June 8, 2015
News. Training. Insight. 

WELCOME BACK!
In just a few hours, Apple takes the stage at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference to showcase their latest plans. I don't expect any hardware to be announced, but I do expect a lot of discussion on operating systems for both iOS and desktop systems.  Just a word of caution: always be hesitant to update to the latest version of any operating system when your business is in the balance. Far better to wait and see what problems emerge. There will be plenty of folks impetuous enough to upgrade immediately. We can learn from what they discover.

It's now the start of summer, a time to relax, catch-up and learn new things. Unless you run your own business, in which case, the struggle to find work never really ends. I've got two new bundles that can help: "The Craft of Production," and "The Craft of Editing." I'm REALLY excited about "The Craft of Production" - this bundle of five movies covers cameras, mics, interview techniques, planning for the first edit and an overview of 3-point lighting. We worked really hard to fill these with great information - I know you'll find them useful. More on this in a minute.

Thinking of training, there's still time to sign up for my Final Cut Pro X "Hands-on Master Class" - we still have a few seats left. This one-day session is designed to help you solve problems with your projects. The date is June 15 and more details are below.

Thinking of learning new things, I'm very grateful for all the comments on our survey asking how we can improve the Digital Production Buzz. We have more than 1,500 responses so far! I'm keeping the survey open for one more week, but we are already changing the show based on what we've learned. Please add your thoughts here. I'll have more on what we've learned in coming weeks as we start to finalize our plans.

I spent yesterday touring CineGear. This trade show, located on the Paramount Studios lot, showcases all the latest gear for production. From lights to drones to automated camera pedestals, this was one giant toy store. My first love has always been production and one of the things I want to add to The Buzz are more product demos. As I toured the booths and talked with the folks there, I realized how much cool stuff there is to talk about.

One of my favorite sections on our website is "Popular Articles" at the bottom of the Home Page. This is a list of the most popular articles for the last 7 and 30 days. It is always fun seeing what you are reading.  To that end, I have four new articles that I hope will catch your fancy this week. As always, all the details are below.
 
Larry Jordan
Larry Jordan & Associates


Become A Member

Membership includes full access to Larry'sVideo Tutorial Library.
In This Issue
ShortNotes
JOIN LARRY FOR A MASTER CLASS
You are invited to attend a one-day hands-on master class covering Final Cut Pro X.

This day-long session is designed to help you solve problems with your specific projects. The morning starts with a class, covering the specific subjects you want to learn. Then, in the afternoon, we go hands-on with your projects, trouble-shooting and looking for ways to make them better.
  • June 15 - one-day only
  • $595
  • Our studios in Westlake Village, CA
  • Limit of 6 students

Click here to learn more. Register today!   

GROW YOUR BUSINESS
There's a new section in our website that can be helpful to anyone thinking about starting their own editing business, or looking for tips on how to improve the business they already have.

Keegan started with us earlier this year as an intern. Once he graduated, I hired him to work as part of our production team. Recently, he came to me asking questions about how to price his free-lance work. And I realized that many students are in the same position.

I told him to read this article. It explains how to price your services and create a business.

For all our "Grow Your Business" tips, visit here.
TWO AMAZING BUNDLES
Whether you prefer Final Cut or Premiere, we launched two amazing new bundles last week to kick off your summer.  (I call it: "Bundle Up for Summer" which just indicates I need to get out more.)

For you Final Cut fans, our first bundle features everything you need to know about Motion. Motion is the heart of all Final Cut effects - and the more you know about Motion, the more you can do in Final Cut Pro X. Plus, its 50% off!

Click here to learn more.

For you Premiere fans, Adobe is getting ready to launch new updates, so we reduced all our Premiere Pro CC training so you can learn what you've got now, before checking out the new stuff. Five hours of in-depth training. Even better, its 60% off.  (Offer ends when Adobe ships their next version.)

Click here to learn more.
THE CRAFT OF PRODUCTION
I'm really proud of our newest bundle: "The Craft of Production." This builds on our first "Craft" title, "The Craft of Editing and takes us into the studio to learn:
  • Interview Techniques
  • How to use cameras to tell stories
  • How to record better audio
  • A discussion of 3-point lighting
  • And a BONUS of Norman Hollyn talking about how to bring your production to the first edit.
Here you'll learn:
  • How to ask the right questions
  • How to pick the right mic
  • How to position and frame cameras
  • How light positions affect emotions
  • How
  • And much more.

This is one of my favorite packages. Learn more here and order your copy today! 

currentwebinars

Webinars
LAST WEEK'S WEBINAR
RECORD GREAT AUDIO 

This webinar is SO COOL!  I'm really excited. This week, I used all the capability in our new studio to showcase how to acquire and record great audio in studio or on location.

Working with actors and a collection of 12 different professional mics I illustrated:
  • The basics of audio
  • Where to set levels
  • How to use portable recorders
  • Recording men's and women's voices
  • How to pick the right interview mic
  • How and when to record room tone
  • Compare lavalieres, shotguns, hand mics and headsets
  • How to position and use mics
  • How to record audio indoors or outside
  • And much more
My goal was to show how all this gear works and how to make it sound great. Hear the differences with your own ears.

