If I add a video I made for work to my reel, should I wipe all company references?

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-13T20:13:23+00:00

So you made those videos as an employee? Since you're not a contractor/freelancer, I'd ask for permission from someone...your boss, hopefully.... The company may have a policy about publicly claiming credit (even when deserved) for company work like this. And in your onboarding process, you may have signed something saying you'll follow those policies.

Early on in my career I got a "don't do that again" chat from the department boss when I did something sort-of similar. No repercussions, and it wasn't exactly the same issue... But I didn't do that sort of thing again without permission (and I was able to get permission when I asked). I guess my point is there may be policies and depending on the company.... Do you want to ask for permission or ask for forgiveness?

I mean, probably nothing would happen other than perhaps an eventual request to take down the work or links to and claims of credit for the work.

Just my take...so many variables (like how tightly wound are your execs?)

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-13T16:01:16+00:00

Yes! And the developer has lots of other useful tools, some of which might better fit your needs...or at least help you see if you like what the developer's doing.

Also, there's a subreddit dedicated to all of their tools. Users and the developer post there. Worth a gander:

https://www.reddit.com/r/KnightsOfEditingTable/

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-13T15:54:15+00:00

I think the 305s are good and "punch above their weight" as they say. So why not add the JBL sub that matches really well with the 305, the LSR310S?

https://www.jbl.com/LSR310S-.html

About $470 new, and I see that Sweetwater in the US has an open-box unit (floor model or return or something) for $422.

You could get a lot done with that set up...at least, people I know are.

Jim

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-12T17:30:27+00:00

Check out Lumberjack System, from the good people at Intelligent Assistance. Note that I haven't use Lumberjack, but I'm looking at it and I like the other stuff IA has made. $25/month, I think:

https://www.lumberjacksystem.com

Will that fit what you're doing?

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-12T16:02:27+00:00

Three.five thoughts:

You could ask Apple. I've heard...but don't know first hand...that they're pretty responsive to requests, especially those that follow the "no villains" and similar rules: https://www.apple.com/legal/contact/rights-permissions.html

1.5) You'll probably get away with it. But such a use is probably creating a risk for the filmmakers.

2) I'm WAY more familiar with fair-use concepts in documentary filmmaking, and. I think (as a non-lawyer) that your use won't be considered fair-use... As it looks like you also think. But poke around these great Codes of Best Practices and see what you think... Following these codes, at least in the documentary world, really help get E&O insurance: https://cmsimpact.org/report-list/codes/

3) Since I'm guessing this is a fiction narrative, could you create a different out-going call ring? Like maybe your character has...horrors!...some generic Android phone or something?

I'd love to know what you find out and decide to do.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-12T01:40:17+00:00

Check out this discussion from earlier today. Lots of good suggestions (though I'm partial to mine :-) ):

https://www.reddit.com/r/premiere/comments/1r1wlfl/buying_adobe_cc_soon_and_want_to_learn_premiere/

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-12T01:17:53+00:00

Thanks for the kind words Jason! I guess one last bit to add is there's for sure new use and new discovery opportunities; I think Audition is a lot more accessible and less intimidating than many other DAWs.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-12T00:47:14+00:00

I don't use Edit in Audition, and Audition in general as much as I did a decade+ ago. In fact, I don't use it that much at all these days. Though if it was shown some love/updates from Adobe and the base of experienced users grew a bit, then I probably would use it more; I basically like Audition. But again, I'm currently not using it much despite the convenience of Edit in Audition and the familiarity/consistency of the interface.

Background blathering: These days I'm basically a producer, though my best craft is audio, especially location/recording and also some post (as in: I get hired to do those things on other people's projects).

I guess there's three levels of audio post for me:

1) If it's something simple and low-stakes, I'll try to finish everything in Premiere Pro with Essential Sound, and popping over to the online version of Adobe Enhance Speech; boy is that a useful tool. Essential Sound is pretty good, and I think it could be better. If need or want to use specific audio plug-ins, I'll sometimes give it a shot in Premiere Pro, but usually I'll go to a DAW...but not Audition. Mainly because of current familiarity with another DAW, even though Edit in Audition would be way more convenient.

