July 20, 2015
News. Training. Insight. 

WELCOME BACK!

It's the middle of the summer and there's just no news happening anywhere. Things SHOULD be really slow... But, for some reason, I've got a whole lot of cool stuff to share with you this week: new articles, new bundles, a KILLER new webinar and a great contest!

Still, I need to start with some bad news. I managed to catch a summer cold, so we are delaying the launch of our Summer School course for two days to give me time to finish recording the first two classes. The series is called: Editing: Techniques and Technology. This means you can still join the class at the pre-registration price. Learn more here. The entire course is on-line, so you can learn at your own pace at home.

Our two recent webinars on 3D Space in Motion were big hits.  So, we created a bundle where you can buy both webinars for the price of one. Learn more here. (We also upgraded our Master Motion 5 bundle. Existing customers will get an email later today with upgrade instructions.)

Thinking of webinars, we have a session this week that I'm VERY excited about. We are starting a new series called "A Conversation on Craft." This week, we feature the very talented Casting Director: LJ Stevens. She has 20 years experience connecting actors with directors. This week, we will dissect a casting session to learn what producers, directors and actors each need to know to get the people and jobs they want.  This will be fun! Register here.

Thinking of fun, we launched our Creative Truths contest last week. We already have dozens of entries - and our first winners! See the weekly winners here. Plus, we now have prizes! The folks at Unity Intercom have donated a communications system. Entry is free, fun and funny. Click here. Enter often - we will run this contest till sometime in September. I'm really looking forward to reading your entries!

We have lots more exciting things planned this summer. Can't wait to share them with you. See you next week!
 
Larry Jordan
Larry Jordan & Associates


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In This Issue
ShortNotes
SUMMER SCHOOL 
Editing: Techniques & Technology
The idea behind this brand-new course was the success we had with "The Craft of Editing."

Starting Wednesday, we are offering a nine- session, seven-week class focused on how to tell stories with moving pictures.

This class is more than just explaining technology, my goal is to help you learn how to use technology to captivate an audience and enhance our stories.

This class builds on what I teach at USC and includes practice media you can use during the course. We release a new class every week.

Pre-register today and save money. Here's the link to learn more.
CREATIVE TRUTHS CONTEST
The last time we ran this contest, in 2013, I couldn't stop laughing. And now, it's back: The 2015 Edition of our Creative Truths Contest.

Share your aphorisms with the world - win prizes - become wickedly famous! Or, well, at least have a good time reading!

Enter here.

THIS WEEK'S WINNERS

We pick 3-4 winners each week. David Mills is one of our four winners this week:

"Adding a convincing laugh track is no laughing matter. It can bring you to tears."

See all our winners here.
MASTER 3D IN MOTION 5
We created a special bundle of our two most recent webinars:
  • 3D Space in Motion 5
  • Go Deeper Into 3D Space in Motion 5

These two webinars start at the beginning of 3D by simply changing the position of a clip. By the time you are done, you are moving lights, cameras and sets in 3D like a pro.

 

Best of all, for a limited time, you can get both these webinars for the price of one!  

 

Save 50%.

 

Click here to learn more and order. 

NEW! Master Compressor 4.2
We have a new training bundle for June:             Master Apple Compressor 4.2

High-quality video compression is critical in today's online world. So we put everything you need to know to make the most of Compressor in one place.

This complete and up-to-date training starts with the basics, then moves into every feature - new and old - inside Compressor.

Then, we added the research I've been writing about for the last two months on how to compress faster and better, along with a specific online session that covers what you need to know to compress video for the web.

Order today and SAVE 40%. Offer expires soon.
currentwebinars

Webinars
LAST WEEK'S WEBINAR
GO DEEPER INTO 3D SPACE IN MOTION 5.2

This week's session builds on the intro to 3D space we made two weeks ago.

This week, I illustrate:
  • How to add custom lights
  • How to work with 3D text
  • How to animate lights
  • How to animate lighting colors
  • How to add and animate cameras
  • When to use keyframes and when to use behaviors
  • How to work with multiple sets
  • How to work with multiple cameras
This webinar will get your creative imagination spinning. Purchase your copy here.

P.S. I'm delighted to announce that this week's  Webinar is supported by PremiumBeat.com, providing high quality stock music for all your video & film projects.
THIS WEEK'S WEBINAR
THE CRAFT OF CASTING

We are starting something new this week: a series of conversations about other crafts involved with production.

This week, we meet LJ Stevens. She has 20 years experience as a casting director and our goals are to focus on what producers, directors and actors need to know to make the most efficient use of a casting session.
  • How do you organize a session?
  • What should you ask an actor to do that will help the director figure out if they can handle the part?
  • What should a director prepare for a session?
  • What should an actor prepare for a session?
The live event is FREE, register today.

P.S. I'm delighted to announce that this week's  Webinar is supported by PremiumBeat.com, providing high quality stock music for all your video & film projects.


Buzz
Digital Production Buzz
THE BUZZ CONTINUES TO GROW

If you haven't watched or listened to the Digital Production Buzz recently, you're missing a lot!  We've added a new product demo segment called "Tech Talk," a look back in time with Buzz Flashback, plus Randi Altman's "Perspective on the News."

And our guest list has never been stronger. This week, we started with Bill LaChasse, he's been high-end photographic advertising campaigns for 30 years. In this segment, we look at some of his work and talk about specific techniques for lighting for advertising. Then, Jonathan Handel provides an update on the recent SAG-AFTRA rates for indie films. Actor rates have gone up, but for most small budget films are still affordable. Then, Suzanne LaChasse is a producer and actor in Los Angeles. She shares her thoughts on what it takes to survive as an actor in LA.
  • Watch the entire show here.
  • Listen to the entire show here.
  • Read the show transcript here.
By the way, the Buzz website is evolving. Come visit and check out our new look!


artvids
New Articles & Videos
I have four articles and videos for you this week!

My two articles discuss frequent questions I get from Final Cut Pro X users: on importing and trouble-shooting. Then, the two videos are excerpts from our recent Motion webinars.

I also updated our Top 3 Lists. As always, let me know what you think and I'll see you next week!


Article01

FCP X: How to Import a
Portion of a Clip
ARTICLE

This is an illustrated explanation of why you can't always import portions of a media clip into Final Cut Pro X, along with examples of what you can do and what you can't.

Final Cut Pro X:
Trouble-shooting
ARTICLE

 When Final Cut Pro X starts acting up, it may not be your hardware. Instead, it may be a software problems.

Here are five things you can try to get FCP X working before you call Apple Support.


Read the article here.



Article02
Motion 5:
Animate Lights in 3D
VIDEO

In this excerpt from our recent "Go Deeper into 3D Space in Motion 5," I illustrate how to position custom lights in 3D space and how to animate them using 3D text.

Motion 5:
Animate Cameras in 3D
VIDEO
 
In this excerpt from our recent "Go Deeper Into 3D Space in Motion 5," I illustrate how to animate camera movements using different behaviors and the big benefits of using one specific behavior over another.

Watch the video here.



Articles03


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. 

 

  

 NEW & IMPROVED!
Video Compression:
 
Master Apple Compressor 4.2
This Master Collection includes everything you need to know to learn Apple Compressor from the ground up.

This bundle includes our comprehensive Compressor 4.1 training, then updates it with all the new features in Compressor 4.2.

Then, we put the software to the test to see if it was any faster than previous versions - and discovered is is more than THREE TIMES faster than Compressor 4.1!

NEW TRAINING NOW SUPPORTS
COMPRESSOR 4.2

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.

Everything you need - all in one place. 51 movies, more than six hours of training!

popular
Top Three + 1 Lists