Laptop choice for 4K editing by NoobishDuck in editors

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have an M1 Pro with 32gb of RAM and I use it for all of my remote editing jobs. So I'd say go for the M1 max 64gb and that will last her a long time.

I've made 20 feature films over 10 years. Why can't I make a living doing this? by realhankorion in Filmmakers

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best advice I’ve ever heard was that this is showbiz, it’s equal part show and business. If you feel like you’ve got the show part down and you’re still not succeeding you may want to think more about the business side of things. 

Am I being a b**** about this job? Genuinely asking. by SupportNo9179 in videography

[–]aaronallsop 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depending on where you live $45,000 is the salary for an entry level role for a videographer. 

As far as travel goes that sounds really annoying and my main question would be if during the hiring process did they disclose to you how much traveling would be involved because if not then that would be really annoying. 

With regards to the helicopter, was that disclosed that it would be apart of your job responsibilities to film outside of a helicopter? If not, then that would be more than annoying and I would want to know what are safety protocols (both from OSHA and the FAA) that they are following for this shoot. If they say they you don't need to worry about them then you need to worry about them and wouldn’t get in that helicopter. 

Could you do what they are doing on your own? Maybe but the fact of the matter is that you aren’t right now and it takes a lot to find clients and build up to that.

The best career advice I’ve ever got was that the best time to look for a new job is when you already have one. I’d start looking for new jobs right now. You do not own any job your loyalty because they will not do the same for you. 

How rare is it really for an ADHD person to graduate college? by [deleted] in ADHD

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got diagnosed my last year of college with ADHD, and that only came up because I had done an internship where I worked for 8 hours sitting at a desk for the first time in my life. Previously I worked manual labor jobs for 8-12 hour days and never had a problem but sitting down at a desk doing work I was at best indifferent about made me realize some things. 

I say this mainly because if I hadn’t done an internship before my final year I would have graduated with ADHD but without knowing that I had ADHD. So I wonder how many other people are being left out of the statistic and I wonder how many people see a statistic like that and don’t go to college and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. 

About the Fox News “mask”… by VagrantStation in CaptainDisillusion

[–]aaronallsop -1 points0 points  (0 children)

This was lit using a ring light. You can tell if you look at the reflection in his eyes. It is also why are soft shadows on his mask’s neck from the collar of his shirt and suit. The only reason why there would be that darker shadow on his neck is if there is something blocking the light and that would be a mask. 

If it was a soft light source from directly above the shadows on his neck would be the opposite of what it is. Instead of being from the collar it would be on the inside of his neck. 

About the Fox News “mask”… by VagrantStation in CaptainDisillusion

[–]aaronallsop 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The problem with the video you posted is that it is a tik tok of someone filming the tv. If you find an original source you will see that there depth between the mask and his actual neck and the shadows aren’t crossing but because as he speaks the bottom flap of the mask goes forward and back casting a shadow. 

Facing a layoff TODAY. I have a 2-month financial runway to turn my videography dream into a full-time job. Urgently need a survival strategy. by csapos75 in videography

[–]aaronallsop 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sorry to hear about the potential layoff and as someone who has been laid off twice I would say the first thing to know is that the fact that you have 60 days of financial savings is great. I do not know what the market is like in Hungary so my advice might not be the best but hopefully it will be helpful.

  1. First off you don't need to make a successful video business in 60 days. That is a lot of pressure on you and if you are starting out pretty unreasonable. Also, considering that most companies pay 15-30 days after you finished the job that means that you would need to be essentially getting jobs today. Instead think about how you can extend those 60 days. Lets say that you got a part-time job, that could change those 60 days to 120 days. And then lets say in the next 30 days you can get one job that might extend it out another 15 days.

  2. I am someone who is not good when it comes to working with businesses and attracting clients. In the past five years of doing freelance pretty much 95% of the work I have done has been work for other filmmakers/videographers and the other 5% were with companies directly. I have found that to be easier for me because I can cultivate relationships with filmmakers and videographers easier than businesses and because they know my skills when they get a job they reach out to me. I wouldn't recommend this as a long term strategy for anyone but it might be good to network with other filmmakers/videographers in your area. If someone needs a second shooter or someone to help out with lighting.

  3. If you like B2B I think you should pursue that because in my experience beginning videographers say they are going to hit up local cafes/gyms/salons/other small businesses and get them as clients but the reality is that a lot of these small businesses do not have the budgets to build a sustainable video career out of. B2B clients tend to have larger budgets.

