Quintessential Studios’ Weblog

This last week was very eye-opening for me in a few ways. It’s not that any of these ideas are new to me; it’s just that I’m looking at them from a different viewpoint. Sometimes, you just take “facts” for granted. Sometimes you have epiphanies but you don’t give them all that much credence. I’m looking at these things anew. I’m “just” realizing the implications of this information and how it will really apply to me in my future and my future career path.

It all started with LAFCPUG on Jan 18th. There Michael Cioni, from Light Iron, talked about the “transformation” of digital cinema. He talked about the current workflows and how people just need to understand that this is how it works these days.

After a couple emails with Michael, I decided to peruse his company’s website and discovered free classes that Michael delivers there. I wasn’t the only one, as many of the attendees at the Jan 25th class had been at LAFCPUG the week before too. This class, first in a series they teach, is called “State of D-Cinema”, D-Cinema of course meaning “digital cinema”. This class pointed out the history and major time points of digital cinema and touched on this thing called “philosophies”. This is where I had one of those “duh” epiphanies. People have different philosophies, this transcends all areas of life beliefs, including technical, and indeed it is hard to reach agreement between people with different basic deep beliefs or “philosophies”.

I’ve talked about this before in a different vein, old computer mainframe operators complaining that there will never be anything better than mainframes and thinking they will have a job forever. But I’ve also talked about this in the very same vein, film projectionists thinking that film will “never go away”. Well, and as was pointed out in the “State of D-Cinema”, as much as you may like film, you won’t be able to manufacture it yourself and soon the manufacturers, if not already, will stop making it. They do not make film projectors any more, period. Think about it. Digital projection is the majority now in theaters. “All will be digital!” (Until something different comes along!)

Where are we now?
With all of this “digitalness”, comes the awareness that the only ones in the process who have been doing things digital for some time now, are the post production people. I mean think about it. Even animation, a very “production” sided activity is lumped in with the techies in post. Why is that?

Now, with the state of digital cinema as it is, we have post personnel needing to be a part of the production phase more than ever. It is so much so, that really, post is production. We have DIT’s, Data Wranglers, etc. on the set. We have to apply coloring samples to the raw picture so directors have an idea of what they will get in post. And we have lots of technology sitting there in “production” that once was just in the editing bay.

This is just a scratch into the surface of what is all there and expected right here and now. There is wireless transmission of “instant” dailies and on and on. What the heck will the future be like? Post is Production, there’s no doubt. It’s even a little pre-production.

More on the technology of post
Post production software has transformed too and is even transforming more than the general public is aware of. Final Cut Pro X floundered on the scene last year to much disgruntlement. It was “mainframe operators” saying you can’t get rid of mainframe computers, really. Since post is really all technology (not talking about the art of cutting, just the tools), then we really have to look to what technology itself is doing.

iPads and tablets are where computing is going. It’s funny how technology goes in circles. We used to have dumb terminals in the workplace, all connected to a, you guessed it, a mainframe computer. Then we got desktops networked into the mainframe. Then the mainframe went away. Or did it?

Let’s face it. Software is going to the cloud. Storage is going to the cloud. The software companies are going to subscription based software for a number of reasons. Yes, they are! There will no longer be a need for desktops. You will be able to do all of your work on “dumb terminals”. Whether those dumb terminals are iPads, iPods, tablets or mac airs, who knows. But seriously you will only need interfaces in the future. It’s all going to the “cloud”.

Current post production consists of big computers and lots of storage hardware and personally owned copies of software. Enjoy it while you can. Before you know it, these will all change.

I’m not saying I’m for this change. I’m just saying it’s an inevitable destination. I think the very aware ones are already preparing for this. I think the next level are just going with the flow of what’s here now and maybe are the bleeding edge guys. Then come the clueless who just wonder “why are they changing things that are working just fine”. And then, even below the clueless, are the “mainframe operators” who will yell to no end that “they can’t get rid of mainframes!”

Next blog post: What is Adobe Prelude?

As one gets older, time goes by faster and faster. It’ll be four years (on Feb 18) since I started on this video editing journey, when I first stepped into TEL-64, Digital Editing Principles, at Riverside Community College, taught by one Nino Giornalista and began to be amazed at this wondrous program called Final Cut Pro 6!

Since then, I’ve amassed over 100 filmmaking books, countless magazines, thirty-five film and TV and computer related college credits, some CEUs, quite a few certificate classes and seminars and a few hundred(?) hours of actual experience (including a couple IMBD credits). Even with all of this education, I would still not say I’m “ready for prime time”.