This is one of the best webinars we've done this year. You'll find it in the Video Training Library, or download your copy here.

NOTE: This is part of our BRAND NEW "Craft of Production."  Order the bundle today and save money. 

 

THIS WEEK'S WEBINAR
FASTER VIDEO COMPRESSION

This is a sneak peek at this week's webinars - we haven't even updated our website yet. You get the first look.

This week, we'll look back at the last four weeks of testing video compression for speed and quality, and summarize what you need to know to compress your videos faster and better.
  • What computer should you use?
  • How important is hard disk speed?
  • What compression settings are fastest?
  • How do you improve image quality?
Attendance, as always, is free - with a limit of 100 attendees each.

Register for the 9:00 AM presentation here.

Register for the 12:00 PM presentation here.

See you Wednesday!


Buzz
Digital Production Buzz
SURVEY REMINDER

I really need your opinion about The Buzz, especially if you've never listened to it. We want to learn what's important to you and what we need to cover. We need to know how much time you have to spend staying current. And what we can do to make our program even more helpful.

The survey takes less than five minutes - please share your opinions here.  Thanks!

COOL INTERVIEWS FROM THE BUZZ


Three very interesting interviews on The Buzz this week.

We started with Eddie Robison. He is the VFX Supervisor at Inhance Digital for NBC's "Grimm." We talk with him about the workflow and deadlines creating visual effects for a network television series. Then, James Cullen Bressack built his career creating horror films. We talk with him about his latest film, shot in Thailand, and what it takes to create a successful horror film. Finally, noted photographer Louis Kravitz talked about his travels around the world shooting stunning photographs. (Everyone in the control room was volunteering to carry his camera cases by the time his interview was done.)
  • Watch last week's Show Highlights here.
  • Watch the entire show here.
  • Listen to the entire show here.
  • Read the show transcript here.



artvids
New Articles & Videos
I have four new articles and videos for you this week. My first article showcases keyboard shortcuts in Final Cut Pro X.  Then, I have a video excerpt from my recent "Record Great Audio" webinar showing how to use, and not use, a shotgun microphone. Next, I have suggestions on how to optimize your FCP X preference settings, as well as an explanation of what they do.  Finally, one more excerpt from last week's webinar, providing an overview of digital audio recorders.

I've also updated our Top 3 Lists. I'll see you next week.


Article01

Final Cut Pro X:
Keyboard Shortcut Secrets
ARTICLE

This is an illustrated, detailed presentation on how to add, modify, and delete keyboard shortcuts; including two lists:
  • Keyboard shortcuts that you may not know exist
     
  • Menu options that should have keyboard shortcuts, but don't.

Keyboard shortcuts help us to edit faster. And this article shows you the secrets you need to know to make them work better for you. 

 

How to Use a
Shotgun Microphone
VIDEO
 
This is an excerpt of last week's webinar showing how to "Record Better Audio".

In this excerpt, I show you how to use a short shotgun microphone, and what not to do.

Watch the video here.



Article02
Final Cut Pro X: Optimize Preference Settings
ARTICLE

This is an illustrated presentation of the preference settings in Final Cut Pro X 10.2.1.

Here, I explain what they mean and how I configure my own preference settings.

Digital Audio Recorder Overview
VIDEO
 
This is an excerpt from last week's webinar showing how to "Record Better Audio."

Here, I explain what digital audio recorders are, how to select the right audio recording format and where to set recording levels.

Watch the video here.



Training
 
Larry's Best Training: 
Final Cut Pro X: Complete
NEW for version 10.2!
We've updated our training to include all the new features in the 10.2 release of Final Cut Pro X.

Plus, we added new or revised chapters covering:
  • An Editing Quick Start
  • Learning the Interface
  • Media Management
  • Media Import
  • Keywords
  • 3D Text and Titles
  • Inspector Effects
  • Masking
  • Color Correction
  • Video Effects Cookbook
  • And more

More than 200 movies, more than 20 hours of training - all guaranteed to get you up-and-running quickly and turn you into a Final Cut Pro X expert.

 

There's nothing better on the market. 

 

  

Improved 
Video Compression:
 
Apple Compressor 4.1
Apple continues to update Compressor with an all-new interface, improved compression settings and better monitoring. We created new training just for this version.
  • Better organized
  • More informative
  • Tighter focus on making your images look great.
NEW TRAINING NOW SUPPORTS
COMPRESSOR 4.1.2

These days, everything we do ends up on the web. Which means that if we don't know how to compress our video to make it look good, all our work during production and post is wasted.

In this in-depth video training, Larry Jordan shows you how to make the most of Apple Compressor 4.1.x. 

NOTE: We will be updating this training for the Compressor 4.2 release later in May.

popular
Top Three + 1 Lists