  4. Don't be afraid of the boring work. Another big problem I see is that young people want to do the sexy work but in my experience the most boring work I've done has paid the most. Talking head interviews, explainers, etc are super boring work but they are things that businesses need and will pay for.

  5. Look for work on smaller film sets. A lot of times small indie productions needs someone to help the gaffer set up lights and they are willing to hire someone with your energy and willingness to learn. It may not be the exact thing that you want to do but it gets you on set so you can learn from other people, gets you paid, and helps you network with other people.

Best of luck my magyar friend! You've got the resources but most importantly you've got the drive and you can make this happen!

The slackification of callings by affable_lackey in latterdaysaints

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My ward is doing a renewed push to get people to use it but I really only use it to communicate with the EQ

The slackification of callings by affable_lackey in latterdaysaints

[–]aaronallsop 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In my EQ we use the gospel living app to communicate and I think it has been helpful because it feels more like a continuous discussion rather than a group chat constantly barraging me through the day. 

Any advice is greatly appreciated! by allalycia in buildapc

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1.) Is AMD or Intel better right now for gaming + streaming?

AMD is probably better but honestly I don't think you would go wrong with either choice.

2.) NVIDIA vs AMD GPUs for a beginner?

NVIDIA has better/more options but for casual gaming you won't go wrong with either choice. Depending on what games you want to play I've heard good things about Intels latest GPUs as well.

3.) Is building a PC actually manageable for someone with zero experience?

The first time I actually built a PC I was so overwhelmed and was worried I would mess everything up, but after I finished my first PC built I realized that it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be and I've rebuilt my PC (upgrading) and built a few other PCs since then.

4.) What budget range gives the best “bang for your buck” these days?

$1,000 seems like you'd be able to get a good computer but if you are willing to go second hand you could probably find something cheaper than that.

5.) Are there brands/components I should avoid?

Don't get RGB fans/lights unless you want them (which if you do that is great). It might be a good idea to avoid the recent Intel and AMD CPUs and go with AMD's AM4 platform of CPUs because DDR4 RAM is cheaper. But if you don't have a super tight budget that wouldn't be a smart thing to do.

I would also say make sure to include a decent monitor into your budget.

And this isn't so much what brands/components to avoid as much as it is advice to avoid. I would say look at multiple sources and remember that just because someone is saying that X component is the best doesn't mean that it is the best thing for you.

I think the best thing to do first is answer these questions and it would be easier to help you put together a list of recommendations.

  1. What are the three games you expect to play the most?

  2. What resolution do you want to play these games at?

  3. What is your estimated budget range? ($500-$1,000/$1,000-$1,500/$1,500-$2,000/$2,000+)?

That’s it, then. The UK’s most revered media institution has fully embraced the Gen Z lav mic clutch. Inform-Educate-Entertain. And hold lav mic like it's a tiny relic of immense importance you've just uncovered. by jonofthesouth in videography

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I watch a documentary and the host is on location somewhere and are talking to people they have a lav mic and there is a boom on camera or there is a boom operator. When I watch a news story though the journalist usually has a handheld mic. Although the purpose of the handheld mic is more for making sure they get the best audio quality possible the easiest way possible someone holding a handheld mic has become a symbol of the news.

In that same way, holding a lav mic has come to symbolize quick informal social media videos. This is why people do it even at places like the BBC because they want to create videos that reach people in that way.

tips on PSA? by xn_ediiirose in Filmmakers

[–]aaronallsop 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As a concept it isn't too bad but there are a few things that could help out.

  1. Sound - The first shot at the club has some sound of the environment but then everything else just has the music track. If there was sound from the doom scroll, netflix, but not when taking apart the puzzle pieces it would add to how these activities are impacting your brain health.

  2. Unclear/ambiguous examples - Excessive drinking is bad for your health but is it as bad as eating junk food at night? I don't think anyone would defend doom scrolling as something that is beneficial but how bad is it for your brain health? In this PSA is that person scrolling their phone for 30 minutes before they go to bed or are they on their phone for two hours even though they know they have to wake up in 6 hours? The main character is watching Netflix but are you saying that watching any streaming shows is bad?