I have a firm belief in “too long a runway” will give you more opportunity to fail. So, I’m prepping for take-off soon, so that I don’t fall off the cliff. I’d rather get some miles flown away from the island toward filmmaking civilization than be forever stranded and never accomplish anything.

In my quest, I also reach back and try to help others in similar quests too. As you know, I run the Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire. I do this to help create a community in my area. It’s rewarding and I get more back than I put into it, so that’s cool too.

In taking off, it helps to have a flight plan and, per my earlier post, I’m defining more and more who I am, or more accurately where I’m going.

At LAFCPUG this last Wednesday, there was a career coach that talked about “Breakthrough goals”. These I would describe as steps toward a larger objective. This quarter, I am going to edit for someone else’s project. This is something a little bit off of my island that I feel will really start me on my journey.

I’m also going to start to finish reading the books I have. The key word there is finish. I seem to start a lot of them but an easily distracted toward some other thing. I guess this all fits into my overall goal for myself to be more streamlined. I think finishing what I start is a good definition for that goal. Shot.edit.learn has started a filmmaking book club, this should help me get through some books! http://shooteditlearn.com/blog/2012/01/23/book-club-for-filmmakers/

I am working with some others who want to work on their filmmaking goals this year too. Working together helps.

Here’s to you and you reaching your goals! If I can assist in any way, let me know!

This will be my fourth NAB (in a row). Ever since the first one, I have vowed to attend every one! They are too much fun, especially for a filmmaking gear and tech junkie like myself.

This time, Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire (IFIE), the group I founded, will be throwing a party!

Planning any type of get together at NAB can be tricky. Upon asking a potential sponsor if they’d like to help, they informed me that, while it was a secret right now, they were going to be announcing a BIG party that same night and I wouldn’t want to miss it…. I’m going forward with mine, just trying for an after-party, more so now.

So far I am aware of the following parties/events that I consider “must attends”:
• RED User Party (Sunday, 6-10-ish PM)
• *IFIE Monster Mini Golf Presents KISS Indoor Mini Golf Tournament (Sunday?)
• All In Film (on Monday)
• MediaMotion Ball April 16th Monday <- Tickets available in Feb at http://www.mediamotionball.com/signup.html
• Supermeet aka FCPUG Network Supermeet (usually on a Tuesday)
• AJA Party (?)
• ProMax usually throughs a party too…

I’ll update the list as I find out more. Comment below if your privy to any more or more details… Thanks!

Okay, so I promised to write here more often and here’s another post to help keep up with my word.

It’s already been two weeks and if barely feels like two days!

I’ve had one photo-travel getaway, had a couple of great meetings, and I almost have all the Christmas decorations put away.

I tweeted this the end of Dec: “If ‘writing is rewriting’ and ‘editing is re-editing’, I’m going to ‘invent’ myself in 2012.” I think for me, at this point, that that means I’m going to try to really define what goals I want for myself and define, more clearly, who I am. Existentially, that, really, always changes but for this phase of “me”, I am deciding to give myself some more clearly defined “boundaries”, let’s say.

Hmm… yeah… so I guess this post is really about how as much as I want to be defined, I am always well aware that life is a “globulous” organism, constantly in flux. I’ve heard it said, “You never know which road you’re on” when it comes to career. You may start out doing one thing and never realize you’re going to be heading down a path to do another thing, that you’re going to completely enjoy but that you’ve never heard of before.

Having said all of that, let me start to define who I am. By “who I am”, I mean in the working sense. This has no bearing on what kind of person I am (necessarily), my family life nor my political views (I hate talking politics, BTW), etc. I am an editor. This itself has many definitions and is my favorite label. I am a producer. I founded and run a filmmaking usergroup. I am a student (on many levels, career and life and I consider this under the term “life-long learner”).

Now that it’s clear who I am… crystal, right…? I will try to keep my future posts related to the above four labels. (Note: “editor” label will include the occasional VFX, colorist, audio, etc. [anything post related really] topics and “producer” label may include various filmmaking topics.) I have many adventures planned this year. I hope you’ll join me.

I guess I’m pretty lucky. 2011 wasn’t that bad for me. Looking over the news and a lot of Facebook posts, people are really looking forward to saying goodbye to 2011 and hoping that 2012 will be much better.