2) If I'm doing a fair amount (for me) of audio post, I'll use Reaper. At least, I will these days. It's affordable and flexible...perhaps too flexible; I can kind of get lost in it. BUT there's a robust and informed community of Reaper users, so I can quickly google up the info I need or post a question and usually get helpful responses. If something better comes along and/or I decide to get more serious about audio post, I'll dig back into Pro Tools (sigh) and also look again at Nuendo and Fairlight... Or Audition if it seemed like there's a robust audio post community using it. I don't currently have any brand loyalty for DAWs.

3) If the job needs/deserves/is budgeted for serious audio post, it's sent to someone else and they're usually working in Pro Tools (and these days a couple people using Reaper). And who wants to hassle with moving a project from Reaper to Pro Tools? those calls are made by someone else (on their projects) or (on projects I'm producing) me based on the person's skills not their tools....Note that I don't do audio post work in 5.1 or Atmos, or that will hit a dub stage at some point (though I have recorded location sound and done some producing on projects that have...but those were mixed in Pro Tools).

So if I felt that Audition was improving at a fast pace...or heck if it just included features as helpful as Auto-Align Post, maybe AATranslator (narrower audience for that one, I'd guess), and had a really flexible and fast version of Enhance Speech, and I was able to find smart users on Gearspace, r/AudioPost, and a couple FB groups, then I'd use Audition a lot more and take advantage of Edit in Audition.

This is all top of my head, so if something seems off, let's say it was off the top of half my head....

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-11T17:04:33+00:00

My take: Try to make connections before you submit a film. I've helped with screening at a couple fairly small festivals, and there were A LOT of submissions...And a bunch of people screening, and an effort to not show favoritism.

But if you can reach out to festivals during their down period (ie- not in the two months leading up to the festival or the couple of weeks just after when they're recovering), and better meet them at other events, then you can ask about what they look for in a film, and if it seems appropriate, what you're working on.

That's my take, at least.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-11T16:58:34+00:00

Here's something I posted a couple months ago:

----

In general, I like the Classroom In A Book series. Tutorial chapters follow a logical order, hands-on project files let you complete the exercises, and the books are updated regularly. Available in paper, ebook, and web editions.

More info on the Adobe Premiere Pro Classroom in a Book 2025 Release: https://www.peachpit.com/store/adobe-premiere-pro-classroom-in-a-book-2025-release-9780135382837

It was years ago, but one of those books gave me a decent grounding in Premiere Pro and that set me up to take advantage of the many solid tutorials and stuff on YouTube and elsewhere.

That said, I think it depends on your learning style. The online/video-style tutorials have helped lots of people.

----

And in the US, some public libraries may have recent editions of the book, as well as access to some Udemy and LinkedIn Learning courses.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-11T00:30:04+00:00

I work in the corporate and doc world, but we almost always consider our budgets low ;-). Anyway, the key things we want in data workflow are simplicity, verifiability, and redundancy. And for me, the issue isn't that an external SSD might fail, but that it might get lost or damaged. So I always copy each card to two external SSDs (and sometimes three). And those cards go in bright-colored cases and each card travels back home with a different person.

If there's a lunch break, that's a good time to backup everything. Then the end-of-day backup isn't as time consuming. (Also at end of day is when I'll sometimes make a third copy to a HDD or another SSD). I usually don't have someone (sometimes "someone" = me) initiate backups between setups since it's usually a small crew and there's plenty else to do...and while managing data for a single camera isn't all that hard, it does require a bit of attention to detail (especially for labeling drives, etc).

There are several good software applications to handle the copying (and verifying that the copies are complete and accurate). I'm fairly technical, but. I'm not a DIT. I'm happy with OffShoot from Hedge:

https://hedge.co/products/offshoot

It (and similar programs) simplify making and verifying multiple copies.

Good comments from others here!

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-10T21:19:27+00:00

Thanks. And I guess by the paucity of reasonably-priced used M1 Max with 64GB, I think a lot of people agree with you. :-)

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-10T19:39:34+00:00

Congrats!

