final cut pro + after effects

it was about a year ago today that i left freelance world behind (for now), and took up a position full-time at jerry garns studio.  we’ve been a part of some cool projects, forged new long term clients, and have improved the work with existing ones.  we also went head first into the world of shooting video.

initially, everything about this new world was a challenge:  video codecs, sound capture, timeline-based editing, new equipment, and suddenly everything costs more too.  but the reward is pretty staggering, and the method of story telling is fresh.  i went to school for photography, wanting to be a photographer and only a photographer.  but thankfully, the marketplace has changed, requiring most of us to broaden our skillset even more.  i’m learning from those that have been around the industry for awhile, that those who succeed adapt with the changing marketplace.  after writing that, i might as well slap myself in the face, uh duh.  but it’s easy to say, and an uphill struggle to do.

this past year, jerry and i have been shooting many projects with UCLA.  we’ve created many short video clips together for the UCLA fund, the department within UCLA that promotes the school with fundraising.  it’s been a great client-artist relationship, as together, we’ve pushed our capabilities to achieve what we wanted.

being the electronic sponge that i am, i was elected to shadow final cut editors and see how it’s done.  being no stranger to unfamiliar software, i got the hang of the operation of both final cut pro and after effects quickly.  the bigger beast is thinking in video versus thinking in stills.  when on set with a still camera, i know exactly what needs to happen in front of the camera, to make a good product on the other end of it.  however, with video, the way the still photographer thinks is challenged.  in a way, it’s both more forgiving and more exacting.

with video, storytelling and message are the first two musts.  with photography, storytelling and message are sometimes completely absent, and acceptably so!  the biggest learning curve hasn’t been the hundreds of pieces of equipment, overwhelmingly complex pieces of software, or the exponentially higher number of hours required to put it together, but the ability to tell a story.  the best stories are not told, but shown.

Don’t say the old lady screamed-bring her on and let her scream. — Mark Twain