August 29, 2016

I have a lot of very cool stuff to share with you this week: product reviews, a secret about Final Cut Pro X, a fantastic dance montage and... an object lesson! Whew... (And sorry for not publishing a newsletter last week. I decided to treat myself to a one-week vacation.)

First, I want to call your attention to an amazing mashup edited by Michael Binder. Here's the link. Granted, I'm a huge fan of old movies and dance, but what is especially striking is how well this is edited.

By edited, I don't mean that all the cuts occur on the beat. Given the prevalence of very heavy beat tracks in today's music, its almost impossible not to figure out where to place an edit. Figuring out when to cut is important, but thinking about what is happening during the shot is even more important.

For example, as you watch this video, look at how the editor aligned the gestures in the dances to mimic the music - even though the original choreography used entirely different music. For example, the hand claps at the beginning, the golf ball rolling in sync with the "ahhh" at 0:22, Frank Sinatra's lip sync at 0:47, the matching action cut at 1:58, the sofa at 2:27, Gene Kelly's attitude at 3:10, the examples are legion. This is a text-book example of how to use the Slip tool to get the contents of your clips to match the sound track.

And, before you ask, this video could have been edited in Final Cut, Premiere or Avid. It isn't the tool that makes this magical; its the thinking behind the tool.

On a different subject, I always teach my students not to output, compress and upload projects in one step. I always create a master file so I can review it, then compress and upload it. "It takes an extra step," I say, "but the ability to check your work before posting can save countless errors and aggravation." Two weeks ago, I failed to listen to my own advice. It was the night before my eight-day vacation. I needed to cleanup our weekly Buzz show to fix some inconsistent levels. I exported the show and forgot to check it. For the first time in years, I'd managed to omit the last interview and my close to the show in the master.

When we discovered the error the next morning, I was 1,000 miles away from my source files, so I couldn't fix it until I got back a week later. Sigh...

Mistakes like this are easy to fix, if you remember to check your work before posting. I now have a big note on my computer reminding me to listen to the final version of the show before posting it. Always good advice; now if only I can remember to follow it...

I have four new articles for you this week: an in-depth product review of EditReady, a First Look at Axle Starter, and - shhh - a double-secret hidden tip about Final Cut Pro X. Plus, a highlighted article from DoddleNEWS.

Enjoy the waning days of summer. I look forward to chatting with you next week. In the meantime, edit well.

The Buzz Is BACK!

I am having such fun with this new version of The Buzz. This week, we had an eclectic program featuring:

   * Sebastian Sage
   * Ryan Postas
   * James DeRuvo
   * Laura Blum
   * Scott Page
   * Jonathan Handle

Laura starts a 2-part series on how filmmakers are showing disability, while Scott starts a five-part series on growing a creative business using SPACE. It's a fun show.

Watch or read each full episode here.

Text transcripts provided by Take1.tv. Read the transcript from this week's show here.

New shows air live every Thursday evening at 6:00 PM Los Angeles time.

Tune in here.

NOTE: The Aug. 11 show has been corrected to include the missing segments. You can hear it here.

Ideas Needed

I'm looking for ideas for future webinars.

Let me know what webinars or articles you'd like to see.

We are planning the fall schedule now, so drop me an email with your thoughts.

Remember, the best way to see all of my training is to become a member of my Video Training Library.

Everything you need, all in one place.

Webinars Return Sept. 7, 2016

Our weekly webinars are taking a break for the rest of August.

Webinars will return Wednesday, Sept. 7, with all new training covering new software and hardware.

I'll let you know what we are planning in future issues of this newsletter.

Remember my weekly webinars are always FREE.

� FCP X: Unbelievably Cool Secret Import Tip (Tutorial)

� A tip that speeds both importing and editing. Just keep it secret...

� Product Review: EditReady from Divergent Media (Review)
� An in-depth look at a brand-new, fast, flexible, video converter.

� First Look: A Better Way to Organize Your Media (Interview)

� axle Starter is an inexpensive way to organize your media.

� FilmConvert Adds Zenmuse X5 Drone Camera Support (DoddleNEWS)

� FilmConvert converts video files to match chosen film stock or color profiles.

� Illustrated List of Icons & Alerts in FCP X

� EQ: Warm a Voice, Improve Diction

� Premiere Pro: Boost & Smooth Audio Levels

� FCP X: When to use Proxy, Optimized, or Native Media

� View tutorials here

� 200: The Essential Sound Panel in Audition

� Master Apple Compressor 4.2

� Adobe Audition: Audio for Video Editors

� 198: New Features in Adobe Media Software

� View all webinars here

� Ryan Postas: Using Arri Cameras on set / in post

� Scott Page: Use SPACE to Help Business Succeed

� James DeRuvo: DoddleNEWS Update

� Sebastian Sage: Inside a Creative Journey

� View all interviews here

� 2016 Larry Jordan & Associates, Inc.