I do hope 2012 is much better for everyone. I also hope it’s better for me too, better is better, right?

I won’t say everything was great in 2011 because not everything was. Life is a pretty rocky road. You get dealt good and bad and hopefully, you have the ability to stand the bad. I seriously don’t know how some people move on from tragedy. I’ve heard it said that some lose something in their face, it becomes a little less bright or they wear their sadness there. As I get older, I feel like that slowly happens to me as well. At times, I can’t imagine living past a certain age. I thank my family for giving me the greatest reason to carry on, to enjoy seeing change and growth in their lives.

I live my life mostly in the pursuit of helping others but I also try to do as much of that through doing what I love to do too. Quintessential Studios was formed with some grand ideas. I envision a huge facility of video and audio recording and editing stages and bays. I think of it as a co-op sort of situation where the community comes and is able to take advantage of space, classes, etc. I make moves to push Quintessential Studios in this direction as much as I can, little by little. Currently we are an “independent production company” and as so, we are doing a little more each year. 2012 should be a really good year for that side of things. I also try to build the local filmmaking community by running Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire. We’re experiencing growth in that area and I’m very excited for 2012.

We have 10 meetings scheduled for 2012 and one super duper party planned for 15 April in Las Vegas during NAB! Hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who helped make my 2011 what it was and I hope you all have the best year ever coming up.

I will do my best to make it a great one. I look forward to more interaction with more people and growth along all areas. I’m really seeking some life balance this year and so far things are shaping up to be, mostly, great.

I’ll post more here too, I promise….

Do you have an interest that is shared by many or by a very rare few?  Perhaps you like photography.  That’s a big subject with a large fan base.  Perhaps you like to keep African Killifish.  That’s has a bit of a smaller appeal.  I, myself, have had various interests in my life (the above subjects included!) I’ve had more hobbies than years of my life.  I guess you could say I get bored quickly.  More than that, I get very interested in things, very easily.  Life interests me!

In the “good old days”, if you wanted to find out more about something, you’d go down to the library, check out a couple books on the subject, read up on it and give it a go.  Additionally, you could find a local store that specialized in that sort of thing and chat with the store owner for hours at a time.  The later worked very well if it was a popular activity, like tropical fish or photography.  It also helped in being able to get supplies for said hobby or future business idea.  I always seemed to want to grow whatever my hobby was into some sort of business venture.  I guess that is the entrepreneur in me!

I once saw a program on TV about this twelve-year old millionaire and he started with a pair of hamsters!  (Yes, I even tried to raise hamsters too!) I mean isn’t that what they say, “If you want to be happy, do what you love for a living!”  (I’ve also had more jobs than years of my life!)  But, I AM happy!

There have long been magazines on just about every subject too.  Sometimes, you’d get lucky and there would be a local club related to the subject of your interest, as well.  This adds a whole new level of enjoyment and education to your hobby/business interest.  I have been involved with a few different clubs in my past as well.  Heck when I was ten, I started the Riverside Tropical Fish Club.  There were only three members but I even managed to get a sponsor to donate free samples of fish food and water conditioner to the club.  After that win, I tried, unsuccessfully, to get a donated remote control car to my bright idea of a club, “The Riverside R/C Club!” Oh well! You can’t blame a kid for trying!

So, I guess you can say I’ve had a long history of starting groups.  It’s one of the best solutions for loneliness that I know of!  Join or start a group!  At the very least, you’re going to meet some cool people with the same interest as you.

A “user” group is a group of people that share an interest in “using” some thing, usually a piece of software or suite of software.  There are computer user groups too, like Mac User Groups or PC User Groups.  They are usually put together so that you can learn to use that particular thing better or to get new ideas on how to use it.  There are, for example, graphics user groups who cover creating things with graphics programs like After Effects or Cinema 4D or Maya or something similar.

One of the benefits of a user group is that with the combined membership, you have clout.  You have more clout than with just yourself.  Companies in the field want to communicate to your group and know that a group will benefit their business in many ways.  This is so true that they often give stuff to the group, like prize giveaways and big discounts.

More than the above points, user groups are just a lot of fun!  Meeting people with the same interests, talking about projects, networking, getting new ideas, etc. are some of the great aspects of being a part of a user group.

Currently, I am signed up with lots of filmmaking related user groups and attend three or four on a regular basis: Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group, Los Angeles Post Production Group, Southbay Filmmakers and Digital Media Artists Los Angeles to name a few.  This is in addition to the filmmaking group that I run myself (Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire, “IFIE”).

