Film / TV / Media Crew - Technical, employment opportunities and ranting

If I'm listening to voice reels I usually have to make a decision quickly so I respond positively to those who front load their reel with diversity before settling into longer examples. It can help to have a name but not necessarily contact details at the front as well. Partly will depend where the reel is - on your own site / on LinkedIn in / on a voice site / with an agent etc. So think about how the end user will listen to it but also share it with clients for review. SoundCloud is handy if you enable download options. I don't usually progress with reels that put walls around the file making it impossible to listen to unless you click play on a specific website. Also handy to have a few different reels depending on your voice/range/market/the type of work you do and are interested in.

What files are you editing? Will you be using proxies or straight from cam? Are you mastering or just doing cuts and passing it to someone else? using the screen only or plugging into a monitor? Any other peripherals (13" doesn't have as much flex as 15/16").

If you can hold off, expect a lot of intel macs to be sold at a decent price when the 16" m1x appears (possibly March, if not July).

I bought a 2017 15" 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 with 16gb and SSD and its magic for premiere, photoshop and After effects. Much better than my old 2010 13" and was like £1400

Running Pro res files of my Odyssey on Sandisk extreme USB C drive and it flys.

Probably using files straight from cam,
Primarily doing rough cuts/off lines for someone else to online, will be used with a second monitor, will be using a Wacom tablet with it as well.
I’d love to wait until March but my work situation is in flux and I’ll need to get something in the next month.

Hi filmy media folk. I’m after some advice for me to offer my son. He’s 19, and studying film and TV at Middlesex uni. He’s got camera operating skills, sound and editing.
Well I say studying, but what with CV19 and all he’s done nothing but online lectures, which I think has really made it hard for him. (I know it must be same for everyone) He’s a practical person, really hands on, really keen to get on and get his hands on something practical and real.

When we speak I can tell he’s struggling but being stoic...I’m mainly advocating for staying on in there and hoping the course can properly get going soonish, but also realistically, his other options are to switch course or leave and get a job.

What would you do?

Also, any opportunities for any work or experiences that you know of? Cheers

What cameras?

How far into the course is he i.e Year 2 of 4 or? Assume first or second year due to age.

Does he know what area he wants to work in like camera department or editing? (it's okay to not know, that's what the course experience is for, but it's good to start shaping an idea sooner rather than later) These type of courses usually have a large practical component so missing that will be a kick in the nads alright if that's his thing.

He’s a practical person, really hands on, really keen to get on and get his hands on something practical and real.

That's going to be hard then but he may be able to tick that box himself (or at least to some degree) with a DSLR/ mirrorless camera (if he wants to be a shooter). Little self assigned projects and the like, every time going out with a camera in hand and a purpose is very valuable (Vimeo used to do little weekly or monthly exercises like this I think). I don't know what his course setup is like but usually they have end of semester narrative/ doc shoots where the class is fully crewed up and goes out and shoots a film, unfortunately looks like he's going to have to forego that as part of the course for the best part of another year.

Also, any opportunities for any work or experiences that you know of? Cheers

Again this comes down to what area he's leaning towards. If he wants to be a shooter/ work in camera department I'd be buying a used mirrorless camera and shooting little pieces off my own back during down time, maybe reaching out to local acts to shoot music videos (covid permitting) and even reaching out to some local businesses for little nixers if his skill level is there.

Editing wise, it's getting in touch with local production companies and seeing if there's any bits he can help with (potential scope to do this remotely).

Getting on sets - there's way more red tape due to covid so it's going to be hard to get into that but things are getting shot still so it's worth a punt. There may be some local film job Facebook groups that could turn up some leads.

If I were him I'd ride out the rest of the semester - then over summer hopefully things will be improving Covid-wise and I'd be out there hammer and tongs getting on every set I could (whatever area he's into) trying to get as much practical experience in to make up for what's lacking at the moment for him. Then take stock before the next term starts. I can imagine doing the whole course remotely is tough going though at the moment.

Fs7’s, a7s, c300’s, arri Alexa’s usually.

