Video Editor Journey

Focus, Lists and Spirals

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Focus, Lists and Spirals

Two quick updates before we get into today’s post:

What should I put up as decorations?
What should I put up as decorations?

#1 – I finally moved into my new edit bay at the office! Here’s a picture of phase 1. Next up is phase 2, which is all about decorations. Any ideas on what I should put up?

#2 – I got featured on Pro Video Coalition! How crazy is that?! Scott Simmons is doing a post production quick tip everyday this month and he offered to let me write one. Read it here!

Okay, on with today’s post about Focus, Lists and Spirals…

Have you ever felt like there is so much you have to do but then instead of doing one of them you decide to sit down and start watching TV? That’s where I’ve been for the past couple weeks. There is sooooo much going on and I haven’t gotten anything done because I don’t know where to begin.

I really want to get back on track, if I was ever actually on track, with writing more how-to or instructional posts about editing. However since this feeling is so over-whelming at the moment I feel like I should share this struggle with you, tell you what I’m doing about it and get your thoughts on the topic.

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Entrepreneuring Video Editing

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An honest discussion about making money
An honest discussion about making money

I want to get this off my chest.

I want to make money from this site and brand.

That isn’t a secret I’ve been keeping. It’s just something I’ve never fully and openly disclosed. I’d like to take the next ~thousand words to talk about it.

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Finishing Strong to Start Stronger

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There are 10,000 posts like “The Top-8 Ways to Tackle Your New Year’s Resolutions” streaming through your social media timelines and inboxes right now. This post is not one of them. This short post is to tell you that you can do whatever you want to do and give you a quick tip on succeeding in whatever goals you have whenever you have them.

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End of 2014 Challenge

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End of 2014 Challenge Are you in?
End of 2014 Challenge
Are you in?

Without fail the last two weeks of every year can be called the most anti-personal-and/or-work-related productivity period of the year.

Nothing gets done.

Nothing.

Ever.

At least nothing of any importance gets done towards your personal and/or professional goals.

Clients don’t respond. Producers go on vacation. It snows. Your in-laws stay at your house. You don’t want to workout because you’re waiting for January 1st. You are overburdened with last minute shopping and wrapping presents after one too many drinks.

I have a feeling that you’d rather use these two weeks to get something big finished instead. Maybe it’s something that’s been bugging you all year that you just didn’t get around to. Did you want to edit a family vacation video? Or write a short book? Start a website? Deep clean the garage? Why are we going to wait any longer to do these things when the opportunity is right in front of us?

I have a challenge for you. Let’s call it the End of 2014 Challenge. Together let’s take the next two weeks and complete one of these projects.

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Vacation Approaches

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Friends, My long-awaited vacation is fast approaching. I’ll be in Japan in no time and have a checklist a mile long of items to pack, devices to charge, things to remember, phrases to learn and more. Instead of trying to cram the next three weeks of blog posts and tutorials into my crazy, self-imposed schedule … Read more

Fighting Shyness in Post Production

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FightingShynessInPost

I, like the majority of video editors I know and meet, am prone to shyness. Shyness in post production is an issue that is probably costing you money and time. As I write this I’m too scared to say “good morning” to the woman I sit next to on the bus at least twice a week for the past year. My commuter bus etiquette might not interest you but did you know that your shyness could be costing you hours of unneeded time in the edit bay?

I’ll explain that along with some other ways I try to fight my own shyness syndrome in the post below.

I enjoy the solace of my edit bay like you do. I’m away from others. Just me, some Bon Iver or Greensky Bluegrass and my project. I can focus on my work without any distractions. This is never an issue until it’s time to leave my cozy, secluded world. My mind is stuck on the edit rather than communicating with producers/directors/clients.

Issues from Not Speaking Up

There are a number of issues in post production that arise from scenarios when you do not speak up because of shyness.

Pre-Production

I don’t know how many times I didn’t speak up during pre-production and it bit me in the ass later. To this day I struggle with it but know it’s better to speak my mind than wait until I’m in post production and this scene isn’t going to work and we can no longer shoot. When there are concerns during pre-production, speak up! Yes, it sucks always being the Debbie Downer but in the end it’ll be less work for you.

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My First Big Mistake as a Video Editor and How I Became a Capturing Master

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My first big screw-up as a video editor
My first big screw up as a video editor

My first big mistake as a professional video editor came quick. It’s October 2009. I’d been at my first job out of college for a couple weeks. My post production experience consisted of a handful of school projects. And Avid Media Composer? The software was still completely foreign to me. I had been using it a bit and reading the manual since starting my job but still didn’t understand why NOTHING MOVED WHEN I CLICKED IT ON THE TIMELINE! All that FCP7 training for nothing…

There are a couple things you should know about where I was working. First, we created training videos for a specific industry. Second, we were a non-profit. That means we kept as much as we could in-house. When we didn’t have to hire out for a professional voiceover (VO) artist we used one of our people. And third, we captured our VO into Avid Media Composer through a mixer into an Adrenaline.

So there I am. It’s 8:30 AM and I’m in “Avid 5” (my glorified closet) running an XLR cable from our sound booth (another glorified closest). The senior editor asked me to record a script with our VO person while she was off that day so she could start on it first thing when she got back. She ran me through the drill the day before. Plug XRL cable into the mixer. Turn on phantom power. Turn off speakers. Plug in headphones. Open Avid. Open VO bin. Ctlr+7 to open the Capture Tool (I was on a PC back then). Name the clip. Pull up faders. Mic check. Okay, I can hear the VO person. The levels on the mixer are lighting up. Hit record. Check for blinking red light in the Capture Tool. Wow…I did it!

Fast forward some two hours and 50 pages of script later.

Our VO person finishes the last line. I stop the capture. The master clip appears in the VO bin. I quickly save the bin and take a deep breath in relief. I wrap up the cable and put away the “Quiet Please” signs. I grab my second cup of coffee and settle back into my edit bay.

I double-click the master clip of the recording session to start editing out the bad takes. I press the spacebar to play the clip and silence…

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That time I opened a beer and had a website before I finished it

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Over the past year I’ve had this urge to create a website dedicated to helping people edit video faster. I’ve spent months planning. I created and recreated mind maps of ideas, topics, courses, products, etc. Started, stopped then started over again only to find myself in the same place – nowhere. All this planning took … Read more

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