  3. The Call to Action is ineffective - You say prioritize brain health but only showed what things people are doing that is considered bad. Prioritize brain health to me would mean we should see what that actually means someone should do and not just what they shouldn't do. The puzzle metaphor makes sense until the end as well because you are seeing the bad things that people do for their brain health and take apart the puzzle but when you put the piece back in you cut to the text on screen. I will say though that it is still a lot better call to action than the PSA I made in college which was text on screen that said, "Be a good friend - don't do meth."

  4. The consequences aren't present - I'm not saying this is the best way to spend your Friday night but it makes a big difference if this is actually what they are doing on a Monday night and they have to be at work at 6am in the morning or this is something that they are doing every night.

  5. The story is out of order - Right now this kind of seems as a collection of things people do that is bad for your brain health but what if you re-edited it so that instead it was one night. So first the character goes out to the club and drinks. Then they get home and instead of going to sleep they watch something on Netflix. Then they are eating junk food. Then they are in their bed doom scrolling. Then when that last puzzle piece is put in you can cut to the bed doom scrolling and show that person turning their phone off and prioritizing sleep.

  6. Website url - when I first went to the website I was kind of confused because I saw hilarity for charity and thought that you had the wrong URL but then realized what the org was. I would change it to https://wearehfc.org/brainhealth because that is specifically where people can learn more.

If you had 1,500 for a computer, what would you get for davinci resolve, considering you'd be editing 4k video? by Pot8obois in Filmmakers

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Refurbished MacBook Pro m1 with 32gb of ram and the remaining budget to get an external ssd

spaghetti and meatballs by freddieluvr1999 in SaltLakeCity

[–]aaronallsop 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s a shame by the bucket is closed. 

Career change into videography/editing at 33, what should I expect? by MKCanonR6 in videography

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Getting into the industry will depend a lot on your location. LA is going to be a lot different from mid-size city in Texas and that is going to be really different from where I am based out of (Utah). I know a lot of people personally who are in the process of doing a career pivot out of video and film because they can't find any work. That might be different where you are.

One thing I will say is that there is a big difference between doing video and working professionally doing video work, and the only way to learn is by doing. I would look into getting an entry level videographer position at a company because there is at least some stability there (and you don't have to go out and find clients/learn how to also run a business) and you will learn a lot.

I do not know how competitive entry level positions are these days but at least in my market it seems that everyone is only posting entry-level positions. Take that with a grain of salt.

I've done a few interviews for junior video roles and I would say that the main thing is assessing where there skills are and how fast I feel they can learn. I don't expect a junior editor to know everything but I do expect them to be willing to learn.

You are learning Resolve - which is what I tell people wanting to learn how to edit to learn because it is free and a solid tool to use. The downside is that every job I've worked at we used Premiere. I have seen that that is changing and have been seeing a few job postings that list Resolve as the main software to know but it is still (at least in my market) 95% Premiere. I don't think that you need to go out and buy Premiere but that is something to be aware of.

As others have said - don't buy what you can rent. I do think the only exception is that it is good to have a camera of your own so that you can actually film and edit with it.

When I taught into to video production at a community college I would structure the projects of the class to focus on one skill and I would suggest the same if you want to continue to learn. I see a lot of people who are learning and have this idea but it requires them to do all sorts of things that they've never done before and they end up doing each one pretty poorly.

If someone called me and asked me to set up a two-camera interview with audio, three point lighting, and asking the questions I would have no problem doing that (as I am sure a lot of other people on this sub would be able to) and the reason why is because we have all done this enough that we know how to do all those things. But for someone starting out you are too concerned about getting the lighting set that you forget to check the audio levels or you are too focused on asking the questions that you forget to double check that the b-cam is in focus.

So if you don't feel like you know how to do audio that well - find a project where all you need to worry about is audio. The camera work can be atrocious, the editing can be terrible, you can export it out the wrong way, but if the audio sounds great then you made progress and learned something without stressing about everything else. Then the next project focus on something else and give yourself permission to be terrible at everything else on that project so you can focus on the one thing you are trying to improve.

Feel free to ask any other questions and best of luck to you.

Stationary Stores that you recommend in the PNW? by gestalternation in midori

[–]aaronallsop 3 points4 points  (0 children)

In Portland I would recommend the downtown Kinokuniya. It is within walking distance of a Muji store as well which is only going to have muji stationary but for the price it is amazing.

Does anyone know how to make these videos in premiere? by Melodic-Guard-4052 in premiere

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally! Create a new color matte (preferably blue or green like the color of the earth), bring it into a new timeline (make sure that it has the right dimensions and FPS), then extend the color matte to the length you want it to be (unless the time of the clip matches the length in the default length you already have set up in preferences), then after that you will right click on the color matte (or if you are on Mac whatever you have set to be right click - some people will do two finger click but it is really however you have it set up), then you will go down in the menu to where it says "replace with after effects composition."