Each meeting or meetup I attend is great.  Very nice people are there and we all share a passion for what we do.  I can’t say enough about networking.  The bonds from a user group are usually a lot stronger than ones made “on the street”.

I see all kinds of people at user group meetings, from ones who just come to see the presentation and never talk to anyone to those who have their core friends that they meet there to those that are really good at meeting lots of people and engaging many conversations.  So, whoever you are, there’s a place for you there too!

My own group uses a lot of different things.  So, I have set out to make it an official user group for whatever products we use.  We are an official Avid User Group, an official Adobe User Group, an Apple User Group, a Focal Press User Group, a Peachpit User Group, an O’Reilly User Group and a Sony Vegas User Group.  Each of these designations has its own unique benefits.  All of which translate to a better user group experience.

User groups usually have a set meeting date and time, say the first Wednesday of the month, like mine, from 7 to 10 PM. Some are very strict with their schedule and start and end on time and others are a bit more lax and tend to go over, like mine!  I think the only problem I have is that I want them to go on longer.  Some groups have after-meeting get-togethers, like over pizza or beers or a late night Denny’s run, for the hard core members (who don’t have to be home so soon). Some are held AT a pizza place!

They also usually stick to a basic format, say some networking or introduction time, announcements, presentations of various sorts and then a raffle or auction of some sort.  The prizes are sort of an enticement to stay till the end, usually.

Like the good old days, we still have the options of the library and the local store owner.  But unlike the old days, we have all kinds of new ways to get information.  The Internet has helped tremendously, not only to look up information regarding your interest but also to find user groups to join!  Meetup.com is a great place to start looking.  If any of the above sounds appealing to you, I recommend finding a user group near you to join.  Not only join, but attend the meetings and functions.  You’ll have a blast.

My impression of In the Cut: Employing the Art of Editing Seminar by Thomas Ethan Harris at the Egyptian Theatre 2/17/2011

Part I

It’s hard to convey the sheer brilliance of the seminar a lucky few of us had the chance to attend last night.

I’ve seen glimpses of this type of information, namely in two places, Peter D. Marshall’s directing course and in an introductory speech by Professor Daniel Jacobo from Chaffey College on the Tao of Super 8.

Granted I have not attended any film schools nor have I studied too in depth in regards to film theory, but I would agree that this type of expertise could probably be gotten at any film school, through lots of diligent study, but this night we were treated to an intensive course in intelligent filmmaking through exposure to some great scenes and lively discussion about the particular editing techniques used (or not used).

As a fairly new editor and filmmaker, I was completely unaware of the insidious disease that has been being transmitted to the youthful filmmakers of my and the upcoming generation of filmmakers, the infectious disease of (actually less-than) mediocre filmmaking.

It didn’t take long to discover that I and thousands of “filmmakers” the world round were engaging in unsafe activities and further propagating the existence of such deadly things as “mumblecore”!

It was nice to get professional treatment right there on the spot, in this make-shift “clinic”, the Steven Spielberg Theatre at the Egyptian. An “inoculation” directly applied to the filmmaking wound of mediocrity that is festering and infecting the future of filmmaking.

“Dr” Thomas Ethan Harris not only provided emergency treatment but also provided education to help us prevent future outbreaks….

To read more go to http://bit.ly/frdpmN

At the end of 2009, I felt kind of alone, in regards to filmmaking.  The people involved in the projects I’d been a part of, kind of went off to do their own things and I was left in a creative void.  In fact, it was quite a deep, empty void, for me personally.

I felt deep inside that it was my own fault that people were disbanding and I’d even had some harsh words to some.  I felt regret and remorse in my heart and, honestly, felt very near to ending it all.

That probably isn’t a very positive PR thing to admit, but I feel that maybe I should talk about it because there may be other people out there, who might be experiencing similar thoughts.

One particular day, as I was leaving school, almost with the intent to end it all, I decided to visit a friend. I figured I’d kind of get some things off of my chest and start to make my rounds, to tie off the loose ends, so to speak.  I also knew in the back of my mind that communication was always the key to solving problems, so it might help me out of my doldrums too.

I guess, luckily, he was home.  We talked about random things and eventually got around to how I wished I had had more filmmakers or people interested in filmmaking around, people who want to learn the things I wanted to learn and shared the same passion for it as I did.