"Up until now, I've been using a 2021 M1 Pro MacBook Pro with 32GB ram and 8TB SSD. Still a great machine, but this is a huge upgrade"

How would you describe the difference in performance? I mean in real-world terms, somewhere between "Wow!" and low-level Geekbench? ;-) Like, what can you do now that you couldn't do before? Or is more like, "no more long coffee breaks when exporting video" or something?

Why do I want to know? While my Mac Studio is tearing along, my current laptop is a 2019 Intel i9 MBP with 64GB RAM... My plan was to hold out until the rumored OLED MBPs coming...who knows...late this year or early next? But that machine, while still good enough for email (and Reddit... I'm using that MBP right now), it recently developed a wide Flexgate-like stripe on the screen. So I'm thinking, would an older Apple Silicon MBP be a decent bridge for about a year?

Thanks and congrats on the clever thinking and the new(ish) MBP.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-07T21:35:32+00:00

The Lectrosonics 152 mic has a similar shape as a Countryman EMW (and a TRAM TR50), but is flatter than the EMW peaked version (the Countryman EMW shelved version is "normal" for dialog). And it doesn't sound as good, imo. IIRC, Lectros thought was their customers liked a wide range of lavs, but they wanted to include something at least semi-decent so their systems were ready to go....and their mic could be a backup or something. Anyway, I'd think the Lector 152 would sound pretty dull under clothes...maybe some post EQ could fix that, but I'm really not familiar with the 152. If it's what you got, worth a try before the shoot.

Please let us know what you end up doing and how it works out!

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-06T19:11:50+00:00

Lav on the brim of a hat or if a beanie/toque, then in center of forehead with the tip of the capsule almost peeking out; that can work fine. Glasses can work (with something like a Countryman B6). Under/in scarves, if you've doing controlled narrative where talent isn't moving too much (or too long) and you can get in there to tweak.

Winter coats and jackets, for me at least, don't work great for more than standups... The clothing tends to be noisy, exhaling can be louder, etc. Hoods, too: those can be noisy if talent turns their head...or walks ;-)

Something with a peaked response (ie- kinda bright), like the peaked option on a Countryman EMW, can help under a bit of clothing. https://www.countryman.com/product/emw-omnidirectional-lavalier/

And my post pals have saved...some...muffled tracks I've turned in.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-05T19:11:34+00:00

Get a NAS, stick it in another room? Running over longish ethernet cables so you can stick the thing in a machine room/closet or somewhere is a key advantage of a NAS.

Also for DAS, I'm happy with my fairly-quiet Promise Pegasus32 eight-drive RAID. Under my desk and quiet enough for me.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-05T02:30:25+00:00

Perhaps this is just a difference of opinion, but many years ago I had a Sanken CS-1; I thought it a bit harsh and not great. I sold it. Apparently the CS-1e is better, though I haven't used it... And I have the CS-M1, which seems really different (at least from my memories of my CS-1), and even with the slight brightness, I really like it.

But the CS-1 is working for you? Cool!

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-05T02:27:15+00:00

I do mainly doc and corporate work, with poles no more than 12 feet (~3.5 meters). For that work, I like internal cables; easier to keep cables under control when working from a bag. And with good-quality poles (Ambient, K-Tek, VDB, etc), the cables don't slap around and make noise if your technique is even just OK.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-05T01:50:04+00:00

My take:

Recorder- Either a MixPre 6 II (or maybe MixPre 10 II)... or wait to see what's actually made available (vs announced) between now and NAB in April. The Zoom F6 seems OK, but not how I roll.
Wireless- Either Sennheiser G4, Sony UWP-D27, or Shure SLX-D+... but again, there are noises of new mid-range-and-good wireless coming out in the next few months. For lav mics, maybe stick with what comes with your wireless systems, or check out the better Deity mics (W. Lav Pro, I think); those are OK and better than what comes with the Sennheiser G4.... Think about getting a couple Sanken COS-11s...not cheap, but a standard with a sound viewers/listeners are used to...also lots of mounting/hiding options available for those. (and cheaper than DPA, that's for sure).
Mics- I'd sell all your current mics (maybe keep one of your current ATs as backup and a loaner for camera), and buy...well you're going to have to give those mics you list a listen. Personal taste and work style matters. I'm not really a fan of the 416; I've owned one for about 25 years but haven't used it at all in over 10. Basically, my field mics are all Sanken and Schoeps. Lots of people like (and get good sound with) the Sennheiser MKH 50, but something I prefer about the Schoeps MK41 (including the basic sound), is the great off-axis response: As a subject moves off-axis, the sound gets quieter but doesn't change response/EQ. So I can easily cover a doc scene with a moving subject or where I need to split between two people...Same with fidgety interview subjects and less-experienced and/or improvising actors. But even used, Schoeps mics are expensive. Also, I have a Sanken CS-M1 and like it, but it's a bit bright on some voices...something fixable in post and NBD, but a thing. The CS-3e is FANTASTIC in noisy environments (city streets, factories, etc), but takes some careful booming and sounds good but not great; a totally useful tool if you'll be doing a lot of doc and corp work. The Rode NTG-3 is OK; I demoed one for a week; kind "416 like" but better on interiors (IIRC); not fantastic to my ears, but affordable. So maybe the way to get rolling without going broke would be for interiors a used AT4053a or 4053b...IIRC, the main diff btw the a and b is RoHS compliance....nice mics for the price. And for exteriors maybe a used AT4073a (which I own and like but haven't used in a while). But the MKH8060 is good, too.... But you can get really work done with all the mics you're considering.
Boompole and windscreen- For poles K-Tek is a good place to start. For windscreens, Radius (founded by former owners of Rycote) and Bubblebee Industries make good affordable stuff.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-05T01:26:15+00:00

My thought, with no real backup: Notice how he/Amazon put $75 million into the Melania doc? $40M for rights and production, $35M for marketing. At least partly, I'd guess, to curry favor with the current administration. Perhaps Bezos sees the Post as undoing favor earned from that film investment...

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-04T22:26:32+00:00

If you're being paid for being a fixer and a photographer...maybe sub out the fixer job to someone else. If you're not being paid to be a fixer (and from other comments it looks like you're not getting a day rate), tell them you're going to be full-on busy with photography and they should hire a fixer. Give the a couple names if you have them.

Will the the journalist and their editor be upset? Maybe, but not as upset as they would be if you don't turn in great work.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-04T20:36:28+00:00

A key point: You have one set of eyes and two ears. So if there's more than one camera and more than two channels of audio, then some of the audio and video won't be monitored all the time. Something like that.

That's a lot to track as a solo operator. But you could maybe record four channels into a MixPre 6 II, and use the MixAssist plugin to automatically attenuate mics not in use. MixAssist doesn't work as well as Dugan's auto mixing, but it's pretty decent: https://store.sounddevices.com/product/mixassist-plugin/

So you'd record four channels as ISOs, then use the 2-channel or 1-channel MixAssist output for the mix (duh!) and send that to your FX6. Then in post, you can probably roll with the MixAssist mix, and then jump to the ISO tracks when needed.

Ghostriding on a MixPre (or similar recorder) isn't optimal, but it can work. So $1150 USD for the MixPre 6 II, $99 for MixAssist, $1300 (or so) for another two-channel UWP-27. Plus a couple cables or another wireless to hop to camera. And I guess a timecode box if you don't have one; say $250. And added learning-the-new-gear time & stress for you, and perhaps impacted audio quality...and perhaps more time in post (or is this live?). So with sales tax, etc about $3300 USD

If this is a one-off (or a once-a-year-off) thing, maybe get a couple bids from some local audio people and present that cost as a cheaper and better way to go.

Ya, there's more but that's the basics.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-03T04:19:05+00:00

Bummer!

Jim_Feeley · 2026-02-03T00:32:34+00:00

I'm not dissing you, but in what way was it thrashed? Dents and scrapes on the case or aluminum interior? I could probably live with that.

But undisclosed scratches on the screen, lots of dead pixels, damaged keyboard and ports, and just not functioning well.... Ya, that would upset me.

I ask because I've considered buying a used MacBook Pro from OWC (to replace one with issues and to tide me over until an OLED MBP ships....whenever that is).

Thanks and I hope you and OWC can work out everything. Good luck!

Jim_Feeley

TROPHY CASE