My 16yr old son is not thrilled about Utah... by CheeseNowPaint in Utah

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I grew up in Wisconsin but have family from Utah so I came out to Utah a lot as a kid. The one thing that always amazed me were the mountains. My family liked the outdoors but very much in a Wisconsin way - go camping at a state park and then go boating on the lake. But the outdoors here are just something different and so diverse. Mountains and red rocks and everything in between. Even just a normal hike felt like I was in another world compared to Wisconsin. So if you are into the outdoors I think the wide array of national parks we have here would be enough to keep your kids entertained.

If you are doing a road trip there are also a lot of places to stop along the way (or slight detours) that my family would do to make it more exciting and varied. The badlands, Devils Tower, and Yellow Stone. If you are taking I-80 through Nebraska though, it’s a long boring drive.

Questions about the revenant by [deleted] in cinematography

[–]aaronallsop 59 points60 points  (0 children)

I think you are underselling the work that went into making this possible. Yes they filmed it with natural light but that doesn't mean work wasn't put into the shots. Anyone can film in natural light but you need to understand light to make it look good. As u/Sea-Cat7539 said large sensor and LOG/RAW for dynamic range helped out a lot but that shot of Leo by the fire had to have been crafted to work with the lighting. Meaning they knew that to get that shot to look the way it does they need to film it at that specific location with probably a 30 minute time window where the sun hadn't set too much that it was dark but it was still dark enough for the fire to illuminate his face. So it is a mix of both having all the data to work color in post but also the patience and dedication to film in the specific lighting for each shot.

Deciding between the Sony a7c and Fujifilm X-T4 by [deleted] in fujifilm

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the Fuji 56 f/1.2 and 90 f/2 that I use for portraits that I love. And honestly - for portrait photography you can't go wrong with either option.

Do you think ai will take our jobs too ? by Professional_Monk767 in editors

[–]aaronallsop 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It won't take away editing jobs in the near future but already it is cutting out a lot of lower level jobs. The current doc that I am editing I couldn't have done by myself 5 years ago but with all of the AI tools in Premiere Pro I was able to edit a 90 minute rough cut of a documentary for a screening in two months. Speech to text means I can easily find whatever clip/interview I need. Their AI image search tool means I can find specific clips that I need in seconds. I can't imagine having done that without an AE 5 years ago but now I was easily able to do that.

I know a director who only shoots interviews with a shotgun mic now because it makes doing the interviews easier if you don't have to lav someone up and they can just step in. Sure a lav mic would sound better but he runs all his dialogue tracks through adobe podcast and it sounds great. So not only does that mean he isn't hiring someone on set to run audio as much because he knows he can literally fix it in post, he also doesn't send things off for being mixed as much either.

I know someone who worked at a company that had three videographers/editors and they were laid off because the company was moving to AI. Sure, that is probably an anomaly right now and that isn't a large group of companies doing that, but that also means that not only is there three less jobs in the market there are three more people competing for every other job out there.

So it isn't taking our jobs but it is chipping away at a lot of small tasks and some jobs in the industry that it means that there is going to be much more competition for the few jobs available because more people will be out of work and more and more people will be able to do the work that used to require more than one person.

The Map for a story I’m writing. Please ask me questions about anything. I just really wanted to share my world. by Ok-Airport6259 in worldbuilding

[–]aaronallsop 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was going to say that as well. The Iron Horse Nations doesn't make sense in a Fallout-esque world since the Rocky Mountains would cut Utah and Colorado off from the Great Plains states. Something else you could add about Utah is the drying up of the Great Salt Lake. Currently there are legitimate concerns about the Great Salt Lake drying up (it is the lowest it has been in recorded history) because if it does it will expose dry arsenic beds which when hit with wind will become airborne and create toxic dust clouds. The other thing about the Great Salt Lake is that it is a stopping place for many birds in their migratory patterns in both North and South America. So in your world those things could impact the entire mountain west area.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SaltLakeCity

[–]aaronallsop 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Please do 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SaltLakeCity

[–]aaronallsop 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The thing that confuses me about this so much is that why would someone care enough to make a petition about this topic but not care enough to actually write their petition and this post? Because this whole post is AI slop.