We talked about successful groups that we had each been involved in, groups of all types, beer making groups, tropical fishkeeping groups, etc.  There were some things that each had in common.  Just having someone to listen to me, helped.  Talking about those groups, sparked something in me.  I decided to create a filmmaking enthusiasts group (and subsequently, to put my death plans on hold.)

Honestly, I didn’t care if it was just a bunch of people who wanted to get together once in a while and drink coffee and talk filmmaking.  The point was to have a group, some like-minded folks to be around, to build comradery.

I started to promote locally to see if I could garner any interest.

Jan 5th, I got six people to join me for coffee.  Everyone there was very interested in starting a group and felt that it was definitely a needed and worthwhile venture.

I decided to front up the money to put the group on Meetup.com and went to work promoting the hell out of the group.

Over the last eleven months, we’ve grown to over 300 registered members and a good average of 50 people in attendance to our monthly meetings.  We have over 30 sponsors and lots of support from various other groups and organizations.  I truly do plan to take this to an even higher level next year.

Our end of the year/one year anniversary meetup/”mini-expo”, while not as big as I’d planned, was quite a success overall.  It was held at the UC Riverside’s Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts.

We had presentations from Douglas E. Welch, Maxon Computer and Avid.  We gave away nearly $6,000 in prizes. Everyone seemed pleased.

If you are interested in joining IFIE, please sign up here: http://IFotIE.com

Quintessential Studios Action

Production wise, I’ve been still shooting B camera at LAFCPUG meetings, completed some marketing videos for a chiropractic marketing firm and some of their related services, covered a couple events, shooting stills and video and even did some shooting at a cousin’s wedding. (“I don’t do weddings”, BTW.)

I’ve helped produce/fund a couple of independent crowd-funded films: ‘Invasion of the Not Quite Dead’ and ‘Solomon Grundy’.

I’ve attended MANY industry expos and conferences and even was a technical adviser and cameraman for one (paid).

In October, I produced a live shoot for the band Pandemic Unleashed.  One of the videos can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=180094208668072&oid=197727010181

Educationally, I’ve completed three more college classes this year: Sound Recording in Media, Advanced Editing (FCP) and TV Studio Equipment.

In Summation

People can become depressed for many reasons.  That’s part of life.  It’s not a chemical deficiency.  It’s a lot of things.  The main thing that IS going to help them, though, is communication and understanding.  Be there for people and listen.  My friend saved my life and he doesn’t even know it.  I’ve decided to take the time to be interested in others and to help see them through to reaching their goals in life.  Actually, I’ve kind of always been that way.  I just wanted to point out that you do matter and we can help each other out, every day.  And, a little goes a long way.  So, thanks for being interested in what I do and say and I hope I am able to return the favor!

A premier expo for filmmaking is heading to the Southland this September, the Digital Video Expo.

The DV Expo (www.dvexpo.com) comes to the Pasadena Convention Center Sept. 28 – 30.

The expo is comprised of a conference and exhibits. The conference includes education, some free and some that costs extra. The exhibit hall is open to all and a free exhibit hall pass is currently available.

Free exhibit hall passes and early bird pricing is available now and up until Sept. 11th. There is a discount code for add-on conference events as well. Discount code to use for that is “IFIE”. That saves you $50 in addition to any other discounts.

Expos are a great way to learn about the current equipment that’s out there and what’s coming and a great way to try things out, hands on. Many times you are face to face with the heads of the companies, themselves. Suffice it to say, the people representing the products at the exhibit hall booths are highly knowledgeable and can answer any questions you may have.

Some free education and presentations that can be found there are lighting master classes, “The New Now — Surviving the Changing Business of Production” along with first Looks at Panasonic AG-3DA1 3D camcorder and Canon XF305 and XF300 camcorders.

There are also meetings of industry groups such as the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group, International Digital Media Alliance, Digital Cinema Society and the Los Angeles Post Production Group. These are great opportunities to meet and network with working professionals in the film and TV industries.

The Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire will be there checking out all the great exhibits and taking in many classes. So, it would be a great opportunity to network with some local filmmakers as well.

In addition to having many sponsors and a rapidly growing membership base, Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire (http://IFotIE.com) is now an official Adobe User Group, given the moniker Inland Empire Media Users Group on their groups site (http://inlandindiefilm.groups.adobe.com/).

Please join us there and our meetup group and help build a stronger support base.

We are also a Peachpit Publishing Partner and that means a great discount on Peachpit Press books!