Reel Rants

The Definitive Multicam Workflow
The Definitive Multicam Workflow
In this lengthy episode, I show you the complete Multicam workflow including what happens when you are moving projects back and forth between libraries. Read more...
Off the Tracks Documentary
Off the Tracks Documentary
 If you haven’t heard, "Off the Tracks" is a documentary created by Bradley Olsen from Salt Lake City. He was nice enough to answer some of my questions. Here’s the... Read more...
Lights and Shadows Cheat Sheet
Lights and Shadows Cheat Sheet
Lights and Shadows has a lot of control, but sometimes- it even leaves me with a bit of confusion as to which lights are on and I'm the one that created this!... Read more...
When Codecs Go Bad
When Codecs Go Bad
    What is a Codec?  Codec is short for Compression Decompression, which is the ability and workability for a computer to read and display data. There have been many video... Read more...
Gary Leva's Films about Films
Gary Leva's Films about Films
   Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, I found this to be really interesting. Gary Leva has some other great documentaries on his Vimeo page you should also check out, especially if you... Read more...
How does an Editor Think and Feel?
How does an Editor Think and Feel?
This video tries to explain the internal process editors go through when cutting. For me, the Editor shouldn't be completely submerged in the story. They should maintain an out of the... Read more...
DVD Zombie
DVD Zombie
 DVD was created in 1995 and was instantly a success from VHS tape for home video. This was over 20 years ago! When Blockbuster video introduced DVD's for rent, consumers... Read more...
Editor's Health and Wellness 
Editor's Health and Wellness 
     I noticed something recently- my computer is getting further away from me and I am stretching out my arms further to reach the keyboard. My back is hurting... Read more...
What computer should I buy for video editing? (Hint: The best one!)
What computer should I buy for video editing? (Hint: The best one!)
 This question comes up a lot and it can be just as confusing as the famous "Which camera should I buy?" question. Purchasing a computer, like a camera, is an... Read more...
Goal Finding
Goal Finding
Career choice is only an option when you stand in your declared future and take actions to get there. All my life I have always wanted to create videos for... Read more...
METAL
 For me, the only reason to upgrade to El Capitan (10.11) is METAL. If you're running any type of Pro-App- you should benefit from the faster graphics performance. However, if you're running a Mac older than 2012, it will not be compatible even though El Capitan could be.   What is METAL? This is what Apple's says,   "Metal is a new graphics core technology that gives games and apps near-direct access to the graphics processor on your Mac, delivering enhanced performance and a richer graphical experience. Metal speeds system-level graphics rendering by up... Read more...
El Capitan Commeth
 The latest operating system by Apple is coming tomorrow. As a professional who relies on technology, namely- Final Cut Pro, I am looking forward to the accelerated Core Animation and Core Graphics all thanks to Apple's new graphics technology- Metal which promises to "boost system-level rendering by up to 50 percent, and efficiency by up to 40 percent, resulting in faster graphics performance for everyday apps.* Metal also takes full advantage of your CPU and GPU, delivering up to 10 times faster draw call performance for a richer, more fluid experience... Read more...
Femto-Photography
Lighting is always a factor when filming anything. In fact, for me, it is more important to have good lighting than to have a good camera to evoke emotion so lighting has always been an interest of mine. To shoot something at 1,000,000,000,000 Frames per second- this is amazing! I can only imagine what this technology could be in 10 years.   This is what it looks like when light actually hits something:   The device has been developed by the MIT Media Lab's Camera Culture group in collaboration with Bawendi Lab in... Read more...
Ximport vs XtoCC
Automatic Duck announced today a plugin for After Effects users to quickly take a project from Final Cut Pro X to After Effects. There is a 14 day free trial and you can keep it for $199. Visit their site at http://www.redgiant.com/products/automatic-duck-ximport-ae/   Personally, I use Motion for all of my graphics, but I know a lot of you love After Effects. Alternatively, for $49 you can use XtoCC (formerly Xto7) from Intelligent Assistance to do pretty much the same thing- along with going to Premiere and Audition.  Lastly, let's not forget about Clip Exporter... Read more...
Unit 9 Films
You may have seen the video "Most Shocking Second a Day Video" and if you haven't, take a look:   After doing some searching around online, I found Unit 9 films. Director Martin Sterling says:  “We wanted to make something that would resonate on a global stage and feel contemporary and relevant to modern audiences. That’s why we took the conflict in Syria and placed it in London.”  This concept was really amazing- and having a shooting schedule of just two days- even more incredible! I recommend you dig around on Unit... Read more...
Presenting and Recording a Live Workshop
  Facilitating is not for the faint of heart. Many people say that they fear public speaking more than they fear death. Then, to add that, being recorded- most people would say, “No thank you!" What I have created is a network of professionals or Final Cut enthusiasts and my local workshops is something that I, myself would want to attend- for free. Once I made the decision to film myself, I started thinking of more ways to make this workshop amazing and I felt that my workshop was so full... Read more...
Do Not Update FCP X!
 Apple released updates to Final Cut Pro, Motion 5, and Compressor 4 today. They seem to be bug fixes (thank goodness!) My suggestion is to update very carefully. First, backup. Yes, everything. Also make sure any plugins or 3rd party effects are not affected- you'll have to check to see if the companies who make them are ready or if they also need updating. Second, quit all the apps place them in your Applications folder into a folder of their own. Then, Control-Click (Right-Click) and choose Compress. The older versions are now... Read more...
Filmmakers Drinking Bourbon
  Alex Elkins and Branden Faris are filmmakers who just happen to like to drink Bourbon. Mix them all together and you have a podcast that is aged just right. Be careful, its not all fun and games- you might learn something. Join in the conversation: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/filmmakers-drinking-bourbon/id991235729?mt=2 and here is their website: http://www.fdbpodcast.com Be sure to check out their "Ask us anything" button to- you guessed it, ask them anything.   Read more...
Why FCP X works for me.
 I like what Chris Fenwick says on his Podcast FCPX Grill, "FCP X solves problems editors didn't know they had. When I open a project and start editing, I get a sense of the user interface disappearing and the creativity has plenty of room to grow and thrive. FCP X is not for everyone, for me it has many innovative features. Companies like Blackmagic who make Divinci Resolve have blatantly been inspired by the look and feel of FCP X.  In my opinion, the future is online, cloud based editing. Imagine... Read more...
Left Behind!
 When my nieces came to visit for a weekend last summer, they asked me what I wanted to do. Naturally I said, let’s film something! So, with my gear we shot all day on Saturday and then I edited it before she left on Sunday. Whew! I give credit to using Final Cut Pro X for such a fast edit. We were inspired by The Twilight Zone while vegging out on Netflix. Enjoy!  Read more...
Blue Goggles Films
  I just want to give a very loud congratulations to the Blue Goggles cast and crew of the horror films' horror film- "Last Girl Standing" which had its debut showing in London at the FrightFest film festival. So far, reviews have been great, which is deserving of these hard working and talented group of filmmakers. It is ironic that Director Benjamin Moody was influenced so heavily by the horror films of the 70's and 80's and on the day of his film debut, the news of Wes Craven's passing... Read more...
Speeding in LA
  Getting all geared up for my shoot in El Segundo, CA. I’ll be playing the part of Director, DP, PA, Editor, Grip, and Sound. Crazy right? I’m excited! Some equipment I’m bringing are portable LED lights, an Edelkrone Slider, and a Zoom H6 recorder with wireless lav’s. Shooting SLT style with a full frame Sony a99. Read more...