Hive mind,

Think I’ve come to the decision to either buy a refurb 2017/18 15” MacBook Pro 16gb ram, or a new 2020 m1 13” MacBook Pro 8gb ram, as they work out to be about the same price.

15” has more usb c ports, bigger display (obviously) and more ram and I’m kind of leaning towards that.

But the idea of getting a new m1 is tempting.
Thoughts/opinions?

So what I listed spec wise for my MacBook is rapid with FS700/FS7?A7s and Red epic and pro res from the odyssey.

Yeah that’s the spec I’ll be getting if I go with the 15”.
Good to know it’s fast. One of the drawbacks of using older gen computers is you don’t know what you’re missing out on (speed wise) until you upgrade. But you also don’t know if the bump will be worth the investment..

I paid like £1450 for mine in the end and was like half the money of a new one. My old i7 took most of what I threw at it but it looks slow as fuck compared to the 15 now.

Please don't get an M1 for video without being prepared to send it back.

I've seen such mixed results on all sorts of codecs/containers/resolutions/software that it's making me hold off for the 16 but I know you said you couldn't wait.

Not sure the kind of stuff you're cutting but if the edits are remotely long or complex you may run into trouble. Not just mad render times but even scrubbing through the footage is hit and miss at the moment from what I've seen, depending on software etc. I know it has great hardware support for h265 (so good for something like R5 footage but less so for xavc or something from an fs7). Obviously you could create a load of proxies but if your rushes are a few terabytes of multi source material you'll be there all week.

Yeah I really want to jump on the m1 bandwagon (may not be affording a newish laptop anytime soon after this ) but it just feels too soon. And I don’t want to have big sur as my osx If I have to be sorting compatibility issues with it not working with my other apps, or files..

Me too. 100% the future but current base level isn't there yet - I've had them in my basket several times this past month! Aren't you employed though? Shouldn't employer be providing something? I'd say intel will do great for 3-5 years easy and by that time the Apple silicon stuff will be more stable/more powerful/budgets may be different.

Hi.

Saw this pop up on a feed and remembered this post. Might be of interest.

New laptop just arrived this morning. Refurb 16" 2019 macbook pro with 512gb SSD and 16gb ram.
Haven't done anything apart from download a couple of apps and get chrome up and running. Apart from a couple of marks on the charger plug and the box being a bit dented at the edges, all good.
Has a 1yr warranty with it as well so a bit of piece of mind.
Really hoping the new m1 16" that is coming doesn't make me feel like I should have waited.
Came with big sur so will have to see how that works with premiere when I get that up and running.
Thanks for helping me figure out what I needed to get.

Now to buy a shitload of usb-c adaptors and hubs..

now I've got new mac, I've got to start looking after and backing up more regularly, I've got stuff scattered across loads of drives and two computers so looking to rationalise and make the process simpler.
How are people handling their workflow in terms of working from external drives/NAS', seperate drives for individual projects/clients? How often do you back up, and what do you back up to? Cloud storage, is everyone just using dropbox, or something else.

Thanks

just been made redundant from my job of 7 years. Decent payout, but not the best time to be out looking for freelance directing/promo producing work.
Particularly galling as the new investors have spoken at length about the investment they'll be putting into the new company, but no money to keep me around.
time to press the video call/email flesh and start scouting for new work..
If anyone is in need of a director/ promo producer/ creative for anything let me know and I'll pm contact details/ linkedin/ vimeo page over.

Ah fuck. Good timing on the laptop...

You do sport related stuff right? Seem to remember seeing Wayne Rooney etc on linkedin? I don't have much at the mo but tbh I don't think things are that bleak for production. Work is definitely happening but agree it's no fun having to look one morning after not 7 years of not having to!

Awww shit Corney. Hope things pick up and you get some work going. Wishing u all the best.

FS after going to buy the new laptop and stuff. Hopefully you get something.

Buying the new laptop was part of the exit strategy to put me in position to go freelance, preemptive use of the redundancy money..

Got sent this, might be of interest to people here.

https://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/training/bfi-network-connect-collab/

That’s good then, least it’s not all bad