nick and Josh and about what might work for you.
This episode is brought to you by ScreenLight, the service that allows you to easily share and collaborate with others helping to get your project to approval faster.
This episode marks the first of our podcast that has an official sponsor. Screenlight saves you time on your editing projects and makes you look like a pro in the eyes of your client. Upload your videos to a customizable gallery with ease and allow your clients to easily offer frame-accurate feedback. It’s a great service that gets projects to delivery quickly, which is a win for everyone. Both Josh and Nick have used it for both commercial and feature-length productions and it has proven to be an incredibly valuable tool. The best part is it’s 100% free for you to start using right now. Head over to Screenlight and sign up to use it for your projects now.
For shameless plugs this week: Nick hosts another podcast called Limited Release that features reviews of web series and insightful interviews with filmmakers. Check it out to hear all about how web series are produced and which ones are worth watching. Josh has started one-on-one coaching for those who look to improve their editing game. Whether they want to become more efficient with AVID Media Composer, get better at dealing with clients or market yourself better, head over to Edit Video Faster to sign up for an intro session with him.
Michael “Dorkman” Scott is a VFX artist who was struck by a car a year ago and has been on a long, arduous road to recovery. You may know him from the viral Ryan vs. Dorkman video series from the mid-2000’s that were pretty much the first successful Star Wars fan films. His recovery has been covered by his family through the Support Dorkman Facebook Page and just recently he celebrated being able to enjoy a walk outside with some support. Michael, you’re an incredibly person and we all wish you a full recovery. We look forward to seeing you swinging a light sabre again.
An editor is only as good as their edit suite. Well, that may not be entirely true, but it’s incredibly important to maintain your computer’s health and keep it at peak performance. The task list to do so can be dizzying: back up hard drives, upgrade your processor and RAM, and constantly researching new computers and accessories. Plus the rate that technology is changing stresses the need to stay on top of all of this. How long have you had your computer for without upgrading it? Do you have any regular tasks you do monthly to keep your computer running strong?
Your projects will rarely go perfectly according to plan. Because of this every editor develops his/her own workarounds to issues that tend to pop up. We discuss a few that we personally use and how being a skilled editor also means being a skilled problem-solver.
Enjoy this episode and check out our page of episodes to listen to ones you may have missed.